Raindrops Dress

This weekend I tried to channel Tim Walker while photographing my first foray into toddler clothing, the hand crochet raindrops dress. I love this dress for many reasons. First, it's fair trade and hand crocheted by a wonderful group of Bolivian women. The lattice crochet pattern on the top yoke is really unique, and has a charming scallop crochet hem along the neckline and straps.

Second, I got to explore my raindrops pattern on the hem, which is hand stenciled, one of my favorite printing techniques.

And third--wood buttons. Nothing beats wood buttons. The wood beads on the drawstring waist comes in pretty close. Now available in the shop.

Day in the park

Wooden eggs and apples heading to the shop tomorrow. They took a detour and spent the day in the park sunning themselves.

Our hand painted solid wood eggs come in two sizes, Goose (large) and hen (small). Sold individually or as a set at missnatalie.etsy.com.

Wooden Army

It's late, and I should be making myself some dinner, but I can't resist posting these. The latest arrival to my studio--I feel as though I am building a wooden army with these eggs. I may need to make a bowling pin set (*note to self--get on that soon). The real gems are the goose eggs. Such a wonderful weight to them, and they look enormous in my tiny hands. Can't wait to get them into some even smaller hands this weekend for a photo shoot.

Now I just need a giant pot of gold to dip these into.

Lots of Love

I'm still recovering from the madness that was Renegade. It was, by far, one of the best and most fun shows I've ever done! The crowds were amazing, the vendors spectacular, and there was a great buzz of energy the whole weekend. Thanks for all the blog love we've been receiving this week--SFgirlByBay, Apartment Therapy, PoppyTalk (scroll to 7/14 posts) to name a few.

Speaking of posts, we finally have the Don't Forget Me lunch bags in the shop!! Check them out and snatch yours up soon, as we only have a handful in stock right now. I'm busy working on a huge new batch, but those won't be up until mid-August.

I like to hang mine directly on the front door knob so I don't walk out without it. Best of all, I never have to sort through the plastic bags in the office fridge, as this beaut always stands out!

Design*Sponge love

Grace posted a lovely photo and mention of our wooden apple boxes on Design*Sponge on Thursday. If you know me well, you know that I've been reading her blog for several years and can be found browsing it throughout the day. Through her posts, interviews, and ladies business nights, I've learned so much about how to take my ideas and turn them into a real business. One of my goals when I started Miss Natalie was to make it onto her blog, so it was real milestone for me. Thanks, Grace!

In other apple news, I'm working hard to get more and more apple boxes ready for this weekend at Renegade. I will have a big shop update on Monday, so check back then! If you're in SF this weekend, do swing by the Renegade show and say hello!

Chronicle Love

Miss Natalie received a lovely shout out on the Chronicle Books Blog today, care of Suzanne LaGasa. She interviewed me, along with several other fabulous Chronicle designers like Vanessa Dina, Kristen Hewitt, and Sandy Davis. I consider myself extremely lucky to work with these amazing folks everyday.

Wooden Eggs

We're getting ready for Renegade Craft Fair SF next weekend, so this weekend has been filled with busy studio time. I'm excited about launching a new line of hand painted wooden eggs at next week's show, along with a bunch of new wooden apple boxes. Here are some photos of the process, which is wonderfully meditative for me. I love seeing patterns take shape across a real object (instead of just a computer screen).

Halfway done...

Almost there...

Soon in the shop! If you'd like to see them in person, make a date for next weekend at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion from 11am-7pm. Renegade's done a fabulous job of pulling together some great vendors, and I'm really excited to have a booth close to one of my favorite shops, Mahar Dry Goods.

Scenes from a Farm Wedding

The head table before the reception starts. Decorated with local wildflowers and fresh apricots from one farm over (Full Belly Farms), the Bride's collection of blue glass, and of course, peacock feathers from the farm's most famous bird.

He made an appearance during the ceremony rehearsal the day before, but kept clear of the festivities the day of the wedding. He might have been a tad jealous of Kristi's dress.

Later in the evening, guests hit the dance floor for some high spirited square dancing in front of the barn. Square dancing has thankfully replaced the chicken dance at my most recent weddings.

Renegade Craft Fair SF

With the Capay wedding wrapped up, I'm back in the studio getting ready for the 1st annual Renegade Craft Fair SF. I'm so excited for this 2-day show! I've been following Renegade for a few years now, and am always envious of the great booths and crowds. My studio is going back into crazy mode--I didn't even have time to clean up from the wedding prep. Oh well. In my book, a cluttered studio with tools laying about is the sign of a studio in good use.