blowing a kiss to 2007...& to you!

blowing a kiss to 2007...& to you!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

happy new year everyone! this is the last sunset over san francisco in 2007. pretty stunning. so glad we caught it.

here's hoping for *peace* in 2008.

xxx.

cheers everyone!

park chalet beer, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...hope everyone's holidays were fantastic and that your new years will be safe, festive, & most of all, let's all hope for peace. i'll be posting here again after the 1st - i'm enjoying my down time and know you must be too :)

xxx.

*jenifer

a meeting of the good luck birdies

a meeting of the good luck birdies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i've been busy in the studio this week prepping for next year already. i made a bunch of these little good luck birds for my etsy site and my sprout studio site.

i am so looking forward to a whole bunch of down time this coming week. photos of holiday goodness to come...

xxx.

rebecca missing's flickr is awesome

this flickr person is giving away a print in the new year. they have put a bunch of favorites together. it makes for a beautiful, soft, lovely page of photos.

featured some bay area lady artists over at the modish guest blog - go take a peek!

xxx.

come see me on the modish guest blog!

hi all, the lovely jena of modish and modishoppe, has invited me to guest blog on her rockin' blog! please come pay me a visit over there. i've got lots of great indie handmade artists that have made my "all stars indie team league" -- say hey to me there this week ;)

i feel like i've been asked to host the oscars, but i won't hog the microphone, i swear :)

xxx.

2 fantastic video links for you

swedish band -- pretty phenomenal. love their set & clothing too!

miranda july interview about LTLYM who doesn't love m.j.?

that's it. i'm a busy sprout studio packaging lady these evenings. :)

xxx.

last minute goodie lust list - for you, for me :)

*amy ruppel magnets one , two , and three -- i love all her sets!
*little leaf ring love this a lot a lot. so sweet.
*best tea cozie
*yummy handspun yarn

:) hope your monday is going well :)

your holiday sprout studio deal :)

hi friendly friends,

just in case you wanted to do a little wee sprout studio shopping and aren't done yet with the holiday lists, i'd like to offer you 20% off everything in my store! your secret password to get this is: twinkletoes - have fun, merry holidays, merry chanukkah, merry christmas :)

xxx.

*me

last show for the season on sunday

last show for the season on sunday, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

and if not friday or saturday, come on out on sunday! i'll be celebrating my last show of the season as well - hooray! i'm super tired and ready to just deal with my sprout studio site and not expend the amount of energy shows take for me!

hope i'll see you at one of these if you are in the bay area!

xxx.

saturday, feria urbana

...if not friday, come see me saturday at the oakland museum for feria urbana!! free admission for shopping :)

holidayland gift sale - blankspace gallery

holidayland gift sale - blankspace gallery, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this FRIDAY eve is the holiday cheer reception - perhaps i'll see you?
xxx.

& on an etsy note...

brief recap: sunday was lovely. i got to chit chat with mati, annie and shash during the day *and* drink warm mulled wine (glogg). i also sold some sprout studio goodies to friends & strangers alike. lovely times. thanks so much for hosting shash. i picked myself up some pretty goodies from shash & dear mati gifted me a fabulous print. i'll shoot photos soon. i'm woefully behind in documenting the handmade goodness that has been coming into my life lately.

on with the etsy show of things that you might like and i most certainly do! in all actuality, last night i went into a frenzy of buying on etsy - allll for other people, so i can't really show too much of that here. but after the holidays, i'll show all the goodness i purchased for people.

some handmade etsy goodness on that list of lust:
*fauna blue spotted bird necklace
*branch necklace
*love times ten print
*when wishes explode print -- i love this one so much, i keep coming back to it and looking at it...i think i'll most certainly get this if it doesn't appear under the tree!
*tree print -- another i'll be getting for sure. i love betsy walton's art. love. love.
*too many tea cups print yes, story of my life!
*cloud necklace another must have.

there is a whole lot more, but this is the list of lusts for now!!

xxx.

sprout studio etsy hand picked item!

sprout studio etsy hand picked item!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

yay! thanks etsy :)

come out of hibernation holiday sale party!

come out of hibernation holiday sale party!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we are having a little holiday sale at shash's home. please come visit us if you live in the bay area. yummy glogg & fun company & treats to look at and eat! :)

hope to see you!
xxx.

i've been ever so good st nick :)

the promised list of more goodies (that of course i want, but that you might want too!)

*orla kiely umbrella i love orla. i do. i know everyone else probably does as well, but i so adore her stuff. i'm watching a fun bag on ebay and i dearly need some more orla mugs - anyone know of a US distributor who sells her mugs?

