Ok, so I haven't posted in over 2 years. What can I say, I don't particularly enjoy blogging.  If you're interested in my day to day, follow me on my Instagram! Username is papertaxi  Just fair warning that there are a lot of pictures of my cats and a lot of cute puppies. (I'm a pet sitter and dog walker during the day!)

I enrolled in Lilla Rogers "Make Art That Sells Bootcamp" this spring. It is tons of fun.  Definitely enjoying the class and seeing all the other artists amazing work!  Here is my months assignment for nautical wall art.  I plan on getting these printed up in cards and prints in the next couple of months!  I also have a bunch of other designs that haven't made it into my etsy shop yet!

I'm not going to go ahead and make grand statements about blogging more because I might not.  But maybe I will.  But like I said, my Instagram is far more active ;)

Handmade Wall Collage

Just a little update for you!
1) I was at the SOWA winter market on Sunday and it was awesome!
2) I'm going to be there again this Sunday (and it'll be 66 degrees and sunny so you have no excuse to not be there too)
3) I finally hung up some stuff in my back hallway and since it's the way I get into my house, I thought I should make it look nice.

1 | The Merriweather Council  2 |  Danita Art 3 | Hello Hue (the lattice mirror is from target!)

I love my little wall collage and can't wait to expand it with more handmade work!

Hope to see you at SOWA this weekend!

Why I love New Hampshire

An account of why the people of New Hampshire are some of the best you'll ever meet.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm from there...

Yesterday was the day.  I picked up my newly framed piece from the frame shop and made the drive up to Rochester, NH to drop it off in time for the museum opening next Saturday.  The sun was shining, iced coffee in hand, and listening to belting out the Backstreet Boys (thanks, Danielle, for reigniting that passion...)

As I drove up and pondered why I hadn't gone into the recording industry, it hit me.  No not the amazing opportunity of being a part of a new museum and artistic community...I had to pee.  The iced coffee went straight through me.  I still had 30 minutes ahead of me in driving time and said to myself between "I Want it That Way" chorus's, "You can make it, Laura.  Drop off the painting first."  I arrived at Rochester in good time and walked up to the Jenny Wren Gallery where I was instructed to go to drop off.  (Her gallery is acting as the museum gift shop!) Upon arriving at the door, there was a wee tiny sign that said:

Sorry to have missed you!  Feeling ill!

Wait, what?  No one is here.  Insert panic stricken face and have-to-pee dance. I've been in the city and 'burbs for so long that I forgot about that little part of small town New Hampshire.  When you're ill and you're the only person that works at a shop, you just shut down.  People will understand.  Down here in Boston, that's basically unheard of.  It was my own fault for not calling ahead so I couldn't be upset at anyone but myself.  But I didn't have time for that!  I had to pee!  So I collected my thoughts and pulled into a gas station.  

The attendant gave me the key, no questions asked. I didn't even have to buy a soda.  Thank you Cumberland Farms lady! 

With a clear mind and bladder, I was able to figure out my next course of action.  The Rochester MFA Collections Office!  I had also been given the shipping address for the office if I wanted to ship my piece up.  I decided to drive there.  It was 8 miles away.  It was also 4:30pm and I was pretty sure wherever this was, it was going to close at 5.  I hightailed it up to Farmington, NH according to my GPS directions.  "Arriving at destination on left."  It was a field. An empty, grassy, field. I forgot my cell phone so I couldn't even call anyone for help. 

LAST RESORT: The UPS Store I saw it on the way!  I'll just ship the piece down the street.  I pulled in at 4:57pm and opened the door, dreading being that customer that comes in right at closing... Of course, being in New Hampshire, I was greeted by the manager like I was the first customer of the day!  I gave her the address of where I was shipping and guess what happened?  

SHE OFFERED TO PERSONALLY DROP IT OFF FOR ME THE NEXT DAY, FOR FREE.  Yeah you read that right.  A stranger offered to go out of her way on her day off to hand deliver my little piece of art.  She even wrote up an insurance claim and mini receipt in case it was lost or something. My goodness, I couldn't believe my ears.  I instantly started mumbling my thanks and fumbled for a business card and told her to go and pick something out and I'd send it to her for free.  

