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!

pub a day

pub a day (or two a day!), originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

yum, guiness is gooooood

pub a day

pub a day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

a coupla pub photos for you

pub a day continued :), originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we are doing the daily walk in for a drink or two -- or as they say here, "a swift one" :)

traditional english breakfast + a little recap so far...

traditional english breakfast, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we've been staying longer in the u.k. than originally thought. basically, because there is a wealth of fun things to do and see!! we've decided we love london and will be returning soon. we're trying to get our act together and take a train to paris sometime this week. i mean, we have to leave our awesome host, sian, alone sometime right?! & venice, slovenia and the rest of eastern europe is calling our name.

art doin's: we've been to the tate, the tate modern, the camden arts center, the serpentine gallery, the damien hirst show at the white cube gallery, the punk show at the barbican & wandered into a few galleries here & there. super stuff to look at - & we haven't even scratched the surface!

wanderings & walkabouts: camden market, borough market, spitalfield's, brick lane, up the thames, down the thames, boat on the thames...big ben, parliament, buckingham palace, liverpool walkings, brixton skating, st pauls cathedral + a couple other church viewings, pub crawling, belsize neighborhood wanderings, primrose hill views of the city, stop ins to many a cafe for a quick treat & a jot in the journal.

observations: eggs are left out on the shelf, all the time (no refrigeration for these babies?!). gin & tonics come pre mixed and sold in cans like soda. their english breakfast tea is the strongest tea i've ever had for breakfast, and i'm a huge tea drinker! they sell american size hotdogs in tin cans (with the proud american flag flying on the 6 pack tin can?!). the yogurt is super yum - creamier. the english love their cheese. serious cheese markets abound. they also like beans for breakfast and on their toast. and carbs - lots of carbs (which is fine by me!). pubs are a lovely break & the drinking age is a sensible 18 - dunno why we can't figure that one out in the states. the tube; public transit, is quite awesome and easy to get around. it is sooooooo clean here. the gooseberry is overrated and entirely strange in yogurt, as is rhubarb in yogurt. i love jacket potatoes with goodies stuffed inside. brown sauce is very odd - like molasses, & i can't figure out what you would put it on. the british don't seem to make eye contact much, nor acknowledge you in passing (on the street)...i guess we are the goofy friendly americans who like to pet the dogs & kitties that pass by & say good morning to people we pass in the neighborhood! it's cold here, just like summer back home in san francisco! lemonade actually means you are getting sprite. you don't really tip here, in fact, you don't really sit down much restaurant style - you tend to order at the counter, then sit for your meal.

sayings to start using: being "pissed on" - as in the rain. "dodgey", as in, the sketchy part of town, or, as in hit or miss weather. the preferred term of endearment is "darling", as in, "that'll be 3 pounds darling."

also, i am in love with digestive biscuits. mmmm...

more later perhaps. i might get one more post in before we head out for france.

cheers mates!

dispatch from the u.k.

dispatch from the u.k., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we made it! bl celebrated his 40th next to big ben :) we've been on wandering/walkabouts every day. our feets hurt! we've seen some sort of art every day too, which has been really awesome.

i now have a wicked cold, so i'll be posting more later about observations, sites, scenes, art, etc...

wanted to post a quick hello, and hope everyone is doing just fine!

toodles & ciao for now.

xxx.

we're off!

we're off!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

see ya later alligators!!!

for a perfect mood for paris...

try this:

see this lovely slideshow/song found via the lovely wendy

enjoy :)

a smitter smatter of sneak peeks

a smitter smatter of sneak peaks, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

even though we've been crazy getting ready for europe, still needed some sprout studio time. i have lots of ideas buzzing in my head for the site overhaul that will happen this summer/fall. i want to have loads of new goodies to look at when the revamped site launches. working on lots of sketches & smaller drawings, ideas swirling around. i'm sure after europe my head will be stuffed to the gills with ideas and thoughts and experiences...

