The Story Unfolds

Tool & Tack Holiday Pop Up, 12/19

2011-12-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Still finished up your holiday shopping? If you're in Austin, join us on Monday, 12/19 from 6-9pm for a holiday shopping party at Spartan. We'll be set up with our Tool & Tack Holiday gift boxes, sampling some salami from Salt & Time. Loretta Flower will also be there with wreaths and garlands to deck your halls, and of course there will be cocktails. There are always cocktails, thank god.

215 South Lamar, Suite D, Austin, TX
Monday, December 19th from 6-9pm
RSVP here

Renegade Austin Holiday show!

2011-11-22T18:05:00.001-05:00

If you're in Austin this weekend, be sure to stop by the 1st Renegade Craft Fair holiday show, happening at Palmer Events Center from 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday. I won't be vending, but several of my friends will be selling, along with the AIGA AIA Student Group that I mentor. My students have been working extremely hard on their booth, which will feature a super fun Time Capsule activity for the whole family. Be sure to stop by, make a time capsule for yourself, and check out their beautiful posters, prints, cards, and other goodies.

Also check out the booth of Leah Duncan, Fail jewelry (carrying our fail+Canoe collection), Son of a Sailor, Appetite, and MAKEatx. Can't wait to see what everyone is bringing and pick up some holiday gifts!

Rothko

2011-11-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

Vaguely obsessing over this beautiful "Untitled" dress by Hound. Inspired by Rothko and a perfect mix of my favorite colors.

Where Good Ideas Come From

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

While thinking about inspiration, I stumbled upon an interesting book by Steven Johnson called "Where Good Ideas Come From." This book trailer provides a wonderful primer to the topic, not to mention being extremely entertaining. I often struggle between the amount of time I spend looking for inspiration, and the amount of time I spend actually making, sketching, or thinking. Some days the internet feels evil, like it's out there to just suck up all our time. In truth, it's not; it just requires us all to be more disciplined and aware of how we spend our time (not a bad thing).

One of the most interesting points Johnson touches upon is that ideas take time, and sometimes we can't see them clearly--we need a trigger or something else to happen so they can be revealed to us. I can testify to that exact experience. I know I have struggled through finding my place as a designer for years; it's not easy to classify what exactly I do. I do a lot of things, and that's a good thing. It's taken me years to understand that ultimately, I love making objects, creating patterns, and working with tactile materials.

fail+Canoe

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Willie Cuff

Dolly Bracelet

Waylon Cuff

Introducing a few of our pieces from our fail+CANOE jewelry collaboration. fail+CANOE is a collaboration between Austin artists Christine Fail (Fail) and myself (Canoe). Combining our shared love of the dramatic Texas landcsape, fail+CANOE presents a rustic yet refined collection of hammered brass and leather jewelry for both men and women. Available in our Canoe shop.

Meet the Makers Happy Hour

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today is our kick-off of Tool and Tack, with a happy hour event at Schatzelein (1713 S.1st st, near Annie st) from 4-6pm tonight. Swing by to meet and chat with Christine Fail, owner of Schatzelein, Matt Pierce of Wood & Faulk, and myself. There will be wine, cheese, and some sweet (not literally) pâtés from the talented Jackie of Pâté Letelier. Hope to see you there!!

Now back to work as we wrap up the last-minute details for Saturday.

Tool & Tack Giveaway

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Our Tool and Tack event is coming up fast (this Saturday, 10/15 from 4-9pm), and to celebrate we're part of this great giveaway! Featuring two Canoe leather key chains, a Forage birthday bow tie, a Wood & Faulk belt cut to your size, and the Gorge necklace by Fail+Canoe, worth over $240 in value.

To enter, just leave a comment on the Tool and Tack Giveaway post and tell us who embodies a modern gentleman to you. One winner will be chosen. The deadline for comment entries is Friday, October 15th at 10pm EST. Limited to US residents only. The winner will be announced on the Tool and Tack on Monday, 10/17/11 and notified by email. Good luck!

New Canoe Collection!

2011-10-11T12:55:00.003-04:00

Mountains Bookmark Key Chain

Chamomile Shield Key Chain

Our new collection of Canoe key chains is now available in the shop! We're working with a much heavier leather, 9oz, and hand tooling and dying each piece. All edges are finished with beeswax for protection, and sealed with oil. All hardware is heavy brass. Check out the full collection online and let us know what you think.

Behind the curtain

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love this quote by Ira Glass, one of my favorite writers/producers. School starts back up this week, and I want to start all of my first lectures with his quote. This being creative gig is not easy. There are many days when you feel like a failure because your work isn't at the right level yet, or it's not getting the reaction/attention you had hoped for. No one said it was easy, and if they did, they were lying. It's hard everyday, some more than others. But when it's good, when you actually make what you've been visualizing in your head, when you surprise yourself with how right it is, those days make up for it all.

I needed this reminder today, as we get into crunch time for the Tool & Tack event, and I am spending so much time promoting and what feels like less time actually making; those kind of days are frustrating. My summer/fall has been insane with events, and looking back I have no clue how I did it. It's not totally over, but after Tool & Tack, I get a bit of a breather, as I am not doing any holiday shows. Not doing a holiday show is a scary thought for a maker. But, I have bigger plans in the works that need attention and care (including myself), so I am taking a risk and saying, "no". Scratch another one off my new year's resolutions!

For the ladies

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Canoe works so well for ladies, don't you think? Some lovely images of Kaylan, photographed by Abby Powell. You can find our smaller Canoe sizes at Dog and Pony (2712 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX).

Scenes from Bows+Arrows

2011-10-03T11:27:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had an amazing time at the Bows+Arrows Pop Up shop. After a few days away in Oakland, it was nice to come home to a Canoe event filled with friends new and old. The night also ended with drinks at Justine's, a favorite late night spot, so I went to bed happy.

We launched our new Fall collection of Canoe key chains, which will be up on the online shop shortly. Stay tuned to more sneak peeks this week and next of all the new products we'll be launching at Tool and Tack, which is just around the corner now (Saturday, 10/15). If you haven't been already, visit the blog and check out what the other vendors have been posting, including inspiration behind the goods and great sneak peeks.

In prep for the big day, we visited Gray Duck Gallery to discuss details and meet with our lovely florist, Mary Kathryn of Loretta Flower, and our photographer, Joe Gomez. Here's a look at our raw space--wait til you see what we have in store! I love scheming about merchandising and building displays with other creatives.

Canoe Pop Up at Bows & Arrows TONIGHT

2011-09-29T17:34:00.002-04:00

photo by B. Anthony Stewart, 1945

Don't forget! Tonight is our Canoe Pop Up event at Bows & Arrows, starting at 7pm with food by Salt & Time. We'll be there rocking out until 10pm, checking out the beautiful artwork by Laura Gammon Beard and catching up with friends. Can't wait. 215 S. Lamar / Suite C / Austin, TX 78704.

Tool & Tack Pop Up Shop

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Guys, it's finally here! On Thursday, we officially launched the Tool and Tack website, along with our stop-motion invitation. I am so giddy to share this with you all, as it's been more than 5 months in the making since I hatched the idea. After our first Canoe pop-up in February 2011, I have wanted to host another big event and bring in other makers who share our dedication to craftsmanship. 2011 has been the year of collaborations (see my New Year's resolution list), so I reached out to new (Matt, Christine) and old friends (Shauna & Stephen). Thankfully they all took a leap and said "yes!", put their trust in me, and I have been plowing away all summer getting things ready. You're officially invited...

Tool & Tack Pop Up Shop Invite from Miss Natalie

The Tool & Tack Pop Up will take place on Saturday, October 15th from 4-9pm at the Gray Duck Gallery (608 W. Monroe St.) in Austin, TX. It will feature the wonderful work of Wood & Faulk, Fail + Canoe jewelry, Forage Bow Ties, and, of course, Canoe. All of the makers will be posting regularly on the Tool & Tack Pop Up website, so make sure to bookmark it and see what's new. We'll be sharing sneak peeks, inspirations, and studio tours. You can also follow us on Twitter at @ToolAndTack.

