a paint brush in mourning...

Chicago to Boston Part 3

2011-08-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

We loaded into Mari's car. The a/c was broken. That's right...

Road trip through the Midwest. In July. Delightful!

Fried Pickles at Green River Diner, Indiana.

Stopped at Indiana Dunes State Park for a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan. Muggy, muggy Lake Michigan.

Hello Cleveland!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

"Amplifier Stack" invented by John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

www.johncipollina.com/rock.html

Grilled cheese from a restaurant in Cleveland that relies primarily on its own garden for most menu items. I was pretty impressed with the sustainable/locally grown food movement I encountered in some parts of Cleveland and most of Boston.

Heidelberg Project in Detroit:

Heidelberg Project Website

The focus of the Heidelberg Project (HP) is rooted in the need to improve the under-resourced and horribly blighted Detroit community where the project was founded.

We continue this mission, as we began, by providing hope and inspiration to local children through art and education programs and hands-on workshops.

Managed to find a vegan cafe in Rochester, NY.

Drank some Kombucha in efforts to recover after consuming copious amounts of gas station food.

Our route:

Pics from Boston Adventures!

Isaac took us out on a sailboat!

Freedom Trail:

Chicago to Boston Part 2

2011-08-11T13:31:00.001-07:00

Farmers Market Oak Park Style

This particular market takes place in a church parking lot.

Volunteers wake up at 4 am and make homemade donuts to sell at market. Profits benefit the church. The line is very long and it.is.totally.worth.it.

Farmers Market banjo time!

I made my way over to Hinsdale and visited Sandi and Tom.

Meet Sammy. "I am treated like a tiny human! I love you!"

We paid a visit to Great Aunt Lois. She is currently recovering from a recent fall and is living at a rehab center. Unfortunately, she didn't know who I was. We had a nice conversation anyways. I asked her what it was like attending the Art Institute of Chicago and she had no trouble recalling the time she spent there learning to paint and draw under the tutelage of some very talented artists and professors. I love this woman dearly, and it was hard to watch her struggle to put sentences together.

Seeing her made me think about all of the wonderful holidays we spent together with my grandfather (her brother) and my grandmother. It's hard to believe that just 11 years ago everyone was alive and moving around without wheelchairs or oxygen tanks. I will always cherish the Christmas mornings we had together, complete with stockings (handmade by Grandma), a new set of paints or brushes (from Lois) under the tree, and old fashioned donuts I always asked Grandpa to bring back from his daily 6 am visit to the Buttercream Bakery. Lois would open her stocking to find various types of candy- she'd read every single ingredient listed on each candy label out loud while Grandma rolled her eyes. Grandpa would turn on golf or baseball and zone out until it was our turn to open something he had lovingly picked out with Grandma. Their eyes would light up as we opened their gifts and squealed. We'd usually spend the whole day together playing games and eating stocking stuffers/whatever delicious spread Dad cooked up that year. I miss those days.

Sandi dropped me off at the train station after our visit.

I took an architectural tour of the city via boat.

Fantastic way to see the city!

Willis (Sears) Tower

"Corn Cob Towers"

Also called Marina City-very 60s

The Windy City

Stopped at Navy Pier (basically Pier 39 but with McDonalds and party boats)

Met up with Mari and Isaac for Deep Dish!

2 pints Blue Moon + Deep Dish = food coma

Evening activity: Outdoor art and music festival.

Mashups galore

Chicago to Boston Part 1

2011-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

After landing in Chicago about an hour late (summer storms delayed our arrival), I jumped on the L and headed downtown. Chicago is pretty gross in the summer, but I was happy to find out that their trains and buses have A/C.

I got off in the downtown area and explored a bit.

I found an art store and picked up a miniature sized sketch book and some Micron pens for sketching. I knew I'd want to draw at the sculpture park I was hoping to find on my walk. After checking out Reckless Records and sorting through a great collection of used vinyl, I picked up a vegetarian (awesome, right?) Chicago style hot dog.

I finally found Millenium Park and found a spot to people watch near the Crown Fountain. The pillars of Crown Fountain are composed of LED screens that project the faces of Chicago residents. Their faces change expression and spit water on visiting children every half hour or so.

My mom's cousins picked me up and took me on the famous "Art Spooner Tour of Chicago!"

