Eclectic Discoveries

Green Shoots

2009-09-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

My vegetable garden is finally becoming productive. I planted a few things for fall harvest: cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, kale and mustard greens. While some are slower growers than others, check out this cucumber I harvested today.

The Figs

2009-02-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

I love the The Figs, no not Newtons, not fruit and not pudding - I'm talking about the band. Six lovely ladies from a unique South Louisiana city, Lafayette, have combined their talents to form this charming yet sassy musical group. They are a perfect mix of old timey bluegrass, swing and folk with their own twist of tradition, learning as they go.

They dress the part they play and I love the look as much as the music.

Their merchandise is available on the

website; much of the art is designed by band mate (ukulele player), Jillian Johnson.

Their new album, What Keeps Me Up At Night, has been released by Valcour Records and it is a dandy. My favorite song is To Sail the Sea. Listen to it here.

New Orleans Bread Pudding

2008-11-08T00:01:00.001-08:00

My mom made bread pudding the other night for her pokeno game. She had leftovers so I thought I'd try it out.

Eew, yuck! I can't stand the texture. I'm from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and we are practically baptized in this sacred whiskey soaked sunday brunch dessert.

I just can't get past the mushy custard like texture; it's just wet bread! Perhaps I was adopted.

Recipe from famous Commander's Palace in New Orleans

BREAD PUDDING SOUFFLE WITH WHISKEY SAUCE
Yields 6

BREAD PUDDING

3/4 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
3 Medium Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
5 cups New Orleans French Bread, 1" cubed (see note)
1/3 cup Raisins
(18: in length or approximately 1 1/3 G/ sliced thin)

WHISKEY SAUCE

1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1 Tbsp. Water
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 cup Bourbon

MERINGUE

9 Medium Egg Whites
3/4 cups Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar

To make the bread pudding, first preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard.

Place the raisins in a greased pan. Top with the egg mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.

To make the whiskey sauce, place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk corn starch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat.

Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature.

To make the meringue, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 6 ounce ramekins. First, be certain that the bowl and whisk are clean. The egg whites should be completely free of yolk, and they will whip better if the chill is off them. This dish needs a good, stiff meringue. In a large bowl or mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar gradually, and continue whipping until shiny and thick. Test with a clean spoon. If the whites stand up stiff, like shaving cream, when you pull out the spoon, the meringue is ready. Do not overwhip, or the whites will break down and the soufflé will not work.

In a large bowl, break half the bread pudding into pieces using your hands or a spoon. Gently fold in one-quarter of the meringue, being careful not to lose the air in the whites. Add a portion of this base to each of the ramekins.

Place the remaining bread pudding in the bowl, break into pieces, and carefully fold in the rest of the meringue. Top off the soufflés with this lighter mixture, to about 1 1/2 inches. Smooth and shape tops with spoon into a dome over the ramekin rim. Bake immediately for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Using a spoon, poke a hole in the top of each soufflé, at the table, and pour the room temperature whiskey sauce inside the soufflé.

Note: New Orleans French bread is very light and tender. If substitute bread is used that is too dense, it will soak up all the custard and the recipe will not work.

Hope for America

2008-11-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

Wow, this 2008 presidential election was pretty intense. I have never been so emotionally involved in politics as I am now. After all of the economic downturn, war and international threats, energy crisis, and failing healthcare, it is hard to believe that anyone in the world has not been affected.

Now we finally have decided who will lead us through these challenging times, we have elected a man who has defied all odds and made history in our country. My hope for Barack Obama, is that he can continue to inspire hope in the rest of America, and that the entire nation will support him. I really hope our country can put aside party affiliations and focus on uniting our Nation. The more we can work together and be compassionate and respectful of one another, the stronger our country will be.

Here are some powerful images from The Big Picture

and reactions from around the world

Spooky Cute Recycled Pouches

2008-10-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Halloween is soon approaching and we have fully decorated our front entrance way. Costumes are ready and treats prepared for the little ones. We already have a pumpkin waiting to be carved. In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd find some Etsy items suited for the occasion.

I came across these very creative recycled pouches made by Eclipse.

They feature a zipper top and are made entirely from recycled plastic bags. I think these are so creative and cute for Halloween treats. Plus they are ecofriendly.