*the quart quartet container set from the small object. this has been on the list for a while! & one other thing from that awesomely talented sarah: the good wood feeling flip

*annie galvin's bear painting we already have a bear box, and have our eye on a 49 mile seagull, SF painting, but i heart this bear a lot :)

*this stamp: it's always worth it i think i need to stamp it on the outside of my sprout studio packages!

that's it for today, i have many, many etsy faves that i'll share later!!

have a good thursday - i have the mrs. potter movie that just came & i'm very much looking forward to settling into a big ole bean bag chair tonight and having a watch. i packaged a ton of orders last night & i'm exhausted!!

xxx.

more things to lust after: tomorrow, today: sprout studio updates :)

so i just sent out my very first newbie secret sprout studio newsletter with my new fancy newsletter that's designed all pretty! it also included a nice little incentive, but it's a secret, you gotta be a subscriber. what? you aren't one already? well, get thee over to the new site and sign up silly! then you'll be part of the coolest gang in town. the "ss" gang baby. in the know. on the Q.T. down with the knowledge. yo! :)

lemme know if you'd like to be on thet list and aren't! or sassy yourself on over and do it on your own!

xxx.

more shopping lists tomorra!

that bear box down there is by annie galvin and we traded for it & the mister & me love it. she's on my "st nick want list" and i'll be back tomorrow with more goodies on that list. hope st nick's sleigh can handle a big ole bag of presents for this girl! :) i'm shopping for others too, don't you worry!

the thanksgiving centerpiece

the thanksgiving centerpiece, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

turkey no turkey day

turkey no turkey day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

the gratitude list that will never really be finished:

...my mister, my dixie loo dog, great neighbors, my family so far away, fresh flowers, yummy food that i can eat when my ibs isn't flaring up, living in san francisco because i love it so, inspirational art viewings, long coastal drives that clear my mind, down-time (isn't everyone grateful for these?), art friends, blog friends, business buddies, old time friends, bff's, new friends, and friends since ages and ages ago...

...my job teaching kiddo's art, my home, music, new discoveries, old discoveries found, long walks by the water, quiet times, raucous times, settled times & simple times...farmer's market runs, flea market runs, jogs by the bay, biking into work, smiles on strangers faces, watching strangers laugh to themselves, people watching, baking in the wintertime, drinking tea in the afternoon...

...long cross country trips, european travels, planning long trips (hello alaska here we come summer 08), a pleasant glass of unwinding wine, watching dixie run at the beach, thrift store shopping, thrift store scores (even better), laughing with my mister, watching films that move me, dancing around like a silly girl with dixie when no one is home (!), feeling gratified and satisfied with my small sprout studio business...

...i suppose i could go on & on...but i'll stop...it's your turn to add the list :)

thanks to all that peek in here on occasion and see what's doin' with me...i'm grateful for you too.

xxx.

buy nothing day today

...did everyone adhere to buy nothing day, by buying nada, nary a thing? :) i did, by lying around in bed, watching a movie that together makes me sentimental, makes me crack up, and sigh about my crush on luke wilson. i did not purchase a thing. i love buy nothing day. it such an awesome movement that needs more support in a huge, global way to make an impact.

i also was laid up in bed due, yet again, to my ibs. ugh. coming off meds is just no fun. enough said. i was productive in cutting up sprout studio stickers and business cards though and i made a trip to the p.o. to drop off my first round of holiday sprout packages...the orders are starting to come in, especially with the new site. it's very gratifying & heartwarming. & speaking of gratifying, tomorrow i will give my list of blessing/gratefuls/the many things i am thankful for...stay tuned.

for now, i will continue to lay in bed, stare at flickr, and listen to my belly roll around and drink my ginger tea! i truly hope your thanksgiving, for those that celebrate it, was lovely and spent with family, friends or loved ones around you.

more later friends :)
xxx.

sprout studio on modish

sprout studio on modish, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

yay - sprout studio was featured on modish this morning -- i love jena's blog & i love selling in her modishoppe too. sweet jena wrote up a little post about ole sprout studio. thanks jena!

more goodies for me & maybe for you!

...so maybe you can think of this little list of "wants" of mine as a mini shopping guide for you too :)

here's some more goodies: bok choi bag how cute will i (you) be marching around your farmers market with this slung over your shoulder?!

or who can live a day longer without these amazing mimosa knee socks?!

i was looking through nikki mcclure's amazing book collect rain dropslast night at needles & pens when i dropped off more of my goodies to sell there - & i just love her new book. beautiful, big, yummy paper & just right to sit with a cup of tea and savor all those quiet, lovely images. breezy, who owns n&p told me they were going to have another solo show of nikki's work in february - she sold out last time. here are some photos from her last show on a wet & cold night...(featuring the mister & me gabbing her ear off!)

