Project 8256

A New Home

2010-01-29T20:19:00.003-06:00

The good news (great news, actually) is that after months and months of waiting, my sister and brother-in-law finally received their referral for their adoption. Soon, they will be bringing home the sweetest little girl that you ever did see. We are rejoicing and are so incredibly thankful for everyone who helped to get us this far. The support and encouragement that we received from the Etsy and blogging community is something that we will always treasure.

I've set up a new home: Splendid and Swell (splendidandswell.blogspot.com). Please visit me there, where I hope to have lots of updates on current projects, pretty things, and possibly a few posts about my precious niece as well.

Thank you again.

xo,

Amy

Storque(d)

2008-12-08T14:59:00.002-06:00

We were recently given the opportunity to share our story about Project 8256 with The Storque - Etsy's Handmade Blog. It posted today, so you can read all about it right here. Many thanks to Katie and everyone at The Storque for all of their hard work, and for giving us this opportunity!

Have a wonderful week!

xo,
Amy

thankful

2008-12-03T14:45:00.003-06:00

I'm a little late (as always) in posting about Thanksgiving. But mine was absolutely lovely, and I hope--if you are in the US and celebrate that sort of thing--that yours was too. I had my family over to my house this year, and the day made for a memory that I will hold on to for a long time.

The table:

A very quick, inexpensive project. I mod-podged doilies onto glass cylinders that I had on hand. The dishes and goblets were passed down to me by my grandmother the day before. What perfect timing!

I hope that, no matter where you are, you are finding much to be thankful for!

xo,
Amy

Deep Roots

2008-11-13T17:00:00.005-06:00

I thought I would share the final result of my piece for the "46 Flags" exhibit at City Arts Center here in Oklahoma City. We were asked to create a symbolic representation of what it meant to live in Oklahoma.

"Deep Roots" - acrylic and paper on wood

Words cut into the silhouette of the Survivor Tree from the Oklahoma City National Memorial: "We are Survivors, and we are of this land, and we love this land. And we have deep roots, and we will carry on, and on, and on."

Various bits and pieces, including some very old family photos (the one on the top includes my grandfather as a very young boy).

The opening is tonight, and it will run through December 20th. For additional photos, you can visit my flickr site.

A new addition...

2008-10-25T17:11:00.004-06:00

We are now an Etsy family. My sister and brother-in-law just opened an Etsy shop of their very own: The Gathered Nest. They are also using this as a fundraising tool for their adoption, and are donating all profits to their adoption fund for their TWO children that they will be adopting from Ethiopia. They are doing such a fantastic job so far and have some really lovely items. And they've already received a little exposure in Etsy's news source, The Storque!

They have an assortment of lovely vintage items...

And beautiful handmade wreaths, just in time for the holidays...

You can visit their shop here. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Mine is turning out perfectly, so far.

xo,
Amy

Sycamore Street Press

2008-10-23T23:25:00.002-06:00

A little while ago, Eva from Sycamore Street Press contacted me (you might remember them from the orange and gray letterpress alphabet poster I was longing for a couple of posts down). She and her husband were looking for an organization to donate a portion of the proceeds from their 2009 calendar to -- and they were considering AHOPE! Well, their calendar is now available and they are donating fifty percent of the proceeds to AHOPE. So exciting. It comes in two absolutely beautiful colorways, and helps out an amazing organization which, as you know, is very close to my heart -- so how can you resist? Have a look...

in red and chartreuse

a closer look- in yellow and gray

Check out their Etsy shop or their website for more lovelies.

Thanks Eva and Kirk! I hope it's an amazing success!

xo,

Amy

in color

2008-10-07T18:36:00.007-06:00

I had some errands to run this morning and it was so cool outside, a little overcast, the perfect fall day. It got me really excited for cold weather - layers, extra blankets on the bed, switching from my iced coffee beverages to warm ones. I didn't get to enjoy much of the day, though, as I forced myself into my studio to begin a project that seems to get continually pushed to the side. It's only step one (of many), but I'm liking the direction so far...

A closer look...

Inspired by the earth and skies of Oklahoma. And, I realized after, it's somewhat similar to my current fave pair of shoes...

Hope things are nice where you are.

xo,
Amy

Sounds (that are) Good: Adele

2008-09-27T22:18:00.012-06:00

"Adele" as photographed by Bianca Barrett on Birmingham Live!'s Flickr photostream

Adele is another artist that I kind of just happened upon. And I am so glad that I did. Her voice is incredible--and she recorded her debut album, 19, at well, nineteen. Ridiculous. I can always tell how much I am enjoying a particular artist by how often I listen to their album after first acquiring it--and how many other artists I filter in within that same time frame. And I can say with no small amount of certainty that 19 was the only album getting any of my attention for quite some time.

She cites Etta James and Dusty Springfield as influences, and that is definitely apparent in her music. If you have been enjoying artists like Amy Winehouse or Duffy you might give her a listen. But I think that you'll find that she has a sound that is, thankfully, uniquely her own. And she wrote all of the songs on the album, except for her cover of Bob Dylan's "Make you Feel My Love". So she has that going for her too.

You can sample some tracks on her MySpace, if you'd like to give her a listen. Happy October! More to come.

xo,

Amy

Currently Craving: Orange

2008-09-26T22:09:00.007-06:00

So, welcome to new-blog-feature #2: Constantly Craving. I thought I would share a few things that I've been loving, wanting, am inspired by, etc. We'll see how it goes. This week's Craving is focused on the color Orange. Now, here in Oklahoma where college football is king you are either RED (University of Oklahoma) or ORANGE (Oklahoma State University). People are very rarely, if ever, both and many will go so far as to never own anything of the opposing color. Silly. So, so silly. If we went strictly by my alma mater then I would be RED. Luckily for me, though, I never really took to football, so I have a wealth of color choices at my disposal without even the tiniest fear of betrayal. Moving on...

click on the image to view larger

1. Letterpress Alphabet Poster in orange and gray from Sycamore Street Press on Etsy. First of all, let me just say that the knowledge that we will soon have two little ones in the family is falling somewhere in between thrill and jubilance. However, not knowing the gender or age, etc. is killing me. I am a compulsive nester, and even though I realize that it is not my nest, nor is it a nest in my home (and that for my brother-in-law's sake alone I should probably state that I realize this more often), I still feel this need to start adding to the nest. I think this little alphabet print is so perfect. Orange and grey is a great gender-neutral color combination (I think, atleast. I, somewhat by accident, had a very-much orange and brown bedroom as a toddler, so it's possible that I'm biased), and this print will appeal to kids and parents alike. Or even aunts.

2. A Look Only You Would Understand (Orange) by ashleyg - also on Etsy. It's really no secret that I love Ashley Goldberg's work, as I have her prints scattered throughout my house. I absolutely love this one. Always a fan of the blue and orange combo.

3. Simple & Pure Beautiful (to me) as photographed by citypix on Flickr. I first saw this photo on Creature Comforts and was so taken by it, but almost fell out of my chair when I realized that it is merely paper doilies and orange pushpins. How inexpensive! And simple! And just the thing for the empty I-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-to-do-with-this wall in my bedroom. Perfection. Totally inspired. Let's just hope it works.

4. Practice Kindness by Lisa Congdon -- again, on Etsy. Lisa Congdon is another favorite of mine, and her prints can also be found throughout my house. And now this one can be as well, as it is part of her $6.00 Gocco print series. That's right -- $6. And everyone could use a little reminder to practice a little more kindness.

5. Large Orange Letter "A" Storefront Signage from the incredibly lovely three potato four . I got, oh, perhaps a little too excited when I came across this giant letter 'A'. If only I'd had the extra $140 to buy a vowel, then perhaps I wouldn't have been so disappointed when it, alas, sold.

So that's about it. Have a lovely, lovely weekend. Have the best weekend ever. Just go for it.

xo,
Amy

Excellent Citizenship (if not blogger-ship)

2008-09-22T19:42:00.007-06:00

So, today I was an excellent citizen. Which only really amounted to sitting very still for an awfully long time fulfilling my civic duty of jury duty. More than happy to do my part, but my goodness it was a long day. And they never even called my name. Until 3:00, when they told me I would have to report to a different location tomorrow for juvenile cases. Two days of being an excellent (and a little bit bored) citizen in a row. We'll see.

In other news, I have noticed that I have become maybe the-worst-blogger-ever. I was thinking of ways to jazz things up a little/give a little structure to my life and blog, so today is the first go of it. I decided to focus on the things that I like the most, so from now on I will be featuring a different musical artist each Monday. I'll be talking about music that I like, and hopefully you might find something that you like too.

So here is the first installment of Sounds (that are) Good:

I happened upon Brooke Waggoner completely by accident a few days ago, and am totally hooked. And here is something so exciting--she is giving away her EP for FREE on her website. Yes, you have to enter your email (which means you are signing up for a newsletter) so they can send you the link for the free download. But it's worth it, trust me. And her new single is also one of the FREE downloads on iTunes right now. So, all in all, two very good deals. Here is the thing that is interesting to me, from a design perspective.

This is the album cover for "Fresh Pair of Eyes". I really like the album artwork and think that it really looks like the EP's overall sound.

And this is the artwork for her second album "Heal for the Honey". The single that you can get for free on iTunes is off of this album, and clearly the artwork, the overall look and feel of it, are very different. I like it, but it's a very clear departure. But again, it looks just like it should sound. Which is, I think, what the cover art should be all about.

The thing that grabbed me immediately about "Fresh Pair of Eyes" was the piano. She is really amazing and it adds this beautiful, textural element to each of the tracks. It's intricate and complicated and so much more than the strategically placed chord that you get from so many songstresses. Apparently she studied composition and orchestration of classical music, and that training is obvious. And she has combined that training with more modern influences without detracting from either. They are both equally obvious and important.

"Heal for the Honey" is still refreshingly unique. You'll still hear the interesting lyrics, the amazing piano, the complex arrangements. Great if you like Feist or Regina Spektor. It's more upbeat, more synthesized, more layered. And really, really good.

Both are amazing and highly recommended. I'll be adding some other new features to the blog this week, so check back if you'd like.

Oh, and the "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" print sale is still going on the in the Project 8256 shop so take advantage of it while you can. Man, oh man, bargains all around.

xo,

Amy

a sale! a celebration!

2008-09-05T19:04:00.005-06:00

Well, if you read the previous post you might remember that my sister and brother-in-law were not only officially approved to adopt from Ethiopia but they were also approved to adopt a set of TWO SIBLINGS! Such exciting news. And I also promised a celebration of the non-cupcake variety. So here it is...

That's right. For the ENTIRE MONTH of September all of the prints in the Project 8256 shop are "buy two get one free"!! Just purchase two prints, and then leave me a little note in the "message to seller" portion of the invoice and I'll send them all out to you. A perfect chance to get some Christmas shopping done a little early this year, or to cover up some of those bare walls.

Happy shopping! And thank you all so, so much for all of the love, encouragement and support that you've shown to us over the last several months. It's been an incredible experience for us, and we are so overwhelmingly thankful.

xo,
Amy

a double blessing...

2008-08-30T17:51:00.002-06:00

So, I had to stop in to share some VERY exciting news....

My sister and brother-in-law have been OFFICIALLY APPROVED by their adoption agency to adopt from Ethiopia. Now, I realize that this sounds like a first-step in the process, but it is actually something that comes further down the line. Like after paperwork, and letters of reference, and fingerprinting and a home-steady and LOTS. OF. WAITING. But it's official. Someone decided that they can be parents.

And here's the even better news -- they are adopting SIBLINGS! Two! They were approved to adopt two under the age of four, but requested two under the age of three. So we'll see. This is a decision that took them some time to make, but what they felt would be best for everyone involved. And I wholeheartedly agree.

So, keep you eyes open in the next week for a special celebration in the Etsy shop in the form of "twos" (and in lieu of cupcakes). Yay!

xo,
Amy

If not so much a blog update...

2008-07-27T21:06:00.002-06:00

...At least I've had a bit of a shop update. These three pieces are now available in my amelia mae shop. The first two are mixed media pieces done in shadowboxes.

"Wishes" - the smaller of the two

"Oh, My Dearest"

And this one is a collage on wood. There is also a print available of this one, should you prefer that.

"Courage"

More to come. Hope you are well.

xo,
Amy

what i did on my summer vacation...

2008-07-19T14:37:00.004-06:00

Sorry (again) for the lousy job at blogging. It's been a busy few months. But I have been working away at several different projects, one of which was designing and making invitations for a friend's wedding.

Luckily (?) I had already planned on taking this last week off from work in an attempt to start some new, very exciting future projects and to catch up on things around my house. I didn't get to accomplish any of those, but I did manage to finish the invitations. It was an intense week, but I am pleased with the result, and hopefully the bride and groom will be as well.

