Bits of Brooklyn

Jason and I took a trip out to Long Island this weekend to celebrate at our friend's wedding! We had a bit of time on Saturday morning to do some exploring and drove into Brooklyn for a quick tour. Highly recommend a map....which we picked up part way through our adventure. We wound our way through parts of Williamsburg, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, and many more areas. We swung by Treehouse on Graham in Williamsburg, but were a little early for their store hours...next time. We didn't have a lot of time, so we mostly drove around and I snapped photos out of the window in our Jeep. But, nevertheless we fell in love with Brooklyn...

Happy 4th!

Nikolai and I set out on foot for our town's parade this morning. We stood on the train bridge at the end of our street...prime view of both the parade and the train for an almost 3 year old. Vintage cars, fire trucks, "ambutrucks" (as Nikolai would say), marching bands and my favorite...Boston's Steel Drum Orchestra. We were dancing on the sidewalks! Happy 4th Everyone!

Swallows in Flight



















I'm not sure from where my recent swallow obsession stems, but a small flight of swallows is now swooping through my kitchen. I used the same vintage illustration as for my embroidered dish towel to make these. I printed out the illustration in different sizes and flipped the image horizontally for a few. I then ironed a piece of heat and bond to a piece of black dupioni silk, peeled off the backing and ironed my swallow illustration to the back side. Then, I cut out the silhouettes and applied them to my wall using Mod Podge. (Liquid starch would be good for a less permanent solution.) I adore birds individually and envy their freedom of flight. Flocks of birds on the other hand send shivers up my spine. However this silk version seems to have a calming effect...

"It's surely summer. for there's a swallow: Come one swallow, his mate will follow... "
Rossetti




















I have been taking some time to work on a few home projects. It is surely summer in my kitchen with a new embroidered dish towel featuring an endearing swallow swooping in for some juicy red cherries. A beautiful vintage illustration of a swallow inspired this design. I took a scan of the image and sized it in Illustrator to best fit my towel. I then printed it out. Using a heat transfer pencil, I outlined the details of the bird that I wanted to embroider and then turned my paper over...carefully placing it in a choice spot on my towel and ironed. You are then left with a fine outline of your design and a really portable project. I pop my embroidery threads, a small pair of scissor, my project and a needle in a small handled basket so that I can grab it whenever I want. I spent some of Sunday at a playground with Nikolai. He was hard a "work" moving sand and rocks in the sandbox, while I found a sunny bench and pulled out my embroidery. A little girl, about 7, sat down next to me and told me that my cherries were "pretty, but looked like flowers because of the green." She told me she ate a cherry once.

Scrapbooking, Glue Pens and Postal Goodies, Oh My!

I keep dropping off the face of the bloggy earth, but here I am again. Last week was spent making a scrapbook for my Mom's retirement, which I forgot to photograph in my excitement to wrap it up and gift it! If you haven't checked out the new line of Martha Stewart scrapbooking supplies at Michaels, haul on over there now. First on your list should be her glue sticks. I bought both the fine-point and wide-tipped glue pens. They go on as a blue liquid and dry quickly to an almost post-it glue consistency. The glue then held securely and didn't wrinkle even the finest of papers. Her embellishments all come in handy packages with ring holes pre-punched for keeping organized.

I received this goody by post the other day. Thank you Lynn and thanks for shopping Indie! This beautiful pincushion was made by Snazziedrawers over at Etsy. I love the Amy Butler fabric and a vintage piece of jewelry. My tomato pincushion can now go into retirement too.

Thank you "O" !

This pretty little package just arrived from my best friend Carey ("O") via the Paper Princess! If you haven't checked out their website before, you are in for a treat. From vintage inspired cards to bookplates and gift tags, this designer's talent and creativity is absolutely inspiring.

I'm feeling inspired to write a few notes...

Fleur Bobbies Blooming in the Shop



















Fleur Bobbies made their debut at a recent show and are now up in the shop. Vintage style fabrics are treated to retain their shape. Each petal is cut by hand and then sewn together with a bead center. Add a little bloom to your summer hairdo...

The Clouds Have Broken...

Sunshine is finally gleaming through the both literal and figurative clouds of this week. I am so happy to see Friday! I am so ridiculously affected by the weather...which I'm sure I have mentioned a million times before. I should really live somewhere like the Bahamas where there are clear skies and moderate temperatures year round. I thrive best in a very controlled environment. I'm not at all fond of bugs, sweat, the aforementioned clouds, rain, pollen, dirt, etc... sad I know. Jason and I went to EMS this week to get backpacks for a few trips we have planned this summer. The clerk asked us if we had a frequent shopper card. Ha!

Most of my studio time this week was spent ordering supplies and working on some new ideas. I'm working on a small line of altered clothing, which includes this hand embroidered sweater. I drew the bird and then used a heat transfer pencil to transfer the outline to this sweater. I then added the flowers and french knots freehand.

Happy Friday! We ended up canceling our trip to Renegade, but are sending good wishes to all of our crafty friends there this weekend!

Urban Outfitters - Matryoshka







































These girls were on page 31 of the new Urban Outfitters catalog. I may actually need one of these...and of course the Antoinette Fainting Sofa she was sitting on...

Wish Studio Indie Designer Boutique Show

Last Saturday I spent a delightful day with fellow designers at The Wish Studio in Beverly, MA. Mindy invited an incredibly talented group of indie designers to her studio for its debut weekend. Mindy made each one of us feel so welcome as well as everyone who stepped foot in her studio. A room of new faces quickly felt like a room of old friends. I am convinced that everyone who enters her studio will have this same experience.

