On Thursday March 28th at 6:30pm, professional illustrator and avid zine maker Lucy Kagan of Cottonbook will be teaching a Journaling Class at Gather in downtown Cary and going over the processes of three different type of journaling styles and teaching you how to stay on track with making your own. The class will go into depth on three different styles: Bullet Journaling, Art Journaling & Autobiographical Comicbook Style Journaling. If you’d like to join the class you can register here. I am really looking forward to going in-depth on this creative process with others and finding some techniques to help me stick-to a habit of doing it more seamlessly in one spot (vs millions of scattered journals).

Journals are arguably one of the most treasured possessions of a creative mind. No matter the form, time has shown that most creatives use them in some capacity to flesh out their ideas, to express themselves, and to process the world around them. I’ve rounded up some inspiring art journals here from others.

I have dozens of different types of journals but my favorite/most consistent form of personal self expression/discovery is collaging. I’m also a huge fan of bullet journaling which I will go into more depth on another day (and of course at the class on Thursday March 28th – will you be there? Sign up here).

Images: Fruit Journal Page by Carolyn Gavin, Light all my lights journal page by Abigail Halpin , Flowers and Girl Journal page by Abigail Halpin, illustrated art journal page by StudioSilvana, Joy journal page by Abigail Halpin, Flowers journal page by Carolyn Gavin, Flowers and bike journal page by Carolyn Gavin, Jungle Portrait by Fiphie

I’ve often remarked to my husband (any anyone else who wants to talk with me about some of my favorite subjects: plants, shops, branding and merchandising) that Terrain is my Disneyland. The shop which is part of the Urbn umbrella that also runs Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Free People has my number.

Everything about the space is merchandised impeccably and branded in that subliminal organic, natural, high end way that sets if apart from a lot of other retail out there. The plants are also very well maintained. It is also, like any of the stores under the Urbn umbrella brands, very of the moment. It is aspirational and inspirational to mere mortals like myself who, with currently a team of one, do all the photographing, blogging, lease management, event coordination, upfitting, product purchasing, shipping, designing, email responding and so on and on and on (though a few years ago I did manage a team of 8 at Gather – even then something of this scale felt unfathomable).

Regardless, it is inspiring to see what those teams of thousands do when they are focused exclusively on color ways, on finding the most perfect product, on creating custom display fixtures and so forth, into their space.

We have family that lives near their nursery/store in Pennsylvania so we always take a detour to stop in every time we are in the vicinity. As with many things these pictures don’t really do it justice. It’s really about the in store experience and really needs to be walked in person to appreciate it in full.

The outside grounds are like any other plant nursery and filled with trees, shrubs and other large plants and outdoor decor and seating. Inside is where the magic really happens. It is as you would expect from walking into any Anthropologie store only change the palette to muted greens, the subject matter to plants and related ephemera versus clothing.

Here air plants are merchandised in front of a large display wall of moss. Though it is a fine line between this and say The Rainforest Cafe, somehow it works, and though very very heavy-handed, manages not to feel that way.

What stores do you think really nail what they do across the board?

iphone photos by Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co

Now that I’ve shared other inspiring painting spaces are you all ready to see where Sarah Jane Tart, the artist & instructor of the upcoming Floral Painting Class at Gather on Saturday March 16th creates her work? Recently, I visited Sarah Jane at her home studio in Durham to take photos of her and her space and learn more about her. I just loved the area she has dedicated to her craft and that it is set up for her to be reminded to create something every day because of it’s location adjacent to her living room.

Sarah Jane works full-time as a graphic designer and her husband is a nurse. They share their home with their adorable golden retriever puppy.

How gorgeous is this wooden easel? Sarah Jane said her husband bought it for her and it made her feel like an “official” painter. Her workspace is setup off of her living room and kitchen in a little alcove with great light that used to be the dining room.

In addition to the easel positioned in front of a big window, Sarah Jane has a desk area that she has set up against the far wall that she shares with her husband. Here she keeps her planners, printer, fresh cut flowers (she recently splurged on a flower subscription service) and other inspiring art by other artists.

