hippity hop! easter hours

we will be open regular hours on easter sunday, so come see us between 12 and 5! 

yard sale at suz's house!!!!

ok, so i am gearing up for a big yard sale at our home in ruckersville. i decided to separate the concepts of "swap" and "sell". there will be some freebies but this first date will be about selling lots of stuff, from both the shop, and my house. anyone who wants to throw in can but i am keeping this one simple. i have lamps, rugs, props from the shop, jewelry, cds, clothes and shoes, (some free but a few things priced), baby stuff, pillows etc..i may add some pics closer to see if anyone wants something but can't come.
i plan to do it sunday april 19th from 10-4. hopefully the weather will cooperate. we might know closer if rain is a definite and then i will have to reschedule but i'm crossing my fingers. we want to list our home soon and this lady needs to purge! the shop will have details as we get closer as well but check here for directions and follow up. melissa, kate, nicole, cindy, patty, aaron, helen, jen, margot, mom hope ya'll will come. i am sending out some emails too so if this overlaps a bit hopefully it will make it on your calendar. i will have coffee early and iced tea in the afternoon but no real food this time. i just want to keep this easy. i plan to do a swap as well but maybe in the summer sometime. let me know if u plan on coming and bring as many friends as will fit in your cars!!!!
excited,
suz

april"love it" boy girl party, starring susie ghahremani!

if you don't already know who susie ghahremani is, this is your lucky day. if you do know susie, and or her amazing website: boygirlparty.com, maybe you will learn a tidbit you did not know because...drumroll.... she accepted our invite to be our "love it" artist for april!!!!! interview to follow, but not before we shower her with some april showers of adoration (and well wishes, she broke her shoulder last week!) no shortage of props here. she is a superstar in our eyes, plain and simple. before we were selling her goods, we were buying them on her retail site. we still do actually, when we can't get our piggy little hands on them at o'suz. her prints are my weakness lately as i am obsessed with collecting art. i have 2 prints in red's bathroom

and 2 in his room.

let me tell you, i am not alone in my love of susie's talent. jessica, who works at o'suz and does at least half the blog tending, may need an intervention, ha. i'll let her tell you in her own words.

jessica here to share my boygirlparty obsession. as suzannah suggested, an intervention might be appropriate right about now. as i was collecting all of my boygirlparty goods to photograph, i realized that i have something in every single room of my house, from an owlie necklace to magnets to notepads to stationery to prints. it's just that it's all so painfully adorable, and i mean that in the best possible way. i love susie's subject matter, which is predominantly various kinds of animals, including my two favorite animals: hedgehogs and dogs. i love her style as well, that her little creatures are often depicted in various forms of human activity, like cooking, getting down with some tunes, or talking on the telephone. i hope one day i will be able to own one of her original paintings, or at least get to see one of her shows, which always seem to be amazingly installed. here are two of my favorite boygirlparty possessions:


that's right, it's boston terrier time. on the left is a print of one of susie's paintings, and on the right is my beloved one of a kind pouch. the pouch has its own little story. a few years ago i came across a boston terrier boygirlparty pouch on flickr and, um, kind of flipped out, because i couldn't imagine a more perfect combination of two great loves: boston terriers AND boygirlparty. i immediately emailed susie to see if there was any way i could get one because i knew i NEEDED this little delight, and she told me that she didn't have any at the time but she might make more in the future, which led to my stalking of her shop. then, in december 2007, one went up for sale, and i missed it. it was devastation station. i emailed her again, and told everyone at o'suz how sad i was to have missed out again. unbeknownst to me, suzannah had already commissioned a boston pouch from susie for christmas, and everyone but me was in on the scheming. i almost died of excitement when i opened it at our party -- it was all too perfect! so now i have my pouch, and i love it so much because it reminds me of this dude, mick aka mister puppy (1994-2008), whose lovely countenance you see here being held up on my fridge with boygirlparty ipop magnets that we sell in the shop:


we have tons of magnets in the shop, including a new series of cats, dogs, forest animals, and hedgies. i am trying to resist, really. but these few things really only scratch the surface of my boygirlparty collection. here is my assortment of notepads and recipe cards from susie (and yes, i do use them):


yes, that's a squirrel playing the guitar. these come straight from susie herself, and they always go quickly whenever we get them. in the past couple of years, susie has been partnering with companies like chronicle books and madison park greetings, which brings her work to an even larger audience. here are a few of the goodies we have in the shop, some of which are brand new:


the owl journal is so snazzy, it's also illustrated on the inside! aaron and i love love love the mini notes, because, yes, that is a kitty napping while all wound up in the telephone cord on a card that says "call me!" a lot of susie's work features not only her imagery but her handwriting as well, which is just amazing, simple and sweet. we also just got a whole new series of cards like the ones on the right, for various occasions from birthdays to anniversaries to new babies.


susie also does a lot of book illustration, and one of our favorites is this baby book for adoptive families for chronicle. isn't that the sweetest cover ever?

while we aren't able to carry the prints in the shop, that doesn't stop suzannah and me from being cuckoo about them. here are a few of mine:


hedgehog playing piano. nothing more need be said. now that we've gushed about our love for boygirlparty and susie herself, please keep reading to learn about how she ended up working as an artist and what inspires her to keep keeping on. thanks so much, susie, for taking the time to answer our questions!

