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Dear friends, The air is a bit crisper, the sunsets are arriving a little earlier, and it is officially time to get the gardens ready for autumn and the winter ahead. Around the studio, the changing season means one thing: it is time to gear up for a very busy, very exciting couple of months! Between preparing for the Oaks show in Greater Philadelphia, getting ready for my upcoming artist talk, and sketching out next year's goals, my calendar is beautifully full. Here is a quick look at what’s on the horizon: 📅 Upcoming Events & Studio Checklist
  Fresh from the Studio: New 5” Mini Domes! I am absolutely thrilled to introduce four new products that I completely adore. Meet my new 5” Mini Domes of flowers! They are incredibly sweet, perfectly detailed, and the ultimate way to bring a little permanent nature indoors. In addition to these new pieces, I have officially finished another personal project.
I am already planning a BIG new personal project that I can't wait to share more about soon. I SOLD a Luna Moth at Gallery 46 in Lake Placid! Lastly, a quick bit of behind-the-scenes news. I recently found out that I was waitlisted for the prestigious American Craft Council show in February. I missed making the final lineup in my category by just ONE slot! Because cancellations are quite common, I am currently waiting to see if a spot opens up. I am staying hopeful and putting good vibes out into the universe that I'll get to make the trip in February. I will keep you all posted! Thank you all for being a part of this creative journey with me. I hope to see some of your familiar faces in Croghan or Philadelphia next month! Connie
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 July is long gone and August is almost half over, I hope everyone has had a good summer so far. I have been busy doing all the things too, business, family and friends. I love summer! Low Points and High PointsJuly was a hard month. Between slow sales and a tough, no sales at all show in Pennsylvania, I found myself in one of those dry spells every artist dreads—the kind that makes you question everything. But August brought a beautiful reminder that the sun always comes back out. Thanks to some incredible grants, recent sales, and your unwavering support, the momentum is back! The High Points This Month:
  Mark Your Calendar!
I am currently finishing up my final Great Lake piece (supported by the NYSCA and SLC grant) for my upcoming exhibit. I’m so excited to see them all lined up together and I’m so thankful for SLC and NYSCA for their support and grant award. “This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council."
With this I will say thank you for reading my newsletter and supporting me, have a good August! A Magical Campground Encounter ✨ After picking up my Butterfly canvas from the Thousand Islands Arts Center (TIAC) last week, I stopped at a nearby campground to scout future sites. I struck up a conversation with a wonderful woman named Maureen, who was camping solo with her small trailer. When I mentioned I was an artist who just picked up a piece from the TIAC show, she asked what it was. I told her it was the embroidered butterflies. Her face lit up in absolute disbelief—and she called me by my name! Out of everyone in that campground, I had randomly walked up to an art lover who had just seen and loved my work and subscribed to my newsletter. She was so excited, and she even shared some of her own artwork with me. Meeting you was incredibly encouraging, Maureen. Thank you for completely making my week! Connie June! This may be my favorite month in the gardens and woods, other than the hungry bugs! My gardens are an inspiration to me, you will find many of the flowers that I fiber sculpt in my garden. Poppies, blood root, anemone, violets and more to come! Get out in nature and enjoy your June! Photo below” Iris, poppies, nishiki willow shrub and around the bird bath/hummingbird feeder there are tulips. The logs in the far back are inoculated with shiitake mushrooms, they are so good!  Your Questions Answered One question I’m often asked is whether embroidered art will fade over time. Like paintings and other artwork, textiles can fade if exposed to direct sunlight for long periods. For best results, display your piece out of direct sun. Bright rooms are perfectly fine, and the artwork can be enjoyed in good natural light. If fading is a concern, I can work with you to create a piece in a UV-protective shadow box for added protection. Another common question is about dust. Let's be honest—most of us don't dust as often as we should! If this is a concern, dome-covered sculptures and shadow-box pieces offer excellent protection. I have both covered and uncovered pieces in my own home, and maintenance is minimal. Occasionally, I use a lint roller lightly over the fibers or a gentle puff of canned air on sturdier pieces. If a piece ever becomes heavily soiled, I recommend consulting a textile conservation specialist. That said, I've successfully cleaned and restored some of my own embroidered works from the 1980s that endured years of basement storage and multiple moves. With proper care, textile art can remain beautiful for decades. Where Can You Display Fiber Art? Dome-covered sculptures look wonderful on bookcases, desks, pedestals, side tables, shelves, or fireplace mantels. Wall-mounted pieces such as shadow boxes, framed works, and hanging ikebana-style sculptures add visual interest while preserving valuable horizontal space. Fiber art is a delightful fine craft that brings color, texture, and conversation into a home. Many people are surprised to discover that embroidery can be used to create contemporary sculptures and artwork—quite different from the traditional embroidery they may remember from a grandmother's home, while still honoring the creativity and craftsmanship of those earlier generations. I hope this helps answer some of your questions and gives you confidence in enjoying fiber art for years to come. I’ve been preparing for the June 20-21 Pennsylvania Guild Craftsman Summer Fine Craft Show this past month so I don’t have a new lake for my grant series done but next week I’ll be starting one! In the news: I was accepted into the American Craft Council Early Career Artist program and will be learning more about business and marketing, and showing in fairs more affectively. They also have three grants that I qualify for within the program that I have two proposals submitted. I’ve also applied for next year’s Baltimore American Craft Made fair in February, here's hoping I get in! Two of my pieces were accepted this week into the Along the Rivers Edge Show at Thousand Island Art Center in Clayton NY from June 24th - July 25th. The Blue Heron and the Flutter of Butterflies were accepted. I’m currently exhibiting two pieces, Forest Drummer and Quiet Shore Sentinel at Art Center Lake Placid from now until July 3rd.
