Save the Date

mending @ the Octagon

* Thursday, May 28, 2026

* 5:30 PM 6:30 PM

Join me for the ongoing monthly mending social at the Octagon Center for the arts. Bring your project and a favorite beverage to enjoy. View Event →

Roach Motel Zine Club

* Friday, June 5, 2026

* 4:00 PM 7:00 PM

Grab a tea from Little Woods and head up to my studio to make your own political zine! Get inspired by the Roach Motel Zine Distro & Reading Library, then dive into an afternoon of cutting, pasting, and professing your love. Bring your scraps—and come solo or with friends! The zine distro and reading room will be open during zine club. View Event →

Art Walk + Debut of Backyard Botanicals: Whiterock

* Thursday, June 11, 2026

* 5:00 PM 8:00 PM (Private Preview 1:00 - 5:00 PM)

View Event →

End Notes

* Original Goldenrod Painting & Open Edition Prints are now available.

* Read the residency report from last year’s Lakeside Lab Residency.

* Send me a letter: Kristin M Roach, 138 Main Street, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.

* See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

* See the full backyard botanical series.

* Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa?

See my work in person at my tea shop & gallery Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa). Save the date for October 11 & 12th. I’ll be hosting the Ames Community Arts Council at the tea bar for the Ames Area Studio Tour & exhibiting all the backyard botanical paintings. Currently only about half are on display.

My big challenge over the next month is to finish my greeting card collection for the series and get prints of all the paintings made—no small feat! I’m almost done with reprinting all the sold out 8x10, now on to laying out and getting all the cards printed. Wish me luck!

NOTE about Monthly Mending at the Octagon Center for the Arts

The mending meeting is still happening the 4th thursday of each month, but I will not be able to attend in August in September because…

I’ve been accepted into the Iowa DNR Field to Fork program this summer and am learning archery! I didn’t get a choice about timing, they were like - you are in, show up on these dates. Okay, will do. I’ll be back in mending action in the fall.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

* Enjoy the Craft Leftovers’ digital archive — a paid subscriber thanks!

* Purchase Originals & Prints

* Send me a letter: Kristin M Roach, 138 Main Street, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.

Passing through Central Iowa?

See my work in person at my tea shop & gallery Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa) OR Now - August 9th my work is part of a group exhibit called Elusive Balance.

Closing Reception for Elusive Balance Group Exhibit

* 2:00PM – 5:00PM, August 9th, 2025

* Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, Iowa.

* «More Info Click Here»

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

This week’s Letter was written July 10, 2025.

* Original Purple Salvia and Prints are now available.

* Send me a letter: Kristin M Roach, 138 Main Street, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.

* See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

* See the full backyard botanical series.

* Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa?

See my work in person at my tea shop & gallery Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa).

NOTE about Monthly Mending at the Octagon Center for the Arts

We will not be meeting in July (we all have outside obligations), and I will not be able to attend in August in September because…

I’ve been accepted into the Iowa DNR Field to Fork program this summer and am learning archery! I didn’t get a choice about timing, they were like - you are in, show up on these dates. Okay, will do. I’ll be back in mending action in the fall.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

* Original Elder Berry Painting and Prints are now available.

* See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

* See the full backyard botanical series.

* Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa?

See my work in person at my tea shop & gallery Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa).

NOTE about Monthly Mending at the Octagon Center for the Arts

We will not be meeting in July (we all have outside obligations), and I will not be able to attend in August in September because…

I’ve been accepted into the Iowa DNR Field to Fork program this summer and am learning archery! I didn’t get a choice about timing, they were like - you are in, show up on these dates. Okay, will do. I’ll be back in mending action in the fall.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

This week’s Letter is from early April when spring was not quite fully here, and features the story of painting Sumac in the depth of summer during a rain storm.

* Original Summer Sumac Painting and Prints are now available.

* See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

* See the full backyard botanical series.

* Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa?

See my work in person at my tea shop & gallery Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa) or come say hello in person at the Octagon Center for the Arts Mending Social — Usually the 4th Thursday of each month from 5:30 - 8pm, check the link for the specific date and time.

The Junk Mail Migration Descry Tapestry is on view at Mainframe Studios in Des Moines until May 28th — take a peek before we bring it back home to Ames for… Art Walk!

Don’t forget Downtown Ames Art Walk is Thursday, June 5th from 5-8pm (full list of participating artists and businesses here)— I’ll be opening up my 2nd floor studio/workspace and you can see all the botanical paintings and the Roach Motel Zine Distro in person.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

See the full backyard botanical series.

Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa? See my work in person at Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa) or come say hello in person at the Octagon Center for the Arts Mending Social.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

See the full backyard botanical series.

Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa? See my work in person at Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa) or come say hello in person at the Octagon Center for the Arts Mending Social.

Sincerely,

Kristin M Roach

ps — I’ve included bonus digital versions of the Prairie Rose Hips painting for paid subscribers to enjoy on their tv, computer desktops, and phones. Just scroll down.

See this and the rest of the handwritten letters from my studio to you.

View the OG Amaryllis paintings

See the full backyard botanical series.

Purchase Originals & Prints

Passing through Central Iowa? See my work in person at Little Woods Herbal (136 Main Street, Ames, Iowa) or come say hello in person at the Octagon Center for the Arts Mending Social.

The paradox of choice lead to me defaulting to my favorite format. Writing Letters. And then I decided to read it to you. Cozy up and take 5 to enjoy a hand-written letter, read out loud, take your time deciphering my writing, or read the transcript.

A few end notes.

New Backyard Botanical Painting

The Red Clover Painting is now available for sale along with a signed open-edition print. You can find both here.

If you are in Ames

Come visit during the Ames Area Studio Tour this October 12th & 13th.

Join me for the Mending Social at the Octagon on October 24th.

See all upcoming event details.

More soon.

Kristin M Roach