"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

A Community of Neighbors...

I value a strong sense of community, so it saddens me that, as a society, we no longer know who grows or raises our food or who makes our clothing and furniture. We employ a myriad of professionals to transact our business, resolve our disputes, and solve our problems rather than working directly with one another to identify needs and solutions in times of hardship or to fulfill our goals and dreams in times of joy. We have become disconnected from one another, our environment, and our own responsibilities. This trend in our society of setting up barriers that create neighborhoods of strangers is something I actively work against.

When planning any business, there is a long list of projections and goals. Mine is no different, and in many ways my social mission is more important to me than my artistic and financial ones. My wish is for my studio to marry creative inspiration with mindful business practices so that in some small way I may contribute to the strength of a meaningful community of friends and neighbors.

Breaching the distance that turns strangers into friends doesn't take much. Personally, I love feeding people. I firmly believe that cookies could save the world. For the more organized, there is no shortage of terrific programs out there to join, all doing their part to make our world function just a little bit better without the added calories. These are just a few that I have worked with and I encourage you to check out, too.

Little Burd

Every baby deserves a safe start. When you see the Little Burd on an item on my site, please know that a portion of the sale of that item is going directly to programs that create a safe, healthy, and respectful environment for children to thrive in, while giving them the tools they need to build their own self-esteem and success.

And, why the name? "Bird" was actually my first word. In my baby book, Mom spelled out my pronunciation as "burd". Seemed charming, so I carried it through.



Tuck Hill Rescue
A small nonprofit rescue dedicated to special needs and senior dogs, who could be wonderful household pets, but may have difficulty finding a home due to their age or a disability such as vision or hearing impairment. Dogs are fostered as family members, and receive basic training, socialization and appropriate immunization.

Pictured at left is our Ruth, one of two deaf/blind dogs we adopted from Tuck Hill Rescue. Ruth and her sister, Maisie, are a joy and definitively confirm that "disabled" really means "differently abled".




The Nest: "Changing the world one purchase at a time."
Nest is a nonprofit organization that empowers female artists and artisans around the world. Using a unique combination of interest-free microfinance loans, mentoring from established designers, as well as a market in which to sell their crafts, Nest helps its loan recipients create successful small businesses. Nest instills pride of ownership, preserves ancient artistic traditions and successfully moves women from poverty to self-sufficiency.



The Open Door: Feeding people. Changing lives.



Hats for the Homeless

Further...

Always say "please" and "thank you".

"I'm sorry" may be the two hardest words to say, but they are always the best received--as long as you mean it.

"I love you" never hurts.

Of course, don't forget to vote.

And, honestly, don't try to be perfect. It eats away your soul.

finish each day and be done with it.
you have done what you could.
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
tomorrow is a new day.
you shall begin it serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

-emerson