Rampant Eclecticism

A brief history of the many and varied Bendio sister hamsters

2011-12-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

Ted illustrations are done. Yay! I have few digital tweaks/kinks to work out and then figure out just who is going to print and bind it. Yes, I (as it turns out) wisely decided it would be a really stupid, time-consuming, and anti-cost effective idea to print and bind the books myself. Even though I have the ability to. It would look cool, and handmade and bohemian and artsy. But just not worth it. Besides, it would look so much more legit if they're printed professionally. And then I can market them farther. And so with the Ted book nearly complete, I thought I'd give some Bendio sister hamster background. So, here you are... the real story of the hamsters.

Ted was an actual honest to goodness real hamster. My sister Meg at the tender age of oh, 14 ish (?) or so acquired a golden hamster by the name of Theodore. I honestly don't remember many real details other than his love of chocolate, taffy and peanuts. He was definitely Meg's pet. But he was adored, and his many imagined adventures chronicled literarily by my thrice elder sister. There are many. I first illustrated one in which he pilots a bi-plane and finds dragon guarded treasure when I was in the 5th grade. After his demise at a contented ripe old hamster age, he was replaced with Gloria, another golden hamster. Apparently Gloria was a dull and boring replacement after the brass and adventuresome Ted, and Meg grew bored of her stench and bequeathed her and Ted's old cage to me. I re-tamed her being the animal-phile that I was and she was replaced with many more hamsters that followed. Gloria was followed by Flossie, a long haired, peach colored Teddy-bear hamster who was much more amusing. Flossie would do tricks by hanging off of one side my hand and then climbing back up the opposite side. She was cool like that. She was then followed by Clyde, who became, hands down my very favorite. He looked like a triple stack chocolate ice cream cone with vanilla in the middle and a chocolate drip running down his back. Clyde was intelligent and so very tame. He knew me, preferred me, and missed me when I was gone. He loved me as much as his furry little heart could. I would block escape routes out of my bedroom and let him run free as I would do my homework. Sometimes he would fall asleep in my hands. He would often be carted around in my tucked in tee-shirt (come on, of course my shirts were grossly tucked in, it was the nasty fashion 80's) or running up and down my long sleeved shirts. He was far too polite to dream of biting or peeing on me. When alas he too passed out of this world and was laid to rest under the cherry tree, I was heart broken. He was meant to, but could not be replaced by a similar looking Poki, who cared not a whit for me, but was a well meaning if slightly daft and aloof hamster. After Poki I moved onto frogs and snakes and newts and turtles. But that is another story for another time that has more to do with the animals and story in my next book, in which I am both the author and illustrator of. Or, you know, rather will be, eventually. I'm going to go and get on that.

What Has It Got In Its Pocketses? (Finger Hugs Tutorial)

2011-10-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Max recently started all day kindergarten and has been lonely for his mommy. He can't have a picture, because it is distracting to others in his class. But he needed something. The idea developed after my oldest sister suggested something he could leave in his pocket. Max and I brainstormed and came up with this:


original idea doodle

Then it ended up as this:


pocket hug

I like when an idea goes from concept to finished product fast and actually turns out better than I envisioned on the first try.

I don't want to make tons for everyone (though I'm sure now Max has one, I'll have to make ones for Sohvi and Lucy). Soooo, I'll post the pattern and instructions so you can make your own. Just don't be a turd and sell them en masse or anything. That would be lousy of you. Give them away as gifts all you want though. Share the love!

Print out this:

print out full size (sorry I don't know how to attach the PDF file...)

Supplies:
pins
scissors
fabric scraps (I used two different minky fabrics)
sewing machine (although he's small enough, you could stitch him by hand)
stuffing
black embroidery floss (or thread)
embroidery needle

Use 1/4" seam allowance

Cut pattern.

embroider eyes and mouth as shown on pattern. Make sure to stay inside the seam allowance. If using thread instead of embroidery floss, use four strands of thread (it will look exactly the same, I promise).

sew with 1/4" seam allowance all the way around, leave opening along bottom of one of the arms to turn.

clip curves in corners and trim off seam allowance around hands and thumb.

turn inside out. I use the end of a paintbrush (skinny and smooth and not sharp..) to help turn it inside out.

stuff. (do small amounts at a time). don't make it super tight because the arms still have to bend, and you have to fit a finger in there to hug.

stitch the opening closed with a blind stitch (or slip stitch).

stitch the ends of the hands together with a blind stitch (or slip stitch).

You're done! At school put in pocket and when you put your hands inside, slip your finger through the arms and get a pocket hug! At home you can wear it on your finger (or thumb) like a fat ring. Feel the love.

You're welcome!

Genetic Narcissism: or the post in which I shamelessly tout my parental vanity

2011-10-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

My kids are the most adorable mini humans ever. Seriously. (I am also fully aware of just what an incredibly original concept that is) What parent doesn't think that? Really though, MINE are! (and so, begrudgingly are yours) I have a sneaking suspicion that it stems from one's own Freudianally suppressed vanity. Apparently you can't stuff things away in the closets of your mind without it eeking out somewhere else. The scientific data are as follows:

1- Obviously I think my husband is one sweet piece of man candy (as one can hopefully assume does everyone else at some point, so as to have agreed to marry them) The glint in his green eyes, his dimples when he grins, overshadowed by his mass of chocolate curls and all brought home with his fit bum and sweet, sweet calves.


fit bum and sweet, sweet calves not shown for your own protection

2- I also think everybody is vain to some extent or another, myself included. How can you escape it in our culture's appearance driven obsession. But seriously people, everybody at one point or another looks in the mirror and thinks "hey, I'm sexy." Sure its not everyday, or even once a year, but you always have the one or two pictures of yourself where you know you had it going on. (probably taken by Tracy) What could exhibit more of your faded youthful charm than your own personal mini me?


only infinitely cuter

3- My children are the equivalent respectively to: Sohvi - Helen of Troy with her perfect hair and crystal blue eyes.

Max - Adonis with a sly, ever so slightly mischievous sweetness.

Lucy - a Reubenesque be-dimpled charm-your-pants-off Botticelli Cherub.

And my darling Liam, well he's the baby version of Brad Pitt. Only cuter. I take the boy in public and teenagers swoon. Its like anti birth control. Dusty ovary cocaine.

A couple of genetically-predisposed-to-be-your-own-brand-of-dusty-ovary-cocaine zygotes (and 9 months) later, you have cuteness (repeated four times and aged to perfection) that reasonably argues to be the very zenith of human evolution. Makes you get all mushy inside and want to stuff them with goodies and lay down in front of trucks to ensure their safety and smother them with kisses and cuddles. As you should. It doesn't take too much wit to discern that this trifecta of scientific fact might not be such a bad idea to ensure the survival of the species. The Powers That Be are pretty tricky like that.

kid project: growing sugar crystals

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

My kids are on a crystal kick such as the world hasn't seen since the early 90's. Theirs runs more towards the cheaper plastic sort, but nonetheless just as crazed. I thought I'd show them some real crystals. They aren't too impressed by small ones we found in rocks, so I thought perhaps we could make some bigger ones.

Fortunately a while ago I scored a sweet Goodwill find of "How Science Works" and bequeathed it to my oldest filled with fantasies of doing science projects together and being that cool sort of Mom. Then I got all nerdy and explained it all before we did it.

this is how:

1- we heated up water and slowly dissolved sugar into it until it wouldn't dissolve any more, and then we should have added a tiny bit more water so that all of the sugar would have dissolved and not acted as seed crystals all over the bottom of the jar. ..and added blue food coloring

...BTW, this is AFTER the solution has sat and been poured out.

2- we poured the super saturated hot sugar water/syrup into a jar and hung a rough string (we used hemp because it was laying around, you could use yarn) into the jar (not touching the sides or bottom)

3- waited. Patience isn't a strong point in children, but they held off for two whole days while we were growing a seed crystal.

3- we took the largest seed crystal (that Lucy didn't eat) from off of the rough string and tied it to a nylon string (fishing line works) and hung it from newly resaturated sugar solution.

And then whilst on vacation, we grew bigger ones.

Saved the biggest ones in cool origami-sticker boxes, and happily ate the rest.

They taste like little naked nerds.

