Mary Richmond Design

Black and White Illustrations Now for Sale

For years I have been illustrating my columns for the Enterprise newspapers and the Cape Codder papers with black and white drawings. I own the copyright and all other rights after they have used them and as they pile up in my closet it occurred to me to offer prints of them for sale in my Etsy shop. I can also make cards with them and will be offering those as well.

There are many other designs and you can see more by clicking here.

New at My Etsy Shop

After what feels like eons I have finally begun updating my Etsy shop.

Most of the pendants and pins I have added were left over from my shop in Mashpee Commons. The last group I posted on Etsy sold within 24 hours....I'm anxious to see how these do.

The little pendants are about an inch to an inch and a half and are ready to be put on a cord or used to make a fancier necklace.

I first made these handcut birds about 20 years ago but they still sell pretty well.

All these pieces are one of a kind and can be found here. There are more in the shop and more on the way!

Shop Etsy to Benefit Breast Cancer Research

Sorry to take so long getting this post together but I'm sure you all know how life sometimes gets in the way of blogging....sheesh!

I am making 25 nice prints of this drawing and selling them in my Etsy Shop. They cost $15 each and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Silent Spring Institute which is working hard to discover what is causing so much breast cancer. You may order a print here.

There are many artists around the country and around the world who are also doing various things to raise money for breast cancer research and I'm listing a few here for you to check out. I will add some more over the next few days. Please try and support them or send their info to someone you think might like to know about their products.

Carla over at Haunted Palace is selling pink items such as the one shown here and donating all proceeds to the Susan K. Komen Foundation. If the item is sold, please see her whole shop here.

Kellirene is walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and is raising money in her shop to help her meet the mandatory $1800 she must raise to participate. She is hoping to make much more than that and other sellers on Etsy, such as Luscious Naturals are helping her out. Please check out these wonderful earrings by Kellirene here and the wonderful organic, vegan toner Luscious Naturals is selling here. You may see their shops here and here.

Sandy Simone has made a beautiful Hope for the Cure Sterling Silver Necklace which you can see here. All proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. You can see Sandy's shop here.

EnFleur from Portland, OR makes many beautiful things but wait until you see the beautiful cards she makes that she is donating the proceeds of toward breast cancer research. You can see her cards here and her shop here.

Looking for a great lap or baby quilt? Check out Kickstand Productions here to see this quilt. All proceeds will benefit breast cancer research.

If you know other artists who should be included, please let me know! Thanks everyone for checking out everyone's cool stuff and supporting a good cause.

MSPCA Benefit Success!

Sorry for the repeat photo but I've been working so hard catching up on tile orders and painting ornaments so everyone can have them by Christmas that I keep forgetting to photograph the ornaments before they are picked up.

I was hoping to raise at least $1000 for the MSPCA and today I took the order that should put me over the top for that goal! I have more orders coming in but they won't be ready for Christmas. Many people have expressed interest in being able to buy these as gifts for other occasions so I will be continuing the benefit throughout the year. 100'% of the proceeds will be going to benefit homeless animals at the MSPCA

In the meantime keep those orders coming in! And thanks to everyone for contributing and helping me reach my $1000 contribution goal! The MSPCA is pretty happy and a representative will be coming by my shop on Friday to pick up all the checks and cash that have been donated so far. How's that for a Merry Christmas?

Holiday Parade at Mashpee Commons

Today the 1st Annual Mashpee Holiday Parade took place and it was a noble first attempt. Lots of local groups and businesses sponsored floats or marched in the parade and it wound its way from the local high school through area roadways until it ended in Mashpee Commons, not far from my shop.

This Chinese dragon was part of a float and display put on by a local kung-fu academy.

This cheerful fellow was busy shaking hands and kissing babies as he bounced back and forth across the street. The pink bus was part of his group as well. It's hard to see the corner where the parade was turning onto the street from this shot but there was still lots more to come.

This picture tells the story of much of the parade. It was truly a community event with kids, parents, business people, servicepeople, local bands and more. I always love thinking of events like this taking place simultaneously across the country, around the world in small celebrations that bring people together in a big way.

