KNITTING + NPR

pea green + robin's egg blue

Last night I started a new knitting project. Since I only know how to do 1 stitch, make a scarf + have never completed a project, I'm just practicing~ keeping my hands busy.

Have you seen Jess Hutchison's Big Toy?

******************************

Recently I asked a few friends what they consider to be the litmus for being an NPR Dork (the word "Dork" being used in the most loving way).

My favorite answer:
You dream of having Carl Kasell's voice on your home answering machine.

As a self proclaimed NPR Dork, my answer:

When Michael Feldman asks "Whad'Ya know?" you actually reply "Not much, you?"

If you have any idea what I am talking about, I would love to hear your answer.

MAKIN' BLUE MONSTERS

After so many months standing at the press + working in my studio I decided to take a break + keep my fingers active with some fun projects that allow me to sit in the living room, under the ceiling fan. So...I'm makin' Blue Monsters.

I made my first Blue Monster around the time I first discovered blogs. I became completely engrossed in the world of Moopy + Me, with her use of vintage fabrics to make Moopys. I started looking around at all the scraps that were too small for book covers + I came up with a couple softie characters, blue monster + his owl friend. The original Blue Monster prototype travels with me on vacations + is the only one with the same felted blue wool on both sides. All monsters made after him have a solid blue front + a vintage print on the back.

These monsters are headed to Massachusetts.

I love their little tushies

{ON A WEDNESDAY}

Co-workers with gardens bring me gifts because I am always so appreciative + because they usually have too much. I tell myself every year that I'm going to start a garden.

This is my favorite belt + I have not worn it in such a long time. I eyed it at The Nashville Flea Market for several months + then it was gone! My boy had bought it + gave it to me for Christmas.

****************************

I have been exchanging e-mails with a local paper artist whose work I saw the same night as The Print Show opening. She just e-mailed me with a link to her Flickr account + you must check it out (man, that's bossy, sorry). The Seapod Book is my absolute favorite. Several of these pieces were in a group show + are absolutely stunning in person!

FOR THE RECORD...

• I don't have Erectile Dysfunction because I don't even have a penis. Wait, let me check...nope.
• I don't want to order any erectile dysfunction medications from Canada. I greatly appreciate your concerns about my sex life, but I still don't have a penis.
• Thanks for e-mailing me + letting me know that I not only won the Western Australian Lottery, but The Swiss Lottery + Lotto Italliano too! Funny thing... I can't remember buying a ticket, giving anyone my e-mail or even traveling to your country.
• Dear Mr. Prince of Nigeria, I'm sorry about your money issues, but I've got some of my own + can't help you out today.
• Because of the above mentioned money issues, I'm unable to take advantage of your *HOT* stock tips, but thanks for passing them along.
• What? My on-line account with your bank has been compromised? Wow! I'm shocked to find out that I have money in an account I did not even know about. Thanks for letting me know, I'll withdraw all funds promptly + take my boyfriend out for a nice dinner.

AND, For the record...

• I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all your comments from yesterday's post + for all the comments along the way. Thank you for reading.

GUESS WHAT?...

I have finished all the printing for the wedding commission! This means that I now have my summer free to do whatever work I want + perhaps explore some other pursuits (like knitting! remember this?).

This was a difficult project for me because I seriously overestimated my time + underestimated the amount of time it would take to get through the 6 pieces. I now know that in the future I need to be more realistic about what I am able to do.

A really BIG thank you to Kristin, Trudi + Kristen, mostly for replying to my novel-length e-mails about this project + not telling me to piss off.

*******************************

I have started actually turning my computer off at night + turning it off at the source to conserve energy (who knew those little lights used so much power?). I am strapped to a computer at work + realized that I was spending too much time on the darn things. I now limit my use (like a kid + TV!) + don't mull around too much. It has actually made a difference in my evening home life.

Now go enjoy your evening!

FOR THE LOVE OF COACH (pt 1) BLOG FRIENDS (pt 2)

pt.1
I think I may have said this before, but when making purchases I tend to follow 2 beliefs:

1. Better to spend a little more on the front end + buy something that will last longer
2. I won't wear a label unless the designer pays me.

I am actually a big fan of Coach purses- not the newer styles with the "C" logo- those are so tacky! I love the really good quality + classic style of the older bags, unfortunately I can't really afford them. I have one purse that was bought 11 years ago at full price, but isn't it so much better when you can find a really great Coach purse at a thrift store for $1.49? That was my extremely good luck on Thursday. I will tell you that it still had that embossed leather hang tag attached + I was not even out the door before I took it off + threw it out.

pt. 2
I loved eBay's "People Are Good" 2004 ad campaign. Time + time again this is proven in the craft blog world.

