Recently we went to Vermont, partly just to see the countryside, and partly to try to find the sugarhouse that housed the little calf I drew so many years ago (aka the JAKE & META mascot!). We did find the sugarhouse and along the way were treated to some beautiful lanscapes and vistas. All the flowers and trees seemed to be enjoying the recent rains and warm weather. A great way to spend the weekend.
Not sure what it's like where you are, but where we live, it's the year of the 13-year cicada. We've found hundreds of shed outer layers, hooked onto plants, porch columns, even onto the nose of a stone porcupine we have! And now all of these bugs are in the nearby tree tops—thousands of them. Their buzzing is incessant and loud. At first we thought it was a neighbor's machinery but were amazed when we finally realized what it was. The one in this photo is pre-shed. Though his red eyes look almost plastic, I knew when he moved that he saw me snapping his photo!
This past week was absolutely fantastic, spent in NYC at the 2011 National Stationery Show. Months of preparation and planning came together in what you see above: our corner booth on aisle 1100. We met many interesting and nice people, including our neighbors Fisk & Fern from Brooklyn. The preparations took a while, but not too long. Here's what we had to start with:
We also were finalists in the Best New Product competition (!), which meant we were able to place a board with selected note cards in the front lobby. This was a great way to gain exposure, and several people who came to our booth said they'd seen our products out front.
Now it's down to business! Following up and fulfilling orders. And thinking about next year...?
Sunsets never get boring. Even though the same general thing goes on every evening, each brings its own colors, clouds, and beauty. This is what the sky looked like last night, and I bet it's going to be gorgeous again tonight.
I've been working on drawing tulips (posted an image on facebook). They tend to make me think of Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, NC. I think it's because we visited there one May when I was a child, and my mom took a picture of my brother in the garden, standing at the edge of rows and rows of beautiful tulips. It's a fantastic picture and we had great fun running through the gardens and touring the enormous "cottage" that boasts an indoor pool and bowling alley. Quite impressive.
The annual Orchid Show is currently underway at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NY. When I lived in NYC, a friend of mine and I (and her mom) would go each year, including in 2008 which is when I snapped this photo of pitcher plants (a carnivorous orchid). To me they appear to be guests gabbing away at a cocktail party! I wouldn't be surprised if they make an appearance on a future JAKE & META note card...
In addition to pictures of tomatoes, I love pictures of flowers at farmers' markets. So many of them gathered together in one place makes them that much more eye-catching and beautiful, with all the colors and shapes and varieties. Especially when they're field flowers like the ones pictured here at the Carrboro Farmers' Market in June 2009.
