funky delights

My print was in a show @ Zea Mays

2011-07-15T01:55:00.001-04:00

My print was in a show @ Zea Mays, originally uploaded by funky delight.

My print was in a show @ Zea Mays

Lithographia plate- 25"x12"

2011-07-15T01:50:00.001-04:00

Lithographia plate- 25"x12", originally uploaded by funky delight.

Lithographia plate- 25"x12"

Becca Stadtlander

2011-02-11T19:03:00.001-05:00

Becca Stadtlander's illustrations are like Grandma Moses meets Maira Kalman. So of course I love them. She has a lovely blog here. I found her through All The Mountains.

Sketchbook Project (Arthouse Co-op)

2011-01-12T13:00:00.007-05:00

Today I submitted my final sketchbook for this awesome traveling exhibition.

It's a combination of monotype prints, drawings and collage. The theme I chose was "Down your street".

Ornament swap 2010

2010-12-10T14:00:00.020-05:00

I sent of my ornaments to my swapper group today for the Freshly Blended ornament exchange! You can see all the photos of my ornaments on my Flickr pool here. Or check out the ornaments I made a few years ago for the exchange here. This year I printed a bunch of monotypes over some of my older/discarded prints in reds and green ink and then used a die cutter to make the tag shape. Last steps were gluing them back to back (one side red, one side green) and add some yarn. You can look at lots of ornament submissions from crafters all over the world on the 2010 ornament swap Flickr pool here.

Merry Christmas!

MOMA NY

2010-11-21T07:00:00.006-05:00

My fella and I went to MOMA this weekend! I was oh-so-excited to see their lineup of exhibitions.

With only 2-1/2 hours until they shut their doors for the day we began to work our way up, floor by floor...Below are some shots in the various galleries...there were some great shows up: "Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen" and "Abstract Expressionist New York" were both really exciting and of course the works from MOMAs permanent collection weren't too shabby either!

Steve in front of George Maciunas's "one year"

Melvin Edwards

<3 Louise Bourgeois

<3 Dorothy Dehner

Counter Space show

Me with Frida K.

Steve with Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World"

Adolph Gottlieb

Motherwell

Novemberific

2010-11-06T22:32:00.001-04:00

I made it to the studio yesterday and whipped up some monotype prints inspired by the color of the beet-carrot soup I brought along for lunch. I didn't match the color exactly but definitely had a great time building these up throughout the day.

The "In Between" monotype series on Masa or Rives lightweight papers
Dimensions 7.75"x10.75"

Summer Book

2010-09-01T18:08:00.002-04:00

Here are some images of the book I made in July in a workshop at Zea Mays Printmaking. I got to experiment with Akua brand printing inks, that acts like an oil-based ink when mixing and printing but clean up with soap and water. All these were printed on dry masa paper. The book's cover dimensions are 5.5"x8"

Weddings are Fun

2010-07-01T18:27:00.005-04:00

My best friend from college got married to her sweetie in June.

And I got to be one of her bridesmaids!

And then we danced!

Mass MOCA excursion

2010-05-29T18:57:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my friend Jackie and I went to Mass MOCA up in North Adams, MA to play and explore!

So much fun exploring and looking (and hugging).

Baltimore Tour

2010-04-19T17:10:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I visited Baltimore for an art education conference and while I was there I made sure to stop by The Visionary Art Museum with my friend Rebecca.

Out front they had a moving whirligig sculpture...

A bedazzled school bus...

A replica of Margaret Thatcher...nice nose Margaret

A secret garden and driftwood castle...

A fab Museum shop filled with all that funky random stuff you don't need but really want to stuff in your suitcase...

And best of all, a giant reflective egg, perfect for taking self portraits with good college friends!

Whitney Biennial 2010

2010-03-09T12:32:00.003-05:00

I've got to get to NYC to catch the Whitney Biennial, 2010
February 25th - May 30th

* UPDATE! THe Biennial was as fabulous as I'd hoped! Go see it!

Travels With Myra Hudson (detail) 2004 Sumi ink on paper 304.8 x 1,402.8 cm

From Saatchi Gallery website

Old Maid; Ballpoint pen ink on paper; 18 x 23 inches

from Pierogi Flatfiles

I'm especially excited about seeing the work of Dawn Clements from Woburn, Massachusetts. Her "large-scale drawings depict interior domestic spaces, either her own surroundings or those in classic 1940s and 1950s Hollywood melodramas" (quoted from Whitney website). I'm most likely drawn to her work because of her obsession with old movie sets of interior spaces which ties in my weird love for mediocre older movies, my secret dream of becoming a movie production designer, and my lifelong love of interior design and furniture. Maybe I just want to be Dawn instead and spend my days drawing obsessively. I think I could be happy doing that too.

Click here for a review of the "best of" the biennial from The Daily Beast. If you get to see the show yourself, please leave a comment with your reflection. Thanks!

Printmaking Humor

2010-03-07T20:34:00.001-05:00

It's not often I see printmaking jargon used on the silly blogs I follow, so I got a little excited to see this posting on Regretsy.com today. Someone sold this...ahem..."monotype" on Etsy for $4....

Yay! A printmaking joke!

Lemony Snicket Credits

2010-03-05T17:26:00.001-05:00

Love this animation

Karen Kunc demo at Zea Mays

2010-03-03T14:25:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, printmaker Karen Kunc visited Zea Mays for a 2-hr demonstration of her unique woodcut process. Karen is currently a professor a the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work is in collections at the Museum of Modern Art; the Library of Congress; the Walker Art Center; Worcester Art Museum, and many others. To read more about Karen, visit her website, here.

