Ashley Anna Brown / Fern Animals

All-Day Sale tomorrow!! One day only!

The lovely Marichelle of Heart Handmade has invited me to take part in her second round hosting an Esty Shop Live 30-Minute Sale in the Virtual Labs. I am incredibly honored to be amongst such great company! (see the list of other sellers featured here) I only wish that I wasn't in the middle of moving and completely broke so I could take advantage of these sales! Many of these artists have items on my wish list and have been there for months! Others I just added today! Shoot.

I have been sewing all day today - literally (while watching old episodes of Party of Five) - in order to have some new and exciting animals available in my shop, especially for this event. Shop Live will take place for 30 minutes, but I have decided to offer 20% off every item in my shop all day long - that way if you can't make it to the virtual labs at 7pm est, you still have a chance to take home a new little Fern Animal at a discounted price! I will also be offering free shipping! Can you believe it?! All of this for one day only! Tomorrow, Thursday May 28th!

For more info about the Shop Live event and how to get in on the fun, visit Heart Handmade.

I've actually never been in to the virtual labs at Etsy... I'm excited to see how this goes! The little animals pictured above will be there, along with a few others. 

Since I am still preparing for the Renegade Craft Fair, I will be listing quite a few animals tomorrow for this event, but will then have shut down my shop and remove any that don't sell to save for the fair. I will keep my shop open until Friday at about noon I think. I will be reopening my shop after Renegade - assuming I come home with at least a couple animals! This usually depends on how many I end up going to the fair with!

Okay, back to sewing!! See you tomorrow! Sale starts bright and early! (Though I will need a couple daylight hours to photograph the newest animals before posting them.) Good night!

When you really have no control at all...

I begin making this little animal this morning while Justin continued to pack up his things. I wanted to get a good start on a custom order, and, though the materials were not exactly what was requested, I thought that maybe it would work. As I was stuffing the body, I came to realize that it would not in fact do for the custom order, and this new animal was suddenly born. It's funny how sometimes you set out to make something, and the little creatures personality just seems to take over and decide for you how she will turn out. I haven't made little ears like this in quite some time (years maybe?) but they suited this little lady perfectly. She even has her head tilted to the side a little, like she's feeling a little tough, and a little sassy.

Okay, now that I have sewn away a good part of the day, it's time to load the car and head out! We're late! (Always!)

To Do Today:

*Take out all the trash and recycling

*Go see about getting Justin a phone

*Drop things off at Goodwill

*Pick up more boxes from Wholefoods

*Pick Eva up from school at 3pm

*Play at the park and explore until 6

*Pack

*Sew

Living in chaos

This was the state of my studio last night. Why do you always have to make more of a mess in order to clean up? I have been going through everything and getting rid of as much as possible. I wish we had time to have another yard sale before moving, but I the left overs will go off to Goodwill instead. I did manage to make this room a little less crazy by the end of the night, and even cleared some space at my table to make a custom ordered fawn in its entirety last night! I actually can't believe I made the whole thing in one sitting - and I didn't stay up all night either! But, what a load off! Custom orders always bog me down and stress me out a bit because no matter how much I want to make the animal, I always allow myself to be pressured by the idea that the customer is waiting and waiting and wondering what is taking me so long. It's this self-evoked pressure that causes me to procrastinate even more! I have never had a customer pressure me about completing an order. I do that all to myself! Plus, with how crazy everything else is right now, it's even harder for me to give myself the time to sit down and finish those orders. But! One down! Just two to go (unless a couple other people get back to me about their order inquiries - but I'll have more time for those after Renegade). 

Last night I made a hard decision to finally let go of a paper sculpture I made two years ago and have been toting around in a box since then. In order to move multiple times, I already had to cut the body into parts so that it could fit into a couple boxes. I was holding onto it with the idea that maybe I could show it again, but when I opened the box last night I came to the decision that it would be more work to repair this body than to start over from scratch (and hopefully casting one person, instead of trying to piece together body parts from two people - who had very different body shapes!). So, alas, this pile of body parts is now in a big garbage bag. It is actually really sad to me, but I just can't carry this around with the idea that maybe some day I could do something with it again. Yes, I could do something with the idea of it again, but I don't need these crumpled and torn pieces. 

I did decide to keep these knitting arms though. How could I not when I opened the box to find this? I would really love to show this piece again. I just haven't been good lately at persuing possible shows. Some day (this summer?) I will make myself the time to search around and try to show it, and maybe make another like it to show as well (I have an idea for a sister sculpture that I have been holding onto for years now, waiting for the chance to make it). 

