Catching Up....

Well Craftsmas was gangbusters. I was so grateful to all the folks who stopped in to buy things, and the ones who just swung by for a chat. I was completely exhausted Monday, but made up a bunch more cats and bears to take into I Like You for their final push before the store closes on Dec. 23rd. Angela, Sarah and I have learned a LOT about running a craft show. That's for sure!
This chicken will be going to a new home, she's waiting at I Like You for the customer who special ordered her. I love the look on her face, and the way her feet turned out! I will make a few of these for Sunday's sale in Mahtomedi, I think.

Today I mailed off my 10 ornaments for the Swap-bot holiday ornament swap. I've gotten 3 so far, I should get 10 if everything goes according to plan. Here is the quick tutorial on how to make these ornaments. Enjoy!

Step 1: Cut out two heart shapes, one slightly smaller than the other, from felted wool. I used an old scarf (the stripes) and sweater, and a pinking shears on the scarf piece. Cut out two wing shapes from another felted sweater, trying to match the pattern of the stitch if possible. You'll see several different wing shapes throughout the tute, as I made each pair slightly different to take advantage of the pattern.
Step 2: Layer the larger heart, the wings, and the smaller heart. Use contrasting embroidery thread or thin yarn to stitch the whole shebang together.

Step the third:Use a regular old hole punch to make a hole for a grommet, then set a grommet in the hole, 'nice' side up! Thread in some matching yarn and you're done!

bizzay

i am so busy with making animals for craftsmas on sunday, i haven't had the time to blog! plus my computer has been freezing up on me when i have more than two windows open. so....that's annoying.

anyway i'm off to I Like You to work for the weekend, so the girls can work at No Coast today and tomorrow. i'm taking animals with me to work with, so i hope the store is busy, but that i still have some downtime to make bearz!

hahahahahah
love it

Why you shouldn't spit out your gum

Hilarious little video, the whole series is super fun! apparently, they're for french iphone users? you can find more info here, but be wary of auto-play sound!

is she drinking a starbucks?

folks who are squeamish, republican, or vegetarians, please don't watch this video.

More purple

well Rudi and Judi (below) are off to Alaska, I think I have a fan up there! the same buyer got three owls last week, so that's a good feeling! people are responding to what i am doing with this different style of animal, both at sales and online. i gotta step it up though if i want to keep myself in the lifestyle to which i've become accustomed.

the Vanderbei maps are out, and here is the election result one, coded with 100% dem in blue, 100% repub in red, and counties coded by the intensity of that vote. Wow. What a beautiful country we live in. Purple mountains majesty indeed!

also intersting is the loss/gain map, which can be found on the same link. we've got a lot of work to maintain positive progress for these folks to want to continue to come to the light side of the force. hahaha

Rudi and Judi, the Owl and the Pussycat

Rudi and Judi are now available on my etsy site!

Morning on the Farm

Woke up around 6:30 to an amazing sky. I tried to capture it over the last hour or so, to give you an idea of what I wake up to on mornings when I just can't sleep in.

My birthday noise machine knocked me out and I had a fantastic night of sleep. The 3000 calories I consumed at Shamrock's probably didn't hurt either.

Had a great night laughing with old friends, doing crossword puzzles while watching Monday Nite Football. My friend's mom's wake is today, and we just wanted to take him out for some good times and let him talk, or not, and I'm so glad we did.

I remember after we lost my aunt, uncle, and cousin in a plane crash, we went out to a pizza place after the funeral as a family and told stories and laughed for the first time after it happened. It was shocking to me at the time (a junior high kid) that we could laugh at a time of such loss and sadness, but now I know it's part of the healing journey that some people take. A way to return to semi-normalcy.

My friend Jason's blog was developed as a way to deal with the loss of his own mom, and even to read those stories now breaks my heart. But he's found a way to remember the stories of his journey without having to rely on his memory, and it's an amazing testament to her influence on his life.

Heavy stuff for 7:30 in the AM.

I got my book submission done and sent off to be published (eep!), after getting my mom to sew it to test the pattern. I did one more variation on it which I call the Train Conductor hat, I'm gonna say I'll try to photograph it but if you read this blog, you know by now, I'm not that great at keeping photographing promises.