Arctic Friends

2008-09-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

polar bear original aceo by RobsDoodles

Today I decided to feature the Polar Bear. This furry creature is not one I am familiar with down here in Louisiana, except for the one or two in our zoo, so I have searched for a few interesting facts about them.

Polar bears are a potentially endangered species of a about 20,000-25,0000 living in the circumpolar north from Russia to Alaska, from Canada to Greenland and onto Norway's Svalbard archipelago.

Scientists believe that the polar bear evolved from a group of brown bears that became isolated by glaciers in an area near Siberia. The stranded bears underwent a rapid series of evolutionary changes in order to survive on the ice. Today's polar bear is superbly adapted to life in the Arctic.

Bear Ancestry ACEO Limited Edition 2 by scarlettcat

Climate change is the main threat to polar bears today. A diminishing ice pack directly affects polar bears, as sea ice is the platform from which they hunt seals. Although the Arctic has experienced warm periods before, the present shrinking of the Arctic's sea ice is rapid and unprecedented.

Who Cares About Global Warming Button by thedogcoatlady

Polar bears are the world's largest land predators They top the food chain in the Arctic, where they prey primarily on seals.

In all of Canada, only seven people have been killed by polar bears in the past 30 years.In the U. S. (Alaska) during the same time period, only one person was killed.

Trouble woodblock print by Cakeasaurus

Adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to more than 1,500 pounds. Females are considerably smaller, normally weighing 330 to 550 pounds.

Mr. Stemke - 100 Percent Organic Cotton - Alternative Apparel - 6032 V-Neck T-Shirt by partybots

Pregnant female polar bears den up in the fall after feeding heavily in August and September. Most choose den sites in snowdrifts along mountain slopes or hills near the sea ice. Others den in banks of snow on the frozen sea.To build her den, the female scrapes a tunnel into the snow and digs two chambers. She gives birth to her cubs in November or December.

Polar bears are fastidious about staying clean. In the summer, the bears typically feed for twenty or thirty minutes and then head for a pool of water in which to wash off.

Follow Your heart - Lets Swing 7"x7" print by krisblues

Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-07T17:34:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a week this has been. Hurricane Gustav blew through this state and wreaked havoc on us for quite some time! What was thought to be a safe haven for some Gulf Coast residents turned out to be one of the hardest hit areas of the state here in Louisiana. This was the worst recorded storm to ever hit Baton Rouge and the most damage I have ever seen in my city.

Our property didn't sustain much damage since we don't have any tall trees but my Mom didn't fair as well as us. A 100' pine tree fell into her bedroom.

This storm was quite different from Katrina; instead of flooding, we got lots of wind, and in a city full of beautiful old trees, wind is not your friend. After 5 days, we finally got power back, but over half the city still is in darkness and may be for a month. Schools remain closed for another week.

After tasting my first MRE, we decided to hit the grocery store today to refill the refrigerator that had to be cleaned out. I found only one that didn't have a line of people waiting to get inside. We were able to get most of the staple items, only one choice of bread but no eggs were available. It looks like the 2 hour gas lines are finally tapering off too and we are finally going to have to fill up the car soon.

The streets are still littered with debris and uprooted trees. It will be quite some time before things get back to normal and it looks like IKE is headed for the Gulf!

The only thing we were able to do while the power was out was take a hot shower since we have a gas water heater. I was thinking it would be great to have a gas stove, natural gas grill and what about a CNG car that you could fill up at your house. Especially in times like these when petroleum transport and refinement is difficult and there is no electricity. I would love to just have natural gas for everything during times like this!

Plastic Snap Shot

2008-08-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've recently become enamored with old timey faded edge photographs. I didn't want to digitally create this effect, but wanted to create an actual large format photo with my camera. I'm not sure that is possible with my deluxe digital camera so I searched a bit online and found out more about the Holga camera that has gained some recent popularity. This light plastic pinhole camera claims to capture images in a more artistic manner, through soft tones, streaming lights and blurred edges.

So I ordered one as well as a bevy of film rolls in large format size color and black and white, 100-800 speeds. I have no idea what to expect from my camera, with the different film brands or speeds, but I am going to have fun trying. I took out the inner frame and filed down the rough ridges so the film wont scratch winding across it. This should allow me to blow out the photo edges. I finished taking the first roll of film today and will be picking up my prints tomorrow. I forgot how hard it is to wait for pictures having had a digital camera for the past 8 years!

