The Story Unfolds

Geemo @ Bubble Show

2008-08-16T14:53:00.002-04:00

While I was in NYC I spend some time at the Bubble trade show, which was so fun. Lots of wonderful designers, and among by favorite was Heroes Will Rise, who create this amazing toy named Geemo.

Geemo was a huge hit at the show, as you cannot not have a blast playing with it. Sold in Geemanisms of 6, Geemo's flexible magnetic limbs grab and repel each other in unpredictable ways. As Geemo comes to life in your hands, you can build, discover, create, and imagine with this new species of toy. It's made in Japan for kids' 3 years and up and is available online.

PoppyTalk Handmade

2008-08-11T16:59:00.003-04:00

I just got back from my whirlwind East Coast tour very early this morning and am still adjusting back to California time. I'll have many, many photos to share from my trip, which had me in Philadelphia, New York City, Queens (my hometown), Providence, and finally Martha's Vineyard. My first night was spent touring around downtown Philadelphia with Vanessa and Doug, who gave me the full historical tour of his hometown via tandem bike. Thankfully I got to sit in the back and just coast as he did most of the pedaling. What a way to see a city!

Also, check out our new wares at the PoppyTalk Handmade "School Days" market, which opens today. We have apple boxes, egg sets, lunch bags, and many more things to help you start the school year off right! Many thanks to Jan & Earl for their awesome support of Miss Natalie. PoppyTalk is such a wonderful blog and highlights a wide array of artists.

Raindrops Dress

2008-07-29T10:59:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-28T01:58:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-22T23:35:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-16T22:47:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-11T11:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-07T22:30:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-05T21:17:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-04T13:02:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-02T11:02:00.004-04:00

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.

Candle light in Capay

2008-06-30T22:03:00.004-04:00

The wedding in Capay was absolutely beautiful. I'm still recovering from all the setup and festivities, but couldn't resist posting some photos now. More to come shortly. All photos by Ben Lau.

Freshly printed

2008-06-22T12:42:00.003-04:00

Freshly printed muslin bags waiting to be stuffed with fresh lavender picked by the bride from the Capay Farm. We stuffed half last weekend and the scent was heavenly. I love that everything for the Capay wedding is locally grown, from the flowers to the food to the favors. It's only a week away, so this may be my last post until next week, when I'll be back with tons of photos of the big event. And probably a sunburn.

I heart my Pinking Sheers

2008-06-20T11:44:00.002-04:00

My house is full of linens right now, and that's the way I like it. If you've ever seen my mom's linen closets (yes, plural), you'd know where I get this from. While other parents sent their college kids care packages of cookies, my mom sent me towels and sheets.

For table decor at the wedding reception, I've been loading up on vintage sheets, which is much cheaper than buying fabric by the yard. The sheets have all been dyed in the cornflower blue signature color, with some nice variation. My trusty pinking sheers have been doing their part to get through the stacks, and after a run through the iron, these will be nice and crisp for the picnic tables. I gave up on my pinking blade rotary cutter a while back, as it just doesn't stay sharp enough. Anyone have recommendations for a good rotary pinking blade?

2 Weeks and Counting

2008-06-16T00:20:00.003-04:00

We went out to Capay this weekend to finalize decor plans for the wedding, 2 weeks away. This is the crazy old chicken coop, which has been cleaned out and repainted (on the inside) to serve as the bar/saloon. Guests will line up along this side (by the flower beds I'm standing in to take this shot), enter through the front door, and then go out the back entrance. We have big plans for this small and magical space.

Kristi and her Aunt Rie working on the bunting for the front porch of the house. Aunt Rie is the fastest seamstress I've ever seen. We put this project to her on Saturday evening, and by end of Sunday she was nearly finished. She also sewed Kristi's dress and embroidered Blair's shirt. Details of those to come after the wedding--wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

The large pecan tree that the head table will be in front of. I'm working on a wreath idea for the trunk, but not sure if it will work out exactly as planned in my sketchbook. It never quite does, but hopefully it will be something interesting to personalize this beautiful scene. Orange groves in the background.

An old, rusty wheel barrow along the back to the saloon. Not sure what we'll stick inside (ice with cold beer, flowers, wedding favors), but somehow this old beaut will be used.

Fashion on a Saturday morning

2008-06-14T13:02:00.004-04:00

I woke up early this morning and have spent the last hour flipping through my new favorite website, HEL LOOKS, a Helsinki-based street fashion blog, a'la Fruits. I love street fashion books, and used to flip through Teen Vogue for their feature "Street Fashion around the World". Here are my two other favorite sites for street fashion:

Street Pepper
Covering street fashion from Amsterdam to Zurich, with 22 cities in between. I love that you can easily compare hipsters from Seoul to Berlin. Whenever I browse this site, I find myself wishing for different weather in my own town.

The Sartorialist
Covering street fashion in NY, Paris, and Milan, this site is much less "those crazy kids", and much more "walking Vogue spread". Just as it's my goal one day to be featured on Design*Sponge, my best friend Kathy's goal is to be featured on The Sartorialist. I think we're gonna make it after all.

A breather

2008-06-10T11:04:00.003-04:00

This weekend was wonderfully quiet. Farmer's market, lazy dinners, and just hanging out. I wish I could say next weekend will be the same, but with the Capay wedding fast approaching, I doubt that. Photos to come soon as I prep for the event.

The Holy Grail

2008-06-08T16:28:00.004-04:00

After a week away for work, Ben came home with this old beauty. The Eames Lounge and ottoman has been his Holy Grail for the last few years and, after diligent searching, he finally found one in excellent shape at a thrift store. The price would make you weep, it was so good.

