From The Nest

Hap Fourth of July!!

Happy Fourth of July! Beautiful sunny summer day here finally. We are off to the Marblehead Arts Festival to walk around the old town and see the various exhibits. After the lobster roll luncheon, we are going to Crocker Park to hear a concert by a local band. Crocker Park is a beautiful spot that sits up high on a hill overlooking Marblehead harbor. Later in the day, we are taking out a picnic dinner with friends and family to the Carol Ann for the evening to raft up with my brother's boat and other friends to watch the harbor illumination and fireworks. Should be a fun day for everyone! Happy Fourth!

Hoot Owls in Atlanta

Owls are hot!! Next week at the Atlanta gift show, one of my licensees, Home Comfort Rugs, will be introducing my new Hoot Owl rug that I designed for their Jellybeans collection. I did 5 different designs for them for this coming market. The first one is the owls. I just got the sample today and I love it... wonderful home decor colors, right on trend with four adorable owls sitting on the tree branches enjoying life, a few flowers placed in the right place and all at a great price..... available now! So pick some up for your store or catalog will you please! When you are in Atlanta check out the Home Comfort showroom, at Building one at the Merchandise Mart and listen for the "hooing" and perhaps it will lead you to my new rug! "Hoo loves ya baby"...I do! thanks, see you in Atlanta! best, carol

Nor'easter storm and surfin' dude

Last weekend we had a Nor'east storm come through Marblehead. It was very unusual for this time of year, more of a fall thing. Marblehead Harbor faces the Northeast so this storm just drove right down the harbor, rocking the boats on their moorings up and down for several days. The swells were pretty high, the wind blowing about 30 knots, but the air was warm, not cold like in the fall. The water temperature was 61 degrees. Fortunately no damage of record was done and all the boats stayed on their moorings safely. Even the harbormaster's boat was rocking! Everything was shrouded in a grey mist, the wind was "whooing" and it was quite an ominous site to see in mid June in Marblehead. This sailboat wasn't riding out the storm very well. I think a heavier boat ride the waves and wind better. Fortunately, the Carol Ann rode the storm out without any issues. The bilge pump continued to pump the excess water out of the bilge and when the Captain went out yesterday, the engine started right up! We love our boat! This is a local lobsterman's boat. He went to school with us and is a friend of the Captains. He has been catching lobsters for many years and sells them at the local farmer's market right out of his truck. His boat rode the storm without any issues as well. I love the color and how it rides on the waves. A little rockin' and rollin' in Marblehead Harbor! I am looking over towards the lighthouse and you can really see the action of the swells and wind on the boats.It is almost as if someone turned all the boats to point in the same direction together...well, in a way, I guess that is what the wind does. They are all pointing towards the mouth of the harbor which is Northeast. We headed over to Devereux Beach, the popular town beach near our house. We met a young man name Paul from Winthrop who was waxing his surfboard and getting ready to head out to "hang ten" on the waves. It always amazes me that guys do this in a storm. They just can't wait to get out there. If you look past the people walking on the beach you can spot little black dots in the water. Those are about 30 local diehearts that are out there waiting for the perfect wave to come their way. Just before he heads out, I am talking with Paul and he is explaining about how the waves get larger as the storm passes, that they are more controlled and better to surf. He said they were all coming back at 4:30 am because that is when the waves were suppose to be the highest. It was very windy at Devereux as you can see and I could barely hear what he had to say. I did wish him well and said to be careful and he said that is what his girlfriend always says to him. Nice guy. Continued around Marblehead Neck over to the lighthouse and Chandler Hoovey Park. There is a covered bench area there where folks can sit and take in the spectacular views of the sound and Children's Island. It was just too windy to sit down there. The wind was increasing each hour and you can see the white caps on the ocean as they roll in towards the harbor. Looking over at Marblehead Lighthouse I noticed that the flag was blowing out almost straight from the power of the wind. Our lighthouse is very historic, built in the 1800's is one of only 2 lighthouses on the East Coast that has a green light to warn the mariners of the rocky shores. This lighthouse was standing there protecting the harbor when the frigate the Constitution fought off the British Navy that was attacking our shores. There is a local club of men who once in a while go inside the lighthouse and climb up the spiral staircase to the top. They say the view is fantastic! Everything is all cleared up now, after dozens of rainy days, we are now seeing blue sky and sunshine and the Captain is gearing up for another wonderful day on the Carol Ann as I prepare the lunch and will meet him down at the Boston Yacht Club to take the launch out to our boat to spend the day. Ah, summer time.... Thankfully the rockin' and rollin', high winds and white caps are all gone today! Happy Summer! carol

The Cutest Door

Strolling down in the old town of Marblehead I came across this adorable doorway....painted a wonderful shade of blue with a tiny bird's nest hanging on the front filled with 3 little bird's eggs...my little birdie friend got all excited when he saw it as well...just another charming place in the picturesque town of Marblehead. How cute is this? best, carol

Beach Days...

