What's Up? Pop Ups!

It's been hopping around here as usual. With the arrival (finally!) of spring typically comes spring pop ups, and this year has been no exception.

Last Saturday we were back at the wonderful Red Barn Mercantile with our pillow collection. I always love being in this store, whether it's for a Mira Jean Designs event - or just to shop. :-) (Confession: favorite purchases are cards from their amazing and funny card collection ... so hard to choose! And Syndey Hale candles).



While there, we tested out some new textile designs including our Navy Waves lumbar pillow. I'm pleased to share, it quickly found a new home. (Wouldn't this be the perfect pillow on your couch or sun porch, come Fourth of July? Email me and I can make you one, too!)



Post Red Barn, the pop up prep continues. This weekend I will be back at my friend and the very talented potter Stacy Snyder's home for a joint home studio sale. Below is a glimpse of Stacy's work. I have admired Stacy's work for some time. We met years ago through our kids' preschool, and I love that we are now collaborating on a spring show together.

All are welcome at the Studio Sale! Hours are: Friday wine & cheese opening 5-7pm / Saturday 10a-5p / Sunday 11a-3pm. Address is: 508 N. Kenmore St, Arlington, VA 22201. 

Meanwhile if you read my last blog post you know I've been inspired by my wedding florist Holly Chapple to paint some new floral textile designs. While I'm not in *LOVE* with any of them yet, the painting continues. I hope to have some new floral designs to share with you, soon.



Until then, enjoy this glorious weather - and if you're in / near Arlington, VA this weekend, mark your calendar to pop by our spring studio sale! Hope to see you there.

xo,
Kate

Serendipity

Sometimes life works in mysterious and serendipitous ways. This week has been a whirlwind! I am excited to share a few highlights with you:

On Tuesday, I was one of three artists at a special event hosted by Kate Llubers at Evans & Sheldon.  Kate runs a beautiful textiles and home furnishings showroom in Georgetown. The focus on this week's event was all about ... Wallpaper. It was an honor to be there alongside Mally Skok and Victoria Larson, two fellow textile designers whose work I admire.

I had been thinking about venturing out into the world of wallpaper for some time. Kate's event gave me what I needed: a deadline. So over the past six weeks or so, I have been testing and fine-tuning wallpaper finishes.

Talk about meeting a deadline. The product was ready just in time for Tuesday's event - but I confessed to the group, I hadn't yet named one of the designs. It began as a textile design. It was posted on Facebook and Instagram in its early stages ... but hasn't been added it to the website yet - in part because I wasn't sure what to call it.

On Thursday, I found myself out in Waterford, Virginia at the beautiful new Hope Flower Farm owned by floral designer Holly Chapple and family. Holly was the florist for my wedding some many years ago. We recently re-connected through social media. Unbelievable!

Holly's flowers made my wedding day beautiful. Words cannot describe how it felt to reconnect with a woman I so admired almost two decades(!) ago -- AND to see her flourishing in her creative career in such a beautiful, idyllic place. Here are a few pics from the visit:

One (of three) barns on the 25+ acre property

Some ranunculus that arrived while I was there. (Later that afternoon, Holly turned these beauties and more into an *amazing* arrangement. You can see the finished bouquet on her Instagram feed here)

A floral chandelier frame Holly designed, inside one of the barns. (Imagine this covered with flowers ... Stunning!)

Holly and I reminisced about my wedding (check out the old wedding pics on her Instagram feed!) and talked about our careers, families, and lives as creatives ... and about collaborating in the future. My heart and mind are overflowing with excitement about the possibilities. I cannot wait to keep you posted (and yes, Holly gave me another deadline ... a good thing!).

My family and I will be joining Holly at one of her upcoming events at Hope Farm on Sunday, May 1st: Barn dancing. Virginia friends & neighbors, It's not too late to register if you want to come, too!

In closing, one of the guests at Evans & Sheldon came up to me after the wallpaper presentations with a suggestion for the unnamed design: "Serendipity." After this week's events, Serendipity it is. 

Have a great weekend!

xo,
Kate

Collaboration Feature #1: Photographer Shelly Han

I am thrilled to share this interview with friend and photographer Shelly Han. This is the first in my Collaboration series; stories and interviews with fellow creative women entrepreneurs and business owners that I have had the honor to meet through my work @MiraJeanDesigns. My goal is to share their stories, work and words of wisdom for fellow creatives. Let me know what you think & enjoy! 

Last week, I shared photos from the wonderfully talented photographer, Shelly Han. When I was first starting out @MiraJeanDesigns, I had the good fortune of meeting Shelly. We've been collaborating ever since. 

Shelly's photos have a beautiful way of capturing color, light and energy. Fun fact: her favorite subjects are actually people. (Luckily for me, she still photographs my textiles, too). I recently asked Shelly to share some insights on her work, creative process and more. She graciously agreed and today we are sharing the interview with you here: 

Kate@MiraJeanDesigns: How long have you been a photographer?

Shelly: I started photography in middle school with my dad's film camera (digital wasn't around for another 20+ years) and bought my own camera (Canon AE-1--I still have it!) with my graduation money when I was a senior in high school. That same year I did an internship where I developed photos of the stars (the heavenly kind) at the University of Arizona's space science center -- but ended up pursuing a degree in political science. 

K: When did you know you wanted to be a photographer; when did you get the photography "bug"? 

