sweet signs of spring

Meet Phyllis Vaughn, creator of V. Originals in Roswell Georgia.  She creates pretty painted signs adorned with popping posies.

Some of her sayings include, "Of course there’s such a thing as angels, Only sometimes they don’t have wings… and we call them friends" and "The more grateful I am, the more reasons I find to be grateful"

Her inspiration for becoming an artist/designer came at an early age when she loved creating treasures from whatever she could find…colored paper, snippets of yarn, flower petals, paper clips. But her first “commercial” attempts to apply her passion started in Paris after college where she began to create evening bags with the beads and lace she found in the French flea markets.

Phyllis also has a retail shop and studio which is a colorful place filled with charm, happiness and humor. When people visit the shop, She likes to imagine they feel as if they have stumbled upon a secret world of magic.

A number of her posy signs also have delightful sayings that will make any mom feel loved like… " Mothers are the gardeners who make our souls blossom" and "There is nothing sweeter than a mother who is also a friend"

Since each sign is one-of-a-kind, Phyllis’ work is only available at our Rochester and Berkley locations.

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strut magazine – 5.08

In step with: April McCrumb

PAPER ARTIST AND ENTREPRENEUR

by joyce wiswell | photo by brett mountain

April McCrumb always was a creative person, but she never dreamed she’d make a career of it. She did the sensible thing, going to college to become a special education teacher and limiting her hobby to the occasional art show. But when her handmade paper products began to really sell,McCrumb chucked the idea of a career in education to pursue her art full time.

She and husband Steve opened Catching Fireflies, the trendy gift shop in downtown Berkley, in 2000 – mainly because she’d outgrown her papermaking studio in their basement in Oak Park. Steve quit his teaching job to run the paper business, a.i. Paper Design (named for his wife’s childhood business, April’s Ideas), when its success soared, as did the store’s.

In 2003, the couple established a Berkley studio for the manufacture of April’s products – whimsical photo frames, message boards, photo albums and recipe stands – while also expanding Catching Fireflies’ retail space. They opened a third store in Rochester in 2006, after closing their Grand Rapids location.

Between a.i. Paper Design and Catching Fireflies, April and Steve now employ 16 people. They plan to grow their Web business and eventually open another store in metro Detroit.

It all requires a lot of juggling, but McCrumb, 33, thrives on being active. “I’m a busy girl, but it’s not out of control,” she says. “I love my life, and there are no complaints.”

8:30 A.M. RISE AND SHINE

“It’s a pretty nice deal, I’m not going to deny it,” McCrumb says of her eight to nine hours of sleep each night. Soon after rising, she’s munching cereal in her home office and surfing the Web.

9 A.M. LEARNING FROM OTHERS

A popular part of McCrumb’s Web site is her blog, which she continually strives to upgrade by seeing how other artists and gift shops do theirs. “I subscribe to a lot of blogs, and peruse all those first,” McCrumb says. “It’s my classroom in the morning.”

10 A.M. CATCHING UP

The peacefulness of her home office allows McCrumb to plow through mountains of paperwork – handling e-mail correspondence, developing marketing materials, planning trade shows. Afterward, she’ll toy with paper designs on the computer using Adobe Photoshop, a relatively new technique for her after years of hand drawing. Lately, a large chunk of her time goes to planning the Berkley Art Bash; McCrumb is chair of the June 14 event.

NOON INTO THE WORLD

Quiet time is over as McCrumb ventures into the world, dropping by the Berkley store to check in with her manager and retrieve phone messages

12:30 P.M. LUNCH FOR TWO

McCrumb arrives at the nearby paper studio to pick up Steve. “We go out for a casual lunch and catch up with what’s happening,” she says.

2 P.M. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

It’s back to the studio, where McCrumb goes through the mail; meets with her graphics, studio and shipping managers; and orders stock and supplies for the stores and studio. “I inevitably have phone calls,” she says, “so it all always takes longer than I think it will

3:30 P.M. BEING CREATIVE

McCrumb finally gets to work her craft, designing and creating products. She also works on the businesses’ booth and presentations during the all-important trade-show season.

6 P.M. OFF TO THE STORE

On Thursdays, McCrumb visits one of the Catching Fireflies stores, taking stock of inventory and changing the window displays. Other days, she continues working in the studio on her designs, or runs personal and business errands.

6:30 P.M. DINNER TIME

Back home for the evening, McCrumb throws together a quick dinner, such as tacos or a casserole. “I’m not much of a cook,” she says with a laugh. Warm weather finds her puttering in the garden at the couple’s Beverly Hills home.

