a number of things

weekending

A fun little weekend addition to my Etsy spot.

Hope you are having a great one!

 

Farm Anatomy

 

Ok, this book is probably not for everyone, but if you are into art / illustration as well as all things farm-ish, then you will love it. (Um, I've had it preordered since July.)

It is filled to the brim with Julia Rothman's awesome illustrations detailing nearly every imaginable aspect of farm work and life.

From gardening, to animals, to handy and helpful tips, tricks, recipes and how-to's...

...I am relishing every bit of it.

(P.S. ~ You can see even more of Farm Anatomy here!)

 

a little garden notebook

I may not have the time to draw and paint 12 new calendar images right now, but I certainly found the time to make up a quick, earthy little illustration to encourage my favorite young gardeners. You see, we are in the midst of the fall planting down here in the deep south, and Collin and Rose are quite serious about their own personal garden space.

So kid sized garden notebooks (or garden journals, if you prefer) were in order for the careful recording of planting dates, varieties, garden maps, etc. I thought there might be other kids (and grown-ups!) out there with their own gardening projects, so I made up a PDF with two little notebook covers each as a little autumn gift for you.

Enjoy!

Click here to download the garden notebook covers.

** One quick tip: To get the full image, make sure to select Borderless Printing from your Print Setup box. Complete instructions are on page 2 of the PDF.

 

yarn along

This is one of the few gifts that we have in progress that I can actually mention here. It is a hat I am crocheting for my father-in-law, who I don't think has ever seen this blog. I am using some City Tweed (in Chipmunk) from Knit Picks and it is so incredibly soft. The hook is a Brittany that I got about three years back and cannot decide whether or not I like. I love the feel (and look) of the wood, but I prefer the way the metal ones work. I think.

For the read, we have been rediscovering the Foxfire series lately. We used to regularly check them out of the local library when we lived in Tennessee, but had all but forgotten them until a few months ago. The stories and people in these books is the culture that Chip grew up with in Appalachia, and we are enjoying passing bits of it along to the kids and revisiting it ourselves.

For more stitching and reading, hop on over to Ginny's blog for her weekly Yarn Along!

 

yarn along

 

The lovely Ginny from small things has started a yarn along in which we are encouraged to share our in-progress knitting or crochet project along with a current read. Or in this case, read aloud. Yesterday I started reading the Brambly Hedge stories to Rosie (and whoever else plops down to listen) and continued working on a little collection of coasters out of some simple Lion cotton. This is going to be such fun... I can't wait to see what everyone is creating and reading!

 

book update

For those of you who would like a signed copy of Tin Cups & Tinder, my copies are still on track to arrive on October 8th. For the rest of you, however, it is now live on Amazon! It went up late last night. I really did not know when it would be on Amazon because when you "release a title" to them, they tell you it could take up to 15 days for it to appear on the web site. They also tell you that the page will be built in stages and so might not look "finished" for a few days. Wow. So much to learn in this whole self-publishing adventure. And what an adventure it had been :)

 

a book trailer of sorts

Yes, it's another stop motion movie. I have to give all the credit for this idea to my 11 year old, Caleb. When I was looking through the hundreds of photos that were taken for this book he said, "Mom, we really need to make a stop motion video to advertise the book." Ah, my little marketing man. :)

All of the reviewer copies have been mailed and I have opened up a little Big Cartel shop for selling a few books. (You will see a little text link under "About" in the top right sidebar.) My copies will not be in until the 8th of October, but it will (hopefully) be available on Amazon before that. (I'll be sure to let you know!) I really like the whole Big Cartel format and am thinking seriously about moving my Etsy things over there. (Like I need another project.)

Have a fabulous day!

 

PS ~ The music ("Final Reel") is once again from Scythian's Immigrant Road Show Album (Used with permission.). Love those guys.

 

Tuesday

Autumn is in the air, I can feel it. As hot as it has been lately, there is a change in the wind and in the light. I can feel the soup making and pie baking urges coming on along with our tradition of ditching school in favor of picnics and walks in the woods. I know from experience how those crisp breezes (when they do finally get here) wreak havoc on my ability to concentrate and all I think about is getting outdoors.

Proof reading of the book is nearly done and I am looking so very forward to having this little (or not-so-little) project completed so that I can enjoy my favorite season with one less distraction and also work on some artsy things that have been on the back burner. I will probably have a few review copies (proofs) in a week or so, if any of you blog-y types would like to review one. Shoot me an email if you are interested and I will send them out on a first-ask first-get basis. :) 

***Thanks for all the review requests! All the copies have now been spoken for. I will email all of you ladies with the details.

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

 

coming soon

Well here is a sneak peak at the forthcoming book cover. This project is different, in many ways, from my first two books. I suppose the most obvious difference are all the photos inside and the use of less watercolors and drawings. This is what really worked best for this adventure, as it was (more than the other two) very much a group effort with so much wonderful input and help from the boys (and the girls too).

Below are a few glimpses of the interior in the most recent proof. We are shooting to have it available (on Amazon and here) by the first week of October, but there is just the smallest chance that it could be a bit earlier.

We really are excited that this project is near its completion. The whole little book is only 8.25" x 8.25" and 108 pages. If you would like to peruse the contents pages, I have them right here. :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

 

humming bird love

The little guys are back for the fall and my Rosie (definitely a bird girl) is enthralled. She has named this fellow Red (for his ruby throat) and he sits nearly all day in the crepe myrtle by the window trying to protect what he sees as his feeder (Not a very good picture, I know.). They chirp and dive and buzz by incredibly close as we sit on the porch swing.

Yesterday, this book arrived and became an instant favorite. The photos, oh my. And such a sweet story for all ages. Soon after we finished reading it I just had to put the dvd onto my wishlist.

I hope some of you also get to enjoy the hummers on their way south.
Autumn is coming!

 

wordless Wednesday :: book outtake

Tennessee

We have just returned from another trip to the beautiful Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee to visit Chip's family who all live in the Gatlinburg area.

 

It was a beautiful time spent enjoying the area and much missed family. We seemed to need to find water (to play in) nearly every day to keep cool, but that only added to the fun. 

I'll be adding more photos of the trip over the next few days to Flickr, but for the most part I've got my nose to the proverbial grindstone and I am trying to finish this book. Having the first proof in my little hand is quite effective motivation, I must say.

Stay cool, autumn is coming yet!