Hello My name is Missy...

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T05:57:00.000-05:00

Though I have not always been a fan of this holiday, I feel there are lots of things to love. I love Raoul because he is the best in the world! I love my family because they sent us popcorn and Valentines! I love Raoul's family for making birthday cakes and having us visit! I love my pets because they are adorable! Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone finds a little love today.

Illustration Friday - Popularity

2012-02-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

The word of the week for Illustration Friday is popularity. I had a tough time with this word! I was not sure what to draw, but I wanted to draw some koalas. In my illustration, they are cheering for the littlest koala. The littlest koala is the most popular now because he baked eucalyptus pie for the entire town on a day when the koalas were particularly hungry and down in the dumps. They were a little sad because they lost their favorite kitten who fell down a well. The kitten was found, though - a little later on that day. Their favorite kitten was just hiding in the bucket in the well!

Pancakes for One

2012-02-12T11:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a pancakes at the Grit kind of morning.

Nilla in the Book Shelf

2012-02-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

Sometimes Nilla visits me in the craft room when I am working on things. She made herself so cozy in our book shelf!

Jewelry and Sculpture

2012-02-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

The last couple weekends Raoul and I went to a few art openings at the University of Georgia. The UGA recently had relocated the jewelry studio where I am taking classes into a whole new facility. The opening was to show off the new studios and some of the jewelry, metal, and sculpture that is made right here on campus.

This installation reminded me of something similar to one of my favorite artists, Mike Kelley. I really love the little clothing on the stumps of wood. I think it was my favorite art of the whole night.

Here is some of the jewelry and metal work from the students.

I really love these forged spoons, too. I am excited to learn more in my class and make some new jewelry.

Orange Popsicles and Lemonade

2012-02-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

I drew some new buttons that feature song some of my favorite song lyrics from one of my favorite bands, the B-52's! This pair of buttons are from their song Summer of Love. I love love love that song, so I made these buttons from some of my drawings.

And here is another with lyrics from the B's song Cosmic Thing! We will be shaking our honey buns when we see the B-52's at their 35th anniversary show tomorrow! I am excited!

Tunesday Tuesday: Tattle Tale

2012-02-07T21:09:00.001-05:00

Tattle Tale have been one of my favorite riot grrrl bands for a long time. Tattle Tale has long since broken up, but I still like to bust out their cassette and cd once in a while. Everyone needs some good riot grrrl in their life, no? Tattle Tale was a duo made up of Bonfire Madigan and Jen Wood. They formed Tattle Tale when they were teenagers, and I discovered their music through the Kill Rock Stars record label.

When I was in high school I used to write to indie record labels and ask them for a copy of their catalog. I did not have a cd player, only a cassette stereo and walkman, and I had a record player. I only ordered cassettes for most of my high school career, and I was so happy when Tattle Tale had this cassette only release!

I love Tattle Tale for a number of reasons - I love their lyrics and singing, how sewing is a theme throughout their music, and how they have a love for Pippi Longstocking. How many bands today can claim that?

My friend in Seattle found a copy of their cd for me. I love this cd, and it is really hard to find. I think there are downloads online for it now, but I had a terrible time trying to find it for ages.

Here is my favorite song by Tattle Tale.

Button Love

2012-02-07T07:28:00.000-05:00

All these new buttons I designed are ready for sharing, or keeping all for yourself, right at Shoppe Sugar Cookie!

Snuggle Bunny Monday

2012-02-06T20:48:00.002-05:00

What are the bunnies up to today? Let's have a peek!

Aw! They are snuggling!

They are so cute together. I love my bunnies!

Sketchbook Sunday - Cats and Bunnies

2012-02-05T22:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my drawings I have been working on lately. Some of these are for my button designs that I have in Shoppe Sugar Cookie, and some are for fabric pattern designs I have at my Spoonflower fabric shop. Some are from my Tunesday Tuesday posts, too. It is neat to see how they turn out and if you might notice them in other places.

I like drawing in pencil more and more recently, and then I like to use different pens to ink the artwork in. I love drawing animals, too. I do not mind drawing people so much, too - but when I was a child I never liked to draw people. I only drew animals and my toys!

Nilla Visits

2012-02-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Nilla came to visit me in the craft room. She really loves to look out the window and sit on my sewing table. Here she is "finding her light." Isn't she the cutest kitty?

Tunesday Tuesday: First Aid Kit

2012-01-31T23:06:00.001-05:00

I have loved the band First Aid Kit upon first listen. I am pretty sure I found them on iTunes with the "people who liked this, also bought this" thing, or else I read about them maybe from Twitter. Anyways, I am very glad I did because I really am in love with their music. My musical tastes run a little more on the "folk" side than Raoul's, but he also is a fan of First Aid Kit. I love music that has different stories within the album, and I also love their voices. Their new record is called "The Lion's Roar." On first listen, I do not love it as quickly as I loved the other album, but it is a grower, and it is totally growing on me at the moment. You can listen to a really good interview with the sisters of First Aid Kit right here from NPR. They are also featured in this month's issue of Nylon magazine, and they have on the most beautiful dresses with the most amazing patterns!

This is one of my favorite songs from their first album.

And one from the newest album, too.

And one more for good measure because this one is really good, too.

Do You Like Re-ment?

2012-01-30T07:25:00.003-05:00

Do you know what Re-ment is? Re-ment is miniatures of all sorts of things, especially food. It is sort of like dollhouse miniatures and each is a certain theme. I got the bear from a set I got in Hong Kong a few years ago. I really like that the cute bear is a sailor.

I use these for my Blythe dolls. The Re-ment is a pretty good size for Blythe! I really like the detail in the teeny tiny cookies and biscuits.

Here are some of the ones I have from my photo shoot. I found the most in Chicago at the Japanese mall, and I also found some in Hong Kong and China. They had so much at the convenience stores where you could pick up a bottled drink, candy, and Re-ment! it was really neat, but the next time I visited there I did not see so much Re-ment at the corner stores.

Sometimes they come with funny inserts. I am not sure what this one reads, but the illustration is really silly.

This is my favorite set! This set is called Natalie's French Goods. I do not have the full set, but I have a few. This one really has the best items, and they are really cute and Blythe really likes them, too!

Oh my gosh! Tiny cheese! Adorable with a capital A!

Sometimes my miniature animals like to have some sweets, too. My friend Jordan gave me these mini animals. They are really neat and he had them when he was small.

Sketchbook Sunday

2012-01-29T21:16:00.000-05:00

Here is another Sketchbook Sunday with a few of my current drawings. I thought I would write this post as I watch Downton Abbey (ooh, who else is watching? It is getting really good!). I made some new little drawings and I think they are coming along quite well...

These are drawn with my Pentel brush pen. I like working with it because the lines you can make remind me of some of my favorite line art from Andy Warhol.

I really like drawing animals lately. I mostly draw from my memory, but I also like to look at Pinterest and other websites for inspiration. I like looking at different sites for animals and patterns. I would like to make some of these little baby seals into a pattern for my Spoonflower fabric shop!

