my new fave.

Remember those wasssup guys from that beer commercial? Eight years later, this is wonderful.




Happy Blogtoberfest! I know this will be my last post and it's been a blast! Don't forget to thank Big Cat!

One more week!

And vote early if you can!

Weekly Kafka

This week, Kafka won't have his puppy class . He'll be sad, and so will I. He likes to learn and with most things picks stuff up within a few minutes. Besides three accidents, he was house-trained in two days. I'll miss it because it's one day out of the week where I know that he will listen. I think he likes to show off a little, because when he's at home, his puppy-adolescence prohibits him from paying attention %50 of the time. As always, pictures are from this past week.

Kafka continues to grow and grow and grow. Unbelievably, he also seems to gain energy as each day passes. He runs, he jumps, he flies.
Now that our yard is covered in dead leaves, he is thrilled. He will tear through the carpet of leaves and turn to catch them as they scatter into the air. It is endlessly entertaining for both of us.
He is still ready to lounge everywhere and anywhere. Especially if he can climb on someone to do it.
What a dog.

Oh my!

I have been a VERY bad Blogtoberfest blogger recently, and am feeling ashamed.

Between the desk job, the art job and home I have been busy busy busy, and last night, while attempting to at least get up the Weekly Kafka, I fell asleep at my laptop. Nice. I'll try and stuff that in a little later today!

I did however, get a little over a foot of hair cut off on Saturday.

Silence

My brother, who already was in Iraq three (maybe four?) times, got out of the military about two years ago. Now he has to go back to the Marines November 3, most likely to Afghanistan.

Please remember to vote on November 4.

Silence is in the shop.

Weekly Kafka

Well... late Kafka is better than no Kafka.

He really knows how to relax.

He wants to eat all the time.
All the time.

I love this dog.


He loves balls.

Flying Dutchman

I needed some inspiration, because I've had a long day.

Then, Drewzel over at Blog Portion notified me earlier that she had decreed today Blogtoberfest Fave Friday, and wanted people to focus on one or a couple of their favorite songs. That's tough for me, because I have so many favorites, however, I thought it would be good to highlight a song that , while perhaps not my favorite song of all time, has the best Youtube cover ever.

Witness PS22 in their glory:



Can you stand it? How fabulous is that?? Don't you love how INTO it they are? It's funny and disarming and wonderful, and lucky for you, you can see more at the PS22 blog.

And if you need to hear the original Tori Amos version, you can find it here.

p.s. Drewzel has the coolest car.

Thursday Haiku

It's Thursday. I need
a new haircut. The falling
leaves tangle my ends.

it's too bad I couldn't get an appointment with my girl until a week from Saturday.

Blog Action Day 2008 - Local Poverty

Some years ago, after a long night of drinking and dancing, some friends and I went to a local (then open 24 hours) landmark restaurant, Nick Tahou's, and each ordered their famous Garbage Plate. When we were done I had eaten maybe a third of mine ( I was already full with beer) and, as this was still in the days when you could smoke in restaurants in New York, we lit up (yes, yes, I know... I quit a long time ago) and all began knocking the ash onto my partially finished meal because there was no ashtray on our table.

About twenty minutes later, we were still talking, smoking and ashing all over the same plate when a homeless man came up to the table. Thinking back, he must have been in his 40s, was missing several teeth and must have been wearing at least six layers of clothes. I think he had been sitting across the aisle from us most of the time we were there, nursing a coffee, but none of us had really noticed him.

"Excuse me," he said, holding out an ashtray and pointing down at my plate, "can I trade you for that?"

We looked at each other, and I slid the now grey, ashy plate across the table to him, as he set down the actual ashtray with a breathless, "thanks!"

He then sat back down across the aisle, dumped ketchup and hot sauce on the whole pile, and began to eat.

"Wait", we said, "there are cigarette ashes and butts all over that!"

"I know," he replied, between bites, "that just fills you up more."

I have never felt so much like a fool as I did right then.

Poverty is not just about countries devastated with famine or choked by war. It is about your city, town and neighborhood. It is about the people that desperately look for help at churches and community centers; it is about children on the school lunch programs who lack adequate medical care.

