(Inside A Black Apple)

Things from the outside, inside...

It's a little quiet around here right now, I know. We are bustling, double-time, at Black Apple Headquarters, so I've been struggling to find the moments to pop in to le blog!

I don't have tons to show or tell today, but I am really loving a few outside things that have come inside temporarily...

I've only gotten flowers a few times in my life, and to mark the big 10,000 milestone in the shop, Josiah had this pretty bouquet sent to me (there are some irises and other more showy flowers, but I was mostly into the really little ones!).

And, for some reason,  I always equally enjoy the way flower stems appear in clear vases:

And the centerpiece of the apartment right now is this, of course:

There is usually a tiny grey cat snuggling underneath (which could explain why the tree skirt is all jacked up).

Happy Friday, sweet applets!
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend as we creep into December.

Sewing is Believing Totes + Prints

Here they are!

I sketched these out quite a while ago, and I'm so excited to finally be able to put them in the shop! They're so sweet and sturdy, perfect for market shopping and library book hauling. They'll be posted later this afternoon. (UPDATE: They're all sold out! Thank you so much! We'll be packing them up tomorrow)
Aaaannnndd....

There is a really great print that will be packaged with and available only with the totes! It's essentially the same design, only smaller, and with a pretty, kraft-colored border:

It's printed on smooth stock and signed and dated. The image area is approximately 7"x8",  with a white border for framing!

This will be a limited run of both the totes and the prints, in an edition size of 32.

Happy Tuesday!
We're going to bake a cake today in honor of a certain milestone in ye olde shoppe. ;) 

Little Preview

Here's a little preview of a new item I'll be debuting in the shop tomorrow afternoon. I'm so excited about these! It will be this "mystery item" (which I'm sure some of you can discern) + another, "related" item packaged together as a great gift for the sew-ers in your life. Or maybe for the stitcher you know best (your self!)

More tomorrow, when hopefully the light will be better. It's so wintery and cozy and grey...good for snuggling, bad for photographing.

Pssst

Cameos in the shop! (update: They're all sold out! I might try for another batch before Christmas, but I can't be sure...)
There's a handful of each design, so hop to it if you're keen on one (or two!).

xo

So Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for this year.

I finally got a new car, adopted the sweetest grey kitten, and I have the best partner-in-crime imaginable. I also have some pretty terrific friends, both in my real-life and through the wires of the internets. This was a great year for The Black Apple, too, which is another thing I have to be grateful for...and a cherry on top of the professional side of things arrived on newstands just a few days ago:

Since I was floored to even be nominated...you can imagine how surprised and genuinely almost confused I was when I learned a little while ago that I had topped the  2008 Venus Hott list for Best Indie Business! Thank you so much for all those votes. It feels really amazing to be in such fine company (#2 is Susie of BoyGirlParty, and #3 is Renegade)! And I couldn't hope to appear in an issue with a cooler cover girl.
I made a PDF of it, in case you want to read the text: HottList.pdf.

I've got a lot of work to do...since we're working something like 12-15 hour days right now, Thanksgiving knocked us behind a little bit. I hope all of you had wonderful holidays...ours was full of good food and kind relatives.

And the pumpkin cheesecake was a smash! I think it's all about the ginger-snap crust.

Happy Friday, applets!

Now you can send Black Apple-ish Mail

As promised last week, all of the label packs are restocked in the shop, and there is a new one also! I get so many emails and compliments about my mailing labels...so...
Fresh from the printers, there is a sweet pack of 20 mailing labels that are almost exactly like the ones that I use for all the official Black Apple mail.

Happy Thanksgiving, sweet applets!
Enjoy everyone near to you tomorrow, and have far too many rolls if you want to. I'm so excited to see my family (we're traveling home tonight to my mama's house) and to bake a pumpkin cheesecake with ginger-snap crust. And I'm excited to go on a Thanksgiving walk. And to see how ridiculous the parade will be in the morning.
Okay, I'm just excited about everything.

xo

Thriftscore

I'm back from antique-ing, and I scored big time! I had to share right away...

I found a big stack of great fairy tale books, and a 1920's yearbook.

On top of that is a silver, nut-crackin' squirrel:

I think his face looks hilarious with the "cracker" part down. He really might sit on our sink and hold our sponge, but I like to think that a walnut or two might come his way.

There was also this amazing Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf two sided doll, which isn't vintage, but is amazing nonetheless (the wolf side, especially!)

Also, this sweet spotted teapot:

I also got a pretty tablecloth (which is in the wash right now), a few embroidered napkins, this great oval-framed print (which is waiting to have a bandit mask applied to the Mister who resides in it), some oval embroidery hoops, a beautiful vintage photo of a boy...and...

The BEST score of all:

This beautiful wooden Cinderella lamp! It's in immaculate shape, and works perfectly (even the week night light in the back). I love that it has a narrative...see the little shoe in the prince's hand? Notice she's missing one on her little stockinged foot!

I have to admit...this is my favorite part:

*Sigh*

I really this this is maybe my best thrifting find ever...or it might be tied with the wee piano. At any rate, it's one of the best, for sure.

Okay, I'm off to stare at my lamp some more.

Phantom of the blog

Sorry for being a bit phantom-ish for the last few days!
We're back from ICE, and it was really fun to meet new people and hang out a little with my pals Missy + Raul and Small Object Sarah.

Almost every last one of the update orders has been shipped, and we're totally caught up. I'm taking a little breathing time today, but also working on a cool little project and finishing up the packaging for the new Address Label packs! We're headed to the antique store for some fun...and I'll be back soon with a more legitimate post.

I hope your Thanksgiving week is off to a good start!

Applehead-ish, Creeping, Doll-filled Update Day!

