Textiles, Too ...

I used to sew when I was a kid. Rarely did I use patterns - just grab some fabric, cut some shapes and go ... even made a shirt (or was it a dress) that way once. I usually stuck to simple rectangles and the occasional circle - but that's all I needed.

Growing up, I got away from fabrics & sewing. Partly a time thing, partly a fight against domesticity. But now I'm old enough to get over the domestic roadblock and realize that textiles just offer one more road to creativity.

So, stepping back into the sewing world, I just bought some fabric from the new Chocolate Lollipop line by Anna Maria Horner ... planning to turn this into a headboard and add a splash of color to the bedroom.

The Simple Life ...

Who would have thought that the Internet could bring me the simple life ... but that's exactly what it did. Ahh ... it's a good day that includes a new CD from Magnet. Of course, if it weren't for ye' ol' Web, I'd be waiting until the US release later this year. But, when it comes to certain artists, waiting just won't do. So, I simply went shopping in Norway thanks to the ever-shrinking world (and a good Internet connection).

If you're unfamiliar with Magnet - change that.

My intro to Magnet came last March when I saw him perform at the 18th Floor at the Hilton in Austin ... that's it. That's all it took. One 40-minute SXSW set and I was hooked.

Here's one of the pics from the show ...



A Simple Life ... and tomorrow's Friday ... it's all good.

Horseradish!

Treated myself to a trip to the bookstore tonight ... and this made the day worthwhile:

If writers wrote as carelessly
as some people talk, then
adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[
pasdlgkhasdfasdf.

from 'Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid'
by Lemony Snicket

Coloring Book ...

To keep my sanity, I really need to figure out how to do more creative stuff - and not have the "straight job" as an Artfest friend referred to it monopolize my hours. I'm also trying to figure out how to stop the piles of magazines from taking over my house ... enter the coloring book.

First step in the battle of the towering magazine - each night last week, I grabbed a stack of magazines, flipped through page-by-page and ripped out the few photos that caught my eye - mostly focusing on color ideas for future projects. Of course, while it's great to toss the bulk of the magazines, I feared I'd soon have a stack of torn images flitting about the house ...

So, today, while prepping for a stamp class I'm teaching next Thursday, I decided to cover a chipboard journal and make my own coloring book ... or, rather, a book to capture coloring ideas.

Most of the pictures so far are from 'House Beautiful' magazine ... a magazine I did not subscribe to - instead it showed up as a replacement for 'Budget Living' when that pub went *poof* (still can't figure out how someone could think 'House-look what an interior designer purchased for $5000-Beautiful' was a good replacement for 'Budget-I bought this at Target for $35-Living' ... but I digress)

Anyhoo, Voila ... the beginnings of the first few pages ... a bit of creativity and a way to get rid of magazines.

Found ...

Etsy! Ok ... I knew Etsy existed ... and I've perused briefly on occasion. But now with my newly ignited interest in found objects and assemblage, I had something to snoop for. Success! I just bought these found objects. Sure, some may argue how can they be found objects if I purchased them online - but heck, someone found them and I found them on Etsy.

Metal Head ...

Last night, walking through the driveway, G points to what's left over after replacing the brakes on my car and says "oh, should probably throw those out" ... I look and say, "No! Those brake pads will make the perfect backing for a small art piece" ... must look for more junk and break out the adhesives.

Part of Art ...

Just back from Artfest 2007 ... with an overwhelming desire to unearth rusty things and break out the power tools ...

One highlight - was able to see "the thank you journal" in person ... (read more about it here: tee's spree's: I'm speechless!!!)

It started last year when Deb put out the call to make an art journal for Teesha & Tracy Moore to say THANKS! for all they do for Artfest and art in general ... my little venture into the world of the art journal. The journal was delivered on March 9 ... so now I present my first (and, so far, only) art journal page.

So here's the page as it transformed ... I incorporated various "R" items from the Artfest Workshops I attended in 2006 ... Red Rosin paper, Resin clay and Rust ...

A quick painted image on red rosin paper ...












covered in black ...









Color for the backside n' border ...









A frame of resin clay ...