Back to School

2008-08-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

So around these parts, most kiddos are back in school. My son has a couple more years before he gets into real school, but I've been looking at the back to school sales and featured items. I found a few things that I can remember having fun with in my school days.

This shirt by Jeremy Boston Designs is hilarious. Who didn't goof off in math class making funny words on their calculators?

I love this citrus sky raglan dress. If only my mom would have made me cool clothes like this for kindergarten! I am hoping CourtneyCourtney will make some little boy items soon.

And finally, I will do a little self promotion here. I bought some cute messenger bags in a dark green and grey slate color. I screenprinted some of my existing designs as well as a few new ones onto the front flap. These are great to carry a few small books, use as a purse or even as a craft/hobby bag to collect items in the field or carry your journal around. Here's my favorite so far. My honey bee and honey comb in moss green.

Owls

2008-08-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Owls

Did you know that owls can rotate their heads more than 180 degrees? They also have special feather adaptations for silent flight. For centuries owls have been a part of folklore and legend and they still remain popular today. I found pages of listings on Etsy and selected a few that stood out.

This vintage owl sculpture is a great find by beyondthevalley

I love the owls in this fine art print by primorignals

This Lil Hoot stuffie is a perfect gift for a tot. You can find one at ManicMuffinTotes.

Fly Away

2008-08-16T11:48:00.001-07:00

Birds are such a popular graphic right now so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites from Etsy right now:

I love this Alice in Wonderland digitally altered photograph by
Champignons from the UK.

I am also fond of this screenprint: The archeology of flight

I love Geninne from Mexico. She has a 20 bird water color series that I adore. Here is number 7/20

Letter Press

2008-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

I found a few cards on Etsy today that I thought were very creative.

This one from roundrobinpress is plantable handmade paper that is embeded with basil and chive seeds. It is like two gifts in one!

This set of 4 miniprints and envelopes from YeeHaw is so retro and funky.

Hot Air Ballon Chase

2008-08-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I spent this hot August afternoon in the open fields here in Baton Rouge for the 2008 Pennington Hot Air Balloon Championship. We spent a few hours before the race running from the sun and chasing the shadows of the trees. We lolled through the kids' play field sipping melted snowcones and eating nachos.

There was a petting zoo, gigantic blow up slides, a water ballon fighting ring, basketball hoops, tattoos and face painting, and so much more. Sponge Bob was even amusing himself there. Well, not in a bad way of course!

In the evening, we made our way back to the balloon target field where numerous pilots were lining up for the race. Even a few parachuters droped in to see the action. What a spectacular sight to see the colorful balloons filling up all at once. I must have taken a hundred pictures, but here are just a couple I'll share.

Alternative Fuel

2008-08-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

I thought this was such an interesting video from the vaults.
Jack Nicholson educating us on a hydrogen powered car.
Oh yeah, back in 1978 almost before I was born!

Where have the years gone? And what is our alternative energy plan for the future? For the now?

Did you read about the oil spill in New Orleans on the Mississippi?

Baton Rouge Kite Festival

2008-04-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the afternoon across the river at the Kite Festival. Although the weather never cleared up and was a bit overcast, it was actually great for flying kites, and many other people agreed that the winds were cooperating. There were tons of colorful kites dotting the grey skies all day. A huge red octopus greeted us along with a cajun band, complete with someone playing a washboard, when we walked into the festival. Smells of fried shrimp, sausage and cotton candy wafted through the air tempting my taste buds.

We cafefully waddled through tangled webs of kite string across the large open field to the kite making tent so Lucas could make his own kite. After trying to fly his little paper kite for a while, we decided to make a little investment and I picked out 2 traditional style triangle kites, a blue and a purple. We flew those kites the rest of the afternoon and had a great time.

Etsy Labs Surprise

2008-04-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

Whee! I got an unexpected surprise in the mail from Etsy labs. A whole care package filled with goodies arrived for me, ununexpectedly the other weekend.

DanielleXOXO and the gang filled up a box with a screenprinted tote bag, that will be perfect for taking to the post office and spreading the word around town. A cute cactus wrapping paper set, I can think of an Etsy seller that needs a little gift from me. A quilted square, some bumper stickers, a moustache, a magnet and more! A really nice letter press thank you card was written to me and the entire package just made my day.

