like i promised...
there's a new poster up in the shop!
{share our name poster - $20}
plus i brought back some old loves from back in the day...
check it out and think bright for spring decorating!
oxoxoxoxoxo

hey there, friends!
whew – it's been hectic around here –
please forgive my lack of melanie's market goodness updates!

man-o-man. need a fantastic raisin muffin for the morning?
these little beauties were amazingly tasty
and not like those muffins from weis
that pack in some serious sugar and calories.
(plus, who knows what some of those bizarre-o
hard-to-pronounce ingredients are in there? yikes!)

point is – get them from melanie and feel happy, not freaked out!

in the essence of spring she made this lovely little pound cake
with sweet little robin eggs on top.
LOVE.

as always she had beautiful flowers –
looking like the perfect st.patty's bouquet, huh?
mmmm i'm like a koala for eucalyptus.

two types of energy bars which i personally love.
packing in protein minus the sugar? yes, thank you.

our little tasting of the week was the spring pound cake and the raisin muffin.
both were amazing as always. i hope to get a bunch of those muffins this week (along with my usual: lavender cookies).

oh how i love this little adventure.
every week i can't wait until thursday rolls around.
i do my printing in the morning and then head to the market
to treat myself for working so hard.
hope all of you are making time to do the same...
xoxoxoxox

xoxoxoxox

check out the inspirational co-founders of fab.com in this little video...

my favorite thing about them and their business
is how their success ultimately came directly out of failure.
acknowledging the failure, looking at it with a critical eye,
and then choosing to make change –
some of my favorite things to do in life...
it's what makes life worth living.
xoxoxoxoxox

oh! i'm too excited –
check out this beautiful book i just picked up:
i heart stationary by charlotte rivers...

there are so many lovely artists
and such beautiful work throughout...

i love 1canoe2 – they make the most amazing letterpress items.
(i especially love their highlighted recipe cards!)

oh there are so many pages of goodness i can hardly stand it!

and then there's me!!!
aaaaaaahhhhhh
i LOVE this.
(plus i'm next to gemma correll who just blows my socks off)
i'm so honored and flattered and gitty with excitement.
thank you universe! and of course, charlotte.
the book is amazing.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

whooooohooo!
european fab, here i come...

since my sale went so well in the US
i'm having a campaign run in the end of march on fab.de

unfortunately, you won't be able to check it out here in the states
but if you have any euro-friends who may interested –
please pass along the exciting news!
wish me luck.
hope i'm as well received there
as i am here in my old, "home town".
xoxoxoxoxox

did you know? there's a calendar SALE going on over at the shop?
in honor of leap year all calendars are 50% OFF this week!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

that's right – i'm looking for a summer intern!
could it be you? do you know someone who might LOVE
to learn how to make their design talents into a
teeny-weeny yet substantial business?
if so, read on for internship details...

important bullets:

• internship (unpaid - besides cupcakes and glitter)
begins may 30th and will end june 28th.

• applicant would be advised to live near the kutztown area.

• lucky little intern will only have to report to my studio 2-3 days/week.

• internship will include a final project: awesome you will get to help me
design/build my first-ever 2013 product catalog
to share with reps and wholesalers nationwide.

• intern MUST be proficient in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as well as own (and be able to use everyday) a laptop with both installed for the duration of the the internship.

highlights:
good music plays all day, cute studio dog included,
plus pond for swimming and beautiful views.

if this all sounds totally rad to you please click on the side button to apply!
xoxoxoxoxox

hey party people!
finally. here i am with a fields and french hens update –

so, 2 weeks ago was melanie's 1 year anniversary and we got to enjoy all the many bits of it!
i discovered my new indulgence – her fresh fruit turnovers. flaky deliciousness with no butter. my hubs says they're so good it's impossible! that's how talented she is...

how cute are these?

and look at these sweet little all-natural chocolates. mmmm

also, i grabbed some of these scallion cheddar pop-overs which were amazing.
hopefully she'll have more next week!

and then there was this... a peanut butter bomb.
haven't tried it yet – i've got to pace myself!

