Friday, December 21, 2012

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



















Monday, December 3, 2012

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!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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..





Wednesday, September 19, 2012

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!!!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

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. :)


Friday, August 3, 2012

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?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

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? 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Mori Mori


One of the things I absolutely love about my new job is the fashion. For years and years, I've been wanting to make my own clothes. Growing up a large child, being a large teenager and carrying that largess into my adulthood, I've always had a love hate relationship with my clothes. I have always felt like I dressed in what fit me, not neccessarily what I liked. I lamented this to my mother in law once and she said, well they have a plus size section at nordstroms. Except that I don't shop at Nordstroms. and I've never spent crazy money on clothing. Just the neccessities..and lots of hand me overs from my mama. So, I got by. I tried to coordinate well. Adding a little funk here and there with colored socks, or a funny t shirt or two. and I tried making clothes with patterns, only that made me really dislike sewing. So much so, I hid my sewing machine. and then the question became, what would I make? What is comfortable? What would I want to fill my closet with?

Well, many, many thanks to Charissa..for introducing me to Mori Girls and killing that fear monster that had taken over my sewing desires. 


This is a sample of a Mori Girl dress from Charissa's Curly-Cue Design shop. 


I have not been able to work on anything but clothes for the last two months. My entire closet has been ripped apart and slowly being sewn back together. 


These are the first three dress/tunics I've made, all from my closest and a few trips to the goodwill. I wear the grey one all of the time. 


This one I made from an old dress and an old tank top, that showed wayyyy too much booby, and some fun hearts fabric I found at a hospice thrift shop. I would wear this one every day, if I weren't such a messy eater. hee he



So a little bit about Mori Girls; Mori is Japanese for forest. So imagine you've fallen asleep in the middle of the forest and while you were dreaming, the whole world as you know it fell apart. The stores, the factories, every little bit of convenience that we've becomed accustomed to has ceased to exist. What would you cover yourself with? What would you wear? The idea is that you would have to cobble together whatever you could find. And that's where Mori girl fashion comes in. A loose, second hand, layered look, taking advantage of all materials that are available to you and are still comforting and comfortable.

I take this to mean, that I will transform my wardrobe to reflect what I already own, what I scrounge and what I love. Everything is comfort first. Google mori girl fashion to find out more about it's japanese sub culture and origins. and check out my pinterest board; Mori Mori. 

Are you a Mori Girl?






Monday, June 11, 2012

TRUTH

A happy, smiling, giggly girl, that's the me I project. That's the me that I love. One part Pollyana, one part Laughing Sally. A silver lining, a bright side, a reminder that not all is doom and gloom. A big plus sign of positivity. But we all know you can't be all sunshine and bacon, there is always another side. My other side, the brooding girl who is never good enough, she hides in an ostrich hole, only coming out in the safety of my home. My home, my office, my prison, my life. This is where I retreat to when life seems too big to handle. I don't reach out. I don't make phone calls and lunch dates. In fact, I pretty much gave up on answering the phone and making any calls at all. I didn't have anything to share or to offer.


{if i ever feel better, remind me to spend some good time with you}

The last year has been a  big hibernation year for me...and I thought all sorts of things. I'm too old to not know what I want to do with my life. Look at all of these great, together people I know on Facebook, the creative geniuses on Pinterest, the comic masters of Twitter..I'm none of those. and I started to be really mean to myself, shoulda-ing all over the place. I felt really lost, like I knew I wanted to do something new, something fun, something tangible and meaningful ..but I didn't know what. and that's a terrible, useless feeling. and then add to that, getting months behind in my rent, mooching off of my generous sister, not having even a clue as to how to make that cash. Feeling like I was disappointing my husband, burdening him with my mental masturbation. Betraying all of my friends, feeling like I'm not much of friend to have at all, grieving still for my grandma...I had moments of wanting to give up. I won't lie. I've been in those depths before, I've visited often in my 35+ years. I tried once when I was 20. I felt like there was no future and that I wasn't destined for this earth for long. It was such a terrible mistake and I am really thankful that I threw up and was able to grow up. I'm still here and I'm shaking off this death wish, but it's a hard one. I didn't realize until recently how much it had infested my whole life. I didn't really think I would be here long enough to do anything, achieve anything, learn anything..create anything. I'm flipping that on it's head and stabbing it through the heart.

Because even though I've been living in the dark, there have been those shining moments; getting to work with, getting to know and touring with Gabby, cash mobbing with Melissa, eating cake, raising kittens, hanging out with the family. Loving my husband. and I got a job. I applied for nearly everything under the sun. Not really wanting to get back into the system, the daily grind..but not able to make it any other way. Until one day I looked at Craigslist and there was a listing for an assisstant. and it read almost like my life itself. and I got it. In fact, I said to my sister; "I'm the best for something!" and I really felt that way. A year or two of no call backs, failed interviews, pointless information sharing had taken it's toll. But this new job, assisting Charissa at Curly-Cue Design has breathed fresh air into my lungs. I'm unafraid of my sewing machine, making upcycled clothes like the world was on fire...helping to tighten the lug nuts on the tires of this business. We work in her home studio, in the beautiful northern california west coast..it's been great for a lot of things. and especially for my psyche.


