Colorful things that I want..

Uh-oh. It is Friday and I didn't post all week. I spent 2 days substitute teaching art and I was apparently too wiped out to type. Evenings were spent peeling glue off of my arms from our projects! That sub job is my fav!


I want a Timmie from MPatrizio. They are so cute and like to travel.

Allison Strine is one of my favorite sellers on Etsy. She makes the most whimsical collages and offers them in the form of pendants and cards. True wearable art! And they have the greatest sayings! I have one - I want a few more but can't decide which ones!

CROQzine

The August issue of CROQzine came today. Picked it up from the mailbox just in time to look through it in the carpool line. (I love zines and small mags because they are perfect to stuff in my bag and whip out when I need entertainment.) There is lots of travel related articles, vegan recipes as always, projects interviews and more. There was an interview with Thea Starr, a crafting supermom that made me feel a bit inadequate! Check it out!

Immature - and not out of the closet

While I won't divulge my age, I am apparently an immature adult. I have a thing for the collectible vinyl toys that I think are so cool, as well as cute and adorable Japanese characters. I make(and buy) stuffed creatures, wear Hello Kitty, and wrap packages with Cram Creme tape. But I won't admit it. I went to a great store today that was a mix of awesome vintage clothing and accessories, re-worked clothing, fantastic cards, paper, and gifts and tons of kitschy things. I found myself buying BlueQ totes and a Hello Kitty belt buckle and saying they are for gifts. I bought my son dozens of blind box collectibles at the Kidrobot store in NYC only to commandeer them for myself so he won't 'lose' them.



Walk into my home and it looks like any other nice home (not over the top but nice). It lacks my personality in the main areas. Go into my home office and you will start to see more. In between the craft and decorating books and my long time collection of McCoy pottery (been gathering them before they became popular and knocked off on Ebay) are a basket of Dunnys , a container of souvenir floaty pens and an Amigurumi panda. It's not until you get to my craft room that the stickers, buttons, stuffed owls, collaged boxes, Blythe, and the wide assortment of Japanese cute attack your senses.


The first craft book on the subject of stuffed, crocheted, or felt creatures was Plush-O-Rama by Linda Kopp. The books' subtitle says it all: "Curious Creatures for Immature Adults". That about sums me up. I'm afraid to come out to my peers about my love for cute and indie things. The women I am around on a daily basis just wouldn't understand (or would they?) Their homes barely look like they have children in them, let alone toys for grownups! There are many out there that 'get it'. Individualism, cool, cute, handmade, recycled - whatever. I think it is better than the mall. Maybe I am in the minority but I like what I like. Wish there were craft groups nearby, as there are in Austin, San Francisco, Brooklyn or Seattle. I, and others like me, are grateful for the terrific blogs, zines, and websites that keep us in touch with the things that I hold near and dear but still keep in the closet.

To sum it up best, a quote to me from a friend who works at the local Saks store...
On learning that I purchased a sewing machine, she blurted "you aren't actually going to make your own clothes, are you?"

Busy Bee that I am

Back to school blew in like one of Florida's annoying hurricanes. I went from leisurely mornings with coffee and my youngest son to to being the mom taxi virtually overnight. It's all good. Musings....

My friend and I just signed up for a class at the local museum art school. They have so many choices it was hard to choose. We settled on a jewelry fabrication class. I think it was the introduction to blow torches that intrigued me. It starts September 10th - we can't wait.

I have only boys, and even though my mother tells me repeatedly that I am better off because boys are easier (yeah yeah yeah) I am not going to have the opportunity to create a fabulous doll house with a daughter. The cutesy pink crafty creations and Hello Kitty motifs are painfully obvious that they are for me. I am lucky, however, to have creative boys. One son manages to get his school artwork submitted for local contests and the school calendar and doesn't seem bothered a bit to mix art in with his football persona. The youngest is the coolest of all. He parlays his obsession with stuffed animals (that have taken over his room) into many creative endeavors. He writes and illustrates journals and books about them. Takes them places and photographs them (and uploads and saves them on his computer with the freebie giveaway camera his grandfather gave him). He got a new bed over the summer and decorated the walls over it with all kinds of things. Printouts, stickers, box covers from Japanese Godzilla toys, and more. I usually hate stickers and tape on the walls but he actually made it look like an interesting and growing collage.

I received the Vinyl Wall Art (see previous post) today (fast production and shipping!) I have them temporarily taped to the wall before I mount them. These are going to look adorable - and I have a feeling this decorative medium might be addicting.


Another Etsy seller that I like and wanted to share is Artgoodies. They have dish/hand towels printed with great looking motifs, including birds, deer, squirrels and other wildlife as well as cupcakes. They also print the designs on to aprons and little stuffies. I bought some towels for myself then sent a few to my Uncle as a gift.

How yummy is this tote?

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I have dozens of Etsy sellers that I love bookmarked with the intent to share them with you. I found this adorable wool felt tote and had to mention it. Branching Out Designs created this lemon yellow bag that is actually a 7"x7" mini tote lined with polka dot fabric. Embellished with a bow, it comes with a coordinating barrette. Aimed at a younger fashionista, I have a penchant for small bags (and big bags and everything in between) and this is just the size for a wallet, phone and a few beauty supplies. Larger totes are available, as are mini totes in other styles, such as the colorful zebra pattern.

Simply Charming Necklaces

Ah, shameless self promotion. My kids are finally back at school and I was able to upload the remainder of my photos from my newest pieces of jewelry and list a few on Etsy. Not liking to wear heavy jewelry in the summer, I created my new line of Simply Charming necklaces. I love to layer jewelry so I created these necklaces on thin sterling silver chains with fabulous handcrafted charms. They can be worn alone or put together on one chain. I like to wear more than one necklace. The colors are vibrant enough to take you into fall and perk up those bland clothes we are seeing on the racks. They are available on my Etsy shop.

Decorating A-peel

It seems to be becoming a trend that I am blogging on things that I buy - I need to show some restraint!! There are just so many cool things out there in shopping cyberspace (and cities and towns across the USA) that I am able to find needs to fill! My new craft room has pretty bold built in drawers, cabinets, and shelves in a bold shade of red. The walls, however, are (ug) white. And I don't have the patience to search for, hire, and monitor a painter (nor do I want a DIY project at this time). I found a fabulous quick fix to boring walls - Vinyl Wall Art! This business has advertised on blogs, which is where I first saw it, and then saw that they have an Etsy shop - Holly. I order a few birds and some flowers in some bright and cheerful colors to make my room fun. In addition, there are funky vinyl decals for cars - car art - that express the owner as a 'knitting nerd' or 'crafty geek'. Love these. I'll post a photo of my room when they arrive and get mounted.