Hip-hip Hooray!  We made it through our first year!

The last year has been one of the most challenging and exhilarating of my life.  At this time last year, I was frantically putting the finishing touches (or so I thought!) into setting up shop, and holding my breath in nervous anticipation of our Grand Opening!  One year later, I think I may still be holding my breath, but only in that way that you did when you were a child and something was just so wonderful that you were afraid any sudden movement might just make it disappear into the ether… Countless hours of work and change after change after change have made this year fly by, and I am so much the better/wiser/humbler for it all.

THANK YOU.

This has been an amazing journey so far–so many people would call me absolutely CRAZY for taking this risk–but the thing that has been an endless source of strength and daily delight is the stream of happy and caring customers I have met over the past year.  I have many new friends and have discovered kindred spirits are bountiful in a town where I have too often feared I was alone.

Put on your prettiest party dress and come on over!

It would be the greatest happiness if you would make a trip to the shop this Thursday evening, to celebrate Hello Bluebird’s first birthday!  We will ring in our second year with an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social, complete with complimentary sundae bar, locally made cupcakes, drinks for young and old, and other tasty treats. We will also host an in-store trunk show for retro-inspired jewelry artist, Tami Hornidge of Pink Andie, as well as new back-to-school children’s clothing and accessories for all ages by local designer, Rebecca Botvin of Becca Bee Designs.
We are especially excited to introduce Tea Street Vintage, a brand new addition here at Hello Bluebird! Emily Caretti of Tea Street offers a gorgeously curated collection of vintage frocks, clothing, and accessories for every shape and budget. Vintage is the most stylish way to go green, and Hello Bluebird is excited to share her beautiful finds with you!We sincerely thank you for your encouragement and kind support, and are eagerly anticipating another great year of sharing our love of handmade, eco-friendly, and well-made goods with you!

When:
Thursday, September 2 (during West Reading/Penn Corridor First Thursday events)
4-8pm

It is late (early?) and a week to end all weeks.  Tax deadlines are approaching, school has been out all week (equals Finn has had to endure full days with Mommy at the shop), there is a mountain of laundry to be washed and packed before we leave for a weekend trip to Virginia, and end-of-the-month bills and paperwork are upon me.  If March came in like a lamb (and didn’t we love every sunny minute of it?), then this is the lion!  If I was gnashing my teeth and hiding under my covers, it could actually be forgivable.

Except that today, the last whiff of March, was a banner day.  After a dismal stretch of rain, cold, wind and winter’s last hurrah, today the sun came out, the coats came off, the front door swung open to the street and–well, that’s not even the best of it.

Today, my first born little girl turned 11!  She celebrated with donuts for her classroom, a half-day of school, and then a very grownup trip to the salon (On the Fringe–I wholeheartedly recommend them!).  Dinner out (her choice), cake and presents and old family friends.  Next weekend is her “for friends” party–I can’t wait to post a recap.  Our parties have themes and usually request costumes and other foolish acts of our guests, and this year’s theme is one of my favorites!

Also, the shop was featured on Scoutie Girl with a wonderful write up for the new series “best of the bricks!”  Obviously, “brick and mortar” shops hold a special place in my heart–so hop on over and take a look at the article and past features, leave a comment and let Khristian and Tara know if there are any bricks in your town that deserve a shout-out!

So, goodbye winter, march, taxes, laundry, lions, lent…Hello new world, new life, new month, new decade!

Image courtesy of Poketo.com

Functional art that adds a spot of brilliant creativity to your everyday life.  Need I say more?

Oh, yes, and I should also add: boys like them.  Finally, something for the lads at Hello Bluebird!  We even have tees in UNISEX.  The future’s looking pretty bright!  Equal opportunity abounds at Hello Bluebird!

Now for the nitty gritty: Poketo ( POH-KAY-TOH) is an LA-based designer of limited-edition art accessories, prints, and decor.  Poketo promotes the work of top international artists by showcasing original artwork through their fun and accessible wares. Poketo takes art off of gallery walls and makes them a part of your everyday life.

Poketo’s Philosophy: In Their Words (quoted from their website):

As a part of the art community Ted, filmmaker and Angie, graphic designer were always curating shows for artist friends. The shows were a lot of fun and brought tons of people together. But there was one problem. No one could afford to buy the art displayed. For this reason, Ted and Angie came up with an affordable solution to satisfy everyone’s art lust. They created limited-edition artist wallets that were accessible and well designed so that no one would be without a piece of art of their own.

Stuff Boys Like: Sci-fi! Octopi! Rayguns! Coffee!!

Poketo has currently collaborated with over 200 international artists and has been commissioned by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The De Young Museum, Nike and bands like The Arcade Fire, Weezer, The Shins and more to create exclusive products. Ted and Angie have conducted design seminars for Parsons School of Design and served as guest jurors for American Illustration’s Annual 27. And in 2008, Poketo was invited to participate in the Glasgow International Festival, Scotland’s equivalent to the Whitney Biennial.

Poketo Tees (artist: Melissa Contreras), now available at Hello Bluebird (S,M,L)

Poketo has been featured in press internationally: The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, How Magazine, Dwell Magazine, Real Simple, Bon Appetit, and on ABC’s Eye on LA, and E-Network and more.

Pretty cool, huh?  Find them right here in West Reading, PA at Hello Bluebird!

Poketo Wallet (artist: Lisa Congdon)

Poketo Wallet (artist: Catherine Campbell)

Poketo Wallet (artist: Luke Ramsey)

Poketo Wallet (artist: Jayme McGowen)

]]> http://hellobluebird.net/introducing-poketo-art-for-your-everyday/feed/ 1 http://hellobluebird.net/this-should-show-up-in-the-headline-area/ http://hellobluebird.net/this-should-show-up-in-the-headline-area/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:51:41 +0000 admin http://hellobluebird.net/?p=7 This is the fledgling site of Hello Bluebird, a brick and mortar indie boutique and gallery located in the historic business district of West Reading, PA.  On this site you will be able to view upcoming exhibits, learn about our artists and their work, see our calendar of in-store events and workshops, SHOP for handmade goods (coming soon!), and more!

If you are an artist or maker and you are interested in submitting your work for review, please read our guidelines and send us an email with your contact info and some examples of your work, and we’ll do our best to get back to you!

Please be sure to subscribe to our journal’s email updates (see sidebar) so you can stay up to date with our progress and shop happenings!