Sassy Art Goddess

hi there...

2009-06-07T09:57:00.003-05:00

So it turns out I can't get my phone to blog, must be an at&t thing, darn cause I really liked Ruth's idea.

Many things afoot here at Casa Amarillo. the kids finished school so we are on summer break. Lots of plans to bike and swim and basically hang out, kickin' it old school.

I have decided to make pirate costumes for everyone this year. Talk Like Pirate Day falls on a Saturday this year which coincides with our Renassiance Festival so I am encouraing everyone I know to come out in garb (plus, I really just like dressing in costume)

I will be heading to ArtFiberFest in 17 days and I am stoked. It's in Portland OR this year, which is somewhere I have wanted to travel for awhile. I am taking all handwork classes and not vending, I am looking forward to relaxing and recharging!

And so the page is not so plain, here's a ttvf image from last fall I shot in Las Vegas...

Spring cleaning...

2009-05-11T12:29:00.002-05:00

Just tidying up the place a bit. I miss blogging a little , mostly I have been spending my time on Facebook, I am going to try and work on that.
Ruth Rae did a great guest piece over on Bluhm Studios on instanting blogging and I think I will give it a try. I have reloaded the info to my phone for blogging so I will try something random every day.
I will be in Veags at the end of the week catching up on some R & R, perhaps you will get silly posts from there. Be well .

testing...

2008-12-08T12:49:00.003-06:00

is this thing on? I've been aay for quite some time. Life has been a whirlwind lately and I have the attention of a gnat. I hope to start post a wee bit more as I try to create a bit of a "work" schedule for myself, we will see how long that lasts.

In the meantime here are some fun Through The View Finder pictures I have taken...

The results are in...

2008-10-14T08:35:00.002-05:00

Pins are on the way. They were mailed out Saturday.

Go take a look and then report back here as to which one you received.

Beaded Face Pin Swap

Every year...

2008-09-24T12:21:00.003-05:00

Every year I do this face pin swap, and every year I spend too much time looking for the damn pin backs! I can never find them so I buy more AND then I find the missing ones. I will buy no more pin backs!!!

Pieces are starting to come in and they look awesome. Pins are due Friday (Saturday at the latest.)

2008-09-21T16:24:00.001-05:00

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day!!!!!!

2008-09-19T07:54:00.000-05:00

Beaded Face Swap 2008

2008-09-03T16:42:00.002-05:00

Finally, it's time for the Beaded Face Brooch Swap 2008!

Create a brooch/pin no larger that 2 ½ x 2 ½ inches.
Anything goes for the face as long as it implies a human face and has some beads.
Polymer clay, buttons, paper clay, image transfer, felting, bead or regular embroidery, what ever strikes your fancy.
This is a 1 -1 swap. Due to me by September 26th.
You must include return postage of $5.00 or a Priority Stampand return mailing label. If you do not send return postage, your pin is mine.
International swappers welcome and encouraged.
Please include a note with your real name and screen name, mailing addy, title of your piece and any other info you think might be nice to know about your piece.
All pins will be swapped and mailed the first 2 weeks of October.
This is a fun, fast swap and great opportunity for all you newbies to try your hand at creating something.

Email me to sign up.

Here are the results of previous swaps…

Face Swap 2007

Face Swap 2006

Face Swap 2005

For more inspiration, take a look at these beauties…http://www.idianetheface.com/face_gallery.htm

http://home.flash.net/~mjtafoya/projects/polymer/index.htm

http://www.pottedfrog.com/pins.htm

http://takinanap.blogspot.com/2007/05/few-years-ago-on-everyday-matters-yahoo.html
No beads, but you could add them!

http://cqmagonline.com/vol04iss01/articles/404/index.shtml
This article has directions; just ignore the part about nail polish.

Latest Addition

2008-08-22T12:32:00.002-05:00

Latest Addition, originally uploaded by mamarox.

I should be packing. We are going "up north" for a week to stay in a cabin by a lake. Should be interesting. I am a city girl, but my sister is an even Bigger city girl than I, and she loves it so I am game. Taking cameras, craft stuff and maybe even a ...book! The kids are excited.

So instead of packing, I played with a new camera. The battery had exploded but the mess was minimal and I was able to get it all clean with vinegar (I heart Wiki)
This is a Land camera and it takes pack film. I have fallen head over heels with Fuji film and I like it better than Polaroid, which is no longer being manufactered.
The classes I am teaching at ArtFiberFest will be a blast because this Fuji film responds well to transfering and lifting. I have samples I will show when I get back.
Click on the picture to see some of my other images, man do I have a back log for Flickr.
See you necxt week sometime.

Effing hilarious...(make sure you are not eating or drinking whilst viewing)

2008-08-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

Soon, very soon...

2008-08-17T14:30:00.001-05:00

Details will be posted September 1st!

it's here, it's here...

2008-08-08T19:15:00.002-05:00

I shall be curled on the couch for the next several hours...

Moses supposes her toeses are roses...

2008-08-01T17:36:00.003-05:00

yes, I am a big geek...

2008-07-29T13:26:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

are we there yet?*

2008-07-27T10:50:00.003-05:00

I thought summer was supposed to be lazy. We have been crazy busy. Skateboard camp, Spanish camp, beach and pool days, teaching at the Textile center, Vegas weekend, and we still have 5 weeks to go.
I have tons of photos to share but I have to shovel out the studio first. There is a mere footpath available for walking and I have no open horizontal surfaces upon which to place my Diet Coke. This is not good.

