Thursday, March 30, 2006

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

time for dinner!


Everytime I break out my silk screening supplies I drag my feet. I think - oh I should just gocco. But I love the ink colors I have for silkscreening, so I make the effort and set myself up for some screen printing. And then once I get going I think, "Holy cow this is fun! Why don't I do this more often???" That was the case this afternoon. Convinced myself I was only going to be making a huge mess and the end product wouldn't be worth it - but now I'm glad I did it. These little guys will be sewn into some baby bibs. I've got the idea all worked out in my head - but it will be interesting to see if it actually comes together the way I think it can. Stay posted - I'll show my results tomorrow. Now it's time for me to make our healthy pizza for dinner. This recipe has been a life saver since we've hopped aboard the low-fat, low-cholesterol band wagon. Satisfies both cravings for pizza and cravings for mexican food. Yum!

Black Bean Pizza
Spoon 1/2 cup tomato sauce on pizza dough rolled out into a 12-14 inch circle. Pulse 1 cup black beans in a food processor until coarse but not pureed and mix with 1/2 cup fresh salsa. Spread the bean mixture on top of the sauce. Sprinkle 2 ounces shredded, reduced-fat monterey jack cheese and 1 ounce shredded, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese over the beans. Toss 1 small red bell pepper cut into matchsticks and 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion on top of the pizza then bake for 15-20 minutes in a 500 degree oven.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

hey there cupcake - completed!

Too Sweet To Eat Cupcakes!

Hope I can squeeze in some time to make these for the upcoming BazBiz. We'll see...

Ack - it's Tuesday and I can't think of a single thing to shoot for Self Portrait Tuesday. The theme, "time", is hard for me to picture in a picture. Hmmm. Whelp, this is the last Tuesday of the month, so maybe I'll just skip today and pick up again next week when the theme changes.

Another drizzly day. The weeds out back are waaaay outta control with all this moisture they're getting. Gonna have to throw on my khaki's and wield a machete. (or some jeans and the weed whacker - or, better yet, a husband in some jeans and a weed whacker!) I really want to make our backyard a more livable space. It's so dirty now. Too much dirt. Needs some pavers and maybe even some kind of shade structure. Think I'll start designing now so we can make it our Spring/Summer project.

Monday, March 27, 2006

meow


Painted some cats for mobiles today and placed them in one of the only places I've found that I can safely stash things as they are drying so they do not find themseles in the hands of a 2-year old...the sill above the kitchen sink. I really liked the way these felines were looking at me tonight - so I snapped this photo. F I N A L L Y caught up with my to-do list. I know I know...this is boring boring news. But it's been the only thing on my mind for days now. And now that I am, in fact, caught up, you won't have to hear me drone on about it anymore. Can't believe this is the last week of March. Daylight savings right around the corner - woo hoo! Soon as the time changes I am going to make a very concentrated effort to barbecue every meal. We Q-ed up some teriyaki chicken last night and I appreciated the clean-up sans an extra couple cooking pans. LOVE the ease of barbecuing. But last night was a bit chilly. Sun had set and it was a bit brisk for barbecue. So, soon as we get an extra hour of daylight in the evenings you can bet I'll be throwing our dinner on the grill to avoid messing up the oven or stovetop. Now, time for me to paint some giraffe!

Thursday, March 23, 2006

hey there cupcake!


You know how it is when you're working on something...something a little repetetive, and you've got to keep your mind busy so you can just get through it? I cut out 45 wooden buzzing bog critters today and while doing so I found my mind wandering, coming up with all kinds of projects to tackle next. And after making my last cut, I quickly threw together this little cupcake. Just wanted to see if it could work the way I was seeing it in my head. I'm pleased with it. Obviously needs a little color. But, the architect side of me asks, what do you do with it? What's the function? I know I know, not everything requires function. But...there's got to be something this little cupcake could do. Is it merely a child's toy? Should it hold a business card or photograph? Maybe it just sits there looking pretty. Oh I don't know. With everything else on my plate, there's not really a whole lot of time for pursuing new projects. But I just couldn't help myself with this one.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Movin' right along

I can't believe I'm actually starting to catch up with the laundry. It's always a good sign when you can start to see the bottom of the laundry sorter. Woo hoo! Who am I all the sudden? I even exercised this morning. Go crazy.


Unfortunately, I'm now 2 days behind on my BazBiz to-do list. But all my paycheck work is done and the munchkin goes to grandma's tomorrow...so...I'm gonna catch up! I swear I am! Up above is a painting I finished this morning. Down below is my basket of zinnia flower necklaces. I decided I would make 30 - which I've done. But 30 doesn't look like that much. I expected my little basket to look much fuller. If I ever catch up with my list, maybe I'll make more to plump up the volume.


As for the rest of today... More painting, cutting out my boggies from birch plywood for mobiles and, if time allows, more laundry! I'm so close to being on top of it all - can't quit now!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday


It seems that the days are over for me before they even begin - It's 9:00am now and by 10:00am I'll be feeling like the day is already over - There's breakfast to be eaten and breakfast dishes to be cleaned - Get dressed, dress the kid, make the bed and it's almost time for lunch - Lunch to be eaten and lunch dishes to be cleaned - Maybe then a load of laundry or a craft project - If I'm lucky, little one will go down for a nap and it's time for me to catch up - Work or clean or bills or phone calls - Shortly thereafter it's time to think about dinner - Cook dinner - Dinner to be eaten and dinner dishes to be cleaned - Bathtime then bedtime then pick up all the toys from a day's worth of a two-year-old hurricane - Somewhere around 10:00pm we slump back on the couch so we can fall asleep only after 10 or 15 minutes of desperately trying to catch up on our Tivo shows - I used to waste so much time watching TV - Now I can barely keep up with Tivo - Monday falls into Tuesday which materializes into Thursday and then it's Friday - Weekend...and it starts all over again - Tiii-I-I-ime it's on my mind...Yes it is - ALL THE TIME - Time on my mind in the sense of where did it go??? - How is it already 9:09am??? - Sorry Tivo...you've been a little neglected - Just don't have the time to waste on TV like I used to.