The inspiration for the overall design came from this print. The bride's favorite flower is the sunflower, so we pulled our colors from that.

Here's what they looked like all packaged up:

Each invitation received two tags--one with the "forever" image and one personalized with the recipient's name or names. Couples and families received tags like those above, and single individuals received tags that looked like this:

For more detailed shots of each card, you can visit my flickr account.

I hope you are all doing well and staying cool! Oh, and I have lots of new banners in my paper goods shop, if you'd like to check those out as well.

xo,
Amy

events and such

2008-05-21T15:14:00.004-06:00

I am a horrible blogger. Truly. But I hope to get better in the near future. For now, I thought I would share a few upcoming events with you. First:

My sister and brother-in-law are having a second garage sale to raise money for their adoption. It's this Thursday (tomorrow!) through Saturday, I think from 8-6. It was a huge success last time, and we're hoping it will be just as successful this time around. They still have such great things left over, and I know they've received some more donations, so they should have a pretty decent selection. Email me and I'll give you the address, if you'll be in the Edmond area this weekend and what to check it out.

And NEXT weekend, you can find me here:

I will have items from all three shops, so there should be a nice little selection. So come by and say hello, and support other local artists (should OKC be your locale).

And, although this is not an event, my very favorite Mates of State released their latest album this week. And I have to say, that I think it might be my favorite so far. It still has their signature tight harmonies, and sudden rhythm and tempo changes, overlapping lyrics...all the things that make their sound so identifiable. But this album has such a rich sound--stings, horns, more piano and less keyboard. It's just really lovely.

Hope you are all doing well!

xo,
Amy

just a reminder...

2008-05-04T18:39:00.003-06:00

Just thought I would pass on a little reminder that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day for my little collaboration with Caroline's blog I am a greedy girl. Just jump over to her blog, and you'll find all the details on how to save 15% at ALL THREE of my etsy shops (project 8256, amelia mae, and amelia mae paper goods). And, if you buy from multiple shops I will glady combine the shipping costs, so you'll save even more.

Hope your weekend was lovely.

xo,
Amy

for all you greedy girls (and boys)

2008-05-01T13:58:00.004-06:00

You might, just might, take a look at Caroline's blog "I am a greedy girl", because it is entirely possible that she might give you some tips on how to find a bargian at all three of my etsy shops today through Monday. Just a little hint...

EDIT: If you tried the link before and found, as I did that it wasn't working, you might give it a go now. I fixed it, so it should take you to her blog and not an error message. Hints are always better when they actually work.

shop update

2008-04-21T20:30:00.006-06:00

I'm ever so slowly getting back into a more natural (for me, at least) pace of things. Which, basically, means that I've been able to start spending time in the studio once again. My new space is all set up, and has really made such a difference. I was able to create a few new pieces last week, and they're now up in the amelia mae shop:

a few new collages:

"A Simple Song"

"Still Here" -- this one is also available as a print .

and a few illustrations on wood:

"forever" - also available as a print

"please don't ever go" - yep, this one is available as a print too.

This week I hope to tinker around a bit with a new idea I have rumbling around. Hopefully it will work out.

Oh, and if you are in the OKC area, my sister and brother-in-law are having a HUGE garage sale to raise some additional (and much needed) funds for their adoption. And by HUGE I mean really, really gigantic. Apparently we know a lot of really generous people who also happen to have lots of things they no longer need. It's this Thursday through Saturday (April 24-26) in Edmond. If you are interested in attending, email me and I'll send you all the info you could possibly want.

xo,
Amy

playing favorites...

2008-04-11T20:24:00.004-06:00

The last month has been an exercise in patience, and also a lesson about my full addiction to the internet. I miss my computer. If it wasn't for the very generous birthday present of a lovely little something that allows me to check my email and manage my etsy shops from something that can fit in my pocket, I'm not so sure I would have any sense of calm at all. Which is pretty sad.

But I thought I would share a few favorite bits of my new place. I've been working away at it, and while there is still much to do, I am pretty content with where it is at the moment. Or at least where it's headed.

Clockwise from top right:

1. This is perhaps the most organized I have ever been in my entire life. What's even more exciting about this picture is that it is sitting in my very own STUDIO space. I am thinking I am going to get to break this room in a little this weekend, and I am really quite excited about this.

2. A small part of a larger art wall. I'm a little in love with the paint color in the living room. It's a light grey.

3. The beginnings of a glove mold collection (with a small porcelain hand thrown in for good measure). My sister finds this very creepy. I think it's lovely and can't wait to find more.

4. Best refrigerator art ever. And I do. Love Tim Gunn.

I've also stumbled across some really great new (musical) artists recently. You might give them a listen. If you into that sort of thing:

- Tina Dico "Count to Ten" - I have a feeling that this is going to get a lot of play in the studio. I like it a lot.

- Jon Foreman "Fall", "Winter" and "Spring" - Three EP's that are really incredible. I really love them all. My dad is a fan too. He especially likes "Winter".

- She & Him "Volume One" - "She" is actress Zooey Deschanel and "Him" is the super talented M. Ward. There is something really charming and endearing about this. If you like Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins "Rabbit Fur Coat" you might like this too.

- Alexi Murdoch "Time Without Consequence". Just really lovely. I was pretty much hooked by the first track.

I'm quite sure I'm forgetting tons, but that just saves more for later I guess. Hope you are doing well. I'm hoping to add some new items to the amelia mae shop this coming week, so keep your eyes open for that.

xo,
Amy

still here

2008-03-30T15:41:00.002-06:00

1. First off, so sorry for the not-so-great blog maintenance. I have officially moved into my new place, which though amazing and lovely and all of that, is also without a current internet connection. So sad. It's been a little strange to be perfectly honest.

2. I just listed a bunch of new things in the project 8256 shop. Lots of mini plaques. Antlers, wood grain, dear and stumps for all. Check it out.

That's about it. I would add more, but I've been staring at the computer for the last few hours listing plaques and my eyes are going a little dizzy.

I hope that everything is going well with you. More to come.

xo,
Amy

If you were still considering..

2008-03-14T08:02:00.000-06:00

...if you should go to Blue 7 this Saturday (tomorrow!) or not, I thought I would help you make up your mind:

1. I've heard rumblings of a PRIZE WHEEL--and you know that ever since those days when you were "too sick" to go to school and instead stayed home and watched The Price is Right, that you've been dreaming of the day that you could spin a prize wheel. Here's your chance.

2. Mother's Day is right around the corner and you know that your mother/grandmother/aunt/mother-of-your-child will be thoroughly convinced that she raised you right/your offspring is destined for greatness when you give a gift from Project 8256 that is helping a family grow and orphans in Africa at the same time.

3. You love cupcakes.

4. You love Blue 7--so much so that you will wear your "I made out with Blue 7" t-shirt with pride (especially when you know that $5 from that very t-shirt is being donated to Project 8256).

5. You're a multi-tasker who loves the idea of shopping, eating cupcakes, winning prizes, listening to live music, and supporting a great boutique and a wonderful cause ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Weekends will never look the same again.

Convinced? That's what I thought.

So go to Blue 7 at their new location at May and Grand this Saturday from 11-10pm. I'm pretty sure it's going to be amazing.

xo,
Amy

Exciting news

2008-03-11T15:35:00.007-06:00

Really exciting news, actually. Blue 7 (the absolutely amazing boutique in Oklahoma City that has been helping us out over the last few months) is celebrating their 5th birthday, and their new location at May and Grand this Saturday (March 15th). They'll have food, music, sales on their fabulous merchandise and lots and lots of brand new Project 8256 merchandise. Things like:

These little guys. I made 25 total. Each design comes in five different colorways.

And these lovelies:

I also experimented a little and made some shadowboxes. If you look closely, you (hopefully) can tell that the one on the left says "i love you" and the one on the right says "i adore you."

They will also have lots of greeting cards and even more originals. There is also a new print, both at Blue 7 and in the Project 8256 shop:

"I can see a lot of life in you." From a favorite Sufjan Stevens song.

So in other words, you should definitely try to make it out on Saturday if you are in the area. They'll be open from 11-10 pm. Support an amazing boutique and a good cause at the same time. What's better than that?

Okay. I'm back to packing up all of my belongings. Hope you are having a lovely week.

xo,
Amy

because...

2008-02-24T23:56:00.002-06:00

because we all have those memories...

just added to the amelia mae shop.

Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was a little exhausting. I'm actually really looking forward to Monday.

Best,
Amy

new things

2008-02-21T23:37:00.004-06:00

I've added a few new things to both the amelia mae and the project 8256 shops.

These two prints are now in the amelia mae shop. I love some wood grain. And I really love incorporating text into my pieces. Available in grey/orange and pink/red:

I also have a new greeting card to the project 8256 shop. It says "i miss you so." on the inside. So sad.

And, in the spirit of personal choice, I also created a listing where you can select any five greeting cards for $15. Not bad.

Oh, and the exciting news from before is OFFICIAL, so I can share it without fear of jinxing. I am moving into an adorable little house. I love it. A lot. So the the next few weeks might be (a little) more chaotic. Fair warning.

xo,
Amy

choices, choices

2008-02-17T21:32:00.002-06:00

I put a new little offering in the Project 8256 shop this weekend--pick any three prints for $60.00. I like this idea for several reasons:

1. This saves you $15 dollars. I love a bargain.

2. It saves you from those horrible decisions: this one? or that one? Get them both. And then get another for just $10.00 more.

3. I love giving presents. And I, personally, feel that artwork is a fantastic gift. I also love giving presents to myself. Now you can do both with the tiniest bit less guilt.

4. It still goes towards a great cause.

Check it out here. Happy shopping.

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine capped off quite unexpectedly. But in a really good way. But I'm not going to tell quite yet, because I don't want to jinx it. Not until it's official. Then you'll be the first to know.

xo,
Amy

purchase of the year

2008-02-16T15:57:00.004-06:00

Hands down. Best purchase of the year. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this: Last pair left in the store. My size. Rang up for half of what I expected (which ended up being slightly more than my lunch. Such a steal). Made traveling seven hours with my boss IN A U-HAUL totally worth it.

Luckily I have a boss that 1. is enjoyable to be around, despite being IN A U-HAUL and 2. relishes in amazing purchases even if they are not her own.

It's pouring down rain here today. I'm not at all upset about this, because it was supposed to be ice and I got to wear my new wellies to the grocery store.

Off to clean. Enjoy your weekend.

xo,
Amy

AHOPE update

2008-02-11T22:32:00.000-06:00

A short time ago, Katie and I sent our first check to AHOPE. We were both really excited about this--and are even more excited knowing that we will be able to give more in the future. Katie received a letter from them today in the mail, which I of course made her read aloud to me over the phone--including the contents of the enclosed brochures. I then made her read it aloud again, so that I could type it all up and share it in my blog. Katie was not all that impressed with my "but I really can type very quickly" abilities, so she typed it up herself and emailed it to me.

So, here is a portion of the letter which talks about how the donation will be used:

"Your gift will help support AHOPE Ethiopia’s two orphanages for HIV positive children in Addis Ababa as well as the community outreach program that assists what is left of HIV orphan’s families to keep them at home rather than having to abandon them to institutional care. It will also help to build AHOPE Children’s Village.

The financial challenges of our building project and outreach program are a big stretch for us, but the need is definitely there- the statistics on the numbers of orphans in Ethiopia are staggering and many of those orphans are HIV positive. Beyond that however, we want to serve as a model of what can be done- and done right. We can’t do it all, but with your help we can make a difference!"

And here are some interesting facts about AHOPE, should you be interested in more information:

"The mission of African HIV Orphans: Project Embrace is to offer a two-pronged approach to the devastation caused by the AIDS virus in Ethiopia

- Provide a nurturing, stimulating, loving home for infected children orphaned by the disease.
- Provide comprehensive, accurate education to families, staff, and local community regarding AIDS prevention and care of infected loved ones."

It goes on to state that Ethiopia has been severely afflicted by the AIDS epidemic that is happening all over the world. As entire generations are dying, many are leaving behind children. Hundreds of thousands of children. Many of these orphans test positive for the HIV virus. Ethiopia has a serious need for more facilities to care for HIV orphans--those both affected by and infected with HIV. There is also a need to better educate the people of Ethiopia, to break down the superstition and misinformation about AIDS and HIV. One of AHOPE's missions is be able to place HIV+ orphans back into the homes of their existing family members when possible. This is currently very difficult as many are reluctant to adopt children whose parents died of AIDS.

