Wednesday, January 31, 2007

dooce

apparently, everyone has been reading this but me.
i laughed out loud. several times. i think i even guffawed. now you can enjoy it too. in case you too have been living under a toad stool and didn't yet know about this blog!

SF bluegrass festival

just bought us some tickets for the feb 10 show at cafe du nord, the alt bluegrass show - we're super excited! anyone else going to any of these shows? thinking about doing the one at the knockout this saturday night too...some of the atlas coffee shop ones look promising...

ginger pumpkin bread in the oven; would it be bad to eat just that for dinner? of course not :)

i think i'm going to revisit those collages & glass terrarium unfinished pieces this evening...we'll see if any resolution comes of them.

good night & good luck... (good movie, highly recommended!) & of course, xxx.

Monday, January 29, 2007

wip; shadow box


wip; shadow box, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

these are all works in progress sitting on my studio tables right now...well, studio table/work table/dining table...! i get pretty tentative about gluing or taping anything down in my collages until i know they are just right. thus, they sit around for a while...i walk past, i tweak... i observe...i tinker...i switch things around... i fuss around some more... i look for the right image/object/thing to go into or on it... until i know it's right. sometimes that takes a while for me...

wip; i don't know what they are yet...very early stages here...

wip - very first stages...


wip - very first stages..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

experimentation with linoleum

the blocks.

strung up prints


strung up prints, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

sprout print


sprout print, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

needs a little work; but my printer neighbor gave me some pointers, so i think i can improve these next time...

my sweet print


my sweet print, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

experimentations in linoleum land...

Friday, January 26, 2007

friday flickr faves +...

...would it be terribly impractical to get this lovely tote from anthro for my europe trip?! i saw it over on sally's blog - i heart all of orla kiely's stuff. all. of. it. :)

here's some faves from over on flickr:

best giraffe
balloons 1
happy shash
cutest nose
hold on tight
paper snow
polar bear
wallpaper love

that's all for now :)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

the big fun news, plus advice!

SO, way back when in september i had said i had some big fun news to share, but couldn't in case the mister was sneaky & looked on the blog. well, the secret is out & about & it's time to share & get feedback, advice & what not. in june & part of july we will be going abroad, europe, for FIVE super fun weeks!! we will fly in & out of london & stay with a friend (our very own sfo to london gal) for a bit of that time who has generously said we could. now, of course i want to hear from everyone what their great adventures have been, recommendations, tips, tricks, etc...but first & foremost, i've been searching endlessly for the perfect bag/tote/carry all, what-have-you for the day trips. we won't be burdened down with ALL our gear b/c we'll be able to stash some with said friend (who i will be bringing treats to & jars of that delish p.b. you can't get over there!). i'm trying to project what i'll need to be carrying (camera, snackies, water, journal, passport, $, maps, etc...) so do i go with the over the shoulder bag? the carry on the shoulder tote bag? should it have a zipper to keep everything in & possibly anyone out? should i get a backpack? what would be the most comfortable? my shoulders tend to bug me if i haul a lot of crap around...of course, i'll need something cute though! so i need some suggestions...fire away! :)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

even more in the ole sprout studio shop

...check out loads of new vintage bobby pins, a few new pairs of drop earrings, & some cutie pie vintage button rings are up! go forth & shop thine heart out...v day is coming you know! :)

a.m. going to work mode...


a.m. going to work mode..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

hi ho, hi ho...

Monday, January 22, 2007

goodies in the shop

new vintage hair pins popping up in the sprout studio shop! even more are coming along...we kinda chug along like the little engine that could over here...slowly but surely, we'll get all updated eventually! :)

Sunday, January 21, 2007

teeny collage, "restless"


teeny collage, "restless", originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...we bought a 4 foot mural printer today off of craigslist. not that we need it for this tiny little collage - but the point is, we can print anything now! i'm excited to print some of my holga work from a while ago that never had any print love & i'm excited that the mister has a toy he's always wanted! :) yay craigslist!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

simply a "must" on the to do.

go here

watch the movie. go to the site.

then here

make a change peeps!

xxx.

sprout studio large glass necklace pieces

sprout studio large glass necklace pieces

sprout studio large glass necklace pieces

sprout studio large glass necklace pieces

sprout studio large glass necklace pieces

updates to sprout studio...

large glass necklaces have now been updated!! more is on the way..........

right here!

