Knit with Me!

So I've had knitting on the brain lately and I can't seem to settle down with my usual glove or mitten patterns, so I decided to start browsing around for a nice and easy sweater pattern. Since I have never attempted something this large, I'm a little intimidated, a bit excited, and  betting a lot it really won't be finished for about 4 years haha! But since I found a pattern and have a gift card to the craft store, I might as well try my hand at this. Want to knit along with me??   here is the link to the pattern!

While I'm on the subject of knitting, I have been coveting this book about Noro knitting and the man behind the yarn itself. I keep looking at it in the bookstore but I haven't yet purchased it. I got interested in Noro yarn after I saw some wares on Enoshima island in Japan made with these beautiful meshes of colors. I would have bought these hats there if I had more luggage room. Instead, I bought some Noro yarn on one of my trips to Philadelphia when I came home.  I bought 3 skeins of this intense cobalt blue to silvery white blend ( they are so beautiful I haven't used any yet :) However, I'd love to make a pair of mittens like these.

In other  news, I have been invited to showcase my work again at the Carroll County Arts Council this Spring so I'll be happily accepting that invitation. ( Since the gallery over the winter was so much fun! ) I'm also starting to gear back up for my shows starting in March, but not before Kirk and I take some  detours in Annapolis,  Manhattan, and hopefully Colorado!

I'm having a lot of fun this winter :)

OMG

 

 Wow, I just just finished drooling over the new house Vera Wang just purchased. I don't usually buy magazines but I'm going to make an exception this time! Tomorrow, top priority: owning February's issue of Harper's Bazaar just so I can immortalize this home. Check out the full story here!

Love Vera Wang, now I love her house!

xoxox -Amy

Morning Memory

Woke up this morning and was so thankful for my new french press that Kirk got me for Christmas!  I ran for an hour yesterday so that amazing cup of dutch chocolate coffee was just the thing I needed. I also randomly remembered something funny from our trip to Japan. Did you know that Tommy Lee Jones is the face of  Boss Coffee over there?? We just thought it was the best thing ever! Here is the set of commercials TLJ does for  Boss Coffee. He is an alien sent to observe the habitants of the planet:

This is a photo I took of one of the vending machines in Tokyo

Sketch Pattern Series

Sample patterns taken from my sketch-a-day series. I'll be using more of my own patterns in my work this year! From top to bottom: Bullet Flower, Rain Burst, and Endless Fruit. 

Hello New Year!

Clay critters looking ahead to the new year! 

Sketch using Pantone's color forecast for spring 2012. 

Preview of some new designs

So 2011 and the year of the rabbit has finally passed! This year I have no real resolutions so I'll keep this short. I do wish to try harder to stay ahead of things, to flex my creative muscles a bit more, and embrace the things that come my way with an open mind. I accomplished a lot in 2011 but I'm hoping that 2012 will bring even more surprises! (For starters, moving my studio down to the second floor this month) Thank you to all of my loyal customers, friends, and supporters and I hope this year finds you healthy and happy! Let's start this year off working hard to reach our goals and grasp our dreams. Hello 2012!

xoxoxo - Amy

Update - House to Home

Today is one of those wonderful days where everything you have on your list gets done. It's a great feeling! I even fit in my run earlier than I thought and now I have a bit of free time. Aside from creating overstock for the gallery, Kirk and I have been doing some home facelifts. One was an entranceway re-do which included a new coat of paint. I was touching up a few spots today and I realized  that the paint hadn't been mixed properly and now there are all of these lighter patches all over the wall... I guess I need to do a facelift to the facelift now :)

Also as an early Christmas present to myself I purchased a lovely new rug from Anthropologie and some pretty new fabrics from Palladium so I guess this winter break I'll be busy making our house a home! It's also time for Holiday baking fairly soon and I'm looking forward to trying out some new recipes. What is your favorite holiday tradition??

xoxoxo -Amy

Gallery of Gifts!

Just wanted to let you all know that you can find my work at the Carroll County Arts Council Gallery of Gifts starting tomorrow through January 12!  I just finished installing my pieces there and I already found a ton of Christmas gifts I'm going to purchase :)  If you get the chance you should check it out and get some handmade goodies to give this year!

There is an Artists reception tomorrow at the Tevis Gallery where the boutique is and I along with the other artisans will be there to chat and answer questions. I myself will be there around 6pm -7:30. Hope to see you there!

xoxoxo -Amy