S: Even during college and living abroad I continued to take pictures. But the photography disease (frankly, "bug" is just not a strong enough word!) returned in full force when my kids came along. I realized I needed a different set of skills to capture little things that refused to stand still so I started studying on my own and then fully embraced digital photography as it was just emerging. 

K: What do you love photographing the most?

S: People! I love capturing an emotion, a moment, a fleeting look in the eyes. I rarely take landscape photos, or photos of flowers. It's all about the face for me. Although, if you think about it, hands and body also can convey an emotion, so it's just all about having a person in the frame. The next best thing: a dog! 

K: Would you be willing to share a story about a particularly surprising photo shoot? 

Yes! One of my strangest shoots I've had was in the deserts of Turkmenistan. I had the opportunity to spend one night camping at a place called the "Gates of Hell". It's essentially a football field-sized crater that is filled with natural gas. It was created when they were drilling for gas and the ground sunk beneath them. They thought they could burn the gas off and start again, but forty years later it's still burning! At night it is the most amazing sight. I had done some research ahead of time and planned the equipment I would need, extra batteries (because no place to plug in!) etc. It was incredible. Once night fell I enlisted my camping buddies to all stand in a row in front of the pit while I took the photo. I loved the result not only because it reminds me of an incredible place and experience, but also because it represented to me what I could create if I planned ahead and prepared properly. Here is a photo of me in front of the crater during the day and then the shot I took after dark:

K: What makes it fun?

S: The unpredictability. Even if I'm shooting at the same spot, you are shooting with different people and the shoots are never the same because of that. This factor also makes it challenging, and sometimes stressful, but it's also what makes the whole thing fun for me. I like to be challenged. I like it when people say, "Oh, I don't like to take photos", or "I always look bad in photos."  That's like whacking me in the face with a white glove--game on! I want to be able to figure out how to bring that person along, capture their personality, make them fearless in front of the camera. We should all be fearless in front of the camera. Sometimes I think I'm a therapist just as much as a photographer, and I love it. 

K: If you had one tip for amateurs on how to take great photographs, what would it be? 

S: One of the best tips I learned a few years ago from a teacher was about paying attention to perspective. Not only learning to quickly read what is in the frame (a quick eyeball sweep around the whole frame to look for distracting elements or poles sticking out of heads) but also the height from which you are shooting. This teacher looked at my portfolio and he said these are almost all taken from 5'5" (that's how tall I am). So get a little workout in by bending low to the level of your kids, or stand on the nearest bench and get a little height. Your pictures will be more dynamic if you vary the perspective. 

K: Where do you get your inspiration from?

S: I follow a lot of photographers on Instagram for constant inspiration, and I am in a VSCO Film Users group on Facebook where there is stunning photography from around the world on a daily basis. You can check out the related website here: http://www.lookslikefilm.com/  I also keep a board on Pinterest with any and all things, but mostly photos, that inspire me one way or the other. I call the board "Fuel for the fire". Feel free to check it out: https://www.pinterest.com/shellyhealdhan/fuel-for-the-fire/

K: If you had one piece of advice for an entrepreneur or business owner, what would it be? 

S: Embrace the accounting! I'm still not there 100 percent, but I finally realized that to be a successful business owner you have to like business. Who knew! So I am slowly coming around to convincing myself that the business-side of things can be fun, and of course rewarding, if you get it right. There is absolutely no need to be a starving artist.You can be a great artist and a great business owner. 

K: Do you have a favorite or most memorable photo you'd like to share? 

S: Here's what it takes for a photo to make it into my top tier: awesome natural light, a real expression or emotion, and, finally, if it brings back a good memory then it's gold. This photo of my husband, Lianchao, fits all three criteria. We were sitting outside with family at a beautiful mountaintop cafe in Greece with gorgeous light from the setting sun, house wine in a carafe on the table, and he turned to me to say, "Cheers". Yes, indeed. It's one of my favorites. 

All Photos Courtesy of Shelly Han. Photos and text by Kate Hougen and Shelly Han. 

Happy Spring! & Puppy Love

Happy Spring! & Puppy Love

Happy Spring! It's almost 80 degrees here today, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the studio is bursting with new activity and textiles, pillows and throws in spring colors ... spring has sprung! Here are a few highlights:

We are in the midst of marketing our new Spring collection and prepping for spring & summer shows and events. (Email us and we'll add you to our invite list, if you're not on it already!).



My friend and photographer, Shelly Han, took this photo. When I launched Mira Jean Designs, Shelly did our first photo shoot. I've been working with her ever since. She is amazing. One couldn't ask for a more talented and fun photographer to work with!

Second, we have a new addition to the Mira Jean Designs family: a new pup! (Spoiler alert: if you follow us on Instagram, you've seen her already). Her name is Piper and I love the new energy she brings to our home. Shelly came over to photograph her and I can't resist sharing one of those photos with you, too:



Last, I've been giving a lot of thought to this blog ... its focus and the kinds of stories and information I want to share. A few of you suggested I talk about the "behind the scenes" of Mira Jean Designs and launching a business. If you have other suggestions, let me know; I welcome them. Increasingly, I also keep coming back to the theme of Collaboration.

Launching this business has provided so many opportunities to meet and collaborate with talented women and business owners -- and I'd love to share their work and insights with you. First up in our new Collaboration series will be an interview with Shelly herself.

Until then, Enjoy this spring weather!
xo, Kate


From our very first photo shoot with Shelly Han Photography, our textile designs in cotton poplin dresses. (From left to right: Rainbow Birds, Tulips in the Clouds, Tangerine Tulips).