You don't have to go far, so here are 88 simple ways to fight poverty.

supernatural

I sketched this slippery guy a while ago, but never got around to getting him down... well, now he's here. This isn't a great picture of him, but I'll post some more when I scan him.

a giveaway worth clicking on!

The Indie Fixx Autumn Cornucopia Giveaway has two unbelievably generous and wonderful prizes, so you need to go there right away and comment that you read about it here. Just look at the fabulousness you could win:

* Prize #1 (valued at $389) *
1. Sublime Stitching embroidery patterns.
2. Print from The Happygirl Shop
3. Necklace from Starving Artist Bazaar
4. Soap from Feto Soap
5. Necklace from Karalee Designs
6. Bag from Becky OH!
7. Journal from Ex Libris Anymous
8. Goodies from Mau Studio
9. Wall Vinyls from studiojk
10. Shea Butter Sugar Scrub from Bidwell Botanicals
11. Print from Berkley Illustration (not pictured)
12. Goodies from Sprout Studio (not pictured)
13. Lace Knitting to Go (by Andrea Tung), Home Sewn (Kaari Meng) & “Little Notes” card set (by Susie Ghahremani) all from Chronicle Books

* Prize #2 (valued at $386) *
1. Print from The Happygirl Shop
2. Earrings from Kutuu
3. Soap from Boh Bon Soap Co.
4. Bag from Faite Designs
5. Journal from Ex Libris Anymous
6. Goodies from Mau Studio
7. Bag from IMOOI
8. Baby tee & cards from Goh Girl
9. Print from Berkley Illustration (not pictured)
10. Goodies from Sprout Studio (not pictured)
11. Shea Butter Sugar Scrub from Bidwell Botanicals
12. Scarflette from Marketta New York
13. Little Stitches for Little Ones (Amy Butler), Picture Perfect Knits (by Laura Birek), Sublime Stitching Craft Pad (by Jenny Hart) all from Chronicle Books

What are you waiting for?? Head on over and win right now!

Monday Monday

So I got some stuff done yesterday, but not as much as I would've liked. I was hoping to finish painting my sideboard into the sun and even though I worked my butt off, it was not to be. I was painting the molding on the drawers and cabinet doors and the black enamel I've been using is simply not giving me the coverage I was hoping for. Eventually I gave up for the day and moved on to a painting I've got in the works. I got maybe one drawer finished, but everything else is only partially finished because of the number of coats I have to lay down. UGH.

Here is a little piece of mine that I have yet to post:

Shadow oil pastel, graphite, paper on canvas.

I have an obsession with beetles, and this is just one of a large series that I did on them. It's quite small-- I think 4x6 inches if I'm thinking correctly, but I really like the way it came out. The beetle is from an old National Geographic and I love him dearly.


Kafka's day yesterday (as there seem to be a large number of you interested in his daily goings on) consisted of eating sticks and dirt, and then throwing up a little, which of course didn't phase him at all. Ah, the joys of puppy hood. :)

Happy Monday!

a word on sundays

Football.


I would leave you with more, but today I very much need to finish some projects and spend the day engrossed in the games with my husband. See you tomorrow. Love, me.

Weekly Kafka

I figured at this point I better give you some Kafka candy and that it would be best if I tried to make it regular, so allow to to introduce to you the weekly Kafka. I also thought it would be a good time to test out Picnik. It is so much fun to play with it's ridiculous. If you haven't tried it yet, go there as soon as you have soaked in some Kafka attitude.

These were all taken this week.

So freaking cute when he wants to be.

Kafka has an excellent, if sometimes inappropriate, sense of humor.

And he can fly!

don't kill me.

I have been trying so hard to keep up with Blogtoberfest. Not only posting everyday, but visiting the blogs of the other people participating, because there are so many creative, wonderful people enjoying Big Cat's fest! So remember this, because last night when I fell asleep with my laptop open before I could put up a new post, it was not for lack of trying.

