my Crafy Wonderland treasures

This past Sunday was Crafty Wonderland's Colossal Holiday Sale and I had a colossal good time!

As much as I dislike crowds, I must admit it was inspirational to see such a great turn-out for this event. Not sure what the final numbers are, but by 2pm, over 4500 crafty, artsy, and indie fans had crossed the threshold and were doing their best to boost our local economy!

It took me over three hours to make it all the way through the 200+ vendors and I must say, I was a bit sad when I got the end of the very last aisle... oh, well, time for round two!

It was a great mix of artists but here are my top faves from this year's show:

Faune Yerby's work caught my eye when I very first walked through the doors. She collages her photographic images in a really nostalgic way that totally fits my taste for vintage chic. Although her pieces consist of numerous small photographs, they all work together to create a larger image that pulls you in to tell a story. You can find more of her work in her Etsy shop here.

Next up is Lisa Kaser. I had not seen her work before and I absolutely fell in love with her whimsical style and quirky characters. I came home with the two prints above: "Spring" on the left and "I'll cook for you" on the right. I've already framed them and just need to find the perfect spot to hang them! You can check out all of Lisa's work here and purchase prints at her Etsy shop here.

I've admired Johanna Wright's work for quite a while (see last year's blog post here) and decided it was finally time to add this print to my collection (yes indeed, I'm actually starting to run out of wall space now!) She also just released a new book she's illustrated and I have a feeling this whale is part of that story. Check out her website here and Etsy shop here.

Last but not least, I was thrilled to see Lori Shippy again at this year's show. She and I did a little trade last year and I ended up with two of her small white birds that I absolutely adore (see blog post here). This year, I added one of her black crows to my collection, and it's already found a home in the upstairs hallway. I also love Lori's giving-back philosophy: 20% of all of her profits go towards building wells in Togo, West Africa! See more of Lori's work on her website here and her Etsy shop here.

open for business: my new etsy shop!

I'm so excited, I finally have my new Etsy shop up and running, stocked to the brims with matted and framed prints of my new illustrations!

I start by hand-drawing the illustrations in pen and ink. After I scan them, the real fun begins: digitally adding color, textures, and shapes! I love playing with scale and transparency, drawing some of the background illustrations (like the bee in "Taste of Summer" below) really large, only to reduce them once scanned. That makes the illustration more realistic-looking which is a nice contrast to the more loose style of the main drawings.

I purchased a new fancy-shmancy printer that uses archival inks that are guaranteed to last over 100 years! Yeah, none of us will be around by then so I guess that's an easy sales pitch to make... Regardless, the print quality is amazing and I use acid-free, fine artisan papers and conservation-quality rag mats so the prints should definitely last a life-time!

Look for new designs to be added in the new year! Check it out here: alexwijnen.etsy.com!

holiday studio sale

I'm so excited about this weekend's studio sale at Stubborn!

Mel Stiles has been one of my long-time favorite jewelry artists (I own three of her gorgeous necklaces, I just can't get enough!) and she's opening her doors for a holiday studio sale this Saturday and Sunday!


Besides stunning jewelry, Mel will also be selling oh-so-cool purses and darling ornaments – so grab your list and head on over to the Stubborn Studio Sale this weekend!

Oh, almost forgot: I'll be there, too, for part of the time, selling some remaining Cecily Ink cards and gift wrap at rock-bottom prices ($1 per card and per sheet!).

Not only that, I'll be debuting my new line of illustrations that I originally created for my day planner client gift. I'll have both framed and unframed prints available (stay tuned for my Etsy shop Grand Opening in the next day or so!)

S T U B B O R N Studio Sale
Saturday Dec. 5 + Sunday Dec. 6 • 11am to 3pm • snacks & drinks provided • kids welcome!
2928 NE 11th Ave • Portland OR 97212

house present

I know 't is the season to buy presents for all your family and friends but I recently bought a present for my house. Okay, so it was really a present for myself but definitely in honor of our house: a set of bowls that together make up our house number, 1848!


Gleena Ceramics can customize numbers up to 49 - what a great gift idea for a birthday (or a house warming gift). Check out more of her great creations at her website. (photos below from Gleena's site)

Another house gift was the table runner you saw in my photos. It came all the way from Japan via Kalla's etsy shop. Love all her graphic printed fabrics, pillows, tea towels and more. (photos below from Kalla's site)

etsy roundup » plushies

As a kid I collected stuffed animals like there was no tomorrow! I felt this strong urge to give every critter that crossed my path a home. The result was a bed overflowing with soft plushies of all varieties – at times there was barely room for me to go to sleep!

Although I've given up my collection long ago, I haven't lost my soft spot for stuffed bears, rag dolls, and other cozy creatures. Here is a collection of little darlings that are looking for a new home – maybe yours? (click on the image to link to their Etsy store)

trash to treasure

This weekend I made the rounds at my favorite antique malls: Stars in Sellwood and Monticello in NE Portland. I hadn't picked up anything and was almost done going through the mall when this little guy winked at me from behind the locked glass display case:

He totally reminded me of the little elephant that I found last spring, which I promptly turned into an assemblage piece:

Once I got home, I checked and yes, they're both made by Rempel, a toy maker from the '50s! I already have a few ideas for this little piggy so stay tuned to see how his new home turns out.

In the meantime, I turned an old little, wooden drawer into a new woodland home for Bambi:

Check out this along with a few other assemblage pieces in my Etsy shop, AtticAntics.