Visit some of my new friends:

heather and kerry alice of twigs and heather
kris of relaxation works
melanie of just be
casey, of grow wild
heidi, of hkw design and birds of a feather
Jes Berry, of Junque Revival & Sweetpea's
Nina Beana, of The Whole Self

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by my booth and had so many kind words and stories to share. Special congrats to "S" who won our raffle. Your SimplyJune handbag is on its way!











































*photos by Mindy

Happy Birthday To Me...

Well, this is my blog after all...

Nikolai and I are enjoying a sunny birthday together and enjoying life. What more could you ask for? Jason and I are planning an upcoming weekend birthday celebration to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn! I'm so excited that I can barely stand it.

Hope to see you tomorrow at our Indie Boutique Show at Wish Studio . 95 Rantoul Street . Beverly Massachusetts!

Couldn't find a birthday pic of me as a little...but here I am just shy of 3.

Ready for Market...

These Dorothy Clutches are on their way to the show on Saturday... Created with a variety of silks... featuring a detachable flower pin, strong magnetic clasp and a three interior pockets perfect for your credit cards, cash and a classic shade of lipstick... The Dorothy Clutch will retail for $35.

Fleur Bobbies

These little blooms will be making their debut at our show on Saturday. Made from bits of vintage style fabrics and beads, they will accessorize any summer hairdo. Each bit of fabric is specially treated to retain shape and each petal is cut by hand. A set of two retails for $6.

Bloggy Hibernation

I have been happily hibernating in the SimplyJune studio and somehow a few extra stitches and just a few more beads turned into a little bit of a blogging hiatus. I'm back now with a bunch of new things to show you and an upcoming show to catch up with old friends and make new ones!

Join me this Saturday June 2nd at Wish Studio's Indie Designer Boutique Show. This is part of Redbrick Art Center's Open Studios in Beverly in conjunction with Beverly ArtsFest. If you are already on our mailing list, you will receive a coupon later this week that you can use at this event.

















This beauty will be available at our upcoming show... I re-purposed this vibrant vintage tablecloth as a baby quilt. It is completely hand quilted including a hand stitched binding and lined with 100% cotton batting. It is sure to become a family keepsake.

Etsy - cassiemarie

I love blogging about my favorite new indie finds and today this beauty arrived in my mailbox. Check out cassiemarie on Etsy. She makes these beautiful handpainted pendants. Her shop also features handspun wool yarn and lacy handknit arm warmers that I must have before next winter arrives.

Shop Indie!

And Morning Glories Bloom...

"On Sarah's wall, green trees grow tall, / and morning glories bloom," ... a quote from one of my favorite childhood books by Doris Orgel and illustrated by the extraordinary Maurice Sendak. It tells the tale of a young girl named Jenny who longs to play in her older sisters room while she is away at school. Jenny's room is plain because she is not yet old enough to take care of her things. However, Sarah is older and more responsible. Her room has beautiful wallpaper with morning glories blooming on her walls. Jenny is too little to reach and open her sisters door, but one day discovers that she has grown just enough to reach the lock. She spends her day playing carefully with Sarah's toys and Sarah comes home to find Jenny in her tidy room. Jenny has shown that she too is old enough to care for nice things. Now Jenny has beautiful flowers growing on her walls too...

I found this beautiful vintage tablecloth, which I am now making a small quilt from. I think it would look beautiful in Jenny's room...

Floweret

We are busy in the Simply June Studio getting ready for our next show. Floweret pins are blooming in an array of silks and hand sewn bead centers. We have also been busy ordering new fabrics for some Spring and Summer totes and spending some leisurely Spring afternoons quilting by hand. Stay tuned for more details about our upcoming show at The Wish Studio in Beverly, Massachusetts on June 2nd!

Pendant Love

I spent some time leisurely browsing through Etsy the other day looking for some new jewelry pieces to dress up my summer wardrobe. I love pendants and this vintage-esque pendant just called out to me. One could browse for hours on Etsy...like a store made up entirely of one's favorite things. The designer, Angelica, sent me a sweet note along with my purchase as well as a fabulous pair of rosy pink earrings...I was her first customer. Buy Indie and support some really incredibly talented, industrious and thoughtful beings.

Cotton Candy Crocs

Well my curiosity finally overcame me... After ogling the store displays from afar, I finally walked over and slipped on a pair of Cotton Candy colored Crocs and it was love at first step. Like a small child with a brand new toy, the cashier had to practically peel those Crocs out of my hands so that she could scan them. I don't think I even made it to the car before my old shoes were off and my Crocs were cushioning each step. I've had them for a few weeks now and wear them almost every day. I still tell Jason on a daily basis how much I love my Crocs, but he has kindly asked me to stop mentioning how wonderfully pink they are. I guess I could see that this could be annoying, but you just have to see for yourself how wonderfully pink they are. That's all I have to say...

Yard Sale-ing

Ah, Spring has sprung and my beloved yard sales are back! The last few weekends showed a trickle of listings, but this past weekend seemed to be the Grand Opening of my favorite season. I have gone yard sale-ing since I was a kid. Each time the car would stop, I would clamber out to see what treasures awaited. My treasure list has changed over the years, but still nothing beats the rush of a great find. We had limited time this Saturday, but still managed to squeeze in a couple of good finds. Jason pulled the Jeep up and I clambered out... bringing these treasures home:

t.y.p.e.w.r.i.t.e.r...

I found this vintage typewriter a while ago...you may remember my ramblings on the subject last summer...the tap, tap, tap....ziiiiiiiiipppping that was my current vintage obsession. Well, this typewriter has made its way into various corners of my home, appeared (very photogenically might I add) alongside the Nataliya bag in my online shop and was even the subject of some of my recent photography. This poor guy needed a place to settle down and enjoy his dapper self. So, here he is as of this weekend displayed in our kitchen alongside my photography. I also hung the great typewriter dress print by the talented Emily over at The Black Apple.