Ah, the lazy, hazy, beach days of summer....there is something about this time of year. The air is so sweet, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the days are long, the Captain gets home when it is still light out, we spend a lot of time out on the boat, we just wear shorts and tee shirts. I love wearing flip flops or no shoes at all. Summer. I love it. The slower pace, the outside fun... It makes me feel like a kid again. I work in my garden, planting and weeding and each year the perennials get more lush and full. I love digging in the dirt. The smells and the colors are heavenly. The back garden is our private oasis where we eat late summer night dinners on our deck under the umbrella. Just any excuse to be outside! I remember as a little girl when we played outside in the summer long after dusk with all the neighborhood kids, playing 50 scatter and tag, we begged to stay out "just a little longer" to enjoy each lingering moment with our friends. Summer brings that out in you, that feeling of playing and being outside with your friends, of having "just a little longer" time to be a kid again. Then the beach ties it all together for me. I love going to the beach. I am not a pool person, I need the sand, the waves, the salt air, the open feeling of the beach. I like to look out at the open ocean. I like seeing the large expanse of blue water. I love eating lunch at the beach, it always tastes so much better when you eat outside. I love the salt water, the spray, the waves, building sand castles, sitting in my beach chair and reading a hot summer novel. It just feels good. It is just fun. It is just summertime...remember the song? "It's summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime"...time to live and have some fun, come along and head for the beach.... so, pack up your beach bag and come along with me for a nice day at the beach. I am heading out shortly, just after I pack my sandwich and play a quick game of 50 scatter with the kids in the neighborhood. best, carol

Flip Flop Rug in Catalog....AGAIN!!

The new summer 2009 Expressions catalog (expressionscatalog.com) is carrying my flip flop rug once again...the design that keeps on giving. Home Comfort rugs told me it was one of their best selling designs! That is one of the nice things about great designs. If it is a good strong image it can last a long time. Art Licensing works when an artist designs an image and then licenses it to a number of different companies for a wide variety of products. For each item sold at retail, the artist is paid a royalty percentage of the wholesale price. So, for example, this same flip flop image that appears on this rug also was part of the "Life's a Beach" collection for Boston Warehouse Trading Company that manufactured everything from candles, to table weights, to chip and dips, spreaders, acrylic barware, beach bags, shaped ice cubes and more. It was also featured on melamine plates for a proprietary group I designed for the Steinmart stores. For the Current catalog, the flip flop images became a stationery, sticker and note card line and also scrapbook papers. Designs Unlimited worked the flip flops into a wonderful resort ware line. It was part of a fabric collection for P and B fabrics and so on. An image that hits the mark with trend, color, design and "curb appeal" can last many seasons on a variety of items. It is similar to a TV show. When the prime time season is over, the show gets pick up in reruns and the actors are paid residual fees for appearing over and over again. So, it is a good thing to create timeless designs that keep on making people happy, creating good sales and bringing home lots of royalties for the designer. Art Licensing, when everything all comes together, can be an extremely successful way for an artist to earn a living. So, keep on creating wonderful, timeless treasures of designs...that keep on giving! best, carol

A near perfect day on the water...

A near perfect day...headed out to the boat for weekend cruising... here is the "Carol Ann" sitting pretty in Marblehead Harbor... we are heading out of the harbor, sun streaming down, flag blowing in the breeze, cold drink in hand, the Captain skippering the boat, picnic lunch packed, all is right with the world.... I even saved a chair for you to come along.... heading over towards Beverly, Massachusetts, the flag is flapping in the breezes so I took this shot...thought it was pretty cool. Sitting on the cushion at the stern of the boat, relaxing, feet up, pedicure in full view, watching the world pass by us as we cruise along without a care in the world. always loved this old white house that sits out on the point on the back side of Marblehead Neck...reminds me of the coast of Maine, such a nice old house. Coming back in towards Marblehead Harbor passing the historic Marblehead Light House as we turn into the harbor, always a sign that we are near home port once again. Tie up at our mooring, sit and enjoy the beautiful view of the harbor, take a few photos... Just laid back and happy, spending the day with my Captain on our boat, picnic lunch, fresh air and sunshine, life is good... Captain extraordinaire...this guy is such a great Captain, safe and careful, but lots of fun to be with, I'd follow him anywhere....and I do!! Just starting to cloud over, we call the launch to come and take us back to the club... the Captain sits in the stern of the launch boat as we ride in from our mooring back to the dock. Here we are approaching the Boston Yacht Club, built in 1846 or so, the oldest of all the yacht clubs in Marblehead and we think the nicest. The Captain heads up to ramp to the parking lot as I follow along. Off to a cookout and birthday party for 2 of the munchkins...as I said, a near perfect day. signing off, first mate, carol