Monday, March 20, 2006

I wish it were Sunday...

Cuz that's my fun day.
It was a lazy rainy day weekend. Finally watched Walk the Line and I am thoroughly impressed with Reese Witherspoon. Continued to chisel away at my to-do list for the upcoming BazBiz...but I'm still a day behind. Maybe today I'll manage to catch up. Making good progress on painting my drawer pulls though...



And, all my painting has gotten little Mr. Munchkin very very interested in painting himself. Literally, painting himself...


It's been so gosh darn cold here. This storm came from up north, so it brought with it these chilly, biting winds. I can't wait for the clouds to clear away so I can get a good look at the local mountains. I love seeing those white, snow-capped ridges. My parents tell me it actually snowed here in town once back when they were kids. It all melted by the end of the day. As a kid I used to go to bed every rainy night praying for it to turn to snow. The way I see it, if it's going to be this cold, at least give us some snow to play in. But, honestly, I'm starting to crave warm summer nights of driving along the coast with windows down and smelling the salty air perfumed by bonfires.
~
Happy Monday!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

accomplishments

A week of painting...

...(looking forward to another full week of painting)...

...and sewing and wood-working and printing and gocco-ing.

Monday, March 13, 2006

what's she building in there?

{We watched the Enron documentary and were
delighted to hear the opening song -
Tom Waits' "What's He Building In There"...
got me to thinking, wonder if my neighbors
ever wonder what I'm up to when they
hear all my sawing and drilling and
hammering in the garage?}
.
Busy busy busy for the next 40 days. I've made my list and have planned out my work - now I just need to stick to it and make it happen. And for any of you in the Bay area...remember remember...Bazaar Bizarre will be at the Maker Faire at the San Mateo Fair Grounds on April 22nd and 23rd. Check it out!
.

I finally worked out a pattern and design for some baby booties that go beyond newborn size. I had so many people at the last Bazaar Bizarre ask me if I made them any bigger. This time, I can say, "Why yes I do!"

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Hip Hip Hurray!

I made it into BazBiz San Francisco! Yes! Me! They like me, they Really like me! Now it's time to focus. Time to work my craftiness like I've never worked it before. BazBiz Los Angeles was such a good experience and gave me a good picture of what was successful and what wasn't. So it's time to review those notes and proceed in that direction. I'm excited to have an excuse to head up north for a long weekend. I know, I know...just yesterday I was talking about pinching pennies and saving for this summer's trip to Hawaii. But...I gotta think I'll sell something...so the trip seems justified in my convoluted mind. It was so fun seeing all these wonderful artists and crafters at BazBiz L.A. So much diversity! I know San Francisco will be just as exciting. Okay - time for me to go get my fingers dirty with paint and sawdust and glue. This little guy here is a critter I cut from 1/4" particle board and painted. The wings are 1/8" birch plywood and are attached to the body at different angles, giving it a three-dimensional quality. Next I'd like to make something like this, but finished on both sides so it could be hung as a mobile. Off to work!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

waiting waiting waiting

Got to work out some packaging for these little guys for the next craft event...whenever that may be...sitting here crossing my fingers and checking my e-mail for word about BazBiz San Francisco. (oh nooooo, I haven't gotten my hopes up *sarcasm*)

Saturday, March 04, 2006

got energy?


A series of paintings. Each one is small - 4" by 4". I like painting small. But I don't know why these took me so long to finish. I began them with a lot of fuel in my tank and then I just peetered out. Why does this happen to me? I'll have streches of extremely productive days and then I slow to a crawl. My body just shuts down for a few days and things like laundry and dishes in the sink feel like incredibly all-consuming tasks. Maybe it's hormonal. Only problem is, there's just no rhyme or reason to it's timing. I need a magic little pill. Or an exlicir to get the energy pumping again when I've hit a lull. Anyone with any recipes for magic potions? Someone told me how you can harness the power of the moon. You place a piece of paper in the path of moonlight on the night before a full moon. For the next three nights, when the moonlight is most intense, the paper will absorb the moon's energy. After the third night, you put the piece of paper away in a special place. On the night of the new moon (the absence moonlight), you take out your piece of paper and write down how you'd like to use the power of the moon and you put the paper away again. Apparantly, the energy that was absorbed in the paper is supposed to give you the energy to tackle your goals/issues. Maybe that's the problem. Last full moon, I put my paper out, but I forgot to write anything down on the night of the new moon. So maybe the moon is sucking the wasted energy outta me. Bah! I know it's crazy - but I swear I feel zapped!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

sweet tooth anyone?


I've got this listed in my "links" sidebar...but, thought I'd mention that Pancake Meow now has a brand spankin' new site and it's a great way to see all her delicious, non-edible sweets! Smart way to enjoy desert while dieting.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006




Made these flowers from felt and from polymer clay. Maybe I just needed a break from my other creative outlets. Or maybe I'm just anxious for Spring so I can go out and grow some real life flowers.