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

My first longterm job was at a mom&pop art supply and framing shop outside Chicago, IL. I took the job for the employee discount, of course! The second question is a little harder for me to answer, I've always painted - as far back as I can remember, and I also have some pretty early memories of making paper goods. "Susie Cards and Gifts" circa 1985 was alarmingly on par with what I do these days... I guess I took painting & paper professionally around graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2002 as a natural progression of what I had been working on the time, which was album artwork and t-shirt designs for my band, and making zines.


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

The musical animals series is my favorite to work on, but I'm most proud of my polka dot owls paintings that appeared on the covers of various Chronicle Books projects -- I just know I put every ounce of my energy into those. I was very proud of my installation and exhibition "The Wild Life" from the fall as well..



who or what inspires you?

I love to mix colors and often rely on memory and nostalgia for inspiration...I'll be mixing paint and unsure of what to make next and suddenly a certain blue will remind me of something I've known... a pair of socks or a plastic swing.. it could become the basis for new work.
Also, animals and nature consistently amaze me and influence my work. Any hike, climb, swim or David Attenborough series does the trick. And my pets, I love my cat and finches.

what three websites do you visit daily?

90% of the time I'm usually wikipedia'ing or googling something like Tiny Tim or the grammar rules for "addictive/addicting". I recently joined Twitter and like to check in on there, especially when I feel confined! (Working at home can make you pretty unsocialized.) I love Flickr, too.

describe your ideal sunday.

Sleeping in, tofu scramble for breakfast - my most coveted breakfast favorite, but sadly rarely available here in San Diego! Then, a bike ride with my fiance where no cars go (cars are scary to me when on bike) Possibly stumbling upon a garage sale with incredible mid century finds. a picnic in the shade with plenty of opportunities to birdwatch and/or see wildlife, a nap, a crossword puzzle, a funny movie. Simple, cozy. I'm lucky to say this accurately describes most of my Sundays!

what do you see outside your studio windows?

Bougainvillea, a bamboo fence, and a lemon tree that refuses to cooperate. A perfectly clear typically San Diego sunny day.

spring "swap and sell"

at peartree farm!!! for those of you who were not involved, last fall my freind maria and i put on a "swap and sell" in my yard. we had lots of free, swapish stuff and some stuff that was for sale, maybe a bit fancier than a yard sale on the one end but lots was free for the taking on the other. either way it was great fun and everyone scored some treasures and purged some goods. we had some food and bevs and blankets laid out everywhere. we used our airstream as a fitting room. the sun was shining and all hauled good loot away. i want to repeat the s & s soon. who might be interested? i thought i would open it up to more peeps this year which will make it more fun and even juicier. i am thinking of a saturday in april. we are going to list our home to sell soon hence the need to slim down yet again. it is a constant battle with me. i want my mantra to be "you can't take it with you" but it is so often overruled by "but it will help me get organized" or "but i purged such and such so i can justify it". the thing is, the thought of packing and moving again is daunting and yet so thrilling. i am a creature of change. i moved, i dunno, 8-10 times as a child and so a new room was always on the horizon for me. change can also be an addiction which is dangerous but i get most of of my kicks in this dept at the shop. there is not a day that goes by that things don't relocate. i have also been known to turn my home upside down regularly but not so much now that i have a babe. anyhoo, i am planning how and when it will all go down and wanting to spread the word prior to the date being set just to see if there is interest.
for those of u who came and scored last year, spread the word to like minds and we will
"get er' done".
xo
suz

even red and his oh so cute toosh got in the mix
lucia was such a good helper and red's granny was there watching over them both.

some of the younger ones sold crafts they made!!!

virginia festival of the book...

started march 18 and runs through the 22nd in our town of charlottesville. really cool events happening in the next few days, check out vabook.org for all the info. and whatever you do, READ BOOKS!

lucky 13!

cupcakes from cappellino's crazy cakes on 3rd street downtown

giveaways galore!!

well, the birthday celebration has come to a close.funny thing, i think it ended up being a party for and about my son redford. he was pretty sweet to watch with all the commotion. he was so overwhelmed, he only had the smallest bite of a cupcake and then lost interest????

anyhoo,
the winners are as follows:
$250 shopping spree-tara boyd (already cashed in!!!!)
$100 shopping spree-marie lynch
$25 shopping spree #1-ginny harr
$25 spree #2-kristen miles
$25 spree #3 marley peale
yes, red drew 2 extra names so we responded with 2 extra sprees!!! congrats to all the winners, can't wait to see what you snatch up.here are some photo highlights of the day,proof that the day really was all about red and cupcakes and red and cupcakes and red and....

the lovely ladies, kate and melissa

nicole and beau, are they not so cute together?

red's and his dear friend, jessica

aaron the airplane with the redman

helen the helicopter and red, together again.

red and big boo

red and his granny

peeps

more peeps

red drawing the winner after a few attempts

another winner drawn

ohh la la

finger lickin' good!