& last on the list for today, is some queen bee. i have a tote by her and a wallet the mister gave me ages ago that still looks new - i *love* queen bee's goodies. since i've been riding my bike more to work, i think i need this messenger bag gingko truckette -- & who here among us is not in love with the gingko? :)

my list is growing, i better find some more st. nicks!

have a fab weekend friends, i'll be supah busy and hopefully dispensing mad amounts of sprout goodness around the california lands!

xxx.

the new *sprout studio* is LIVE!

the new *sprout studio* is LIVE!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

and here is a little photo of the landing page to add to the site goodness post! thank you so much for all the well wishes so far :)

don't forget to come by three fish studios saturday in dogpatch for a little holiday shopping & treats!! it's 12-5 and it's #610 22nd st -- up on the 2nd floor and in ste 243! there are at least 5 or 6 other wonderful artist/designer/makers, so come visit us!

and if you are in l.a., i know where you'll be on sunday - felt club of course! see you there too :)

SO EXCITED!

eeep! looks like we are LIVE: revealing the brand *new*, refreshed, redesigned, hot, hot, hot sprout studio site!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so many new, new goodies & some old faves as well. i'm really happy with it all. :) it's actually in the throes of being propogated and redirected, so if you can't see all that newness yet, hang tight for another tiny bit until the web gets done doing it's thang!

i'll be sending out official announcements next week - but feel free to browse around & shop if you feel so inclined! (i hope everything works! do tell if you see funny buggies won't you?)

i have some backend clean up to do and few tweaks to some areas, but on the whole, i'm THRILLED! :)

hooray!

have a terrific weekend - mine is full of two shows!

3 fish studio show in dogpatch & felt club in l.a.

SWAK

true sprout studio sneak peek

true sprout studio sneak peek, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

the sneaky peeky...hopefully tonight we'll be LIVE :)

2 things

one BIG - i think the newly improved, refreshed & gorgeous sprout studio site might being going live tonight!!!! i'm so thrilled :) stay tuned here for an update...

also, i found another want: paraphernalia necklaces i'm quite partial to the birds & silouhettes....very cool. i know i'll be buying myself one if st nick doesn't come through :)

happy tuesday!

more on the want me list

item #2: figs & ginger tree necklace swoon. and also from f&g item #3: fawn earrings

and i almost had some items from this cool shop on the want me list but i slipped and pushed the buy me now button instead :) linotte's shop found via the lovely ms mati.

hope your thursday is going well. i'm actually holed up in bed with a big headache and little bellyache trying to take it easy and missing diana's opening :( i very much wanted to attend the party and score one of her babushka kerchiefs, but alas, when the body says no, i know enough now to recognize and honor that. there will be more parties with fun ladies in the future.

and tomorrow is friday. which means the lovely weekend is fast approaching.

cheers all.

xxx.

my new "want" list

i think i'm going to use this blog post as my new sticky "all about things i might need this holiday season" -- because a gal needs a good solid place to keep a list like this one. one where say, a lovely friend might come by, and decide to purchase her equally lovely friend (me, ah-hem) something special for the holidays. ha. not really, it's more like, it goes like this -- hey bl(that would be the mister), here's my list of things i might like to see under the tree........december 25th rolls around, hey! where are my gifties? him: "i decided to go shopping with you & get whatever you really want"...he's a keen guy, but he's not the gift buying before an occasion kinda guy. and that's okay. i end up just purchasing what i like anyways. it almost works better that way. so this list is ultimately for me. my shopping list for me. thank you me. :) feel free to make a list of your very own on your blog. maybe someone sweet will check it. maybe you'll get a sweet giftie under your tree/for chanukkah/or whichever celebratory gift giving occasion you indulge in.

item #1: bird bowls

last bit of sneak peeks - a limited few vintage metal boxes

a few more sprout studio sneaky peekies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i scored just a few of these super cool little metal boxes - the design is on both side. i have birdies (my fave), sunflowers & butterflies - but only a limited number. i <3 them very much.

many more birdie necklaces will be going up too

sprout studio new sneaky peekies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

all these birdies are from an old discarded bird fielding book from the library. i love their soft colors & delicate feel. and the birdies are so cute!

vintage pretty bobbies will be going up

sprout studio new sneaky peekies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

lots of new necklaces will be going up on the site

a few more sprout studio sneaky peekies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

the sprout studio insanity sunday run

the sprout studio insanity sunday run, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this has been my world as of late - the holiday season always seems to be soo busy. i become a little production bee with the week after christmas being my secret reward to chillll.

let's see - it's been a bit since i've posted. i've come & gone to the rare device opening; super fun store & yes, i wanted wayy too much in there. i'll be going back to shop for sure. (photos on flickr) i was able to enjoy the company of shash & mati again that evening - such sweet ladies.

over the past weekend, between frenzied making/photographing/cataloging/inventory-ing etc...for shows and the *new site* (i'm sooo excited for it) we also went to see annie & eric's studio right across the way from us. annie is super cool, chill & fun to hang with. i'm looking forward to doing her little holiday show in two weekends.

then came last week; first thursday art hopping night, meet up with a favorite student who is now a freshman, work on site, work on site, work on site!

friday night we had a dinner party get together over in sausalito - way too much wine for this girl (she paid for it though later that evening with her sad IBS acting up. sigh.) but it was a way fun night of raucous laughter & conversation. i work with great teacher ladies and their mens are just as awesome.

saturday was another all day strapped to new bean bag chairs nursing my feeling-not-so-good belly & knocking out more stuff on the new site.

and yesterday, well, yesterday was that scene up above. crazy-ness.
and for some reasons, orders have been kinda slow, but not this weekend - crazy! i guess everyone just realized in cyber shopping land that the holidays are coming.