Friday, January 19, 2007

decisions, decisions...


decisions, decisions..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

which to eat first?! yum. per shash's game: what you don't see out of frame -- the crumpled up napkin that was not aesthetically pleasing, the pile of tax papers piled directly behind yummies, computer to the left, bank of windows to the right, fork & knife (i decided 1/2 of each was best!)...shoes piled together under yellow coffee table & me, with a big ole grin on my face ready to indulge!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

guess it's de-lurking time! :)

so on all the other blogs i read, apparently it's time to de-lurk yourself! (like here and here and here )

without further ado...i'm jenifer lake, 32 years old, married 5.5 years, together 10. i live in san francisco in the dogpatch neighborhood in a big old factory live/work place with the mister (bl), & my doggie dixie loo loo (or dixie noodle, or dixie cricket or dixie pixie...you get the picture, we like our dog a lot). i teach art m-f to kindergarten to 8th graders at a little private french catholic school downtown san francisco. i like it a lot - & love my kiddos i teach most days! i also own & run my little business, sprout studio where i make handmade lovelies, art goodies, and whatever else i fancy. & i fancy a lot. i love to go thrifting. i love to read, i love to watch movies, but i don't own a t.v. & never will, i like to take pictures (even more since becoming addicted to flickr, check out my photos by clicking on the little flashy in your face flickr logo there to the left!), i like to cook & sometimes bake. i really love to drink red wine. i'm a vegetarian, but i cheat sometimes & eat seafood occasionally. i'm a big fan of wandering around neighborhoods, i'm not a big morning person, especially when it's dark outside, however on the rare occasion that i see the sunrise it is magical & i love it. i've had some health issues pop up this year that have actually enabled me to slow down and embrace the 'cracks' in my life & go with being tired at 9pm because of some of the meds i'm on. i've made art for as long as i can remember. i'm going to europe this summer for the first time & i'm so very excited. i like big white fluffy bath towels, i am mostly a tea only kinda gal, and my favorite treat is super dark chocolate. i love stripey socks, vintage clothing, flip flops & slippers. i love living here in san francisco & hope i never leave. i love to take road trips & we try to get out often in our volkswagen camper bus. we love the back roads & try to travel them as much as possible. i miss all the friends that i have that don't live near me. i like lots of plants, 1950's kitchen ware, i knit occasionally, i know how to throw a pot, silk screen a t-shirt & i love to collage paper goodies together. i know how to sew just a little bit. i often tend to think i know too many things in a halfway sense & not any one thing all the way. i love reading other people's arty blogs. there will never be enough time in any day for me to have the energy to create all the art i would want too...so i store it all away in my brain for a later time, a later life!

ok, now it's your turn -- some of you i know, but i'm sure some of you i don't. comment away folks & tell me about yourselves!!

Monday, January 15, 2007

one studio wall


one studio wall, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

needs a bit of a new do...but i can't take down those calendars yet, i love them so much!

cup of the day


cup of the day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

no, the taxes have not been wrapped up yet. humph. i started organizing the studio instead; which is really a straight 2 week project, if i worked all day, every day...so instead of ignoring it, which i've been doing very effectively, the mister prodded...i resisted...i whined a little...but tackled it anyways...little chunks i guess...and now what am i avoiding? oh yes, said taxes...eep! they'll get done. pinky swear it.

cup a day


cup a day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

shadow play in the morning


shadow play in the morning, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

cup of the day #2


cup of the day #2, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

POWER TEA!

...surrounded in tax paraphenalia...cut off date in 17 days...working since yesterday a.m...made power pumpkin bread this morning to help get me through...1.5 hour phone call to helpful agent haynes on misguided & utterly indecipherable tax code...resulted in acquisition of knowledge to complete dreaded tax sheets...nearing the home stretch...will check in with congratulatory victory feat medal soon...sprout studio will triumph...

Saturday, January 13, 2007

a word about alabama, stripey socks & ani

a little story about wearing stripey socks off the beaten path:

once upon a time on our recent cross country drive from virginia to san francisco, we took the southern route. the back roads southern route...down through the carolinas, through georgia, & alabama. on this back roads route we decided to slip through linden, alabama. my father was a minister & pastored a church down there for about 2 years - i was around 4/5 years of age & went to kindergarten down there in this itsy bitsy town. i wanted to go see it; not having been there for 27ish years. found the church & house we lived in via remembering pictures from the photo albums. kinda crazy wandering around, remembering floating in big tubs in the pot holes in the driveway when it rained -- being pulled around in the red flyer wagon -- playing on the church bell tower -- sneaking into the church where my dad would ask who that little church mouse was pattering around -- being dumped over into the red ant hills & having to soak for hours in the tub to cool the bites -- playing in the woods -- riding horses -- riding on the back of my dad's motorcycle in the driveway that circled the church................