Artist Kiki Smith

2012-01-29T10:25:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Raoul and I went to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. There we saw one of my favorite artists, Kiki Smith. I have been interested in her work since I saw her art exhibit at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh in about 1997 or so. It was nice to see her artwork again in person, and there were even some of the birds from the Mattress Factory at this exhibit, too. Here are some pictures I took from the exhibit. Apparently you are not allowed to take camera pictures, so these are all from my iPhone using the Camera+ app.

This one especially was zine-y to me.

This one was one of my favorites.

Best Bunny Buddies

2012-01-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Oreo and Jumbles are so close. They are the best buddies and it is always so cute to see them cuddle and snuggle together.

Tofu Baby 2012

2012-01-26T07:06:00.001-05:00

Are you really ready for 2012? I mean, are you really ready for 2012?? Now you can be truly ready with your very own Tofu Baby Cawendar for 2012! Each month features a scene I drew to match the month. I think they look really cute!

In the center of the cawendar is a Chutes and Wadders that you can play, too. You can get your own copy at Shoppe Sugar Cookie!

Weekend Dinner

2012-01-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we spent a rainy day at the museum. Since I will post about the museum later, I will just have to show you the yummy food from Soul Vegetarian. We always go to Soul Veg 2, which is right near Youngblood Gallery. It is a must have for lunch or dinner when we visit this section of Atlanta.

There is always a garden salad to begin... I love the dressing on this salad! It is addictive.

We shared onion rings. I do not usually love inion rings, but these were light, crispy and not overly onion-y.

I always get the same sandwich when I go to Soul Veg. This is the tofu filet and it has pickles on top and Hebrew bakes on the side.

And last, but certainly not least, Raoul and I shared their vegan butter pecan ice cream. I wish I had some now!

Illustration Friday - Twirl

2012-01-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

The word of the week on Illustration Friday is twirl. I drew these cats with their tails twirled together! I guess this is how I would like Nilla, my beloved all-white kitty, to be with other cats. Instead Nilla is not too friendly with other kitties. When she sees them outside she throws herself against the picture windows in our living room. She gets so territorial, she tries to chase them away, even if the other cat is friendly and rubs on the window. Maybe it is best that Nilla is the queen bee at home. I think she likes to have me all for herself! I am lucky she shares with the bunnies, and she really does like them, too. Twirl, Nilla! Twirl!

Oh, they said SWIRL!

Mini Choco

2012-01-23T20:29:00.000-05:00

Yummy!

I love chocolate, so I sewed some of these Mini Choco candies. Raoul gave me the idea to make a special wrapper for the Mini Choco, so I made this cute little label. It is printed on speckled white paper.

All wrapped up neatly in a foil wrapper - this is one candy that won't melt in your pocket! Inside contains...

Some very cute candy! I made these from wool felt. I enjoy doing some hand sewing once in a while, and these little sweets are fun to make. I especially liked embroidering their faces.

I only made a few of these so far, and you can find them right here at Shoppe Sugar Cookie! You can give the gift of chocolate this Valentine's Day!

Sketchbook Sunday: Vanillery Garden Love

2012-01-22T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have been reading Natalie's blog called Vanillery Garden lately. It is one of my new favorite blogs! Not only does Natalie have cute drawings and pets, but we have a lot of things in common. We both like cute Japanese things, mori girls, and sewing. Natalie started a message board community that you can sign up for here. Through this you can connect with so many crafty types from around the world! It is like Facebook, but cute! There are also tutorials you can watch for crafting cute mori girl inspired things, like a roll up for your paintbrushes and a tutu! My drawing is inspired by Vanillery Garden and Natalie's lovely illustrations!

Nilla Sits

2012-01-21T09:04:00.002-05:00

I am not sure why my cat Nilla loves to sit like a person!

Forest Fawn Fashion

2012-01-16T20:20:00.001-05:00

I know I have told you about one of my favorite bloggers out there, and if you do not remember, I will mention Kaylah Doolan of the Dainty Squid blog again. Here is her photos from this blog post where she is wearing my Forest Fawn Wood Pin! Once again, Kaylah is super cute and I wanna be her best friend cos she is just that adorable.

Here is a detail of my wood pin I made from my original drawing! I really think it looks great with her gray sweater and striped dress.

And here I am wearing the same pin, too! Of course I have to keep one for myself! I am not as stylish as Kaylah, but the vintage top under my sweater has a pattern with different kinds of stoves.

Here is the Forest Fawn close up. You can check out Shoppe Sugar Cookie for many more wood pins that I have made lately!

Cafe Sunflower

2012-01-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

Last night we got to go to one of our favorite restaurants in Atlanta. It is called Cafe Sunflower. It is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant and we love it so much. It was very cold last night, so it was nice to sit down after a long day and have some amazing food...

We had some soy "chicken" nuggets. They have a spicy mustard dipping sauce. I think these are Raoul's favorite.

I had the stuffed acorn squash. it is stuffed with all kinds of roasted veggies. Raoul had a spicy stir fry with soy chicken and veggies.

And for dessert we treated ourselves to yummy coconut cake...

And I had the blueberry cobbler. So good! I am dreaming about this dessert right now...!!

Tunesday Tuesday: Beirut in Concert

2012-01-10T20:54:00.001-05:00

As you may know from my first post about the band Beirut, that I am quite a fan of their music. Back in December Raoul and I went to see them at the newly renovated Georgia Theatre. Not only is the new Georgia Theatre really nice, but Beirut were one of the best musical acts I have seen in my life. They opened with "Scenic World" and did many of my favorites from all of their albums. I only regret not hearing "Forks and Knives," as that is my favorite song of theirs. We also really liked hearing and seeing the song "The Shrew," and I think that is Raoul's favorite cos of the trumpets. Raoul is a great trumpet player, so he knows more about this than I do.

This band did not disappoint - I mean, how could they? They have an accordion player, trumpets, trombone, and tuba! A tuba!

I think my favorite song they did that night was "Vagabond" from the new album. Everything just sounded perfect with the horn section and Zach's voice. If I could see Beirut every night, I would. They are that good!

Do you want to see this band, but missed the concert? You can watch a movie of their show in Brussels. I know cos I watched it, too. Before I saw them live.

Loved Letter Envelope Charm Necklaces

2012-01-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my new Loved Letter Charm Necklaces. These are made from vintage envelope charms and then I made a teeny tiny drawing for in each charm. They are so small, they are smaller than one inch wide!

My Loved Letter lockets are in Shoppe Sugar Cookie, so please have a look!

Sketchbook Sunday: Some Drawings

2012-01-08T14:43:00.002-05:00

Here are some of my drawings from my current sketchbook. Check it out!

It's a New Year...

2012-01-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

Hello New Year! I know we are a week into the new year already, and I have been reading so many reflections and resolutions on some of my favorite blogs (like here, here, and here), I am inspired for the new year. As usual, one of my goals is getting organized. I always have my planner on hand. I write everything I have to do for the day, appointments, classes, and project due dates. Some days when I am especially busy, I am happy to get maybe two of my tasks completed. I use a planner that works with how I think, which is more visual and cute to look at. I have used planners from Little Otsu for the past five years, and I love them.