Coming soon...

2011-09-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

The last few months I've been busy working away on a top secret project. It involves people I really admire, quality products, an amazing party, good drinks, salty treats, and a damn good time. We've been crazy in the studio getting ready for our official launch this week (eek), so stay tuned for some big news. Any guesses?

Wildfires

2011-09-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

It's been nearly a week since the wildfires started here in Central Texas. The devastation is widespread, especially for those in Bastrop. The smoke enveloping Austin has been surreal, but is starting to dissipate now as the fires become contained. We have firefighter friends coming in all the way from Northern California to help. Ben and I have been nervously checking the weather to see if the wind will shift and bring the fires to Niederwald, where Salt & Time is based. We're not out of the woods yet, as smaller fires keep popping up and you never know when the wind will pick up and carry a spark across a field.

Please consider a donation to the American Red Cross of Central Texas to help those families in need. I will be donating a percentage of all my September sales to the Red Cross.

Evening out

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Thinking back to more carefree days earlier this summer--a special evening at the Hotel St. Cecilia with good friends. Daydreaming of another evening there soon.

Saipua

2011-09-03T10:37:00.000-04:00

I think Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua is a true genius. This beautiful photos of zinnias is snagged from her blog, which I read all the time. She writes in a dry, slightly crass manner that I love and posts the most romantic photos. One day when I have an unexpected windfall, I will plan a trip to NY to attend her Little Flower School, eat dinner at Marlow & Sons, and drink cocktails at Hotel Palomino every night for a week straight. I hope that windfall comes soon.

Tomboy Style + Pop-Up Update

2011-08-31T13:22:00.000-04:00

via Tomboy Style

One of my favorite style blogs, Tomboy Style, recently launched a brilliant grid system for figuring out your tomboy style. This is truly dead-on and has some great inspiration points. Are you the American or the Import? I am all over the place on this grid and it's fun to mix and match!

Speaking of mixing (nice transition, right?), we have moved back our Bows + Arrows Pop-up event to Thursday, September 29th from 7-10pm. The original date was September 7th, but between the extreme heat and other craziness, we are moving our date back in hopes of cooler weather and also Style Week in Austin. We hope you can join us, as it should be a killer party with an art opening as well.

Canoe at Dog & Pony

2011-08-18T15:30:00.001-04:00

We're so thrilled to have Canoe at the wonderful shop

located at 2712 Guadalupe St and 27th here in Austin, TX. We've been hatching plans with Star, the fabulous owner, for a few months, so it's great to see it realized. Dog and Pony is our only permanent retail location for Canoe, and we'll be stocking the rack with a mix of heritage clothing for men and women. Check out all the clothes in person Tuesday-Saturday, noon-7pm and Sunday, noon-5pm.

Some outdoor inspiration

2011-08-15T12:12:00.001-04:00

We are wrapping up the last major renovations on the inside of our house, so naturally my mind is jumping to the outside renovations. Our summer of 100+ weather means not much gardening, but when it does cool down I am putting in succulents, lots and lots of succulents.

These photos are all from Flora Grubb, my absolute favorite gardening store. Last Christmas I took a trip out there, and I still revisit those images daydreaming about having giant concrete recliners in our yard. I would mind having a massive wooly pocket room divider of plants hanging from the ceiling, either.

Tooling again

2011-08-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

This week I am back to tooling, working on new prototypes for the Fall collection of Canoe. The leather I am using is much heavier and I've got some killer hardware and new shapes. Can't wait to show you more, but for now, here's what the studio looks like when I'm knee deep in making. It's been several weeks of drawing, so nice to be seeing ideas come to life with leather.

Canoe in CultureMap Austin

2011-08-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ben and I were recently feature in CultureMap Austin about Canoe; you can check out the article here. Big thanks to the talented Lauren Carlson for the story and Jessica Pages for the photography.

Type Nerd Break

2011-07-29T13:59:00.001-04:00

I'm Comic Sans, Asshole from joehollier on Vimeo.

Have you seen this? My students will attest to my hatred of comic sans, but there is nothing more fun than making fun of oneself, so I laughed out loud at this. The text was written by Mike Lacher and originally appeared in McSweeney's. The stop motion video was created by Joe Hollier for a class assignment at SVA with professor Paul Sahre.

Type nerd break over; I'm going to go back to refining a logo that definitely falls into "minimialist bauhausesque fascist snooze fest".

Sneak Peek: Canoe at Dog & Pony

2011-07-27T07:00:00.003-04:00

We're really excited to announce that Canoe will soon be coming to Dog & Pony, a wonderful shop on Guadalupe and 27th. We met Star Lee, the wonderful owner of D&P, a few months ago and she's quickly become one of our favorite folks in town. Dog & Pony is full of offbeat designers and smart accessories, so we're pleased as punch to be joining the gang. Stay tuned for more details; we're looking at mid-August to launch our line in the shop.

We have lots of pop-up events planned for the Fall, so if you need your plaid fix, be sure to sign up on the mailing list.

Pig Roast

2011-07-24T11:07:00.000-04:00

I nearly forgot to post some pictures from the truly amazing pig roast that Salt & Time did for Thirsty Planet Brewery a few weeks back. You can check out all of the photos her e. They served pork tacos with a fresh cole slaw and a side of pork & beans made with their mortadella hot dogs (one of my favorites). It was a huge hit! We had an epic line of happy folks waiting to see the pig and get a taste. One of the perks to being married to a talented and visionary butcher is getting to participate in fun food events like this. Also, I get BLTs whenever I want.

Studio Shots

2011-07-16T20:10:00.000-04:00

Photo shoot in the studio today. So nice to have it all clean and sparse; there are several boxes that were shoved into other rooms to make this happen. Don't let blog folks fool you! When a photographer is coming to visit, you hide the junk and spend a lot of time making things looks casual and clean. I spent half of Friday making striped curtains to hide the closet. I really don't want to drag all those boxes back in here, so maybe the time has come to finally go through them? I wish my small closet actually went down into a cellar where I could hide it all! Just like Hermione Granger's magical purse. Don't tell me what happened--I am waiting for a Monday matinee to catch the final Potter installment.

Vacation days

2011-07-11T10:06:00.000-04:00

Shopping with my best friend Kathy.

Gorgeous petite bouquet from Loretta Flowers.

Thinking about...

2011-07-06T23:11:00.001-04:00

photo via Jesse Kamm

Some things I am thinking about lately, as summer break winds down and I get ready for school again next week. The first two images are from some new tumblrs I have been following. I love them, but there are no photo credits which drive me crazy. My brain is percolating with lots of new product ideas and big events in the works, but not enough time to get it all out of my head. I truly love the last photo and the feeling it inspires--anticipation, awe, fear, and excitement all at the same time. That's a bit how life feels for me right now.

Rémi ZDB branding project

2011-06-30T12:48:00.000-04:00

hex paper weights from Iacoli &McAllister

Rad Hourani 2011 collection

Miu Miu satin color-block dress

I'm working on a fun branding project for Rémi ZDB, a new salon here in Austin. Rémi doesn't cut hair; he designs hair in the true sense. Here's a sneak peek from the project mood board, which has a lot of fashion references that I'd like in my closet.

Imaginary Animal

2011-06-24T09:31:00.002-04:00

Imaginary Animal is the work of Marie Gardeski, a super talented artist and friend. Marie and I went to grad school together and I am always amazed by the magic this lady creates. Case in point:

Why, yes, that is hand soap made in the shape of doll hands. Genius. You can pick up a set of her wonderful hand soap here.

Reorganizing

2011-06-17T15:33:00.000-04:00

Reorganizing the studio this week when I came across this image via Remain Simple. I have been hiding all my fabric in clear plastic tubs since our move, but I'd love to find a better way to store them while keeping it all nice and clean. How do you store your fabric?