Here are all the goodies!

Studio Space

2008-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

I am anxiously awaiting my lease on my brand new studio space. I am a bit nervous about the extra cost each month for the rent but I think it will be well worth it. I am so excited to finally get everything out of our overcrowded house and have space to work. My poor son doesn't even have a room to call his own right now since it is filled to the ceiling with storage bins of inventory. We will be able to eat on the dining room table again. We will also finally be able to finish the front bathroom that I have been using for storage and as my darkroom for coating my screens.

I am dreading the move a little bit. I have about 100 plus screens that must be carefully transported so that they don't tear, numerous containers of ink and squeegees that must be cleaned, and lots and lots of clothes. Then the big things like the dryers, shelving units and the press will take some muscle. Everything has to be done quickly too so I can be all set up and ready to print right away, but I know I will be even more creative in this new space.

Wooden You Wanna Play With Me?

2008-02-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was playing with Pounce, the new Etsy browsing feature, and came across a new Etsy shop today with beautifully crafted wooden toys.

Countree toy shoppe is owned by Brian of Higgins Lake Michigan. He has been working with wood for 30 years and started making toys for his own children out of scraps from his building job. About 6 years ago, he began touring the North Eastern U.S. attending craft shows.

I picked a few toys from his shop to feature here.

This Logging Truck and Loading Dozer set are made from ash and come with little stackable logs. The dozer has a removeable operator too. What little boy wooden love to have this toy?

This adorable Dragonfly pull toy is made from Cherry, Maple, and Black Walnut wood. The wings are even hand silkscreened! Imagine my delight! The wings flop up and down as your little one pulls it along. This is too precious.

Missing Person in Seattle Area

2008-02-17T08:03:00.001-08:00

Recently I became aware of another Etsy seller, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5588252, whose husband Nicholas Francisco has been missing since Feb 13, 2008. She last spoke to him at work in the lower Queen Anne area of Seattle; he said he would be home after running a quick errand to Costco. He has not been seen or heard from since. He was driving a red 1992 Toyota Paseo hatchback with license plate number 601RHX and headed south toward the Seatac area.
Here are a few news articles with more information to pass on.
http://www.komotv.com/news/15682797.html
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_021608WAB_missing_seatac_man_KS.cbc94803.html
http://mailpen.net/
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5472516

Please keep your eyes and ears open and pass the word on.
I am keeping the family in my thoughts during this difficult time.

Olive the Etsy Front Page

2007-08-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to have my Flying Solo Scoop neck top featured on the front page of Etsy this evening. This red and olive list is currated by misskenzie

Here is a screen shot of the beautiful list. She also entered it into the Etsy Poster Challenge.

I also submitted a treasury for the poster challenge.

Here is my sampler.

More entries can be seen on flickr.

Puppets

2007-07-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have a two and a half year old little boy and recetly we have been playing with socks. He loves to pretend they are puppets. After watching the puppet show on Etsy a few months back, which was hilarious, I started browsing puppets for sale. I will share with you some of my favorites.

I'll start with Stacey Rebecca who put on the Etsy puppet show. She has been a puppet designer, builder, and performer with Elastic Theater for 5 years.

Susie is one of my favorites from her Etsy shop staceyrebecca.
Susie's favorite color is green like her shirt and she has big wide open ping pong eyes!

Next up is Ohmy made by Out of The Box Puppets.

Ohmy loves big hugs and dancing. He even comes with adoption papers. How cute is that!
Out of the Box Puppets specializes in custom puppets, blacklight puppets, (5'7") Life-size Blacklight Puppets, rod arm puppets, specialty puppets (Gooneys and Stringbeans), patterns, kits and more. You can find more puppets on Kidology.

Finally we have Otis, a full body ventriloquist puppet. He is more for the adult kids.

Otis has wildly free hair and few teeth; he is quite the character. Otis is handmade by the talented Sonny Vegas.

Sonny Vegas is a Magician, Comedian and Puppet Creator who has been making puppets for five years.

You can see more of Sonny's puppets on his website.

For more information about the puppet community check out Puppets and Stuff.

Next time, talk to the hand!!!!