*refers to child's question while driving in a car
or a Mom's cry for the start of school.

blue raspberry

2008-07-19T17:57:00.001-05:00

blue raspberry, originally uploaded by mamarox.

Walked down to the Raspberry Festival here in town. It was hot and Robyn had shaved ice.

Blue raspberry is probably the best color/flavor in the world.

and now back to your regularly scheduled program...

2008-07-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

2008-05-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

2008-05-09T08:51:00.001-05:00

Yahoo Serious

2008-05-09T08:49:00.001-05:00

Crazy hair day!

look out...

2008-04-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

Ya sure....

2008-04-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The West
The Midland
Boston
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

ArtFiberFest 2008

2008-04-02T07:29:00.003-05:00

The class list is posted, go take a peek...

I'm dyeing...

2008-03-26T16:33:00.006-05:00

ok, perhaps a tad dramatic but as a Minnesotan I have HAD IT!!!!!! Sure the sun is shining today but we have a snow advisory for parts of the state tomorrow. And the wee little weather man had the balls to mention it was 81 degrees this day last year!

The kids had spring break LAST week and we had a grand time, ran around the city and got a few projects done. For one, the studio is tidy enough for me to actually sew! I made the girls skirts for Easter (looked great with their snow boots and bloody winter jackets) I also have 2 skirts for myself nearly finished.

Over the weekend when we weren't building snow bunnies, we did the egg dyeing thing.

When we were out of eggs I went for the wool felt, it was fun.

And since we are on the subject of dyeing and geez, does this blog need a jolt of color (I won't change the banner until I can go without socks) Here are several batches of buttons I have dyed using RIT dye.

life in Minnesota...

2008-03-22T17:38:00.002-05:00

Bowling with the band...

2008-03-10T15:31:00.001-05:00

Craft Naked!!!!

2008-03-05T16:29:00.003-06:00

This girl is seriously hard core, working with my pins while buck nekkid!
Apparently it's a penguin, but then you knew that, right?

Plushie Parade...

2008-02-29T10:20:00.006-06:00

Still sick but now on heavy antibiotics, so there is hope.
Here are some friends I have been creating, just for the hell of it and having way too much fun...

This is Earl, he spends most of his time drinking coffee and looking for his keys. I sent him to my goddessmother for her birthday and apparently her friends thought he was hilarious, even more so when they realized he was anatomically correct.

Unnamed sock monster (Christmas present for nephew) and the winter solstice monkey. Playing around with construction techniques, I combined the ease of this book with the quirkiness of this book to create the monster.

Meet Miss Lilly Belle.
Sure she looks sweet and adorable and she is, but she has a sassy side too.
She likes tea parties but she LOVES beer and dancing all night long.

Created for a swap with Miz. Monica, had so much fun decided to teach it at summer art camp!

Sid, a sock monkey with attitude. Created for a friend for her birthday.

Another shot of the Love Bugs. These little guys are made from recycled wool and filled with flax and lavender. This batch went over to I Like You in So. Minneapolis. My kids loved them so much, I made one for each of them for Valentine's Day.

dis n dat...

2008-02-25T16:53:00.006-06:00

Lordy, I have hit the wall with winter. Tired of gray, being chilled, jeans and sensible shoes. I want green lawns and wispy little skirts. have you SEEN the stuff at Boden lately?

Been sick alot too, just cold stuff and one heck of case of laryngitis. I went out anyway and by the end of the night I sounded like Minnie Mouse and was saying very rude and inappropriate things, I totally cracked myself up. That's gone but now I feel the tickle of a new cold, ick.

I spent some time going through my photo files and realized I have made a ton of stuff and had very little show and tell. So while I try to rid myself of the new germs, I will be posting some goodies I have made.

One more bit of news from the yellow house, Z is finally wearing panties! After 8 some years of changing diapers, I am done, done, done. The turning point was she wanted to play in Smal land at IKEA and you must wear panties to join the fun.

Emulsion lift samples for a fabulous new adventure, to be talked about soon!

Love Bugs...

2008-02-14T12:12:00.001-06:00

Help a sister out...

2008-02-04T16:55:00.000-06:00

Please go here and help my friend decide on a new 'do. Thanks!

Still damn cold...

2008-01-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

This is a nice way to warm up...

Damn...

2008-01-29T18:32:00.001-06:00

Hi, this is Quinn...

2008-01-29T17:03:00.000-06:00

Daer,Friends in my class i'm doing a map praject and i was wondering if you can send mi some poscards please.Thanks.Sincerely,Quinn

From Q's teacher...
Hi. You have received this note because of your acquaintance with the family of the student listed below. Our class is collecting postcards. We would love to have one from you to add to our collection. Every time we get a postcard, we will read the postmark and label that town on our class map. Then we will read the postcard to find out who has sent it to us. If the postcard shows a picture of the place it came from or has information about that town or state, we'll have even more reasons to examine it. We hope you will send us a postcard to add to our collection! Have a good day!

Sincerely,
Sra. Samantha Baksic

Address your postcard to:

Quinn Siebers
Sra. Baksic’s Class
International Spanish Language Academy
12007 Excelsior Blvd.
Hopkins, MN 55443

(I have been fighting a nasty cold, I'll be back soon to share lots of fun stuff I have been making. Thanks in advnace if you can send a postcard to Q's class, he would be so tickled!)

