3 days, 14 hours, & 48 minutes until the CRAFTY WONDERLAND SUPER COLOSSAL HOLIDAY SALE! I'll be selling these dreamy post earrings for $16 each or 2 for $25. The perfect sparkly stocking stuffer!
RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/407651826091960/
New Portland magnets
I'm back from my annual 2-week Nebraska trip. I had a great time but I'm so happy to be back in PDX. I missed this city so much! Today I'm making a new version of my Portland magnet. These guys will be available soon in a few local shops! I'll keep ya all posted.
Terrarium Necklaces
Made some teeny tiny sphere terrarium pendant necklaces! Moss, gold flecks, seashells, chards of glass, & a few different sands. I will be selling these at Saturday's Crafty Wonderland Spring Sale.
A Tea Leaf goodies
A Tea Leaf goodies for the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale goodie bags! The show is this Saturday at the Oregon Convention Center!
Sunny & Swell
What a BEAU-TI-FUL morning we have here in Stumptown. I enjoyed the sunshine on my way over to Crema. I thought I would share some of the rays that are shining in the office.
I signed up for a DailyBooth account the other day. Do feel free to add me as a friend on there. In the past I've been kinda hesitant to sign-up but after moseying around a lil' bit and viewing other users silly faces I was persuaded. DailyBooth is basically like a visual journal. It's a place where you can upload and share portraits of yourself on a daily basis. Pretty fun concept, eh??
The last three days I have been blaring (at least twice a day) the new She And Him album, 'Volume Two'. My husband would say he can vouch for this. He doesn't have the nerdy obsession for Zooey as I do. And hey that's okay. The album is not released yet– won't be until March 23rd. Thanks to NPR's website you can stream it! Take a gander here.
Wait, wait! Don't leave yet. I know, you're about to think... tl, dr. BUT I have some very thrilling news.
I was accepted into Crafty Wonderland's Super Colossal Spring Show! It will be at the Oregon Convention Center on May 1st and 2nd. Be sure to mark your Google Calendar, iCal, Moleskine, etc. It's going to be glorious... 200 vendors with their handmade goodness. Keep posted on Crafty Wonderland's site.
Last but not least... I have drawn a new kitchen herb. May I present Nutmeg.
Nutmeg print :: 8” x 10” :: View in Etsy Shop
"Nutmeg is usually associated with sweet, spicy dishes — pies, puddings, custards, cookies and spice cakes. It combines well with many cheeses, and is included in soufflés and cheese sauces. In soups it works with tomatoes, split pea, chicken or black beans. It complements egg dishes and vegetables like cabbage, spinach, broccoli, beans, onions, and eggplant."
I found a photo of the actual fruit. I'm amazed of the dried "lacy" reddish covering of the seed... I see a resemblance to human capillaries.
Giveaway is getting a lil bit sweeter
My first ever giveaway is getting a lil' bit sweeter. Now you can win 2 prints of mine– Coriander & Poppy Seed!
I'm also extending it. The winner will be now contacted and announced on Monday, November 9th.
To win all you have to do is write a comment below, along with your name and an email address!
New Earrings, Giveaway, & Etc.
Oh my! I haven't written a blog post since October 12th! Here's a quick run-through of the latest.
New Earrings... October Nights and Black Kitten's Green Eyes are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.
My Dill drawing of my Herb Series is featured in an Etsy Treasury called Dill or Sweet. They can't be beat! Click here to view.
On Sunday, November 8th I will be selling my art and jewelry at Crafty Wonderland. More info here!
I'm doing my very first give-away on here! I will be giving away an 8" x 10" print of my Poppy Seed drawing!
There are 2 ways to win:
- Send a tweet on Twitter with the hashtag: #atealeaf. Maybe something like: "Hoping to win this awesome print: http://tinyurl.com/poppyseed! #atealeaf". I'll watch the hashtag and automatically register you for the contest.
- Or register using Facebook. All you have to do is invite 10 friends to become fans of the A Tea Leaf Facebook fanpage here. Once you've done that just let me know in the comments below and I'll register you to win.
