Garden Inspired

I'm excited and honored to be participating in the Garden Inspired Show now up at Art on Main Gallery. The show includes a delightful garden room of "living art" pieces right inside the gallery plus work by member exhibitors as well as special guest artists. It was all artistically assembled and arranged by guest curator, Alena Schnarr of alena botanica in Waterbury, VT.


Mountain Ash Design's Gardening Aprons (aka Cargo Aprons) made from new and vintage sturdy home decor fabrics are my contribution.


Visitors are calling the show "very impressive." So get yourselves to Art on Main in Bristol Vermont to see the show, up until June 30th.

Twist recap

I realize 10 days have gone by but it feels like only yesterday that I finished up at the wonderful and fun Twist Fair.



Show director Lexie Barnes and Co. sent many communiques to vendors leading up to the show and it seemed like there were an awful lot of rules. I decided to adopt a "let's see" attitude. Sometimes rules are for a good reason.

Although I balked when I first heard this, it ended up not being a complete handy cap that my display had to be on a table and only 24 inches high. I didn't sell a single full apron. Maybe because I had to display them folded in half. But I sold oodles and oodles of skirts and people from across the room could see all the lovely ladies trying them on. The beautiful ballroom space was pleasantly airy (because of the display rule, see?)

And the perks they provided to vendors - let me recount them for you. Beer tickets on Friday night, breakfast, lunch and dinner provided to vendors on site with a "lounge" to nosh in, free chair massage in said lounge on Saturday, and a great DJ all show long. I wasn't sure I'd want free beer during the Friday night hours but it was just the thing and I was able to give a beer ticket to my very handy assistant, Jeff.

The food was yummy and the masseur's style really worked for me. On the application she asked "what other vendors do you want to be near?" and I love, love, loved having recycle moe next to me as a result. I felt very well cared for as a vendor. If this is how it's gonna be, I say bring on the rules!

I met so many great people - customers, sweet friends of my cousin, Colee's, and other vendors. Some were very helpful in giving me an idea of what to expect from my next big adventure - the BUST Craftacular this Sunday in Brooklyn. Big Props to Casey of The Candy Thief and the Sara and Phil at Rocks and Salt for that!

These pictures are just a teaser. Hop on over to the Mountain Ash Design facebook page to see the complete albums.

Two Shows this Weekend!

I've never done this before but, you know what they say: there's a first time for everything.

I'm just finishing up the sewing (I think. I always feel there's more I could make!) of some very pretty skirts in new fabrics I've picked out for Spring. To kick off the season MAD will be vending at TWO awesome shows coming up this weekend!

I'll be at Twist Fair in Northampton, MA this Friday 6-9 May 7th (that's the "Market Party" folks, when they give free beers to the vendors. Not sure how this is supposed to help sales. I'll give a full report here next week.) and Saturday 10-6 May 8th. This is my first time as a vendor at Twist and I'm excited to experience it from "behind the table" so to speak and to meet some of the other artists who will be there. Check out the impressive vendor list and floor plan here. I'll be packing up my tabletop display for Twist (here's a picture of my trial set-up on my dining room table) and heading down tomorrow. Come see me in the central isle of the big room.

AND Mountain Ash Design will be joining two floors of vendors brimming with local talent at the Queen City Craft Bazaar in Burlington, VT on Saturday May 8th. Last weekend I got my alternate display and the other portion of my inventory to my stellar assistant, Lauren, who will be running my booth at QCCB. Come say hello to Lauren and many of my friends selling their amazing wares.

And just two weeks later come see me at the BUST Spring Fling Craftacular at the Warsaw in Brooklyn, NY on May 23rd (that's a Sunday folks). Check out the very animated vendor page here which includes some big names in the indie craft world. Big steps for this country mouse!

Farmers Market collection on Pie Bird

My Farmers Market belt was recently included in a similarly-themed blog post by Katy at Pie Bird.

I have one of these. As she says, it "vents while baking." It is so cute and useful for juicy apple and rhubarb pies.

This is just a teaser. Go see her wonderfully curated collection. Almost farmers market season here in VT (now that the snow has melted. again.) Yay!

Vendor Special on Handy Cargo Aprons

Whew! I have been feeling both overwhelmed and blessed by opportunities lately. In order to share the joy I'm offering a special to vendors of my May shows: $10 off one of my Handy Cargo Aprons (details below).

In a week I'm going to try doing two shows on the same day - in two different states. I'll be a newbie at Twist Fair in Northampton on May 7-8. But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving behind my home state scene: the Queen City Craft Bazaar in Burlington on May 8th. The latter consists of a exciting community bursting with fresh creativity. I feel like I have grown up with these artists the last few years.

