Quick word . . . .

I hope you are enjoying your weekend! It is unbelievably gorgeous and warm here in LA and we just returned from a walk to the Trader Joes. Time for me to dig out all of my show materials and get ready for tomorrows South Park Flea Market!

In the meantime, I thought I would share this pic of the Nahcotta opening. They just added a bunch to their Flickr. Looks like there was an awesome crowd!!!

OK, now into the garage to battle the icky bugs and get myself organized! Ta ta for now!

My Valentines for the Swap!

I finally finished all of my Valentines for this years swap. I am so excited by the final results! You will certainly be seeing my doing a bit more like this for Collage Lab!

The envelopes date as far back as the 1930s and are from all over the world! They have traveled near and far, stood the test of time, and are deeply layered. The imperfections are what make them so stellar! Not unlike most romances . . . . .

Have a fantastic weekend!

This weekend is going to be a gorgeous one here in SoCal! The rain is nowhere in sight and we are looking at temps in the 70s! The sunshine is making me itchy to get out and do a show! I am really excited to say that I will be setting up at the South Park Flea Market, a brand new weekly market held in downtown LA that features vendors with vintage items, and collectibles, both new & used. The market is run by the same team that has managed the Trading Post at Farifax High School, which has been going for years and years! There will be lots of food and live music, plus a fresh cut flower section! Plus, my dear friends Hannah, and Tyn will also be there with their goodies! It is going to be such a lovely day! Wont you join us?

Details:
South Park Flea Market
Open every Sunday 9 am - 4 pm
Corner of 8th & Grand
Downtown Los Angeles
Music • Food • Kid Friendly
Featuring DJ Derrick Wize

$2.00 admission
Students w/ ID, kids under 12 & Seniors Free

Enormous Tiny III opens tonight!!

Dont forget, if you are lucky enough to be in the area of Portsmouth, New Hampshire to get on over to the Nahcotta Gallery tonight for the grand opening of the Enormous Tiny III show! You shall not be disappointed!

The ladies were awesome enough to send me a pic of my work hung! Love how they have hung it!

(All images courtesy of Nahcotta)

Funky Fresh Fun!

I haven't had a chance yet to share with you how awesome our evening was last Friday at Fresh Pressed! Holy cow, WHAT A BLAST! Hannah and I each sat and drew our own designs on white paper, which was no small feat, let me tell you! You've seen my work. I might be an artist, but I dont really draw, and when I do, I get scared! I end up with old art school flashbacks, and the terror sets in! So sitting at a table, in public, with designy people all around is not my idea of a no pressure situation. It was of course self imposed pressure, but pressure nonetheless.

Hannah chose to create an awesome Love themed shirt just in time for Valentines!

I decided that I would draw something that I could print on a shirt for myself, and then on a mini one for my niece. She is a giraffe fiend, so that set the tone. I will freely and happily admit to having traced the outline, then changing it a little. The spots are all mine though! LOL

Jonathan is one of the main cheeses over there. He rocked out Hannahs screen for her and gave great pointers.

Michelle was kind enough to help me with my tees. She was awesome to work with! I loved every second of it!

Here is the big girl version. . . .

. . . and this is the one for Emma. She refused to try hers on, claiming at first sight "No, too big!" Wouldn't even touch it! What does she know? Right. . . .

Yeah, it is too big. (How did her little jedi mind know?) She finally tried it on for me last night, and well, its a little large for her, but it's still cute! And lets face it, 2 year olds grow an inch a week, dont they? It will fit in no time! ;)

If you are of the fence about whether or not Fresh Pressed is for you, get off your perch and get on over there! You can go just for fun, or I can see having a great baby shower there where everyone makes an awesome personalized onesie for the baby, (something similar was recently done for Susan Beal!) or a fab birthday with friends and maybe smuggle in some wine. Drunken drawing! Now THAT would be fun!

Surprise Surprise!

