Life Lately (2)

Hi friends, I feel like it’s time for another “life lately” post. I did one of these back in September of last year, you can read the first life lately post before this one if you’d like.

What it is – is a way for me to catch you guys up on life outside of blog posts.

There’s actually been soooooo much happening since then. Shall I catch you up?

You all know just how much I LOVE flowers and these were waiting on my doorstep from dear friends who moved to California – a true breath of sunshine and hope.

Okay, where to begin…

The last one of these I did in terms of answering questions and I thought I’d do this one the same way!

I’ve been reading your blog since you started. Boy, your sons are really growing up. What’s in store for them?

Yes, can you believe it?!? Both my boys are now taller than me. They actually joke with me about it. I’m 5’1″ and John is 5’7″ and Conor is close behind him. If you’ve read the blog from the beginning then you may remember John and Conor at ages 5 and 2. Sigh. The below photo is from a few years ago, when we shared about our new mattress (which we still love by the way).

As the boys have grown up they don’t like to be “featured” on the blog as much which I totally understand. They aren’t on social media at all except for watching YouTube videos. John is a junior and just turned 17 and we’ve started looking at colleges. Back in January / February we toured a few. Here’s a peek while we strolled the Brown campus during a very cold afternoon.

John is unsure of what he’d like to study and is still doing research. He’s an amazing artist but also very smart in every subject. He’s enjoyed several of the campuses we’ve visited and we’ll be visiting more this spring and summer as he does more research.

Little Conor is not so little any more. He is growing like a weed and loves to sail, cook, and very into computers. We just visited the school to see a computer game he created. He’s currently thinking he may be interested in the Coast Guard. He is 13 and going into high school next year. We’re planning on visiting the Coast Guard Academy so he can see what that’s like.

I saw you went up to Maine with your husband last weekend? What were you doing up there?

Ah, yes, we drove up to Portland and took part in our very first wholesale show. This was the view from our hotel window. We stayed at the Hyatt Old Port. (Let me know if you’d like me to share more about the trip to Portland itself – we went to some really amazing restaurants for dinner).

You may be asking yourself – “Wholesale? What is that?” Well, it’s a market only open to shops and retailers who are looking to buy products to sell in their shops. They buy wholesale and then sell for retail price. It really helps for makers and artists to be able to sell this way.

Luke came up with me – we rented a UHaul and set up our booth to look like a store. I am so grateful to my husband for all his support and encouragement. I also want to thank all of you who left such lovely and kind comments over on IG and Facebook when I shared photos. You all make me feel brave.

My friend Susan let me borrow the paneled walls and I created a bunch of marketing materials and this promotional video. We met so many amazing makers and were surrounded by such lovely people. If you’re interested I’m happy to write a whole post about the market and our long weekend in Maine. I’m also happy to write a post about different ways of making money selling your art. Let me know via email or in the comments if this would be of interest.

I miss your DIYs. Will you be doing more?

Actually, yes!!!! I recently shared this DIY coffee table Luke built me. He built it and I sealed it. I shared the full DIY Coffee Table tutorial on the blog.

Ooooh, where can I find your wallpaper and fabric?

Currently, I’m selling my wallpaper, fabric, and home decor lines through Spoonflower. Here’s a peek at some of the patterns on my Spoonflower shop. Each week I’m adding more so make sure to check back often!

I’m currently working on my portfolio and hope to license my work to retailers. I dream of seeing my stuff in Crate & Barrel, Target, and Anthropologie. Wouldn’t that be amazing???

Where can I buy your stationery and artwork?

We sell our stationery and art on our online shop. We’re constantly added new products. In fact one very exciting new product is at the printers AND I’ve teamed up with my friends at the Frame Center to offer framed giclee prints. Here’s a peek:

The heron is a new watercolor. Let me know if you’d like to see it on any other products!

We are currently in a dozen shops from Massachusetts up to Maine and we’re adding more shops as I write this post!

What about Creativity Over Coffee? I love that series!

Yes, I actually just relaunched that series because I missed it, too. I interviewed my good friend Michael over at Dream of the Woods. He is an amazingly talented artist and just such a lovely person. Grab a coffee and join us for the Creativity Over Coffee Chat.

I’m reaching out to more inspiring friends for more interviews. I’m hoping to do one every month or every other month.

Will you be doing any live events?

Yes! I think so! I’m thinking of doing an open studio this spring / early summer at our home and I’m pretty sure there will be a few pop up shops this summer but nothing is on the calendar yet. I’ll let you know.

We also plan on taking part in many retail shows leading up to the holidays.

Let’s Stay in Touch…

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little Life Lately update.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, let me know!

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