Ashley Anna Brown / Fern Animals

Horribly Unproductive Day!

I woke up late, and just puttered around unsure of what project to work on first. The day progressed into starting to work on something and giving up part way through to move onto something else, only to give up on that too. Over and over and over again. I hate days like this. I should have just officially given myself the day off (after all, it is Saturday), but I have so many things I want to do! Ack! And never enough time or patience or motivation to do it all. Oh well... 

I did go for a walk this evening in the pouring rain with Justin, and we bought a couple $1 movies (Milk Money, Dead Poets Society, and... wait for it... Save the Last Dance) This all made the night feel better! We also rented the first couple episodes of True Blood. It's pretty cheesy, but we're both already hooked! (Oh, what has the Twilight Saga done to me?! Honestly, it was all Justin's idea.)

Well, for some reason I felt compelled to tell you all how icky I was feeling today. Icky and frustrated about my work. Just one of those days I suppose. In some good news, I should have a couple new Fern Animals completed tomorrow sometime - finally! Can you believe I only made ONE new Fern Animal this month?! I mean, I made a bunch of other animals, and spent lots of time with family... but I feel bad I've put those little Fern Animals on the back burner! Sorry little ones! 

Providing the weather is the exact opposite tomorrow as it was today (oh I hope so!) I'll be meeting my sister half way between our houses tomorrow (very near Vermont) to take her kiddies apple picking. Apparently Amelia has been telling everyone about it for days! I'm so glad I get to see her again tomorrow! Have I told you all how well and healthy she's been? It is such a relief. 

Well, good night! I hope you all have a nice day of autumn sunshine tomorrow!

Oh, what a week...

This past week seemed to have slipped by in a blur. I am quite embarrassed to say that the most prominent reason for that is that I started reading the Twilight series, and it completely consumed me. Yes, it's true, I got totally and completely sucked in and spent waaayyy too much time reading! I just couldn't stop! I would lay in bed reading until 3:30 in the morning, wake up groggy at 10, roll over and start reading again. It's really kind of insane. I guess I have gotten this caught up in books before (a couple of my favorites that come to mind are Beyond the Pale, The Time Travelers Wife, The Kite Flyer), but I think since I spend most of my days alone, and had no one forcing me to put the book down and have a conversation or make me get any work done, I felt so much more guilty about this. Probably also because when I went to find the third book in the series, it was in the teen section. Ha! 

Well, now I am waiting to get my hands on the fourth and final book, and it's kind of nice to not have it quite yet so I can take a bit of a breather and catch up on some work! The frustrating thing is I spent the whole day on Saturday (yes, literally the WHOLE day) reading all of book three, running around in the early evening, packing a couple orders, and getting my things together to go away for a couple days. I was going to visit Justin, and then Alice and Francesca - a much much needed get away, some much needed friend time - I knew I needed to finish the book to get it out of my head. 

Flying down the Mass Pike, I was still thinking about Twilight Land, but it felt good to have my window down, listening to music. Then, all-of-a-sudden, the car just shut down. I pulled over - to not the safest area, but I thought maybe I was imagining the feeling of the car, that I would be able to move it again, get it back on the highway once I checked everything out. But it wouldn't start back up. It wouldn't even turn over. I was stuck on the side of the Mass Pike, just as the sun was setting, all by myself, and with no AAA. 

I won't go into the absolutely miserable experience I had with the tow company, because really they were such insensitive jerks, they don't even deserve my thoughts at this point. But today, I have to go back down to Springfield, where my car was towed to, gather up my things, and say goodbye. Really, it's a piece of junk car anyway, and I knew this day would come - I'd already been thinking about the idea of maybe getting a new one, but I have had that car for over five years.... is it weird to feel a little attached to a big metal thing? I have been thinking about how it will actually be really nice to not have a car for a while, walk and ride my bike more. But I will miss driving around with the windows down, alone in this little metal bubble, with the music turned up, singing as loud as I can to Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey - because obviously I cannot do this in my house, or even with someone else in the car! I'll also miss driving standard.