In fact, this year's planner is so lovely I refuse to write on the blocks for "notes" cos I love the drawings so much. There is a side bar for "weekly to do list" so that is where I will write.

So! What are some goals for 2012? Let's see...

Read seven new books. I know Kaylah is aiming for 15, and maybe I can reach 15, but I am starting with seven. I used to read books more when I worked at a book store a few years ago. I do not have time to read so many books like I once did, but that is not to say I do not read. I do! I love reading zines and magazines cover to cover.

Self publish my Tofu Baby book. Some of you may have read my comic called Tofu Baby for the local newspaper Flagpole. I have over 250 comics now, so I think it is time to make a book!

Classes. I love being in school! I took a jewelry class last fall. I plan to continue this class this year! I am excited to learn some new techniques.

Organize. Okay, this one is a hard one for me. I admit, I am messy. Raoul is the organized one. But slowly we are getting organized at home. We have painted six rooms in our home and we plan to finish the rest. We have also been framing and hanging artwork, and basically decorating our home. We will keep this going this year and make our home even better! And I will keep it organized when it gets there. I hope.

Our friend Gary gave us this page a day calendar, too. I guess the new year means choosing new calendars and what you like to look at each day. I love this one cos it is so cute. Each day is fun to see who is on the next page. I guess it will make Mondays especially fun when I get to pull two pages!

Happy Birthday Joey and Benny

2012-01-05T20:56:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday to my baby brother, Joe! I hope you have a food birthday. We got to celebrate with Joe when we visited for the holidays. We made him this cake! We made a cute squirrel in top with a cookie cutter and minty green colored sugar. I would also like to wish Raoul's dad a happy birthday, too. His birthday was yesterday. Happy birthday, Benny!

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-04T20:20:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone is having a good new year so far! I have been trying to get back into the swing of things after a long break. We had a great Christmas and New Year's Eve. I have been busy at work on some new projects for this year. Super! Go 2012!

Added Note:
About the pretzel! I totally forgot to write about why I am holding a pretzel in my hand for New Year's. Well, a few years ago I spent New Year's Eve with my friends Steve and Cara. Cara took us to Dudt's Bakery where we got a special New Year's Pretzel. This is a very large pretzel that has icing on top, and sometimes coconut or jimmies (some people call jimmies sprinkles). I have tried to find where the New Year's Pretzel began, and I found this to be helpful and this, too. So there you go. Sadly, I did not get to have a New Year's Pretzel with my friends, but my family did make sauerkraut and the traditional Polish fare. Do you have a special New Year's food that you enjoy?

Here is our New Year's Pretzel circa 2006.

Little Bit of Snow

2011-12-30T19:52:00.001-05:00

We had a little bit of snow the other day, and I was up early enough before it melted away. I took my Blythe dolls outside for just a quick photo shoot. Here are our pictures.

Gretel is wearing a froggie hat made by my friend Megumi who is called Sweet Honey Complex. She is also wearing a cute deer jumpsuit that my friend in Seattle sent to me. Isn't it so cute? Her boots came from the BHC in Hong Kong. Isobel has on a sweater I knitted and Re-Ment clothing. The shoes are from Gentle River. We love snow!

Happy Acorn and Sleeping Bunny Pins and the Dainty Squid

2011-12-28T13:35:00.000-05:00

We have been so busy getting ready for the holidays that I forgot to show you some lovely photos that feature my Happy Acorn Wood Pin and my Sleeping Bunny Wood Pin. These photos are by Kaylah from the Dainty Squid blog, and boy, aren't they cute?

I think the Happy Acorn and Sleeping Bunny make such a cute pair, don't you?

You can get your very own Happy Acorn Wood Pin right here or you can get the Sleeping Bunny instead!

My Christmas in Pictures

2011-12-27T17:09:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a good Christmas holiday! Here are some photos from our Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:23:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone is having the merriest holiday season! Merry Christmas! Happy holidays!

Christmas Past Memories: See Rock City

2011-12-24T14:41:00.001-05:00

When Raoul first moved here, we visited Rock City for the holidays! We like Rock City as a neat place to visit, but it is especially neat at Christmastime. The gardens are decorated with so many lights! It is amazing!

I remember it was so cold that day! We bundles up, but it was very windy on the mountain that night. BRRR!

Christmas Past Memories: Cinnamon Ornaments

2011-12-23T19:30:00.001-05:00

A few years ago I made cinnamon ornaments. I thought it was a great idea, so I found this recipe and tried it out. It looks like there are lots of recipes for this sort of dough, but this one worked out fine. They take a while to dry, so this is one of those crafts that tests how patient one can be.

I saw some recipes say to decorate these with royal icing, but I used puff paint on mine. I wanted to be able to keep mine year after year.

Dad even got into the crafty project. He was a little more creative with his "icing" than I was!

Here are our cinnamon ornaments. They really look like real cookies, no?

We used the cinnamon ornaments year after year and they have really kept nicely and they smell wonderful to this day!

Christmas Past Memories: Buche de Noel

2011-12-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

One year we made a Buche de Noel, or yule log cake for my family. We made this cake twice so far using this recipe. This cake and frosting is not super sweet or too rich, and it is so yummy. Plus, you get to add cute little decorations, so what's not to love about a Buche de Noel cake?

See how happy I am to have this cake??

Christmas Past Memories: Beautiful Blythe

2011-12-21T19:13:00.000-05:00

My Blythe dolls like to get in the Christmas spirit, too. Here they are celebrating on the fire place. Don't they look cozy?

Harmonie Melodie Petunia really likes Christmas. She was good this year, so I think she will get the pair of shoes she asked for.

Audrey Pumpkin was very good this year, too. In fact, she was so good that she baked us cookies each day in December. We really like her. She gets an extra pressie from Santa.

Sadie, well, let's just say Sadie is no angel. I mean, look at her. She is a mess. Coal again, my poor dear.

Christmas Past Memories: Disneyland

2011-12-20T22:06:00.000-05:00

Back in 2007 we went to Disneyland! I expected to not enjoy this place, but it was really fun and amazing! I have never really been to a theme park with rides, well, except for teeny ones, but that does not count. I also have never been to Kennywood, the very popular amusement park in Pittsburgh. I also don't know how to swim, so there you go. Anyways, back to Disneyland...

I think Disneyland is the best at Christmas cos there is a parade every minute and they had lots of decorations and great costumes. It is so festive.

I know it looks like a storm is welling up in the background, but it never rained that day. I think it scared some people away that day because there were hardly any long lines and we got to go on so many rides.

Who's been naughty??

I am thrilled to be here at Disneyland! We flew right in and drove straight to the park with Raoul's sister and later met more of his family there. They have season passes to go all the time.

Of course we rode the teacups!

Here is my favorite, Small World. I just love the wreaths and Christmas lights.

