Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thank You

I had a great Thanksgiving and a lovely weekend to follow. Thank you to my wonderful parents for coming a long way to celebrate with us and thank you to everyone who came out to support Second Storie} Indie Market. We had a great turn out, we had a great time, made new friends and came home with some lovely items too!! (I'll share those through out the week). Thank you all who buy hand made and local this holiday season!
This picture is of our guest room which is never clean enough to photograph. It is our dumping ground for what ever I don't feel like putting away, but maybe now it will remain clean and comfortable like this. Who am I kidding - at least I will have this photograph to remind of its potential.

Monday, November 24, 2008

This Weekend


Click on it - read it - print it - post it. Be sure to come early because once a unique hand made piece is gone, its gone.

Lead the Parade


I just made some amazing Etsy purchases for gifts for Christmas. I cannot show them here as they are for people who read this blog. But I found these great cards along the way at English Cookies.
Please consider making gifts or purchasing hand made gifts. There are so many talented artists out there and their prices are really wonderful too. Of course you will find amazing art and hand made things at the secondstorie} show this weekend!

Hut Up, Berlin



I found these through House Martin - at Rose and Radish you can find these awkard bunnies made by Hut Up, Berlin - and they are on sale!

Friday, November 21, 2008

New Small


The Winter issue of Small Magazine is out. I love this on line magazine. Pictured above is page 30. This is my way of tearing it out to show to you.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

My Dooce Dog


I love the Daily Chuck on Dooce so much I am attempting to train my dog, April, to do the same tricks... the little felt ball rolled off her nose as soon as I let go but I was able to snap the picture. And congratulations to heather - she's having a baby (due date is June 14th) I can only imagine how hilarious she will be during a pregnancy with a four year old big sister constantly commenting on it.

tenth grade biology


The Crafty Hedgehog makes these! Words cannot describe the enjoyment they give me. I can smell the formaldehyde just looking at them. She also sells the patterns so one could knit them oneself! I think the tail on the rat is particularly wonderful. We have a lovely white/tan rat and a brown/black rat as pets. I call the white one Pancake but I don't think that is her name. My daughter got two rats a year ago when her snake died and she found out she is alergic. I take care of them now in my basement studio. I call them Panckae a Lulu for an Etsy yarn shop that I love. But I think my daughter namend them Peanut and Lulu. I really only talk to Lulu, she is more friendly than the white one.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

go meat yourself


A friend has a fantasitc website called go meat yourself. Go see it. This is the most fun you will ever have regarding meat(and other food relations). You must see the skinned goats in the truck, I cannot bring myself to post the image as I can't really stand to look at it myself. She has post titles such as: Holy Mary Mother of Bread: Panzanella Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil and These Shrimps Were Made For Wokin: Shrimp Stirfry with Brown Rice and Me and My Baby, Porking in The Kitchen.

My daughter has been trying to be a full fledged vegetarian and it is making me a much better cook as I attempt new recipes using cheese and potatoes and different green vegetables (as the green veggies are not her favorite). Sunday, I made a lovely pizza using tortilla, caramelized onions, spinach and goat cheese for her. Last night I changed it around a little making a potaoto and cheddar tortilla. I want to try one with butternut squash, thinly sliced apples and some wonderful cheese but I haven't quite figured out which one yet. I think it is also now cold enough for cheese fondue. I love apples in cheese fondue. (I think I will make fried rice tonight).

Monday, November 17, 2008

Tatebanko




I saw these paper dioramas in the latest Met Home Magazine. They are only $10 each. Last night I was helping my daughter with her French homework which was all about stores that sell food. The Boulangerie was a main topic of course and I remembered that in 7th grade French I had to make a diorama of a French shop. I made a Boulangerie with shelves full of donuts (Cheerios) .