Digital Art

2007-07-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

I love layered art. I am currently working on a new design for t-shirts that has multiple layers to it. I have found myself drawn to many digital artists.

Summer Tree Landscape

One in particular, absolutely amazes me. Mikel Robinson is an artist from North Carolina (one of my favorite states). He uses digital art and light layered in his mixed media art to explore the range of human emotions, to feel the moment and connect with his audience. We share the same belief that we are all somehow connected to one another from the past to the present and that there is a purpose to everything, though we may not understand or realize it.

Icarus's Daughter is an example of his layering technique and digital work.
This piece touches on the dark side of human emotion for me and my yearning to break free from my responsibilities. The texture and colors of his work draw me in and actually spark old memories, perhaps of our collective unconscious.

His work can be found for sale in his etsy store galeriedeilluminata and more art can be seen on his own web site The Art of Mikel Robinson.

You can read more about him and his work on his blog.

Natural Inspiration

2007-06-30T15:48:00.002-07:00

I love nature and am always inspired by it. I am naturally drawn to art with nature themes.
I found a wonderfully talented designer recently whose products caught my eye. Tobi Wood of Tobi Wood Designs has a bright and bold artistic style.
She carries paper goods, magnets and prints that feature her art. She has 8 series of designs including bloom, bulb, flower, grass, leaf, stem, tree and vase.
Her designs are bright with colors that really pop!

Mod Pod Tote

2007-06-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today I screen printed my first tote bag. This was so much fun. They are perfect for keeping in the car for grocery trips. I hate collecting all of those plastic bags that I can't manage to throw out. Now I can use my tote to carry my items in.

I love patterns, especially those found in nature. I created this funky pattern from pod flowers that I drew. I used bright summer colors for the print and then printed my logo on the inside.

They come in bright green and blue as well as bold red and blue.

I rolled them up in little bundles with some matching raffia ribbon. I made some pod flower buttons to match for each set. I listed them for sale in my Etsy store and will be coming up with some new designs soon!

Softies

2007-06-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Cynic the Lamb is an artist from New York, now living in Cambridge who creates adorable softies. These cushion like dolls come in all sorts of animal shapes. She sells a popular pocket squirrel that comes in all sorts of modern patterns.

These are a few of my favorite patterns she has used. They make a great gift and are very affordable. You can get to know the artist better by reading her blog here.

Summer Sailing

2007-06-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

The theme this week seems to be nautical. I was delightfully surprised to find I had been featured in Big Daddy Sea Shell's blog.

She chose my fish and whale prints to feature, as well as some really cool fish prints and ceramic dishes.
Later on this afternoon, I was even more surprised to find my At Sea women's long sleeve top featured on the front page of Etsy.

This fabulous list was currated by phantomwise.

I checked out her shop and just fell in love with this print.

Rainy Day Lovebirds is a mixed media painting that can be purchased in print form from her etsy shop. She has a July birthday coming up just like me :)

Create your own color palette

2007-06-09T10:23:00.001-07:00

I have found just one more addiction to occupy my free time. Thanks to a few forum regulars on Etsy, I have discovered a new web site that allows you to create color palettes. You can name your palettes and even name new colors that you use. Other users are then able to comment and vote on your color choices.

The website, Colour Lovers, is very user friendly. It was quick to sign up with a user id and password. I immediately began my color hunt.

My first palette creation, named Hot Buttered Rum uses warm tones of red, yellow and green.

It has already recieved one love vote!

My favorite color palette I created is called Cous Cous.

It features earthy tones from ochre to olive

I named 4 of the colors in this one.

It begins with cous cous, then sienna (this had been named already, but I would have called it baby poop), steel rod, ash and finally martini.

This palette reminds me of the desert with a moroccan flair. I am waiting for my genie to pop out of her bottle and grant me my wish!

I think I'm turning Japanese

2007-06-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to have a few of my clothing items being sold in Japan. Los Gatitos, an online boutique in Tokyo, has my items up with descriptions in Japanese.

They are carrying my lotus top. It features a large lotus flower on the front and 2 smaller ones on the back of the shirt

They are also carrying both the asphalt and grass green dandelion tops.

Here is the information translated to English, but I'm pretty sure some of the meaning has been lost!

