Black with an Orange Zipper

We are back from our Christmas in Washington with Nana and Papa.  Erik my brother was there too which made it crazy fun.  There were many BEST parts.

1. Walking 4 miles in the rainy mist with Jeffrey.

2. Me playing drums and Erik playing base at EMP.

3. Swedish Pancakes at Oak Table twice!

4. Mom's house smelling like meat all day...

5. Watching Oceans and falling asleep.

6. Learing how to knit *you know I couldn't NOT have a project!*

7.  Drinking coffee all day.

8. Wearing rain boots.

9. Being cold.

10.  Playing tennis in a bubble dome.

Tonight I FINALLY *LET'S EMPHASIS FINALLY* started my new zipper bag prototype.  I am making the first one for Ron.  He can use it for toiletries. He likes to travel.  I am going black with gray and then an orange zipper.  I hope he is at the New Year's Party tomorrow.  It is the only way I will get this damn thing done is to give myself a deadline.  Notice how this cheesy ass pink sweater from Costco is now my "designing a new bag" uniform.   It should be easy right? RIGHT?!  I said I would make a chocolate sponge cake from Julia Child too for New Years. 

Eva making a Birthday card for Uncle Ron.

Not anybody has a "make your own bubble gum kit" next to their cereal. 

Oh Lil.

My What Green Eye Liner You Have

Nice arm rest ball thing?!

Um...that's why I have been so quiet.  Yuh see now!

The only outlet that works for my Sam Harvey card swiper is by my bed table.  I know what your thinking. NOW STOP IT!

Hot Wheels rule.

I mean really cool!  The runners are going into bags now!  Hah! Should I add a SAM HARVEY sticker to seal it?

I feel like celebrating!  I am closing in on the custom runners for the Sanctuary Resort and Spa.  I have a million mitered corners that could pass GO and collect $200 dollars but you know how you feel when you have a small amber popcorn sheath stuck in your back gum up against your tooth? It is annoying.  You try to unstuck it with your tongue for hours and then try to use your pinky nail to get it out but you know you have to get out the dental floss to free your mind.  YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO!  These mitered corners need to be hand stitched down.  So I will retire to my sewing thrown on my mountain in the desert.  Let's see... 15 runners each having 8 corners. I am talking 4 corners but back and front. I cannot give these runners up yet.  They have to be perfect or I won't be able to live with myself. 

I really love when I am in the middle of a stitch and I can't get up to fast forward through Chinese people torturing each other over some ancient lantern. I bought this new audio book called The Emperor's Tomb. I bought it thinking I would get visual sensations of ancient worlds underground the Chinese provences.  I wanted to hear about archeological digs full of old chinese beads and broken lion statues and stuff but so far it is just water boarding torture.  Merry Christmas.  After spending just 5 minutes tying a knot to my needled thread I am not going to waste my time to fast forward through Hu Ching getting scalded by a fire pit below. WHATEVER! Cleopatra - A Life, is hard to top. Gawd that audio book was knock out good.

Hamburger Power

How much shit could this guy in front of me ordered? He is taking forever. I am waiting for my cheeseburger from In-n-Out Burger. This is my spare time for this week. Fabian just took my $2.25 and his hands looked a little to shimmery. Ew. The fry cutter is in love with me. Off to tennis to unleash the horror...

Ready or Not Here I Come!

Finished my 2,000 year long couture jacket project! Did I tell you how I hand stitched the interior lining during a car ride to Laguna Beach last summer!  You could find me stitching on a ferris wheel at the fair.  It fits really well.  I have to say that I felt like a queen yesterday wearing it.  It's first debut was Toys R Us.   I bought a shit load of Chanukah gifts for the kids. It felt really good.  I bought another Barbie for my collection.  After shopping, I wore it to an architecture City of Phoenix meeting too.

I had some boucle left so I am making a skirt to match.  I am so much faster now! I have tons of short cuts.  I am going to make a light turquoise knit top to go with it. For yesterday I just wore a white Michael Stars t-shirt and you guessed it...WOLFORD tights.