"AHOPE for Children Provides:

-Pleasant and well-staffed children's homes that solely care for orphans that test positive for HIV.
- Love, nurture and education for the children in care.
- Comprehensive medical care, including anti-retroviral medication and counseling, in partnership with World Wide Orphans Foundation.
- Ongoing community programs to educate about AIDS."

For even more information:
Visit the AHOPE for Children website.
Visit the World Wide Orphans Foundation website

I have such mixed feelings right now. I'm so excited for the vision that AHOPE for Children has. And I believe so strongly in what they are doing, and in what they will do. But I know that there is still SO MUCH that has to be done. So much that MUST be done.

I am so incredibly thankful for everyone who has supported us on this journey. It's been a pretty incredible one so far. And I'm really excited to see how it all turns out.

xo,
Amy

heart strings, piano strings

2008-02-07T00:05:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that there are two new prints in the Project 8256 shop. I haven't had the chance to add any new prints in quite some time, so I'm pretty excited about this one, which comes in two colorways, spearmint and tan:

The text in the piano reads "it's the songs you sing that break my heart the most". If you look closely, there are copper-colored swirls throughout the piano, to represent the piano strings.

If heartbreak isn't your thing (right before Valentine's Day and all), I forgot to post that I now have a greeting card featuring the "you are the one i want most of all" print.

xo,
Amy

shuffling about

2008-02-04T00:05:00.000-06:00

This is (I am hoping) a quick little post to let you know that there are a few (actually, kind of big) changes going on in the amelia mae side of things. My gallery show closed last weekend, and so now I have all these pretty little things to sell and no place for them. It seemed a little silly to be selling original art pieces next to sets of gift tags, so I have now opened another Etsy shop. My original pieces will now all be housed in the original amelia mae shop, but with a whole new look:

And all of my gift tags and banners are (ever so slowly) being moved into my new shop: amelia mae paper goods.

So, have a look if you'd like. I'll be adding lots of new items to the amelia mae shop over this coming week. For the time being though, you can find lots of little silhouettes looking for a good home:

Happy Monday. Hope your weekend was lovely.

xo,
Amy

Different Lives

2008-01-23T20:58:00.000-06:00

1. This is (one of the many reasons) I so love The Sartorialist blog. Such a lovely photo, entitled "Different Lives, Milan". Love.

2. I hope, in all aspects of my life, to be the girl with the red coat and the yellow umbrella.

Best,
Amy

The Ubiquitous New Year's post...

2008-01-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

It's hard, really, to put into words what this last year has meant to me. And to my family as well. 2007 started out so, so horribly. My sister and brother-in-law were going through something very painful. I was lost and felt like I had no idea where I was supposed to go, what I was supposed to do. And then a course of events happens and one after the other, you begin to realize that it took the agony and the loss and the disappointment to bring the hope and the joy and the freedom. I am doing things I never dreamed I would ever do. Doors have opened that I never even knew existed. And the most amazing part is that while I am relishing in my God-I-am-obviously-not-as-good-at-doing-things-on-my-own-as-I-thought-please-take-over state of mind, I am getting to sit and watch as my sister is doing EXACTLY what she always dreamed of doing.

Katie has talked about opening her own performing arts academy for, well, I feel fairly comfortable saying the last twenty years. For two decades we have talked about what it would be like, drawn floorplans for the dream buildings and so on and so on. And she's finally doing it. And it's amazing. And I'm so proud. It's an incredible thing, a blessing really, when you get to see someone you love do something she's really good at--like how ridiculously patient she is with children--but then you get to see her do things you never even guessed she was good at, great at even--like building a website, and managing about 5,000 things all at once.

And so I'm so excited for what 2008 will bring. I really don't have any idea, and I find that kind of thrilling. I didn't make resolutions this year. But I did make goals. One of them is to really grow and expand my own business. And one of them is to make some serious progress in getting Katie and Michael further along in their adoption process. To start it off, I have added some new products to the shop:

They are sold individually, and as a set. The set comes packaged like this:

I'm trying it out. If it's successful, I might make some batches of some of the other prints. We'll see.

I hope that 2008 brings lovely, amazing and inspiring things to you as well.

xo,
Amy

new print in the shop

2008-01-02T10:57:00.000-06:00

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday season. I personally, had quite a nice little Christmas, and a very relaxing New Years and am ready for the fresh start that the new year brings. I'll post a little more on that in a bit, but for now just wanted to let you know that there is a new print in the shop. This started as a request from a lovely woman who is in the process of adopting her daughter from Vietnam. But I thought I would make it available to everyone, and so here it is:

It's quite similar to the original Family print, although (as you might notice) this one features a family with a daughter. Here is what I wrote a while back about the original concept of the Family print:

"I knew fairly early into the project that I wanted to somehow incorporate the lines from e. e. cummings' poem "i carry your heart with me". And I also knew that I wanted to somehow do an illustration of a family that was based upon this same idea. I'd had this image of a family tied together by their hearts for some time, but it took several different goes at it before I finally arrived at the end product. It was important to me that race or ethnicity not be suggested by the illustration. That is why I chose to leave out their facial features, and why I stuck to a neutral color palate. My goal, really, was to do an illustration of a family that could be any ethnicity, or several ethnicities combined--that the one similarity between them would be their love.

When Katie first proposed the idea of she and Michael adopting internationally, she said it to me as though she was asking if I would love this child the same as a biological child. My answer to that would be "of course" -- a million times "of course". I am sure that this is a question that is asked among every family who makes the decision to adopt internationally. But while it is true that I will never be able to look at their child and point out Katie's eyes or Michael's red hair, I am quite certain that attachment and love and a sense of an emotional connection will be no different at all.

I think that what Katie was really asking is something that we all ask ourselves--something that is so completely universal. I think we all have those moments when we just want someone to tell us that we are good enough. I do at least. Or did I just divulge too much of my own insecurity? I doubt it.

Katie has been watching a new show on TLC where they have given children video cameras and allowed them to document their lives. There was a young girl on one of the episodes who had been adopted into a interracial family. When speaking of her family she said "I don't think it matters who you are with, as long as you're loved". Perfect."

Happy New Year!

xo,
Amy

Shop Update

2007-12-12T19:40:00.000-06:00

I was finally able to take the time to update both Etsy shops. So over at Project 8256, you can now find these little lovelies:

It's part of a set of five robot cards, all tied up with a blue satin ribbon. My favorite is this one--the very classy lady robot:

And over at amelia mae, I have listed several new gift tag sets, including these:

So jump on over, if you'd like. There are just a few more days left to ship things out in time for Christmas.

Speaking of, I finally got a start on my Christmas shopping today. I've only really made a small dent, but it's better than nothing. My mother and I went out for a few hours today, and it was so nice. And we almost entirely avoided the mall. Which is even better.

I hope you are all doing well, and that your Christmas plans are rolling along smoothly.

xo,
Amy

Coupon!

2007-12-07T00:04:00.001-06:00

Should you need a little help with your gift wrapping, I thought I would make a little coupon for the craft fair on Saturday. Print out the coupon, or just this page, and all of the amelia mae tag sets are buy two get one free! The coupon will only be valid on Saturday, at the fair, and the free tag set must be of equal or lesser value. It's a great time to buy handmade for the holidays. My sister will be there with me, and we will have Project 8256 prints and greeting card sets (chandeliers and ROBOTS).

The craft fair is being held at Vine Church at 1225 W. Lindsey Street, at the corner of Lindsey and Berry. Come by and say hello! We would love to see you!

Hope your December is off to a lovely start!

xo,
Amy

Dreamer 7 Opening

2007-12-02T22:15:00.000-06:00

I am (ever so slowly) recovering from the last couple of weeks. October and November came at me with such a whirlwind force, and I feel like I am, bit by bit, regaining my footing. It's been such an incredible year. And when I say everything out loud it sounds a little like make believe. But amazing, and humbling, and inspiring none the less.

The opening was really lovely. And PACKED. It was part of the Norman Artwalk and I was, honestly, a little astonished by the turnout. But it was a lot of fun and the other ladies in the show were so incredible. Kind and gracious and informative and fun...I left feeling completely honored to be included in their company. Here are a few pictures:

My section of the wall:

View from the back of the gallery:

I made twenty-four of these little silhouettes. My sister was quite perplexed that I gave each of them proper names. But I thought it seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

My newest piece:

Everything will be up through the January 15. If you are interested in a particular piece but are not in the area, you can call Amber at Dreamer Concepts at 405.701.0048.

I am hoping to take it a little easy this week. But I do have to, have to, HAVE TO, clean my work and living spaces. Much needed. And much overdo. I'm also thinking that I'll post of few new things in both of the Etsy shops this week.

Oh, and on Saturday (December 8) I'll be at a little craft fair at the Vine Church (Lindsey and Berry) in Norman from 9-5. I have no idea who else will be there, but I will be and I would absolutely LOVE for you to come by and say hello. I've heard rumblings of a Christmas parade in Downtown Norman that same morning, so that could be fun, I suppose. If you like a parade.

Best,
Amy

tick...tock...

2007-11-20T21:37:00.000-06:00

It's coming. Very quickly. I've been plugging away the last few days, trying to churn out a few more pieces. All of my time this weekend will be spent on finishing touches, trying to get everything ready to hang on Monday. Yikes. You might notice, in between all the Amys, that Jackie Porter is also part of the show. You might remember from this post that I bought a couple of her pieces at The Girlie Show. Her things are adorable, and I'm really excited that she's part of the show. I'm really excited about all of these ladies, for that matter. They are all amazing.

Right now, I'm blogging in between attempts of a Cranberry Cream Pie from this month's Real Simple. The first attempt was foiled when I burned (instead of toasted) the almonds for the crust. And THEN, oh then, I forgot to remove the plastic sleeves off of the blades of my brand new food processor. So my pie crust ended up with pieces of black plastic throughout. Delicious. And not at all dangerous. So I'm taking a little break before starting my third (and fingers crossed, final) attempt.

Hopefully your pre-Thanksgiving work is going a bit better than mine. Happy Thanksgiving!

xo,
Amy

etsy finds and busy times

2007-11-12T23:12:00.000-06:00

I was browsing through the treasuries on Etsy tonight (these are collections that buyers and sellers can create to feature various items on the site) and came across a little yellow star, meaning that something of mine had been included. I was SUPER excited to see that this treasury was centered around Africa, and that many of the sellers included were also donating in some way.

One of the artists is a mother who is creating and selling these necklaces to raise money for her daughter and son-in-law's Ethiopian adoption:

How amazing is that?! I told Katie and she had heard of it already, via another Amy's blog , who has adopted from Ethiopia. So, I guess the word is spreading. Which is so fantastic. The necklaces can be found here.

Another great seller is Hanna from A World Invented, who is currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Check out her shop as well. She does custom paintings of all types of families.

It's all so lovely, I think. And it's really encouraging to know that there are others out there trying to do the same thing. To see the results of that, the joy that comes from all of this, is so uplifting.

As far as news here--I've been plugging away working on the gallery show. I only have two more weeks to finish, and while I feel as though I've accomplished quite a bit, I know I have SO MUCH MORE TO DO. And I'm fighting off a little bit of a cold or something. And while I do believe that the holidays truly are the hap-happiest season of all, it also happens to be the absolute busiest time of the year. I'm a little overwhelmed. But exceedingly blessed. So I am leaning more in that direction.

Hope you are well.

xo,
Amy

Indie Emporium pics

2007-11-02T11:43:00.000-06:00

So, I was finally able to upload some pictures from Indie Emporium. And here they are:

This is my booth in it's entirety. We moved the banners to the front of the table on Saturday morning, which really worked much better (and people could actually see them).

The Project 8256 side of the booth:

And the amelia mae side:

I brought several lovely little packages to show just how ADORABLE the tags look when incorporated with gift wrap.

All in all, a fun weekend. I'll (most likely) be doing another, smaller, fair in December. I'll be sure to keep you updated on all the details.

Have a lovely weekend.

xo,
Amy

back and ready to work...

2007-10-29T20:33:00.000-06:00

I'm ever so slowly recovering from my weekend. But I am getting there, and turning my focus onto my gallery show in late November. I'm really, really excited about this, and am so thankful to finally have some quality time to focus on it. Indie Emporium was fun, and was certainly a learning experience. The turnout was, oh, a little less than I expected, but I was so thankful for those that did turn out for it. I met some amazing people (including my extremely adorable booth neighbor), learned a lot, and sold a few things as well.

I've been trying for the last couple of days to upload some pics for you to see, but am having serious problems doing so. So something to look forward to? My sister posted some on her blog, so check that out in the meantime if you'd like.