i'll post a few more photos from the weekend and some sneak peeks of goodies for the new site today.

hope all is well in your land - sorry i didn't have enough time to copy & paste all the linkies i wanted to share with you. maybe a little later...

xxx.

handmade pledge - join on in!

sneak peek - shhhh...

sneak peek - shhhh..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...the newest idea to come out from sprout studio creative mind mining. actually, it's not that new, we've wanted to do this for a while. these are the first testers. they are pretty rad - my art on skateboards is pretty thrilling. the mister has skated forever, so this is pretty natural progression/fusion. what we really want to do is scope out some wood shapers/makers that can carve/cut some "old school" more surf-y related shapes and screenprint on those ourselves - &/or find local peeps we can work with to transfer my illustrations onto boards... lots of ideas brewing around this one.

these will hopefully will be nailed down, and figured out so i can offer them up on the sprout studio site. there will be a new section titled "life & art" where these would fit in nicely.

on another note, i went with mati to the sf creative biz women's meeting at design within reach hosted by grace of design sponge infamy. it was very rad - loads of other lady peeps i knew were there: charlie (of typewright), annie (wexford girl), leslie (feisty elle), diana (one black bird), lisa c & rena (rare device), barbe (saints & sinners)....& about 100 others! it was amazing, & hot, & inspiring, & crowded, & super cool to see so many powered up women! grace was terrific. i feel a bit more charged up in general - it was a goooood meet up & i had fun with sweet mati! (thanks for going with me!)

tomorrow night, mati, shash, the mister & myself will be headed to the rare device store opening - excited to see the digs & excited to see kelly lynn jones art. i've long admired her work & am really happy to be able to see it in person. yay!

hope all of you are doing well.
happy autumn vibes to us all. :)
xxx.

blank space gallery - lisa solomon's opening

blank space gallery - lisa solomon's opening, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

after a particularly tough day in the studio (still hammering out new sprout studio website details) we headed out last saturday night to lisa solomon's curated show at blank space gallery in oakland. it was a small space, but just right. lisa's work was fun to see in person & i enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that was generated from the 'drawing a day' aesthetic of pieces. i didn't get a chance to say hi to lisa, she had lots of peeps buzzing around her, but it was enjoyable to be out in oakland, which for some reason, we just don't get over & out to enough.

check it out if you get the chance!

coupla too many glasses of vino...

...plus a headache plus a little heartache, plus this movie, broken english = an overly resonating movie that sits a little too real. like oskar schell would say in 'extremely loud and incredibly close' my boots got really heavy.

but it's a good flick, and who canNOT love parker posey?

i can't remember who recommended it, but thanks.

hello there.

well, i've been flickr-ing, but not too much blogging. if you want to see some old family photos and pics from virginia, go there! just a peek out to tell you where sprout studio will be in the coming weeks & to say a mild hi. i feel a little blue lately. really fun ladies came by to say hi at the capsule show & i was just too blah to even have a remotely interesting conversation with them. sigh. do you ever feel like you are just not that funny or not that interesting? that's how i feel lately.

anyways, that's a cheerful post huh?

sprout studio's upcoming schedule:


-SF MAFIA MADE trunk show, golden gate park hall of flowers @ 9th & irving, 12-5pm, sunday, october 21st.

-three fish holiday market, dogpatch SF, 2415 3rd st #243, 12-5pm, saturday, november 17th.

-FELT CLUB, l.a., 11-6pm, sunday november 18th.

-possibly, FERIA URBANA, oakland museum, saturday, december 8th.

-MISSION INDIE MART, sf, @ 12 galaxies, 12-5pm, sunday december 9th.

come out & see me if you are in the area or around (perhaps i'll feel like a more interesting person when you come by then!)

thanks for the good thoughts lately.
xxx.

flickr/blogging break

flickr/blogging break, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

..some personal & difficult family biz has sprung up unexpectantly...i'm going home for a bit & will be taking a break.

...life is too short, too vibrant, too amazing, too heartbreaking, too stimulating, too overwhelming, & too TOO a lot of the time.

take good care my friends...

meme via meg

because i haven't had time to upload renegade fair photos, and because i won't have time in the near few days due to immediate house guests upon arrival home from chicago, this will be my short & sweet post for now:

1. Do you promote your blog?

sorta; it's on my emails and forum signatures & such. i like to think loads of people are fascinated with me, but in reality, i think like 2 people check in with me occasionally. i'm not even sure my mother reads this that much!

2. How often do you check hits?

i just installed statcounter recently, i check every coupla days or so along with my site hits...

3. Do you stick to one topic?

errr...no...& that's probably why no one as schizy as me reads this!

4. Who knows that you have a blog?

my friend jojo, and my friend christine...& shash! & my mom i think :) i don't know, maybe more! i like that it's almost a journal for me than anything else.

5. How many blogs do you read?

check that bar to the left; holy crap that's a lot. but i do have my faves for sure; i actually thought about rearranging to mark my faves i check in with more.

