many thanks to my sweet friend, Misty Adair who is the oh-so-creative interior designer and owner of Spark Interior Style and also a contributing writer for Apartmenttherapy.com She very very kindly asked if she might write an article and feature a house tour of our Austin digs as one of her first assignments. She is talented beyond measure and has created amazing interiors for homeowners
throughout Austin so the very notion that she chose our home made me hap-hap-happy and a little blushy. It's nice to think I've created a home that is fun and welcoming. Her 40+ photos tell the tale. Yes, it's true. Misty is multi-talented. she not only creates amazing interiors, she's also dang handy with a camera. come on in and see for yourself!
Free Signed Print GiveAway for A Special Apartment Therapy Reader!
helloooooooo apartment therapy readers! as a thank you for stopping by, i'm offering a free give-away of one of my limited edition MOD MADISON signed archival prints ( 8.5 x 11). to enter sign up for my "what's new previews" by posting a comment about what you love most about your home. (make sure there's a way to contact you!) i'll pick the winner by random number generator after january 1st.
if you're just stopping by and haven't seen it yet, my home, studio & art are featured on apartmenttherapy.com what a fantastic early christmas present for us! click by and take a tour.
hope you're home is cozy and cheery this holiday season. merry everything!!!
curlin
The winner of the print is Jill. thanks to all of you who wrote and posted comments. Jill please get in touch with me if you check this again so that i can contact you and mail your print to you. love the story of your dining room table. i have a breakfast room table like that.
new 2010 calendars!
  i'm loving how the calendar turned out this year. new images. and a new page for jotting down important dates and birthdays. quick little note today...am off to the studio to prepare orders for shipping!
the christmas bunny...a confessional
 oh how i love this time of year, when dreams and visions of the christmas bunny dance in my head. oh what fun it is to think of him dashing through the snow, bells on bob-tail ringing. carrying presents in his little satchel to hide under christmas trees hither and yon.
but what is one to do when the christmas bunny comes early...with a present too big to hide? if you were me what would you have done?
there i stood. gazing upon a wintery-bunny-reindeerish-starry wonderland of a piece of original art by artist, satch grimley. clearly the christmas bunny had made sure only i would find this gift... hidden within the warrens of artist studios featured on the East Austin Studio Tours. As i gazed upon this wonderous (starry...don't forget starry) gift... a chorus of angels (my friends sue lambe and laurie wisbrun) began singing the praises of this wonderous work of art. what was i to do? refuse this gift? mais, non!
in a state of wonderous awe, i began to write my name on a slip of paper (okay, it was a personal check). no sooner had my piece of paper fluttered to rest upon the table, (much like a snowflake upon a winter's night) when none other than, satch grimley himself (merry old elf if ever i saw one) plucked it from the its resting place and, as if by magic, read my name aloud!
"i've won!," i thought to myself. "The christmas bunny is real! i do believe!"
and so it was, that once upon a saturday clearly, i learned the true meaning of christmas in november, the real magic of the christmas bunny, and how peace on earth and goodwill towards an unsuspecting husband (who no longer has to think up a christmas present for me) shall prevail upon the land!!
God bless us, one and all!
i've had the pleasure of collaborating with talented friend and milliner, Laura Del Villagio of Milli Starr to design a hat we've donated to the Hello Birdie Auction sponsored by Uplift Austin and Big Red Sun. It's been so much fun learning more about Laura's millinery craft. She hand-blocked this hat with parasisal straw and we embellished it together. I needle-felted aflowergal who's chatting with the sweet little needle-felted bird who's popping out of his birdhouse. it was so inspiring and fun to work together...create together...design the floral trims from our collective supply of vintage and new millinery flowers and leaves and berries.
we've so much fun together that we'll be creating hats for pippingtooth together. and we'll also be creating custom hats as well. all with flowergals and wonderful little creatures like this vintage chenille snail you see below! please email or call me if you'd like to order a custom pippingtooth garden hat for spring, easter or an upcoming wedding.
chicken on the brain....
 this is one of my dearest friends wearing one of her dearest friends as a hat. one is a poet, the other a poulet. i adore the chick wearing the chick. she's smart, hilarious, learned, compassionate and wise. she works for god & co. she should wear stained-glass contacts. along with her chickens.
need a lift?
 made a new friend at the beach this summer. clearly he had places to go, people to see. or maybe he was just falling in love with my grasshopper-shaped earring.
helloooooooooo
 it's been a little quiet here at pippingtooth all summer. but look what's in the works now: HATS!! i'm working with the very talented milliner, Laura Del Vellagio, of Milli Starr She's extraordinary in her knowledge and workmanship. Stay tuned...Handmade Pippingtooth Garden Hats are coming. I'm about to keel over it's making me so happy. can you guess which color i'll be starting with? : )
Posey, sweet Posey finds home...thanks everybody!