I’ve finished another personal paper piece for May as well.  Thank you again for your encouragement and feedback it means a lot to me!
April Showers, Not Flurries
Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read this email. Wishing you a wonderful April!   Time keeps Marching On! Sorry for the pun… seriously though, it’s March already?? But it’s been a good winter so far and I’m looking forward to when spring comes here in the north in late April. In the meantime I’ve been working on embroidery projects, this ikebana style Magnolia is finished this week and ready to go on the website!  On the Horizon: Exhibits & Projects
 I finished two birds for the The Art of Flight – Birds of Northern NY Exhibit at Arts Center Lake Placid from May 22 – July 3, but I can’t reveal them just yet. Big Hopes & Crafty Dreams Two weeks ago, I attended the Baltimore Craft Made Show, and it was spectacular! The oversized sculptures were a highlight, and I’m already setting my sights on applying for next year’s show. Next up: the Smithsonian Craft Show in April. I’ll be attending to study their standards of craftsmanship as I dream big for my 2027 application season. I  I'm finally, FINALLY, working on some class/kit pieces! I have two almost completed including instructions. There will be a survey coming next week once I have several pieces worked up to choose from. Here is a sneak peek at two of the options.
Sunshine today—and I’m soaking it up! After so many gray winter days, a warm spot of light feels extra precious. NEW PIECES These are being released to you before they appear on my website or on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re interested in any piece, reply to this email and we can talk details. Spring Blossoms Ikebana-inspired fiber sculpture wall hanging 20" x 14" Let me know if you'd like to see more in this style. Birch bark pieces are popular, and I love making them! Both are wall hangings. Woodland Wonder Embroidered sculpture of red parasol mushrooms on real birch bark 12" x 8" Little Woodland Marvel Embroidered sculpture of orange parasol mushrooms on real birch bark 10" x 10"  Personal Project I’m experimenting with embroidery on Paper Source paper. Stitches need to be spaced intentionally so the paper doesn’t tear—making this a new and mindful challenge. I’ll create one new 5x5 a month for the year 2026 EXHIBITS
WINTER EXHIBIT AT VIEW – OLD FORGE I have five pieces in the exhibit Curious Constructions Whimsey! December 13 – March 2026 Stop in and see all the wonderful pieces on display. By Invitation: Art of Flight – Birds of Northern NY Arts Center Lake Placid May 22 – July 3 https://lakeplacidarts.org/exhibit/theartofflight/ 2026 FESTIVALS Summer Fine Craft Fair at Foundry 48 – Lititz, PA June 20 & 21, 2026. YES! I MADE IN! https://pacrafts.org/2026-summer-fcf/ More coming soon I hope! CLASSES IN DEVELOPMENT I’ll be sending out a quick survey to see which classes interest you most. Possible options include:
The new year feels full of promise, and I’m beginning it with a milestone: the completion of my 2025 Gratitude Journal. Over the past year, I stitched 156 small “pennies,” each freehanded to represent something I was grateful for that week. Some months had 10 "pennies" some had 8. Some months asked more of me than others, yet these little circles traveled with me—portable, grounding, and deeply meaningful. To accompany the piece, I hand-bound a small book gathering the stories and meanings behind each symbol. Now the finished work hangs in our living room, a gentle reminder to carry gratitude into the year ahead. What I’m excited about in the year ahead: • An upcoming exhibit featuring birds—such an honor to be invited! • Waiting to see if I was accepted into a few new indoor festivals • Hoping for another Regrant this year • Getting my tax prep finished and off my plate • Designing new classes to share at various locations • And most importantly, creating lots of new artwork! The first sculpture of 2026! Amanita Mushroom will be available soon on the website. Contact me if you are interested in it.