More scenes from the Oakland house

2011-06-13T08:00:00.005-04:00

A few more sneak peeks at our old house in Oakland, CA, photographed in August 2009 by Sven Wiederholt. We had a gorgeous garden out front all thanks to the green thumb and hard work of our dear friend Jocelyn.

The hallway, strung up with our Miss Natalie parachuting baby giraffes (a bizarre way to display my first product, handkerchiefs).

Ben and I in the kitchen, making our favorite breakfast. I would give my left arm to have those pretzels croissants anywhere in Austin--my favorite pastry from the Temescal farmer's market.

Hawkeye, who bewitched the photographer. Sven fell in love and I have about 100 photos of Hawkeye being cute from that day. I can't wait to share photos from our new house in Austin soon. We're wrapping up our interior renovations this summer and fingers crossed will have a house warming party in August. If you've ever renovated a house, you know our pain.

Love/Hate with Pinterest

2011-06-10T07:00:00.005-04:00

You've heard me talk before about the joys of Pinterest, but after a few months on the site, I'm starting to notice the darker side of the tool. Yes, it can be wonderful for keeping track of inspirational images, but as the list of boards I follow and people following me grows, I am getting overwhelmed. So many images to digest, and no context to understand them in. I find myself going on there less and less these days.

As I get older (and wiser, maybe?), I find the need to edit, edit, and edit my life and what fills my time. I see that in my closet (which has drastically shrunk) and I see that in how I am decorating my new house. I'm currently in the midst of a major edit of my business, Miss Natalie, as well. Maybe I need to just edit down the number of boards I am following? I tried this trick a while ago and currently only follow 8 people.

Then, of course, there is the unspoken issue of having the same images being pinned over and over again. As a designer who uses Pinterest to keep track of inspiration, I don't always want someone else to repin my finds. There, I said it. An inspirational image can be interpreted in my many different ways, but sometimes you don't want to share that exact idea with the world. I have heard countless folks says, "I wish I could keep my pinboards private". To that effect, I've actually set up a separate account for my developing ideas in an attempt to work around the issue. I am not the only one out there doing this, nor the only one who thinks that should be an option on the website (just check out their FAQ page). We always modify and hack tools to get what we need form them, so this small work around isn't that dramatic.

Are you using Pinterest? What are your thoughts about it, pros and cons?

Teta

2011-06-08T17:47:00.001-04:00

While going through old boxes with my dad, we stumbled upon some great family photos I hadn't seen. Here is a polaroid of my grandmother (or Teta) taken sometime in the 1980s at her house in Queens. I love that her outfit and shawl mimics the illustrated card of Mary hanging up in the dish cabinet.

I've been making my own yogurt lately, which always reminds me of her. As a kid I spent many afternoons hanging out in this house, rummaging through old albums with my grandfather or being over-fed by Teta with an early dinner. She and my grandfather would eat dinner around 3pm, and then have tea, cheese, and bread with jam around 8pm. The most common phrase I used in that house was always, "Bess, Teta, bess!" (translated to mean "enough"), in response to another spoonful of food appearing on my plate.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

2011-06-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

While sorting through old photos, I came across some shots of our old house in Oakland, CA. These images were photographed by the uber talented Sven Wiederholt in August of 2009. Sven visited us with our friend Miki right before we moved to Texas. As we wrap up renovations on our new house in Austin, it's strange to look back on these images and wonder what our new house will look like when we're "finished" (it's never finished, right?). The following are all scenes from the bedroom.

A still life at the window, with some of our favorite things: punk rock, pork, succulents, and folk art.

Why, yes, that is an Ira Glass pillow on our fake Eames chair. We let go of the fake Eames before the move, but I've still got Ira.

The mantle of our non-working fireplace, which I disguised with my favorite vintage polka dot silk skirt. Artwork by various etsy artists, including a custom plaster heart with felt dart by our friends Something's Hiding In Here. My favorite thing on here, though, is a 2" x 1" photo taken of Ben and I on our very first date, Valentine's Day 2004. He flew halfway across the country to see me, and I took him to the one vegan restaurant in Detroit.

Renegade Austin Recap

2011-05-30T17:23:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all our friends for coming out last weekend to the Renegade Craft Fair! We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones. One of the most satisfying things was seeing the booth I've been working on fully realized. I've been planning this new booth for a few months, so it's so nice to see it go from sketchbook page to real life exactly as I had envisioned. It's taken a full week to recover from all the prep.

Our good friend Gabi helped out on the first day to get us set up and keep sane. Luckily our vintage jib sail worked really well for our neighbor, Leah Duncan.

Ben built a beautiful (I mean rustic and manly) pallet wall to help showcase our mix of wares. Our friend Mary Kathryn of Loretta Flower created some beautiful bouquets to help soften the cowboy tablescapes. What, you've never heard of a cowboy tablescape? It looks like this.

We got to hang out with our friends the Berkleys, Abby Try Again, Leah Duncan, and Paloma's Nest, along with meeting the talented designers behind Coatt Jewelry and Love Jules.

Also, the lovely gang at Renegade did a nice interview with me that you can check out here. Until next time, Renegade!

Melancholia by Lars von Trier

2011-05-26T11:28:00.001-04:00

A little bit of visual pleasure from the epic Lars von Trier. So tragic and beautiful. Working on a Renegade Austin recap for you guys shortly, but this was too gorgeous and interesting not to post in the meantime.

Renegade Austin this Weekend

2011-05-19T14:24:00.002-04:00

This weekend we'll be showcasing our wonderful wares at the Renegade Austin Craft Show at the Palmer Events Center (900 Barton Springs Rd)! Stop by and visit us from 11am-7pm all weekend (free admission). Our booth is near the front entrance. The house is currently filled with wild props for our new booth design (including a vintage horse saddle), so expect some surprises.

You'll never guess what this might be--stop by the show and find out!

Grain & Gram featuring Salt & Time

2011-05-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, what am I doing back on here? It's ridiculous. My to-do lists have to-do lists and it's hitting major crunch time, BUT I had to share some exciting press and brag a minute about my husband Ben. This week Ben was featured on a truly beautiful gentleman's journal called Grain & Gram. We've been following those boys for a while and loved all the features they do. I picked my letter press printer largely due to a rather awesome video Grain & Gram shot.

Check out the full article here. All photos by the talented JonPaul Douglass.

Small Space Lego Apartment

2011-05-08T11:36:00.001-04:00

Radio silence of 24 hours, right? Turns out when I have a ton of work to do, I always seem to find amazing things that must be shared. Like this gorgeous 258-sq ft penthouse apartment in Barcelona that belongs to photographer Christian Schallert. It was designed by Barbara Appolloni and has everything you might need within reach. The "before" shots in the beginning of the video are amazing--it used to be a pigeon loft! Everything in the space transforms; I especially love the hidden bed that can be turned into a couch.

Countdown to Renegade Austin

2011-05-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

Somehow May has snuck up on us and it's only a few weeks until our big summer show, Renegade Austin. Mark your calendars for May 21-22nd, from 11am-7pm at the Palmer Events Center (900 Barton Springs Rd at S.1st). A few weeks ago I decided to completely change the way I set up my booth, so expect some surprises this time around. We'll have both Canoe and Miss Natalie together, and I promise you'll want to bring your camera. Hopefully I do, as I'm notorious for forgetting that.

Our booth will be located up front and on a nice corner, next to the main entrance, so you can't miss us. We're pumped to be next to some of our favorite Austin ladies, like Leah Duncan, Abby Try Again, and Paloma's Nest.

In addition to the new booth design, I've got a ton of new products to share from both of our lines, so it may be a bit of radio silence on the blog as we go into serious production mode in the studio. I'll try and sneak some photos up here as we progress. Let's just say I'm spending a lot of time working with leather.

Colorful visions

2011-04-28T18:33:00.007-04:00

Under from WATERCOLOURS Music on Vimeo.

