Masked Bandits

I am working on two crazy haired, masked bandits.  They are raccoons and are quite the lookers.  I have finally used some of the vintage ribbon that was given to me.  It is the pink ribbon that acts as suspenders and is probably from the late 50’s/early 60’s.  I’ll post some more photos when they are stuffed and hanging from trees on the rooftop.

Colorful Polar Bears

These two polar bears are mint green and salmon colored.  Although polar bears are usually white, the pink bear eats a lot of wild salmon and has turned a pinky hue and the minty bear is a vegetarian and eats tons of kelp from the shallow waters and has gone greenish.  I don’t have names for them yet, but I think they turned out great.  Polar bears are probably my favorite animal and colorful polar bears rock!  In other news, Barry and I went to the Arclight in Hollywood to see Wes Anderson’s new movie, Moonrise Kingdom. I though that it was absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to see it again to soak up more of the cinematic details.  What was really great was the display of props from the movie in the lobby.  They had a totem. And the canoe with an ornately carved raccoon…And the actual costumes of Suzy and Sam…They were in a glass case which is smart.  Also the sign from Camp Ivanhoe…And a tent…Here is a close-up of Sam’s canteen…  I love the raccoon emblem. (Sorry about the quality, it’s from an Android phone)And here is a shot of the whole display…And lastly my favorite, the sign from the trail that Sam and Suzy ran away on that is shown throughout the film…I’m off to reminisce about the film.  If you have the chance, definitely go and see it!

Baking is fun!

I attempted to make my first vegan cupcakes today.  They came out a bit dry and more like muffins, but the icing is delicious, so I just gooped it on!  They are carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  All vegan.  They taste pretty good and I am bringing them to a friend’s house for dinner, so hopefully they will be enjoyed by all.  I had to make the vegan cream cheese icing a peachy color because it came out a light beige and not attractive.  I used vegan sprinkles that I got from Wholefoods called Sprinkelz.  The icing is not thick, but it might be the best icing I’ve ever tasted.  I used whole wheat flour which is why it looks so hearty and organic maple sugar from Trader Joe’s.  I think that things that are homemade are so great.  There are so many baked goods at the grocery store and they cost a lot less than homemade, but homemade is so much more thoughtful.

The birds are getting some final touches and this afternoon I will be making some new critters.  Here they are.And finally, I took the lion and raccoon up to the roof a few days ago to take a photo that will be used for Renegade Handmade Craft Fair.  Adorable! 

TGIF…

I haven’t blogged a lot lately.  I have been crafting and running around and enjoying my new husband.  Yesterday was our two week wedding anniversary and we celebrated it by going to one of our favorite restaurants, Luna Park.  The food is always great there and they make the most wonderful cocktails.  I had a strawberry mojito!

There is a lot to do to get organized for Renegade Handmade LA craft fair this summer and I have big ideas for this one!  First I have to vend at Patchwork Craft Fair in Culver City and am sewing away for that one.  Here is a sneak peek at one of my new bluebirds.(pre-stuffed)  I keep hearing a lot of beautiful bird sounds outside on my patio.  Our apartment is lined with gorgeous and tall bamboo and many birds congregate there.  Reg the cat loves bird watching too!  Here is a photo of him on our wedding day.  It’s difficult to take a good photo of  a black cat, but I love this one!

In other news, I think we are going to see Moonrise Kingdom tonight and I am so excited!  Wes Anderson is my absolute favorite director, and maybe Francois Truffaut, so I am greatly anticipating it.  I am fortunate to live in L.A. because it’s not playing in all cities, but it’s here!

I was going to write all about the wedding, but I have decided to keep the details a bit more personal.  There were some humorous events throughout the day and a few good stories.  To sum it up, we had two friends(husband and wife) accompany us and a photographer friend.  Thank goodness the friend happens to be a make-up  artist because I woke up with a few blemishes on my forehead in a triangle formation.  We took a limo to Van Nuys and found ourselves in a strip mall with a wedding chapel.  The mall was complete with a donut shop, a medical marijuana dispensary and a chinese food restaurant.  After we were married, we took a limo to Greystone Manor and after 5 minutes we were escorted out by a park ranger.  Apparently you have to have a license to take wedding photos in Beverly Hills and it’s $300.oo/ hr.  We managed to squeeze in a few photos before leaving and also got a few on the rooftop of our building.  Later that evening, we celebrated with a wonderful dinner at BOA restaurant in our neighbourhood in West Hollywood.  It was a great day.  I will leave you with a few photos. 

I’ve got love for you, if you love the 80’s…

The title of this blog post is loose reference to the Calvin Harris song,  Born in the Eighties.  If you know this song, you will understand the reference.

I made Fergus the Rollerskating Raccoon and now today is the inception of Liesel the Lion with a boombox.  Liesel was really fun to make and I’m pretty in love with her right now!  She may look delicate and timid, but boy can she breakdance.  Liesel the Lion  will be submitted along with Fergus the Rollerskating Raccoon for the Plush You show 2012 this fall in Seattle.  I think they look very happy together! 

