Sweet Mess

goodbye january

2012-02-01T22:59:00.001-05:00

Tree of Life Earrings in Blue / Luna Moth Earrings

January was a difficult month in our household. Stubborn-stubborn sicknesses that would not (and haven't fully) go away, heartbreaking news from a friend, pink-eye for all!...blech.
And now here is February with a clean inbox and a sniffling, but recovering, family.

I spent all day today at the computer, the rainy weather keeping me company outside the window. I knocked a lot of overdue emails of my to-do list, tidied up loose ends, and best of all: spruced up the shop!
I even got around to adding a few new items. What do you think?

Tree of Life Necklace in Sepia

haircut

2012-01-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

Gave the little one a haircut because he was starting to look like shaggy from scooby-doo. As soon as I started the project solo I remembered how he hates having his hair cut. It was a difficult job, and it didn't turn out as I had hoped. It is quite choppy as you can see.

I guess I was overconfident. When I cut Lili's hair I just snip away, and somehow it always ends up looking cute. Strangers are always coming up to her and telling her they wish they had her haircut.
I am discovering that boy hair is a whole different thing.

Seo still looks cute... just in a homemade sort of way. At least it will be a looong time before those bangs are in his eyes again!

tree of life

2012-01-22T13:42:00.003-05:00

tree of life design for Seed & Sky

I have been spending a lot of my time making new jewelry designs for Seed & Sky. It has been a lot of fun. It is going to be a lot of work to bring them to fruition, but I hope to have them up in the shop soon! Also exciting is the addition of necklaces coming soon as well! :)

Mr. P

2012-01-21T23:22:00.002-05:00

Mary & Mr. P

My childhood elementary school custodian passed away in a house fire yesterday in my home town. I feel surprisingly shaken up by it considering how long ago our lives crossed paths, and how often I thought of him (almost never).
I grew up in a very small town of under 2,000 people. Our school, grades 1-8, had 400 students. Mr. P was the custodian for decades. He was always there, sweeping the floor with one of those wide brooms, or up on a ladder fixing a bulb. He was humble, extraordinarily kind, a jokester, and was in so many ways a guardian angel of my existence inside that building. I have a lot of bad memories about school from those years, but when I think about Mr. P I have nothing but a warm heart.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/20/beloved-couple-dies-in-andover-nh-house-fire/

process

2012-01-20T20:51:00.002-05:00

Section of a 30" x 40" (76 x 101cm) painting that is slowly creeping along.

Thank you on the well wishes. They make me feel a little more sane.

Rainy days, with a sick person taking up one of the two rooms in our house, and two whiny, conjunctivitis-infected children with colds in the other... well... there were times when I felt very crazy indeed.

There was a moment when our whole family was downstairs today, all in one boogery, coughing, cuddle (or sort-of cuddle: there was a lot of wiggling and fighting about lap territory mixed in) ~ and Alex and I looked at each other and giggled about how pathetic all of us looked.

And that is when you know you are on the upswing.

2012-01-18T23:41:00.002-05:00

First thing this morning before the sun came up.

Awake and eating a Popsicle: 9:30pm.

Rough day for the boys in our household.

Alex has a horrible bout of the flu (which doesn't feel fair since he just had the stomach bug).

Seo has pink eye and two very painful molars breaking through.

Hopefully all will be feeling better tomorrow.

xxx

barred owl art

2012-01-17T13:29:00.002-05:00

Barred Owl art design for Seed & Sky

lilikoi

2012-01-14T22:46:00.003-05:00

Sitting out in the hammock in my sister's yard. Just sucking her thumb and looking out at the world for a long, long time all by herself.

2012-01-12T21:25:00.001-05:00

freebie :: printable valentine's day cards

2012-01-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

I was driving to town the other day in the rain and I stumbled across a mix that my sister made for me awhile ago. Now that my music is all on our mp3 player the "mixes" are in a weird category, and they get lost. So, as I was feeling all mushy on my sister for picking out such fun songs~ I got sentimental about the mix tape itself.

These-days, someone hands you a USB with a hundred million songs on it and says, "Here, take some of my music."

One of my boyfriends made me a mix tape before we started dating. It had The Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" on it, and from that... I *knew* he liked me.
You know what I am talking about? Are you with me?

Although to be clear for the generations that missed this 20-year-or-so window, the mix tape wasn't just for romantic purposes. It was for BBFs and others who wanted to spend hours picking out just the right songs, hitting play and record, rewind, and pause~ just for you.

In honer of that nostalgia, I made you a free printable sheet of mix tape valentines. Print the top photo for just one, or the multiples as an 8.5" x 11". Simply save the photo as a jpeg, print & then cut out. I recommend using a heavyweight card-stock paper. If mix tapes aren't you thing: stay tuned for some more free valentines day stuff soon :)

Do you have any mix tape stories?

Seo

2012-01-09T23:48:00.002-05:00

Watching his Dad chainsaw out the window.

ginko

2012-01-08T22:17:00.001-05:00

new ginko leaf design for Seed & Sky

Excerpt from an article by Mat Gleason entitled "12 Art World Habits to Ditch in 2012"

Rules
There are too many of them. You do whatever you want. You can even be so great that you actually achieve a complete and total failure. Then you can make art. But you never have to follow any of the rules and anyone who says you do... well he or she just hasn't failed enough to realize this.

Experts
Art is subjective. There inherently cannot be experts.

Series
Artists are told to work in series. It is one way of doing things. To posit that it is the only way or the best way is as dumb as saying every painting should be 40 percent earth tones. Huh? Yeah, that dumb.

Reading Graffiti Art
Street art is the best abstract painting of the past 60 years. Rationalizing one wall as somehow better because of individual authorship (instead of innovative composition) misses the whole point. Let's not take the people's medium against the power of property and make it into another celebrity manufacturing game. Enjoy abstract vandalism at its most beautiful without obsessing over who authored the specific letters on the wall. And what is closer to the bottom of the barrel: Street art gallerists, street art curators or street art academics? On what sad date did aerosol spray paint become synonymous with cotton candy?

Artists As Their Own Manager
You gotta do this, and you gotta do that, and most of all you have to buy the art advice book on how you can make it on your own as an artist by doing all of this stuff on your own. Advice is now an industry. Just make the art and sell it for whatever it takes to get it out of the studio and make more. Don't buy the book. It is probably rehashed if not flat-out plagiarized from the other books. There is no blueprint for a masterpiece and there is no blueprint for a successful art career. Like Gandhi said, "What you do will not be important but it is important that you do it." he didn't add "...so buy the overpriced book and DVD series on how to succeed at doing that unimportant important thing."

process

2012-01-08T00:47:00.004-05:00

A great day.