Cool...

2008-01-25T19:04:00.000-06:00

The Recipe For mamarox

3 parts Creativity
2 parts Wit
1 part Enchantment

Splash of Fearlessness

Finish off with an olive

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Where the hell have I been...

2008-01-19T18:31:00.000-06:00

Hanging out, doing stuff, making art and just being. It's quite refreshing, not having deadlines and just being able to create for fun. I have been making plushies and sock creatures and bascially entertaining my inner child.
Mz. Monica and I are doing a plushie swap and just as I was about to mail mine off to her, I got a great idea for her Pink Artist Community Art Doll so I pulled out the wool and started playing. She has some great folks joining her in this breast cancer fundraising event and I know she will create an amazing piece, this girl's work totally ROCKS!!!!!!!!

Here is the piece I did. The idea behind it is simple. I love breasts. They are soft, beautiful and comforting. Their main reason for existence is to feed a child, which I did with all 3 of my offspring, the second reason is their ability to make men completely stupid. I love the power these girls have.

Finally set up a YouTube account...

2007-12-28T13:54:00.001-06:00

This is from 2 years ago but just look at the way this kid rocks.
The band is Famous Last Words, we miss them practicing in the basement...

Happy Boxing Day...

2007-12-26T16:00:00.001-06:00

ELF mode...

2007-12-19T10:36:00.000-06:00

We are having a blast. The kids are really getting in the idea of creating and gifting hand made items. My stress level is low and I am smiling a lot. it's all good.
Won't be around much in the next week or so, having fun with the kids and getting ready to really be in the moment this year.

Here are a few of the items we have been working on, I'll have more to share soon!

Staying home was a great idea...

2007-12-12T09:59:00.001-06:00

We had a lovely weekend. The tree was decorated and so were the cookies.

I am so not a baker but these pre cut, par baked gingerbread men are the bomb.

Defrost, bake and decorate! The house smells divine and the fun can begin pronto.

Robyn's amazing cookies, the girl has mad skillz!

Pocky light sabers!

We also did the chocolate covered pretzels, made some gifts and watched a little Holiday HGTV.

Next up, Chex mix and more gift making! This hand made, low key holiday thing is pretty awesome!!!

This year...

2007-12-06T13:33:00.000-06:00

I am giving myself the gift of Sanity.

Yesterday I decided to drop from the craft sale on Sunday. Not enough product done and complicated childcare arrangements. I will still work on stuff for the I Like You shop and my Etsy store but now I can stay home and finish decorating with the kids this weekend and help them make some presents.

I will NOT get all worked up about presents this year. I found some great stuff on Etsy for the kids and Z will be getting one of these. I will be doing some other handmade stuff and yes Lynn, I will be making Chex Mix.

That's it, I just need to keep reminding myself to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, silly)

Really the only holiday music you need...

2007-12-06T10:50:00.000-06:00

and the winner is...

2007-12-01T14:44:00.001-06:00

Sammy! I will pop your cupcake in the mail on Monday. Thanks to everyone for their comments.
I need to get back to work, I agreed to do a holiday sale on the 9th and I am so very behind...

Bloggy Birthday...

2007-11-28T11:19:00.000-06:00

Here, have a cupcake! I've been blogging for 2 years now, off and on. Made some stuff, met some folks and generally just having a good time.
As a thank you to everyone who stops by to see what silliness I am up to, please leave me a comment and I'll draw a name on Friday and send you your very own wool felt cupcake ornie!

Here are the wee houses I did as well. The doors and windows are needlefelted on. I needed an excuse to buy 2 new pairs of pinking shears (wave and scallop) and the felt is the perfect reason.

I know you all want the details about Vegas. I will share some later, have to get the G rated pix off of hubby's camera first.

2007-11-23T15:10:00.001-06:00

My life sucks...not!

After Holiday Shopping...

2007-11-20T14:53:00.000-06:00

Oh Hell no! Hubby is 40 on Saturday, the Hard Rock called and he really likes Ozzy so... we are off to Vegas!!!

I probably won't be phone blogging cause you know...

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

Have a great weekend everyone. You KNOW I will.

Craft N Draft...

2007-11-20T09:59:00.000-06:00

Craft N Draft: a modern interpretation of my mother's Stitch and Bitch group back in the 70's.

Much beading occured (probably because it is so portable) some knitting was attempted but the snacks and wine were too yummy and I thought that perhaps needlefelting would be a very bad idea, given that I too had enjoyed a pint or 2.

More craft later, and an update on birthday festivities...

I have no idea where this came from originally...

2007-11-15T14:47:00.000-06:00

but it really makes me chuckle...

