Feature Feature

Visit Stencil 1's blog for an article I recently wrote about stenciling your own quilt! 

http://www.stencil1.com/blog/4472/quilting-time.html

Regular Programming

I had the chance last week to meet up with my dear friend Ed, from Stencil 1. As is his norm, we went for mexican food and, with my sister, got caught up on the last year. Oh how time flies!

I first contacted Ed back in 2008, wanting to use his stencils for my demo, when I worked for a local inkpad company. Luckily enough, we both were headed to Chicago that July, and this picture is of the first time we met in person; 

A lot for me has changed since then. This was the last time I had what many would call a regular..maybe day job? I hated the commute but I loved the creativity of the job. and so, I would like to start out this year of 2013 with a flashback to the purpose of this blog. DIY projects, how to's, and..look what I mades! So, stay tuned..projects are a coming! and thanks to everyone for holding my hand on this roller coaster. 

String Theory

Isn't it funny how a mundane task can turn you on your head? 

As I sat trying to unwind this massive knot of baker's twine, I started to contemplate my life in string. Where once it was wound nicely and neatly on a beautiful golden spool, it has now become a mess of knots and tangles. No easy fix, no cutting away the messy parts without touching the good parts too. And as I work out these tangles, I start to feel slow in the process and question all of the work it will take..yet I know that progress is progress. and if I keep working at it, I may find myself with a full golden spool. or not. 

Maybe I'll just enjoy the process.

Mayan Playlist

I don't for one second think the world is coming to an end. Just for the record. I think there are a lot of  people who would like the world to end, or at least the world as we know it. With it's heartbreak, sorrow, depression, hurt and anger, this world can be a hard and often devestating place to be. But I think that in a way, our world is coming to an end..and this is a good thing. We live in a world that values money over lives, profit over safety, selfishness over selflessness and excuses over action. If that all ended, would that be a bad thing? Maybe there is no blue comet or Planet X or nuclear war, but we can have our own apocolypse of behaviour. We can say goodbye to all of the negative and hurtful ways we treat and regard eachother.

I thought today would be a good day for a video mix. Art and music are more important to us as a species than anybody gives them credit for..so I'm giving them a post. Here's to a new world...hope you're ready!

{it's like if we stopped consuming we'd stop being human...}

xoxo, e

Ama-Zine

Gabby and I made a 'zine! It's the Snow Angelzine and it's full of craft projects, song lyrics and more! Craft projects include a Snow Angel Mobile, a Paper Doll and a yummy apple crisp recipe from Mimi La La..

Now available and really hot off of the presses..you can order a copy on our etsy site; Gabby La La Official Handmade Merch or come see us at a show! 

Check out snowangel.bandpage.com for a list of shows!! 

Happy holidays!

Baggage Claim

baggage claim #080475

I'm moving and grooving right along my own little tattered path, now adding my overnight bags to the etsy shop!

The first one of these I made was for Gabby La La's baby shower! She opened it to many oohs and aahs and inspired me to make more. They make great overnight bags, diaper bags..you know. If you like big bags, like I do..you'll love these! The bigger the better..more room for smaller bags. :)

baggage claim #010469

 baggage claim #121682

visit unicycle assembly on etsy for purchase..

Unicycle Assembly

Unicyle Assembly..or as Etsy likes to shorten it to; Unicyle Ass. Hee hee

So the new venture is here! and I'm half excited and half nervous..like an emotional centaur. I have fallen in love with making clothes, especially from other clothes. It feels like every other thing that I have worked on in the past, is contributing to this project. The composition of paper collage, the I can make anything attitude..all just folds right in. I chose the name Unicyle Assembly for a couple of reasons. For me the Unicyle is a lot like a Unicorn. Impossible. Unbelievable. Out of Reach..and all of those things are also what I've been telling myself my whole life, regarding fashion and my style. Having been a big girl ever since puberty, I have had a tumultous relationship with my body. I've hated it more than I've loved it, to be completely honest. I used to play a lot of sports when I was younger, always working out and going, going, going..and I still had a spare tire. I had terrible eating habits, starving myself as if I were not worthy of a meal. And so growing up this way, I never thought I could be a poster child for high fashion. 

Well, through time and love and understanding..I've become Popeye. I am what I am what I am. and I love me. and I love having on an outfit that nobody else would or could ever wear. I sometimes want to fade into the background, but I don't ever want to just be one of the crowd, either. I digress..so Unicycle Assembly says to me, it's unique, it's amazing and it's been put together quite deliberately. I'm currently loading up my etsy shop with my first 14 dresses...Let me know what you think!!!

In the Works

Oh thank you blogosphere for taking in my woes and troubles and helping me see the light! My last post was very raw and I thought and rethought it, many times. But it's real, it's my life and now...another day. and this day brings many exciting and new things. 

Keeping the wheel of creativity rolling, I'm delving into a whole new project. Something very different for me, but something that I have been searching for, for a long time. I'm in the midst of rebranding, renaming, reshopping..and as soon as all of that is settled, I'll post! 

For now, a sneak peek into workshop. :)

Money

"I want to buy you something, but I don't have any money, have any money"

This song has been my go to mantra when the money woes really get me down. Like today. My husband and I have this rotating fight that usually happens the day or two after he's gotten paid. Today's version was exquisitely painful. I haven't worked regularly , full time, in almost ten years. I've spent the majority of this time with part time jobs, freelance jobs, working craft fairs, trying to sell things I make..working in a hot dog stand. I really feel like I'm trying. I also feel like an idiot. and today's argument crossed the "well I make all the money, so I get all the say" lines. and I couldn't take it. I said, "Just because I'm not bringing money in doesn't mean I don't have an opinion". Crash boom bang, he leaves early for work and I get to stay home and wallow. 

I'm not entirely opposed to getting a 'real' job..but what exactly am I quailified for? I spent nearly 12 years working in the craft industry, being the crazy creative person that I learned I am. How do I translate that into an office job? I don't get very many call backs. and yet I'm still told that I don't even try to get a job. I know my husband and I have very different philosophies on a lot of things..but we just can get to an even ground on this. It's driving us both nuts. 

Anybody out there have this problem? How do you stay sane?

Change and the Same

I had my sister take this photo last week, as an homage to two things that I love and that I have had in my life for a long time. It was my immediate reaction to the news that I had been fired. Or let go, laid off..my assistant 'dream like' job has come to an end. Still in shock, I needed a picture of my two old friends.

My black rimmed glasses and my leather mary janes.

I am blind as a bat and have given up on contact lenses. Too much maintenance. I got this pair of glasses in 1998 at a Kaiser hospital. They've never fit perfectly, are a bit cracked on the right side and the lenses have seen better days. But I literally cannot live without them. I do get tempted every once in a while to replace them with something a little less trendy, but not having health insurance..that temptation fades quickly. and so I look to them as a friend, as a companion, as a part of me. They've been everywhere I've been. Everything I see, I see through them. Scratches and all.

Then there are my black leather mary janes. They are Sanita clogs and I've had them since 2003. My aunt bought them for me, always teaching me about quality. These shoes have been all over the country and to England. I wear them when I need to look presentable. I wear them when I know I"ll be on my feet all day. I wear them with pants, dresses, skirts, shorts..They could use a good polishing and the edges are starting to wear down, but they still swath my feet in their leathery comfort and keep the dogs from barking.

Do you have pieces in your life that have been with you for a while?