How exciting to wake up and see my studio space on the Poppytalk blog! This is really exciting for me and I'm honored to show you all my new little space! It's a bit different right now as I'm very busy (ok and a bit messy, but organized mess!) getting ready for the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair in September. My table looked like this the other day..

Doilies all over the place! In the process of making more light shades..plus a few new styles!

So yes, a big hello and welcome to any of you who may be wandering over here!

The PoppyTalk Market that I'm in is featured today in Daily Candy! Pretty cool..

HELLO!
James told me to edit this post because people don't want to read about how sick I get and not showering because of being sick. So here are some quick facts:

Today I've gotten on the computer for the first time since Wednesday night. I awoke at 3:30 am Thursday to a horrrrrrrible stomach ache. I don't get sick very often at all, but when I do, I DO. I was very surprised by it, if I get the flu, it's usually in the winter. Anyway, it was bad, bad, bad but I feel ok enough to sit at the computer today, though nothing much else (just nap).

So did you feel the earthquake?? Our windows rattled.

I wanted to mention also that last Monday, Jan at PoppyTalk featured Nice on her blog! This was really wonderful because she'd never seen my shop before.

Wow all this typing really wore me out hahah. Might go to bed soon. wasn't a very coherent post!

What an incredible response I have gotten to these light shades! Thank you everyone, so much! My heart is swelling!! These truly are a labor of love, so your feedback feels extraordinary.

Thank you especially to Holly of Decor8 for featuring me Monday on her blog. That was amazing (a whole post about Nice!). I'm still trying to figure out how she knew my nickname is Cake! hahah If you didn't know until yesterday, when my brother was too young to call me Caitlin, he settled for Cake.

A huge thank you to Abbey, of Abbey Goes Design Scouting, for featuring me twice today! First, and second.

Also a thank you to Craft Zine's Blog for featuring the shades as well.
Really.

And last, but most definitely not least, thank you Anabela of Field Guided, for featuring them first! You can see her post right here.

PHEW!! Amazing. man oh man oh man..

Today I happened upon the surprise that this blog has been listed on Bloesem's Recently Discovered list! How exciting it is to see my logo on her page! It's very possible that most, if not all of my visitors, are already familiar with Bloesem... but if you aren't, I urge you to head over!...and also check out the equally wonderful Bloesem Kid's!

And a great big hello to new readers wandering over! Welcome! <3

Cathy of Douglas & Hope has just begun a blog! She's a very busy shop owner, as well as a mom of twins, so any glimpse she has time to give is appreciated haha. She just posted a photo today of the Fitzroy shop window. Can you spy my Mini Deer Plaque amongst all of the other eye candy? (click to enlarge)

Sigh. I seriously hope I can one day get to this shop. Have any of you been? Do you live in Australia or did you visit?

Kerry of Lush Bella has just put out a beautiful little book of her photographs. I instantly snagged one for myself..I love her work. Love it. It's such a visual treat- her work is simple in the sense that her compositions capture the trinkets in just the right place, just the right colors, just the right intrigue. I completely appreciate her prints as I have a great love for small treasures..ever since I was young I've held on to random beautiful bits..tiny lipstick samples, the case belonging to a lost deck of cards, a favorite bead, the tag belonging to our Christmas tree...

Kerry captures the same essence found in her photographs, in her jewelry collections as well. Lovely, delicate, and timeless pieces (which have also been sold at Anthropolgie!). Kerry really is the whole package; I've found, through correspondence, that she has a personality to match her work. She is very kind and warm and thoughtful with her words. I'm sure you'll understand when reading her book..it translates as if she were sitting beside you telling the stories behind her finds, engaging the reader with questions and little challenges. I think you'll really enjoy it.

You can find Lush Bella's prints in the Etsy shop, and the jewelry collection in her online boutique. Pick up I Spy right here.

And p.s. I'm the Caitlin she mentions on the front flap! You can imagine my excitement! <3

So I've been meaning to mention this since before the holidays.. You can now find my Mini Deer Plaques at the incredibly cool Douglas & Hope stores in Melbourne and Fitzroy! I hope so much that I can one day make it to their stores...I'm so excited to be a part of them! So if you live or are planning to visit Melbourne, stop in and say hello for me!

Amy sent me this photo of the banners she ordered for her son's birthday. Don't they go perfectly in her home?! I love it when people send me these photos.

More exciting news..Nice was featured in Venus magazine's Indie Giver Guide! Total surprise and I'm pretty honored someone found my shop and thought to include it.

..The large Mod Cabin Clock is being featured in Etsy's $50 - $100 Gift Guide..and Kristin just let me know that the Deer and Deer Again piece is a part of the gifts for your female significant other section! Such a nice feeling. I just added more Mini Deer Plaques to the shop after they had sold out..one of the previous deer listings had been viewed some 1232 times and had 102 people calling it a favorite!! That is still so amazingly cool to me. Thank you everyone!