On patched jeans and other atrocities

2011-09-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if this makes me a nice, loving and clever Mom, or a total dork Mom (or probably both). But I am really bored with jeans being rendered useless after a month because my kids are.. well, kids. Their knees are constantly hitting pavement, trees, carpet, furniture, gravel, you name it and surrendering their thread count. I hate waste, and not so much in the trendy, crunchy, reduce your carbon footprint kind of way, but a deep mental aneurysm sort of way. Call me cheap, or a tight wad, whatever you want, because its true. But just don't throw something salvageable away in front of me. I'm probably only saved from serious hoarding by the fact that I'm not a big shopper. All mental issues aside though, I've officially declared war on the pesky lower appendage ventilation duct. In honor of the weather starting to cool off I pulled out last years leg wear in all its tattered glory. And then got busy.

Trying out new ideas all in the name of erring on the clever-mom I-did-this-on-purpose side as opposed to the point-and-laugh-at-the-dork-kid look.

now there are

Since discovering HeatNBond *cough, stupid name I am now re-in-love with appliqué. And no, I am not being paid for giving them a blog shout out. And since I was in a blog stupor at the time of the frantic baby-sewing, there are no pictures of said appliqué-love.

all two of them

I also recently started working as a sewing assistant for the incredibly talented fabric/pattern designer/artist Sandi Henderson. So I've matriculated back to some sewing projects, having sewing on the brain, but my Ted book illustrations are still forthcoming.

wild Montana roses

2011-07-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Montana is good at wild roses. And pretty landscapes. And sometimes I get ridiculously lucky with lighting and such and can pretend that I know anything technical about photography.

Hemisphere Wars

2011-06-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

My creative beastie is sick and tired of table scraps and wants something substantial to masticate, and is fed up with all of my measly little sewing projects of late. So, my left brain has had to toughen up and put the smack down on its cranial counterpart. My right brain protests vehemently that it is being unfairly stifled, and that structure is so boring! (in that awful high pitched whiny voice that kids are so proficient at). And my poor corpus callosum is stuck in between as the bedraggled referee.
The fact remains however that unless I schedule and organize my sorry tush, I don't get nearly enough (or any, lately) illustration done. So with my dominant hemisphere kicking and screaming, I dutifully cleaned my cluttered house, paid the depressing bills and cracked open my dusty planner and set me some schedule to illustrate more. Nice stiflingly specific goals with deadlines and all. (ok, ok, loose deadlines... right brain put up quite the fight and threatened to strike if things got too stringent)
Soo-o, I'm going to finish (yes, really) the Ted the Hamster book my sister Meg so cleverly wrote and gave to me to illustrate all those eons ago. Its been disgustingly close to completion for way too long. The plan is to print it out myself and hand bind it. It will have both hardback and paperback versions. And I'll be selling them through my decrepit etsy shop. And if my kids have any say in it, a Ted the Hamster plushie may show up there in the future (they really want one, I'm not horribly keen on it, so we'll see). Meanwhile I'll also keep plodding along with my "Cora's Perfect Pet" dummy book in preparation for its sacrificial offering to a endless ocean of potential publishers and multiple rejection letters. Hopefully little and consistent bits at a time will keep both beasties at bay.

sketches of my kids..

2011-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Illustrating my book has been greatly neglected of late. Not without good excuse, I've been rather occupied with gestating and then recovering from the birth of my newest little darling boy Liam. The latest sketching started when Lucy fell asleep a while ago on the couch, and looked so stinking cute it inspired me to draw her. Whenever I draw my kids, I always wonder why on earth I don't do it more often. It doesn't take much time, and I LOVE the results (I mean as much as I love anything I do that I can still totally pick apart, because its not perfect). It is however nice to have NOT done them on scrap paper at church, like half of the drawings I do of my kids.

Then of course Max wanted a picture of himself, and so he willingly posed, which I then took full advantage of.

Sohvi was the best at holding still, and I really like this picture of her. Though none of them are fantastic representations...

Liam, even sleeping wouldn't hold still for anything, so its not very good at all, but oh well. (and my scanner sometimes sucks and leaves gross dark borders on the sides..)

Darwin is laughing at us

2011-05-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

We openly defy the law of natural selection as a species. Put any one of us in the wild for a few years, and other than Bear Grylls we'd all be dead, most of us in the first day or two. If we don't get eaten by wild animals, tumbled off a cliff or poisoned by snakes or berries, we'd starve or freeze to death. We hunt for a Big Mac in our climate controlled speeding vehicles moving over smooth roads of tiny rocks cemented in tar. Or if we are feeling really ambitious, one can hunt for frozen plucked, skinned and de-boned chicken in your freezer. Our shelters are so crazy elaborate they take an army to build, and half a lifetime to pay for. Gathering happens at the grocery store where food is in bottles and boxes and cans and filled with sugar and preservatives. And then we eat too much of it so we do pointless work of running in place that accomplishes nothing but that we can eat more without getting fat.

And what do we do in our climate controlled houses with machines to work for us and prepared food is a phone call or a fridge walk away? We are bored, and so sit in front of reflective boxes powered by millions of tiny electrons flowing in a controlled current to manipulate 1's and 0's to entertain us. That my friend is what we've come up with with our big impressive brains. Does that mean that we've eradicated cruelty unlike the big bad wild world surrounding us? Of course not!

Despite these observations I'm not all out advocating we go build bomb shelters and stock up for post-apocalyptic survival or am somehow dissing the very technology I'm using. I'm just saying its interesting, ironic and sometimes we take our own culture for granted. I think its good to be able to step outside of it and see its idiosyncrasies that we may appreciate it for its good qualities and learn what we can from it. I am glad we defy nature. I for one would probably be dead without it.

However if one day I need to fend for my own survival, I'll get one of my expert chicken snatching offspring to catch dinner for me.Hopefully, there will be an abundance of wild free-range chickens running around.

messing around with watercolors..

2011-04-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

My kids inspire me to play around in art just for fun, which I should do more often. I think I can take it too seriously, because with my book illustration I need to to a certain extent. But it can be bad because I scare myself away with self intimidation. These were done while watching Conference. Some I like more than others, but I'm including all of them just because. (maybe to show not just my favourites, but the mediocre stuff as a contrast..) I honestly never know what is going to turn out.

I started out not liking the leaf.. but kept messing with it and coming back to it (which most of the time with watercolors will just make a mess) and I ended up liking it a lot. Leaves are a rather re-occurring theme in my art. I think they are beautiful, and are somewhat symbolic for me of the beauty and intricacy of creation.
The baby nasal aspirator ironically turned out unexpectedly well despite the subject matter. Unfortunately it IS an indicator of the condition of my baby's nose..

The apple and orange are rather.. um, just meh. Underwhelming. But they were simple objects already... so their lack of detail isn't a problem, as much as they were boring still life subjects to begin with. Blame my kids, they were their snacks.

All in all though just very fun to mess around and have fun with art for no particular reason at all.

On why I am not the world's biggest cold cereal fan

2011-01-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

First, honestly, how can that much processed preservatives and fake chemical vitamins cemented together with glucose be good for you at all? I'm not normally of the ultra hippie, all organic persuasion either, but have you looked at the ingredient list for cereals? I'll bet half of the chemicals listed are banned by the TSA and are on the baggage confiscation list at airports as well as being known carcinogens according to the state of California.

Secondly, it never lasts me longer than an hour or two, before I'm way hungrier than I was before I consumed said 'breakfast'. Even when its NOT a sugar coated concoction of insulin inducing craziness. You'd think a whole grain based cereal wouldn't cause the same debilitating drop in blood sugar. But it does. For me. I might as well eat a candy bar with a multivitamin. It would last as long, taste a whole lot better, and probably be just as healthy.

Thirdly, its the equivalent of a culinary time bomb. You have 1.6 minutes to inhale your cereal before it becomes an unappetising mass of lactose suspended gelatinous particles. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself in possession of slightly above average amounts of courage and toughness than is generally thought of for my sex, and I enjoy a bit of extreme sportiness. Just not in my morning repast.

Fourthly, In a Herculean effort to expand the cereals time sensitive aptitude for sogginess, they have created indigestible clumps of mouth destroying, mastication nightmares. You literally have to build up scar tissue on the roof of your mouth to protect against the onslaught of razor edged, diamond hard, vitamin enriched, dehydrated food particles. Honestly, its like war! And this new genetically enhanced cereal gives you a mere .259 minute time advantage before it also reverts to its atomic constituents more closely resembling decomposing swamp matter.

