So long, Asheville!

I have done more than I ever could have imagined I would during my time in Asheville. It has been a whirlwind of life experience that I will come away from even more empowered and with a stronger sense of who I am. I went there just to see and experience a different place, with intentions of living in a new community. It was no time before I felt I could call Asheville home, as it fit like a glove and I cannot wait to return! I have met so many wonderful friends and have truly had the best time. Thank you Cheyenne for being such an amazing friend and for giving me such a cool place to stay! Goodbye to all of the friends I have made; we will cross paths with very soon and I will be back! :o)

This morning I am leaving to head back to New Hampshire, but will be in transit for a few days with stops in D.C., New Jersey, Connecticut and more . My friend Jim is driving back with me--should be a fun roadtrip to say the least! I'll try to blog from the road, but if not, I'll see y'all when I get back!

So long, Asheville!

Check this out!

Sometimes I find it overwhelming how beautifully the pieces of this crazy univeral puzzle fit together. And it really is the small things in life that matter.

It's no secret that I have been spending my days in Asheville preparing for my shoppe opening in New Hampshire in June. And boy am I excited! I have been scouring yard sales and thrift stores for all of the fixtures I needed to find (more on that later...just WAIT 'til you see the finds I have to show you!). I have been collecting vintage clothes, sewing skirts, painting signs, making hula hoops and trying to organize all of the paperwork from 1,000 miles away. And while I am known to most as an absent-minded and sometimes flighty artist, I would consider myself to be right down the middle: both right and left brained. I love to be creative, but excel at keeping things orderly (I'm not saying I DO THAT all the time...I am just good at it). I like to get messy, but I like organizational office supplies (a quality my mom and I both share we realized one day, as she was flipping through a Staples catalog and I could not wait for her to pass it to me).

So in my ridiculous organization, I made a list of everything that I was searching for in my Asheville travels for my shoppe. It was very specific, from a metal vintage clothing rack to scrolly plastic frames to maroon velour fabrics. One thing I wanted to find was a small rack to display my mom's gorgeous bracelets that she is going to be selling at Veggie Art Girl (ones that I wear and receive compliments on daily!) So I set out to the Salvation Army. They are having a green dot half price sale. I walk in, pick up this (used to be mug holder), think "wow, that would be perfect," see the green dot, pay $.50 and go on my merry way (oh, I also found a great pair of boots for $3.00 while I was there!) I hop in Janis and look at my new treasure, wondering what color I am going to paint it. Then I flip it over: Lucas Co. Manufacturing. This is a sign from the universe, right? Well, my jaw dropped over it!

Just a little shout out...

...to my BFF. That's the biggest reason I am looking forward to returning to New Hampshire in June- to see my best friend (since sixth grade...pinky swear!) and do a hundred more dumb photo shoots like this one (for some reason we usually end up in graveyards). Ahhhh....I love ya, Anna. You are the wind beneath my wings!

I have to also note that Brett (Anna's husband) rocks, too. He's really cool about driving us around for photoshoots like a limo driver (while we sit in the backseat) and letting us call him Brettford. And stopping at the store when we run out of Twizzlers. :o)

Castles in the sand.

I took a quick trip back to New Hampshire (a really quick one, so I am sorry if I didn't call you!) and was able to sort some things out. With the help of my good friend Joyce (aka 'Rox'), I got the walls patched, did some painting, raking and planning in my (soon-to-be-open) shoppe. Thanks, Rox for your help! Butttt...we did take a break to enjoy some of the gorgeous weather that we had and play in the sand for a bit...

The Corona Castle!

"Hey look Snarks...a red cup! Now we can make a sandcastle!"

Check out the Corona Castle Extraordinaire

Some fine features of our castle include: a custom rock wall, fancy shrubbery, a moat and a drawbridge. I'm so excited that I am going to be able to walk out my shoppe door and see this every day this summer!

Asheville Adventures

The best part about living in a fun and creative community such as Asheville is being able to show it off to your best friends when they come to visit! Tina and Tanya have been planning a trip to see me since before I moved and I had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Two of the best friends in the world and 4 days of fun (which ended in a roadtrip to Atlanta, where we met up with our other friends, Amy and Dave)--how can you go wrong? Here is a photo recap of just a piece of the silliness, fun and laughs we shared:
First stop: Hookah Joes' for some bellydancing and hookah. Check this chick out--she was AMAZING! Walking through the city, taking pictures in the sunshine....

Then there was that hat-wearing photoshoot with the neighbors...

Yay! Wine and sushi!

Mmmm...sushi. Mmmm...friends. :o)

Michelle Goodearl Photography

Here's a little logo I designed for a (super fun) photographer--Michelle Goodearl. She wanted something grungy and crumply and typewriter-ish, with her little green star that she uses as a signature, and this is what we came up with. Her work is amazing--check out her blog at: www.michellegoodearl.com. Thanks Michelle...I look forward to connecting with you for future creative endeavors when I return to New Hampshire!

Building and planning and painting...oh my!

To fill y'all in real quick (in case you didn't know): I am moving back to New Hampshire in June to open a little boutique on Squam Lake (appropriately named VeggieArtGirl). Essentially, I hope to be able to spend my winters in Asheville, and summers in New Hampshire. But as June is quickly approaching, I have been working on stuff here to bring there for the shoppe. Before I left, I laid a pretty solid foundation--paint on the walls, display racks moved to the location, and took measurements so that I can be building stuff while I am here. I feel I am in good shape about all of this, and have a good feeling about it. I have been painting and creating and planning my head off!

But as I am trying to organize things here for there, I am still in need of a few items to display. I am in search of a garment rack for my vintage clothes I will be selling (we're talking vintage--just wait 'til you see some of the disco-y dresses and groovy threads that are going to be in store!) Ideally, I am looking for something like this:
But I could use something like this as an alternative:

Ahhh...but then I saw this: So now, I am trying to create a design that will be easy to build, be sturdy enough to hold a ton of polyesther suits and have a rustic look to it. Not sure if all of this is feasible, but I do like the idea of it. So, if anyone has a place they can send me to online for ideas or help, it would be greatly appreciated! Orrrr....if anyone knows of a boutique that is going out of business or has one of those metal racks kicking around (and you want to make a few bucks), send me a line! :o)

Veggie doodles.

I've been oh so inspired, sitting down in my little basement studio here in Asheville, just painting away. The dork in me who is in love with words and fonts and language has been coming out, as I have been practicing new fonts with a paintbrush. I have a bunch of new signs that I'll be posting to etsy any day now, and will be all ready to hang in my shoppe this summer when I return to New Hampshire. I am finally feeling comfortable with painting in script (ok, I screamed when I figured out how to make a sweet looking "y"--finally!), and now I am trying to find out how to make a font to sell or give away. Anyone know anything about this or how to program it? I'm thinking something like Veggiescript? Figfont? Snarkydoodle? Any suggestions?

Spring is here!

Compared to the chilly temperatures of New Hampshire, Asheville has been a tropical getaway for me. Though the weather can be a bit unpredictable (It was in the 70's in February for a while there!), it is nice to actually see the 4 seasons. And with spring just getting underway, the blooms and greens are a-plenty! It's beautiful here! :o)