Rusted ...










with some 'R' thoughts of Artfest 2006 ...










and the aRt guy ...










Time for some journaling ...









My very first (and so far only) Journal Page.

Get Your Pics ...

While at SXSW Interactive, spent some time checking out LuckyOliver.com ... a cool new site that enables photographers to sumbit their pics to be used as stock photography (and get paid when their photos are used, of course) ... plus designers have a new way way to discover stock photos for their projects. I'm going to spend some more time playing with the site but looks pretty cool so far ... Check it out!

www.luckyoliver.com

Thank You, Mimoco

There really are people in tech who have heart, soul and a sense of humor ... found some of them today at the SXSW Interactive tradeshow - Mimoco! Of course, had to have my own mimobot. I went for "Fresno" part of the Circus Punks Artist '06 series ... everyone should have their own mimibot USB flash drive ... makes working in tech much more enjoyable.

www.mimoco.com

Film Junkie ...

Saw Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical play, "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" yesterday (a good way to spend Feb 13 ... t'hell with hearts & candies) ... this led to a discussion with a friend about morphine, moms & movies ... and, the torture of not being able to remember the name of some heroin flick from the late '80s / early '90s.

I rented the movie around '91 or '92 ... remember it having a few core characters (as opposed to an ensemble cast) ... and the 'action' taking place primarily in a desolate apartment in NYC ... I think the main character was a musician.

I know, this could describe a plethora of modern drug films ... must find the name of that movie just to get rid of the nagging in my head.

Web Works ...

I found my old roommate & friend today ... guess the Internet is good for something.

Stuck ...

Trying to break the blogging block ... pulled (What's the Story) Morning Glory? from the shelf today to provide a backdrop for the Saturday list of to-dos ... but what's been stuck in my head all day (and that's a good thing) is 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' performed on the uke by Jake Shimabukuro.



Maybe I'll break the blogging block tomorrow ...

'Tis the Season for Vanilla, the Plastic Snowman

The holidays bring a mixed bag of eager anticipation for Christmas morning along with a lump-0f-coal funk stemming from work, shoppers and ghosts of Christmas past. This year's no different. Once again, stores started playing holiday tunes just a wee bit earlier, Thanksgiving snuck up just a wee bit faster, and I find myself with a wee bit more funk ...which means the inevitable "your year is ending" holiday is just around the corner.

Usually the holiday spirit doesn't kick in until I walk out of the building on my last day of work day for the year. However, this year, thanks to a snowman and some Yamaha electric organs, I'm finding my grinchiness lifting about a week ahead of schedule. Enter: Logan Whitehurst & the Junior Science Club.

Picture one man (Logan Whitehurst), a plastic snowman (Vanilla), several instruments (including an accordion and a concertina) delivering a CD full of songs about plate tectonics, the ocean, 'The Robot Cat' ...

When I say Ro, you say Bot.
Ro. Bot.
Ro. Bot.
When I say Bot, you say Cat.
Bot. Cat.
Bot. Cat.

And, of course, 'The Ice Cream Man.' (I should mention, there are whispering voices in this song and it does not look good for the Ice Cream Man, nor the Popcorn man for that matter.)

I hadn't listened to this album in well over a year but earlier this week I went to the wall of CDs and pulled it out. Somehow, this is the CD that is putting me in the the spirit and leading me to shake off the work baggage in favor of tree trimmings.

A Somber Note: While writing this post and searching for the appropriate links, I was saddened to read that Logan Whitehurst passed away 5 days ago. He completed his Very Tiny Songs project which I hope to get as soon as it's available.

Goodbye, My 4-Track.

Random Report ...

Day 5 of 'play all' and I was delivered this on the drive home last night:

• Lime Spiders
• Elvis Presley
• Sarah Vowell

The joy of shuffle.

Jesus vs. The Penguins

So claimed the headline on Moviefone today. But did I spend my Friday night watching an ancient birthday party? No. Did I spend the end of my week watching small, flightless birds dance? No. Instead, I planted myself on the couch and watched a 2 hour and 48 minute musical about the congressional fight over and final signing of the Declaration of Independence. Fresh from the New York stage and coming to a silver screen near you in 1972 ... it's 1776!