Last thing to report on, I've made myself a goal to wear earrings every day of year 33, because a. I have a ton of them, 2. I look good in earrings, and c. it'll give me a great reason to use up all the beads I still do have! It's gone well so far I haven't left the house without them yet.

Oh, and a little red squirrel has been popping up outside my window, in the rocks of the now-frozen pond and the veg outside my window. I hope he sticks around, he's a cheerful little jolt of fuzz as I sit at my computer!

Appreciation

Friday was my birthday. It was a day of extreme sadness as one of my dear friend's mothers passed away early in the morning, and I got the news around 12.

I spent the day with my family; mother, father, and grandmother. Cake at her apartment and Madagascar 2 with my folks. I ran a quick trip to Minneapolis, then to my friend's house to spend some time watching TV and just hanging out.

I begin my 33rd year, my "Jesus" year, with a profound sense of how lucky I am to have an amazingly supportive and close family.

Life is a fragile thing and I am aware we are all on the bubble, all the time.

(s)NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO(w)

sigh. it was like 80 degrees on monday. now they are predicting snow for tonight into tomorrow.

so much for global warming. gonna walk with the folks then tuck in for another day of sewing, and watch the flakes fly.

oh...and here's the purple primary map from Vanderbei. Will post the election map once it's complete.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Gonna turn 33 in just a few days. My Jesus year is about to begin, which already includes being published in an upcoming book and trying to make a go of it as a full-time artiste. Eep!

Anyway, as for the birth-day itself, I have several plans including getting enough rest for ClapperClaw the next day! Good thing it doesn't start until late so I can sleep in! I dropped off the art for Sunday's opening at Art Start, and the good ladies went crazy over it. It's always fun to hear reactions to my work from fans!



I already got a pretty awesome early gift, a new president :) but what I'd really love from anyone reading the blog, is to donate time to your local favorite older person. Rake their leaves, bring them a home-baked treat, whatever. I will spend a big chunk of the day with my only remaining grandparent, as I try to do on a weekly basis, because she is not only a funny, amazing woman, but because I want to get as much time in with her as I can before she's gone.

The story about Frank Sinatra's daughter not going to the hospital to be with her dad so she could watch the ending of Seinfeld (which in my opinion wasn't that great anyway) has always stuck with me. It might be an urban legend, but every time I think to myself I'd rather do a instead of b, I wonder if I'd regret the decision to do 'a' if I knew that it'd be the last time I'd get the chance to do 'b'.

Anyway. Spend time with an older neighbor, relative, or friend this weekend and think of your good friend Becca, OK?!? Happy Birthday to me!

Wow

I am happily overwhelmed.

I did feel sad when McCain's supporters were booing his calls for them to unite behind Barack Obama. He did an amazing job campaigning, making Obama work very hard to prove himself worthy of the job, and his exit from the campaign was graceful and classy. I only wish his supporters hadn't sullied his speech by their rudeness and....gosh I don't even know what to call it.

We really do live in a purple country, not red, not blue, and to get through the next 4 years we need to work towards a common goal, bring America back to the standing we used to enjoy economically, spiritually, and politically in the world.

I hope the folks that voted for McCain will take his words to heart, and embrace their new president, and do as McCain asked, work along side him to strengthen our country and move us forward into the 21st century.

HOPE!

am off to watch returns and the daily show special with colleen and dave and their kids. i bought a dozen cupcakes for us to share. i have a feeling i'm gonna have a tummy ache in the AM.

my sister is going down to grant park to be part of the (hopefully anyway) celebration in chicago when the results come in tonight! eeeeeep!

JAWS!!!

some underbite molar monkeys (thanks tim for the name and jyk for the awesome cutting job!) , check them out at clapperclaw next saturday!


batman was too late to rescue quint from JAWS.


and the winners of the costume contest........made by yours truly and worn by jyk and witthaus. they rehearsed their shtick for HOURS. it was hilarious.

my costume was airship captain, which i made in about 3 hours. will take photos today. i wasn't 100% happy with it but it was fun to try. maybe next year it'll be better. anywhoo.

the drive home last night sucked. i hit a cat. there was a cop at the other part of the intersection who tried to put the poor guy out of his misery but he crawled away. i felt so awful. i still do. i can only hope he is at peace. ugh.

