Mati Rose + Sprout Studio

Mati Rose + Sprout Studio, originally uploaded by renegadecraftfair.

shot by one of the renegade gals; it was a fun, if exhausting, weekend!

done.

one hour..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

& now i'm sick. as my body likes to do. it's time to rest!

renegade craft fair - holiday sale! -- this weekend!!

renegade craft fair - holiday sale, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

hey everyone,

come on out bay area peeps -- sprout studio will be sharing a booth with the lovely mati rose, please come by & say hi & pick up any last minute treats you might need!

year in, the year out...

i'm not a huge resolution person, i like to acknowledge things i might want to accomplish or mini goals i might have, but i'm not a make a bunch of changes all at once because the calendar flipped over kinda gal. however, i kind of liked the idea of thinking on this from superhero's blog:

***

1. What do you want to acknowledge yourself for in regard to 2009?
(What did you create? What challenges did you face with courage and strength? What promises did you keep to yourself? What brave choices did you make? What are you proud of?)

2. What is there to grieve about 2009?
(What was disappointing? What was scary? What was hard? What can you forgive yourself for?)

3. What else do you need to say about the year to declare it complete?

The final step is to consider your primary focus for the year to come. What is your primary intention or theme for 2009? Is it the year of joy? the year of self-care? the year of partnership? Stand up and say it proud, "2009 is my year of...."

***

i think 2010 will be full of adventures, large & small. & i think that's all i need to know or declare & i think that is quite enough! adventures & experiences. good, bad, ugly, scary, thrilling, larger than life & tiny little ones. i'm ready for 2010 & i'm okay with it being an unknown adventure :)

sprout studio holiday house

sprout studio holiday house, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

...we drank glogg, we drank cider spiked with whiskey, we had loads of dee-lish homemade cookies, artichoke dip, and cheeses. we did some shopping for sprout studio treats, we compared stripey socks, we had a great time! thanks for coming out :)

seattle in shakeit time

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

i'm crushing hard on my shakeit iphone app. the drive up to seattle was long, long, long. the show was great, it was freezing & i'm exhausted! i wish we could have stayed a lot longer in seattle-town.

snowy campsites

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

wee pinecones

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

alki beach

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

beach sunrises with a favorite person

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

space needles in the sky

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

sunsets

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

awesome skies

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

beautiful quick tree visits

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

wintery weather scenescapes; oregon

seattle quick trip, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

urban craft uprising + a gazillion other shows!

noise pop show, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

so, thus my descent into holiday never never land of no return & busy nights & no sleep & headaches & what's your name, ensues....

i leave for the urban craft uprising show tomorrow up in seattle. it's all day saturday & sunday, please tell your northwest friends to come see me!

then i do a small benefit show the next weekend down in santa cruz on saturday, december 12th from 10-4 at the loudon nelson community center for the monarch school.

next up is my sprout studio open house, december 13th from 2-6pm, 900 tennessee st - please come SF folks. have some yummy goodies with me & lift a drink to the holidays & pick up some sprout studio treats for your friends (& you if you must!)

then i do the noise pop holiday show, shown above, at the verdi club here in SF from 5-10pm on thursday, december 17th.

lastly, holy moly, am i not done yet?! is the ever loved renegade craft fair here at fort mason. i am splitting with one of my best gal pals, mati rose. this show is december 19th & 20th from 11-7 each day! loads of rad artists, loads of potentially awesome gifties to scoop up!

please come to one of these great shows, support artists, support the local economies & shop handmade this season!!!

thanks a million & maybe i'll be able to pop in here for a hot second before the actual new year! (maybe!)

hope to see you soon.
xxx.

let me count the ways i love my local farmers market...

let me count the ways i love my local farmers market..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

...butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, red & white onions, meyer lemons, yukon gold potatoes, shitake mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, fuji apples, bagels, raisin nut bread, crunchy rolls, sonoma county fresh pressed olive oil, portugese cheese, smoked cheddar cheese, dates, dill, basil, green beans, leeks, zuchinni, fennel, sugar pumpkins, red, yellow, green, & orange peppers, 3 kinds of grapes, eggs, & gorgeous succulent flowers... in other words, i love my farmers market A LOT of ways :)

here's hoping if you are in the states that you have a wonderful thanksgiving & a restful weekend.

i'm going camping in big sur - i've been so busy i need a break. and i'm also going to savor this break for when i need to remember it in the crazy december days ahead!

don't stuff yourself too much - or, just a little bit maybe :)

happy friday!

an awesome song, an awesome band. this video & piece remind me so much johnny & june, i love this song. i heard it again on KALX this morning. it makes me happy, and i hope it makes you happy!

listen up, "home"

happy friday, happy weekend!
xxx.

look to the left

& take a gander at the new little sidebar with a picture of my mister clean shaven and moustache free. he won't be for long. he is growing out some sort of wicked face hair art for sponsorships for students who need art supplies & such in the school systems. he needs supporters, & donators. won't you become one today? click on his cute face & go the donate page! yay for moustaches!

become (becoming way too crazy!)

become, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

-- i've been way too busy! made a bunch of small dictionary mailer collages to go to blankspace gallery...each year they have a holidayland sale & i've participated for the last few. lots of awesome goodies - go check them out.

also in the throes of planning & making work for our joint 2 lady show in january with katrina which is terribly exciting & kind of daunting.