Yesterday I had a really great lunch with Beth from stitch.rip.repeat. We have met a couple times, but had never really sat down + talked. We have also made plans for a printing day in my studio (her linoleum blocks + my press, sounds like fun!) + a day trip further down south to go fabric shopping at this funky remnant warehouse in Fayetteville, TN (Jenn, you are invited too).

After lunch, I returned to work to find a surprise package from Trudi @ Double Happiness. I ran up + down the hall, squealing over the contents... the DVD of Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. Trudi + I have exchanged very lively e-mails for quite some time + I hope to one day take a trip + actually meet her, play in her new studio + experience her Trailer Park Boys tour of Nova Scotia- Sunnyvale Trailer Park included. Thank you!

We are still purging + unpacking from the move, so that's my day.

COME PLAY MY GAME

I have a little game I play every day, it's a silly game, but here it goes:

Actually, I will preface my telling you about the game by saying that at some point I pretty much stopped shopping at regular retail shops + find that the bulk of my closet consists of thrift store finds. The funny thing about thrift store/ yard sale purchases it that we all remember what we paid for each + every item + will proudly tell everyone, even if they don't ask.

Here is my game: every day I tally up the cost of my entire outfit (I don't include undergarments or socks, those are all new purchases + don't count) shoes + jewelry included. Most days I find that the total is around $5.00, but rarely over $10.00.

I have been doing this for years + even when I worked in the men's Polo section at a local department store, I would still come to work in my $5.00-ish vintage thrift store outfits, completely within the dress code, much to the chagrin of my manager.

Exceptions are made when I come across great silkscreened tees at craft shows + right now I have my eye on this really cool skirt (I've contacted her about a commission, but have to wait until I have the funds).

The photo above left is my outfit for today
heathered s/s sweater- .50
wrap skirt- .50
platform sandals- 2.00
--------------------------------
total outfit cost- $3.00

Thanks for playing along.

FLORES {on a wednesday}

A drought in Tennessee is causing everything to turn brown, it is even threatening production at the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. We got a nice steady rain all day yesterday + things are looking a little brighter today.

As for me, I'm still listening to Nina Simone + watching ink dry, waiting to print the menu text.

SOME DAYS...

...I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY.

But I have this to show you:

Printing the tomato vine border for the menu (click photo to enlarge)~
the last piece for the wedding commission. I still have to print the text
then I am D-O-N-E ...done!

I've had Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, sung by Nina Simone, on repeat most of the day~ she was pretty amazing. I would give anything to have seen her perform live.

HEY BRAIN~IT"S NOT A RACE

I’m having one of those mornings where my mind is racing- but it’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a lot going on up there. My body is calm, but my mind is excited.

It’s hot (we all know that) but it’s a dry heat- CA weather down south, which is really mucking up my attempts to finish up the wedding commission printing. My studio, with it’s 5 windows, heats up + because I only use water based inks, it’s very hard to print in these conditions, even with a retardant. Solution: I got up at 7 am to do a really big printing + it worked. I guess there is no sleeping in for me tomorrow morning either...

Did you listen to Ashley G’s podcast interview? Great to put a voice with a face.

While browsing the video store last night I came across the DVD of Betty Blue. Does anyone else remember this movie + was anyone else out there completely obsessed with it in high school? [I went through a French phase in the late 80’s + was completely enamored by Beatrice Dalle, Emmanuelle Seigner + Ines De La Fressange] I have a lot to do today, but will make myself take a break + watch Betty Blue- we’ll see, like with The Great Tape Revisit of ‘07, if it stands the test of time.

Did I mention that it’s hot?

I am in the midst of watching season 2 of Weeds + season 5 of Trailer Park Boys + I realized that I am watching two shows from two different countries + both are about pot growers. Hummmm....

Today I am going to work on a shop update- I still have several handbound journals left from the TACA show, but just have not taken the time to photograph them. I am down to my very last medium Gnome T-shirt + have 5 smalls left, after that they are gone forever as I have no plans to print any more~ it's time for me to move onto some new designs.

Stay cool!

Update: I am happy to report that after all these years, Betty Blue is still a good movie.

1 YR OLD

Today marks one year since I started this blog (coincidentally, this is also my 200th post). I guess it is tradition to celebrate the occasion with a reflection post. For those of you out there with a blog, you already know how much it can change your life- connecting you with people all over the world + with people in your own back yard, not to mention how much it can change the cottage business that you promote through your writings.

