Babies Are Tiny Creatures

Newbie, nephew, Dilan.

Color for Color Sake

Making Monday: Little Room Little Cups

Left over plastic cups from hosting a bridal shower, duct tape collage to cover hearts printed on cups, nail cups to wall, place objects inside. I have many writing utensils. This re-purposing of materials worked quite well to house them.

No Buy Black Friday

In July of this year we started a “No Buy Year” which is pretty much as it sounds. Basically it means not buying anything new for an entire year other than necessities. People do this for all sorts of reasons; saving money, buying less, reducing clutter, reusing what we can, re-purposing what we already have, and using fewer resources for products and packaging. All of these reasons apply to us. More posts about our progress with this will follow. These are some of the specific rules we made for ourselves:

1. no purchasing anything new, except for household or work necessities

2. no purchasing of craft materials even just to finish projects

3. $10 weekly entertainment and eating out budget

4. no prepared food meals such as frozen pizza

5. rent or buy things used whenever possible

6. $15 every week for the “Train Fund”

7. convince parents and friends to not give store bought gifts

My Morning View

This is the view from my walk between bus stops under the Hiawatha bridge over Franklin in SE Minneapolis. I think the pillars and light are quite stunning.

Making Monday: Rice Hot Pad

In light of recent ovarian pain, I made hot pads from leftover fabric and rice. Just sew around the outsides, leave a hole, put desired amount of rice in, sew up the hole, and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave. You can reuse it as much as needed. Also, some people put herbs and things in with the rice. The hot pads worked quite well. One for each ovary!

Super Heroes

This is a video of an activity we made happen at the Walker Open Field this summer.
Video made by Edward Shallow.

Jelly

From our overnight at Sea Life (Mall of America). Sea creatures are fantastic.

22 Things to do Before I turn 23

22 Things to do Before I turn 23
1. Work in a 'sketchbook' every Wednesday night.
2. Donate hair to Locks of Love.
3. Get a children book published.
4. Ride a train.
5. Get a second tattoo.
6. Take a dance class.
7. Show my art in a public space.
8. Take part in Northern Spark.
9. Show Infinity a Chile sunset in the mountains.
10. Cut all monetary ties to parents.
11. Visit the ocean.
12. Make $500 from my art.
13. Pay back the $800.
14. Properly learn to ride a bike.
15. Hug a Redwood tree.
16. The Kentucky Trip (Wigwam Village & Dinosaur World)
17. Complete the 52 Poems Project.
18. Make a rocking chair.
19. Give arts & crafts leadership at Camp Quest MN.
20. Go to the LOTR marathon at the Riverview.
21. Be vegan for a month.
22. The Billboard Project.

11-11-11

I turned 22 yesterday. Every birthday I create a master list of goals to be accomplish in the upcoming year of my life. Every birthday I also get to go back and see how I have done. And so here we go:

21 Things to do Before I Turn 22
1. Enter a craft to the State Fair. done.
2. Try being vegetarian for a month. done.
3. Sketch something or take a picture everyday. doneish, I modified it to just September.
4. Write on poem every week. I made it to 34 out of 52.
5. Make a quilt (for a full size bed). done, I made 2.
6. Make a tent for bed. done.
7. Design and build something out of wood. done, bunk-bed.
8. Leave the country. done, Mexico City Spring Break.
9. Go to Dinosaur World.
10. Try Social Tango. honestly i lost all interest.
11. Save money for summer rent. done.
12. Volunteer for something besides the Walker. done, bilingual aid in a kindergarten classroom.
13. Read Faulkner. done, New Orleans Sketches.
14. Watch every Grace Kelly movie. done.
15. Learn to do the splits and one handed cartwheels.
16. Knit a pair of socks. done.
17. Grown pumpkins and purple cabbage. pumpkins, done.
18. Stay at a Wigwam Village.
19. Make Surprise Balls.
20. Don't cut hair. done.
21. See more movies in movie theaters. done, 17 in all.

coming soon, the new list.

The skateboard project

Paint a skateboard has been on my list of things to do, well probably for year now and so I finally pulled out the gesso and gave myself a canvas.


I ended up drawing with shaprie instead of painting, which really is more my style anyways.


I have been doodling geometric designs in my notebooks this semester and figured this would be a great second life for them. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Bubble Quilt

Finally finished this, been meaning to for some time.

Making Monday: Pumpkin Bread

This Sunday we used the Betty Crocker Cookbook to make Pumpkin Bread!

We added nutmeg and allspice, and got to use the pumpkin puree we made from pumpkins, bought on a spontaneous 3 hour road trip to Afton.

Empty Bowls

A local park has an event called "Empty Bowls". It is their 5th year. The idea is that handmade bowls are donated, you choose a bowl, donate money, fill your bowl with soup and bread, and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors. The money is donated to local food shelves and organizations. These are the bowls we chose.

Link for more information:
Powderhorn 365

Link for participating organization:
Sister's Camelot

Before