bowled over

I found these cute little tiny bowls at Smitten (Route One in Wiscasset, ME).
I love how there is a cute pattern inside the dish as well as outside. I've put them in the studio and will probably put tacks/pushpins in one and some other little doodads in the other. I decided I could get basic office supply holders at the office supply store, but I'd rather look at something cute or pretty. Just had to share them with you!

Thanksgiving! and a story or two

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving; so "Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!" On the work front, this week I've done a few bits of client work and it's pretty slow because of the holiday. My holiday cards aren't selling; so I'm hoping it's just because it's still early yet. Fingers are crossed! I'm working on a birth announcement and some custom notecards so I'm at least having fun with those.
I never spoke much about our Curacao trip...so I will say that it was a lot of fun and involved a lot of sun exposure...I also read 7 books and did a lot of laying around. I think I have been so exhausted with everything that has happened with my health and our "issues" this year and I just needed to get lost in another world for a while (hence all the laying around and reading). I finally feel clear-headed and ready for life again. When our plane landed in Miami we had to rush to make our connecting flight to JFK. As we got on the elevator, a man rushed in at the last second. The doors shut leaving the three of us alone. The guy was behind us and started to talk to us (in a familiar voice) saying that he would bet money we were coming back from our honeymoon. I turned around smiling and said "naw, that was over 2 years ago...I'm sorry you'd have lost your bet...but we definitely like the compliment." I realized then that I was chatting with Joe Pantoliano. (has been in a bazillion tv shows and movies and is also popular for his work in "The Sopranos."
We exchanged jokes and jibes until the elevator doors slid open and we each rushed off to our destinations. What an outgoing and energetic man! Living in northern New England, I have never actually been near a celebrity like this before much less talk to one so it was a bit of a thrill. It feels funny even talking about it since he's just a regular person. But I talk about him like I've seen some sort of zoological treasure. Like "I've never seen a three-toed sloth IN PERSON before...Wow!" Anyway, the encounter added some extra interest to an otherwise dull day of plane travel. Speaking of seeing animals...we saw a cayote behind our house the other day walking along the edge of the treeline. It seemed to be looking right into our house. Peeping friggin' tom. It didn't look rabid or sickly or anything so I knew it wouldn't QUITE maul me when I tried to go outside...but still. It made me remember that there are dangerous things in the woods and going for a walk alone on that path would probably never be the best idea. I saw a fawn and a momma deer the other day in that same spot and my mind creates all of these sad scenarios between predator and prey. What I don't know won't hurt me. Anyhoo, I'll check back in another day or so, friends, after I've stuffed myself with food tomorrow in honor of the harvest and of all of our blessings.

Animal love...

I totally forgot to mention that I was featured on Domino Magazine's website in their gallery section for affordable art. The gallery I was featured in focuses on animals. Thanks to Holly Becker from the Decor8 blog for adding me to her list! Check it out here. Have a great weekend everyone!

