new pretties!

I stayed up late making these fun collage pendants last night.

I love making these little mini collages. It's great therapy! What have you been making lately?

Summer, Sewing, Swag...

Hope you are enjoying your summer! It is moving so quickly. Somehow my oldest will be starting kindergarten in a month. I don't know how this is possible...it feels like he was just born! 

It was another busy week, starting with a fantastic t-ball game (Lars is doing better every week!)  I also got to spend some time with the lovely Jenny of The Painted Daisy who is helping me learn some sewing basics. I managed to finish this bag with a lot of help. I really love the vintage ribbon accents. See, without Jenny's direction, i seriously would have just used the ribbon FOR the handles. I'm excited to start learning to sew and hope to make the time to take a consistent class in the fall. I really want to be able to feel comfortable sewing so that I can do my own thing! 

Saturday Chad vended solo at the market while the kids and I visited Naomi of Glitter Workshop and her sweet family to celebrate a special 2 year old's birthday. We had such a nice time and my kids didn't have any major freak outs, so that is good. It was also fun to see Naomi's current sewing projects (she's learning, too...and is tackling a way more advanced project which is inspiring!) and crafty work space. I also (finally!) managed to get hair cuts for both of my kiddos this weekend. They are looking pretty sharp for the time being so I had better get some photos before they get shaggy again.

The farmers' market has been a little slow lately but we are still enjoying it. I have to admit that Chad and I are both looking forward to autumn and the last few farmers' markets so that we can have a few more Saturdays free. Our schedules are already jam packed so vending at the market is a big commitment for us. We're not completely sure if it's something we'll do again next year or not. Only time will tell! As for this season, we plan to vend Saturdays right up until October 23, weather permitting. We are calling it quits a couple of weeks early (the market runs up through the first weekend of November!) as we have a fun mini-vacation planned at House on the Rock for Halloween weekend. We're going to the Neil Gaiman American Gods event! I'm super excited!

Oh! also finally finished a little something for the Craftacular goody bags this weekend! I'm looking forward to this event but can't believe it's already just 2 weeks away! I was definitely hoping to have more new things made before now. As usual, I will probably wait until 2 days before the show and then I'll begin to freak out and make last minute arrangements. It's kind of my thing. And it usually works out okay so I guess I will just roll with it. The Craftaculars are always such great events so no mater what I have or don't have to sell, at least I know it'll be totally fun! If you're near Madison, stop by to check it out on August 15. The first 50 shoppers will get free goody bags stuffed with awesome swag from the vendors!

And because I keep forgetting, I want to mention now that I have a couple talented friends who have recently opened etsy shops! You can now find beautiful photography prints by the very talented Sharyn Morrow at Sharyn Shoots. And if you're looking for super fun gift soaps (pac-man, owl, retro/mod designs to name a few) you should check out Little Sparrow Soap. 

Okay I am off to check out this splash park that my kids keep talking about. Have a fantastic week! 

Isn't summer the best?

Our etsy shop has been updated with some brand new mirrors and magnets. And more will be coming soon!

Chad has been working on some bold, colorful paintings that will be perfect for childrens' room decor. I can't wait to debut this new artwork at the farmers' market!

The kiddos are with their grandparents for a few days. Which means I have a lot more free time than I'm used to. Where do I begin? Every little thing I accomplish feels so epic. In just a few hours tonight I finished a mixtape and an art journal I've been putting off forever. I also managed to take pictures and post items in the etsy shop and meet Chad for dinner. AMAZING. A little focused time can go a long way!

craft therapy: make time to make.

The feel of textured papers between my fingers.

Ripping those papers into pieces and assembling them with my own hands into something beautiful and then getting my fingers sticky with glue when I attach the pieces one by one onto a card or a collage

Ink on my fingers

Film in my Holga.

Taking a stab at sewing and gardening

Cutting and pasting

Photoshopping

Attempting to make a lemon meringue pie

Writing a book

Sketching even if it's terrible

Writing a letter with a fancy pen

Doing all of things SLOWLY so I can soak up every experience.

My blog is called Craft Therapy. I have never really talked much this title or why I chose it but I think about it often. After writing this blog for a few years now, I thought it was about time to dedicate a post to this subject.

The tag line "make time to make" is a piece of advice I take very seriously. Okay, not so seriously that I would decoupage a picture frame instead of taking my son to t-ball. But maybe so seriously that I would come home from a long day at work, make a quick dinner so we can make it to t-ball, and then get the kids to bed and skip the laundry and dishes so I can spend some quality time with my gocco.