Art and Sher showed me Hyde Park, the site of The University of Chicago as well as Obama's house which is guarded by several men with guns (they don't allow you to take pictures or slow down in your car) so I don't have a picture of that. We eventually headed toward the water and checked out an incredible view of the Chicago skyline.

The site of the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction. A few Vonnegut quotes crept into my head.

Frank Lloyd Wright's house where I admired his work and learned about what a spectacularly responsible and loving family man he was!

The crickets there are so loud they sound like fire alarms. Listen:

Speaking of bugs, I got to see fireflies for the first time that night. We ended the evening with a Chicago style dessert. I ordered Watermelon and Cantaloupe- very refreshing.

don't let your hamster drive

2011-07-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

but my hamster loves to drive!

I'm off to Chicago tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping I've figured out the mobile device hook up for Blogger so I can post from my phone during my travels.

On another completely unrelated note (well not really unrelated if you know me well), here are some hamster related things:

State Bird and Flower Series

2010-09-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Rhode Island

Washington

Illinois

Knitting Naughty

2010-08-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Work by Naughty Needles

Salt Point Puzzle Pieces

2010-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Poke a fire, take a hike, tidepool over load

Summer Sketchbook

2010-08-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Detail

Crafty

2010-08-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Cuteness provided by:

http://anapaulaoli.etsy.com

and

http://maryink.etsy.com

You have my heart, BT

2010-08-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Don't these two look good together? I want!

Work by: MultiplePersonality.etsy.com and AbeAndElsie.etsy.com

Feeling Stitchy?

2010-08-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous work from http://www.feelingstitchy.com/

Noise Pop

2010-02-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Noise Pop Festival time!

man o man, saw one of the best concerts of my life last night. Thao Nguyen and Mirah at the Swedish American Music Hall. Thao is a more exciting version of Cat Power. She's not on as many downers. Or uppers. Whatever. She's awesome.

More Ayumi

2009-09-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Love it!

"shroom harvest"

Hula hoop Harvest with a Sloth

2009-09-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Check out Ayumi Piland's work. The sloth postcard originally caught my eye. I found it through Little Otsu, an independent San Francisco based publishing company. Their storefront is located at 849 Valencia, a place I usually wander around in for an hour even though it's the size of a walk- in closet.

Screen Printed Glassware

2009-09-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ninainvorm screen prints on vintage glassware.

I have no idea how this is done, but I love it!

Returning the Favor

2009-08-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you Mari, for the wonderful shout out you gave me on your fantastic blog Projects to Finish Someday. Mari has been diligently updating her blog with wonderful ideas for projects for over a year now. Some she completes, some she writes down. Her creativity and motivation inspire me daily. Here are a few of my favorites from Projects to Finish Someday:

Her Valentines Day Card from 2009.

The most current version of the tattoo she plans to get done.

Pencil cases anyone?

New Work posted at bluemagnolia.etsy.com

2009-08-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

New work kids

bluemagnolia.etsy.com

BIG SUR BLISS

2009-08-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

click flora for trail map

Lips

2009-05-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Andy Warhol, 1959

New Esty Shop Logo

2009-05-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Old one:

New one:

I've updated my items, changed prices, altered the art print sizes, and have decided to stop selling jewelry. Why did I decide to stop selling jewelry? Umm... it probably has to do something with the fact that no one ever bought any. Magnolia Papers will open after I'm back from DC!

bluemagnolia.etsy.com

I'm Back!

2009-05-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

After a great adventure working on an organic farm in Hawaii, I'm happy to be back and creating/finding art again. After working for a few hours in the yard and practicing mandolin, I thought I'd top of a great day with one more thing I love: gnome art. I'm an old lady with a kitsch fetish. Although this artist is certainly not kitschy, she combines my two of favorite mediums: thread and paint.

http://mimiloveforever.blogspot.com

She also sells on etsy. Look out for a notice about my shop opening again, it's getting there.

pop deluxe

2009-03-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

I love Pantone Color coffee cups:

http://store.popdeluxe.net/pantone-mug-cup-set.html

Pantone Coffee/Tea Mug Set #TWO
"Pantone Coffee/Tea Mug Set #TWO will make any office or kitchen sparkle with colour. An additional set of 10 coloured mugs to compliment the original primary ones. Pantone references for the mugs are as follows: PAPRIKA 179 C, BABY BLUE 292 C, LAGOON BLUE 3025 C, DUCK EGG BLUE 337 C, PEA GREEN 363 C, GRAY (cool gray) 10 C, CHOCOLATE 732 C, MUSTARD 130 C, GRAPE 520 C, TURQUOISE 3272 C. In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system of identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community. His insight that the spectrum is seen and interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM®, a book of standardized color in fan format.