This morning Justin and I are going to sign the lease on our new apartment, and hand over all of our money. I can't believe how many huge things are happening all at once! It will be so nice once it's all said and done, and I can finally relax with Kitchen in our new tiny apartment surrounded by silence and trees. 

For Grace

Custom Order / Completed May 2009

This animal has been the most requested custom order that I have ever had (with and without antlers) - new people are asking about it every few weeks. Glad I bought that fabric even though I was thinking twice about it at Osgood's! Hopefully I can find more because it's almost gone!

Inspiration Summer

I already have so many plans for this summer. I feel like last summer, and much of the one before, was consumed with craft fair prep and moving plans (moving at the end of August has always caused us to spend the summer thinking about moving and not enjoying the space we were in fully). Right now things are crazy for both of those reasons (moving and craft fair prep), but, even though it's a bit insane trying to do so many things at once, I'm excited that in a couple weeks I will be all moved in to a new apartment, and a week after that I will be down in Brooklyn for Renegade, and then I can spend the rest of the summer enjoying the weather, having fun, and working on new projects. 

We've been doing a really good job lately with really going through our things before packing up any boxes. I've been digging and digging and was able to get rid of a lot of stuff yesterday at our yard sale that I haven't touched in months. And people were excited about it, and said how we had lots of good stuff! That was nice. It was a little sad to let go of the portable record player that I have been lugging around with me every place I've moved for the past four or five years, but, really, it was time. And the guy who bought it for five dollars was super excited about it, and said it was exactly what he'd been looking for! Getting rid of it was my way of not only passing it on to someone who would get more use out of it, but also to force me to finally get a real stereo to play my records. 

I've been spending a little time going through photos lately, too. That feels really nice. I used to take so many pictures! I guess I still do take a lot of photos now, but, having a digital camera, it's too easy to take one or two hundred photos, dump them on the computer to sort through later, then move on and forget about it. I want to be better about that this summer. Actually, I'm thinking about using my 35mm camera again. It's really sad to me that I used to think I was pretty good at photography. I wasn't great, but I at least had my camera some what figured out and could usually get it to do what I wanted. Then I went to college and took a photo class. Actually, Photo 1 was okay - my professor encouraged me to work conceptually which I really loved, and I think I came out of that class with some nice work. It was Photo 2 that killed it for me. That professor taught the class on a very technical basis, and maybe I was thinking about it too much or something, but it's like I suddenly was forced to forget everything I thought I knew about photography and how to use my camera and start over. Except instead I think I just managed to forget everything and bomb the class. I actually came out of that semester with just two photos that I liked and that the professor liked. One I took while roller skating with friends and I was actually not shooting for the class. I was just playing around to see what would happen. I'm not even sure how my teacher saw any of those photos, but one of them that I thought was an accident turned out to be really good in his mind, and I just didn't get it. Or him. 

The other photo was shot with a Holga. I was at a coffee shop having a break-up conversation with an old boyfriend, and snapped some random photos. Going though my boxes of pictures I came across a small stack of Holga photos, and I really love them! Well, actually, most of them are over lapping each other because I wasn't advancing the film enough between shots, but I love the dreamy feel the Holga produces, and some how I totally forgot about it for the past two or three years. My Holga has been buried in a box in my closet along with a broken sewing machine and my forgotten Polaroid Land Camera. I was playing with both of those cameras last night, re-familiarizing myself with them, and came to find that they both still have film in them! I think the Holga is still at the beginning of the roll and the polaroid has at least a few pictures left. I'm sure those won't come out at all because the film is so old and has been open in the camera all this time, but I'm going to try it out today anyway. Wow, this is a long and winded story, but basically, I'm excited about a lot of possibilities this summer. Here's a brief list of some of the things I plan on doing more of:

-Shoot 35mm film

-Shoot with my Holga

-Ride my bike every day - often on the bike path (because it is absolutely beautiful)

-draw (because it's been too long, and I miss it)

-work on that new (too soon to reveal) paper project

-keep the Etsy shop stocked

-be better about internet connections and correspondence

-grow confident living alone for the summer (Stop freaking yourself out at night! It's just silly!)

-UNPACK EVERYTHING and find a place for it - don't live amongst boxes for the summer (and don't hide them in the closet either!)

-Bake more (vegan treats, bread, make yourself delicious dinners - don't just eat pasta all summer, have friends over and cook for them, experiment more, use some of the amazing recipes from veganyumyum, try not to make too many cookies - though that will be hard, make some vegan hot fudge with out using corn syrup, this would be great with some homemade vegan ice cream that Matt makes! etc etc etc)

-Make delicious green smoothies for yourself (don't wait for Justin to come back to make them for you - you can do it!)

