Greetings, Friends! It’s almost Valentine’s Day… I’m busy in the studio conjuring up gifts for the letter-lovers in your life. (Or for yourself!) We can use as much love as we can get these days, right?
Scroll down below this post for the most recent additions.
My physical shop remains closed to the public (except by appointment) until we’re a bit further along the pandemic road, but my Etsy Shop is open 24/7. I’ll be posting lots of heart/love-themed items on Instagram for the next month; feel free to follow along here. And, Thank You! (I DO love my customers and supporters!)
First up: These fun, funky chokers made from 1950s and 1980s ingredients – for those with “questionable” taste, perhaps? :0)
Click here to see my promo video with sneak peeks of new items! Then join Nan Sutton on Facebook Live (via the Downtown Beaufort Merchants Association page) from 6 to 8 p.m. to join in the fun, and do some shopping from your comfy couch!
Greetings, Letter Lovers! Usually my little posts are peppered with photographs I’ve taken, but today I’m sharing a few from one of my wonderful artsyletters customers, Eileen.
One thing I LOVE about being an Etsy seller is the contact made with folks from all over the country, and around the world. Eileen hails from Connecticut, a state still on my to-visit list, even more so after our brief interaction.
She ordered several packs of note cards, saying that she works in a small library and their staff was sending notes to patrons during this time of quarantine. (How great is that?!)
Eileen shared these pictures in her very kind reviews, saying, “I work in a small historic library and during this shutdown we wrote notes to all of our patrons, and these notecards were perfect to use to check in with the patrons to tell them we miss them!” Obviously, thoughtfulness is abundant in Eileen’s literary world. (And maybe her review is one reason I’ve been mailing out several more orders of literary combo pack cards recently! :0) )
Eileen and I exchanged brief notes about our hometowns, as she is hoping to make it to Beaufort in the not-too-distant future when things settle down. (I am hoping so, too, as I’d love to meet in person.) She sent this gorgeous photo of the Bill Memorial Library in Groton, “built in 1890 as a library overlooking the Thames River and adjacent to Fort Griswold, which played a big part in the Revolutionary War.”
She added, “Our Library is tiny but beautiful, a true neighborhood library.”
I made a little online visit, discovering that founder Frederic Bill had been a schoolteacher, publisher and bookseller, and then a merchant. Years after he had moved on from the business world, he wanted to honor the memory of his two sisters, Eliza and Harriet, with a library. I love this description of his aim, that “in the volumes collected there may be found that which will tend to stimulate a high ambition, strengthen good resolve, cultivate the taste an afford pleasure to all who may read them.”
A little more website sleuthing suggests that this is the kind of place sorely missed by its community right now, I’m sure. Enticing programs for all ages are the usual fare, including activities for teens and story times for the youngest readers and listeners. Whenever I can make a Northeastern journey again, I will plan a Connecticut detour to drop in to this gem of a library!
(PS – Did I mention how much I love my customers? ;0) Such interesting, generous people – I am always learning from them.) –Thanks to Eileen for allowing me to share these pictures, and for the support in these challenging days.
(*UPDATE*: 7-15: well, now I’ve gone and fractured a bone in my ankle. Not sure when I can resume regular hikes up the stairs & regular hours, but I hope soon!! Thanks. See above for latest! )
(UPDATE: The studio will be closed July 11 & 12 as I will be traveling out of town for a funeral. We’ll be open several days during Water Festival – look for the sign out front. Thanks!)
Enjoy Spring Fling-ing in Beaufort! Our next First Friday will include ART WALK, plus entertainment, artists in action, and even pets available for adoption. Mark your calendar for April 5 from 5 pm to 8 pm, and come say hello in my artsyletters studio at 811 Bay Street #3 (upstairs).
The street will be closed, so it will be a great outing for the whole family. See you there!
Got an all-things-Irish-lover on your gift list? Or perhaps you are beckoned the Emerald Isle yourself? I’ve had fun adding a couple of items to the shop for the occasion!
The small upcycled journal/sketchbook features a copy of an 1888 map of Ireland that I’ve antiqued, plus some fun jaunty charms dangling from a bit o’ vintage clock chain. There’s a fun vintage library card pocket in the back, too, and 24 pages of best quality Strahmore 400 drawing paper for your thoughts or sketches.
The shiny gold bookmark also features a few vintage clock chain links, plus a vintage green lucite jewel connector and a fun, gold-plated steel tag, laser-engraved with a shamrock and these words: “A good friend is like a four leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.”
Wishing you all kinds of luck and magic this month, and green, if you are still snow-and-ice-bound in your corner of the world!
