a few of my favorite things...

pretty green and blue jewelry

red Simple shoes

Readymade magazine's "How To Make {Almost} Everything"

Strawberry Shortcake notebook i picked up at the grocery store for $1

The Honeymooners complete DVD set

Sur La Table giftcard for buying kitchen toys i normally wouldn't

and

a drill press that i didn't photograph because it is still in the box because i don't have space on my existing workbench for it but will soon have space for because i am going to once and for all build my new workbench before the year is out

{hopefully}

twenty aught six

it can't be...it just can't be!

Is this really true? My new favorite toy is on the way to the retirement home? I got my gocco for my birthday last July and only really started using it this fall in preps for BazBiz. And now, word on the street says, it's Japanese manufacturer is calling it quits. So do I invest all my non-existant money in buying up supplies that will last me the rest of my life? Please say it isn't true!

AHHHHHHH...sigh of relief

Bazaar Bizarre...prints like these didn't sell as well as I thought they would. But, other things did surprisingly well. So no complaints from me. I think people are more interested in handmade paintings over digitally enhanced drawings. Well, they're groovy for the web, but when it comes to hanging something on the wall I suppose I'd have to agree. Sold paintings that were significantly higher in price more than I sold prints that were mass-produced and cheaper. That actually makes me happy. Now I know what to focus on - now I know other people appreciate original work too!

I have so many thoughts on the BazBiz, but I feel like I need to spend the day decompressing first. Need to unpack, need to catch up on the things I neglected all last week (laundry, grocery shopping, trips to the park with Mr. Little-Ball-O-Energy). But long story short, it was a fantastic experience. Far exceeded all my expectations.

DOH!

~pillows~

Stayed up late last night to finish screening some pillow covers and cutting felt circles. Woke up this morning anxious to get these done...and after the 2nd pillow I jambed my big fat clumsy finger into the sewing machine needle and broke it (the needle, not the finger). And wouldn't you know it? I don't have any extra needles (or at least I can't find any - I'm sure the second I buy more I'll find a secret stash of mine somewhere - so secret not even I remembered where it was - this happens often). So, pillow making is on hold till I go get more needles. Grrrr!

Add to the list of things to do before I die...

Visit NYC when it's snowing. Watching the "Today" show I see that it is snowing this morning in New York City. So pretty! The other night I drove by our local (or shall I say one of our local) Starbucks and they had a snow machine on the roof blowing snow down on the courtyard in a fantasy winter wonderland. I wanted to stop - but it seemed silly to stop. This winter we've got to drive ourselves up to the mountains to see some snow. I bet Mr. Munchkin would flip!

Nature's SO Bitchin'!

We watched “March of the Penguins” tonight.

When I was in 5th grade, each student in my class was given a letter of the alphabet and told to write a report on anything beginning with the letter that was assigned. You can imagine my disappointment when I wasn’t assigned the letter “P”, for “Penguin”. I LOVED penguins.

I was stuck with “E”. And the girl who got “P” was, in fact, writing about penguins.

Now imagine the joy of my little adolescent heart when I discovered I could write my report on the “E”mperor penguin!

Watching this movie, I’m simply amazed at how these little black and white critters can find the one other penguin, among thousands, that they’ve hooked up with that winter to mate with.

And then I think…

I wonder if there is some creature somewhere else watching a documentary about those crazy bastards living on planet earth, saying to themselves, “It’s simply amazing how they can hop into those contraptions every morning and head off to the same distant location every day only to find themselves back at their original destination every single evening. Ain’t nature bitchin’ ?!?”

santa anas in december?!?

Finally in the home stretch toward finishing up my mobiles. I think once these are done, I'll feel much better about my status for Bazaar Bizarre. Speaking of bizarre, this Southern California weather is driving me nuts. The "BIG" rainstorm we were supposed to be getting over the weekend turned out to be probably 5 minutes of sprinkles Friday night. Now the sky is crystal clear, the santa anas have kicked in (Red flag warning for brush fires!) and it is dry dry dry. All the lotion in the world can't stop me from itching. I shouldn't complain...I know it's far worse in places were you all are experiencing actual winter weather conditions. But while everyone is dreaming of a white Christmas, I'm just hoping for a little moisture in the air. Ha ha ha.

critter story

So...

I was happily painting these little boxes this morning when i heard some shuffling noises coming from the direction of my son's basket of toys. The first time, I shrugged it off, thinking I was hearing things and maybe if I ignored it, it would go away. The second time, I stared long and hard at the pile, crossing my fingers that one of the cats would emerge. No such luck. The third time, I jumped to action, assuming that aforementioned noise was being generated by some form of large rodent. (my mother-in-law just last night was talking about her resident rat...so this was consequently on my mind) I ran into the next room and grabbed the one of two cats that I thought was best qualified for the job of earning her keep (and this took me several seconds because they are both pretty docile). After planting her in front of the toy basket, I quickly picked up the toys hoping that imagined rodent would appear and cat would, indeed, earn her keep. But what did I find?

You see...

Toy baskets sit underneath our 50-gallon fish aquarium. After a brief stint of trying to maintain a salt water aquarium, I sold the lot of salty critters on e-bay and filled the aquarium with fresh water (much less time consuming) koi. I have 5 koi fish. They are larger than your average gold fish...not quite as large as the koi you'll see in larger ponds.

So...