Inside was even better! I love Mary Blair.

We had such a fun time, it is really nice to look at these pictures and remember this fun vacation to Disneyland!

Christmas Past Memories: Rankin and Bass

2011-12-19T21:41:00.001-05:00

I was looking at some of our photos before we started blogging. We have some really great Christmas memories! Here are some of our photos from when we went to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. We went to see the original puppets from the much beloved Rankin and Bass Christmas specials. From what I understand, these are two of the remaining puppets, as many of these miniatures were lost over time. As you can see, they are wonderful creations, and I loved seeing these in person.

Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2011-12-18T22:49:00.000-05:00

Finally I had some time this weekend to put our Christmas decorations up! I put some of my vintage elves and reindeer on our mantle. Some of the decorations are ones my mom gave me, too, or that she made for me. I just love seeing them each year!

Here are some plush bells my mom made when I was little. She gave these to me last time she came for a visit. They hang on hooks that are stuck in our ceiling in the living room. We left them in when we repainted this room in the summer.

And our lovely fiber optic Christmas tree of joy! I love this tree cos we got it the first year we moved into our house. Raoul said Nilla would eat a real one, but she also will eat a fake one if we let her. We placed our tree up high where she won't jump.

Behind the tree is the Christmas house! We decorated it with some miniature deer, Hallmark ornaments (my family collects these), Sanrio, and peppermint candles. And best of all...

The reindeer on the roof!!

Along with Santa in his sleigh! I think I love these most of all from my Christmas collection. Mom gave me these, too, so that is why I love them.

Awesome Blogs Featured My Handmade Goodies

2011-12-08T22:36:00.000-05:00

Wow, there are so many great gift guides this time of year! Did you notice? Stuff from my handmade shop, Sugar Cookie has been popping up all over the place! Here are some that I have seen making the rounds lately...

This collection is from Luxe and Lace. I love the colors that Erin found, and my Sleepy Kitty Wood Pin looks so good, especially with that heart sweater!

My Happy Acorn Wood Pin was shown on Mori Girl Monday on one of my newest favorite blogs, Vanillery Garden. This blog is written by a fellow graphic designer, Natalie, and she lives all the way in Vienna. I really love her blog lately and she has the cutest kitties!

Madeline Joy has been showing so many great gift guides, and she also showed my Sleeping Bunny Wood Pin! It is on a gift guide for your BFF. I think any BFF would enjoy these under the Christmas tree this year!

Last, but not least, Deer Little Fawn showed my Flossy the Dachshund Embroidery Floss Bobbin in her gift guide for Crafty Ladies. Beth's blog is really neat, and I love seeing her drawings and crafty finds.

Thank you so much for such great features on so many of my favorite blogs!

Projects from the Weekend

2011-12-05T08:01:00.002-05:00

We have been busy here at the Ranch making some new things to have at Chatty Crafty coming up on December 10 and 11 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are really excited to visit Chattanooga again and see a different holiday handmade market. I have been making some new things to restock our tables cos so much sold at ICE Atlanta.

I also have stuff at ICE Pop Up Shop in Atlanta. This year it is at Criminal Records, and they have bands playing and comic books and records. What more could you get out of in Indie Craft Experience like that?

For my friends in New England, you can shop at Craftland in Providence, Rhode Island. I have been told that Craftland is really amazing as a holiday event, and an all-the-time shop, too. Please have a look there cos lots of my goodies are there, too.

As usual, you can look at Shoppe Sugar Cookie for some holiday pressies, too. I am working really hard at getting the orders out as soon as I can, but I ask for overseas orders to be in before December 10 and USA orders to be in before December 16. I hope everyone is enjoying the days leading up to Christmas! I know I have been with lots of cups of tea and hot chocolate. Hopefully soon we will find time to decorate!

Light Up Night 2011

2011-12-02T19:09:00.001-05:00

Last night was one of our favorite events in Athens, the Downtown Athens Christmas Parade! We almost were not going to go, but I am glad we did. It was a little chilly, but we braved the cold weather. I remember when Raoul first moved here, it was super cold outside for the parade. We got to the parade after a late dinner, but we saw all the floats in their full glory! Here are some of my pictures. They are all taken from my iPhone cos we did not have our real cameras.

Habitat for Humanity's float in the Christmas parade had so many lights and looked quite gingerbready!

This is someone from Bike Athens. Check out the tree on their bike!

Nothing says Christmas more than some Star Wars characters! Now there is a Christmas album to remember! I love "Life Day."

This cat is the BEST costume ever cos it is for Athens Humane Society! That is where I got my little kitty, Nilla!

Canopy Studio, the local trapeze and aerial dance school, had fire twirlers, hula hoopers, and roller skaters, not to mention a trapeze on their float!

I saw so many of my friends from Canopy on the float! They all started to say "Merry Christmas, Missy!" when they saw me and we waved and hugged! I even saw my teacher Chris roll by on his skates, but he did see me in the crowd. He zipped over on his skates and gave me a hug. It was so sweet.

And everyone looked so MERRY!

Raoul's favorite are the marching bands. He was in marching band when he was in high school.

And Santa was the last parade float, as usual! He did a countdown...

And the downtown Christmas tree was lit up! It is such a pretty tree. I really love seeing it downtown with all the twinkle lights.

Oh, Jumbles!

2011-12-01T22:26:00.001-05:00

This is a funny picture of my bun, Jumbles. He was having some of his dinner pellets to eat, but his one paw is in the little round bowl! Silly Jumbles!

Illustration Friday - Round

2011-11-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

Round is the word of the week on Illustration Friday. I decided to draw a cute kitten that is super round. As you may know, I love kitties, especially ones that are snow white like my cat, Nilla. This illustration is inspired by Nilla and how round she can make herself at times. Let's see how roundy that cat can be...

Tunesday Tuesday: the Softies

2011-11-29T19:31:00.000-05:00

For a while Raoul had asked me to make a Tunesday Tuesday post about one of our favorite bands, the Softies. The Softies are Rose and Jen, and together they make the sweetest, dare I say "softest" music around. I have loved them since my college days, and I still play their albums on heavy rotation. I have seen them play a few times "back in the day," and each time it was a real treat. I even saw them open for Superchunk! I will never forget it cos someone yelled "turn up the drums!" and well, the Softies are simply two girls and their guitars!

ICE Holiday Weekend 2011

2011-11-29T06:12:00.000-05:00

Time sure is flying over here at the Ranch! Last week was Thanksgiving, and the week before that was the ICE Atlanta holiday market! We had two very busy days and had so much fun this year. In the morning and saw the long line forming to get into ICE. The early bird shoppers all got goodie bags! That line went all the way around the block!Let's take a look.

While people waited in line, they also got some coffee and other goodies from Ursa Minor Coffee, a rolling café from Asheville, North Carolina. I had a hot chocolate and Raoul had a mango smoothie. Both were delish and was a great treat to have during a busy holdiay-filled day.

Here is our table display! We were so close to the door, everyone kept telling us we were the "Welcome Committee."