& we've had parties & bals & celebrations to attend - not that i don't love them, but i still really want the snuggle up & drink tea weekend that is ever elusive at this point.

made a few changes to the blog - there is a fancy follow button over there on the left if you feel so inclined to add your name :)

& i'm counting down the days until thanksgiving. it really is a favorite holiday of mine & we are determined to rest during the break.

i'll come up for air at some point --- maybe in february? ;) have fantastic weeks!

beginning

beginning, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

early holiday treat - free shipping

just a quick pop in to let ya know i'm offering *free* shipping over at my etsy sprout studio shop now till the end of december - so have at it & enjoy & pass the word along!

paris photobooth

paris photobooth, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74 / jenifer lake.

...am missing paris. am feeling overwhelmed as this time of year always makes me feel. am overflowing with lists of to-do's. am wanting to snuggle and read books instead. am wanting a camp out in the bus soon. am wanting to eat soup & get a pedicure. am wanting to go on a long hike with dixie loo & the mister. am wanting to plan vacations to fun places instead.

...am not wanting to glue one million sprout studio bits & bobs together. am not wanting to prep for too many craft fairs. am not wanting to stamp, make, create, construct, & hope for sales.

...am wanting a very long weekend.

sigh...

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look"

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look", originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this past weekend was open studios and a trial run for our home gallery to be realized. & so, without further ado, introducing "project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look" :) we are super excited to begin our fledgling attempts at showing work - lots of bay area ladies & mens, old friends' work, new friends' work, acquaintances & new peoples all together! yay for art in the house! we were part of a co-op gallery, wonder gallery, back east in virginia and it was such a great time for us, it's about time we got back into the gallery/showing/art world in this way.

katrina & i intermeshed our works for open studios as an opener to our first real show in january. our work looked really lovely together - lots of overlapping themes & media.

saturday night we had game night, so the gallery got to see some action too. we plan on having an opening january 23rd (save the date!) & a closing in february. katrina & i are busy hashing out timelines & chatting about themes, & our collaborative & non-collaborative pieces. this has been a good first process & jump into the mix for me again. i'm hoping to do a series of collaborative shows with bay area art ladies. i want to push myself in new ways and experiment more - so i'm going to utilize our new project sprout gallery as a means to open up a bit more & gain some new ground. i just hope all the ladies i have in mind are willing to play with me :)

& with this opening, i now have a bit of this new work up on my site -- sprout studio go have a peek yes?

hope you all have fine halloweenie weekends :)

xxx.

project sprout gallery in action

project sprout gallery in action, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look"

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look", originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look"

"project sprout gallery/i can't look i must look", originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

don't forget!

common/shroud - sneak peek, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

open studios saturday & sunday, 11-6 each day. 900 tennessee st @ 20th - come on by, we have lots of good stuff to look at!

open studios this weekend - please come! plus, GALLERY realization!

out to sea - sneak peek, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

the dogpatch neighborhood has open studios this weekend. saturday & sunday from 11-6, we are at 900 tennessee st. @ 20th. this is partly a realization of our gallery that we have wanted to launch for a while out of our space. the mister is building walls right now as i write (& drinking a little early afternoon adult beverage i think, but i digress...) we have wanted to have a gallery in our space & this was the perfect push for us. our first official show will be in january & it will be me plus a lovely dear friend of mine, katrina rodabaugh showing our work together.

i will have some new holga work (like what you see here) plus some new collages, some watercolors & of course some sprout studio goodies as well. the mister might put up some works to look at too. we are very excited!

won't you join us? drink some tea? have a treat, chat with us, visit & peruse some artworks? we'd love to have you by! do come!

xxx.

shows, shows, shows -- come out & see me!

urban craft uprising, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

first off, i'll be doing the union design festival, formally capsule, this sunday from 11-6 in hayes valley. i'm at booth #7 & i'm splitting with my friend leslie, of feisty elle. please come by & say hi to us!

on october 24th & 25th dogpatch neighborhood & our studio will be doing open studios weekend - come by! i will have work up, the mister might have some work up & hopefully some beginning collaborations will be up with my friend katrina & myself.

december is promising to be packed already. mark some calendars folks. the first weekend, i'll be up in seattle for the urban craft uprising show. 2 days, december 5th & 6th from 11-5 in the seattle center exhibition hall. seattle-ites, come see me! i've never done a show up northwest & i'm excited to be going.

