My brother Derek created an amazing Washington print recently. Visual:
We learn so much from it too. Washington State was established in 1889, it’s The Evergreen State, George Washington once drank coffee with Big Foot, etc. It’s like the best history lesson ever all in one compact print.
Then he took that artwork and made a t shirt:
This is not ground-breaking news. I repeat, probably not worth your time.
If you’re still reading, it’s not my fault.
Remember this before and after from a couple of months ago?
Well I’ve gotten a tiny bit further along in the whole decorating/occupying of this room.
We’re about two items on the to-do list away from being able to show photos of the entire guest room, but for now I thought I’d show where the bedside tables from Monday’s post ended up.
Here’s what the room looked like before we moved in. You can’t see the top of the curtains in the photo, but they started at the very top of the wall. Awkward.
Here’s what the room currently looks like:
1. Paint color: Hot Springs CI 186 by valspar, purchased at Lowe’s
2. Curtains, self-made.
3. Artwork by Derek Sullivan.
4. New to us old bedside tables.
Full room photos to follow shortly, I’m sure.
Along with Oregon and Washington, Derek just created the postcard version of his Idaho print. (Check out his Etsy site here.)
Idaho: The Gem State. Featuring a pair of hat-wearing Idaho spuds roasting marshmallows on an undoubtedly awesome camping trip in an Idaho forest. Also noteworthy are the friendly Idaho black bear and owl.
Along with about 15,000 other people, I spent last weekend at Crafty Wonderland in Portland. It was pretty intense. I made the mistake of wearing a long sleeve shirt and a wool sweater the first day and got real sweaty. But in the end the whole thing was definitely worth it. I had a lot of fun helping my brother out, and even got a few Christmas gifts while I was at it. Plus I always appreciate an excuse to spend some time in Portland.
We learned a ton about having a booth at one of these things. Most of them are specific to Derek and what he was selling (for example, he got an easel on Sunday morning to properly display the full ABC set), but the number one thing I learned was to eat a big breakfast. My energy was at zero by about 12pm. And finding a piece of wire in my chicken teriyaki didn’t really help things. Grrr.
This photo doesn’t do the chaos justice, but people were lined up at 7am (doors didn’t open until 11am). Yikes.
Today is what was coined in 2005 as Cyber Monday - the biggest online shopping day of the year. I really have nothing up my sleeve to buy (except maybe this, this or this at an additional 25% at jcrew.com if I’m feeling real crazy), but I thought I would take this opportunity to share that my brother Derek is offering 20% off of his entire Etsy shop today only. Need some magical and interesting Christmas cards? He’s your guy.
Use coupon code CYBERMONDAY at checkout.
Since I didn’t make these I can say without hesitation that they might just be thee best holiday cards I’ve ever seen. Anything that can go outside the norm of your standard run of the mill holiday anything, and still be magical gets an A+ in my book. As you may have already guessed, my brother Derek created them. What I like about them, in addition to the artwork, is that they can be sent as a postcard (cheaper stamp!) or put in an envelope as more of a ‘card’. I think what I’m going to do is make some fun holiday envelopes (like I did here) and then Steve and I will have the entire space on the back to write on. My favorite? Definitely the Pacific Northwest Santa. It just radiates Christmas magic.
Check them out here. And make sure to look at all the listings, because the more you buy the more you save.
Through the month of August, check out Derek’s art in person!
Option 1: Portage Bay Goods in Fremont
Option 2: Annie’s Art and Frame in Ballard
While visiting my brother Kyle in Canada this weekend, I was reminded of my favorite version of the various stuffed Gordin dolls I’ve made. They’re all based on different illustrations by my brother Derek, and as you can see with this version of Gordin that I wrote about a few weeks ago, the illustrations have evolved over time. Below is a framed version of what our friend Gordin currently looks like.
And here’s the stuffed version. Doesn’t he make you happy?