This morning, because I am tired, I will rely on older photos that I haven't posted here. I have so many other things I want to post, but need to get to work, so I will go out of my way to make it up to you later!

Horse. Watercolor, pencil, and cotton embroidery on canvas.

Have a wonderful day!

Hallelujah!

1. I feel so much better today! In fact-- I actually was able to go to work. And I was super excited about it.

2. I got some work done on a piece that I have been avoiding because it wasn't going that well. Now, I rather like it. More on this in an upcoming post.

3. My friend Amy sent me this picture:

Right, Sarah and that jacket do not play nicely together. But tell me , is that girl in the circle Gov. Palin's daughter? Let's look at the close up:
Bigger picture here.

Nice middle finger, kiddo. This is totally something I would've gotten caught doing.

4. Out of curiosity, what do those of you outside the U.S. think of this whole election thing? And what about Palin, anyway? I'd just like to pick your brains because it's so hard to imagine what it would be like looking in on this, so don't worry that I'm going to argue with you or haunt your blogs or anything. I really am curious, so come on, gimme your thoughts!

4. I got the sweetest card today from a friend of my mother's who basically was like a mom to me. It was so beautiful and heartfelt that I cried. And I didn't do one of those lady-like cries either. I gave it the old ugly cry. Believe me, this letter deserved an ugly cry because it was Just That Good.

5. The mailman came:

hells yes, Lindsey.

My day? Made.

Otterific

I put him into the shop!

feet!


I really like the way he leans. His shape is good. The original was a present for a friend who then told me she would be honored if I made prints out of it. Amanda studied otter poop and played rugby. She would still study otter poop if there were any near her, and she sure as hell would play rugby if she had any health insurance.

sicky sick sick.

Ugh. Today I stayed home from work because I absolutely needed to. I am in a horrible mood, made only worse by the fact that I am horribly uncomfortable.

I thought I would tell you that there are three things that make me feel a little better:*

1. JJ calling to tell me he loves me.
2. a hug from the Meep.
3. the thought that someday soon, a wonderful package will be arriving from the creative hands of Lindsey Carr of Little Robot.

Aw hell yeah! I never win aaaannnyything, so I am, of course, endlessly thrilled. However, this is Lindsey we are talking about, and I remember very clearly when she first blogged about the headband she had made because it was soooo cool (like absolutely everything made by Lindsey).

Now I've got to go back to bed.

We are part werewolf and other things.

So today I had most of the day to myself, which is unusual. I wasn't, of course, completely alone. Kafka was there, as he always is. Catherine came over for a while after recovering from that nasty bug that has been galloping around the city. It was so, so , sooo good to see her. I asked her to take some photos for me in about a month. She has a great eye, and a great camera. I forgot actually to ask her about it today. Once the photos have been taken, I'll talk about them. Until then, hang tight!

My sister Autumn came over as well for a while tonight too, so I could pluck her crazy eyebrows. You know how some families all have the same nose? Well, we have that, but we also have a bad case of the crazy eyebrows. And by crazy eyebrows, I mean the kind that will grow several inches long, and threaten to take over your face. Like we are part werewolf. Thanks a lot, dad. If you let them go, not only do they get long, but they literally begin to grow in from our outside eyes into our hairline. Let me just point out, right here, that despite what you may be beginning to imagine here, we are not a hairy family. Between my sister and I, the eyebrows are the only thing that allude to out beastly background.

I pluck my own (wax does not work as well to tame these monsters), but my sister is convinced that she can't do her own, so I am honored to do them for her. They looked magnificent when she left. In three days... well, we'll see.

BLOGTOBERFEST!!

As often is the case, I was fashionably late. This time, it was for Blogtoberfest, which is hosted by Big Cat over at Big Cat's Emporium. Blogtoberfest involves blogging every day in October, or at least making an attempt to. Big Cat has already hosted a giveaway, but I believe we are looking at an art swap too, which is ALWAYS awesome.

So pop on over to Big Cat's Emporium, sign on to blog your ass off, then grab a banner from the always-awesome flossy-p, and join in the fun, even if you are fashionably late!

Lily

Lily is now available in the shop.