So, I'm standing at a bus stop and they pull up. A car load of well meaning, bible thumping nut cases that are just frantic!
The middle aged professionally dressed woman rushes forward...She takes my arm and with a trembling voice she asks...."Have you found Jesus?"
Her eyes plead with an urgency that is out of proportion to a bus stop
Now normally I just politely decline the sermon, and free religious paperwork that such folk pawn off on unsuspecting by-standers.
But, unfortunately for her, she is the fourth car to accost me in the last 9 minutes. So by now I'm beginning to wonder what the heck is wrong with these people.
I mean if its not Christians it is the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Can a simple Druid get no peace?
So calmly as I can muster, without being sarcastic I reply, "You people lost him, again??"
The woman looks confused. This is not the response she was hoping for and she needs to regroup.
She takes a deep breath intending to launch into her sales pitch for her God, and church, paying no heed to the concept that I might not be into being converted.
I decide to not let her get going so I launch into a speech of my own...
"What is wrong with you Christians? Every time I turn around you've lost Him!" I hit her with a glare of accusation. "I mean really..." I take a measured breath. "How do you expect to have anyone follow a deity that you can't even find!"
The poor woman looks stunned. This isn't going so good. Panicked she looks desperately to the car...
Surely one of the men can help.... Undaunted I press on...
"Maybe the problem is with you people... I mean Muslims never seem to loose their deity. Come to think of it neither do Jews, or Pagans of any kind." I look at the man getting out of the car. He's all smiles.
"I realize you people used to burn people like me at the stake... What was that about... deity even? I may be a Pagan-heathen, but I have never ever woke up panicked that I couldn't find my Goddess or God. They are always right where they should be... In the fire of my candle, in the air that I breath, in the earth that I stand on, in the water of my spring. I never feel abandoned by my deity(ies)."
"Of course, you Christians aren't much fun..." I continue. By now they are all out of the car. Befuddled, aghast, and at a loss for words.
"Of course," I offer trying to give them some defense for losing Jesus. "He could have left due to religious differences. If I remember correctly he was Jewish. So if you are really so eager to find him..."
I smile gently to soften the blow. "Check the nearest synagogue. He's probably in there. Also you folks should try and remember that this is America... Where freedom of religion means ALL religions."
Slowly they climb back into their car and drive away. I stand at the bus stop... No pamphlets, no bible, no dogma. I haven't found Jesus, but I haven't lost him either.
Someone sent this to you because they believe no one can have to much Deity. It is a blessing in disguise. You can keep it to your self or pass it on. Oh, and if you've found Jesus, please get his face on the evening news A.S.A.P so the Christians can stop looking for him.

Not really a holiday post...

2007-11-14T10:29:00.000-06:00

ok, maybe just a tiny bit. Like many other people, I had to check out the MarthaStewart stuff at Kmart, fun indeed.

I was pretty good and only bought these place mats so I can cut them apart and make pillows. I love the mod style graphics of those trees!

Speaking of mod, I picked up a copy of Victoria the other day. I used to LOVE this magazine, used it for inspiration for my wedding (13 years ago) but it's not me anymore.

I find I am much more about clean lines and mid century design now. My new fave home magazine is Cottage Living.

I was going to write some more but I have just experinced a huge brain fart, so I think I will just go have some lunch and cut up some sweaters. See ya...

November Fun...

2007-11-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

Our school made the local paper front page!
The kids are pictured coloring Day of the Dead skull masks.
As a start up parent –teacher organization we needed a way to start generating funds. Rather than just have a fundraiser just for the sake of fundraising, we felt we needed our event to reflect our mission statement. Which is to...
“Enhance the educational and social experiences that our children have at ISLA by enriching the curriculum and providing the school community with social activities.” I was the Chair for this event and it totally rocked. Unfortunately I didn't take a single picture, I was so busy playing hostess and cruise director. I even asked my friend Ronda to make a set of skulls for me for earrings, they were a big hit!

This Day of the Dead celebration was a wonderful family event celebrating the unity between life and death and a way to honor loved ones that have died. We had crafts including tissue paper flowers and skull masks, face painting, Loteria and pan de Muertos (bread of the dead). One of our moms painted a giant sugar skull face and turned it into a bean bag toss game.
We didn't do an alter this year (didn't want to freak people out) but maybe next year.

I think this is going to become one of my favorite holidays ...

On turning 40...

2007-11-08T13:53:00.000-06:00

I have to say... no big whoop.

On Tuesday, the sun rose, just like it always does, the kids woke up smiling and my Diet Coke was waiting in the fridge for me.

I spent the day with my sister and Mom at the MOA, playing hookey. We ate fabulous sushi at Tiger Sushi and wondered what it is about this time of year that makes designers say "hell yes, Lurex is an awesome thing to add to clothing".

For the evening, hubby asked folks to join us at Jimmy's, my new favorite place on the planet. They have this Gorgonzola and Mushroom Gratin shared plate that is to die for!! We had a wonderful array of food and cocktails and even made my dad blush a little bit, and more laughing than should be allowed (especially when you are still coughing up your lungs).

I enjoyed my 30's but I keep hearing from people that the 40's are even better.

I say, Bring it on!

Happy Friday...

2007-11-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Trick or Treat...

2007-11-01T10:04:00.000-05:00

It was a rousing succes! Not too cold. This was Z's first year out and she loved it and was very polite. Robyn had a blast helping her say all the required bits and holding her hand in the dark.

We started the evening with pumpkin soup and sloppy joes at my mom's. My parent's neighborhood is the best for trick or treating. We see the kids we grew up with , with their children and it really turns into a block party.

When we finally got home the big kids had to to the sorting ritual while I put Z to bed. Last year they could keep anything they could get into a gallon ziplock bag.
This year, I gave them quart size instead and they didn't even blink. Anything chocolate that doesn't fit in their bag goes into the MAMA bag and after that we start either throwing it away or I add it to packages I send out.

