a big warm thank you

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Red Hot Art Festival this weekend. The weather was great...well, I would have been ok if it was about 15 degrees cooler, but it was warm and sunny! We got a lot of compliments on how cute our tent looked and how well our pieces looked together. I could not have had a better booth buddy. I would say my first festival was a success. I only wish I had a day off to relax, unpack and unwind. But already back to work. Happy Monday!

come see us this weekend!

I've been working like crazy while also preparing for the Red Hot Art Festival this weekend July 31 and Aug 1. If you are near Minneapolis definitely come check out our booth.

I'm joining forces with my friend Shanon of My Fine Garden and our booth is going to look adorable. I'll have my STELLA + HODGE jewelry, cards and prints there and some new stuff. Shanon will have her gorgeous photography and super cute bunting from her other shop Iris Made This. I'm in a mad dash to pull everything together in the next few days, but it should be a lot of fun.

Two days of fun in the historic Stevens Square-Loring Heights neighborhood of Minneapolis. You'll find 100 art booths, 25 bands and local food venders. Stop by and visit!

itizen - tell your story

Want to tell a story about an interesting item, gift or keepsake? Is there something really interesting about the history of that painting or a funny story about how you found that vintage necklace?

1. Tag it. You can put an itizen TRACKit tag on it. There are two kinds of Itizen TRACKit Tags: Stick-On Tags for hard stuff and Sew-On Tags for soft stuff.

2. Tell it. Register your code and share a story. Who made it, where it came from, how you got it, what made you want it, whatever you like.

3. Give it. Start the unique journey. Give it as a gift. Sell it in your shop. Or just pass it along to someone special. Ask them to add their own stories about it on itizen.com, using the TRACKit code

4. Track it. Follow the story. After you give or sell something, follow its continuing adventures through your Itizen account, with new chapters being added by all the people it meets. Who knows where it'll go?

I think this could be really cool for etsy shop owners. A great way to tell the story of their unique items! itizen.com

cynthia vardhan ceramics

I love anything with pattern. Vintage wallpaper, wrapping paper, fabric, you name it. I am now also in love with these dishes by potter Cynthia Vardhan. Each piece is hand-decorated with pigmented clay. Pieces also may include decals and metallic lusters which create additional layers. All of this gives the pieces their distinctive raised patterns. Simply Gorgeous. Visit her etsy shop CynthiaVardhan.etsy.com.

cuff cuteness

I am anxiously stalking my mailbox awaiting the arrival of my new Ponder and Stitch cuff. I love the vintage fabric and who can resist the adorable button closure! Amy will also  happily customize your cuff with an embroidered word or phrase. Love her shop. The hardest part was deciding which one to order. I'm awaiting the cute one below with the brown button, I love the turquoise roses and medallion print. It reminds me of vintage wallpaper. I've posted some other cuffs available in her shop.

Happy 4th of July weekend!

I'm anxious to get out of town to the cabin to enjoy the holiday weekend. I'm wrapping up my first month at my new job and am looking forward to a little escape. I rounded up some patriotic ideas for your holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Vintage tablecloth bunting by VintageHome
Guy Fieri's 4th of July Cocktail  
Jalapeno Cheeseburger from Epicurious
Fireworks Pompoms and Star Medallions by Martha Stewart

Need to brush up on your flag etiquette? Get some tips here.

cast iron bathtub couch

How funky is this couch! I love it. RuffHouseArt had so many requests for their one-of-a-kind couch, they decided to go into production. Colors and patterns can be customized to suit your decor.

damn you Apple

Every time I am happy with whatever Apple product I have. You have to come along and top it. I worship you iphone4. You have just been added to my wishlist. Two cameras for video calling. The sharpest highest resolution ever on a phone. HD video recording and editing. 5-megapixel camera with flash. Do I need to go on??? I heart you Apple. You are genius.

adorable dress discovery

How cute are these dresses!! Thimble and Acorn creates these dresses by recycling mens button down shirts. The cowl can either be worn buttoned or left open and each comes with a matching belt made from the mens shirt fabric. The rest of the dress is soft cotton jersey. What a unique and adorable dress. Love it!

art sale this weekend

If anyone will be in northern MN this Friday or Saturday, be sure to stop by. STELLA+HODGE is participating in an arts, crafts & antiques sale at my Aunt's house in Sturgeon Lake. Many talented artists & a variety of items in a charming location. Dawn will be hosting monthly sales all summer.

preparing for my next phase

Does anyone else get behind in blogging? I feel so guilty when this happens. And its almost like when you don't call someone back. The more time that goes by, the harder and harder it gets to pick up the phone. I've been terrible at posting lately. But here is what I have been up to...

I've been trying to get things in order before I start my new job in 6 days. This past year has been one of my toughest, and in many ways one of my greatest. Among many others in this terrible economy, I lost my job. A design job I really loved and when you work for a small company, it is very hard not to take it personally. My life felt turned upside down.

But almost always something good comes from something bad. Losing my job, gave me the nudge to open my etsy shop and start this blog. Something I had wanted to do for some time. And it allowed me to freelance and explore the possibility of permanently going that route. But after much soul searching I realized that working full-time for myself is not an option at this point in my life. It's a difficult path in this economy and even harder when you are single and do not have a spouse's income to fall back on. I have been yearning for stability and good benefits and people to interact with on a daily basis.

So I am thrilled to be going back to work. And thrilled to be working for a great company and entering the next phase of my life. I feel lucky. Next Monday I will be starting at Target, working in product design & development. I'm going from working at a 12 person design agency to working in-house for a huge corporation. I think it's going to be a great experience and I'm so excited for the opportunities that await.

In my last few weeks I have been busy tying up loose ends and also preparing for an upcoming out-of-town show, creating many new items. And last weekend I escaped for a few days to my family's cabin. So I'm hoping with more structure in my life I will get back into blogging regularly. And I hope you will still follow and read along :)

Nashville flood relief poster by little riley

My friend Carisa over at Little Riley designed this beautiful poster and is donating all proceeds to support the victims of the Tennessee Flood of 2010. It can be purchased by visiting her etsy shop littleriley.etsy.com.

books on shirts

I love this! What a great idea for book lovers. Out of Print Clothing celebrates the world's greatest stories through fashion. Their hip tees are printed with iconic book cover art. Even better, for each t-shirt sold, they donate one book to a community in need through their partner Books for Africa.

happy mother's day

Dear Mom
Thank you for the bazillion ways you have helped and supported me. There are too many to count. Thank you for ungrounding me when I begged and begged. For standing up for me when my math teacher told you, "girls aren't supposed to be good at math." For buying me a Cabbage Patch Kid when I had to have one because everyone else did. For always being thoughtful and caring. And for always saying I was your favorite :)

❤ Devon

P.S. Happy Mother's Day to the rest of the amazing mothers out there too.