I am hoping to list a few new items in both shops over the next few days. Some banners and tags for amelia mae and a new batch of cards for Project 8256. And, I may very well be alone in this, but I am all of a sudden REALLY excited for Christmas. I realize that it's not yet even Halloween, and we still have Thanksgiving, but the thought of searching for the perfect gifts for those on my list, and then tediously wrapping them up, and getting together with family, and the decorating and the music and the lights and the rejoicing...yeah, I'm ready.

Hope you are having a lovely week.

xo,
Amy

indie emporium

2007-10-24T21:44:00.000-06:00

Wow. Sorry I've been so lousy in the blogging department. BUT I have been mighty productive in the gift tag and banner-making department. I've been toiling away in the factory that is my house and that is my hands. And I'm really sleepy. And I'm really hoping that when next week arrives I have more to show for it than the knobby, arthritic bones that I'm fairly certain my hands are (too quickly) destined for. But I'm also really excited. Tremendously.

So here's the scoop, should you need a refresher:

I'll be at Indie Emporium in downtown Tulsa this weekend (Friday the 26th & Saturday the 27th). Loads of fun from 8 to midnight on Friday and from noon to 11 pm on Saturday. So I hope to see you there, if you're in the area. There will be goodies from both Project 8256 and amelia mae.

Hope you are having a lovely week.

xo,
Amy

a weekend off

2007-10-16T20:55:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. It was a tremendously full (and extended) weekend, which left little time for things such as blogging. But I had a wonderful time with Beth. I am so thankful that she was able to visit when she did. And although I'm in this sort of frenzied mode right now, I know the time off was just what I needed. Here's a bit of a recap:

1. We went to the Girlie Show on Saturday. There were lots of amazing artists and crafters, yet somehow Beth and I ended up buying very similar items from the same girl -- Amity Treasures by Jackie Porter. She has an etsy shop as well. This is the necklace I purchased. I love it. A lot.

2. Beth's dyed vintage slip peaking out from her skirt. She's so L.A.

3. Stuffed French Toast -- delicious. Walnut raisin bread stuffed with loads of strawberries and cream cheese from Cafe 501.

4. Beth's necklace purchased at the Girlie show. An airplane, a brass heart, and a Rocky Mountain National Park charm.

5. The pin I got from the same booth--a white cowboy boot, a black enamel charm and a little sparkle.

6. I am so smitten with my new moccasins. So comfortable and perfect for fall. Just like these, only in chocolate brown (and much less at Shoetopia in Norman).

7. We, of course, made a trip to Blue 7 -- where I couldn't resist buying this bag by Loop. Mostly because I loved it--but a little because the vendor tag is a paper crane. Love.

8. While I was still admiring the paper crane tag, Beth was falling head over heals for this repurposed vintage shirt by Shanna Banana. It's pretty adorable on her, and I gave her much praise for supporting so many local artists and establishments while in Oklahoma.

9. Beth's pin from Amity Treasures. The white square says "Tim" and has a pink astronaut charm and a brass horseshoe. So, an easy sell.

There are so many other wonderful things (things other than purchases) that I wished I had photographed and could include--like all of the wonderful friends we were able to catch up with, and all of the new memories that were made. However, it is some sort of rule, I've decided, that we seem to be completely incapable of taking photographs while visiting each other. I know we'll regret that one day. But for now, we will, I suppose, have to enjoy each other's company undocumented.

The next couple of weeks will be a flurry of activity in preparation for Indie Emporium. So, posting might be a little light. But, I do hope to see you there if you're in the area!

xo,
Amy

between the sneezes...

2007-10-02T10:57:00.000-06:00

I'm a little under the weather. Or, actually, significantly under the weather. I don't really think it's anything more than allergies, but I certainly wish I could turn out all of the lights and curl up in bed and stay there for a while. No such luck. There's no time for such things.

This past week has been focused solely on preparing for Indie Emporium. I did allow myself a little bit fun last Sunday, and accompanied some friends to Blue 7 for the Tom's Shoes trunk show. Do you know about Tom's Shoes? Click here if you want to learn more. Basically, it is an amazing company that gives a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Amazing. They were sold out of my size in the style I wanted, so I didn't end up purchasing a pair that night. But, oh, I will. I did end up buying this ring, though:

I couldn't resist. It's actually really similar to a ring that I had been eyeing at Anthropologie a while ago. Only this ring (the one from Blue 7) was only SEVEN DOLLARS. And the one from Anthropologie was--surprise!--at least 20 times more than that. Which is ridiculous, really (unless, of course, it came from a tree that grew in a magical forest. Then I totally understand.).

I am also now in the possession of new business cards! They arrived a few days ago, and I am quite pleased with the results.

They are double sided--one side for Project 8256 and one side for amelia mae. I went for a new look with Project 8256 -- away from the orange and turquoise. I found it extraordinarily difficult to get the look I wanted for the amelia mae side and still somehow coordinate with the original color scheme. And I do love graph paper.

But the best, BEST news is that in exactly one week from tomorrow my best friend Beth is flying out from Los Angeles for a visit. This will be the first time in several years that we have been able to visit each other more than once a year. I can't wait. As busy as I am, and as much as I have to do, I know that taking a few days to talk and shop and eat great food is just what I need. I'm hoping that I will be, and that my work will be, the better for it.

Hope all is well with you.

xo,
Amy

Live! And In Person!

2007-09-20T20:16:00.000-06:00

So here's the exciting news. There are a couple of big events that I will be participating in within the next couple of months. And if you are in the area, I would love to see you there! The first is Indie Emporium, which is a craft extravaganza in downtown Tulsa. It's October 26-27, and will include crafting stations, a fashion show of handmade clothes and accessories, and craft vendors. I'll be there with both Project 8256 and amelia mae goodies, so there will be pah-lenty of gift tags, banners, prints, greeting cards and a few originals as well.

The second event is a gallery show at Dreamer Concepts Studio and Foundation in Norman. Some of the details are still being worked out, but what I do know is that it opens November 30 (which coincides with Norman's downtown art walk) and will also feature Amy Baldwin (of Curly Q Mosaics) who does amazing, amazing mosaic work. I think it will be such a fun show (and certainly colorful), and am, honestly, still a little floored that I am being included in this.

So, certainly, the next few weeks will be...busy. But in a really good, exciting way. If you happen to attend either event, please find me and say hello! I'll be posting a coupon of some sorts for my Indie Emporium booth that will just be for blog readers, so be on the look out for that. If you want.

xo,
amy

2007-09-18T22:11:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading Craft Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco, and it honestly couldn't have been published at a better time. Unless, perhaps, that time was, oh, three months ago. I know that if you read the same crafty/design blogs as I do, you have certainly stumbled across this book, as it has been popping up all over the place. On the off chance that you have not yet heard of it, and you are, like me, trying to "turn your creative hobby into a business", then let me assure you that this is a MUST READ. It was really so, so helpful and I am sure I will refer back to it many times.

Completely unrelated to books and such, but equally important: I was updating my blog profile (i.e. adding an email link should you need/want to contact me without having to set up an etsy account to do so. whoops!), and noticed that it had my "industry" listed as ACCOUNTING. Now, you probably don't know me well enough yet to know how absolutely ridiculous that is. I don't think there are many other professions that I could be less suited for. So my apologizes if you had been visualizing me crunching numbers day in and day out. That vision is untrue.

If you feel the need to visualize me doing something, you can picture me making hundreds of little sets of gift tags, because that is all I have been doing lately. Why, you ask? Well, keep your eyes peeled for an update later this week with one, maybe two really exciting announcements. But definitely one.

xo,
Amy

sometimes i miss this city

2007-09-10T19:48:00.000-06:00

( "millennium park chicago" from kellyhafermann on flickr)

I do. And sometimes I miss it tremendously. It's been just over a year since I moved back to Oklahoma after living in Chicago for two. And as much as I thought I grew as a person while living in Chicago, I really feel like this year back in Oklahoma has been such a season of change, and of enormous growth. I am doing things now that I never dreamed would even enter my vocabulary. And I'm loving it. But sometimes I still miss Chicago. I loved living there--especially this time of year. And late Spring. I miss the great restaurants and beautiful storefronts. The architecture. I miss the solitude of walking to the train each morning--just me with some great music. (This, of course, was only enjoyable when the weather was nice. Walking back from the train at 1:00 in the morning in the snow is not missed. Not at all.) I miss going to art museums and to the theatre. I miss my friends.

And, of course, it must be said that while I have a very long list of things that I miss, I probably have an equally long list of things that I don't miss at all. And a list of things that I missed so much while I was in Chicago that I don't have to miss now. My family, being the most important of those. And so it's worth it, certainly. And I am especially thankful that I can experience this time alongside my sister. I know that we will look back on this with warmth and joy and gratitude. And that we will have such an amazing story to share with their child--of how so many people wanted them to finally be together.

I'm really quite excited about what this next year will bring. I'm not quite sure what's in store, exactly. And I'm surprisingly okay with that. I am not someone who likes having things up in the air. I'm not that patient. And I like to feel like I have at least some amount of control. But I'm slowly beginning to realize that if I just sit back, and let it unfold as it is intended to, it's really so much better, so much more exciting.

.........................................................................

My (very Swedish) neighborhood in Chicago. The great thing about living in an exciting place is that you get a lot of friends and family who come for a weekend visit. I would always take them to Ann Sather for brunch. Unbelievably delicious.

( "andersonville" from mroczknj on flickr.)

My favorite storefront. The entire window reads, " For the person who has everything, say it with concrete." They sold concrete lawn decorations like cherubs and ladies. It's so completely ridiculous. But I loved so much the pride they took in their work.

( "chicago-andersonville" from like, totally on flickr.)

I hope you had a lovely weekend. All the best.

xo,
Amy

Pink is not everyone's favorite color.

2007-09-05T20:19:00.001-06:00

It's true. It's not my favorite, really. Although I did go through some very distinct phases where it really, REALLY was my very favorite. I go more towards green these days. And gray. But I have to admit that I was a little surprised when I was (very, very nicely) asked if I could do the "All the Songs They Sang" print in a color other than pink. I like the print in pink, and it's sold very well. It hadn't really occurred to me that some people just don't like pink. So, just on the off chance that there are others, the print is now available in the very gender-neutral, yet sophisticated colors of light blue and tan:

So there it is. I will take them to Blue 7 tomorrow, should you live in the OKC metroplex and want one for yourself. Or for someone else. I am told they make excellent presents.

xo,
Amy

Worth Celebrating

2007-08-26T21:49:00.000-06:00

This has been a weekend of birthdays. My mother's birthday was Saturday, and being the lady that I am, I will not disclose her age, but I will say that she doesn't look it. Not at all. I will also say that the pressure was on when it came to wrapping her gift. Now, normally I would just pass this off as self-imposed ridiculousness, but this was sister-imposed. When Katie saw the photos of my amelia mae packages, she (only somewhat jokingly) pointed out that the expectation had been set for all future gifting. So here's what I came up with:

I made the tag especially for this package, and added the yellow ribbon as it is my mother's absolute most-favorite color. She was pleased. Which is all that really matters.

We also celebrated my boss's birthday at my bill-paying job. It is, I think, an unspoken addition to my job description that I make cupcakes for everyone's birthday. It's been penciled in. Now, I am a little ashamed to admit that I typically make them from a box. Not that anyone seems to notice, as they are always met with gooey, icing covered smiles and sugar-induced exclamations of glee and gratitude. But as this batch was for my boss's birthday, I thought I would make them from scratch. So I made Mexican Chocolate cupcakes. They're vegan. And extremely rich and delicious. You can find the recipe here, if you'd like. The recipe is actually for a cake, but it works perfectly for cupcakes. I just changed the cooking time to 18-20 minutes. It calls for chocolate covered strawberries on top, but because I knew these would be sitting out all day I substituted for Emily's Organic packaged ones instead. Delicious:

Also, as part of the birthday festivities, I took my mother to see Becoming Jane. We have a mutual affinity for Jane Austen. There were a few things I didn't like, but overall I thought it was quite nice--fluffy and romantic and full of Austen-esque trials and what-not.

Between all the celebrations, I did manage to squeeze in some work-time:

I still have some cleaning up to do before it is completely finished.

So overall, not a bad weekend. Full, but happily so. Have a wonderful Monday!

xo,
Amy

Lulella Shop Update

2007-08-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

I'm a little short on time this week, so I will have to leave the longer postings to a little later. However, I do have an update on AHOPE donations.

A few posts ago I mentioned that Katrina from lulella was donating a portion of the profits from this doll to AHOPE. Well, Katrina has added a second item! She will be donating 20% of the profits from this lovely to the children of AHOPE:

Check out those wings. Adorable. Thank you so much Katrina for your enthusiasm and for supporting such an amazing organization!

