another peek thanks to a new pal...

You gotta love the whole networking thing...

I met photographer Melanie Mauer in my kitchen, she was wearing polka dots and well, I simply cannot resist a woman in polka dots.

Why she was there is a whole 'nother story! 

We'll just say she is a friend, of a friend, of a friend...

And then she turns up again in Ohio with that camera again.

Thanks to Melanie for these great images...they really capture a glimpse of the Fair...wouldn't it be great if she turned up in Atlanta!!??!!

It's wonderful to know these many talented women and Melanie - you are one among them...thanks for casting your lens about the tent and hope to see you again soon...

xxoo Jen

bat wings & witches brew...

I absolutely adore this time of year...the leaves, the decorations, the excuse to bake as temperatures cool, and yes, everything pumpkin-flavored...

So if the caramel apples on the cover of the new issue of FOLK magazine were not enough to make me snatch it up and devour it, one page after another of delicious articles would.

Congrats to Ben Ashby on this issue...he agrees it's the best yet.  With it -- he and his crew xxoo to Heath and Hillary -- have arrived.  

 

The truth is, I like these folks 

(do I mention now they are utterly adorable and just 24 years old a piece) 

well enough that I would buy just about anything they were selling. 

 

But the fact of the matter is, they have -- with this 7th issue - produced a REALLY, REALLY -- did I say REALLY - good magazine....they have matured in style and substance, printing and well, you need to read this issue and fall in love with their tag line ----  Real. American. Living.

 

Here's a peek at the piece I did for the issue...Earth Angels fans will spot oodles of shots of Hotcakes Designs as well as a peek at creations Melody Elizabeth, Cheryl Kuhn and Jennifer Lanne...

 Thanks to Allie for being a great model.It was a crazy busy day here the day we shot this piece and all the new Lisa Leonard "heartfelt" designs (more on that day soon...)

If you did not yet order your copy, yes, we have them in stock... 

just click here to order. For $7 it's a whole lotta good reading and supports a start-up business.

Thanks to Ben once again for joining our circus 

at the recent Country Living Fair in Columbus...

If you have not yet heard, Ben will be a special guest in our Earth Angels Tent at the Atlanta Country Living Fair next month and will be signing his latest issue during our Early Buyers Breakfasts...as will Jo Packham.

Stay tuned for more.

xxoo Jen

...work in progress and Mud-Cakes PROMO...

ok all...we are getting used to the new site and the new email marketing system, and we have had our fair share of mix-ups, mess ups and downright glitches...

It's what you call...a work in progress.

And like anything you want to be great, it takes time.

That said, I am thrilled to be rolling along with the new site and the new systems...

My plan is to email at least a newsletter each week with some newsy notes and arrivals, and YOU BETTER WATCH out...a SALE or special PROMO

SO...pretty please read those emails we send you if you want to catch a bargain...

This week it's 30% off on Mud-Cakes with promo code 

BigFall30 at checkout through Sunday only

We all know I adore Laurie and her work, so it seems like the right thing to celebrate her new additions to the site with a big sale...

Can you beat that?

And just look at what Laurie has been up to lately...

She wowed them at the Country Living Fair in Ohio where she hosted demos of mixed media painting under the shade of an old apple tree next to our big tent.

It's wonderful to watch her paintings come to life under layers and layers of paint...paper...fabric and more.

 Here's my fave...I love Laurie's classic girls, and one they have a crown on -- forget it!

 I love how relaxed and focused she is when she works...

 Thankfully the weather cooperated most of the weekend so she could spread out her works in progress...

Here she is with her daughter Sophie....

Sophie was a little girl when I met her. Now, a grown up young lady, she spent the weekend with the Earth Angels as an assistant in the tent...

Thanks to Laurie for the wonderful new works...See them all on the site...

And enjoy this sale and do keep at eye on the BLOG, facebook and your email for more news on the artists, arrivals and fun sales too.

xxoo Jen

...Wonderland, Wiley & Earth Angels...

...I first saw Nancy's art about 15 years ago...

It's hard to really remember that far back in the doll world, and all those small shows I frequented, NiADA, Idex, Toy Fair and more...but then when her doll art made the cover of George magazine with Demi Moore in an avant garde puppet costume of her creation, it was impossible for everyone not to notice her work.

The years have passed and I have remained an admirer.  Even better I have gotten to know Nancy through Jo Packham and the wonderful world of Where Women Create...as for Nancy's work, it has simply gotten better and better...

 

So I am truly  thrilled I am to welcome her as the newest Featured Artist of Earth Angels Studios...

 We're still putting the finishing touches on her page but I was too excited to wait to share the news.

Nancy's work is incredible and such a testament to her many talents...painting, sculpture and illustration...

Nancy perhaps tells her story best in her own words...

here is an excerpt from her site:

"My artistic journey has certainly followed a circuitous route. I was sidetracked from my initial interest in children's illustration when I apprenticed my brother, William Wiley (a very talented doll artist who passed away in 1991). Bill encouraged me to try "his" medium and I was captivated. The way I bridge the gap from painting on a flat canvas to creating an art doll is to view the doll as a 3D canvas. I paint features in oil as I would for a portrait and I believe this is one of the small differences that define my style. When I recently photographed my work to serve as illustrations for the classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland storybook, I felt I had come full circle."  

I adore Alice and have had this wonderful unabridged Alice in Wonderland on my shelf since it was released, I was thrilled to post "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" to the site today...

Like her rendition of Red Riding Hood, doll characters tell their tale on elaborate sets of her making...

The circle has continued well round with her latest book just released this year...

Little Red Riding Hood...

The illustrations are actually photographs of dolls in elaborate stage sets in which The Wolf and Little Red tell their tale. The beautiful scenes incorporate painting, sculpting and storytelling.

 And here are her main characters as dolls we're offering -- they've leapt right from the pages of her book!

Both the dolls and books are now available on the site...

Thanks to Nancy for these amazing works -- it's my honor to include her on our site.  

And you can read more about Nancy on her site and in this book of her art...

Thanks again to Jo and the Rochester ladies for the great day yesterday...

xxoo Jen