We love dressing up in our house and the kids have already started thinking about next year. Q noticed some bigger kids running from house to house, not really wearing any costumes, just sports jerseys and he was appalled. I believe his actual words were "how boring!" I love that kid.
We had a chat about how as you get older it isn't really appropriate to Trick or Treat, especially if you don't have a costume. The exceptions being, if you take a younger sibling out or you have a super cool costume.

This is what showed up at my parents toards the end of the evening...

It's a friggin' ghost ship!! We were all very impressed.

Must dash, more festivities tonight and I am the hostess. Just wait till you see what I have been up too!

happy halloween!!!

2007-10-31T07:12:00.000-05:00

Way super fun....

2007-10-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf

Is it too creepy...

2007-10-23T18:53:00.000-05:00

I've been home a week and sick the whole time. My damn lungs decided to rebel and I have been having a heck of time getting my asthma/bronchitis back under control. Lots of rest, coughing and inhaled steroids, as a friend likes to say...good times.

Thanks for all the love regarding the pin swap. I went back and changed the format of the page, I was not diggin' the scroll option. let me know if you like the new lay out better.
Many things to share, some art even.
But now, I need to get jammies on and have some tea, these lungs are tired.

The eyeball pincushion was a sample for a class that ended up being cancelled.

It's done...

2007-10-10T21:25:00.000-05:00

and the faces are in the mail!

Go check it out!

Tons of cool stuff to be seen. This was the biggest turn out yet. The page may take a moment to load, I used a gallery template this time.

Let me know if I need to fix any spelling. I won't be able to get to it until next Wednesday.

Please leave a quick note here when they arrive and share which one you received.

Ok, I am off to finish packing and have a beer.

See you next week!

For Grace...

2007-10-02T16:47:00.001-05:00

The faces are here and silly me, I thought I could get all the faces photographed, web pages set up, get the faces swapped and mailed all before I leave for a little get away on Thursday. Oy! Not going to happen, sorry.
My new goal is to get them in the mail next Wednesday, the 10th of October. trust it's worth the wait, these pins are fabulous!
Thanks for your patience. Happy Tuesday.

I hope to return to blogging more regularly later in October. I miss sharing my art and the goofy things my kids do. Life has been a series of crazy adventures lately, I could use a little more routine in my life.

Fun mail lately...

2007-09-24T17:21:00.001-05:00

The face pins are coming in and boy are they fun. Just wait till you see what folks have been doing. Sorry no photos, don't want to spoil the surprise. There is still time to mail yours in. They have to be here on the 28th.

More updates later. Q wants to cuddle!

Shiver Me Timbers...

2007-09-19T08:10:00.001-05:00

Hubby will be pleased...

2007-09-08T20:20:00.001-05:00

Your Celebrity Boob Twin:

Lucy Lawless

Who's Your Celebrity Boob Twin?

(smirk)

Obligatory First day of School Post...

2007-09-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

It rocked. Spanish Immersion is da bomb! Since it is a brand new charter school, class sizes are tiny. The parents asked for and got a dress code policy. School is located close, we can walk or drive.

Oh yeah, and I am the Vice chair of the PTO.

SCATTERGORIES...

2007-08-28T18:12:00.000-05:00

... and it's harder than it looks! Lora posted this and it looked like fun.
Here are the rules:
* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.*
They MUST be real places, names, things ... NOTHING made up!*
If you can't think of anything, skip it.*
You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.*
If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!
My name: Carol
1. Famous Singer/Band: Cramps
2. Four letter word: Cute
3. Street: Chowen Ave.
4. Color: Coral
5. Gifts/Presents: Candy
6. Vehicle: Corvair
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Can Cosy
8. Boy Name: Carl
9. Girl Name: Casey
10. Movie Title: Cars
11. Drink: Coors (eww)
12. Occupation: Car Hop
13. Celebrity: Coolio
14. Magazine: Cottage Living
15. U.S. City: Canton, OH
16. Pro Sports Teams: Celtics
17. Fruit: Cherries
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Closed Road
19. Something You Throw Away: Crap
20. Things You Shout: CRAP!!!!
21. Cartoon Character: Cindy (from Jimmy Neutron)

Ready, Set, Go...

2007-08-19T12:01:00.000-05:00

Finally, it's time for the much anticipated Beaded Face Brooch Swap 2007!

Create a brooch/pin no larger that 2 ½ x 2 ½ inches.

Anything goes for the face as long as it implies a human face and has some beads.

Polymer clay, buttons, paper clay, image transfer, bead or regular embroidery, what ever strikes your fancy.

This is a 1 -1 swap. Due to me by September 28th.

You must include return postage of $5.00 or a Priority Stamp
and return mailing label. If you do not send return postage, your pin is mine.

International swappers welcome and encouraged.

Please include a note with your real name and screen name, mailing addy, title of your piece and any other info you think might be nice to know about your piece.

All pins will be swapped and mailed the first week of October.

This is a fun, fast swap and great opportunity for all you newbies to try your hand at creating something.

All participants will receive a goody bag with their return pin.

Email me to sign up.

Here are the results of previous swaps…
http://www.sassyartgoddess.com/beaded_face_swap_v2.htm
http://www.sassyartgoddess.com/beaded_face_pin_swap.htm

For more inspiration, take a look at these beauties…

http://www.idianetheface.com/face_gallery.htm

http://home.flash.net/~mjtafoya/projects/polymer/index.htm

http://www.pottedfrog.com/pins.htm

http://takinanap.blogspot.com/2007/05/few-years-ago-on-everyday-matters-yahoo.html

No beads, but you could add them!

http://cqmagonline.com/vol04iss01/articles/404/index.shtml

This article has directions; just ignore the part about nail polish.

zara rox

2007-08-16T17:36:00.001-05:00

zara rox, originally uploaded by mamarox.

messing around with PhotoShop. Z loves to wear Q's boots and of course, her tutu!