Kathy from the UPS Store in Farmington, NH!

She then let me use her phone to call Matt, the President of the Rochester MFA, to let him know she'd be coming to drop it off or if he wanted, he could pick it up.  Wouldn't you know, the collections office was about 1/8 of a mile away from the UPS store and gave me directions.  So I ended up dropping it off myself, but still in awe of the kindness of a stranger.  

And then I met Matt Wyatt (who is a super amazing mixed media artist along with being the prez of a new museum!) and he and a few friends have been starting a revolution in Rochester, NH, trying to bring the arts into view for the public.  First starting with a gallery of rotating artists and has now transformed that idea into a permanent museum.  He's established partnerships with businesses all over the town from a art teaching space, to a gift shop, to a cafe! AND he's a preschool teacher on top of that!  I can't wait to be a part of it.

Moral of this super long story is: New Hampshire rules.  And I forgot how much.  NH, we've had our differences, but at the core, you're amazing.

Thank you Cumby's lady for letting me use the bathroom in a time of need. Thank you Kathy and the UPS Store of Farmington for your incredible offer and I hope to see you at the opening.  And thank you, Matt for inviting me to be a part of your museum and new art scene in Rochester. 

Happy Birthday to Paper Taxi and an announcement!

Today marks the 6 month business birthday for my shop and I've come a long way in just a short time.  So excited to see what the next 6 months bring!  In immediate news, I've been honored to have this piece inducted into the permanent collection of a new contemporary art museum in Rochester, NH, the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts!



The grand opening party is March 3rd, 7-9:30pm. 1 Old Dover Rd, Rochester, NH.  Hope to see you there!

Simple happiness

It's amazing how much falls into place once you're just sublimely happy.  I've been thinking about my current state of being and this quote really sums it up and I'm living firmly by it.  I got my whosits and my whatsits galore.  Yes, I just quoted The Little Mermaid.

 
*I found this quote on pinterest but unfortunately, there's no information anywhere on the whole internet about this quote, who said it, and where the original image came from.  So I made my own little image of it.  If anyone knows the origin of this let me know!

2011: ending with a bang!

Hi there fellow earthlings!  Sometimes I feel like a martian when I visit my blog...You guys are around here more than I am!  Now that the holidays are over and the January calm has commenced, I thought I'd share a few photos from the past few weeks!

In November and December I was lucky enough to participate in 3 holiday sales and had a great time!  The first was a benefit for breast cancer research and all our table fees went directly to Susan G. Comen!  How cool is that?  My college buddies, Calla Grace, and Danielle from The Merriweather Council were both there, too (hiya gals!).  

Next up was a hidden holiday market that my friend Colleen Ellse put together!!  It was super fun and packed with friends and family.  It was so successful that Colleen is planning another one in the future and possibly even a public one if we can find some space!  I was so busy chatting that I barely took any pictures.  I rounded out my year with another in house holiday market in Manchester, NH but have absolutely no pictures of.  Too bad because the house was amazing!

Then Christmas happened. 

We spent Christmas Day opening presents, walking through my hometown, dinner, and then did it all over again the next day at my brother and sister-in-law-to-be's house!  So much fun and so much love!

I'll be popping in over the next few days to show you some other pictures I found on my camera! Maybe a New Year's Resolution post, but probably not. Sorry. Love ya, though.

Merry Christmas!

Phew!  Christmas is just over a week away?  Luckily I finished up my shopping this evening!  I tried to keep as much of it as I could handmade or from local shops.  I found some cool stuff along the way!  I'll share after Christmas... I don't want to give anything away to prying eyes trying to figure out what I got them...I know, I'm a tease.

Anyways, I wanted to share with you a photo my friend Amy sent me this morning!  She purchased one of my lantern garlands and did something unexpected with it.  She draped it across her Christmas tree!  I think it looks great there AND she can reuse it any time of year!  Double whammy.

Last week I had a couple people purchase these in person to hang in the classrooms and cubicles, too!  Then it's a party every day :)  You can purchase your own garland in my shop!

Enjoy the season and Merry Christmas!