This video by Watercolours has me mesmerized. Haunting music and seriously clever photography and editing. The first half reminded me of a lovely clothing collaboration between Cheri Messerili and Thomsen:

Canoe + Quite Unique Pop-Up Shop!

2011-04-27T11:09:00.001-04:00

We're really excited to announce a collaborative event we're doing with Quite Unique. For the next four days, Quite Unique will be hosting a Canoe Pop-Up shop online! Quite Unique is an online shop that features a new handmade deal each day for their members. In addition to their daily deals, from time to time they host limited edition, 96-hour pop-up shops. Past pop-ups have included talented folks like Will Bryant and Cody Haltom. Ben and I are really excited to be meeting new friends through the pop-up, so if this is your first time visiting, welcome, we're glad to have you here!

To become a member of Quite Unique and receive their daily deals, which sell out pretty fast, sign up here.

p.s. If you guys have been following all the action on twitter, you know we're been busy bees shooting our Canoe Summer '11 look book with the talented Abby Powell. Here's a sneak peek:

Kate MccGwire

2011-04-21T11:17:00.002-04:00

A while back, I posted some images of Kate MccGwire's feather installation pieces. I found her work through a post on My Love for You is a Stampede, and today there was a follow up interview there with the artist.

photo by Jonty Wilde

I have such an immediate reaction and sense of connection to Kate's work. As a kid, I grew up with several avid bird watchers who always had feathers around from their many scouting trips. Learning about how Kate obtains her feathers and her connection to the bird farms in the UK is so interesting. It makes me think about my leather tooling work and sourcing leather locally.

Check out this great interview with the artist. Her studio is a houseboat--c'mon!

Canoe in Tribeza Magazine

2011-04-09T11:01:00.003-04:00

Ben and I were totally flattered to be included in the April Issue of Tribeza magazine. You can read the full article about Canoe online here or, if you're local to Austin, you can pick up a copy of Tribeza at most shops in town. Valerie, Lauren, and Avalon are wonderful and we had a great time working with them. It's our first print Canoe press, so we are really pumped!

The style issue features so many amazing designers in Austin, including our friends at Public School, who have a killer fashion spread. Just check out Justin's amazing hair in this photo by Cody Hamilton. In my opinion, all men should style their hair this way. And wear bowties.

We've been slowly adding more and more pieces to the Canoe webshop, but get ready for a big update at the end of next week (including the much anticipated boots). Our Spring/Summer line is almost ready, and just in time. Temperatures here in Austin are starting to hit the high 80s. We're also working on some big events, including a Winter Sale and a super-top-secret-you-won't-want-to-miss Fall event. That's all I can say, really. I have probably said too much. This message will self-destruct.

Bill Cunningham

2011-04-01T10:58:00.003-04:00

If you follow me on Pinterest,you might have noticed I kinda have a thing for fashion. Since I was in junior high, when Vogue arrived at our doorsteps, I could be found pouring over the pages. I still do that today. Fashion photographers are an interesting breed to follow, but my preference the last few years is for street fashion photographers, along the lines of the Tommy Ton and Hanneli Mustaparta. The grand duke of them all, though, is Bill Cunningham, who has been candidly capturing folks on the street for over 30 years in the NY Times.

Bill Cunningham New York Trailer from Gavin McWait on Vimeo.

A new documentary is out showing the man behind the camera, filmed by Richard Press and Philip Gefter. It's times like these that I wish I lived in NY, so I could see this movie today. Alas, Austin will have to wait until May 20 to see the film. For a full list of opening days around the U.S., check out this page.

New Wood burned in the Shop!

2011-03-20T15:26:00.001-04:00

New mini apple boxes in the shop, available in 2 different styles. Perfect for a wedding ring or an emergency pill. The size of these will melt your cold, cold heart, I swear.

Also up are the new wood burned Salt Dishes. They can be used for so many different things, but I have mine storing sea salt on the table. The salt dishes are available in two different patterns. Like the mini apple boxes, these are also wood burned here in our Austin studio, so no two are exactly a like.

Hand lettering for SXSW

2011-03-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

Hand lettering is one of my favorite ways to create type, so when Salt & Time needed some large signage for SXSW, I immediately knew what I wanted to do. Here's a glimpse behind the design process in creating hand drawn type from start to finish.

It all starts with a sketch. I wanted the lettering to have a vernacular feel, like type you might see painted on the side of a butcher shop in a small town. The letters are slightly condensed with a narrow set width, tall x-height, and a ball terminal. Like how I just went all typography professor on you there? I can talk type all day long, and most days I do. To keep things consistent, I have a baseline (bottom line that type sits on), a mean line (middle line where most of the lower case letters stop), and a cap line (top line where most capitals stop) to guide in me shaping/sizing the letters. Without those lines, the letters would be a lot looser and feel too loose for this project.

Once the letters are shaped the way I want them, I redraw the outlines in black ink so I can bring it into the computer easily. Scanning in pencil drawings creates more work than needed, so this step is crucial, although it requires a very steady hand and some patience.

After I'm done with the ink outlines, I scan this into the computer at a crazy high resolution, 1200 dpi. This allows me to use the scan in Photoshop as a bitmap line drawing and quickly change the color without losing much resolution. But, I almost never work with type in Photoshop, so this is just a quick stop before I move into Illustrator. Ahem, *students*, please take note!

The scanned type is then brought into Illustrator and I use the Live Trace tool to translate it into a vector shape that can be manipulated. Unlike what you may have heard, Live Trace is not a 1-2-3-bam-MAGIC! tool. It takes a lot of finessing to get the settings right so your drawing isn't some hot mess of a million points. Again, patience is key here to getting the settings correct for your type of drawing. It all pays off, though, because the closer you can get it in Live Trace, the less mess you'll have to clean up later. Here's a screen shot from Illustrator showing the outline and points of my letter "a", shown in magenta. Those lines in the background are from the pattern used behind the type. After going back and forth with the points, I end up keeping a lot of the wonkiness (that's a technical term) in the letters so it still maintains a hand drawn feel. The curves aren't perfectly smooth, but that helps it maintain the vernacular look. You can see that most easily in the "u".

Here is the final sign, after a day of getting beat up a bit outdoors. It's five feet wide and 2.5 feet tall. It feels sooo satisfying to design something that will be HUGE. That stacked "g" is bigger than Ben's head. For the record, I didn't make that arrow. We had a nice arrow facing the other direction, but after a day they had to move the location of the sign, so the arrow was flipped via sharpie. Overall I was pretty happy with the way this turned out, and it definitely helped grab people's attention.

If you want to learn more about hand lettering, there are tons of great tutorials online and lots of great books to study. Or, you can also sign up for my Expressive and Experimental Typography course.

Rewind

2011-03-11T23:54:00.001-05:00

Today was a shitty day. Devastation and tragedy in Japan. Hours of not knowing if friends are ok abroad (thankfully heard yes, everyone is ok). Can we just start over and try today again, from the top, fellas?

Then there's Wisconsin governor Scott Walker signing into law a bill that cuts the bargaining rights of union workers.

Power In A Union from JD on Vimeo.
To all my union friends and organizers out there, we are thinking of you.

SXSW starting up

2011-03-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hay Maze from Full Belly Farm Hoes Down festival. Capay Valley, CA.

So far, so good on the letter challenge. I've already send out two letters and have been facebook-free. Weaning myself off twitter is a bit harder, as I find that much more exciting and useful. I used to mock twitter, and then I finally committed to it and haven't looked back. Speaking of twitter and all things social media-related, SXSW is starting in a few short days. I'm a bit nervous to be finally living here in town for the maddness that is SX. The locals complain endlessly about the traffic and crowds, but they forget how much cold hard cash the event brings in during a 10-day period.

Salt & Time will be selling grilled sausages and drinks starting next week outside of Public School, so be sure to swing by from 3/16-3/19 and say hello. I may pop in to help out and do some crowd watching--they will be just outside of the French Legation Museum, which has a great line up of shows.

