I'm doing another Holiday PopUp this week at Aloe Skin & Body.  Once again, I'll be there with Ashley Bailey of The Byrd Collective to help you decorate for the holidays.  I will also have a selection of work on hand that will be great to give as a gift this season. Thursday 12/13 from 6pm-8pm. 2425- Exposition Blvd.  

  Artist/Designer Keith Kreeger & Ashley Bailey of Byrd & Blair will be on hand to help you make this holiday season perfect.  Featuring holiday bouquets set in handmade porcelain vases.  This pairing is perfect to spruce up your holiday party.  Bring one along as a hostess gift and stand out among the many bottles of wine.

I've worked with my friend Ashley Bailey of Byrd and Blair (formerly The Byrd Collective) on a few projects recently.  I'm happy to be alongside Byrd & Blair again during a Holiday PopUp 11/29 & 11/30 at the By George Flagship Store on Lamar.  Ashley and Carly will be arranging greens, garlands and more to help you decorate for the holidays.  I will have a variety of vases and bottles filled with their beautiful arrangements.  Wonderfully designed vases paired with delightful arrangements makes for an instant upgrade to your homes decor this season.  I love how Byrd and Blair can combine elements that seem so simple and turn them into something special. By George is an incredibly curated high-end clothing store and I'm thrilled to be working with them.  They search out the top makers in fashion and their commitment to quality is second to none.  It's going to be a wonderful setting to start of the holiday season. This PopUp is yet another reason I'm so happy to be part of the creative community in Austin....Flowers, porcelain and fashion....sounds kind of beautiful to me!    

Handmade can be a luxury for everyday.   I’ve been thinking a lot about the value of handmade recently.  The deluge of “Shop Small” emails I’ve received recently only added to the many ways we’re told that we can support local and handmade this holiday season. There were also a couple of blog posts aimed at small businesses got me thinking a little more broadly about this idea.  A tweet by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey got the wheels churning even more,

“No business wants to be called "small" (or "big"). Neighborhood businesses may aspire to be global businesses.  Shop locally, think globally.”

I spend a lot of time in my studio striving to make beautiful objects.  These simple yet beautiful pieces are many of the items that we use everyday in some way.  Perhaps it’s a mug for your morning coffee or a bud vase that sits on your bathroom vanity.  Are these objects in our lives unimportant because we use them every day?  Should those items be cheap because of the mundane tasks they’re used for?  I don’t think so. Personally, I like living with nice things.  One morning it could be the mug, made by a friend, that I choose to start my day with.  Other days, it might be as simple as the pair of shoes I put on that I bought after coveting them for months.  The things we choose to surround ourselves with do matter.  How and why they’re made matter as well.   We can’t always choose to live with something purely because it’s handmade or because it’s local (though I try when possible). Many mornings I stop at Houndstooth Coffee for a macchiato.  During that one stop, after 3-4 sips of that spectacular coffee it’s become a different kind of day.  I use the same beans at home, but that experience is something on a whole other level.  Yes, I’m shopping “small” by drinking my coffee there but that’s not why I find myself there time and again.  I can have coffee anywhere and I can order from a “local and small” coffee house anywhere in Austin.  I’m going to Houndstooth because that cup of coffee is better than just about any cup I’ve ever had.  And every time I’m there, those few minutes become one of the best moments of my day.  This is just one example that shopping “small” isn’t as important as shopping small and well. So, if you’re shopping around for a gift this year, please ask yourself...are you buying small out of a sense of obligation?  Do you only feel the need to support an independent store or artist or are you purchasing something beautiful that’s been designed to enhance your everyday living?  My work is truly done when you’re day is better because of what I’ve made.