And then of course there's the big guy in the red suit. I remember him arriving by parade every year when I was a kid and at the end of the parade we'd all line up to sit on his lap and tell him our biggest wish for Christmas that year. It was so exciting and even a little scary to think about, remember?

I always worried Santa would find out about the bad things I did over the year and was always relieved that he either didn't know about them or they weren't really as bad as I had imagined......because he always showed up at my house, no matter how worried I was. My stocking always had treats and an orange in the toe, not a lump of coal and there were always wonderful presents waiting for me under the tree when I got up on Christmas Day.

Local businesses sponsored school groups to decorate trees that were displayed here at Mashpee Commons today.  They were displayed in the fountain area across from my shop so I took this picture of my door and windows framed by two of the festive trees.

The parade was not exactly the Macy's or Rose Bowl Parade but it was fun and festive and families were out having fun together and isn't that what the holiday season is all about?

Updating My Etsy Shop

I have finally updated my Etsy Shop. If you haven't visited Etsy yet, it's a great place to do some holiday shopping. Lots of artists, designers and craftspeople use this site to sell their unique, hand-made work and you can find anything and everything from baby bibs to earrings to full size abstract paintings to beautiful knitted sweaters to hand-made dolls.

I have added my holiday ornaments and cards to the shop. The cards I'm showing here are now available on Etsy or at my shop in Mashpee Commons.

All cards are 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" and come boxed in sets of 6 with matching envelopes for $12. Quantity discounts are available and more designs are available in my shop.

Holiday Preparations at Mashpee Commons

It's been a busy weekend here at Mashpee Commons as all the shops got ready for the holiday shoppers. Little shops like mine are not the type that get mobbed at daybreak on the Friday after Thanksgiving but the Commons saw a good crowd and even I got a fair amount of traffic in my little back corner.

We've all been invited to decorate our windows for the season and this year the public has been invited to vote for their favorite display. I'll be posting some of the windows here as I go around and photograph my favorites but for now, here's my shop. Note the white ceramic birds hanging in the windows. These are new in my shop and complement some of the other hanging shaped tiles I make such as shells, fish and hearts. I will be photographing these and more and posting them at my Etsy Shop for sale by the end of this week. There's still plenty of time to ship them for the holidays.

Several customers have been looking for herb and flower tiles lately and I've been sold out for too long so today I painted up some herb tiles, both 6" and 3 x 6" Here are a few waiting to get their coat of clear glaze.

Cape Potters Holiday Show and Sale

Each year when we do the Cape Potters Holiday Sale and Show at the Brewster Ladies Library the 10 potters involved take turns sitting at the show, talking to customers, collecting money, etc. Yesterday it was my turn and I have a second turn this morning.

While there I took some photos of the pottery. I love the shapes, the juxtaposition of color and texture.....

One of the gratifying elements of doing a show like this is the chance to see other people's work evolving. Many of these potters I've known for a long time so seeing the ways they refine shapes and glazes is fun. Some continue with things that have worked for years and others add new little touches each year. Like all artists, potters toe the line of working within a familiar comfort level and breaking out of that zone to try something new. Customers come to expect certain items, glazes and prices. They also like to be tantalized and surprised and I love the different ways the potters I know rise to this challenge.

The pottery shown here was done by Gail Turner, Sharon Shaffer and Lois Hirshberg. I will include more in a later posting.

If you live on or near the Cape this is a great place to start your holiday shopping. The show will be open today and then Friday through Sunday.

Irisz Christmas Cards

Check out these cute little cards by Hungarian artist Irisz Agocs. She is an illustrator and artist and has a line of whimsical Christmas cards going on sale online later this week.

Holiday Ornament Time

It's Holiday Ornament Time in the studio. Here are some little kitties all cut out and ready to go. I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday cutting out ornaments of one kind or another. I box them in sets and sell them at the Cape Potters Show and Sale at the Brewster Ladies Library opening next week as well as in my shop and through my Etsy Shop. Each is drawn and cut freehand so they're all a little different and by the time they're painted they all have their own little personalities.

I make these kitties in all colors and sorts as well as assorted shells, birds, fish and more. Boxes sell for $12-24 depending on how many ornaments are in each and how detailed the painting is. If you would like to order some, just email me or you can order them from my Etsy Shop when I list them there.