Congratulations Sheena & Ezra!

Wedding Invitation Art by Ezra Birt

photo via Little Yellow Apple

Custom Wedding Topper for Sheena and Ezra 

I was so happy to be a small part of my friend, Sheena Rogers- now Sheena Birt and Ezra's wedding celebration this past weekend! Here is the wedding cake topper I made for them using their wedding colors and some little personal details to match the darling illustration Ezra created for their invitations!  Sheena is a fellow Savannah College of Art and Design Alumna and she is an amazingly creative artist currently working her magic at the Indianapolis Anthropologie.  I hope to have more photos of their artful wedding to share with you soon! Congratulations and Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Birt! xoxo

Owl and a Ladybird

I have two new assemblages in my Etsy shop today! Please take a looksee! xo

Ladybird Assemblage, detail

Ladybird Assemblage

Little Perched Owl Assemblage

Little Perched Owl Assemblage, detail

Strawberry Swing Craft Fair- Kansas City!

So, my incredible friend, Heather Baker, of Bebe & Alice is organizing a Super Indie Craft Fair to be held this summer in Kansas City! She kindly allowed me to design the poster- actually more of a collaboration in the end-so fun- and in the process I actually ended up with three versions. The one above being the third and my favorite. But she's posted all three on the Strawberry Swing blog and we would love your input on which one you think is most successful! I'm really hoping to make it down to K.C. for the Swing, Heather has planned for much fun and handmade goodness! Visit the blog here for more info on attending/vendors/sponsoring! xo

home sweet story

So....did I ever mention that my husband and I finally found a house and moved in late October? That's the main reason why I've been seriously awol around here. Here are some pretty photos that originally sold us on the house...they are the ones from the real estate listing and taken last spring (probably). We were so happy and blessed to find an older mid-century home that was solid and in need of only cosmetic updates.

This house was built for a family in 1963 and we found the blueprints that were drawn up in 1957. Lots of pretty rock all around and my favorite... huge floor to ceiling windows along the back.

The house is tucked away sideways or perpendicular to the street.

Not much of a back yard...but a slope and lots of beautiful trees! It feels like living high in our own bird's nest.

Here it is all nice and open and warm...and styled by someone to appeal to buyers!

Where you'll find us most evenings during these cold snowy days. So that was the view then,

and this is now...

brrrr....we've had a record snowfall this winter here in Indianapolis.

Why, it snowed last night and I think it will again this weekend!

This view from the porch off our bedroom has stayed pretty much the same for the last few weeks.

The only room I have fairly completed and feel comfy baring to the world is the living room nook...

Its so nice to have our things out of boxes! Hopefully, I'll get my act together and have more to show you soon. This weekend I hope to tackle the bedroom...we are still on a mattress on the floor. Not so romantic or cozy after three months! My basement studio is almost together too(Thanks to my Father-in-law, Thank you, FRed!)...now just looking for a great space heater to make it bearable during these frigid months. 

I hope you are well too! I've been checking in here and there trying to keep up but haven't felt the itch to post like I used to! So much on the web anymore...I think I'm coming to realize this blog may need to be more about my process of hunting/gathering and artmaking, and featuring more of my artwork than that of others. Although, I fall hard for so many of you incredibly talented folks out there so there's no way I won't still feature others from time to time. Anyhoo, that's all my wash for now. Have a great weekend! xox

Holiday Fun with ShopSCAD

So...still working on getting caught up here! I was honored to be invited down to join in the festivities at shopSCAD's Pop-Up shop in downtown Atlanta around the first of December...here are some photos of the incredible displays they fashioned in only two days! Photos taken by the marvelous Adam Kuehl...

Welcome...please do come in and warm yourself by the vintage faux firelogs!

Display of SCAD's Working Class Studio wares!

A view to the salon style Fine Art gallery wall and my very favorite item- the Chandelier by Virginia Wynne- decorated by shopSCAD with greenery, yarn, and a mix of happy shades.

A view to the bath and jewelry area...and the ghosts of shoppers past.

Amy Zurcher, Joe Bush and myself...happy together again!

The cozy bedroom nook with handcarved trees by Martha Enzmann, pottery by Irene McCollam, and

handmade quilts by Jen Jenkins.

My little nook filled with yarn wreaths and nests

Now, thankfully Amy Z. took some photos of the ornaments and wreaths I made for the occasion... main material this year being the humble pipe-cleaner...

snowflakes and baubles

little nests atop vintage spools

little birdies on a wire

mini yarn wreath ornaments

these are really easy to make- just cut out a donut shape from a sturdy piece of chipboard as your base and wrap your yarn and/or pipecleaners round and round like a wreath.

a few of my 2010 wreaths- i was trying to go a bit more mod this year!

many of these are now available at shopSCAD Savannah!

xo

P.S. Thank you shopSCAD for including me in POpUP! xox

even more nests...

I won't stop making them. These are attached to found vintage pedestals.

Available in my shop. xo

Art & Found Nest Assemblage

(vintage mossy greens)

 Art & Found Nest Assemblage

with vintage cream millinery cherries

Woodland Nest Assemblage (on glass pedestal)

nesting instincts

new in the shop today...since i currently have no nest of my own to fuss with...i present these! xo

art and heirlooms...

Thanks to Amy's Storque article, I got myself in gear last week and made a few new pieces for my Etsy shop. Which was hard to do as we are currently homeless but blessed to be staying with my in-laws for the time being. I was able to visit home recently and my mom and I spent some time sorting through boxes of old family treasures- many of which I used in these pieces- my Aunt Helen's costume jewelry, and our great- grandmother's amazing millinery bridal headpiece. (Don't worry, I was careful and we kept many special pieces for the future- but most is better preserved in art, right? Anyway, I hope they would be pleased.) xo

Bird's Nest Totems (group)

Brown & Gold Totem (left)

Yellow & Green Bird's Nest Totem

Cream Bird's Nest Totem

Garden Bauble Maiden

(Sold)

a few new works and a collaboration.

I've been making a little art in our hot garage. I'm not sure what I'm thinking working with hot wax out there these 95 degree days...but nonetheless....here they are. You can kind of tell I've got homes and nesting on the brain. Its all I'm looking forward to these last few weeks before we move to Indianapolis. I'm sending all of these down to shopSCAD tomorrow. xo

{This piece is actually a collaborative work between me and a little wren that had taken up nest in a flower pot right outside my window. It was amazing to me watch this busy bird working so hard day after day! I'd never had such a front row seat to a real nest building. Sadly, he (i think) abandoned it one day. I think there was a tussle with another bird or crow as I came home to find it all scattered about.  I was so sad waiting day after day to see if he would return. Weeks past and there was no sign  of him, so I collected up the remnants and added to his handiwork.}

Mixed media: vintage papers, ephemera, beeswax, wood construction.

Katie Runnels 2010- available soon at shopSCAD. 

xo

New Twig and Treasures Wreath

Happy Monday!

Here's a new wreath I made yesterday!

{I also marked down the two other found wreaths in my shop!}

LadyBird's Twig and Treasures Wreath

Available in my Etsy shop! xo

detail (using my new vintage letters scored from Artsy Mama's shop!
Thanks, Kari!)

detail.

xo