I don't generally work in relief, but the spontaneity of her process is really interesting. I just need to invest in some colorful inks and I'll be on my way! See more about the demonstration below.

She creates thumbnail sketches on large blank index cards rather than in a sketchbook.

Then she turns that small sketch into a large graphite drawing onto frosted mylar so she can easily transfer it to her woodblocks.

She works on two 1/2-inch birch plywood blocks that she shellacs. The shellac helps preserve her pencil drawing and prevents chipping or splintering of the wood as she carves. She trims handmade Japanese paper down to just the size of her blocks rather than worry with a border or registration marks. I thought it was interesting she always works "dry," without dampening the paper, and keeps her prints in a stack while she's working. The ink doesn't rub off and the stack helps them stay "wet" between runs through the press. The inks blend into each other and dry together rather than dry in layers.

Karen makes disposable craft paper stencils just over the size of her blocks. The stencils block out and reveal certain areas of the wood where she'll add ink. She reinforces the stencils on the back with masking tape, and doesn't make them too intricate to avoid them falling apart.

She mixes her lithography inks with transparent base to keep them layerable, and then rolls them over the areas of her first block. Once she removes the stencil she uses her hand and a rag to soften the edges of the ink. It makes such a huge impact to blend the colors into one another once multiple layers have been printed onto the paper.

Karen doesn't use blankets when she prints; just the bare pressbed. She remarked that the blankets push the ink into the negative spaces of a block, and she's only interested in printing the surface of the wood. In that case, her blocks could also be hand printed.

She'll continue the process of carving, inking and printing several times between the two blocks to build up areas of color and interest on the paper. She usually prints in an edition size she can complete in an 8-10 hour day in her Nebraska studio.

What a wonderful experience to watch another artist work through their process for you. Below are a few of her works she had on display in the shop.

weekend work

2010-02-28T23:54:00.004-05:00

top and bottom: Collagraph prints on Rives BFK tan painted with acrylics and polyacrylic gloss

I finished painting the triptychs I printed last weekend at the shop. The top print's colors may look Cheetos inspired, but the real reason I used orange is I had just seen a Karen Kunc demo at Zea Mays and was inspired by her colorful work. But of course I came back to brown --chocolate brown that is-- to balance out the salty with some sweet *wink.

Bridesmaid-ing

2010-02-25T08:28:00.001-05:00

One of my very best friends is having an outdoor wedding in Atlanta in early June. This is my first time being a bridesmaid and I'm taking my duties very seriously. I've got my hotel and flight booked and still working on all the fun surprisey things we'll be doing over the weekend. I've been having fun this week looking for my dress online. The bride is giving us total freedom with what we can wear (um, best bride ever?) but mentioned she would like brights. I prefer straps or halter to strapless, but I'd be open to either if I can find the right cut. Here are some of my favorites from J.Crew.com.

Silk Chiffon Sophia dress in Deep Rose

Cotton Cady Madeleine dress in Cypress

Silk chiffon Juliet dress in Hazel blue (also in deep rose)

del Pelato Shift dress, very blah color, wish it came in something bright!

February Collagraphs

2010-02-24T16:55:00.002-05:00

Last weekend I printed a few small box collagraphs on the Praga press at Zea Mays. They're each 5 x 3-1/2" and printed in pairs and in triptychs. I'll post photos once they're hand colored.

Lamp Envy

2010-02-18T16:54:00.001-05:00

Lamp from Pottery Barn's Bacchus Lighting Collection. I could think of lots of things to keep inside my lamp. Imagine a little terrarium, my shell collection or my sea glass collection for starters. Mixture of moisture and electricity probably wouldn't be the best combo if you did create a terrarium, but it would look *shockingly beautiful.

Sit

2010-02-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

Love this furniture idea called Sit Bag designed by Turkish firm MayBeDesign. Originally posted on dustbowl blog. I've been sketching boxes and suitcases lately that I hope to turn into collagraphs. Came across these in a google search for reference photos. Don't they look like mini barbecue grills?

heART

2010-02-14T09:24:00.003-05:00

A couple of my recent net drawings on Rives with pencil/gesso (top) and pencil on tracing paper (bottom). Happy Valentine's Day!

Matyroshka Dolls

2010-02-13T12:53:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I made two small dolls for two very special little girls in my life. They are about the size of my hand and they're from a combination of fabrics I had from past project scraps. The project pattern is by Lauren Brandy. View the Matyroshka doll directions here on her blog.

When I gave them the dolls I explained that they are very special because their pockets hold little treasures and if you whisper in their ear they will keep your secrets safe. I was soon told their names are Twinkle and Ocean and were already full of secrets. So cute!

I ended up sewing a little extra pocket fabric on since it wasn't quite wide enough after stitching them together. If you download her template, I would recommend cutting the pocket pieces wider than the pattern shows so your doll is wide enough.

Stop Motion is Wonderful

2010-02-11T07:44:00.001-05:00

Firekites AUTUMN STORY - chalk animation

snowday

2010-02-10T12:16:00.003-05:00

The weather man says there's a storm on the way. This morning I took a little walk along the river when the flakes began to fall and took a couple photos.

