Discover - Waxed Canvas

I love to work with waxed canvas! Not familiar with this all natural material? Here’s a quick primer on all you need to know -

• Waxed canvas is a durable, multi-purpose canvas with a very tight plied-yarn weave construction making it very strong and resistant to tearing.

• The refined wax finish provides an additional layer of protection from rain, and moisture. It is not water proof but water resistant

• Waxed canvas will naturally get scratched and distressed which only adds to its overall beauty - fully waxed canvas wears like leather; it will age and patina beautifully

• Waxed canvas is vegan and is much more environmentally friendly than most other vegan leather substitutes.

• The accidental history of waxed canvas is fascinating - originally “developed” by the British navy, 15th century sailors discovered waxed canvas by rubbing oil into sail cloth impregnating the fibers with a wind and waterproof material

Inspiration - Thankful for YOU!

I am so very thankful for all your support and encouragement. My journey is continuing to evolve, there are exciting changes ahead for 2019 which will unfold as the new year begins. It's not easy running a small creative business. There is no roadmap - most of the time I'm "winging it" hoping to figure it out as I go. I appreciate each and every one of you. "Thank you" from the bottom of my heart. XXOO Sarah

News - 2019 Desktop Calendar

Introducing my new 2019 desktop calendar!

There are 12 original designs - plus a front and back cover, inspired by my travel adventure to Spain and Morocco.

Patterns are a loose interpretation of Islamic geometric design - directly influenced by the Moorish palaces built in and around Marrakesh, Granada and Seville.

The 12 monthly pages are printed on recycled card stock using archival, high quality inks. Each page includes a convenient center hole punch for hanging. Packaged in a clear cello sleeve.

Pages measure 5" x 7"

Orders will include a small wooden easel. The easel is approximately 5" high.

Order HERE

New - Just A Card Campaign

Earlier this month I participated in the "Just A Card" campaign. In case you missed it, Just A Card is a grassroots movement led by artists, makers and small businesses to spread awareness and support for independent shops this holiday season.

"If everyone that complemented our beautiful gallery had purchased just one card, we'd still be open today"

Complements mean the world however it is your purchases that help keep the small business in your community up and running. Please do your part - all it takes is just one card, one book, one print, one small gift to make a difference. THANK YOU!

Inspiration - Today's Public Service Announcement

With the pressures of the holiday season approaching, today's "public service announcement" is BE KIND TO YOURSELF

-Halfway to work you realize you left all the house lights on. Yesterday you forgot to make your kids lunch, you didn't even remember lunch money! Traffic is horrible and you're late to your meeting (again!)

Are you in a constant state of "rushing"? Do you feel inadequate and/or frustrated because you are unable to complete all of the items on your "To Do" list?

Instead of focusing on what you were not able to do, take a deep breath, slow down and celebrate all the things you were able to complete!

These victories, especially the tiny wins often go unnoticed and unacknowledged. Stop being relentlessly hard on yourself.

-You made it to the gym this week - not once but twice! You ate a healthy breakfast and managed to grab a fruit snack instead of the office pastry/doughnut. You made time for a friend who is going thru a tough period.

Take a moment to remind yourself that it's OK - you're doing a great job!

News - December Screen Saver Collection

Pretty amazing, we’re already at the end of the year! December’s pattern was the result of several design studies which I undertook after reading parts of Eric Berg’s wonderful book about Islamic Geometric patterns. Of course, I saw plenty of tile inspiration from Morocco first hand and those of course also influenced the general direction of this concept. The basic tile pattern was also used as the jumping off point for the Makers Tableau logo mark.

Follow the links below for your FREE screen saver collection which will include a desktop calendar as well as a smart phone background. 

Click HERE to download the desktop calendar

Click HERE to download the smart phone background

Enjoy reading? Sign Up now to get regular updates

News - Reasons to fall in love with #SHOPSMALL

Mark your calendars #SHOPSMALL 2018 is Saturday November 24th! There are many reasons to fall in love with this new family tradition.

On Thanksgiving Day enjoy time with family and friends - eat until you're stuffed and watch a few college football games or attend your local high school game. On Friday get outside and go for a hike to burn off those calories. On Saturday, head to "Main Street" to spend your money in local, independent stores and cafés. 

Reasons to #SHOPLOCAL

* It's fun. My family used to shop on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). We'd get up early, head for sales, then meet for breakfast. No more. It's just too painful: no real bargains, crazy crowds, unpleasant employees. Now, we've made Small Business Saturday our tradition. We sleep in, meet for breakfast at a local, independent café, then go shopping in small stores. Nice!

* You support your community - schools, police and fire departments. When you shop small, the bulk of the money you spend and most of your taxes stay local — helping schools, paving streets, keeping you safe.

* You'll raise your property values. Lively, vibrant neighborhood shopping streets are considered an advantage when selling a home. They make your property more valuable.

* You'll strengthen your community. Local businesses are owned by people who live in your town, go to your church or synagogue, donate to local animal shelters, coach Little League teams. When you spend money in their stores and cafes, you support your neighbors.

* You'll create jobs. Local businesses create local jobs. Often, these are jobs that pay better than those at chain stores.

* You'll find unique, one of a kind, handmade goods and how cool is that!

At Makers Tableau, we wholeheartedly support the local makers, artists and small business owners who help make our community a strong a vibrant place to live and work

Discover - "I can't draw"

"I can't draw” - Perhaps this was you at some point during your youth. As we transition from an adolescent to teenager something happens that makes most of us, shy away from drawing, worried our skills will not measure up. We begin to judge our drawings from the culturally limiting framework that drawing is "Art" and art is "reserved" for artistic and creative types.

Mistaking drawing for art is embedded in our way of thinking thus as a society we seem to be missing the point. Drawing is a way of observing the world around us.

Drawing makes us slow down, be patient and pay attention. The author DB Dowd argues "We have misfiled the significance of drawing because we see it as a professional skill instead of a personal capacity."

The truth is, anyone can draw - drawing is nothing more than mark making (i.e. doodling) Drawing is our way of documenting what we see, it does not need to fit any specific style, after all you are just putting pencil to paper.

News - Sip, Carve and Print for the Holidays

I am teaching another "Intro to Block Printing" workshop just in time for the holidays!

We will be printing holiday greeting cards and your workshop fee includes a wine 🍷 tasting!

Class will be held at the lovely @littlebirdevents space in Norwood on November 9th

Registration is now open, click HERE

News - #100dayproject

Every year I like to challenge myself to one project which intentionally pushes the boundary of my skills. This year I embarked on a #100dayproject where I committed to drawing in a sketchbook for 100 days and agreed to share "the good and the bad" on Instagram.

I do not consider myself someone who is "good at drawing" I am intimidated by the proverbial "blank page" especially in a sketchbook where your marks are permanent (of course you can rip out pages...lol) and the prospect of sharing my work which is "less than perfect" left me feeling hugely vulnerable. However setting fear aside, I took the leap and for the most part I enjoyed the test.

I discovered 100 days is a tad to long for my attention span, I actually completed 95 days (and not necessarily consecutive days, although never had more than a 2 day gap) Yup only 5 days shy of finishing and I totally lost interest, what can I say...(big shoulder shrug)

I started this project back in March and (mostly) finished up in early July. I thought you might enjoy learning a bit about my final experience. Above are a few of my favorites