Fifthly (yeah, that's a mouthful of grammatical incorrectitude... however I'd rather be consistent... so bite me). I don't even like the taste of most cereals. Just not a big fan. There are a few I'll spring for on occasion when amnesia gets the better of me. My favourite being Cranberry Almond Crunch... but that whole box contains about 2.15 actual bowls of cereal and is priced as if gold plated. (and you STILL need to consume in small quantities in excess of land speed records to beat its time bomb/soggy factor)

..and lastly, I am a big fat hypocrite, because despite all of these factors, it is still way too fast, too easy and too convenient, and is the only proven way to ensure my kids get a modicum of calcium every day. Thus, despite my strong feelings to the contrary, my kids (though not me) consume it every morning almost without fail.

I HAVE strong opinions and principles. I just lack the motivation and will power to uphold them.

Tutorial: Diaper Holder Changing Packet

2010-04-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have of late much appreciated free patterns and tutorials. So here is another one I came up with that I will share. Anyone is welcome to use it for personal and non commercial use. (you can make it for you, or as a gift, just DON'T sell them) I retain all commercial rights to it. The point is to hold all your diapers and changing stuff in your diaper bag together, so you can just grab a small bundle to change your kid, instead of lugging the whole bag around to the bathroom. Obviously I like the idea, or I wouldn't have designed this one. Enjoy it. Its fun to customize to match with other baby accessories.

DISCLAIMER! I used pictures of two different diaper holders in the directions, so sorry if that is confusing. It is also really hard to explain how to do things with only pictures and words... instead of just doing it, or showing someone how in person. I didn't think this was complicated at all until I wrote directions for it. If you ARE confused, please ask me questions, and I'll try to make the directions better and clear it up.

Supplies:
-rotary cutter, self healing mat and clear ruler (or scissors and measuring tape)
-sewing machine.-two coordinating/contrasting fabrics, 1/3 of a yard each
-matching thread
-clear vinyl, 1/4 yard.
-iron on/fusible interfacing
-10" of 1/4" wide elastic
-sew on Velcro
-8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 1" diaper wipes traveling case (Huggies.. is the one I used)

optional:
-coordinating 1" wide grosgrain ribbon
-more coordinating fabric scraps for pockets.
-tissue paper for sewing vinyl easier
-clothespins for holding vinyl in place

Cut:
-one 10 1/2" x 20 1/2" rectangle of the main/outer fabric
-one 10 1/2" x 20 1/2" rectangle of the liner/contrast fabric-one 10 1/2" x 20 1/2" rectangle of the fusible interfacing.
-one 8 1/2" x 11 3/4" rectangle of main/outer fabric or other coordinating fabric for the middle pocket
-two 5 1/2" x 10 1/2" rectangles of clear vinyl for outer pockets
-two 2" x 10 1/2" binding strips out of outside fabric or second coordinating fabrics for vinyl pocket edging
Use 1/4" seam allowance unless otherwise specified on this pattern.
We'll start with the inside.
To make the elastic casing on the middle pocket. Turn over the lengthwise edge 1/4" and iron in place. Turn over again another 1/2" and iron again. Pin and stitch close to the fold as shown.

thread the 10" piece of elastic through the casing with a safety pin. stitch casing closed on each end, making sure to catch the elastic in place.

To give the pocket depth we need to add small pleats near each end. (fold the fabric over to make a little pinch) Pinch just enough pleat to match the width of the liner (sorry for the lack of exactness.. I'm not really an exact seamstress, and it doesn't really matter). Line up edges with elastic casing matching the edge of the liner fabric, pin in place. Stitch along the opposite edge of the pocket as shown in both the illustration and picture.

Fold pocket over adding more small pleats close the the corners of each side. Pin and stitch along the sides. (if you want more guidelines as to how big to make the pleats, use the travel size diaper wipes you'll be putting in it as a guide)

Vinyl pockets
- [1st illustration] sew (no pinning on vinyl) right sides together the binding strip to the vinyl. (tip: sew with the vinyl on the bottom, it will feed through your machine easier.)
-[2nd illustration] turn and fold fabric binding strip along the seam edge.
-[3rd and 4th illustration] Fold twice to make a binding. stitch close to the edge. (edges won't match, wider side with outer stitching is the outside). Repeat for other vinyl pocket.

Stitch vinyl pockets to liner matching corners. (if you like to pin... use clothespins while sewing to hold it in place instead) (for easier feeding through your machine, put the vinyl on the bottom) Clip curves and trim close to stitching on vinyl only.

Inside is complete... now to construct the outside.

Iron on fusible interfacing to the outer fabric according to interfacing directions.

if you are using a contrasting ribbon stitch along the edges of the ribbon down the middle of length of the outer fabric.

Velcro Tab: (two ways shown)
-Cut about 7/8" hook side of velcro, and about 1 1/4" of the soft side of the velcro.
using ribbon:
cut 3 1/2" of ribbon. Sew hook side of velcro just past the middle of the ribbon. Fold ribbon in half and stitch along the edges of the ribbon.

or using fabric scraps:
cut two pieces of 2" x 1 1/2" contrasting fabric scrap. Sew hook side of velcro onto the right side of one fabric piece about a 1/2" away from the end. With right sides together sew around three sides of both fabric scraps leaving the opposite end (of the velcro) side open. Clip corners, and turn inside out. (you can stitch 1/8" around the edges for a more finished look if you'd like)

pin velcro tab as shown to the middle of the lengthwise end (velcro side up). Pin soft side of velcro in between 5 1/2" and 6 3/4" along the ribbon (or in the middle) as shown. (To double check correct velcro position, fill liner side with diapers and wipes, pin corners together and fold up, checking velcro closure. Adjust accordingly.) sew velcro and velcro tab on.

With right sides together, pin liner and outside pieces together (but not on the vinyl part, pins leave permanent holes in vinyl). You can hold the ends in place with clothespins if you want. Stitch with 3/8" seam allowance leaving an opening along the side, large enough to turn inside out. Clip corners paying special attention to the vinyl (very important! otherwise it will be a nightmare to turn inside out). Then trim vinyl only close to the seam.
turn inside out. Make sure to turn the pockets to the inside, and get the corners tight.
Pin opening closed, and stitch 1/8" seam allowance around the entire diaper holder. (paying careful attention to making sure the hole is closed and vinyl is flat)
fill with diapers (it is designed to fit 3 diapers of any size, one per pocket) with wipes and changing pad in the middle. You can buy or make your own changing pad. (You just decide on the size, and cut top, and bottom fabrics and vinyl the same size and sew them together with vinyl in the middle, leaving an opening to turn inside out, and then finishing it with a topstitch just like the diaper case once it is turned inside out)

fold it up and you're ready to go!

On organization

2010-03-22T21:34:00.001-07:00

I'm crap at it. But seeing as it is a recognized (though not celebrated) weakness of mine, I'm always trying to come up with (or find) ideas that just might help me be not-so crap at it. Occasionally out of sheer volume of trial and error, I come across some things that have miraculously worked for me. I will share them with you on the off chance that perhaps they might help you too. Or you could alternately point and laugh because A- you are already an organization pro, or B- of course my silly ideas wouldn't work for you, or C- you are rich enough to pay someone to do your dirty work for you, or D- you have no children to negate your organizational prowess. At which point you have at least been amused by my misfortunes, so my rantings haven't been in vain after all.

Idea Uno.

I especially suck at cleaning my house. I just don't LIKE it, and it gets messed up again so fast, why bother cleaning it ALL of the time. So I used to let it slide until I went absolutely mad with disgust and annoyance at which point I'd go through and angrily clean the whole thing up, only to have it last roughly .00318 milliseconds before the next tornado hit. Seriously, what was the point.

Or else I was forever picking things up, but it never stayed as such long enough to vacuum or sweep before other toys, coats, backpacks or shoes would drift in of their own natural volition, thus preventing any actual cleaning of the cluttered surface. * So, even I who have a moderately high tolerance for clutter, was seriously annoyed. Next, I tried a chore chart, which didn't really last. Then I tried having everybody help clean up every Saturday. It wasted the day, and made everybody cranky. Everything I tried never really lasted longer than a couple of weeks. And took lots of effort.

* (Sir Isaac Newton, had he any progeny would have certainly discovered this fourth undeniable law of thermodynamics which is as follows "areas in clutter must remain in clutter unless acted upon by the STRONG force, which exists only in the nucleus of atoms, so good luck with getting that to work for you", but fortunately for high school students everywhere he didn't manage to fit procreation into his rather busy schedule and there is, for now, one less law to memorize.)

