experience is wisdom

experience is wisdom, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

ah yes...the older i get, the more i believe this... (the wiser i'm becoming)

on the agenda for the 3 day weekend:

*make homemade sauce with 9 lbs of tomatoes, basil, eggplant & squashes from the market
*make fieryeyed's challah bread
*package up sprout studio orders & do a mini clean
*pot up new clover plant & succulent plant
*make fried green tomatoes from my poor tomato plants that just aren't liking the SF fog
*have a picnic in dolores park & see the SF mime troupe
*put away all my recently thrifted vintage wardrobe scores & do a major haul out of the stuffed closet
*go for a hike with dixie loo dog
*book club meeting to talk about the sucky book (don't read "be near me" no fun -- an official phhtthgfffff.....
*rest up, because those little grubby peeps gave me a cold on my first week back - they are true germaholics those kiddos!

what's on your weekend agenda?

negligent blogger - update now!

wow, have i been the absentee blogger or what?! well, first things first - oregon was the super duper head cleanse we needed. highlights from the summer:

*i went home for a brief week; to see some ladies & catch up with my 3 year old nephew & the fam. virginia delivered the requisite hot weather and amazing thrift goods.

*we had a 4th of july camp out that was lovely. our neighbors joined us in another bus we loaned them - we need to do this more actually. wanna come next time?

*the renegade craft fair was awesome.

OREGON (i love you) (but my heart lies with california):

*portland pickathon (with shash & liz) -- a wonderful community of musicians, sustainable culture & the just the right amount of people as festival goers/campers. the line up of music was really terrific and i hope to go again next year.

*deelish dinner in portland neighborhoods with locally grown produce & locally brewed beer. i wish i could love 9 months of gray & rain, alas, i cannot - but portland, you are just great & i will always come for visits.

*backroads - why travel any other way? i mean, can you beat fern & birch tree forest grove campsites? we stayed at maybe 3 or 4 designated campsites, other than that, off roads & U.S. forest land way way way up in nowhere ville. just our style. thank you oregon for giving us these byways and no-highways :)

*mt hood & the columbia gorge. hello gorgeous land, you do the soul good.

*some sasquatch love, some golden light & some dixie loo time.

*THE THRIFT STORES! if you are really nice to me, maybe i'll tell you the best 15 mile thrift run in all of oregon. there are gems on that road - true diamond thrifting to be sure!

*the best part though? spending time with my favorite person in the whole wide world, the mister :)

& as long as i'm divulging highlights - did i mention the part about the heroin addict living in our home (thus the disappearing acts & stressful emotional drama on our ends) & the tiger penis found at the bar down the street? oh yes, it's been a very full, long, draining summer. hooray for autumn and new school starts right?

i'm climbing back up on that bucking bronco life and going for the ride again :)

xxx.

we're back!

we're back!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...& semi-relaxed & ready to go. we had a really fabulous time. i'll be posting more photos and a few stories over the next week or so. however, school started back this week and the students come back tomorrow - so i'm just oh, a wee bit crazy!

i'm so happy though to be back in san francisco, i just love my pretty city so very much.

kisses to everyone. i've missed posting here.

hibernation continues...

4th of july camp out, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...when life says... i can be difficult, pesky, frustrating, fickle, sad, stressful, painful, crabby, cranky, & most of all heartbreaking...

...i say, i need to hibernate...which entails: lots of quiet time for me -- sitting on the bench the mister built with new plants peeking out & drink my ginger peach tea (favorite ever. ever ever.) puttering around the studio half heartedly cleaning up & possibly thinking about new ideas. baking cookies & cooking meals. spoiling dixie loo dog. crawling up into the bean bag chair and listening to endless youtubes of antony & cocorosie. reading, reading, reading. eating dark chocolate. buying flowers, tending my plants, and doing some healthy staring into the clouds...... & lots of thinking. & trying to regain that balance when life swings her mood down into the dark...

i'm a true cancer at heart. i'm not much of a spiller but to close friends - it's hard for me to trust and be super open until you've stuck around a little and my poor little cancer self can crack open a bit -- but tomorrow i go to see 2 of my favorite girlies -- to chat, to drink cocktails, and to sort out some life mess through being amongst each other. i'm super thankful for these ladies i've know almost since i moved here in 2001.

i leave for portland on tuesday for the pickathon with this lovely gal. we didn't think we'd have any time this summer to actually clear our heads and get out - through some rather upsetting circumstances, we actually are leaving -- which is the most needed thing in the world right now. we need the coast, sunsets, dixie on the beach & a cozy blanket wrapped around the 2 of us - a little snug cocoon...& when we come back mid august perhaps i'll be ready to peek back out and chase after that light again...

