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.

etsy roundup » typography

As a graphic designer, I deal with type every day. I love exploring the different feelings that different typefaces can evoke but I must admit, in the midst of working on a 40-page newsletter, fonts can become a bit mundane so I try to step back and look with fresh eyes at the beauty of typography.

Inspiration can be found all around us, from magazines to TV commercials, magazines and leaflets, even the credit cards in your wallet. But for a quick fix, I head to my true blue: Etsy.com.

Here's just a sampling of type-inspired designs (hint: they'd all make great gifts for everyone from type fanatics to the type challenged!):


Love this line of jewelry by Plastique. Simple, modern and mysterious at the same time – at least to those who don't speak type. "FPO" means "for placement only," something we designers put on top of images that are not the final image, and "kern" is the act of adjusting the space between letters to make the type appear even (so clever, these two rings worn on two fingers!)

Great visual texture on this block-printed, 100% linen pillow from 1Girl1Boy.

I'm a total night-light girl, I'll admit it: I do get a bit freaked out in the dark! This silk-screened version from Bloomin Lumen is the perfect blend of illumination and style.

This wonderful quilted-cover notebook by Daily Threads is perfect for journaling. The hand-stenciled letters stand in strong contrast to the fabric pattern, yet the overall result is soft and comfy – perfect to curl up with on the couch or in your favorite outdoor hangout.

This fun screen-print by Slide Sideways pretty much says it all: yes, maybe, no way! On a sidenote (no pun intended), I like this actual photo of the print as well; nice colored wall and interesting composition!

This just might be the coolest tie ever: filled with layers of Lorem Ipsum ("greeked" placeholder type, although it actually resembles Latin more than anything), this tone-on-tone tie by Toybreaker is so classy!

Punky Jane makes a variety of customized jewelry, including necklaces with monthly calendars (great way to commemorate an anniversary or birthday!) but this simple "dream" necklace remains one of my faves.

Overlapping layers of letterpressed type and graphics create a colorful collage in this mini poster by Lot 9 Press.

This series of alphabet cards would be perfect to send out this holiday season (letterpressed by Hijirik.)

Another alphabet series, this one by Jenn Ski, that would be perfect in a nursery (although I would totally hang this in any room of my child-less home – maybe in the B for Bedroom?).

And while this last one doesn't involve letters per se, these graphic symbols and iconography by Michelle Christina are very cool. Fun to display as a grouping like this but also great to use individually throughout the house.

favorite things

The weather is changing, days are getting shorter, and I've caught myself feeling rather sad that summer is indeed over – it's time to settle in for the long, wet and cold winter ahead, ugh!

The nice thing is that I get to spend cozy weekends lounging on the sofa with a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket and purring kitty on my lap. Those are the times when I look around in contentment – things are as they should be: hubby in his chair, dogs at my feet, candles lit... I'm home!

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things around the house that make me feel at home, and at peace.

Todd spotted these love birds at last year's Super Colossal Holiday Sale. I love the gestural quality and simple design (sorry, can't remember the artist...)

This antique wall clock has been in my mother's family for generations. It belonged to her grandmother – she even remembers it hanging on the wall when she would go visit her oma! My great-aunts gave it to me and Todd as a wedding present, and I absolutely cherish this family heirloom. Because we emigrated from the Netherlands when I was 16, I only have a few things that were handed down to me, which makes this clock with its worn patina and pretty sound extra special.

This darling mug was given to me by a very dear family friend when I was little and living in Denmark. It reads "Alexandra" and, quite frankly, I had forgotten all about it until a few years ago my mom pulled it out of a cupboard during a visit home. She had saved it for me all these years – thanks, Mom!

The first year we were married, Todd and I expanded our fur family to include a Dutch mini lopear bunnie we named Knuffeltje ("little huggeable one" in Dutch). We discovered an artist at a local gallery who made these wonderful rabbits, so for Christmas that year, we had her make one that looked like our little Knuffel!

I've loved transferware for a long time, particularly red, brown and black pieces. I have a little collection of mismatched pieces that I display in a small hutch. I should really start using them more – they make me happy every time I look at them!