Coffee, kids, wood chopped, studio time, simple dinner & family dance party before bed.

luna moth design

2012-01-06T21:01:00.001-05:00

new luna moth design for Seed & Sky.

Seo woke up at 4 am saying "Owy" and couldn't fall back asleep. As I was rocking him in the dark downstairs he threw up. He got sick a few more times during the day, but he still managed to dance with Lili and play normally~ kids are amazing like that. One barf for me and I would cry and be down and out for the day. As it was, Alex and I took turns feeling like zombies from the lack of sleep today. I am hoping all will be quiet on on the home-front tonight!
xxx
Kelcey

pretty gosh darn lucky.

2012-01-05T23:20:00.000-05:00

I got to have my day today.
I wrapped up some loose ends, packaged some orders, and worked on a special project creating a logo for a client's doula business. It was a lot of fun. I hope to find more fun and challenging jobs such as this in the coming year. :)

Journal page #2 2012

I also read THIS post today & it made me smile. It is long, but she captures the complexity of life with little ones so well. Perfect timing, since yesterday I felt very challenged by the job of motherhood. Not motherhood itself, ( I love being a Mom) but the day-in, day-out job is the hardest thing I have ever done. When I get to have a work day such as today, it feels so fluffy compared to parenting.

I feel pretty gosh darn lucky to be able to straddle the fence between being a stay-at-home Mom and working doing something I love for the rest of the time.

kids, work, art, farting

2012-01-05T00:11:00.001-05:00

In my mind, January started with me in the studio, having time to paint and create. However, Alex has worked every day this week instead. Financially we need him to work when it is available since it can be unpredictable in the winter. So painting has not come to fruition just yet. With the little ones at home it is always a balancing act. Some moments I feel lucky and blessed beyond words, and some moments I simply feel frustrated and restricted. It just depends.
I do love being home with the kids though. How many moments during the day I wish I could capture forever... but they pass through like water. The kids will say something profound and before our conversation is done I already can't remember the sweet inflection of voice or the sequence of words that made me giggle. As much as I want to be selfish and go in my studio and paint for days on end~ I want to be present to witness my children grow more.
As I said, and as many of you know firsthand, it is always a balancing act.

In other news, Lili and Alex are trying to convince me to put a shiny "Who Farted?" bumper sticker on the front bumper of our car. The sticker is compliments of my Mother-in-law, (typical) and it evokes peels of laughter from Lili every time it surfaces.
We shall see.

seed & sky feature

2012-01-03T15:33:00.004-05:00

Here is the Seed & Sky feature/interview
from the online style magazine Fashion Ledge :: December Issue.

Pretty sweet. :)

happy first monday...

2012-01-02T13:54:00.005-05:00

first journal page of the new year

I am not of follower of Sai Baba, but A friend of mine posted this on facebook and it spoke to me:

"HAPPY NEW YEAR ....2012
Do not waste time speculating over what would happen in this New Year. If your actions are good, your future is bound to be good. The future of the nation depends on your actions. God is a witness; He neither protects nor punishes you. Each one is responsible for their pleasure or pain. In this New Year, develop new and sacred feelings and make everybody happy. Do not struggle for money; strive for love. Once you develop love, there will be no scope for evil qualities like anger, jealousy, etc. If your thoughts and actions are good, your future will be good. Then the whole country, nay, the whole world will prosper. Pray for the peace and prosperity of the entire world. Peace can be attained only through practice of human values."

- Sai Baba

Velija 2011

2011-12-29T23:13:00.003-05:00

A big bowl of bread Alex made for our annual neighborhood Velija celebration on that we have on Solstice. My favorite was the olive loaf.
The rye bread was also very tasty. In fact, they were all delicious. As was the whole meal. There is something magical about having a tradition~ even if the tradition is altered heavily from it's origin.

(Okay, I just googled last year's post about our tradition to give a link, and here is what I said: "Bread Alex made for Velija. My favorite was the olive loaf." So, Yep. I guess I am THAT predictable...)

Moving on.

Here's to the dream that 2012 is the year we build our outdoor bread oven!

2011-12-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

I will start with the bad news:
Lili got sick on Solstice night.
Alex got the hard core stomach bug on Christmas eve through Christmas day.
I got hit the following two days.

So here is a photo of our lone stomach bug resistor:

Despite all the sickness sweeping our home, our holiday was really nice. In this time of year when the nights are long, it is special for me to have so many traditions fusing together to honor and trust that the light will return. My Mom & Paul are here visiting for the week so there has been a lot of time making food and opening gifts and reading books together too. I am missing all the rest of our family though!

We (with the exception of Alex) spent Christmas day at my sister Becca's and her partner Dave's house. The kids treat their home like it is their own which can be good and bad. It's good because it is indicative of how much time we spend together. Bad because they feel at ease to smear their dirty hands and boogery faces into the nice white couch, and run around like crazy people, ect... But, everyone is always kind in lending a hand to the little ones for which I am always grateful. Paul even propped himself up on the bed with the kids and watched an episode of Barney. It melted my heart to see that~ for an adult to sit through Barney is true love.

We received so many thoughtful & heartfelt gifts this year. One of my favorites was my Dad and Amy giving a goat and a flock of 20 chicks in our names to Heifer International. We also were showered with nice socks, soaps, clothing, new shoes for the kids, toys, childrens' books, and chocolates.

diy advent calendar

2011-12-22T23:40:00.000-05:00

I stayed up until two in the morning one night making this advent calender. They are felt pockets mostly held together by hot glue, and strung from the ceiling (so no little hands can touch them). Each pouch has 6 m&ms and a little note. It isn't an exact sort of thing. For example, there are 2 days until Christmas and we have four left (???). And Lil can't read yet, so when we open it up and the note says to make something incredibly messy on a day that isn't flowing for us, I make something else up. Like "Oh! it says we need to read a Holiday story together!"

I had envisioned taking on some more meaningful family things this season~ like visiting a nursing home for example... but I haven't been able to pull it together. The advent calander has been a sweet reminder each day to honor this time together. I am doing a pretty good job of letting go of how our home isn't tidy and all decorated etc, and I haven't done all the projects I dreamed of doing. We are just doing what feels right and do-able for that moment and for that day. It has been good.
Also, you wouldn't believe the thrill of three m&ms...

