rest your weary head

Pillows have finally been added to the site!



More coming by the end of the week.

orange and green

How wild is it that I was having this obsession with orange and green earlier and then tonight, while watching Shop Girl, there were orange and green themes throughout the entire movie? Wild. Maybe it's fate telling me to run with these colors. Maybe I'm just seeing it because it was already on my mind. Or, perhaps it's just an awesome pairing. I loved this movie, by the way. Absolutely adored it. Of course, it crossed my mind that it was all conceived as an excuse for Steve Martin to make out with Claire Danes. Can you blame him? How come Claire Danes still looks like Angela Chase? They could start taping My So Called Life again because she looks exactly the same. Not fair.

horsetail reed

Worked on my layout for this next run of fabric. I've been playing with color and think I really like the combination I'm showing here:

Or is it a little too Art Class 101 - green contrasting with orange? Well, I'll see how it works out on fabric. My horsetail reed painting sold at the Bazaar Bizarre. I'm glad, but sad. It's always kind of hard for me to let go of a painting. I'll have to paint another to keep for myself.

fabric

I think I'm finally all caught up on sleep. I've been sleeping SO HARD all week. I'd like to get myself back in the habit of waking up early every morning so I can get a good few hours to myself, sans little Mr. Bugaboo, to be crafty and creative. But this past week I felt like I needed the shut-eye. It's almost like I've been getting too much sleep for my own good though - I wake up feeling like I've been hit by a ton a bricks!

I went fabric shopping yesterday and picked up what you see here. I love the color palette. Greens, browns, off-whites and blues. Love it! These are for my next run of pillows. The fabric store was having a pretty darn good sale and it was hard for me not to pick up everything I was remotely attracted to. But I think I need to work project to project. Otherwise I'll end up with all these supplies that I've forgotten what I'd gotten them for. Plus, I have a ton of fabric to begin with - I should probably start working my way through what I've got. A lot of it is pretty crazy '60s looking print - big psychedelic flowers in super bright colors - that I found in my Grandma's stash a couple years ago when she was moving out of her house. She had all this fabric that was given to my Grandpa a long time ago as payment for Chiropractic visits from a patient who couldn't afford to pay.

Maybe I shouldn't be writing this - word may get back to my Grandpa that I got it and he could come a knockin' to get it back. Ha ha. You may ask, what does a 70-something year old man want with a bunch of groovy fabric? Well, there's no tellin' with this man - no tellin' at all what he's gonna suddenly have an interest in. His wife may decide that she wants to use it to sew up a new flashy dress. Here's a funny story: several years ago my Grandpa, the swap meet king, found a smashing deal on some paint. While my Grandma was out of town, he decided to repaint her house. Her house was yellow. A nice, canary yellow. Grandpa slaps on the new paint and everyone in the neighborhood complains. The new paint, you see, was indeed yellow, but it was paint used for striping streets. Just imagine the color of those double yellow lines you see on the street slapped up on a two story house. It looked like a circus tent! The whole family had to work together the following weekend to repaint the house back to it's original mellow yellow before my Grandma got back into town.

Today I have a little paycheck work to do and then I hope to work on a pillow design. Imagine flying kitties and horsetail reed.

Happy Saturday!

this and that and a little politics as well

Just in case anyone is wondering, the diet is like SO off. Not that I was the picture of healthy eating leading up to the BazBiz, but the view I had from our booth all day Saturday and Sunday all but screamed in my ear..."just give up! you know you want to eat all that crap!":

Corndogs?!? Hand dipped freshly fried corndogs?!? I'm surprised I only had 2. Man, these guys raked in more money than the beer Gods. At ten bucks for a Corona, even we stayed away from the beer vendor. But the corndog man, he had a line 5-deep all day long. Even in the morning. Can't beat those damn corndogs.

