(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!