lello news

Hey gang, we stopped by Sparkhouse Kids not too long ago and snapped off a few photos of lello merchandise in the store. If you don’t know already, Sparkhouse Kids is an awesome toy store in South Orange, NJ that carries a wide range of unique toys, costumes, books, and other childrens’ products, including our favorite - playmobil! We’re proud to be among a small group of artists whose art is adorning the store walls. So if you’re in the area, stop by, and make sure to pick out a lello zebra, monkey and/or butterfly t-shirt or canvas :^)

On May 16, the lello gang packed up its wares and participated in the annual Springfield Avenue Mayfest to share a preview of our upcoming line of canvases. We’ve had a booth almost every year since our business was born, and it’s been fascinating to go along for the ride as the festival has grown and really found its groove. The Springfield Avenue Partnership deserves enormous props for pulling together an amazing assortment of activities for kids, diverse food options, and local merchants representing the impressive diversity our town has to offer. My wife came home with a stack of literature from new businesses that we can’t wait to learn more about - Parteaz tea parties for kids, Emily’s Acting Class (people keep telling us we should sign our son up for improv classes, so maybe there’s something to it?) and iLand Breeze Caribbean food.

Come hang with us on Sunday, May 16th at this year’s Maplewood MayFest. The Fest is on Springfield Avenue and starts at 11am. We’ll have plenty of kids tees with us in addition to new canvases that are almost dry and ready to be hung on your walls.

Hope to see you there!

Hey gang, it certainly has been awhile since our last post, but we’re still here and we’re still working all the time.

This year has been especially busy… in addition to new illustrations, cards, paintings, etc. I also decided to earn my certification to teach art in New Jersey public schools. So for the last 6 months I’ve been studying, taking classes and passing tests in my spare time to meet the State’s certification requirements. Well… last weekend I finally completed everything and submitted my paperwork to Trenton (Yah!). You may be wondering what I’m planning to do now, and where I’d like to teach. And I can look you in the eyes and honestly say… I have no idea! It’s a tough time to be starting out as a teacher these days with so many already qualified teachers out there losing jobs in NJ. I know I’m happiest when i’m teaching kids of any age, and I’ll consider myself lucky if things work out just about anywhere within commutable distance.

In the short term, I think I’ll take a little breather and focus on some paintings I’ve been wanting to complete. Maybe I’ll find that Zen place up in my studio (maybe not… it’s pretty messy). Now that I have some spare again, I’ll post a few more things that have been happening as of late. Until then, thanks for the continued support and I hope you’re all enjoying this beautiful spring weather!

Introducing our Snowy Night Puppy and Christmas Tree card sets just in time for the holidays.  Each set includes 8 fold-over cards with matching white envelopes. Cards measure 6 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ and are blank inside, perfect for you to add your own special message.

Christmas card sets are available for purchase from our Etsy store at:  www.etsy.com/shop/lello

A big thanks to the bands, Elisabeth Clay, Jamie Ross and all of the organizers who rocked us at this year’s Maplewoodstock! We had a blast chatting with all of our Maplewood neighbors and chilling to good tunes. We can’t wait to see you all again next year!

Cheers.

We’ll be hangin’ out at this year’s Maplewoodstock on Saturday, July 12th from 1 - 7pm listening to cool tunes and showing our wears. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by our booth and say hi.

Maplewoodstock is held in Maplewood’s Memorial Park all weekend and celebrates local artists and musicians like Starfish, 3rd Gear and Aztec Two-Step (just to name a few). To learn more about the festival and get a schedule of acts, visit the Maplewoodstock Website at: http://www.maplewoodstock.com

Hope you see you there!

That’s right, we’re selling our kid’s t-shirts online at etsy. Visit our store at: http://lello.etsy.com to snag your very own butterfly, zebra, monkey and/or maplewood tee available in infant, toddler and youth sizes. All tees were designed by us and screen printed by hand to 100% cotton t-shirts. We hope you dig them as much as we do!

xoxo

Well, this year’s Mayfest - which is the event that launched our whole business one year ago - was a bit of a washout. They’d been predicting rain, but we were hoping for the best, and we got off to such a great start. We met some awesome neighbors, sold more shirts than we anticipated off the bat, ate some sausage (and Jamaican patties and stuffed cabbage and key lime margarita cupcakes) and really got into a groove. Then… it started to pour. We were one of the stragglers that tried to ride it out for a while, but once our fold-up chairs started to float away, we packed it in and headed home. Too bad… Beth and the volunteers from the Springfield Avenue Partnership worked so hard to pull it all together, our son Jackson and his friends had a blast getting their faces painted like pirates by the Three Sisters Face Painting team, and… I think my wife might’ve developed a crush on Mr. Ray after he did a show for all of the kids. So… maybe it’s not such a bad thing that it ended early!

Seriously though… thanks again to everyone who came by, checked us out, encouraged us, and jumped in a few puddles along the way.

Be the first to get your very own pink butterfly, brown monkey and yellow zebra tee this Sunday, May 18th when we debut the shirts at this year’s Maplewood Mayfest. The fest starts at 11am and continues to 5pm on Springfield Avenue right here in good’o Maplewood, New Jersey. Tees will be available in infant and toddler sizes.

Can’t make it and really, really want a tee? Don’t worry… they’ll be available for purchase online following the fest.

Hope to see you there!