8 P.M. BLOG TIME

Ensconced at the computer, McCrumb works on her blog, in which she writes about everything from cool shops she’s discovered to new products under design. “It’s still work,” she says, “but it’s sort of also my hobby.”

11 P.M. OFF TO BED

After perhaps a bit of TV, it’s usually lights out by midnight. “I’m not one of those people who get by with five hours,” McCrumb admits. “I need my sleep.”

The Mirror 4.27.08

Green Gifter

by Diana Wing

April McCrumb, owner of the Catching Fireflies gift shops in Berkley and Rochester, is doing her part to reduce the stores’ carbon footprint by offering more eco-friendly products and packaging options. She has a line of lightweight, super-strong, nylon reusable bags that are easily compacted and less bulky than canvas totes.

"They’re very useful. I use them regularly," she said. "What I like about these is since they’re nylon and they have a big gusset in the bottom, they hold a lot, 25 pounds, which is great for groceries and whatnot. You can stuff one in your purse, or if you’re going grocery shopping you can stuff a bunch of them into one."

McCrumb sells the sustainable shopping bags at cost with purchases over $30. She also offers incentives when customers bring back the store’s paper bags and boxes.

"We feel we should be a leader in the community and if we start promoting this kind of thing then it will trickle down and our customers will go, ‘Ah ha, all those things make a difference."

Catching Fireflies has always carried works by local artists, but I didn’t know that about one-quarter of the stores’ products are locally made – reducing shipping and freight distances, and carbon emissions.

You’ll find beautiful tiles by Royal Oak artist Gretchen Kramp, whimsical clocks by Duane Scherer of Lathrup Village and recycled goods (angels made from old bowling pins) from Royal Oak artist Marsha Filipiak, known for her attractive stained glass art.

The shops also carry some unique wine glasses made from reclaimed materials, and gadgets, like bottle openers and business card holders, created from old bicycle chains.

"Berkley has a green committee which is awesome," said McCrumb of the new Environmental Advisory Committee that will look for ways to reduce city-generated pollution. "It’s really neat to see the community getting involved."

Check out the green options at www.catchingfireflies.com, or visit the shops at 3117 W. 12 Mile in Berkley and 203 E. University Drive in Rochester.

rare bird finds feature

The ladies over at Rare Bird Finds thinks our pet massager is the cat’s meow.

We have to agree… what a purrfect way to pamper your pets!

Thanks Mei-Lynn & Sharla

rita’s sauce and meatballs

With Mother’s day coming up, I thought it’d be nice to share some famous family recipes that have been passed down through the generations. 

I overheard Dena, our Rochester manager raving about Sandy’s meatball recipe so I asked if I could share this gem with the rest of you.  She happily obliged, so now you too can have the best meatballs & spaghetti on the block.

This authentic recipe that originates from the Calabria region of Italy has been in the Germano family for many years. Sandy learned how to make it the true Italian way… a pinch of this, a swirl of that, a few shakes here and there from her mother-in-law, Rita Hidy; But over the past 22 years, she has shared it in standard form.

It is a tradition in their family to enjoy this wonderful meal on Sundays buy any day is fine!

The Sauce

2  28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1  15 oz can of tomato paste (Contadina with Italian herbs preferred)

2  tbl of crushed dry basil

3  tbl of olive oil

Place the olive oil in pan, add basil and warm for 1 minute then add all tomatoes.  Simmer for 1&1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

The Meatballs

1 lb  ground pork (unseasoned)

1 egg

3/4 cup  Italian bread crumbs (fresh are the best, but Progresso are okay)

3 tsp  salt

3 tsp  black pepper

3 tsp  crushed fresh garlic

5 tbl  parmesan cheese

Mix all the ingredients with your hands.  If the mix seems a little dry, add a 1-2 tbl of water.  Form into meatballs approx 1 1/2 inches in diameter and drop into the simmering sauce.  The meatballs cook in the sauce in 45-60 minutes depending on size.

Enjoy!

If you have a favorite family recipe you’re willing to share, we’d love to spread the word.  Just send us a photo of the dish and/or a picture of you & your mom.  You can email them to recipes@catchingfireflies.com or send them to catching fireflies 3117 W 12 Mile Berkley, MI 48072.  We will return all photos.

a trip to chicago compliments of mr. stevens

Thanks to the movie, Little Miss Sunshine, I was introduced to the wonderful music of Sufjan Stevens.

There’s no formal video for this song, but you can view this little slide show of Sufjan while you enjoy this pretty ditty.