So how are your holidays going? Any special festivities already taking place for any of you?

Ok, guys, I know it's been all shop talk over here lately, but really, it's been my life x 2.5 these past few weeks. Today I have to let you all in on my Mom's shop update! Tons of cute houses..beautiful details! Simply wonderful. ..And disappearing fast! haha

In other news, Amanda notified me today that one of my Mod Cabin Clocks was a part of today's Etsy finds email! Pretty, pretty exciting!

..Whenever I say "pretty, pretty" I do it in a Larry David voice, f.y.i.

I feel so boring, but nothing interesting has really been going on here..this weekend or soon I would like to try to get to that German outdoor market in the loop area..has anyone ever been to this? I want to find random trinkets and tasty things.

ooooo Nice has been mentioned in a few places lately! Always a great feeling! Blushing Apples made a post featuring a wood burning from the shop, as well as a piece from Rosie Music (formerly Menta), who I actually recently made a purchase from..more on that later! Anabela from The Postal Age did a great post on her recent Etsy purchases, and today one of my banners was featured in a garland post on Decor8. Very exciting!

Hey guys..I am back. Been catching up on blogs and things.. Before I left I sent a heads up to Apartment Therapy Chicago about the Next Big Thing and all the girls from Chicago - you can see it here. Someone made some lame comments about Fred Flare and cuteness and it was just like "ok good job you are 22 and grown up and can't have fun." No one is saying you should crowd up your life with kitsch, but if you choose to, who cares? How can something that is generally a happy thing, annoy you so much, you know? haha

My bday was fine. Friday we did family stuff.. went go-karting with Mom, Dad, Doug and his girlfriend Monica, and of course James. Both Monica and James had NEVER been on a go-kart! It was pretty hilarious. James lost so bad- I lapped him! He was afraid of the gas pedal. What a lame-o. ...Came back to the house and had dinner and dessert. It was nice and laid back.

Saturday James and I went to a minor league baseball game.. it was fun but we kinda had a relationship talk like "hey this is great and I like going to this game but maybe not ever again for my birthday cos remember I am a girl and actually this is more of a really great gift idea for me to give to YOU" hahaha. It was a friendly lesson and we had fun, of course. I had to let it slide too because we weren't able to really do anything spectacular for his bday back in March. Anyway, the point is, he is a good boyfriend. A great boyfriend.

Sunday we headed to Michigan and I'll probably talk more about that later on..

Here are some photos now..

If I don't have the chocolate molten cake from William Sonoma, I have a
chocolate peanut butter ice cream pie..sooo delicious. Because it was an
ice cream pie, I didn't really go crazy with cake toppers. Just ended up
using the cute deer from Amanda, and a cake candle.

I surprised James with White Sox cupcakes.. I was going to make homemade
cupcakes but things got hectic and when I saw these at the grocery store it was
a sign haha. Good thing I grabbed them because I couldn't even find the
baseball cake toppers I had planned to use for the homemade cupcakes.
Anyway, these have White Sox helmets and baseballs..and I made a little flag
that said "Yeah Jim Thome #1" because he is our favorite baseball guy. The
goodies below are just things that James loves haha.

And finally, me playing in balloons.

It was a good weekend.

THERE YOU HAVE IT, THE BIG NEWS WHICH I COULD
HARDLY WAIT TO TELL YOU!!

Your pal, Caitlin Holcomb is 1 of 27 awesome creative people to be chosen for Fred Flare's Next Big Thing. I have butterflies in my tummy as I'm typing this! Today they are introducing 9 designers, myself included. They will introduce 9 more tomorrow, and on Thursday.

Voting apparently will not begin until a week from now, however, Tuesday June 19. ..So I'd love it if you make a mental note or something, though of course I'll remind you haha.

If you'd like to help spread the word about Nice, feel free to download the animated image shown below and pin it on your blog, myspace, etc. I'd be thrilled and honored!

Windows/PC Users:
- Right click, save as (save the image to your computer)
- upload it to your flickr or other image sharing website
- link the image to: http://www.fredflare.com/customer/nextbigthing_vote.php

Mac Users:
-Click/hold down your mouse over the image and save as (save image to your computer). ..You can also hold down the Ctrl key and click the image to save as.
- upload it to your flickr or other image sharing website
- link the image to: http://www.fredflare.com/customer/nextbigthing_vote.php


THANK YOU GUYS!! it feels like my birthday!

Hooray!! Today the Scandinavian style tray was featured on Design Sponge! And yesterday Apartment Therapy: Chicago chose to feature the Birds and Bees Tray! I'm so excited and honored! Thanks to those who made a purchse and to any new visitors to this blog :)
Gotta get to the post office!

Just discovered that Nice was featured as a 'mystery artist' (haha, oh well) on Apartment Therapy: Chicago. Also featured is Golden Hen Press, one of my favorites of the fair. Click here for Apartment Therapy's Renegade recap.