Jessica Flores Design

Madison Road Artisan Market

OK, so maybe I'm a liar.  Maybe I do want to be paid in a little cash money this summer, and not just tea parties in the grass. . . but this will be kinda like a tea party, right?  I think I heard something about drinks.  Bring a friend and come shop my booth along with lots of other talented crafters and artists.  

I'm planning on making some colorful new chalkboard erasers, an apron or two, and some very cool re-covered camp chairs.  I'll also have a few antiques and some gorgeous succulent plants mom is potting up in antique wooden boxes!

Find the Madison Road Artisan Market on Facebook to stay updated.  I'm pretty excited about the raffle they're holding to benefit the End It Movement too.  I'll be donating a painting.  

Spring Is Distracting

Isn't spring supposed to put a spring in your step? . . . give you some gumption? . . . a kick in the pants?  I'm not feeling it. . . not in my studio at least.  This should be the busiest time of the year for me--stitching up all manner of fair-weather bags and baubles.  But all I want to do is dig in the dirt

  cut flowers

and play restaurant in the garden shed.

I'm daydreaming about art fairs, but feeling no desire to spend hours sitting behind the sewing machine indoors, loading up props, and, worst of all, tearing down a booth.  Ugh. . . Being an art gypsy is hard work, people, and it doesn't pay enough.

I'm thinking I'll take my pay this spring and summer in trips to the beach, picnics in the yard, and patio tea parties with friends.  

I've got a few custom orders to make, like this zipper pouch that needs to be torn apart again.  I forgot to attach the lining.  What?! The birdsongs and blue sky were distracting me!  

If I can focus for another hour or so and ignore the fact that there are new windows for the garage to paint, I'll be listing some of these pretty pillows in my Etsy shop.  

Wouldn't they look great on your porch? 

Binging and Purging on Small Potatoes

Have I ever shown you these little gems?

They were a hit at Spring Into Art last weekend and are available in my Etsy shop.  Here's a pic of my little booth setup.  

The venue was so gorgeous, and the work was so much easier than before. I had a cozy corner in a great location.  It helps when you know one of the coordinators (wink).

Now that we've waltzed into May, and the show is behind us, I'm working on weeding the garden beds and putting the house back into order.

 I don't really believe in balance anymore.  It's more like binge and purge when it comes to making art, being a housewife and working outside part-time.  Note: this does not work out too well for my customers who request special orders.

I have been considering doing the Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace show in June, but I don't have a decent vehicle to transport all of my stuff (I have a fear of minivans), and I'm not sure it would pay off between the gas, food and booth fee. Has anyone ever been?  Seems like such a big leap to me, mentally and logistically, from what I've done before, but I'd like to try something bigger.  . . .

If you follow my Facebook Page, you may have read a teaser about a dream coming true not so long ago.  It ended up kinda falling off a cliff.  A high-profile NYC boutique bit at my artwork on Etsy and inquired about a wholesale order.  I sent out a price list and followed up with an email, but, as of yet, have been left hanging without a response and trying to reap a lesson from it.

I'm going to go pull some more weeds and pray on that prior thought for now . . . . "something bigger" . . . . 

 

Spring Into Art 2013

Once again I'm working on promoting this show at my day job. Help me share, won't you?! 

I'm thrilled to have a booth at the show, and can't wait to see the space at Coppes Commons filled with art and shoppers. Imagine exposed brick, 100-year-old wood floors, old sliding factory doors, and giant new windows streaming with southern light.  And if you go, don't miss Rocket Science Ice Cream--best in the world.

This year I'm offering a few of my most artistic works in fabric along with some newer paintings. Visit my Facebook Page for some sneak peeks at what I'll be bringing along and prepare for some surprises too!  When you shop, you'll be supporting artists and the Friends of the Nappanee Public Library.  Bonus!

 

First Friday at the Story Showroom

For more info on the romantic bohemian wonder that is Story, see the Story Facebook Page.  I'm working on some more lovely crocheted/rosette headbands, pillows from vintage linens, and other fine items for Spring.  Hope to see you there!

Collage Keychain Giveaway!

Lots going on in my studio right now. I'm getting ready for a day-long show on April's First Friday in downtown South Bend.  The event will feature vintage finds and gorgeous home and fashion accesories made by a few other talented Etsy sellers in the area.  Hop on over to the Urban Lily Facebook Page to stay updated.

This week, I hope you'll enter my giveaway for one of the three fiber collage keychains shown here. Use the widget below the photo to enter. Good luck!

Click Here to Enter!

A Morning Walk

A wet heavy snow that promised to be a blizzard has instead fallen early this morning like globs of that puffy insulation they blow into the ceilings of gymnasiums--buffering the noise of chickadees, woodpeckers and cardinals chirping out their happy busy-day song.

I walk along the road, let the dog run wild over the softening furrows of the field, spy an abandoned nest in the crook of a tiny tree, and grieve a little for the loss of nearby fencerows and forest giants hacked to pieces by county bushwhacking machines, loggers and farmers this past year. I try not to think about the dozens of marked "men" standing in wait of felling over there. . . 