then, hopefully, i'll be doing the SF renegade show with my sweet friend mati rose. i'll let you know for certain when we find out more details.

i'm also doing a small show down in santa cruz on december 12th, at a community center down there. & i think i'll be doing the noise pop show here in SF on december 17th -- again, more deets to come, but mark your calendars!

i'll also have more work than normal at both craftland in providence, rhode island (they started to carry my stuff year round) & then more will be going to blankspace (they carry my stuff year round now too) over in oakland for their winter holiday show called holidayland.

phew! sprout studio will be one hopping space again. i'm going to also have more artworks at these fairs; small collages, photo prints, & perhaps some watercolors. i'm wishing to change the focus a bit with sprout studio & move more in the direction of making work, not so much product. in lieu of that, we also have some gallery news of our own to announce soon!

please pop by and see me if you get the chance! happy weekend!

lately

i've been going back to one of my first crushes, poetry. i used to write - a lot. i even took writing & poetry workshops in college. then i wrote on my own for awhile. i never published anything, but i read some of my stuff at art openings. i feel lucky to know this poet, my friend katrina -- i just started reading some of her work & it's phenomenal. truly. i love poetry. when it's good, it just cuts through everything -- the core, the meat, the heart, you got it. it's all there, & it can be so very raw & real. i love it. it's like a good piece of visual art; if you can have a new experience with it each time you see it, it's a winner. i've also picked up a new collection by sharon olds from the library, again, good stuff. my all time fave is anne sexton. hands down, i was smitten with her from the very first time i read her, she's incredible. i'm sure being out of the loop has put me behind - any great contemporary poets out there i have missed? turn me on if so...

i also stopped by rare device (they carry my umbrella skateboard too) this past thursday - they have a fantastic show up right up now. if you are in the bay area, don't miss it. i have my eye on a few pieces if i can scrounge up some monies for a purchase i'm going too! diem chau's work is especially lovely. i also got to meet the lovely lisa solomon for the first time too. i feel like through bloggy world i've known her for a long time, so it was nice to put the two worlds together.

news soon about some upcoming holiday shows i'll be participating in. yikes, holiday already huh?!

fort funston

me & dixie loo noodle, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we went to fort funston this sunday. it was beautiful & perfect. i love the beach. i have a dream that i will one day live either one whole year or just one season entirely on the beach. that nothing will be required of me but to walk on that beach, observe the tides, take note of the sea life...the detritus...& to just be. i would like that very much.

matching the crab shells

matching the crab shells, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

shadow family

shadow family, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

appropriate/fortuitous

so within the last several posts i mentioned antony, who i love, and yoko, who i love. now, see them doing songs together :)

antony & yoko

taped to the side of my computer

next time
by mary oliver

next time what i'd do is look at
the earth before saying anything. i'd stop
just before going into a house
and be an emperor for a minute
and listen better to the wind
or to the air being still.

when anyone talked to me, whether
blame or praise or just passing time,
i'd watch the face, how the mouth
has to work, and see any strain, any
sign of what lifted the voice.

and for all, i'd know more -- the earth
bracing itself and soaring, the air
finding every leaf and feather over
forest and water, and for every person
the body glowing inside the clothes
like a light.

yoko ono

i love her.

check out her description of one of her songs on her new album:

“Waiting for the D train”…D stands for death, so the thing is you’re waiting for death in a way. And while you’re waiting for death, a lot of things go on in your life. Separations or pain or some beautiful joy, all this stuff happens. And then in the end, the song called “Higa Noboru,” which means “The Sun is Rising.” After the D Train, the sun is down. And then the sun is rising, and I’m saying “I’m still alive.” It’s going into the new era, a new age. We’re gonna go to a new age together. That’s what it means.

i like it. she is awesome.

oh the places sprout studio goodies do go...

just a quickie to let you know my sprout studio goodies have been added to a few new stores the last several weeks. i'm really excited to have some bits, bobs, & lovely things go to:

craftland they have had a holiday show for about 5 or 6 years now, which i got into again this year, however, they recently opened a brick & mortar & i'm really thrilled to have my sprout studio goods being pimped around providence town all year long too :)

renegade handmade store i've done the renegade craft fairs in many cities, for many years, and now, my little sprout studio peeps will be going off to chicago land in their brick & mortar store as well! yay!

also, a little store called "vault" has some of my goods now too - upstate ny, address to come soon!

as always, if you own a store, and are interested in wholesale, just give me a shout :)

happy weekend all!

missing london

london day two; tate modern, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

sigh. withdrawal is tough business.

the coolest tree ever

the coolest tree ever, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

tate modern

tate modern, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

crazy in love

antony's newest video: crazy in love love him.

what else i'm crazy in love with right now:

*that autumn is coming. traditionally, for different reasons on the east coast, but even though it's way different out here on the west coast, i love it now for the vibe it has out here too.

