Happy 2011!

It's hard to believe that 2010 is almost over! Where on earth did the time go? 2010 was a good year but I have to tell you I'm hoping for a bit more balance in 2011. A girl can wish, yes? I hope that 2011 brings you all peace, abundance, and love.

I've been working on the product line over the last few months but aside from my website, haven't really shared those new items. Here's a peek at what's been going on in the studio:


This is one of a dozen new hanging magnet boards.


Glass magnets that coordinate with some of the magnet boards. LOVE the graphics on these!


Another hanging magnet board.


Coordinating glass magnets.


This is one of my hanging charms. I'm one of those people that love to hang inspirational items around my house and these charms fit the bill.


A tin framed mirror that has had some of the backing removed and original artwork applied to give the look of antiquity. Love these!


This is a one-of-a-kind shadowbox filled with all sorts of vintage goodies! So is the photo at the beginning of my blog. I've spent alot of time lately working on these and I'm having soooo much fun!


Another shadowbox, of sorts, only this one is done inside an old window.

I'm off now to tend to a house full of teenage boys who claim to be starving! Pizza anyone? Happy New Year and may all your dreams grow wings! XO

Pretty in Pink

I'm leaving tomorrow for the L.A. Gift Show and wanted to take a second to post a little pretty! A small sampling of Mixing Whimsy must-haves! I've been working/playing all winter long creating new products and am off to share the love. Because really, isn't that what it's all about? The love....

It isn't about the product. Not really. It isn't about your store and whether or not my product will work in your store. Not really. It isn't even about the bottom line. (Of course these things are important but they aren't what it's all about.)

It's about the inspiration. Pure and simple. It's about seeing the "pretty" in my booth, or the booth next door,and feeling the pull way down deep in your belly. You know what I'm talking about. It's that tug in your heart that inspires you to go out into the world to make your own "pretty" - a gourmet meal, a love song, or a watercolor of those beautiful pink roses in your garden. Whatever it is that makes you sing, that makes you smile, that makes you say YES! That's what it's all about.



So, I ask you....what is it that makes you smile? XO

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Ok, so we didn't really move to the country but compared to where I used to live this is definitely country. And we have the critters to prove it! Our house backs up to a creek and is surrounded by beautiful oak trees so we get a fair amount of "traffic" from the neighbors.



This little guy got caught in the strawberry net. Good for him but not so good for the berries!







These little pups hang out quite a bit in our backyard and think nothing of the paparrazi showing up for photo shoots! They're really fun to watch and are not to dissimilar to "human pups" - what with chasing, biting, wrestling, and even crying out when things get too rough!

We have our fair share of deer too but I never seem to have my camera when they come to visit. Give me a little time and I'm sure they'll be eating out of my hand in no time!



This is a partial view from my studio. Works for me!



And this is a peek from my master bathroom. Also works for me!

Just a little snapshot into our piece of paradise. I'm off next week to the L.A. Gift Show so I have lots of new products to show you. For now, I need to step away from this computer and enjoy the view for a while. XO

I'm Still Here....

Just a brief post to let you all know that I'm still here but had to put blogging on the back burner for awhile. What with trade shows, renovations on a new house and relocating my studio, my plate spinning routine is tenuous, at best! Something had to give girls! I soooo appreciate all of the inquiries and well wishes. It means more to me than you know.

I will return soon with plenty of stories and photos,just as soon as I find the box with my camera!

Big, big hugs!
Molly

Calendar Surprise!

I've been so busy over the last month that I haven't paused long enough to acknowledge this wonderful bit of news. Somerset Life has come out with its series of 2010 wall calendars and they are now available for purchase. I encourage you all to snatch up your favorite issue for there is no doubt these gorgeous calendars will disappear quickly! My copies were wrapped neatly in a cardboard box awaiting my return from vacation. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find my artwork on the cover! I had no idea I was on the cover. I knew I was IN the calendar but not ON the front cover! Wow! I don't know, can you ever say thank you enough? Are there other words that even come close to conveying my gratitude? Here's the image that keeps playing in my head right now: a large pair of hands, lovingly holding my dreams, my hopes, my deepest joy, and gently tossing them up into the air for sweet release. That's what it feels like. Thank you, again and again and again, Somerset Life for holding me in your hands!

Anyhow, the photo is borrowed from Becky Shander, another talented contributor to Somerset Life. I was perusing the pages of her blog - please stop by and visit for she is truly amazing! - and stumbled upon the shot and borrowed it. I have been shooting photos for daaaaays trying to put together a new catalog and, so help me, if I had to take one more photo I was going to scream!! So thank you Becky for helping me out!

I'm off to enjoy a little zydeco music and fabulous Cajun cooking! Happy Saturday!
XOXXO

Headin South

3 good words to contemplate, don't you think? They are also 3 new hearts I'm introducing at the gift show this weekend.

This is going to be a quick post because by tomorrow morning I'll be knee deep in boxes and booth set up for the California Gift Show and after that who knows how long it will be before I can get back here! Not to mention the fact that I leave for the east coast within a week upon my return from L.A. And then I'll be busy, busy, busy, filling those orders and busy, busy, busy getting the kids in school and...OMG! Did somebody turn the clocks ahead? Where the #@%! has summer gone?!

Anyhow, here's a peek at a few new items that I'm introducing this weekend.









If you remember, my other party pots are made with vintage jewelry and I thought it might be a nice idea to introduce a similar concept but at a slightly lower price point. Jewel free and just as cute!





These little cuties are party flags! Use them as a cake topper, tuck inside a floral arrangement, or tie them to a gift. The possibilities are endless...! I just think they are so fun and whimsical!





And these are the latest additions to my "Spools of Thought" cards. (4 other versions available on my website) One spool is dedicated to friendship and reads: "Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." (author unknown) And the other spool is dedicated to anniversaries and reads: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." (Mignon McLaughlin) I'm really happy with how these spools turned out and think they offer a unique way of sending a message to someone you love.

So that's it for now. I'm bone weary tired and off to bed in the hopes that I'll be well rested and full of creative energy tomorrow! XOXXO

No Words

I'm not feeling it these days. I know I should, but I just don't feel like writing. It's been an entire month since my last post and lots of potential blog material to write about but....I don't know. I've even started 2 or 3 different posts but none of them have made it to publish. I know I'm not the only one to feel this way, am I? I can't be the only one that has struggled with the desire/pressure to fill a page but no words to fill it? It's not a bad place that I find myself in, not at all. More like a place of waiting, of holding back, until the momentum shifts and the words once again take center stage. But for now my life takes a different path...



During the last month, I've registered my baby girl for kindergarten and my "baby" boy for junior high. I've watched my emotions run the gamut from elation to heartbreak as my children spread their wings to fly and I resist the urge to @#&*! it all up! I've gone to Portland, Oregon and fallen in love with my husband, again, and attended a soldering workshop with Sally Jean Alexander. I've been at the gym, in the garden, and in the studio more than ever and this truly makes my heart happy. So as you can see it's not like I don't have a few things to write about. I just haven't felt like sitting down and putting the words out there.

So for today, I leave you with the only visuals that I have captured (and uploaded) over the last few weeks. Simply put, it is what keeps me centered and grounded and oftentimes at a loss for words.

















Have a wonderful week! XOXXO