so that was fun, amusing, & fairly enlightening in thinking on how glad i was that we did not stay down there...strange to do the 'what if' game...what if i had grown up there? what would i be doing now? what kind of experiences would i have had...you know, the pondering game which is so great to do while driving, driving, driving...

now, the point of my story is this: i had on my cute skirt & knee high stripey socks & polka dot vans - all in all a super fun outfit that i would wear any day of the week. and i assume from what i'm going to tell you next, that this is a very, VERY odd outfit to wear in small town alabama. when we left linden, we got to another little town where we decided to stop in to the local grocery & get a few odds & ends. i also had to pee - which took me to the mcdonald's in this parking lot. so i go in & round the corner to go to the bathroom & this family of 4 are sitting in mcdonald's obviously after church (this was a sunday and presumably they were dressed in their sunday finery) - the teenage girl of the family totally stares at me - TOTALLY stares. i'm waiting for the bathroom to open up & this girl not only continues to stare at me, but begins to snicker & then leans over to her mother, whispers, & the mom turns and stares too, as does the younger brother AND the father...at this point i'm getting rather pissy & totally glare back at the dad & the girl who is smirking & laughing...it so very obvious that they are completely thinking my outfit is a bit odd. which i commence to think about when i go in the bathroom & start to get just a might haughty about this. i mean really...are we not living in 2007? do we not get out in the world at all? have they never been to a larger city? don't they at least own a damn t.v.?? am i really going to need to feel strange about what i am wearing? do i really need to start thinking and questioning the fact that just because i'm in a *very* small town in southern alabama, that this family that has obviously just come from church has the gall to laugh at what i'm wearing? & am i truly going to let this bother me? (well, obviously me writing about it has clued you in)...so. i come out of the bathroom, determined to at least glare & stare right back at them with my most highly raised eyebrow that i can muster so at least they can know that i know & that hopefully they might feel compelled to feel a bit bad. not being one who can ever actually say something to them (although i truly truly wanted to go & tell the daughter where i bought my awesome knee length stripey socks & polka dotted vans since she obviously *loved* them so much & was extremely jealous - yes, i wanted to, but bit my tongue). now, what was so strange about this experience is this: i have never really been bothered about looking a bit different (and actually, living in san francisco i am woefully normal) - but this experience totally bothered me. & i think it bothers me so much because of how completely stereotypical the whole scene was. out of towners pull into small town alabama, out of towners look --different-- the small town locals stare, the small town locals laugh, the locals make me feel like a complete weirdo. & i reallly have to wonder, for real? for real?!! my outfit was that strange? god forbid i drove through there with bleached out short hair & my funky attire from a few years ago? all in all, it made me really sad. to think that somewhere in this wide country i live in, there is a family that finds it alright to out & out laugh at a stranger after they have come out of going to church. what?! for real for real????

now the ani part: she sings a song about wandering around the states...and then being in alabama, wear she gets laughed at & stared at...& that at least when she walks down the street in n.y. that people tell her exactly what they think of her. & i heard this again fairly soon after coming home to s.f...and i thought, yeah, that's exactly how i felt...that i feel like the utterly boring one sometimes here in s.f. & felt so strange out of my element in a little small town...& i wonder...what would me life have been like if i grew up in linden, alabama? would i be the same person? would i have grown up to be involved in the arts? to embrace being different & be proud of that fact? or would i have ended up at the local mcdonald's snickering at the out of towners who obviously weren't from these parts... ?

it was so strange...this provided hours of pondering time for me.......

red ant alabamy hill


red ant alabamy hill, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

linden, alabama


linden, alabama, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

linden, alabama


linden, alabama, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

Friday, January 12, 2007

jumping in with the friday flickr faves...

i've been completely enjoying perusing flickr this week. i have some of my faves here for you to go see:

quiet gesture
elefante
calm
it will keep us close
being here soon
her
hopeful
she seeks the unfamiliar
serene
peppermint umbrella fun

that's all! :)

this weekend involves taxes (eep!) & studio clean up/over haul & hiking (hopefully) & something art related...
you have a lovely one too. xxx.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

fate...look what i stumbled upon...

i've raved about jen corace before...i love her work. as do many others...but will you look at thisone?! is it fate? i think it should be mine...i am a cancer ya know...eeeshh...if only i had indispensable art funds to buy what i would really love to have gracing my walls...mmmm....sigh...