Screen Capture

2007-05-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have just installed a new plug in for firefox browser that now enables me to capture a larger portion of my screen. I was perusing the Etsy forums and came across this thread how to capture WHOLE page not just screen??

In one post, Etsy seller CubedPop posted a firefox plug in that works with versions 2.0-3.0a3

This took all of about 1 minute to install, open with firefox and find a web page to capture. The only drawback is that it won't capture flash based programs.

So I went searching around for other plugins and found a great one for internet explorer browsers. Click Here for the link.
It was simple to install.
I chose a beautiful treasury created by Jmacc called Yeah, Right ON. I used my tools iwebshot to save as a jpeg.

I used my keyboard print screen button for this shot which zooms in for more detail.

I am included at the bottom right, the creme pomegranate flower top.

Goodbye Joey

2007-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we lost one of our beautiful cats, Joey. She was a wonderful cat, very shy but friendly. We will miss you Joey.

Tag! I'm it!

2007-05-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

I was wondering if this would happen to me and thanks to , Sewlutions I've been tagged!
What is tagging you might ask. Well, it is a sort of 'get to know you' game that bloggers play. Now on to the

Rules:

• Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself
• People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog
• Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment to tell them they have been tagged and to read your blog

Here are 7 Random things about myself:

1. I love football. I am a huge LSU and Saints fan. Usually disappointed by the Saints, last year was a great success for both teams. I feel a Super Bowl appearance is in our future.

2. I must have at least 2 or more drink options available at all times. I drink coffee all day and mix it up with coke, juice, water, milkshakes, smoothies...

3. I have 7 cats and 1 dog. I have a hard time turning away a stray animal

4. I have broken my arm, my hand, 2 toes and had stitches twice (not including my c-section)

5. I am a packrat. My grandmother was one too and when she passed away, who do you think collected 91 years worth of her addiction? Needless to say, I am running out of storage room.

6. I have traveled to 18 states, Mexico and various Caribbean islands but have not made it across an ocean yet. Italy and Greece are in my top spots to visit one day!

7. I am very shy and wish I was more confident and outgoing.

Now onto tagging 7 others.

Pepperina Press

Supastarr

Art of Andrew Daniel

Jessica Torrant

Crazy in Louisiana

Bugs and Fishes

Draw the Girl

Chopstick Dahlia

2007-05-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

My red dahlias are blooming now. This is one of my most favorite flowers!

Ah, there is nothing more gratifying in my job than pulling the first scoop of ink over a new design.

I just finished my Chopstick Dahlia design last night, burned the screen and rinsed it in the tub at 10 pm. I had to pull the hose with the pressure nozzle through the window and to the tub so the loud noise of rinsing out the screen wouldn't wake sleeping neighbors. I could barely wait until the screen had dried to test it out.

Here is the fruit of my labor, the Chopstick Dahlia.

I am offering it, in my Etsy store, on a comfy and versatile cranberry t shirt dress in a creamy tangerine ink .

Here it is on a beautiful sea blue v neck. I love this shirt and its extra length to cover my bum when I bend over!

I am very influenced by Asian design and was partially inspired by origami paper. I love dahlias and have some deep red ones that have just bloomed and about to bloom.

Don't Burst My Bubble

2007-05-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am on a bubble kick right now. My son is loving the bubbles and we have so many contraptions for bubble making. We have electric guns, nospill bubble cups and huge bubble wands.
I have a new design I am toying with that involves bubbles. The hard part is, how do I represent a 3 dimensional, transparent object through silk screen? I have been looking at other bubble objects and found so many different ways to depict bubbles.

Here are some of my favorite items I have come across.

I love these bubble coasters by allisonsphotography
She is a fellow nature lover out of Montreal.

What a perfect graphic for a coaster. They are just asking for a bubbly concoction to rest on them.

She even makes these in a set of eight for parties or in my case, when I start loosing them as I always do!

I love the cool colors and the mix of circular rings with full bubbles.

I also like these funky bubble earrings by jewelera

Derya Aksoy is a multi-talented jewelry designer who creates intricate pieces that can be seen in her blog, Derya's Jewelry.

I like the different sized circles fused together in this cool pattern

I love the colors and swirls in this painting by ttgart
This is actually a 3 print reproduction of the original painting.