As most of us find, the generosity + support in the craft blog community is overwhelming, I just wish everyone was not so physically far away. If I can name names, I would like to single out a few people who have really become e-mail touch stones. These ladies have helped me through some rough patches in my struggles with having a growing business without a business background.

Kristin @ Moontea Artwork

Trudi @ Double Happiness
Kristen @ Taylor Made Designs

Some great ladies I've met (in real life) around town

Kathleen @ Cake + Pie

Beth @ stitch.rip.repeat
Jenn @ More Adventurous
Tonya @ Ugly is the New Pretty

There are so many more of you out there who I have gotten to know over the past year through e-mail, blog comments + Flickr. You are all so wonderful, have really awesome blogs + are great sources of inspiration.

I appreciate each + every comment, each + every purchase, each + every e-mail I receive. I did not want to be an art student statistic + let all those years of school (not to mention the student loan payments) be in vain because I had to get a "real job." Each + every one of you is responsible for the success of LALA dex press.

Thank you,
thank you,
thank you all!

UN FILM DE ALMODOVAR

I finally got around to watching Volver, which is quite shocking considering how much I love Almodovar! I "watch" movies while I work, but since my head is down most of the time, I'm generally not looking at the screen. This eliminates any movie with subtitles.

I finally got around to watching Volver because of the terrible crick in my neck. 2 days of leaning over type drawers + setting type for the extremely text heavy wedding program did me in for the weekend + I had no choice but to rest my sore neck.

My boy returned from Atlanta. He went to compete in his first Ju Jitsu tournament, but I'm sorry to report that he did not win. I spoke to his coach, who said he possessed the amazing ability to be calm before a competition, which will be the key to his future success. I wish I possessed this calmness.

It's more rest for me tonight, accompanied by season 2 of Weeds.

I'M IN AWE

another photo, from last night's shoot, after a trip to the Photoshop

I am beyond inspired by Joanne B Kaar's paper + books.

This documentation of her 3 months as an artist in residency is a must read for all the paper + bookbinding people out there.
It makes me want to walk away from my job,
make paper by a loch,
+ throw message bottles into the ocean.
Too bad I live in a land locked state.

Unless a camera magically falls into my lap (or hits me in the head because it missed my lap) I'm taking the weekend off to print wedding programs.

Happy weekend to all!

I FEEL LIKE I'M MISSING AN ARM

You may recall that on a canoe trip a couple weeks ago I broke my camera + my prescription glasses. I mentioned that I had ordered another camera, but when it did not arrive after 5 days, I began to wonder what the hold-up was. The hold-up was that I never actually ordered it. This was done before my optometrist appointment + the truth of the matter was, I really could not see the screen very well. Over the next couple days several unexpected expenses came up (notably, my car needing a new alternator) + it turned out to be a slightly good thing that I did not order the camera.

In the mean time I have been using my boy's, but he's off to Atlanta this weekend + I will be without a camera for 2 days. When I first got a cell phone I was really reluctant about it + a friend said, "you'll get to the point where you'll feel like you're missing an arm if you don't have it with you." Nothing could be further from the truth (although it did come in handy when I broke down on the side of the road with that alternator problem). In my world it would be more accurate to say that without a camera I feel like I'm missing an arm.

SHORTEST POST EVER [BY ME]

I joined Gracia's {On a Wednesday} Flickr group + already I'm seeing some familiar faces.
This will replace my Things I Love Thursdays weekly "assignment."

On this Wednesday:

• I ate a bowl of Greek olives, a new favorite food treat
• Continued with my ongoing project of trying to hang art work in our new(ish) house. It's not that I'm incapable, I just am looking for the best spots.

TYPESETTING + A MEAN CRAVING

It's been so long since I set type that I needed the California Job Case chart

I'm working, I swear! I finally decide to delve into the work I have been avoiding because the reward I'm giving myself for completion is so enticing. After I am done I plan on spending the next couple months working on fun stuff, book binding, Etsy stuff, new designs, monsters for some monkeys, + most importantly- having some relaxing summer fun time.

So I jumped into setting type for the first page of the wedding program last night + hit a major road block- 18 capitol M's are needed + I only have 10. This means that the first page will have to be printed in 2 parts.

studio companion for the evening

I had a majorly frustrating experience last night. I have had a mean craving for matzo ball soup lately- it's been hot, dry, what am I thinking? I should be craving ice cream sandwiches instead. I went to 2 locations of the grocery store I regularly shop at to find out they have eliminated their Kosher foods section. I left very angry + wishing that Susie Green was with me- she would have gone off (+ probably gotten us arrested!) I went to a newly opened grocery store (different company) + they had a good Kosher foods section + my craving was satisfied at last.