I wish they could all just crumble slowly over time like this one; the sycamore I carved my initials into along with those of a blue-eyed boy in fourth grade. 

Choices  BY TESS GALLAGHER

I go to the mountain side

of the house to cut saplings,

and clear a view to snow

on the mountain. But when I look up,

saw in hand, I see a nest clutched in

the uppermost branches.

I don’t cut that one.

I don’t cut the others either.

Suddenly, in every tree,   

an unseen nest

where a mountain   

would be.

I wander slowly back into the house and am thankful for the warmth. The dog takes her post, waiting to bark at cars driving along the distant highway.

I turn the ring of the jam jar like a scrapbook page and day dream of strawberries as a fresh crop of snow swirls down out of the sky.

Little Seamstress Gets Her Wings

I decided today that Nora was ready to try her hand (and foot) at the sewing machine.

She did a fine job stitching a straight line after she got the hang of sliding her fingers along the baseplate and watching the pretty fuschia fabric run alongside the foot. And she has quite an eye for color and pattern, if I do say so myself. Check out that adorable little pinky finger pointing up in the air.  

Together we made a little drawstring bag with backpack straps of ribbon.  She plans on using it to tote one of her many journals.

I wonder how long it will be until I can gainfully employ her.

A Handmade Valentine's Day

Patsy Ann and I would like to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day.

No big plans around here for Cupid day.  Hubby brought home roses for both of us girls tonight.  What a hunk! Later we will make some stained glass cookies for tomorrow's 1st grade party.  Tomorrow it's just a quick steak dinner after work, then we're off to "Princess Night" at Upward cheerleading practice (not Nora's favorite theme). If we're lucky, I'll get ambitious and top it all off with chocolate chip angel food cake and spread the table with one of my favorite finds.

I am a bit excited to present this little guy to Nora, though.  

He has a special pocket wing in which to stash a tiny love note and a mini spool of washi tape flown in all the way from Hawaii from mechakucha 808 on Etsy.  I'm thinking a basket full of these tiny tweeters would be cute at my next show.

I ordered a few of the washi spools for myself too.  

So, do tell, what's your favorite way to use your washi?

Church in Our Jammies

Sometimes we skip church service on Sunday. I've been learning the last year or so what it means to keep the Sabbath holy. 

The Spirit has led me to look at Sunday in a new way through new friends and a few special books, including 7, The Jesus Life, Sunday is for God, and a truly amazing Bible for children: The Jesus Storybook Bible.

I'm also being taught lately that my kid's Biblical/spiritual education is my responsibility.  When we're not worshipping in church on Sunday, we try to have our own Sunday school at home, and the Jesus Storybook Bible has been such a wonderful tool to use.  Each interpretation of the famous (and obscure) stories from the Bible "whispers [Jesus'] name," as the cover says, in gentle, modern, kid-friendly language that reinforces God's big plan for humanity.  And the illustration by Jago is sublime.  My favorite page in the entire book is one of a red-haired Jesus rising from the water of his baptism.  Author, Sally Lloyd-Jones writes: 

. . . "a beautiful light broke through the clouds and shone down on to Jesus, bathing him in gold.  Beads of water glittered and sparkled like tiny diamonds in his hair. . . a voice came down from heaven. . . 'This is my own Son. And I love him.  I am very pleased with him,' God said. 'Listen to him.'  Heaven broke through. The Great Rescue had begun . . . "

That's my Jesus right there--red wavy hair like mine, eyes determined, face beaming with joy and love for us, peace settled upon Him and radiating from Him.  My eyes welled up when I set them on those pages.

My daughter's very favorite thing to do is write stories and journal in her notebooks.  A few weeks ago we read the storybook's lesson on Isaiah's prophesy of the coming of Jesus. Since it is written and illustrated as a love letter from God to His people, I asked Nora write her own response to each "stanza" in a love letter back to God in one of her journals.

When I told Nora we were going to have Sunday School today, she made her bed and spread it with her Bible and mine along with some of my Samaratin's Purse prayer guides.  We read about Jonah and another kind of Ninevah where God's messengers of today teach people that there is a power and a plan much greater than voodoo.  We prayed for the people of Haiti and for courage to say "yes" to God . . .  and then we got creative.

Nora suggested that we make a whale with a mouth that opens and closes using "brats."  I dug out the brads and construction paper, and we made these guys:

I made a template for you to make your own.  You can download them here and here.  Use these instructions:

• print the templates or trace them onto construction paper.
• color and cut out the pieces
• tape the "pocket" to the back side of the lower mouth piece of the fish on three sides, leaving the top open for Jonah to slide into.
• attach the lower mouth of the fish to its body using a brad (see my picture above for where to place).
• get creative and make a spout of water to tape to the blowhole.  We used fun foam.  
• stick Jonah inside the pocket of the mouth.
• open and close the mouth to send Jonah sailing onto the beach :)

When we were finished, we wrote "I will say yes to God" on the body of the whale.  Maybe your promise or truth from this stoy will be different.