Blog — slow living
Shop my scarves in person - at a very special gift shop near Boston!
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Exciting news - in addition to my online shop, scarves with my designs can now be purchased at a retail store at Garden In The Woods in Framingham, MA - about 30 minutes away from Boston. Garden In The Woods is a unique botanical garden that belongs to Native Plant Trust, formerly known as New England Wildflower Society - a non-profit organization promoting planting botanicals native to New England. Native plants are better for the environment in many ways, from supporting native pollinators to thriving in our climate conditions, and so much more! Native Plant Trust offers walks and tours...
Kraft floral art prints are here - rustic & cozy farmhouse charm for your home
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As a proud owner of an old New England house built in about 1840s, I have a soft spot for all things rustic farmhouse. We asked a local enthusiast to look into the history of our home and oh the treasures he found - I get to keep the photocopies of all the existing deeds on the house - first written in quill, then created on a typewriter, then the fax-type font from the 1980s and 90s, and finally, your typical Times New Roman of the new era. In this Library of Congress 1878 map of Ashland, our house is present and...
My pattern is featured in Spoonflower Fall 2023 Look Book
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Wow, what a moment! Let's be honest, every Spoonflower designer dreams of making it to their look book and other marketing materials. While this platform is full of amazing talent, it's really hard to stand out in the creative, skilled and experienced crowd, so I'm particularly honored and happy to be included! In case you don't know, Spoonflower is a print on demand company providing high quality printing on fabric, wallpaper and multiple home decor items. I am a very active Spoonflower contributor as I love designing patterns for wallpaper and large scale interior fabrics, but the platform also offers me the...
Let's talk about true inspiration
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I'll tell you a little secret dream of mine: I would really love to illustrate a stamp. I sent my submission over exactly a year ago to USPS (United States Postal Service) art commission and even received a reply from Washington DC that they'd put me on the list. Even though it seems virtually impossible, I'm not losing hope! I draw a lot of inspiration from snail mail (and "the old ways" in general!), vintage ephemera and botanical illustration. I have combined all these things in my Postal Reminiscence design. (It had been completed a couple years before I submitted my art to USPS!) It took a...
Rural Living Inspiration
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Another important aspect of Rural Living for me is my childhood. I have always been a city girl but every summer my parents took me to my grandmother's house in the south of Russia where life just seemed to slow down. That house was a time capsule with linens from the 50s, vintage perfumes, vinyl records and vintage wallpaper. All those things fascinated me. I helped in the garden and did lots of household work including sewing, cooking and cleaning. It wasn't all fun and glamour - oh not at all! Forget the dishwasher and other modern day wonders. But...