Project 8256

Storque(d)

2008-12-08T14:59:00.002-06:00

We were recently given the opportunity to share our story about Project 8256 with The Storque - Etsy's Handmade Blog. It posted today, so you can read all about it right here. Many thanks to Katie and everyone at The Storque for all of their hard work, and for giving us this opportunity!

Have a wonderful week!

xo,
Amy

thankful

2008-12-03T14:45:00.003-06:00

I'm a little late (as always) in posting about Thanksgiving. But mine was absolutely lovely, and I hope--if you are in the US and celebrate that sort of thing--that yours was too. I had my family over to my house this year, and the day made for a memory that I will hold on to for a long time.

The table:

A very quick, inexpensive project. I mod-podged doilies onto glass cylinders that I had on hand. The dishes and goblets were passed down to me by my grandmother the day before. What perfect timing!

I hope that, no matter where you are, you are finding much to be thankful for!

xo,
Amy

Deep Roots

2008-11-13T17:00:00.005-06:00

I thought I would share the final result of my piece for the "46 Flags" exhibit at City Arts Center here in Oklahoma City. We were asked to create a symbolic representation of what it meant to live in Oklahoma.

"Deep Roots" - acrylic and paper on wood

Words cut into the silhouette of the Survivor Tree from the Oklahoma City National Memorial: "We are Survivors, and we are of this land, and we love this land. And we have deep roots, and we will carry on, and on, and on."

Various bits and pieces, including some very old family photos (the one on the top includes my grandfather as a very young boy).

The opening is tonight, and it will run through December 20th. For additional photos, you can visit my flickr site.

A new addition...

2008-10-25T17:11:00.004-06:00

We are now an Etsy family. My sister and brother-in-law just opened an Etsy shop of their very own: The Gathered Nest. They are also using this as a fundraising tool for their adoption, and are donating all profits to their adoption fund for their TWO children that they will be adopting from Ethiopia. They are doing such a fantastic job so far and have some really lovely items. And they've already received a little exposure in Etsy's news source, The Storque!

They have an assortment of lovely vintage items...

And beautiful handmade wreaths, just in time for the holidays...

You can visit their shop here. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Mine is turning out perfectly, so far.

xo,
Amy

Sycamore Street Press

2008-10-23T23:25:00.002-06:00

A little while ago, Eva from Sycamore Street Press contacted me (you might remember them from the orange and gray letterpress alphabet poster I was longing for a couple of posts down). She and her husband were looking for an organization to donate a portion of the proceeds from their 2009 calendar to -- and they were considering AHOPE! Well, their calendar is now available and they are donating fifty percent of the proceeds to AHOPE. So exciting. It comes in two absolutely beautiful colorways, and helps out an amazing organization which, as you know, is very close to my heart -- so how can you resist? Have a look...

in red and chartreuse

a closer look- in yellow and gray

Check out their Etsy shop or their website for more lovelies.

Thanks Eva and Kirk! I hope it's an amazing success!

xo,

Amy

in color

2008-10-07T18:36:00.007-06:00

I had some errands to run this morning and it was so cool outside, a little overcast, the perfect fall day. It got me really excited for cold weather - layers, extra blankets on the bed, switching from my iced coffee beverages to warm ones. I didn't get to enjoy much of the day, though, as I forced myself into my studio to begin a project that seems to get continually pushed to the side. It's only step one (of many), but I'm liking the direction so far...

A closer look...

Inspired by the earth and skies of Oklahoma. And, I realized after, it's somewhat similar to my current fave pair of shoes...

Hope things are nice where you are.

xo,
Amy

Sounds (that are) Good: Adele

2008-09-27T22:18:00.012-06:00

"Adele" as photographed by Bianca Barrett on Birmingham Live!'s Flickr photostream

Adele is another artist that I kind of just happened upon. And I am so glad that I did. Her voice is incredible--and she recorded her debut album, 19, at well, nineteen. Ridiculous. I can always tell how much I am enjoying a particular artist by how often I listen to their album after first acquiring it--and how many other artists I filter in within that same time frame. And I can say with no small amount of certainty that 19 was the only album getting any of my attention for quite some time.

She cites Etta James and Dusty Springfield as influences, and that is definitely apparent in her music. If you have been enjoying artists like Amy Winehouse or Duffy you might give her a listen. But I think that you'll find that she has a sound that is, thankfully, uniquely her own. And she wrote all of the songs on the album, except for her cover of Bob Dylan's "Make you Feel My Love". So she has that going for her too.