What an unexpected year—personally and artistically!
As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on a season that brought far more twists and turns than I anticipated. On a personal level, this year has been heavy with loss, stress, and unexpected challenges. I am more than ready to welcome 2026 and am hoping for a gentler, more peaceful year ahead. I’m also grateful that I didn’t commit to a full schedule of festivals and shows like I did last year—there’s no way I could have managed it. Artistically, however, this year has been incredibly rich. Opportunities arrived at my door unannounced, and I am both amazed and grateful for the growth, recognition, and connections that this season brought. A Year of Exhibitions, Grants, and New Work A major highlight was receiving my very first art regrant—funded by NYSCA through Saint Lawrence County Arts Council—to create a new body of work and present it at a local venue this fall. Stitching Science: The Anatomy of Leaves in Fiber included six pieces (three sculptures and three microscopic leaf studies), and I’m thrilled that one sold right away. The presentation was well attended, and I’ve already applied for another regrant for 2026. I also had the honor of participating in a six-artist fiber show at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts this summer. Being invited to join that group was a privilege—and I even sold several pieces. As a result, Gallery 46 on Main Street in Lake Placid is now carrying 25 pieces of my works. The Adirondack Experience Museum at Blue Mountain Lake is exhibiting my Luna Moth sculpture in the Artists & Inspiration in the Wild permanent exhibition this year. They are also carrying my felt bird ornaments in the gift shop along with a print of my aerial view of Blue Mountain Lake. And I’m excited to share that tomorrow, December 12, 2025, five of my pieces will open in the “Curious Constructions” section of the Whimsy Exhibition at View in Old Forge, running through March. When I first started my business, View was on my “dream list” of galleries—and now I’m in. Time to set a new goal! I am now represented in several galleries: Tupper Arts, Gallery 46, Michael Ringer Gallery, and the Adirondack Experience Museum. Shows, Festivals, and Recognition This year’s shows and festivals included • Inlet Art in the Park • Along the River’s Edge at Thousand Islands Arts Center • Central Adirondack Art Show at View • The Elves’ Fair • Colorscapes At Colorscapes, I was honored to receive First Place in Fiber for the second year in a row. My year-long personal project, the Gratitude Journal, is finally complete. I’ll share more about that in a future update. Looking Ahead I’m eagerly awaiting news on the next regrant—fingers crossed for March! I also have a new personal project in the works. If you’re on Facebook or Instagram, I’d love your input: check my post from December 9th and vote on your favorite background color. This winter, I plan to develop a few classes and kits, and several galleries have expressed interest in hosting workshops. If you have something specific you’d like to learn, please let me know—your ideas are always welcome. I also became a member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen last week and am applying to sell my work in their store. I’m hoping to be selected for two major indoor shows in Pennsylvania in 2026. Just a few goals for the coming year—each bigger than the last—and I’m excited to see what unfolds. Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and kindness throughout this unforgettable year. Wishing you a Merry and Bright Christmas, and a blessed New Year! Warmly, Connie  Dear Friends, Firstly, thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers following my mom’s passing on April 22. I truly appreciate your support and understanding during this time. It's meant a lot, especially as I’ve been slower than usual in creating and sending out newsletters.
Exciting News!
The grant helps, but doesn’t fully cover my time or material costs. If you’d like to contribute financially or with materials, please email me at [email protected] and we can discuss details. “This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.” More Great Opportunities!
Upcoming Festival Appearance
Grateful Journal
Thank you again for subscribing to my newsletter. I’m so grateful for your continued encouragement and support. Wishing you a joyful, creative, and peaceful summer! — Connie 🌿   Microscopic view of a Gingko leaf.
Thank you for your support, it means the world to me.
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AuthorWelcome to my blog! I'm excited to be creating fiber sculptures of nature, going on forays, hikes and biking in the Adirondacks and the 1,000 Islands regions for inspiration with my husband, Randy. Archives
September 2026
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