I sure am going to miss my homies while I'm in NoHo, but Mountain Ash Design will have a presence at QCCB - my usual spot at the bottom of the stairs. Please stop by and say "hiya!" to my lovely assistant, Lauren, as she holds down the local fort so to speak, and go check out all the other fabulous goods by other artists at the show.

I am full of giddy anticipation about Twist. My dearest cousins live in NoHo and will be helping me and I'll also have fellow VTer Recycle Moe right in the next booth to hold my hand. Come see me in the center isle of the big room.

To tie these events together I'm offering a Vendor Special on my Handy Cargo Aprons. I started making them a year ago as Gardening Aprons for the Floribunda show, but I have since sold them to nurses, teachers and plenty of vendors. Four roomy pockets hold your receipt book, calculator, pens, business cards, bank, with room still for a handkerchief and Cliff Bar. Never again experience that feeling of disease as you walk away from your cash box. Uber-knitter Kathleen Dowd-Hill says, "I don’t know how I’ve managed all these years at craft shows without my new apron, it is awesome!"

The regular price is $42. For co-vendors they are $32. Bring your business card to my booth and I will be happy to set you up. The ones pictured here are brand-spakin' new, made from sturdy vintage and new home decor fabric, double-stitched and bound on all edges with contrasting colors (black is a color, right?). I have one of each and will be splitting them up between the two shows. Click on the pictures to see them in detail. If you'd like me to reserve one especially for you leave a comment here or email me at sarahogreen@gmail.com. I am packing up for QCCB on May 1st so let me know before then. Otherwise, stop by my stall and check them out.

Delectably Pink on Haute Whimsy

My Black Birds Skirt was recently featured on a pink-themed post on the design blog Haute Whimsy.

Right near this Squirrel Girl by the Black Apple.

Foxy Apothecary

Mountain Ash Design was recently featured on the design blog Apothecary Fox. "Remedies for a More Lovely Life." Blogger Sarah Fox loves pink&green, red gingham, and vintage influences, so she totally gets me! Click on the "my brother" link for a special treat ; >

I recommend her other posts, too, and her profile has a very nice tone. She's a Vermonter, too so I hope to meet her someday.

BUST Spring Fling

This just in: Mountain Ash Design has been accepted as a vendor at the BUST Spring Craftacular on Sunday, May 23rd at The Warsaw.

Brooklyn, ho!

penpal potential?

Interesting tidbit: The most frequent locations I ship to from my Etsy shop are Maryland and Australia.

Join me at Twist Fair in Northampton on May 7th & 8th and at the Queen City Craft Bazaar in Burlington on May 8th. Wait a minute...

patron of the arts

This post is dedicated to Jack Thurston, news reporter extraordinaire for our own local WCAX. Not only is Jack a sharp reporter (CNN picks up his stories from time to time), he is also a patron of the arts, an encouraging supporter of upstart craftspeople like myself, and an advocate for recycling and other "green" actions.



You can see him in action in some of his stories from last winter by clicking here for the Champlain Bridge demolition reaction, here for a Made in Vermont feature, and here for Jack reporting on the mysterious disappearance of Pearl.



Jack is admired by many for his pointed reporting, but he is also beloved by those who get to know him for being a very warm, classy and adorable person. I first got to know Jack a few years ago when he featured me in his Made in Vermont series on WCAX.



When he he came over for an interview and filming session we developed a friendly connection over the course of his visit to my then bedroom/work space.
[I cannot believe I was in production where I slept. Those were the struggling early days. I am so glad I made the move out to the barn studio. Separation of certain parts of my life is essential to my well being.]

Well, one Saturday last summer when I was peddling my wares in City Hall Park Jack stopped by with a bag of hand me downs. He knew I liked to repurpose cast off clothing and decided to skip the step to Goodwill Industries and bring his cast-offs right to me. Jackpot! Did I mention he is one classy guy? The pictures you are enjoying here are of skirts and aprons trimmed with bits of the shirts of Jack Thurston (sashes and pockets). There once was a time, it went on for many many years in fact, when I couldn't bare to cut up a pretty shirt. Well, I got over it and all to spread around the love. Jack's shirts do not get made into single aprons, but are cut into strips so they can be spread over as many projects as possible.


Jack was in de-cluttering mode last year. He told me in December, as he dropped off a bag of particularly stunning shirts, that he hasn't bought a new shirt in a year. (I wonder if his fast is over?) Not only is he generous towards me with his cast-off, I happen to have it on good authority that he has provided Recycle Moe with enough raw materials to produce a significant number of baby bibs.

Now time for a quiz: Which of the skirts in the following sneak peek photo include an element that used to be Jack Thurson's? Answers will be given in an upcoming post on this here 'ol blog.



Now remember, like all photos on this blog, if you click on them you can see them blown up and get the detail of the beautiful fabrics.