OMG! OUCH!

no photos. yet.

had a wild weekend.

'miscast' sold out on friday nite! yay!

on saturday AM, a flock of migrating birds flew over while i was out in the garage getting flowers ready for andrea's wedding. the sky was full of little black birds for about 4 minutes. i had heard some strange, far off noise for about 10 minutes before they came. and when it got closer and closer, i went outside. thousands and thousands of birds flew over. it was kinda like this. i made my parents come out and see it because it was so striking.

andrea's wedding was sublime. photos will follow, i promise.

afterwards, i just came home and slept.

yesterday was a rainy windy day. went to the witthaus's open haus and then barnes and nobles.

i have been in a bit of a funk, reinforced by a job i wanted falling through. sigh. the job hunt continues.

cookin' up some nice mexican inspired chicken for lunch, then back out to the studio to work on animals for clapperclaw and the artscraps show.

glowbama

from yes we carve. hahaha! love it!

coraline

i heard an interview with neil gaiman yesterday on NPR, he talked about this new book and a little bit about coraline.
i can't wait for this movie! i'm gonna have to read the book......

did i forget to tell you?

my hat pattern got accepted to the one-yard wonders book!

yayayayayayayayayayay!!!!!

supa dupa exciting! more information, such as publishing date, as it becomes available, i promise!

my sister has this particular hat in her collection now, sara has one and my mom has another. i am sure i will make a few more during the beta-testing phase. look for more photos soon!

whirlwind

the shows i had last weekend were BANANAS. i've watched a marathon of the rachel zoe project. and one of project runway. project duckie uglings is going well. i am trying to treat it like a job. a job where i get to watch reality TV as i work. regardless.

here's a sneak preview of what i have coming up for winter's ornaments. reindeer and polar bears! they are made from felt, sequins, jingle bells, and other holiday trimmings. i will add some to my etsy site, shortly. like, within a few days. i promise!

i have about a million shows coming up this winter, YAY, and i will be bringing new animals and ornaments to each store i'm currently in. drop me a line if you're interested in finding out more!

the best laid plans.....

well life doesn't always go your way, does it kids?

i got fired from the job. meh.

i dropped my cell phone in the toilet. $160 for a new phone. great.

i sent off a 5 lb box to california. whee! i hope a lot of it sells.

i'm trying to work in the basement on all my stuff, whilst the construction guys put in a new egress window. interesting! my mom is my sous-crafter. it's going pretty well.

photos soon, i promise. my camera is coming on wednesday, along with my brother and his family! yay! first visit to MN for baby michael!

holding down the fort

while the i like you girls are in chicago for the renegade craft fair, i'm minding the store.

yesterday was an OK sales day, someone bought one of my birds so that was fun! most of the day i sit on the internet and think about how much stuff i need to make for my sales, coming up just one month from now!

i've been invited to participate in a group show out in san fran, so i'm SUPER excited about it. more details as i know about them, i promise! i went garage saling this AM and found a mini-cuckoo clock, which i think may become a necklace for a flavor-flav inspired wall mounted cuckoo bird! the guts of the clock are intact, but apparently not working, so i'll also have some gears and other interesting bits to play with.

i'm also going to make some shadow boxes, like these oldies-but-goodies, but glassless, so that people can interact with them as they wish. i made those in late 2006 for a holiday sale, and most of them sold before i took photos (dummy!) but they combined collage, railroad figures, and beads. i really dug them, and i haven't made many more since. but dude, i think it's time!

day two....

day two of my new job @ the children's theatre and it's awesome. i didn't sleep a wink last night, unfortunately, as i was thinking about how excited i was to go back! yay!

i made a delish soup with some turkey sausages my dad cooked up..here's the basics! gonna eat lunch with sara again tomorrow, we like gawking at the kewl kids at mcad.

turkey snausage soup

take two turkey bratwurst and cook them with 1 T of oil and 1/2 a small chopped onion, and crumble the cooked bratwurst, removing casing. do not drain off the fat. you're gonna want it!
add 3 large chopped cooked and peeled potatoes, and one large chopped tomato (or two small ones). throw in a few cups of water, and a small can of tomato paste. pepper and salt and some mrs. dash don't hurt either.

