Road Trip: Gwen Frostic Studio (Benzonia, MI)

Yesterday, we took a road trip. We headed out to Benzonia, MI to visit the Gwen Frostic studio and store. For those of you who aren't familiar with Gwen Frostic's work, you're really missing out. After I graduated from college they named the new "School of Art" after Gwen (previously it was a "Department of Art"). Her prints are simple, yet have so much depth to them. You can read more about Gwen HERE. You can also visit the website for the studio/shop HERE.

Our trip started with a stop at Don's Drive-In in Traverse City for some lunch. Nothing like a Coney Dog, some fries and a Coke to start off a great road trip.

Yum!



Once we were successfully full, we were off to Benzonia! I am certain that anyone who lives in Michigan should visit the Gwen Frostic Studio. It's very special. The building itself is built into the landscape and sort of blends in with the landscape around it. I believe this was Gwen's intent when she built it.

View of the building and entrance to the studio/shop


When you walk through the door, you are greeted by water fountains and pools and large wooden beams . . . and then rows and rows, and shelves and shelves of notecards, books, calendars, napkin and placemat sets. It's almost breathtaking.

Just inside the entrance to the studio/shop


Jim perusing racks of notecards


Just below the shop area you can actually watch as pressmen print items from Gwen's blocks. They have an impressive set up and I was in awe. Of course, I got a couple photos . . .

Heidelberg presses hard at work (they have 12 total, I think three were working while we were there)




I also HAD to take a video so that you all could hear the sounds of these glorious presses. It was the coolest "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh" sound. This is my first time posting a video . . . enjoy!





Of course, we didn't leave without making some purchases. Here's my booty:

Small 2011 hanging calendar



Large 2011 hanging calendar. Had to get both, they have different prints :)




Michigan notecards



Small raccoon journal



This place was spectacular! So inspiring. It made me want to get my little Kelsey press up here so I can try some more printing on that tiny little thing :) We'll see if I can find a good place for it for the winter and make something happen.


Since we had the time, we did a little driving tour of the area on our way back. We stopped at the Point Betsie Lighthouse to take in some Lake Michigan views and enjoy a bit of time outside on such a gorgeous day.

Point Betsie Lighthouse


Pretty view of the beach



And, last, but not least, we made a stop at the mall in Traverse City. I know, doesn't seem like the mall can compare with the rest of the day, BUT take a look at what I picked up . . . and you might change your mind :)

Three Wolf Moon T-shirt . . . YES!

My Fabric Fairy

My mom's very good friend gave me a bunch of fabric that belonged to her mother, who used to quilt but can't do so anymore. I can't believe how awesome all of it is. This woman has an eye for great floral prints. Check them out:

Look at this gorgeous stack of lovely floral prints!


Here's a few close ups of the patterns.






As a "thank you" to my mom's friend, I am making a couple of dresses for her one year old granddaughter out of a few of the prints. Here is my first attempt at a peasant style dress. What do you think?



I'd like to add a little more flair to the skirt and also even out the neckline a bit, but overall I think it's pretty cute. I'm also thinking of adding a few of these to my product line. Wouldn't it be so adorable with some tights and maybe a matching pair of THESE baby shoes?

Thank you, Fabric Fairy, for your generosity and total awesomeness!

Let's Accessorize!

I'm gearing up for a Holiday Craft Show in Kalamazoo on November 6. If you're in the area, be sure to come by and say "hi," and do a little holiday shopping :)

I decided to add some accessories to my inventory. I've been playing around with baby shoes, hairbows and crocheted bracelets. Here is a sneak peak, so far, of what I'll be debuting at the show (keep your eyes out for possible leg warmers and hats as well!)

Baby Shoes
Soooooo cute! and the perfect addition to any of our pant or skirts outfits.





Hair Bows
No little girls outfit is complete without a hair accessory! I'm playing around with different variations on fabric flowers, and creating headbands, pony tail holders and clips.




Crocheted Button Bracelet Cuffs
I love these! You can wear one . . . or two . . . or three if you really want to get noticed. They are super soft and comfy and add just a bit of fun to any outfit. I plan to have these in adult and children's sizes.

Sister Skirts

I was asked by a friend to make matching skirts for her girls. She requested pinks and browns and polka dots with stripes. She also requested that they be "opposites." I chose the do the stripes on top for the older sister (6 years) and the polka dots for the younger (1 year). They turned out really cute:



I also created some matching hair accessories. One is a headband, the other a pony tail holder. I'll highlight these again in my next post.



I love doing special orders! They are always so fun and have turned out so cute. Check out some of my other special orders:

Froggie outfit & stuffed crocheted frog

Criss Cross Aprons #1 and #2

Stuffed Crocheted Puppy Toys

Pirate Crocheted Toy

American Sewing Expo

I found out about the American Sewing Expo just a few days before heading downstate for the weekend. Since our Saturday was already planned out with a football game (Go Blue!) and a baseball game (Go Tigers!) I took a look at what the Expo had to offer on Sunday. I found a session titled "Sewing & Crafting for Profit" and decided to check it out. It was worth it. I got a lot of tips and learned some new info. I also walked around the Expo for a bit and checked out the vendors. Lots of great fabrics, notions and machines. I was particularly drawn to Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods.Their display was awesome! I took a picture:



The colors and textures were pure eye candy. I restrained myself and didn't buy anything, but I plan to check out their website. I also found out that the Expo happens every year in Novi, Michigan so I plan to explore more next year.