THE PRINT SHOW OPENING

Photos courtesy of Kathleen (click to enlarge) I don't normally pose like Vanna

What can I say other than the show looked great! There were 10 artists included + the gallery is called SQ FT for a reason, so when I stopped by to drop my work of on Thursday I knew Kathleen had a challenge before her. All 10 of us + Aaron's amazing benches fit + I wish all of you could have seen it, the work was astonishing! I hate to play favorites, but Agnes Barton Sabo's linoleum block cake prints + Liz Zanis' small anecdotal etchings really stood out for me.

I ran into Neves of Snow Owl + Rebekah, who has started a new job as a pastery chef, both of whom I originally met at the Craft Mafia show in March (which has turned out to be the best show I have done for connecting with other crafts people in Nashville). We also ran into our bestest buddy (our foodle, camping, canoing friend) as we were leaving. I did not think she could make it, but she did + we ended up going out for Sushi afterwards (yum!).

photos courtesy of Beth (thank you!!!!!)

As for The Arcade Building, it is an amazing 2 story, 1 block long atrium pass through built in 1903 (my smart ass boy asked why is was called The Arcade when video games were not invented until the 70's, I do love his sense of humor). The first floor is all ethnic restaurants, with outside seating + the second is galleries, artist studios + design firms. They have a monthly event called First Saturday in which all the galleries have their openings + so much of the work blew me away! I am just so sorry that I cannot show you any of it because my camera batteries died + there was no place to buy more (uhhh- so annoying).

I believe Kathleen captured the moment I realized my batteries died
+ my boy wondering why I did not bring back-ups.

For the complete slide show of the opening see SQ FT's Flickr page.

EXCUSES~ EXCUSES

Test prints cut into business card sized scraps. I'm almost out of my thank you for your Etsy purchase cards + will use the blank side of these to print more.

1. I'm so tired, have not had a good night's sleep since we returned + cannot set type when I'm tired because I'm more likely to make a spelling mistake.
2. My studio is such a mess + I can't get to my desk inorder to work.
3. We still have to unpack.

These are the excuses I have come up with inorder to justify not working on the last 2 pieces for the wedding commission this weekend. So I'm cleaning my studio really well to eliminate one big excuse. I could spin it + say I'm preparing to do the work

inside the historic Arcade Building, Downtown Nashville, TN

Mini report on The Print Show... in my last post I wrote, "Not to worry, I'll bring my camera!" What I failed to do was bring extra batteries so these are the only 2 photos I took from last night. I am relying on the kindness of Kathleen to e-mail me a couple photos + will write about the evening when they arrive.

CATCHING UP ON POST-VACATION LIFE

I just cannot help it- with all the great places + things to do back home, we spent our only day in Los Angeles thrift shopping. Plus you find different things in different regions. One of my favorites (on the spring trips to The Sierras) is Mojave Thrift- it's the kind of thrift store that still charges .39 for a t-shirt + I walked out with a bag full of goodies for about $5.00.

Found at Out of the Closet~ Earth boots ($8.00)
kind-a dorky, but if you knew me in real life...
* yes, Susan, this photo was taken in the bathroom at the Vietnamese restaurant*

Found at Mojave Thrift- 70's flocked cards with really great outdated messages
My favorite is the "You're Advancing Tremendously..." (click photo to enlarge)

Various shops- fabric! Barkcloth curtain, but I really love the elephants (formerly an U-G-L-Y 80's pleated skirt). The score of the trip (from The Goodwill of all places) small enameled Dansk pot ($1.99!!!)

My boy did not want me to shake this Devil head rattle anywhere near our plane for fear it might put the bad juju on our flight- when we nearly lost our luggage (it was not taken off the plane + almost continued onto Baltimore) he blamed it on El Diablo.
I have a weakness for Mexican folk pieces.

I had so much planned for the weekend (studio work-wise) but I really just want to unpack, do laundry (?!?) + vacuum up the remaining mess from Monk's rampage of destruction (aka: his ridding us of unneeded stuff). My boy just bought the new Wilco CD + I just bought the new Amy Winehouse (new-ish to me) CD, so we have a weekend soundtrack + much to do! ++PLUS++ The Print Show opening is tonight! I got a sneek peek on Thursday + it is going to be a fantastic show. Not to worry, I'll bring my camera!

To all those out there preparing for upcoming craft shows, may you have a productive weekend! I can't wait for The American Artisan show!
Until the next post...