Oh well, time to move on... At least this will push me and Justin to actually try to save up for a newer car. We've been wanting to anyway, but couldn't justify getting a new car when mine still worked perfectly fine. It felt too frivolous. 

Well, that's that. Twilight sucked me up, and my car died. What a week... Now, it's back to business! I'm going to try to focus again, and post regularly. I am so embarrassed at how distracted I allowed myself to be all because of a silly book about vampires and werewolves! HA! 

Seriously, though, the books are soo good! If you have a week or two to devote to doing nothing but reading, you should try it out. They are definitely not the best written books ever, and there are some really annoying things about it, but the romance and lust just grabs a hold of you, and keeps you wanting more. Do it and let me know if it derails your life too! Okay, off to say good bye to my sad little car...

An unofficial unannounced "vacation"

This is why I haven't been blogging for the past week:

Jessica made this super cute shirt for me to give to Amelia for her second birthday. I think she loves it! We got to spend the whole weekend together last week - it was great!

This was one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to - - it's in Gloucester, MA. I went to spend some time with Jessica while she hung out with her son Lincoln and his friend Velia. 

I drove under this rainbow on my way to pick my Mom up from Logan Airport so we could go meet my new tiny nephew Elijah! 

His body is tiny, but his hands and feet are huge!!

Tomorrow I'm off to visit Justin's parents for a couple days. So much family in the final weeks of summer! It's been great, but I have to admit, I am going a little crazy because I haven't been sewing! (I am looking forward to getting back in the studio on Monday) I'll enjoy a nice little family weekend first though! Hope you do too!

The most beautiful weekend

Justin came out to visit this weekend, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. He brought birthday presents and cooked me a delicious curry stir-fry dinner. We sat down to eat just at magic hour and it felt like we were away on vacation somewhere, a cabin hidden in the woods. There were fresh flowers on the table, Billy Holiday in the air, and the most romantic golden light shining through the open door. It was perfect, and just exactly what I have been needing after all those lonely stormy days and nights. 

On top of getting to spend a lovely weekend with Justin, Bill and Jessica and Lincoln were in town again for a couple days. On Saturday afternoon we all went strawberry picking. It is pretty silly how much I am completely in love with this area. I can just go on and on about how beautiful it is, and every time we go to do something out of doors, I manage to find a new spot to fall in love with. 

On Sunday Peter and Rhea and little Edie came to visit for the day and the sun stayed out so we were able to have a picnic on the green grass of the Smith Campus. In the afternoon we all went for a walk, and Carrie took us to a beautiful trail that happens to be right behind our house. You have to walk on this little path, and under a cavern of trees, and suddenly it pops you out on a raised path way overlooking fields, with the big green mountains in the not so distant distance (does that make sense?).

These photos really do not do the scene justice. You'll have to come visit and see for yourself!

Surprise Visitors!

This little family came to visit me this weekend, and it made my whole month! And the weather was absolutely beautiful yesterday! In the afternoon we went to the top of Mt. Skinner with Matt and Carrie to see this:

And then we ventured into the woods in Amherst and put our feet in Amethyst Brook. It was just exactly what I had been needing. 

Thanks for coming Bill and Jessica and Lincoln! I love you! Don't forget to bring Justin with you next weekend!

Finally moved in!!

Moving always take far far longer than you think it's going to. At least it does with me and Justin. We rented a U-Haul that we were able to pick up on Sunday, specifically so we could load everything into it that night, clean the old apartment, and then sleep and rest, and move everything into the new place Monday morning. Time just kept slipping away though, and before we knew it, it was dark outside, and we used that as an excuse to stop for the night before getting everything out. Yesterday was probably the longest, most exhausting day I have experienced in quite some time. We took the last load of random stuff in my car and climbed into bed at about midnight I think. Amongst boxes. 

This morning I got up and began to try to make sense of everything, focusing first on getting my studio/work area situated. They are still a million boxes and over flowing whole foods bags every where, but I did get most of the dishes put away and my desk and sewing station are both set up and ready to go. 

