A happy sunshiney hello

If you live in California you HAVE to be amazed at the weather today (80?!) as well as over the weekend. All I can say is enjoy it!! Pretty soon it's going to be drippy & gray (sorry - not trying to be a wet blanket, but it's how I reality check my sun-loving self).

We had to drive up to Berkeley to get Bird a new (big girl!) mattress. We found an awesome deal on an organic zero VOC twin mattress for kids. It's difficult to find affordable mattresses without flame retardants (and fyi, Ikea's mattresses have flame retardants too...though you could cross the border & buy from Canada to get around it). The trick is to include wool in the cotton mixture making up the mattress. Wool is a natural fire retardant and therefore no icky chemicals are needed (not that we NEED fire retardants do we? Anyway...). European Sleepworks in Berkeley started making a kid's mattress just for this reason - they wanted something affordable for kids that would fit into the health & environmental beliefs of their company. Thank you for that!! So ironically, Bird has a ~$200 loft bed from Ikea and a ~$400 mattress. She loves all the extra space in her bed - so cute :o)

So anyway, long trek to Berkeley...on our way we took a wrong turn and ended up having to cross the Bay Bridge (this is a costly mistake). Poor Jared had to hold his hands to his head to keep it from exploding (very goal oriented guy). But we made lemonade from the situation by getting off the bridge onto Treasure Island which we'd never been to. It was awesome! The view from the island is completely amazing. It was a gorgeous clear day and the Bay was gleaming beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, and city of San Francisco. Bird REALLY wanted to climb down the barrier rocks into the water and after nearly losing her shoes we decided it'd be best to hit a different water spot after getting the mattress.

We found Birdshore Park and had playground/lunch/sailboat watching/Bay splashing time and felt so grateful to live in such a beautiful place that never runs out of things to do & see.

Today I'm working on sketches for a new collection of fabrics. There's some geometric, some art nouveau, some floral, and of course stuff that's uniquely Devon :o) I'm loving it. My parents arrive for Thanksgiving family time this weekend so I'll be kicked out of my studio for most of next week (...sigh). Important for me to get a lot done this week.



Hugs, Devon
:o)

Owls & Penguins in the Shop

These sweeties are ready for new homes! They're in my shop :o)





Hugs, Devon

Excavating Treasures Event Tonight

Come join me tonight in San Carlos! This is such a fun event - I absolutely love it and look forward to it every year. This year I'll have lots of products made from my own fabrics :o) Plushes, soft baby toys, bags, etc., plus a huge assortment of hand cut wool felt hair clips and brooches.

For anyone who can't view the image above the details are: Excavating Treasures Boutique Sale at Inside Source, 985 Industrial Rd., San Carlos. From 5:30-8pm.

Hope to see some of you there!

Hugs, Devon
:o)

Late Night Install & a Little Ladybug

It was a late night but I got my art show installed at The Abbey in Santa Cruz yesterday. Unfortunately my photos are blurry and dark but you'll get the idea. It's a small show - just 21 pieces. It looks really fun all together - a grouping of my watercolors & paintings on wood as well as the fabrics I've made either directly from the artwork or into repeats inspired by the art.

I had to wait till the space was closed (it's essentially a coffee shop/hang out space for Vintage Faith Church) to install so I didn't get to start till after 8 & didn't make it over the hill from Santa Cruz till nearly 11. Tired today but still so much left to do for the sale I'm doing Thursday night.

Bird is sitting on my lap eating an apple...short nap today. I'm hoping my friend who offered to have her come hang out with her little guy is still up for it :o) I've finished all the plushes and accessories but have lots of sewn goods still to make. With time to kill before the install yesterday I got to swing by Hart's Fabric and pick up some lovely FQ's to fill some gaps in my stash for the next project.











I suppose I have to share a Halloween picture or two! We had an awesome time trick or treating with Bird - she's really grasped the concept this year :o)







Happy Tuesday and beginning of November to you!
Hugs, Devon
:o)