What do you think?

Welcome to my brain! You are about to take a trip through an artists creative process and endless stream of questioning, Buckle up!

I have had some new ideas for products....eh something about the word product just seems so manufactured and cold... anyway, lets call it new art. Yes, I have had some ideas for new purchasable art. I wanted to run them by you and see what you thought, sometimes I like making things because I like how they work, which is great because then others might have the same feelings, but I would love to know what you think of these?

I feel myself leaning more toward love and life, and less wallet and money...? Does that make sense? What I mean is I want to move toward more soulful items, or things that you see that make you smile and remind you of what life is really about, the present moment, love, compassion and happiness. Though I do really appreciate the handiness of the wallets and have no fear wallet lovers they won't disappear!

Lets just get to it, I made a few little things and would love some feedback!

First is this which I love! Inspirational words/sayings inspired by my Vipassana adventures, as well as Eckhart Tolle and his brilliant books. This one is a reminder to observe. Observe nature, life, and especially your mind and its processes. I think the cuffs are fun and I have totally fallen in love with embroidery thanks to Natalie's birthday bag! I was also thinking maybe a fabric necklace? Bookmarks? or little flags kind of like prayer flags? Any critique is welcome! I think I need to make the word a bit smaller so one can read it on the top of the wrist (tho I have rather small wrists).

 Welcome little Mini Wallet version Denna! You may have noticed in this post (the tiny pink thing in the top photo) a little mini wallet which was the Stacey version! Dorian's mom noticed that one and thought she might like one for an upcoming trip. Of course being an artist I have a compulsion to always make improvements. So the first one is the one showing the velcro right on the credit card part, I didn't like how it closed and the quilting/batting didn't feel as strong as I wanted it to.  I made another one with a tab closure that I liked much better and interfaced the lining and exterior. I liked it better because it felt a little stronger and the tab made it feel more secure.

 It can fit a ton of cards and you can even stick some folded cash behind the card pockets! I really like this design...here come the critiques....

One awesome thing about this is I have a stash of fabric cut to the width of the big wallets I make, and I am able to use those pieces to make these little guys which = less wasted fabric! (wasted fabric makes me cringe!) The drawback is I really want to topstitch around the outside edge like I do with the big wallets, I think it would give it such a nice finishing touch and that little bit of strength I think it still needs,  but then I wouldn't be able to use my pre-cut fabrics (sad face!) well I could but there would be a lot of waste...which i could develop into something new...!

Help!? haha

Oh, and Denna if you are reading this...do you like that blue? Do you need more blue?? Don't be shy now! Do you want something brighter!!? I want you to love your new wallet (I am not offended in the least if you hate this color hah! so please let me know!)

What do you think? I need some direction on my ship floating thru the sea of ideas! And I think I just wanted to talk to you all!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

Lots of love!!

xoxo

Natalie's custom birthday bag!

 This turned out soo cute! Even after my three attempts at embroidering her name! My beautiful friend Paige requested that I make her daughter a bag for her birthday. She also mentioned that Natalie loved things with her name on it so I had to brush up on my embroidery skills. I made her this little messenger bag! Now I want one! I really love the size its a little shallower than mine which makes it easier to find things, and perfect for a little girl, well not so little I believe she is 10 now!

 Yes! I'm so glad I watched the padded satin stitch videos! This is much more of what I had in mind! The previous two attempts were directly on the blue fabric and it was really hard to see her name, as well as not very cute! This little blanket stitched patch did the trick! All done by hand, which was a really relaxing process.
I saw Natalie after she had received her gift and asked her if she had filled it up with things yet, she responded with "yep, bubble gum!" I love it! Happy Birthday Natalie!!

New Roommates, New Garden Structures, someone is getting FAT, and I have to Pea!

Yep, I've been thinking about all of you and how much you have been on the edge of your seats just waiting for me to post again. WAIT NO LONGER!