I feel like I've had a lot of catching up to do around the house. There was all the unpacking of the car...and the unpleasant cleaning up of the after effects of an 8-hour car ride for a 2-year-old. (not pretty) I've slowly been updating the site with the inventory I still have on hand. So funny what sold and didn't sell at this event. Last December at the L.A. BazBiz, everyone asked if I made felt baby booties in sizes bigger than newborn. So for this BazBiz I made an effort to generate a pattern that would work for a size 3-6 month old. And do you know that I didn't sell a single 3-6 month old size but sold several of the newborn size? Of course. A lot of what I'm walking away with is telling me to focus focus focus on the silk-screening of my designs. Silk-screening as applied to pillows (sold all but 2 of my pillows) and bibs (another very hot item, to my surprise). My head is just swirling with ideas, but mostly what I'm consumed with is how to continue with the work ethic I had prior to this Bazaar Bizarre even during non-crunch times. Yes, I tend to work extremely well under pressure. Now that I have 3 months until my next event [which is, by the way, Art in the Village in Carlsbad Village on Sunday, August 13th], I need to figure out a good system for keeping myself moving so I don't leave everything for the last minute. True, I worked good under this pressure-driven last-minute crunch. But I was constantly coming up with ideas that I knew there was no time to see out. I hated that. I'd like to keep the creative juices flowing all the time so that when these ideas strike me, I'll have the time to work them out and possibly incorporate them for my next event.

All in all, I am so so happy with both the success of my items and the reaction I got from people who seemed to absolutely adore the designs I've generated for my "Buzzing Bog" themed critters. It makes me SO happy to have moms tell me how much they love my drawings. As a mom myself, I know that it would have been so much fun to find a nursery theme that wasn't Winnie the Pooh or Disney when I, myself, was pregnant. I've got all the inspiration in the world to continue to develop this imaginary world I've started to create. And I'm extremely anxious to start designing some fabric that I can silk-screen and use to make pillows, clothing, plushies and wall art.

I'll leave you with just one more image taken during our road trip home. Never before in all our years of making this jaunt from San Diego to San Francisco (and those are stories I'll someday have to share) had we encountered such a bug massacre. This shot of our bug-splattered windshield is actually nothing compared to some stretches where bugs hit our windshield like hail. And, it's quite fitting that I caught the back end of a Walmart truck. For anyone still shopping at Walmart, please rent or Netflix "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price". I think it'll change your mind. It certainly changed mine.

pics of my booth

Here's my set-up at the Bazaar Bizarre/Maker Faire.

Here's a closer look:



Having a really good time. It's great sitting around, sewing up more bibs and gladly accepting all compliments when people come up and tell me how much they like my designs. The Maker Faire is absolutely wild. I'll try to get around to some of the exhibits today and get some pictures to post. From what I hear, there's a guy who rigged up his barbecue to heat his pool. They've got guys on Segways playing polo. There are bicycles built from wood, a bicycle with a lawnmower wheel so you can ride and mow and all kinds of gidgets and gadgets made by clever garage inventor geeks. Pretty cool. I've also discovered that in Fall 2006, the makers of Make Magazine will be putting out Craft Magazine. Can't wait for that. Well, it's time to get ready and head out for day 2. Wish me luck! Need to sell out my pillows so my husband can see out the rear view mirror on the drive home.

the BazBiz is HERE!

Here we are...San Francisco...(well, not really - actually in San Mateo, but this environment anywhere near the vicinity of SF is truly a San Francisco treat...and, this is not actually a picture of San Francisco but of Lego Land San Francisco...sorry, it was here because I was downloading pics from the camera and I thought I'd slip it in) I'm extremely sleepy after averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night for the past week. So many projects, so many ideas, so much crafting. But the day is finally here.

Tomorrow

is

Bazarr Bizarre at the Maker Faire!

I've done all I can do, so now it's time for me to rest up (and not stay up later another night) for tomorrow's event.

I

wish

I

could

work

this

hard

all

the

time.

What couldn't I get done if I worked hard like I have the past month?

Anyway, sorry for the lack of posts. Tomorow night I'll try to post pics of the bazaar. It's gonna be fun!

late night

1 - Felt gocco pieces that have been fixed to notecards.

2 - Pillow design I spent the day silk-screening today. Tonight = cut felt pieces!

3 - Hanging boggies waiting to dry before getting their wings.

Late night. Hoping to get the last of my projects done so I can spend the remaining days packing and organizing. I'm sleepy sleepy though. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a charming technicolor, Doris Day or Cary Grant (either will do just fine tonight) movie to wake me up and get me plowing through. Wish me luck. (on finding a movie AND staying awake)

late night tv

A couple nights ago I was up late working on projects and watching Mad About You re-runs when this commercial came on that had me in tears. Maybe it was because it was late and I was tired or maybe it's because it was just so damn sweet...you be the judge.

A couple is in a foreign country meeting the two children they are going to adopt for the first time. The children are quiet and shy. The family is on the airplane and the mom opens up a small box of cheerios. She arranges the cheerios into a smiley face on the tray. And the children smile.

