Featured Artist. Alexa Ritterhoff of The Swallow's Tale on Etsy

When Seattle’s grey days begin to wear on my spirit, and summer seems still far away, I crave sunlight and flowers and open light filled spaces.  What to do?  How fortunate that I discovered Alexa Ritterhoff's Etsy shop, The Swallow’s Tale.

I was recently delighted to learn that Alexa, a regular customer at Bumbershoot Supplies, also had a shop filled with her beautiful creations, and even more happy when she agreed I could share them with you.

Alexa strives : “…to create jewelry that is affordable, classic, but a bit different, something you would want to wear for a long time…”

Some of Alexa’s favorite vintage components include cameos in both resin and glass, rhinestones, brass lockets, and beautiful vintage glass beads, and these beautiful vintage components appear over and over again in her work.

Alexa’s jewelry designs reflect a strong appreciation of the beauty, timelessness and rejuvenating power of nature. Her nature-inspired designs include flowers, bees, butterflies and of course, many, many birds. The colors are feminine and romantic, frequently enhanced by antiqued metal finishes, and are designs that are eminently wearable.

If  summertime still seems distant, or if you are already wearing sundresses and hosting garden parties, I hope you will enjoy a visit to Alexa’s shop, The Swallow’s Tale. You will surely find inspiration and who knows? You may even find the perfect piece for that garden party.

Featured Artist Update: Stacey Yacula of Stacey Yacula Studio

I'm so happy to see one of our past featured artists, Stacey Yacula of Stacey Yacula Studio featured in this recent issue of Art Doll Quarterly.

And guess what – her work is on the cover!

Stacey talks a bit more about this piece on her blog, here.

  I first blogged about Stacey's art here. Stacey’s success as a cover girl does not surprise me :)  I am a great admirer of Stacey’s ability to translate special moments in everyday life into 2- and 3-dimensions through her illustrations and sculptures.  I am so glad to see Stacey’s work being made available for so many people to enjoy.

In a new addition to her Etsy shop, Stacey is now offering custom cards, where you can choose the sentiment for the card, allowing you to personalize her cards to fit your occasion. I am watching the mailbox every day for my own cards and tags, which should arrive any time now. I can’t wait!

To keep up to date with her new sculptures, illustrations, cards and designs, you can visit Stacey’s blog and her Etsy shop.

Congratulations, Stacey!

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Wild Roses

wild roses, near the beach at Carkeek Park, Seattle

Oh, no man knows
Through what wild centuries
Roves back the rose.

~Walter De La Mare

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, May Blossoms

May opened up her basket,

And I looked in to see

A sky of blue,

The great sun too,

Both smiling out at me.

May opened up her basket,

And out the flowers fell.

Their fragrance spilled

Until it filled

All nature with its spell.

May opened up her basket,

Her choristers were there!

Their welcoming

To joy and spring

Was wafted on the air.

She opened up her basket-

The world was blithely gay.

Earth knew again

The ample regin

And blessing of the May!

~Leland B. Jacobs

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, The Sound of Water

red bridge over waterfall, Kubota Gardens, Seattle

At the ancient pond

a frog plunges into

the sound of water

~Basho

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, At the Edge of a Petal

Al's plum blossoms, across the street from our house at Greenlake, Seattle

It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.
~William Carlos Williams

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, To A Snow-Drop

snowdrops, Discovery Park, Seattle

Lone flower, hemmed in with snows and white as they

But hardier far, once more I see thee bend

Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend,

Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day,

Storms, sallying from the mountain-tops, waylay

The rising sun, and on the plains descend;

Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend...

~ from To A Snow-Drop by William Wordsworth

Look What I Found. New Fabric by Tracie Lyn Huskamp of The Red Door Studio

I am pretty excited about the new fabric designs by
Tracie Lynn Huskamp of the Red Door Studio.

I am fortunate to own 2 originals by Tracie: a beautiful goldfinch pin cushion, shown in this blog post, and this wee chickadee painted on muslin shown above and below.

When I heard Tracie had available fabric created using her original designs, I headed right over to her Etsy shop to get me some!

Nature is so much to me, an inspiration, a comfort, a place to heal, a continual source of wonder and beauty and joy.

I love Tracie's work because it reflects how I feel about the magical beauty of the natural world.

I'd love to take a class from her one day, or even just to meet her so I could tell her in person how much I love her art.

I don't know yet what I will do with these wonderful fabrics, right now I am just enjoying them.

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Violets First Bloom

first bloom of our violets just beginning, our garden at Greenlake, Seattle, Feb 7, 2011

I smelt the violets in her hand and asked, half in words,

half in signs, a question which meant

"Is love the sweetness of flowers?"

~Helen Keller

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, First Signs of Spring at Discovery Park

very first blossoms appearing at Discovery Park, Seattle, Jan 31, 2011

Spring hangs her infant blossoms on the trees,

Rock'd in the cradle of the western breeze.

~William Cowper

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Winter Thoughts

bare trees and view of the snowy Olympic Mountains from Discovery Park, Seattle

In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

~ Albert Camus

Frosted Dragonfly. Progress Report 4, Ethereal Bangles Online Class With Kristen Robinson

This is the 4th of 5 bracelets I have made in the Ethereal Bangles online class offered by Kristen Robinson. I've shown 3 previously, 2 in this blog post and 1 in this blog post. You can find out here why I made design changes so that this bangle is not really a bangle :)  Instead, it has an adjustable closure, with the clasp linking into the chain. The pearls and the chain are vintage components.

It's not snowing in Seattle, but it is cold. Thus the name and inspiration for this design...

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Ideals Are Like Stars

art quilt post card

hand dyed fabric, stamped, painted, stitched, glittered

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands.

But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides,

and following them you will reach your destiny.

~Carl Schurz

One of My Favorite Jewelry Designs from One of My Very Favorite Artists

This is one of my favorite designs from one of my very favorite artists.  I love this necklace because of its clean simplicity and use of natural materials.  Mostly I love it because of the love that is in it.  My daughter Emma made this for me when she was 4. 

She's now 16, a freshman college student, a very talented actor, an artist with a fabulous design sense and a natural flair, and oh-so-lucky for me, someone who shares my love of all that is vintage.   She asked why I had this necklace out, wondered if I was going to "take it apart".  I guess I do that a lot :)  No, my darling girl, this one is all about love, giving love, receiving love, sharing love. This one stays together always.

Monday in Seattle. Picture and Quote for the Week, Windswept Pines on the Pacific Coast

...windswept pines on the Pacific coast...

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sudio Snapshot. Natural Inspiration

Some of the many inspirational bits and pieces I collect to bring nature into my studio...