Over the last 45 years, Pantone has expanded its color matching system concept to other color-critical industries, including digital technology, textiles, plastics, architecture and contract interiors, and paint. It continues to develop color communication tools for a variety of industries and aggressively adopts new digital technology to address the color needs of design and production professionals."

New Finds

2009-03-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not normally a fan of leather goods (at least things you can easily find made of synthetic fibers if you wanted to), but here are some beautiful products by Flight Path Designs:

Cute Contest

2009-03-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Okay...

Hedgehog with broken arms,

stuffed mini hamster,

or disabled dog with wheelchair?

Hamster Dance!

2009-03-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2009/02/hamster-dance.html

Thanks Ahmed!

2009-02-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

4 drawings

2009-02-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

soon to be painted:

New Projects

2009-02-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

Carnelian Set

Watercolor and Pastel

Dansko Fever

2009-02-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

http://zapp.me/7500807

Plushies

2009-02-18T22:10:00.002-08:00

Plush Owl and Bird by a blogger at

http://flickr.com/photos/lovarevolutionary/3285363121/in/pool-embroideredstuff/

Combining embroidery and cotton material was

tough to work with but interesting...

My version:

Yani has named him Herman.

Heart Overload

2009-02-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2009/01/heart-overload.html

Wearable Hamburger!

2009-02-17T17:34:00.001-08:00

Thanks Cathleen!

http://www.joykampia.com/

Dog beach. Moss. Pink. Love.

2009-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

KITTENS INSPIRED BY KITTENS

2009-02-15T13:10:00.001-08:00

Dreamy

2009-02-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

garnishhome.etsy.com

Newest love on Etsy

2009-02-14T10:01:00.001-08:00

Woolpets! Anyone want to order a kit with me and try it? I've never felted before.

www.woolpets.com

Art Shirt Purchase!

2009-02-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Rooster shirts rule

I got this one in green

Screen Printed Favorites

2009-01-31T23:49:00.000-08:00

rainbowswirlz.etsy.com

comaandcotton.etsy.com

melissavest.etsy.com

comaandcotton.etsy.com

New Skirt and Dish Towels

2009-01-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

New patchwork dish towels for the kitchen!

Robin- This skirt is officially yours considering I can't fit my butt into it because I screwed up the measurements. Congrats on my misfortune! I'm not going to call you and tell you about your new skirt because I want to see if you actually read my blog.

Taking embroidery to a whole new level

2009-01-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

pasaiipaperie.etsy.com

Day of the Dead

2009-01-25T23:22:00.001-08:00

I just bought this "Sublime Stitching" pattern at Stonemountain Daughter Fabric Store. I'm thinking about stitching the pattern on black fabric and then sewing it as a patch on my mandolin case:

Two new skirt ideas

2009-01-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

The wrap around and the elastic waistband seem fairly hard to screw up.

Bianca is a big, big girl!

2009-01-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

Lars: You don't care.

Karin: We don't care? We do care!

Lars: No you don't.

Karin: That is just not true! God! Every person in this town bends over backward to make Bianca feel at home. Why do you think she has so many places to go and so much to do? Huh? Huh? Because of you! Because - all these people - love you! We push her wheelchair. We drive her to work. We drive her home. We wash her. We dress her. We get her up, and put her to bed. We carry her. And she is not petite, Lars. Bianca is a big, big girl!

I just watched "Lars and the Real Girl" and I loved it. The movie follows a 27 year old man named Lars, who orders a life-sized doll named Bianca in the mail and convinces himself that she's alive. To be exact, she is his half Danish, half Brazilian girlfriend. I read a New York Times review stating that the movie came off as calculated. Their writer also argues that the storyline takes mental illness lightly. I work with kids who will most likely grow into adults like Lars, and not only do I think this movie is realistic (although I might argue that the ending is a little too clean and simple), I can only hope my kids use a doll at some point to get past childhood trauma rather than killing someone and spending their lives in prison. Bianca turns out to be a positive force in Lars' life rather than something that ultimately pushes him into insanity (this is the outcome anticipated by his family). Bianca provides Lars someone (a vessel if you will) to place his trust in and a starting place to begin his journey in finding his way back to the human race. Although Lars' psycho-emotional issues are packaged fairly neatly in this story, I don't feel this movie takes any of his own struggles with mental illness lightly.