...just realized the link doesn't take you directly to *the one* -- so scroll through until you hit "cancer" -- now you can sigh too...

flickr frenzy

i've been so into flickr lately. i've been trying to get everyone i know to join so we can all share our worlds. to the left there is a link to my recent wanderings -- i'll post some of my favorites of others photos tomorrow :)

have a great thursday!

Monday, January 08, 2007

more of the vintage vera china + 2 other east coast scores

more vintage goodness from thrifting...i love thrifting in virginia!

vintage vera china


vintage vera china, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

thrift score from this summer; a whole set plus teacups! yahoo!

eva zeisel teapot, minus the lid

i think i'm going to start periodically show the thrifting scores i've acquired over the years, this is recent - picked her up out of a friend's garage for free! she needs a lid, but i can make one of those being ceramicist...or, i'll leave her hatless...maybe she needs to air out!

Sunday, January 07, 2007

3191 inspired morning


3191 inspired morning, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this blog has inspired my 2 morning photos -- however, this might just be an occasional weekend thing for me as my day doesn't really start until i get into school & make my tea there...

Saturday, January 06, 2007

new necklaces for sprout studio

more sneaky peekies...

new necklaces for sprout studio

new necklaces for sprout studio

sneak peeks of some of the new necklaces that will be going up on the site in the next few weeks...

Friday, January 05, 2007

me circa 1979 - i have the same hair do!

part of going through loads of paper ephemera...i found this photo. can you even believe at 32 years of age i seem to have the same hair do? now, lest you believe i've been stuck in rut since 5 years of age, i'll dig up some bleached out shortness for you soon! :)

Thursday, January 04, 2007

in search of helpful gocco-ers

i really want to get together with someone who knows what they are doing with a gocco machine &/or take a workshop...any crafty peeps out there know somewhere in the bay area i can do this? shout me an email if so! :)

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

mister, dixie dog, moon, mt diablo

my goofy shadow, barge in the bay, mt diablo, moon during the day, dixie loo, lovely sun set at heron's head point. we also came across this very cool piece of painted redwood that looks like a train crossing with numbers on it - of course we took it with us. a little bit of barnacle scrubbing & it's fit for our home! i'll shoot a pic of it in our place to share...

moon over kissy lips


moon over kissy lips, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

my hair is getting crazy long...what should i do with it?! cut it all off again and bleach it???! revert to an old 'do for a new '07??

purposefully *choosing* san francisco as home...

we've lived here in sf for more than 5 years now. & we love it. but for those past 5+ years there's always been this little nervous monkey voice in the back of my mind chattering away about how long can we stay & when do we have to leave & should we move back to virginia & why is it so utterly amazing here but so astronomically expensive to try & actually put some roots down to stay & on & on & on...to this summer, where we spent another 2 months back in virginia before bl was there this whole fall teaching at the university...& i decidedly came away from my 2 months with the decision made that moving back to virginia was not where i wanted to be. ultimately, so did bl after his time too...so we made a decision -- part of driving back across the country this time was sort of eye opening. we had our bus packed to the gills with all our odds & ends & art & books that we had stored in other friends garages & family's attics -- we retrieved & piled upon the top of the bus all these stored away goodies; we weighed a bit much; i was fearful the tires were gonna pop on us! it was a little disheartening weeding through years & years of saved writing & papers & art making from TWO artists; i mean, can you imagine the sheer volume of negatives & prints & ceramics & screens & collected papers & ephemera from the two us?? plus our book collections? holy mother, we own a lot of art making materials and made art. so anyways, about choosing. this time, we felt like driving across the 10 west that this time we were truly making a decision. a decided attempt to make san francisco our home for now. not a willy nilly maybe we'll be back, maybe we should move north to portland, maybe we should try north carolina....etc...etc...we are deciding to try and make san francisco our home for a period of time. and i like feeling settled into that. it will mean several more years of renting & pinching but maybe somehow we'll get to stay here. maybe somehow i'll get to see that golden gate bridge. which i love, many many more years to come...maybe i'll get to loaf around & shop & thrift score in the mission for many more weekends to come....maybe i'll actually explore oakland more one of these days...art murmur anyone? want to join us for an evening?

so with all the new years posts on everyone's blog, mine is simply a choice. to choose our home & fully live in it without this constant fear of having to move or leaving before i'm ready. and i love where i'm at now with that decision. i can truly in my mind say, 'welcome home jenifer' :)