6. Are you a fast reader?

pretty much, but i don't know that's a good thing.

7. Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?

let's just say i feel like a computer queen when i figured out how to get that flickr template on here & then the etsy one too? holy mother, i am a genius. it only took me about a year and a half and my friend lesley from the u.k. to clue me in on how to make a link. that's why i picked blogger. easy peasy.

8. Do you blog anonymously?

never.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

not too much. anyone remember my hell year last year when i thought i was dying from mysterious intestinal issues? yep. i like to share.

10. The best thing about blogging?

everyone i "meet" - if that be pseudo wise or in real life wise...it's been super wonderful to meet up with some of you & i hope to meet up with more. i'm in love with the fact that there is a super strong female contingency of bad ass artists here in the bay area -- as well, as all over the country too. i like being inspired by everyone out there --- so many of you :) so thank you blogging buddies!

join on in if you feel so inclined - and let me know so i can take a gander! :)

xxx.

renegade craft fair!

i'm off this friday to chicago for RCF!!! i'm super thrilled. i'm not super ready yet, but that's okay, it's coming along. i get to hang out with lots of cool crafty ladies & the mister gets to chill (& work like crazy) too.

so sprout studio has been insane busy. the new site is going to be pushed back a smidgie until i can figure out how to do everything that needs to be done!

later gators!

xxx.

end of feet week

end of feet week, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we got ms dixie loo's feetsies in this one too. had super fun participating in feet week. i hope shash will host another one soon again :)

mini shout out

i received a little fun shout out on etsy this morning for one of my good luck birdies. thanks bekki :)

feet week; even later in the evening...

feet week; even later in the evening..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

outside adobe books after lisa's show. new sugar shoes. :) i'm glad tomorrow is friday - anyone else?!

feet week; thursday eve (the blue period)

feet week; thursday eve (the blue period), originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

outside lisa congdon's show at the candy store. we were lucky enough to score one of her pieces; i'll post about it tomorrow! :)

feet week; wednesday

feet week; wednesday, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

off i go on my silly wicked witch of the west bike -- only one brake works, it's nice & rusty, the gears clunk like crazy and only switch sometimes when they feel like it. but i love my bike and i love riding by the bay in the morning to work -- it's kinda quiet for the first little leg, and then on the embarcadero there are a million & one runners & scooter-ers, & "real" high techie bikers, and grocery cart pushers & doggie walkers....& little ole pig tailed me riding along :)

i love posting feet week photos - thanks for hosting shash!

2 year blog anniversary!

i just realized september is 2 years for this little blog o' mine. it's funny like that, how time speeds up when looking at a fixed point like a beginning of a journal...or the beginning of starting something new; a new regime, a new outlook, a new resolution.

happy anniversary sprout studio blog :)

thank you sweet readers who flit by on occasion & check in - i appreciate your interest & comments & thoughts so very much!

xxx.

feet week; tuesday

feet week; tuesday, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

actually got the fall slippers out today; it's been super warm, but tonight, a wee bit chilly!

feet week; monday

feet week; monday, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

feet week; late afternoon

feet week; late afternoon, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

more for shash's feet week. although, this is sunday, not monday. i do have one for today to load up here...i might be behind schedule here in sprout land though.

feet week; mid afternoon

feet week; mid afternoon, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

good saturday morning friends :)

good saturday morning friends :), originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

participating in shash's feet week photos. i don't really know when we are starting, but bunny slippers on a saturday morning seemed like a good opening! :)

up early this morning, more production in the studio & checking things off lists. had to shake off the overwhelming/ennui/wan/too much too do feeling i felt threatening to overtake me...but i got up, made coffee (when i normally have tea) so now i'm on caffeine, GET IT ALL DONE buzz...hopefully it will stay with me for a while.

seeing good friends this afternoon whom we haven't seen in a long time, hopefully getting plants tomorrow with another friend, and getting to meet up with said shash, from up above, on monday! these are my treats in between feverishly attacking that list :)

more later friends!

busy bee in the studio

busy bee in the studio, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

working on more things for renegade craft chicago - the hoodie back is an original screenprint by kelly lynn jones. i bought a shirt by her ages ago that went all wonky crazy when i washed it (i hate american apparel products at this point) & then i waited wayyyy too long to ask for an exchange. i love the shirt print, so i cut it all up and appliqued it onto a thrift grey hoodie & voila; pleased as pie :) hooray!

the other shirts have screen prints by me from a year or so ago & these are what's left; i wanted to give them a little more something fun, so i appliqued on them with vintage fabrics.

so much to do, lists too long, laryngitis is still going strong, teaching added to the list, house cleaning, guests, organizing, new site work (cannot wait for this!), setting up etsy site, etc.......................yikes!

busy bee in the studio

busy bee in the studio, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

chicago renegade is coming up way too fast; i have so much i need to do to be ready for this show. i have some extras hanging around the studio so i'm working on sewing & some applique and getting these guys ready to go to the fair. the blue tank is for me, a little spruce up for me so i'll want to wear it again! the yellow wrap skirt is vintage and i appliqued those buzzy bees on there - it will go to RCF too, it's too tiny for this girl (otherwise i'd keep it!)

studio refresher/organize

studio refresher/organize, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this has been a long time coming; and a long time in the making. it takes me forever to organize anything. i'm finally framing up goodies that i've bought in the last year & i'm in love with looking up at them in my studio :) i'm getting there, but there are still scary piles hanging out on my two large work tables...sigh...

cutie sprout studio stickers in the mail

in the mail, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

yay!

school started!