I work with a child who vacillates between believing that he is Anakin Skywalker and that he lives and works on a spaceship. I also work with a kid who is 12 and violated his probation today by running around the surrounding wilderness of our school, throwing glass bottles full of pee at us while screaming racially charged profanity at our neighbors. The sheriff came and arrested him. I'd rather he have a light saber or a doll named Bianca. Anakin and Lars are going to be okay. I think this thought is what really made me cry during this movie. Although, Lars dancing with eyes squeezed shut and fists clenched tight while swaying side to side (to the Talking Heads) was enough by itself to do me in.

Neil

2009-01-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE

I think I'd like to go back home
And take it easy
There's a woman that I'd like to get to know
Living there

Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around,
Everybody knows this is nowhere.

Everybody, everybody knows
Everybody knows.

Every time I think about back home
It's cool and breezy
I wish that I could be there right now
Just passing time.

Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away from this day-to-day running around,
Everybody knows this is nowhere.

Everybody, everybody knows
Everybody knows.

Billy might be sitting next to you

2009-01-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

So I just finished Slaughterhouse Five and it got me thinking. I read the last page on Bart and started to think about how Vonnegut has so accurately described the mystery of seemingly mysterious people one encounters in public. We don't know the person sitting next to us on the 7:47 am Westbound train... they're certainly not only what we've labeled them in our heads: "guy wearing khakis who stares at people a little too long." They're something else entirely and we have no idea what that really is. He might really be "guy who loves bathroom humor and weirds out his housemates, because hey- each time he takes out the trash there's like eight empty bags of cheez-its in the dumpster. He never uses the kitchen, does he only live on cheez-its?"

Maybe this guy has a shoe fetish. Maybe he helps old ladies cross the street. Maybe he kicks small animals when no one's looking and validates it to himself because he's unhappy with his job (or he ran out of cheez-its). The point is, Billy Pilgrim might be sitting right next to you and you'd better be ready for a strange answer when you ask him for directions. He may have just returned from planet Tralfamadore and he gets a tad disoriented after time-traveling...

"I look at you sometimes," said Valencia, "and I get a funny feeling that you're just full of secrets."

"I'm not," said Billy. This was a lie, of course. He hadn't told anybody about all the time-traveling he'd done, about Tralfamadore and so on.

"You must have secrets about the war. Or, not secrets, I guess, but things you don't want to talk about."

"No."

"I'm proud you were a soldier. Do you know that?"

"Good."

"Was it awful?"

"Sometimes." A crazy thought now occurred to Billy. The truth of it startled him. It would make a good epitaph for Billy Pilgrim- and for me too.

-Slaughterhouse Five

Pg. 121

New Year Goals

2009-01-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

Must take up metal work and gocco printing.

prolifiquejewelry.etsy.com

papermenagerie.etsy.com

2nd day stuck at home with cold

2009-01-08T13:54:00.001-08:00

This is what I made:

First attempt

(yes that's right the zipper has been sewn in between both pieces of

fabric and can't be seen nor accessed... neat!)

Second attempt

(zipper is sloppily sewn in and the inside is well... best kept inside)

Third attempt

(screw the zipper idea!)

Anyone want this little green pouch? You could fit chapstick, pills, jewelry, etc. Unfortunately it's about 2 cm. too small for business cards. The seams on the back of it are a little crooked. How do people sell these on etsy for $7.00? This took me about half of my day! This pouch is worth $150.00 and I'm giving it away so someone call dibs.

Beautiful work from Jim and Gina

2009-01-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

I've got to take up pottery again. Perhaps I'll try to use Barbara's space when the weather turns. I miss the wheel!

JimAndGina.etsy.com

2009-01-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

Adorable.

BluebirdMountain.etsy.com

Oh Katrina

2009-01-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

Nasturtiums and a catnip carrot

Soon to be 58 coin purses

2009-01-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

New fabrics from Stonemountain's Daughter

Rabbits and Matryoshka Dolls

Paint by Numbers!