Florence: The Bad

In light of the fact that this blog is about my personal AND creative life I need to vent a little bit about the last day of our trip in Florence. I woke up that morning to discover I was having an apparent miscarriage. We'd happily found out we were pregnant again not long before the trip, so I was a bit nervous each day. The nurse at the practice I go to here at home had warned me saying that if I saw even the slightest speck of blood to go to the emergency room. She was nervous due to our experience with the cornual ectopic pregnancy I had back in May (you can read about that experience here); and thought the odds were higher for a dangerous ectopic again. I was scared something bad would happen to me in a foreign country where I didn't know the procedures or speak the language. Anyway, when I saw the blood I panicked. We ran to the front desk where they got us a cab to take us to the "English speaking" hospital. Well, when we got there we couldn't find anyone who spoke English (which I can understand in a regular hospital...but I thought people were able to speak some English at the "English speaking" hospital which was the reason we'd asked to go there). We couldn't read the signs or figure out where to go once inside. I was in a crying frenzy and we felt so confused. Anyway, eventually we found a nurse who I managed to communicate with via Charades and gestures. She found one doctor who spoke English and we were off...they hooked me to an iv and took a bunch of blood. The next thing we know, he was explaining that an ambulance was going to take us to a "gynecological hospital" where they had the right equipment. So, I get strapped to this gurney and covered in blankets and whisked into the ambulance. Still crying and in a panic I still couldn't tell what anyone was saying...and then the sirens came on. I thought "are you kidding me?!" We jetted through the streets of Florence for about 10 minutes...I had to guess that the shocks were out in that vehicle because I swear I felt every cobblestone and pothole we went over. Anyway, at the next hospital we found that most of the staff didn't speak a lick of English there (which we'd assumed), so I was doing a lot of gesturing and sign language to get across what was happening. They wheeled me into this sort of open area with an exam table and an ultrasound machine. It was the sort of room anyone in the hospital would have to pass through to get to other rooms so I felt like I was on display. To my relief, the doctor spoke enough English where we could understand each other and my exam began. It was HORRIBLE. There was so privacy, no private exam room, no gown to put on, no sheet to cover me. NOTHING. I had 3 nurses staring at me, and not at my face. Which I imagined would be the scene one day when I have a baby, but not NOW! And they all looked horrified at the grisly scene and ended up putting a METAL BUCKET under me where I sat at the edge of the table. I felt like some sort of cow.
Of course, the ultrasound showed nothing and he told me what I already knew, but confirmed it was not ectopic. One nurse could see the fear and panic in my face as I shook and cried...she came over to me and stroked my arm and my hair and said soothing words I didn't understand. That simple gesture made me feel so much better. Later, we were released and wandered out in the daylight to find it was raining and we had no idea where we were. Hmm. No coats, no umberellas, and a crying Megan. We shuffled through the streets trying to get to a main drag or someplace that looked like taxis would frequent. Finally, we found a taxi stand at a different hospital and the whole ordeal was done. The good part? From start to finish I was back at the hotel and resting in 2 hours. It was quick, efficient, and to the point. It wasn't what I'd planned for our last day, but that's what we got. I know now that the pregnancy never really progressed past implantation and that is the thought I cling to. It was all a "routine miscarriage" as they say, except this experience was anything but routine for a girl from a small New England town! Anyway, onward and upward. Two pregnancies down, hopefully the third time is the charm, right? I have learned that anything can happen. The third may not work out either. Or it could. I always thought that I might be the one to beat the odds and have a healthy normal pregnancy right away and now I realize that trying for a child is a solemn thing that cannot be planned, predicted or controlled. There is no fairness involved; only the hope that someday it will all work out for the best. Thanks for letting me vent!

Florence:The Great!

We went to Florence for 5 days and it was amazing. It was always a lifelong dream of mine to see Florence and it's artistic and architectural treasures...And it did not disappoint! We also indulged in a lot of food and wine to boot! There was so much we saw and most we weren't allowed to take pictures of. But we saw the famous sculpture David, saw the Medici Chapels (the hidden Michelangelo drawings have been closed to the public for 3 years now...which I DID NOT know so I was quite bummed about that), ate a ton of food, climbed the Bell Tower of the Duomo (all 400-something steps), toured the Boboli Gardens, saw the Pitti Palace and the costume exhibit there, shopped, went to the Uffizi Gallery (amazing and amazing!), walked on the Ponte Vecchio, saw the tombs of Michelangelo and Gallileo, toured many amazing churches and saw many precious frescos, perused many museums and went to the nearby town of Fiesole and toured the Etruscan ruins there. My favorite parts of the trip were climbing the bell tower and seeing "The Birth of Venus" in person at the Uffizi. The views in Florence were so amazing. The Italian countryside is so breathtaking. I took a gazillion photos (well, some number close to that) and picked some stand-outs to put in a slide show so you can get a sample of some of our sights. See the slideshow here. The weather was quite gloomy or rainy a good portion of the time, but that didn't seem to stop us at all. This city is not one for the lazy person...if you are going there be sure to have lots of energy and be ready for little rest!

Home!

Hello everyone! We are back home from our travels...and now I am getting caught up and getting my bearings. Florence and Curacao were a blast...it was so great learning all I could about these places and soaking in the cultures. It was a lifelong dream so see Florence in person and it was so incredible. I'll be sure to post more soon and show some photos (once I weed through and pick some favorites). I loved traveling but was starting to get a little homesick at the end. In other news, as I'd promised, I just posted my holiday cards for sale on my Etsy shop...get 'em while they're hot! I'll be back soon with tales from our trips and other bits. I hope everyone has been well and it's lovely to see you!

