going squirrely

With free Internet here at our place at Whistler, i am afforded some morning chances to do some etsy browsing... looking at the scratches on the back of legs this morning I am reminded of ow squirrely i was on my bike yesterday..not too god on those ladder bridges..today's practice skill...anyway...i decided to search through squirrel items and found some winners. i guess I'm missing all the little fellows that hang in our back yard..no squirrels here..but tons of bears!

Squirrel Pillow by Stichella

Lady Squirrel Print by Berkley Illustrations
Acorn Squirrel SHirt by boygirlparty
The Squirrel Vinyl Messenger Bag by Sugar Lust

bday...going back to '69

Off to Canada!!!!

today is packing day! we're off to Whistler to ride our bikes down the side of huge mountains! my motto since turning 40 is to ride down some insane mountain , or hill (I rode down Federal Hill on my 40th.) on my birthday. So Saturday is the big 45 and I'll be riding down B-line with a huge smile on my face! I missed it last year, so I have to make up for it this year. I'll have my lap top with me so that I can still keep up with my posts.

Baltimore etsy team ROCKS!

On sunday, the core members, yes I got to be a core member! , of BEST ..baltimore etsy street team, got together for a photo shoot at housewerks salvage in Baltimore for a really great time. yes it was hot as hell, but we got through the day. all dressed up with tools of our trade, we posed and smiled and found unique places to get our shoots done. Our photographer was Tya who was a lot of fun and amazing photographer. we've only gottoen a couple of samples so far....so here's a sneak peak.

Pile of Craft

Just thought I would post a little thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday. I was very impressed with charm city craft mafia and their hospitality! free lunch rocks!!! everyone was so nice and helpful. Thanks Jason for being my booth buddy! I must admit I really like this activity...getting to meet great people and having lots and lots of awesome feedback! So different from having an opening in a gallery...i got a banner printed up and I think  have this whole set up thing pretty well....  Course I completely lucked out with an end table! Thanks again Craft Mafia! 

new flap bags

i'm getting ready to go to Seattle and I seem to motivated to create new designs based on what I need....i figure i'm not the only one  in these situation. any who, i love my peacock tote but the open tote does not do well if spilled over when you kick under your seat in an airplane....so here we are with a new flab bag with one strap that can easily go over your head and stay on you. the large flap stays close due to a magnet closure.  i have 3 for sale on my site...i sold one yesterday at pile of craft! 

count down to pile of craft- 2 more days

Giant Dwarf

Monsters by Morgan

Imogene

Bees Knees

Sweet Pepita

I'm hoping you have checked out the baltimore etsy team blog to find these great featured vendors that will be at pile of raft this Saturday. yours truly will truly be there... with, hopefully, my new prototype bag with flap flower bags. I'll post them soon. in the meantime, do some research now before Saturday and get your list together. not really gift buying season...except for perhaps yourself.

booth ideas..a virtual visit to renegade

i did not make it this past weekend for Renegade Brooklyn...one day I will make it up there.perhaps when the school year does not drag me down and I have to take a class the very next week...not a good way to start ones summer vacation. i have to travel there through other blogs to find ideas for booth set up. this weekend's pile pf craft will be inside with one table for me, so its up to the table top challenge. in any case, here are some of my favorite virtual visits to Renegade thanks to poppytalk.

Sycamore Street Press

Domestic Construction

somethingshidinginhere

Happy Father's Day

here's to those great bbq's in the backyard! love ya dad!

the fall

movie suggestion for this summer....instead of seeing that horrible Indian Jones Sequial, go see The Fall by Tarsem Singh. If you liked The Cell, go see it. If you didn't like the Cell, go see it. A definitle must see on the big screen.

Bill Daniel

i should know about this guy. i'm ashamed to admit I just learn about him today, completely on a whim as I strolled down Poppytalk's blog and notice this great photo of a trailer on what looks like paneling. Bill Daniel is a self-taught artist/film maker. Texas-born, San Francisco exile, and confirmed tramp, Bill Daniel continues to experiment with survivalism and bricolage in his attempts to record and report on the various social margins he often finds himself in. My favorite project are his photographs of the Texas Punk Pioneers which were photos from 1980 - 84, the best period of punk that I am so glad I got to be a participant of here in B-more.

CCCM Given BEST some thumbs up

Check out Indie Fixx blog on a great interview with the Charm City Craft Mafia guys
I love reading about why crafter's...diy'ers do what they do. Discovering how grounded everyone seems to be in this movement. One of the most positive art movements in this city as long as I have been here. I'm feeling like many in my 40 somthing generation are still so f@*ked up being raised at the end of the baby boomer generation. I still think we need to get permission to live the life we want...you know, the life of being happy and finding the career that makes us the happiest, not just the responsible one that pays the bills. We didn't quite feel worthy enough to find that both can be true. I'm not knocking my generation, just feeling like we need to thank the generation X and even a bit of the millennial generation for doing what makes us feel like us. We need to kick June and Ward Cleaver in the ass and simply figure out a way to do what makes us feel like us and learn how to make a living doing so. ..ok, enough ranting. Check out the interview....and the list of what makes Baltimore cool!

so i like this because?

So, i haven't painted in a while, except fordemonstrations and examples for my studio class, that i hate to admit, i did not complete one single piece this year. anyway, i have a collage class to teach this summer as well as an oil painting class, and i'm looking for some inspiration. today i discovered blue valentine press. why am i attracted to this shop? look at my paintings and you will definitely see why I like this work. I cannot tear myself away from this era. i love the sewing references in these small collages. Straight from Texas.the un-humid version of what we're feeling here in B-more.

Monday Memories.....a hot hot summer

They're calling for temps over 100 degrees today. Its been hot as hell this past weekend. We tried to see how long we could go before putting the window AC units in and we lasted till Sunday afternoon. We got out of school 3 hours early! That was a big plus. So I thought I would come home and get started on one of my big projects for the summer. I have all of our family slides to scan in and make up some books and post on my flicker account. Thought I would get my family to start posting on a family flicker account. I loved it when Dad would get out the slide projector and show slides. The lights would go down, the blue light of the projector would shine, and we would all pray that each slide would easily go through towards the projected slot with the big delight of the past being shined up for all to see and smile and laugh and remember. Not fun when the slide got stuck in the projector and Dad's temper would flair up. I think Dad's career in guidance counseling devoted all of his patience to humans, and not for mechanical equipment. So I thought, on this steaming hot day, in which I am so tempted to hook up the sprinkler and run through...I present my memories of cool water! Most of these are from 1969...except for the one of my sister, Denise and I and Allison at the pool which is more like '72 and the one of Denise and I at Jenny Lake, in the Grand Tetons.. which was '75.

friday's favorites

i wanted to revisit a favorite of mine..berkley illustrations and check in to see what the newest critters in suits were newly being added to the family. I'm diggin' the eye patch!