Here are some of our friend's tables from ICE.

Glue and Glitter is our friend Becky. She makes lovely aprons with cupcakes, lunch bags, and cup gloves all from recycled and vintage materials. She is the best at finding really cute fabrics and making them into wonderful things!

Fernworks and Marisol Spoon were our neighbors at the craft show. They both had some beautiful works of art at their tables, some were wearable, too.

This baby train made it all the way up the stairs! We were amazed they made it, but we never saw them leave. I wonder how they made it out of ICE?

I did a little bit of shopping myself! I did get some Sea is for Caramel chocolate bars by Sweet Teeth, a candy company in South Carolina. Yummy!

New to Shoppe Sugar Cookie Etsy

2011-11-27T12:33:00.001-05:00

Getting my Shoppe Sugar Cookie ready for the holidays! I have added many new goodies. Please check them out. Here are some pictures of the new stuff!

Happy Acorn Wood Pin and the Dainty Squid

2011-11-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

Please check out one of my favorite blogs, the Dainty Squid. The other day Kaylah featured my Happy Acorn Wood Pin in one of her fashion photo shoots. All of these photos belong to Kaylah and are used from her blog. Aren't they gorgeous? Isn't Kaylah the most adorable gal you have ever seen? Here are some more of her pictures.

I really love the color of this sweater with the vintage dress that she is wearing in this photo. Perfect for autumn and winter.

So please check out the Dainty Squid and Shoppe Sugar Cookie for more handmade goodies!

My Thanksgiving in Pictures

2011-11-25T12:05:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a fabulous and yummy Thanksgiving!

Illustration Friday - Vanity

2011-11-22T22:04:00.001-05:00

The word of the week on Illustration Friday is vanity. Here is a little spot illustration that I made for CROQ Zine a few years ago. This was for their article on DIY Beauty! It makes me think of the song "Hall of Mirrors." I really love these homemade videos from Youtube.

Crafty Goodness

2011-11-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my newest handmade goodies! I will have these goodies available at my table at ICE Atlanta this weekend!

Holiday Events

2011-11-14T19:40:00.000-05:00

We will be a some fabulous holiday markets this season, so please come by and say hi. It is always fun to meet everyone and see what they make in person. First one is ICE Atlanta and takes place on Saturday, November 19 and Sunday, November 20, and that is at Ambient Plus Studio. Early birds get swag bags on both days!

ICE Atlanta is also having another Pop Up Shop this year. It opens on December 1 and ends on the 24. This year it is inside of Criminal Records, so not only can you come in and buy handmade gifts, you can also buy some cool comics and records to boot! Maybe they will even have a band playing in-store that day, too. What fun!

Another shop I am participating in this year is Craftland. This one is located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. So all my northern friends can go check out all the goodies at that holiday sale. I heard it is very good!

We will have a table at Chatty Crafty in Chattanooga, Tennessee! So if you miss us at these other sales, you can come see our handmade craft goodies at this one. Check it out, Chatty!

Baby Baby Buttons

2011-11-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

Our friend Erin who writes the blog Luxe and Lace asked me to make her a bunch of baby buttons. They are for a shower she is throwing for her friend who is a soon-to-be mom. She is having a girl, so of course the baby and baby elephant I drew for these buttons are all in pink!

I also made these designs in blue for baby boys, too. They can all be found at Shoppe Sugar Cookie on Etsy, where you can always convo me if you needed more than one for a baby shower!

Lovely Autumn Day

2011-11-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

I know it is not Halloween any longer, but since we have had such pretty autumn weather, I thought I would show some leaves that I made right before Halloween. I got the idea from this tutorial, only mine are not made into cards and gift tags. I love this project. I also did not press mine after I cut the initial faces from the leaves, so as they dried, the faces got a little more "character."

Illustration Friday - Stripes

2011-11-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

The word for Illustration Friday is stripes. I decided to make some of my animals wearing some of my favorite things - stripes and dots! Who does not love these two things together? When I was in high school I used to wear all different striped patterns together in my outfit. I loved it, but then some of my classmates told me I looked like a tv test pattern. Do tvs still have test patterns anymore? Does anyone remember those? Anyways, I thought I looked cool and was doing something different!

I also added this pattern to my Spoonflower Fabric Shop. It will be available very soon so you can make some lovely things from this pattern!

Tunesday Tuesday: Kathleen Hanna

2011-11-08T22:59:00.001-05:00

First off, I will say that I have been a fan of Kathleen Hanna for a long time. Probably over half my life! I first read about Kathleen Hanna and Bikini Kill in Sassy Magazine and then found their music on Kill Rock Stars. I got their Peel Sessions 7" and I remember first listening to it on a junky record player that I got at a yard sale. My pen pal Mary Anne in New York City used to go see Bikini Kill and write to me about the experience. I was in awe. We had the chance to see Kathleen DJ at the High Museum of Art for their masquerade ball right before Halloween. It was so awesome to see Kathleen DJ and dance in the crowd. Needless to say, I am still excited about this event, even though it was almost two weeks ago.

After a few songs and some dancing around her laptop, she shimmied her way into the crowd! She danced right in front of us! We were so thrilled.

I love seeing all the costumes from that night - everyone is dancing!

I was dancing so much, too, so all my pictures that I took are dancing, too.

Oh my - I love this photo of her, but please do not look at the creepy baby costume behind her! I should have Photoshopped that thing out, but I decided to leave it. Scary!!

I am still scared by that costume!!

So she DJ-ed into the night, but it is a museum after all, so we left and I think she played longer than they thought cos it was getting so late.

Then after the show I told her I was the only girl in my high school that listened to Bikini Kill! And I am pretty sure I was (except for people I made mix tapes for). She is a hero of mine, so it felt good to let her know this. I gave her a charm necklace, too, and got my pictures taken. Raoul took these photos. She even posed for each photo that was taken, and there we lots of people who were getting their photos taken!

Now let's watch some Kathleen TV. Here she is discussing zines versus blogs.

Here is a talk I saw that had some neat riot grrrl and zine history, er, herstory...

Heart-imals on Pixelgirl

2011-11-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

My friend Shana from Shana Logic asked me if I had some artwork for her to make into adorable icons for her other website Pixelgirl Presents. I made this cute collection of animals holding hearts. In this series you will find a woodland squirrel, an adorable panda, a sweet kitty cat, and a beautiful bunny. You can download your very own set of my Heart-imals desktop icons right here for free.

These animals came out really cute, so be sure to let Shana know. I have been using them all week and I really think it makes my desktop so much more fun. I downloaded the Mac version, so all you need to do is unzip the file, then highlight the icon you would like to use. Then you type the key command "Apple i" and the info block will pop up. Highlight the character in the upper left of this box, and use the key command for Copy and Paste - "Apple c" and "Apple v." Okay, now you get the folder or file you wish to use the icon on, then do the info thing again ("Apple i") and Copy and Paste the icon in the upper left, thus replacing the former icon. Super! Now you have my animals on your desktop! Sweet!