One of my more ambitious days:
We took up the rug and made potato print wrapping paper the other day. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. I was smart and drew a bath before we started the project. :)

I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying what really matters to you!

2011-12-19T01:35:00.001-05:00

O christmas tree 2011

2011-12-16T22:04:00.001-05:00

When I was growing up one of my favorite days of the year was the day we set up our Christmas tree. We would go pick it out as a family... we lived in rural New Hampshire... so it was snowy and picturesque in a New England-y sort of way. While we set up the tree we would drink egg nog with nutmeg out of special tea cups~ and listen to Christmas music. A lot of ornaments had stories, and everyone had their favorite ones.
My Mom had a monkey that she got as gift when she was in the hospital with rheumatic fever when she was a child. My Dad liked a delicate glass reindeer and a piece of foam (from an old couch I believe) that he thought looked like a Star Trek ship. He attached a hook to it and tried to find a prominent spot for his foam (If you are wondering if it looked like a piece of garbage hanging on our tree the answer is yes). My sister Becca and I liked the same small porcelain angel~ and we would fight over it every year.

When we were asleep after our wonderful day my Mom would rearrange all the ornaments (gaudy and star trek in the back of the tree) so the tree looked perfect (to her).

Fast-forward to our sweet tree of 2011. I had it in my mind that I was not going to follow in my mother's footsteps and rearrange the tree to perfection. I was going to just let it be. But it turns out that Lil favors certain branches while she is decorating. One branch had 4 ornaments on it. I was holding myself back from stepping in until I couldn't take it any more and I convinced her to spread them out. When we were done decorating our tree it looked a tad jumbled, but sweet.

The next morning I realized the tree had been rearranged. All those ornaments I had convinced her to spread out were back on that one branch again. Ha! I couldn't help but smile.

2011-12-16T02:06:00.001-05:00

Speaking printmaking, HERE is a link to a printmaking class that my former professor/friend Gwen Diehn is teaching entitled: Letterscapes: Making Artwork with Wooden Letters

. She used a print I made in 2004 for the class promotion. It was part of a series of prints I made using the letter O.

old work

2011-12-14T20:18:00.001-05:00

Visiting my friend Caren a couple of months ago I took a photo of a print I had made for her wedding in 2002.

I had forgotten about it~

I made this print using a large piece of Styrofoam. When the print was dry, I highlighted some of the details with water soluble crayons.

It has been way too long since I dug out my print supplies...

There are certain sounds, smells, and textures that "get" each artist. I have a long list of these that make my heart skip a beat. But on the top of that list is the sound and feel of ink being pushed across a pallete with a brayer. It gets me even just thinking of it...

2011-12-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

Prints make thoughtful gifts!

♥

(and don't forget about my 20% off blog reader discount with the coupon code BLOGREADER)

a contact sheet of most of my prints from my shop

2011-12-09T20:42:00.001-05:00

Speaking of reasons to be happy...
Sorting through some of this year's photos for a present ideas I found this one of Alex and I from the summer. It was only taken a few months ago but it feels like years for some reason.

xxx

2011-12-07T22:42:00.001-05:00

crafty weekend wrap-up

2011-12-06T19:28:00.001-05:00

Ahhh... The Big Crafty... As always, I got swept up in the day and forgot to take better pictures of the event & my booth. At least I got these shots right as the show was about to begin.

And this photo of Alex setting up our booth (and my sister's booth in another photo) was in a local online paper.

I was given an amazing location that was in the center of the action, but with a little more space around and in front of me than some other booths. I felt really lucky and grateful for that. When it got crazy and crowded during the day my booth never felt claustrophobic like a lot of other locations.

We had the chance to see some old friends and repeat customers (thank you!!!) and meet some new folks as well. Although with it being so hectic and crowded, this show does not lend itself to meeting people. All in all it was a wonderful, wonderful day. I ♥ The Big Crafty.

Alex also represented Sweet Mess Art at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa this weekend. Here he is leaving our driveway on the way to the show. I wish I could have been there, but it was too much to bring the kids.

Overall a great weekend.
whew!

catching up

2011-12-05T20:11:00.001-05:00

Seo and the giant mountain of laundry (at least it is clean) on our bed.

I had visions of the day after our big show weekend being a sweet family day.
In my imagination the kids would be so grateful to finally have our full attention and the day would be spent just the four of us, cuddling, and playing, and maybe even picking out a tree for the holidays.
BUT... for some reason it just didn't turn out like that. The kids didn't seem grateful to have us back, they seemed frustrated and whiny, and cry-ey~ particularly Seo. Despite our best efforts to make it fun, it was a challenge. At dinnertime Alex and I ~~clung to each other~~ hugged and just shook our heads in wonderment at the day. I wouldn't trade being their Mom for a second, but there are certainly days and moments where it just. feels. difficult.

Days like this are good lessons in letting go of expectations, you know?

big crafty set up

2011-12-04T22:27:00.001-05:00

photo courtesy Justin Rabuck

Setting up for The Big Crafty this morning. We had a wonderful day.... more to come when I am not so crazy exhausted!

2011-12-01T17:50:00.001-05:00

blog reader sale

2011-11-30T11:45:00.001-05:00

Our two big holiday shows are this coming weekend:
Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa & The Big Crafty!
We have been bustling to be over-prepared.

Also, I finally got my ornaments up in my shop. I don't expect to sell out of them this weekend (I made a ridiculous amount) but if there is a certain design you want you may want to purchase it before this weekend just in case! See them all HERE.

Also, Lucy asked if I would have the card sets up... I still need to take photos of the actual cards~ but I listed them in the shop anyways. See them HERE. :)

And lastly ~~~~~ I am offering all of my blog readers a

20% discount this holiday season

at both my shops starting today! Because you all are the best!

You suffer through my grammatical errors,

late night ramblings,

are witness to the growth of my art as a business,

and you help promote my art.

Yep, what would I do without you?

Enter the coupon code BLOGREADER in the "coupon code" box at checkout of either of my stores to receive your discount.

♥

Kelcey

giving thanks for what we have.

2011-11-26T20:30:00.001-05:00

We ate our Thanksgiving dinner outside with my sister and friends this year. It was a tiny bit chilly~ but oh so fun and joyous.