Okay. I hope you are all doing well. I hope to be back in a couple of days with a bit more.

xo,
Amy

Etsy Poster Contest

2007-08-15T19:14:00.000-06:00

A few, what--weeks, maybe--ago, Etsy held a poster contest in an effort to create something other than the usual freebies to give away at conventions and craft shows, and so on. The goal was to create collections featuring the wide assortment of handmade goods found around Etsy.

I didn't submit a poster for the contest, and my work isn't included in any of the winning posters, BUT Project 8256 was one of the top 1000 sellers featured overall. Meaning that of all of the posters submitted (winners and not) in the contest, my work was featured a total of six times! And my "I Carry Your Heart Print" was featured in one of the posters that won an Honorable Mention:

(Ignore the white space. There was apparently some sort of a mishap.) Lovely, don't you think? It was created by seabones. If you would like to take a look at the winning entries, just click here.

OK, much to do. More later.

xo,
Amy

curiouser and curiouser...

2007-08-13T22:20:00.000-06:00

A big thank you to Ez at Creature Comforts for blogging today about The Curiosity Shoppe. I had not yet heard of this treasure trove--and I am completely smitten. A few of my favorites:

Clockwise from top right:
1. Bird Tray Set. Yeah, I'm still not over the whole bird trend. Sorry.
2. Letterpress Art Print. So pretty. And so incredibly affordable.
3. Red Dogwood Apron With Rickrack Trim. I'm not entirely sure if it is my previous time as a shopgirl at Anthropologie, or my somewhat befuddled (and yet not fully realized) domestic tendencies, but I think vintage-style aprons have a certain sweetness to them that I find really appealing.
4. You're Swell Card. If only it came in a set with a "magical" or a "goodness gracious" -- it would come frighteningly close to totaling out my vocabulary.
5. Gothic Dessert Plates. Silhouettes AND unbreakable melamine. Delicious, indeed.
6. Alabaster Stag Head. This is about as "outdoorsy" as I get. Especially in August in Oklahoma. Yuck. But I think this is truly lovely.

Other good news for the day is that it is the middle of the month which means I am granted more e-music downloads. This is excellent news. I just downloaded the new Waterdeep album "Heart Attack Time Machine" and, oh yes, it is very good. As expected.

A good Monday for you? I hope so. I hope it is a most excellent start to a wonderful week.

xo,
Amy

ups and downs

2007-08-09T22:48:00.000-06:00

I've had a hor-ri-ble day. Not for any particular reason, really. Nothing catastrophic happened (thankfully). It was just -- bad. But, luckily, a couple of nice little moments happened, so all was not lost:

1. I had, quite possibly, the greatest-conversation-ever with, quite possibly, the most-adorable-six-year-old-boy ever. He had a hard time saying his s's and couldn't say his r's at all, which I think just piles on the cuteness. It was one of those conversations where every single sentence starts with "Hey! Guess what!". But at six, there are a lot of really, really exciting things going on, apparently. Like--guess what--he has a new little baby sister and she already has her first tooth, and he has alll of his. And--guess what--he's about to start first grade and he even got a card from his new teacher and he can spell his whole name, even though his first name has a silent 'e'. And--guess what--he only got to swim a little bit this summer because his dog chewed the bottom of his kiddie pool and now it won't hold water. You get the idea. Pretty adorable. And certainly a reminder to celebrate the little things in life.

2. I went to Blue 7 today, (the local boutique that is so generously giving Project 8256 some floor space and not taking a single dollar) for my fortnightly restocking of prints. I have to admit that I have been feeling a little bogged down lately, but knowing that there is this other aspect to Project 8256 that requires so little effort on my part is this ridiculously huge weight off of my shoulders. Really incredible. You should go shop there. And buy lots and lots of things of which they do make a profit.

Here are some other little things that make me happy:

1. I treated myself to some new shoes. Maybe a little ridiculous, maybe not so practical. But I like them. And don't worry, they will be worn exclusively with jeans. No skirts.

2. My friend Lauren lent me her copy of Flower Drum Song. We have a mutual, nostalgic, love for a movie musical. I haven't seen it in so long. And I know it is so full of cliches and stereotypes on many levels. But oh, man. My sister and I were raised on this stuff. I only vaguely new about New Kids On The Block, but ask me to recite allll the lyrics to "Gypsy" or "My Fair Lady" or, really anything by Rogers & Hammerstein and I could deliver. What weird kids.

3. Packaging for amelia mae. I printed it on graph paper. And graph paper makes me really, really happy.

I've also really been enjoying St. Vincent's "Marry Me" album. It has a lot of layers and textures, which I really like. But not in that over-produced "my seventeen-year-old brother just hooked me up with his casio keyboard and his new "killa beats" cd" kind of way. If that makes sense. I especially like the title track, Your Lips are Red and Landmines. So check it out. If you want.

Okay, so my day is seeming a little less gloomy now. Plenty to be thankful for. Hopefully for you as well.

xo,
amy

a day of rest

2007-08-05T20:31:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. I would love to be able to say that there is something new and exciting in the Project 8256 shop tonight, but I have to admit that my work week was absolute chaos, and has left me with little left. I got up this morning, went to church, came home and sat down hoping to really get something accomplished, and instead found myself curled up in bed for a little nap. Which I actually really needed, so I'm glad I was able to do so, but I didn't exactly get to check things off of my list. Tomorrow, perhaps.

I seem, lately, to be getting emails and comments from individuals who have found out about Project 8256, and find themselves wanting to do something similar but don't know how to go about it. I think that just the idea that someone would stumble across this and be somehow inspired to action is really, really amazing. Humbling. But I think that it's really important for me to point out that I was, and am still, very much in that same sort of place. I certainly never thought that this is what I would be doing with my time. This project came from a very strong, and deeply personal need. If everything had gone according to plan--to my family's plan--this never would have existed. But that wasn't God's plan. And so here I am now.

There are some things that arise in your life that, under the circumstances, you have no other choice but to step up. Rise to action. Do what you can. Those times, those seasons, may be few and far between. They are unplanned, unscheduled. There are other things that I think are unique to each person. These are the things that you feel tugging at you off and on, the things that seem to have a very deep, profound affect on you. These are causes and needs on which you can, if needed, have a planned, strategized affect. But I think this is a lot harder to do. It is for me, at least. This requires listening, waiting, patience. And maybe the answer is some sort financial support, but maybe it is simply action, behavior.

One of the things that I am the most thankful for in my job is that it has given me the opportunity to work with so many young women. And over the years I have witnessed so many struggling with eating disorders, poor self-image, low self-esteem, addiction and so on. I am certainly not exempt from many of these same struggles, but I am continually heart-broken to see so many vibrant, talented, beautiful girls who are hurting so much. My point is that, in this instance, the answer is not financial support, an event, something scheduled or planned. The answer instead is to listen, to encourage, to uplift.

So I guess my answer to those that want to give but feel as though they don't know just how to go about it, is to look deep within. What is important to you? What changes need to be made? Maybe giving financially to something is the answer. Maybe it is sharing your time. Maybe it is simply making a change in your own behavior. I am certainly no expert at this. But I do know how rewarding it is, how exciting it is, to have something for which you are truly passionate. It makes the hard work, the droopy eyes, the late nights fully worth it.

Be blessed.

xo,
Amy

the good and the bad

2007-07-29T20:57:00.000-06:00

There are a few things that I might, perhaps, admit to being relatively good at. I make an excellent cupcake. I'm a very loyal friend. A hard worker. But there are also several things that I will gladly own up to being rather pathetic at -- anything that involves someone saying "Here--catch!". Singing harmony (although I do so wish I could). And most definitely the ability to organize my possessions. My sister is actually quite amazing at this. I have never had this ability, and instead find myself getting all clammy and suffering from heart palpitations after only a few moments in The Container Store. I just don't know what to DO with all of those things. Don't get me wrong--I love all the little cubbies and drawers. The specially sized things for spices and shoes and everything in between. And I do get a little weak in the knees if it comes in a beautiful color or lovely pattern. But having to pick out just what I need to actually contain my goods--I just can't do it.

But I am very proud to say that I have spent the majority of the weekend getting my closet and other areas in order. And it is looking so lovely. I still have quite a ways to go, but am very pleased with the progress. I am still not a huge fan of the sorting-through bit, but I do so love getting rid of what I know I no longer need. Living in Chicago took such a toll on my shoes--between walking block after block on asphalt and then the addition of a very mischievous puppy--let's just say a lot of shoes had to be thrown out. But the rest of my shoes have such a nice place to stay now. I was at Target on Friday and noticed that their shoe-sized containers were on sale for 99 cents. I love a bargain. So now each pair (or two) has its own little box with a photo on the front so I know what's inside. Love:

My sister has had her shoes organized like this for quite some time (only she uses her favorite little label printer that she ASKED for for Christmas - this is how we are different), and I, admittedly, scoffed at the idea. But I am beginning to understand and appreciate its brilliance. Here's hoping I can maintain it.

I was also able to add a few items to the amelia mae shop:

These little tags would be the perfect staple to keep on hand for all occasions. And this:

A little banner to make decorating for birthday celebrations a snap. I'll be adding more banners in other colors and phrases in the near future.

Hope your weekend was refreshing. Happy Monday.

xo,
amy

give (and buy) a little bit...

2007-07-26T21:58:00.000-06:00

I have had one of those weeks where I keep doing things like tripping and falling, and dropping things, and somehow getting caught in the middle of some sort of cycling event and almost (but not really) hitting a man after he fell off of his bicycle in the middle of my lane. But all is well, that week is in the past, and so I can blog about only good news and lovely things.

I have been emailing (through etsy) with the lovely shop owner of lulella who approached me about donating a portion of her earnings to AHOPE. How incredibly generous. Katrina lives in Vermont and is all about reusing goods that already exist and turning them into new and beautiful things. She has really adorable items in her shop--such cute plush items (love this owl), precious clothes for little girls and the sweetest greeting cards. She is donating 20% of her profits from this doll to AHOPE:

So cute. And completely handmade. I would have loved, loved this as a little girl. And part of it is going to a really great cause, so check it out. Thanks Katrina!

Some other exciting Etsy news is that one of my very favorites, Mati Rose McDonough of Suspect Shoppe is having a print sale. It's this week only (July 25-31st) and it's BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! So, should you be looking for my favorite cat-in-boys-underpants-and-tubesocks-robbing-a-bird-of-its-feathers painting, or the beautiful "believe" -- you could get them both for the price of one and then our walls could be doppelgangers (only without the bad-luck part). That would be splendid. She also has some ridiculously adorable zoo animal prints which would be so perfect in a nursery. I would buy them myself for my soon-to-be niece or nephew, but it isn't my child, or my home, and sometimes I have to let my sister and brother-in-law make those kinds of decisions themselves. But only sometimes. (hint, hint katie -- the monkeys and the elephant... )

Be on the lookout this week for some new items in the Project 8256 shop. I think that some more along the lines of this one might be making an appearance:

Be blessed. And thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it.

xo,
Amy

AHOPE Children's Village

2007-07-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

Some of the children at AHOPE (Photo found here)

I was perusing the world wide web, and decided to check in on the AHOPE website. And I'm so glad I did, because there was some really exciting news. AHOPE is trying to raise $1.5 million this year for their building fund as they work towards building the AHOPE Children's Village. Here is what they are hoping to build:

"The plans include 16 cottages where children will live family style with house parents, 6 transitional homes designed for older teens and young adults who are being prepared to enter adult society, administrative buildings, library, clinic with isolation rooms, classrooms and an auditorium for events, including community events. We hope to obtain land from the Ethiopian government and will build as the money comes in. This project is a real stretch for our organization but the need is very great and we know how to do what needs to be done. Please spread the word and help us provide a wonderful facility for the HIV orphans of Ethiopia." (AHOPE Children's Village 07/2007 Update)

What a perfect, exciting time to be working towards supporting them financially. I love their vision so, so much. There are so many huge organizations that are working towards fighting HIV and AIDS -- trying to stop this epidemic from spreading, trying to treat those who are already infected -- and I think that is absolutely, unequivocally crucial. But I love so much that AHOPE is taking one area, one need, and seeing what can grow from that. If the children who are sick can become strong, if they can be nurtured and educated and loved, if the community around them can begin to break down stereotypes and the wealth of misinformation that is plaguing the AIDS crisis right now in Africa -- think what can come of that! What changes can be made when children are not merely labeled "orphaned" or "sick" and tossed aside -- but are allowed the freedom to grow and learn and then become leaders in their communities? I feel so blessed to be even the tiniest part of it.

Click here for more information on the AHOPE Children's Village as well other fundraising events. Keep A Child Alive also contributes financially to AHOPE, as well as to the Barlow Clinic which oversees the prescription and administration of ARVs to the children of AHOPE.

