On Friday afternoon I slipped over to Etsy and took the steps necessary to open up a new shop, one in which all of my artful delights can be found. It feels like the right time to give this part of me a home of it's own. Under the Maple Tree came to be as that is where I am lucky enough to do most of my work each day, right under two of the most gorgeous maple trees living just outside my window. In addition to prints, I will be offering original art (playful, inspired offerings to come!), something new (hint... see photo above), and other delights that find their way through my heart and hands to the shelves of Under the Maple Tree.
I thought about going in a different direction, maybe something a little more grown up feeling like a big cartel shop... but I kept coming back to the idea of Etsy.
I believe in Etsy! For me, it's still the right place to be.
I read an interview years ago with Alanis Morissette in which she said, "like fingers to a hand, there are many parts to me." I felt so connected to that idea, then and now.
I dabble in a lot of things. It is who I am and who I've always been. In high school we were asked by our guidance counselors to choose a career path and start planning and working towards making it a reality. They were specific about it being a particular job, not an overall direction or field of interest. As my 15 year old peers confidently committed to future jobs such as nursing, teaching, flight attendant (it was the late 80's after all), I sat befuddled at the idea of choosing a single thing to strive for. In fact, the idea seemed ludicrous to me. I'm not a terribly scattered person (though some might disagree), it's just that like fingers to a hand, there are many parts to me, and each of those parts will always be swirling about one another making up the whole - and however the whole may look from the outside - when I stay true to the many facets of who I truly am, from the inside, it feels like bliss.
Balance is key and always something I'm paying attention to.
I hope you like today's photos... there's been quite a bit of beautiful, playful creating around here lately, although technically, I've been working on this idea since December! This morning I am thrilled to introduce you to my new Body Art Pendants; one of a kind, pretty little art pieces to be worn around your neck. The art images are high quality prints of original art work (original size, I did not shrink these but drew/painted them the size you see). The wood... oh, the wood. Adam and I worked together on this (mostly it was Adam), hand cutting, sanding, and finishing each unique, organically shaped piece. I so love these... and having this idea in the works since December has given me plenty of time to search Etsy and the like and I've (surprisingly) found nothing like it, so the idea feels like it just may be unique! Such a hard thing to accomplish in this vast, amazing world of handmade.
Goodness, I have been talking too much here... thank you to those who quietly found there way over to my shop this weekend and purchased prints, I was positively giddy as your orders came through! My sincerest gratitude to everyone who stops by here, says hello, and cheers me on each day. I never could have imagined three years (plus) ago when I hit publish for the first time that I would have grown in such new and creative directions. Growth is a beautiful thing.