*sneaky bits of dark chocolate at my desk at work

*slowly getting back into flickr, i've neglected my stream over there for too long

*thinking about some more camping trips on the coast

*dance class

*sunday slow days (baking & cooking yummy eats for the week)

*alemany farmers market and my girls i go with

*possibilities; new ideas; fruition of such....

*& lastly, i'm crazy in love with my building, my building mates, dixie loo dog, and the mister.

how about you? what are you crazy in love with right now?

today's funny

found grocery lists

go to the lower left & look at all the found lists, fascinating, funny & pretty darn great.

my rad building

i love my building & my neighbors. we have a great community. check out last night. they are uber cool & talented. as the night wore on, a saw came out, an accordian, a guitar, & a little spanish pipe. we camped out on sunday night down on the coast, we rolled up last night to this awesome street session. yep, dogpatch is the deal.

inspiration friday

a coupla great links & inspirations for you:

one -- the greenhorns, makes me want to go buy my farm & have a pony.
the greenhorns

two - recycled houses...for real? i want one. we recycle (or glean, as we like to call it) a lot, but this is just awesome. even better, they are affordable housing. brilliant.
recycled houses

& i went to the SFMOMA yesterday & YBCA - the richard avedon was better than i thought it was going to be. the ansel adams & georgia o'keeffe made me yawn. i love the sculpture garden up top though. YBCA did not do much for me either. very open & kinda vacant with their new show...ah well. it can't hit it everytime.

have a lovely long 3 day weekend. i have a farmers market to go to, some runs to go on, an oyster roast to attend, & some lounging to catch up on...

oh monday monday

well. i clearly have not caught up enough to start blogging regularly again. school started back full time - the first week feels never ending! but it is always so exciting to see those kiddos & how much they've grown.

i've been to some parties, had some cocktails, been sweating & crazy hot, & then turn around the next day freezing (& thus baking), farmers market thrice since i've returned. i have a serious love affair going on with my farmers market. serious... i've been dreaming about all sorts of good ideas & hopes for the coming months, i've been looking at homes (!), though none where i want them to be, and none in our price range...futile, i know. i've been drinking fancy parisian tea (yes, ms bon vie, yours is a-comin...), dealing with nasty back ups in our sinks that take all day to resolve because we have the lowest rated realty co that manages the building i live in, drank some more cocktails (lots of peeps to catch up with), had an outdoor bbq oyster & red snapper roast with my FAVE neighbor ladies, & will be attending another this coming weekend! ...perhaps one of the greatest things about traveling is coming back home & spending time with your friends. i've been restocking my shelves, replanting & up-potting many plants & rearranging their sunshine indoor loft deck area - they look much happier. i've been *dancing* - & my, i do love it. i tried modern dance again & was woefully lost. however, give me some hip shakin' & bootie swayin' and i'm all over it - i love moving my body in this new way & now that i've been dancing for about 9 months, i feel like my legs are finally starting to realize a few more moves instinctively. i have a long way to go - but i surely have fun & love sweating so much -- all that eclair eating needs to be toned down!

our new time management system is slowing working it's way into our lives; it's been pretty good so far. or at least, a little bit cleaner around our place - & a semblance of order that is making my weekends easier to manage (saturday - dance, farmers market, sprout studio catch up, go out in the evening...sunday - is my easy day; no guilt - reading, & slow food making all day...baking, or soups or sauces, etc... & if i need or feel like doing something that was on the saturday list, i do, if not, i don't. mellow out in the evening with yummy food & a movie with the mister.

& so. i have a piece of banana bread with chocolate chips awaiting me for breakfast & i need to go set up my art prep for my kiddos i'll see today.

i know i keep promising photos...they will come, they will!

... wishing you a happy happy monday.

back in the groove...

...& catching up all over! 2 months abroad = everyday everythings slipping far behind! not only do i need to catch up with friends, blogs, emails, sprout studio galore, work, school, idea catching, idea writing, but also exercising, the daily minutiae, dixie baths, new time management systems (for the mister mostly), thinking about scary real estate possibilities (or more likely, the lack thereof), wanting to make my 35 list (for my 35th year, sparked in part by ms hula) (whom someday i am determined to meet up with...!)