Snowday Quilt

2010-02-10T07:34:00.001-05:00

I had a crazy vision last year that this winter I would use all the snowy days cooped up in my apartment to make my first quilt (and drink large quantities of espresso and cocoa). The only problem is, we haven't had very much snow up here in western Massachusetts, so I'm not as far into the process as I would have hoped. Actually, there is snow in the forecast later today, so maybe things are looking up! My feeling is if it's going to be cold and wintery, at least give me something pretty to look at and snowshoe through!

When I started hunting around and doing some "research" on how to make a quilt, all of the precise measuring and cutting and ironing made me a bit nervous. I was more attracted to old fashioned quilts pieced together with mismatching fabrics than the ones that had every teeny tiny detail mapped and measured. I was lucky enough to come across this amazing quilt by Harriet Powers, an African American story quilter from the turn of the century, in an old issue of School Arts (Jan '01).

Image is from likeawhisper.wordpress.com

I brought the article with an image of this particular quilt to the fabric store in the hopes of matching the colors and patterns Harriet used for my own project. I did mix it up a bit and added some denim, corduroy and a few modern patterns with reds and cool blues. For the background of each panel I'm using a set of six old brown cotton napkins I found last spring at The Hospice Shop in Amherst for only a $1. So far, I'm cutting the fabric as I go without any planning or measuring. I've set the pieces in place with dabs of PVA bookmakers' glue rather than using pins. I plan on going back over the "applique" with a complementary thread, but leaving the edges raw and let them unravel. I want to add some fun patterns and detail around the edges of each panel, but for now here's what I have. I'll post quilt updates soon.

New Mug

2010-02-09T08:01:00.001-05:00

My friend, talented surface pattern designer, Natasha P. gave me this lovely chair mug for my birthday last month. It's become my new favorite latte vessel. Thanks Teeks!

Sniff sniff

2010-02-08T08:31:00.003-05:00

Some tissue box covers I made as Christmas gifts this year. Adapted from a pattern on craftandfabriclinks

The Gugg

2010-02-07T17:38:00.004-05:00

Some photos I took on my last trip to NY City. These Guggenheim photos are during the Kandinsky exhibit.

Mass MoCA roadtrip Part 2

2009-06-05T01:04:00.006-04:00

I got a little carried away shooting some shadowy self-portraits in the 360-degree projection space at MASS MoCA.

Mass MoCA roadtrip Part I

2009-06-04T23:46:00.017-04:00

Last month I finally made my way up to N. Adams, Mass, the home of MASS MoCA. Below are some images of the indoor and outdoor exhibitions.

Wave sketchbook

2009-05-27T12:07:00.014-04:00

I recently made my friend a pocket-sized wave sketchbook using leftover scraps of Rives BFK Lightweight as the sketchbook pages and an old collagraph print as the endpapers. The bookcloth is actually a wave fabric I found at Joann Fabrics last fall.

I tried creating a pretty little layout of some images to illustrate my bookmaking process, but the document turned green when I tried converting it from an Illustrator file to a .jpg. I wouldn't care so much except it took me forever to create the freakin' layout! you can click on the image below to see a larger view of the images/text, just try and ignore the fact that they're green...

red prairie press day

2009-05-27T12:03:00.006-04:00

design *sponge has my friend and fellow SU alum, Rachel from Red Prairie Press today as a guest blogger. Check out the interview here!

Zea Mays Flickr group

2009-04-23T17:31:00.003-04:00

mizz thang, originally uploaded by ms.Tea.

Take a look at the new Zea Mays Flickr group. I just came across this shot Tracy took a few weeks ago of me workin'.

pencils today

2009-04-17T22:30:00.008-04:00

This afternoon @ Zea Mays I worked in pencil over this collagraph I printed on Tuesday. I rarely work just with black ink and graphite, but I'm excited to see what else I can make with this limited color palette. I'll post again soon!

New Work for April

2009-04-14T21:35:00.009-04:00

Happy Spring! Below are a couple pictures of my work at Zea Mays this month. This is a collagraph colored with ink and acrylics.

Below is the same plate, but hand painted with ink & gesso washes over the forms {yes, there is a baseball-inspired pattern to celebrate the new season}

Then, I added the yellow wash background. Not sure If I should have done that....I really liked the simple white back, but it felt like it needed some contrast.

So, I ended up gessoing over the yellow to block it back out. I like how a little of the plate tones and yellow wash come through. Maybe this one is finished.

When I was making the yellow wash, the ink and gesso/acrylic mixing in the tray accidentally created a marbled surface. Now if I ever want to marble paper I know how!

New Work for January

2009-01-23T21:13:00.022-05:00

Left to Right:

1. Micron Pen on paper (in progress), 5-1/2" x 4" 2. Ink on Rives, 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" 3. Ink on Rives, 8-1/2" x 9-1/2" 4. Artist Proof #1 (Collagraph print), 7" x 6-1/2" 5. Artist Proof #2 (on tan Rives BFK) 6. Artist Proof #3 (still in progress)

Hatfield Holiday Luminarium

2008-12-21T20:38:00.008-05:00

Thought I would try and squeeze in one more post before the end of 2008. Snow has started fallin again, which means I'll be back to bloggin!