When I lift the toys, I see one of the koi fish flopping there on the floor! I suppose what had happened was that after I fed them, this one must have gotten overly excited and just torpedoed himself right out of the aquarium! Thinking back, I think he'd been flopping there for probably 5 minutes - and yet, when I plunged him back into the aquarium he was absolutely fine. Sure he spend about another 10 minutes in recovery on the bottom of the tank, but now he's swimming back and forth with his tank mates like nothing's ever happened. Resilient little bastard.

See you at the Baz Biz!

christmas time is here...happiness and cheer...

So happy because I just finished building my display for Bazaar Bizarre. And to top that off, I fashioned these nifty card racks too. So incredibly productive today! Who am I all of the sudden? [there's that scene in "Best of Show" where the guy with two left feet, literally, makes a joke and the gay guy says, "who are you all of the sudden?"...love it] So I'm still plugging away at getting my lot together. Feeling good, though. Don't think my table will be empty. And THAT'S a good sign. Mostly, though, I'm excited to see all the other vendors that will be there at the Bazaar Bizarre. I love the calendar from Lemonade Maid. And Katy Kristin looks real fun. I'd love to get something from Bauden Foss for the house. I'm not even scratching the surface here...so stay tuned for an update once I've seen all the wonderful goods for myself.

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AHHHHHHH!!!!!

It's the HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!!

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Decorated the tree last night. Purchased a beautiful tree from this christmas tree lot down the street. I mentioned to my husband how I remember buying our trees from that lot every year when I was little. How I imagined that these people came out from the mountains once a year to sell their trees. So, instead of going to Walmart (eek!) or Home Depot this year, we went to the christmas tree lot - still run by the same people who ran it when I was little. We talked a little with the wife half of the tree lot team, and low and behold...they're from Oregon and come down this time of year every year to sell their trees. So my imagination wasn't that far off at all. And you know we probably spent like $10 more than we would of if we had gone to Walmart. Money well spent, I think. I'd rather give my extra ten bucks to the little guy than throw it all in to the corporate money mongers.

feeling rolly polly olly

This is what I'm baking up today...
Well, not really baking, but the oven serves as a perfect drying rack for my freshly printed notecards.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day feast. I'm sure, like us, that everybody's fridge is now packed with leftovers. I myself just ate stuffing for breakfast. God I love stuffing.

The Vendor Gallery for the Bazaar Bizarre is now up for all to window shop. There are several crafters that I hope to do some Christmas shopping from while I'm there. You can bet I won't be out there with all the credit card carrying, bargain seeking, gonna-save-a-dollar after thanksgiving day shoppers. No sir. We're dropping Mr. Munchkin off with grandma while we sneak in a movie. It's probably been about 9 months since my husband and I have seen a movie together. (maybe even longer because I can't even remember what movie it was we saw last) Wish the drive-in theatre was still around. That's the only way we'd be able to catch a movie together with a 2-year old on a more regular basis.

simple schmimple

Lot on my little plate right now. Big TWO birthday party this weekend. Paycheck work. Baz biz projects. Why couldn't I just stick to my initial promise to keep this birthday party simple? I've got all kinds of finger foods in the works. AND, because they're the birthday boy's favorite, I'm making black-and-white cookies (a la New York) to wrap up and give out as favors. So, you could say that simple has flown right out the window.

fresh off the woodshop work bench

busy little crafter

Cutting, sewing, printing, drawing, brainstorming, measuring, snipping, clipping, gluing, painting, tracing and ~hmmm, let's see, what else?~ creating!

Time to start some silkscreening. This little drawing is what I'll be printing on t-shirts. Need to run down to kinkos to get my negative printed. But that would require actually changing out of my pajamas and slippers. Ah, the sacrifice!

what i've been up to

Someone I used to work with thought it was so funny to ask, "Working hard? Or hardly working?" Every day..."working hard? or hardly working"...then a wink and a smile.

Don't know why that just came to me.

Paycheck job has been eating up a lot of my time. But Bizarre Bazaar looms over my head like a little black raincloud and my mind has been ticking away to keep my head in the game with what I need to get done. (and now, I can hear Winnie the Pooh singing, "I'm just a little black raincloud hovering over the honey tree...") Worked out a concept for my display, and in true architect fashion, I generated sketches, then floor plans and finally a 3D model. Need something high to hang mobiles from, something to hang bags from and a stepped surface for displaying smaller free-standing items. Now I need to get out there and build it! Soon as Mr. Munchkin wakes from his nap and I don't have to tip toe around like a mouse.

Just finished cutting all the wings for the critters on my mobiles. My hand is cramped and I'm sure a blister will be developing on my knuckle where the scissor handle hits my finger when cutting through something thick.

I've been meaning to post pictures of the mobiles I'm making for the bazaar. But in typical Dawn fashion, it took me 2 days to plug my camera in and recharge the battery. For 2 whole days I knew it would only take like 5 seconds to plug the thing in, but for 2 days I'd look at the camera sitting there on the counter and pass right on by it thinking, "I'll do it right after [insert meaningless task here]." So now that the camera is charged, it will probably be another couple of days before I actually get around to taking the pictures I've been meaning to take for nearly a week now. Not really sure what to call this bad habit of mine. Procrastination? Laziness? ADD?

Major things on my to-do list:
1. get business cards made (any suggestions on some good online printers? everyone out there is making such beautiful cards for themselves...i'm totally inspired)
2. silk-screen shirts & onesies
3. gocco notecards
4. build display

I heart...

I Y this collage.
Right on point.

See more great work by
Scrapatorium

(also Y Google image search - it's how I found this image)

fabric!

Finally broke out the stamp accessories to my gocco print kit. Made this fabric last night. Now lets see if I can get something done with it today.

It's official. I've been accepted and will participate in the Bazaar Bizarre. Yikes! I've got a busy month ahead of me!

Halloween Project

I made these ghosts to hang in the tree.

Here's how:

Bought some cheap $2/yard white billowy fabric and wrapped it around a freezer bag filled with stuffing. Then I painted the faces on with black acrylic. On Halloween night I thought I'd stick a glow stick in the freezer bag so the ghosts would glow. Ooooo...spooky! Should work (fingers crossed) since the bags are clear, the stuffing is pretty transparent and the fabric is lightweight. Another idea is to buy some small battery operated flashlights. That would definitely make them glow. But the greenish glow of a glow stick would be ideal.

I love the way they blow in the wind. The faces ended up kind of square after the fabric was stretched around the stuffed freezer bag - but I kind of like it that way! If you make these, be sure to paint faces on both sides. They tend to spin around a lot and I think it's the face that makes them what they are.

memories of NYC

IY
NY

with a body like that she obviously wears her chocolate instead of eating it

*Self-Portrait Tuesday*
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Over the weekend I noticed that my website and all photos on my blog were down. I hoped it was just a little glitch that would fix itself. Checked all my billing info for my domain/hosting renewal. Still down. Crossed my fingers that it would fix itself. Still down on Monday morning. So I called (I hate making phone calls). They're SO SORRY it was just a screw up on their end everything will be back up in 24 hours no charge to me the renewal was processed but not recorded properly SO SORRY. So now everything is back up.
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Ah! New York City! We had a WONDERFUL 3 days after 2 days of rain. It was beautiful! So...can now check off my list of things to do - Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I've always loved the Brooklyn Bridge. The whole story of it's creation - a true labor of love. Its gothic towers and the spider-webbed cables. Beautiful. AND, we had the most amazing pizza in Brooklyn at Grimaldi's. Delicious! I can still taste it. After our pizza we walked back across the bridge and all the way back to Times Square. That was a little insane. But that's the best way to see the city. Walked through Chinatown, through Greenwich Village, past the Flatiron, up Broadway and into the glittery Times Square. Being back home, everything seems so still.
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Speaking of New Yorkers...we went to this crazy birthday party on Saturday night. It was thrown by my husband's friend's New York fiance. It's fair to say that she probably spent more money on this birthday party than we spent on our entire wedding. Open bar, entire top floor of a club down in the Gaslamp reserved, band ("Sam Champion" - pretty good, reminded us of early Wilco) flown in from New York and the theme, being chocolate, was extravagantly displayed in towers of chocolate bars, a chocolate fountain, truffles, chocolate mousse and chocolate martinis (I had THREE). I kept saying how beautiful the fiance was. My husband thought she wasn't dressed appropriately. I said if I had a body like that I'd dress that way too. Well, I think my husband wins the argument. After we left, the beautiful fiance apparently jumped out of a huge cake dressed only in a chocolate bikini. She proceeded to sing "Pour some sugar on me" while giving the birthday boy a lap dance. And, as you can imagine, a chocolate bikini can only withstand so much lap dancing. I can't believe we missed that!

rain rain go away

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Hello from a very wet and damp New York City. I'm stuck up in my hotel room after a lot of tromping around in the rain. After a few hours of pushing a stroller with one hand and manuevering a disfunctional umbrella with the other, I decided to call it quits.

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Though the clock here reads 6:23, the clock on the laptop reads 3:23 and this wine tastes good to my inner time clock that thinks it's the middle of the afternoon.

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I've been craving rain and now I've got it. But it makes it hard to be out there. I should just break down and buy an umbrella from a guy on the street. One that doesn't have one metal rib that's bent and gets stuck in my hair. One that doesn't flip up when a gust catches me off guard. One that doesn't have a hole somewhere that drips on my forehead when it gets burdened with too much water. It seems wrong of me to be sitting here though. I want to be OUT THERE. Out in that city. But Mr. Munchkin doesn't like being in the stroller sheathed with it's plastic rainguard. I don't know what he's complaining about. I'd love to be pushed around the sidewalks of New York in my very own little protective bubble. But it was good we came in - the little bubble only covers so much and baby boy's sneakers were soaked, leaving tiny toes very pruny and wrinkly.

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Don't know why I'm yawning. It may be starting to get dark outside, but come on body - it's not even 4:00pm at home! Haven't been here long enough to adjust to the time difference.

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Will have to find something to do tomorrow - rain or shine. Didn't fly all this way to sit in a hotel room. (even if it is a very nice hotel room). For now, think I'll plop into the massive bed (two queens pushed together) with it's big white fluffly pillows. Or maybe a bubble bath? Ah yes - wine and a bubble bath. Why not? I submitted my latest project this morning - no revisions required that I've been alerted of - that's cause for celebration.

in love with west elm

So, awhile back I had all these posts about some rocks I found on the beach with holes in them. Here is a groovy picture I found from a catalog that uses rocks very similar to the ones I found ~ though these are probably "encouraged" to have holes in them. Though I didn't quite collect enough rocks to be able to assemble anything close to what's shown here...it's a nice idea. AND...West Elm has them on sale! Click HERE for the details (while the sale lasts).

On a similar note - I just love West Elm.

While I've yet to purchase anything from them I'm extremely close to ordering the following:

Chandelier Shade (somewhat similar to THIS, which I will never ever be able to afford but will always *LOVE*)
Chairs
Dishware

lost links

because, admittedly, i am quickly becoming a freak on the subject...
here are some interesting "lost" links:

The Dharma Initiative video can be viewed HERE
Dharma Industries (nothing much here now, but *maybe* some hints will materialize?)
Good recaps at Television Without Pity
Podcasts and great watercooler talk at TV Squad
The Hanso Foundation (what?!?)
Interesting conversation at The Fuselage

more theories

the un-official fansite

The Third Policeman (insight by writer, Craig Wright) Is this a clue?

in training for those new years resolutions

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Trying to make some decisions about where I want to be putting my time and where I see myself going with crafting endeavors. I want to start making some plans for the new year. Maybe a few craft fairs? Perhaps a consignment? More to offer online to warrant putting some money into advertising? A lot of questions to be answered. I think I am beginning to lean toward focussing entirely on my "Buzzing Bog" designs. I'd like to get the story behind my drawings developed, as well as creating more items that show off these little guys. So I may be doing a major website revamp soon - taking down everything I've got and starting to make room for some new things...like this bag I just made, for example. I'm pretty hapy with it. I like it's shape and the simplicity that sort of acts like a canvas for the little giraffe patch. I've got a lot of tinkering ahead of me. But I was beginning to feel like I had my hands in so many different pots that none of them were getting the attention they deserved. While I LOVE working with wood - I just wasn't dedicating the time it takes to really perfect the craft of woodworking. And as fun as it is to create felt toys - it's not something that really calls out to me with unique ideas and design inspiration. I love drawing these little critters that fly. I love that imaginary world. So I figure I should focus on what appeals to me most.
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I've also been working on making better use of my days. I love lists. I love checking things off lists as I get them done. So I made a list for each day of the week. {I know, this sounds pretty anal.} But sometimes I find myself in this stupor - standing there mid-step with a confused look on my face - when I know I've got a lot to do but just don't know where to begin. With my list, I wake up and start checking things off. This is day three of my crazy system - and you know what? I'm not behind in laundry, the house is actually pretty decent (no clutter and fairly clean), I've been eating well, I've been exercising and I've even managed to squeeze in some work. How 'bout that? Let's see how it pans out though. I'll give you an update Sunday night.

from the makers of "Jesus Hates Your S.U.V."

Now that my husband's birthday has come and gone I can share a website that makes some great t-shirts. Do you remember when Billy went nuts looking for his "Ski Iraq" t-shirt in Six Feet Under? My husband laughed hysterically over the thought of a t-shirt that read, "Ski Iraq". So I got him one. Check out the Dangerous Breed website HERE.

These are a few of my favorite "axis of evil vacation destinations":

you learn something new everyday - this time i actually did!

I am so giddy over some new tricks I just learned. I made this wonderful little animated banner! Hee hee hee! Some other folks over in livejournal were doing these, so I did a google search and found a great tutorial for making one using Adobe ImageReady. The tutorial is by Layout Galaxy and can be found HERE. I just can't get over myself. I know it's NUTHIN to all you real web designers out there, but to me this is right up there along with sliced bread and TIVO. Oh boy...what can I do next with this new found toy? A little animated cartoon? Maybe I'll just go outside and snap pictures of the clouds passing overhead so I can create an animation of the clouds passing overhead. No, I don't have all this free time for things like that. Shoot, I shouldn't of wasted time creating this one here...but, procrastination is the name of my game. Why actually get all those things on my to-do list done when there are so many other fun things to do? But it's time to face the music. Time to clean this house from the mess little Mr. Munchkin made while I had my nose in the laptop. Time to clean the car, water the grass to clear up that big brown spot in time for Mr. Munchkin's birthday party (TWO in November!) and time to get some real work done (you know, the work that I actually get paid for, the work that brings in some money). So, animated banners will have to wait. Happy Wednesday everyone!

self-portrait tuesday

~ Joining the Self-Portrait Tuesday bandwagon ~

muddling over what i need to do today. enjoying a cup of coffee. woke to a nip in the air prompting me to put on my robe - first time i've worn it in months.

New York is Rome itself

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Already the last week of September. I always see October as the start of Fall. Can't believe it's going to be Fall. (technically, it already is!)

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We're heading out to New York mid-October. Hurray! Some of the things on my to-do list that we didn't quite fit in last year: walk across the Brookly Bridge, take the Staten Island Ferry, go to Little Italy & China Town, top of the Empire State Building, spend some good quality time in the Park, take my bugaboo to FAO Schwartz (it was closed last year) and eat more signature NY Black & White cookies (last year I only discovered how delicious those are on my last day there). Those are all pretty touristy things, I do understand. But last year I pretty much spent 4 days walking the entire (well, not the ENTIRE) city. So this trip I want to try to do some of those cheesy things - like the Empire State Building. We'll be staying right smack dab in Times Square, again, care of my husband's employer - whoopee! When he travels for work, it doesn't make sense for me NOT to go. With hotel accommodations paid for, why not?

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Last year my son was just under a year old. While my husband was working, I'd take the baby out into the city and he'd instantly fall asleep. I like to think that the whirl of the city was like a lullaby to him. He'd sleep and I'd walk. One day we walked all the way from Times Square clear to the tip of Manhattan. And it wasn't a straight line sort of walk. We meandered along the way. We took the subway back though. I think I would have died had we tried to walk back. My husband and I just loved that city. It was the first time for both of us. He's since been back - but this will be only my second time back. I'm just like my son. I could easily find a bus bench somewhere and fall asleep to the sounds of the city. If we didn't have so many connections here (family that we don't want to tear our son away from) I think we could be very very happy in New York. It's everything you could possibly need plus a whole bunch of stuff you wouldn't ever think to ask for. I will always fondly remember us having dinner with a friend, who also happened to be in town, at Chez Josephine - a restaurant run by Josephine Baker's son. I think we were the only group NOT heading out to the theater after - so when the restaurant cleared, Jean-Claude moved us out of the corner to a wonderful center table and proceeded to wine and dine us with such hospitality and warmth. He even took our son over to the piano and let him bang on the keys for a while. Not sure if I even want to go back there for fear of trampling over this already wonderful memory with one that couldn't possibly be as good. I just don't think that meal could be topped! It was the pure essence of New York!

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"If I'd lived in Roman times, I'd have lived in Rome. Where else? Today America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself"

- John Lennon

for all you road trippers

Just finished up my next batch of artist trading zines for the atz_club. The theme for this month was "Road Trip". This time I was given the fortunate task of picking the theme. And I've seen a few comments here and there that indicate it wasn't an easy topic for everyone to deal with. So, for that I feel bad. At least I won't have to pick the theme for awhile now! I feel so uncool. Anyway - I had fun with the topic. Included are excerpts from On the Road by Jack Kerouac and Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. There's a list of the top 10 road trip munchies. And then there's the collection of road trip snapshots. Stuff I see from the road. Stuff that doesn't necessarily make any sense but reminds you that you are far from home. For the covers I made what I hope reads as an abstraction of a road in felt. It will be interesting to see what everyone else has done with this topic. I hope people had fun with it even though it didn't exactly cause the stir I had hoped it would.

more architecture folks

Because that is just the mood I am in at the moment, I thought I'd share a picture of another architectural wonder from our travels a few years back.

This is Ronchamp:

It was one of those buildings I studied in school but never imagined I'd find myself standing before. And when we found ourselves on a highway in France I thought - we're too close NOT to go - so we pulled off the main road in search of this Le Corbusier creation. And, it came to be that we weren't actually all that close. It's a very small town, Ronchamp, and even once in town we had a hard time finding it. But after buying some marvelous cheese from a little shop and asking for directions, we found ourselves before Notre Dame du Haut (or, as it is simply referred to, Ronchamp).

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A massive molding of concrete, this church, built in 1955, was incredible to see firsthand. I'll never forget it. It started pouring rain while we were there - we ate our bread and cheese in the shelter of the car. Having only studied it from books and slides, I imagined it to be much smaller than it actually was. Funny, because the city of New York actually seemed much smaller than the grand scale I had made it in my mind before visiting. Paris - larger than I imagined. Seattle - smaller. Berlin - larger. Just goes to show you how powerful seeing something in person can be.

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Anyway - those are just my thoughts for the day.

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experience music

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Here's a collage of the Experience Music Project [EMP] in Seattle. Frank Gehry's rock-n-roll version of the Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles) and the Guggenheim (Bilbao, Spain). We thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the music memorabilia. I particularly enjoyed things like an essay written in school by Tupac, lyrics jotted down by Amy Ray & Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls and a wall of music where you could hear "Blowing in the Wind" in a number of different languages and music styles. While my husband thoroughly absorbed himself in the Bob Dylan exhibit, I chased our son around the place and studied the curved I-beams and structure responsible for generating this fantastic facade. I'm sure the structure must be disguised at the Disney Concert Hall and Guggenheim, so seeing it all exposed here at the EMP was a real treat.

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I got my new Readymade magazine yesterday. This is really the only magazine I read cover to cover these days. Rolling Stone - I look at the pictures and maybe read a couple album reviews. Sunset - I dog-ear the pages with recipes I might want to try and study the articles relating to garden and/or house design. Dwell - Look at the nifty houses and maybe read an article about an architect whose name sounds familiar to me. But Readymade is always jam packed full of ideas and cool articles and groovy projects. In fact, one regular column called "MacGuyver" calls upon readers to send in their unique designs for projects using common everyday items. One month it was wood pallets. Another month it was cassette tapes. Last month they asked readers to construct something from wine bottle corks. Sound familiar? Ha ha. Anyway, the issue I just got yesterday shows the winning project - a floor mat made of 4,500 corks strung together with wire. This thing is amazing! Now that I've used up nearly all my corks for my last Sampler contribution, I'll need to start saving up again to make a mat of my own. There was also an article about a gal in San Francisco(Yosh Han) who runs her own perfume company, mixing her own perfumes. She created one for hersef which she named after her alter ego, Ginger Ciao. She wears it whenever she needs the vibrant and go-getting Ginger to come out. I like that. Maybe I could use an alter ego. Someone who takes risks and lives like an artist who don't look back. Someone I turn to to break me out of my shell when I'm feeling shy in a room full of interesting people. Hmmmm. Astrid? Leilani? Yoko? Ha ha. I'll have to work on that.

rambling this morning

Ah Man! I'm hooked on "Lost". Got all caught up watching the re-runs all summer...and now after last night...I'm hooked. But I WILL NOT spend valuable time talking about television - something I am not proud to admit takes up enough of my valuable time as it is.

Here's a picture of a little something I worked on while we were on the road during our trip to the Pacific Northwest. It's a little patch made of wool felt and some fabric scraps. I made a few of these and felt like I was painting with fabric. I hope to sew up some bags that I will sew these patches onto. Simple bags - maybe canvas? - so the little "painting" isn't obscurred.

I've had SO MUCH catching up to do since we've been back. At least the bags are unpacked now and everything is more or less back in its place. "A place for everything and everything in its place!" (ha ha ha...yeah, right) Had a lot of work to catch up on. Still working out all the kinks on my computer that relate to working from home. I am happy to say, though, that I am now all set up for sending drawings to the print shop. Man, these days who needs to go to the office? It was, what, like 2 years ago that we had to print out drawings in our own offices and physically walk them down the street to the printer to have copies made? Now the drawings just magically dance across the wires and find their way into the printer's plotters. But I have to admit that I miss the smell of good old fashioned blue prints. I know I know - the chemicals were awful for the environment and your hands smelled like a photo lab after handling them too long - but come on, I'm not alone here am I? Who else remembers sniffing that freshly xeoroxed pop quiz handed out hot off the presses? (isn't there even a scene in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"...on another note - how far has Sean Penn gone from his checkered Vans wearing days?)

And even though I promised myself I would not discuss television - I must add this...I've got "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" on my TIVO waiting to be watched. I'm anxious to see just what these gals and gents that were selected are all about. You see, I myself submitted a video application and was conVINCed that I would get a call from the good-thing-girl herself. Alas, I did not. The only thing I can figure is that there is a Dawn and a Donna on the show, so maybe it was just a mix-up. The meant to select me, Dawn from Vista, but somehow ended up with the other Dawn/Donna. That's gotta be what happened. Oh well - their loss!

And now, I must go try and catch up on my to-do list. Will I ever win the laundry war?

there's no place like home

Back home! It was a fun trip up north...but it is ALWAYS nice to be cooking in my own kitchen, bathing in my own tub and sleeping in my own bed. Although I could do without the unpacking. I hate unpacking. Slowly working my way through all the piles that have developed. I'm finding myself unpacking bags - but not really unpacking them - just taking everything out and arranging them into little piles. So now I've got to actualy put away the contents of all those little piles. Fun! I worked on a few projects while away. I'll have to photograph those to share. And I want to put together a few more photo collages to share. It's a long drive from Southern California to Washington state. Did a lot of brainstorming and planning and thinking while staring out at the road ahead. I always do that on long drives. Come up with these grand schemes - most of which never see the light of day. But I may just have to see some of them through this time around. Number one on the list = diet. Yessir...diet back on. Oh wait, did I mention that this starts on Monday? You can't start a diet on a Sunday! Diet back on Monday.

Greetings from Point Reyes, California!

mobile - working out the kinks

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I'm just not sure.

I liked where this project was going when I was working on each individual critter. But now that I've hung them all from a "cloud" I don't think I've got it quite figured out. And like with any project, you just KNOW when it's right and when it's not. This one is definately NOT. Hmmm. And these photos don't even catch each boggie - it's hard to get them to all face front at the same time! Misbehavin! Couple thoughts: hang them individually so there's more space between them OR cluster several of the same guys together. (all pigs, all elephants, etc.) Well, this one is still a work in progress.

when i win the lottery

I want this couch!

slick furniture: www.apt-ny.com

i need to do me some readin'

One of the stories that caught my ear on NPR today was about the Penguin Classics Complete Library made up of 1,082 titles. You can hear the story for yourself HERE. Then it hit me...I NEVER read. Sure I read books here and there. (the book I just finished was Ya-Ya's In Bloom by Rebecca Wells...yes...those infamous "devine" ya-yas) I call these kind of books, "vacation books". Unfortunately, all I've been doing year-round lately is reading "vacation books". So I'm really intrigued by this list of classics. Granted, it's a collection put together by a publishing company hoping to make an extra buck off naive twurps like me - BUT...it's a good start anyway. HERE is the complete list of books that made it to the Penguin Classics Complete Library. No, I do not intend to spend $7,989.50 to purchase the complete 700 pound volume (oh, but shipping is FREE! - what a deal!). But I do intend to make it my lifetime goal to make it through that list. #1 on the list is Adam Bede by George Eliot. I shall make it so! Hey...there are worse things I could do!

color, my favorite

These are just a few pages from my first Artist Trading Zine. The theme that was given was, "Favorite Color". These pictures give you an idea of how small these ATZs are. When I read the description with the page dimensions being 2.5" by 3.5" it didn't really occur to me how small that was. And I worked out my pages on the computer, so even then it didn't occur to me how small these were. They looked huge on the screen! But when I printed my first page I thought something had gone wrong. Sure enough...it was right...and I had to re-work a few pages because the print was just so tiny! Now, I don't know if it's a symptom of simply not being able to make up my mind or if it truly is because I love all color, but I decided to title my zine, "Color, My Favorite". This edition was, obviously, all about color. I even included a color wheel on the inside of the front cover. For each color, I included a "My Favorite Color Recipe". Additionally, I drew up a litle comic about a baby girl who is swathed in pink from the moment she is born but who rebels and seeks out blue any chance she gets when she gets older. And there is a little written essay that includes my thoughts on color. So that's it! I suspect I've taken this in a completely different direction than the other ATZ participants this month. From what I've seen so far, everyone has chosen one color and made their zine about that color. Well, we'll see! To each their own, right? Different folks, different strokes. (don't know why I just love that phrase and use it any chance I get...ha ha)

artist trading zines

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These are my first Artist Trading Zines. I'll post a few pictures of some of the pages a little later. I think the next ones will be easier now that I've worked out some of the kinks in layout and binding. These were made for an exchange with a livejournal community called atz_club. This month there were seven others participating. I'll be mailing my seven zines off this week and will soon be receiving my seven zines from the other artists. I'm anxious to see what others have done with the theme, "Favorite Color". It's also nice that two of the participating artists are from abroad (one in England and the other in Spain). I'll be sure to post pictures of the zines I get as well.

everyone's waiting

I am haunted today by that last scene of the last episode of Six Feet Under. Just found the song that played during Claire's drive.

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Sia * "Breathe Me"

& you can listen to it HERE

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I know I'm going to be melancholy today. Thinking about life and how quickly it goes by. Thinking about those I love and how quickly their lives go by. Thinking about my son and wondering where his quick life will take him.

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I really want to be able to say something profound here. But I think I'm still sorting through those emotions. Before I went to bed last night I took a good look around. Looked at our home and the little details that makes it our wonderful home. All the toys on the floor made me smile. Tucked the little one in but was quick to bring him into our bed when I heard him cry out in the middle of the night. Held my husband's hand as we fell asleep. I want to hold onto all this so bad. Yes I want us all to grow and experience life. But I don't want to let anything go. And inevitably when you reach for one thing you consciously or subconsciously let go of something else. Even if eventually I intend to let go, right here right now at this moment I don't want to let go of a single thing.

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I need to live healthier...become a vegetarian...give up fried food...stop drinking...something. I want to live a long time.

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Dawn Marie Buettner Huntington

1973 -

like i know i shouldn't like be watching this...but...?

Yes! Just turned on the tube to find that Laguna Beach...The REAL OC is on. Oh God! How pathetic does this make me? It's got to be a symptom of all those years watching Beverly Hills 90201 (aka "bev hills niner" in this household). What is it about watching pretty little rich kids have fits over showing up in the same designer trucker hat as their arch nemesis? I recently started watching this show for the first time. So I've missed quite a bit. I don't know who's dating who or who hates who. I honestly don't even know everyone's name. But watching this show has a way of taking me out of my world. Good for those moments when you want to veg out. Which isn't what I should be doing today. It's a drop dead gorgeous day out for heaven's sake! Ok. I won't figure out who is pissed because that blond chick is sending flirty text messages to that tall guy. We'll have to save that for another waste-away day. Have a nice weekend you pretty little things.

drink more wine!

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I finished up my contribution to September's SAMPLER. Above is a photo of the project in the works, and below is the final product...a magnet cork board! Can you believe I had all those corks lying around? Let's see...I made 30 boards at 2 corks each...so that's 60 bottles of wine! Yikes! Yes, we love our vino in this house. Trying to remember when i started stashing those corks. It was a while ago, but still - 60?!? And I still have a handful of champagne bottle corks - but their size/shape didn't really work well with this project, so I'll have to save them for something else. Hmmmm.

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Next I'll be working on an ATZ (Artist's Trading Zine) for the ATZ_Club. The theme this month is "Favorite Color". All kinds of ideas are swirling in my head. Now it's time to work them out. My deadline for that is QUICKLY approaching. Stay tuned for some sneak peeks of that.

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Is it really already the middle of August? Where has the summer gone? I feel like I should be going out and doing some back-to-school shopping. God I miss that! I used to LOVE buying new school clothes...imagining that this new wardrobe would completely revamp my image and make me the most POPULAR girl in school. Ha! Like that ever worked. So funny to think about how I wasted my time on stupid things like that. I suppose I still waste my time on stupid things even today, and twenty years from now I'll look back and think to myself..."why did I spend so much time worrying about THAT?" But nothing can compare to the concerns of a 14-year-old girl getting ready for her first day of high school. Ah geez! But I survived. By senior year I spent most of my lunches in the art room. But I survived!

happy happy joy joy happy happy joy

Here's the loot...so many wonderful treasures!

♥ Hand crochetted tote from Hook Me Up! Crochet
♥ Beaded necklace from The
Starving Artist Bazaar
♥ Pin cushin from Uplifting Arts
♥ Bee charm from Amy Peters' Studio
♥ Hand-stamped glass magnet from CarryBoo
♥ Beaded keychain from Frosty Lime
♥ Button from Whammy!Buttons
♥ Button from Heyday Fashion
♥ Orange magnet from Orange County Crafters
♥ Zine from Croq
♥ Button pin from Lauren Urban
♥ Notecard from Glamscience
♥ "Girls & Robots" Stationary from DeMarco Designs
♥ Mini painting from Fern House Studio
♥ Handmade soap from Naikid Inc.
♥ Felt cat hairpin fom Copacetique
♥ Stickers from JLR Fashions

I will call you if anyone anywhere gets drunk

I’m sitting here watching the movie “Almost Famous” for what is probably at least the 20th time. Don’t know what it is about this movie. Comforting.

Maybe it’s because part of it was filmed in San Diego? In the beginning I see bits and pieces of what is supposed to be a sixties S.D. and it makes me smile. (I want to be a groupie, sorry…”band-aid”…at the sports arena!)

Maybe it’s because the director, Cameron Crow, came from S.D. and really became something? This is the almost-to-true life story of his being a writer for Rolling Stone when he was in high school.