The winner will be contacted and announced on Friday, November 6th.
New Earrings & Mint drawing
It's Friday! Woo-hoo!
Well it's just about over with, isn't it? I'm staying home this evening due to feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully things turnaround with the help from hot tea. I mean come on, who wants to be sick over the weekend? Surely not I.
I don't know if you noticed but 2 new sets of earrings made their way into my Etsy shop yesterday. I'm having so much fun using these little twig beads that I acquired awhile ago.
Float on Clouds - Earrings - View in Etsy Shop
One More Song - Earrings - View in Etsy Shop
Lastly, a new plant is added to my Herb Series! I've been pretty anxious to post this one.
Mint - 8" x 10" Print - View in Etsy Shop
Well that's all for now. I'm gonna kick back with a steamy cup of Chamomile tea, snuggle with my cat, and watch a movie borrowed from a friend. Hope all you lovelies have good weekend and enjoy that crisp Autumn air.
Home Sweet Home
Ah Portland. It's so incredibly good to see you again.
Flying high above layers of cotton candy clouds and thinking fondly about my Nebraska trip.
My trip to Nebraska was pretty... pretty... pretty good. *throwin' in a Larry David reference.* I wish there was enough time to see everyone though. I was always on the go- riding in a car to Lincoln, Columbus, Nebraska City, and Omaha. My trip included visiting with my family, in-laws, & a few friends. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to see them. And for that matter, so thankful to be able to be a part of my best friend's special day, her wedding. Just you wait, I'll be posting pictures very soon!
Enjoying the sunset, drawing in my sketchbook, and anxiously waiting for my connecting flight to PDX.
I will also be posting some snaps of my most recent doodles and sketches very soon. I've been working on two sketchbooks at the same time. Silly, I know.
Well I would love to share more about my Nebraska trip, but I've got to get going here. So much stuff to catch up on! See ya on Friday.
BRB!
Heading out to The Good Life state. Be back in a jiffy. Enjoy this photo of my pal Jennie while I'm away.
Photo Credit: quietless.com
Standard Movement Glass Bubble Magnets
New item in the Shop!
Standard Movement Glass Bubble Magnets
Each set includes 3 large glass bubble magnets that include a portion of a mixed media artwork print of my Standard Movement series.
August Video
Finally got around to making my August video. Woot.
Last Thursday on Alberta
When my husband & I visited Portland for the first time, we checked out all of it's awesome neighborhoods, including Alberta. I fell in love with it's telephone poles covered in show posters, it's street art, and it's quaint art store Collage.
A street art find on my first visit to Portland, back in Fall of 2007.
A few months after moving here we learned about and checked out Alberta's monthly event, Last Thursday. It was so awesome to see such a lively event for blocks and blocks. Food, unique art, live & obscure music are definite staples of the experience.
My wish to participate and sell my handmade goods and art is going to be a reality! I will be joining 2 other artisans, Little Bear and Camp Smartypants this Thursday evening (which happens to be tomorrow). So if you are in the area, definitely stop by and make an appearance. I love meeting fresh faces. Also, if you have a minute do check out Little Bear and Camp Smartypants' Etsy shops.
Oregon State Fair
Over Labor Day weekend my hubby & I hit the open road. We decided to make our way down to Salem for some Oregon State Fair action. Those galoshes that I received for my birthday came in handy for sure, walking around those muddy fairgrounds. We both had cravings for some prime, deep-fried, fair food. We chowed down on corndogs and elephant ears. I took a lot of snaps of amusement rides and game booths for inspiration for a current project of mine. Maybe I'll share them at a later date with you. I feel like I'm about to bombard you with other snaps that I took. Subject... Oregon State Fair animal cuteness & silliness.
There were so many bunnies, I wanted to take a nose-scrunchin' character home with me. This furball stuck out among them, he's a French Angora rabbit. It was as if my Ragdoll cat was transformed into a hare.
What is there not to love about an Alpaca?! Look at those ears! I got some good footage of him munchin' for my September documentary video.