so i thought i'd post a few sneak peeks now before we leave. last hurrah dinner with some girlies tonight & then tomorrow we run last errands in the evening. meet up with subletter/friend on wednesday & thursday we are off!!!!!! :)

too tired. nappie time.

too tired. nappie time., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

too much erranding. list too long. so much to do. chores out the wazoo. packing is needed. cleaning is sorely needed (we do have a subletter whom i'm sure would appreciate a sparkly bathroom). thus, the only possible thing to do is:

take a nap with the dixie dog :)

mollusk surf shop treehouse

mollusk surf shop treehouse, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

just a little eye candy treat for you on a sunday. these are at mollusk surf shop out in the avenues. we love that store. seen good art shows there & killer music shows. ran into barry mcgee there with his daughter...saw a lovely moment between the two of them.

b.l. needed some last minute new shorts & a lightweight surf hoodie so we went on a little errand. these treehouses are too cool. we found out the artist who made them is actually in n.y. studying at art school. these sparked such a craving to cut shapes out of wood for me & paint some of my trees on leaves....thus i started quizzing the mister about jig saw cutting some out when we get back from europe. for a coupla years now he's been bugging me to design/paint some skateboard decks. it keeps coming back up - we have a friend who could cut some older styles for us; more like surf boards, less like big fatty decks...so i think we'll revisit this again later this summer...

...so many ideas/projects...so seemingly little amounts of time...

phew. passport finally came.

phew. passport finally came., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

halle-freakin-lujah. it has been SUCH an ordeal to get this. we just found out that the mister's is supposed to be fed exed by tuesday --- considering we leave thursday, i certainly hope that is the case!

also, the paris hotel debaucle is seemingly under control (previous one we booked just shut down due to fire hazards because of so much wood....errrr....it's been there 100+ years but apparently now, it might go up in a poof, so no staying there for us!) i'm still awaiting confirmation on the new place we selected. we shortened our stay to 4 nights instead of 6. a coupla other exciting things popped up. we are thinking about staying a night or two in slovenia. mediterranean flair without the tourists & super high expense.

we also found out the the venice biennale is going on!!!! as well as documentia in germany -- it's the first time that a lot of these super art world fairs have been going on at the same time; so hopefully we'll be able to hit some of these too! super exciting!

i can't believe we'll be abroad in under a week. :) :) :) :) i'm just a wee bit EXCITED!

sent off the last of the sprout studio packages today, cleaning up my packing & processing table & stashed all felt club goodies so we can swoop in & grab them when we get back.

renegade chicago applications just went up! i'm thinking i might apply for this one - i've done brooklyn twice but not chicago........we'll see. i did apply to crafty bastards, cross fingers for me :)

i'll be posting again before we leave for sure.

xxx.

a portion of the personal collection

a portion of the personal collection, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this is maybe half of the collection that i own. they all hang on pushpins by my bed. these are getting a change out of cord color...

i obviously have a "letting go" problem -- i love making these necklaces & i love wearing them. mostly, i love being able to keep the ones that speak to me the most.

let me tell you the best part in the world of selling some of these treats -- it's seeing someone pick one out that truly speaks to them - the time it takes them to find just the right one, until the match is complete. some folks take *ages* to choose their's - & ya know what? i think that is so awesome. they know they must have one, they just have to find the exact one that is perfect for them. & when they finally decide, it's so fun to see which pendant matched up with which person! happy sprout studio folks displaying their necklaces are a favorite picture for me :)

felt club - another banner!

felt club - another banner!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

very excited for this show :) and they pictured those cutie vintage rings of mine! thanks felt club!

vans + capsule recap + blog/artist meet up

vans + capsule recap + blog/artist meet up, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

pictured above are me in vans & lisa c. in vans....a happenstance meet up with lisa congdon - of course she is just lovely & it was about time we actually met each other! she was hanging out with rena of rare device whom i also sort of semi quasi know through the switchboards forum!

i also met annie of wexford girl - another artist & blogger who has a studio close to me. she does awesome paintings of wrestler girls - i love them!