May you be blessed.

xo,
Amy

amelia mae

2007-07-16T22:41:00.000-06:00

I am really so excited to introduce you all to my new little project: amelia mae

It's really something that I've been trying to do for a very long time, so I'm just so, so excited to finally see it up and running. For the time being, I think that it will be mostly stocked with an assortment of gift tags. But I do hope to include originals, as well as some other little gems I have rolling around in my head right now.

There is currently only a small assortment listed, but be sure to check back throughout the week, because I will be adding more and more and more! So, here is how you can use amelia mae tags to make the perfect present:

Delicious, no? Now, not to worry because I am still working on Project 8256. It is still extremely important to me, and something I am still so passionate about. But I am taking a wee break this week to get everything together.

I hope you are all doing well. Have a lovely Tuesday.

xo,
amy

old and new

2007-07-08T19:19:00.000-06:00

I'm not entirely sure how I seem to only blog on Sundays. It isn't intentional. Or planned. Or certainly not written down, because I do so prefer a mental note. But anyhow, it's Sunday. Again. And here I am.

So over the last week or so..I've been toiling away at this:

and this...

The close-up is on the right. There's still a bit more to be done. The shapes were cut from the pages of an old novel--from the blank space that is at the end of each chapter. The book is perfectly musty and water-stained. Or was, rather. It's now been pretty much cut to bits.

AND...this week I got a very exciting parcel in the mail from a very talented (and new) Etsy seller: lucky me beads

It's a pulley. On a necklace. I couldn't resist. And I couldn't be more pleased. So, should you be interested in repurposed vintage jewelry, you should definitely check her out. (Photo from luckymebeads.etsy.com)

So overall, a rather nice little week. And to top it all off, I got to hear little stories of people gifting or receiving my prints for wedding gifts, birthday gifts. That really just warms my heart to near bursting. I take gift giving very seriously--as in focused, on a mission, seriousness. So it means a lot. a lot. to know that someone has selected something I did as a gift. And to know that, on top of that, there are others like my sister and the kids at AHOPE that then benefit from that, well that's pretty much splendid.

I hope you all had a lovely 4th. And a relaxing weekend. I am off to c-l-e-a-n. Much overdue.

xo,
amy

some favorites...

2007-07-01T15:21:00.000-06:00

Goodness. It has been quite some time since I have updated this little blog. So sorry for the absence.

I thought I would share a few of the little things that make me smile from time to time:

1. A new favorite t-shirt. Of a very angry bear.
2. My favorite olive green flats. I've had these for a while, but noticed that other colors are available here.
3. I love these bangles. I am quite sure that I wear them too much. I think the entire lot cost about 6 dollars. So I got my money's worth.
4. I'm still not entirely sure why I love this ring so much, but I do. It says "Sheila" -- not my name, nor anyone I know. But I had to have it.

Okay. Back to work. Hope you are having a lovely weekend. And I hope the sun is shining where you live, because it certainly hasn't been shining here.

xo,
Amy

2007-06-18T22:09:00.000-06:00

"HIV positive man sitting at home before taking his anti-retroviral (ARVs) medicines, Cambodia." Credit: UNAIDS/O. O’Hanlo (2)

This afternoon I made a short little jaunt to the bookstore, really only hoping to find some periodicals that were 1) interesting enough to fill my lunch hour and 2) willing to be sacrificed as I really planned to cut them to bits for some future projects. Now, I am all for recycling used magazines, but my stockpile is running a little low. Regardless, I was quite pleased to find that Vanity Fair is doing a special issue on Africa. This edition is edited by Bono and others such as, oh, Desmond Tutu, Oprah, Bill and Melinda Gates, Muhammad Ali, Barack Obama, Maya Angelou--you get the idea.

I've yet to really delve into the entire thing, but I did read the article on (Product) Red called "The Lazarus Effect". I was really thankful for an article that put the need for ARVs in such simple, easily understandable terms. I was aware that ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) are the ultimate necessity if anything is to be done at all to treat those already infected. I had no idea, however, just how fast they can work. There have been patients, it seems, that see unbelievable results after only 40 days of ARV treatment. Some even improve from being critically ill to "vibrant normalcy in just three months" (1).

And each pill is only 20 cents.

Now, certainly not everyone has such amazing results. And, yes, while each pill is only 20 cents--it's really 20 cents times _____ -- well, a lot. So much that it is still very much a crisis. But it seems as though there is a little light shining at the end, and I am encouraged by that. And if me buying a t-shirt or picking the red i-pod over the pink one is going to make a difference, then I'm all for that.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, father's day (if applicable) and that Monday wasn't too bad. All three were actually quite nice on my end.

xo,
Amy

Citations, should you want them:
1. Vanity Fair Special Issue: Africa July 2007 -- "The Lazarus Effect" article by Alex Shoumatoff p.156
2. UNAIDS Epidemic Update 2006 - Press Photographs

Love Is In the Details

2007-06-17T14:40:00.001-06:00

My weekend is winding down. But it was quite nice. My mother and I both felt too bogged down by our weeks to make our little jaunt down to Dallas, so went to Norman instead. For a much smaller amount of shopping and a nice little lunch. I did return empty handed, but with a full belly and fully refreshed. And it was really the refreshment that I was looking for anyway.

Friday night and alllll day Saturday were spent with this lovely...

My apologies for the absolutely lousy photograph, but it is extremely cloudy today. Still a few more touches until it is absolutely finished, but I am a tiny bit smitten.

Happy father's day!

xo,
Amy

it's really all in the little things

2007-06-10T19:38:00.000-06:00

And so goes another weekend...

I hope you all made the best possible use of the weekend. Mine was spent rather entirely at my bill-paying job, so it went quite fast. But I have a three-day weekend coming up so there is some end in sight. Here are some other little odds and ends that are making me happy right now...

1. I keep finding these wonderful little treasure chests on the web from ladies blogging about their incredible finds. Having moved back to Oklahoma after living in Chicago for two years, I do sometimes miss the variety and so on. So, I'm finding these collections indispensable and inspiring and so much more. I have known of decor8 and design*sponge for some time, but just discovered Creature Comforts (thanks to decor8 for that one) and design is mine. And I'm loving them all. So check them out if you're interested in that sort of thing (pretty things and great design and good ideas and so on). As I'm writing this, the most recent post on design is mine is about a children's clothing company that is "organic, fair-trade, sweatshop-free, and beautifully designed". Sold. Blog=bookmarked.

2. I'm not much of a television girl anymore. Not really at all. But when I was in LA, my little Beth coerced me into watching an episode or two of the Office and I must say I'm glad she did. I netflix-ed season 2 and have been watching the first installment in bits and pieces. Granted, it does stick out a bit in my netflix queue, among a rather large assortment of documentaries and indie films just waiting to stop in for a visit, but it is quite funny. I think it makes me appreciate the little nuances and oddities of my own (cubicle-free) bill-paying job a bit more.

3. I'm seriously considering a quick little day-trip to Dallas sometime soon. I need a little getaway, a refresher--some inspiration. And so I keep dreaming of Anthropologie, Urban, and so on. And I'm a sucker for a little cropped jacket and I have a feeling I might find one at XXI Forever for next to nothing. I'm trying to decide if I should work in a trip to the Dallas art museum. But it is only a day trip. So we'll see.

4. I listed these two in the shop this weekend, with their third mate joining them tomorrow:

Yes, they make me happy too.

Hope you have little things that make you happy as well. Or big things. And I hope Monday treats you well.

xo,
Amy

scrumptious...

2007-06-07T23:03:00.000-06:00

Some new goodies in the shop. I haven't really incorporated a lot of pencil drawing so far, but I must say that I am pleased with the results. I will be listing the originals this weekend. Should you be interested.

Clockwise from top left:

1. All She Really Wanted Was A Polar Bear
2. A Good Day
3. Happy Birthday, Rhinoceros

It's Friday! Well, officially, at least. I'm still working off the end of Thursday, but I'm off to bed.

xo,
Amy

knowledge, power, change

2007-06-03T21:00:00.000-06:00

"Kicosehp NGO, Kibera Community Self Help programme, Kenya, Africa. This is the largest slum area in Africa with over 1 million people. HIV/AIDS incidence is very high. Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. Materials prepared by the youth for the youth." (Credit: UNAIDS/G. Pirozzi)

I've been challenged lately by the idea that "knowledge is power". This is such a cliche, I realize, and I usually try to avoid overused phrases, but I think that this one rings true. I think, though, that what is more important than having the ability to gain power through knowledge, is what is done with that power. The most important part, I think, is that with power can come change. This project has been such a process, and I really don't think that it would have happened at all, or at least in this form, had I not educated myself about the true scope of the crisis in Africa, and had my sister and brother-in-law not done the same. I will be the first to admit that, quite honestly, I still know very little and I still have so much more to learn, so much more to understand. But I am trying to learn as much as I can, and I thought I would share a little of what I have learned with you:

The are 25 million people infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. That's 63% of the world's AIDS population. Two-thirds. (1)

About 2.1 million Africans died of AIDS in 2006 alone -- that's roughly three-fourths of all AIDS related deaths in the world that year. (1)

There are some numbers that seem to be improving, and many are receiving the much need antiretroviral treatment. The need is so great, however, and there are so, so many to treat, that only about one-fourth of those infected are receiving treatment. (1)

"AIDS has a female face almost everywhere in the developing world especially in sub-Saharan Africa where, on average, three women are infected for every two men and among the 15-24 age group three women are infected for every one man. Women continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic by caring for the sick and taking in AIDS Orphans more often." (2)

"By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50-75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease." (3)

"The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million." (3)

It's staggering to me. And overwhelming. And really hard to wrap my mind around.

I guess, really, what I would love to get across more than anything is that maybe, for you, it isn't Africa, it isn't AIDS. Maybe for you it's something else. The truth, really, is that there are plenty of causes, plenty of needs, here in the United States and all over the world. So what is it for you? There are certainly many other causes that weigh so heavily on my heart. And I hope that one day I will be able to make some sort of contribution to those as well. So what could happen if we took those things that have meaning to us, and we dove deeper and we learned more and we were moved to action? What would happen? What could change? Something to think about, I guess. I'm certainly not wanting to sound like I have everything figured out, because I definitely don't. But this really has been on my heart lately. Yours too, perhaps?

Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine absolutely flew by. So, so fast. Happy June!

xo,
Amy

Some citations, should you be curious:
1. UNAIDS 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update
2. Keep a Child Alive
2. Until There's A Cure - Vital Statistics

get ready...

2007-05-30T17:00:00.000-06:00

So here is some of the most exciting news to date regarding Project 8256...

The following little gems are all available for purchase at Blue 7 in Oklahoma City. I am so entirely overwhelmed by their generosity that I don't think I can really do it justice in this little blog. It's important to know that they are not making a profit of any kind from this, but are instead giving us exposure in an incredible, exciting boutique as a way to help us generate more support. So nice. So here's what you can find:

Framed originals of "Completely" and "I Liked John" as well as the original of "Take Wing". The other four are all new pieces. The majority of the prints in the Etsy shop will be available at Blue 7 as well.

So, should you live in the okc metroplex, be sure to go by Blue 7 (5028 N. May Ave.) and check it out. But, should you not live within driving or short-road-trip distance, then don't fret because the Etsy shop will still be around.

I'm feeling such a range of emotions right now. I'm, of course, really excited and hopeful, but I also still feel so new at all of this that I'm a little nervous, a little anxious. But mostly, overwhelmingly, I'm just extremely touched and just so, so thankful.

xo,
Amy

I still hate titles...

2007-05-28T22:38:00.000-06:00

A three-day weekend? Yes, I believe so. Hope yours was well. Even if you had to work, as I know many of you did. Mine looked a little like this:

1. We had a little family party to celebrate the belated and upcoming birthdays of my grandmother and sister, respectively. So, so nice to see everyone and get to spend some quality time together. This is the cake Michael decorated. On his first try. Ever. I know. I, of course, was the only one who was, admittedly, rude enough to point out that he forgot to cross the "t". But it was delicious, and I raved and raved so that, maybe, makes up for a little bit?

2. A new little something. I'm still unsure about this one. Extremely, actually. It's a little, um, cheery perhaps? I don't know.

3. It rained on Sunday. Poured. Good thing I had my little galoshes with me because I had to do a wee bit of wading--to be able to get out of my car.