I have been so busy this past week or so. Three markets last week, a custom bag order, tons of garden work....... My sentence length to busyness ratio seems a bit off..... Well I know if you are like me you just mostly want to see pictures anyway so take a look! I may have had my sentence/busyness ratio off but I believe my words to pictures ratio is much better.

A little peek of the Farmer's Market table. Ogle away.

 

On a Farmer's Market related note, I was requested to make this little number. It turned out awesome! And for size reference, I believe a mini schnauzer would fit inside....Thank you Katy & Justin!

I told you someone was getting FAT! haha YAY fat little blueberries!!

We built this awesome little hoop shade structure! We are so excited. We look like garden pros now! Hopefully the lettuce, brassicas, and spinach will like it! There were a few scary parts when we were setting it up and we definately would make some adjustments upon building another one but its not too shabby for a first attempt!

Dorian attaching the shade cloth.

BAM! Super cool! We might even be able to turn it into a greenhouse so this stuff can be grown during the winter. All we need is a thick clear plastic tarp to cover it, and maybe a little heater.

We totally pea-d! Dorian was telling me all about sugar snaps and how fast they grow. He said I should take a picture everyday to see how much they are growing. Well this was the best I could do.

The first clinger!!! Go pea go!!!

The peas are now 6-7" tall and haven't quite gotten the hang of our hillbilly fence yet.

 

Above and below are our new roommates! I had a Farmers Market event at the Cape Fear Botanical Gardens' Plant sale! Of course we needed and aloe.....we are going to be in the sun all summer, and have already had one little sunburn incident...

And the ORCHID! So beautiful! I wanted one that was a little different then most you see. This one reminds me of some of the ones I saw at the Berkeley Botanical gardens! It smells wonderful too! Yay Plants!

Clap your hands for orchids!!

And the winners are.....

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments and for reading my artist interview! I LOVED reading your comments about what you wanted to do! And Kristen...Seriously who wouldn't want to hang out at Mairin's Center?? Mairin you NEED to do it! It sounds AMAZING!

❤ Thank you, thank you! ❤

I used my furry giveaway-winner-selection tool miss Bella Sue! She likes paper and tasting things so she doesn't mind at all.  She chose both the winners very delicately this time and listened very well when I told her to 'drop'. (if you remember last time I had to do an extraction, and the winner was covered in slobber! haha) OK without further delay......

Good girl Bella!

The winner of this lovely wallet is:

AUNT DENISE!!

The winner of this also lovely wallet is:

MAIRIN!!!

❤ Thank you again everybody I really appreciate it! ❤

Mairin and Aunty Denise I will need your addresses so I can mail out your wallets to you!

You can leave a comment on this post with your address, or Email me here

LindenTreesNearTheWater@gmail.com

Artist Interview Give Away!!

In honor of my first ever artist interview (located here!)  I would just love to give away these two bright springy wallets! WEEEEE! They have just been waiting for a special occasion like this! Thank you so much to Lauren for the wonderful interview questions! I had so much fun, and it also gifted me with much insight, inspiration and reflection. ❤

The first winner will take home this little gem

 The second winner will get to meet this lovely wallet. (quite gravity defying isn't it?)

ENTER TO WIN BY:

Following my blog! (its the button over on the right, that says follow) Make sure to leave a comment that you do! If you are one of my current followers leave me a comment as well. (bloggers love comments!)

ENTER 2 TIMES BY:

Leaving a separate comment about what you would do for a living if you could do anything at all. Really anything! I would love some details too!

The giveaway will conclude on Tuesday April 5th, I will post the winners on Wednesday morning. Using some very random and creative choosing mechanism, of course!

Thank you so much for visiting, and reading and commenting!

❤ Best of luck, and much love! ❤

Check back this afternoon for some bloggy fun!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I have a farmers market this morning 9-1  but will be back soon with a giveaway and some new wallet additions to the store so hang tight!!

If you are reading this and you havent visited my amazing friend Lauren's blog, you should! She so graciously offered me an artist interview, so you can learn even more silly facts about me!

See you again soon!

Lots of LOVES!!