From the gardens...

2007-08-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

It's August...

2007-08-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

I didn't say a word but the little gray haired grandma at Target just looked at me and said "summer is almost done and they will be back at school".

We have had a great summer but I think we are all sick of each other. We are craving routine and schedules. only 3 weeks to go...

Holes...

2007-08-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Safe...

2007-08-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

All those near and dear to our hearts are accounted for. Please send a little word to the Universe for everyone involved in this crazy event.

Personal DNA...

2007-07-31T12:29:00.001-05:00

Becka posted this one, it's fun and fairly accurate...

Animated Creator

You are a Creator

Your imagination, confidence, willingness to explore, and appreciation of beauty make you a CREATOR.

You are independent, and you enjoy your self-sufficiency.

Defying convention, you are very innovative, and you have a vivid imagination.

The look of things is important to you, and you have a keen eye for aesthetic beauty in multiple arenas.

You have a strong interest in what is new and exciting—and that includes forging ahead with new ideas, not simply discovering what is already out there.

Your eagerness to seek new and varied experiences leads you into many different situations.

You're not set on one way of doing things, and you are creative when it comes to finding novel solutions to complex problems.

You trust yourself to be innovative and resourceful.

Your confidence allows you to take your general awareness and channel it into creativity.

You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

You are Animated

You are outgoing, comfortable with others, and up for anything, which makes you ANIMATED.

Some people find crowds and parties exhausting, but not you! You are able to be yourself in many situations.

Sometimes it is hard for you to understand why others feel the way they do, but that doesn't stop you from trusting them or having faith that they are good people.

You know the world is complicated and that there is often more than one side to a story, so you are careful not to make judgments about others too hastily.

You would rather experience the world than sit back and observe it—you are not one to sit on the sidelines.

You are an independent thinker and don't get too worried about how others might perceive you—you are not self-conscious about being the active, engaged person that you are.

Although you have a keen understanding of different people's life circumstances, you occasionally have trouble seeing why people get so upset and emotional about things—they should just lighten up and have fun!

In addition to having faith in the world, you have faith in the people around you—you trust others to do the right thing and to be honest.

page 350...

2007-07-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

I stayed up until 3 bloody AM reading. I know better. This is why I gave up reading after my son was born, I am reckless. Nothing gets done and the kids are neglected and I stay up way too late.
You say to your self, just one more page but wait, I don't like stopping mid chapter, I just finish this chapter. Oh, look at the clock, that didn't take very long, ok maybe just one more and the next thing you knowYOu hear the guy who works the early shift start his car. It's like a drug i tell you.

I am going to take a nap.

Poolside...

2007-07-21T16:29:00.001-05:00

Spent all of Saturday at a friend's pool. The kids were in the water for about 6 hours. A lovely day.

Manny...

2007-07-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have a "manny". He prefers to be called Jerry Poppins!
The big kids are at camp and I needed someone to play with Z so I could have a bit of time to myself. Enter A. Delightful kid, hilarious and super with little ones. So far this morning they have played play dough, been in the sand box and played with the Potato Heads.
I got some computer work done and weeded one of the gardens.

I could totally get used to this.

A completely unproductive weekend...

2007-07-16T12:28:00.000-05:00

The kids spent the weekend with the grandparents.
Sure, I could have used the time to tidy the studio, clean the bathrooms, do some laundry or mow the grass. Instead, I attended 2 street dances, drank beer and generally behaved in a very un mommy sort of way. The days were spent watching movies and napping, the nights included much carousing.

I hope everyone had a great weekend too!

Actual crafting...

2007-07-11T11:19:00.001-05:00

These were my class samples.

I taught a summer camp at the textile center yesterday and we had a blast. The kids were young ( 1st grade) but they all completed a robot/monster buddy. I picture these hanging from backpacks.

I was wearing "scary" on my belt loop when the kids arrived so they all wore their friends home on their belt loops.

Have I mentioned that I really like wool felt? Thanks Kelly!

Earlier Today...

2007-07-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Happy Mail Day...

2007-07-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

I arrived home from a friend's house yesterday to a very flat package from Alabama.

A while back Mz. Monica of Girlgonethreadcrazy fame inquired about buying a face mold from me. I am a big fan of this woman's work. Her dolls are awesome and her mixed media art quilts speak to me. I suggested a trade. I have been trying to do trades for art for a little while now. It's a great way to add to my tiny but growing collection of original art.

I sent her roving, the mold she requested, a bunch of fabric collage sheets and a hand made pin cushion. And this, THIS is what I got! (click on the picture to see a bigger view)

I am over the moon for this piece. I have been hanging it in different places around the studio to find it's perfect home.

Monica, thank you thank you, thank you!

Is it easy being green?

2007-07-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you.
Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible.
While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks.
Your warm personality nicely counteracts any strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

I got tagged...

2007-06-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

by a girlgonethreadwild!