Below are a few photos I took at tonight's Luminarium on my block in Hatfield. The 3-day snow storm let up just in time for this pretty display of lit milk jugs lining the sidewalk. Happy Holidays everyone! xoxo

DianaMacKenzie.com

2008-08-30T21:18:00.006-04:00

Hello thereeee hope you had a good summer! I suppose I'm not a very good blogger if the minute the weather turns warm I run away from my computer and my blogging responsibilities. It's just so darn pretty out here in the Pioneer Valley and I had places to go and people to see! I promise to be around more this Autumn. It's my favorite season, so I can't promise I wont be running away somewhere beautiful, but I'll try my hardest. To make up for my capricious behavior this summer I finally updated my website: dianamackenzie.com
It's a simple design so I can hopefully add/update easily. I want to have links to my most recent prints, through flickr or picasa. I'm really excited to get back into Zea Mays when they open up this week. If I get my act together this weekend, I want to submit a couple prints into the flat file project. If I can just keep from running off....

I fell

2008-05-23T21:49:00.005-04:00

Diana, we thought you'd like to know that we shipped your items today and that your order is now complete. Please review your shipment information below.

1 awesome couch (90 lbs.)

I fell the other day. In love with this love seat from Target. The Milano in Rust & Black is exactly what I've been looking for the past 9 months (I'm picky, and cheap). If you know me it isn't hard to believe I've gone this long without a couchy piece of furniture. I love chairs...there are 5 in my not-enormous apt.... and I rarely have more than 1 visitor at a time ( does family count?), so it never seemed totally necessary. But recently it's bothered me--walking through my "living area" and all I have is a club and a wing-back to define the space. I'm really excited about my new acquisition, but not excited about carrying it up a flight of stairs by myself---anyone wanna pitch in when it arrives?? I'm prepared to beg!

+failure+

2008-05-23T21:13:00.005-04:00

"I would rather fail but fail intriguingly" ~Linda Jaivin, author of Eat Me

I just came across this quote on Daily Imprint blog. Sometimes I feel down on myself for trying out new things that don't always work. It makes me hesitate to keep up moral and continue to think outside the box if I'm not sure my idea will work out well. I love the nature of this quote because it writes off failure as a bad thing. Go! Give all your weird-ass ideas a try! The worst that can happen is you fail in an unoriginal way...I'll keep you posted with mine...

Too Much?

2008-05-05T20:25:00.008-04:00

Tito, the guy that works at my gym said to me today, "You wear a lot of orange!" and I was like, "Really? I do?" He insisted I always wear orange when I work out. I blamed it on my alma mater's school colors, which were blue and orange, so I may have acquired an abundance of those {awesome} colors over time, but so what? Take that Tito!
When I got home I checked, and okay, yeah, I have a few orange shirts and several more with orange designs/writing on the front. But I have a crapload of blue tee shirts and almost as many white ones...red ones...green ones. Basically, Tito made me realize I have a million tee-shirts, but I've tried to purge them before, and I'm never successful...and then I get a couple more...
I just did a tally of the clean tees on my shelf...I stopped counting at 50 because that's just embarrassing.

My parents got me this awesome book last year filled with vintage tees of yesteryear. Do you think they were trying to tell me something?

Found this website Design By Humans, with so many cool tee designs that I'm pretty sure I could easily double my collection in one shopping cart. You have to go to their site, and you will fall in love too. Check out my wish list (size medium, hint hint)

Funky old find

2008-05-03T19:09:00.006-04:00

This weekend is the League of Women Voters' Annual Booksale on the Amherst Common. Julia, Seth and I stopped by this afternoon after brekkie at Esselon Cafe; I scored a few random classics for 50-cents or $1.

This was my favorite-- The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes From Famous Eating Places.
As it reads in the forward by the Editor-and-Chief of Ford Times and Lincoln-Mercury Times, William D. Kennedy, "Happy motoring, and successful cooking!"

Check out the funky end papers

And an excerpt from the Northeast

Spilt Milk

2008-05-03T18:48:00.008-04:00

Here's a lesson on what happens when you try and carry too much at once:

Last week, I was attempting to take all of my groceries upstairs to my apartment, and I almost immediately dropped the gallon of milk in the driveway. The jug split down the seam in the plastic, causing milk to spatter on my car, my feet and gush onto the pavement. I was about to just dump out the rest into the bushes but instead I decided to make a mad dash upstairs and put the remaining milk into every vessel I had in my kitchen. It was crazy how much milk was left!
I filled my Crate & Barrel Ona Pitcher, 2 carafes from Salvation Army and a mug (from a set I made last summer). What's funny is I only bought the milk because Trader Joe's was totally out of soymilk that night. Dude, no more milk.

Like a cliche, when I went back down to my car to bring up the rest of my groceries--NO JOKE--my landlord's cat was there, lapping up the puddle of milk on the ground.

no more Nalgene

2008-05-03T18:30:00.005-04:00

I had to bid farewell to my Nalgene bottle a couple weeks ago since drinking from it was probably killing me and my unborn children. My fondest memory of this bottle was freshman year of college, in 2-Dimensional Design Studio; we made a bet whether or not it could survive a fall out the 3rd story window of the Crouse College building onto the concrete sidewalk below. Needless to say, it survived the drop; that was 6 years ago and remained my main source of hydration until now. Farewell Nalgene, you've unfortunately been replaces by a sleeker and less toxic Camelback 16-ouncer, from REI.

Trimline

2008-03-28T17:59:00.008-04:00

When I was in Atlanta earlier this month, I tried really hard not make any crazy purchases, but I couldn't resist getting this 70s burnt orange phone (in the center of the photo). It was only $10 at the vintage store Nineteen71 on Euclid in Little Five Points. The owner was really cool and let me take these photos in her shop. It still works--yes, I am one of a hand full of people my age I know that still has a home phone line. It took a little extra time in the security line at the airport, and the NSA guy joking commented on it's randomness. That's me, random!