--- my feet & brain waves are running, running, running - & it's slow molasses catch up. but i'm allowing patience to take the driver's seat. or trying. patience is a virtue right? & i have loads of time to get it all in & get it all down & get it squared away. it's nice to be back to a schedule (school is in full swing) & to plug in things where they fit.

photos are still being edited slowly & posted to facebook - but i'll get to posting them to flickr & here too -- patience, patience. (there was this song i used to listen to when i was little about this snail, herbert, that was NOT patient & he needed to learn how to slow down -- "have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry. when you are impatient, you only start to worry. remember, remember, that god is patient too, soooo think of all the other times that people wait for you!)

have a lovely weekend & hope the end of summer blues don't get you down! (because autumn in soon behind, i LOVE autumn!)

xxx.

heya, hi there, how's things been...it's been a while!

heya, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...a little bit sad, a little bit happy, a little bit overwhelmed, a little bit thrilled, a little bit in unbelief...leaving in 2 days to end our 2 month, 60+ day sojourn around euro-town.

we've seen amazing art, wonderful sunsets, glorious skies, brilliant looking people, inspiring fashions, unique city plans, a ton of cool architecture ...eaten more delicious food than we possibly could have imagined, fell in love a little bit more with each other & basically had a smashing good time!

there are sooooooooooo many photos, it's kind of insane to think about editing and posting them all! i'll be slowly wading through them & posting to flickr. there are already some fun sets up on my facebook.

monday we fly home, over the big ole ocean & our home country. i think we are most ready to be in our own bed, eating our own comfort food & catching up with our friends who get us & speak english :)

more photos to come & more stories will accompany them.

home sweet home. it sounds really good.

I'm alive!

I really am still here - still in europe - berlin at the moment, which I am seriously crushing on! it is super crazy difficult blog posts on this little ipod. thus the no posts! I tried in Budapest & I couldn't get my page out of the Hungarian language setting!

so, Berlin is awesome, loved budapest but didn't have near enough time (plus it was insanely hot), Ljubljana was pretty cool, Venice rocked because of the biennale, we did NOT love florence, marseille was great too!

many photos to come after we get back to a real computer... we still have 4 more days in Berlin - yay - & then a week or so in London before we head (oh no) home!!

hope all summers have been awesome!!

xxx

hello paris, good bye paris; i'm a bad blogger

too many modes of keeping everyone in the technology loop is happening over here! we have been in paris 8 days & leave tomorrow for marseille. paris has been absolutely amazing to us. i really don't want to leave & have every intention of returning soon.

for those of you only keeping up via this blog, please consider hitting up ye ole facebook there on the left & being my friend (tell me that or else i will think you are one of those random facebookers i don't know from adam & ask to be my friend). a ton of photos are there & i've been trying to do little updates as to our wanderings there too. these will be much slimmer now anyways as our internet access will bound to be spotty as we move along on our europe mosey-ing.

i haven't been able to post photos to my flickr with this french computer; just to facebook so that's why there isn't much there either!! but upon return; there will be an overload for sure.

off to marseille; after much consternation we finally found a cute; read=expensive b&b to finally stay in. we are treating the next 4 days in the south of france like we are on super vacation; not our usual cheapie ass vacationers ;)

after marseille, we are trying our hand at driving a rental car through france & into italy on to florence -- think good thoughts for us!!!

more here as soon i can happen along internet access again!

bisou bisou from paris
xxx

pub o' the day, #1

pub o' the day, #1, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

aw yeah...london town here we are! more photo up on my flickr & my facebook!

we wandered all around hackney, shoreditch, & hoxton. 2 pubs, 2 space invaders sitings, 3 banksy sitings, 1 b&w photobooth, 2 beers, 2 orders of chips, lots of gardens & parks, 1 inner city farm (so rad, totally wanted shashtin to see it!), lots of cobblestone, tons of bikes, & the overground train because of the tube strike going on right now!

off to see art tomorrow (that is, if the tube strike is over...!)

yay london!

yay london!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we have arrived - stories soon :)

last day of school/beginning of VACAY!

a homemade life, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

so, i'm looking forward to doing not only lots of this: tea, reading, listening to music & relaxing, but also, being gone for TWO whole months over in europe. it's a little unreal to me that we get to go back for 2 months this time. we went 2 years ago for 5 and a half weeks, & it was the first time for both of us (the mister & me). & let me tell me you, the needle went in deep - as in, yep, we've waited this long for a reason - because now, we'll never be able to get out of this travel abroad bug/habit/addiction!

we've traveled the states extensively. i think we've been across, coast to coast over a dozen times, & the mister way more than that. we like our road trips, clearly. :)

we fly on monday (good thoughts while we are up, up in the air would be appreciated!) -- into london. we love london! hello pub a day's, tate modern, yummy tea & scones, art, art, art & basically having a grand ole, spot on, bloody good time!

then, paris - montmarte specifically. 8 days. awesome. & then, we are off to marseille for about 4 days, & then florence for a week. after that, venice for the biennale - so stoked to see contemporary work in that fun crazy crumbling old setting of venice. after venice, we are little more loose, but i think we'll do ljubljana in slovenia & some small towns around there. then budapest, & hopefully a good long week in berlin. i hear we are going to love berlin & there is a fabulous young art scene going on there! we go back to london for our last week & hopefully will cruise out to wales & edinburgh for some countryside.