  Sweet, Sweet Posey. She's a border collie my friends found out in the country. She'd been hanging around a store for a week and no one claimed her. They put signs all over and brought her back with them to Austin. I took her to the vet and she's in terrific shape. She's about a year old, heartworm free. She's had her Frontline and has had her heartworm meds for this month. Vet couldn't test for worms that visit. She's a cuddler. A people person. A snuggly girl with a great personality. She comes on command and is housebroken. I have two dogs already or I would keep her. She's a true border collie and wants to herd anything that moves. She would be better in a home where she is the only dog. She's territorial and aggressive when another dog gets close to her food or toy. That's the only downside I can find for someone who already has pets. You can email me with questions. curlin@curlinreedsullivan.com Or stop in and see her this week at Happiness 2213-b south first street austin tx 512.440.8600 My fave gift, garden, home store on south first here in Austin. PLEASE SEND A LINK TO THIS PAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO MIGHT BE LOOKING FOR A FANTASTIC DOG!! thanks, curlin    Labels: flower people, happiness, posey, puppy
community garden
 this is the most beautiful my pippingtooth garden ever looked. that's because it was a community garden at the time. a community of all my sweet friends who make their living helping woebegone gardeners like me make visions come true. elena...magical gardener who now runs an amazing austin garden & vintage gift store called, Happiness. christian who i refer to as my 3rd son home from college even though he's a bona fide grown-up with a beautiful little daughter & sweet wife. he can make anything, craft anything, build anything my wonky brain can dream up. he's busy making all things gorgeous and sturdy at a lovely boutique hotel here in austin now. Doug, sweet doug...who is a tireless soul. An early riser with the patience to deal with almost any garden folly i can conjure. These folks made my pippingtooth garden my dream community garden. A place where a hearty spade and a hearty laugh were always in plenty supply.
my love of gardening grows in direct correlation to the chance of finding someone i love in my garden. i'm an extrovertus gigantus who grows best in a the full sunshine of dear friends to garden with.
which is not to say that my garden is lonely now. how could it be with all the wonderful memories of time spent with my bestest buds digging and hoeing and staking and planting.
no, it's not lonely. just quieter now. and way too much space for one gabby artist girl to manage by herself. so it's scaled back. way back. and i let whatever's green and creeping fill in around the plants and flowers. my dear elena comes once every two weeks or so to keep my palette of flowers blooming. the garden hums when she enters it. so do i. her energy is green and vibrant and loving. the plants and flowers grow towards her light. red dragonflies form a corona above her head as she tends the littles shoots and buds.
i love my garden. in all shapes and sizes. the memories are perennial. the friendships grown there everlasting.
Carol Ramsey Wins The Print!
  Carol Ramsey, You've won the print. Random number generator chose #1. Perfect for a Mother's Day Giveaway. Now you can honestly tell your fans, "I'm #1"
Happy Mother's Day to All of Katie Malinski's Newsletter Readers! 
In honor of my mother, I'm pleased to be giving away a signed fine art print of my newest image titled: Happy Mother's Day 2009. To Enter to win, please post a comment just below this post about why you love being a mom.
Make sure you include your email address so I know how to reach you if you're the winner and so I can add you to my "what's new preview" mailing list. I'll choose the winner by random number generator on Mother's Day by 5pm. I'll announce it here on my blog and email the winner at the same time.I hope you have a marvelous day with your loved ones.
A great big hug to Katie for joining me in this special giveaway! curlin
 thank you! to beth hempton of snuggleherd & craftymishmash.blogspot.com
for featuring the new paper tabletop collection Laurie Wisbrun of Scarlet Fig and I created together. i first met beth at a babes in biz meeting here in austin. her hand-crafted snuggleherd creatures are absolutely darling. and each character has all sorts of accompanying gifts like notecards & onesies.  i'm flattered that she featured us. happier still, to have a friend and talent like beth here in our austin creative circle!
happy easter!
 happy easter from all the little bunnies in the pippingtooth garden! hope everyone has a wonderful long relaxing weekend with baskets full of treats.
itty bitty thumprint vases....
  my love for johnny-jump-ups and pansies knows no bounds. they are some of my all-time favorite little flowers. so cheery. so sweet. so little. with that in mind, i'm making little thumbprint vases now to hold just one blossom at a time. they're bisque on the outsize...glazed inside and hold water....but only a drop or two...just enough to quench the thirst of these wee blooms. i make 'em in a flash. they are, how shall we say....rustic. yes. but they're also cheap at $3 a piece. i add a little flower her or there or an embellishment stamped from my collection of old butter pat molds.
fair weather friends
 had a two-day gabfest with laurie while we tended booth at the lady bird johnson wildflower center arts & artisan festival here in austin. we met some wonderful people and even managed to meet a darling grandmother, Nanny, who adopted us. fun in the sun. and shade. as you can see in this pic snapped by a new friend and shopper: sheree schattenmann of www.shereesalchemy.com and www.shereesalchemy.typepad.com make sure you check out her beautiful clothing designs and fabric store.
