I made many a mud pie in my youth (I bet you did, too).  Soupy soil all jazzed up with pebbles and violets, batter spread in old Pot Pie tins and baby food jars, and baked in the sun.  Perfection.

Today in the shop, the windows and door are open, our blue bench has found its way outside (complete with the hardiest plants we have that can withstand the wind), and these pretty porcelain cups have made their way to our shelves.  They are absolutely perfect for crayons and colored pencils, warm milk or tea, pretty herbs in a windowsill, or freshly made batches of wonderful mud pie.

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When we moved into our new space in November, one of our greatest discoveries was that THE WINDOWS OPEN!!!  We’ve got a grand total of FIVE windows that have been ready and waiting to be thrown open for MONTHS.  And this morning, much to our delight, we knew that the time had come.  Yes, yes, we know…  It’s supposed to snow.  And rain.  And do all of the things that it’s supposed to do in Iowa in March but, for today, the heat has been turned off and we are bathing in sunlight, basking in light, and breathing in some fresh air.  Feels good, doesn’t it.

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Karen and I like to dream big dreams.  One of those dreams is that on some fine March 17th, we’ll actually muster enough courage and fortitude to climb out of our nice warm beds to attend a Kegs and Eggs St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  We think that it would lend itself to molding and shaping us into more well-rounded individuals.  There are, however, problems that surround this endeavor.  Like the fact that I find the idea of green beer revolting.  Like the fact that I have a serious aversion to the idea of drinking before 8:00 AM (I am the only lady who made it through five years of college at the University of Iowa without tailgating).  Like the fact that, if everything went fine and dandy, and we actually DID make it to Kegs and Eggs, through time and history, we have proven again and again that in these types of social situations, we exhibit very little self-control and would probably not be able to swing open the doors of ephemera by 10 AM like the responsible shop girls that we typically are.

So, in the meantime, we dip one little toe in, wiggle it around, and see how it feels.  We do this by eating (and serving) Guinness Stout Cupcakes at 10 AM.  Yes, yes!  It’s happening today!  In honor of all things green and Irish-y, we invite you to stop by and start your St. Patrick’s Day preparations a little early.

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Yesterday I sat down with my set of watercolors and spent a short while painting yellow dots (if you’re wondering if painting yellow dots on a cloudy day helps change your perspective on things, it does!).  The yellow dots reminded me of our fickle friend Little Miss Sunshine and as soon as she made her appearance on my masterpiece, she demanded that I round it out with some sort of affirmation.  Ta-Da!  This is what I came up with:

I think that in the middle of all of the day-to-day “stuff” that happens around here–the phone calls and the e-mails to return, the bills to pay, the new inventory to price, the customers to chat with, and, of course, our new orders to take and design and print and assemble, it is really, really easy to let the actual CREATION of things lag behind and get lost in the shuffle.  And it is the Creating part, the really refreshing make-something-just-for-the-fun-of-it process, that led me to this type of work in the first place.  As it turns out, I NEED to play in this way, even if just for a few minutes.  When I do, I find myself so much more energized and focused and ready to take on the not-as-much-fun parts of my day (that would be the bill-paying I mentioned earlier!).

Remember when we had things like recess and art class and music class?  We actually had time set aside for us to run around and pump our legs until we could get as high as we could and paint self portraits and sing songs complete with clapping and stomping?  And then we grew up and all of those things that were a part of the routine just sort of went away for a lot of us?  Is it any wonder that so many people trudge around and wonder why their days seems so utterly short and unfulfilling and, well, just not FUN?

As we all climb out of our winter shells, I advocate play time.  Whatever that is for you.  For me, it has much to do with short little walks and colored pencils.  And for you?  Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we.

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Look what we found blooming on our front counter!  It’s a whole new crop of Springtime lovelies that just popped up this morning!  Freshly picked necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings from local jewelry designer Sunday Greaves!  (P.S. This is a pretty good example of why we love our job.)

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If you were invited to this wedding, you’re headed to Cabo San Lucas!  To go with the travel theme of the wedding, we made passport invites and boarding pass response cards!

we even had custom stamps made to stamp the passports!

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Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!  For a limited time only, ephemera has freshly mopped floors!  This doesn’t happen very often, folks, so if you want a chance to see it, come on in!  Just remember to dry your shoes first!

Bethany Kohoutek takes sweet shots!  Check out more of her work!

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This weekend, I found a perfect little vintage sundress for $.99 at the Salvation Army.  I know that it is truly vintage as the waist on this fabulous little number needed to be let out in order to fit my modern-day un-cinched waist.  I love swingy little dresses–the kind that should be worn on a summer day while picking roses and sipping cocktails (you know the kind…).  Ephemera got her hands on a large-ish collection of super-fancy patterns from which just this type of dress can be made.  I like to thumb through them and dream little dreams of spinning around in patterned fabric on sunny days.  Sigh….

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