Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale 2010

December was a busy month! I've been meaning to post about the Super Colossal Holiday Sale for almost a month. Here we go... finally!

Saturday, December 11th and Sunday, December 12th were 2 amazing days. One event that has made Portland so welcoming for me has been Crafty Wonderland. I am so humbled that there are people out there that get down with their art nerdy selves; appreciators & creators alike. I would love to give a shout out to all those who attended and supported handmade.

Over 12,000 shoppers attended! The organizers said that this show was by far their biggest and best event to date. It was so nice to meet new and old faces... sale goers & vendors. There was so much handmade awesomeness that I wanted to marvel over, but I had to man my booth. Ha!

A few snaps of my booth...

Greeting cards, Mini vintage Scrabble rings, button rings, bingo rings, compass rings, and vintage Portland map rings in a vintage fisherman's tackle box

Suitcase filled with Herb Series prints & framings • Vintage Oregon map marble magnets on edge

A handful of my favorite vendors handmade awesomeness...

View more snaps on my Flickr.

I really can't wait for next year's Holiday sale!

Finland Folk Dancers

Lately I've been intrigued of my ancestry. During my visit home to Nebraska, my grandma sent me home with some books about Finland. I've been having fun skimming the glossy pages of pictures and drawing in my sketchbook. My old high school art teacher, Ms. D would be proud of my continuous lines.

Poppy Seed drawing print has a slight new look. It will be released very very soon. To pre-order a 5"x7" or 8"x10" print be sure to drop me a line.

I heart buttons. I have so many buttons, it's ridiculous. I have a vintage Pyrex bowl filled with them. Speaking of items soon to be released, I will be listing little surprises in the shop like button rings. Each ring has a antique brass band and is topped off with eye catching buttons.

I did a print & framing custom order last week. Aren't they exquisite? I love these 16" x 20" frames with their milky white mats. From left to right: Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Poppy Seed.

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Greeting Cards

Standard Movement greeting cards are now in the shop!They are only $3 each, so you won't break the bank.

For more information about these dandy cards follow this link.

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.

New Herb Drawings: Ginger & Poppyseed

"Growing throughout the tropics, ginger has fragrant flowers often used in native garlands. The seasoning comes from the roots called "hands" which are sun-bleached, then shipped whole, broken or ground. It is excellent in roasts, biscuits, and puddings."

Ginger – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

"The best poppy seeds are produced from the Holland variety of the familiar poppy plant. A ripe pod holds hundreds of tiny seeds. Dried, these are crunchy and nutlike in breads, salads, and bland dishes."

Poppy Seed – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

Chives drawing

"Related to the onion but more delicate in taste, chives make a favorite garnish for boiled potatoes. They are often mixed with butter and lemon juice or with cheese as a cracker spread. Their flavor helps all salads, like cottage cheese salad."

Chives – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

Savory drawing

Savory!

"An herb of the mint family, savory has tiny leaves which, when dried, have a warm aromatic flavor and make an excellent sauce for string beans. Savory can be used alone or with other herbs to flavor meats, chicken, eggs, salads, sauces, and meat dressings."

Savory – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

I will be selling 8″ x 10″ prints of the original digital artwork in my Etsy shop for only $10.00! It will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.

Hope you have a super weekend!

New Dill drawing

Happy happy Friday all!

A few weeks back, during my trip to Nebraska I filled my sketch book's pages full of simple drawings of flavorful herbs. Well this week I yanked out the Epson scanner from it's hideout and began scanning them all in! With my all time favorite program, Illustrator... I added some color and texture. May I present you with my first piece of my herb series...

Dill - print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

I was going for a simple line drawing look and I really liked how it turned out. I did a little reading up on Dill... apparently in the Middle Ages it was used in a love potion and was believed to keep witches away. Already a future illustration idea is brewing up in my head.

I will be selling 8" x 10" prints of the original digital artwork in my Etsy shop for only $10.00! It will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.

Etsy shop news

Good evening to you all. Whew, it's 10:00! I'm wondering where all the hours of the day went. With trying to keep my eyes open, I have an Etsy shop announcement to make.  For those out there requesting the owl to come back, here is the lil' guy. AND he has a milky white frame around him...

A Bit Befuddled print with frame

(click image to purchase & to see more info)

Also, there has been a request for some original artwork of mine to be available for purchase in the shop. So here I present to you "Breathing Fidelity" and it also comes with a frame... of avocado green goodness.

Breathing Fidelity original artwork with frame

(click image to purchase & to see more info)

00005 print WINNER!

Congrats to Kotori, winner of the Standard Movement drawing, titled 00005! I wanted to graciously thank Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle for taking the time to interview me and I also wanted to thank you all for the lovely comments on her post. For those out there that would like to purchase this print, it is for sale here.