Purple Buffalo

I met with a local print shop on Monday about my Secret Project, which I will be revealing in September hopefully! I'm super excited to work with them, and I'm looking forward to offering all of you much better quality products in the near future (I was never quite satisfied with the work at my other print shop... past buyers will notice a marked difference in quality and consistency after I get some stuff printed up with my new shop, I hope)! Also, the girl who helped me is on the Santa Cruz Derby Girls board, and wants to go outdoor skating with me sometime! ♥ Yay for new friends!

Other than keeping house and walking to the beach and applying for jobs, I've been drawing and painting up a purple storm of buffalo! I am so excited about this new line that I wanted to give you guys a little preview of it... It will be the flagship of my Secret Project and will hopefully be available for purchase in mid-September!

You might be wondering what my obsession has been lately with purple buffalo. I have a few reasons for it:

#1 PURPLE. BUFFALO. I could just end there, but...

#2 I've been working with Dave Simcox for the last six months, whose Etsy shop I also manage (he's on haitus at the moment, sadly, but will hopefully be back soon. Seriously worth taking a look at). Dave has this contagious fascination with the prairie, which I've picked up by osmosis. One of my newest favorite quotes, which he shared with me, is this:

"…the joy of prairie lies in its subtlety. It is so easy—too easy—to be swept away by mountain and ocean vistas. A prairie, on the other hand, requests the favor of your closer attention. It does not divulge itself to mere passersby." - Suzanne Winckler

I find it haunting and beautiful that North America's largest land mammal resides in the prairie. In my mind, buffalo have always been intimidating and mysterious beasts, of almost mythical proportions. And they used to live and roam in these vast herds through these oceans of grass and sky until they were nearly wiped out along with all the other romantic things about the New World... It's all very otherworldly and magical and tragic and foreign and wonderful.

#3 HOWEVER. My obsession with purple buffalo is mostly due to the fact that this one album by *shels called "Plains of the Purple Buffalo" has struck a chord deep in my very SOUL... Everything about this project of theirs just kills me... the sweeping, dreamlike, mournful epic of the music, the artwork, not to mention the fact that it was inspired by "The Neverending Story." I just love it so much I could burst!! So, this stationery line is a tribute to *shels' genius work, which captures all of these things in the most sublime way I can imagine.

If you'd like to listen to the album (which I HIGHLY recommend), it's best done under headphones, uninterrupted, and during an activity that will allow you to listen to the awesomeness that you're hearing... Don't waste it. This is ART, people, DO IT RIGHT.

You're welcome ♥

♥ Ciara Kay

Sketchdump • August 4-9

As promised! Technically the second installment of the Saturday Sketchdump series... I'll also be posting these daily on my instagram in case anyone does that.

august 4

Inspired by Mariee Sioux's song "Wild Eyes"

august 5

the beach + wharf at Capitola

 I missed August 6, and August 7 is here!

august 8

Dino-dragon!

august 9

Stuff for the secret project... buffalo studies! Buffalo are like bear-cows. They kind of scare me.

Now I'm off to check in on job applications and pick up some dining room chairs that I got from freecycle!

♥ Ciara Kay

Looking Forward

Look, I made a planner out of a Dollar Tree notebook! I have way too much time on my hands...

Now that my home is in order, I feel like I can move forward. I've applied to five different places for work and have a few more on the list to try if those don't pan out. We're a bit anxious about money, it's pretty expensive down here, and most positions are for part-time work... In the meantime, I'm trying to focus on Scoutaroo, which has been neglected the last few months. I have a few ideas I'm excited about, some new goals, and a clearer direction!

So, you can expect more activity around here, a resurrection of the "Saturday Sketchdumps," regular postings of my incoming and outgoing mail starting on Monday, and lots more Scoutaroo stationery for you to enjoy!! During the next few months I'm really seeking to improve on what I have... any and all suggestions are appreciated! What can Scoutaroo do for you? What would you like to see that other stationers haven't provided? And on that sneaky secret project... I've just begun writing to some of my penpals about it, but it's still very much in the beginning stages and not yet ready for the light of day...

Lastly, a note on the No Internet thing: obviously (I am ashamed to admit), I have gone back to my old ways! Glued to the screen, nothing to show for it but guilt and discontent. This ends tomorrow... back on the horse! I do think that 15 minutes is a bit impossible when I'm trying to run an online business. It served a purpose for a time and I'm glad I limited myself so much, but it's a bit needless and unrealistic for what I'm trying to accomplish. However, I still have the same problems, and I'm still not well equipped to deal with them. It's a work in progress.

I'm looking forward to your ideas and input on current Scoutaroo products and what you hope to see in the future!

♥ Ciara Kay

P.S. Oh, here's a coupon code for $5 off your purchase of $20 or more in the shop: MOVING5. Out with the old, in with the new! :) And don't forget, I have a surprise planned for the 100th sale!