4. Another new lovely. I'm a sucker for houndstooth. I'm just saying.

5. More of the birthday celebration. Delicious. Seriously delicious.

6. Just finished this one a little bit ago.

So, all in all, not too bad. Hopefully the coming week will be equally fulfilling. For you included. There are a couple of new prints in the shop as well. So you can check that out, if you'd like.

xo.
amy

A Hope For Children

2007-05-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

The children of AHOPE have really been on my heart lately. I think that a little of this comes from the desire to have the ability to donate as much as possible to this organization. There are certainly moments when I feel like I am up against the impossible, that I am never going to make it, that it will never be enough. But I think of my sister and brother-in-law--they are going to be such wonderful parents. And I think of the children of Ethiopia--they need so much. And that certainly keeps me motivated. I was reading a little about AHOPE and thought I would share it with you. You can read more about them on their website, but I really love how Keep a Child Alive describes the AHOPE orphanage. Instead of paraphrasing, I thought I would just include the entire thing:

"The money that KCA has provided not only buys ARVs, but also provides psycho-social and educational support to these children. This care is facilitated by additions to AHOPE's staff. Specifically, an additional physician, nurse, and administrative assistant have been hired to support treatment and care for the children in the orphanage. Educational support is provided by two additional teachers: one to help children with learning disabilities and the other to teach dance, music and art. KCA's money is also being used to pay a psychologist to evaluate the children and counsel those in need. Finally, a community outreach coordinator has been hired in order to identify existing family members of the orphans and assist with reintegration of orphans with their families.

The health and economic figures for Ethiopia are devastating. According to the UNDP (HDR 2005), the life expectancy is 47.6 years old, only 22% of the population has access to clean drinking water, and 80% lives on less than $2/day. But this orphanage in Addis Ababa is bringing hope, light, joy, art, music and love to sick children, a Keep A Child Alive mission."

Both paragraphs were found here. How can you not get behind an organization whose mission is to bring "hope, light, joy, art, music and love"? So beautiful. When choosing the charity or organization that we would be donating to, Katie and I talked about supporting larger organizations, such as Keep a Child Alive. We decided, though, that while KCA is undoubtedly incredible, and does give financial support to AHOPE, we liked the idea of having a specific focus, and so decided to give directly to AHOPE.

A year ago, even six months ago, I never would have thought that this would be my focus, that this project would be so much of my daily routine, my thoughts. But while, at times, it has been so exhausting, and sometimes so disheartening, I have seen such good come out of this--more than I could have imagined. It is so humbling to see that goodness come out of something that was once so sad. It makes it well worth the challenge.

I hope you are all well. And I certainly hope that you can find the blessings in your own life.

xo,
Amy

more! more!

2007-05-20T20:58:00.000-06:00

A busy weekend. Hope yours was lovely. I do feel as though I didn't accomplish all that I had hoped to do, but I was able to put the finishing touches on a few pieces, and create a few new ones as well. Here's a little bit of my weekend:

I do love a silhouette.

More to come.

xo,
amy

oh goodness...

2007-05-16T20:35:00.000-06:00

So toady: a few little errands were checked off the list, and then an abundant amount of music was listened to as I worked on these...

They are all in various stages, none are finished just yet. But I'm getting there. And these are actually not going to be available on Etsy, but somewhere equally fabulous in the okc metroplex...

Not much else to share. Except, how beautiful was today?! I hope the weather is just as gorgeous where you are.

xo,
amy

Amazed...

2007-05-15T21:17:00.000-06:00

It has been a fairly crazy, fairly amazing couple of days. I'm not really going to go into too many details, but I will say that God is amazing. And that I hope that you have moments in your life, or in your day, when you can experience that as well.

There are a couple of new items in the shop. The first is this little one:

This is a smaller print that is based on an old photograph of my sister and me--from a time when my mother loved to dress me in little sailor outfits. Her favorite color is yellow, so I guess this is sort of a tribute to her. And then this:

This is another in the quilt series. Black and white. More to come tomorrow, perhaps.

xo,
Amy

And another...

2007-05-11T19:44:00.001-06:00

This just listed in the shop. And appropriately titled, I think. Because I feel like I am growing--creatively, personally and so on.

I had the day off today. So nice. So besides running a few errands--Target, post office, art store (the usual routine)--my day was essentially spent doing the above. Which was lovely, actually. It took a while, but I had some great music to accompany me. I'm loving a little Amy Winehouse right now (so sassy) and the new Feist. But I must admit that when you feel like you must have looked at every shade of green in the entire world, it's Mates of State that guides you through.

I am planning one more "quilt", but it will probably not be accomplished until Tuesday. So look forward to that. And I will be listing the "Growing" original as well.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo,
Amy

In Flight

2007-05-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

True to my word, I was able to work in some "creative time" -- and so this lovely is now available in the shop. I must say, tedious though it was (and it was), I really did enjoy making this one. And I am quite pleased with the results. I think I might actually hang a print of it on my own wall.

I will be selling the original of this one, but will not list it until tomorrow.

We are having a bit of a thunderstorm, and are under a tornado watch, so I think I should move towards turning my computer off.

Sweet (safe) dreams,
Amy

(insert something incredibly clever)

2007-05-06T23:47:00.000-06:00

What a weekend. Michael, (of Katie-and-Michael, my sister and brother-in-law) graduated from college this weekend. So, naturally, much planning and preparations went into a celebratory dinner. I thought the night went off quite well, but the memories will just have to remain in my head as I once again failed to take any photographs. So no record of the 8 dozen cupcakes that were baked for the festivities. No photos of the admittedly clever, and rather cute, centerpieces. No documentation of how lovely my sister and I looked in our dinner party outfits. Nothing. I did manage, though, to take a picture of this:

Yes, that's right. A turkey. A wild one. I saw something walking on the deck on the back of our house and fully expected it to be our neighbor's cat. But no, it was a turkey. Which actually walked fairly quickly and made more of a squeaking noise instead of a "gobbling" noise that I expected. Other lessons I learned this week, besides the mph of a turkey:

1. Cooking. When cooking, it is very important to follow the recipe exactly until you, oh, know something at all about how to cook. It is also important to use the ingredients listed and properly look up the correct conversions for others until you, oh, know anything at all about cooking. I'm just saying.

2. Gratitude. When we started Project 8256 I did not really think about the affect that it would have on me personally. That wasn't really the point. But a mother of two adopted sons emailed me, saying that she had purchased two prints to give to her sons' birthmothers for Mother's Day. I cannot really explain how touched--how honored--I am by that. I am so thrilled to be a part of that in some small way, and am really so, so thankful that she chose to share that with me. Sometimes it feels like we will never sell enough to make this work, but then something like that will happen and it reminds that it is worthwhile, and keeps me motivated and encouraged.

That's really it, I suppose. I am planning on locking myself away on Tuesday in hopes of creating a few new prints and perhaps some originals. We'll see.

xo,
Amy

EDIT: So, my father just read this post and informed me that this isn't actually a turkey. It's some other bird, of which I've already forgotten the name. Apparently that's why it didn't "gobble". So much for being a wilderness girl. And I planted flowers on Earth Day and everything...

Farther to Go.

2007-04-29T22:19:00.000-06:00

My goodness, it has been an awfully, awfully long time since I've updated. So sorry. But I do have some exciting news regarding Project 8256. I rather like lists, so here it is:

1. I am now selling originals in the shop. Well, currently it is "original" - singular - but hopefully more will emerge in the future. This one (pictured above) was quite fun to do. I painted the canvas orange with the intent of doing something completely different than what it ended up as, but am quite satisfied with the result. I will not be selling prints of this one, for various reasons, so once it's gone, it's gone.

2. Project 8256 has ventured even further into cyber-land and now has a MySpace. I know. I debated about this for a while, but decided that it could, potentially, be an excellent way of getting the word out. My hope is that people will not only by "friends" with Project 8256, but will include us among their "top friends" so that our exposure will be increased. I'm ignoring my own personal feelings about inviting someone to be your "friend" and crossing my fingers that this just might work. So if you have a MySpace, request us as a friend. It will be greatly appreciated.

3. Very exciting. Project 8256 has now reached 17 sales. Now, I realize that this is not an astonishing number. And I most certainly realize that we have many, many items that need to be sold in order to reach our goals. But these 17 items represent sales from Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, New York, Ohio and even the United Kingdom. Some purchases have been from family and friends and some have been from complete strangers. Every sale has brightened my day and has encouraged my entire family. So thank you all.

Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks again for all of the support.

xo,
Amy

pacific-mountain-central time....

2007-04-10T19:36:00.000-06:00

"all of these homes
are lined up so straight
but here on the inside,
it's not that way

i gave you my life and more
from sadness to sunshine, i'm yours
i lost happiness
up in your los angeles sky"

-denison witmer (los angeles)...finding a song about los angeles that isn't completely jaded is a difficult undertaking

"How was your trip to the city of Los Angeles" you ask?

Well, it was lovely. Thank you ever so much for asking.

I really did have such a lovely little visit. Birthdays, Easter, what could be better? My vacation was filled with lots of laughs, great company, some splendid shopping and a little something called raw vegan food that had a surprisingly large impact on me. Now, mind you, I did just go to the grocery and came out with food that required cooking and not a handful of guava and a juicer, but I do think I might have some culinary adventures in the future. I know that everyone in the okc metroplex is so excited to hear this.

I am hoping this week to really sit down, put on some music and give myself some creative time. I haven't had much of that the last couple of weeks, so hopefully something will come from it. I did pick up a lovely little skeleton key stamp from oh-how-I-miss-you Paper Source while in Pasadena, so that could yield...something, I suppose.

I am very, very sleepy and droopy-eyed. Even though it really is only 8:00 in the pm in California. But it was quite a long day of traveling--and waiting--and so I am blaming it on that. Hope you all had lovely a lovely weekend.

xo,
amy

things to look forward to...

2007-04-02T01:10:00.000-06:00

consuming my thoughts lately:

1. late night chats with such a lovely friend

2. good sushi - the kind that doesn't make you wonder just how long the fish took to arrive to my very much land-locked state.

3. "sunny"/smog filled days

4. celebrating Easter with someone who has had such an impact on me spiritually

5. an opportunity to actually acknowledge my resolution to take more photographs in 2007

6. oh so much more

I leave for California in a mere 4 days. Yay! As far as the shop goes, I came extremely close to posting a new print tonight, but was not completely satisfied and so opted out. We shall see if it happens before I leave town. Not entirely likely. But I am counting on coming back full of inspiration. We'll see.

xo,
Amy

deer and raindrops...

2007-03-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

Listening to the rain and iTunes + packaging up an etsy purchase = a very nice evening indeed. Don't you think? Very lovely indeed.

Earlier today I was killing/wasting time, looking around one of my very favorites-- Velocity Art and Design--and came across this tray. After my mouth stopped salivating, I remembered that I had seen it before and, apparently, forgot about it--in what, as my sister so nicely put it, the exhaustion that is my mind. I'm staring at this tray thinking, how amazing would this look hanging in a kitchen? In a kitchen with bright, raspberry colored walls! No-turquoise! With other vintage plates hanging alongside it! And then reality hits and I think that perhaps a pink kitchen with wall decor that includes a deer tray may not be the best idea for, well, the gentlemen callers. You know, a sort of "You had me at hello, but lost me at the kitchen" sort of thing. Tragic.

Now, I am left staring blankly at the computer screen thinking "Surely, surely, I have something else of interest to share." But, no. I don't. No, just a deer tray (and perhaps the matching squirrel one as well?). Sorry for the lack of substance. But I do hope you have little things in your life that get you excited. Everyone needs a little bit of that.

Amy

fresh prints...

2007-03-25T21:49:00.000-06:00

New. Fresh. Exciting.

Find it here.

I don't really have anything too terribly exciting to tell, and the treadmill is calling my name.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

love,
amy

another list

2007-03-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

Other lovelies making me happy...

1. It is officially, officially Spring. And I am promising to enjoy it for all it's worth before I am shaking my sweaty fist in anger at 105 degree days.

2. A lovely exchange with a child (A three-year-old name Reagan)---
Me: Is that your baby brother?
Reagan: That's Baby Reese. (pause) I think he's my brother.
Me: Oh. Excellent.
Grandma: Reese was adopted.

Love it. She'll figure it out eventually.

3. I downloaded a new-to-me artist yesterday. I can do that more now because I joined e-music, and it has guilt-free downloading. (They wooed me in the promise of 50 free downloads.) Anyway, I tend to pay very close attention to "people who downloaded this also downloaded_________." So should you not pay attention to that, and always wonder who does, well it's me. I am the target audience of the "people also bought" in really any form. Not in a conformist sort of way, just more out of curiosity and a desire to discover other artists. So I just downloaded Andrew Bird's "Armchair Apocrypha"-- and I am loving it. I listened to it on the way home from work today, and was really enjoying it. But when it got to track five and he used the lyrics "and I was a cartographer of tangles in your hair" and "awkward pause" in the same song, I thought "Sold." I also decided that I seem to be drawn to artists who make good use of glockenspiels and whistling. Among other things.