I found the same color/style phone on Oldphones.com in the original box for $100. Do people collect these things or something? I wish new electronics came in retro colors...I would love an avocado green ipod and I would have been into a wood paneled flatscreen.

Last weekend I was watching movies on Hugo HD, and I painfully sat through Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs' book-turned-not-so-good-film. But it did have a really awesome production designer and I was excited to see my phone -same color and style- used as a prop in his character's mother's ultra-swanky 1970s living room. I think when I grow up i want to be a production designer for funky movies with big budgets.

New to Me

2008-03-28T17:19:00.004-04:00

I always feel cool for 5 minutes when I think I discovered new music, but I should know by now that I never have, and never will have any idea of new and awesome--especially not music. I wait until everyone else has discovered it first, and about a year and a half later I'll finally catch on. Well, today I felt really excited about some stuff that appeared on my Pandora mix.

The Weepies

It was the first whole album I've purchased from ITunes and I've been listening to it all afternoon. It helped me feel a little less bitter about the snow that dusted my yard and car--at least if I couldn't run around outside I could shut myself inside and listen to something awesome.

Regina Spektor

I knew Regina existed, I just didn't realize how many songs on her album(released in 2006, this is how withit I am, everyone, trust me) were so good. I'm not completely living under a rock, my friend Cate had Regina's music video "Fidelity" on her Myspace page last summer (the one that starts out all edgy and B&W with the creepy mime mannequin and then they throw paint at each other at the end). BTW, On more than one occasion Cate's Myspace song has exposed me to what's awesome and hip, another example being the now infamous what's-her-face junky brit Amy Winehouse's "Re-hab." When I heard that song on her page i was like WTF does she like this song for? Little did I know.....

Jillian Tamaki

2008-03-23T20:52:00.005-04:00

I fell in love with Jillian Tamaki when I saw her illustrations for an article about Children's Books in Cookie Magazine last month. (Even though I'm a bigger fan of Wonder Time Magazine than Cookie, I still dig their commissioned illustrators) Go to Jillian's website and I think you'll fall in love with her work too. It really draws you into the dream state she creates with her soft, inky lines and soothing color palette. The imagery and style have a nostalgic quality that is comforting but still contemporary. I'm eager to check out her book Skim that will apparently be out this Spring. She was gracious enough to give me permission to write about her, so thanks for the okay Jillian!

You should all subscribe to her online sketchblog. Here is another one of my favorites from her site:

My Ridiculous Purchase of the Day

2008-03-21T18:08:00.008-04:00

Today I bought a new TV set. It's ridiculously huge but my friend Josh talked me into it and I saved random loot. So maybe I don't have cable, but now I can watch movies from anywhere in my apartment, which makes it worth its weight in gold (all 27.7 lbs). That's my style-- all or nothing, baby. So, wanna come over and watch a movie?

Ice......CREAM!

2008-02-23T18:17:00.006-05:00

I'm going to write about what's been on my mind alot lately--ice cream. I had a pretty long discussion with my Aunt Deb about our favorite ice cream flavors yesterday as we drove through the newest NE snowstorm (I think we we're losing it a little with all the white stuff we've gotten this winter). We both agreed that vanilla is our favorite flavor because of its versatility to be paired with either chocolate/caramel/nuts or fresh fruit and that vanilla with real vanilla bean flecks is the key to a freakin delicious dish. Other things I'm craving that are ice cream related:

ice cream floats, chocolate vanilla twist softserve in a cone, the following ben & jerry's flavors: S'mores, chunky Monkey, Mint Chocolate Cookie: girl scout cookies crushed up in vanilla icecream

Im off to a rollerskating birthday party. I am so 8-years-old today. Have a good weekend!

J. Otto vs. Willy Wonka

2008-02-13T13:47:00.006-05:00

J. Otto Seinbold, one of my favorite illustrators, posted a comment on one of my Flickr photos 2 days ago and I only just noticed. The photo of my VW ornament. I can die a happy girl now. See his comment here. His books and & designs are genius and overwhelm my senses. He has the ability to draw with a sense of humor and his images create a world that I wished I lived in. Well, either there or in the Willy Wonka Factory.

More owls

2008-02-08T12:10:00.002-05:00

This amazing little owl necklace was my favorite wearable birthday gift from Tasha. Thanks Teekie, can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Here's a photo from Kaybu Design's Flickr photostream (she also has awesome bags/clothing/accessories). What a sweet personalized gift she made just for me! I love love love the owl painting on the side. My favorite functional art birthday gift. Hmm another owl, the more the merrier!

Tulips Again

2008-02-08T12:03:00.002-05:00

I can't resist tulips lately every time I go to the grocery store. They're just so cheerful to look at every day. This time I got some orange ones for my desk.

Hello Dolly

2008-02-08T11:25:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love creepy old dolls? When I was little I wasn't interested in playing with old dolls, I preferred my 80's-style plastic ones to the more breakable porcelain. But I felt sorry for them, that their original owner grew up and left them behind.

It's weird when the doll parts are grouped together, but kind of beautiful too. I like things that walk the fine line between disturbing/ugly/strange and beautiful.