So... I came up with only cleaning one room a day. Every day, except weekends. That's it. Ignore the rest of the house (except the dishes.. yeah, that can't be ignored, and laundry I suppose..) and only focus on one room. Then the next day pick a different room. It actually has a chance to get all of the way clean, not just picked up, but thoroughly scrubbed (and half of the time organized) because I'm setting a realistic, small goal. And because it is realistic, easy and small, I do it again, and it actually lasts beyond a few weeks. The surprising thing is it helps me to be more productive, because once my one room is done, I don't have to do any wasting-time-avoid-cleaning-syndrome things, I get to move onto whatever project I am currently working on sans guilt. Then not only do I have a great feeling of accomplishment, but it actually stays a lot cleaner for some reason. (this part I don't get, except that as a whole, each room gets completely cleaned about once a week, which is probably more than ever did before in my house) And if happen to be feeling lazier on a certain day, I pick a room that isn't so bad. (if I have something too structured, I feel stifled, so I don't have set days for each room) Even when I miss a day, or days, I don't catch up and clean more than one a day, I just start again. I turn on music, and make my kids help me, and its not so bad. I really like it, and even if it doesn't work for you, I'm really, really relieved that something works for me. Sure it means all of your entire house isn't spotless at the same time, but when did that ever last anyway. Its scientifically proven. Nature truly does abhor a vacuum. Lucky for us, 21st century narcissistic Americans abhor Nature. So, it all evens out.

Point deux.

I am rotten at making real dinners consistently. Five o'clock rolls around, and I spend an hour thinking of things I don't feel like making, and then having to force it upon my unwilling subjects. By six, I am in somewhat of a panic... oh crap, now I have to do something ELSE and quick, because we should be eating now, or thereabouts. Pancakes, oatmeal, cold cereal, grilled tuna or cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, or mac and cheese are now the options. Gross. Well, except for the pancakes, which we have quite a lot of, but aren't really that great for long term hunger fulfillment. ANYWAY... as aforementioned and is now glaringly obvious at this point, I'm not organized enough to know what I'm making beforehand, which would solve all but the forcing-to-consume part of my problem. I also am a booger and can't be bothered with sticking to a fixed schedule for meals. How am I going to know on Monday what I'll feel like eating (or making) on Friday? Sometimes I think of a few I want to make, and I write them down before hand, but only occasionally, but it really helps. So I should be able to write out a list of seven meals that I might wish to make through the week in no particular order, and in varying degrees of time allotment required to prepare. I make sure I have ingredients on hand, or go get them all at once... So, I thought if I had a cool specific place to write all of it, then maybe I'd be consistent at planning ahead. So instead of dinner, I made a blank menu idea list I could print more of whenever I needed to. And then I thought of a cool way to put them on my fridge... So, I thought I'd share how to make it, and perhaps it can benefit you too, so that my kids having oatmeal for dinner yet again won't be in vain. I'll even give you the finished printing layout because I'm that kind of person.

print THIS out.

I didn't put borders on it, because my laser printer doesn't DO borderless printing, so make sure when you print it out it is with a border. And its not perfect (hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, I made it for you, quit whining) they're all not going to line up exactly and the edge borders are going to be bigger than the middle ones, but get over it, and just cut it off.

..and then if you went through all that bother, you might as well make the holder. (its really easy) And you can use a random ugly or boring magnet you don't care for to hold it up.

Cut a clear vinyl strip. 3 1/4" x 10 1/2"

Fold the strip of clear vinyl once backwards, and once forwards. Adjust to fit.

Sew the edges with cool colored thread. (I sew each seam twice so its thicker, and stays better, and you don't have to backstitch at the beginning and end because that looks silly on vinyl)

Slide the magnet under one flap.

..and the blank lists into the other.

Fill with ideas. Place on fridge. Feel sufficiently motivated and inspired to make dinner before bedtime.

Figuring out how to get your picky kids to eat the dinner, without giving them therapist fodder? No clue.

(and hey, make it all you want for you and friends or family, but don't rip off my idea as your own and try to sell them or anything K, that's just rude!)

Solution drei.

ha, ha, just kidding! I don't have another one. yet. I just wanted to use another random language number, so it looked like it was on purpose. (Kinda like I'd be cool like Bono and do my own version of weird counting, and not just totally copy his 1, 2, 3, 14 in spanish.) I know I'm lame, just checking to see if anybody is still actually reading by now. You can officially stop though. I'll let you.

I promise.

Tutorial: How to make a baby headband from an old tee shirt

2010-03-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

here is the tutorial finally, which I realized I'd already written ages ago, but only hadn't added the pictures... silly me.

So, I finally caved and made some headbands for my bald baby girl Lucy. I do normally get rather bored with her being mistaken for a boy, despite the bracelet she usually wears and/or pink clothing or dresses she may or not be wearing, but I am rather used to it. I had lots of practice getting used to it with my first bald baby girl Sohvi, who stayed that way until age two, at which point she started to BARELY have enough to tell it was curly.
So Lucy especially needed something feminine for our HUGE family pictures (all of my parents progeny) for which she was to be dressed all in black. So, I messed around and came up with a darling headband. My sister really liked them, so I offered to make one for my cutie niece and since I was on a roll I made a bunch more for Lucy. I love them, and am amazed and delighted that she usually leaves them alone. They are incredibly easy to make even for someone who has almost no sewing skills and most others could probably copy them easily WITHOUT the instructions.. well, here they are anyway. I still prefer to follow someone else's directions anyway (and most especially their measurements).

Supplies:
old tee-shirts -or- cute stretchy knit fabric
fake flowers
beads, or like adornments for the middle of the flower

Tools:
cutting mat and rotary cutter -or- scissors and measuring tape
hot glue gun
sewing machine

-Plug in the glue gun, so it will be ready to use later

-Cut open one of the side seams of the tee-shirt so it can lay flat.

-Cut off the bottom hem of the shirt.

-Measure and cut the fabric 3" wide for a narrow headband (smaller flower) 3 1/2" for meduim, and 4" for large. I used about 16" long for one of Lucy's, she was 14 months old then, and they still fit at 22 months (she has a big head too)... it also depends on how stretchy your shirt is. Fortunately being stretchy makes being exact not matter so much. Measure your child's head and if you're using normal tee-shirt fabric add an inch. If it has lycra or spandex in it, don't add anything.

-fold lengthwise with the right sides together

- stitch with a zigzag seam with a 1/4" seam allowance. (or serge it, if you are lucky enough to have one)

-turn right side out. You can press it if you are the kind of person who uses an iron while you sew, but its knit so you don't need to.

-fold in half

-sew the ends together with a straight stitch and a 1/2" seam allowance.

- open up the seam in the middle.

-over stitch the ends of the seam so they lay flat.

-trim off excess material.

Head band is done if you don't want to embellish it with a flower (like if you had cute material to start with)

Adding decorations: (you can also add a loop around the band and add flowers to clips and have the decoration be interchangeable, but for kids the more parts there are that come off, usually do)

-take apart your fake flowers (pull apart all the plastic stuff) so you only have the fabric 'petal' part. I usually use more than one set of petals even if they weren't meant to be that way, it gives the flowers more depth and they look fuller and therefore nicer.

-glue each set of 'petals' separately to the middle of the headband. (that way you can wear it on either side of baby's face)

-glue on the middle embellishment, bead, crystal, middle of the fake flower (cut off whatever you need to, to make it glue on flat) whatever.

-put it on your darling bald little baby girl and hope she leaves it on.

You're done... see, its really easy! And pretty dang cheap!

good bye fall and other pictures

2010-02-16T01:27:00.000-08:00

lol!! I found this saved draft I never posted, with all these pictures already loaded up, and no text. No clue what happened, except I obviously forgot all about it. Wow, I'm really THAT bad at blogging! Here you go anyway, even though its pretty darn outdated. I guess I'd better go through my drafts and finish up stuff, and post 'em already.