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Baby Sweater Complete . . . Almost?

I've finished knitting THIS sweater for a friends baby due in a few months. I can't decide if I should add a button accent or not. I'm thinking a button like the one pictured below would be cute. Ahhh, decisions. . . Loved knitting this. It was super easy and will be so cute on the babe, don't ya think?




To add the button . . . or not . . .

Froggie outfit

I have finally gotten around to finishing the froggie outfit to go with Mr. Frog from my previous post.

I think it turned out pretty cute. Makes a cute little gift set. Hopefully the new mom and dad-to-be will love it, too!

Purse re-creation

My husband got me this purse a few years ago for Christmas and I love it:



So, I decided to try and re-create it:



I was fairly successful, but I'd still like to work out some kinks. To the average eye it probably looks fine, but to my critical eye it's just not quite good enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to use it, but I've also got two other fabrics to try to get it just right.

Dreaming of letterpress . . .

My Kelsey is packed up and in storage at the moment. It's probably the best place for it to be right now, considering the production it has been to get it working in the past. Anyhow, this past weekend we hit up the Antique Fair in Petoskey. I haven't been to many (if any) antique fairs, and before owning the press I really didn't have that much interest in them. I found one vendor selling block type and blocks for printing and I found a few treasures. I can't wait to try them out once we've settled somewhere that I can set up the press.

I was particularly fond of these printing blocks. The one on the far left is a scene with a couple fishermen in a boat, then the scotty dogs, a small telephone icon and a much larger fish. Should be fun to play with these!



I chose to purchase the letters that spell "Boy" and "Girl" as I've always thought it would be fun to do some letterpress birth announcement cards at some point. I picked out letters that aren't all the same typeface so there will be some movement and fun when they are printed.


If you haven't seen my previous letterpress posts, you can view them HERE and HERE.

Some things are worth holding onto . . .

. . . like this jumper. I initially thought it would become a gift . . . but after the number of hours I spent creating it, I think I'll hold onto it. Hopefully, one day, I'll have a daughter to wear it. For now, it's so cute I may just keep it hanging in the closet to adore every now and then.

You can see my initial post on this project HERE.

Fun with Frogs!

I got a request for a frog themed gift for a baby shower. I have completed the stuffed frog and will now move on to create an outfit using a frog appliqué (currently working on the design). Check out this little guy, though. Isn't he adorable? You can make one yourself if you want. The pattern is available on the Lion Brand website. Just click on the "Patterns" link and do a search for "frog."

Criss/Cross Apron #2

I've finished another criss/cross apron for my mom. I may have to make a couple for myself. I love that you don't have to tie anything, you just slip it on and you're ready to bake!

Apron Front


Apron Back


Fabric #1


Fabric #2

Criss/Cross Aprons

My mom asked me if I could make her a couple of aprons similar to her favorite one that was starting to fall apart. I said "of course!" and she let me bring the apron home with me to copy the pattern. Here is apron #1. I bought enough fabric to make a couple of them. The coolest part about this apron, I think, is that you don't have to tie it. The straps criss/cross in the back so you simply slide it on and you're good to go.

Now, time to do some baking?

Apron front


Apron back
Notice the criss/cross straps.


Fabric detail #1


Fabric detail #2

It's been awhile, but alot has been happening

Whew. Finally some time to post here. Since moving across the country, getting Lilly Jean Creations set up online, preparing my booth for my first craft fair . . . this summer has been a busy one for crafting. So, finally I have time to post about it all.

On July 10 and 11 I did my first craft fair in Charlevoix, MI. It was a fun event, the weather cooperated, I met some great people and made a few sales. I learned a bit about setting up a booth at these type of events, what people liked (and bought) and am thinking I might still try to do another one this summer. We'll see though. It's quite a bit of work and for some of the events you have to apply pretty early. Anyhow, here are some pictures of my booth:


Me at my table, trying not to blow away on Sunday :) It got pretty windy a few times. Thankfully, Jim helped create weights for my tent so it didn't blow away.




My clothesline display of the skirt and pant gift sets.


I also had some stuffed crocheted birds, a mobile made of the crocheted birds and some of my fill-in invitations for sale. I thought it was a good mix of product.

My other big project has been setting up the online shop at lillyjean.com and also posting some items on Etsy. I've finally got almost all of my product up online, so check it out at lillyjean.com/shop or on Etsy at www.lillyjean.etsy.com.

I am working on designing some invitations that can be customized and then simply printed from a PDF file that I email. I call them "U-Print" invitations. I'm hoping to have some of these up for sale soon. Here is a sneak peek at one of the designs:



The colors and all of the text would be customized. Each 8.5" x 11" PDF file has one wedding invitation, one response card and one "save the date" card on it. This way, each page printed is equal to one full set for each guest. All you need is a paper cutter, or exacto knife and ruler.

I am still knitting THIS. It's taking me some time, but I'll get it done. Hopefully before the end of the year. I have yet to decide if I should gift it or keep it. We'll see :)

www.lillyjean.com is UP!

The extra time off work paid off. On top of giving me time to sort and pack for our move (one of my most favorite things to do . . . J/K), it gave me the time to get the Lilly Jean website up and running.

The only piece left is to create the online store. I plan to do this once we're in Michigan and hopefully will have something up and ready in mid to late June.

If you visit the site you can sign-up to be notified by e-mail when the online shop is open. For now, take a look and let me know what you think!