I was greeted this morning by an email from the lovely Aya of Louche Lab letting me know that one of my Collage Lab pieces had been included in an online Israeli article all about Etsy. Apparently YNET is one of the most popular reads over there. I will never cease to be amazed by how far reaching the net is! Aya was kind enough to translate the article on her blog for those of us who cannot read Hebrew! Thank You Aya!!!

Also, thank you to The Post Family blog for this post on 1/31, and to Kelly for her kind words yesterday!

Have you seen Square America?? If you are anything like me, you will love this site! There are awesome pics to explore, from all eras! What a lovely collection!

(Thank you Jen for the link!)

Nahcotta Update!

Scratch what I said about there being over 200 pieces in the Enormous Tiny III show! The ladies updated their blog today, and are in the process of hanging over 350 pieces! 350! Can you believe that! Wow! And they're all amazing!

They just added images of work done by Gardner Foss to the Flickr set. I was unfamiliar with his work until now, and I am smitten! Wow! (I cant seem to find a website when I Googled the name. Odd.)

Imagine standing in that room, with all of these talented peoples work. I think I would cry. I really dont think it would be very different than being in the Metropolitan, or MoMA. (And yes, I do occasionally get emotional and weepy at the museum. I just do.) I realllllly want to go to this show! Maybe next time I will plan it out! It is just too amazing to only be viewed on the web!

(All images courtesy of Nahcotta)

Contemplations

Here I sit at the local Coffee Bean, taking the hubs advice and getting out of the house to brainstorm and gather my thoughts clearly. Away from the piles of paper that often distract me. Away from the temptation to dilly dally by daydreaming about warmer weather and gardening. Away from the clutter that I cant seem to wade my way through. I need a game plan, and a little clarity. I need out from under my self imposed pile of frustration.

I have never really shared much about my little corner of So Cal. I am in the deep Valley, like, you know, way out there. I have friends who refuse to cross the threshold of Mulholland, the landmark that divides what they consider civilization, from the Valley. God forbid! I will admit that growing up on the other side of the hill, I would never have imagined myself living out here, but the Valley is good for me. There is peace, and quite and far less traffic in my immediate area than there would be over the hill. Suburbia is my friend. I spent enough years like a pack mule in NYC and San Francisco with my groceries on my back to know a good thing when I see it. I want to enjoy my patch of land, sit in the garden, and hear the birds rather than the car horns and sirens! Plus, we could afford (although just barely) to buy a home here, which would not have happened in the city. For our intent and purpose, the Valley is a-ok!

So here I am. At the local Coffee Bean, with the occasional 16 year old like Oh My Gawd-ing her way into the store for a sweet blended concoction. At least I am being entertained. There are 2 twenty-something guys sitting at the counter next to me apparently writing a song. One is tapping his foot in time, and the other is singing to the beat. They are cracking me up. I like that at least the other people here are trying to cultivate something creative as well. I can appreciate the struggle.

I am always surprised by how hard it is for me to sit still in public. I have to fight the urge to hurry up and gather my belongings and get home. Get back to work! But really, I am here working. Blogging is a part of my business, and it is hard to concentrate at my desk. . . .

I am not sure where this post has come from. It is kind of just a rambling observation of me sitting here, and yet I feel like I just got something great accomplished. Odd. But now I am ready to go. I hope that I will be able to incorporate a trip to the coffee shop at least once a week, with twice really being my goal. Baby steps.

Enormous Tiny III

I am so excited to announce that my work will be part of the Enormous Tiny III show at the Nahcotta Gallery!! I cant believe how many amazing artist are in the show, including some I totally admire like Marisa Haedike, Penelope Dullaghan, Rachel Austin, Tara Hogan, and Mati Rose McDonough. I feel like a freshman on the first day of school! This is a very distinguished and accomplished gathering of artists and really, I have to pinch myself that I am included!

If you are in New Hampshire, of the general vicinity, this Friday the 8th, make your way to Nahcotta for the opening! I would love to have been there!~ (110 congress street - portsmouth, nh 03801)

If, like me, you are too far from the show, do not fret! You may peruse the over 200 pieces in the show here.