A quick note for the local folk – I have some framed prints left over from a gallery show that I’d rather not deal with shipping ;) so I’m offering them to Rhode Island people who would be able to pick them up. The prints are 8″x10″ and the outer dimensions of the frames are approx. 13″x17″. They’re the ribba frames from ikea and cost me $10 so I’m selling the framed prints for $32 ea. Get in touch if you’re interested- alli@allicoate.com

New in the shop are these illustrated bird ornaments- each ornament is stitched with care and backed in a coordinating felt. These look lovely on your tree and would also be great perched on a perfectly wrapped gift. Which would you prefer, the Owl or the Chickadee?

One of my lovely wedding clients, Nadine, was kind enough to send me a shot of her wedding invitation suite all assembled and ready to mail. I love how she used some simple rustic materials like burlap and raffia to really personalize the suite and make it her own. Thanks, Nadine! Take a look at the rest of the Tree Branches collection here.

I’m super excited to share my latest project with you – just the process in itself has been fun, but what really makes it special is the meaning behind it. A few weeks ago, my friend Tino asked if I would help design a tee shirt to raise money for a family in our church that we love dearly. They are honestly some of the most loving, welcoming people I have ever met, and I can’t wait to see their dream come true. They are working towards adopting two girls from Haiti, Magella (10) and Darline (11). I knew I wanted to create something really special for them… one night as I was falling asleep this image of a ship floating through a starry sky popped into my head. I loved it instantly. Here’s what the idea turned into:

I wanted this to be something special and meaningful for the family and the girls who will soon be home with them, but also a message of hope for everyone. This is the first time I’ve ever designed a tee shirt, and to be honest it was a little intimidating! But I really love how it came out and I hope you do, too.

So, what happens next? We are selling pre-orders of the tee, with a goal to sell 200 by our deadline. When we reach our goal, the tees will go into production and will be mailed directly to everyone who pre-ordered. All the profits will go straight to the Gibb family’s adoption fund, which helps cover the cost of  the very expensive process of adoption. These are really high quality, silkscreened tees and I hope you’ll consider buying one for yourself, and a few more for gifts! :) There are only 10 days left, so please consider helping out by buying a “Dreams Do Come True” tee.

Update: I’m so happy to announce that we exceeded our goal and ended up reaching 311 tees! Thanks so much to everyone who helped.

As a budget-conscious artist, I love being able to offer functional works of art in the form of these handmade pillow covers. They’re some of my best-sellers, so you all must love them too! Here’s a behind the scenes look at the process of making them:

Step one: cut, iron, pin (and sew) fabric for pillow backs.

Step two: cut fabric for pillow fronts.

Step three: prep labels.

Step four: pin together pillow front and back pieces.

Step five: sew!

The best part is turning the pillow right-side-out. Love that feeling of finishing a project! If you’d like to get a pillow cover of your own,  you can pick one out from my etsy shop.