Lovin' Autumn

So over the last few days, it's become obvious to me (although I really already knew) that I'm an Autumn person. To be fair, I get really excited about Summer too, but at least in Autumn you can be comfortable in the cool weather by throwing a sweater on, while being hot is a problem not as easily solved. So yeah, Autumn. :) I'm enjoying this very much.

I put the dogs in their pejammies last night, which was awfully cute and cozy, and then I made hot buttered rum, which was less cute but also very cozy.

Today I'm running down to Paperish Mess again, to drop off the magnolia slice keychains that I forgot in my bag last time I was there, and I'm looking forward to the walk in this cool weather. Sweatshirts and warm socks and maybe some tights if I'm feeling adventurous.

Magnolia Slice Keychains, available at Paperish Mess and in my Etsy shop

I hope you all have a lovely cool and cozy weekend!

Gettin' Stuff Done

This morning when I woke up... it was suddenly Autumn. I spent a bit longer than usual snuggled up with my dogs under the blankets, but once I woke up I'll admit, I immediately wanted to put on a flannel shirt and buy a pumpkin spice latte. I submitted to the flannel, skipped the latte, and hoofed it down to Paperish Mess where I dropped off a few items at their lovely little store (I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you haven't visited this little gem of a shop, you should), but also forgot a few items (magnolia slice keychains) in my bag. Oops.

But I really enjoyed walking around in the substantially cooler weather. I'm sure in a few months I'll be kicking myself for ever thinking that, but today it felt good. I found a few pretty spots along the way back, and it was a great answer to my homesickness about how much I really do love it here in Chicago.

This little window view, with all of it's books, was a heartbreaker.

A perfect porch.

This gorgeous painted door overlooks someone's spilled makeup bag.

It turns out, orange and mint green are a perfect color combination.

Now I'm enjoying cinnamon tea spiked with Evan Williams Apple Orchard in my oh-so-cozy living room, and hoping my "real" workday tomorrow goes by quickly.

Summertime Sadness

How did Summer slip away so quickly this year? Well, it's still hot outside, but the feeling of Summer has definitely left, and while I'm not ready to don my scarves and sip my warm drinks yet, its about time I get into the mindset that Autumn is upon me.

I've been having a bit of a hard time lately, a little bit of homesickness mixed with general restlessness and a tad of "is this all there is", punctuated by moments of absolutely wonderful beauty in the most unexpected places -- it's keeping me on my toes, to say the least.

Funny that, as things pick up at work, it's paralleled by things picking up for my lil' jewelry business -- things are going to be inordinately busy, soon, but maybe I need that to snap myself out of this little funk I'm trying to get into?

The studio will be open this Friday, for First Friday at the Flat Iron Arts Building, and I'm eager to see how my little rearrange of the space will go over. I moved the whole "living room" into another room, and the workspace into the studio where the couch/tv/bookshelves used to be. I'm hoping that in the future, this will really help with having more space for different artists to show their work (if they're interested) in the gallery, and it will also give me more space for when I eventually launch my other project (still top secret, of course).

The new living space (complete with napping dog) -- I've cleaned it up a bit since taking this shot, and the couch is covered in plaid blankets to make me feel like I'm living in a cozy cabin in Wyoming, or something like that.

The funny this is that my little rearrangement has made my living space so completely cozy and lovely, that I'm a lot less motivated to actually go into the other room and work on things in there... so hopefully at some point, having the studio open will kick me into gear.

So on that note, I have to leave my little cozy space to go to work, but hopefully some of you will be able to drop by this Friday, and I'll be happy to show off all the work I've been doing in here. I'll be dropping off more necklaces at Paperish Mess towards the middle of next week, so if you can't catch me here at the studio, you can definitely find my most popular pieces in stock at their sweet little shop.

Spring Break, My Foot!

No, really, my foot. My feet -- both of them -- are tired. My dogs are barkin', figuratively and literally. I decided to take on a project through Taskrabbit to get a quick stack of cash, and it's turned into so much more than just a little project. I've probably walked 40 miles across this city in the last two weeks! It's the reason I've been quite absent, on here and on Facebook and on Etsy, and on all of the platform I'm usually so active. I plan to be done with the project by Tuesday next week, but until then I might still be a little scarce.

However, I do have things in the works. I've got another sale on GroopDealz -- you'll be able to purchase many of my City Map Necklaces for only $13.99 starting Sunday April 20th!

I've still got many of my pieces available at Paperish Mess here in Chicago, including the ever-popular MLB Game Used Baseball Pendants, Earrings, and Cuff Links. This wonderful little shop is full of treasures from artists around Chicago, and it's well worth a visit if you're wandering around Chicago Ave. on a relatively warm Spring day.

I'll be a vendor at my first Randolph Street Market of the season on April 26th and 27th -- this is the best place in the city to see tons of amazing vintage pieces, and the Indie Market (where I'm stationed) is a real treat, too. So many things you didn't know you needed (but you do).

We're going to be hosting another Orange Dot First Friday at the Flat Iron Arts Building (studio 215!) on May 2nd, and as far as I know, Atom Basham will still have his fabulous paintings here for viewing and for sale, and now he has prints available! Get ready to part with your paycheck, because once you see them in person you won't want to leave without taking something of his home. There are temporary mural paintings going up in the hallways as I write this, and it's very much a "now you see it, now you don't" sort of thing, so see it while you can.

You can view all of my show/market updates on theBigCityBumpkin.com

So until then, I'm going to make myself a faux-chicken sandwich, and watch the Brady Bunch. See y'all soon!