(Inside A Black Apple)

Peanuts in Hats

Thanks for all the get-well-soon wishes. My ankle surely appreciates it, and has decided it is on the mend. Today I had my first voyage out in exactly one week, and it was short but a nice change of scenery from the living room!

Sarah sent me this fiendishly cute package last week, and it really made my afternoon. I do love kraft paper something fierce.

Inside were these amazing little vintage peanut men...

and a note: "Portland best be nice, because Georgia is a big fan".
Shucks!

Well, I am (and Portland certainly is, too) a big fan of Sarah + the 'Object! She was one of my very first favorite internet-crafty blogs oh those many (five?!!) years ago, and still remains at the toppermost of my to-read list...her brain is one of the best around. Her beautiful products are so singular, and she's uncommonly generous with good ideas on her blog steno pad. Also, she is the Webster's definition of "button (cute as a)".

Thanks for sharing your brilliant brain and your red and white and lovely little world with us, Sarah N!
(And thanks sending irrefutable proof that Mr. Peanut isn't the only dapper peanut around. He doesn't even have the best hat!)

Two things I have done recently that I recommend:

1.) Watching Let The Right One In

 

I was really, really looking forward to this little film, and we finally got it from good ol' Netflix last weekend. It's not for everybody, for certain, but I really loved it and I've heard nothing but praise for it from other people. It's such a beautiful portrait of the wild precipice between child and adult, right and wrong.

2.) Making this pound cake which  Sarah tipped me off about. So good! I cut down the eggs by a few, but I think it's probably grand either way. And definitely go for the cake flour with it!

Things I do NOT recommend:
Twisting your ankle horridly (as I did on Tuesday night) and becoming couch-bound. This is the reason for the lack of posting and the kind of anemic post today. I'm just trying to really do the whole R.I.C.E. thing (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, I think?!) and cross my fingers that I can at least leave the house with my crutches in a day or two.

Happy weekend!

New Books for Littles

It is not that often that I see so many wonderful new children's books popping up everywhere, but it seems like there has really been a bumper crop lately! I usually find myself only buying picture books that are at least 40 years old, but I brought home both My First Nursery Book and The Composer is Dead in just the last couple of weeks. All in a Day arrived as a surprise from the nice publisher (Abrams Book for Young Readers, who also published My First Nursery Book). I spied The Curious Garden a few days ago at Powells, and though I didn't take it home with me as of yet, I loved the mod little illustrations so much.

It will come as no surprise that the pictures are the most important element to me, and there are 4 completely different varieties of beautiful illustration going on in these lovely books (including the work of art stars Carson Ellis + Nikki Mcclure). All in a Day has this sweet, bucolic charm, and I know all of the papercut fans are going to flip over it! The Composer is Dead is a droll little story with an interesting format...and I haven't even read it with the companion cd playing yet! My Favorite Nursery Book is at least 50 years old, and has just been reprinted. This book is so charming and fresh...The colors alone are just perfect! I think it's my favorite out of the bunch (okay, so I just realized maybe that's cheating since technically it's an older book).

These two books came out late last year, so they're not brand new, but I own and love them both! I know that everyone was really excited about the Cynthia Rylant (who, from the looks of this post, seems to be a very busy lady!) and Jen Corace Hansel & Gretal. It is so lush and really, really thoughtful and detailed (just as you'd hope a Jen Corace fairy tale would be!). I feel like The Story Blanket was a little more of a low key hit, but it's just charming and wonderful as can be. I gave it to multiple little people for Christmas, so it definitely has my seal of approval. In it, there are many tiny socks and rosy cheeks, and a sweet story too.

Whew!

I hope this gives you a few fresh ideas for the miniature bibliophiles in your life!
Thanks for all the kind words about the new kitchen-look!

I will see you soon.

Bright White Storybook Kitchen

Here are some photos of the freshly milk-white kitchen that I promised!

The poppies are little decals I picked up at the antique store...they still worked perfectly!

 

Josiah has a little nook right through there...it's where he does Black Apple work and also where he writes.

I papered the back of the cabinets with beautiful Italian paper courtesy of Paper Source. If you can't commit to wallpaper, it's a nice consolation! And that big bread box is one of my current favorite possessions.

I also got the "Eat" letters at the antique mall, sometime last year. And I made the curtains from this wonderful vintage floral yardage I got just a few weeks ago at the antique expo!

 

I thought it would be sweet to hang a little picture inside the shelves.

A bunch of my favorite vintage aprons hang from a pretty hook I got at Anthro.

...and bird prints, the menu-chalkboard, and beautiful old japanese paper lanterns my excellent friend Mandy sent to me  a few months ago.

Well, I have had a really nice, extremely quiet weekend. I baked, went on walks, slept, cooked, drew, and read almost the entirety of Jude the Obscure. 

