holiday surprises!

while I was blissfully away on my honeymoon in st. john little did i know 2 sneaky ladies, suzannah & jessica were busy, as suzannah would say, "staging a coup!" now suzannah & jessica both, are the absolute hands down best gift givers in the world, and apparently they had been scheming about how to sneak into my house and decorate for christmas & hanukkah! one of the most fun things about being married to my wonderful husband, moriah is that i get to celebrate jewish traditions which i am so enamored with. hanukkah is all about light and renewal. let's just say we have a lot to celebrate: hanukkah, christmas, winter solstice, and to boot moriah's birthday happens to be on christmas day!

so suzannah & jessica got in touch with my neighbor jayme to get a key and moriah and i came home to the sweetest surprise! a roost wooden fir tree decorated with garland made from buttons and spools, woodland creature ornaments, silver bells, a silver polli ornament, a soft fuzzy owl, a snow globe personalized with my name on it (moriah, i am sure was a little tricky to find), & and to top it off a seahorse, wearing a pink scarf, hand felted by suzannah herself! there was also a menorah that jessica searched high and low for. it suits our taste perfectly, modern and sleek! she also had some pretty personalized letterpress stationary made for us with our names! so with our stockings that i made and stitched our names on we are ready to celebrate!!!! check out these pictures, i am so tickled by it all!

our christmas tree, isn't it lovely?

my mom brought us the potted tree and jessica made those felt trees a couple of xmas ago

the warmest seahorse

our menorah, happy hanukkah!

i heart letterpress, especially all white

hope santa fills them up!

oh mo!

amongst my squeals of delight i felt so supported in the start of my married life with moriah. it feels so poignant to start our own traditions, blending what we each know to create our own celebration! everyday I am so grateful to have suzannah & jessica in my life. it is so wonderful to get to work with these two wholesome, nurturing, witty, wise, & super generous ladies! thank you.

we are each others witness...

love you to pieces...aaron

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." ~ Isak Dinesen

The Great Charley Harper

In 2007 the world lost an amazing artist in Charley Harper, but that doesn't mean that his work and life aren't still being enjoyed and appreciated. This being said, we are proud to have Todd Oldham's book Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life on our shelves. This book is an epic volume featuring over 400 pages of artwork by C. Harper throughout his 60+ year career and the price is right at $49.95, as compared to it's still in print and most lovely predecessor at $200! this book is hands down gorgeous and if you are a lover of art and or of creatures, great and small, this book will make you happy, or better yet make a loved one happy!!

ch memory game, stunning!

amazing ch flashcards

childrens abc book. wait until you see the inside cover!

charley harper coloring book,
most adults that see it, want to color it themselves, it is that cool!

cardinal salt and pepper shakers, great hostess gift!

december love it...nikki mcclure!

the day has come....nikki mcclure is our "love it" featured artist for december!!!!! how happy does this make me? let's just say there is a silly jig happening somewhere north of charlottesville.

quick recount, it went down like this: speaking to jessica, i said: "you know, the best christmas present i could wish for is for nikki to be our december feature" (insert sigh here)..... a few days later, literally, jessica writes me an email, and i quote: "are you still at home? if so, can you check the blog, started a post, see if you think it's good." so....i checked it asap and lo and behold, there it was, this interview and these pics!!!!!!! she was being very sneaky as we often are this time of year. i will not go on and on, suffice to say nikki's amazing inspirations and creations hang in almost every room in my home. not to mention that we also carry every possible nikki-related product that we can in o'suz . come see it all in person -- the calendar, journals, posters, and books make great gifts!!! and thank you, nikki, for taking the time to answer our questions!

the 2010 revive calendar!

a new collection of 15 different postcards.

our most favorite baby book ever -- the perfect gift for new parents.

for journaling notes about future projects.

what was your first job and how did you end up creating paper cuts?

My first job was at Taco Mamas in Kirkland. I was filling in for my older sister while she was in Germany. I was only 14. I learned how to cut tomatoes and make tortilla chips. It was so satisfying slicing a stack of round tortillas into sixths. Cleaning the grill was my least favorite part.

It's interesting to note that cutting was my favorite part. At first, I thought that this question should have been two as they seemed so unrelated.

Next came college. Library. Recycling center. Bird field work. Wetland education. Environmental education. Drawing cattails and ducks. Full-time art. Papercuts came from wanting black and white images that were easy to reproduce (pre-scanning days). I had been making linocuts and scratchboard illustrations but wasn't satisfied with either. "Try cutting it out of paper," my friend Tae Won Yu suggested. I did. And it was great!

what is your favorite piece/group/series in your work?

The last one that I made. The next one too, hopefully. I have many others. Pieces of some. The solutions to problems that are noticed only by me.

who or what inspires you?

My family and the work they do. Moss and micro ecosystems that go unobserved. Cooking. Gardening and making an edible yard. Farmers. Teachers. Parents. Persimmons. Crows' disregard for relentless rain. Nut trees. Seasons. Slippers and tea. Sharing. Mushrooms.

what three websites do you visit daily?

I sometimes read the New York Times and visit Olyblog, my local news ranting site. I am startled by the amount of time that I do spend at this machine.

making grape juice!

describe your ideal sunday.