Letter Challenge: Week One

2011-03-05T15:22:00.000-05:00

This last week my students and I were talking about the incessant need to have a screen in front of us at all time, checking facebook, twitter, rss feeds, and the like. The quiet time to sit and think has been replaced with apps and constant updates that hit us at lightening speeds. When does our brain slow down anymore? It doesn't. In line with some new year's resolutions, I am trying to find ways to make myself slow down.

This week I'm taking a no-Facebook challenge. I have a love/hate relationship with facebook. It can be fun at times, but often it's just distracting and feels hollow. Who are all these friends? Most are old acquaintances from various periods in my life. Facebook helps me keep in touch, but it's such a distant kind of "touch" that it rings hollow most of the time. I use it more for promoting our businesses, which is extremely helpful, yes, but that's about it. I recently starting writing letters again (remember those?) and I find that nothing beats a letter in the mailbox. Well, maybe a beautiful flower arrangement, but letters come damn close. I have saved nearly every letter I've ever received (several large boxes worth), so I can attest to their power.

Letters, however, take time, so we use shortcuts instead. But if you add up all the time spent using shortcuts (facebook wall posts, messages, twitter @mentions, gowalla/foursquare check ins), couldn't you just sit down and write a short card to the few people you really want to stay connected to? I think so. I am going to try and do just that. I have several friends who are excellent penpals and I owe them some return mail.

The Challenge: This week I am keeping myself off facebook and will be writing letters & cards instead.

Dear Readers,

Does anyone else out there want to join in and pledge a facebook-free week, replaced with honest-to-God pen-to-paper correspondence instead? Leave a comment and let me know if you want to join in. We can all use a social media break.

Outside the studio

2011-03-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

Least you think I never leave the studio (although it sometimes feels that way), here's a quick recap of February adventures. I took Audrey for her first horse back rising lesson. Here she is making her horse moonwalk, which was pretty impressive. She was as natural as could be on that horse. Are all 7 year old girls like this? She was trotting, turning, and in charge within 40 minutes.

For President's day weekend, we zipped down to New Orleans to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday, along with 2 other family birthdays. I say zipped, but what I mean to say is a 9-hour car ride with two small kids. Thank god for Red box. Twelve members of my crew wandering around New Orleans can be dangerous; one trip to the ER later, all was fine. Let's just say that when you go to a five-star restaurant, you might want to check out the sturdiness of their chairs before the 80-years old matriarch of your family sits down in one.

Sadly, Ben couldn't join on this trip, so I took the pilgrimage with my folks to visit Cochon Butcher. The space was beautiful and well designed, but no one was butchering so I felt a bit of a let down. I wanted to see some sides of beef hanging. I guess naming it the more appropriate "Deli" was less exciting.

We ordered a few sandwiches, which were a bit less than stellar. The pastrami, above, was not what we New Yorker's think of as a pastrami sandwich. My dad scoffed at the use of a sweet pickle (!!), but I was more bummed by the lack of meat on the sandwich and lack of flavor. It looked so promising! I am obsessed with their branded deli wrap paper. If only it wasn't so expensive to print, I would have that all over Salt & Time. I spend too much time thinking about food packaging.

Miss Natalie @ West Elm Pop-up

2011-02-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

2011 is the year of the pop-up in Austin! Miss Natalie will be participating in an amazing pop-up event at West Elm on Saturday, 2/26, from 1-6pm at the West Elm Austin store. We'll have all your favorites, and lots of new items not yet in the Etsy shop. The wonderful Abby Powell-Thompson of abby try again has curated a beautiful selection of local Austin Etsy sellers, including Leah Duncan, Paloma's Next, and Make ATX, just to name a few. Also, Salt & Time will be there selling salamis and pickled veggies.

Help us spread the word about this great event! There will be wonderful drinks and food, so be sure to RSVP and forward on to your friends.

Yokoo in January

2011-02-10T16:48:00.001-05:00

photo by Yokoo

One of my favorite artists/makers of the last few years is Yokoo. You have no doubt seen her work on the Etsy homepage, in style blogs, or maybe in the New York Times. She's smart, talented, and the girl can style like nobody's business. She wears vintage clothes like we all envision ourselves wearing vintage clothes when we make a purchase, but are too lazy to actually fix the hem or cinch that waist in. Recently she posted a photo montage of all the images she's collected this past January, and the sheer quantity (let alone quality) shocked me. Take a look.

Yokoo Aperture Library from Yokoo Gibraan on Vimeo.
Right? There are so many amazing finds in here, many of which I had also flagged, but lots of crazy new images I had never seen. It's fun to watch the trends she gravitates towards, as I catch myself falling in those same directions. Aside from being in awe, I started to wonder how many images I had seen in the month of January and either pinned, grabbed, flagged and tagged for myself. Probably just as many. What does looking at so many images a day do to us? Are we spending more time looking for inspiration/finds than we are actually making work? I wonder about this--are my creative processes being swayed and changed too quickly? Do I have enough time to just sit and think about what I'm looking at, or am I being pulled (willingly) on to the next image before I can even process the first.

What do you think?

A few nights ago I found Yokoo's etsy portrait and she talks about the need for quiet in the creative process. I completely understand.

Handmade Portraits: YOKOO from Etsy on Vimeo.

Canoe Pop-Up Recap

2011-02-09T16:39:00.001-05:00

Hey there, friends! Sorry for the slow return, but it's taken me a while to bounce back from the madness of last week's Canoe pop-up shop.

It was, in a word, INSANE!! We had so many wonderful folks brave the ice and join us for an amazing evening. I spent all night dashing to and fro to welcome folks that I hardly had time to take any snaps. Here are a few, and I'm hoping to post some more soon.

photo by Blake Suarez

The evening starting out quiet nice and we gathered a great crowd early on. Salami was eaten, whiskey was poured, and stylish men were everywhere--in my world, all good things.

It was a party that ol' Willie would have been happy to be at. Flannels were flying, and boots were walking out the door. We sold so many of our favorites, and heard such great stories from folks buying. I am sorting through goods now, so mark your calendars for this weekend--the shop will be up and running by this Sunday! I just wrote that, so I am now officially obligated to make it happen. See how that works?

I'll post more pics soon, once I track some more down. If you took photos at the event, hit us up at info@missnatalie.com.

Canoe Pop-Up Tonight + This Humble Abode

2011-02-04T10:54:00.001-05:00

Tonight is THE night, friends! Our Canoe Pop-Up shop is happening later today from 5:30-10pm at Public School. We woke up to some lovely snow this morning here in Austin, which canceled my morning class (woo-hoo!) and gives us a bit more time to spit and polish everything. If you're looking for some cold weather clothes, Canoe has you covered. We have flannels galore, puffer vests, heavy wool jackets, sturdy boots, and lots of warm layers for you.

In addition to warm layers, we also have beautiful hand-sewn ties from This Humble Abode to spruce up that stylish outfit. Jenny hand-sews her ties on the bias, and will also have an array of hand-sewn handkerchiefs, available with or without some witty embroidery.

I am a HUGE handkerchief fan and have been collecting them since my high school days. They remind me of my father and also my grandfather, whose hankie I am using right now. They are durable, soft on your nose, and a personal item that carries both personal meaning and practical value, especially during cold days like we're seeing now. My grandfather is a big influence on the ideas behind Canoe, as he valued quality goods and was a superb craftsman who paid attention to the details.

The sun is out shining now, and it feels like a good day ahead. I can't wait to share what we've been working on with everyone, meet new/old friends, and have some laughs. Tonight we'll have some good whiskey to warm you up, salami to keep you going, and some great products to share. Be sure to come up and say hello-- I'll be the girl in the flannel with a big grin, probably hammering at a leather tag and sipping a hot toddie. See you there!