Hilariously, and I swear this is true, I discovered only a few hours ago that the cheap (NEW) copy I bought is missing pages 288-317. I read the bottom of page 288 and the first line of 317 five times, totally confused, until I realized the problem at hand. (Did the Barnes & Noble edition think I just couldn't handle the further dire adventures?) Luckily, Project Gutenberg came to the rescue for tonight...I am neck-deep in story and completely mad for it, so I don't think I can wait to go to Powell's for a proper copy that includes such luxuries as ALL of the pages.

And even though I'm the worst at remembering to take "before" pictures, I actually dug up a photo that the lovely Lucy B. snapped for us last year so we could see the kitchen in the house (did you know we live in the Berkley's old house? It's true! I think some of their joie de vivre stuck around in the plaster). Here are the old, peanut-butter taffy cabinets...

and photographic evidence that Ryan is not only crazily gifted and wonderful, but is also a considerate person to live with who will wash their share of the dishes.

As you might've noticed, on our little "menu" blackboard up there is says "Quiche" for tonight, and the timer just rang, so I've got to fetch it out of the oven.

I hope you had a nice weekend, and happy Monday to you!

Milkland Postcards

Milkland postcard packs are newly in the shop, so hop over and see. If your stationery stash is ailing, these gentle pals could be just the ticket!

I haven't been feeling so hot for the last few days, so I think I might go a little awol for the next few days...do some reading and drawing. Reclining activities. I'm such a multi-tasker that I feel stupidly guilty when I read, which is so wrong.

See you soon & Happy Thursday!

My Best Friend is a Radio Show

I have a theory that we often find things (and people, for that matter) when we most need them. And then, like Mary Poppins, when you no longer need them, sometimes they must go away. On the other hand, sometimes you've found something you can treasure for the rest of your days (or as long as it is on the air, anyway). It is the latter with me and a certain radio show.

I found it at a time when I most needed it, when I had just moved back to Athens from Brooklyn and I was alone about 95% of the day. Well, alone except for the company of audiobooks, and of course:

And this is why we're traveling to New York, the opposite end of the country to see their live show on April 23rd. I am pretty much beside myself with excitement. A bunch of my favorite story-tellers are going to be there (Dan Savage and David Rackoff, I'm talking to you) and, of course, one of my most favorite secret-husbands:

Oh, you handsome-nerd devil.

I've just been flipping out since I snapped up the tickets a few weeks ago. I called multiple people just to tell them the news...because I couldn't contain myself. Oh! And even if you are not going to be at the live show, you can still see it, because it will be beamed across the country to tons of movie theaters (info here)!
Excitement!

I can't really think of very many other things I would go all the way to New York for. But there aren't that many things that have given me hundreds of hours of laughs and tears and pure, lovely, humanity the way that show has...
and just hours of company.
You can't put a price on good company, even if it is beamed through a tin can a thousand miles away.

 

Almost There...

I can almost share the Spring-kitchen-overhaul!

It's looking bright and pretty, and now all it needs is for me to make the new curtains...so once those are ready and I get a nice sunny afternoon, I'll take some photos. Above are a bunch of the framed vintage bird prints that are gracing the walls in there now. A very welcome change from peanut-butter colored cabinets!

Hmm...what else is on my mind. Oh! Jen Corace's show, "Clementine" at Art Star is so beautiful and detailed. You should hop over and see...the poppies, patterns, and sheer "Elizabeth Bennett"-ness of the show might really make your afternoon.

Happy Monday + see you soon!

Letting the Sun In

There is serious Spring cleaning afoot here.
Serious.

So serious, in fact, that we're going above + beyond with ushering in Spring in our kitchen by repainting all the cabinetry. Currently, they are a horrid (as Josiah so aptly called it) "peanut-butter-taffy" color...and they will soon be lovely, glossy milky white.

I'm also doing lots of stuff-purging, moving around, acquiring and casting-off. This lovely sunny 70's-grandma chair (and its twin) were nabbed for a song at House of Vintage (a labyrinth of old-things in Portland). I love Spring-cleaning! Well, I love the result of it. We have to do the second coat of cabinet-painting today, which means I must detach myself from the computer and get a move on!

Happy Friday + Happy Weekend, everyone!

Of Magic Ships & Buttons, Of Cabinets & Kings...

Last weekend, there was a deal struck in our dollhouse.

"I'll go with you to see Watchmen on Friday night", I said.
"And I'll go with you to the big Antique thing on Sunday", Josiah said.
Hands shook. There was no arm-twisting necessary, because I kinda wanted to see Watchmen, just like J kinda wanted to go antiquing. It's so nice when things work out like that.

The movie was fine, I liked parts and like everyone who's familiar with the comic, griped about others. But the antique show! Oh, the antique show.

It was my perfect afternoon for treasures. I'll start with the small treasures and work up to the big (very big) one.

 

Of course, I had to pay a visit to the button lady (I saw her last time I was there!) These little jewels make me so happy. For a size-to-happiness ratio, you're getting a very good deal with a paper sack of vintage buttons.

