Shop Update!

Here are a few notebook sets I've added to the shop! I've been experimenting with hand-carving lino blocks and rubber stamps for a while and ultimately decided on combining printed images with hand-drawn and painted details. So each notebook is still one-of-a-kind!

I have been wanting to do notebook sets for about as long as I've been making notebooks, and I finally got around to it! Better late than never. :)

More notebooks are on the way. I'm trying to get as many finished, photographed, and listed as possible because I know people like to give them as Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. I can't believe it's almost time for Christmas shopping!

Speaking of Christmas, I've been a busy bee sewing up lots and lots of colorful ornaments, which I'll share soon.

Holiday crafting is in full swing around these parts, and I couldn't be happier about it.
xo, Mary

Today's Finds

Handmade mug with spot pattern from Wakako Senda

I love everything in this Japanese shop; it was hard to pick a favorite. :)

Hand-knitted dog sweater from Camelotia

How beautiful is this dog sweater? I kind of want a sweater in the same colors for myself! (I would also love the dog too, but alas, now is not the time. Sigh.)

Anna Karina print from watersounds

Can I just say that 13-year-old me would've died for this print?! I was majorly into black and white decor for some reason. I insisted on painting my walls white (they had been pink), and changing my bedding and some of the art on my walls to black and white. I had also just taken an intro to French class, and I discovered Anna Karina about the same time too...so yeah, I would've gone nuts for this print. I should buy it to make my inner, angst-ridden tween happy. I still really like it now, obviously, so I guess my tastes haven't really changed all that much. :)

Vitra Kast Storage from Design Public

You know, in case you have an extra $11k lying around, this shelving system is the dreamiest.

Leather clutch from Mocha Bags

I love the simple shape of this clutch, and it comes in pastel pink too!

Souvenirs from Staunton

We didn't have a lot of time in Staunton to shop; in fact, we really needed to get back in the car as we had miles and miles to go that day, but I couldn't just walk past all these cute boutiques and not go in, right? I love to support small businesses, especially when they have great stuff! So we bought a few little souvenirs from Made, "a modern day general store" that carries lots of American-made products, including handmade things from local artisans. We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but lucky for us, they had plenty of affordable gifts. Here's what we got:

I bought a set of illustrated short stories from Scout Books. I've been familiar with Scout Books for a while (at one point I looked into getting my illustrated notebooks printed with them rather than hand-drawing each one...they do custom printing as well as sell patterned notebooks and stories...but the way they do printing wasn't cost effective for me at the time...maybe one day). Anyway, I saw these little stories by Jack London and thought it might be cool to have something to read once we got to the hotel, not that I expected to have a lot of down time (and we didn't), but normally I never travel without a book, and I didn't have one with me on this trip. I love all the illustrations, but the ones by Michael C. Hsiung are my favorite. I might pass these on to my nephews when they're a little bit older, but then again, I might not want to part with them! :)

I also got a little coin purse by Blue Q made of 95% post-consumer material. I'm kind of a sucker for little pouches and purses, and I thought the cowgirl illustration was really cute. Peter got this kit to make a wooden "treasure box" for his nephew. It's made by Jameson Woodworks in Belton, SC. I can't wait to see the box when it's assembled. I think it's going to be adorable!

If you happen to find yourself in Staunton, VA, I highly recommend a visit to this cute shop. We actually talked a little with the woman who owns Made, Corrie Park, and she was telling us how she and her husband moved from Norfolk because they just fell in love with Staunton. I can see why! We commiserated about the horrible traffic in Northern Virginia, and she was telling us how nice it is to live in Staunton where she doesn't have to deal with that anymore. Moving to a less-hectic place is already on my list of life goals, and visits to towns like Staunton just make me want to start packing, like, tomorrow.

I have more photos to share from our trip and other things here in our area too. I hope everyone has an excellent weekend filled with all good things. xo

Shop Update!

Hey guys! Sorry to have been so M.I.A. lately...lots going on around here. We've been so busy that we still haven't bought our tree yet or finished Christmas shopping! Speaking of last-minute shopping, I've added new things to My Hideaway AND decided to offer a coupon code to all those amazing people out there who've also been working like crazy and had no time to shop. Save 20% on everything from now thru 12/24 with coupon code PARTYSNAIL. I'm shipping every day between now and Christmas so there's still time to get a gift if you're in the U.S., or just treat yourself! :)

Cute snail ornaments

Colorful ribbon ornaments. These are just so pretty! I took about a thousand photos and could stare at them all day.

And I added a few prints to the shop like this "Dream House" print,

and "My Favorite Day is Donut Day" print.

I'll be adding a lot more prints in January, and the next batch will be from paintings on canvas (as opposed to illustrations on paper like these) if that's more your thing. I have a few more works on paper to add also. I'd hoped to get everything listed before Christmas, but scanner woes have put a kink in my plans. If I can't fix it, it might be time for an upgrade. (If any illustrators or artists out there have a scanner they'd recommend, please share! I'll be your bff.)