Halloweekend

2011-11-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

I also forgot we dressed up over the weekend for the "Culture Shock" event at the High Museum. Here is my brother Greg as Vault Boy.

His wife, Cristina, was Rosie the Riveter. We saw another Rosie, too!

And Raoul and I dressed as garden gnomes again. We love these outfits and kept getting asked to be in photos! I will have to post some more pictures from the museum, but I will get to that another time...

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T19:59:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween! Can you guess who Raoul and I were this year?

This is Halloween

2011-10-31T07:02:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you have a great candy-filled holiday!

California Vacation Part 5

2011-10-26T23:40:00.000-04:00

Our last day in California was spent in Los Angeles. Raoul and I went to some very cute shops and art spaces. My favorite was Royal/T, a café where the waitresses dressed in gothic Lolita style. It was so neat there, and they had a great exhibit called East Village West going on, too. We saw lots of art by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Greer Lankton, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kenny Scharf, to name a few.

I found some of my favorite records in the art installation!

And here, too!

All that art-lookin' made me hungry. We ordered the High/T, which had a pot of tea and a variety of little cookies and fruit to try.

Needless to say it was yummy. Our favorite was the raspberries and fruit dip and the cookie on top. It had cranberries and it was super soft.

We also met my pal Jamie for a short time. She brought her Blythe dolls!

Here is Tofu Baby with Birdie. They are good fwends!

Here is Tofu Baby with York! They sure had a busy and fun day together!

California Vacation Part 4

2011-10-25T12:55:00.002-04:00

We went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to see the Tim Burton Exhibit. This was a great show that spanned Tim Burton's artistic career, even going as far back as his high school! It was neat to see progression and similar themes throughout the work. I loved seeing all my favorite movie-related items, such as puppets from Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Willy Wonka, and Edward Scissorhands. I wish more from James and the Giant Peach were there, but I was thrilled to see what we did. Here are some of my photos before I got yelled at by an attendant.

Do you recognize this from Edward Scissorhands? It is one of my favs!

These pictures do not do this exhibition justice, really. There was so much art to look at, it was well worth it. I loved seeing concept sketches and paintings, but it also made me remember some of his movies I forgot all about - Sleepy Hollow! Mars Attacks! What a great October day!

California Vacation Part 3

2011-10-24T21:43:00.001-04:00

We also met Cynthia's cat called Toby. Toby loves to play.

Toby is so cute!

California Vacation Part 2

2011-10-24T19:17:00.001-04:00

We also got to visit Babycakes Bakery in Los Angeles. Babycakes is a vegan and gluten-free bakery. It is very small inside, and very cute. We got some stuff to take to Raoul's sister Cynthia's apartment. She lives very close to this bakery.

Everything looked so yummy. It was difficult to decide what treats to take home and try.

I chose a chocolate cupcake. I wanted to see if it compared to the ones i made from the Babycakes cookbook. They are really good. And chocolatey.

California Vacation Part 1

2011-10-23T13:12:00.001-04:00

Last week we returned from visiting Raoul's family in California. They live outside of Los Angeles. I really enjoyed myself and it was nice to take some time and relax with Raoul's family. Raoul has two nieces and a nephew - Julia, Evan, and Lilly. Julia and Evan showed us these zebras that live on a ranch in Riverside. There are so many horses and ranches in Riverside.

Then we went to a place called Tio's Tacos. They had lots of recycled items made into garden art and folk art. You can sit in the garden and have your taco dinner. We did just that. The thing I liked the most were the mosaics and the fresh fruit juices.

Raoul's Birthday Cake

2011-10-22T11:08:00.001-04:00

I made Raoul a birthday brownie, really, not a cake. But we are okay with that. We caught a cold and have been resting and recovering, but I managed to bake this before I felt too terrible. I also had to decorate it special for Raoul.

We enjoyed the brownie very much, but now we are enjoying cups of tea with lots of honey!

Happy Birthday to Raoul!

2011-10-19T20:48:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my sweetie, Raoul! I hope you had a great birthday. We went to visit Raoul's family in California for his birthday. It was a great birthday vacation for us both. Here is the yummy cake Raoul's mom made and decorated. I really like the cut out music notes, apples, and lettering. Oh and I really liked the cake, too. We are resting now after long flights yesterday and relaxing while I bake Raoul a birthday brownie. Super! I love you, Raoul.

Tunesday Tuesday: My Bubba and Mi

2011-10-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

Now I will tell you about one of my favorite bands. They are called My Bubba and Mi and they are the best band you never heard of. My Bubba and Mi are two ladies from Sweden and Iceland. I think sometimes a third girl plays with them, too, so I drew three girls! They have toured all over Europe and are doing some dates this fall in the USA. Their music sounds like sweet lullabyes and candy canes. I think they are one of the most creative bands I have heard in a while. They have a new EP Wild and You, and it is so very wonderful. I love their words and how their voices come together. Let's have a listen...

And I really love this one cos of all the goats all over. It is really neat. I really wish I was there to give all those goats a hug.

My Weekend in Pictures

2011-10-09T20:50:00.000-04:00

Spooky Buttons

2011-10-08T11:22:00.000-04:00

I made some new buttons that are at Shoppe Sugar Cookie on Etsy. These are to get you in the Halloween spirit! They also make great party favors!

This is the Spooky Halloween Button Set. It is inspired by my favorite goth music.

Here are my Happy Pumpkins Button Set. I really love the faces on these adorable little jack-o-lanterns!

Tunesday Tuesday: Beirut

2011-10-04T20:12:00.004-04:00

Here is a band I have liked for a while called Beirut. I really enjoy this music so much, I think because of the horns and the Eastern European influences. There is a good article on NPR about their new album The Rip Tide. The new album is quite good and I like hearing it on shuffle in my iPod. I think Zach's voice takes some getting used to (for me at least), so have a listen. I am very excited cos I thought all hope was lost in seeing Beirut on tour this season. The show in Atlanta with Basia Bulat is sold out. Sadness! But they are doing a date in Athens in December and I already have our tickets. Booyah.

This is my favorite song on the album, and the video is fun. My favorite part is the dog eating pizza. And it makes me wish I could do a cartwheel, but I can't!

Here is another neat video of theirs.

Illustration Friday - Hibernation

2011-10-03T19:40:00.001-04:00

The word of the week on Illustration Friday is hibernation. So I drew a little fox hibernating. My mom told be they have a red fox living in their neighborhood in Pennsylvania! They saw it a few times now. I wish to see it when I visit sometime. I feel like hibernating lately - we are just getting some nice cool weather here in Georgia. I tis much needed after such a long summer. I am loving the chilly mornings and having the house be colder inside than it is outside. It really makes me want to hibernate in my bed!

Very Metal

2011-10-03T07:02:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago I started a class on Jewelry Design and Metalwork at the University of Georgia. So far I have only had two classes, so I have really just begun. Actually, I did take a class on this before, when Raoul first moved to Athens. Only that one was at the Lyndon House. The UGA class will go a little more in depth than my previous class.

