silliness...

some serious silliness...there are many more where these came from, enjoy!

and we're done...

*sigh* it was a several hour assembly with some minor swears and now a sore back...i know..you cannot even see the platform in the picture, but i assure you it is there and looks just like the one i posted earlier. so happy to be done. so tired. gut nacht meine freunde. x

craft happy announcement

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Craft Happy

Craft Show Featuring

Sylvia Min, Jill Ringler and Other Crafty Folks!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

10am-4pm

Niles Banquet Hall

37270 Niles Road, Fremont, CA 94536

Please come out and support your local artists!

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Sylvia Min

Eco-friendly Accessories for You & Your Home

• Art

• Bags

• Home Decor

• Kitchen Products

Unique handmade items created from

organic cotton and felt made from recycled plastic bottles.

E-mail: sylviamin@yahoo.com

Jill Ringler

Handmade Gifts and Accessories

Assortment of handmade goods from accessories to stationary,

using a combination of vintage, re-purposed and new materials.

Online: TheCuriousBeeStudio.com

Email: thecuriousbee@gmail.com

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silk screen cards!

to avoid boring you all with highs and woes of redecorating my bedroom, I'll throw in a curve ball and tell you about my new silk screen project. this has been in the design phase for almost a year with handmade versions sent out into the world on a regular basis. i have been dying to make a silk screen stencil to mass produce my bee-day cards. so today i will try it out and report back...

here is the design i finished this morning... the left is the front and the right is the inside.

phase two-compromising the vision

i am a very flexible person when it comes to doing what ends up being practical versus completely annoying in order to achieve my goals. that is why when I end up at Ikea on President's Day, when everyone else seems to be using their day off for the same type of errand, I just *sigh* and do what ever I can to not have to return any time soon.

I checked online for my little shelf, which clearly stated that the color and size I wanted was in stock at my local store. Alas, twas not so. So after guiding myself through the enormous maze that is Ikea, proud that I managed to navigate so well between large families bouncing around on beds and couples debating over scented candles, I made my way to the self-serve furniture bins and stood there before the empty slots with a blank stare. I paced back and forth, trying to rationalize painting a bright yellow one in the right size or getting 3 small shelves in white, paying $10 more than my budget, but achieving the desired width. I continued pacing and staring, until I decided to get 2 white ones, losing the space, keeping within budget and getting the hell out of Ikea.

It turns out that his and hers shelves is rather nice despite missing the extra space in between...

one phase complete...

i was so pipped up the other night that i did in fact make it to the fabric store just before closing time. i came back and sewed until it seemed like a bad idea...(delirium was starting to set in from working so much) and today i completed it!

i am happy with it, but a bit impatient to see my fully realized vision. i am off to ikea tomorrow to get the shelf and then we will have about 1-2 weeks until the platform arrives.

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other news in the creative sector: i am working on a photo for the promotion post card that Sylvia is designing for our upcoming craft show in Fremont. i am going to use the new shelf and faux headboard hanging as the back drop. we are going for an anthropologie catalog style. i sketched out a plan that and will post the final image selection sometime next weekend. i just need to make some goods to place in the picture. *sigh* it never ends. that's a good thing- but i am pooped. happily i have the next two days (unless i have jury duty...not kidding. i think i am cursed they get me every year...sometimes they try twice!!)

also: philip recently had his web site updated by our friend Pierre, who did an amazing job! check it out here. i love the grey backdrop-it feels so much more neutral so the art takes center stage. i took both pictures of him on the 'about' and 'contact' pages. there is also the sound component that he wrote for his thesis exhibition. you can turn it on just above the slideshow thumbnails, sometimes it takes a minute to start so be patient. we are very happy!

that is that. hope valentines day was a sweet one. x

the bedroom...

no this is not a naughty post about nuptial bliss...rather, i am obsessing over redoing the bedroom in light of our new mattress! oh how i love an excuse to re-design a space! so-here's my plan...

phase one: a floating shelf for above the bed

this shelf, from Ikea is a mere $20 and the perfect size. i will brave ikea sometime soon...

-this will solve the issue of no longer having room for an end table since we upgraded mattress sizes and double as one less surface the cats can reach to knock things over in the middle of the night! I am thinking books, reading lights, and a space for our glasses..maybe a a small piece of artwork.

phase two: DIY 'headboard'

I love Martha's take on a headboard, hanging a rug behind the bed. I was torn between this a a salvaged door, but since our room is suuuuper tiny, I am going for a scroll of fabric behind the bed and saving my salvaged door dreams for the future.

I set a $15 budget on fabric and will buy a dowel to attach it to. i have so much to do for the craft show next month, but this may squeeze itself in for a weekend project!!

phase 3: platform storage bedframe!!

I have always wanted a low platform bed with drawers. I love the sleek modern style, but more so the storage. cats that love to hide under the bed + under the bed storage boxes = tons of cat fur and dust underneath, which is so difficult to clean! this would make no room for cats and make cleaning easier, which would make me a very happy woman.

I found this for $215, which is such a great price.

and for some additional cuteness, i am going to hang pictures by cloths-pins along the top of the drop ceiling. i cannot wait to post some before and after pictures...stay tuned...i have a feeling this is going to transpire rather quickly! in fact...i'm headed to beverly's to get my fabric! maybe even order the platform tonight! i love love love when heavy inspiration comes along. x

wsps does it again

as you may (or may not) recall this time last year i got a very exciting gig working with the World's Smallest Postal Service (WSPS) for the Valentines Day rush. I was honored to be asked back this year and even more filled with joy when I saw the latest creation from Leafcutter Designs (artist extraordinaire Lea Redmond).

there is still time to order!! so if you are in the market for a unique, completely adorable, handmade original, artistic, and FUN gift for your valentine- may I suggest you get on it?

thanks for being so creative and sharing it with the world Lea!

happy one year anniversary blog

Has it really been a whole year since I dove into this blog?!?! I am still amazed that it's February, let alone 2010, let alone a year with this blog! So of course I am reflecting on what I have accomplished since then as I began writing about art and my post graduation procrastination. I admit that tons of wonderful creations have happened, although not in the ways that I expected-life never really works that way. Expectations never pan out the way the mind's eye envisions it.

But despite not having a new series to sit back and revel in (sarcasm), I am proud of is that I managed to make make make. That little sewing machine of mine enabled me to work in a small space and kept me connected to my creative process. Thanks little guy!

Of course I am also proud to have created a business with the hubby and craft shows with the ladies...events that led me to feeling inspired and stressed out, but oh so satisfied, because the alternative would waste my flavor. (the alternative being a job that leaves me uninspired)

With all that has transpired I am thankful, yet still hopeful that I will get back to painting. I have had some great ideas, none of which flourished past my sketchbook or my mind, such as the photos I was thinking of making and many others. The next phase is to do, because as my friend Lea said, " art is not a noun-it's a verb". That should not be too difficult with another craft show on the horizon;) deadlines make us move I tell you!

I am so sincerely grateful to have a great network of friends and family that support me and keep me inspired and that is enough because I am happy. this year has been productive and challenging and I could never do it alone. i have come to realize that community is life and art is living. wishing you all creative days-xo