...i know i will be...i just need a little time. :)

xxx.

ms christine haynes & me

ms christine haynes & me, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

a total success is what the renegade fair out here in sf was. and such a good time between my two good friends, christine and mati & her man hugh. met lots of sweet people and listened to one amazing marching band - mucca pazza. go see them if you are in chicago anytime! thanks for coming out and saying hey to me :)

summer update/news: well, the out of town west coast tour hasn't quite happened, some major crazies have been happening in our world, but we are hoping for at least 2 weeks of down time...yet to be determined.

in the meantime, it will still be quiet here in the sprout blog world as our upside down world tries to right itself. it's been a bit of a crap ride here lately. good vibes are encouraged :)

xxx.

come out, come out SF peeps!!

come out, come out SF peeps!!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i hope everyone is planning on attending the renegade craft fair in SF! it's gonna be loads of fun with lots of "heavy hitters" in the craft world coming. i'm going to be in between my awesome friend christine, of the christinehaynes label, and my other lovely friend, mati (& her mister hugh) of the suspectshoppe! come say hi to all of us!!!

being quiet.

cup of the day, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i haven't had loads of things to say, so i'm just going to stay kinda hush over here. hope all is well in your land.

xxx.

renegade craft brooklyn - tomorrow!!

renegade craft brooklyn - tomorrow!!, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow!! (& sunday!) we are hoping & knowing those crazy thunderstorms are going to bypass williamsburg, brooklyn allllll together :)

it's very strange to have all my goodies out there without me, but go by and say hi to my bff kimmie!

creature comforts giveaway

check out ez's bday extravaganza giveaway: right here she has some amazing artist lovelies to go along with her celebrations!

done with the school race...

mmm....there it is. so lovely. thank you inspirationals., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...and here are my latest inspirationals. love me some flickr quilt. i'll be making a din din of pasta with pumpkin sage sauce & enjoying a wee glass of white wine this evening. spent all day with my 2 sprout interns - and tell me again why i haven't employed interns before?? (oh right, because they go to school during the school year too!) but how awesome is this...come by at 10am, stamp, sticker, cut, paste sprout studio madness for a few hours while chatting high school girlie talk and eating homemade pumpkin bread & tea (courtesy of sprout mistress herself). then, off for a very european 2+ hour lunch at outside italian restaurant piccino in the neighborhood with amazing blue bottle mocha's to send us on our way. back to sprout headquarters for more stamping, stuffing, boxing, stickering madness...send interns off with trade sprout jewelry of their choice. successful day yes? oh yes! :) i'll be having them over again soon i'm sure!

self portrait day

self portrait saturday, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

just saying a quickie hello...i want to be nappy napping like said dog-dog dixie loo below...i still think it kinda quizzical that it remains in the 60's in SF during the summer sometimes. i don't like heat & humidity like back in southeastern virginia, lord knows i wilt, but sometimes a little bit more warmy sun would be nice...

friday is the last day of school for me - hoorah! i'm busy busy busy with closing down everything for the summer, plus gearing up for renegade craft in brooklyn (i'm mailing everything to brooklyn - my bff is running my booth!) and for RCF SF too...and then some leisurely lolling time...

(but really, when will my brain ever stop whirring with ideas for *this great idea* and an idea for *this book to read* and an idea for *this art thing to pursue* and an idea for *this yummy thing to try to make* and an idea for...you get the idea...)

anyone see the new "sex & the city" movie yet? i have a girlie day next saturday planned with pedi's, dinner, vino, and *the* movie - sooo fun. i shamelessly love that series. and i've heard rave reviews on the movie! yay!

happy monday!

nappy time for dixie loo

nappy time for dixie loo, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

this is what i want to be doing. a lot of. but not quite yet. one more week of push...

last may weekend for the MAY DAYS sale...

last may weekend for the MAY DAYS sale..., originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...on my sprout studio site and my etsy site - scoop up some stuff quick like, because things will be going OFF sale after may! :)

& have yourself a fabulous memorial day weekend, i will be trying to take it easy whilst doing some sprout time.
xxx.

so good to start the day...

a little johnny, a little louis - just fine.

so so good
happy weekend coming along lovies :)
xxx.