Right now we are learning to saw the flat pieces of brass and copper to start. I like using the little teeny weeny saw - it is almost like using a sewing machine. Sometimes I worry about the small bits of metal getting stuck to my clothing or my hands!

We are learning to pierce the metal with the saw, too. I am making a rain drop here. I am also making the squirrel, but I did not take a picture of that yet. Yay! How fun is it to be a student after being out of college for over ten years.

ATHICA Opening Night

2011-10-02T12:01:00.000-04:00

Here are some of my photos from opening night of the ATHICA Mystery Selections exhibit. I was so happy to be selected as a Board member's Choice for this art exhibit.

This is my wall of artwork. I think the comic looks great with everything!

Here is some of Will Eskridge's boxes and artwork.

Raoul and I really liked this one.

Ceramic sculptures by Jorie Berman.

This wall has work by Darcy Reenis.

This is some artwork by Cindy Jerrell. I really love her work!

And last but not least, the People's Choice went to local artist Rebecca Brantley.

The show runs through November 6, so if you are in Athens, come check it out!

Getting Ready for ATHICA Gallery Show

2011-09-28T23:26:00.001-04:00

Tonight I went to local gallery, ATHICA, to draw on site for a group art show. What a thrill to draw on the walls with a paint pen!

Here is my completed comic. I hope ATHICA likes it.

The interns helped me cover the work that they already had in the wall, just so I might not mess it up when I drew on the wall above it. Everything went pretty good and it was fun to draw with giant paint pens.

Here is my section of the gallery. We are displaying a bunch of my handmade wood items on the wall. The center one is one of my wood string puppets. This piece was part of the Mystery Triennial from last month. I was selected, with a group of other amazing local artists, to have an extended stay at ATHICA. What an honor! Everyone is working very hard to get everything completed before the opening on Friday, September 30.

These are a collection of some of my collage artwork. They are made from cut magazines.

Here is the rest of my space - so far tonight it is still a work in progress! More art will be added tomorrow, like drawings, colored pencil drawings, and gocco prints.

Tunesday Tuesday: Alessi's Ark

2011-09-27T21:48:00.002-04:00

Today one of my favorite artists, Alessi's Ark put out her new album. It is called Time Travel. So far it is very good, but I have heard some of the songs, as they were released as singles and iTunes exclusives. I did not know they were going to be on the album, but I think my favorite song is "On the Plains." I love Lauren's voice, and she is right up there with my other favorites, Joanna Newsom and Laura Marling. To me they are my "holy trinity" of girl voices/musicians, as I feel they are very creative storytellers with their songs. And Alessi's Ark is currently on tour with Laura Marling! SIGH! Please come farther south next time, please ladies! What a perfect bill!

Now for some videos... Alessi's Ark has some amazing videos. I think the videos for her older albums are so clever. Cracker animals! Teacups! Animation! You can't get much more into my imagination than these.

Alessi's Ark - The Bird Song from Kid Solo on Vimeo.

International Rabbit Day

2011-09-27T20:29:00.002-04:00

Totally did not know, but yesterday was International Rabbit Day! How could we forget our beloved buns? I knew about this from this article on Etsy's blog that I read this morning. You really need to watch the Bunny Playlist cos it features the very talented and funny Amy Sedaris! And Amy also has pet rabbits, too! I have also made the Dynamite Sticks for our bunnies.

Hooray for Bunnies! Hooray for our bunnies, Oreo and Jumbles!

Aw, look - they made a bunny heart!

Material Girl

2011-09-25T22:53:00.001-04:00

I ordered some fabric I designed from my Spoonflower Fabric Shop. Please have a look at my new designs!

The top photos are Biscuits and Bows in two different color ways.

Here is a Leaping Squirrel, some of my favorite cookies, French macarons, and Wonderful Whale fabrics.

This one is inspired by the teacup ride at Disneyland. It was one of my favorite rides.

Raoul said he really liked these rabbits the most.

What girl does not love ponies??

All of these are ready to order from Sugar Cookie on Spoonflower. Now, what should I sew with all my cute fabric?

Prickly Pair Buttons Featured on Cuteable

2011-09-25T12:38:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week My Prickly Pair Button Set had a write up on the awesomely adorable blog called Cuteable! Wow! We have been Cuteable fans for a while now, so that is very nice. Thanks so much Lynsey and Matt!

Cloud Drawings - Duckling and Baby Bunny

2011-09-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

We saw some very good clouds while driving around one day. This is one that looked like a duckling! Can you see it?

I know I always see bunnies in the clouds, but here is another baby bun! Maybe I always see bunnies in them because it reminds me of our bunnies, Oreo and Jumbles?

My Zoo Birthday

2011-09-21T20:57:00.000-04:00

On my birthday we went for a trip to Zoo Atlanta. We had so much fun. The zoo has many baby animals that were born within the last year, so I thought this was our chance to see the little ones in action. Here are some of the animals we saw that day.

Check out those eyelashes!

Here is the momma kangaroo - you can tell cos of her pouch. She had a baby joey six months ago.

You can see the baby's little back paw peeking out of the pouch in this photo. The zoo keepers told us the baby will come out within the next month or so.

Next were the pandas. There was a newborn panda, but we did not get to see it. I think it was hiding in another part of their home.

This is the three year old panda. They love to eat bamboo.

We also got to go to the petting zoo. Doesn't this goat have such a happy smile?

I love how the wooly sheep feel.

Then we came back around to the kangaroos. We got to see thet little joey peeking out of the pouch! What an exciting day!

Look how sweet they are - momma and baby!

Then we got to see the baby giraffe! This baby giraffe was born in July.

These two were helping each other reach the leaves. they also were very snuggly.

We also saw the baby gorillas. This is the younger of the two riding on the momma's back.

This is my best picture of the two tiger cubs, too. Notice the white spots on the back of their ears? Those are to make other animals think those are eyes.

I love the otters! They were very playful when we got to see them.

The little orangutan was showing off for everyone watching.

This is the baby orangutan and the momma. This is my best picture of them together.

This is one of my new favorite animals, the red panda!

The naked mole rats were so strange!

And here is my Dad and Mom enjoying their day at the zoo!

Tunesday Tuesday: Seapony

2011-09-20T23:01:00.002-04:00

Here is a new band I discovered just last week! They are called Seapony. They remind me sometimes of Beat Happening (some of the songs that Heather sings), Tiger Trap, or Grass Widow. I think fans of these bands will for sure like the gazy pop sounds of Seapony.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-09-18T23:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday! Here are some pictures of my cake. We got a yummy ice cream cake that is similar to a Buche de Noel. I saw a picture of a cool cake on Pinterest where they added all these miniature toy animals to the top of the cake. Raoul went and chose these wildlife animals for the cake. I think they look pretty good! I guess it is a these cake because we visited Zoo Atlanta for my birthday.

I will post some of my zoo photos tomorrow. But check out that otter on my cake!