I think, perhaps, that I'll leave my list at three this time. I am hoping to add a new print to the shop in the near future. I have an idea that has been stirring around inside me for quite sometime, and I just seem to be having the hardest time getting it out on paper. But hopefully it will happen. We'll see.

Hope you can find some blessings too.
Amy

gift (I)deas.

2007-03-21T00:33:00.000-06:00

I was perusing a magazine this afternoon, and came across this most excellent gift idea for mothers using formula. The short little product snippet talked about how having to mix formula while out and about could get quite messy, and so on. As my direct experience with infants is rather limited, this had not occurred to me. But with this new bottle, you fill the main part with water and then measure out the formula into the top compartment. When the wee little baby is hungry, you just twist the top and give it a shake, and then you have formula. Brilliant. I'll definitely be getting my sister one. And I think I might get one for myself. You know, perfect for baby/auntie days out. (Especially when said aunt will be much too preoccupied with her previously disclosed inexperience with infants to worry herself over such things as formula on such splendid days out.)

But enough about silly baby things...

If anyone reading this knows anything about computers (and I'm fairly confident my "audience" consists of about four people), I am having trouble with my keyboard. I have this big, fancy computer and, though our relationship got off to a rather rocky start, I really thought we had moved past all that. But then, all of a sudden, it decided that the capital "I" did not exist if I pressed the left shift key (which I normally do). lower case = i. right shift key = I. left shift key = . Nothing. Emptiness. Why is it doing this? And why only with "I"? And why does it have to be the one letter that is capitalized, especially in a blog written in my own voice, the most? Why not Q or Z? I hardly ever need to capitalize those. Thoughts? Ideas?

Hope you have a beautiful Wednesday. Sorry this entry is nothing but baby bottles and mischievious keyboards. What a bore.

xo,
amy

Family

2007-03-15T23:38:00.000-06:00

Okay. Back to prints. And one of my favorites. I will start by saying that I absolutely hate having to title things. I don't feel that I am terribly witty, in general, and as a rule I tend to not like overly cliched things. A few examples of this would be using titles like "Family Ties" or "The Ties That Bind" or, my sister's example, "Heartstrings". Yes, I know. All terrible. So that is why this print was left with the rather boring, generic title "Family". But that's what it's about, and I didn't groan from within when hearing it, so that's that.

I knew fairly early into the project that I wanted to somehow incorporate the lines from e. e. cummings' poem "i carry your heart with me". And I also knew that I wanted to somehow do an illustration of a family that was based upon this same idea. I'd had this image of a family tied together by their hearts for some time, but it took several different goes at it before I finally arrived at the end product. It was important to me that race or ethnicity not be suggested by the illustration. That is why I chose to leave out their facial features, and why I stuck to a neutral color palate. My goal, really, was to do an illustration of a family that could be any ethnicity, or several ethnicities combined--that the one similarity between them would be their love.

When Katie first proposed the idea of she and Michael adopting internationally, she said it to me as though she was asking if I would love this child the same as a biological child. My answer to that would be "of course" -- a million times "of course". I am sure that this is a question that is asked among every family who makes the decision to adopt internationally. But while it is true that I will never be able to look at their child and point out Katie's eyes or Michael's red hair, I am quite certain that attachment and love and a sense of an emotional connection will be no different at all.

I think that what Katie was really asking is something that we all ask ourselves--something that is so completely universal. I think we all have those moments when we just want someone to tell us that we are good enough. I do at least. Or did I just divulge too much of my own insecurity? I doubt it.

Katie has been watching a new show on TLC where they have given children video cameras and allowed them to document their lives. There was a young girl on one of the episodes who had been adopted into a interracial family. When speaking of her family she said "I don't think it matters who you are with, as long as you're loved". Perfect.

a list...

2007-03-15T00:47:00.000-06:00

I thought I would take a little mini-break from writing about prints. Not for any particular reason. But I am really very, very sleepy and I am a little afraid that it might not be all that coherent. So instead I thought I would share 5 things that are making me really happy right now:

1. I ordered this little gem from a favorite etsy artist of mine the other day. Her name is Mati McDonough and I have already two of her prints. One of them is among my favorite items on my wall, because how many people, really, can say that they have a painting of a kitten wearing boys underpants and tube socks clipping feathers from a bird to add to his angel wings? Who among you can claim that? That's right. I love her work because, and this is intended as a compliment, she paints like a child sings. You know: free, unafraid. Anyway, it's currently in transit and I am really excited about getting it. Don't you love the anticipation of packages?

2. I visit my bestest little Beth in only three weeks from tomorrow. I probably could have listed five things that make me happy centered on this trip alone, but we'll leave it at that. I simply adore this girl, and as we seem to only get to see each other once a year, I am all a-twitter with anticipation.

3. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately, and I am fully confident that Spring is finally here. As much as I love to layer -- and I do -- it is nice to not have to put a thousand things on before walking outside.

4. I keep revisiting my Margot & the Nuclear So & So's album. You should give them a listen if you haven't already. I'm particularly enjoying the tracks "Skeleton Key" and "Paper Kitten Nightmare". We will ignore the fact that I am really -- not at all -- a cat person, and that kittens have come up twice in this list. We will also ignore that I could do several lists just on music that is making me quite happy right now. You could click on the profile link to the left of the screen for a short list, if you're curious. And I'm serious about the suggestions. Should you have any.

5. I have gotten to reconnect with several old friends since launching Project 8256. Which also means that I am checking my email even more compulsively than I already did. I am also meeting such lovely people through etsy as well. I am anxiously awaiting another very special package from a different designer on etsy (who, unfortunately, must go unnamed for the moment, because it was ordered especially for someone's birthday - see #2). She took the time to look at our etsy site and write a sweet little note. So nice.

So, all in all, not such a bad week. Hope yours is happy as well.

amy

forgotten/forsaken

2007-03-13T23:54:00.000-06:00

I thought I would continue in my--what--series? I suppose it is a series, although that sounds a bit official. Which this is not. Tonight I am writing about the "forgotten/forsaken" print. This particular print is really quite special to me. It was actually done the same evening as the "Forget Me Not." print. I had been looking through all of these photographs of children, mostly orphans, and I came across a photograph of a young girl. There was something about her that absolutely arrested me. It was mainly in her eyes. She was so small but had the look of someone that knew much more of the world than a child should. I looked and looked, and then I read the caption. It stated, very simply, that this girl -- I believe she was ten -- had been raped by a man who had been told that he could be cured of AIDS if he had sex with a virgin. It is still so upsetting to me to think about. This was something that I had heard about previously, and, quite honestly, sickens me as much now as it did then.

I began doing a sketch of a girl, quite similar to the one I saw. It came very quickly, and was really a quite emotional process. As I was inking the drawing, I was overcome with the idea that it didn't seem right that all of the profits from Project 8256 were going only to Katie and Michael's adoption fund. There was clearly something much bigger that needed to be done. There will certainly be one child whose life will be changed dramatically by joining our little family. But there are so many others. I spoke with Katie the next day about donating a percentage to a charity that was working with orphans in Africa. She had been having the same thoughts. And so it was settled.

This was, for me, the moment the entire project came alive. I know that, when this project ends, there will be those who have made much larger donations, and who have most certainly sacrificed far more than I could imagine. But I have certainly been changed through this process. In so many ways. For that I will always be grateful.

Forget Me Not.

2007-03-12T19:37:00.000-06:00

I thought that, because this is a blog about our etsy shop, I might write a little about a few of the prints I have posted and the stories behind them. Interesting? Well, we'll see. Today I'll talk about the print "Forget Me Not", becuase it was the first one I actually completed for the shop. Which seems like forever ago.

When Katie told me that she and Michael would be adopting from Ethiopia I was thrilled. Then came the realization of everything that would be involved in that. Long and short term. And especially the financial part of it. When I suggested that we open an etsy shop, I heard it come out of my mouth, and I may as well have said "Well Katie, let's just start a heavy metal band. People will love it." It seemed a tiny bit ridiculous, but it also sounded like such an amazing challenge--so I couldn't pass it up.

I played around with various ideas for several weeks, and nothing seemed to work. I would do something, scan it, send it to Katie, she would be her kind, supportive self, but we both knew it wasn't right. She finally told me that the prints should be centered more on adoption, and on Ethiopia. I began researching and looking at photo after photo. Sometimes I would stop and cry a little. Sometimes I felt like I was going to be sick. The original idea for this print came out of that. The same evening, actually. I ended up redrawing it after a while, and then played around with the colors for a while longer, but the original idea is exactly the same.

Katie didn't understand at first why I chose to scribble out the boy's face. I had looked at so many pictures of orphans. You can see the emotion in their faces. You can see despair. You can see hope. Sometimes you can see joy. But I think we tend to forget that when we are looking at something from the outside. Yes, we are still moved by the numbers. But each one of those children had a mother and a father. Each one has a soul. A personality. A face. So it came from that. And it also came from the reality that we can so easily turn our backs to tragedy and crisis. And I am certainly among the worst of those.

exhaustion/gratitude

2007-03-11T01:12:00.000-06:00

I am really quite tired. It's the good tired, though. The kind that you get from working all day at something. The kind that is equal parts exhaustion and accomplishment. Katie came over this morning to work on a big shop update and we worked solidly all day, stopping only for a family dinner at my aunt and uncle's. Then back to work--Michael joined us and we were all able to get quite a bit done. As much as I would rather not look at glue or sharpies ever again, I know that it will feel so much better during my work week to know that so much is finished. And it was so nice to spend time with Katie. It's rare to spend a solid 12 hours together these days.

Thank you, thank you to all of those who have supported us either with purchases (which is matched only by unspeakable gratitude), or with kind words and well wishes (equally immense gratitude). I can't even tell you how incredible it is to check my email and find a little bauble in my inbox. And I know that Katie and Michael feel that. I know that my whole family feels that. I had a friend (so unnecessarily) apologize for not being able to contribute financially. But his words of encouragement--that moved me to work a little later into the night. And, more importantly, to get up a little earlier in the morning. And to anyone who knows me, well, they know the remarkable importance of that rare incident.

So, I'm off to bed. I'm starting to realize that it's really a whole hour later and, once I hang up all of my newly clean clothes, my bed is going to look awfully comfy.

Sweet dreams,
Amy

pass the haagen-dazs...

2007-03-05T22:56:00.000-06:00

So, I recently finished reading Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club. Finished, after only a few short months of carrying it in my bag for whenever I needed some reading material. But I did finish it and it was an enjoyable read. As I was reading the book, I kept remembering these movies where characters always seem to stereotype sad, single women as those that read Jane Austen and eat Haagen-Dazs. I don't know if it is the literary ability or the tolerance of dairy that seems such a put off, but I happen to like Jane Austen. And ice cream from time to time, too. So perhaps I should begin reading Michael Crichton or James Patterson? Or, who's the one whose books always get turned into movies starring Julia Roberts or Susan Sarandon solving crimes in the South? Oh yes, John Grisham. Maybe I'll stick to Austen. Or at least books about her.

Things are rolling along in the shop. I hope to be posting some other greeting cards and a few more prints in the near future. I won't give too much away, but I'll give a hint--one of the postings will involve robots. Yes. Yes it will.

amy

it's official!

2007-03-02T22:40:00.000-06:00

We are getting there. Katie came over tonight and we were able to accomplish quite a bit. And so, if you were to hop on over to project8256.etsy.com, you might find a couple of prints just waiting to be snatched up. I have to admit, I wasn't quite prepared for the way my little heart fluttered as we listed our first item. I have spent a goodly amount of time perusing etsy, and have purchased such lovely things for myself there. So it seems a little strange to have my own shop and to be able to look and see that other shoppers are viewing our little items. Strange, but really exciting. Be sure to check back in the next few days, because I hope to be adding items throughout the week.

and so it begins...

2007-02-27T22:32:00.000-06:00

It's an interesting thing, really. Blogging. Not necessarily something I ever really thought I would find myself doing, but fun all the same. But I thought it would be a nice thing for our little shop--to have an area where updates could be posted and so on. And I really do feel that this is going to be quite a journey, so it will be nice to have it all documented. For the memories, you know.

So, should you have been caught unaware, which most certainly you have been, this is really all for our new little etsy shop -- project8256. My sister and brother-in-law have decided to adopt from Ethiopia, and to assist with the funds I will be selling prints of original artwork, and greeting cards, on etsy. And part of the profits will go to a very deserving orphanage in Ethiopia, as well.

I suppose that's it for now. A little intro. The shop should be up and running within the next few days. Yay!