& i'm a little bit behind, not to mention, totallly unable to speak - as in i have such a case of laryngitis that i have to whisper, & whispering hurts! it's very strange to be basically unable to communicate in an auditory fashion. (especially since my kids come tomorrow and i need to be able to talk to them in class!)

so i'll try to catch up this weekend. my list is long!

more later.

xxx.

cup of the day - back from oregon coast trip!

cup of the day - back from oregon coast trip!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we went thrifting, camping, sea watching, star gazing, roaming, meandering & thinking about our next trip..alaska next summer!! i can't decide if i should post oregon photos or continue with europe photos i'm not done with yet! this beauty was thrifted for 25 cents :) i think i might continue with venice since i'm not done there yet - then give ya some good ole usa traveling & thrifting & then back to europe (we'll be up to switzerland by then!)

hope your week went well; i start back to teaching tomorrow! summer's always go by sooo quick!

skippin' town for a few

i only have a week (sniffle) of vacation left before i'm back to the full time teaching kiddos all about the wonderful world of art! we're going to head up north the coast for a wee bit of 'do nothing' time & catch up on some magazine & book reading. some camping, some river swimming - if this cold water chicken can stand it :) & some fire time, let dixie dog run around like a crazy dog time, and basically a bit of rejuvenation before i head back in for another year! :)

more europe stories as well as photos & whatnot from this mini trip when i return!

have a fantastic weekend & beginning of next week friends...

xxx.

camping fusina - more europe stories...

camping fusina, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we loved this place. it was outside of venice, so we ended up taking the vaporetto into venice each day & return in the evening. it was super cool to see venice from a distance, be dropped off on the non-touristy side of the island to wander around, and watch the sunset from the evening boat back each day.

this place had everything you could need - all sorts of different camping up to staying in your own little mobile home with private bath & air conditioning. there was a rad vine covered restaurant & bar, and old school bus that was turned into an internet cafe, super helpful information people & the nicest italian girl that answered allll of our questions about the venice biennale & getting around. we just loved it here & have plans to go again in 2009, for the biennale that year - wanna join us? i'll put you on my email list of all our friends we are gonna bug into reserving places at this camp & visiting venice! it's perfect for a big group meet up/get together!

more stories tomorrow friends :)

(ps - did a big ole sprout studio update, go take a peekie if you need some sprout treats!)

where we were headed and how we got there!

where we were headed and how we got there!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we sat in the wrong bus depot for a while, so in order to get the right place again with our 4 phrase italian we had down, the mister decided this would do better! it did, we finally got there, but really only watching our bus speed past us twice......#11 come baaaaaaack......!

heading to venezia!

we took the overnight train from paris to venice, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we ended up taking the night train to venice from paris. we had some snafu's getting out of paris and had to bypass marseilles which was on the list (no old sk8 park for the mister & no laying nekkid on the beach for me - sadness - next trip though!).

the eurail passes were a bit trickier than, hop on, hop off, fly by the seat of your pants...i had a mini meltdown leaving paris because of language barriers, mess ups on tickets, being told we couldn't go several places (marseilles, slovenia...) that we were told previously we could go to. and the reservations? huh? i thought we just got on...apparently not. for the big cities especially, you *have* to reserve your spot before hand, & guess what? you can only do that by standing in lines that are hours, HOURS long. no, apparently there is no website, nor phone number to do this, just lines. very very very long lines to speak with someone you have a very hard time understanding (& really, i know this is my fault, if i was a better language learner...sigh....) ...and then when they mess up your tickets (oh HUGE sigh, for real?) you cannot just go back up to said person that screwed up ALL 5 of your ticket reservations (no, once we are in venice, we cannot leave back out of paris to go to switzerland, we need to leave from *venice* to get to switzerland...oh my!) no, no - you must wait in said line *again*....can you say e.x.a.s.p.e.r.a.t.i.o.n.!!!!!!!!? yep, i had a mini meltdown. tears, stress, the whole bit........we ended up booking the entire rest of our trip the 4th time in line (well, there goes our day in paris) thus nixing our flit around whilst ever we felt like plan...

