It's not that I'm too busy...

I'm just really bad at keeping up with this. Can't believe that I haven't written here since December, so I'm going to make a bulleted list (fancy!) of everything I can think of that's happened since my last post.

• The Cheverly Community Market Holiday Market was great -- I was thrilled. It was nice to be back at the market as a vendor, especially after years of working as a manager. Thanks to everyone who bought handmade this winter! I need to get back to making stuff.

•  We had a mostly great visit with my mom (except for the part where she was in the hospital for five days), who came in time for the Christmas Pageant -- Paul was a Wise Man, and he started a new tradition: the fist-bumping Wise Men. I also heard that he removed his crown several times to shake out his hair. Magic.

• Work has started on this year's Cheverly Day. I'm in charge of the web and PR stuff again. The team of people who work on this event every year is amazing and I'm proud to be part of it!

• Maggie is in the school musical, getting ready for her second piano recital, and has made straight As again. She is smarter than all of us combined. I will stay on her good side.
• Paul was accepted to his two top choices for high school (I'm not saying which ones -- that's his news.) All that work (and all those tears) paid off! Now he just needs to decide...
• Charles continues to do very cool things. TONE has been playing out a lot, and Night Streets has done a few shows as well. And the tea mines are still humming along, too.

The only person who doesn't really have a lot going on (well, except for Cheverly Day, yearbook, and a few design projects) is me. But that perception may just be a result of being sick for nearly three weeks. That can color your outlook...it's made me feel like an invalid. Also, having an eye exam so you can order really cool glasses, only to discover that you need progressive lenses (because you're old) and those hip glasses are now out of your reach. I am going to the doctor for a physical for the first time in a decade tomorrow. Yes. A decade. I've always thought that doctors are really for when you're sick, and, with the exception of pneumonia two years ago and the occasional cold/flu, I've been remarkably healthy. But I'm careening toward 50 and events of the past three years haven't killed me, so I guess it's time to stare down that physical. 

This growing old stuff is for the birds.

Sneak Preview: more new work

I've been busy getting ready for Holiday Market at Cheverly Community Market this Saturday, and thought I'd share a few of the new items I'll have this weekend.

 There's a lot more, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you on Saturday if you're in Cheverly, or on Etsy very soon!

pricklygirl art+craft at Cheverly Community Market on December 13

I'll be returning to Cheverly Community Market -- as a vendor for the first time -- at Holiday Market, 8am to noon on Saturday, December 13. I have been part of Cheverly Community Market since it began in 2008, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Market from the vendor's side this weekend.

I'll bring unique, handmade modern accessories, including one-of-a-kind decoupage under glass plates and bowls, handknit items for all ages, and small matted photographic prints of some of the gorgeous produce you’ve seen at Cheverly Community Market over the years. pricklygirl art+craft has been featured in galleries in Chicago, suburban Philadelphia, and Silver Spring, as well as art magazines and private collections throughout the United States. My knitwear is a treasured gift and is frequently used in photo shoots, so I'm glad to finally share it with people in person! 

I'll also have some of my award-winning produce photos, which have been shown in Washington, DC, and have been featured in magazines and on websites celebrating the intersection of food and art.

Hope to see you at Cheverly Community Market this Saturday!

More new stuff in the works...

More new plates coming to pricklygirl art + craft in the next few weeks... I've got two finished (posting on the shop next week), and a bunch in various states of completion. Anything you'd like to see in the shop? I'm always open to suggestions (in fact, a few years ago, I even made a baby in utero plate for a friend...)

Really, if you are looking for something specific, let me know!

There are also lots of new hats in the way for LuckyKid HandKnits, as well as some kid socks and, possibly, a few other items. We shall see...

In the meantime, it wouldn't be Halloween without the return of one of my favorites, the skeletal conjoined twins. This is a very special piece and it takes hours to cut the images, so I don't offer this one often.

Happy Halloween!

More Etsy news: I should have done it this way all along :)

It's really hard to explain how skeletons on plates and hand knit baby hats make a cohesive shop, so I've finally decided to split the two parts of my work world into two Etsy shops. I should have done it that way from the start. I didn't. Live and learn.

Anyhow, I hope you'll visit my newest place on Etsy -- LuckyKid HandKnits -- and see the hats I've been working on when I'm not working on those skeletons and owls and fish and flowers at pricklygirl art + craft. More coming to both Etsy shops soon!

At long last: New work up on Etsy

I'm very happy to announce that, at long last, I have new work up on Etsy! Handknit hats are coming soon, but today, it's all sorts of good stuff for Halloween and Fall giftgiving!

Road trips and reunions and renewal.

Midwestern Rust

That's what I've been doing. Kids go back to school in just over a week and I'm looking forward to moving back into plate work -- I don't like to have kids around when I'm spray painting, sanding, etc. because they might like to be adults with fewer neurological issues some day. I have all sorts of things cut out...

 They're coming back :)

I've done some regular stuff, too.

We had a great road trip to the Midwest for a family reunion -- mostly smaller roads. I have a fantasy about opening a small restaurant locally that would only do midwestern foods. Name it Dubuque or Duluth? I have a rich inner life, I suppose...

Anyhow, Autumn is coming soon (not soon enough for me, maybe too soon for you)... I'm ready to get back to work!