Miss Ephemera is at it again…

As we all know, the best things in life are often bedecked in red & white stripes…candy canes, stripey straws, baker’s twine, barber poles, circus tents…  So, when Miss Ephemera whispered in our ear (once again!) and indicated that what she would really, really like in order to set her apart from the crowd was an awning out front, we knew INSTANTLY that it would have to be of the striped variety. Oh what fun!

In order to make this happen, Miss Ephemera will be offering up all sorts of delightful little activities and events in which the proceeds go directly to the awning fund.  To get this thing kick-started, we’re offering little Bags o’ Goodness full of tiny treasures that are absolutely GUARANTEED to make your day a better place to be.  Make sure to pick yours up and become a part-OWNER of our dream-awning!  (How many people can say that they own a Red & White striped awning?!?).

Let’s make another ephemera dream come true!

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Is it the first Friday of a NEW month already?!?  The general consensus is that summer is, indeed, flying by and we know this to be true as our first art show has already been taken down and our 2nd installment in our Green Wall Art for All series is up on the wall and ready to strut it’s stuff tonight from 6:00 – 9:00.

The lovely Angela Claus, Artist Extraordinaire, spent the day yesterday pounding nails and hanging, what I deem to be, the very best use of scribbles, layers, and neon paint I’ve seen in a very long time.  Stop by, grab a bite, and do a little scribble-gazing of your own.

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One day, two young ladies wandered into the shop (as they often do…).  Best friends.  Absolutely beautiful.  And full of such positive energy.  We chatted and made sure that they headed out into the big world armed with warbling bird whistles (as we often do…).

Soon after, one of the two wrote ephemera a love letter and so ephemera wrote her a love letter back.  And that began such a nice friendship between the two girls who began ephemera, two girls who love ephemera, and miss ephemera herself.

I feel so, so lucky that this space provides opportunity after opportunity to meet and greet others who are willing to share little tidbits about their own adventures through life.  Such a perfect way to learn and keep perspective.   I’m constantly thrilled that this space seems to INVITE that.  And these two?  From what I hear, both are certainly at one of those crossroads where everything is being shifted and things are opening up and coming back together and ending and beginning. So full and so very interesting.   And I am just so excited for them as they continue to find the ways in which they can best leave a positive impression on this big ol’ warbling world.

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We have been so, so excited to unveil the BIG shout-out we got in the Fall 2010 issue of DIY Ideas (run out, run out to your nearest news stand and pick one up!).  Late this Spring, miss ephemera got all dressed up in her very best, smiled her prettiest smile, and primped and posed for her four hour photo shoot.  YES!  A photo shoot!

And not only were the photos so, so incredibly beautiful, but the article, written by ephemera’s good friend Bethany Kohoutek, was just outstandingly written.  We are SO proud that we’ve got this little snapshot as to where we stand now and how far we’ve come over the last three years.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the lovely people of DIY who made this happen in such a perfectly perfect way!

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Miss Ephemera was gifted with gumballs!  Every color, every flavor, and only 1 penny a piece!  Just a little reminder that life is, indeed, pretty darn sweet!

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Ephemera was so thrilled yesterday morning when Miss Emily Phipps and her very helpful father came equipped with:  72 paintings, a nifty laser leveling tool (aren’t dads just so GOOD to have around?!), a hammer, a tape measure, and a good measure of patience and BEDECKED her green wall.  Yes, yes!  Tonight, beginning at 6 PM, we’ll begin our first installment of our “Green Wall Art for All” series.  Each of Emily’s paintings will be sold for $27 each (I betchya you can’t buy just one!  These things practically BEG to go home with a partner!!!) on a first come, first serve basis.  Better yet, the proceeds for the paintings will benefit the Iowa Coalition for Drug Endangered Children so, while you’re grabbing up little pieces of eye candy, you’ll be doing SUCH a good deed.

We absolutely can’t wait to see you!

Here’s a sneak peek:

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What is it about a canning jar full of fresh cut garden flowers?

Here’s something good to do today…  Find a jar.  Pick some flowers.  Place in front of someone’s front door in a sneaky sort of way.  Easy, easy, easy and absolutely guaranteed to make everyone involved feel really, really good on a Wednesday afternoon…

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It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

Ephemera has been whiling away her summer hours plotting and planning and, at the tip-top of her list of accomplishments, is six months worth of new art for your viewing pleasure!

What’s this all about, you ask?

On July 2nd, we’ll begin a series called “Green Wall Art for All” which will take place on the first Friday of each month from 6-9 pm.  The artwork will be hung all month, mind you, but on those first Fridays, we invite you to meet the artist, eat good food, and drink good drinks!  We anticipate a Big Green Wall filled with the creative renderings of art created right here in your neighborhood and a back room filled with energy!

First up is Miss Emily Phipps on July 2nd.  We are absolutely smitten with her work and absolutely can not wait to introduce you to it!  Better yet, the proceeds from any artwork sold during her show will benefit The Iowa Alliance for Drug Endangered Children.  Mark your calendar and join us!

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Our friend Paige has been painting and painting and painting beautiful, light-filled, glowing masterpieces for quite some time.  And, for quite some time, they have been hiding in her not-so-light-filled apartment.  Yesterday afternoon, they came out of hiding and took their proud and dignified places on the sprawling and blank back-room walls of Ephemera.  Tonight, our friend Paige will be showing them off to a small slice of the world.

This is Paige’s first art show, appropriately titled “My First Art Show.”  Today, Miss Ephemera salutes Miss Paige because taking those things that you love the most (so many times those things that you love so secretly and quietly) and showing them off to the world can be such a scary and thrilling thing to do.  “Hello, World!  Here are my paintings all hung on this wall!” or  “Hello, World!  Here is the business that I’ve always wanted to start!” or “Hello, World!  Here is my voice that I’ve always wanted to hear through a microphone!”  Jump, jump, jump!  Whatever it is!  If for no other reason than the FEELING of DOING it.  Show it and tell it (and I promise that your life will feel much more interesting!).

If you are in town, stop by tonight!  We’ll be here admiring from 6:00 until 9:00 pm and would love to have you join us!

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You know, the very best thing that can happen in a day is a surprise; don’t you think?  Today, the largest, most beautiful bouquet of Springtime flowers made its way to our counter via an incredibly lovely new patron of ephemera.  Happy day!  Then, this afternoon, Megan from Peace Tree Brewery in Knoxville dropped off two icy cold samples of their newly-bottled brew which, as it turns out, is my very new favorite thing!

The world is good!  We return the favor by handing out more and more Warbling Bird Whistles!  Yes, yes!  As of today, there are a few more people in the world with them in hand –we even got a phone call from Handsome Paulo from down the street demonstrating his newly-acquired Warbling skills!

Please enjoy the rest of yours as much as we have enjoyed ours!

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