Ehhem, yes, there is the gold chain hand sewn  to the bottom hem of the coat.  CHANELISMS ARE RAD!  The gold buttons are brushed gold that I found at the LA Mood a couple of weeks ago.  I bought some more boucle. Oh it is so sweet. It is mostly black but a little pink thread weaved throughout.  It is crazy. I am really making my own clothes are actually wearing them!

I hang it while I drive so the seat belt strap doesn't snag the boucle.  That's just me.  The receptionist complimented me from her 16th floor outpost in the center of Phoenix and I just glowed! Wait till I finish the skirt.  Planets will align.

If I had a band it would be like the Breeders. TOTALLY.  But I would wear my tennis clothes.

Booth 43

Samples of fabrics at my booth 43.  Pray for booth 43. PLEASE!

My booth 43.  I know I could do so much more.  It just keeps getting better.

OMG...

I am so hyper!  I don't know where to start! So many good things are happening.  First I just bought some authentic empanadas from this panderia in dowtown Avondale.  This little street called Western.   Well Lil had to go pee really bad and I rushed into this bakery.  Instantly, I started speaking Spanish fluently.  Donde esta bano.  IMPRESSIVE!  It smelled yeasty, dusty and slightly sweet like a new donut.  The lynoleum flooring in front of the lady sitting behind the counter was worn to the black. She said she knew no Ingles but then we had a great chat about a tortilla shack that folded.  She had that "are you for real?" look on her face.  All the girls cared about were the 25 cent toy machines by the door.  Anyhow, I have some pinapple empanadas to try after my dinner of tostadas tonight.

I finished my runners for Sanctuary.  Well not the whole assembley.  I finished the sewing of all the rectangles together.  I still have to cut out the trims and the backs for each one.  I learned a thing or two about economy of movement.  I conquered by sewing 2 pieces together, taking another pair sewing them together and so on.  You had to be there.  By lunch time I had fuzz and lint all over my black yoga pants.  My sewing room is a whirl of turquoise lint.  I had to roller tape my whole body.  I feel so awesome.

Ok now I can properly end.  Question... why do I sit on my chair when it is piled with  books and papers.  I know you want to know how the craft show went.  Well I had to wait until I was happier to tell you about it.  It only took a dose of Cadbury 'Chocolate Wars' story audible and the More Money Than God to set me straight.  No sells.  I spoke to about 50 people.  I didn't sit once or eat.  The time flew by.  I attracted groups of people as I described my educational component.  I mean what was I to expect by having only one price item at $85.00?  Who does that? 

I love thinking of the young Hershey experimenting with making his chocolate bar.  Do you realize that he spent countless sleepless nights before coming up with the secret recipe?  He failed so many times before coming up with his brilliant chocolate. Something to do with using sour condensed milk. 

 During the turn of the century, when Hershey was selling his product in Chicago he packed his cart full of sweets and was set to sell in the city.  His whole supply was blown up when two guys stuffed his cart full of dynamite.  He never gave up.  He just came back stronger with each set back.

I want this to work.  So bad! 

Harvey Sensor

Scary thing is they fit pretty well.

Lily wanted to eat by this tall beacon outside Paradise Bakery.  We wanted to sit at the smallest table possible.  It makes for better sharing.

Once you kill a cow, you gotta make a burger...Lady Gaga.  I dare you to go to your nearest Paradise Bakery and just order all the roast beef they have.  

I had a roast beef about 3 hours ago.  I ate heaps of beef so I can unleash the terror tonight at Montecito Tennis Courts.  Last week I had a melt down on the courts due to hunger.  Doubles. Yay Hah!

The Harvey sensor went off when I spotted the American Cheese that was added to my roast beef sandwhich.  If you are Jewish and own your own deli this is a major faux pah.  Harvey would have piled my roast beef so high I couldn't have fit it in my mouth.  Yes, that is Harvey as in SAM HARVEY.

You know it!

Car Is Packed

This is me painting over my painting. Don't get crazy now, this is not the original!

I want a gray skirt and top in this color. Click.

Skibu helping me paint.