Valentine Fun

2010-02-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Sohvi and Max really wanted to cut out heart decorations for Valentine's Day, and finding myself with no good reason not to, I agreed to attempt it. So, I taught Sohvi how to cut out symetrical hearts by folding the paper down the middle, and Max mostly watched and requested asymmetrical hearts, shredded other paper and helped hang them up on the window. While I withstood the temptation to offer placement advice to my kids, and/or hang them all myself instead. That is how much I love my kids, I can stand back and let them make an unbalanced, lopsided, yet lovely splay on my windows all by themselves. I however busied myself making valentine heart snowflakes out of colored paper and abstract valentine art, so I could contribute something.

That was really fun. So it was a good mix of eclectic kid hearts as well as my crazy overboard detailed snowflakes. (which is why I don't usually do decorations.. I spend too much time on them, only to throw them away later, because they've been destroyed, and/or I don't want the bother of saving them and pulling them out for every separate occasion). The heart snowflakes do have really good potential for kid combined with adult projects.

They do the art (theoretically, because by the time I thought of it, Sohvi didn't want to do abstract, and Max's attention span had expired on the whole project). So you (being the adult) cut out the snowflake from the dried art (or your kids if they are old enough to cut their own snowflakes). Sohvi probably could, but was content with cutting plain hearts. So I had to provide the abstract art AND the cutting.
You can do any kind of medium, but white crayon makes for cool wax resist effects if you watercolor on top of it. (which I didn't do, I did red, which I obviously like the effect of as well)

Watercolor is funner for me with abstract, so I did a combination of crayon and watercolor in valentine colors. I also messed around with a tiny hole punch in the snowflakes. It was totally fun, and I made myself stop at four, so I didn't overpower (supposedly) my kids hearts. I like the compliment of both of them together on the window. Try it out!

all the stuff I've been doing BESIDES blogging

2009-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

yeah, I know I've been rotten at blogging lately. Really rotten. I did explicitly state it would be sporadic, so no apologies for you, too bad. Oh, well. I do think about and even take pictures for it, but to no avail. And then the longer I wait, the more daunting catching up on all the pictures and topics I've thought of the more heinous of a task it is. Its a vicious circle. So, I'll attempt now to break the cycle of blog neglect and perhaps a call to blog welfare services will not be warranted.

What I HAVE been up to:

1- Realized I was quite deficient in the earring department, so I went on an earring kick, and made a bunch of really cute earrings (and NO, I don't want to and shouldn't make more and sell them in my etsy shop, which is currently very much on the hate spectrum of our love/hate relationship, and even if it weren't, earrings are so not my focus). But it was fun, and much needed.

2- Went on a sewing kick, and made a crapload of baby diaper holders, baby headbands (and even documented both projects to possibly make into a tutorial, if you are interested, and ask me very sweetly I may even get around to posting it/them here someday) as well as diaper bags, and very recently Halloween costumes (despite my resolve not to go crazy this year). ...and I'll post costume pictures later.

3- I've been trying to be a grown up about keeping my house consistently cleaner, instead of just giving up on it in between cleanings. I've also started making my kids to chores now (I'm a mean, mean mommy!) so they are partly responsible and when its messy 30 seconds after vacuuming, its THEIR job to clean it up. As well as cleaning, I'm trying to be more organized too. In that vein I re-arranged my living room to accommodate part of my studio up stairs where I can work much, much easier (and not bogart the kitchen table). Which leads me to my last point...

4- I've been trying to really focus on illustrating my book. And realizing it is a massively overwhelming and daunting task. I still want to do it, but it scares the snot out of me and frequently makes me feel completely inadequate to the task. (then I wonder why didn't I go for my BFA and specialize in illustration, instead of just a general BA in visual art? oh, wait, a year or more of classes, plus another application to get into that program, a BFA show AND I couldn't decide at the time to focus on illustration or drawing/painting... right, NOW I remember. I wanted to GRADUATE) However I still can't decide between using ink and watercolor, or switching to prismacolored pencils. Both have plenty of advantages, and disadvantages. But I've resolved not to do another finished spread until I decide once and for all what medium I'll use. When I've done more little practice pictures in both, I'll do another blog entry, because I desperately need feedback. I wonder constantly if I'm totally crazy for trying to do this.

opinions needed: baby shower invites

2009-07-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm messing around with different cards for my etsy shop one of which is a baby shower invite. I have four different colors I'm going to use, but I don't know which layout I like best. (the watermark is just there for copyright, its not part of the design) Which one should I do?

Very small image with all the information on the front.......Small with info on the back (in matching colors)......medium.....or large image?I'm going to use a different font, but don't know which one yet. They'll get to choose between all four colors when they order. I just need to pick which one works the best. Any ideas?

I may not have a garden this year...

2009-07-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

...but I've still been busy trying to grow stuff. My problem is I planted all the flowers first, and ran out of steam before I got to the garden. I'm not that great at planting flowers even... I only have about a 50% or probably less success rate. In previous years I've planted one rose bush that took, but of the 17 or so lily bulbs only one has ever had a single blossom (which lasted a day, and then was destroyed by massive hail stones) and hasn't lived to bloom since. Which saddens me considerably!! I love lilies! My daisies are finally going strong, but it took them a while to get that way, and my black eyed susans and my poppies haven't even bothered to sprout. (I could list a bunch more that have failed to even show themselves above ground, but I won't) I have a couple of remaining sunflowers that have managed to cling to life through the snail wars, but I don't know how much longer they will last. I have managed to NOT kill off a few things, like my lillac bushes, and the pre-existing roses. But I can't really take much credit for those, they're pretty tough plants, which were well established BEFORE I took over. Well at least I have lots of fruit trees, if I didn't get around to veggies. Austin convinced me pruning was a good idea and lo and behold we have apples for the first time in any quantity at all! I guess pruning IS a really good idea. We've always gotten a disproportionately large amount of pears for the size of the tree. This year its even smaller than last year, thanks to the breakage of a rather major branch from all the weight of the pears last year. I think we'll still make out rather well with pears despite the loss. Dried pears are awesome! However my pride and joy is my beloved peach tree! I planted it myself, and it has bore fruit every year (including the first, which it isn't supposed to) granted it was only four peaches but... still. This year I have even thinned out the fruit, which is incredibly painful for me to do, because it means one less peach I get to eat. But it will hopefully spare the weak little branches of my young tree, and make the remaining peaches that much bigger and juicier!! There is not one single more delectable food on the planet for me than a fresh from the tree, warm, dripping, juicy, fresh peach. So, perhaps next year I'll actually get the vegetable seeds in the ground, and if by some miracle they manage to not only sprout but to actually produce food, maybe then I can eat nice crunchy fresh veggies too. Good thing I like fruit better anyway.

Trade: ElsaBags

2009-06-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another fabulous trade I did at the bazaar. I LOVE my new diaper bag. I've been waiting to blog about this until there were more bags like this in her shop, and here they are! It is SO roomy and has so many great pockets without the massive duffel bag-ish wide style like so many other diaper bags. Its utilitarian without screaming " I AM A MOM WITH A MASSIVELY HUGE UGLY BAG THAT NOT ONLY HAS DIAPERS BUT AN ENTIRE ARMAGEDDON SURVIVAL KIT". Its actually cute, without being grossly cutesy and baby-ish. I am not a big fan of most diaper bags. I have tried various things besides an actual diaper bag to haul all the crud around that I never thought was necessary before I was a mom. But nothing I tried (backpacks, messenger bags, tote bags) were really accessible while I was still wearing it, I always had to take it off to get stuff out. Which sort of defeats the point when you're dealing with kids and have limited arms, attention and time. This has the awesome front pocket you can fish around in without taking it off, with its additional pockets inside it. I am a sucker for pockets. And then it has even more pockets in the main compartment too. I can't believe this was made by hand. I am not lightly impressed, I have sewn since I was a little kid, and have been even employed to sew a couple of times, but I really don't have the time or patience to do that much detail work.

Speaking of detail work.. I was delighted to find out during the trade, that she also has the shop vanilla pie that I got Lucy's awesome leopard print boot/booties at last winters Bazaar. Again, I was very impressed by the attention to detail and just how functional and well made they were. I would get comments on them constantly when she'd wear them. AND not only did they stay on (which is more than can be said of any other shoe or sock you put on a little baby) but usually even stayed UP. ..and I've already said what a weakness I have for chubby baby leg attire. Anyway, a plethora of adorable and well made stuff. Definitely worth checking out.

Trade: evieivyoverstreet

2009-05-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

The recent Beehive Bazaar wasn't my first opportunity to trade with my little sister. I first fell head over heels in love with this tote bag she made. Then she went above and beyond that one and customized another one with the lining and baby whale corduroy I liked combined with a darling hedgehog appliqué. You may have seen me with it, I use it ALL the time!