Break my heart!

I don't know what it makes me want to run out and do more - buy a box of cheerios or catch the next plane to wherever to adopt a little orphan child.

banana pancakes

Last week I posted about some strawberry pancakes I made. The Lost Hawaiian commented to tell me about her banana macadamia nut pancakes. Yum! I didn't have mac nuts on hand, so this Saturday it was banana pancakes with strawberry sauce. Mmmmmmm. The sauce is real simple: Heat up some frozen strawberries, water, sugar and a little corn syrup in a saucepan. Once you've got a good thickness, let it cool a bit then give it a whirl in the blender or food processor. Banana strawberry pancakes----delicious!
So I had my first anxiety-themed dream over the weekend that everything at the Bazaar Bizarre was going wrong. Only 12 days away! I'm cutting felt letters to make a sign. Thought I'd leave that for next week, but after my nightmare I think I'd feel better just knowing it's done.

I'm excited to go back to San Francisco...
Things I Y about San Francisco:
Y pizza in North Beach Y

Y view from the twin peaks Y

Y cute little $5 slippers from China Town Y

Y gin and tonic from Vesuvio Y

Y playground at Yerba Buena Y

Y shopping at the Ferry Building market Y

Y riding the streetcar from the Mission to the Wharf Y

Y Cannoli from North Beach Y

Y Watching sailboats from the Presidio Y

Of course there won't be enough time for us to do everything on this trip. So we'll have to prioritize. I hope the air is crisp - last time we were there it was hot hot hot! (so NOT San Francisco) And, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to order up a little fog. Thank you.

playlist

Lots to do today. Here's the playlist that's gonna get me through it:

"Keep Young and Beautiful" - Annie Lennox
"Extraordinary Machine" - Fiona Apple
"Skylark" - Ella Fitzgerald
"Stormy Weather" - Sarah Harmer/Jason Euringer
"L.A. Arteest Cafe" - Stew
"Seasons of Love" - RENT Soundtrack
"Little Miss S" - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
"Martha" - Tom Waits
"Jesus, Etc." - Wilco
"Breathe Me" - Sia
"Porcelain" - Moby
"3rd Planet" - Modest Mouse
"Lullaby" - Shawn Mullins
"Nothing Natural" - Jill Sobule
"Bring Me Up" - Lisa Loeb
"White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i" - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

progress

countdown to the not yo mama's craft fair

Not Yo Mama's Craft Fair
From the lack of posts the past coupla days, you've probably gathered that I'm in full crunch mode now. Had a few days where I just could not move - would find myself sitting for 15 minutes staring at the wall as I brainstormed signage and display and how in the world I'm gonna get it all done. Had a late night last night and re-grouped. The to-do list has been revamped and I'm back in production baby! It's definitely time for me to lay off the wine at dinnertime. Makes me too sleepy. I'm gonna need a lot of caffeine in the next 16 days. I really want to do a little collage of all I've got done so far - might be entertaining for you all and it might make me feel like I've accomplished a little more than I'm giving myself credit for at present time. Maybe that'll happen tonight. Plus, need something like that for some postcards I hope to have done by BazBiz. You know, a little something to give away...a little something that will remind anyone who doesn't want to spend money to go to the website and spend loads of money later! I'm really interested to see how this event goes. There are a couple local fairs coming up this summer and fall, and if I get a good reception at San Mateo, then I'll be amped to do more events. We'll see. Now it's time for some tea - and not the weak herbal stuff - caffeinated - 3 bags - the wake-you-up kinda tea. Drive home from work was completely draining. Two accidents made the commute a half hour longer than it needed to be. Found myself listening to stupid talk radio just to stay awake. blah blah blah blah blah

all that's up this saturday

A good start to a good Saturday - Buttermilk Wheat Pancakes with Strawberries! Mmmm...recipe below. Then some painting and then some creative tinkering. Last year I painted probably a hundred or so block letters with the idea that folks would like to buy them to spell out words/names. Two craft fairs later I came to the conclusion that this was something that just wasn't flyin' off the table. To avoid dragging them all out to a third fair, I used up most of the letters to spell out my own words, which I've strung on string to be hung. The first word, "Kiss". Ahhh, ain't it sweet? Let's see if these go anywhere.

Now, for that pancake batter:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 tablespoons canola oil
thinly sliced strawberries

Mix all the ingredients, pour onto a hot griddle and place strawberry slices on top of each pancake. Flip. Serve. Eat. Have seconds.