as well, kati of the super store doe, was out & about at capsule. (where lisa c's show is up with her sister's goodies too) she recognized a few sprout treats i had sent out in a care package for her & her girls organized by susie of boygirlparty. it was very cool to meet her.

and last, got to chat with deb of chicosas for a few; another switchboard gal. even though the weather was crappy & i was freezing, all in all it was a terrific shrinking art world kinda day!

capsule street fair - sprout at the verrrrrrrrrrry end

capsule street fair - sprout at the verrrrrrrrrrry end, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

got in!

got in!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

so excited to be doing felt club on sunday, july 15th down in l.a. :) we'll be coming in from europe & turning around and driving down south!! busy, full summer ahead!

flickr fav hands mosaic - one more friday treat

friday flickr fav hands mosaic, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

it's all in the quiet gesture of the hand. beautiful no? i think of sally mann when i see these too, speaking about the intimate gesture...of the hand being "just so"...& these all speak to that. i love them all :)

...and then, a little more miranda july

go here and click on collaborate & you'll get another nice beginning to your friday morning (or afternoon)...(or evening...)...

to start off your friday morning:

from berlin: i want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things.

i'll be back a little later with some other good friday things :)

new sprout studio goodies/ felt club acceptance!

new sprout studio goodies, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

quickie newness in sprout studio world. these are for the upcoming capsule street fair this sunday in hayes valley. they will also be making their way to jena with modishoppe and, i found out today i was accepted to felt club's XL summer event!! yay! so i'll be speeding down to l.a. two days after i get back from our europe trek - hello packed summer. sunday, july 15th we'll be clubbin' it with some awesome vendors as well as hanging out with the super duper twospace crew! cocktails & barbecues is what i'm talking about :)

i'm sure we'll be exhausted after all that fun & need to lay down on the beach and "act like vegetables, be still like broccoli." (prize for whoever can name that movie line!)

off to get our eurail passes!

itty bitty vintage owl earrings

itty bitty vintage owl earrings, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

europe itinerary: overly ambitious, sure to change!

june 7th-july 12th. we think it might go something like this: arrive london, stay 4-5 days. paris 6 nights at least (maybe longer if we can't bear to leave). lyon for a coupla days. marseilles to skate for the mister & me to lay on nude beach (do i dare?!) & eat bouillabaise. train to venice for quickie evening/walk around/dinner. definitely budapest - very excited about this. possibly prague (but i'm getting not so excited the more i read - sounds overdone & touristy - am i wrong?). definitely berlin. then if we can squeak amsterdam & belgium in we'd really like too. we leave back out of london. depending on our schedules & what not we'd love to swing over to galway to see a friend, but i'm not sure if we'll make that. i should have booked us 8 weeks for our first time traipsing around europe, not 5 - whatever was i thinking?! (probably about the bank account)

the mister is callin' on unarrived passports today, tomorrow we figure out the very confusing choices for eurail, call the banks so they'll let us have our money while we are over there...do a faux packing so i know if i need to ditch some things. finalize shoe decision - for some reason this has been taking up an insane amount of debate for me...how many? which ones? are they comfortable enough? what if it rains? what if i get blisters? what if i want to go somewhere fancy? what if i just want to lace up some sneaks? what if what if what if...groan.

of course, suggestions are always welcome here! let us know if you have favorites & not to be missed places!

very strict art diet. very strict no spending diet.

i love my mail, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

so we leave in europe in about 2 weeks or so. absolutely no more purchasing prints for me. period. no matter how much i'm smitten & love them. no more. now i keep thinking, do i want this great print, or, do i want to sip some tea while looking at the eiffel tower...do i need to buy this now, or can it wait until after i've stared at the lovely babushkas in budapest...must this come in the mail before europe, or after i've seen the morning light in venice?

well obviously, i need to restrain myself. no more.

still wrapping up loose ends with sprout studio.

xxx.

in the mail

in the mail, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

art doin's to the sad back...