cake-filled weekend

i left thursday evening for a wedding in devil's lake, north dakota. two of my favorite students got hitched, and i got to help them out by doing the flowers for the ceremony and reception. i had to thumb a ride with two of my other former students and go back with a different group, because the dude i was going to drive with backed out a few days before the wedding....i wouldn't have been able to drive anyway because my cold was just starting to turn nasty. but this post isn't about my cold, or how i am constantly amazed by the volume of dirty kleenex i can generate in one 6 hour period, or by how much sleep i need when i'm sick.
anyway.....


i can't tell you how happy i am for the bride and groom, and how honored i was to be able to help them celebrate their marriage!


everyone in her church pitched in, and they had friends and family do the music for the ceremony, a big group of school friends came to set up the tables for the reception and help me with the flowers, her mom grew almost all the flowers we used, and baked the bread and made the pickles for dinner. it truly was a celebration where everyone had a role. they will always be surrounded by the people who were there to witness their wedding. folks who want them to succeed. what an amazing way to start out a life.

after getting back late last night, i slept all day and then went to a surprise dinner/birthday roast for a friend i've known since we were both 5. another super fun gathering of friends, telling stories, laughing at old photos and videos. and he was totally surprised!

gonna do a shot of nyquil and drift off to dreamland now. tomorrow i have to clean my room (it only took 9 days for my parents to insist i should do it, i got a pass today because i was alseep) AND the studio, AND, pick out my outfit for the first day of work on tuesday! yay!

Feelin' Owly....

Made up a bunch of Owls from some newly felted sweaters. It's hard to let them go sometimes!

The pink one with green tummy is going to go to a store, the rest are on my etsy shop now!

clean sweep

i finished cleaning my apartment and set the keys inside a cupboard, shut off the lights, and left. closing a door on living in st. paul, for now, and i'm getting more settled in hugo. the drive doesn't seem so bad anymore, but i have been gassing up a whole lot more than i used to. i am going to try to use a bike for short runs to town and to white bear, at least when i can.

my sister and her new hubby are in town, they rented a truck up in forest lake to take back a lot of her memorabilia, and some furniture. however....

apparently folks have been stealing catalytic converters to sell for drug money. seriously. so the first truck they tried to rent, they had to REPLACE THE CONVERTER while they waited. and when david drove it, the transmission was wonkified. a guy came out to look at it, and said, you're gonna need a new truck. so we are still waiting, (after being on hold for what seemed like days) to find out if they can get another truck on the busiest moving weekend of the year, or if they're going to have to delay their trip back.


raja is going with them. i'm so happy she's going to be getting the love and attention of my sister again, raj has gotten used to the other cats but she's always trying to escape!

betsy and i have been going through all these boxes in the garage, divvying up ancient family linens, dishes, etc. we poured through 3-4 boxes of our childhood clothes and had some great laughs. discarded a lot of things. and i got some great fabric for use in upcoming projects. betsy is 7 years older than me, and my cousins are another 2-3 years older than her, so some of the hand-me-downs were first worn in the late 60's/early 70's so you can imagine the fantastic patterns (including many rainbows, accurate and not so much), styles, and materials we're coming across. my sister's favorite phrase was 'that's horrifying'.

dinner last night was salmon my brother caught in alaska (not so local, but better than farmed salmon!) , and potatoes, tomatoes (with basil and mozzarella), corn, and salad from my parents' own garden. everyone was so impressed by the delish grub, and i am SO happy they've been reading animal, vegetable, miracle! if you haven't read it, it will change your life.

Now at Benevolent Acorn!

the elephant in the room arrives this weekend in st. paul. hope they have a grand old time!

you can purchase your own elephant finger puppet or other interesting animal at benevolent acorn on the old and established, grand ave!

coming VERY soon to my etsy site, some buttons to show your support for the donkeys!