Thursday, November 13, 2008

not allowed to purchase


eye chairt
I bookmarked this poster to get for my husband for a present - but I am not buying any presents this year - I am not!

old collage



I still am very fond of this series of collages that I completed a couple of years ago - I did make a LuLu book of them all and will have it available for sale at the Indie Market on Thanksgiving weekend along with the prints and many other wonderful pieces of art work. I am really looking forward to that show - I am just hoping I have the will power not to spend every dime I make.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

new knitting

I am swamped with custom orders for fingerless gloves, but I insist on knitting my own new designs for my own sanity. Showing my own color combinations also helps get me more custom orders because not everyone can picture how colors will work together or think to choose unusual colors like caramel or periwinkle. The best part about knitting for me is trying a group of colors and seeing what happens as the piece builds. It is the same for painting I guess... but knitting is just so much easier. I made this pair pictured above over the weekend and I really like them. I got a custom order to make them in purple shades which will be fun as I love purples. I want to take the embroidery further - it isn't easy to get much detail in such a small space, but I am looking forward to trying other designs. I honestly can't believe I still look forward to those evening hours when I can knit, you would think I would get burned out. I had better knock on wood right now.

Monday, November 10, 2008

sewing accomplished

I had a very productive weekend! I actually completed two panels of curtains and the thing pictured, which is a cover on a vertical display for craft shows. I thought it would look fabulous, I found this pretty soft green linen with a hint of a stipe and I made my own piping from some sorto of herring bone suiting - but it ended up looking boring. But it will work fine and I am not making a another one. I had just hoped it would lok soooo amazing it would draw shoppers to my stuff. I also sewed a lovely pillow using the left over piping and almost completed the purse to use at craft shows (using the left over herring bone suiting). I did not knit for 48 hours straight (from 6:30 Friday night to 6:30 Sunday night), but I was still able to finish up three pairs of gloves to post this week to Etsy (my Wednesday, Thursday Friday pairs).

Friday, November 7, 2008

autistic sewing


I am definetly going to be sewing this weekend. I finally have the gorgeous Anna Marie Horner fabric for the family room curtains and I will complete the curtains this weekend. The fabric pictured is hand screened by Sommersville. I think I will order two pieces (it comes only as 9.5 x 14 inches) of the teal pictured above for the family room as well - I may make a pillow for a small bench I have in there. I love the teal but I think red will match best. I also want to make a small change purse to carry around when I am selling at craft shows. I have a few small over the shoulder purses but I the money gets all mixed up and I want to make a purse that has sections for checks, $20s etc.

I actually hate sewing using the sewing machine. I get very anxious and feel rushed while I am working. I have a reall difficulty using any type of machine -I don't like the noise, I don't like the vibration. I think I may be on the very, very far end of the autistic spectrum as I also get very anxious when I am stuck on the bridge at a red light (and this happens almost every day driving home). The car shakes and rattles and I feel trapped. I also do not prefer to be in crowded social situations, I like to play music really loud, I prefer being alone and I am kind of creative (all typical autistic qualities). Obviously I have been able to (somewhat) succeed in life so I am not saying I am autistic - I just think the spectrum is extreme and I may be on it some where near Mars or maybe Neptune.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Bitter Sweet Election




I am so elated about the presidential election and the hopeful change that this country will see, but I am saddened that California's citiizens approved a ban on same-sex marriages that overrides the recent court decision legalizing them. I don't know what is going through peoples hearts and minds. If two individuals are lucky enough to to have the love and stregnth to share thier lives and committ to a life long partnership - no one has the right to tell them they can't.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yes we can...knit!


I have been knitting like crazy, but wishing I could be baking or eating I am not sure...
I have completed a pair of gloves (or more) a day!
Last Wednesday - black licorice (left)
Thursday - rainbow sherbet (center)
Friday - caramel and banana (left of center)
Saturday -black berry pie (black with purple, and rasberry)
Sunday - caramel and chocolate
Monday -white chocolate with scalloped edges
Tuesday - more caramel and chocolate (while watching the election returns)
I have to go now and finish my Wednesday pair.


Morning in America


"America is a place where all things are possible."

“There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair...It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Yes, we can!"

And he's getting a puppy for the girls!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Vote Today


I have high hopes, but I am terribly nervous today. I voted early this morning hoping I could then relax but that did not help.

Monday, November 3, 2008

tees



I am hoping to do very little shopping for this Christmas. I want to give hand made gifts, mostly food items and jewelry to family and friends...now you know. But I have to purchase some things for my own children as they live with my hand made world every day. So I am searching for original, interesting screened tees for my son. (I cannot share what I am searching for for my daughter, as she actually reads my blog). I found the planes and the sneakers at Little Paper Airplanes, they are by No Star t-shirts.