 

I fell in love with the box for that "Japanese Magic Boat"...the toy inside is so dinky! It's worth it for the beautiful box. And this vintage collar is just the cat's pajamas. The lady that sold it to me gave me an amazing deal, and was the second or third person at the fair to tell me "I can tell you're going to really love this, so I'll give it to you for half". So sweet. And I will really love it.

 

Pretty vintage fabrics. Of course, they must be inspected by the vintage fabric inspector.

 
Pretty trims and gaudy little brooches.

And then, even though I was already slap-happy and drunk on old-things, I found this amazing old bath-cabinet.
And for a really good price.
And we really, really needed a place to stow our DVDs and other things out of sight.

So we bought it, and drove it home in our far-too-tiny-for-hauling-hutches car.

And now it is housing many things, including this cat that arrived with the hutch, who I can only assume is part of a display in the Cabinet of Natural Curiousities. Wait...he looks kind of like the "vintage fabric inspector". Hmmm...

The "privacy glass" in the top cabinets is so pretty, so that was a selling point. So were the little drawers (what to store in there?) and the curious little vents in the bottom cabinets.

And, I mean, it came with a free display cat...there wasn't much to think about.

The only thing that made the afternoon nicer was seeing Anja and Julianna there.

See you soon, and Happy Wednesday!

Queries People Have Frequently Been Known to Have

I get so many emails, particularly ones asking for advice or pointers, and unfortunately I just can't answer them all personally any more. I'm hoping that this might help out a little bit!

So, here is the beginning of my FQQ (in the form of a big post), and I imagine it will grow a bit more over time.

Where did you get that neat shipping/sewing/drawing/knitting/baking supply or thingamajig?
I have a small list in the sidebar of the blog with links to fabric stores online, art supply stores, etc. I get all of my packing/shipping supplies for my shop from Uline.com. Other than that, random google searches have been the way I've sleuthed out most things, unless I find them locally. Google is great! It might seem daunting, but I just try searching for whatever I seek,however random, and have had good luck!

Can you give me some advice? How did you get started with your Etsy business? What's your "secret"?
I'm going to direct you to a few links that you hopefully will find helpful. The first is my interview with the Storque at Etsy, and it answers lots of questions you might have about me/the beginnings of my shop:
My interview with The Storque

There is also my Craftsanity podcast here from Spring 2008, which might give some insight into the start of my business and the way I work. (be forewarned, it's quite long!)

Another is my friend Sarah's good advice about how she started her shop, "The Small Object":
How Sarah Got Started

Last is a primer on the subject of DIY + crafty businesses (which I highly recommend, AND happens to sport some of my illustrations):The Handmade Marketplace, by Kari Chapin.

Businesses begin differently for everyone, just keep that in mind. Mine began very organically, and grew til' I could quit my day job. I am in no way qualified to give out real nitty-gritty business advice, I simply followed my intuition, and still do.

And, sadly, there is no secret. This is the question I probably get asked the most, and I always disappoint people with my answer. There is just the power of positive thinking (while mantaining a healthy grip on reality), the help of like-minded people to spread the word about you, hard work, single-mindedness, and always striving to improve what you do. 

After the Scuffle

Here are my two misters.
As you with especially keen eyes might've noticed, J indeed has a slash in his cheek, inflicted by none other than the rapscallion Miette!  But the fisticuffs didn't last long, and they were soon back to the normal love-fest.

What have I been doing since the update?
-Sleeping
-Excursion to Powells
-The beginnings of straightening up our house
-Organizing my stationery (riveting)
-Emailing
-Errands
-Readying the print files from the new images
-Waking up freakishly early for no reason
-Cooking
-Packing orders
-And also sleeping

It's times like these in which I don't think, I know that I lead a glamorous life.

At least I get to share even the boring times with two lovely rascals.

Hooray!

What a wonderful update today was. Thank you so much for all of the Milkland-love! I was dazzled by how quickly everything went...I'm never, ever expecting such a response, and it takes my breath away.Thank you, thank you so much for your appreciation for my work.

If you missed out today, and you've been admiring the Milkland Bandit, she will be available for sale tomorrow (Tuesday) in the shop in the early afternoon. She's sold! Thank you!

Oh! Also. Lots of people have been asking about prints of the new work, and they will be available later on this week. New prints will come, and a little surprise I've got up my sleeve that is print-oriented!

Milkland Sophies

Here is the quartet of sweet Sophies that will be available in the shop later on this afternoon!

Each one is dressed in a cotton frock fashioned from fabric designed (by me!) especially for Milkland.
They are each handcrafted and hand-painted with care.

Black Swan Sophie   +   Mint Star Sophie

 

Albino Sophie   +    Star Argyle Sophie

Legs!

More photos tomorrow...these ladies are still busy putting their faces on.
:)

See you Monday!