Imprintable

I wanted to share a few new imprintables that have just come out.

At The Alter for all those summer brides.

Crazy Critters for the Birthday tots.

Precious Love for all the chic Mom-to-Be's.

Spring Fever

For one brief shining moment on Saturday, we had a glimmer of Spring in Brooklyn. The sky was a glorious Brooklyn blue, and everyone was out; the stroller brigade, the dog walkers, the love birds holding hands, and the runners in their shorts and T-shirts. You could feel the spring fever. John and I got way too excited and headed to the beach. Of course by the time we got there it was no longer as sunny and getting cold. Still, we took a nice long walk on the beach and boardwalk, and stopped to feed the seagulls. We also took some 30 Week belly pictures, introducing Chickpea to the ocean. We can only hope that he or she will love the beach as much as we do.

Artful Words from Eric Carle

image © Eric Carle. Join in celebrating

"When I start a book it's a lot of fun. After a while it is work, then it becomes labor. Towards the end it feels like slavery! After I have delivered the finished illustrations to the publisher, I become sad. But when I see the printed book, I am happy again!"

Step Away

image © Lion Brand Yarn. learn to knit.

In the Ted talk that I posted on Wednesday, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about taking creativity out of ourselves. Basically unburdening ourselves with the responsibility that it is part of us. She calls on you to think about creativity as a muse that sits in the corner of your studio, or maybe within its walls. I love this idea. If you are working like a professional, you are showing up at your desk everyday. Undoubtedly there will be days when the ideas don't flow, when no matter how hard you try, it just. wont. gel. These are the days, Gilbert says, you can turn to your muse and say (and I'm paraphrasing) "I'm showing up. I'm doing the work. If you want this to be good, I'm going to need some extra stardust." And if your muse happens to be busy at that moment, well then you have to step away. This is what happened to me yesterday, my project was just. not. working. I thought I had a good concept, but it was falling apart in the execution. I was going to a bad place in my mind, so I decided to step away. I walked over to the yarn store, and bought a pound of sunny yellow yarn for another project. I was so excited about it, that I started knitting as soon as I got home, and magically, I was no longer in that bad place. My mind was still working on the solution to that original project, and hopefully my muse was as well, because I'll be sitting down on Monday to solve it, and I'll need the extra stardust.
PS - I just started knitting. It's a story for another post. I'll photograph my project next week.

A different way to think about creative genius

Bridal Party

With Spring right around the corner (yipee) Bridal Showers will be in full swing soon. This little card is available to shower all those brides with well wishes.

Artful Words from Janeen Koconis (KOCO)

KOCO NY Journal, available here

Don't underestimate the big message a small card can contain, she says.

"Really, what's happening at its most profound level is that (a) folded piece of paper is allowing for a link or a bridge or a connection between the person sending and the person receiving it," Koconis says.

"So I think that what's possible with a greeting card is really incredibly profound," she says, "because it's going to that core place, that core part of our humanity."