Hot drinks and warm hugs are this season's specialties. In Maryland the trees are in full transition. Bright colors of oranges and yellow mix with deep purples and reds, falling to the ground slowly on calm days or whipped into a frenzy on windy days. It is such great entertainment – the time to sit outside is now! I find fall to be a time re-birth, re-invention, a new year begins, so jotting down notes or goals or dreams is a must. How is your autumn looking and feeling so far? I've lived many places, but all generally on the same longitude. 

Behind the scenes footage of the autumnal felt leaf garland process. Beautiful wool yarn and some gorgeous leaves cut out by hand. Now sewing these into the garland for the festive months ahead.

Exciting updates are coming to the shop. I've been busy creating new patterns, sourcing more eco-friendly organic cotton products, and researching table linens per customer's requests (samples from Canvistry are coming soon so follow along).

The most exciting news is that new holiday items are now available in the shop! I love the autumn and winter seasons so this is the most exciting development. There are gorgeous wrapping paper sheets luxe colors, earth-tone colors, traditional colors, and more. I'm on the lookout for Christmas stockings, so stay tuned. And in the spirit of Christmas, I've created a curated gifts section of the website so you don't have to scour each product individually.

Additionally, the Spoonflower shop is also being simultaneously updated with new patterns. The artworks are available as fabrics so you can make your own creations, or you can choose to purchase an array of soft furnishings already made just for you. Please note that some of the older designs have been archived.
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As part of my sustainability promise I am working with shops that do not hold inventory and create upon purchase order. This helps to reduce unnecessary waste of material, energy, and labor. 

While teaching art and yoga during the week, I have been working early morning and late nights on re-opening my online shop. I'm so thrilled to have things available for my collectors again. Original artworks are in the process of being scanned and photographed, so patience is appreciated!

Our moving process began one year prior to us departing and I have found it difficult to cultivate a creative energy. I have been busy snipping the small threads of our lives in England while simultaneously trying to re-sew them into America—all while ensuring the whole piece didn't unravel! 

But last week I felt a wave of creative roll through and the citrus painting above is the result. The process was fluid and organic; pure emotional release pouring onto the canvas.

While the piece is not completed (is any piece ever really done?) I wanted to share, because maybe it's just what you needed to get your creative energy flowing again, too.

It's official – we have moved back to America! In 2015, my husband and I moved away from Washington, DC as two, and are now returning back as a family of four.

Some of my supplies is being shipped, so in the meantime I'll be sharing new inspiration on Pinterest. I'm making plans to re-engage the studio and my art practice now that this major hurdle of internationally moving has been cleared. Part of this will be reintroducing Instagram—my previous account was a personal account and has been made so again, so a new fresh art account has been created.

It's 2016. My finger hovers over the ‘return’ button, ready to send the email where I explain to my awesome boss at my awesome job that I am leaving. Simultaneously, my first child was 10 months old and trying desperately to walk but falling instead, grasping the air while fighting for independence. You might know the stage. I hesitated because I had already given so much of myself to creating, birthing, and caring for this little human. How could I possibly let this part of me go? How will I explain my absence of a “steady work history" after leaving my career to care for my children?

I've been thinking of updating my resume now. Soon it will be time to reinvigorate my career, but the question still stands: how will I explain the shift in my timeline. I read articles but most I found were largely unhelpful for my experience and situation. They were directed towards those laid-off, or changing careers, or quitting and traveling, or similar. None about motherhood. This position is not often referred to as a "job" but why did it feel so much like one at times? What exactly did I do doing those years? Turns out, I did a lot. Too much at times while always thinking it was too little. It turns out I never had a lack of steady work, but was tasked with increased responsibilities and I adapted in kind.

I'm planning to use a cover letter to explain my personal goal and how it has been achieved. While I've been out of the "game" for a while, I feel more prepared than ever to take on greater tasks with dynamic teams. Let's see how this goes.

I'm pleased to reveal the final 2020 commission piece. It was incredibly difficult to keep this commission a secret for so long. This piece was a Christmas gift and it had to be kept a secret as its for one of my amazing friends.

​During our last catch-up he mentioned wanting something for his house and I had to steer him into not buying something until "after Christmas". I'm not one to be devious so this was terribly difficult!