We won't have the internet until Friday (hopefully early in the day since I'll be driving to New York that afternoon!), so today I am sitting at Haymarket, trying to focus my thoughts and keep my eyes open. Justin is sitting across from me making a list of things to do. We both have a lot of craft fair prep to get done tonight, and some how it's already 3:30! Where has the time gone?? 

Justin and I are going to walk back up to our old apartment now to get my bike. He wants to make a new drawing tonight of one of his characters riding a bicycle to sell at Renegade. I think this will be great! 

Well, we better get going now - SO MUCH TO DO! I'll try to come back to keep you all posted on my move-in/Renegade progress (with pictures too!) soon. It's so much harder than I'd like to admit to not have internet access at home! What did I do before having a computer and going online? I probably read more. No, I'm sure I did. Bye for now!

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!

We're moving again!

Yes, Justin and I have already moved five times in the past three years (!), so, why not one more move? This decision was actually just an idea, until everything very quickly fell into place, pointing us towards moving on June 1st. Justin was offered his job back at a small vitamin and natural foods store that he worked at before we moved to western mass because the owner is losing his only employee this month and needs knee surgery. This happens to be the very best excuse for Justin to finally quit his job at Whole Foods (which he has wanted to do probably since his first couple weeks there - two years ago). He'll get the chance to work for someone who actually shows him respect again, while also managing and running the whole store alone, with out the corporate eye breathing down his neck. 

So Justin will be living with some friends for the summer, and we found a great little one bedroom apartment for me to hunker down in while he's gone. Though we'll miss each other terribly, we're also both really looking forward to having these months to be, well, a little bit selfish. We both want to be allowed the time to focus on our art with out getting in each other's way. And the apartment we found is perfect. It's in the back of a three family house, with a small kitchen on the first floor, and the bedroom, living room, and bathroom on the second. It's right downtown, yet some how super quiet and surrounded in the back by trees. It had a slight cabin in the woods feel, and I like that. Even before Justin was offered his old job back we were looking into downsizing, and this place will be great when he comes back. I will very much miss this beautiful studio, and the view and sunlight all day long, but I think we will be much better off saving those extra few hundred dollars every month. Maybe then we can actually save up for a wedding bash, and stop postponing it already! 

Now it's time to start packing again. And we still have boxes we haven't emptied from moving in here in September! But that just tells me that we have too much stuff that we don't really need. With this move, since we're going from a five room apartment to a three room - and since Justin will be living in just a bedroom in Beverly, we will be doing some serious sorting and will hopefully have either one huge yard sale, or a couple smaller ones before June. I want to be really strict with myself and move as little as possible. When did I collect all this stuff?? Having this big apartment probably hasn't helped -separate studios and with a closet in every room, allowing us to stuff things in, not to be looked at for weeks (or in some cases months!). I am being hopeful that having a tiny apartment will force us to be more organized with our space and think carefully about what we buy to bring into it. I'll keep you posted on how that goes! 

So, besides doing some major spring cleaning, packing, holding yard sales, and moving this month... we will also be preparing for Renegade, that conveniently falls on the first weekend in June! Yay! (That's a bit sarcastic, if you couldn't get that.) Well, there's a chance now that Justin won't be able to go because he may be working for a boss who's leg is out of commission, which means he'd be working crazy hours in Beverly, and I would go to Brooklyn alone to sell my goods and his. I am so glad we're sharing a booth with Alice so I wouldn't end up sitting there alone altogether (and I am really hoping that the Renegade crew honors my request to be near my friends ArgyleWhale and Be Planted. That would be really great!). Needless to say, these next few weeks are going to be a little crazy, but fun and exciting too! (Well, packing and moving is never really that fun - it's the unpacking and settling in part that's fun!) I do really kind of enjoy the stress of preparing for a fair though - with that kind of deadline I get so many animals cranked out it feels so good! High speed production while also sorting and packing starts tomorrow! 