A new package

Here is the packaging that I'll be using for my holiday card sets. (you can click on the image to see it larger) I'm calling them "Presslings Parcels." I liked the idea of marrying a crafty/vintage look with modern labels. I'm using brown paper lunch bags and wrapping the cards in them. The flap of the lunch bag is held down with a long sticker made from patterned Florentine paper. It goes across the back and wraps around to peek into the front. There is also a label sticker on the front giving the name of the card set. I also decided to stay away from a red and green color scheme just because I wanted the packaging to be different than the expected. So, here I'm using a wintry blue with a gold.
This is my last post for a few weeks as Chris and I are off to Florence, Italy and then to the island of Curacao (next to Aruba). We decided life is short so we figured we'd use his sabbatical time for travel (and also our last big travels alone before we have children). My card sets will be for sale on November 10th and ready to ring in the holidays. I have lots of plans for my work in the future, so stay tuned! I'll post a few favorite pictures of our travels when we return. Thanks to Lynn for house-sitting for us, we appreciate it so much! Have a great couple of weeks and I'll be seeing you in this space soon! Ciao!

The Gifts of Giving

One of three designs from my letterpressed holiday cards for 2007 on sale in my shop on November 10. These are to come in sets of 10 cards with coordinating red envelopes. Pressed on Crane's Lettra: soft cotton thick paper. Size folded: 3.5" wide x 4.875" high.

Joy!

One of three designs from my letterpressed holiday cards for 2007 on sale in my shop on November 10. These are to come in sets of 10 cards with coordinating green envelopes. Pressed on Crane's Lettra: soft cotton thick paper. Size folded: 3.5" wide x 4.875" high.

Season's Sweetings

Front of card (envelope in background)
Image shows front of card on the right and back of card on the left
Message on the inside of card:
Detail of the candy cane on front of card:
One of three designs from my letterpressed holiday cards for 2007 on sale in my shop on November 10. These are to come in sets of 10 cards with coordinating green envelopes. Pressed on Crane's Lettra: soft cotton thick paper. Size folded: 3.5" wide x 4.875" high.

Camden, Maine

Hi all! Sorry I've been M.I.A. We took a few days to hang out in Maine...we drove up Route 1 and stopped in Wiscasset for lunch. We went to an amazing store called "Smitten" there...it had the best home decor items...I bought a few treats which I'll have to share in mid November when we return home. (We are going to Florence, Italy the day after tomorrow and then off to Curacao for beach time...but I digress) We then finished our trip in Camden where we stayed at a favorite Inn called the Whitehall Inn. The beds there are to die for. After some wandering and sight-seeing we then made our way back home (first stopping in Port Clyde for some photo ops). As always, it was fun to be back in my home state! Until tomorrow! Here are some photos from the gazillion I took:
Smitten: The store I loved!
Wallpaper in our room:

Corners of the studio: Tour

Just wanted to share some a few more details of the new studio space:
First is the area where I cut stacks of paper and the storage holder for some of my finished stationery and invitation samples.
Here's the little cafe table and chairs that now serve as my desk area where I can sit and brainstorm, paint, sketch, and draw. I like a clean desk surface for that and this fits the bill...especially when the mood seems to strike in an unplanned manner.
A collection of things on the window ledge...a chicken figure with a head that bobbles when you tap it (my friend Jim gave it to me as a souvenir from Cozumel, Mexico) ...an orange i-pod case...my favorite packaging which happens to be for a gourmet chocolate bar...a weird piece of wood where I practiced carving flowers with a wood burner...
A pulled-out version of the above picture. So far there's just a photo on the bulletin board...of my second-grade class in 1985. If you see the large version of the photo, you might be able to make out that board behind us says "Handsome Turkeys" since it was almost Thanksgiving at that time. My print apron is to the right. The yellow paper is Paper-Source solid wrapping paper. The white silk paper is flocked...I liked the fuzzy yellow pattern. (mentioned in an earlier post)
Here's where the edge of my studio meets the rest of the basement. The weather man is on the tv back there. The cabinet in the left/front holds all my letterpress materials.
This is a vintage drafting table with a built-in light box I got from a man nearby who is retiring from printing in his late 70s. He's incredibly interesting and so nice. I bought my wood type from him.
Here's the view of the covered insulation...it used to be ugly metal and now this is how it looks. The black/purple item to the left of the window is a Mardis Gras mask given to me by my grandmother many years ago. The left cabinet holds all of my oil painting and watercolor supplies.
Here's the green vintage chair I got almost 6 years ago at the Salvation Army for 8 bucks. It was perfectly clean and brand-new looking and I liked the color. I finally have somewhere for it to live now! The ottoman is a touch my husband added...it goes with his grandfather's leather chair (which is upstairs in the office) The clock above the doors is from Ikea...it looks like the classic schoolhouse clock. The bookcases aren't finished being filled...my old license plate from Maine is on the bottom left bookcase. It was a surprise from my Dad...but that's a story for another day.