You can sample some tracks on her MySpace, if you'd like to give her a listen. Happy October! More to come.

xo,

Amy

Currently Craving: Orange

2008-09-26T22:09:00.007-06:00

So, welcome to new-blog-feature #2: Constantly Craving. I thought I would share a few things that I've been loving, wanting, am inspired by, etc. We'll see how it goes. This week's Craving is focused on the color Orange. Now, here in Oklahoma where college football is king you are either RED (University of Oklahoma) or ORANGE (Oklahoma State University). People are very rarely, if ever, both and many will go so far as to never own anything of the opposing color. Silly. So, so silly. If we went strictly by my alma mater then I would be RED. Luckily for me, though, I never really took to football, so I have a wealth of color choices at my disposal without even the tiniest fear of betrayal. Moving on...

click on the image to view larger

1. Letterpress Alphabet Poster in orange and gray from Sycamore Street Press on Etsy. First of all, let me just say that the knowledge that we will soon have two little ones in the family is falling somewhere in between thrill and jubilance. However, not knowing the gender or age, etc. is killing me. I am a compulsive nester, and even though I realize that it is not my nest, nor is it a nest in my home (and that for my brother-in-law's sake alone I should probably state that I realize this more often), I still feel this need to start adding to the nest. I think this little alphabet print is so perfect. Orange and grey is a great gender-neutral color combination (I think, atleast. I, somewhat by accident, had a very-much orange and brown bedroom as a toddler, so it's possible that I'm biased), and this print will appeal to kids and parents alike. Or even aunts.

2. A Look Only You Would Understand (Orange) by ashleyg - also on Etsy. It's really no secret that I love Ashley Goldberg's work, as I have her prints scattered throughout my house. I absolutely love this one. Always a fan of the blue and orange combo.

3. Simple & Pure Beautiful (to me) as photographed by citypix on Flickr. I first saw this photo on Creature Comforts and was so taken by it, but almost fell out of my chair when I realized that it is merely paper doilies and orange pushpins. How inexpensive! And simple! And just the thing for the empty I-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-to-do-with-this wall in my bedroom. Perfection. Totally inspired. Let's just hope it works.

4. Practice Kindness by Lisa Congdon -- again, on Etsy. Lisa Congdon is another favorite of mine, and her prints can also be found throughout my house. And now this one can be as well, as it is part of her $6.00 Gocco print series. That's right -- $6. And everyone could use a little reminder to practice a little more kindness.

5. Large Orange Letter "A" Storefront Signage from the incredibly lovely three potato four . I got, oh, perhaps a little too excited when I came across this giant letter 'A'. If only I'd had the extra $140 to buy a vowel, then perhaps I wouldn't have been so disappointed when it, alas, sold.

So that's about it. Have a lovely, lovely weekend. Have the best weekend ever. Just go for it.

xo,
Amy

Excellent Citizenship (if not blogger-ship)

2008-09-22T19:42:00.007-06:00

So, today I was an excellent citizen. Which only really amounted to sitting very still for an awfully long time fulfilling my civic duty of jury duty. More than happy to do my part, but my goodness it was a long day. And they never even called my name. Until 3:00, when they told me I would have to report to a different location tomorrow for juvenile cases. Two days of being an excellent (and a little bit bored) citizen in a row. We'll see.

In other news, I have noticed that I have become maybe the-worst-blogger-ever. I was thinking of ways to jazz things up a little/give a little structure to my life and blog, so today is the first go of it. I decided to focus on the things that I like the most, so from now on I will be featuring a different musical artist each Monday. I'll be talking about music that I like, and hopefully you might find something that you like too.

So here is the first installment of Sounds (that are) Good:

I happened upon Brooke Waggoner completely by accident a few days ago, and am totally hooked. And here is something so exciting--she is giving away her EP for FREE on her website. Yes, you have to enter your email (which means you are signing up for a newsletter) so they can send you the link for the free download. But it's worth it, trust me. And her new single is also one of the FREE downloads on iTunes right now. So, all in all, two very good deals. Here is the thing that is interesting to me, from a design perspective.

This is the album cover for "Fresh Pair of Eyes". I really like the album artwork and think that it really looks like the EP's overall sound.

And this is the artwork for her second album "Heal for the Honey". The single that you can get for free on iTunes is off of this album, and clearly the artwork, the overall look and feel of it, are very different. I like it, but it's a very clear departure. But again, it looks just like it should sound. Which is, I think, what the cover art should be all about.

The thing that grabbed me immediately about "Fresh Pair of Eyes" was the piano. She is really amazing and it adds this beautiful, textural element to each of the tracks. It's intricate and complicated and so much more than the strategically placed chord that you get from so many songstresses. Apparently she studied composition and orchestration of classical music, and that training is obvious. And she has combined that training with more modern influences without detracting from either. They are both equally obvious and important.

