Already JULY?!?!

So how has your summer been going? I can't believe that my slow, relaxing summer has taken on this hectic pace! I expected lots of days just spending quality time with the girls... only to find us scrambling to catch up with time...

I finally buckled down to work this and last week. After spending some time on the farm, selling eggs at the farmer's market, taking the girls down to the lake, having a few small hiccups... i realized that August 1 is FAST approaching!

I will be at the MUSE in downtown Frederick on August 1 for my very first MUSE Trunk Show! From 4:30-9pm, Whitney is gracious enough to have me in her store sharing the "paper" i love! I will have some handmade journals (including hand sewn pages and pieced fabric hardcovers), cards (of course) and some calendars.

These are just views of pages I am working on now. each page is sewn, painted and then decorated. I am excited this year because while painting these pages I could start to envision what I want each color to represent and what difference images would work! These calendars are very time and labor intensive. each one can take up to 15 hours of work. But I love how they turn out and the project allows me to incorporate so many different textures and artforms I love... that I normally do not include with my greeting cards.

Also, on a different note, I really wanted to share this ATC i received in the mail from Diane. I mentioned a few times before, she and I have been trading cards in the mail, 1-for-1, for a while now. She sent me this beautiful card, complete with mini easel and friendly note, and I just had to share. Diane's atcs are so complex. She pays attention to every layer of her card... and there are MANY. I really appreciate her perfection when she creates her cards for me. I can really sense her "heart" on each one she sends.
Thank you very much Diane. My next card will be arriving to you soon!

Well I hope you have a great day. see you again soon!
-Allison