Watching the movie felt like the right way to wrap up a week spent listening to Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot while trying to avoid idiots in BMWs on my daily commute. Not only did I get a refresher course in early American history and catch a clue as to why Virgina "is for lovers" but I also learned something new while watching 1776 ... Benjamin Franklin reminds me of my Grandpa.

Thanks, Howard Da Silva.

Toast ...

Writer's block over your own life - how pathetic is that? (Note: Rhetorical) But really, nothin'. Toast. I made mental notes that I switched the radio to NPR during my commute this week and put Pink Floyd's, Wish You Were Here in the CD player last weekend but while a change in pattern for me, these things didn't seem noteworthy enough for topics. Yet, maybe they do signify something. Age? Depression? Looking for change? (Note: I typically don't listen to Pink Floyd or NPR, tho' I am a fan of some of their writers) I'm going to go with nostalgia.

I recently read "If I Had A Stammer" by Meghan Daum, one of the essays in Bookmark Now (edited by Kevin Smokler, worth reading, go buy it). In "Stammer" Daum mentions a level of sentimentality that comes on with age ... it got me thinking. Does the scan to 88.5 or the latest addition to the CD collection put me in the "sentimentality" camp? If not, maybe the posting old pics of my grandparents in their younger years on Flickr was my entry ticket.

Shedding a little light on people past for holiday current, Happy Thanksgiving ... Toast.

Little Black Cloud In A Dress ...

Ok, so I'm not wearing a dress in this shot (rarely did, still rarely do) and the Billy Bragg show at Great American Music Hall was last week (fantastic) but I did see Little Miss Sunshine tonight and felt compelled to share this pic with the world (or at least the 2 people who read this blog).

I attempted a beauty pageant of sorts once. It was probably around 1978 (judging from my memories of a long dusty rose, polyester dress with spaghetti straps) and while it seemed like I primped forever in order to look my best when I attempted to glide down the catwalk, I still looked like a tomboy who'd never before seen a curling iron and would obviously be much happier in navy blue bell-bottomed cords and desert boots.

That was it. Done. Bring on the Rick James and embrace your inner Super Freak.

Blog on ...

Ok. So, haven't quite gotten the hang of blogging on a regular schedule. Part of the issue is time (standard excuse) but the other issues is I'm honestly not sure what to blog about ...

What's worthy of hittin' the keys and creating some sort thing on this here site? Should there be a common theme to the blog? Will a theme occur organically? I'm not so interested in posting the mundate goings-on of my daily life (nor do I think the 2 to 3 people who peer here are interested in reading such things).

For now, I'll say things to do while at work waiting for a friend to arrive on a Friday night:

• Listen to Pandora
• Dust on some make-up in an attempt to appear awake
• Avoid work email
• Post a random blog entry

Off to the Big Star Tribute show ... blog off.

It was 40 years ago today ...

... that the Beatles played their last concert ... 'twas at Candlestick Park.

There was a guy who couldn't go to the show. He gave his younger brother his ticket the following day. Years later, my mom met the brother at a bar (no, not like that). After discussing collectibles that eve and some continued negotiations over the following months, the ticket changed hands.

I have the ticket. Face value: $4.50.

Thanks, Mom.

I've got blisters on my fingers ...

Ok. So occasionally I obsess. Or maybe it's more accurate to say when something catches my interest, I don't lightly dabble.

Case in point, 2 weeks ago, a friend re-strung my mom's childhood ukelele and provided me with a quick lesson post-work. Now, I've never attempted a song on the uke, but 15 minutes in, I was roughing out 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' That's it, I was done for. That night, I started cruising eBay and 3 days later, the winning bid secured a koa wood concert uke to fuel my new-found obsession.

Mom's lil' soprano uke is resting again as I now have a ukelele of my own. My uke arrived last Wednesday and nightly playing has turned out to be the perfect way to wipe away the work day. As George Harrison once wrote about the uke, "you can't play and not laugh!"

Last night, I played, laughed and went to bed with blisters on my fingers ...