This one wasn't a trade, but I couldn't help myself last bazaar. I had been drooling over the darling lion tee-shirts in her etsy shop for a while, and seeing them in person (in my son's size, and on a darling green ringer tee) was just too much even for my frugal, non-shopaholic, normally restrained self. It mattered not that I wasn't getting something for my daughter, it had to be snatched up! I love it every single time he wears it. Makes me want to squeeze him, even more that I already do, if that's possible.

This time at the bazaar, I got to see all the goods as we were setting up. She makes the cutest felt button bracelets and watches ever. I saw a cutie cute bright yellow one and secretly hoped it wouldn't get sold. To my delight it didn't, and I traded it victoriously!
And THEN, because she's such a great sister, she GAVE me a absolutely darling, delicious smelling, lavender filled, flower button appliquéd, vintage kitty fabric sachet for my birthday. It almost makes up for the fact that I turned 30.
She makes some REALLY cute stuff, this is only a teensy tinsy sample of it. So, if you haven't checked out evieivyoverstreet's shop lately (or ever) you totally should.

New Pictures and the Beehive Bazaar

2009-05-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the digital editing of my newest animal illustrations, just in time for the Beehive Bazaar last weekend. The Bazaar was a fun and learning experience. Anyway if I do it next time, I've learned a ton both about what sells, and how to prepare, and will be able to implement it. I'm totally glad I did it though, I had a great time, ended up doing much better the last day than the first two, got to hang out with my little sister Eve, had some fantastic trades (more on those later), met some awesome and talented people and got good publicity as an added bonus. Thanks to everybody who came, or wanted to come. I wish it was closer.

2009-04-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

<= this for this =>

I think trades are superb. Wouldn't it be cool if you could trade for everything? I don't suppose the power company wants to be paid in crafts though. But seriously, when money can be circumvented, trades are my ideal way to acquire stuff. I have thoroughly enjoyed every trade I've done and I look forward to many more great trades.

I had a lovely trade with my sister that not only inspired an awesome planner design I will be making many more of for the upcoming beehive bazaar, but Lucy got some super sweet legwarmers that show off her chunky little legs to perfection! It was a perfect trade. Kaarina wanted the perfect sized planner (which if you didn't know, happens to be checkbook sized) to fit in her purse, but without preprinted dates, so she could start and stop whenever she wanted without the planner being rendered obsolete. An idea I myself, not being a great planner aficionado, had already implemented in previous planner designs. Whilst I was dearly in need of more stripey things to adorn my baby girl Lucy's rolly polly thighs. Especially if those somethings were tactile and chunky and hand knit. Despite my many and varied random skills, knitting is not one of them. Thus the perfect trade was born.

Of course Lucy wouldn't hold still so I could take a picture, so I was chasing her all over the house, while she gleefully slobbered on the packaging they came in.
Aren't they lovely!! My sister is so very wonderfully handy (and neat and patient) with yarn! Clever Kaarina! Yay for trades!

Art Show

2009-03-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Alright, here are the gory details. The Taylorsville Art Show is THIS saturday (March 21st) from 12 noon until 4:00 pm at which time there will be an awards ceremony. If you want to be able to vote on the people's choice award, you should get there before 4. It is held in Taylorsville City Hall which is just off 26th west and 54th south. Coming from the north or south on 2-15 West, exit on redwood road (to the right if you are coming from the south, left off the exit if you are coming from the north) to go north on redwood then turn left/west on 5400 S, turn right/north on 2600 West and another right onto Taylorsville Blvd. (5320 South) and its in the second building. (if my directions suck, call me or mapquest it)

Unfortunately with all of the plethora of infectious disease I've had to deal with in the past few weeks, and some stupid paint issues one of the three paintings I set out for myself to complete for the show will not be done it time. Normally my oils dry anywhere from a day to maybe three. (I don't usually paint very thick) But, just my luck the green I am using seems to have a serious problem drying. I painted some preliminary background vegetation, and TWO WEEKS later it was still just as wet as when I first painted it. I would understand maybe tacky... but no, I picked it up to move it, sure that it would be dry, and smeared paint all over.

However, I still have two watercolor paintings that go along with my elephant in the sprinkler painting that will be finished. One is of a rhino on a see-saw, and the other is an alligator in a bathtub. They are all eventually going to be used in a children's book I'm writing. So, if you want to see them, come to the Art Show!

Kid tag

2009-03-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of the funniest things to do with your kids. I laughed A TON.. So I'm going to tag everybody with kids big enough to talk. (Mary, Eve, Kim, Shayna, Suzi, Kristin, Janel...anybody else who wants to) I want to hear what your kids have to say about YOU.

TIP: it helps to have kids do it separately so they can't be influenced by the other kids answers

1. What is something Mom always says to you?

Sohvi: I love you
Max: she says I love you a lot.

2. What makes Mom happy?

S: me being nice to her
M. me eating something that's yummy.

3. What makes Mom sad?

S: me being mean to her
M: me not eating something that's yummy

4. How does Mom make you laugh?

S: make funny jokes
M: tickle me

5. What was Mom like as a child?

S: hmm, I don't know
M: I don't know

6. How old is your mom?

S: I don't know, six?
M: I don't know, three I think

7. How tall is your mom?

S: maybe I can guess, 24
M: two pounds tall

8. What is your mommy's favorite thing to do?

S: paint
M: make play houses, you get some things together, and ta-da its a play house.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

S: she does things that I can't do, like putting nails in the ceilings
M: just play a game, and then she just walks around, and then she plays a game again, and then she starts to go somewhere, and then walks around at home, and thats all she can do.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

S: I don't know, painting
M: uh, I don't know.. maybe three

11. What is your mom really good at?

S: painting
M: doing handstands

12. What is your mom not very good at?

S: nothing
M: tricky things. and I can do some tricky things also, and I can climb up the ladder some tricky ways, and thats all I can do, also I can do flips (no he can't)

13. What does your mom do for her job?

S: I don't know, nothing
M: sharpening some pencils

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

S: burritos
M: pancakes

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

S: doing things that makes me happy
M: eating a sandwich

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, which one would she be?

S: Tigress (from Kung Fu Panda)
M: I think she would be Jessie I think (from Toy Story 2)

17. What do you and your mom do together?

S: play games like hide and go seek
M: play a game like the memory game

18. How are you and your mom the same?

S: cause we like each other
M: we have the same pants (both jeans)

19. How are you and your mom different?

S: she does art work, and all I do is watch TV. (disclaimer: she LOVES to paint and draw too, and doesnt' watch hardly any TV... so I don't know where that is coming from)
M: she doesn't have a helicopter shirt

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

S: 'cause she says she loves me
M: because she says it to me very much

Some answers I could have predicted, but most of them came out of nowhere. Its fun to see what your kids will say about you. My kids crack me up. I'm glad they know I love 'em though, 'cause I sure do.

Mossimo

2009-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

So I temporarily lost my sanity and sense of good judgment and forgot my sworn oath that I wouldn't getting any more pets while my kids were little, and we got a kitty a while ago. I apparently learned nothing from Lola our basset hound we had for about a year, but had to watch closer than my children because she was constantly getting into trouble, stealing my kids food, shedding on my couches, making my back yard uninhabitable and ruining my floor. Did I learn my lesson with my guinea pigs, when Felix got really sick, two vet bills later, a month of syringe feeding, two different sets of antibiotics, one of which I HAD TO INJECT MYSELF, as well as having to personally inject him with IV fluids twice a day, all of which happened WITH A NEWBORN BABY! And then he ended up dying anyway, and I felt guilty because it was such a blessed relief. No, apparently I am one incredibly stupid sucker for a cute animal.

Though Mossimo is one really cute animal, he is however, one very strange cat. He isn't overly tempted by opening cans of tuna as is every other cat in the known universe, but will jump up on the counter to filch CORNMEAL PANCAKES! ..or brownies, or jam sandwiches, or cake, or toast or anything else that every other cat would never look twice at. I've also learned from a rather unfortunate experience you can't turn your back on a uncovered wedge of brie.

Mossimo does have traits normally associated with cats too. He is very playful, and has some rather hilarious antics. He likes to stalk and pounce on Max and sometimes Sohvi. Sort of the whole Hobbes effect. It would be a lot funnier if it didn't involve claws. He loved climbing our Christmas tree and swiping at the ornaments from a different vantage point. Between Lucy and Mossimo, the tree was constantly in pretty sad shape.