Hope everyone is having a warm, fuzzy holiday season so far. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends, and happy almost(!) Christmas to my fellow gentiles!!! :)
xo, Mary

Shop Update

Happy Friday, guys! I've added a couple of new notebooks to the shop:

 A new take on my Dutch Houses notebook

And an autumn scene with a slightly cross owl. I don't know why, but grumpy looking animals just make me laugh so much. Maybe he's not happy about the falling leaves and change of seasons, or maybe he doesn't like you looking at him. Hah. (It might be hard to tell from this photo, but I used a gold pen for the outlining on this one, so there's a bit of shimmer to it.)

I also did some work on the blog layout this week, which you might have noticed? I added pages and a navigation bar, which is something that's been on my to-do list for about two years. Man, does it feel good to cross something off that's been dangling down near the bottom for so long! I checked it out in a few browsers, and I think everything's in the right place. But if anything looks wonky on your screens, particularly on the "popular posts" and "diy" pages, please let me know. Thank you!

My knowledge of html is pretty rudimentary, and at some point I should probably just hire a pro to rework my whole site. But in the meantime, I'm hoping this will make it a bit easier for people to browse around and find diys and other things. The next to-do item will probably be to improve my categories on the side bar, but one step at a time. I'm pretty pleased with myself for just getting this far!

What is everyone up to this weekend? I have lots of projects to work on, but I think the weather is supposed to be really nice, so...we might just have to jump in the car and run away for a little while. ;)

What if Famous Artists Were Architects Instead?

I came across these illustrations last week, and at first I thought I'd just post the link in a "things I liked lately" post, but I decided they deserved a post all their own. Italian architect and illustrator Federico Babina reimagines famous works of art into some pretty awesome buildings. All of these made me smile, and I know you'll like them too!

Aren't they awesome? These are only a handful. Check out Babina's website to see the rest. And bonus, he has a society6 shop where they're all available as prints. :)

Things I liked lately

This little cowboy has been making me smile since he came to live with me. Whenever I have a frustrating work/life moment, I just look at him and he instantly cheers me up. Thanks, Mr. Cowboy! :)

He came in this awesome packaging too. Incidentally, Kim Welling is a genius and you should buy something from her, or several somethings.

I already mentioned these Sharpie paint pens in this diy post, and I also used them on this notebook in the shop, but I haven't mentioned that since I got these, no surface is safe from me. I'm in love with their pastel opaqueness, and they write/draw really smoothly once you get the right ink flow going. I'm using them all over the place. The only slightly annoying thing is that you have to shake them up for literally like half an hour to get the ink flowing the first time. But I think all paint pens are like that. And I'm counting it as exercise.

The scottie dog has been keeping my headphones from getting completely jumbled in my bag, which is much appreciated, and the cute little stripey envelopes came in a set from Martha Stewart. I think I got these at A.C. Moore, but they're probably available everywhere her products are sold, which is everywhere. The envelopes are just the right size for the thank you notes I send with orders and remind me of fruit stripe gum, which everyone knows is the best tasting gum on the planet...for about 30 seconds...then turns into a wad of silly putty in your mouth. I haven't actually had any since high school, so for all I know science has fixed that whole flavor-vanishing problem by now. It's not like they have anything more important to do.

Other things:

DIY - This IKEA hack via Poppytalk is simple and perfect.

Travel - This list of the most charming places in the world. I think I've only been to one or two of these places...must do something about that. Also, I would probably add a few cities to this list, but you know, we all have our favorites.

History - Actually an old article that I came upon randomly last week when I was searching for something totally unrelated...the internet is magical sometimes and shows you just the thing you didn't even know you were looking for...anyway, it's an article about a dollhouse that was decorated by Charlotte Bronte while she was a governess (before she wrote Jane Eyre). She mentions in a letter to her sister sewing the dolls' clothes, though she wasn't terribly happy about it. I love finding out random things about authors whose work I'm so familiar with, or for that matter, artists too. Anyway, the dollhouse was up at auction several years ago. Can you imagine owning something like that?

Today's Finds

Terracotta pinch pots from Susan Simonini

Plait pillowcase from Taftyli

"Piccolo" by Yelena Bryksenkova

Double flying bird brooches from Linn Warme

Mid-century inspired side table from Habitable

Today's Finds

Handmade circus shelf by TheBirdOnTheTree

Vintage-inspired marquee light from Saddle Shoe Signs

Original illustration by Double Fox Studio

Tulle skirt by Chrystal

Pink and magenta flower headpiece from Fitzberries

Today I'm making my own fun. Who's with me? :)

Today's Finds

Greeting card by Luka Va.

1960s mini skirt from sparv in the iele tree

Cathrineholm small enamelware pot from Gallivanting Girls

Mens oxfords by Arama shoes

Vintage Turkish kilim pillow from The White Pepper