Turns out this talented indie musician is from our great state of Michigan.  Stevens was born in Detroit and grew up in Petoskey where he attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy. He also attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Plus he even wrote a whole album about Michigan in 2003.

A review reads, "Sufjan is a truly gifted musician and songwriter, and it comes through in every single song he creates. His songs are so relaxing and soothing, yet your ears are so awakened by all the different sounds and melodies that it doesn’t put you to sleep. The lyrics delve into the crevices of our innermost thoughts and feelings on death, family, and religion, with the possibility to keep you up all night trying to understand it. Illinois is a must have for any fan of music. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed."  – Kidzeppelin blog

Like discovering new tunes that not everyone knows about?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you our latest and greatest finds.

strut’s girlfriends night out party

Danielle, Dena and I had a grand time celebrating our win for the Strut Women’s Choice Award at the girls night out party.

The Royal Oak Music Theater was packed with delicious food vendors, boutique tables and other great services like make-overs, hand massages and friend photo shoots.

Danielle and I tried oysters for the first time from Tom’s Oyster Bar.  I doused mine with a good portion of cocktail sauce, while Danielle enjoyed the true taste.

On a sweeter note, we all indulged in these super tasty scones from Just Delicious Scones in Grosse Point Park.  I could have taken home every one of their scrumptious flavors… cranberry apricot, white chocolate coconut, lemon and the classic currant.  Ummmm!

We even got some props on the big screen since we donated flower photo holders and gift cards to the great goody bags.

Fellow Berkley staffer, Cheryl was able to join the party later on in the evening.  Nothing like a sassy Strutini to sip on after a long work day.

For more fun pics of the evening check out Strut’s blog.

Thanks again to all our loyal supporters that voted for us.  We couldn’t do what we love without you!

art journaling

One of the hobbies I picked up at my recent Artfest adventure was keeping an art journal.  My artist friend, Michelle started one last fall and I thought it was amazing… something I could never do since I’m more of a designer than an artist.  At any rate, Artfest helped me realized the necessity to doodle, draw, paint and journal just for fun…  just enjoying the creative process and not worrying about the end product because it’s just for me.

I love how this well-known YouTube art journalista, Suzi Blu inspires people to start an art journal.

So I brought back my original drafting table that I used to create some of the early April’s Ideas products on and turned it into my new art journaling space.

This is one of the pages I completed one night while I was at Artfest.  I created the background colors by gluing down bright tissue and using golden fluid acrylic paint (these paints are like no other!)

Since my drawing skills are fairly limited, I do a lot of cutting and pasting of images and information that I find inspiring.

In our Artfest welcome packet, one of the Artfest founders (the fabulous Teesha Moore – check out HER JOURNAL PAGES) posed 31 questions for us to ponder.

Michelle and I agreed we’d answer some of those questions in our journal and when we see each other during the summer trade show circuit we could discuss our thoughts.

Some of the questions are… Am I working in a field where I truly belong?  What part of my life right now brings me the most amount of joy?  What activities do I wish I had more time for?  Am I balancing work and personal life?  What is my portrait of happiness in the future?

It’s so nice just to think about those kind of questions once in a while and stop the freight-train of life for a bit.

Some of my favorite journaling goods are: moleskine journals, golden paints, caran d ache watersoluble crayons, sharpie pens, oil pastels, white correction pens and white gesso.

Remember… "You too can make a mark on paper that looks like a lollipop that is grand as the taj mahal" – Suzi Blu

Hour Detroit May 2008

Mothers of Pearls

If your mama is a gem (and whose isn’t?), regale her this Mother’s Day with a gift that will make her feel precious

(excerpt)

For the indulgent-minded

Jellybath, $24.75 (13 ounces) in calming milk, lavender or herb mint (Turns bath water into a fluffy jelly, retaining heat four times longer than water.  Also available for pedicures ($9.75-$19.75) at catching fireflies

happy birthday steve!

My sweetie is 35 today. Isn’t this photo great?  It was taken in Boston near the famed Berklee College of Music.  Maybe someday this could be Steve’s album cover (he’s been playing the guitar for over 4 years now)… crazier things have happened (like purchasing a piece of art named catching fireflies)

At any rate, even though Steve is halfway to 70, he still likes his cherry-chip cupcakes topped with my special handmade frosting.  So being inspired by Artfest and my friend Michelle, I made miniature birthday-themed pennants to top each cake.

I think these fruity treats will definitely be a hit with our catching fireflies and a.i. paper crew on Monday.

This is the only icing I ever use: