guilt free sweets

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I am sooooooo happy I got the cupcake and
lem-o-licious pie (scented!) necklaces I ordered from Pancake Meow today. I'm
wearing the cupcake now. Some might think this is crazy, but now that my diet
is in full swing, smell of delicious cupcake is very comforting. Maybe
should use this to my advantage...for every weight loss goal I reach, I shall
buy another sweet from Pancake Meow. Mmmmmm. Let's see, what's
next? I think definitely a Whipped Cream DELUXE Cupcake.

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For anyone unfamiliar with this talented gal - check out all of Leslie's scented jewelry @

Pancake Meow Journal

Pancake Meow Website

times...they are a changin'

new stuff...so...new look

instead of

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More fun, I think. And more in line with the kid element. I'm really pushing myself to do this whole update by Friday (meeting my goal of the update by the first of April...April Fools?...no, really...first of April!). I spent most of the morning bogged down in html. Speaking of fools, I'm probably a fool for not just buying some web builder software. But I must admit, I *LOVE* the sense of accomplishment I get when I get that code to work.

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Talk about beautiful...Felt Hats

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bunny kisses

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Happy Easter!
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happy easter

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I was absolutely tickled to find these ceramic egg holders this morning. I've seen Giada DeLaurentis use them on "Everyday Italian" and I've always wanted them for my kitchen. Of course it was always one of those passing thoughts...ooo, I want one...not exactly an urge that sent me out in search of one. So you can imagine the smile on my face when there it was, mixed in with all the other Easter decorations and marked 40% off. Not only did it fulfill one of my secret wishes, it was also on sale! And I'm sure it's supposed to be used for colored Easter eggs, but you can be sure I'll be using mine all year long. It will make life easier...I'm always sticking eggs in the pillar candle I keep in the kitchen or in the fruit bowl to keep them from rolling off the counter when I'm baking. No more! Now I can bake like Giada.

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I finally pulled out my Easter decorations. Last year I bought several birch branches and hot glued some porcelain roses to them to use as my Easter egg tree. And I actually ended up leaving this out all year. Even with nothing hanging on it, it looks pretty. At Christmas it I hung glass bulbs on it. Gosh, I can't believe it's already been a year since I've had it out and I didn't get tired of it. When I was putting it together I was concerned about how I would store it...but that turned out not to be a problem.

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Now it's time to bake the Easter cookies I was too tired to make last night.

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flight of the elephants

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In the process of silkscreening some flying elephants for a new little project I'm working on. Don't want to say anything because it could totally not work and then I'd be forced to keep trying if I mentioned something about it here. If it doesn't work, I don't want to be tied down to it. Mostly I'm just trying to get my silkscreening technique down. I was having so much trouble yesterday while trying to make my film for exposing the emulsion. Was using some mylar in my ink jet printer and that simply was not working. So I went out and bought transparency film for copiers, ran some copies and now I'm back in business. The transparency film for ink jets costs probably twice as much as the same thing for copiers. Forget that! What, it's like a nickel to run a copy? I suppose for convenience sake the expensive stuff might be worth it...but until I know I'm into this silkscreening thing I'll just stick to the affordable stuff.

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The house is a complete mess. I need the energy to do something about it. Laundry, litter box, floors, bathrooms, clutter, clutter, clutter. Maybe I should use the little bit I saved on purchasing the copier transparencies toward hiring a housecleaner. Wouldn't that be lovely? Well, everything else can wait - but that litter box has got to be cleaned - pronto. Oh fun.

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planning my plot

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I've been thinking a lot about gardening lately. Maybe it's because we've been getting so much rain here and the ground is just asking to be planted. Or maybe it's because our orange trees are all in blossoms and I can smell their citrus scent when I open the windows in the morning. Maybe it's simply because all the rain has turned weeds into trees and our yard into a forest. I definately want to plant some vegetables this summer. And herbs and flowers and tropicals. Ah, I have such a potporri of plant types growing. Last summer I planted sunflower seeds. They sprouted and grew. When the flowers died, I cut them and laid them on our outside table to dry out so I could collect the seeds for replanting. But the birds found them and when I realized this I thought - you know what, it's better for the birds to enjoy them. They must have dropped a few seeds here and there because I now have a sunflower growing right outside the kitchen window. And I can see that there are several flowers in the neighbor's yard as well. I will have to plant sunflowers again. I love the cycle that these last ones produced.

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~Here's a wonderful story about sunflowers~

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So I'll probably fall asleep tonight thinking about my big plans for the garden. Planning and plotting as I listen to the rain come down yet again tonight. I swear this is the most rain we've seen here in the 31+ years I've been alive.

meow.....bzzzzzz

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I was buzy painting and silk screening all weekend. Silk screens didn't turn out like I'd hoped - but it was my first pass, so I'm not discouraged. Will try to make a new screen today. I think I've learned from my mistakes. Also working on an update to the website. I'd like to make it look a little less corporate and more down-to-earth homey. More hand sketches and less computer genterated boxes. As it should be. My big big goal is to have the new and revised Out of the Box (along with Buzzing Bog) up and running by the first of April. This is good - I need deadlines. I work so much more efficiently with deadlines.