"Heal for the Honey" is still refreshingly unique. You'll still hear the interesting lyrics, the amazing piano, the complex arrangements. Great if you like Feist or Regina Spektor. It's more upbeat, more synthesized, more layered. And really, really good.

Both are amazing and highly recommended. I'll be adding some other new features to the blog this week, so check back if you'd like.

Oh, and the "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" print sale is still going on the in the Project 8256 shop so take advantage of it while you can. Man, oh man, bargains all around.

xo,

Amy

a sale! a celebration!

2008-09-05T19:04:00.005-06:00

Well, if you read the previous post you might remember that my sister and brother-in-law were not only officially approved to adopt from Ethiopia but they were also approved to adopt a set of TWO SIBLINGS! Such exciting news. And I also promised a celebration of the non-cupcake variety. So here it is...

That's right. For the ENTIRE MONTH of September all of the prints in the Project 8256 shop are "buy two get one free"!! Just purchase two prints, and then leave me a little note in the "message to seller" portion of the invoice and I'll send them all out to you. A perfect chance to get some Christmas shopping done a little early this year, or to cover up some of those bare walls.

Happy shopping! And thank you all so, so much for all of the love, encouragement and support that you've shown to us over the last several months. It's been an incredible experience for us, and we are so overwhelmingly thankful.

xo,
Amy

a double blessing...

2008-08-30T17:51:00.002-06:00

So, I had to stop in to share some VERY exciting news....

My sister and brother-in-law have been OFFICIALLY APPROVED by their adoption agency to adopt from Ethiopia. Now, I realize that this sounds like a first-step in the process, but it is actually something that comes further down the line. Like after paperwork, and letters of reference, and fingerprinting and a home-steady and LOTS. OF. WAITING. But it's official. Someone decided that they can be parents.

And here's the even better news -- they are adopting SIBLINGS! Two! They were approved to adopt two under the age of four, but requested two under the age of three. So we'll see. This is a decision that took them some time to make, but what they felt would be best for everyone involved. And I wholeheartedly agree.

So, keep you eyes open in the next week for a special celebration in the Etsy shop in the form of "twos" (and in lieu of cupcakes). Yay!

xo,
Amy

If not so much a blog update...

2008-07-27T21:06:00.002-06:00

...At least I've had a bit of a shop update. These three pieces are now available in my amelia mae shop. The first two are mixed media pieces done in shadowboxes.

"Wishes" - the smaller of the two

"Oh, My Dearest"

And this one is a collage on wood. There is also a print available of this one, should you prefer that.

"Courage"

More to come. Hope you are well.

xo,
Amy

what i did on my summer vacation...

2008-07-19T14:37:00.004-06:00

Sorry (again) for the lousy job at blogging. It's been a busy few months. But I have been working away at several different projects, one of which was designing and making invitations for a friend's wedding.

Luckily (?) I had already planned on taking this last week off from work in an attempt to start some new, very exciting future projects and to catch up on things around my house. I didn't get to accomplish any of those, but I did manage to finish the invitations. It was an intense week, but I am pleased with the result, and hopefully the bride and groom will be as well.

The inspiration for the overall design came from this print. The bride's favorite flower is the sunflower, so we pulled our colors from that.

Here's what they looked like all packaged up:

Each invitation received two tags--one with the "forever" image and one personalized with the recipient's name or names. Couples and families received tags like those above, and single individuals received tags that looked like this:

For more detailed shots of each card, you can visit my flickr account.

I hope you are all doing well and staying cool! Oh, and I have lots of new banners in my paper goods shop, if you'd like to check those out as well.

xo,
Amy

events and such

2008-05-21T15:14:00.004-06:00

I am a horrible blogger. Truly. But I hope to get better in the near future. For now, I thought I would share a few upcoming events with you. First:

My sister and brother-in-law are having a second garage sale to raise money for their adoption. It's this Thursday (tomorrow!) through Saturday, I think from 8-6. It was a huge success last time, and we're hoping it will be just as successful this time around. They still have such great things left over, and I know they've received some more donations, so they should have a pretty decent selection. Email me and I'll give you the address, if you'll be in the Edmond area this weekend and what to check it out.

And NEXT weekend, you can find me here:

I will have items from all three shops, so there should be a nice little selection. So come by and say hello, and support other local artists (should OKC be your locale).

And, although this is not an event, my very favorite Mates of State released their latest album this week. And I have to say, that I think it might be my favorite so far. It still has their signature tight harmonies, and sudden rhythm and tempo changes, overlapping lyrics...all the things that make their sound so identifiable. But this album has such a rich sound--stings, horns, more piano and less keyboard. It's just really lovely.