BRING ON THE HOPE!!!!

love those cheezburgers

more from the i can has cheezburger geniuses

in the doorway...

had an awesome dinner with rachel, sara, and maren last night. look at their blogs for their sides of the story and photos-i have known them all my entire life, it's so great to have lifelong friends like that!

when i woke up this AM, a hummingbird was hovering outside my window getting nectar out of the holly hocks. so cool to see that first thing in the morning!


when i got home, this is what i found in the stairwell leading down to my bedroom. we had a huge thunderstorm last night, i think they found their way down there during the early hours.
two frogs, and two salamanders.

armed with a bucket and a shovel, i freed them from their concrete prison. i hope they make it!

the fair!!!!!!!!

you lookin' at me? huh?


colleen and i hit the great MN sweat-together, AKA the state fair.
she tried the hotdish on a stick. not a hit.

the horse and sheep barns? mixed success with norah, 2 and a half.

the chicken barn? NO ONE LIKED but me. no photos as we were literally running through to get away from the vicious, crowing death machines. well, that's what my comrades thought.

miracle of birth barn? bit hit with norah, too much noise for ada, 6 months. (no pictures of ada in this camera! what happan?)


the fudge puppy? loved by everyone!!!!!!!!!!


no photos of the cheese curds, we ate them too fast. also no photos of ada's lunch. haha.


the butterfly barn, once again, mixed success. hopefully norah will grow to love butterflies as much as this young lady, but for right now, she was a little freaked out by them.
chocolate covered pecan roll? HUGE HIT with everyone. no photo of the arnie palmer i got ... looks just like any other arnie palmer.
lastly, the kidway. norah loved the rides, wanted to stay and ride as many as she could. but two was the limit. it was nap time. a great day had by all!

you ain't gonna believe it....

....cause i hardly do.

i have a job.

in a theater.

in the costume shop.

makin' stuff.

OMG can you hear the screaming and jumping up and down?

sadly, the commute is going to BITE. but hey, what's a few hours in the car everyday?

it's temp, it's overhire, it's nothing permanent. but it's a foot in the door. YAY!

more details as they become available. and possibly, another big bombshell tomorrow, meeting with a commercial real estate agent...that's all i'm gonna say. stay tuned!

PS. Little House on the Prairie, tha Musical, is....um.....interesting!

PPS she loved the birds!

birdies!

just a few shots of some paper mache birds, similar to ones i made for the holidays about 3 years ago. people went NUTZ for them, and i think these ones are even better quality and shape, etc.

i mostly used wrapping paper from my nephew's birthday party (BOX OF STRING TOO SMALL TO SAVE) and ribbon, trim, and fabric from the giant stash i have in the garage. i still need to give them EYES, but the ones i'm going to use are still at my apartment. so after i lunch with my friend colleen and her daughters, it's back to the apartment to attach said eyes.

they MAY end up at a floral store in south minneapolis. if not, they'll be on my etsy site.

mornin'

it's 7:20 AM. the rooster next door wants to make sure to welcome the newest resident of hugo, at least that's what i'm choosing to believe. he got up around 5 and started to shout his welcome.

i should bring over some of the mole' sauce i made last night and see how he likes that. i made it up after reading 2-3 versions on the internet. it was loved by all, including my not very adventurous food wise parents!!!*

becca's easy mole': (serves 4-6 as an appetizer, 2 as a meal)
two small garlic butter chicken breasts (or regular ones, see note)
one small white onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 T creamy PB
1/4 c. dark or semi sweet chocolate chips or bits
1 cup (roasted poblano) salsa (i used medium but would have preferred hot)
spices to taste (cinnamon, cumin, bay leaves, etc.)

to make:
boil the chicken breast in 1 cup water with a covered pan. when finished, pour out the water but reserve the shmaltz (chicken fat) if you can. mix with the olive oil over low heat.
add chopped onion. shred the chicken as it's cooling, using two forks.
once onion begins to brown, return chicken to the pan (and garlic if needed). stir until the chicken picks up the color from the onions and all oil is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes. TURN OFF HEAT AND REMOVE ONION/CHICKEN mixture from the pan.
in the warm pan, mix the PB, chocolate, and salsa together, stirring constantly. once the chocolate has melted, return the onions and chicken to the pan and stir to coat. put on LOWEST HEAT possible on stove for another 10-15 minutes, testing spice levels. you may want to add more salsa or more cinnamon, etc.

we ate it with blue corn chips, but you could also spoon over rice. it was suuuuuper good. the PB added a lot to the mouth feel. no cheese or sour cream required to enjoy this dish. you could also add some peppers or other root veggies for more body.