bowl full of good luck birds

bowl full of good luck birds, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...these birdies are flying away to the renegade show here in SF in july...

also, there are some choice birdies on sale for may at my etsy shop!

been slogging through end of school world. i'll pop up eventually, hopefully :)

quick news in the meantime: ...the mister is outta town for a bit on a mission, the doggie is sick (nothing like waking up to sick dog at 2:30 am, poor loo dog), my foot is still hurting from a silly running strain, (contributing to my sluggish feeling since i'm not walking home right now, bleh), i did get some pr work done this weekend (although, dunno if i'll see fruition from any of it), having first ever book club meeting soon at my place (yay), bought tickets to the portland pickathon for august (i think this lovely gal is going to be in attendance with us!), and generally trying to get ready for summer :)

more later - i still haven't shared my kiddo's art show photos yet, i'm so behind - sigh, sigh, sigh!

...maybe i just need an early cocktail - a gin & tonic with extra lime will do just fine - ha!

more soon lovelies.

xxx.

the california news

thrilling!!!

i'm super proud of my state right now :) :)

i do.

at CCA, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

i love lots.

whilst walking around the CCA exhibit i found this in a wee back corner. had to snap it. i'm making the final push toward the end of school - the kids are ready to be out, as am i. i am ready to have some days of respite, some days of traveling, some days of sprout studio focus, some days of art making focus, some leisurely days of reading & lolling. (i wonder the root of the word, lolling...)

anyhow sweet poppets,

hope your weeks are starting off right, with lots to love :)

xxx.

MAY DAYS sale!

good luck birds in their new environment, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

...i'm having a sale over at the sprout studio site; lots of treats marked down; some just for the month of may! also for all of may, my ceramic good luck birds on my etsy site are only $18! does someone need a good luck pick me up? a little lucky belly rub to the bird will bring that special certain someone some extra charm :) scoot on over and have a birdie fly away to a needed home!

xxx.

favorite magic flickr quilt

favorite magic flickr quilt, originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

the inspiration never ceases to amaze me. it's so dreamy to have all these favorites in one place...it calms me to look at them and makes me very, very happy :)

anniversary day :)

anniversary day :), originally uploaded by sproutgirl74.

we turned 12 on april 27th! 7 married, 12 all together :) yay!

...in 1997 (which is this photo) we took our first cross country road trip together in the original nellie vw bus - it was my first time west past chicago and i fell in LOVE. (well, with the mister & the traveling!) this is on the west coast up in oregon - i adore the west coast and especially the oregon coast - so rugged & breathtaking.

we never thought we'd end up out here in SF, but we moved here right after we got married in 2001. and we are still hanging on :) our ongoing dilemma is just how does one stay put in one of the most expensive, amazing cities in america on two artists salaries? (plus the art educator/free lance photo salary which really doesn't add up to a whole heck of a lot!!!) any tips on that? ;) do share!

i gave the mister a few little card and art treats for the a. day; i'll share them a bit later. on monday, we both had the day off, so we went down to the monterey bay aquarium - we had never been. i have a thing with zoos and aquariums and i'm sure you can imagine all my distraught captivity political thoughts that go swirling around in my brain (you did know didn't you, that my life's agenda was going to be to work with dolphins during my formative youth years?! oh yes, up until my senior year when i took a.p. oceanography and one - "we have to dissect what?" - i quickly became the 'illustrator' in the group. and then two - "we have to do what kind of math?" DRAT! i HATE math. boo hoo hoo....off to be an artist ;) i guess....sigh....as i curl up and read madeleine l'engle's -- a ring of endless of light"
for the umpteenth time and get lost in vicky's dolphin & boy world...)

so, yes, i have a thing for the sea animals too. it wasn't as disheartening as it could have been, and i did LOVE the jellies, but it's kind of hard to look at big fish & sharks swimming round and round and round and round...wouldn't you go crazy too?! oh, the penguins & sea otters were pretty darn rad also...

the drive down was beauteous & we had a fun time together...here's to many more years ahead for us! :) hoorah!

the other news is i'm finally finished with my k-8 students art show - the hugest event of the year that i put on - PHEW. i'll post photos soon. it's also the most rewarding night of the year for me :)

off to catch up on my sorely neglected sprout studio business; i have lots of updating to do. i've made scores of new glass necklaces just waiting to be posted - check them out in the next week or so.

happy wednesdsay lovies! (or muffins as mati likes to say...OR, i'm kinda fond of "poppet" myself!)

xxx.