It's fun to shop at Macys....

Had some exciting news today to share with my fellow bloggers! Macys is licensing my owl designs and is going to be developing them into a line of Christmas ornaments for their stores. This will be for Christmas 2010! I met with the product development director in charge of Christmas trim for all of Macy's stores while I was in New York a few weeks ago at the show...she previewed my portfolio and took some images I created to a planning meeting the next day. Then, a few days later, she contacted me with the good news! These adorable little owls on the tree branches above will be some of the ones that they will develop. There is also another pattern I designed that they will be working with as well. The owls will be made out of clay dough in bright happy colors, with lots of details with their polka dots and patterns. How cute will these be to brighten up your holiday tree? Then, they will be reproducing these little owls on the branches by hand painted them on glass Christmas balls, using coordinating patterns created from some of the funky flowers in the background as additional ornaments. Using elements from the owl piece to create ornaments and designs that tell a story when they are all merchandised together. Pretty cool huh? So make sure you watch for them next year. Macy's trim department does a fabulous job of designing trees with fun ornaments, they do dozens of displays...so make sure you look for the © carol eldridge owls for your holiday tree. "Owl Together Now" they will look pretty cute I think! best, carol

The Secret of Happiness...

The secret of happiness is liking what you do. If you have the passion for something, feel the love, the dedication, no matter what it is, you will find happiness as you do it. Having that passion for art makes me happy. I look forward each day to creating new designs or completing existing projects. Sometimes I get so excited for what I am working on that I cannot sleep, I cannot wait to get up and finish painting the design or developing the new product line. So, enjoy what you do each and every day. Feel the love and have the passion and you will find that having that positive attitude will be so good and make you feel so happy. It is all about enjoying life and loving what you do! best, carol

In Marblehead Harbor

After finishing up all my follow up from the New York shows and client meetings, the Captain and I put the final touches on the boat, bringing all the gear from the boat locker to the boatyard, varnishing the brite work, cleaning up the cabin, lugging all the dishes and paper towels and fishing gear and cushions up the ladder and on to the boat before we launched her. Then on Tuesday, the "Carol Ann" was officially launched and back in Marblehead Harbor for yet another season. A beautiful day, but still a little chilly, we finally got in the water around 3 o'clock. Here is the "Carol Ann" sitting pretty in Marblehead Harbor. Slowly but surely the beautiful harbor starts to fill up with boats at the end of May. Our season in New England is very short, just 4 months really, so the earler in May you can launch your boat the better once the weather cooperates. The guys put the new pennants on the mooring along with the pick up buoy, check the chains and lines to make sure everything is still in good working order. You have to do this each season to make sure that the mooring is secure to hold the boat and that the chains are not compromised. So, we are back into the boating season once again. This weekend was just glorious. We had several days to play again in the bright sunshine. We spiffed and washed and cleaned up everything that had sat all winter on the boat. We got a new toilet seat, stocked up on supplies, water, treats, new fishing gear, packed a picnic lunch and off we went. There is just nothing like it. The Captain is in Nirvana on the boat! The fresh air and sunshine and sea breezes make you feel alive and healthy. It is so much fun to drive along and see friends out on their boats, waving to you and so happy. There is something about being on a boat that makes people be even more friendly than they are on land. Everyone waves....all the time. The same people don't necessarily wave when they are in their cars, but get them on a boat and it is a different story. It is a friendly place to be. So, let the summer fun begin. We are looking forward to all sorts of adventures this summer on our boat. For the time being, she is at her mooring, safe and sound and ready for us this Friday afternoon. The Captain is on summer hours now. Something his company started a few years ago. They put in few extra hours on Monday-Thursday, so that on Friday they can leave by noon. It makes for a nice long weekend all summer long and with the "Carol Ann" waiting for us in the harbor, what could be better than that? Summer is finally here! best, carol