Pippingship Partnertooth!
 bring your friends and visit our booth at the
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Arts & Artisans Festival
this weekend. saturday 9-5. sunday 11-5.
laurie and i will be there with the newest
prints, cards and tabletop decorations from my pippingtooth studio.
click here for more info about the festival
 this is a painting i did of my sister-in-law, camille, who brought cold watermelon down to all of us on the beach one blazing august day. i'm missing the beach and the waves and the sand and my mom and my whole family. can't wait to see them this summer down by the sea shore.
spring feels like it's almost here....
 i t's been a while since i've written. christmas has come and gone. the new year holds promise and a new president tomorrow. and now, the faintest traces of spring are in the air here in austin. no new leafy green...but the swell of buds on tree branches here and there. minnesota girlfriends thawing out in shirtsleeves on congress avenue. the beautiful ruffles of kale and spinach at the farmer's market. the globe sized cabbages plumed in blue-green-grey leaves. it's gorgeous here and full of bright expectations.
what's blooming at cherrywood art fair this weekend!
  helllooooooogoodmorning!
i'll be at cherrywood art fair in hyde park this weekend. the big event takes place at maplewood elementary school both sat & sun and there will be over 60 artisans.
i'll be introducing my new flowergal and flowerguy embroidery kits. here's a little look-see. this is the one i'm currently stitching up. 
garden creaturrre + buggy love
 my garden creaturrres and flowergals attracted all kinds of buggy suitors at the fair saturday.
this little creaturrre, mudpie sue, was bewitched, bothered and bewildered by an ardent fellow...dressed in....you guessed it....chartreuse to match! i think he found his one true love!
a brighter shade of pink!
 so, my dear friend, rachel hobson, of averagejanecrafter.com has showered me & my pip creations with all kinds of posty praise and sweet crafty goodness on her blog. she featured my new flowergal & flowerguy embroidery kits yesterday. and then launched a laudatory lovebomb at craftzine.com
rachel is a darlinki of the first order. we bonded during our surface design class with kat mctee at studio 1408 this fall. she is smart, funny, loving, talented and a fantabulous writer. her casual comment about wanting to stitch one of my flowergals led to my new embroidery kits. along with the chorus of "you gotta!" from kat of artcloth.com , laurie wisbrun of scarletfig.com and leslie bonnell of stitchlab & glitzkrieg.com. what a week. what a fab group of chicas. what a rachel hobsian gift. you've got to check out her love of all things crafty and well designed. and tell all your friends about her blog. it's marvy with a capital marv. i'm so lucky to call her friend. my face is fuscia with gratitude.
it's giveaway time here at pippingtooth!
embroidery kit....get your free embroidery kit....right here!    Tomorrow morning (12/4) I'll draw one lucky winner! Here's how it works: -Before midnight tonight, leave a comment on this post below with lots of glowy praise and let me know whether you'd like the girl kit or the boy kit. (And make sure there's a way for me to contact you if you win!) -Using a random number generator, I'll select the winner and ship out your kit lickety split -And yes, I'm happy to ship internationally!
also...let me know if you'd like to be added to my "what's new preview" mailing list. : ) Hooray for holiday giveaways! There are lots and lots of sites doing giveaways today, so make sure you visit Sew Mama Sew's blog for a list of participating sites!
Embroidery Kit Giveaway With Sew Mama Sew!
 hey kids, grab your needle and thread and get ready to check my blog tomorrow. i'm giving away one of my new embroidery kits as part of Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day. my oh-so-talented friend Laurie Wisbrun of Scarlet Fig fame is giving away some of her original fabric too! so check out her blog
new garden creaturrre wallpockets....
 garden creature wallpocket alert!
recently seen in the area of pippingtooth studio.
these wee creatures are on the loose, completely harmless and really, really cute on a wall with flowers in them.
notice a trend....
 it's official...i'm hooked. on chartreuse. i can't get enough of it. i think of chartreuse when i am by myself. i start painting one thing chartreuse and suddenly it's days later and things are painted chartreuse and i don't remember any of it. i try to curb my use of the color chartreuse and i can for awhile, but almost in spite of myself, i will wear or paint or buy something chartreuse. sometimes when i'm enjoying the color chartreuse, i will think about the next thing i would like to see in chartreuse. i can go without chartreuse for periods of time and convince myself that i am not powerless over chartreuse. but before i know it i'm wearing a chartreuse linen shirt or staring at granny smith apples in the grocery store. i need a chartreuse support group. i need to meet everyday to discuss ways to turn my life and my will over to a different color. but for now i'm hooked. it's taken over my life. there i said it. it's also taken over my front door. for all the world to see. i'm not trying to hide it anymore.
garden creaturrres stirring....
 garden creatures are scurrying out of the kiln in time for christmas. along with new garden creaturrre wall pockets. the new green color is making me c.r.e.z.y. happy. if you want to be the first to see them, make sure you sign up to be on my mailing list. i send previews of new items there first. click here to sign up for my "what's newsletter."i hope these lil creaturres make you smile.
my desktop runneth over....
    ever since i learned how to take pictures of any image on my computer screen, it's been nonstop clicking.
my desktop is festooned with flocks of birds of all shapes and sizes. made of wood, ceramic, felt....you name it.
i'd really love to open an online shop featuring only birds and flowers. of all stripes, plummage & petal.
i can't get enough of them. i know some people are tired of seeing them on every kind of product. but not me. i say let, the birds and petals fly. here are a couple pics that have been perched on my desktop for a while. (okay...i'm sorry...enough with the puns.)
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