Oh, did you see this new little fawn I added to the shop? I completed her last week, and I really love her little flowers and pretty girlie eyes! I'm sure I'll be back in the next day or two with some new little ones for the shop. I think I am over due for a decent update. Good night! 

Slight change of plans today...

Good afternoon! I left to head up to New Hampshire this morning, but made myself stop first to get a very over-due oil change (I find so many reasons to put this kind of thing off all the time!). So I dropped off my car and walked up to the post office to ship out some orders. As soon as I got in line, the garage called to tell me that I needed four new tires! The mechanic said that I absolutely could not drive two and half hours to NH without getting new tires put on because at least one of them (if not two or three, or all four) would blow out because they were so worn down. Of course. A $20 oil change quickly turned into $300 ordeal.

Well, although it cost me a few hundred dollars more than I wanted to spend this morning, and caused me to loose nearly a full day of work, I am glad they checked for me. I don't even feel that upset or frustrated at this point about the money because really, it's just funny the way things always seem to work out like this. First I have to pay hundreds of dollars to the government in taxes, and then I can't drive my car to work (to try to make back some of that money!) without spending another few hundred dollars. What can you do, right? Instead I am just thinking about the fact that, since I had to wait a few hours for my tires to be replaced, I got to enjoy this absolutely beautiful day and walk around downtown. I'm pretty sure I even walked past Dianne Weist today on Main Street. She was alone, and smiling contently to herself, and I am almost positive it was her. 

I was thinking today as I was walking around that I am ready to take some custom orders again. And, no, I am ready not just because I need to make back some of that money I had to give away this week, but because I am finally completely caught up on my past orders, now that I finished the wedding cake toppers. So I will be accepting custom orders for two weeks only, starting today. If you have been dreaming about a special Fern Animal or waiting for me to make and list a specific kind and I just haven't, be sure to email me (ashleyannabrown@gmail.com) by May 1st, and we'll see what I can do! 

If you want, take some time to look through my archives, and pick out your favorites. Email me with the title of the animals you like (the title is almost always a month and number - be sure to let me know which year it was from) and if you'd like a near-exact replica, or a similar style but in a different fabric. I'm excited to hear what people have in mind! Taking custom orders always brings up new interesting color/material/animal shape/style combinations. The original patchwork fawn, for example, was a custom order - dreamed up not by me, but by one of my customers - thank you so much for that wonderful idea Steph! What have you been dreaming of? A bird with antlers? A fully embroidered furry fawn? 

Alright, I officially need to head up to New Hampshire now, and get to work! I'm glad it's a beautiful day for a drive! Have a great weekend!

Catching mice

For the past few nights Justin and I have been woken up by Kitchen running around, apparently chasing something. We'd jump out of bed and find her holding onto a tiny little mouse. She caught one two nights ago, and then caught two last night! Justin and I are total softies for tiny cute animals, so after getting the mouse away from the cat, and locking Kitchen in a different room, Justin would scoop the mouse into a jar and set him free outside. I can't imagine it's the same mouse coming into our house every time because, well, why would you be so silly when you know there is a cat there, just waiting for you? Plus, Kitchen caught her second mouse last night only about twenty minutes after the first, (just as we were falling back asleep!) and we live on the top floor of our house. Can a tiny mouse climb up that fast? We tried to block up the hole we thought they were coming from, but apparently we need to call our landlords and have them patch all of the little holes in the house (encouraging them to stop at that, and not use mouse traps or poison). 

This morning I decided to make a tiny fabric mouse after watching those two we caught in a jar last night. They were so cute! I wish I wasn't so sleepy and had thought of taking a picture. The second one had the tiniest little body and long hind legs. He was a super jumper! Good thing Justin used a tall glass vase to catch that one! He could have jumped right out! I just made up my first little grey mouse, complete with pretty yellow striped ears and a tail. I love him! His body is actually a slightly longer variation of my strawberries, so it didn't take me too long to get the shape just right. I'm looking forward to making a little batch of these guys to hang out together. Maybe Kitchen would like to play with one of these and leave the real mice alone?