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. Making new Portland magnets

 

Holiday craft show season is here

Here are a some snaps from the Lewis Elementary Holiday Bazaar that was on Saturday!

:: My booth ::

I displayed a vintage suitcase holding framings of Herb Series & Standard Movement Series drawings...

Herb art framings displayed in suitcase

I decided to go simple this time around with the table display...

Framings, art prints, and jewelry

:: art prints, button rings, and more ::

My most recent vintage store purchase, a fisherman's tackle box...

Fisherman's tackle box

Bingo chips, buttons, cabochons, and Scrabble rings...

Button, Bingo, and Scrabble rings

Quiet the Humming Robots earrings on faux mossy rocks...

Quiet the Humming Robots earrings

:: lunch time ::

Lewis Elementary's PTA made awesome soup! I couldn't resist...

Yummy delicious lunch served!

Many thanks to the friendly parents and teachers who made a great event. I enjoyed meeting you! I'll be back next year! Better yet, I'll be signing up for the Lewis' Garden Fair in April. I had so much fun doing last year's. I think it's awesome that an elementary school has a garden program! For more info on Lewis Garden Program, go here.

Also, thanks to all artists participating in this sale who gave a portion of the their proceeds to Lewis Elementary School.

Lastly, thanks to those who attended and supported local & handmade!

Show & Tell: Urban Weeds blog

Who doesn't enjoy discovering a good read on the internet nowadays? On Thursdays I will feature one of my favorite blogs that I follow.

Let Show & Tell Favorite Blogs begin! :)

Happy Thursday!

- - - - - - -  •  - - - - - - -

Blog: Urban Weeds - Portland Street Style

urbanweeds.blogspot.com

Urban Weeds is a blog that features hip and stylish folks walking the streets of Portland. Every post lists the street the photos were snapped at and breaks down each article of clothing. The photography is wonderful. I love how clean it is and how it captures the individuals and their surroundings so well. I'm totally a fan of all that white space too.

My friend Helen was on there recently. She's so adorable, isn't she?

Photo via Urban Weeds: Portland Street Style.

Breakfast for Lunch

biking on a saturdayawesome paste up on planter

My love and I took a bike ride to Mississippi Avenue for the weekend. It's one of my favorites. There are so many shops and street art.

liquid energy, coffee & tea

We were so excited to see that Cup & Saucer opened a location on Mississippi. We couldn't resist eating there for lunch. If you haven't ate there I totally recommend it!

deciding what to orderi heart coffee

Check out the delicious grub we ordered...

Garden Scramble

Garden Omelet with scone & potatoes Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, mushroom, spinach and cheddar

Lucky Scramble

Lucky Scramble Bacon, mushroom, green onion, cheddar cheese scrambled with three eggs on top of potatoes

Lastly, here's a recent drawing I did when I was visiting Nebraska. I finally snapped a photo for you to see. Enjoy!

sketch book drawing

Show of Awesome, this Saturday!

Show of Awesome!

Here comes... SHOW OF AWESOME!!!

It is this Saturday, the 19th from 10am to 3pm. And like old times it will be at the Doug Fir Lounge.

Come shop and meet crafty superstars from across the country selling handmade goodness! - Featuring 40 local and national vendors and a few authors too! - Free DIY project at the Make Something Awesome Area. - All ages and free admission.

Some of the Vendors

See the vendor list here: http://www.hellocraft.com/summit/the-show-of-awesome/

Come buy gifts, or maybe a little something for yourself!

This event is happening in conjunction with the Summit of Awesome and is sponsored by Crafty Wonderland, DIY Lounge and Hello Craft.

I do hope you'll come!

She's crafty!

This last weekend was incredible. I'll cherish it in my heart always, as mushy as that sounds. I want to send out a huge thanks to Cathy and Torie for organizing such an awesome show! And lest we not forget... to you all that came out and supported it! Crafty Wonderland is definitely a staple in making Portland what it is. I'm so thankful to be able to experience it. So much creative talent at the event. It was so cool to see the faces behind shops that I have favorited on Etsy. I wish I had a chance to go around and meet more of you!