This is an improvement.

I am pretty stoked right now. I love when my car is totally packed the night before for my craft booth. This IS the night before.  I made a camp fire in the courtyard with wood I personally cut down and sawed up into tiny pieces.  The flames smelled like nutty, leathery, smoky *well that is original* and rich.  The wood was super solid and it burned forever.  The girls wanted smores but the marshmallows were totally stale.  Don't ever try to taost stale marshmallows over an open fire.  They taste like soft sweetish rubber pads. 

Do you know that I am almost done with my Chanel coat!? A 9 month couture personal project.  I am sewing in the chain right now.  I had to tear out the shoulder pads.  I looked like Frankenstien.  But really it looks amazin'! I will post later.  I want to wait until it is done.  Gilted or black buttons? 

Laser beams and sirens!

Errands

If it was payday and you were sitting in your car...waiting...

What would you snack on?

Janet and I did the handoff today.  She completed 8 more bags for the show for Saturday and some custom orders.  I picked up my gray exciting paint from Dunn Edwards too.  Don't think for a second that I sew everything myself.  Janet is an amazing sewer.  Is sewer and sewer as in a pipe the same thing? Semstress is a little outdated and reminds me of a flouncy lady wearing velvet leisure suits living in a house with way too much stained glass everywhere.  There has to be a better word for sewer. I will go look it up. I will be right back.  Hey! Don't go eat a bowl of Rice Krispies, I will be right back now you hear! 

Dressmaker...not there yet. We don't make dresses right now. Bagmakers.  Needleworkers. miracleworkers. chia pets...

Breakfast Helmets and Dum Dums

This is really bad I know. What do you want for cobbling a costume together in all of 10 minutes IF THAT! Yes, I am pretending to be smoking a licorice.  Can't you tell Jeffrey is a surfer and I am his goth girlfriend.  Are you feeling it?

Breakfast helmets.

Eva stole the show with her blue rabbit.

Lily insisted on being a hippie chick but wanted the adult costume.  She ripped the hole thing apart within minutes of this pose. She ran around trick or treating with the headband and that's about it.  Clothed of course. Of course.  Halloween is always at my brother's house.  I made cole slaw and cornbread.  Next year I need to make a second bowl of batter so I can drink it.

Every year my brother Erik tells the story. When we were kids. Not to far off.  When we were kids, I secretly went into his trick or treat bag and took out a dum dum sucker. I went through each dum dum trying to pull off each head until I finally got one off without taking out a machete.  I took out one of those Mrs. See's fudge squares unwrapped it and stuck it on the Dum Dum stick. I took the Dum Dum wrapper and wrapped it over the fudge square.  I put it back in the stash and didn't say a word.   A couple days later I hear this...LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! 

Jeffrey wants you to know that is his reel hair.   

Mr. Miyagi Made Me Do It

My showing at Goodyear Marketplace is next Saturday!  I am going to take a different approach.  I am going to add some educational component to the display of my bags.  I so modestly think that my bags are so well crafted that people don't believe that I make them myself.  So...I am going to display each piece that goes into the assembly of a bag.  I found a giclee of one of my large paintings. I am going to paint over it solid gray and then adhere the pieces. I can just have this gorgoeus thing at  the booth. It is WAY better than having a big heap of crap in some corner.  I also promise to be more hospitable and speak in italics.  I will not sit or eat in my booth.  I have really good feelings about italics.  OK NOW I CAN'T STOP THE ITALICS DAMN IT ALL!

Finished bag.  Lot of pieces!  Crazy it you ponder.

Any takers for a full size poster of Mr. Miyagi?  Now don't laugh...just watched 1986 Karate Kid today. I refused to see it over the last 1000 years. When it first came out I thought it repulsive.  Now I can see me being karate kid with my tennis coach.   In terms of my tennis I am not sure what menial tasks like painting Miyagi's wood fence could translate into the perfect back hand.  Any suggestions?  My movement to engrain is more like an exaggerated whip tail motion.  The back of my hand should be kissing my cheek.  My face cheek. Gawd!  Totally... I want Mr. Myagi to be my tennis coach.

