TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

We got a telescope! HOW COOL IS THAT! It was a Pre-Christmas/ B day present from us to ourselves, the best kind of presents, and I love it. We have so far seen, Jupiter, Saturn and the astrological gods were with us when we got the telescope in time to see the Lunar eclipse! I hope you didn't miss it cause it was your only chance to see it in our life times and it was AMAZING! I see lots of telephotography posts in this blogs future.
The top photo is taken without the telescope and the above photo is a shaky but fun shot(at least I think.)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy Holidays to all! Above is a picture of a holiday greeter I made for my door. The figures are doubles of the skating couple (me and my man) that I made, as you may recognize, as an ornament for my tree last year. The figures are glued on a wood slice, with a Sculpted Happy Holidays and snowflake (out of Sculpey).Then add some ribbon on the back to hang and voila, Holiday cheer.
ENJOY THE SEASON!

MERRY MERRY

I found a link to my poster entries for the good food awards here, here and here!

Creativity is a terrible thing to waste

I have been trying to get back to my roots and do a lot more collage illustration and illustration in general, so I decided to enter in several such outlets to get the creative juices flowing! I stumbled upon the Canvas Project and the Sketchbook Project thru the Arthouse Co-op and wound up actually doing most of the work in my temporary home of a month and a half in Seattle. Pictures of both to come soon.

I also entered a contest to design posters for three categories! Sadly :( I wasn't chosen but apparently the designs will go up on there website in a couple of weeks. NO pleasure delay necessary I will show them to you now anyway! Also I hope to offer a non Text version of these and other prints in my Etsy store soon!

PUMPKIN CARVING

This year we carved our pumpkins with some linoleum cutting art tools and they came out great! I decided to make mine a underground cemetery scene. I was inspired by the stem of the pumpkin, which reminded me of a very bent eerie tree you would find in a cemetery. I added some real autumn leaves that I cut to resemble smaller versions of themselves and added them to the stem. I carve out two coffins, a skull-n-crossbones and a dinosaur skeleton. I added two headstones that I carved out of the pumpkin bits from the back to light him up and added them to the top. Behind mine in the left photo is my lovely's, a pumpkin man with his guts on top (I don't know why!)

The finished product all lit up and shiny! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

1 yr anniversary!

It has been a year dear blog, and although I have not made the most of our year together, I promise that with this new year starts our new life together, its me and you against the world blog. Seriously thought I am through thinking of you as another thing to do and I am going to think of you more as a friend to share all that I do with! So prepare to be loved dear blog prepare to be loved!

MAIRA KALMAN

I have loved Maira Kalman since I was in elementary school when I donated Ohh Laa Laa Max in Love to the library. Looking back it is one of my earliest illustration memories and maybe a contributing factor in my Illustration future. I read all her guest post blogs on the NY times and can't wait to see this show in Philly and make it a weekend! Only until June 6th so I must make sure to go. Mean while I recommend you scope out all the links and ogle over all the art below.

Must see video TED talk by the talented Mrs. Kalman, I love her dry wit!

Japan

I went to Japan and it was amazing! I have always wanted to go to Japan and I finally did, my beloved and I went for a little over a week to both Kyoto and Tokyo. It was so beautiful, so inspiring and the best vacation I have ever taken. The food was so beautifully prepared, the people so polite and helpful and all of the culture and nature so different from our own.

BAD blogger .....again!

I have been so bad about posting! I am sorry dear blog, but life gets in the way. I started you for fun and with the best intentions but some how you always come last in the things to get done (maybe because jobs, creating, family and friends come first) however I am going to make it up to you and fill you in on all you missed and hopefully try to put you first, well at least ahead of the TV ;)

WHAT I GOT FROM LIBERTY

I got the Libertyof London bike, a bag, a dress, rain boots and umbrella. I know its little nuts but I am crazy about all my goodies, and no I won't wear them all at once! I am so in love with my bike (I haven't had one since elementary school) that a lady actually stopped me to comment oownow amazingly happy I looked , its a little embarrassing but my 26 yr old self had my mom and dad come watch me ride as I waved a big LOOK AT ME MOM NO HANDS style, oh I know......its the little things!

MARTHA'S STITCHFEST

I had a really fun night last week, my lovely took me to Stitchfest at the Martha Stewart offices! Any night where I get to spend time with my boyfriend out on the town is always a welcome respite from the work week, add to that crafting, drinks and freebies and I AM IN LOVE! It was all to celebrate the new craft book Encyclopedia of Sewing and Crafts, which we got as one of the freebies (and I can't wait to try the projects!). I made a heirloom tomato pincushion, which after two drinks, no dinner, while standing and in the hallowed halls of in the inner sanctum of craft was some what of a challenge, but it turned out really cute anyway. Since that night I have been pouring over the pages dreaming of the time when I will have time to do each of the many crafts I would love to do!

Ancestry

I just watched this great series Faces of America by PBS. A wonderful Documentary about peoples ancestors. I am so fascinated about Genealogy and the migration of people throughout the world. To know your family history gives you a direct link to history itself and to this world. I have begun to collect my history and hope to make a kick ass Family tree when I am done. Hopefully, long after I am gone my descendants will be praising my efforts and enamored with my hard work ( but perhaps I should focus on making it first.) Tonight I am taping the new NBC show Who do you think you are? , hope its just as good.

