our annie oakley tote was featured in the All American Mom collection over at Made.  Let's be honest, moms deserve everything and more, so hop on over to madecollection.com and find something you think she would love!

We are really excited to have ash & ore goods available at madecollection.com.
Made is dedicated to supporting a resurgence in America Manufacturing with a mission to create jobs and bolster the U.S. economy by serving customers looking for the best American-made products, and brands looking to reach those customers. Be sure to check out the other american made products they carry!

study

Study by burnishedgold

Lisa, from Connecticut, is a lover of physics and longtime dancer who passes hours playing guitar, and writing poetic philosophy manuscripts.  She describes her style as being chic, punk, and everything in between.  We love the collection

she created for us. it's perfect for those chilly spring days when you want a break from your darker duds.  Thanks Lisa!

Check out more of her collections at burnishedgold.

Ana, loves her felt mac air sleeve. check out her blog, mrs. americanmade for fashion inspiration, she has great style!

Take a little good Advice from an old Farmer: 

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life... Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don 't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,

he'll just kill you.

 — with Thompson Ronald.

Textures seen on my walk downtown this morning. Inspiration for my next collection.

When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all. -E. O. Wilson
"Tree portraits" by Müge Yilmaz

today only!

patte loper.

this is how i've been feeling in my brain lately.
patte loper.

sam kweskin.

fantastic photographer...fantastic indeed. sam kweskin

aleksandra domanovic.

Aleksandra creates sculptures out of stacked and painted computer paper. all i can say is whoa.

Fancy Tiger Holiday Market

Fancy Tiger Crafts is pleased to present the 4 th Annual Holiday
Handmade alternative craft fair. Holiday Handmade is Denver's premiere shopping venue for consumers looking to support local economy, hand crafters, and artisans. Holiday Handmade runs Friday, December 2nd from 5 – 10pm and Saturday, December 3rd from
10am – 4pm at the Sherman Street Event Center at 1770 Sherman St in Denver. As always, Holiday Handmade is free to attend!

Holiday Handmade is a juried craft fair that features 70 local crafters who are creating unique, quality work by hand and are on the forefront of Denver’s new wave of craft. Holiday shoppers can choose from locally handmade items such as felted ornaments, letterpress notecards, hand-crafted jewelry, sewn dog collars and one-of-a-kind ceramics to name a few of the amazing products that will be offered. Some vendors include: Mountain Girl Organics, Ash and Ore, Alex Watson Pottery, Sweet
Letterpress, and Darling Ruth clothing. Holiday Handmade will be held at the beautiful Sherman Street Event Center located downtown on the corner of Sherman and and 18th Street. Sugar Bakeshop will be providing sweet treats and warm beverages again this year, and food trucks will be providing attendees with savory items right outside the venue. This event is not to be missed!

The Denver Handmade Alliance is sponsoring Fancy Tiger's Holiday Handmade again this year. The first 50 lucky people through the door both Friday December 2nd, and Saturday December 3rd will receive a tote bag full of goodies from local designers brought to you by the Denver Handmade Alliance.

breakfast talk.

It is often that i find myself pondering what other people say and do. breakfast talk is going to be the place i put these such words or actions. may it spark conversations in your world as it does in mine.

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
― Douglas Adams

arcosanti.

Paolo Soleri's experimental town Arcosanti. a place i would like to visit.

photos: Angela Hardison

green runway video.

I were so honored to be apart of the green runway fashion show last month at the Boulder Theater. It was by far one of the coolest things I've seen happen in town since I moved here three years ago. The peeps who put this together really knew how to throw a party. It was so stimulating, so vibrant, so...AWESOME!

The money raised was to be donated to New Era Colorado’s mission of voter engagement and education.
here's a little bit more info...

Dedicated to raising awareness, action and resources to localize Boulder’s energy future, The New Grid presents The Green Runway, a benefit for New Era Colorado. Inspired by the annual Telluride AIDS Benefit, this theatrical fashion show reveals a wide array of sustainable clothing from couture and avant-garde to active and everyday casual. For 70 minutes, a union of local volunteers will model these progressive collections in highly choreographed dance routines strung together by a seamless, fast-paced beat that communicates the influence of energy efficiency.


Directed by Katy Parnello Produced by Abbey Smith Choreographed by Amanda Sturdavent Styling by Voodoo Hair Lounge Makeup By Jen Murphy Graffiti Runway Set by Berk Visual/Elm and Oak

Eco-friendly clothing by: Carol Ann Wachter * Autumn Teneyl * Onerary * nau * Elm and Oak * Alchemist * Reveal Handbags * Pima Doll * Ash & Ore * Common Threads * Marmot * MISTER * Prairie Underground * Merrell * Horny Toad * Icebreaker * El Naturalista * Topo Ranch * Urban Outfitters * Allyson Desart * Morningstar Boutique * English Retreads * and more Jewelry by Pallas Ravae Forcella and Vagabond

janet echelman.

I’m completely mesmerized by Janet Echelman‘s massive moving net sculptures. Her colorful projects draw inspiration from ancient craft and modern technology, using machine and hand woven UV-resistant fibers and collaborating with local engineers and architects. Each sculpture physically responds to environmental forces like wind, water, and sunlight which makes them so magical and magnificent. Check out the rest of her work and their locations here.

contrast.

i love the contrast in this image of central park. the harsh lines of where metropolis and nature meet. looking forward to the next time i can taste the big apple.

(Photo by Andrew Carter Mace)

Leif Podhajsky.

Leif Podhajsky's work makes me want to look closer.

a&o and the elephant make friends

A local online mag featured a Q&A and some photos of my studio. check it out here

the elephantjournaldotcom is your guide to what we like to call ‘the mindful life’: yoga, organics, sustainability, genuine spirituality, conscious consumerism, fair fashion, the contemplative arts…anything that helps us to live a good life that also happens to be good for others, and our planet.

mountain fair.

i've just been horrible about blogging since summer started, so here's me trying to get my blog more up to speed.
i wanted to share with you a few pics from my booth at this years mountain fair in carbondale. Every year i share the space with my good friend and fellow maker Tracy Wilson of Mountain Betty. She makes beautiful earrings, kick ass fabric totes, and strong bold magnets. it was sweltering hot and sitting as close to the ground as possible was the best i could do to try and stay cool. music was bumpin'into the night and we had lots of people coming through our zone. we're excited for next year!

cabin fever.

the gray skies of today are reminding me of falls arrival in new england growing up. the colder wet days in the woods, cabin hangouts, the sound of trampling over soggy leaves, and the smell of wood stoves firing up for the first time since winter. while it may not be quite that time, and i may not live in the northeast anymore, i feel it in my bones, and my dreams. I would love to curl up in any of these places right about now.