Hawkeye immediately decided it would be his new manly throne, but other than for this picture, he's definitely not allowed on it. It's much larger in person than you'd expect and gives our bedroom a rather bachelor pad feel, which is perfect because it was getting a tad too fem for a while there. I feel like it needs a ridiculously bright small pillow, though, to ground it with the rest of the room. Hmm, maybe the bizarro needlepoint pillow I swiped from my Aunt Aida could fit nicely? Updates to come.

Capsule Design Show, May 2008

2008-06-05T11:05:00.006-04:00

Hawkeye served as the welcome wagon for the Miss table @ Capsule. He did pretty good for the first couple hours, until some big poodles started to invade his space. He got sent to work in the back room after that. I think he has a bit of a Napoleon complex.

Our orange zest oatmeal raisin cookies were a hit (and cheap lure) with customers. Never underestimate the power of a cookie to make someone walk towards you. This show was of particular importance because it marked my one year anniversary of launching Miss Natalie. Capsule SF was the very first show I did with my good friend Jocelyn (of Nous Savons), and man, oh man, have we come a long way since then. Thanks to all our new and old friends for the support and encouragement to start this wild adventure. Ok, end of my oscar speech, I swear.

Places to hide your thoughts

2008-06-04T11:05:00.003-04:00

Hand painted wooden apple boxes that debuted at the Capsule show. These lovely 4 ladies have been shipped off to my friends at Rare Device, and I'm working on a big new batch to add to the shop soon.

The Daily Coyote

2008-05-26T14:34:00.002-04:00

I don't remember how I found this gem, but I've been fixated on The Daily Coyote lately. It's the daily journal of writer Shreve Stockton. In her own words:

Charlie is a wild-born coyote who was unexpectedly delivered to my doorstep this past April after both his parents were shot for killing sheep. Whatever reservations I had about raising a wild animal simply didn't matter - couldn't matter - when I realized his survival, at least in the short term, depended on me.

At the time I write this, Charlie is nearly six months old. I don't think of him as "my pet," even though he sleeps curled against me every night (every night except the nights around a full moon), and happily rides in my truck, and adores my cat. I don't wish to own him, just to live together in harmony. And that we do.

Her photos and tales of Charlie are amazing. It fulfills a deep childhood fantasy of mine to run away to the forest and live amongst the animals. This can be traced to my fascination with St. Francis and various Disney movies I watched while I was home sick from school.

Thriving on chaos

2008-05-17T12:27:00.004-04:00

I always thought I was the one sane person in my family who didn't take on twenty projects at a time, but after a phone call with my sister last night, I realized that was a complete fantasy. My sister takes multi-tasking to an art form, but she learned it all from our mother, who has a full time job, runs a major NIH-funded research project, and freelances--you know, just on the side. I've come to the conclusion that I thrive best when I have lots of balls in the air, but then I need short sabbaticals to recharge. Just when you think you're oh so different from your family, BAM! You find yourself growing up and being just like them. I can just see the high school version of myself rolling her eyes.

This weekend is all about the balance, as shown in the photo above of my two side businesses. Our growth charts have been kicking it around the blogs this week--thank you for all the lovely press! It's so exciting to see an idea realized, and watch it grow and spread. We're working through this insane Bay Area heatwave to get more charts made. The Capsule SF fair is fast approaching (next Sunday, May 25th!), so we have lots more to go.

Tonight I'm driving out to the Capay farm to get back to work on wedding preparations for one of my favorite clients, Kristi & Blair. We'll be hauling major river rocks up from the creek to mark paths and garden beds. Since it's going to be 98 tomorrow, I imagine we'll also be jumping in the creek a lot, as well. The photo above shows test prints of their wedding invitation, which was so fun to make. I'm going to post more photos of my client work soon, just another glimpse into my strange mind.

Speaking of, I forgot to mention that Poppytalk did a Miss Natalie Studio Visit last month! Check it out on their April 30th, 2008 post (scroll to the second entry).

Paper Nest

2008-05-12T21:35:00.003-04:00

I've been swimming in a sea of freelance lately, but am emerging to dive back into Miss Natalie work. Here are some remnants from this weekend's studio time. More braille notebooks in the shop soon.

Craft Maddness

2008-05-06T00:35:00.000-04:00

It's Monday night and I'm just now recovering from the madness that was Maker Faire. It was my first 2-day event, and from now on I'm scheduling a vacation day after 2-day shows. It was beyond amazing, but non-stop from dawn 'til dusk the entire weekend. We launched several new products this weekend and had amazing feedback. Our dresses and growth charts were flying, and hankies made a comeback with the Maker crowd.

We only have a few onesies left after our crazy "It's almost Summer" sale. After much love and thought, I've decided to put Miss Natalie onesies on hold to focus on toddler clothing.

Speaking of, here are some shots of our new hand crocheted summer dresses. They are the perfect dress for long summer days, with a hand stenciled pattern and red ribbon along the hem. Made of 100% cotton, and back in the store soon.

We met lots of wonderful folks, and can't wait to visit the amazing Molly & Ashely of Ambatalia Fabric Society at the Mill Valley store. Thanks to all our new and old friends for coming out to the show. For those of you interested in the field recordings, check out Walker Mettling's site The Pedestrian. For info on Strange Encounters, the book we were selling on Sunday, contact Ben Lau at elixir356@gmail.com.

Maker Faire this Weekend

2008-05-02T16:30:00.002-04:00

It's total madness in my studio right now as we get ready for the 2-day bonanza that is Maker Faire! We can't wait to set up tomorrow morning at Cypress Hall at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. We'll be there both Saturday and Sunday, from 10am-6pm, as part of the Bazaar Bizarre. Lots of new products launching, plus special booth guests who will provide entertainment, music, and stories. Stop by and say hello! We'll post photos soon. Find directions to the event here.