I like this article "Thanksgving: A Native American Perspective" by Jacqueline Keeler.
I love the idea of a holiday based on giving thanks... I sincerely wished the origins of our holiday were as simple and pure of heart...

cement truck

2011-11-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

A friend of ours is putting a small addition on his home and Alex spent the morning helping lay the cement floor. The floor has piping that will provide radiant heat for the house. We have the same piping in our house, but it isn't hooked up yet. Someday...
The kids and I got a chance to go watch the excitement for a little while. They were completely entranced by the cement truck and the sloshing cement. They were so content they even held hands for awhile.

2011-11-18T22:05:00.001-05:00

A quick hello!
I have been working all day, every day, to get ready for all of the upcoming shows. Everything is looking tight! Like these card packs I have been working on tonight. I have two shows this weekend and then next week I will photograph all the new stuff and get it up in the shop. :)
Lil and Seo have ferocious and horribly gross colds right now ~ so sleeping and trying to get work done have been tricky. Even as I type this the sounds of the keyboard clicking is waking Seo up. My
poor baby is miserable...

Tonight Alex and I are working side by side, and in an effort to be quiet we each have our own headset on. Alex can't stand the Indigo Girls so it is a treat to be listening to some old-school (high school/early 90's for me) music.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
♥ Kelcey

abundance

2011-11-15T19:17:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning and looked at last night's post and sighed.

My question "Are you afraid of abundance" in my last post didn't make much sense~ especially out of context. In my sleep deprived state last night I was feeling the weight of all the fullness that is in our life right now. I was feeling fearful of the potential abundance coming our way from the holiday season. We have been working hard to be prepared for all of the many shows and fairs and online sales. We have loaded our plate high with responsibilities/opportunities and I have been having moments of feeling overwhelmed.

< --------- See all the shows I am gearing up to do?!

Last night I felt guilty for feeling overwhelmed~ as if overwhelmed meant ungrateful.

But, I am grateful. Grateful, and slightly anxious about the unknown.

As for me: Anxiety and Fear are not welcome guests & I open my arms wide to Abundance.
♥
p.s~ check out THIS sweet feature today!

2011-11-14T22:05:00.001-05:00

project #3

2011-11-12T09:13:00.001-05:00

30" x 40" painting in progress

project #2

2011-11-06T22:57:00.001-05:00

A Seed & Sky photo-shoot.

A popular fashion website is going to be doing a product review/interview with Seed & Sky sometime this month. They emailed me asking for the CEO, Marketing Director, or Designer to submit ads, photos, and an interview to them as soon as possible. I went looking for examples and inspiration on their website. Well... things looked good. Really good. The images seriously looked like they jumped off the streets of Hollywood. I quickly realized I don't have any photographs or ads with models which was a problem.
Truth be told, asking me to comment on "fashion" and "fashion trends" brings up horrible insecurities that date back to grade school. Or more specifically, that phase in middle school when I went from not caring what I looked like, to it being very important to be cool and to be fashionable. And I never was cool enough or got it right. The ugly feeling this brings up is not about what I wore (although I cringe at that too), it is the insecurity and trying to be something I wasn't that is uncomfortable to think back on now.

So having this website that has over 600,000 unique visitors each month asking me to discuss current trends and high fashion is daunting. Instead of feeling not worthy and insecure about it though I am simply going to focus on my own fashion aesthetic. My collection is about self expression and beauty. If I focus on that it should go smoothly.

And I am feeling a lot more confident after having a successful photo shoot with two friends today. I am grateful they were willing to be brave and put themselves out there. Aren't they gorgeous? I think so :)

We did the photo shoot at Allie's house. She has a very unique home and beautiful landscaping. She and her husband built their home themselves. Most of the walls in their home are built with recycled car tires. It may sound weird, but they have done an amazing job. It is a one-of-a-kind place, and it created an interesting backdrop for the photos.

See the bottles in the wall of their bathroom and how they catch the sunlight? So pretty.

And here are a few of my favorite shots:

xxx
Kelcey

project #1

2011-11-04T22:20:00.002-04:00

Getting a gold line of all my designs up.

I still have a lot of work to do before they all are made, photographed and up in the shop... but it is coming along! The ear wires are 24k and they all look so shiny and pretty. I especially like how the lighter designs look against the gold.
Happy weekending to all!

The Complete Decorated Journal

2011-11-03T23:36:00.000-04:00

Look!
My journal page is on the back cover of Gwen Diehn's new edition of The Decorated Page! The book doesn't come out until next Spring, but reading Gwen's description of it (here) made me look forward to the book's release even more. :)

at our local farm

2011-11-02T20:53:00.002-04:00

It has been a lovely week of fall weather and cherished time with Alex's Mom. (We miss you already Nene!)
I have a whole bucketful of exciting art projects I have been working on too. I hope to be able to share some of them by the end of the week!

xxx
Kelcey

halloween

2011-10-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

with love from: the lemur, the mom, elmo, and the cowboy dad.

trying hard

2011-10-27T11:35:00.002-04:00

I found out about an amazing artist residency program in Asheville a few days before the deadline to apply happened last week. I had no idea what my chances were at being chosen for the Asheville smART Space Program was, but I scrambled and worked my butt off pulling together a 3-page project proposal and a resume for it. I was happy with what I came up with.
Here is a sketch I made for my proposal:

It was great to sit down, dream big, and vocalize some ideas I have been wanting to bring to fruition.

And........ my project was not chosen.
When I read the rejection email of course there was a little disappointment, however I have to say that the overwhelming feeling I had was triumph. I know that sounds weird, but it harks back to this quote:
If we’re not failing at something on a regular basis, we’re just not trying hard enough.
I feel like in the past I have always taken "safe" chances and stayed within my comfort zone. I have had a lot of success from this and not much failure. And recently I have started to see some failures, and it feels good. I feel like I am finally moving into a place where I am pushing my limits and reaching for my big dreams.
And it feels wonderful.

black snake

2011-10-25T21:06:00.003-04:00

There was a gigantic surprise sunbathing in my studio...

Yep. This 4.5' snake was hangin' out in my 7.5' studio.
When I came in the door it slithered under the desk and up into my stash of large paper in the corner. After my heart rate went back down to a normal level I set up a five-gallon-bucket-trap. After prodding it with a dowel and getting spooked a couple of times, I finally managed to steer it into the bucket.
I called Lil over and we tipped it out a little ways from the studio. It finally slithered away toward our stream. And that should have been the end of my snake story.

Should have been. But... The snake came back. About an hour later it was stretched out in front of the studio. I was hanging laundry and almost stepped on it; this time I screamed. The snake and I both jumped back from each other. I crouched down and we looked in each other's eyes for a while. Then it started making it's way right for me. Flicking it's black tongue out as it went. When it was about a foot away I stood up and it moved right by me~ only an inch from my foot~ and into the bushes behind the studio.