The painting you see here is the first she ever created in her floral series and was inspired by her wedding bouquet, though she’s been painting all her life and flowers have long been an inspiration for her.

I’m excited for Sarah Jane to teach us her process at the upcoming Painting Florals class at Gather on Saturday March 16th where you will walk away with your own finished piece inspired by a floral arrangement still life. Will I see you there? You can register here.

All photos taken by me, Michelle Smith for Gather Goods Co.

Now that I’ve thought about all the tools and process of painting, I’m daydreaming about painting studios ahead of the Floral Painting class at Gather on Saturday March 16th. I am always fascinated by how other artists set up their work space. Painters tend to have specific things in their spaces: a window with good light, an easel or wall where you can tack your paintings in progress, space to hang your inspiration or other art in process, flat files and storage for your canvas and of course your paints and brushes close by.

Some artists prefer a more serene, calm space with lots of blank walls and others like to be surrounded by little vignettes of collected items and inspiration. I find that most artists are collectors and magpies at heart and like to “see” their treasures around them, including their supplies since they are very visually driven people.

I love the idea of a tucked away backyard studio space where you can get as messy as you like and keep your home and art separate. That is a one-day goal for myself, hopefully with a dog underfoot just like here but really any space with great light and lots of wall space to hang things on will do.

Do you dream about one day having a space where you can paint and create? What does it look like? Do you already have one? I’d love to see.

Will you be joining me at the Floral Painting Class at Gather with instructor Sarah Jane Tart on Saturday March 16th? You can register here.

Images: Rustic painting retreat, Collection of artist tools & inspiration, paintbrushes in glass vessels, paint tube display, backyard art cabin, tall windows in artist studio, plant filled painting space

I’m feeling inspired by all things painterly due to an upcoming Floral Painting class at Gather on March 16th. Participants will learn to make their own floral masterpiece taught by Durham, NC based graphic designer/painter Sarah Jane Tart at our downtown Cary, NC studio and classroom space. Students will paint from a fresh bouquet still life. Very fun. If you’d like to join, you can register here.

Whenever I begin a painting or any piece of graphic art I first start by assembling inspiration either digitally or on a physical pinboard. I then start to see what patterns are emerging. Here I see lots of earthy muted shades of salmon, terracotta, sage greens, rust, charcoal, creams and gray blues. As far as graphics I see repeated rectangular and circular shapes stacked together in an organic fashion. Identifying these commonalities helps to give you a visual template to refer to in the back of your head of imagery that resonates with you and styles to experiment with and incorporate into your piece.

While not specifically floral per say, elements from the above can still be worked into your own art in subtle ways creating texture and layers. My own art process and process in general involves lots of layers built upon one another. I am currently working with encaustic painting techniques just as a personal creative release and I’m enjoying it a lot.

I love how messy that painting is. It is a chance to work with your hands and get them dirty and to step away from all the screens we are so often focused on. It is a good excuse to just experiment and not have set expectations or results in mind as far as output. When I’m painting I certainly get paint all over my hands, surfaces, feet you name it so it’s always good to have an apron on hand to protect your clothes.

Having the tools that you need on hand is definitely helpful when the urge to create strikes. As you get better at your craft you can invest in higher quality brushes and paints but I am a firm believer that you should start with what you have and learn as much as you can, then when your skills improve and you meet the tools at your level you will be amazed at how symbiotic it becomes. This recently happened when I upgraded my camera which I have been using for years and years to a much more professional level one, I was blown away at how much my skills that have been growing over time gelled with the technology. I’m glad I’ve worked my way up, it was such a treat to reward myself with the “next level” of tool instead of just having it straight out of the gate.

As far as taking care of your painting tools, the most important thing is washing out your brushes after every use so they don’t harden and become permanently unusable. You should store your brushes bristle side up as well and you can even make (or buy) brush rolls that store nicely when you amass a large collection or need a portable solution.