so thrilled to be heading out so soon! but now, i must eat a piece of the crazy van gogh cake that just walked through my office door from one of my second graders. really, a starry night cake?!

cleaning up lots here at school - the art room needs a good, huge scrub down & then i get to have a cocktail & do the same to our place for (hopefully, oh please universe, let this be the one) a subletter who comes on saturday to check it out.

don't forget, you have until saturday evening to get free shipping in my sprout studio ETSY shop & then, no more goodies will be up for the summer until i return. if you simply must show some sprout studio goodies to some friends or make a purchase, my regular shop will be open, but i absolutely will not be shipping until i return in august!! it's a true vacation this time! which i've never done before, i've always tried to co-ordinate my shop being open & get shipping done somehow in the past. not this time, no sir. we are relaxing our minds 100% :) i can't wait!

so, you guys have a lovely weekend, when i post again, i'll be miles from san francisco & hopefully sipping a lovely pint in london! i'll be posting here occasionally as i can find internet, but most sporadically i'm sure.

kisses to you!
*j

renegade craft fair - brooklyn - this weekend!

renegade craft fair - brooklyn, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

if you are in ny (or anywhere in driving distance) go check out the renegade craft fair happening again this weekend -- this is such a fabulous show & i'm so excited that my friend, kim, is running my booth & showing off all my sprout studio goodies again! this year i'm sharing with a super talented artist, irena sofia, & i'm so excited to have her work with mine!

please come & visit & support RCF vendors -- it's so important right now to do all we can to support small, indie, art businesses!

thanks!

good morning, FREE shipping, vacation :)

hiya!

it's monday, one official week before i fly over the pond to euro-land to galavant around for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!!! craziness i tell you. :)

in order to clean up around these parts, i'd like to sweep out the dust in my etsy shop, so please, won't you do me a favor & purchase something lovely for yourself? it's going to be FREE SHIPPING over the ole sprout studio etsy shop until this saturday. then i'm shutting up the etsy doors for the summer. my regular sprout studio shop will be open, but i will not be shipping while i'm gone.

do a gal a favor & grab some goodies!!

happy monday!

xxx.
*jenifer

keri smith's guerilla fortune art project

...as many of you know i teach art to K-8 kiddos full time too. recently i had my 6th & 7th graders do one of keri smith's guerilla art projects. i absolutely love her book "the guerilla art book" & have used several of the projects with my students. i assigned the fortune affirmation project to them - they had to make 15 fortunes, about making someone feel good. they ranged all over the place, from simply, "you look good today" to "you are a fantastic human being & don't let anyone tell you any different" :) they were instructed to go out & about the city of san francisco & leave these fortunes around. it made my heart flutter a little to read through all of these fortunes & see their documentation photos & know the power of a good feeling was magnified in multitude & there were many smiles throughout this last week from strangers picking up paper fortunes from my 6th & 7th graders. it's heart warming no? i love that the kids enjoyed this so much & some of them got way into it. here's just one email i received from one of my 6th graders:

Hi Ms. Lake,
Here are the pictures I took showing where I left the "fortunes". I walked around my neighborhood and then to a market area nearby. I handed out 17 of them and my brother and sister walked with me. We had fun and it actually felt good to send people good wishes. I saw one guy go to his car and read the slip of paper and then he looked at me and smiled! That was cool!
Thank you,
A. G.

sometimes i just adore my job :)

have a great thursday!

friday flickr faves (on a monday)

friday flickr faves - again, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

thank you most inspiring people for sharing your lovely photos with me.

life, living & soulepapa

one of the blogs i've loved to read for about 4 years now, is soulemama. some blogs move in & move out on that left list column, but soulemama has been a constant. i love her writing, her kiddos, her creativity, her maine, & her sense of living. her mister, soulepapa, has started to blog occasionally to in her space. his most recent one is just downright lovely. & pretty perfect. check out his post here on life, living & capturing it -- it's just awesome. it's a good one to start the weekend with.

have a lovely one all.
xxx.

sunday streets in sf

sunday streets in sf, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

last sunday we had "sunday streets" - they closed off a bunch of roads down by the bay where we live & let us all bike, roller, skate, walk, run, what-have-you play around. it was totally fun & i got to ride my sketch bike that doesn't shift &/or shifts into the hardest gear all on its own while going up hill - it's tres fun. & the brakes don't really work either. it's a nice death ride. :) but, it has the best bell & basket & that's all that matters.

we are in a weird middle mode right now; really busy with getting the loft all ready & hopefully sublet for the summer -- plus restocking all my stores for the summer months while i'm gone. so while we are running around like those crazy chickens, all i want to do is sit still & read about where we are going to go in europe. this time of year is always super difficult for me motivation wise. i start rolling into work later & later, it's prettier outside, all the grad schools are starting to show their thesis works (which inevitably means summer in my mind) & i just want to take naps and sllloowww down. so it's a struggle! summer-itis & i have it bad!

so mini trips like the bike ride are what is working right now. lots of flurry of work, and then a little summer reward. that'll have to do!!

we leave in less than four weeks for london! so excited! :)

i'll be chatting about some summer shows soon you can still catch sprout studio at even though i'll be traipsing around euro-town....

have a lovely thursday!

the sublet write up!

so here is the craigslist write up -- know anyone who would like to come hang out or vacay in the city?! put us in touch!