I like the white swirls inside the colored bubbles. I like the cool blues with the deep purples and yellow spotted in.

Hmm, this would look lovely in my office. I must resist...

Free Time

2007-05-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

So it's 1 AM and Etsy is down for some maintenance. Hmmm, what to do with this rare free time on my hands?
I have been printing shirts for customers all day up until about 30 minutes ago. I toasted an everything bagel and shmeared it with some new creole cream cheese I bought the other day. Yuck! This was not what I was expecting. For something named creole, I thought it would have been a taste explosion in my mouth. Instead, it was something along the lines of cottage cheese and not at all what I was craving. I hate wasting money. I will be sticking to the Philadelphia from now on.
I just thought of the scene from Best In Show where Catherine O'Hara is talking about visiting the Philadelphia Cream Cheese factory to see how they make light cream cheese. I love that movie. "God loves a Terrier..."

Animal

2007-04-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so nice down here, so we decided to take a trip to the Baton Rouge Zoo.
I am a bit torn on the idea of zoos. I don't completely agree with caged animals, but I see the educational benefit of having them as well. I think some species only still exist because of captivity.

It has been many years since I visited our zoo and many improvements have been made. Since passing a 20 million dollar park tax, more projects have been started around the city and updates to existing facilities are being made. Over 5 million dollars is going to our zoo, but the only improvement for the animals is a new tiger exhibit; everything else is for the visitors. I was hoping some of the concrete enclosures would be made larger and with more amenities for the animals. I would like more natural vegetation and water features added to many of the shelters. I also like the idea of having an exercise area that the animals could visit every now and then for different scenery and some running room.

With that being said, we enjoyed ourselves and my son absolutely loved the birds and monkeys.

He also had a grand time on the new playground with this awesome recycled rubber ground surface that is like walking on an air mattress. It makes it nice for the tumbles.

Here is my little monkey exploring the sliding corkscrew pole.

My favorite exhibit is the giraffes. These are such amazing creatures. One was particularly friendly and let us feed her. We later got into trouble for feeding the giraffe even though it was just grass pulled from her enclosure and even though there were no NO FEEDING ANIMAL signs to be seen.

That is the grass that I wasn't supposed to feed to her even though she was pulling it up herself before we decided to give her a hand.

Etsy Front Page

2007-04-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hip Hip Hooray!

CircularAccessories made the front page on Etsy today!
Thanks to RightAsRainCreations, who makes lovely handmade lotions and cards, for making such a lovely blue and yellow themed treasury, which grabbed the attention of Etsy's administration and landed the front page.

This was the original curated list. Of course by the time I visited the front page, some of the items had been sold already and the alternates were added to the front page.

Here is a view of the front page this evening.

There's my blue and yellow camellia pocket mirror. It is so happy amongst these other beautiful selections.

I am extremely happy to make the front page today. Thanks RightAsRainCreations and thanks Etsy for making my day :)

Ceramics

2007-03-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love ceramics. I have tried it myself in my younger days at camp. I can remember making a turtle whistle that I gave as a gift to my mom a long time ago. Even though it turned out looking more like a dinosaur/ostrich, the whistle worked and I was so proud. I have used the throwing wheel, but didn't get such great results from it. I would love to take a class sometime and get back into ceramics to learn some new techniques or perhaps make contact with ghosts.

I just stumbled upon this ceramics artist and I am in love with her work. Diana Fayt out of Northern California has her own company oneblackbird. She developed a process with ceramics in which she combines all of her loves; drawing, painting, printmaking and clay and refers to it as “as etchings in clay. Her pieces are like a story board, illustrating events and experiences from her own life.

She has made these beautiful "bowling pin" style vases that she calls pin vases. They combine soft colors with elemental line drawings that make for a complex composition but retains a delicate, modern feel. They can be found in a store called Finch located in Austin, TX or you can send an email at diana@dianafayt.com.

She also creates beautiful plates, bowls and cups. I love deep dish bowls with colors like orange, ice blue and canary yellow.

Show me the COLOR!

2007-02-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Oh cold and dreary winter no more. We have finally had some beautiful sunny days after almost a solid month of cold, rainy weather. Spring is nearing but until then, here are some very colorful pieces to brighten up your gray winter day.

Nina Kuriloff is an American painter out of New York.