As far as paints to buy, again, start with what you can and as far as colors you really only need a basic palette of red, yellow, blue, black and white and from there every color can be mixed, this way you are really creating the colors you need and want versus having to buy a specific shade. My painting teacher in college drilled that into as, as well as how to make our own canvases (super easy) and that the paint should be the consistency of tomato soup so it is easy to spread on the canvas. As far as painting on canvas you also want to make sure it is primed with gesso first so that the paint “takes” evenly.

Are you a painter, a dabbler? Do you prefer oils or acrylics or watercolor? Something else? Do you want to learn or just have a pretty floral painting to hang on your wall? Will you be joining us for the Painting Florals Class at Gather on Saturday March 16th? If so, you’ll need to register here.

This Thursday at Gather we’re hosting an embroidery class with Allie Paige of Humble North Hamilton. She’s going to teach students a variety of stitches and they’ll walk away with a finished piece inspired by the state of North Carolina and its state flower the dogwood. I’ve rounded up some work from other inspiring embroidery & fiber artists below.

How beautiful is this tone on tone piece on a translucent fabric background by Ontario based artist Sarah Godfrey? I love that the textures in this piece are what make the impact versus bright color. You can follow her on Instagram here.

Lisa Smirnova’s work is vibrant and painterly. This embroidered peach rendering feels very retro and modern to me because of the colors (and subject matter) that are very of the moment but have a decidedly 60’s feel at the same time evocative of avocado kitchen counters, salmon colored appliances and wax fruit in bowls.

This piece by Amelia Dennigan reminds me of fireworks and ocean corral and just how similar the shapes in nature are, whether they come in the form of pyrotechnics or underwater plant life.

Here, Thea Haines a textile design instructor at Sheridan College, shows us different embroidery stitched on naturally dyed fabric swatches resulting in a cohesive collection.

How cool are the textures in this piece-in-progress by local Raleigh based embroidery artist Elena Caron?

More work by Lisa Spirnova, this time her work is an avant-garde apparel piece on a deep navy waffle textured fabric that allows the corrals and pink threads to really pop.

A Scandinavian-inspired botanical silhouette looks just right on a pink circular background on this art by Claire Crider.

A patchwork coat embellished further by Lisa Spirnova.

I caught this video of Dax Shepard sharing some poignant insight into his relationship and life priorities. It’s moving and worth a watch.

If you aren’t familiar with Dax you need to stop everything and watch Parenthood immediately. His portrayal of the character Crosby Braverman, a rebellious but charmingly flawed black sheep of the family, is a highlight in an already stellar show. You should also listen to his podcast, Armchair Expert where he interviews others in a similarly disarming, straight shooting, weird and funny way.

Recipe by Megan Crist
Photography and Styling by Michelle Smith

Hey there fellow foodies. Have you fallen off the January health-kick bandwagon in search of the perfectly decadent treat to reward all of your amazing lifestyle changes? Ha. Me too. (Total veganuary fail, if I’m being honest, because cheese exists…) This is a bit of an involved recipe, but lucky for you, you’ve got the whole week ahead to dream and plan for making this. Enter the Bee Sting Cake.

This is a yeasted German pastry (officially called Bienenstich). The cake part has a texture somewhere between actual cake and a cinnamon roll dough. The filling is a fluffy pastry cream. You might want to save this recipe just for that. I use a variation of it for my banana pudding. It’s crazy good.