Canoe Pop-Up Shop

TONIGHT! Friday, February 4th

5:30-10pm

@ Public School

1021 e.7th St, suite 102

Austin, TX

Pop-Up Vendor: Tom Runkle

2011-02-01T10:45:00.001-05:00

We have a lot in store for folks this Friday night at the Canoe pop-up shop, including the amazing artwork of Tom Runkle. Tom is a cut glass artist who creates mirror portraits of classic rock-n-roll music icons.

Each of his portraits is cut by hand, not using a glass saw, because he's wonderfully old school like that.

The butcher's favorite, Tom Waits.

Tom will have several pieces, both large and small, for sale on Friday, and you can also contact him for custom work.

Before we go, just a quick shout out to our new readers from Austin Thrillist--welcome! We had a great write up this morning, which you can check out here. Our Canoe online shop will be open for business on Saturday for those of you who can't make it to the pop-up event on Friday. Stay tuned this week for more sneak peeks and vendor highlights!

Pop-Up Vendor: Caitlyn Galloway

2011-01-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to Caitlyn Galloway, one of our great vendors at the Canoe Pop-Up Shop this Friday night. Caitlin is an urban farmer, a sign painter, and overall just a super talented friend. We met back in the day at UCSB, and I've just been wow-ed by what this lady can accomplish. Caitlyn has been a guest speaker in my type classes, showing students how to hand paint type, along with creating gorgeous signage for events I've styled.

We'll be offering her wonderful 2011 lunar calendars at the pop-up. Screen printed by hand with rounded corners.

Caitlyn spends most of her time tilling and working this beautiful piece of land in San Francisco with Brooke Budner called Little City Gardens. In their own words, Little City Gardens "is a small urban farm in San Francisco, and it is an experiment in the economic viability of small-scale urban market-gardening. We have been working steadily for a year towards our aims: to craft a way for urban food production to sustain us economically, to build community through innovative, collaborative local food systems, and thus to help establish the path of ‘urban farmer’ as a career."

To learn more about Little City Gardens, check out the video below.

Little City Gardens from caitlyn galloway on Vimeo.

Canoe Pop-Up Shop @ Public School!

2011-01-26T22:37:00.001-05:00

The big day has finally come! If you've wondering what I have been hinting at on twitter for the last few weeks, guess no more. Mark your calendars for Friday, February 4th! Canoe is hosting a pop-up shop with our friends at Public School to debut our new line in Texas. We'll be offering classic American workwear, well-loved boots, fancy pocket knives, and hand tooled leather goods for sale. The shop will also feature hand sewn ties by This Humble Abode, rock’n’roll mirror portraits by Tom Runkle, and lunar calendars by Caitlin Galloway.

While you shop, enjoy some excellent salami and pickles by local darling Salt & Time, washed down with Maker's Mark or a fine brew by Thirsty Planet Brewing.

Stay tuned this coming week as we offer some sneak peeks from our talented group of artists. The Canoe pop-up shop will be open from 5:30-10pm and we hope to see you there!

Canoe Pop-Up Shop

Friday, February 4th

5:30-10pm

@ Public School

1021 e.7th St, suite 102

Austin, TX

Gathering inspiration

2011-01-23T13:00:00.001-05:00

With the weather a bit rainy and cold (-ish, for Austin at least), I've been holing up in my studio gathering inspiration and letting it soak through. I'm also daydreaming a lot about Canoe, and how this new line is shaping up. The quick summary of Canoe is "vintage American workwear and leather goods," but for me it's about so much more.

It's about being a tomboy growing up in New York, climbing trees, scraping knees, and seeking out some mischief everyday.

Being self-sufficient, finding adventure, running really fast just to remember that you can.

Having tools that are useful and well-crafted to help you along the way. Making things by hand to see how they work, and re-tooling to get it just right.

This last year has made me feel more like an adult than ever (buying a house, becoming a landlord), so maybe Canoe is just a way to get back to feeling like a kid again. Who knows. But it feels damn good to making new things, working with new materials, and hammering away at something good.
photos from knotformation.tumblr.com, David Robert Jones, and Ditte Isager.

Cozy meals

2011-01-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

It is cold and rainy here today in Austin--a brief blip in our streak of perfect weather. I wouldn't mind being teleported back to Suppenküche restaurant in SF for a mean spätzle and some warm soup. I never thought I would love German food as much as I do now. A trip to Frankfurt back in high school scared me away from the good stuff, but now I am back on board and thankfully live close to some wonderful German towns here in Texas. Any have good recommendations for classic German restaurants in New Braunfels?

Holidays in Oakland & SF

2011-01-07T12:21:00.001-05:00

Happy 2011, Friends! I am just back from our whirlwind trip to the Bay Area over the holidays. Our trip was filled with many friends, cocktails, adventures, cheese-eating, and shop browsing. I had an epic morning at Flora Grubb, where I got to meet Miss Flora herself, who was quiet kind and friendly.

I also got to meet many new faces, including several wonderful new kids. This is Silas, who is a handful of pure joy. He's growing up in Alaska with my friends Erin and Aaron, who never cease to amaze me. They were traveling down the west coast in a VW camper van, the same kind I grew up with as a kid.

Last month marked the debut of Canoe, our new line of vintage American workwear and accessories. It was a huge hit at the Renegade Holiday show and I was nearly wiped out of everything I brought! Hence the Canoe shop is totally bare right now, but give us a few weeks and we'll have that stocked back up again shortly.

I did live leather tooling for folks at the show who wanted monogrammed ornaments. That was a blast, as I got to hammer away and show folks a bit of how I make my work. Live leather tooling was quite the hit with kids, who love to watch me bang away and make quiet a scene. Many thanks to my neighbors Leah and Jocelyn who put up with the noise!

Stay tuned for some more Canoe updates, as I have some big plans in the works for an event here in Austin in early February! I can't wait to share, as we're planning something really special that will bring in some family and friends to the mix.

Whirlwind weeks

2010-12-05T17:03:00.005-05:00

My apologies for going AWOL there, but the last few weeks has been a crazy whirlwird with poor internet service. The *big* news is that we have officially moved into our house!

YES!!

It's an odd feeling to be living there after so many months of dreaming and planning and working our hands to the bone. It's somewhere between feeling like the project and home.

In between, we've had familiar faces come out to visit, which helped me stay sane. And right now we are getting ready to head back to the Bay Area for one of our favorite shows of the year, the Renegade San Francisco Holiday show.

We can't wait to be back in town to see all our old friends. Mark your calendars for December 18-19th in a new location, the Concourse Exhibition Center East Hall (620 7th street at Brannan), from 11am-7pm. We have some great new Miss Natalie products to share, along with the exciting launch of our new secondary line, Canoe.

Canoe is a collaboration between myself and my talented butcher husband, Ben, of Salt & Time. Aside from renovating a house together, our first year in Texas was filled with shopping adventures where we uncovered an amazing selection of vintage men's clothing--Pendelton's, Woolrich, LL Bean--just to name a few. Canoe's focus is on quality American workwear with a sartorial bent, along with modern leather accessories. It's true, we live in Texas now and own a truck and boots. I'll be posting more sneak peeks on our twitter feed , so follow us to get the latest. See you in San Francisco!

Just because

2010-11-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

It's been a long couple weeks, so this is just for smiles and to keep me sane. Dog portrait of Hawkeye by the amazing Sian Keegan.

Sweet Paul

2010-11-05T10:06:00.001-04:00

Sweet Paul is an amazing new online magazine about food, drink, design and life, all things that I love. While flipping through the Fall 2010 issue, I stumbled upon our hand-painted apple boxes being used in a rather clever way. This is one of the many reasons I love prop stylists--they are smart and ingenious, two traits I really admire. Big thanks to Paul Lowe for this wonderful set up and Frances Janisch for the photography. We were pleased as punch to see this in a story about Scandinavian-style decorating; as a designer it's always rewarding to see that folks really understand the intent and meaning behind your work. Also check out Sweet Paul's blog here for behind-the-scenes peeks and more sweet goodness.

