this past weekend’s sales event, sunday best at the ace hotel’s the cleaners event space, was just as awesome as last year’s. definitely one of my favorite portland holiday events to sell and buy! thanks again to everyone who came, and to julie for organizing the event!

i’m terrible at remembering names, but check out the above tattoo inspired by my poppies i got to witness at the sale on saturday! i can’t accurately convey how amazing it is when someone gets my artwork permanently on their body! this is now the third poppy tattoo i know about. i should really start a poppy tattoo club! hey, that’s it!

if you have a tattoo inspired by my artwork, email me [jill@jillbliss.com] a picture and i’ll set you up with a “jill bliss tattoo club membership”, which includes a lifetime 30% discount in my online shop and at sales events!

remember the treehomes i did for the handmade nation benefit on 20×200? well, if they’d make the perfect holiday gift for you or someone you know, take advantage of this sale: 20% off orders $200 or more at 20×200 for the next 200 minutes (until 8:20 p.m. EST tonight, Monday, November 30th)! enter code cm200x at google checkout.

i finally downloaded the pictures from the other weekend when my friend emily came up from l.a. for the weekend with one request: “i want to see The Nature.” so i took her to multnomah falls. we were so so lucky to see the salmon making their way upstream from the pacific ocean towards the falls to spawn! that’s what the crappy photo above is about. although i don’t understand how they expect to get up that waterfall!

i scored bonus points because apparently the bridge and falls are in the vampire movies everyone except me seems to be into right now.

as always, i was more interested in documenting the many amazing small worlds of moss and mushrooms along the trails.

this arrived in the mail late last week, and i’ve just finished reading it. wow, meg mateo ilasco does it again! as if her craft inc. book couldn’t get any better, this new craft inc. business planner takes it to an all-new beautiful and useful level!

an organizer packed with handy charts, worksheets and advice, it’s an essential tool for any new business owner! i wish something like this had been around when i started.

i definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone looking to start or improve their business!

above are my contributions heading down to l.a. for the 4th annual post-it show at gr2 (giant robot). this is a cash-and-carry show of $20 post-its by tons of great artists. definitely worth checking out!

eagle-eyed readers will notice those are “repurposed” post-its featuring turtle city from my and saelee’s hidden habitats calendar collaboration a few years back!

more info on the show:

i’ve moved my studio yet again, and am in need of a floor lamp for a poorly lit corner. of course i found the perfect perfect one at habitat uk, that’s it on the right with it’s other friends from the jazmine collection by nina tolstrup for habitat. this floor lamp is even somewhat reasonably priced. unfortunately, it’s also sold out. dang!

i love the wooden simplicity and honest use of materials. it’s one of those things i look at and think “i could make that!” but, alas, i’m much too busy to fiddle with making a floor lamp at the moment.

nina tolstrup of studio mama also designs many other amazingly simple and beautiful things. and she’s even wearing a mina perhonen jacket in her publicity photo. what!

i’m preparing this weekend for next weekend’s sales event here in portland. so many good designer goods will be available! kick off the holiday season and shop local-made!

i’m pleased as punch to tell you about my upcoming december show. actually, i’ll let gail from land/buy olympia tell you about it…

this new body of work has been two years in the thinking/making stage, and the pieces i’ll show publicly in a few weeks are just the beginning!

there will also be corresponding paper goods debuting and available at the show that night, and on the buy olympia website a few days afterwards for those of you who can’t make it to portland!

remember those native sierra wildflower panels i did way back in may? well, the project i made them for is finally completed and will open december 9th. the next time you find yourself in lake tahoe and in need of a manicure or pedicure, i suggest the spa at the newly opened ritz carlton highlands resort! there you can get a mani/pedi and enjoy my art at the same time!

looking for customizing holiday cards featuring my artwork? check these out! wow, tiny prints makes it so easy that even *my* friends and family may get holiday cards from me this year! ha ha, we’ll see! i’m usually so busy in november and december, i’m notorious for sending a last-minute holiday e-greeting.