Don't those applehead ornaments just kill you?! They kill me...all lined up like that.

Well, lots of festive, sweet and creepin' things just flew out of the shop! Thank you so very much for all of your sweet words, support, and love of The Black Apple.

All the Winter Sophies...each dress is made from a repurposed bit of clothing, and each is sporting a little scarf!

Creeping Dunce Red    11"x14"x1"   Acrylic on canvas

Creeping Dunce Grey    11"x14"x1"    Acrylic on canvas

Again, at the risk of being maudlin and gushy, thank you to everyone who came to the update today, and everyone who sends their words of support and love.
And for anyone who missed the update, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that will be landing in the shop next week, in plenty of time for Christmas shopping (or yourself-shopping)! The two label packs will be restocked, also, along with a brand new one.

Anyone in the area, come visit tomorrow at ICE Atlanta! Josiah and I will be there with our wares (although you guys nabbed most all of the original stuff today ;).

Happy Friday, and again...

Anna

Anna in grey    10"X10"x1.5"    Acrylic on canvas

This painting is my version of a little Anna Karina, who I consider a superhero. She's wearing a coat a bit like the blue one in Une femme est une femme. She'll be in the update tomorrow (along with lots of pretty dollies and other exciting things!).

 

Remember, meet me at the shop at 2:00 pm Eastern! You can use this clock if you want to be there at the exact moment everything goes live.

xoxo, my applets!

Appletops

Whatever could they grow into? Something lovely for the update tomorrow, I'm sure!

Pssst!

There is a handful of holiday card packs newly available in the shop (this time with pretty, pool blue envelopes!). If you were one of the people lamenting them selling out last week, you are in luck! There won't be any more reprints...the season is drawing quite nigh!

xo

You are Lovely Labels

I'm pretty smitten with the phrase, so I thought it would be nice to have some pretty stickers that say it as well! They're for sale, 20 stickers each packaged up in pretty glassine envelopes, in the shop.

Sylvie & Amelia

I have two new portraits to show you, that will be part of the update on Friday.
The first rather mysteriously looks very like my sister. It wasn't planned, but there she is:

Amelia Bumble      9"x12"x1.5"     Acrylic on wooden plaque

And this little wintery belle:

Sylvie      8"x10"x2"      Acrylic on canvas

I really love the name "Sylvie". There is this lovely French lady with beautiful silvery-white hair who used to come into the shop I worked in, and I miss seeing her and her tweed-clad husband.

Also, this most excellent friend of mine is a genius. I know that lots of you know how great her work is, but look at these two new little sweeties!!! They're so detailed and incredible:

Sara's work is so thoughtful and well-crafted...it really takes my breath away. This is the kind of beauty that perfectionism hath wrought.
*Sigh*  I feel so lucky to know you, toots.

Oh! Also, one more thing. I just read this Jenny Hart piece over at Venus, and it's really, really good. It eloquently says all of the things I'l like to be well-spoken enough able to tell people about what it's like to start/maintain a successful indie craft business. Especially the not-so-fun parts, like having to play fair when others don't, and other unfortunate situations that arise.

Whew! Happy Tuesday, applets!

Update Friday & Lable Packs

Be there or be square! Just kidding. But do try to be there, as there will be lots of pretty things. It might (might) be the last big update before Christmas, but I do have some tricks up my sleeve that I'm saving for a little while.

In other news, the adorable labels are now packaged prettily to resemble vintage bags of candy. Packs of 20 can be found in the shop!

I am really loving designing stickers right now.
Stickers make the world go 'round.

PS: Thank you so much for all the narwhal love! It does my soul considerable good to be painting.

Where the narwhal lives...

We're back, and in full-steam-ahead mode!
I mean, right now we are both working 10-12 hour days most days...which is happy and exciting but also hard. Josiah is taking on some new responsibilities at Black Apple headquarters, so that will hopefully mean much more time for me to be making + painting.
'Cause I miss it fiercely, and it doesn't feel right to not have daily making-time anymore.

I've been working on this new piece for the last week or so, and I was able to finish it up last night:

Wonders Never Cease   16"x20"x2     Acrylic on canvas

Classic happy/sad dichotomy...my favorite.

It'll be part of an update later this week (probably Friday!). More on that tomorrow, when I'll decide all the particulars. Happy Sunday, applet pals!

PS:

I thought I should let you guys know that the last 10 of this year's holiday card sets sets are up for grabs in the shop! The last week has been a regular card-a-thon, and their numbers dwindled fast.

Pins & no needles

All of you cameo pin fans are in luck, because there is a big ol' batch that is almost ready! There are a few new designs this time around, too, which I'm excited about.

They'll be part of an update next week.
Happy early weekend...we've got yet another wedding to go to, so I'll be back in a few days!

xoxo

Label-y

These awesome 3"x3" labels just came in the mail. They are red ink on kraft, and we are really crazy for how old-school they look. I'm going to package them up prettily and have them in the shop soon (I'll let you know when I do).

Oui, oui!

Ornamental Appleheads

I just finished up these wee apple-head ornaments:

They're for Art Star's upcoming ornament show! I think it's so great that they do a little holiday themed show with cards, stockings + ornaments, and I'm very happy to be contributing this year.

They hang from the ubiquitous peppermint string:

Finishing up Sunday...my, how the weekend flies!

Today's the Day...

for Holiday Cards, that is!

   
You can find them in the shop!

This is Halloween

I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween! Mine was filled with a great deal of baking, spooky-soundtrack making, apartment decorating, and lounging around with some excellent friends.

This was what the scene was yesterday at Black Apple headquarters:

To see many, many of my party + decoration photos, just follow the jump!