Well, dear Agnes over at Knock-Knocking has done it again! What little girl (or big girl) wouldn’t LOVE to have one of these embroidered Monarch Butterfly clips perched in her hair?! Or, brides: what if a butterfly landed in your bouquet? Or a few sat on your flower girl’s dress? How awesome would several of these butterflies look on top of your cake?!

And since they are beautifully crafted, you could save them as a keepsake long after your wedding day. Just a dreamy thought…

We had the wonderful opportunity to partner with some dear friends to bring you this Gift Set by Tool and Tack, perfect for Mother’s Day! Together with Miss Natalie and Leah Duncan, this set is available exclusively at Canoe. It features one of Leah’s organic cotton tea towels, Miss Natalie’s hand painted apple box, and our I LOVE YOU tiny text bowl- all packed together in a wooden crate wrapped in a printed illustration and finished with a leather gift tag. Every detail was lovingly addressed, making a sweet heartfelt gift for mom or any special lady.

Like any creative project, designing Valentin’s nursery was both a challenge and a wonderful time of joy for me. Challenging,  because I wanted to create a room that would grow and change with him easily, work well with the rest of our home, and function as a guest room- a tall order for such a tiny space. Joyful, because I love squeezing a little bit of time into our busy schedule for creative endeavors that are not work-related. And how can you not love the excitement and hope that is poured into making a room for the baby you are about to welcome into your family? Such a special period of time.

Of course it wasn’t until after Valentin arrived that I finally finished up the nursery. Little details (like his name on the wall in rope, and hanging the artwork his big sister, Paloma, painted for him) were slowly checked off the to-do list. When our friend Agnes of Knock-Knocking came to visit, she snapped this great image, below.  Want to see details? Check out even more images over at Inspired By This!

As a mom myself, I love to keep my babes close to my heart- and I also love keepsake pieces that feature their names or silhouettes, or commemorate their birth dates. Our custom wooden bangle bracelet is a fun accessory to gift this Mother’s Day- whether for your mother, grandma, or other special woman in your life. Let us custom craft one with the names, words, or special text of your choice- any message that Mom will love to carry with her throughout her day. Create a set of two or three, with a different message on each bangle. Bracelets arrive in our signature gift packaging, ready to give. Or, we can ship directly to her, and include a message from you in the package. Order soon for delivery by Mother’s Day.

Around here we believe that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes things happen when you least expect them,  or when it may not seem very convenient upon first glance. But, everything happens in good time and with good purpose in the end.

If you follow us over on Twitter, you may remember that we have been dealing with  a leaky roof at our Austin studio/showroom space since last October. Obviously rain coming into your workspace is no fun; being tenants in a commercial building that is not being properly repaired is no joke.

For example:

Water + Clay = Mud.

Water + Wood = Sad Animal Chairs.

Neither of these things add up when trying to handcraft in the studio on a daily basis.

So, when the opportunity recently presented itself for us to move  into another location close by, we  jumped at the chance (with our landlords’ rain-sprinkled blessing) to do what we feel is truly in the best interest of our business. We are looking forward to a fresh, inspiring environment starting next month. A new, dry environment that will allow our production to continue to soar!

The downside? The new space isn’t designed to have a showroom open to the public. Now please don’t worry your pretty heads, Austin friends. We have loved having a space to welcome our clients, so plans are in the works for a new proper retail showroom in the near future, in a separate location that we hope will be more accessible, bigger and better than the last one. The only difference is that it won’t be adjacent to our workspace, so you probably won’t see us coming in from the back with sawdust  in our hair and clay under our fingernails. We’ll miss that a bit. And we will we miss meeting and greeting you all on the weekends at our little shoppe for a short while. Until then, keep visiting our online store, and stay in touch here and on Twitter. (Remember, that’s where we let you know about coupon codes, too!) We also have a few local pop-ups and shows happening on the calendar soon, too.

The last day to come visit our current showroom location at 4402 South Congress Avenue will be Saturday, April 28. We’ll be open from noon until 4pm.  After that, it’s onwards and upwards. No umbrellas needed, blue skies ahead. xo

I stopped in my tracks the other day when I stumbled upon Sibo Designs through a mention on Twitter. I admit it, we get spoiled by beauty and creativity daily in the wedding industry- so much that it sometimes feels like eye candy over-load. But one glance at the veils and other designs by Sheila Bobeldijk, and I could tell that this was something very special.

