Heather Smith Jones

in the garden

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon was so beautiful I decided to spend time in the garden.

Happy Weekend!
H

moments

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

recent favorite photos by others } 1. July 5, 2. Untitled, 3. Frank's Garden, 4. summer sandals

Hi,

* This morning I walked into a store and saw an older woman standing at her cart and putting something into her purse. At that moment, for no particular reason, seeing her caused me to remember and imagine my grandmother putting something into her pocketbook. {She always called a purse a pocketbook.}

* I went into another store and all the rows of shiny, clear plastic coat hangers clicking next to each other took me back to my childhood summers. My grandparents would take us girls shopping from time to time at the mall and this moment brought to mind a certain Esprit shirt they got for me.

* Then at the far end of a parking lot there was an older gentleman lifting a woman from her wheelchair and placing her into the passenger side of the car. I don't know the relationship but imagined they were husband and wife. I instantly felt an ache in my whole body and tears under my eyelids and thought of his care for her and of course imagined, what if this were us?

These moments gather together and arrest me in my hurry. I've been in such a hurry lately. Hurry up and pull weeds, hurry up and vacuum, hurry through preparing dinner, and even hurry up to finish a project. This mode doesn't make for the best results. And yet, I don't imagine this weekend will be any less of a hurry for us but I'm looking ahead to next week, when we will indeed slow down.

I will at least try to notice moments in the meantime and hope you have a weekend full of memorable ones,
H

a recipe in disguise

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:38:00 +0000

a few scenes from the weekend. if for some reason you'd like to see these closer, click here

Howdy,

So I'm rather up to my earlobes in projects at the moment but I wanted to tell you hello today and share a little recipe. Last night we made stuffed peppers using our garden squash, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers and they were quite tasty.

Here's the recipe we made up :

1} Cook a cup of quinoa.

2} Chop/dice and add to mixing bowl then stir together:
1 onion
a couple garlic cloves
1 zucchini
1 squash
some tomatoes
hand full of fresh basil
drizzle in some soy sauce & unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
sprinkle w/ sea salt & pepper
{We discovered this mixture is quite good as a snack with corn tortilla chips while you wait for the peppers to cook.}

3} Cut out the tops/stems of bell peppers {we had seven with more stuffing leftover} and scoop out the seeds. Layer quinoa, then veggie mixture into peppers. Add cheese and use your thumb to smoosh it down. Place upright in foil containers, cover with foil and cook on the grill. Yum.

Tonight I'd like to grill some fresh peaches. How about you? What are you cooking these days?

Enjoy,
H

monday

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Hi,

Rachel is updating her shop right now with new film prints. Her imagery will surely take you to other places and gazing at them is really like taking a mini vacation. Who doesn't need that? She also has a feature in the new Somerset Life magazine which I cannot wait to see.

M. and I took a break over the weekend in celebration of our anniversary today. It really was so nice. We spent the day yesterday out and about, visiting some of our favorite local places including the Spencer Museum of Art, where the painting above is from. My mind always fills with ideas when we visit museums.

And now I feel a bit quiet, mostly because I need to focus on a number of studio related things this week and put all these swarming ideas to paper.

So I bid you a fantastic day,
H

saturday

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Although I didn't purchase these particular flowers from the farmer's market this morning, I do like them. Do you know what they are called? I picked up a few stems of yellow yarrow and purple something-or-other instead. We also got a dozen ears of fresh sweet corn, a handful of tomatoes to tide us over until ours are ripe, and a few red potatoes. I can't wait for that corn, I imagine we will throw some on the grill tonight with slabs of zucchini & squash from the garden. Yum yum.

Hope you're having a nice weekend,
H

a garden of goodness

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:40:00 +0000

I adore the black & white and watercolor illustrations of this children's book, "Johnny Crow's Garden". The text leaves a visible impression in the pages which, of course, I find intriguing as well. The story is about a slew of animals who have particular predicaments and other animals help them out. In the end they all sit down at the table for supper. How sweet is that? And as most good children's books, this one has a pleasing rhyme to it. "Johnny Crow's Garden" is one of a few antique children's books I have and like to collect. If you'd like to see an image of it closer, please click here.

Well the cat still has my tongue about my new drawing, yet I am letting the cat out of the bag about one thing. I owe a HUGE thank you to Julie & Kathryn, the fabulous ladies behind Perfectbound for writing the Blog Beautiful feature in UPPERCASE MAGAZINE 2 about little ol' me. I was going to wait until the magazine actually arrived in my mailbox to tell you but Janine kindly posted this yesterday and well, I just was too excited!