Yesterday was Sunday. We slept in a bit, playing foxes with Finn in bed. Jay T. made blueberry pancakes (as he does every morning) and they were especially good. He made a fire. The house got cozy. I read some of Arthur Ransome's "Pigeon Post" to Finn and then we started cleaning up, taking care of messes made. It wasn't until 1 that we finally got out of pajamas and out into the world. We went to the Market and sat cuddled up eating tamales. It was windy and cold and sometimes rainy. We got a box of apples, chantrelles, salmon and traded for some greens. Back home we built a little fort in the back corner of our yard, combing the alley for wind blown fir branches to weave thru the fence and make a wind break. I spent an hour kneeling on the wet earth weaving branches, in and out, in and out. Finn found long boards and made a roof. Jay T. chopped wood and pruned fruit trees. I made some hot cocoa. A warm tummy really does the trick. We did more weaving and some baseball playing. "We want a catcher, not Margaret Thatcher!" is our favorite chant. Back inside. Dry pants put on and then off to friend's for dinner. I made brussel sprouts and kale salad. Everyone ate up the b. sprouts and were surprised that they could be so good. Then home. No bath for Finn as he chopped his finger Friday with his hatchet and he is still ignoring the gruesome wound. More "Pigeon Post" instead. Then finally a long, very hot bath reading "Crow Planet" and then sleep and strange delightful dreams.

what do you see outside your studio windows?

Two birch trees that I planted 10 years ago. Chickadees and juncos and finches and an occasional nuthatch and siskin feed from the birdfeeders that hang from the birch branches. My garden that grows kale and mint is full of maple leaves 2 feet thick. The kale stands tall above (lacinato). My studio shadows the garden so I really only can grow kale and mint. Sometimes peas and stray sunflowers. I see Finn's dirt pile and garden and toppled over Tonka trucks. I can look thru my house and see someone at my front door, but there is no one there right now, so I can't really see that.

friday

.....we will be opening at 9 am for you early birds!

we may even stay open til 7, dunno, we are wild and crazy like that.

gratitude

Gratitude

What did you notice?

The dew snail;
the low-flying sparrow;
the bat, on the wind, in the dark;
big-chested geese, in the V of sleekest performance;
the soft toad, patient in the hot sand;
the sweet-hungry ants;
the uproar of mice in the empty house;
the tin music of the cricket’s body;
the blouse of the goldenrod.

What did you hear?

The thrush greeting the morning;
the little bluebirds in their hot box;
the salty talk of the wren,
then the deep cup of the hour of silence.

What did you admire?

The oaks, letting down their dark and hairy fruit;
the carrot, rising in its elongated waist;
the onion, sheet after sheet, curved inward to the
pale green wand;
at the end of summer the brassy dust, the almost liquid
beauty of the flowers;
then the ferns, scrawned black by the frost.

What astonished you?

The swallows making their dip and turn over the water.

What would you like to see again?

My dog: her energy and exuberance, her willingness,
her language beyond all nimbleness of tongue, her
recklessness, her loyalty, her sweetness, her
sturdy legs, her curled black lip, her snap.

What was most tender?

Queen Anne’s lace, with its parsnip root;
the everlasting in its bonnets of wool;
the kinks and turns of the tupelo’s body;
the tall, blank banks of sand;
the clam, clamped down.

What was most wonderful?

The sea, and its wide shoulders;
the sea and its triangles;
the sea lying back on its long athlete’s spine.

What did you think was happening?

The green breast of the hummingbird;
the eye of the pond;
the wet face of the lily;
the bright, puckered knee of the broken oak;
the red tulip of the fox’s mouth;
the up-swing, the down-pour, the frayed sleeve
of the first snow—

so the gods shake us from our sleep.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(What Do We Know)

happy thanksgiving to all...

scout loves o'suz

so there's a gal in town, susie matheson, who of late has made hunting and pecking for gems in charlottesvile her pride and passion. be they restaurants, shops, realtors, artists,winemakers and the like, susie "scouts" out the reasons we love charlottesville and have chosen to make it our home. you can subscribe to and read her blog scoutcharlottesville , as it posts almost daily about something she loves in this wonderful place. today she posted about us, thanks susie!!

SCOUT PROMISE
On my honor, I will try:
To serve locals and local businesses,
To help people at all times, And to live by the Scout Law.

I will do my best to be:
honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Scout.

Harvest Time Cookbooks

this time of year, one of our favorite things to do is to share a warm feast of comfort food while the cold is brewing outside. whether you are preparing for a thanksgiving meal, or just a casual meal at home with friends, our collection of cookbooks can provide you with an endless number of downright delicious dishes to keep you full and cozy all season long. my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

come find inspiration for your future feasts!!

2009 hostess gift guide

#1 beehive heart measuring spoons cast in lead free pewter, $40 for the set

#2 sachets from charlottesville's own lotta helleberg of inleaf, $20

#3 hand soaps from la compagnie de provence, 25 g for $2 and 100g for $6

#4 tag squirrel salt and pepper shakers, $12

#5 roost wood slice cutting board, $44

#6 modern twist coasters in a variety of designs $26

#7 jonathan adler vases, $30

#8 caskata note card box sets for the correspondence loving hostess, $18

#9 kikkerland champagne stopper, $8

#10 charley harper serving bowl from tag, 4.5" high, 10.5" diameter, $46