So, as I digress, I felt like I needed to unload some of these truths, so as I move forward, I'm doing it with less baggage. Fewer chips on my shoulder. One less monkey on my back. I've not been a faithfull blogger, because like in the rest of my life, I have felt like there wasn't much to share. Not that I needed to brag all the time, but Pollyana only wants to blog about sunshine. But I'm here to say that I want more TRUTH and the truth is, there are moments of pea soup fog and heavy rains..and I'll be sharing those too. I will write instead of hibernate. I will reach out instead of hiding away.

ps...what truth are you hiding and what do you do to make it better?

Friday, May 4, 2012

Weekend Project


A few weekends ago I was desperate for a project to work on. You know how sometimes you really want to make something you just don't quite know what? Yeah, I had that! So, I got to thinking about how much I love playing board games with my family..and it struck me that it can't be that hard to make! So I made a drinking game in honor of Cinco de Mayo. The fun part is I only just used one piece of mat board, a sampling of Sharpie markers and, of course, some beautiful stenciled images from Stencil 201!
I used an old scratched record and a mixing bowl to create the large circles and then just started filling them in! Let your imagination run wild!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Pinteresting


Are you pinning on Pinterest? It can be wholly time consuming, inspiring and overwhelming all at once. But  if you're looking for a creative *spark*..this is a great place to hang out!!


Here are a few of my favorite pins;











:)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Seven Simple Stencil Projects


Seven Simple Stencil Projects 
featuring stencils from Ed Roth's newest book, Stencil 201

{Projects Shown clockwise, starting in the upper left hand corner}

1. Stenciled Gift Bags
2. Stenciled Stickers
3.Stenciled Journal
4. Stenciled Magnets
5.Stenciled Gift Cards
6. Stenciled Framed Art
7. Stenciled Door Sign



Stencil 201 includes 25 reusable laser cut, plastic stencils, which makes them very long lasting and versatile for use in many different projects. With a copy of this wicked inspiring book and the above supplies, the following Seven projects will turn you, like me, into a stenciling fooool! :)


#1 Stenciled Gift Bags!


Supplies; LOVE Stencil, Two Paper Lunch Bags. Red Sharpie Fine Point, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point


Slip a piece of cardboard inside the bag and trace image with ultra fine tip sharpie marker. 
Fold top and add ribbon for extra festiveness!


#2 Stenciled Stickers!


Supplies; Phrases Stencil, White Cardstock, Double Stick Tape, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors

These make great scrapbooking stickers!

Lay Phrases stencil onto white cardstock and trace each phrase onto sheet, using the black ultra fine point sharpie. Use a post it note to help hold the stencil down onto the cardstock. Remove stencil and color in each phrase according to picture. Use scissors to cut each phrase out and then apply double stick tape to the back. 


#3 Stenciled Journal!


Supplies; Mushroom Stencil, Star Background Stencil, 1 sheet white cardstock, 10 sheets of copier paper, hole punch, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors, rope or string


Lay white cardstock sheet, 81/2 x 11, lengthwise and layer mushroom stencil across the front. Stencil with ultra fine point sharpie, remove and color in. Fold cardstock lengthwise to make a booklet. Fold copier pages in the same orientation. Use a hole punch to bind, by punching two holes along the spine of all of the pages. Feed a thin rope or string through and tie off. I also stenciled a few of the inside pages, just for fun!



#4 Stenciled Magnets!


Supplies; Black Bear Stencil, Tree Stencil, Cardboard sheet, Magnets, Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point and Assorted Fine Point Sharpie colors, scissors, white color pencil


On a piece of cardboard, I used a piece from a shipping box, stencil Bear and Tree using black Sharpie ultra fine point. Use the white color pencil to add highlights to the design. Cut out with scissors along the lines of the design and adhere magnet to back. 


#5 Stenciled Gift Cards!


Supplies; Bird on Branch Stencil, White Cardstock sheet, Black Sharpie ultra fine point, Navy Blue Sharpie fine point, scissors


Lay Bird On Branch stencil onto white cardstock, in the landscape orientation. This design will go across the whole page, creating two cards at once. Stencil with black Sharpie ultra fine point, remove and color in with navy blue Sharpie fine point. Cut cardstock in half along the 11" side, creating two panels. Fold this panel in half to create an A2 sized gift card. 


#6 Stenciled Framed Art


{This is a fun example of how you don't always have to use the whole stencil. }

Supplies; Black Bear Stencil, Stencil 1 Spray Brown, White Cardstock, Scissors, Frame


Use the Stencil 1 spray on the solid part of the Bear stencil on the white cardstock, which is cut to the size of the frame. Add the detail with Sharpie markers.


#7 Stenciled Door Sign


Supplies; Phrases Stencil, Star Background Stencil, Waves Backround Stencil,  Cardboard, Black Sharpie ultra fine point, Navy Blue Sharpie fine point, White color pencil, hole punch, rope, scissors

Cut a rectangle piece of cardboard, like a panel from a shipping box, and stencil Make Something phrase with the black Sharpie ultra fine point. Remove stencil and color in with Navy Blue Sharpie fine point markers, add highlights with white colored pencil. Use the white colored pencil to stencil stars and wave background. Punch holes in each of the top two corners and tie rope to hand from your craft room door!