hello beautiful...

photo work from resurrection fern

taking a break from the studio...

and working on another project.

I took part of the day off from unpacking (the never ending story these days) to work on something a little more fun and creative. It's been far too long since I'd made any wedding cake toppers or anything ceramic for that matter.
For the last six years, I've been throwing pots on a regular basis. While Jay and I were in New Haven I spent too many hours to count each week at the Creative Arts Workshop where I made horribly lopsided bowls and cups, and found an affinity for potters and pottery. After those two years I became capable of making forms with relative ease and moved back to Minneapolis with far more pottery than could easily be contained in the average cupboard. I found a new studio here at Powderhorn Park with a dynamic and ridiculously fun group of teachers and students but had to give up throwing a few months ago when my baby belly got too big to bend over.

All that info just to express how utterly enjoyable it's been working on these pieces today... what's more, I can't wait to send them off to don wedding cakes and become little keepsakes of love and devotion. I'd say that's time well spent.

filling up and taking shape

Things are slowly finding new homes in the new studio... these close ups hide the piles of stuff on my other work tables and all over the floor but I hope to finish up most everything in the next couple of days(if not today!). Ok, back to work.

while inside it's a mess...

I'm enjoying the progressions of Spring outside. My studio is taking seemingly forever to get all set up (hence the lack of posts about work and cute things there...). It was sunny and beautiful yesterday but still looked bare and unSprung. I woke up this morning to find all the trees in my back yard have burst.

Can't wait until everything comes up...

it will look like this soon enough.

Why, it's a carrot bike of course.

Each Spring I look forward to the MayDay Parade at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. Every year there is a different theme, and it's always cleaver and complicated and totally entertaining... not to mention how utterly mesmerizing all of the handmade costumes and "floats" are. The whole sentiment of the parade embraces the handmade and reminds me how much I love this little city I live in... Each participant makes their own outfit, based on the part of the parade they are in, so you have individuality in materials and personality, while it holds together as a whole. Here are just a few images, none do the costumes justice, as it's their movement which is so fantastic. If you're every in town for the first weekend in May, don't miss it... there is truly nothing else like it.

"rich soil is our real wealth"

(for those of you who didn't catch it right off, that's a dung beetle.
An obvious and necessary addition to any parade.)

New Projects

Working on a new project is always exciting. I've been talking with my mom (Miss Pat Murphy) over the last weeks, and shes been completely hooked on needle felting... after stopping by to see her website update today I can see why. Along with the beautiful bears shes known for this update has a few new items.

Here's two of my favorites.

Pom Pom Cute and an Old Dog...

I'm cleaning up my computer and I found these images in an "inspiration" folder. These sweet old toys inspired me once a couple years ago and again today.

look at what ended up on my door!

Well to be honest it was in my in-box, but still....
HAPPY MAY DAY!

(Thank you mama and papa!)

and Check out their website...
I believe, they are updating it with lots of cuties on Monday at 3pm EST.

studio mess...

Piles and boxes, and more piles and more boxes.

But I did fold all my fabric. Hey, baby steps.

(I hope I'm done with all this construction/moving/life organizing soon,
so I can get back to sewing. It feels like it's been ages.)

Before and After...

I handed over my keys this morning, and took this photo before I closed the door.

GoodBye old Studio!

Miraculously, everything got packed and moved all out... Moving was fairly quick and surprisingly painless. We had lots of helpers and within 2 and a half hours everything was out of the old studio and moved into the new one. Now comes the real work. I was in such a rush while packing, I didn't go though much of anything. It just all went into a box and now I'm paying the price. There are too many open boxes tossed into the "I have no idea what to do with that" pile. I'm a little frightened to post photos of what that space looks like right now. Perhaps once I have a little more unpacked later today...