-Be healthy.

Yes, so many plans, but I think they are all totally reasonable. After all, that's what this summer is all about - giving myself the time to focus on all the things I have been wanting to do again for years, but haven't allowed myself the time for. 

This photo, shot by Theresa (simplemoth) is a huge inspiration for my summer photo project. I believe she shot it with her digital camera. I love the light and dreamy feel. It is absolutely beautiful. Actually, all of her photographs are beautiful.

Today Justin and I are going out to visit his parents with Matt and Carrie, and I think visit his grandparents too, who I have not met yet. I will be taking my digital camera (per Justin's request) and my Holga. Let's see if anything can happen with this super old film.

It's pretty grey and overcast here today, but I think we'll still be able to have a nice little cookout. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Hey there blue eyes!

These little ones will be in my Esty Shop today at 2pm EST, along with the two pictured below. I love them and will have a hard time sending them away. Maybe one will come to live with you?

Shop Post Tomorrow!

Good Afternoon!

I have been diligently working for the past couple of weeks checking things off of my long list of things to do by the end of the month. Listed items include: 

*CLEAN & ORGANIZE (this is a huge job, and has not been checked off yet, but I have made some good progress!)

*BEGIN PACKING (items I need to keep, but won't need access to for a few weeks, ie: books, magazines, etc.)

*MAKE A YARD SALE PILE AND DON'T THINK TWICE! (I have way too much stuff, and need to make this big pile with out pulling anything out before the yard sale - I'd like to move as little as possible)

*DESIGN AND ORDER NEW POSTCARDS FOR RENEGADE (I have already gotten a new stack of postcards, but I would like one of two more before the craft fair... we'll see...)

*ORDER MORE BUSINESS CARDS (this is a must)

*SEW AND STOCK UP A GOOD VARIATION OF ANIMALS FOR RENEGADE

*MAKE NEW ANIMALS FOR MY ETSY SHOP

*BEGIN MAKING A FEW ANIMALS FOR THE ETSY SHOP LIVE EVENT (stay tuned for more info about this in the coming weeks!)

*BEGIN SOME BEAST PEOPLE (and get on Justin to start making the faces!)

Well, okay, NONE of these things have been checked off yet. But I did finally go through three boxes that I hadn't yet unpacked from moving here (ha!!) and sorted through the things inside - most of which obviously went into the yard sale pile, because, really, if I hadn't gone looking for it at this point (eight or nine months later) I probably don't need to hang on to it! 

There's still SO MUCH left to do! But I am feeling okay about it (right now at least!). But all of that being said, I will finally have an official shop update tomorrow! Yay! I used to always schedule my posts so interested people could try to be there for the newest little ones, but for some reason I haven't really had the time since last November to make a significant amount of animals to post at once, causing me to just post as I made them instead. 

Well, tomorrow I will have about four or five (I haven't decided yet!) new animals, each made from a bright and springy fabric, in my Etsy Shop at 2pm EST. The two pictured above will be there along with a couple other new favorites - did you notice the cute little bumble bees on that pink hooded animal?! Yes, polka dots + daisies + bumble bees = too much! I think I will also be listing a new Big Fern Animal, made from a great floral green fabric! 

Okay, back to sewing and sorting and cleaning... all at once! See you tomorrow!

Saturday morning:

Have you seen this? It has to be one of my most favorite things. I saw the circus quite a few years ago on display at the Whitney, but I never saw any of this footage of Calder performing. He is amazing. 

 

Here's another incredible performance, for when you have a few more minutes to sit and watch (it's 19 minutes long):

 

Watch them both. I'm sure you will love it!

Summer-do

I cut my bangs today! I really love cutting my hair, and have been so good for the past few months at not allowing myself to cut it all off. Once it gets hotter outside, I may regret cutting my bangs, when they get sweaty and curly and stick to my forehead, but I left them a little long so I can still pin them up. This is my favorite summer hair-do, which I wore most every day last summer, until I gave in and cut it above my shoulders at the end of August. I make two braids, tie them together, and pin them in place. This will hold even better once my hair gets a bit longer. The nice thing about having longer hair in the summer is that you can put it up. I was talking to Lillie last night about how every summer you suddenly get this idea that it would cool you off to cut your hair short, but then there's nothing you can do to get it up and out of your face! 

Adam fixed up my bike last night (thank you!!) so I'm heading out now to ride the bike path for the first time and meet up with Justin and Jeff at Wholefoods when they get off work, and then ride back. Justin said it's about a thirty minute ride, so I better get going. Hope you're having a great day!