So I learned that this lil' guy is a Pygmy goat. He was under 2 feet tall! I've kept my distance away from goats, due to a past incident. A traumatic incident of a goat chasing & bucking me at camp when I was 8. We'll let this one fly under the radar.
This one I couldn't resist submitting it to Cute Overload. Check out that dopey lower lip!
Okay, last one... I posted a short clip on Flickr. *Suspense*
Now I gotta do some "getting ready for this weekend's Crafty Wonderland" work this evening.
Standard Movement Series Pendants
It's Friday and you know what that means... new arrivals in the ATeaLeaf Etsy shop! And I have a special surprise for you all. You can now choose the artworks you would like for your wearable. It gets a little bit sweeter too: not just one side, but two!
Standard Movement Series Pendants
Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!
Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!
Tomorrow (Friday)
Tomorrow something new will be making an appearance in the ATeaLeaf shop. Something that you personally have some say in. Do check back at 6:00am PST.
00016 - Western White Clematis
Introducing my 16th piece of my series, Standard Movement.
00016 - Western White Clematis – Click here or image above to purchase a print
To begin with, the oval frame. My thoughtful Godparents found it at an antique store. They are so sweet. As many of you know, I love bubbled glass. Who doesn't? I love how it enhances my imaginative 2-D world. Next, something new this time around. I usually use vintage paper for the main background, in this case I used fresh, crisp ledger paper. I wanted this work to be much simpler than the last, so I left a lot of white space and added fewer textile pieces which represent orbs. I incorporated a white flowering plant that I discovered on a walk to Portland's striking St. Johns bridge. The plant caught my eye with it's showy seedheads.
I searched high and low. Alas I found the name of the white flowering plant, it's called Western White Clematis. I read that it is a perennial vine and a member of the Buttercup family. It also goes by names such as Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, and Leather flower. It sounds like a terrible idea to get in contact with, its oils are extremely irritating to the skin. It can also cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if digested in large amounts. Eek! However, Native Americans would use it for headaches and nervous disorders, in small doses, of course.
If you would like to purchase a print of this original artwork of mine, they are available in my online shop, here. The prints are a limited edition of 30, printed on a heavy cardstock paper, backed with matboard, and slipped into a cellophane envelope. Whew! Did you get all that? I will also sign each print and ship them in a bendproof mailer. Live near Portland and wanna save on shipping? I will also be selling these guys at Crafty Wonderland and Skating with Scissors Craft Bazaar. I'm so jazzed to participate in my first two craft shows!
Etsy Treasury - sweet summer treats
Thanks to cutiepiecompany for featuring my work titled "00015 - False Lily of the Valley" in her sweet summer treats treasury!Check it out for yourself here.
One lazy cat
Yoshimi loves to sleep & lounge in odd positions. Thought I'd share her silliness with you. On a side note... some day she will make her way into my art. And she might be "producing some of her own art" as well.
New Work: 00015 - False Lily of the Valley
It's Saturday and I'm still trying to get caught up with posting last weekend's creations. Whew.May I present to you... 00015 of Standard Movement Series.
00015 of Standard Movement – 5" x 7" – purchase print
I even think it's the best piece I've made thus far.
Within this mint green frame are a variety of items, including pages from a vintage accountant workbook and pocket dictionary, an elementary report card dated 1953, a black & white class photograph. Something new this time around... I incorporated a lace tablecloth, cutting it into honeycomb shapes. I've been meaning to incorporate textiles for the longest time, and alas it finally has been done.
Within coffee rings, I drew a plant, False Lily of the Valley that I discovered while hiking near Indian Beach. Scientific name: Maianthemum dilatatum is an aggressive groundcover for moist shade, which was very apparent... I saw heart-shaped leaves & berries in the shadows everywhere on the hike. I read up a little bit on the berries... "they can be used as food, although they are not especially tasty. Other aboriginal uses of the plant include the treatment of cuts, sore eyes, internal injuries and sterility."
In a future work I would like to illustrate the blooming stage of the star shaped flowers, pictured above. The stamens remind me of snails' tentacles.
I have 00015 prints available in my Etsy shop for 16 dollars each. http://www.atealeaf.etsy.com Each print will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.
Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend!