Boobalicious Breastfeeding Hat!

I saw a hat like this one online a while back, and decided right then and there that I needed to make one!  I think this will be my trademark gift for all of my many friends who are giving birth this year.  I was excited to find the exact colors in a organic soft cotton yarn at the local yarn shop, and to create my own original pattern to use for all of the babies to come!  This one went to my friend who is expecting a baby boy this July! 

PS.  Hopefully you "get" it.  When the baby wears it when he/she is nursing, it looks like you are exposed, and have a very gigantic boob!  Hilarious!

Plants, plants, everywhere! (Yum yum yum yum yum)

She's cute, isn't she?  So sweet and innocent, curled up in a little ball...awwww...But don't let her fool you!!!  She's actually truly vicious; with tearing claws, gnashing teeth, a ferocious devouring stomach--you should be very scared!!!

...if you're a plant.  

Yes, folks.  Kitty is a plant killer.  And I've learned the hard way.  I've been brought close to tears when I've gone to check on the little tiny plant-ling that I've been caring for, nursing along--only to find it gone--absolutely and entirely eaten.  And Kitty nearby purring with pleasure.  Plant-lings are her favorite.  And the jade plants; must be a texture thing.  

Anyway, first reacting with sadness and pity ("why me--why do I happen to adopt a plant-eater-cat?!?!?!"), I changed my approach and turned it into a project.  To try and find the answer to the question:  how to keep Kitty from eating my plants.  Extra challenge:  unlike dogs (the animal I'm more accustomed to), kitties can jump--high--making the usual solutions like "put it on the shelf" still unusable.  

Here's what I came up with:  A terrarium, and hanging plants in jars!

Any other solutions out there?  Please and thank you!!

 

For the Meow: Catnip filled mouse!

This project was inspired by some mice created by the ladies at Foundry in Asheville, NC.  I wish you could see the originals (maybe they've posted them on their website?)--they're beautiful!  Handcrafted out of fabric samples, they actually look like cute little mice (ears and all!).  As for me, I didn't have nearly the patience enough to even challenge my sewing skills (3D sewing is not my forte), so I based my little mouse on--well, a mouse that you might use with a computer.  It's hip to be square, right?

Made of reclaimed fabric, and filled with organic catnip.  $5 plus shipping.

Piece in progress...

 

This is the biggest one yet.  I'm preparing for my show in May at the Flood Gallery in Asheville, NC.  My first personal show ever!  Excited to be able to show all of my large pieces!  Can't wait.  This one is almost done, needs its final layers of varnish before it is completely finished, and as you can tell by the photos, its size makes it difficult to take nice photos of it...hopefully you still get the idea of it, though!

MY FIRST VIDEO--EVER!

Here's my first try at "video editing" if you can even call it that.  Keep in mind--it's my FIRST attempt, so don't expect too much!  I am no Steven Spielberg; I know you're really disappointed. 

City 14: Detroit, Michigan, or, “How about I buy you a city block for Christmas?”

Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview at a Time:  The Northeast Cities According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews
 
Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real resource to the northwestern cities.  While I am an observant person, I have no background in city development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background on these cities.  For the most part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will be moving to one of these cities in the spring.  And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to read this blog in the upcoming two months.  Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to very many art and craft projects.
 

Our hosts' cat looked like an aye-aye lemur.

Streets of Detroit.

Abandoned.

Used to be a car manufacturing plant.

Henry Ford's house.

Beautiful building down town. 

I have to admit, I’m exhausted.  At this point in our trip, we’ve been away from home for almost 8 weeks.  Eight weeks living out of a suitcase (actually, it’s more like various items used for carrying clothes, including a cardboard box and hamper), eight weeks sleeping on strangers’ beds, friends’ floors, and even once (only for a couple hours), in the car.  It’s been an adventure. 

And yes, it’s been a while since the last post.  We’ve actually been in Minnesota for the past two weeks, and been procrastinating writing this one last post about the trip. Yes, I’ve been busy with other things here in MN, that’s part of it.  But, I also know that Detroit rustled up many feelings within me that I knew would be difficult to express in words, and thus, I’ve been putting off the difficult task.  But let me try.

Detroit.  At first, it seems like you have driven into a scene from an apocalyptic movie.  It seems that more buildings are boarded up than are lived in.  Business seem nonexistent.  People are missing, you feel.  Even some of the tallest buildings downtown are abandoned.  Falling down, forgotten.  And yet—you have been deceived!  You realize that there are new things being built all over the place.  People are in the process of renovating so many of the buildings!  People are moving into these buildings.  There is life, and lots of it!