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bzzzzzzzzzzzz

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This little guy is the next in our series of "Buzzing Bog" friends to be created. There are several others in the works - I'm having so much fun with my new flighty little buddies! More furniture will be developed in the not too distant future...but I just couldn't help but run with this idea for the time being. It all started as an effort to create little characters for painting on furniture, for personalizing the wooden creations we've been working on. But as the sketches started flowing and ideas brainstormed, we decided it would be worth it to develop this entire line of items featuring the "Buzzing Bog". Now that all the little animals have been developed I can almost hear them swishing in and out of cattails and marsh grass.

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fly away

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still drawing my flying elephants

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buy me some peanuts & cracker jack...

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I made a baseball display case for my father-in-law's birthday. He used to write a sports column so he has buckets full of signed baseballs. Now he'll be able to display 16 of his most treasured ones. I meant to make him this for Christmas, but it just didn't happen. I'm thinking of painting his initials on the door as well...if I scrape up the time this afternoon, that is. I think the thing that makes me feel the most accomplished is that I made this all out of wood I had on hand (left over from other projects). Redwood 2x4s from the construction of our fence, birch plywood from signs I made for our last craft fair and particle board from some wood I picked up in the "as-is" bin at Home Depot (I *LOVE* the "as-is" bin...great pieces of wood for under a buck!!!). The other nice thing is that people really seem to love it when I give them things that are handmade. I really need to try to do this for everyone. Let's see...who's birthday is next? I should start brainstorming gift ideas for everyone.

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I got all my silk screen printing supplies on Monday. I can't wait to try my very first print. My mom and I brainstormed all kinds of ideas using silk screened fabric during our drive out to the desert over the weekend.

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ocotillo beauty

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We had a wonderful weekend in the desert. It felt good to be out in the warm air - already in the 90s! I loved seeing the blooming ocotillos. They're such an interesting desert plant. In the dead of summer they look like they're just this skeleton of some old dried up tree. But as soon as they get a little water, their tiny little green leaves poke out and the tops of their spindly arms sprout red-orange blossoms. And they have such an interesting shape. They sort of look like something you'd see growing in the ocean - clinging onto the reef. I'm gonna have to create some kind of graphic of an ocotillo.
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To Do Today:
1. Doodle the ocotillo
2. Build second version of the cupcake stool (got polka dot oil cloth in mail - yay!)
3. Buy silk screening supplies while in San Diego (pick up hubby from airport - yay!)

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hau' oli la hanau (happy birthday)

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Finished!

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Wool felt on fabric with fringe. Pineapple and plumeria motif.

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This has inspired me to try some other more intricate motifs - similarly constructed from felt.

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hawaiian "quilting"

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For my grandma's birthday tomorrow, I'm working on a pillow that was inspired by traditional Hawaiian quilting techniques. Now, I say "inspired" because I am cheating a little bit. I started out using the traditional methods of tucking under the edges and tacking down the motif by hand - but I soon realized that I would never finish in time. So I cheated by cutting the motif from felt. Ha!
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So this is where I am with it. It may be a late night so I can finish by tomorrow! The first image shows how the motif was cut and the second image shows the pieces in the process of being tacked down. Colors are a little bright and wild - but I think my Grandma will like it this way.

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busy elephants

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Busy Elephants

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Here's a small painting I finished last night. To keep my creative juices flowing, I want to try to complete at least one painting a week. I often find myself sitting here trying to figure out how to get a home-based crafting business up and running. I came to the conclusion last night that maybe I'm wasting too much time thinking. Stop thinking and just create, create, create. The busier I am, the more I'm producing and the answers should just materialize themselves. I have so much fun reading the journals of other crafters out there - so many people doing so many very interesting things. That's what I have to do...keep my creativity fresh by designing, creating and producing as many things possible. Even if I don't know what I'll do with it, I think it's important to just be doing it. Because eventually, everything will have it's place in the grand scheme of things.

window shoppping

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Here's a sampling of some of the vintage fabric I came across on Ebay this morning. This is great inspiration for retro design. Lots of flower power. I like the mushrooms - maybe mushroom stool (similar to the cupcake stool)? Also like the stars. Very space mountain.

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my little cupcake

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cupcake stool

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This is the prototype I created for a new idea I came up with this week. I was totally inspired by the creations of Pancake Meow (so yummy!). The top cushion will be made of oilcloth. Thinking of pastel polka dots or strawberry prints. And the base will be painted. This is opening up a whole new range of possibilities - cupcake chairs, cupcake table, cupcake toy bin.

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I was just so proud of myself for finally getting out into my little woodshop. Cleaned up the area, organized all my wood and cranked up my new table saw. I need to be better at prioritizing my days...making time to work on projects like these when the little one is either out with one of his grandmas or taking his nap.

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a few of my favorite things

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retro fabric like this

(always on the prowl on Ebay for this stuff - just to see it, not necessarily to buy)

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kitchen gadgets

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a blank journal (line-less)

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japanese stationary

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anything hawaiian

(except recipes calling for spam "meat")

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wool felt

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art supplies

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power tools

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not long to go now martha!