Seven very random things about me:

1. My toenails are painted "Lincoln Park After Dark" by OPI

2. I proposed to my hubby via a greeting card.

3. My first car was a 1963 Corvair (my dad's baby, but he let me drive it)

4. It's taken me 3 days to post this much.

5. I will be making quiche again today.

6. My computer really needs to be backed up.

7. I LOVE Jelly Babies but they are super hard to find in the US.

Anatomy of a boy's swim trunks...

2007-06-29T14:33:00.001-05:00

Ok, I recognize that the reason for the mesh lining in swim trunks is to keep "frank and beans" (as they are affectionately referred to in our house) from chafing or escaping or something. However, for my guy they act as nothing more than a sieve. He spends a lot of time cavorting on the bottom of the lake and yesterday when he emerged, there was a full quarter cup of gravel in the bottom of the mesh portion of the trunks! All the finer particles had washed out and he was left with something you could use on a walkway. Can you say uncomfortable? Ick!
I have removed the offending mesh with my trusty Fiskars and my boy is now swimming commando style with the fishies! Life is good.

(Safety day at the beach)

Swim day...

2007-06-28T11:26:00.001-05:00

A tad chilly today. The big kids had their lesson, part of it on on shore. At one point, Z was the only kid in the lake. Talk about a hardy gal. The swim ring is becasue she loves the beach so much and being the water that she will just keep walking out deeper and deeper with no regard for personal safety. I am always close by but this allows her a bit of freedom to float and have fun.

Summer thrifting...

2007-06-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's pretty hard to thrift with the kids along so I try to grab time when Hubby is around. I leave for a few hours, grab a Chocolate Cooler from Caribou and enjoy the wander.

Here are some of my latest finds...

Vintage fabric for some fun tote bags (I am so tired of using just what ever is handy, I want pretty AND functional)

Kids Crafting books loaded with crafty goodness. The Sunset one on the right was originally printed in 1968, check out one of my favorite images from the book...

2 loop looms and oodles of loops, the perfect quiet time activity.

Cotton sheets for making sleep pants and maybe a few totes.

But wait, there's more...

Lovely canvas tableclothes for...

a retired, chipped Fiesta mug, thought it would be a cute plant container and a roll of vintage contact paper. How do I know it's vintage? It's the same stuff my Mom used to covered a set of recycled coffee cans for her kitchen in 1970 or so. I just barely remember them but how crafty cool is my mom?

Summer hair...

2007-06-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

So much easier for swimming and staying cool. We got temporary hair color and love to to add green and purple streaks. Q's requires water resistant hair glue to stay up but it looks so cool. even down, it's got the rocker vibe.

I Surrender...

2007-06-20T17:15:00.000-05:00

Being an artist and a mom sucks right now so... I am taking a break and just doing the mom thing. I will blog and carve out creative time alone ( I MUST) but I have to give up on the idea of doing it all. Very little product will be produced for awhile. I have a stack of skirts and totes I would like to work on so, That's what I am going to do. Just putter in the studio and the garden. My kids are home for the summer and I need to play camp counselor.

I am no longer able to multitask. Why? Because of brain fog. I was hoping my thyroid was out of whack, then I thought maybe the depression was kicking in or something but after talking with the DR. it turns out I'm in perimenopause, as London Tipton would say "Yay, Me!" and unlike most folks I can not take estrogen, I have some clotting issues, so, I am scaling back, consulting with my chiropracter and acupuncturist, saying "No" to things and trying to chill out.
The upside to all this is that I am getting a great tan and I should have some gorgeous garden photos soon.

Next up, summer haircuts!

More experiments with wool dyeing...

2007-06-17T17:47:00.000-05:00

Lots of fun playing with Kool Aid and food coloring.
This is a piece of 20 wool/ 80 rayon dyed in orange, one side is darker than the other

Pink lemonade Kool Aid

Berry Blue Kool Aid

Cherry kool aid and then over dyed in food coloring purple (heavy on the blue)

Food coloring orange.
Berry blue and pink lemonade
This was all done in the kitchen, in fits and starts, I just tend to mess around and see what happens. the kool aid is fun but could get expensive if you needed to do lots of felt. I just did half sheet sizes since we use the felt for doll adornments and what not.
Next up is to mix in a thickner and try painting on the wool.
Happy Second Week of Summer Break!

2007-06-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

TGIF...

2007-06-08T15:53:00.000-05:00

Hope your day is going well. Today is the last day for my kids at their neighborhood school. Ever.
It sucks and I am still mad, but we will have ice cream at DQ and carry on...

High winds and and chance of...

2007-06-07T16:11:00.000-05:00

panic attacks. Poor Q. He has an over active imagination and is really quite sensitive. A few weeks ago the kids had to sit in the hallway at school for 45 minutes during some severe weather. Ever since, anytime the wind picks up or the skys get gray he freaks and wants to know if there will be a tornado. We have been checking weather radar hourly for several days. yesterday was rainy and the sirens went off! It was the first of the month test but I totally forgot to warn him. He got through it, barely.

So today the forecast included a pretty good chance of severe weather. I thought it would be a good idea to give him a heads up, rather than freaking at school and ending up curled in a ball in the nurse's office. I tried to explain that it was similar to me having all the ingredients to make a chocolate cake here at home but that I probably wouldn't make one. we have the ingredients for a storm: wind shear, humidity and a cold front but we most likely won't have one.

Well... he cried and whimpered and sobbed for a few hours this morning and ran through all sorts of horrble scenarios. The second to last day of school and they were going to go to a movie and have popcorn and everything and he decided to stay home with me and check the weather every 20 minutes.

