Life's a beach.... any time of the year.

The beach is a big part of my life and inspiration, not only in the summer, but throughout the year. As a New England native, and a beach-lover since I was 2 weeks old, I am incredibly inspired by the joys of the coast.

Many of my customers, both wholesale and retail, are along the New England coastline, on lovely Cape Cod, the craggy coast of Maine, the beaches of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and of course, the tiny New Hampshire coastline. I've always had a collection inspired by coastal living , and a couple of years ago expanded it to include coastal holidays, combining New England tradition and a bit of whimsy.

This year, one of my retailers, P-Town Pulp in Provincetown (at the very tip of the Cape), asked if I could message the inside of the normally blank coastal holiday cards....it was a bit of a challenge, but wonderful fun! I struggled a bit, not wanting to be too corny, but definitely needing something beyond a generic greeting.... so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites!

Now... I've got tons more of those lobsters with holly to print, so I'd better get back to work.

Soup's On!

I thoroughly enjoy this time of year - sweater weather and fall foods. As much as I love the the first ripe tomato of the summer season, I am always ready for the cooler weather to arrive so I can make my first pot of soup! This weekend I'm cooking up the family favorite, my mom's beef and barley soup. (I know cousin Darcy will be drooling thinking about this...)

My mom owned a little restaurant for a few years when I was a teenager. It was called Soupcon (with a little curly thing under the c, pronounced "Soup's On") and was located in an old grist mill which had been converted to shops, just down the street from our house. The restaurant was tiny (it sat only 22), and had a wonderful view of the river. It was only open for lunch and tea. Mom served two choices for lunch, soup and salad or a casserole and salad, with different choices every day. There was delicious homemade bread, simple desserts and yummy cookies. That's all anyone could need.

So many of the foods I love today are from mom's time at the restaurant, favorite of all is the beef and barley soup. This soup was a staple in our house, and a part of our holiday traditions as well. A big pot simmered on the stove on Christmas Eve, to warm all of our family and friends as they came in from the cold for our holiday celebration. Lots of memories surround this soup.

Of course, mom's recipes are not very scientific... most are written on tattered old index cards (if they are written at all) and were created to serve 50 people, so there's a lot of instinct that goes into getting them just right. Thankfully, I have many of them down (and so does my brother - the most fabulous cook!), so I can still enjoy mom's recipes and the memories that go with them. So now it's back to my beef and barley soup. As always, I'll make enough so I can eat it for a few days, then freeze the leftovers in containers for the next time I have this craving.

Mmmmm.

Our Creative Life

As a woman-owned business, I love to support others in whatever way I can - by purchasing their products and services, participating in supportive communities, sharing ideas and more. Over at the blog Our Creative Life Darlene has provided a way for women entrepreneurs to come together to support each other. Visit her blog to see a great list of women owned businesses - some you may already know, and some wonderful new ones to explore!

Autumn Inspirations

I've been enjoying the last few beautiful autumn days - the crisp air, changing leaves, lovely tart apples, and delightfully imperfect pumpkins. It's a wonderful time of year in New England, as so many leaf-peepers will tell you!

As inspired as I am by this season, I'm always designing about 6 months ahead, so here I am loving autumn and sketching, carving and printing new designs for spring and summer! I've never found it an easy task to design this far out, but this year I seem to have found so many inspirations that are translating to a sweet new collection for next year. I'm not ready to unveil the goodies just yet, but you may just see a few before the holidays, since I'm really not very good at keeping secrets.

For now, though, I think I'll enjoy a little more of this gorgeous fall day, and maybe sketch a little more spring and summer from my patio. (Oh, and just so winter isn't neglected in my plan for the day, I'll be printing some holiday cards as well.)

My Love List

Over the past few days I've been putting together my love list, a little assignment from Operation Nice and wanted to share with you some of the things I love...

I love a table set with vintage china and silver, sweet little desserts on pedestal dishes, fresh whipped cream, and homemade ice cream. I love a crisp fall day, the first frost, and pumpkin pie for breakfast. I love finding the perfect treasure on a day antiquing with friends, and a quiet cup of coffee at the end of that day to celebrate our fabulous finds or just the time together. I love early mornings and late afternoons at the beach, when all is quiet. I love outdoor showers. I love pedicures. I love holidays, especially Thanksgiving, a day all about family and simple, delicious food. I love our relatively new tradition of Second Thanksgiving on the Friday after - the first is so great, why not do it twice? I love making mom's beef and barley soup. I love sweater weather. I love sitting on my sofa with a cup of tea and a box of old family photos, remembering. I love beautiful paper, color and pattern. I love making the first cut into a block of lino, and the first print from a finished block. I love seeing something I've imagined become real.

I love how it feels to do something nice for someone else.

Getting ready for the holidays.... already.

Well, it may seem early to you, but I've actually been working on holiday goodies for months now. I've been busy with holiday wholesale orders, as well as some new projects for the shop... here's a sneak peak at one of them - bottle openers! I seem to get a lot of requests for more guy-friendly gifts, and these little bottle openers are just the ticket. I gave the fish one to my best friend's husband for his birthday (I know, big spender, right?) and he loved it! I've made several designs, to be sold in coordinating gift sets with my coasters. You can see the rest of the designs here and they will be in the shop soon!

Speaking of orange and pink...

... I have indulged myself with another beautiful item in my favorite color palette... a fabulous bag from Becky Oh!

When Becky showed a sneak peak of this fabric on flickr I knew I had to have it - not only does it feature orange and pink, but the lovely organic shapes have a hand printed feel... so me. The orange button is the perfect touch, and the lining, well, fuchsia of course!

Thanks Becky, for bringing us such such fabulous bags.