She paints non-objective works of art as well as landscapes, nudes, renditions of flowers and surrealistic trees. She uses bold colors and curiously curly lines in many of her beautiful works.

I love her nudes and their beautiful curves.
Her female nude with purple and black hair is fantastic in its form and line detail.

This is an original acrylic painting of her imaginary green tree. It is a gorgeous green and once again her line style draws you into the image and wraps you up in her fantasy world.

You can visit her Etsy store Kuriloff for more surreal art.

Andrew Daniel is a painter out of Arcata, California. He uses bold colors and shapes found in nature to express connections in life through his own geometric language.

I really love his flower petals on water acrylic on canvas found on his website. Poetic and reflective indeed!

You can find many of his works on affordable greeting cards in his Etsy shop ArtofAndrewDaniel. Skip the Hallmark and let his art say it all!

Brighten someone's day with this Misty Morning greeting card filled to the brim and layered with all the colors in the rainbow.

Earrings

2007-02-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

I have had my ears pierced since 2nd grade. At one point in my life, I had 9 piercings, but am now down to just 2. I have noticed though that lately I haven't been wearing earrings, and I think this can be attributed to my 2 year old son. He loves to grab and pull anything shiny, so at risk of having my ear lobes ripped in half, I have not been adorning my audio appendages.

I have long had a fascination with large hoops, specifically silver, but lately have seen quite a few beautiful and unique ear accessories. I hope to be able to buy some soon. Here are a few outstanding designers I have come across in my earring search.

Courtney Filer-Dougal, out of Boston, has a beautiful organic sterling silver line that is available through her Etsy shop Eva666 .

I am particularly fond of her stick earrings
These are hand forged and hammered into this organic shape.
They are simple and elegant.

I also love these death star earrings from wildflowerdesigns. They are oxidized to a wonderful dark tone and lightly brushed for unique texture. A dainty ruby bead adds a dash of color the flower's center. She also uses a stamping technique in many of her designs that are equally as intriguing and beautiful.

From Upstate New York, Elizabeth Scott has an eclectic jewelry line inspired by nature and decorations from the past. I think these sophisticated loops from esdesigns are fantastic. The andalusite stone is a subtle neutral tone with angled edges that catch the light and change colors. These would be perfect for a romantic night out.

Curious about Gocco

2007-02-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the Gocco printer, the Japanese home printing machine. The Riso company has discontinued its manufacturing and in turn, sparked a small uprising in the crafting community. Check out the save gocco here.

Flower art By mocchi mocchi

Being a screen printer myself, I became curious about this small, all-in-one printing unit. It seems you can find them at auction sites going for well over $200.00 when they are originally around $95.00. Similar to the high demand for the gaming systems, they are fetching a nice price, even used.

After discussing the pros and cons of the Gocco with a good friend who used one to print cards and t-shirts, I have decided it is not for me. That is not to say it is not for everyone. Here are some amazing Gocco prints I have stumbled upon in my quest.

This is another favorite of mine from
mocchi mocchi

There are many more beautiful prints to choose from.

Another technique used with the Gocco is stamping. You can purchase special kits for use on different mediums. I found this artist who creates beautiful patterns to use with her Gocco stamp.

Here are some classical style stamp patterns I found from Lara Cameron out of Australia

She has an Etsy shop, kirinco, filled with delightful jewelry and prints as well

Print Addict Japan sells Gocco supplies on Etsy too.
Welsh Products is another supplier.

Here are a few links to check out if you are interested in using a Gocco
You Tube tutorial
Flickr photo tuturial
Makezine tutorial
Ingafruit Blog tutorial
The Small Object Blog tutorial
Paper Source Video tutorial
Stamp Blog

Don't forget your card stock!

I recently purchased 2 sets of cards from Heather Toupin of heatherjeany. She has a modern line of prints perfect for any occasion.

For myself, I selected the goldfish. This is a delicate design printed in a shimmering gold ink onto a mix of A2 size beautiful blue and green note cards with stylish rounded corners and corresponding glittery gold envelopes.

I also selected the tall giraffe. It too is a detailed print in a shimmery bronze on a cheerful set of orange and red cards with matching chartreuse envelopes.

I can't wait to send these cards out to clients and friends; don't forget about the art of writing now. I love "real" mail.