Even though I never got a malicious feeling from the snake.... and they are not poisonous... I haven't felt as comfortable in my studio since.

leaf weekend...

2011-10-23T22:19:00.001-04:00

We just returned from our family vacation at the LEAF Festival.
The LEAF Festival's mission is to "Connect cultures & create community through music and art."
They bring in and support music from all over world. It is truly amazing.
Some of my favorite musicians this time were: Sweet Honey In The Rock, Toubab Krewe, The Infamous Stringdusters, Rising Appalachia, Bassekou Kouyate, Rebirth Brass Band, Peter Mawanga & Leo Kottke.
I am grateful to have such an experience in my own town...

These photos are from the LEAF parade. It is an eclectic mix of kids, adults, puppets, bananas (???), jugglers, stilt walkers, and musicians. ♥

♥

Southeastern Women's Herbal Conference

2011-10-17T10:10:00.001-04:00

I am sitting here on this gorgeous Monday morning, drinking coffee out of my new handmade mug by Julie Covington that my friend Nikki gave me for my birthday, and it fits me just right. A perfect mug filled with good coffee is blissful....

Alex took the kids to town so I could get some work done. If you are thinking to yourself "Kelcey, you are sneaky, writing on your blog when you are supposed to be working" you would be mistaken. Part of our new revamping of our lives includes the blog as part of my "work". YES!

Two weeks ago Alex finished up the big house he was building for the last year and half. He will be taking on odd landscaping, building, and window washing jobs~ but for the main part we are dedicating ourselves to our Art and Seed and Seed & Sky. I won't lie, it is scary as hell, but so exhilarating too. I am thinking of putting a note with all my sales that says something like: Thank you for supporting me in living my dream! Because that is what it is. We are attempting to create the exact sort of life that nourishes our hearts. Working hard, being dedicated parents, and spreading beauty and stories through art.
So, what better way to begin this new phase of our lives than with the Southeastern Women's Herbal Conference this past weekend. It started off nerve-wracking. The wind was fierce that opening day with gusts up to 40mph. Tents were breaking and ripping and all of the vendors and conference coordinators (because many of the classroom spaces were tents as well) were jittery and anxious about the weather. However, the second day opened with calmer winds and a collective sigh of relief from all of us. And so began an amazing weekend...

I was caught off guard at how appreciative and in awe these 1000 women would be to my artwork and jewelry. It gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes to think back on all of the incredible stories people told me when they saw my art and what it brought up for them. So many amazing animal stories too... For the first time in my life I truly felt like a vessel for healing and hope in the world.

Normally at the end of a weekend show I feel utterly exhausted, but today I feel renewed and inspired instead. All these women were thanking me for my art, and I want to say thank you back. Thank you for "getting" what I am saying through my paintings. Thank you for supporting me in living my dream!

xxx
Kelcey

p.s.~ A big shout out to my sister-in-law Ema and my friends who organize and help make this conference a reality!

Interview

2011-10-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

You all are invited to come read my interview with Susan from the Artstream Gallery HERE ~ enjoy!

skeleton dance

2011-10-11T13:41:00.001-04:00

Here you will find the original Skeleton Dance by our daughter formerly known as Lili - who insisted on going by the name Rainbow Crystal all last week - but who now goes by the name: Rainbow Crystal Sparkle Unicorn Sparkle-hair.

Enjoy Rainbow Crystal Sparkle Unicorn Sparkle-hair's dance!

seed & sky jewelry

2011-10-08T23:00:00.005-04:00

Here are some newer designs that I got into the shop this week:

{ acorn short / long }

{ bow and arrow short / long }

{ red fox short / long }

{ zinnia feathers short / long }

♥

art studio

2011-10-07T17:42:00.000-04:00

shifting :: reorganizing :: beautifying :: making sense of my work space.

Sorry to not have been here much the last couple weeks. As Alex moves away from his full time work we have been busy-busy prepping for our big change. More to come soon I am sure!

xxx Kelcey

yay!

2011-10-02T13:46:00.001-04:00

Sketching out some ideas for earring cards & holiday packaging (It seems absurd to say the word aloud, but now is the time...) this morning.

And HERE is a video of Eliseo. It isn't the most exciting/cutest of videos ~ but it captures him saying his favorite word: "Uh-Oh". He still is barely talking. Aside from his sign language, 90% of what he verbally says is "Yay!" and "Uh-Oh". He will point to something he wants and say "Yay!" and when you give him something good he says "Yay!". And if something drops or is out of place, he says "Uh-Oh!".

I hope wherever you are you are having a lovely weekend!

Etsy front page

2011-09-27T17:13:00.000-04:00

My artwork made it onto the Etsy home page twice this week. Hooray!

kids

2011-09-26T21:05:00.002-04:00

A constant, soggy mess of tomato seeds and grape skins down Seo's front.

Some Daddy-love after work.

lights of my life...

new painting

2011-09-22T22:17:00.001-04:00

Something Attainable

Kelcey Loomer
Paper, acrylic, ink, glue, pencil

8" x 10"

and some details :)

Remember it in progress here?

2011-09-21T21:48:00.002-04:00

In light of the execution of Troy Davis last night.

The death penalty isn't a deterrent any more than life in prison is. It doesn't save money - in fact it costs more. And mistakes have, and will be made: ‎"Newly available DNA evidence has allowed the exoneration of more than 15 death row inmates since 1992 in the U.S." wikipedia

Politics have become extraordinarily complicated these days, but I feel that all political parties, & all faiths, & all sensible people should be able to unite and abolish the death penalty without hesitation.

fox design / oak design

2011-09-19T23:37:00.003-04:00

Oak Design © Kelcey Loomer 2011

Red Fox Art © Kelcey Loomer 2011

Two new fall-inspired illustrations for the shop!

weekend gratitude list

2011-09-18T23:48:00.001-04:00

* For homemade rye bread (Complements of Alex and Lili)
* For the smell of bread cooking in our home
* For football season because Alex sits down and finally takes a break (even though I personally don't love football).
* For time away to paint & for my own tiny room in which to dream.
* For seeing Lili and Seo hugging this morning.
* For hearing new words from Seo every day (he is barely talking though). Yesterday it was "Uh-Oh" only there was a long pause between the words, so it was more like "Uh........Ooooo".
* For our abundance of food and clean spring water.
* For the change in temperature this weekend that made everything feel more fall-ish.
* For the chance to read good children's books daily.

seed & sky designs

2011-09-16T23:10:00.000-04:00

More playing around with new photos & adding some new designs to Seed & Sky.
happy weekend ~ xxx

hello from the home front

2011-09-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

diy photo shoot #2

2011-09-14T22:36:00.003-04:00

I was playing around with my new light box outside in the sun with no lights on it. It seemed to be working well, but then a huge dark cloud loomed overhead. I quickly switched gears and set up this wobbly photo shoot for my prints. The clouds act as a filter for the light, much the same as the white fabric or tissue paper. In some ways it is a lot easier to just take photos on a cloudy day. But it is very difficult to keep the lighting consistent (if that is important to you) and the risk of rain is of course high.