Hope you are all doing well!

xo,
Amy

just a reminder...

2008-05-04T18:39:00.003-06:00

Just thought I would pass on a little reminder that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day for my little collaboration with Caroline's blog I am a greedy girl. Just jump over to her blog, and you'll find all the details on how to save 15% at ALL THREE of my etsy shops (project 8256, amelia mae, and amelia mae paper goods). And, if you buy from multiple shops I will glady combine the shipping costs, so you'll save even more.

Hope your weekend was lovely.

xo,
Amy

for all you greedy girls (and boys)

2008-05-01T13:58:00.004-06:00

You might, just might, take a look at Caroline's blog "I am a greedy girl", because it is entirely possible that she might give you some tips on how to find a bargian at all three of my etsy shops today through Monday. Just a little hint...

EDIT: If you tried the link before and found, as I did that it wasn't working, you might give it a go now. I fixed it, so it should take you to her blog and not an error message. Hints are always better when they actually work.

shop update

2008-04-21T20:30:00.006-06:00

I'm ever so slowly getting back into a more natural (for me, at least) pace of things. Which, basically, means that I've been able to start spending time in the studio once again. My new space is all set up, and has really made such a difference. I was able to create a few new pieces last week, and they're now up in the amelia mae shop:

a few new collages:

"A Simple Song"

"Still Here" -- this one is also available as a print .

and a few illustrations on wood:

"forever" - also available as a print

"please don't ever go" - yep, this one is available as a print too.

This week I hope to tinker around a bit with a new idea I have rumbling around. Hopefully it will work out.

Oh, and if you are in the OKC area, my sister and brother-in-law are having a HUGE garage sale to raise some additional (and much needed) funds for their adoption. And by HUGE I mean really, really gigantic. Apparently we know a lot of really generous people who also happen to have lots of things they no longer need. It's this Thursday through Saturday (April 24-26) in Edmond. If you are interested in attending, email me and I'll send you all the info you could possibly want.

xo,
Amy

playing favorites...

2008-04-11T20:24:00.004-06:00

The last month has been an exercise in patience, and also a lesson about my full addiction to the internet. I miss my computer. If it wasn't for the very generous birthday present of a lovely little something that allows me to check my email and manage my etsy shops from something that can fit in my pocket, I'm not so sure I would have any sense of calm at all. Which is pretty sad.

But I thought I would share a few favorite bits of my new place. I've been working away at it, and while there is still much to do, I am pretty content with where it is at the moment. Or at least where it's headed.

Clockwise from top right:

1. This is perhaps the most organized I have ever been in my entire life. What's even more exciting about this picture is that it is sitting in my very own STUDIO space. I am thinking I am going to get to break this room in a little this weekend, and I am really quite excited about this.

2. A small part of a larger art wall. I'm a little in love with the paint color in the living room. It's a light grey.

3. The beginnings of a glove mold collection (with a small porcelain hand thrown in for good measure). My sister finds this very creepy. I think it's lovely and can't wait to find more.

4. Best refrigerator art ever. And I do. Love Tim Gunn.

I've also stumbled across some really great new (musical) artists recently. You might give them a listen. If you into that sort of thing:

- Tina Dico "Count to Ten" - I have a feeling that this is going to get a lot of play in the studio. I like it a lot.

- Jon Foreman "Fall", "Winter" and "Spring" - Three EP's that are really incredible. I really love them all. My dad is a fan too. He especially likes "Winter".

- She & Him "Volume One" - "She" is actress Zooey Deschanel and "Him" is the super talented M. Ward. There is something really charming and endearing about this. If you like Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins "Rabbit Fur Coat" you might like this too.

- Alexi Murdoch "Time Without Consequence". Just really lovely. I was pretty much hooked by the first track.

I'm quite sure I'm forgetting tons, but that just saves more for later I guess. Hope you are doing well. I'm hoping to add some new items to the amelia mae shop this coming week, so keep your eyes open for that.

xo,
Amy

still here

2008-03-30T15:41:00.002-06:00

1. First off, so sorry for the not-so-great blog maintenance. I have officially moved into my new place, which though amazing and lovely and all of that, is also without a current internet connection. So sad. It's been a little strange to be perfectly honest.

2. I just listed a bunch of new things in the project 8256 shop. Lots of mini plaques. Antlers, wood grain, dear and stumps for all. Check it out.

That's about it. I would add more, but I've been staring at the computer for the last few hours listing plaques and my eyes are going a little dizzy.