His biggest redeeming quality though is his inherent need for cuddling. Not necessarily being petted, he just needs a warm lap. Even if that lap belongs to a kid. But he also loves to cuddle me at night. Not curled up docilely at the foot of my bed, he prefers to be under the covers if I let him. Weirdo.

I'll show him though.. in the immortal words of Jack Sparrow, "eunichy snip-snip". Meanwhile, I'm not going within 100 yards of a pet store anywhere. Only the vet.

Art Madness

2009-02-26T23:33:00.000-08:00

Thus begins my self induced fall from sanity. I am going to be doing both the Taylorsville Art Show (March 21st) as well as the Beehive Bazaar (April 30-May2) which for all practical preparative purposes are almost simultaneous. I realize that yes, technically there is over a month in between said events, but there is also less than a month before the first one. They also consist of totally separate things. One is an art show, that I'll be displaying my as yet unfinished art. The other is a craft show where I'll have prints of my art and other things from my etsy shop. Two completely different preparations.

Not only that but I suffer from a severe case of chronic, debilitating artist block. Sure its easy and convenient to blame my lack of progress on my having three kids, but honestly, thats not really the issue. I have in my studio a painting that is very close to being finished THAT I HAVEN'T TOUCHED IN THREE YEARS. It seems the more I like a piece the harder it is to finish. I don't want to mess it up, and the longer I am away from it the more intimidating it is to come back to. I think in some weird way my potential as an artist scares me. The better I do, the more I have to live up to. And I never know if something will work. Just because I have before, doesn't mean I can do it again, I can't predict anything. Creating art takes a lot of concentration, I like it when it works, but it is certainly not relaxing. Maybe for other artists it is, I don't know. But it takes a lot of effort for me. So, don't expect me to emerge from my dank, cluttered, unfinished, basement studio anytime soon. However I fully plan on retaining all portions of both of my ears. Wish me luck.

Happy (Late) Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I was feeling extra festive about this Valentine's Day. I'm not a very big holiday person in general, but I thought it would be fun to make some Valentines with my kids. Crafts with an (almost) three year old and a five year old, aren't exactly relaxing, but it was mostly fun. ...and too bad but I have no pictures of their chaotic cutness! I did also decide to make some fancy cookies to go along with the cute haphazardness of my kids glue stick creations. I found the idea from an old Family Fun magazine that to this day I have no idea who got me a subscription for it. ..but that is neither here not there.. Basically you make sugar cookies, and use two cookie cutters, a large heart and a smaller heart in the middle, and you bake it with a jolly rancher in the negative space (over pam-sprayed tin foil so you can get the melted mess off in one piece, after it cools of course). The result looks really fancy (for me) and was quite the accomplishment for me who hates rolling out cookies. (especially since you have to WAIT to chill the dough, I don't do well planning ahead normally). Besides the delivering to all their neighborhood friends, I wanted to take some pictures of the kids and I for a Valentine's present for Austin. I had just figured out the self timer on my camera (the first thing I've had to look up so far, yay for intuitive Cannon design) and wanted to play around with it. I also wanted to try out a backdrop and pretend I actually know anything about photography.

I got in some good ones before Austin woke up.
..and he shockingly agreed to attempt some of the whole family. We are notoriously bad with our lack of family pictures. The last formal one was when Sohvi was about 1 1/2. So, even though layout sucks (hey, its hard to compose a picture with you and a baby not in it yet.. and I've never messed around with a timer before). I think its not half bad.

Then, Austin made me a multiple course steak dinner, and sang and played a new song that he wrote for me, because he's probably the best sweetie ever. It was a pretty awesome day.

couples questions

2009-02-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I stole this from facebook so, if you've already seen it too bad! I figured I'd post it on my blog for those non-facebookers and the sad fact I have pitifully neglected my blog. I'm not going to tag anybody specifically, but I'd love to see your response if you feel like it.

This is kind of like the 25 things - except there are pre-decided questions and it's about you and your spouse, not just you.

♥ What are your middle names?
Joan, and Robert

♥ How long have you been together?
Married for seven years in November.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
over a year

♥ Who asked who out?
Austin asked me, despite a misunderstanding that he thought I just wanted to be friends.

♥ How old are each of you?
Both 29.

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
Depends on where we/they live. We usually see whoever lives closest most. Usually mine.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Three. Sohvi is 5, Max will be 3 this month, and Lucy is almost 9 months old.

♥ What about pets?
Simon the turtle, and Mossimo the cat.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Austin works lots, and has a pretty unpredictable schedule.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Nope. not even close.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
nope.

♥ Who is the smartest?
Hah, isn't that a loaded question! It depends on the subject. We even each other out most of the time. Like I'm smarter in science, he's smarter with history. Then we're both good in english (though he is better with grammar and rules and such), and both suck at math (but I am better than he is). Artistically I'm visual, he's musical.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Depends. He cried when we got married (tears of joy), I didn't. (hey I was happy too, I just don't cry in front of people!) But I will cry more in movies... This is totally subjective though, neither one of us is very weepy.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Johnny Carino's.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple
..not very far. We've done the back and forth from Portland to Utah and Idaho too many times to count. ..and I don't think we've gone farther than that (at least together). Traveling with kids sucks.

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
hmmm.. probably me.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
huh. neither one of us has much of a temper. Maybe me when I'm preggo.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do generally, but Austin cooks when he can, and he's really good at it. I've learned a lot from him.

♥ Who is more social?
It depends. Austin hates organized social things, but likes big groups of people. (he is great at entertaining when he feels like it) I like small groups, or one on one. But we mostly just like to hang out with each other.

♥Who is the neat Freak?
hmm. Its certainly not me.

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
uhh... me.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
I used to, I've gotten better.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Me.

♥ Where was your first date?
Baskin Robbins (informal, we were just hanging out, but he paid). or my parents sailboat (the first formal date) depending on which you count as a date.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
We each have five siblings. I have more in-laws and nieces/nephews on my side though.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No. But he writes me a song every anniversary, which is much more romantic.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
At home, and some with extended family.

♥ Who is more jealous?
huh? I don't know.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
a week and a half.

♥ Who eats more?
Austin.

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
I do generally. But Austin does his own sometimes too.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Me, hands down. there is absolutely no contest.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Austin. He gets carsick when other people drive.

Help.. please!

2009-01-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Every time I get really annoyed with the uselessness of maintaining an etsy shop, someone randomly buys something. Okay its not an exact formula, but it happens. Its not about making money for me at all, if I wanted to seriously make money with my art degree, it certainly wouldn't (and won't) be on Etsy. I'd go get a graphic design job, or better yet do enough paintings to do a show in a gallery, or illustrate a bunch of kids books. Those things may come eventually, but I can do an Etsy shop now. Its about still getting my art “out there” at all while I am mainly concentrating on being the mother to my kids. I can do it with theoretically minimal effort, and still be at home.

But, I am in serious need of some opinions here. I don't know what to price my stuff in my Etsy shop. If you look on the forums in Etsy, you will get all sorts of stuff about 'not selling yourself short' and spreadsheets on how to exactly price with charging as a professional for your time and materials and all, and thats your wholesale price, then you double THAT for retail. Most of the time its a plea for others to up their “too low” prices because then they can't sell their over priced ones. But guess what! Etsy is in a capitalist market, its all about supply and demand and undercutting is a way of life. I may have been forced to take econ101 to graduate, but I didn't completely zone out the whole time. There are an insane amount of sellers on Etsy, and it sure seems there is far more supply than demand. The supply tends to get buried pretty quick too.

So my economics class would tell me to lower my prices to be competitive, and the Etsy forums would tell me that by doing so I am undercutting 'serious-this-IS-my-day-job' etsians, and selling my work short. Then there is also an actual risk of cheaper prices making it look like they are lesser quality. Also I am totally cheap. ...and I wouldn't buy my prints at their current price (well, impulsively at least) I'd have to REALLY like it. Conflicting theories aside, I still have no clue what actually works. Obviously, I could use some feedback here. This is NOT a plea to go buy my stuff. (if you do happen to want a print, PLEASE let me know first and I will drop the price in HALF at least, if I don't find an excuse to GIVE it to you first)

So, should I lower my prices? ..and if so, by how much? Pelter me with your opinions. Feel free to critique whatever you want.

