tick...tock...

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

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

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...

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

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

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...

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