My pictures look decent. I feel like I still have a lot of work to do to make them stand out and look AMAZING. But so far so good :)

detail / process

2011-09-12T19:45:00.003-04:00

diy lightbox

2011-09-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

I built a light box out of a cardboard box, and it was very easy. (See the tutorial I used here) I used a cardboard box, white tissue paper, and two lights that I bought at the hardware store with 100 watt bulbs. I placed the box in a sunny window for natural light as well. I am testing out some new photos for the shop. I also added some new necklaces that were part of my first photo shoot:

Group Show at Artstream

2011-09-10T20:42:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I shipped four newer paintings of mine to the Artstream Gallery in Rochester, NH. I am pleased to be a part of a group show there called Play/Art/Toy.

Soon the paintings will also be visible in Artstream's online shop as well.

It has been awhile since I have had work in a gallery setting.This summer I decided I wanted to build up a body of work (10-15 paintings was my goal) before I listed any for sale. However, when Susan (See her great blog here) contacted me about participating in this show I couldn't resist. I am still working on building up a body of paintings though. I spent my birthday yesterday in my studio working on a small painting & it was a lovely day.

2011-09-08T23:38:00.002-04:00

soaking up the remnants of summer...

2011-09-08T00:51:00.000-04:00

At the Highland Brewery, drinking a dark pint with my sister and my love, watching the kids run around the field gleefully, while listening to the Galen Kipar Project... One of those nights you know you will look back on with longing when you are in the dead of winter..;

booth display

2011-09-07T00:25:00.004-04:00

Pictures from this past weekend at LAAFF.
When there was a break in the crowd I got on the other side of the street to take a booth photo. Just then a man wearing a tight mermaid outfit and a loudspeaker started tiptoeing by (His tail only allowed him to take tiny steps) in front of my booth. He looked at me with the camera and he struck a pose. I was too startled to take a photo, and he quickly realized I wasn't intending to take a picture of him, and he looked embarrassed and shuffled along. I really wish I had snapped that photo...

new

2011-09-02T00:02:00.000-04:00

Autumn Inward

Paper, acrylic, ink, glue, pencil
8" x 10"

family dinner

2011-08-31T12:37:00.042-04:00

Alex has been working long hours finishing up the house he has been working on for over a year. We have shifted the kids bedtime a tiny bit later so we can have a family dinner most nights. It is one of my favorite times of day. Favorite, unless it is a food battle night and everyone turns grumpy. Lili is at that age where most foods are suspious, and it has been a challenge to attempt to get her to eat the healthy things and yet keep it lighthearted at the table.
Our rule is that everyone has to at least try everything on their plate. If they don't want to eat, fine. And as we set her plate down and she starts to whine we say "Don't tell us what you don't like, start by telling us what you DO like." However, as we have to repeat this every night, I am not so sure it is sinking in... *sigh*
Last night she could have eaten the entire cornbread. She tried then gave the squash soup a huge thumbs down (as expected). And the peas with butter got a so-so response. As you can see from her plate in the picture she mostly just spread them out. ;)

In other news: we are busy getting ready to vend at the LAAFF Festival this weekend!
LAAFF (Lexington Ave Art and Fun Festival) is one of the most unique street fairs you will ever see. Lots of people in wigs and tutus, bike jousting, art demos, hula hooping, fire dancing, local music, local food... Asheville is known for being weird and wonderful, and LAAFF is the festival that celebrates those qualities. I am sure I will have some great photos to share after the festival!
We have babysitters lined up, and boxes of prints, cards, and jewelry stacked on the stairs ready. I am making price signs today. I am getting excited. If you are in the area please stop in and say hello!

Also, I wanted to mention, since it seems to be under-reported thus far, that upstate NY (see here) and in VT (see here) are reeling from the massive devastation left behind from the flooding from Hurricane Irene. All these towns that I love, including the area where my maternal family is from (and much of my extended family lives), have been badly damaged. Whole towns are isolated with no way in other than helicopters. I am thankful none of my family and friends lost their lives or houses though. And my heart goes out to all who have.

new work

2011-08-28T13:34:00.005-04:00

Kelcey Loomer

Honorable Prayer

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

gettin' stuff done

2011-08-25T23:02:00.002-04:00

I was recently talking to a friend and she was telling me how impressed she was with all that I get accomplished with two little ones, and she questioned how I do it all.
And I said: "Well, I have no social life."
And she laughed.
And I said No, Really.

It isn't entirely true. Buuuuut, pretty much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I brought my print station into the living room today so I could print out my new greeting cards while I watched the kids in the sandbox. They look amazing. I am using Mohawk paper which is heavyweight, archival, & environmentally friendly. The company is a woman owned business, the cards are 30% post consumer waste, and the power to the mill is 100% wind generated. So cool! Here's the link, although I bought the card stock from Clear bags.

My to-do list is extraordinarily long this week~ but it's coming along!
xxx Kelcey

2011-08-23T00:34:00.003-04:00

weekending

2011-08-21T19:44:00.000-04:00

Old Work

2011-08-20T21:57:00.001-04:00

Trillium

Kelcey Loomer 2009

12" x 12"

I just got this painting back from a gallery. Sometimes when a painting hangs around for a long time in my studio it starts to feel stale, and I begin to see more faults than bright spots in it. I haven't seen this one in so long though that it was a sweet feeling when I held it again. However, I am unsure of what to do with paintings that don't fit into my current body of work. This one is very very glossy too (hard to photograph for this reason). I picture it living in a dimly lit library with long velvet curtains for some reason...

in the center of tender

2011-08-18T13:54:00.003-04:00

Kelcey Loomer

In the Center of Tender

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

{detail}

I got my jpegs back from my photographer Richard today. It has been such a blessing to have him as a resource. He is a professional photographer, but charges me very little to document my work. He does this to support artists~ I love that.