vernissage; SFAI mfa opening show at fort mason, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

last week we got the chance to see miranda july speak at yerba buena center for the arts along with 2 other artists on generosity. it was truly a great, albeit short, chat about generosity in the arts & their perspective on this theme. she relayed a story about a piece she sometimes does. it goes like this: at talks & such, before entering into the room, july will ask for something from your purse or bag that you might be willing to part with - say, some altoids, or a sharpie or something. each person, if willing gives up something. then when seated, she will start an "auction" of sorts and in this rather small setting, bidding begins on these items. strange in and of itself no? to be bidding on someone's sharpie? well, at the end, she collects the money & she asks everyone to close their eyes - and then asks to the audience, with their eyes closed, who among them would this $100 or so, really & truly make a difference to them. could really make an impact in their life -- and whoever raises their hand, she gives it to them...isn't that moving? what an intimate, generous gesture...

on top of hearing her speak, at the end upon leaving, we each received her new book, no one belongs here more than you for FREE! talk about generosity :) she's my art hero for right now.

friday night we went to the MFA show at fort mason for SFAI students. the mister received his masters there so we like to go to the openings & keep up! this was my favorite piece. go check it out if you get the chance.

last, i was supposed to go to the maker faire in san mateo, and i tweaked my back slinging the 50 lb bag of dog food around like it was a baby on my hip or something - thus, all weekend in bed with the heating pad :( boo hoo. but poor dixie loo seriously had no food for like a week. we were feeding her bones with peanut butter & human food snacks because neither of us could make it to the darn pawtrero pet store to pick it up for her. bad owners, such bad owners!

this week entails: calling the passport office because they *still* haven't come - geez louise already. we applied back in february! tying up some loose ends with sprout studio, getting a coupla wholesale orders off & the last of the packages before we scoot out for our divine litte first time trot across europe!! we confirmed our hotel in paris, & the more i read on berlin & budapest, the more i'm thinking we may want to spend a wee bit more time there and less in other places like prague & krakow...we shall see!

more later lovelies! have a great start to your week :)

calling all artists who might need living/work space

momma & me chillin' last sunday a.m., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

one more quick post for friday; i forgot to mention, that we have lost several awesome neighbors to international moves, home buys, & whatnot in our building. so several of our relatively cool, industrial units are open in the building we live in (dogpatch neighborhood). so if you know any artists that like to combine their art & living space, or just need a good community building to be in - we want cool art lovin' neighbors!!

let me know & i'll give you more details!

belated momma's day song/weekend plans

in case you didn't get your mother's day fix, jenny over at frecklewonder received perhaps, the cutest little song treat ever for her mother's day gift a while back & reposted it here -- go have a listen, and have a sweet grin on your friday face!

i'll be busy sprout studio-in' it for the capsule street fair & then heading out to the maker faire to say hi to friends, do a little shopping, see some demo's, and try not be put-out that they rejected *me* as one of there vendors...ah-hem... :)

oh! & the cutest, sweetest jen of pretty modest did another little write up on my rings & such. thanks for your support jen, as always!

have a wonderful weekend!

thank you indie fixx

thank you indie fixx, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

jen is having a birthday very soon, and she wants some of my goodies! she has her whole list up here! she's got her eye on these little cute birdies!

happy early birthday jen!

mati in her studio door/me

mati in her studio door/me, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i got the pleasure of meeting this lovely gal, mati on sunday at her studio during the mission open studios weekend. just as sweet as i thought she would be (with beautiful turqoise accessories!). this is when the shrinking blog/art community is such a fun thing!

i look forward to having a fun chat again with mati soon! :)

mati in her studio courtyard

mati in her studio courtyard, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

sprout studio booth set up

sprout studio booth set up, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i'm getting much more trim/slim quick/slick at setting up my little get-up at fairs. even though i've sworn off smaller shows, somehow i always end up doing one here & there. this one was fun, a smidgie slow, but how nice is it to have people super excited about something *you* made & want to purchase it for their very own?!

i'll have more goodies out at capsule at the end of the month. i hear tell it's crazy windy; which makes me nervous -- i'll need to figure out a way to make my booth cute without everything flying away like a kite. suggestions?