and our special gifts were complimentary tea and a beauty of a bag!
how nice is that. what a perfect thursday lunch trip.
(didn't get a good shot of that delicious looking blueberry shortbread
down there but i will next time because man that thing was good!)

now that you're mouths are watering –
happy tuesday everyone!
xoxoxoxoxox

total sucker for a doggy themed treasury!
thanks so much, samantha.
xoxoxoxoxo

whew! it's been busy around here!
my fab.com sale was a success (insert cheer here)
and now i'm working hard on filling the large order.

as you can see below i set up my own little sweatshop...

super big thanks to mom, dad and gram for the help!
gabbing and laughing for hours made the time and work fly by.

even more awesome (which i never expected) some of my items sold out within the first hour and people went on to purchase their favorites for regular price from my etsy shop!
how cool is that? i give a serious thumbs up to the fab team and their radical company.

oh, here's kritter doing her usual "supervising" over the job site...
(fyi: if you buy from my etsy shop she's overseen your order from start to finish and never lets anyone knock on the door - not even a little bit.)

anyway, thanks so much to fab.com, fab members/customers,
and to my friends and family who help me in so many ways...
xoxoxoxoxoxox

new calender in the shop just now –
{LAST YEAR EVER - only $20!}
quick one inspired by our good friend, HM.
simple and to the point...
happy thursday!
xoxoxox

new to the shop today –
{share our name - only $45}
i've put together this simple little banner (with my super favorite font combos) inspired by some friends getting married + the awesome lyric from the avett brothers.
"always remember there was nothing worth sharing
like the love that let us share our name."
man, that song is so good.
stay tuned for more since i have a few more items
featuring the same sweet words...
xoxoxoxox

happy valentine's day!
x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

well, mine has started off great as i hope yours has, too!

my sweetheart/best-bud surprised me with photos/notes from our many memories that started at the top of the stairs and went around the house. i'm so very lucky i just can't put it into words.

and to wrap it up we'll have a nice romantic dinner at the trapp door.

(which is sooo amazing - if you've never been - go!)

now for my valentine studded re-cap from fields and french hens...

how lovely, right? i love her baking style!
plus she always has some pretty fresh flowers hanging around.
you can tell how much love and thought goes into everything she does.

i grabbed this beauty below (strawberry cake)
to celebrate my ma-in-law's birthday.
it 's so nice when you can have cake at lunch and not feel like you have a rock in your belly after-wards! it's was super cute and so delicious!

and for our taste-tests we tried her donuts – which were SO good.
especially dunked in coffee! and...

the real show-stopper (for me): amazing little lavender cookies.
shortbread cookies covered in white chocolate and topped with lavender.
oh. my. goodness.
have you ever eaten lavender? it's soo lovely with this combination.
peppery, soothing, deliciousness, sent straight from heaven.

if you're thinking about going this weekend (thursday, friday, saturday)...
it's her 1 year anniversary and she's got a great sale going on. plus free cup of tea and gifts for all her patrons! so, make a special trip with your honey and walk around the market for a date this weekend. i promise it'll be a good time.
xoxoxoxox

aaaahhhh!
my million-view debut on fab.com!

super duper thanks to everyone who has
helped me get to make my dreams come true...
xoxoxoxoxox

hey friends!
here's a little sneak peek into some work we've been doing around the house...
our kitchen was a deep mustard color that made it surprisingly dark
so we gave it a fresh coat of white and light grey...
it's so much brighter i can hardly believe it!
who knew yellow could be such a drag?

here's the morning sun shining in
and really showing off the light reflection!

now we just have to figure out what color to paint over the deep red door there... any suggestions? we were planning on black but have now been considering a bright pop –

here's the same side of the kitchen at night –
the white plaster really helps make it feel clean
and the black molding gives a crisp edge.

obviously this house has a ton of wood and stone so i'm trying to find ways to brighten and add a bit of modern juxtaposition...
for more of what i'm talking about check out my home inspirations on pinterest!
happy mid week, ya'll –
xoxoxoxoxoxo