As well as being a photographer he is also an artist (He particularly loves to make altered books). I don't get to visit many other artist's work spaces, so I always look forward to visiting his studio.

I am working on revamping my Sweet Mess Etsy shop, and I added this print today. :)

2011-08-15T19:58:00.002-04:00

new work

2011-08-11T23:46:00.004-04:00

Almost finished with this 16" x 20" painting. 12 hours straight in the studio today... it has been forever since I have had a chunk of time like that. I love the feeling of working past when everyone else is asleep. To fall into bed with your head still spinning with colors and textures... Painting into the night was something I used to do all the time before I had children who wake up with the sun.

Tomorrow morning I am heading to my photographer to get some professional images taken of my last five paintings. It has been such a productive week!

How have you been keeping up with your innermost to-do list?

process

2011-08-09T12:25:00.002-04:00

starting a new painting in my studio

my mom and the kids

2011-08-08T00:13:00.003-04:00

photo courtesy of my sister

art studio

2011-08-06T23:31:00.004-04:00

some studio eye candy for you from my studio folder on pintrest.

in progress

2011-08-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

My Mom is in town visiting, and she watched Seo so I could have some studio time today. It was a huge treat. (Thanks Mom!) This is the new painting I have been working on. The owl body surprised me by turning into a lacy cocoon of sorts.

our tiny home tour

2011-08-01T21:34:00.005-04:00

Stats about our home:
* 650 square feet (about 100 of the square feet are stairs)
* Downstairs we have a painted concrete floor (what it will be in the future is yet to be determined) with piping running underneath so in the future we will be able to heat or cool our house with water.
* The first thing you see when you walk in the front door is the shower. When we build our addition, the shower (and hopefully a bath as well) will be in the bathroom, and the current shower will become a coat closet.
* Our water supply is pumped from our mountain spring.
* We built our home (with TONS of help from family and friends) in 2006.
* While we built our home we lived in a school bus on our land for a year and half.
* If you are facing our house, our future kitchen addition will be the the right.
* Our home sits on 2.5 acres that we share with my brother and sister in-law & their kids.

Enjoy the sneak peek!

out our front door

2011-07-31T22:58:00.001-04:00

We almost stepped on this queen bee mating in our front lawn. Can you see how her partner is about a third of her size? In response to us gawking she tried to fly off. She barely hovered an inch above the ground dragging him upside down through the grass. It was such a crazy sight!

More queen bee inspiration...

Atticus: He has officially lost that teenage wild side, and has settled into being a lovable protector.

Summer rainbow that was visible throughout all of Western North Carolina.

eliseo

2011-07-29T22:41:00.004-04:00

Alex built us this shoe shelf last year. I really love having it, however, one of Seo's favorite things to do is pull all the shoes off the shelves. Several times a day.
Usually the day starts and the shoes are lined up all nice and neat. By the time Alex gets home they are shoved every which way. I was about to say he thinks it is so funny... but I am realizing that I don't know if he does think that. He does it systematically, almost as if it is his job to pull out all those shoes.

prepping for wholesale

2011-07-27T23:59:00.002-04:00

Alex had the day off from work yesterday and so I got to have a long awaited work day of my own. Sadly, I didn't get to paint, there is a whole list of other priorities. On the top of that list is getting prepared to take on wholesale accounts for Seed & Sky. As I step further and further into this role of businessperson I am biting my tongue every step of the way. Everything in my whole being wants to shout out that I don't do business, and I am happy being a shy hermit in my studio...

However I am finding bits and pieces of myself here and there that likes being a businessperson and thinking in this way. Statistics, strategies, money, profits, advertising, branding, and on and on. There is so much to learn, and that is the best and most scary part. No, I take that back, the scariest part is putting yourself out there and risking failure.

So yesterday I designed this double sided, large postcard to give to potential clients. It will be stuffed in an envelope with suggested retail prices and our wholesale terms. If you know of a retail store that you think would be a match for us we would LOVE to hear your suggestions! (kelceyloomer@hotmail.com) Exciting times!

front

back

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

xxx Kelcey

tuesday drawing

2011-07-26T22:41:00.001-04:00

staying cool in the heat

2011-07-25T23:00:00.005-04:00

My Hot Weather (okay cold weather too) Smoothie Recipe

1 banana
1 cup of milk
3 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup or powder
12 ice-cubes
cold water to thin if needed

Put all ingredients in the blender. blend.

Makes 2.25 pints / 1 Liter

beach vacation 2011

2011-07-24T23:18:00.007-04:00

Vacation came and went in a hot, salty, swirl of family, food, and waves.

* Lili conquered her intense fear of the roaring ocean.
* We built a sand castle.
* The kids lived on cheese, crackers, and juice.
* We drank beer and ate rich food all together.
* We spent time quality time with my grandparents.
* I went for a long beach walk with my aunt.
*Had sister time. Even though we are lucky enough to live near Becca and Dave, it is special to spend a week together.
*Got to know my step-sister Naomi better & Lili loved playing with her.
* I drank coffee and listened to my Dad and Amy do the crossword each morning.

Unfortunately, while we were there both kids got sick, got fevers, broke out in full body rashes, & threw up. Seo all over me, Lili all over the rental house comforter (and that is when the house washing machine called it quits.) We had a more low key vacation because of them not feeling well, but in some ways it was nice. We read a lot which was a treat.

Before we left I had planned on working at least a little while there, but then at the last minute we decided to leave it all behind. It was refreshing to not have the option to work.

Everyone helped tremendously with our kids~ enabling it to feel like a true vacation.
It feels like it went too fast, and I already miss my family...

On the flip side, it feels really nice to be home too.

2011-07-21T23:35:00.000-04:00

Artist :: Elly MacKay

2011-07-20T21:27:00.005-04:00

Elly MacKay is an artist who lives north of Toronto in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. I stumbled upon her Etsy Site recently and was instantly intrigued by the beauty and depth.

I felt almost dizzy as my head tried to decipher what was going on until I read a little bit about how her work is created. Her prints are photographs of three dimensional scenes she creates. Here is a description in her own words about her process:

"Once I have some layers I begin to install them in my 'theater', a sweet little one that my husband made for me. The image above gives a sense of the scale I am working with. The theater is open on all sides, allowing me to light things from any angle. I use parchment for skies and often place coloured tissue behind it, to create distant landscape or clouds. Due to the open sides and bottom, it can be tricky to have everything stay in place. The frame of the theater has holes to string wire to hold everything in place."