Done! (pretty much)

The art studio is pretty much completed! I still have to finish decorating and moving in, but all my supplies and materials are put away and I'm ready to get back to it. Thought I would post some before and after photos to show the difference. The studio is in a part of our basement...and it would be huge money to have it finished by adding walls, ceiling, etc. since it's so huge and all kinds of other issues...so we decided to fix it up as best we could despite all that. We sealed/primed and painted the cement walls and I covered up the insulation with pretty wrapping paper (as noted in the earlier post). We got all new furniture (thanks Ikea!!) and I'm so thrilled with the outcome. We decided we were sick of "making do" in an ugly basement and realized we could do something about it. It's not perfect, but much better than the pit of destruction that was once there. I have to make it my own now. Next... to print all my holiday cards! I'll post more photos of the studio tomorrow here and on my flickr site. Have a great night!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

My flock

Well, it's hard finding the exact paper I wanted to cover the insulation panels in my studio. Everything was either over the moon expensive or out of stock. ARG! I was in Paper-Source last night and found this silk paper that is flocked with this curry yellow pattern. I didn't see it on the online shop though. I bought a sheet to test it out and see if it could be seen through when placed on our silver insulation (and you can't...Yay!) so I think I will go ahead and buy several sheets. Since we aren't putting up walls (i.e. "finishing" the basement) I need a way to make it look more inviting and cozy in my work space down there. We need one more coat of paint and then I'll install the sheets of paper over the silver panels on either side of the window...the silver reflective surface is not my idea of inviting. I also bought some curry-colored solid wrapping paper to layer in if needed...which I think it will. Well, off to get back to work! Have a great day!
P.S. The show "Wicked" was really good! It got a little too shmaltzy during some parts which made me want to poke my eye out, but other than that I enjoyed it.

mmmmmMilk

We went to the farmstand near our house over the weekend to get fresh corn and I grabbed this glass bottle of coffee milk. I'm sad it's gone, but I can just bring the bottle back and have it refilled recycled/reused. I love having coffee milk and love the syrup...it's so tasty. Friends tell me that it's a New England thing and that you can't get the coffee milk syrup just anywhere. But I don't know; it seems hard to believe that. The basement studio area is cleaned out, primed, and my husband put on the first coat of paint this morning. Tomorrow will see the second coat of paint. Who knows when our furniture will arrive; I'm guessing it will be next week...in the meantime I will be printing my holiday cards down there amongst the mayhem. I'm also looking for decorative papers and accessories for the space and all the little things that will make it "mine." Maybe I will post some fun things I find on this blog and share the discoveries. I'm off for now, we are going into Boston to see the show "Wicked" this evening. Have a great day!

Inspiration

Today as a little inspiration bit: a favorite photo I found on flickr belonging to wikstenmade. Her photos are very inspirational for me: lots of colors and textures to see. This photo is a favorite of mine...I just love the colors in it. We all have favorite photos that call out at us, and this one grabbed me right away. She has a great blog too! Check it out. She's very talented and her clothes are just gorgeous; featured in her etsy shop too.

Am working today to clear up the basement studio area because it is actually being furnished and redone. We spent yesterday at Ikea (our first time!) rounding up the elements from the kitchen section that I want in my studio. Everything needs to be counter height...and today I picked out a robin's egg blue to go on the cement walls. We are going for a more industrial look down there since we aren't putting in walls right now. Anyway, I'll post before and after photos when applicable. Off to clean the walls and get going on the primer!

cool shop

By the time we found this cool shop on the Vineyard it was closed for the evening. Darn! And since we were only there for the day I never got to see it. It's called "Mix". I'll have to go back and make sure to see this shop first! I loved the great set in the window and the amazing blanket...you'll have to click to view the image larger...such a great pattern!!
Mix
6 Main Street
Vineyard Haven
Martha's Vineyard
02568
Tel: 508 693 8240