Whole Living magazine

2010-11-02T13:27:00.001-04:00

We're over-the-moon about being featured in the November issue of Whole Living magazine. This is our first national press for the growth charts, so it's been wonderful to meet so many new customers and friends. Our studio has been insane these last 3 weeks thanks to this, and we're happy to be so very busy. It's funny to think back to when the idea for the charts first started--I was washing dishes, pondering a conversation I just had with my sister about their upcoming move to Austin. Then, Bam! It just came to me. I should wash dishes more often.

Dreaming about the new studio

2010-10-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up thinking about my new studio space. It's a few weeks away from being move-in ready, but I can't wait to create this new space. The walls already look better than this photo, and after much debate I am going with a warm white paint since the room is flooded with light. I am regulating all my bright poppy color for the closet spaces, which are going to radiate once we're done. Think high-gloss and serious yellow.

Desk - Music and Sound Design from Aaron Trinder Film:Motion:Music on Vimeo.

I've been spending time looking at new desks, as I always need two in my studio. One for my computer, and another larger work desk for production. I love getting sneak peeks from the desks of other artists and designers, so this video (via The Improvised Life) is a perfect Saturday morning find.

Years ago now, my Oakland production desk looked like this. But those colors and palette seem so very long ago, and I know my new studio will have such a different feel.We'll see what that turns out to be.

Three years ago

2010-09-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

Three years ago today I married my best friend. That day was filled with so much amazing love and support from our families and friends I felt like we floating on it. Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way.

Here is one of my favorite memories of that day, our dear friend Walker Mettling singing a beautiful song for us. Walker introduced Ben and I in 2003, late one night during a road trip to Oakland. Every line from this song reminds me of the power of love and friendship, and that wonderful sense of discovery and adventure I've found with Ben.

This is Progress

2010-09-20T18:22:00.002-04:00

We're in a major crunch right now, but things are turning a corner and about to get so much better (*fingers crossed*). Currently, though, this is my kitchen and dining room. I know, right? But deep breaths all around, it's progress.

Speaking of, Renegade Chicago was a HUGE success. Many thanks to all my family and friends who came to show support, and my lovely new mid-western customers. I fell in love with Chicago in September and will definitely be back next year. I've got a whole post set aside on that, though, so hold on a bit longer. The school quarter is about to end and I will have some time to get back to blogging and making and painting walls, etc. You know, once walls go back up.

Miss Natalie in Chicago!

2010-09-07T18:55:00.000-04:00

After years of traveling with the Renegade craft shows from coast to coast, we're taking it back to where it all began--Chicago! This weekend you'll find us at the Renegade Chicago show happening in Wicker Park. Stop by Saturday and Sunday from 11am-7pm. Our booth will be located on Divison and Honore, near the main stage and food courts. It's our first time vending in Chicago, so be sure to say hello and check out our latest and greatest.

Summertime

2010-08-28T12:41:00.002-04:00

This photo, taken by Lena, makes me happy. Somehow it's almost the end of August and I am dreaming of sweaters and scarves. Not likely for another two months--oh, Texas. Started this week with a milestone birthday and ended with a crazy photoshoot at the butcher shop. Pics to come soon, after I'd edited down the 400 images. The studio is about to get crazy as we prep for Renegade Chicago, which is only 2 short weeks away! I'm looking forward to a trip back to the midwest.

2010-08-16T11:04:00.002-04:00

My latest obsession is Pinterest. I've got myself set up there and have been happily pinning away at all the images I bookmark and want to reference later. Quite a handy little tool, and I love being able to share and review other pins, discovering things much faster than cruising blogs in the morning. Is Pinterest just a visual twitter? Yes, and that's why I am loving it.

Prairie Collective

2010-08-02T16:37:00.004-04:00

I have loved watching the progress of Prairie Collective in SF, even if I haven't been able to visit yet. Looking forward to seeing this in person in December. photo by Small Stump.

Friday Inspiration

2010-07-30T14:48:00.002-04:00

New textile collection from Wayne Pate

Fashion inspiration from the Sartorialist. Balenciaga strappy sandals. To dream...

Maybe the coolest girl I don't know. Such ease--this is what I need to channel during the summer of stress, which is what I have dubbed July-August 2010.

B EZ

2010-07-18T13:03:00.002-04:00

Just when it seems like the craziness has settled, a new week comes up with new challenges and I'm wondering, "When do we get back to normal?" As August approaches, we're reaching our one-year milestone here in Austin, and life is still so topsy-turvy and filled to the brim with excitement. And stress. And long 75-minute commutes each way, almost everyday between the Lake house, work, and the house project.

Renovating a home is never easy, so I won't bore you with stories from this first time buyer. You make mistakes despite all the research, and you suck it up and find ways around disasters. But all the juggling and list-making has been keeping me from actually making stuff, which is my true love.

I've had two website renovation plans go on hiatus permanently as I juggle all the other things that need to get done now. BUT, despite all this, I keep telling myself to B EZ, sage advice from my friend Jess (given over 5 years ago and still heeded--that's impressive). Soon enough we'll be settled into our new home, and I can finally unpack and setup my full studio, half of which has been in storage for the year. Patience, patience, patience. I've learned a lot about that this year.

Fresh figs & HOPE Farmer's Market

2010-07-01T11:27:00.002-04:00

Summer is in full season and we are picking figs like there's no tomorrow. Ben has wiped up some fabulous Fig & Balsamic Vinegar jam for the farmer's market. We've been working like mad to get ready for the Salt & Time debut this weekend at the HOPE Farmer's Market in east Austin. If you're in town, swing by for a visit on Sunday, July 4th, from 10am-2pm come rain or shine. The HOPE market is located on e.5th st and Waller.

We'll be offering fresh hot dogs, 6 different types of salumi, salumi snack sticks, a smorgasbord of pickled vegetables (fennel, squash, beets, watermelon radishes, pumpkin, & green tomatoes), jams, chutneys, and grilled peaches in basil and mint syrup, among other things. Is your mouth watering yet?

Still dizzy from NY

2010-06-13T21:38:00.000-04:00

My trip to NY was the typical insanity of running around to see a zillion people and stores and snapping photos like mad. Renegade Brooklyn was a success, despite tornado winds on Sunday and having to close up a few hours early. Monday was jam-packed cruising stores for inspiration, 18 stores in a mere seven hours (a new record for me). More photos to come.

Summertime

2010-05-28T14:44:00.000-04:00

Summertime is almost here, and I can't wait. I saw this image on the Sartorialist today and it just made me smile. I'll be heading to Brooklyn next week for Renegade, so things are beyond crazy in the studio of late. Lots of making, lots of packing, lots of orders and new stores. Updates to come once the dust settles down here.

If you are in New York, make sure to come out next weekend and say hello! The Renegade show runs Saturday and Sunday (June 5-6th) from 11am-7pm in McCarren Park. Our booth is located near the corner of Union and Bayard st, and we'll be next door to the lovely Caitlin Keegan.

Miss Natalie with Nous Savons and Ciuccio (a fabulous croquet trio!)

2010-05-21T17:18:00.002-04:00

Renegade Austin was fabulous, especially thanks to these 2 ladies. Jocelyn of Nous Savons flew down early for the show and we were up to our old shenanigans. To wit, we barged into a run-down haunted house in Uhland, scored free appetizers around town thanks to our meat man (Ben), and went on a wild tubing adventure down the Comal River. Jenny of Ciuccio (and Christina of Heat Press, not pictured) kept us on our toes, as we found less than 2 degrees of separation between all of us (outside of the craft world). So much fun. I'm now on a full-court press to convince Jenny & Christina to move to Austin.

We also met folks we have admired for a while, including Christine of Small Magazine and the lovely Joslyn of Simple Lovely. Both are Dallasites, which means that Dallas got cool when I wasn't looking. Apparently I need to get myself up there soon, maybe for a Dallas Flea? Will keep you posted!

