Category Archives: talented artists

the national stationery show

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the national stationery show
Believe it or not, I actually worked while I was in New York.  Here is our a.i. paper design booth where stores can see our full line and order our items. We had fun neighbors like… Fish Lips Paper Design who creates stylish 100% recycled gift wrap printed with soy inks.  (the story of her business name is really cute) And Denise Cope of Hung on Words (who happened to grow up in Birmingham, .
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have plentiful purses? you need pouchee!

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have plentiful purses? you need pouchee!
Meet Anita Crook of Simpsonville, South Carolina.  Four years ago she received a trendy handbag from her oldest son and even though she loved it, she knew she would never use it because it had no pockets inside.  She thought, "If only I had a way to stay organized and change purses"  She looked in stores and websites but found nothing that satisfied her and that’s when the pouchee idea was born. Before long, .
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sweet signs of spring

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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 .
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art journaling

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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 .
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artfest… where do I begin?

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artfest… where do I begin?
I recently visited my dear friend, Michelle in Washington and we both ventured up to the lovely little town of Port Townsend (approx. 1 hour from Seattle on a peninsula) for the 8th Annual Artfest Retreat put on by the oh-so-talented Tracy & Teesha Moore. I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from this crazy expedition, but after experiencing such a creatively charged authentic environment … I realized it was just .
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not your typical interior designer

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not your typical interior designer
Meet Chris Ann Freeman of ca concepts studio in historic Williamston, Michigan. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris when I stopped by to see my friend’s store, Bloom recently and was blown away by her talent of transforming typical rooms into works of art.  In addition to interior design, Chris also specializes in floral design.  These are a few of her creations from an Easter event. Here are a few more shots of .
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fantastic finger puppets

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fantastic finger puppets
Meet Megan Jeffery (circa 2nd grade) from Seekonk, MA.  She creates very clever felt finger puppets that will make any kid-at-heart crack a grin. I first purchased her work from a store I visited on a recent trip to Rhode Island called OOP! The tag attached to this humorous gem read, "McFly grew up on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’, but got an athletic scholarship to a prestigious Ivy League school.  He’s on .
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miss masha d’yans

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miss masha d’yans
Meet Masha D’yans, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia.  She creates magical watercolor images that transport you to a fairytale-like world. catching fireflies carried some of her card designs a few years ago and as I was strolling through Target the other day, I spotted her distinct style on a very cool artsy tee…  and sure enough, they were designed by her for Target!    Her bio reads, "Masha moved to the U.S. when .
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a fireplace like no other

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a fireplace like no other
Meet Rick Pruckler of Whistle Frog Designs in Ferndale, Michigan.  He transformed our plain brick fireplace into a striking work of art. Rick’s obsession with clay began at the age of eight when he took a weekend ceramics class at a local recreation and arts center in Waterloo, Iowa. As the  years passed, his creative drive and natural talent eventually led to a full scholarship to study ceramics at the University of Northern Iowa, .
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timeless tiles

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timeless tiles
Meet Gretchen Kramp of Royal Oak, Michigan.  She crafts wonderful decorative tiles that are truly timeless. Gretchen graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit in 1991 with a Bachelors of Fine Art majoring in painting and sculpture. At the time she was doing mixed media assemblages on wood, 3D paintings of sorts. She didn’t really acquire an interest in clay until she was out of school and working for local ceramicist Marcia .
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