***

...our awesome live/work loft is up for sublet from june 9 - aug 9. this space is located in the sunny dogpatch neighborhood of san francisco at the bottom of potrero hill. large live/work loft close to public transit (the T line is a block away and the 22 bus is kitty corner from our building), cute restaurants & coffee shops (piccino, serpentine, hard knox, just for you...) are a coupla blocks away & potrero hill is super close too. groceries (whole foods & the good life), shops, restaurants, etc...are just up the hill. parking is very easy & we even have 2 bikes you could mosey along the bay with if you are nice! we are close to the 280/101 & to the mission district. we are minutes from the bay bridge & downtown. our building is a great community & our neighbors are really wonderful. the ny times just did a write up about our neighborhood:

ny times dogpatch article

...esprit park is located right across the street; dog friendly, picnic friendly, kid friendly & nap friendly :) ...great benches on the other side of our building to hang out with the neighbors, have a cocktail with & a catch up.

rent is $2000 a month, $4000 total. a security deposit, a signed temporary lease, plus the first month's rent will be needed up front.

everything you need is in our loft - all kitchen items for you to use, a sunny loft deck to lounge on & read from the library, great large table for dinner parties, lots of art & art books to look at, comfy bed up in the loft, maps to look at to get around town or out of town, wi-fi, laundry in the building, etc...

check out the photos if you are interested & give us an email shout if you want to come see it & chat more! (&/or email us for our website to see even more photos of the space & surrounding hood.)

see here: lots more photos of our place currently!

thanks!

*no smoking in the loft & a dog could be maybe negotiable (we have a great dog walker).

subletter wanted... (dixie looooooo come on up!)

dixie looooooo come on up!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we are looking for a subletter for the summer. (our place is a little different now -- so this is an old photo, but our deck is up there still - it just has lots of plants on it now :)

we are traveling to europe from june 8 - aug 10 (swoon! really!?!) & we need a subletter for our fun, urban, industrial, arty live/work space. the actual dates are june 9 - aug 9 -- 2 full months of fun living in the dogpatch neighborhood. lots to do: cute restaurants, crazy close to public transit (we'll even let you use our bikes), awesome space to live in, work in, be in, etc...close to the bay waters, wonderful neighbors, good community building..... want more info? know someone who would like to vacay in SF for the summer? let me know!! we'll be putting it up on craigslist soon but wanted to give dibs to friends first :) there are loads more photos of the space in my flickr stream too (check out the side bar).

come to SF! have a fun summer! our neighborhood is truly the sunniest in the city :)

this could be YOU! -- first dinner on the deck, from circa 2004

first dinner on the deck, from circa 2004, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we are looking for a subletter for the summer............

new sprout studio necklaces to be...

new sprout studio necklaces to be..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

just back from l.a. - i did unique l.a. with my friend christine. it was awesome to hang out with her as she is one of my favorite people. the show was not so hot, but the good thing is, i have loads of merch done for the renegades in l.a. and SF this summer :)

i am so very tired. my list is long, LONG i tell you. i owe people emails, orders need to be filled, europe doings need to happen, subletting needs to happen, train tix bought, website clean ups, library overdues, supplies to order, dinners to deliver to sick friends, cleaning up after my HUGE school art show to be done, thank you notes to write, applications for shows are due...........i could go on.....and on......and ON!

but! i won't :) suffice to say, i will be back here at some point. i need to get a few things off that list, then, i will be back in stride.

hope things are well with you...yes?
xxx.
*j

the official tour shirt & poster :)

4.10.09, originally uploaded by artisart.

the 04-10-09 trip

so the trip i took over spring break was crazy fun, crazy silly, crazy exhausting, crazy beautiful, crazy lovely, crazy wonderful, crazy frustrating, crazy great, crazy connected! i flew into norfolk, virginia the prior wednesday before we left on saturday the 11th. the whole trip focused on a chuck berry song, "the promised land" - which talks about him leaving his hometown norfolk (our previous hometown too) & heading out for the promised land. listen here to the song. lots of folks have covered the song over the years, elvis does a great version, as does our neighbor, who sang & recorded a slower version for us which is awesome.