Next up is Renegade Brooklyn! Mark your calendars, New York. I'll be coming to town June 5-6th. Find us at McCarren Park between 11am-7pm selling our wares and dispensing advice. The doctor is in.

Big News + a Breather

2010-04-20T18:32:00.000-04:00

You still there? Life has been crazy this last month and will continue to do so for a while. Lots of big changes and excitement, so without further ado:

1) We bought our first house, a major fixer-upper in South Austin. Hoping we'll be move-in ready by end of May/early June. I hope that didn't just jinx us.
2) I've started teaching full-time.
3) Salt & Time is launching in May, with a debut this Thursday at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party. You can already get a taste on the charcuterie plate at the Hotel Saint Cecilia.
4) Miss Natalie's Heirloom Growth charts are featured in the May issue of Pregnancy Magazine--yes, the one with Kelly Kapowski on the cover!
5) Miss Natalie will be at the Renegade Austin Craft show in a few short weeks, May 15-16th.
6) We'll also be heading back to our hometown for Renegade Brooklyn on June 5-6th.
7) Blogger has been refusing to post photos, so I can't show you proof of any of this!

I will be revamping the site and switching servers shortly, so we may disappear for a week or two while the shift occurs. Fear not, though! We will be back with a better looking site and more bells/whistles. Keep up to date by following our twitter @DearMissNatalie

For the love of wood

2010-03-23T12:01:00.004-04:00

I'm currently obsessed with building with wood, daydreaming of all the projects I could create. Today I am in love with BDDW, a small American furniture company that crafts modern heirloom pieces. I love this image from their "About Us" page.

Right now I am trying to find a beginning woodworking class that I can work into my schedule. In the meantime, I'll continue sketching out cabinet ideas and table designs. Who knows where this will take me, but it feels exciting.

Mind blowing

2010-03-10T21:41:00.002-05:00

Installation work by Katie MccGwire. Absolutely stunning.

Backroads lead to home

2010-02-25T21:40:00.002-05:00

Style Rookie meets the Mad Hatter

2010-02-17T11:59:00.002-05:00

This photo brings me endless joy, featuring Tavi and John Galliano after the Dior show. This is the type of world I want to live in, where a teen fashion blogger gets front row at the Paris couture shows and has a tet'a te with the grand master himself. I've been following Tavi for a few years now, and am so happy that she's been fulfilling her dreams and making serious waves in the fashion world. It's amusing to watch established editors get all riled up because of a young upstart with a distinct voice and simple platform (blogger) to share it. Reading her blog this last year has felt somewhat like a movie script, and I doubt it will take long for Hollywood to take notice and make that happen. Here's my casting vote--Amy Sedaris to play Tavi.

Genius

2010-02-17T10:31:00.003-05:00

work by the great Alvin Lustig. Some inspiration as I finish up the Salt & Time ID system this week. Have you visited Ben the Butcher lately? He's got a lot of goods curing, getting ready for spring. You can be his fan on facebook.

Hint, hint, Ben

2010-02-07T18:18:00.002-05:00

Lou & Vanessa

2010-01-31T17:49:00.000-05:00

Lou Doillon is a perfect mix of wit and charm, the epitome of Vanessa Bruno's Spring 2010 line. This short film brings a smile to my face.

The Poppies Awards

2010-01-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

We're super excited to be nominated for this year's Poppies Awards in the "Homemade Housewares" category. Jan at Poppytalk, one of our favorite Canadian design blogs, has a great list of folks and a wonderful judging panel. Many thanks to all our great friends who have been voting. Polls close on Friday, 1/29, at midnight, so you still have a chance to cast your vote for Miss Natalie! Simply follow this link and click on "Miss Natalie".

Classes start

2010-01-18T16:59:00.001-05:00

Last week the winter session started up and I have quite a full load this quarter! Four classes, 85 students, and lots of type. Here a quick flashback to my Intro to Type class from San Francisco, from our experimental type assignment. I am now teaching an entire class on experimental type, one of my favorite topics.

Making it

2010-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

For the last few days I have been writing and thinking about my design and teaching philosophies. Good, but hard stuff that makes my brain hurt and my fingers want to get off the computer, stop thinking so much, and just start making. Like this:

2010

2010-01-02T10:28:00.002-05:00

2010 is the year we've been working towards, so I can't tell you how excited we are to see it here. Ben and I have both been putting in the time, nurturing our projects, and we're about to see the first blooms soon. Looking forward to sharing them with you all here, and I hope to be posting more often to document the journey.

xoxo,
Miss Natalie

Happy Holidays

2010-01-01T17:48:00.002-05:00

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T10:07:00.003-05:00

This Thanksgiving I have a lot to be grateful for, and I'd like to share a bit of that with you, our loyal Miss Natalie friends. Until December 14th, whenever you buy from the Miss Natalie shop, enter promo code STORY UNFOLDS in the "Note to Seller" section and receive a free gift with purchase! Thank you so much for your continued support and kind words--you've helped make many dreams possible (for both myself and Ben), and we couldn't have done it without you.

xoxo from Texas,
Miss Natalie

photo by Paul Schiek

Mail-A-Mask Postcard

2009-11-18T09:59:00.002-05:00

They're HERE!! Miss Natlie's Mail-A-Mask Postcards are ready to go, perfect for your favorite kid or friend in need of some cheering up. Who knew it only took a 6" x 9" postcard to make anyone instantly smile?

Don't tell the apple boxes, but Mail-A-Masks are my favorite new item this season, as it combines my love for mask-masking (remember this?) and hand-drawn patterns. Printed on recycled paper, the postcards are a total steal at $4 and available in our shop. Since they're 6" x 9", you have plenty of room to write an epic letter to your friend. Who doesn't like to get real mail?

Snowflake Ornaments!

2009-11-14T10:33:00.002-05:00

We've just updated the Miss Natalie shop with some lovely wood-burned snowflake ornaments! Each ornament measures 5.5" x 5" and comes hung on a satin red ribbon with a green gift tag, ready for giving or hanging on your tree.

There are two unique styles to choose from: the Polka Dots or Herringbone pattern, and they are available in sets--just drop us a note and we can put one together for you! Aside from hanging on your tree, these also make charming table settings for a holiday dinner party. We've made a limited quantity for this holiday season, so get yours early!

Renegade Holiday Show in SF

2009-11-12T13:32:00.001-05:00

We're totally jazzed to be back in SF for the new Renegade Holiday show!! Bringing back your favorites, plus a bunch of new products we've been working on. The next few weeks will be insanity as I try to wrap up freelance, get products out to stores, and prep for this show. BUT, you guys know that I thrive when busy.

For all my loyal Bay Area customers, I hope you can make it out to the show, December 19th-20th. I miss seeing you all!

Fall on the River

2009-11-09T10:53:00.001-05:00

Suddenly the leaves have turned and it feels like fall down by the river. Thankful for the cooler weather and a chance to break out my sweaters.

Type Inspiration

2009-11-05T09:56:00.004-05:00

Gorgeous type inspiration this morning from Sheaff: Ephemera. I need to make a type backdrop for myself and pose all my products in front of it--soo nice. While I love a chunky letterform, my favorite of this bunch is Brown Light Artillerary. I have a lot of hand lettering to do this weekend, so this was a perfect find.

In other news, our house has been invaded by two of our favorite boys, Paul and Kyle. They're out to help Ben finish building out his salami and sausage shop, Salt and Time. Today they are installing a huge cooler--the curing room. I know waaay too much about salami now.

I'm working on lots of fun, new products for the holiday season--can't wait to share with you guys.

Driving Home

2009-10-24T12:42:00.003-04:00

I may be slowly falling in love with Texas. I didn't really think it was possible, but living in the country has won me over.

Cheer up, Charlie

2009-10-05T22:43:00.001-04:00

This little guy has been keeping me company while getting over the flu. If only he could also keep me in a constant supply of smoothies and bad movies, I'd be set. More to come when I'm back from the dead. Is it just me, or is this the week that everyone's been hit with the flu?