Time Off and Book Projects
My first time printing on boxes! Tree branches and hearts adorn wood or cardboard gift boxes. They come with individually wrapped cookies and brownies, and two stuffed felt hearts.
The design on my new t-shirts is hand-drawn hearts, bubbles and the word, "Love." It's a multi-color print in metallic and white ink.
I grew up wearing this kind of scarf made of soft cotton, the same cloth diapers are made of! This is before I printed red hearts onto the scarf. They come in 3 colors, including striped.
Time Off and Book Projects
After non-stop work for the holidays, I decided to take some time off this January. We spent some time in the Pennsylvania woods at a ski resort. I took a walk through the woods by the ski slopes. It was warm for January and I walked into a thick fog. My one task for the visit was to work on the design for my valentine's day box tops. I looked at my photos of the foggy woods where I had just been, and made it part of the box top design. For the box contents, I ordered pre-wrapped fresh cookies and brownies, and stuffed felt hearts.
I managed to not work for most of my time off. I couldn't help placing orders for the shirts and boxes, which I would need to print in time for Valentines Day. February is just full of celebrations!
January had Burns Night, a celebration of Scotland and the famous Scottish poet from the late 1700's, Robert Burns. It's always nice to have a festive meal after the holidays are long past. I ordered a haggis and made the famous British dessert, trifle. I am getting better at trifle which is layered cake, custard, fruit and cream.
In the design studio I am working on two book projects. One happens to be about my grandfather who was the minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church here in Alexandria. Melynda Wilcox from the Church has written a book about the Church's response to race relations. The second book project is a new edition of "Steel," the excellent book by Brooke Stoddard, which is otherwise completely sold out!
On Sundays I am at Old Town North Market. It's from 10am to 2pm by the Montgomery Tennis Courts at 901 N. Royal Street. It's a small but cheerful market. As always I love showing my new products which I just spent weeks planning and producing. To fill in the collections I also have new berets (which I love), scarves and purses. My card rack is filled with Valentines cards, thank-you notes, and new birthday and anniversary cards.
You can find my items in a real store: Made in ALX, at 533 Montgomery Street (two blocks from the Market). They are open daily except Mondays. Made in ALX is a collective of artists and makers. Some of us help out in the shop, so I am often scheduled for Tuesday afternoons. Maybe I'll see you there!