} You will NOT want to miss echoes today, as we will be featuring the work of a very special guest. And let me tell you, this piece is a show stopper! Trust me. It's awesome. And the artist herself is amazing.

I hope you have a great weekend; M. and I will be celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary! {How did that happen already?!}

H

lettuce & mint

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Good morning,

I was working on a completely different post for today but my words are fumbling out. I wanted to share with you a new work in progress, one that is part of {this} {series} yet I think I just have too much on my mind that I can't think straight. So when that happens, I go for simplicity. Hopefully tomorrow the cat will give back my tongue.

Congratulations to Petula of YellowGoat Design as she is Blogger of Note! Thank you too Petula for such a thoughtful interview.

take care,
H

BRMBH

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:29:00 +0000

A while back I swiped this from some s-t-u-f-f my mom has that belonged to her mother. It's a tissue packlet {yes I mean packlet, for lack of a better word} that says "BETTER REST MAKES BETTER HUSBANDS". I saw it as we were going through things in old dresser and desk drawers and found it to be such a comical treasure. In it's comedy lies some real truth, no? And I cannot myself disagree with it's statement nor can I read it without saying aloud in my best southern accent of course, "Honey, ain't that the truth!" or something to that effect.

And oh, it should be noted, that while designing my jotters {thank you for all your kind comments lately about my jotters too!} I made some small books in this matchbook style with hand painted covers. An idea which still needs to be ironed out, if at all. Anyway,,,

} The new Mankind Mag : the lazy issue is out today! {and I think in it there may be a little piece from me. I have yet to see...}

H

making a jotter

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Howdy,

I thought I'd show some pics today and share briefly a bit of my jotter making process :

{images are top > bottom & left > right}

1 & 2} All the types I use are antique and printed on our 1930's Vandercook proof press which I believe I've mentioned previously, is a gift from my husbands' family. I mix the ink colors by hand and roll the ink onto the type by hand.
3 & 4} Next I trim all the inside paper on the paper cutter and stitch the binding using a linen twine. Then I round all the corners using a hand-held corner rounder. {I was introduced to bookmaking/binding over ten years ago while I was a studio assistant and resident artist at Arrowmont when I took a class taught by Dolph Smith. I loved it!}
5 & 6} Then I make the button closure selecting a vintage button from my box to coordinate with each jotter. {I've had these buttons a long time and years ago I color coded them, wondering why on earth I was taking time to do that. Well, now it has paid off!}
7 & 8} Then I print the bookmark that goes inside the jotter with JOT letterpressed at the top and my name and website at the bottom {seen here} and package them up. {Have I ever mentioned I adore packaging and wrapping parcels? Well I do.}

This morning I just listed some brand new jotters in the shop that have cowboys, coffee kettles, tractors, roses, anchors, and other western style imagery. I hope you can go take a peek.

} This post of Rachel's is so good, and she's going to have a shop update this Friday with new ocean inspired photographs.

Thanks for stopping by today,
H

weekending

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:38:00 +0000

A little more from the weekend.

I made a peach pie yesterday and was quite happy with how it turned out. The sweet/tart harmony tastes just right to me as I prefer things on the tart side with just an air of sweetness. The recipe? Cut up fresh peaches, squeeze some lemon juice and a few dashes of sugar, cinnamon & cornstarch and pour over Mom's pie crust recipe. Dollop with butter and bake till golden. It will make your taste buds happy and the aroma, the aroma will take you back.

} I like this post of Gracia's.
} Home Sweet Home

enjoy your Monday,
H

*

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:18:00 +0000

{an unusual siamese squash from our garden | blanket ready for downtown events and watching fireworks in the sweet bag made by Sarah | I think I like the BOOM and smoke trails as much as the sparkle and sizzle of fireworks. Plus we were happy to have the fireworks back downtown this year!}

Howdy,

I hope you're enjoying your long weekend. I'm enjoying ours too so I think those cowboy jotters won't be ready tomorrow, it will probably be Tuesday.

Happy rest of your weekend,
H

beans, peaches, friends & cowboys

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Good morning,

We're harvesting tons of green beans from our garden lately {anyone care for some?} and have been eating them nightly. We also tried an experiment that turned out quite tasty. We boiled our kohlrabi with potatoes, mashed them with a little butter {of course} and ample sea salt and cracked pepper. We also cut our first two yellow squash into slabs, marinated, and grilled them. Yum. This morning I felt like a scrambled egg & toast. I have yet to bite into that peach, but am so looking forward to it.