Aw, Look at Nilla

2011-09-15T22:57:00.002-04:00

Flossy Featured on Best of the Web

2011-09-15T20:33:00.003-04:00

My Flossy the Dachshund Embroidery Floss Bobbins were featured today on the neat blog, Be@Home. Please have a look, as it is very nice to have my personal website on this week’s Best of the Web with other fab bloggers! And you can find all my Flossy Bobbins right here. Super!

Spoon Magazine

2011-09-14T21:22:00.002-04:00

Last week I got a package in the mail. Hooray! It was coming from Mayukino on Etsy.

Why it was my copy of Spoon Magazine! I read that this magazine is for Mori Girl inspiration. Let's have a look inside and be inspired...

I love the fashions and photographs! They are all really great. There is also an article on the Twee Girls Club, so that is really neat! I only wish I could read the non-English words in the magazine, then i would be all set! They even have many of the same records that I have!

Tunesday Tuesday: Laura Marling Love

2011-09-13T22:38:00.004-04:00

So today I have been listening to one of my all time favorite musicians, Laura Marling cos today she released her newest album, A Creature I Don’t Know. I have to say, after listening to this album a few times in a row, I think it is very good, but I still like her first album the best. Laura Marling is a British singer. We got the chance to see her play last year in Atlanta, and even Raoul said she was fun to see perform, even though he is not as big of a fan as I am, he did enjoy the show.

You know how you just hear a voice and know you will love everything from them from first glance? That is how I was with this music. Smitten. Taken. Floating to another place and time. I love that and I love her stories within the music.

These photos of her are pulled from image searches. See how adorable she is? And she is even more adorable when we saw her play in Atlanta! I first read about Laura Marling in 2007 in Nylon Magazine. I was hooked from the first listen. I do not usually go on Youtube, but I looked at some of her videos and they are really very good, too. Here is one you might like called Ghosts.

Laura Marling - Ghosts from kadei lemberger on Vimeo.

And here is a song called Rambling Man from the last album. This is a lovely video. ❤

Buttons Buttons Buttons

2011-09-12T07:33:00.001-04:00

These are some of my newest button sets that are ready for you in Shoppe Sugar Cookie and on my personal website!

Loved Letter Lockets

2011-09-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

This week I have been working on some new miniature lockets! These all have miniature original artwork that is hidden inside the brass colored envelope. These drawings are so small! For this one I drew an arrow.

Here is one with a violet feather drawing in the envelope. Since my envelope charms are antique brass, I made my little artwork that style, too - I just dyed the paper with some of my favorite black tea. I let it dry all the way then I drew on the paper.

I really like how these charms look. Here is the pink feather drawing, too.

And each miniature artwork has a heart drawn on the back side.

All three of these charms are ready for you in my Shoppe Sugar Cookie on Etsy.

Happy Weekend

2011-09-02T17:57:00.001-04:00

Raoul and I are so happy it is a long weekend. In fact, we took the day off cos his sister and friend are coming for a visit this weekend. Hooray! We got ice cream and toppings to make banana splits. I hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Here is Nilla

2011-09-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

Here is Nilla, our little kitty. She likes to sleep up on the futon cushion like this. She also likes to rest her head on the frame. She does this and watches the birds and squirrels in the front yard.

Deer Little Fawn

2011-08-30T09:17:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much to the adorable blog Deer Little Fawn for featuring my Flossy the Fawn Embroidery Floss Bobbin! Thank you so much for a nice feature, and what a nice blog, too.

Little Bird Drawing

2011-08-29T22:15:00.002-04:00

This is a little bird I drew for a friend's new baby. Things have been super busy around the house, so not much posting time lately.

The Flossy Family

2011-08-24T22:17:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce two new additions to the Flossy Family of Embroidery Floss Bobbins! Please meet Flossy the Fawn!

And please meet Flossy the Giraffe! Both of these Flossies are made from beautiful birch wood. I just love the color and texture of this wood. These look really nice! And I also have to say they do a fabulous job of holding this baker's twine we got at Treehouse on our last visit.

Look! Here are all of my Flossy Embroidery Floss Bobbins together as one happy collection! My Flossy Bobbins are available in Shoppe Sugar Cookie, my Etsy, and my personal website!

New Handmade Goodies for ShanaLogic

2011-08-22T07:11:00.021-04:00

Last week Raoul helped me get some of my new buttons ready for a special order. These new pin sets are headed to ShanaLogic.com, thee source for great indie goods! And wow - have you seen her back to school goodies? There is some really adorable things! Here is a sneak peek at some of my adorable things that will be popping into Shana's shop very soon!

Here are the two new button sets. I think they look so cute right here. Also, I am happy to announce that my packaging is totally biodegradable! I am slowly phasing in the plastic zip bags that are eco-friendly. You will know this by the green stripe at the top of the zip closure bag.

Here are some of my laser cut wood pins in progress, too. Expect to see those super soon.

And some felt sushis for your hair! Hooray for ShanaLogic.com and shopping indie!

Mystery Triennial Recap

2011-08-21T21:18:00.001-04:00

Last night was the opening for the Mystery Triennial at local art gallery ATHICA. We had a great night - we saw so many friends and saw artwork from so many talented local artists. It really was a great turn out.

This was a mystery show, so nobody knew who created what piece of artwork. Well, I did have some people tell me they knew my pieces!

Here are my three pieces, if you did not know! I think they look cute all together as a happy family.

The thing about this show was, if you purchased artwork, you got a little envelope with the piece's number and inside had the artist's name. We got a piece for our home gallery! We are really excited about adding to our collection. The one we chose has the faces and multi-colored circles. They look like stickers, but they are painted on wood.

Some of our friends had made pieces for this show, too. Can you guess who made what?

More Mori Girl

2011-08-19T21:40:00.002-04:00

At work we have lots of magazines for inspiration. Well, we used to get a lot more, but lots of magazines have folded in recent years, so we have been receiving less and less. Anyways, I still like to look through some of the old copies for inspiration. I was looking at this issue of Marie Claire Idees, one of my favorites. This one is from September 2008 - did you know it is full of Mori Girl flair! Here are some of my favorite images that are really great examples of Mori Girl style.

Even though this magazine is in French, you can still figure out the patterns included in the magazine. Well, most of the patterns. I think the sewing ones would be easier than the knitting. I know there are English craft magazines, but I am not sure if there are any that I feel compare to Marie Claire Idees. I have not seen an issue in a while...

I really like looking at this issue for autumn. It makes me feel like fall is not so far away... Wishful thinking on my part, especially when we are still having 90 degree weather!

Mori Girl Inspiration

2011-08-17T20:48:00.001-04:00

Raoul and I have been reading about Mori Girl style. I am really inspired by this look, as I have always loved forest creatures, woodland motifs, and deer, which fit into the Mori Girl look. I also read these girls like zakka, cafés, and the library. I like all those things, too, so I must be a Mori Girl, no? Since I really like this style, I have decided to try my hand at some Mori Girl inspired artwork. Here is my girl, who is in the meadow with her pony. This picture is in the summertime, after a light rain.