Happy Mother's Day!

{My mom, me & Tiny circa 1962}

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there ~ unfortunately, I won't get to spend Mother's Day with my mom, but I will get to visit with her in a week or so. Since I happened to have an album handy, I thought I'd share a few photos from the good old days! 

 {Mom & me in 1964 ~ I was 2ish}

{Our family BC (Before Carole, my sis)}

Meet the original Draper family ~ that is, if Betty had black hair and Don was an engineer ~ so, just a tad not quite as stylish as an ad man. Luckily his pocket protector is hidden by my younger brother. I sure look fashionable in my hooded jacket circa 1964. Happy memories to all!

Postcards done!

{collections using collage and/or found objects}

{collections with a sophisticated and elegant style}

{Graphic and colorful collections}

{important information!}

As I mentioned earlier, I knew I would have difficulty finding time to post much these last few months ~ I can't remember the last time I went out antiquing, since I have been spending all my time preparing for the Surtex trade show, which is next weekend!  

Since I have no antiques to share, I thought I would share the postcards I designed to represent the three types of collections I have been designing work for.  In order to reuse & recycle I always put the show information on the back side so that I can use the excess cards.

You may or may not notice, but the top two postcards show work I develop using some of the antique pieces and parts I have been collecting over the years ~ this makes for a great excuse to keep going to flea markets and antique shows!  I used a variety of antique lace pieces and some book endpapers for the first postcard, while on the second I manipulated some spencerian penwork to develop the pattern. The third card utilizes only my skills on the computer, but allows me the opportunity to design work that is more contemporary!

If you happen to be at the Stationery Show, the International Furniture Fair or Surtex, please stop by and say hi ~ I am in booth 458!  While looking forward to the show, it will be nice to get back to a day out antiquing and back to some regular blogging ~ I feel like I have been deprived!

The Busiest Time of the Year! (for me)

 

{ad placed in Total Licensing}

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything on my blog ~ not that I don't have anything to post about, it is just that I have quite a bit on my plate right now and can't afford the time. So, please bear with me ~ I can't wait to be getting back to some more antique shows and less stressful days!

In the last few months I have been preparing for my second time exhibiting at Surtex ~ an art licensing trade show held every spring at the Javits Center in NYC at the same venue as the Stationery Show and the International Furniture Fair. 

I designed my website (please visit if you would like a sneak peek), am working on developing new art work, and am also preparing all of the show necessities like banners for the booth, postcards, ads, etc.  It is amazing how quickly the time passes ~ Surtex is just about one month away!

Check back when you can ~ I will do my best to post a few things here and there if time allows.  Otherwise, I will be back to a more regular posting schedule at the end of May. Enjoy the spring!  Sitting and staring at a computer screen all day isn't quite the same as getting out and smelling the spring flowers!

Happy & Safe St. Patrick's Day!

{image from here}

Wishing you all a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day!  It is dreary here in Kansas City, so a good day to stay inside and catch up on some work! I had my fun yesterday as I ventured out to an antique show ~ will share some photos from there in a later post.

 {Cute leprechaun vintage paper die cuts found here}

I know I have several different sets of these German St. Patrick's Day die cuts, but couldn't find them in time to post this year ~ next year for sure!

{image from here}

Despite a google translation search, I was not able to find out what 'Erin Go Bragh' actually means ~ so, I hope it means good luck or some other sort of nice wish.  Enjoy the day & celebrate safely!

Holy Smokes!

{listed on ebay, but no longer available}

After spotting the smoking children photos that I posted about a couple of days ago, I came upon this cute little cigar tin above ~ how dare someone use a cute little scottie to promote smoking cigars! After that, I just seemed to find smoking dogs everywhere I looked! Here are a few of my favorites ~ credited where possible.

{Teddy Roosevelt lookalike from here}

 {Statham Cook Collection found here}

Now, do these elegant chaps make you want to go out and buy a pack of smokes so you can emulate their style?

At least I doubt any of these guys are chain smokers ~ dogs are smarter than people when it comes to smoking ~ even if they do look debonair! Plus, I'm sure it is extremely difficult to light up your pipe, cigar or cigarette if you are a dog.

{those photos without credits are from my pinterest board on dogs}

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!  Thought I'd share some paper patterns I designed a few years ago for the Smitten line of scrapbook products for K&Company. I utilized old pieces and parts from antique books and lace from my personal collections to create these pieces ~ gives me the excuse to keep collecting!

{both images © K&Company}

Pre-Pubescent Puffers

Happened upon this article on the Huffington Post ~ it describes the current exhibit entitled "Smoking Kids" by Belgian photographer Frieke Janssens. These portraits are strangely beautiful despite their rather disturbing subject matter.

This series was inspired by the Indonesian smoking baby video that went viral. Although Janssen's cigars and cigarettes are made of harmless materials like cheese, candles and incense, the resulting photos are almost as unsettling.

Just wondering where the Marlboro man is?

{all images by Frieke Janssens}