Tonight our friend Justin Marable has a show opening at the Mulvane Art Museum. Way to go Justin! Woohoo! So anyone in the Topeka area, head on out, he'll give a few remarks at 5:30.

I'll be making jotters today {here's a peek at the cowboys} and decided I will have them in the shop this Monday morning, 7/6.

Have a stellar 4th weekend!
H

Inspired

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Do you remember the Inspired collaboration Jen and I did last year? Well, guess what?! We're starting it up again, this time by doing one pair a month through the end of the year. And there just may be a surprising twist/bonus finishing it off!

So to begin, she sent me her above photo to which I will respond by making a drawing/painting/print. We'll post the two pieces together at the end of July here and at Jen's blog. Yay! It will be so fun to do this again. :)

} And a big thank you Melissa for the sweet surprise post about echoes! {That Melissa is a gem, isn't she?!}

Now I must get back to work on the cowboy jotters and if I don't see you, have a happy long fourth of July weekend!
H

howdy 2

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:19:00 +0000

ps. I forgot to mention earlier today to check out echoes. We're posting all summer long on M/W/F. Thanks!

howdy

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

This morning I woke up wanting cinnamon toast so I'm munching on some toast and sipping my french press coffee, dee-licious.

So I've been printing cowboys, horses, roses, stars, and 'homes on the range'. I'm really enjoying the antique, western themed letterpress type we have and putting them together to make imaginary stories. These particular prints will be used to make new jotters which I hope to have ready in the next couple days. I'll let you know when they're in the shop.

} There's another great group of guest at habit for July. I'm excited my good friend Alicia is one of them. :)
} Modish BIZ Tips offers 7 reasons why shop owners need to blog with encouragement and helpful reminders. {And I was totally floored to see my name on that list among such respected bloggers. Thank you Jena. :)}
} How awesome is this vintage perpetual calendar?

Happy first day of July,
H

patterns and stamp carving

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Yesterday I carved into this very old, easy-cut stamp block I had. I wondered to myself, 'why have I never done anything with this?' Have you carved one before? It is really easy to cut, much easier than linoleum, and alot of fun. Now I'm not sure what I'll do with these little blocks {tags? postcards? package/envelope decor? anything at all?} but Geninne {a lovely artist} has some ideas and, as a side note, undoubtedly the cutest puppy ever.

more patterns to be found }
} tiny happy is indeed a happy place.
} Kerstin's/Shash's sewn work.
} love birds purse
} journal by Jen

Happy day to you,
H

hello

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Good morning,

Our cooler temps here yesterday really refreshed me, as did a one hour nap, weeding all our around our tomato plants and planting a few "buy one get one free" {sweet!} annuals where our springtime bulbs had finished, and having M. home was so nice. Was your weekend rejuvenating I hope?

So, I've been feeling inspired to simplify and change some things about my online presence. For instance, I tweaked a few things on this blog and sometimes I wonder about trying typepad. But then moving everything seems daunting. And too I go between etsy and big cartel and I have arguments for each so that's another recurring ping pong question in my mind. I really like my etsy shop but I wonder what I could do at big cartel. I think sometimes I just want to start over, do you know what I mean? I'm even considering the work I put into my shop and changing that. ~ Hmmm, way too many questions for a Monday morning.

Lastly, I really miss taking polaroids. I took this one two summers ago and I keep coming back to it. I wish the film, where you can find it, weren't so dang expensive. Ahhh well.

} MISC photographs by Gustav Gustafsson, especially the nest and ocean images.
} I like this necklace and most all the textural pieces at bumblesea.

So, hello Monday,
H

reflecting

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:27:00 +0000

spurs of un-understandable events, graphite, handmade watercolor, c. pencil on paper, image size 3.75 in. x 5 in., framed, available here.

Good morning,

Feeling reflective, I've been looking through my previous work, wondering and thinking of how the mysteries and unexplainable in life can inspire art.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.. his eyes are closed." ~ Albert Einstein

I hope you have a wondrous weekend,
H

more from the studio

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:38:00 +0000

Howdy,

Above is the drawing I mentioned yesterday I'd show you, the one where I solved the problem. Do you know what solved it for me? Printing the big barge across it. The whole piece needed something to transcend the edges of the house shape, something dark, and masculine. It also repeats the blue waves drawn within the triangle roof and furthers the idea behind the title, "CARRY". It was a voila moment. I love it when that happens. I believe it's finished or nearly, perhaps a detail or two. But I'm letting it thoughtfully rest a bit. I'm making lots of notes right now & it seems my table is rather ~~messy~~ busy.