But my, I feel that I am not adequate to fully describe Detroit and all of the things happening there.  It’s our number one choice for so many reasons (Peter has been obsessed with the city for the past year—he even visited the city last spring!)  There is hope, and as cliché as is sounds, there is a “place” for us as community members.  There is the possibility to personally make a difference because there is no one there right now!  But if you build it, they will come, right?  In Detroit, there’s the possibility of opening a business and become a part of the local economy.  It is the place, as someone that Peter quotes all the time (sorry I can’t remember his name!), “…Where the embers of the American dream still burn strong.”  ModelD does a really good job of highlighting all of the happenings in the city.  100 Abandoned Houses is a beautiful and haunting website that captures the emptiness that you can sometimes feel in the city, but I always see potential as well!!!  HuffPost Detroit is the newest claim to fame in Detroit, as is the new rapid bus system that has been proposed in the city.  That, and the amazing urban farm plans, the beautiful architecture, the cute and clever businesses that are popping up in the area, and the opera.  These are all things that make me excited about Detroit.  Check it out and see for yourself!!!  Meet you in D-Town!!!

Whew!  And with that, I conclude my review of the cities!  We’ll find out where we go in March, and I’ll be sure to let you know where at that time!  Thanks so much for reading, folks!  

City No. 13: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or, “The land of the dinosaur!”

Our Honeymoon, or, How We Got to the Midwest One Interview at a Time:  The Northeast Cities According to Me, the One Who Wanders the Cities While Peter Completes the Interviews
 
Disclaimer: This should by no means be used as a real resource to the northwestern cities.  While I am an observant person, I have no background in city development, nor do I have expertise on the cultural or historical background on these cities.  For the most part, I am reviewing these cities based on my personal preferences, as we will be moving to one of these cities in the spring.  And, if you are hoping for a lot of artwork (as this is my art blog), sorry to say, but you will be sadly disappointed if you continue to read this blog in the upcoming two months.  Apart from my photographs of the cities, I doubt I’ll get to very many art and craft projects.

Found this in a bathroom in Pittsburgh.  Thought it was hilarious, and of course, needed to share.

Pittsburgh skyline at night.  Amazing!  This is literally what you see as you enter the city.  Photo from http://www.wallmonkeys.com/blog/?p=16

So, I love dinosaurs.  Just something hat I happen to love, I’m a nerd like that.  I happen to love Jurassic Park I, II, AND III, just because they all have dinosaurs in them.  Judge me.  Fine.  I’m ok with that—dinosaurs are AWESOME!  Anyway, when I heard that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History had the largest collection of dinosaur skeletons in the country, I was (obviously) thrilled.  And it was AWESOME!  They had three T-Rexes (one was a female juvenile named Jane—the most complete juvenile skeleton in the world), many long necked Brontosaurus-types (I don’t think Brontosauruses actually are a real species anymore, are they?  They found out they had made up a species out of a combination of bones?), and the largest collection of skulls from the Triceratops family that I’ve ever seen.  So cool.

But enough about the dinosaurs.  You want to hear about Pittsburgh, don’t you?  Well, first off, I must compliment Pittsburgh on its opening act:  The dismount from the highway.  We had been driving for hours.  HOURS, as we had driven directly from Boston to Pittsburgh—a ten-hour drive!  And road weary as we were, we were still incredibly anxious to finally get to Pittsburgh.  But even as we were seeing exit signs for downtown Pittsburgh, there was still no city to be seen.  We kept driving up the hill (picture a small mountain), and under a tunnel, and still no city—just residential homes and a few industrial businesses that were not very impressive to look at.  And then we drove around a little hill, and there it was!  Shimmering in all of its glory, a rather large city!  Skyscrapers and all!  A complete city had been hidden from our sight during our entire drive “into the city” and the final presentation after the buildup was unbelievable.  Pittsburgh was awarded many extra points for that display.   

Despite all of the beauty that Pittsburgh’s downtown provided, the surrounding “boroughs” as they were called were in various stages of disrepair.  Once an incredibly wealthy city, the current state of it requires words like “urban renewal,” “gentrification,” and “up and coming” to describe it.  Much like Detroit (the upcoming city) but not to the same extent, Pittsburgh lost many of its inhabitants, and what has been left for the past decade has been vacant business buildings, boarded-up homes, gang and drug related crimes and homicides, hopelessness.  Until now.  Artists and small business owners have now been coming in for the past few years to make those abandoned buildings their own.  People are moving into neglected neighborhoods, and there is a loyalty and sense of pride that these people have for their city.  It was an amazing experience to see these people’s visions coming to life.  

Coca Café was a favorite, located in Lawrenceville.  They serve breakfast and brunch only, and it was easy to understand why they’ve made this their specialty.  The food was amazing, and the building itself gets amazing morning sunlight. 

We also had an opportunity to check out an art walk called “Unblurred” that takes place the first Friday of the month.  With most of the stops located on Penn. Ave. (an area that feels somewhat shady), it was interesting to see how warm and inviting all of the galleries were, and to see how different I felt about the area once we’d walked the whole thing.  En route, we found an amazing glass-works school, and a great café (that we made plans to eat at later, but never returned to.  Oops) called Quiet Storm. 

Pittsburgh is definitely one of my favorites thus far.  Creativity, beauty, and a sense of movement fill the air.  There are people living there that care, and who are working with each other to make it what they want it to be.  So inspiring.