I wouldn't watch the newest 2010 version of Karate Kid if someone gave me front row ski lift tickets.  Now that movie looks like pure crap.   What, does he win the tournament by playing bi-polar wii karate. HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!



Can you think of any better options than painting over my painting?

16 Hash Marks

Hash marks are my thing these days.  No not marking days off my calendar.  I don't understand why people cross days off their calendar.  It is like their life is a prison and they are trying to get out?  No hash marks on my fabric rectangular patterns.  It makes total sense.  I was doing hash marks linear but then I had to count and recount every time I was done to make sure I had done all of them.  Now I do sets of 4 hashes then another set of 4 down below.  Seeing the sets of 4 helps me count faster to 16. Yes, I am making sixteen runners. 

Today, I cut out 96 pieces.  Oh and all my fabric from Kravet arrived today.  I totally could have shopped for a more reasonable fabric from Kravet but I spare no expense for my designs.  I really love the mossy colored linen that I am using for the trim and back of the runners. It is so rich and soft. The color is gorgeous too.  I am in a cutting groove.  My rotary blade is already dull so I have to press that much harder.  It is only going to help build my tennis arm you know!

Cutting Rectangles

I can't believe I forgot to eat gummy bears today while I was cutting 136 pieces of turquoise rectangles today.  It didn't feel like I did anything today but then I counted. Now I feel pretty good.  I am working on the runners for Sanctuary. This is my first real order for Sam Harvey. It is so much work but I am very proud to have it!  Why did I make it so complex!  I have to make 15 of them and one copy for myself.  I want to get it done as soon as I can.  Honestly, I can cut one color fabric out per day.  There are about 10 different fabrics.  Crazy that I haven't counted.  I need a really long table to lay everything out but for now I am laying everything out on my ironing board.  It is already full.  I just afraid Skibu will decide to sit on them when I am not looking.

I don't even know where this day went.  Blogs are going to get cryptic for the time being.  That's probably a good thing for you. You won't have to wade through all my crap. 

Hey, did I tell you that I won a tennis set off a High School guy last Saturday?  Then I played again Saturday at the Phoenix Tennis Center with Jeffrey. That place is so cool but crusty on the edges. It had paintings of Kokopellis playing tennis in the locker room.



Everything will be alright though. You know why? Because I know Limehouse Blues was Jacqueline Kennedy's favorite song when she was a Deb.  I copied it down when I was at the Kennedy Library while in Boston.  Nerd alert!

New England Crafting - Part 3

The craft shows were behind us at this point and I had tacked on an extra day to explore more of Boston with Jan and Eva.  Jani took us to the South End, Little Italy of Boston.

I just threw this tavern shot from The Salem Cross Inn. I could sense that you wanted to see more.  I just pick up on these things.

Since the Inn has been restrored by the Salem family, led by Richard Salem, the pun on the name decided the title of the Inn.  Furnished throughout with American antiques, the Inn displays the nations only known operating Roasting Jack, a c. 1700 device the innkeepers use to cook beef, game and fowl at the huge hearths... this is what I read on the paper place mat while I waited for my filet mignon that was way to WELL DONE! CHARD!

The Salem Cross Inn

I swear I was just coming over here to shut my computer off and go to bed...

What! You can't see my new earrings from where you are standing.  Close up coming soon.  I think they look mo betta right next to The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum.  This was before Little Italy.  The North End is prettier.  If you are a smart blogger like me, you put the pretty stuff first.

I asked Eva what her favorite part of traipsing through The White House Corridor, The Oval Office, The Kennedy Family, The First Lady *you know who's favorite that was* and her response was, "I liked the peanut butter and jelly pocket best!".

Space frame as you enter the last leg of the Kennedy Museum.  It was abbreviated for us because we had so much more to see and do like...eating fresh cannoli's in the North End.  If you ever have a fresh one, make sure they squeeze the white cheese stuff just when you order it.  It should crumble all over the place as you eat it.  That's when you know.  You just know.

Space frame and Saints.  Good way to end. Goodnight!