I bought this piece in San Francisco while shopping with a friend. I'm sure I overpaid but I loved the crackly, creamy finish.

This orchid has been alive longer than any of its predecessors – that, in and of itself, deserves a spot among my list of favorite things, given how I manage to kill most plants within mere weeks of bringing them home!

We found these apothecary jars at Sesame & Lilies in Cannon Beach. They had one that said "cannabis," too, but I liked how these two are at different heights, creating more visual interest.

More containers, this time in the kitchen. I bought this set at the Portland Antique Expo almost 7 years ago, to reward myself for launching Defteling Design (quite a scary thing, to leave a steady paycheck and jump into the world of freelance – so I figured I deserved a little sumthin' sumthin').

The vendor who sold me this vintage slide tried to tell me it was taken in France but I know better: there's nothing more Dutch than this, an old cobblestone street with the typically Dutch stair-stepped gables!

This little metal lunch pail sits on a shelf right inside my office downstairs. Currently, it's empty but I'm enjoying the thought of what I might stash in it someday...

A few years ago, I came across a box full of old letterpress letters. Love at first sight! Sadly, the letters were quite spendy so I picked up only a few – enough to spell out "design" and my initials.

So while the skies turn dark and grey around me, and wet leaves fall from the trees, I remind myself of how lucky I am to be surrounded by so much love and visual inspiration – I guess 't is the season to be thankful!

happy halloween

It's almost time for the ghosts and goblins to crawl out of their hiding places! To celebrate, I thought I'd share a little sneak peek of another illustration for my Defteling Design client holiday gift, a weekly day planner with illustrations separating each month:

I'm quite pleased with how these illustrations are turning out. And although I've decided against releasing a limited edition set of CD calendars this year, not to fret: it's definitely on my agenda for next year so watch for its release around August 2010. And to ease your pain of having to wait so long, keep an eye out for a give-away of the day planner come early December!

Right now, there are lots of other crows and ravens flyin' about in Etsy land. I thought I'd share some of the ones that caught my eye:

ABOVE: Poe's Raven by Middleburg

ABOVE: Chirping Blackbird by Blue Dog Rose

ABOVE: Feather Print 1 by Little Paper Bird

ABOVE: Wing Note Card by Ingrid Art Studio

ABOVE: Lumberjack and Crow by Native Vermont

ABOVE: Raven on a Tree Branch by Myriad Art

ABOVE: Upcycled Suitcase by Get Ready Set GO

ABOVE: Three Crows by Oaky

ABOVE: Flock of Crows Wall Decals by Wilson Graphics

before & after

Well, even though we're not quite done (really, we're only a half-day's worth of work away, my contractor assures me!), I've decided it's time to share pictures of how our summer-long home improvement project turned out.

You may recall how our shower leaking turned into a full bath remodel (click here) back in May. Well, what started out as our house needing a paint job turned into a full exterior make-over: new roof, new siding, new window trim, new paint.

The difference is quite dramatic, and I'm just thrilled with our "new" 1939 English Tudor:
BEFORE:
AFTER:Yes, I know, it's a bit bare – we'll tackle the landscaping next spring! And in the meantime, we did add a porch light, house numbers and mail box (all black, of course!)

Other changes that are less visible from the outside are the airy skylights that were added to the upstairs bathroom and bedroom:

We also opened up the upstairs hallway by having a full wall cut down to a half wall:
(and yes, that's the staircase where I'd like to hang the perfectly proportioned modern mobile)

I then got a super strong itch to tear out the gross carpeting and see what's hiding underneath: the original fir floors, yeah! Sadly, they're quite damaged by former owners' remodel projects so bringing these floors back to their original glory will be part of our "phase 2" (timeline yet TBD).

Last, but certainly not least, are the new French doors that replaced a single door leading out into your backyard. Last April I pulled our dining room table into our den for Todd's surprise birthday party; the new arrangement was perfect so we added a set of three Ikea pendants:

Oh, and yes: I painted our fireplace green – just got tired of the bright red:

Now I'm ready to take a break till spring and enjoy my newly feathered nest!