Highs and Lows and When to Take a Break

I almost forgot my poor neglected little blog in my check list of places to announce important news. My go-to is always my facebook page, but I know there are still lots of people who don't use FB, or don't have an account....or they may not even follow me there. Either way, I've GOT SOME NEWS!

Well, first some other news before the main news. This is so terrible that I neglected to post this anywhere, but I was in my local paper back in July! It was my first real interview and such a very cool thing. A definite high :)

 

The next big news it that I'll be taking a step away from Papaver Vert for a while. I don't know for how long and this makes me happy not knowing. I've been hemming and hawing over this for a while. Mainly due to a desire to dedicate time creating new designs, exploring and learning more about felting, and finally, to figure out where I want my business to go. But this always seemed so daunting! What if people forget me? (hilarious, right?) What if I lose all momentum and just end up eating chocolate croissants in front of the computer everyday? (this actually sounds pretty good) What if, shoulda coulda woulda??? Aye, the monkey brain. Well, due to an injured back, my active brain was forced to be silenced for a good month and out of this came some clarity and a solid decision. But before all that I have to admit that the whole month was a definite low for me. I was so worried that the pain I had would never go away, and I think it was that fear that made me have a more compassionate view of taking some time to myself. At this point, I'm not even raring to go to start some new work. I'm enjoying working my part time job and actually taking a real break. There's been some swimming, running and zumba involved. As well as more cooking and reading. Oh and more kitty time:

 So starting next Tuesday, 8/13, I'll be closing my Etsy shop for an undetermined amount of time. It won't be a goodbye, just a pause. So please do follow me here or on my facebook page to see what I'm up to as I still plan to post. And it may be more kitty photos. Or ONLY kitty photos. Kitty photos go along with taking a break :)

SALE! Saturday through Monday

For the next 3 days I'll be having a sale in my Etsy shop! 

Enjoy 20% off or 30% off all orders over $100.

You'll need to use these coupon codes at checkout:

SALE20 for 20% off under $100

SALE30 for 30% off orders over $100

I will be closing my shop for a while starting next Tuesday, August 13th, but don't worry, I'll be posting again soon to let you all know what I'm up to. Until then, go treat yourself to one of my designs that you've been coveting (I put in two of my Dot Vases that I had that haven't been made in a few years!) and don't forget to use a coupon code!

Chasing Felt

I'm thinking this could be the theme for this year. Well, this and another more crass term from the previous post. I just came back from a 4 day felting workshop at New England Felting Supply in Easthampton, Massachusetts. If you had told me a month and a half ago that I'd be on a plane to Massachusetts, I would've called you crazy. I'm thinking some of the women in my class thought this when they first met me ("You came from where??") but when you see a class being offered by someone with mad skills like Lisa Klakulak, you go a-running. And I did!

Lisa's one of the few artists out there (ok, in my opinion) doing things with wool and felting that are truly amazing. She's been studying felting for the past 13 years and has come up with techniques and designs that are so unique. They're just not done by anyone else. So the chance to take her class in Realism in Felted Imagery was something I couldn't pass up. The class alone made for an amazing week, but traveling alone, meeting the coolest people (one gal had a flock of sheep, another rode a huge motorcycle), hanging out in Northampton and exploring a part of the U.S. I'd never been to.... all of this made for one hell of a good time! The class had waaayyyyy more math than I thought was possible, and even she jokingly said that she was glad that she didn't put this in the class description because people may not have signed up! I'm grateful for her crazy formulaic mind, otherwise I wouldn't have a good foundation in which to start my own work. Thanks Lisa!

New England Felting Supply where I took the workshop. A fiber artist's dreamland!

More views of the shop.

 

This was my second time using hand carders and it took me a WHILE to get the hang of it. I butchered the pretty shades of blue that I made.

My little spool of thread!  