xo
suz

the big day!

today is the big day! cupcakes, gifties and the raffle drawing. are you coming?
hope so, but if not, we will post a play by play later on today with photos and news of winners so you can feel as if you were there celebrating right along with us.. red has been honing his grabbing skills though i fear he will have a hard time with the "one at a time" concept....anyhoo, come be a part of our birthday!
xo suz
ps don't forget the time change tomorrow night.

progress report on birthday plans

oooohhhh, the raffle jar is over half full.... i am so pleased at all the energy and excitement that's coming from this birthday/raffle. i think i even got carried away with my cupcake order for friday. not surprising seeing as there is no better party favor than a cupcake from cappellinos crazy cakes. i have also chosen lots of goodies to give away as door prizes, yeah! we are hoping all our favorite peeps will come by and wish us a happy birthday, eat a cupcake and perhaps watch redford pull your name from the candy jar. we plan to draw names between 1 and 2 and will post the winners online right away. remember the winner gets a one time $250 shopping spree and runners up get $100, and $25 respectively. red may also want to grab a few extra names so there could be additional winners. depends on his mood i guess. anywhichway, we are getting pumped for the big day. hope to see lots of friendly faces this friday, march 6th.
xo
suz

march love it...alena hennessy

here we are in march, and that makes me think of brisk, sunny days and freshening up for spring. alena hennessy has just the thing for the changing of the seasons, from new art for your walls, soft cotton scarves, and beautiful printed tshirts. best of all, we recently got a nice big box of new goodies from our favorite asheville peep!

about a year and a half ago i kept seeing alena's work on various websites, and i was completely smitten with her scarves and the imagery printed on them. eventually i ordered a couple with the intention of only keeping one (haha), and there was no turning back after that. then i was lucky enough to meet alena at the new york gift fair last february, and we placed our first order for the store. since then alena's work has been flying out the door!


alena creates beautiful paintings whose imagery centers around flora and fauna. she then transforms the paintings into prints, and we have this lovely owl in the shop right now. (you know how we love our owlies -- look at his little feet!)


alena also uses many motifs from her work on various textiles: scarves, tshirts, and bags. the scarf above is suzannah's new favorite, she snagged it right away. it has a little bit of a thicker rib than the others and is super soft and cozy. it's the perfect weight for spring and is also a great way to add a little flair to your daily ensemble. they're super long, so you can wrap away in all sorts of ways. also exciting is the fact that alena works really hard to make sure her production is eco-friendly. nearly all of her fabric goods are printed locally with earth friendly inks on organic materials - yay!


we also love alena's tshirts -- this is a new purple burnout tee that is beyond soft. the bright colors make me so excited for spring tshirt weather!


one last thing, and then i promise i'll let alena tell you the rest! at this past gift show alena introduced a new series of eco tote bags, and we got this sweet tree bag in the shop. great for everyday use or for shopping!

we're so excited to have more alena in the shop, and we're thrilled to have her here on the blog as well. still, the computer screen does not do justice to the yummy softness of her textiles or the vibrancy of her prints, so come visit her goodies soon! thanks, alena! xoxo, jessica

what was your first job and how did you end up painting? by extension, what attracted you to using textiles in your work?

my first job was working as an after school arts teacher in a small private school down the road from my house. as far as painting, that is something i have always done, since i was little. well i guess it was drawing at first, and then i got into painting once i was older. i love art and design that can also be functional, and i love the feeling of soft fabrics, and the idea of adding just a simple motif to that piece, so that is what initially inspired my attraction to textiles.


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

oh that's hard! it changes monthly probably. i usually am most attracted to what i am working on currently. right now i am working on a new series of paintings inspired by my trip to india (so think long tail feathers, bold colors, elephants, sleeping cows!) but i like my most recent organic scarves i came up with. i like the baby rib cotton that's so thick, along with the designs.

who or what inspires you?

nature and animals inspire me. simple lines and classic narratives, like zen mythologies, and color color color. my sweet little town of asheville and all the dear people that live here also inspire me very much. i love having four seasons.


what three websites do you visit daily?

my own to fill orders, facebook (its so addictive, i hate to admit it!), and well nothing else daily really because time is a limited resource these days it seems.

describe your ideal sunday.

sleeping in as much as i can stand it, going out to eat to sunny point cafe for some huevos rancheros, going to the park and spending some time with friends.


what do you see outside your studio windows?

trees and blue sky!

happy birthday to o'suz.

so today o'suz is officially 13. wow. thanks to everyone who made those years memorable.

special thanks to my currents gals: aaron, jen and jessica and our visiting gal, helen.

thanks also to my husband todd who supports me in so many ways. and my mom and jim who watch red twice a week so i can come to work and play.

i could go on, but suffice to say, it takes a village. 

p.s. so excited about the pending snow. it's about time, though my daffodils were emerging so i was excited for spring too. hope everyone gets to play in it or at least admire it's pretty whiteness. 

see you next week for the drawing. the jar is filling up so we may draw a few extra names!!!

also, look for our march "love it" soon.

xo

suz