New month, new First Friday, new redux for the blog! This month, we did something we have been trying to accomplish for a while. We renovated our blog! That’s why you might not have recognized us at first. We’re all gussied up from tip to toe. Plus, we have a new name … to describe what we do every day … a lot of wondering and making. On any given day, you can hear us say, “I wonder if …. ?” And that’s how a sketch begins … or a collection … or a shop …. or a collaboration … and, today, a fresh new blog.
Ellen, our first daughter, and I began writing our back-and-forth blog in 2009, and since then, things have changed a little bit in the digital world … and in our human world. Ellen is now a fine art printmaker, but many of her gorgeous watercolor designs are still best sellers in our shop, Mej Mej®. We also call on her as our official new mom advisor. And, we thank her for providing us with our very own little studio model. (There he is in front of one of Ellen’s Color Wheels Series.) We can’t imagine a better spokesmodel!
Happily, as Ellen began fllling her days with etching copper plates (and hugging this cute fella), our second daughter, Julianna, graduated from VCUarts and began to work with us full time. Along with her fresh and fun illustrations, Jules brings something to the table which is very handy indeed. She is super speedy with anything digital. Keystrokes, codes … and mobile devices. And all with her trusty studio pup, Tivoli, working by her side.
So she pulled up her sleeves and started whipping our blog back into shape. We still have our favorite posts from years gone by, but they will be a little easier to find and definitely easier to see. Blogs can be bigger these days! (We still have some updating to do with links from older posts, so bear with us as we plunk along fixing those for you … one. by. one.)
But the best part is that it will be easy peasy to use, no matter where you are. So, if you are suddenly needing to know how we make our yearly Tex-Ukrainian Eggs while you are sitting in the carpool line, Voila! There is the How-To on your phone. And when the school bell rings, you can say, “Hi kids, we’re decorating eggs tonight!” (Best mom ever!)
The Blog is also the first place to see our newest collections, hot off the drawing board. We introduce the new designs on the First Friday of every month. So, since it’s First Friday, let’s do it. This month, we have added a new product category to our Mej Mej® mix that we think you will love. Beautiful hemstitched pillows!
For years, one of my favorite gifts to celebrate new little ones has been a monogrammed linen hemstitched pillow. It’s elegant, classic and timeless. We found a way to mix our favorite fresh and modern embroidery designs with classic heirloom hemstitched pillows to create a wonderful gift for important events like arriving in the world (!) as well as birthdays, holidays, christenings, or … just because. (And then we asked our precious neighbors (below) to help model them for us. Keepsakes, for sure.)
These soft sweet pillows are a wonderful blend of old world charm and modern maker style, and, they can be personalized, too, which we think is the best kind of present to give to someone you love.
We hope you enjoy choosing from our new heirloom pillow designs. And, we hope you will enjoy our fresh new updated Blog. We think Wonder + Make™ will be a fun place for us to hang together over a cup of tea and talk about art and food and making things. In the meantime, one fun thing about cleaning your blog house is that you find stuff … like this: Sketching Together was a favorite post from a few years ago … I loved remembering the tips I shared as an artist-mom of little ones … especially now that I am a new artist-grandmom of a little one. I think I’ll just take myself up on some of these handy tips for family art making. :-)
Happy First Friday. And, we can’t wait to have tea together at Wonder + Make™.