ahhhhhh....but let's go back to the night train to venice! *that* was pretty cool. we got to see southern france and fields of beautiful sunflowers during sunset and woke up to gorgeous, warm, (hallelujah, i'd been freezing & wet for a long time) sunshine - yay venice!! we had 3 other people in our little sausage/sardine sleeping quarters compartment that was about 10x8 - kinda snuggy in there but i slept just fine! we departed the train and waited a while for the bus in the wrong place (thus the bus drawing to fusina up there!) & then onto camping fusina - we loved this place! i'll tell more about it & getting around venice closer to the other photos.... :)

funny HP, DH post

just a quick link here...if you are a harry potter fan, and not too uptight & are up on your movies & pop culture references, you'll probably find this post very funny: deathly hallows run down it's like the cheater version to the book; all the chapters shortened & quite humorous digs at the plot -- but very comical. warning - it's super duper long; so save it for when you have a bit of time.

leaving paris

leaving paris, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

next up is venezia friends!

so awesome

so awesome, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we really liked paris & did not get to spend near enough time there - only 3 nights. we will be going back at sometime for sure. we had all outdoor adventures in paris - didn't even get to step into one museum! we wandered up to montmarte & went up the sacre coeur basilica, wandered down to notre dame cathedral & around the seine. we loved our meanderings but did not get our fix! we're scheming our next trip already :)

crooked house

crooked house, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this was around the corner from picasso's studio on montmarte. isn't that crazy? we were pretty smitten with the "old" that was everywhere in europe!

amazing throughway in the gardens

amazing throughway in the gardens, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we stumbled across the Jardin des Plantes while roaming paris. it was really lovely to see such a large pretty garden open to wander around in. there was a killer old art nouveau hot house but it was being renovated so we had to peek through the fence instead! this throughway with these super tall trees, so straight & narrow that created this zipper of sky was really amazing.

butterfly window

butterfly window, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

there were a lot of cute boutiques, but i steered clear. i knew i would want loads of goodies & i knew i still had a far ways to go with that pack & wouldn't want to haul things around. i had a little argument with myself when we passed this one darling place with these awesome tote bags - i have a thing for bags & these were soooo cute! & french! & reasonable! & i love them! but, i said no to myself, and sadly walked away like a good backpacker should!

favorite neighborhood boulangerie

favorite neighborhood boulangerie, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this is the first boulangerie we went in when we were walking to our hotel. of course, for the next 3 days, it was our favorite! next door, was this darling older lady selling tarte legumes which were amazing (& heavy & solid!). at the boulangerie, we had the eclairs - the best i've ever had anywhere - & i'm an eclair lovin' kinda gal. we also bought 2 kinds of their bread, twice - and we tried the spinach tarte, the madeleines were terrific, we got those all three times we stopped in...we also tried this massive almost 2 inch thick crumbly cookie thing that was super yum. i think we had a fruit tarte too. i would not be one of those "why french women aren't fat" kinda gals - i would be a very robust gal with that boulangerie too close to me!

i spoke french in all the little places i went to & even though it was rather basic, i was pleased that everyone spoke back to me in french, not in english! it was pretty thrilling to engage in the basics of a foreign language & be understood & sorta understand on my part - it was like a secret club; especially since the mister was clueless & he was rather impressed with me :)

from the spy glass

from the spy glass, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

a few more photos from ole par-eeee...

tagged - taking a break from europe!

tagged by the lovely shash - a little breather from the europe posts...now the question is, how much do you really want to know about me? :)

Rules: 1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. 2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

1. habit: i lick my lips when i'm nervous or things are chaotic & too much is going on. i don't really realize this until much later when my poor little lippies are all chapped. i'm trying to notice when this happens now & go get the balm!

2. random fact: i was born in a small town in beverly, massachusetts. i love new england and spent a lot of my summers up there as my parents are big new england fans as well. many summer memories involve boston, small coastal towns like rockport, eating lobster (not me though, after i cracked my first one ever and tiny green lobster baby eggs came out it was all over - clams henceforth for me), going out for ice cream at the best little ice cream joint called dick & june's, eating cannoli's at mike's italian delicatessen in the city, long road trips, candy stashes, books to read & crammed in a car with my brothers! there is a small part of me that wishes she lived on the rugged maine coast...

3. habit: drinking tea in the morning. habitual/ritual. i love this habit.

4. random fact: i have a terrible summer cold right now that has sunk down into my ears. i'm prone to ear infections & in fact, have lost a lot of my hearing in my left ear from when i was little. thus the wondering, dazed look sometimes when someone tries to speak to me in that ear and they get the quizzical question mark above my head look. it makes me sad sometimes because i cannot always hear the thunder which i love, and being in loud cavernous spaces with lots of noises can be extremely disorienting for me.

5. habit: leaving my water glasses lined up down the metal shelf next to my bed. i have to have a glass of water next to my bed each night & then of course, i leave them...i'm always asking for the glass maid to please clean up her detritus :)

6. random fact: i turned 33 in venice this year and am told it is my jesus year. i feel like this should mean significant things are going to happen. or that i need to be very open to options...i keep thinking about this and know it will be showing up in my writing i do on the sly & in my artwork.

7. habit: never reading the entire sunday new york times. and always making a vow to get through all of it. never happens.