Carding wool to create the colors I need for my projects. I didn't finish the image on the left, but I did card all the wool and brought it home, so I'm hoping to finish it. It's me and my shadow on the beach in Gualala, Ca. 

  All of our felted spools before we did any free motion stitching.

Lisa giving us a free motion stitching demo. It was so much harder than it looked! Something I'll need to practice for sure.

Me and Lisa.  Check out more photos here on my facebook page!

My goal this year is to work more on my felting technique, honing my craft and spending more time on creating, discovering and seeing where I want to take my felt. I'm the worse at decision making.....I can hem and haw until even I'm so annoyed with myself, but after taking this class, I've decided (saying it out loud helps, right??) I'm going to take a leap this year, curtail my wholesaling and online sales and devote my time to exploration. This is where chasing felt comes in. You may recall, if you read this blog, that I took a felting workshop with Claudy Jongstra in 2010 (in Italy! Oh take me back!) and a 2 day class with Jorie Johnson, both women creating such beautiful work. I'm thinking this is going to have to be the way I get my felting education since there isn't a school or extended workshops that specialize in felt. So I'll be in search of classes this year! And possibly residencies too. I'm pretty excited :)

Hello 2013! Going Big

Ok 2013, I'm keeping this short and sweet.

I usually write up a list of my goals at the beginning of the year (looks like I missed 2012...it was a rough start) but I really don't feel like making a long-winded post about it. My theme for 2013 is "Go Big" or another vulgar one (my fave) "S*** or Get off the Pot". (And oh lord am I cringing at the amount of times I've written about pillow making and hiring help)

• Create everyday / aka get my hands dirty / more FELTING (and shut off that computer)
• Make a small line of pillows (I just ordered the wool and it's on the way!)
• Work with my most fave places to create something exclusively for them
• Hire some helping hands (anyone out there interested in a day or 2 a week??)
• Look into artist residencies

So that's the gist. Capisce?

And before I go, I've got some new and one-of-a-kind pincushions fresh in the Etsy shop! They're all made from scraps of my hand felted merino wool leftover from projects and pillows from years before. They're all a little wonky, different shaped with fabric backings. You can even have the option of getting your initials stitched on the back. I just love this idea just as much as I love the idea of pincushions being such a personal item in general.  I've met people who have had their pin cushions for a really long time. What about you?

Last HURRAH Holiday Sale!

I've updated my Etsy shop to show all the designs I have in stock so get your shopping on until Wednesday night and don't forget to use the coupon code HOLIDAY12SALE to get your discount!!

Please note, this sale is open to everyone but if you are international, you will not receive your item before the 25th.

I Swear I Listen

I've received requests in the past to carry smaller sets of coasters in my shop and I'm sorry that it took me this long to get a set up!

Available in pistachio, moss, acid green and a medium heather brown. They're IN STOCK and ready to ship. Get going on those holiday gifts or as a little something for a gracious host at the next housewarming party. People always love these cozy guys.

Blog Love and Upcoming Shows

I was so happy to be featured on the American Craft Council blog Heck Yes Craft! (the best blog name, btw)

My first ever real show for Papaver Vert was in 2008 at the ACC show at San Francisco's Fort Mason. I was juried into the first ever Alt Craft section with other emerging artists and I swear I was at craft camp. I had so much fun at that show and afterwards, I've never been so tired! It was my first look into how much work can go into having a booth at a show.

Speaking of shows, here are some save-the-dates for some Papaver Vert Holiday Shopping!

Rejuvenation on 4th St, Berkeley - Saturday, Nov 10th, 10am - 5pm
This new lighting studio just opened up on 4th Street in July and they specialize in period authentic lighting and house parts as well as some very great salvage pieces. 10% of sales from the event go to the Berkeley Food & Housing Project.

Renegade Craft Fair, San Francisco - Sat/Sun, Dec 15-16th, 11am - 6pm
It's been a while since I've been to Renegade, but I'm so excited to be back in December!

Hope to see y'all there.