It's all about me!

2008-12-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

What is your favorite brand of jeans?

I have no idea, I've never paid attention. I wish I knew though, because I desperately need some new ones right now. All my nice comfortable and cute jeans ripped at the same time. Just when I could fit into them again. Jean shopping with three kids isn't really very productive... and this time of year, not really a priority.

What is your favorite restaurant? What do you get there?
Johnny Carino's.. though I think the name is now changed to Carino's Grill or something like that. The Chicken Marsala is my absolute favorite, artichoke hearts and chicken medallions... oh, it is to die for.

What is your current favorite song?
hmmm... I've been loving the soundtrack to Across the Universe. My kids favorite is to sing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds at the top of their lungs. They like that it has Lucy's name in it. She thinks its hilarious.

What's your "type"?
I have always had a crazy weakness for curly hair. Nice broad shoulders are very attractive too, I don't like a scrawny guy.
Is that what you ended up with?
Yup.

What is something unusual about you?
Take your pick. I dislike Santa, despise Mickey Mouse, and don't scrapbook even a tiny little bit. I could go on, but I won't.

How do you describe your everyday style?
Whatever is clean. Usually pretty darn casual. I like comfort. Occasionally I feel like 'dressing up' and will wear a more fitted t-shirt, and jeans that show off my nonexistent butt. Those are the days I wear makeup too. When I get around to it.

What were the last three movie you saw? How were they?
I don't see movies in the theater very darn often anymore.
Iron Man – loved it. I'm glad that Robert Downey Jr. is back in movies, he's excellent.
Kung Fu Panda – Hilarious. Yay for a kid movie I like as much as my kids do.
Get Smart – Is anyone who loves The Office surprised at how funny this was... no, of course not.

What are your favorite TV characters?
Everyone on The Office. I can't think of a single show that has better characters. All of them are chock full of quirkiness and hilarity.

What was the last book you read? How was it?
Empire, by Orson Scott Card. Good, not my favorite of his, but thats not a bad thing as he is one of my favorite authors. Its not his usual style... this is more of a John Grisham type book, political action thriller sort of thing. Very well written, with an intelligent plot, and decent characters.

You are asked to bring your best dish to a party, what do you make?
Hmmm... Maybe my spaghetti. Not your standard stuff, I make it spicy with sausage and chicken, and put cheese in the sauce. Its horribly fattening and bad for you, but it tastes oh, so good.

What qualities do you find attractive in your significant other or a prospective one?
He makes me laugh, and is my best friend in the whole world. He is witty and intelligent and well read as well as being incredibly talented and creative with music. I love his striking green eyes, curly hair and dimples when he smiles. He is so, so, so sweet to me, he works really hard for us, and is a really good Daddy. I will spare you all the rest of my sentimentality... I could go on and on, but it feels rather PDA-ish.

Is there a song that everytime you hear it, it reminds you of a certain memory? What is it and why?
Not really. I have some that remind me of certain times in my life, but not an exact memory.

What is your worst vice?
Like I'm going to list it HERE! I don't know and I don't want to expend the effort it takes to run through my bad habits and faults and shortcomings and pick which of those is the most repugnant and then BLOG about it for all the world to see.

Yeah yeah, being materialistic is bad. What is your favorite THING you own right now?
Honestly, I really don't know. Probably the camera I'm going to get for Christmas!

Coke or Pepsi?
I'm not a big cola person. Pepsi if its plain. But I also really like a Coke with Lime.

Beach, Mountains, Big City, Country, or Desert?
Mountains. Big, cragged and monolithic.

Whats your favorite Candy?
Foreign chocolate is the best, European, Canadian, whatever, its all better than American. But I do love Symphonie bars with toffee in them. ..and candy of any sort of the gummy variety. Mint M&M's should also be available all year.

If you could dress your significant other (or prospective mate), how would you dress them?
He's pretty acquiescing when it comes to that.. and I don't care that much either. Sometimes I buy him clothes, and when I do he wears them.

What is your favorite dessert?
Ice cream. hands down. and its not just a dessert, its belongs in its own separate food group.

Whats your least favorite fashion trend?
ugh, there are so many! Skanky clothes for little girls is probably at the top of my list.

How much did you love doing this??
I didn't LOVE it, it but if I really hated it I wouldn't have done it at all. So if you like doing this sort of thing, you're tagged.

presumptive rantings on art and creativity

2008-11-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Residing somewhere in the corner of my psyche there is a wee beastie. He is only content when fed upon with bits of creativity. When the scraps are meager or sporadic, he gets frustrated and must be appeased. It is not wise to mess with a cranky beastie. It starts as a mere yearning, but if unfed, soon grows to a ravishing hunger. Perhaps my brain would explode with all of the ideas it is constantly getting, if none of them came to fruition. Probably I would just get rather depressed.

I have in my repertoire too many things that can fill my beastie. And many more I'd love to add. His tastes are quite eclectic. Some fall more towards craft than others. Which leads me to the interesting question. Where exactly do you draw the line between art and craft? First of all, I think very few things fit completely in just one or the other. To me, something that epitomizes crafty is a skill that can be learned and then executed, once you know it, you can repeat it (though improving each time). It is logical, analytical and has definite rules (left brained stuff). Art is something that cannot be easily explained, or reasoned (right brained 'intuition'), is unpredictable and sometimes fleeting. The actual DESIGN is art, the skill of whatever TOOL you are using is the craft part. Its a spectrum, with a built-exactly-by-the-rules kit of some sort on the extreme craft end, and minimalistic or nonobjective abstract art on the pure art end. I personally prefer things that utilize measures of both. Extremism in anything bothers me.

Doing things towards the craftier end is more relaxing to me. I don't have to think as hard. I'm putting less of myself on the line. My beastie is content. But when I really stretch myself and against all odds create a really beautiful painting that echoes truth to my soul it is much more fulfilling. And my creative beastie, swollen belly softly rising and falling, contentedly curls up, and is satisfied. Theoretically at least.

4th folder, 4th picture tag

2008-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by my little sister Eve. I decided to check out what I actually did have in my fourth folder fourth picture.. and it turned out to be this darling one I took about a week ago. I was needing to post some pictures of my darling kiddo's anyway. So, there you go!

Max has been requesting 'faux hawks' lately. He see's me doing Sohvi's hair for pre-school, and of course because he wants everything she gets, he had to get his hair done too. It was a gorgeous day, Lucy was napping, so we went outside and snapped away. The biggest shocker was that Max actually held STILL. Sohvi is great at posing, she'll pose all day in front of a mirror just for kicks, but Max can't be bothered with it normally.

I'd better throw in a few others while I'm at it. Since who knows how long its going to take me to get my blog all decorated, organized and pretty. Its not really too high on the priority list right now.

Here are Sohvi and Lucy in their inadvertently matched dresses that I shamelessly took advantage of. Both were given to me, I swear. Not that I haven't put them in matching dresses on purpose before... It just so happens this is not the case this time. (and it was only once before!) I do love a sailor dress, though it has nothing to do with my love of sailing.

Here is the cutest pout you will ever see. (hey, its my kid, I can be as prejudiced as I want)

Actually Lucy is a really happy kid most of the time, usually she's grinning more like this one. My kids are my favorite. They're awesome little boogers. And how can I NOT think they are the cutest, funniest and best mini people ever.

My own little narcissistic corner of the blogiverse where I can spout whatever drivel comes to mind.

2008-10-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hah, with a title that vague, I can blog about anything! But since my life pretty much revolves around my family and my art, chances are that's what you'll get.

I've debated long and hard about blogging... obviously it won out, but why?? (I'm sure you are all wondering with baited breath.) Because of course the mundane details of my life will be of obvious concern and great merit to all within the click of my keyboard. The funny thing is though, I really DO like to know about other people and see their unique take on life. Somewhere lost in the complexity of our deoxyribonucleic acid strands there is a specific genome that will someday be coded "the nosy gene". You know, the one that likes to look at car wrecks and peeks out the window when the neighbors are fighting.. So though I am certainly no oracle, I figure if you don't want to read it you won't. I claim no sage like wisdom, just my own stubborn and sometimes rather opinionated thoughts. You know; brain vomit.

The other rather large obstacle is that I am very lazy. And blogs are lots of maintenance. So if my blogs are rather sporadic in nature, well... you've been forewarned.