WOMENS HISTORY MONTH

Its National Women's History Month and in honor of all the great women who came before us I am going to try to post information about women in history who may have been passed over in your history books. To start this off, with what I hope to be series of post, I am going to start with a subject that is near and dear to my heart, women artists! I watched this video a few days ago and thought it was so interesting. It is about a museum in DC dedicated to women artists. They bring up a good point to in the documentary, How many people can name five women artists? I went to art school, and consider myself a feminist but I still had a hard time getting there (Frida Khalo, Georgia O Keefe, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Judy Chicago, Alice Neel) . I personally as a women and an artist, find that to be ...well sad. So for some redemption and a gratification I intend to research and share all the female artist that DESERVE RECOGNITION and hopefully I can make the journey the National Museum of Women in the Artists.

Some artists and interesting facts:

Obviously theses are just a few, there are So many more and I hope you are as excited about discovering theses women artist as I am.

I got a great surprise today when I saw that my little hedgehog (bottom left) made it into spotlight of Cute and Cuddly, check this out!
He is in lots of cute company too!

How Cool

KNITTING and COCOA = Amazing Night

Last night, I learned how to knit, sipped copious amounts of hot cocoa and had some delicious food! How many people spent their Thursday doing that? Well, a lot judging by the line outside of City Bakery, the site for all this knitting and cocoa sipping. It was the "Night of Knitting and Hot Chocolate" and it was wonderful. I have never knit before so I signed up for knitting beginners workshop taught by Wool and The Gang, and the ladies next to me where quite helpful in showing me how to cast on and knit stitch. I have never had so much hot chocolate in my life, there were 10 varieties but I only sampled 4 (I have limits), plus this delicious coconut cluster and mac and cheese.....needless to say I laid low on the food today. So now I have been knitting all day (great, another time consuming craft ;) ) I Hope they have another one of these events, cause this time I can possibly give the other, more challenging project workshops a whirl.

NYC IN THE SNOW

New York in the snow is magical! Its like living in snow globe , everything stops, the streets are clear of cars and the sounds are all soft.

Muppets Puppet Present

Every year my boyfriends' family puts a Muppets Christmas Carol on as the decorate there freshly chopped Christmas tree. So this Christmas I bought my Boyfriend a gift to end all gifts! A gift card to make his very own Muppet What Not at FAO Schwarz. So recently we went and above is the results of his hard-work ;). This place is super fun and I am starting to think my beloved's Muppet might need his own girlfriend!

Julie and Julia

I watched Julie and Julia again the other night and I think it might be even better the second time! Possibly because I was curled up in cuddly blankets on a couch or maybe just because this time of year makes me really want to go to Paris. Anyway, the movie sets are gorgeous, the music, the food and of course the acting! Meryl Streep was phenomenal, I love her! I admire her she seems to have such grace and pose, not to mention incomparable talent. I almost met her once, but alas seeing as she was appearing at my college on April Fools Day a friend (who I won't name, but who knows WHO THEY ARE) told me that it had to be a prank given the day, so we went to Toys R Us instead and I never forgave my friend! Bitterness aside this movie is wonderful and worth the purchase.

BAD NEWS WALLET, GOOD NEWS HOME

I have a totally love and obsession for textiles! I can't control myself inside a fabric store. I also took a textile Design class from one of the sweetest ladies who has been designing textiles for .years and one of the first things she taught us was the Liberty print. For those who don't know Liberty of London is world famous for an entire type of textile design now know as a "liberty print"
Target has teamed up with Liberty of London to make new products for spring. From what I understand from the article in Elle Decor, will be a range of products from home goods, clothes and even a bicycle! How cool would it be to own this bike.

Take a walk

Chickadee

I just sent off another feltie to his new home. A black capped chickadee is off to his new home in Portland. I was actually sad to see him go. Truth be told, I was so in love with the chickadee I made him a twin! So now I can keep one.

felt card cases

I had some beautiful high quality wool felt leftover from the Christmas stocking project so I decided to make some need felted card cases and they were super easy to make. The felting took a while but the case itself was very simple.
I call them 'card cases' because that's what I am using them for but they're really just little purses. I have been carrying around my business cards in the bumble bee one and the other day I made a run to the store and didn't feel like carrying my big purse or wallet so I grabbed my atm card and some money and slipped it in, ahh convenience.


I am going to sell some on Etsy. The blue and red one with the butterfly reminds me of Cath Kidston because of the polka dots and colors palette. The black branch one is very Scandinavian feeling to me. The poppy one I am going to sell as a set with a poppy pin, cute gift no?
Look for them coming up on my Etsy storefront as well as a few other designs for eye glass cases.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to all!


I watched a wonderful movie last night, a movie I hoped to watch in theaters but sadly it was gone before I got the chance. The movie, 500 Days of Summer, is not only cleverly acted and wonderfully written, it is beautifully styled as well. It is rare that while watching a movie I am so enchanted by the styling that I feel the need to paint many of the scenes. Everything from the 60's clothes to awesome apartments were superbly styled and visual sumptuous.
The Bradbury, above, a gorgeous building in LA makes an appearance in the movie and if you're a great Pushing Daisies fan as I am, you will recognize it as the apartment building Ned and Olive live in.
As for 500 Days of Summer, it is A MUST SEE!