I went through ALL of her prints on Etsy, and I fell in love.
"My work often tells a moment in a story, and often plays with the themes of childhood, and the ephemeral. I look to my own childhood, my experiences as a mother, Victorian curiosities, vintage book illustrations, and set design. I have recently begun working on a larger scale, creating installations."
~Elly MacKay

Aren't they amazing?

To learn more about her process

Her Etsy Site

and her blog

2011-07-18T23:41:00.003-04:00

family vacation :: day one

Artist books and visual journals

2011-07-16T00:14:00.001-04:00

SongWen Matilda Huang

Elsa Mora

Danny Mansmith

Aren't these amazing??? Come check out more on my "Artist books and visual journals" section in pintrest!

snapshots

2011-07-14T23:02:00.004-04:00

snapshots from the past couple weeks:

a wedding, a brotherly race, a saying goodbye, grandparents, a whiffle-ball game, kids, dear friends,
& more family.

2011-07-13T23:24:00.001-04:00

me and Seo

Marriot Hotel, Elmhurst IL

July 2011

newest painting

2011-07-13T00:10:00.003-04:00

Kelcey Loomer
No Title Yet

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

My grandmother who passed away in January was on my mind a lot when I painted this. The shadow across the top of the painting is not part of it~ that is just the shadow from my frame.

My shop is closed for renovations right now, but when I reopen in the beginning of August this painting (and her print) will be there!

summer big crafty!

2011-07-11T16:57:00.007-04:00

It has been forever since I posted here...

While I was absent we went to Chicago for Alex's Grandmother's "Celebration of Life party". It was such a sweet mixture of tears, rekindling family ties, bellies hurting from laughing so much, family stories, food (lots of pizza and diner breakfasts!) and suburban adventures. We got home at 2:30 am Saturday morning and woke up a few hours later to bust out our Big Crafty preparations. We crossed everything off our list, had the truck packed and ready to go, and were in bed by 1:30 am the next morning.

A little about The Big Crafty photos:

I changed up my booth this time and didn't make it as deep as I usually do. I left about 1/3 of the 10'x10' area for back-stock and for me and Alex to stand. I don't want my space to feel intimidating, and I think by making this shift customers can more easily browse by and not feel like they have to commit to coming into a cave. Does that make sense? Next time I want to have something at the very edge that is eye catching. I am not sure yet what that will be... Also, do you see that cool booth right next to me??? That's my sister Rebecca and her Etchville booth!!! (Etchville.com)
Testing out our new earring cards I designed. I feel like they still need some bling, but I was happy with the improvement. They are hanging from a light blue baker's twine using mini clothespins. (I have been using these in my packaging for my Etsy shop too)
I did sell a painting yesterday, but not this one. I love this painting and I will have a twinge of sadness whenever it does decide to leave me :)
Alex and I made a giant leap into 2011 when we bought a droid smartphone this month! The application that enables you to take credit cards was the inspiration for the purchase. Using it at The Big Crafty was SO easy. For $1 they send you the small plug in that you use to swipe the customer's card. Then they charge you 3% for every transaction.
And lastly, This is Rose! Lili named her. I bought her new on Ebay to model our earrings. I like how plain she is. She looks a little like an alien, but I promise you she is way less scary than a lot of the other models. I think she was $38 including shipping. (see here)

I always enjoy The Big Crafty. I met some new artists and craft people, and reconnected with some regulars. It is always something I look forward too... and yet I am always relieved when it is done. Today Alex went back to work, and the kids and I are settling back into our regular life.

three and a half

2011-06-30T16:13:00.002-04:00

This month has been crazy chock-full of good things. Visits, travel, friends, work and more work, and lots of plans turned completely upside down.

I started to get an eye twitch yesterday, which is a sure sign of stress for me. I had to stop and ask myself what do I have to be stressed over? So, I have made it a priority to take some deep breaths whenever I feel overwhelmed. Deep breaths and a note to self that most everything that is unfolding is wonderful. A whole lot of wonderful.

Kelcey Loomer

Mixed Media

12" x 12"

2004

And that is what I wish I could have conveyed to Lili when she had her absolutely WORST, all out blood-curdling screaming fit today.

It happened like this:

We were on a walk with a friend of her's up at the top of our road (about 30 feet from where that last picture of her was taken actually). Her friend stopped to pick a wineberry and Lili insisted that she couldn't pick it because it was going to turn into a blackberry (she was wrong). And when her friend went ahead to pick it anyway, Lili grabbed her arm and they started to have a frantic tug of war. I dragged Lili off her and set her down and then she proceeded to scream. and scream and scream with ALL her might. At first I was in shock at the force. And then I started to laugh (which she didn't like) and then I just crouched next to her and tried to remain calm. Meanwhile, I was holding Seo because he wouldn't let me put him down. I hovered there with her screaming for a while wondering what to do because she was completely out of control.

Thinking about what the neighbors must think (is someone being murdered?)

Wondering what was underneath this (because it obviously wasn't about a berry)

Debating between hugging her tight and leaving her there to work it out and come home.

And then my brother-in-law David came jogging up the hill to help (looking like an angel). He had heard her screaming from way down the road and had come to help. He scooped her up and held her upside down and jogged with her in his arms back to our house. Lili's friend, Seo, and I followed. By the time he dropped her off on our doorstep she was laughing. Of course she immediately broke down again about something equally as mystifying, but at least we were home.

After writing this (and having a nice talk with my sister-in-law Ema tonight) it seems clear that her breakdown is probably a reaction to all of the out-of-routine things happening in our lives and me being gone for a week. So far the only remedy I have come up with is extra hugs and patience.

Have you heard of the terrible 3 1/2 ses?

haiku

2011-06-27T23:56:00.004-04:00

Lili

step. twirl. jump. and land

looks back to meet my eyes, says:

"Can't wait till I'm five!"

prepping

2011-06-26T00:03:00.003-04:00

Alex and I have been working at night trying to get together a good stock of earrings for our Seed & Sky business. He has been working long hours, and many days in a row at his carpentry job (to make up for lost time when he had the kids and I went to California, and also in anticipation of our trip to Chicago for his grandmother's funeral). It is hard to see him so tired, but it is enjoyable to spend time together in this way.

So for now the evenings, after the kids have gone to bed, is the best time (really only) to get work done. But it works.

Tonight I had a few kamikaze bugs fly onto my glue and get stuck. Poor bugs...