I hope that everything is going well with you. More to come.

xo,
Amy

If you were still considering..

2008-03-14T08:02:00.000-06:00

...if you should go to Blue 7 this Saturday (tomorrow!) or not, I thought I would help you make up your mind:

1. I've heard rumblings of a PRIZE WHEEL--and you know that ever since those days when you were "too sick" to go to school and instead stayed home and watched The Price is Right, that you've been dreaming of the day that you could spin a prize wheel. Here's your chance.

2. Mother's Day is right around the corner and you know that your mother/grandmother/aunt/mother-of-your-child will be thoroughly convinced that she raised you right/your offspring is destined for greatness when you give a gift from Project 8256 that is helping a family grow and orphans in Africa at the same time.

3. You love cupcakes.

4. You love Blue 7--so much so that you will wear your "I made out with Blue 7" t-shirt with pride (especially when you know that $5 from that very t-shirt is being donated to Project 8256).

5. You're a multi-tasker who loves the idea of shopping, eating cupcakes, winning prizes, listening to live music, and supporting a great boutique and a wonderful cause ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Weekends will never look the same again.

Convinced? That's what I thought.

So go to Blue 7 at their new location at May and Grand this Saturday from 11-10pm. I'm pretty sure it's going to be amazing.

xo,
Amy

Exciting news

2008-03-11T15:35:00.007-06:00

Really exciting news, actually. Blue 7 (the absolutely amazing boutique in Oklahoma City that has been helping us out over the last few months) is celebrating their 5th birthday, and their new location at May and Grand this Saturday (March 15th). They'll have food, music, sales on their fabulous merchandise and lots and lots of brand new Project 8256 merchandise. Things like:

These little guys. I made 25 total. Each design comes in five different colorways.

And these lovelies:

I also experimented a little and made some shadowboxes. If you look closely, you (hopefully) can tell that the one on the left says "i love you" and the one on the right says "i adore you."

They will also have lots of greeting cards and even more originals. There is also a new print, both at Blue 7 and in the Project 8256 shop:

"I can see a lot of life in you." From a favorite Sufjan Stevens song.

So in other words, you should definitely try to make it out on Saturday if you are in the area. They'll be open from 11-10 pm. Support an amazing boutique and a good cause at the same time. What's better than that?

Okay. I'm back to packing up all of my belongings. Hope you are having a lovely week.

xo,
Amy

because...

2008-02-24T23:56:00.002-06:00

because we all have those memories...

just added to the amelia mae shop.

Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was a little exhausting. I'm actually really looking forward to Monday.

Best,
Amy

new things

2008-02-21T23:37:00.004-06:00

I've added a few new things to both the amelia mae and the project 8256 shops.

These two prints are now in the amelia mae shop. I love some wood grain. And I really love incorporating text into my pieces. Available in grey/orange and pink/red:

I also have a new greeting card to the project 8256 shop. It says "i miss you so." on the inside. So sad.

And, in the spirit of personal choice, I also created a listing where you can select any five greeting cards for $15. Not bad.

Oh, and the exciting news from before is OFFICIAL, so I can share it without fear of jinxing. I am moving into an adorable little house. I love it. A lot. So the the next few weeks might be (a little) more chaotic. Fair warning.

xo,
Amy

choices, choices

2008-02-17T21:32:00.002-06:00

I put a new little offering in the Project 8256 shop this weekend--pick any three prints for $60.00. I like this idea for several reasons:

1. This saves you $15 dollars. I love a bargain.

2. It saves you from those horrible decisions: this one? or that one? Get them both. And then get another for just $10.00 more.

3. I love giving presents. And I, personally, feel that artwork is a fantastic gift. I also love giving presents to myself. Now you can do both with the tiniest bit less guilt.

4. It still goes towards a great cause.

Check it out here. Happy shopping.

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine capped off quite unexpectedly. But in a really good way. But I'm not going to tell quite yet, because I don't want to jinx it. Not until it's official. Then you'll be the first to know.

xo,
Amy

purchase of the year

2008-02-16T15:57:00.004-06:00

Hands down. Best purchase of the year. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this: Last pair left in the store. My size. Rang up for half of what I expected (which ended up being slightly more than my lunch. Such a steal). Made traveling seven hours with my boss IN A U-HAUL totally worth it.

Luckily I have a boss that 1. is enjoyable to be around, despite being IN A U-HAUL and 2. relishes in amazing purchases even if they are not her own.

It's pouring down rain here today. I'm not at all upset about this, because it was supposed to be ice and I got to wear my new wellies to the grocery store.

Off to clean. Enjoy your weekend.

xo,
Amy