I took many photos of the weekend. You can check them all out on my Flickr. I posted a few below too.

My booth & I in action!

Thanks to my friend Heidi for capturing this shot! www.heidihoffmanphotography.com

Make Something Awesome Area

Make Something Awesome Area organized by Hello Craft

People a shoppin'

People a shoppin'. I got to sneak out of my booth when it was quiet for a moment to snap a photo.

flickr-rss

Tomorrow is the big day.

Starting at 11:00am Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale will open it's doors. You don't know how uber UBER excited I am. It's ridiculous.

TOMORROW!!!

Here's a sneak peek of some handmade magnets that I will be selling...

Vintage map glass magnets

Underneath the glass you can see vintage maps of Portland, Astoria, Corvallis, Tillamook, and more! If you look closer you will see that I drew tiny leaves around the outer edge.

Hope to see ya there!

PS: Yoshimi was being really goofy. She discovered a twisty tie and was playing with nonstop.

Twisty tie fun

Yoshimi being goofy

Life is pretty rough

Sunny & Swell

Self Portrait Thursday

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.

A Tea Leaf on DailyBooth

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??

First Listen: She And Him, 'Volume Two'

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.

Weee!!! I got in!!!

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 printNutmeg 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."

Nutmeg_Fruit

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.

It's a new year... Let's get excited & make things.

It's a new year... Let's get excited & make things.

Poster created by Matt Jones of London.

Yes, that's right. 2010. Let's make things. Let's do things.

In fact, my '10 resolution is related to this inspiring poster. As I sit here sipping my chai latte, I'm getting excited for a brand new year. I want to share my art with the Portland community, be it in a coffee shop, a boutique, or a gallery. I have decided on another way that I will be giving back to Portland as well. For the year 2010 I will be donating 5% of my Etsy sales to the Portland Rescue Mission. Almost everyday I see homelessness around Portland. I really want to help give hope to those men, women, and children.

Year two in Portland has been life changing. I met lots of peachy creatives, either crafty, design, or technical. I submerged myself into the Portland creative community.  With these new friends of mine, we planned a few graphic design meet-ups. We did happy hours. We had crafting afternoons & evenings. We went to coffee shops and doodled in our sketchbooks. We geeked out over art supplies at art stores. We also did street fairs. We did craft shows. I did my very first Crafty Wonderland craft show... and a second one, the very last monthly Crafty Wonderland in November. And even the monstrous Crafty Wonderland Colossal Holiday Sale. 2009 was the year I started this blog, February 14th. In 2009 I also started making necklaces, earrings, Herb drawings, and lest we not forget the monthly documentary video shorts.

I hope everyone has found the Holiday Season enchanting. I hope you were able to create memorable moments with close friends and family even if you were snowed in and unable to be with them in person. I am personally thankful for Skype & webcams. I do hope this blog post finds you well.

I will leave you with this mosaic. The first mosaic I have ever made. It's filled with photos from 2009 of the things that inspired me.

Passing along some 2009 inspiration bliss, enjoy!

2009 Inspiration Bliss Mosaic

Click on mosaic to view more details.

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.

October Nights and Black Kitten's Green Eyes - Earrings

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.

Etsy Treasury - Dill or Sweet. They can't be beat

On Sunday, November 8th I will be selling my art and jewelry at Crafty Wonderland. More info here!

Crafty Wonderland craft show

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!

Poppy Seed

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.

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!

Click image to go to shop

Standard Movement Series Pendants

Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!

Click image to go to shop

Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!

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_1 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.

00015_2

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."

00015_3

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!

Berry Picking

Blueberries. Raspberries. Marion berries. Boysenberries!

Last month my husband & I went to Sauvie Island to do a lil' berry pickin'. It was a nice weekend excursion to say the least. I took a handful of my favorite snaps from that day and dropped them into Poladroid. It definitely captures the summery mood.

Poladroid snap 01

Poladroid snap 02

Poladroid snap 03

Poladroid snap 04

Poladroid snap 05

Poladroid snap 06

Poladroid snap 07

Poladroid snap 08