the gist of the "04-10-09 tour" was to go through all the cities he talks about in the song, which we did. also, some of our artist friends who went on the convoy reinterpreted the phone number he sings about in the song as a date, thus 04-10-09, the date we had to leave! the car which we drove, a green vw thing, was one of the artist's (anne who came along with us) father. he had it in his garage since forever ago and bequeathed it to the mister if he could fix it up, well of course he could fix that vw thing up! so, we drove that rattle trap, safari-esque jeep looking, metal extravaganza all across the united states! & it made it! & we froze, we laughed, we heated up, we saw beautiful things, we ate awesome food, we reconnected with absolutely fantastic people all along the way.

friends put us up in raleigh, atlanta, austin & paso robles. we camped the other times & we stayed in a hotel once. we outran a tornado & were gifted a double rainbow for it :) the photos are amazing - please look, see & read over at the 04-10-09 log that we kept along the way -- promised land tour there are videos, writings, and tons of photos as there were 4 official photographers in the group and several unofficial ones too. go have a gander if you feel so inclined!!

this week consists of my HUGE student art show i put on each year & that is a major endeavor. after the show thursday night, i motor down to l.a. for the 2 day unique l.a. show come see me - i'm sharing a booth with my friend christine haynes.

super duper busy, i'll post again after the week's craziness!!

04-10-09 absence

been roadtripping - thus, the extended absence - photos soon!

also, have my school wide art show this coming thursday the 30th (mucho work) + a show down in l.a. that following weekend. i'll post more about it soon.

hope all's well in the worlds of yours.
xxx.

all out *intern* search!!

hello fine friends!

i am conducting a search for an intern to help me out in the sprout studio headquarters. i am becoming overwhelmed with working full time & running a 5 year old business on the side!! i need some help!!

so, the job would consist of 3-5 hours every week or so (pretty flexible on hours) in the studio to help me with a myriad of very exciting things ;) i'm super flexible on when those hours could be filled as well - if i'm not around, my lovely mister is usually around too.

duties: stamping, gluing, organizing, shipping, stickering, packaging, cleaning, sewing (if you are a sewer of course, but you don't have to be), cutting things out & petting our dog dixie loo -- all whilst learning valuable small business knowledge, tips & tricks of the trade, & of course - listening to fabulous music, being subjected to chatter, and plied with gin & tonics (granted you are over 21 of course!), homemade food, because i love to cook, and the occasional sprout studio trade! what more could you ask for?! doesn't this sound insanely fun & thrilling? don't you want to come & be my intern? do you know of anyone who would love to be my intern?

now, you need to obviously be able to get yourself to the dogpatch neighborhood of san francisco semi-weekly. have to fill a class for college? looking for some sprout studio trade goodies? or, just hankering for a mean limey gin & tonic?!

please let me know - either via commenting here, or emailing me at sproutstudio AT mac.com!

i will love you forever. and that's a promise.

xxx.
*jenifer

design*sponge; turning downtimes into up!

design*sponge interviewed some crafty indie biz ladies about turning down times during this recession into upturns - i was one of the 15 interviewed - take a peek -- there are some really fabulous ideas :)

me & dixie loo, redux

me & dixie loo, redux, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

just saying hey! it's been crazy busy - my very own march madness set in. i'm hoping april will slow up a wee bit. i just ushered ms loo dog & the mister out the door at 5 am this morning for the first leg of the promised land, 04-10-09 cross country trip. i'll be joining in on the rebound. if you wanna know where we'll be stopping leaving out of norfolk, va - listen to chuck berry's "promised land" song - we'll be swinging on through after the 10th of april!!

i have some photos to post soon - i need to upload them to flickr first! a very late rabbit indeed i am ;)

more soon.
xxx.

mati rose's HUGE sale!!

i'm having a HUGE sale, originally uploaded by matirose.

my lovely, gorgeous & super talented friend mati rose is having a great big HUGE print sale over at her etsy suspect shoppe seriously, her work is so wonderful. i own, mmmm....4 pieces now?! 2 originals & 2 prints. i am a lucky ducky girl i am.

you can be a lucky person too! head on over & check out her awesome sale. she is letting all her prints fly away home to you for $20 flat! what a great way to score some fab work by an equally fab lady.

check out a few of her goodies below. i LOVE her elephants!

wood blocks; mati rose work

wood block, originally uploaded by matirose.

Venezia Elephant; mati rose work

Venezia Elephant, originally uploaded by matirose.

speaking 1,000 languages; mati rose work

speaking 1,000 languages, originally uploaded by matirose.

good luck birds

good luck birds, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

cute new things over at my sprout studio etsy shop :) spring will be happy to be escorted in on a little good luck birdies back!

remember free shipping lasts till the end of march over there!!

xxx.

oh! ps - see this movie happy go lucky i just loved it! so, so good & fun!

vintage leaf bobbies

vintage leaf bobbies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.