Maybe it’s because I remember when they were filming downtown? At that time my husband (then boyfriend) and I had just moved in together and I had my first “real” job.

[“Iggy Pop…A Men!] ~ lines from the movie popping out

As I was saying…My husband would drive me to work because his big gas-guzzling car wasn’t guaranteed to make it. We’d drive through downtown and see the signs that read, “Untitled” with a big arrow pointing one way or another. Having just come from finishing school in Los Angeles (completing school, that is, not Finishing School…ha), I knew these signs were pointing movie crews to their filming locations. And, my husband (being the film buff who is always in tune with what’s going on) knew Cameron Crow was filming a movie that was at the time being referred to as “Untitled”. We’d see these people walking around wearing brown polyester suits and sideburns and big ol’ shades…total seventies style.

[“It’s just an industry of cool…The war is over, they won. And 99% of what passes for rock-n-roll these days…silence is more compelling.”]

It just makes me happy thinking of those mornings. Driving in together and starting off the day laughing. Spending my lunch hour walking around hoping I’d catch a glimpse of what we were sure was going to be a great movie.

Or maybe it’s just because it was a time when sex, drugs and rock-n-roll was in. God…what a time that must have been.

[“Your guitar sound is incendiary!”]

This movie just can’t get old with me. Kate Hudson as “Pennylane” is the girl I wish I could have been but know I never could. I want to know who the REAL Pennylane is. Is she/was she real? What happened to her? She’s probably not Nancy Wilson, so that means William Miller didn’t end up with Pennyland…which in my Hollywood brainwashed mind is exactly how I want to think things ended up.

[“It’s not what you put into it, it’s what you leave out. Listen to Marvin Gaye…the song ’What’s Happening’…there’s a single ‘wooo’ at the end of the second verse. You know that ‘wooo’, that single ‘wooo’? That’s what you remember. The little things. The silly things. The mistakes. That’s what you remember!”]

Okay. I could sit here quoting the movie all afternoon and into the night. But it’s time to wake the munchkin up from his nap. Time for me to clean up. Time to try to catch up with the laundry. Because, alas, I am not a “band-aid” and my life is not a rock concert. Just one more from Penny...

["I always tell the girls to never take it seriously. If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt. And if you never get hurt, you're always having fun. And if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends."]

hey - recycle that!

I realize that some of you may be starting to think that the only thing on my mind these days is the SAMPLER because here is yet another entry about it (and, well, let's just say that the Sampler is ONE of the several only things on my mind lately). But I've been mulling over what I could make for my next contribution - and as one fellow contributer so poignantly stated...it is indeed addicting and I've only done it once! While throwing ideas back in forth in my head, I kept coming up with things that don't necessarily refelct what I'm trying to do with Out of the Box*California and, more precisely, the Buzzing Bog. Then it hit me...why should it? And it occurred to me...use this as a platform for doing something completely different. And so...I will be introducing a new element of Out of the Box:

Out Of The Box california

* R e c y c l e d *

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This is my second contribution in the works. And if you haven't put two and two together yet - here's the deal: my contributions will be fun projects where I create objects from everday, common bits. I've always been fascinated with re-using interesting materials in a new and original way. I wish I had a picture of the CD shelf I made from the throw-away cardboard tubes that paper was held on in the architecture firm where I used to work. Why throw good material like that away? Seems I have boxes and containers all over the house filled with little bits that I was incapable of throwing away. Now they'll be put to use! And when that supply runs out...my next favorite medium source...Home Depot! Love walking through those aisles imagining different uses for hardware, pipes and other supplies aimed at construction not crafting. I'm going to put together a new little page on the site and really have some fun with this endeavor. Now I have to get to work on those corks. Only ten days until I need to submit to the Sampler! I'll be sure to show a sneak peak soon.

they're starting to buzzzz

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I like how these little guys look hovering in this tree. Makes me think that my drawings are coming alive! I'm working my way, one by one, through all 5 boggies. The end goal is to arrange them together in a mobile. Not completely happy with the rabbit - so that one may take some reworking. But the first 2 (elephant & giraffe) just came out right the first time! They were just meant to be little felt stuffies. I used a felting needle to work the wool yarn into the wings. I'll have to take a close up picture some time to show you what I mean. I'm wondering if I should add some shimmering sequins to the wings...or would that just make it look tacky?

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In other news...I got my first SAMPLER package yesterday! How exciting is that? So much fun. Made me feel like I was 10-years old again and getting my first mail order parcel. I had this book (like I'm sure most everyone did in the pre-internet days) that had all these things you could send away for for less than $1. I'm racking my brain now...can't even remember what you sent away for. Oh! I remember one thing - you could send away for a free paper making kit. What came back was this cheep little mesh screen that you were supposed to dunk under water filled with shredded tissue paper. I don't think I ever got that thing to work quite right. It would be years later before I mastered that technique. One summer I went through nearly page of that book hoping I'd get something in the mail each and every day. I was a mail order machine! Remember when you used to be able to save Bazooka gum wrappers and send away for little trinkets? I once sent away for a string of pearls. I even wore those to a Homecoming dance once I was in high school. But then the paint on those "pearls" started peeling off and now what sits in my jewelry box is a string of plastic beads. Can't get myself to throw them out though. Oh the joy they brought me when they arrived via the post! My Sampler package takes the cake though. So many wonderful treasures! I will work on photographing its contents to share with everyone.