around the home; we are gearing up for europe (leave in 3 weeks - eep!) - we bought our packs yesterday at REI on sale. yay for 20% off sales! if it doesn't fit in my pack, it's not coming with me!

we mosied around the mission open studios yesterday; i'll post some photos later - i met mati rose - so lovely & sweet! & she has an amazing light filled studio building & courtyard...i think the mister shot some photos of that too, so i'll share those later!

xxx.

reminder: maven craft fair tomorrow!

sprout studio news:

maven fair is tomorrow from 11-4; come by & say hi if you are in the neighborhood! i'll be super busy when i get home this evening finishing up new glass necklaces, bracelets, hair pins, updating signage, packing up my vintage totes & whatnot to get ready. wendy with orange button stopped by last evening to pick a handful of glass image necklaces to restock her store. she is by far, one of my most favorite shop owners to consign with. she's going to be out at capsule at the end of the month too. a really good friend of mine is going to also be up manning a booth for her brother that weekend; should be super fun!

the mister & i are going to try to make the mission open studios tonight, & if not, (because i'll start to get stressed with too much to do for tomorrow) we'll make it by on sunday. we've been missing out on a lot of art openings lately via crossed schedules, mis matched calendars, being foiled by not showing up on the right time/day & basically going different ways - we need to catch up!

have a fab weekend folks!

ppo closing/sale

a little bittersweet, but you can get some treats: purple pink & orange shop will be closing its doors very soon. amy is great gal & is moving on to bigger things! go get some goodies on sale!

tutorial: guatemalen worry dolls

close up of the guatemalen worry dolls, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

(all in text though) - i did these with my first graders.

1. choose doll clothespin type (there are several styles out there which really make the face/body look different. there are also shades of the dolls too so everyone doesn't have to be caucasian!)

2. i use yarn for the hair; i put out lots of different styles for the kiddos to choose from. i stress that boys can have long hair, braids, pony tails whatever, just like the ladies can chop all the hair off if they want too.

3. after they choose the hair, make sure you know the style they are doing. ie: if kiddo wants to do braids, i loop the yarn twelve times and then tie it in a know in the middle - thus when it is hot glued onto the head, i take 2 strings each for the 3 stranded braid.

4. after they have chosen the hair & i've looped it and tied it into a knot, they choose 3 different colors of embroidery thread.

5. hot glue hair on with the knot smack dab on top of the head. have kids snip loops of yarn & then help them style whichever way they choose.

6. double knot first color of embroidery thread and start to wrap around the doll - when you get to the second color, double knot again & continue to wrap. when you get to the third color, what you do to get the X mark is wrap second string third string twice around and then pull it diagonally across 2nd band of color. wrap twice in between 1st & second color and then pull it diagonally back between 2nd & 3rd colors & then continue to wrap the third color all the way down. i smear some aileen's tacky glue on the thread to keep it from unraveling.

7. faces are done last with skinny sharpie markers.

8. tell your worry doll everything you are anxious about & stick it under your pillow. voila! worry doll does all worrying for you :)

*my favorite part of this project is having the kiddos come in the next day after getting their worry doll back & telling me how "it worked!! i told my doll all my secrets & worries last night & it worked!!!"

how great is that?!

annual art show - me in the middle

annual art show - me in the middle, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

what have i been up to? alllll this...just got finished putting on the spring art show. wow, i'm tired. but i now have to work on a trade for ms. donna with one little monkey, string up a bunch of new glass piece necklaces for maven craft fair next saturday, get together some button pin packages for needles & pens, & get a little pre summer newsletter together to send out to my mailing list, & THEN, i gotta get myself to REI to pick up a pack for europe & buy our eurail passes & book somewhere to stay in paris among other things!!!!!

i want to be like dixie right now & snooze on the ole couchie. but not yet. not now. must be productive! must go to fun party tonight for our rad neighbors that moved out of our awesome building. (anyone in the bay area looking for a industrial live/work to move into? good neighbors :) dog friendly!!)

gonna grab some lunch, take a short run & then back to sprout studio business for this girl.

happy saturday everyone!