Jenny Hart inspired vintage hankie

2009-01-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

I made this and learned cross stitch. split stitch. back stitch.

Pincushion Pattern

2009-01-05T23:26:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know how to make these?

If you do, please share.

Going broke on felted rodents

2009-01-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

Uh Oh. Someone stage an intervention!

I'm tempted to spend my savings on the following

felted creatures and their friends listed on this website:

TheHouseOfMouse.etsy.com

Luke Skywalker Mouse

Frida Kahlo Mouse

Vincent Van Gogh Mouse

Homemade shoes anyone?

2009-01-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

HydraHeart.etsy.com

2009-01-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.jennyhart.net/

Berkeley Rose Garden

2009-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Angel Face Roses and old friends

Hummingbird and rare human species

A cello player gave us a show

gnome series inspired by yellow gnome curtains

2009-01-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Will soon post picture of the hand sewn gnome curtains that started it all. I like to point out the fact that they were hand sewn, mainly because they are uneven and a bit sloppy. If I had Hello Kitty around, they'd be lookin' fine.

2009-01-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.'"
- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Loving Yosemite

2009-01-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

Butters Exclusive Music Video

2009-01-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Butters starred in an exclusive music video featuring "Girlfriend is Better" by the Talking Heads in early 2008. This footage has not been posted, as Butters is moving onto bigger and better projects in the film industry and would like to be taken more seriously.

Dear Deer Embroidery

2009-01-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

Sewing Pretty with Hello Kitty

2009-01-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and have commenced cutting up my clothes for the sake of art. Luckily, most of it has turned out just fine. Keep in mind the Jackson Browne patch was sewn on with the intention of looking artsy and crooked.

First sign of pigs flying

2007-08-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

I sold my first pack of cards today!
August 2007

SuperAwesome.

2007-08-31T18:03:00.001-07:00

I'm off to see Superbad. Should be Supergreat. I'm going to go eat some super pasta now.

2006-09-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

an error in judgment

2006-07-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

image: Joseph Cornell
August, 2005
A succession of strange events: After ten minutes in line for security and the battery on my IPOD giving out before I was even in the waiting room, a woman checked my boarding pass and handed me a red ticket. “You’ve been selected for additional screening today ma’am. Please replace the subtle, unsuspecting, grey bin which the other passengers are enjoying, with a bright red, glow-in-the dark bin so everyone knows you’re a potential terrorist.” So I did. “Now stand in the HOLDING CELL to your left. Stand there in the 5’ by 5’ square surrounded by glass panels and yellow tape and proceed to be on display for an undetermined period of time until another disgruntled employee with a Dorothy Hamill haircut lets you out of the ‘Box of Evil.’” So I did. Then the disgruntled employee with the bad haircut put me in another Box of Evil and frisked me while her friend swabbed my purse looking for bomb residue… while staring at me in the Box of Evil. The Box of Evil seemed to rub off on me, and I'm now agitated. I'm thinking, “YOU go stand in the Box of Evil you crazy ice skating fanatic ass face!” Then she told me to have nice day and I got on a plane destined for Sacramento.
The next day my mom and I decided to take a walk. Within a couple of blocks of reaching our house, a small yellow cat yelped out for our attention. Against my mother’s persistent advisement to NOT touch the cat, I pet the cat. It was a sad cat. “It’ll follow you home! Don’t do it!” I pet the cat and it followed me home. Mom says ” This is your fault. Now it’s lost. It’ll probably die.” Oh man, the cat’s going to die. Sad cat. Very sad cat. I hoisted Sad Cat into my old Toyota and drove it back to the place I found it. These stories for some reason or another seem to go together.

Ode to Magritte

2006-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

vagina or flower?
i say neither one. i think it's just a painting.

fish with disabilities

2006-06-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Comic by:

Toothpaste for Breakfast

I found pictures and dental floss in a suitcase today...

2006-06-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

take walk in flowers, see a lizard.
give an old man a smile, let him tell you about the time he replaced his roof in 1973. he did it by hand, and no one seems to know how to do it right anymore.
drink mint tea and pet your cat. humor yourself and squint your eyes. this way it will look right and all of it makes a little more sense. the irony fades just enough to welcome in some sunlight.