8. random fact: i feel a lot of the time that i am one of those people that are good at a lot of things and not particularly stellar or passionate about any one thing. for a long time i've felt like this was somehow negative...like i should have a driving force that rules out all other interests. i should be someone who works in her studios all hours of the night, forgetting about everything - so focused and intense...& yet, i have my spurts, but it never consumes me. or someone who calls themselves a "runner, or a marathoner"...& yet, i jog occasionally & take walks & dream about being a fit, tone, mighty marathon type. or, someone who can gourmet cook & bake up anything...& yet, i dabble - i love to eat, i love to cook up food that is yummy & go through my baking jags, but it is never an all the time thing for me. or, i wish i was someone who had a super green thumb and gardened non stop through the summer months....& yet, i love my houseplants & pretty jade plant and my new meyer lemon baby plant -- and i try my hand at herbs that last for a while and inevitably whither up...& yet...my attempts at joining a community garden have been stymied and my goal to use the entrance to our building as a potted plant garden came to ruin when our nasty landlords hauled everything away and dumped it in the trash :(

well....i ramble. but, i love that i have way too many interests, but am always a bit envious of those seemingly hard core, dedicated folks that are fully consumed by their passion.

i need to tag 8 people? i might not get to that many. how about wendy, sian, ileana, lesley, donna & jena.

have a great wednesday! i'll be back a few more paris stories for you soon. :)

"my first old man in paris"

"my first old man in paris", originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

so as soon as we arrived out of the gare du nord in paris, we checked our map, went to drop our bags & decided the first on the agenda was to go find the eiffel tower like all good tourists do. (well actually, we stopped at the yummiest boulangerie first! mmm...) but we wanted to see the eiffel differently, bl mapped us a route & we popped out of the metro down the seine aways...we meander across a very cool bridge with larger than life sculptural figures on it and stop half way across. down the center of the seine is the beautiful eiffel tower - we are in france!! very thrilling for this first timer :)

there is a photo shoot going on on the little stop over on the bridge, and we sit to take it all in. as we are sitting this lovely old gentleman, with super duper fly away hair starts to come over & speak to us in french -- eep! i only know a very little -- enough to get me by in boulangeries, restaurants, getting directions etc...he obviously figures out we don't speak french and starts to speak in english with a heavy french accent, some german thrown in & the occasional french word when he can't think of what he wants to say. but he proceeds to tell us all about how paris was built & the interesting sections to go to see the architecture and about napoleon and all that he did paris...on, on, on - he's so darling & i'm trying my best to understand all that's he's telling us about.

at the end of the conversation, he motions to bl to sit next to me so he can take a photo of us with our camera. he does so, and then, so cute, he motions bl *out* of the photo and gives him the camera and tells bl to take a picture of the two of us :) isn't he so lovely? so after the photo, he turns to me and says, "now then, you have just met your first old man in paris!" & it was so quintessentially perfect, on our first day, first outing, to have a such a good story to relay! :)

i'll post some more about paris in the next coupla days before we move onto venezia!

hello paris!

hello paris!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we were only in paris 3 nights - far too short! it is on our list of places we will be visiting again

let's talk a little bit more about london

where we stayed in london, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we stayed with this wonderfulmous lady, sian - & her two cats, one of which ran away while we there, but thank goodness, came back while we were gone - phew! we were all very worried about her.

london was amazing. we loved it & want to go back right away. perhaps we will, sian would you like us back so soon? ;)

we saw soooooo much art. the tube was super easy, everywhere was super clean, it was easy to understand people (which was nice to come back to after trying my hardest in france with my little bit of french, then italy, switzerland, german - uh, totally lost there, couldn't even guess - amsterdam, & belgium)...we had an afternoon & evening in london on our way back out so we ran down to the tate modern again because i think we are a little bit in love with it.

what i miss already from london: the yummy chips, bombardier beer (& truly, i'm not a huge beer fan, but from the flickr photos you would never be able to discern that one), super duper art, museums, & galleries - all free! i miss sian & the kitties too of course. digestive biscuits, minding the gap, the always sounding intelligent british accent & speech, ultra creamy dairy products (even though i can only partake on a small scale), cobblestone, old-ness everywhere, history everywhere, my understanding of the past century's history so much better now that i have a context to put a bunch of it into. i miss the walk to the tube, take away food, bloody hell's, mates, & darling's...the pubs, the thames, properly brewed kicker english tea, & our wanderings & walkabouts - for we had many, many wonderful ones...maybe we can go back at christmas for another holiday...hmmm?

back in the states!

just by a hair though - the uk didn't want to let us back in to fly out. this is going to be a super short post just to say hey, and i'll be posting photos just as soon as i get back from l.a. from the felt club show. eurpe was amazing, too quick, a little whirlwind, enlightening, provocative, full of art, full of observations & differences...we are ready to go back and are planning our next trip already. i knew once the needle of traveling abroad would be in, i'd be hooked forever.

much more later!

xxx.

more pub a day - ye olde mitre house

more pub a day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

established in 1546! this one is near sian's work, thus, lots of suits grabbing a swift one before heading home.

a pub a day continued...

a pub a day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

yum - bombardier beer is tasty too!