TIME 4 hours

TOOLS

    9” cake pan

parchment paper

    mixing bowl

    medium saucepan

    wooden spoon

    whisk

    mesh sieve

    kitchen scale

    measuring spoons

    liquid measuring cup

    serrated knife

    oven mitts

    stand mixer

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

1 tablespoon yeast

6 ounces milk, warm

2 ounces honey

10 ounces AP flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 eggs

2 ounces melted unsalted butter

TOPPING

4 ounces unsalted butter

3 ounces sugar

3 tablespoons honey

6 ounces sliced almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

PASTRY CREAM

4 ounces milk

12 ounces cream, divided 4 ounces and 8 ounces

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 egg

2 ounces sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 ounces butter

1 tablespoon honey

METHOD

PASTRY CREAM

1. Add milk and 4 ounces of cream to a saucepan until warmed through and approaching a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, whisk egg, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small mixing bowl.
3. Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking quickly until completely combined. Don’t pour the milk too fast or your eggs might cook and we’re not looking for scrambled eggs in our pastry cream, am I right?
4. Pour everything back into the saucepan and stir continuously over medium heat until thickened. You should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir and it should not fill in quickly.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and honey until melted and combined.
6. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to avoid the formation of a filmy layer.
7. Refrigerate until cool (at least 2 hours). You can make the pastry cream up to 2 days in advance.

CAKE

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Line a 8” cake pan with with round of parchment and butter or spray the sides.
3. Mix the yeast, honey, and warm milk together and set aside.
4. Measure the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast, honey, milk, and eggs, and mix on low speed until combined. Add the melted (but not hot) butter and mix until incorporated, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Allow the batter to rise in a warm location for about an hour. It won’t quite double in size.
6. At this point, pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and allow to rise again.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F and begin to make the honey almond topping.

TOPPING

1. In the same buttery sauce pan, add the butter, sugar, honey, and salt. Once the butter melts, boil mixture for about 3 minutes over medium heat. When it starts to look caramel-y in color, take it off the heat and stir in the almonds with a wooden spoon (This is going to be thick, so you want something sturdy).
2. Let it cool for a few minutes before you pour it onto the cake. Distribute the topping as evenly as you can over the surface of the batter.
3. Bake for about 25 minutes on the middle rack. Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto the a rack.

ASSEMBLY

1. Whip the remaining 8 ounces of cream. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream in batches. Until evenly combined.
2. Use a serrated knife to slice through the center of the cake horizontally. Remove the top half.
3. This is not required, but I occasionally have some flavored simple syrups in my fridge. A generous brushing of a vanilla or orange syrup on each side of the open cake is a nice touch. (Simple syrup is 1:1 water and sugar heated until sugar is dissolved.)
4. Scoop the pastry cream onto the bottom layer of cake and spread evenly to the edges.
5. Return the top half of the cake it’s place on the pastry cream and enjoy.

Just in case you are still looking for gifts and you are a visual person like me, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite items from the Gather Goods Co online shop for holiday shopping. There are of course a lot more on the site.

Pink Dots Ceramic Coasters – because they last forever, Stylish Sunglasses, the hardest working accessory, Be Kind Sweatshirt – we could all use the reminder, Goat’s Milk Hand Soap – smells amazing and is made on a solar powered farm outside of Nashville, Copper Chimes with Airplant – a pretty way to nurture your green thumb, Palo Santo Sticks – perfect for new homeowners or someone looking to get rid of bad juju, Triangle Earrings – just the right amount of edginess, White Speckled Ceramic Mug – because it looks like you’re drinking from a cloud.

North Carolina Long Sleeve Pullover – because winter equals cozy clothes, Black & White Palm Print – a simple but striking statement for your walls, High Five Card – because we all deserve one every once in awhile, Find Me Under the Stars Enamel Pin – because dreaming is everything, Black Bar Necklace – stylish and sweet, Activated Charcoal Detox Scrub – because winter skin needs a boost, Things Will Work Out Print – a good reminder, Maidenhair Fern & Hand Print – to make your world a little lovelier.

Take A Hike Sweatshirt – because bundling up and heading outdoors makes winter shine, A Hanging Succulent Kokedama Ball – perfect for all the crazy plant ladies (and men) in your life, Artisanal Ceramic Serving Platter – elevate your dinner table, Cactus Cards – because it’s “Thank You” season, Sage Feather Ceramic Coasters – your grown-up furniture will appreciate it, Petite Fern Necklace – for your favorite naturalist, Dried Eucalyptus Wreath – for an elegant door display.