Sibo Designs is based in The Netherlands. If you’ve ever roamed the streets of any city there or in neighboring Belgium, its easy to see where the art of lace making has its roots. The Lowlands have produced some of the worlds’ finest textiles for hundreds of years. I love how Sheila’s designs feel very rooted in that tradition, crafted of beautiful, quality materials and embellishments. Visit her shop and galleries, and find that she creates styles for every type of bride. Your eyes will thank you for that bit of candy.

As a few of you may know, I inherited my love of antiques and the decorative arts from my mother, who is an art historian. I grew up surrounded by her collection of quilts, furniture, and other special pieces that she collected over the years, and I attribute much of my interest in creating heirlooms to how she shared the stories of these wonderful treasures with me.

Not only a collector, she is also an educator. My mother currently serves as the director of the New England Quilt Museum, located just outside of Boston, in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Museum is the only one of its kind in the northeast devoted “solely to the preservation, promotion, and celebration of this uniquely American art form.” Quilting seems to be on the verge of a rebirth- a whole new generation is discovering the art form and making it its own. At the same time, there is a new interest in the history of textile arts, and in recreating quilts in the traditional early styles. With this idea, the New England Quilt Museum has partnered with Marcus Fabrics to produce a collection based on textile examples found in quilts from the Museum’s collection.

And now, you can find these great fabrics in their Etsy Shop!

Spring has arrived here in Austin! We have been graced with warm breezes and sunshine, and are cherishing the mild days -while the grass is still green- before the heat of the summer sets in. Here in the studio we have been enjoying the new addition to our little family (see our previous post about welcoming Valentín!), and José and I have been designing the newest additions to the Paloma’s Nest collection!

Just in time for Easter, we have created a darling Easter Basket Tote (which also looks great all year ’round as extra storage in a child’s room); it’s ready to be filled with our personalized wooden eggs, a yo yo,  and (of course) a chocolate bunny! Also new for Spring are the custom wooden puzzle (makes for a sweet surprise marriage proposal, baby gender reveal, or fun gift for a child or adult ) and this delicate jewelry box that features a personalized ceramic plaque on the lid. Head on over to the shop and see all that is new and fresh for Spring!

Barely a week ago we welcomed our baby boy, Valentín, to the world! He was born at home , and we feel so incredibly lucky to have had our wish of a natural and peaceful birth come true for him.  His name means health, strength, and valor. Big sister Paloma is thrilled with the addition to the family, and we are all getting used to our new life together!

José and I are slowly making our way back to the studio and we will be catching up on things by the beginning of next week. As you know, customer service is a top priority for us at Paloma’s Nest. If your order, or our reply to your email inquiry, has been delayed in any way because of our new arrival, we have been in touch to let you know. If you have not heard from us regarding a pending order, then rest assured everything is on schedule as normal and nothing has been affected by our few days away from the studio.

We thank you all for your well wishes and patience with us during this very special time for our family and for Paloma’s Nest! We look forward to what is ahead for us all this year.

One of the highlights of this year has been the opportunity to work with fellow artists and designers to bring new and exciting pieces to our collections. A few days back I wrote about our collaboration with Oh My Cavalier. Today, I am just as excited to share with you the details of another collaboration from this season, our Tiny Yarn Wreath Ornaments created by Agnes Blum of Knock-Knocking!

Agnes Blum is an incredibly talented textile artist and founder of her business, Knock-Knocking. She is also an amazing mother and blogger , and based here in Austin, Texas. She and I met just over a year ago (after connecting via Twitter!) and we joyously share a kindred connection both in daily life and in business.  So, it only seemed natural that, despite our differences in aesthetics, eventually we would begin collaborating in our design work. This Holiday Collection is just the beginning of what we hope will be years of working together in a collaborative way!

This year’s collection features four tiny versions of Knock-Knocking’s famous yarn wreaths, perfect for hanging on the holiday tree, or year ’round as a decoration in your home. One, shown above, is even personalized with names, making it the perfect romantic gift for your sweetie or for a newlywed couple. While you are swooning over Agnes’ attention to detail and amazing craftsmanship, be sure to stop by her shop, too, to see the full-size, full-color spectrum yarn wreaths that made Knock-Knocking famous!

Good news- the designs from this fun collaboration (and many more throughout our shop) are still available for Holiday Delivery within the US-  yes, even the personalized one!-  if you order with Standard Mail by 11 AM EST on Monday, December 19, or with Express Mail until 11 AM EST Thursday, December 22. Cheers!