As of right now, the sky's are still sunny, it's warm and muggy. Maybe i DO need to make chocolate cake. or have a beer.

In other news, Baby Z loves Chicken Masala with brown rice (from trader Joe's), she kept eating from my plate today

SUMMER IS HERE!!!!

2007-06-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

Today I'm writing something,BIG NEWS, my school is closing Friday,and Friday is the last day of school.Next year ,I will go to ISLA.I can't belive summer is really here.!!This summer I am taking summer day camp. At summer day camp, there will be art,dance,music,games,and swimming lesons!Can't you belive it!!

LOVE:ROBYN,CAROL'S DAUGHTER.

Wednesday Night Fun...

2007-06-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

Attended a training session at the Textile Center on Wednesday. Sort of gearing up for summer camp classes and what not, plus it was a great way to get together with the other teachers and play! We did wet felting. I have always been intrigued by it but the idea of being wet and soapy for any length of time was a great deterrent. My hands don't do well with that combo, I get all red and flaky and very uncomfortable. Enter olive oil soap from Bryn Mawr Soap, our fearless leader Becka knows these folks and loves their products. So the soap was chopped up and mixed with warm water to make a rather viscous mixture and we used this to aid in the wet felting. My hands were so happy and we all had a blast. First we made bead/geodes, an easy 1 hour project to do with kids and or grown ups.

Next we tried creating sheets of felted wool for inlay, this was great fun. Each person did one color and then we traded pieces to to great a final project.

here's my final piece. I am planning on adding some beads and who knows what else.

So then we got to talking about other methods of dyeing wool and Becka showed us how easy it is to dye roving in Kool Aid. I had read about this before but had no idea how freakin' easy it was. I love roving for needle work and then I started asking questions about using wool felt and the Kool Aid. Nobody had tried it and there was some doubt that it would work.

Being a member of the "What Happens When I do This" Club I decided to have a go at it. Stopped in at JoAnn's yesterday, they also have some great linen on sale. I bought 2 yards of a 100% wool, cream colored felt using the coupon.
My initial plan was to wash it in Synthrapol but I didn't want to wait. Having no Kool Aid in stock (yuck for drinking) I pulled out the food coloring. Dumped some in a measuring cup (green and yellow) added a bit of vinegar (Kool Aid had citric acid) and dropped in a bit of wool right of the yardage. I microwaved it for 2 minutes and let it rest for a bit and this is what I got...

A very forest-y color. So now I'm thinking cool, I don't need to wash the fabric and gosh I have all this dye left over. So i grabbed a bigger piece of felt and crumpled it up (I was hoping for a mottled effect or whatever) and stuffed it in the cup... Again I zapped it for a few minutes and let it rest and then I noticed the water was getting clearer so I pulled out my wool, gave it a quick rinse and check this out!

Now I want to go get the Kool Aid, mostly because the colors are premixed and turn out so vibrant, here's a chart so you can see what I mean.

Ok, the sun is shining, I'm going to go for a walk. have a great weekend!

Hand Made Nation...

2007-05-29T17:25:00.001-05:00

How cool is this!

another trip out west

2007-05-20T16:24:00.000-05:00

arrived thursday night, grabbed some food, gabbed with my sis, Nik and hit the hay. we stayed at the Broadway Manor, a simple place but clean and very centrally located and you just can't beat the price.

Friday was spent shopping in Union square. Not much in the mood to photo, it was dang nippy! Nik had to work, so we entertained ourselves at the Westfield Mall food court, awesome! and shopped at a really big H & M.

That night we had dinner at RNM which happens to be right across the street from Lower Haters. Nik knows everyone there and let's just say we were REALLY well cared for, if you go, try the mac n' cheese, and the pork tostadas and the dungenese crab salad.

saturday we went to the Ferry Plaza farmer's market!!!! OMG, all that fresh produce and gorgeous flowers.

Plus, deep fried asparagus, yummy. We had lunch, shrimp cocktail for me and a Diet coke. we sat out and soaked up the sun. After that we headed north over the golden gate bridge towards Napa.

More pictures are here...

I am invoking my right as a Big Sister ...

2007-05-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

to brag just a wee bit.
This is my sister's shop in the Lower Haight.

To check out the "Best Of" article:
http://bestof.sfweekly.com/bestof/award.php?award=563362&year=

Best Neighborhood Clothing Shop
Lower Haters
597 Haight (at Steiner), 415.864.6549, www.lowerhater.com
Hours: Tues-Sun 12pm-7pm
"True, the youthful gallery/clothing store Upper Playground is a block away and they, too, love to represent their vibrant Lower Haight digs with a selection of street art and fashion wares that celebrate the area's natural and artificial funkiness. The newer boutique Lower Hater has a similarly rooted aesthetic in DJ/music culture, but it goes just one step beyond by emblazoning their fierce hood pride right on the storefront with a puntastic name. Original items like Lower Hater sticker packs and "4-1-5 Contact High" T-shirts (the latter a brilliant spoof of the '80s PBS television show 3-2-1 Contact) are perfect, hyper-localized finds for travelers who don't want to do the typical touristy thing, even in their mementos of a journey."

How cool is that!

I will be back soon to share msome of our adventures out West. I am also adding pictures to my Flickr pages, loads of flowers and stuff.

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