Some days, making time to make can be a really tough thing to pull off. Some I you won't pull it off. But if it's what makes you whole, you will find the time. Whether it means getting a babysitter so that you can take that class you've been putting off forever; Becoming just a little sleep deprived so that you can make the time to follow your passion (I am a firm believer that the best ideas are thought of only after a little sleep deprivation;) Knitting on your lunch break; Crafting with your kiddos; The list goes on. Like anything else, if it means a lot to you, you will make the time to make.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I was so excited to be home with him after he was born. I imagined days full of mother and baby bonding, books, baby massage, play dates. Once he was born, and after a few difficult months, I realized that while some days would be very full and satisfying with just being a mom, I needed something ELSE. I thought that starting back at my day job would change things. It definitely changed things, but it didn't change that feeling that I had that something else was missing. Shortly before my son was born, I had started to get really into making collages. It was such a slow, soothing process for me. After a few months of full time mom and a few more months of full time job + full time mom, a funny thing happened: I suddenly felt like I really wanted to make more time for my collages. I felt like I NEEDED to. And then I realized that this is what was missing. I needed to make time to make.

I have always enjoyed creating things but it wasn't until I became a mother that I understood how much it meant to me. Funny how that works.

About half of the people who visit this blog find it by searching the keywords "craft therapy," "craft as therapy," or "what is craft therapy."

Well, now you know what craft therapy means to me.

What does it mean to you?

old, new, revamped.

I visited my dad last weekend and picked up this beautiful sewing machine while I was at his place. Isn't it dreamy? It used to be my grandmother's and I am so thrilled that it has been passed on to me. I have been wanting to learn to sew for a long time and have tried my hand at some small projects without much success throughout the years. This time I will be armed with a new (old) machine that inspires me just looking at it. I can't help but imagine the hours and hours that my grandmother spent at this machine. She loved to reupholster furniture and made so many gorgeous things with this lovely piece of equipment over the years. I hope that I can create something nearly as awesome! Thankfully I have a sweet, talented friend who is willing to show me the basics and get started the right way. Thanks Jenny! You rule! I cannot wait for sewing 101.

On to the new! We have been making lots of new goodies to try out at the farmers market lately. These "My Favorite Robot" prints debuted at the market a few weeks ago and have finally been added to our etsy shop. We have used bright, bold colors and fun printed papers to screen print this fun robot print on. I love the results! These framed prints would be so fun in a kid's room!

I also printed some new shirts this week. Well, the design is an oldie but a goodie. I've just changed up the color scheme a little bit. I love our cupcake shirts but was ready for something other than the "cherry vanilla" pink and white on brown. The new, revamped version of this shirt is called "berry vanilla" and features a new mixup of colors. These shirts are available in our etsy shop now!

Have a great week! If you're in the Madison area, don't forget to visit us at the Dane County Farmers' Market on Saturday! We still have RAD DAD buttons and t-shirts along with lots of other unique gift ideas for father's day (think star wars magnets, lord of the rings inspired prints and robot t-shirts!) that you can pick up while you're downtown!

xo

andrea

busy June.

It's been a busy week! We had a fantastic Saturday at the farmer's market. The weather was gorgeous and there were lots of people at the market. We sold out of our raining hearts t-shirt design and our RAD DAD shirts were also popular with father's day coming up soon. Now I must find some time to print...and it's time for some new designs. I'm trying to decide if I will do another run of the raining hearts shirts or not. I really love the design but I feel like it's time for something new. Chad and I have something in mind for a new womens' shirt design so hopefully we can get that together and printed SOON! It's going to be lovely, I can't wait!

Here are the new Rad Dad shirts. This run is a little different and is printed on blue and grey t-shirts. I really like how they turned out. We will have these available at the farmers' market and etsy shop. We also sent a small batch to i like you in Minneapolis!

Aside from the printing, I have also been working on some graphic design for the upcoming Summer Craftacular this week. Chad created the artwork and I have been working to put it all together to make into promotional items for the show. The craftacular is an indie art/craft fair in Madison, Wisconsin. This is the sixth annual summer event and it looks like it's going to be a great one! Handmade items from over 70 vendors! It's sure to be an excellent and super fun show. If you're a crafter, you still have time to apply for the show. The deadline is June 13, so don't wait! You can apply right HERE.

Today was a special day. We finally took the training wheels off of my son's bike. I have been kind of paranoid about this but it turns out he was totally ready. Without any fear or instruction, Lars hopped on that bike and rode off into the wind. I am so proud! It's such a cool moment! I can't believe how fast he is growing up. He'll be in kindergarten before I know it!

And then there is my sweet girl. She was cheering Lars on with the bicycling shenanigans today and was also hunting gnomes. What a goofy lady. Okay I am determined to get LOTS done tonight after I get these sweet kiddos to bed. It's all happening! Have a fantastic week!