} I have been thinking about Rauschenberg a bit while working on these new pieces. {Untitled, 1952}, {Barge}.
} Ray Johnson

I think I may also make some jotters today, we'll see. I have a small stack of cows printed & ready to turn into something.

H

* * * *

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:15:00 +0000

Yesterday felt like a good studio day mainly because I solved a problem on a drawing, which I'll show you tomorrow. Also I began this piece with the root, orange lines, and letterpress crown within the house shape. "Good" studio days make me happy beyond coherent description.

} I'm glad to see new breakfasts again here, aren't you?
} Thank you Jen/painted fish studio for the post about my work. :)

till tomorrow,
H

summer squares

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Yesterday I added four new watercolor pieces to the shop, part of the {mini} summer squares series. I incorporated colored pencil and watercolor crayon in these four and the drawn areas makes these abstract pieces feel landscape oriented to me; something I was very aware of in the process.

I'm also working on a mixed media piece that this one launched.

} Jeana is having a giveaway of one of her hand-dyed petticoat pieces!
} Thank you to Tara for guest posting with us at echoes this week!

Oh, they just said on the radio we are still under a heat advisory, sigh... I guess I'll just have to keep cool with some berry tart, eh?

H

sweet weekend

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Good morning,

Wow the weekend flew by, didn't it? On Saturday my reward for helping M. tackle our mountain of recycling, was to attend a fun pARTy at Aimee's house. Her friend Jen drove down from Minneapolis to show us how to make handmade soaps and lip balms. How fun is that?! So we all got to have a turn and I enjoyed making some lip balms with Amanda, who is super sweet. It was fun to be able to meet some bloggy friends.

Yesterday I made this Fresh Berry Tart with Toasted Nut Crust from the July/August issue of Vegetarian Times. Since the issue came mid last week I have made the Chewy Picnic Brownies twice, which are part of a beach inspired picnic feature in which Jen Gotch does all the photography. And I have now made this Tart, with my own alterations, since I didn't have a tart pan or greek yogurt. And it is delicious! I was excited to make a recipe using our garden raspberries and this one is a cool, not-too-sweet dessert, with refreshing orange zest and a nutty crust. It's a hit here! Now, I will make something other than dessert next from that magazine. I will, I will!

It's going to be super hot here this week. I wish I had woken up earlier this morning, as my plans for this morning include working in the garden.

Stay cool peeps,
H

a drawing & inspiration

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:09:00 +0000

{graphite, watercolor, c. pencil, letterpress on paper, 12.5 in. x 18 in.}

Take a look at this antique flocked Schumachers wallpaper, given to me along with a stack of paper {including this drawing paper} by my mother-in-law. Isn't it great? I think so, so I painted part of the pattern into my new piece yesterday when I began putting my floating ideas to paper. But before I talk about this new work I'm going to keep going in the series.

} I find the whiteness and labor of making all the holes in this installation by Daisuke Hiraiwa just amazing. Here's another view.
} Cathy Cullis is having a giveaway of one of her lovely stitched pieces at her new blog.

Have a bright weekend!
H

and a very special ps. ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! ~

post card series

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Good morning,

I realized I don't think I've really mentioned to you what my echoes summer is... series entails. Have I? I've chosen to make a series of post cards, because writing post cards from vacation spots to loved ones typifies summer to me. {Although I see no vacations in my future, that's beside the point.} So I set, in various type "POST CARD" on the letterpress to resemble an old fashioned card and printed them on my proofs and plain cotton paper. With each I plan to add imagery and write a note to someone, a mystery person when posted, and mail it to them as a surprise, hoping it may brighten their day.

} Seeing Laura Normandin's wedding shots yesterday was a bright spot, for sure!
} And thank you Chelsea for the post on my new summer watercolors at {frolic!} !
} Be sure and stop by echoes tomorrow when we'll be posting selections from the echoes flickr group.

I hope you have a good day,
H

in recent days...

contact@heathersmithjones.com (heather smith jones) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:31:00 +0000

...we drove to visit M.'s family; removed {by using a cat's claw & hammer} 100 year old cedar siding to use on our house; I printed some red vehicle postcards; have been working on echoes {read Emily's great thoughts on echoes}, made some watercolors and just added them to the shop; and have been trying to work in the garden around the rain.

There have been other daily chores like cleaning the house & studio and cleaning out the fridge. {whoop-de-doo!} So I feel like my thoughts of late have been mostly about the task at hand and not incredibly inspired or poetic. Oh well, the tide goes in and the tide goes out. And sometimes when it's way out, you can find good shells.

H