*my parents do eat some things i would NEVER consider, like pickled herring. ISH! but they don't usually venture south of the border.

home again, home again

the move is (mostly) over. i am now a hugonian. again.

spent the night on the airbed in st. paul, after that experience, i will be sleeping here in hugo from now on.

spent the AM with my gram, came down to hugo for lunch, then my mom and i ran into 'town' to stop in at Truly, one of the stores where i sell my fine wares. i picked up some old favorites that they had tried to sell, for whatever reason they were still there! so i re-listed three animals today on etsy.


since we got back, my mom and dad and i have been talking about jobs, etc. i applied for a few promising ones. keep your fingers crossed for me!

summa summa summa time

a wild weekend was had by all. i am exhausted.

surprise tickets to glamorama at macy's, saw MC Hamma and Cyndi Lauper do their thing. party afterwards had free booze (didn't partake) and free food (did).

sale on saturday was a bomb. i made only $12 profit but i met some great artists. it was way too hot. i only sold things to friends but hey, that's OK.

after that, schommer drove me and jen to a 25 year class reunion in west central wisconsin, where he did 1 hour of hilarious standup. but the best part, was that jen pretended to be a long-lost classmate and convinced about 10 people she was one of their own. ha! she's 30, and a stand-up comedian like jason. i guess she and her friends crash weddings all the time, so this was like a dream come true for her, she said.

hi-fricken larious.

read jason's blog for the lowdown and photos.

strange day.....

well, coasting on last night's exciting phone call informing me that i have an interview on monday at the children's theater to work in the costume shop (!!!) i had another almost sleepless night. 4 nights in a row of laying in bed, tossing and turning, flipping and flopping. i think the idea of having to vacate the apartment in less than two weeks, coupled with the total lack of incoming $$ and the fear of being locked up due to not paying taxes* (!!!) is starting to get to me.

anyway. today i treated myself to a morning at border's, where i read about jennifer aniston and john mayer breaking up, getting married, and having a baby, depending on which trashy magazine i was scoping.


i am now at the st. anthony park library, a beautiful old brick building that has been a favorite haunt since i moved to my apartment, 18 months ago. as i was opening the door, the ground near the door seemed to move. upon closer inspection, i noticed a grey striped cat curled up in the door jamb! sweet little guy, apparently he's been camped out on the steps the last week or so. the staff called the shelter just as i was coming in, they are worried about him. he's so sweet, and every little kid that comes by gives him love and he loves them back.

i wish i couls scoop up the little guy and bring him out to live at my parent's farm, but i'm worried that a, he might not get along with all of the three insane cats they already have, and b, that he might have feline leukemia or any one of a hundred awful cat diseases, and c, that he might belong to someone in the neighborhood! he looks pretty well fed, and healthy for the most part, but i would feel awful if he gave something to raja, polly, or gypsy.

well the library patrons and staff are all very protective of him, i hope things go well for him. stray animals break my heart, i have a fear i may end up as a crazy cat lady living in hugo, with a barn full of 300 cats and dogs.
UPDATE: As I was leaving, a kind soul had brought a carrier to take him to the Woodbury Animal shelter. He went right in the carrier and seemed to be very happy. He will be held for 5 days in case anyone claims him, then he'll be up for adoption. Anyone wants a sweet grey kitty, go to the Woodbury Animal Shelter!

raja is going to live with betsy again, hopefully, and not a moment too soon. she has been breaking out of the barn at every opportunity, she even ripped through a window screen to get out! my dad put up some rabbit fencing over the window, and she CHEWED through that, then he put up a portion of the dog's kennel and she bent the wires. hulk-cat.

anyway. i'm loaded up with DVD's, i'm going back to the apartment to work on stuff for my sale on saturday. monday is the interview, and next saturday is THE BIG MOVE DAY. let's hope for some sleep this week.

*screwing up my taxes. again. not exactly, not paying. oy.