on a homemade weekend

[roasting vegetables tonight | myself in late afternoon blurry sunlight]

Hi,

It's Sunday evening now and I'm sipping some hot tea, listening to old timey Christmas music, and have vegetables roasting in the oven. Mmmm, the rosemary smells nice.
I decided to relax and be a little domestic this weekend, so I baked banana bread, made applesauce to have with Sunday brunch, cleaned the house and studio and today I began my Christmas shopping at a World Crafts party. World Crafts is a nonprofit organization that partners with artisan groups around the globe who live in poverty and it abides by Fair Trade Federation standards.

Well, I better go tackle the pile of laundry I have stacked up so I'll see you soon, but will you let me know about your weekend?

See you soon,
H

*

Good morning,

Yesterday when I was out and about I took some pictures of moments that caught my eye. I noticed our little town is decorating for Christmas with tree lights and big red bows and greenery on the lamp posts.

Next week I'll start sharing collections of my favorite handmade items from Poppytalk Handmade and around the web, great for gifting. And I want to share my pumpkin muffin recipe too!

I hope you have a sparkly weekend,
Heather

}}}

[taken a few weeks ago, working on the October Inspired that I sent to Jen | late afternoon autumn light]

Good evening,

Wow, it seems I haven't posted in a week, but it's only been a couple days! Thank you so much for all your kind comments about the new work in my shop update, it's so nice to see and hear from you.

To admire:
} The gorgeous collection of holiday wares at the new Poppytalk Handmade Holiday Market. Jan knows how to do it right, doesn't she? Oh, and I'm sure you've noticed Lisa is guest blogging there this week. [ps. I may be selecting some of my favorites from PHM and other sources in the days/weeks to come and sharing them here. Would that be ok? There's just some great handmade work out there.]
} Jen's new winter items are everything frosty and warm. I like this and these.
} The new small, winter edition is online.

Things I want to mention:
} I sent out the last batch of these out yesterday. And my new art card subscription listing will be open until Nov. 30.
} Thank you Jan and thank you Brittni for your recent mentions about my heart ornaments and letterpress tags!

To wonder:
} Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving?! Yeah, me neither. We'll need to talk more about that soon. I have a pumpkin muffin recipe I adore...

bonsoir mes amis!
H

seeing stars

Good morning to you,

This morning is finally here. I've been looking forward to this holiday shop update for a while and am so happy to be here to share it with you.

I love the process of working, making art, drawing, painting, stitching, and letterpress printing. Printing and painting especially are two completely different modes of working [for me] and I really enjoy the balance of having both going simultaneously.

Since we acquired this antique Vandercook proof press from my husband's family and a good collection of antique type and ornaments to go with it, I've enjoyed getting to know this press and letterpress process. I have found I enjoy arranging the type to make my compositions. It takes time to get the pieces right where I want them but there is something satisfying then about mixing and rolling the ink by hand, and then making a print. I really and truly love the process of making art and am so grateful that there are others [you] who appreciate it.

And now, here's what has come of all of this preparation.

Limited editions of:
} A set of eight letterpress gift tags, each with a unique image.
} The starburst letterpress card set.
} Ten new art card subscriptions.
} I have also added a couple watercolor paintings and sequin hearts. I will continue to add work in these series until mid December.

Last night I posted our next Inspired duo & links to additional shop updates. Check it out...

Well, I'm going to go grab some breakfast, I've worked up an appetite.

Thank you so much for visiting me and allowing me to share with you what I love,
H

Inspired : 9

[the glorious sunset tonight | October Inspired duo with my drawing on the left and Jen's response on the right]

Good evening,

I hope you've had a lovely weekend! It's hard to believe it's nearly over and almost Monday! I've been putting the finishing details on things for my shop update in the morning but before we get to that, look at Jen's Inspired response. I like how the objects are layered and arranged on the square. Here's the pair in full and she's posted our other duo as well. When she mailed this piece to me she also sneaked in a few previews of the work she will be adding to her shop tomorrow! You won't want to miss that... or the updates from Shanna & Betsy and from Maria. And on Tuesday I believe Stephanie will be adding some new pieces to her shop.

There's so much goodness to behold, I'm looking forward to seeing what these lovely ladies have been making! I hope you might drop by my shop update in the morning too,
H

ps. the coffee will be strong. :)