Mai Autumn

and the livin' is easy

i've been out and about enjoying this lovely summer we've been having here. i've also welcomed oh so many new flowers in my garden! it's a surprise seeing what pops up every day, since most of the plants in my yard were here when i moved in. you'll also see a great shot of a sculpture i traded a print for a while back. UK based, Glyn Walton is the artist behind this perfect teeny world that now sits near my studio window. ah, how i love the light in the summertime :)

i also took a trip up to the renegade craft fair in brooklyn this weekend! that was oh so much fun and i'm so glad i got to meet some of the fantastic artists and designers that i've only known through the interwebs for so, so long!

in terms of work, the series i mentioned in my last post is swimming along (still keeping it hush hush though until i have at least a handful of things to share!) and i'll be rolling out some new stationery this week, featuring some of my most popular titles. each set is going to come with richly colored jewel-tone envelopes. the peonies i happened to stumble upon at the grocery store were just the right accompaniment for the photoshoot...

hope you're out there enjoying the season! :)

p.s. - i almost forgot! my etsy shop reached 2000 sales yesterday! i can't even believe it!! i am so thrilled to have all your wonderful support and love! a HUGE thank you to all my customers! :D the whole shop is 15% off to celebrate!

big leaps

when i set out to write this blog post early on in the week, i realized, what better day than leap day to stop by to tell you all about the big leaps i've been making lately! lots of great new things have been happening, and i'm just bursting with excitement to tell you all about it! (i also wanted to have a little sale to celebrate, and you can find all the details about how to save 25% off the whole shop, today only, at the end of this post...)

i can't even believe i'm about to type this next piece of news, but, here it is - mai autumn is in a book! the new book i ♥ stationery came out last week. i just about died when my copy showed up, and there were my stationery designs on page 20! i've known about it for over a year, but it just didn't feel real until the actual book was in my hands.

the book was put together by the lovely charlotte rivers, and it features lots of beautiful stationery designers. i am so honored to be amongst all these talented artists! you can pick up a copy of i heart stationery here. (i still can't even believe it!)

in other news, i finally found a new place to live! i am moving back to the adorable town of ocean grove, nj, at the end of next month. i lived there a few years ago, and i've missed it so much, that i decided to move back. if you aren't familiar with the area, it is a tiny little town that looks as though time has stopped. all of the buildings are historically preserved, and there are adorable gardens, porches, and quirky details on most of the houses. i was already mentally moved in the minute i laid eyes on the wee little garden and quiet porch out front of my new place. i can't wait to share photos of it all once i'm moved in! it is full of so much character and i am just thrilled i'll soon be calling this little hideaway home :)

in the mean time, i've been enjoying having my family around while waiting for spring to finally arrive. the days when it's a tiny bit warmer are like little morsels of happiness when i can sit on the back deck and draw or write. it's just perfection!

(the above photos are from my project365 attempt - i'm doing okay so far! i haven't missed too many days this year! i hope to share more photo soon :)

i didn't forget what i said earlier about the sale! don't worry! in honor of leap day, you can enjoy 25% off the whole shop, for today only, with code LEAP - simply enter it at checkout to apply the discount. the code will expire at midnight tonight and cannot be combined with any other offers. 

(ocean grove image credits here + here)

happy friday + the new 2012 calendar!

i can't believe how fast this week flew by! i *finally* got the chance to get the new 2012 calendar up for pre-order! it's here! calendars will start shipping on oct. 1st - so you can get yours before the rush. last year, i could hardly even keep my little birdie calendar in stock, so this time around, i have a larger quantity available through the holidays, but there is still a chance it could sell out if the season is anything like last year. check out the illustrations that are featured on each page...

it took me forever to decide which ones to include - i probably painted about 30 different flowers before i decided on these 12! each one is inspired by an antique floral motif taken from fabrics and wallpapers from all over the world, across several centuries - so, a little bit of history for you!

i am excited to report, that all of the other flowers are not going to be going to waste - just you wait and see what i have up my sleeve for some new lovelies coming in the future!

i hope you all have a fabulous weekend out there! asbury park is having their annual oyster festival, so i'm sure i'm going to be enjoying my share of seafood when i step out my door over the next few days :)

 

 

happy friday! sneak peek at new gifts

i've been super busy all week! between packing orders and getting some new goodies ready for gift giving time (yes, i am aware that it's only august!) i can't even believe it's already friday! above and below, there are little sneak peeks of some new paper goods i will soon have available - recipe cards featuring a sweet little watercolor flower, and the new 2012 calendar with hand painted flower illustrations on each page. the calendar (which i have been bursting with excitement about for the past few months!) was inspired by antique floral motifs found on fabrics, decorative art and wallpaper from all over the world.

before i decided to start my little biz, i was planning on going to graduate school to study the history of decorative arts. as i was creating this calendar, i realized that those interests still stick with me to this day, and i feel like it's still a thread that runs through most of my work, without me even realizing it! i just love the history of design, so to be able to study it and incorporate it into items that people are using today, is just the most exciting part about my job. :)

these new sweeties aren't available just yet, but if you would like to reserve either of them, you can pre-order them by emailing hello@maiautumn.com with your request. the recipe cards are $15 for a set of 12, and the calendar is $32, and comes hand bound with a lovely vintage velvet mint ribbon. (more pictures will be posted once they are up for sale on the shop site.)

i hope you all have a smashing weekend! see you next week :)

the newest - thank you notes

so, hand lettering with watercolor is surprisingly difficult! after a whole buncha tries, i've finally come up with these sweet little thank you notes. i basically took up a whole sheet of 11x14 paper before i got enough of the letters to look the way i wanted them to! what do you think?

after scanning all the components into my computer, i placed everything where it needed to go within photoshop. cleaned up the lines a wee bit, and voila!

sets of 8 are available for pre-order over in the shop 

more stationery to be coming soon! i've been a busy bee these past few days :)

dutch inspired

i told you i might pop in! i can't help myself - i need to share these cute new note cards i just finished designing this week. they feature a sweet little floral watercolor motif and a hand painted border. i just love the vintage feel of both the design and the card stock - heavy weight cotton card. they feel almost similar to letterpress! 

that dutch blue is really singin' to me :) right now i have them available on etsy as a set of 12. you can order them with either bright white cotton envelopes or super sleek matte navy envelopes - you choose!