And here are some photos accompanied by sound clips of a quirky guy in Kentucky who collects doll parts and other people's 'castaway' displays them around his yard. Photos by David Stephenson. I found this on Kentucky.com

Rice and a Book

2008-01-14T23:48:00.003-05:00

The most random NYC thing I came across (at 2am of course) was Rice to Riches on Spring Street off Bowery. You have to check out this website! They have a bunch of different flavors like an ice cream parlor (I give Graham Cracker an A+). The best part is the packaging your rice pudding comes in. It's a brightly hued hard plastic container with a matching scoop spoon. Of course I couldn't throw away the amazing containers/spoons, so I washed off our containers in the bathroom and carried them around in my purse for the rest of the night. I have no idea what I will use them for, probably display them proudly on my desk. My friends laugh at me for my trashy tendencies, but giving disposable things a new purpose excites me.

I just got the book Cool Green Stuff: A Guide to Finding Great Recycled, Sustainable, Renewable Objects You Will Love by Dave Evans. If you're a dumpster diver you will love this book.

Tiptoe through the Tulips

2008-01-14T23:39:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my amazing friends & family for being so generous with the flood of gifts, cards, phone calls, text messages and web posts today {my birthday}. They mean so much to me and remind me of how fortunate I am to have all of you in my life :) Here's to another amazing year of life!
(yeah it's cheesy but it's my blog so go hump yourself)

Here are pics of the bouquet of tulips I picked up over the weekend. What a cheerful burst of spring on a very snowy January day.

Love to all!

80s Birthday Spectacular Part I

2008-01-07T20:58:00.002-05:00

Continuing with the theme of feeling another year older (and wiser, read more about all my wisdom below) I decided to take a quick look back at birthday parties of the 1980s. What exactly did we do in those fenced in backyards on those sunny Saturday afternoons? It's all a little fuzzy looking back. I remember my best friend Mary once had a pony and face painting, and of course, every kid on the block had Pin the tail on the Donkey. I think parents bought these kits by the gross.

What's the cheapest way to entertain a shitload of kids for an afternoon? Musical chairs! These kids look like they're having a blast...

Speaking of musical chairs, I found a post from last year on Magpie & Cake about the artist Doris Salcedo and here crazy chair installation. I'm in love.Okay, back on track! The toys on every little girl's wish list in the 80s were:
Popples

I found one just like my original on Ebay a few years ago, thank goodness!

Cabbage Patch Kids! I had a redheaded one named Colleen Linda. Looked alot like this:

One toy I never had, and not really sure I wanted:

When I asked Kate what was on her childhood wishlist she screamed "My Little Ponies!"
Of course it was, she's the Equine Queen!

The look of Death

2008-01-07T20:51:00.001-05:00

Hey! Here's someone not looking forward to being another year older. It's this guy's cat. I kinda know how he feels...

Hell No

2008-01-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

Don't even think of getting me one of these. You will be very, very sorry.

Words of Wisdom

2008-01-07T20:21:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! No, these are not my wisdom teeth, but believe me, I wish they were. Besides being kinda pretty, they are no longer in their owner's mouth--something I cannot say about my friendly foursome. I have one on top that popped through in October and one on the bottom that popped through tonight. I've been teething like crazy! It's ridiculous really. Do they make teething rings for adults, because I would be all over those! I only have a couple friends who actually have their wisdom teeth, everyone else had the good sense to extract them on a winter break in college. I just always hoped they would just go away on their own. I guess teeth don't work that way.

From the Christmas Mail Bag

2007-12-21T12:54:00.001-05:00

I just strutted out to the mailbox and had some sweet surprises waiting for me. My good pal Stephanie B (see a blurb about her amazing photos and such at philagrafika) sent me these tasty chocolate covered marshmellows from Colts Chocolates in Nashville,TN. And a really cute card from MOMA's clever holiday collection.

My friend Laurel and her awesome roomie sent me this holiday postcard posed in front of some festive garbage. The opposite side of the card reads Happy Holidays! Love Laurel, Jackie, and Frosty the Garbage Man (this is Brookyn, what did you expect?) Love it! Thanks ladies!

I was also pretty excited to get this clever Save-The-Date/Holiday postcard from my cute couple friends Celeste & Shaw (and their rescue puppy Scurvington). I love all my creative people friends :)

Weirdest Dream Ever

2007-12-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

My dreams last night were seriously freaky. I'm going to try and recount them for your reading pleasure.
Okay, so it starts at a giant summer party at someone's house. I spot this guy I dated briefly last summer. He lost a lot of weight and looked younger, but he only had one eye, the other one was sewn shut-- with thread. I went into the house and there was a rubber casting of this guy's head on a shelf, and it also had the eye sewn shut. As I'm holding this rubber head, right outside the window, he and his friends get into a purple truck and drive slowly down the driveway and I can hear them talking about me. They cut across the lawn in the truck and park in the driveway in the neighbor's house (or their house?) and go inside. I thought, why did they bother driving here when they live next door?

The next segment I'm riding on the subway, and I realize I need to pay for my ride soon, so I dump out all of the money I have in singles and nickels & dimes right onto my stomache to count it out. Then Erin Dyer got on the train and we started talking. I notice my stop is coming up and I say to her "Now that I live here in Washington DC, I should go get a map."

So I get off the train with my giant backpack and walk up to this complex of stores and restaurants. I find an alcove in the alley and take off all my clothes, put them in my backpack. I leave my stuff in the alcove, and set off to get a map of Washington DC (where I apparently live). But I don't go to the store, I go through the back entrances of several restaurants, and walk through the kitchens, excusing myself past the cooks making falafels, or bread, or burgers, completely naked and not caring. It didn't seem like a big deal to the cooks either.

I walked through a couple of restaurants, and finally I'm in the kitchen of this bakery. I'm trying to get through, and this girl stops me from passing, telling me that the owner is going to be giving an announcement. I'm listening to the girl, looking at her face, and feel like there's something off about her. I realize that she has 3 eyes, 2 normal ones, and a slightly bigger one in the middle. I then start to be very aware of my nakedness, and try to cover myself up with my hands as I walk through the bakery and into the map store.

I go back to the alcove to get my clothes, put them on, take all my things and then I sit down at one of the tables to have a meal at the restaurant. I'm sipping a glass of water with a wedge of lemon and realize I have to go to the bathroom. I think I leave and go to another restaurant to use their bathroom instead. There is a series of planks that I have to walk over to get to the door, and then I have to use all my strength to break into the bathroom. I'm finally inside, using the toilet, and someone else is trying to break down the door. So I had to escape another way.....then I woke up and really had to pee!

Anyone want to do a little dream analysis for me?

Orange you Glad?

2007-12-19T20:15:00.001-05:00

The other night I spent my evening stabbing cloves into the flesh of some oranges to give away as gifts. Maybe if I had more patience I could fill up a whole orange like Big Mamma's collection. I fell in love with mapping out the designs on the surface, I guess I'll have to make some more to keep around the apartment.

I found some cool Flickr groups tonight, who knew how many amazing photos are on there!
Red Rule, a group where people upload all photos have the color red in them. I love this one and this one and this one and this one and this one. Go check it out yourself and pick out your favorites. I also came across My Lilliput. Photos of teeny tiny figures in super-sized places. Mostly perched atop fruits and vegetables. Love them!

In an issue from last years' Family Fun Magazine, I found a cute idea for a pretty winter display in your yard. Cut up an orange into slices, float them in a glass container filled with water. Add whole cranberries and balsam twigs and a piece of looped rope to the water and leave it outside overnight to freeze. In the morning, you have a beautiful, colorful block of ice to hang from a tree, or on the porch. I wanted to make one after cloving it up, but was short on some of the requested "ingredients." You could say I made up my own little concoction. (Its never stopped me before!) I sliced up an orange, and added olives and sweet curly peppers to the water instead. (Yes, it's true, oil and water don't mix.) I also didn't have any rope, so I dug up some Mardi Gras beads I got on spring break in New Orleans senior year of college (I knew they'd come in handy for something!) I'm pretty happy with how it came out, I think once it starts melting a bit it will look really pretty with the olives and peppers sticking through. I did get oil on my pants when I was hanging it up, and now my porch smells like a pizza parlor.

messenger bird press

2007-12-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

An owl ornament for an owl lover, how did she know!
from messenger bird press in brooklyn, ny. thanks Kelly!

Bloggity blog

2007-12-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

A new blog I found via Flickr Ornament Swap group.

SimpleSong is lovely and you should visit it.

Free Clothes

2007-12-15T19:20:00.002-05:00

*****
I stopped in Salvation Army (Salvo to the seasoned lot of you) today to check out their tee-shirts and what not. I came across a cute brown wool blazer (yes, this is a photo of it; I guess it's always good to have a camera on hand for blog posts!)

It was $18, but 50% off today, so i figured I could justify the $9 if it looked really cute on me. I notice there was a giant food stain on the back that should have turned me off and totally broke one of my thrift store rules (#1. no more than $5 unless totally awesome. #2. no giant stains/rips/pit stains/ew factor) against my better judgement I tried it on anyway. I reached into the pocket (another no-no in thrift stores as my fellow shoppers will tell ya, usually there's a used hanky from '85 in there) but this time it was a crispy twenty dollar bill!

I didn't get the blazer, but I scored a ton of other stuff. My total was only $21.05. A couple of my favorite freebies were a pair of leather brown flats with little ties, a little boy's Boston Redsox tee from 1992, an Edward Gorey "new york ballet" tee design that I'm gonna sew to make fit, a red tee with "ashfield" from 1982, and a men's thick waffle shirt with "duck head" on the front. You're jealous, admit it.

The ironic thing is I used up the $20 to pay for my Salvo clothes, and didn't have enough money on my next stop to do all my laundry at Laundry Club. I ended up cramming as much as I could into one load and leaving the rest in my car for next time. Oops, I've never been good with money, even when it's free.

Play by play

2007-12-14T14:26:00.002-05:00

I just found the missing photos. phew. I'm posting them before they go missing again.

preliminary VW template designs

testing some designs with paper (in my pjs)

ironing the baby buses onto felt

stuffed with pretty, yet evil junkmail

complete at last

Snow Storm

2007-12-14T11:34:00.002-05:00

Stormy shots out my windows this morning. My apartment is all lit up from the snow's reflection. I took a stroll last night to the post office to mail my christmas cards while the snow was still falling. It was so still and peaceful outside without any wind. I love walking around in the snow. I'm planning an outing a little later today after a gingerbread latte or two....

Take the Bus

2007-12-14T10:14:00.003-05:00

Here is peek at my little stuffed VW bus ornaments. I scanned drawings of the bus from my sketchbook into Photoshop, printed them onto iron-on transfer paper, ironed the images onto felt, stuffed them with shredded junk mail and stitched them up! I took a bunch of photos, but they disappeared from my camera. I arranged all the buses and took a bunch of shots before I shipped them off. I will cry if I keep thinking that those photos no longer exist, so I will think of other things now.

Yet another reason why I need to drop my camera out my second-story window. Nooo I wouldn't do that, I'm currently checking out new models (suggestions are welcome!) and when I finally pick the camera, Big Mamma will inherit my piece-of-poop digital.

Conversation with Big Mamma:
Diana: I really need a new camera, this thing is a piece of junk
Mom: Well, when you get your new camera, can I have your old one? I don't have one.
Diana: Sure, you can have it, just don't try and take pictures inside, of people, close-ups or with a flash. The only good pics it takes are outside on a sunny day--otherwise they come out blue and blurry.
Mom: That's fine, I only need pictures of the dogs running around outside

**by the way, I know Big Mamma will be reading this, I know her nickname sounds like I'm making fun of her weight, she is not fat at all! Kate and I just started calling her Big Mamma one day( like matriarch)....and it just stuck! So Big Mamma it is. Love you Big Mamma!

Speaking of dogs, this is one of my favorite pictures of Moses & Bonnie.

Yes, that's Bonnie sitting on Moses.

Here is a picture of my cute Christmas Twig. I've decorated it a little with glittery leaves and flowers. I just got my first ornament yesterday from the exchange. Britt from Illinois made a cute little crocheted Chrismas tree. See her blog here. Keep them coming guys!

Pinch

2007-12-07T19:37:00.002-05:00

I bought this beautiful ceramic tile by ArtDepartment at Pinch in Northampton last weekend.

I love tiles because of their durability in damp environments like kitchens and bathrooms (except if they fall off the wall!). I found a great place for it above my kitchen sink with my other very loved kitchen accessories. The yellow vase is by Liz Kinder Ceramics;
the cutting boards are hand-me-downs from Uncle Cam; the little strawberry is a sharing shelf rescue; the copper spoon set I made in college; and of course my llama from a very old Banana Republic ad.
p.s. my camera refuses to take a non-blurry photo. it will soon be drop-kicked.

christmas drain

2007-12-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

I finally got into the Christmas spirit this morning. I found a branch in my back yard, stuck it in a glass vase I got at Target for $4 and pretty easily I made a cute little Christmas tree for the ornament exchange. I have a couple Xmas cards and a bird I'm giving to my friend decorating it for now. Can't wait to get some ornaments from the exchange! I also made some wrapping paper from my Trader Joe's grocery bags to package the gift I bought for the staff yankee swap.

I spent a while on Amazon.com today looking for Christmas DVDs from my childhood. This will be my first Christmas away from home, so I bought these because I'm so darn nostalgic this time of year.

The best, hands down. I know TNT plays it for 24hours from xmas eve to xmas day, but since I don't have a tv I finally need my own copy.

Beautiful and amazing colored pencil animation that I could watch 50 times a day

Classic 1978 Sesame Street!

Mickey's Christmas Carol is my favorite version of the Dickens tale

All the really old Mickey & Pals cartoons from the 30's & 40's. So cute!

1940's Goofy cartoons, particularly "how to ski" is a family favorite

more inspiration

2007-12-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

I saw little miss sunshine for the 2nd time last weekend and i still didn't like it. I feel like something is wrong with me! it really bugged me that the grandpa died and they just shoved him in the trunk. am i the only one? but loved the sets & props. especially the VW bus!

This really awesome MTA subway poster was just given to the Studio by Leo. I love his pencil drawing.

by Leonard Quiles
2006

Poster Text:
"Millions ride the subways everyday. Many rest and let their minds wander, listening to music, daydreaming. Leonardo Quiles sketches a joyful fantasy of his own to illustrate the fun and adventure of traveling in the imagination while getting to a real destination."

Race Day

2007-12-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Me and Kate ran the Mayor Higgins Hot Chocolate 5k Run in downtown Northampton this morning. It was icy cold out, snow on the ground, and our toes froze off into little cocktail weenies in our shoes, but we still managed improve our running times! I wasn't cool enough to bring my camera and take pictures, but there will probably be a bunch online tomorrow that I can link to.

I found this blog today about to do lists. My friend M might have her list in this woman's book. Or maybe it's another book about lists.

Today from the library I checked out the book A Lifetime of Secrets. I can't wait to take a closer look
xoxo

Bus Ball

2007-11-30T12:10:00.001-05:00

Still brainstorming my ornament. Stumbled across this funky sculpture of a vw bus ball here, perhaps some inspiration! And this wooden bus & Mac by Lee Stoetzel. Found my digi camera's charger, so pics will hopefully follow
more later, xoxo

Meow

2007-11-29T07:11:00.000-05:00

Seriously, watch this, it's one of those classic cute animal clips. enjoy!

xoxo

kickoff

2007-11-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure exactly what to say in the kickoff post to my new blog. What's mostly on my mind this week is the Ornament Swap I'm participating in through freshly blended and cake & pie.
Hello to group 48 if any of you wandered over here from the Flickr Discussion Group!

I want to use materials I already have on hand, probably sewing involved, probably paper...I have some mockups made and lots of sketches, but with the looming deadline I'm eager to choose the final design. I will post photos once I find the charger for my digital camera--its been misplaced in my move back in August.
I'll be in touch,
xoxo