Busy, busy, busy…

Well, a lot has happened lately.  I got married last Thursday.  It was a tiny wedding with two friends as witnesses and a friend photographer as well.  We took a limo to a wedding chapel in Van Nuys.  The chapel was in a strip mall.  I had a good laugh when we rolled up in the limousine and the limo took up the whole parking lot!  But, I married my sweetheart and that was great!  We tried to go to Greystone Manor to get our photos done, but a menacing park ranger with a pronounced moustached kicked us out.  Apparently if you want to take photos in Beverly Hills at a public park, it costs $300.oo/ hour for a permit.  So, he escorted us out.  We did get some photos before said altercation, and some photos from our rooftop and we should have those this week sometime.

I had a bachelorette at Native Foods in Westwood and that was fun times!  This is me in my outfit.  It was pretty fun and I organized a few games and there were prizes.  Here’s a picture of the loot…Everyone had a fun time!

The day after my wedding, my new husband and I went to Universal Studios which is quite close to us.  When we got there we headed straight for the Tram tour.  It was well worth it and I definitely recommend it to anyone!  We got a priority pass and did all of the rides.  We even got to go on the newest ride, Transformers, which doesn’t open yet, but they let us try it out.  How cool is that?  Sorry there are no photos.  I didn’t feel like lugging my camera around. My favorite ride was the Jurassic Park water ride.  We did that one twice!

In exciting news, I just finished Fergus the Rollerskating Raccoon!  I will be submitting Fergus as one of my pieces for the Plush You Gallery Show in October in Seattle.  He is a big boy at 21 inches and completely adorable.  The rollerskates were a bit of a challenge, as I have never made them before, but they were fun to make.  I tried using buttons for wheels, but they just didn’t look right, so I needlefelted them out of wool instead.  I’ve got three softies to make for the show, and I am going with an 80’s theme.  I like the idea of using different skills with this exhibit, so I will be needlefelting accessories for them.  Stay tuned for an 80’s lion and hedgehog!

My friend Mary and I attended Unique L.A. this weekend.  It is a big craft show, held downtown on the 13th floor of a building in the fashion district.  It was quite fun and there was lots of great artists, food and a d.j.  I got a few things, then we headed to Michael Levine’s.  If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a huge fabric, sewing and needlework supply store.  To me, it’s pretty much the closest thing to heaven.  I got some wool roving, new fabric, and hemp string.  We were pretty exhausted by the end of it and happy to go home.

Okay, there is much crafting for me to get done and I will leaving you with another photo of dear Fergus…

Great…Little…Sunday…

Well, it’s Sunday and so far I’ve had a fun day!  This morning we ran some errands and then headed to Gallery 1988 on Melrose for the Avengers Exhibit.  It was great and then we checked out their “meme” exhibit across the road.  There were some that I didn’t understand, like the honey badger, but my favorite ones were all cats with their face poking through a piece of bread and cats dressed like poptarts and flying amongst rainbows.  Then it was off to Luna Park restaurant for lunch!  It was very tasty and on Sundays, they have all day brunch, complete with a dry bowl of Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops  cereal to graze on.  That was interesting!  The decorations at the Cinco De Mayo party last night were great!  We ate lots of great food such as shrimp ceviche, chicken mole, spanish rice and guacamole.  Not to mention some delicious Sangria!  We also played a spanish version of Bingo called “Lotteria”!  I won the first round and I had to stand up and sing a song, so I sung the Canadian national anthem.  With pride, of course.  I love the drawings on the Lotteria cards.  Kind of vintage looking, kind of creepy.  I learned a lot of new words!  Anyway, it was a fun night.  And as much as I’d like to write all day, there is some crafting to be done.

Oh, by the way, I think that I forgot to mention that I got into Renegade L.A.!  I am very excited as it is a huge event!  I will be selling my wares there on July 27th and 28th with my friend Mary Lundquist.  Can’t wait! 

Cinco De Mayo!

Well, this is my very first Cinco de Mayo that I am celebrating.  We don’t celebrate this in Canada really, I mean, I have heard of it, but it isn’t embraced there.  My friends are having a gathering tonight, so what did I do?  I baked…There were a few challenges and a few things that I would change next time, but overall I am pleased.  I made the blue icing a bit thin, and didn’t leave any extra frosting powder to thicken it up, so I had to make do.  Also, the cake batter is colored and layered in a rainbow, but when it baked, the batter bubbled and mixed together a bit.  So, when you bite  into them, they look more like tie-dye inside.  The recipe says that it makes 24 cupcakes, but mine only made 19 which I am hoping is enough!  I got these awesome cupcake boxes and they were two for a dollar at the 99cent store and they have the little insert so that the cupcakes won’t slide around in transit. Okay, I have to go now and clean up the hurricane of a mess that used to be my kitchen!

Sunny Days

Well, it is a beautiful sunny day here in Los Angeles and normally I wouldn’t even mention that except for the fact that it has been grey and overcast for the past three days, so it’s nice to see the sun!  Welcome back friend.

Last night Mary and I attended the Etsy Craft Night at the Craft and Folk Art Museum on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile District, across from the LACMA.  It was fun!  The craft was victorian needlepoint and mine is coming along.  There were many images to choose from, but I was drawn to this one.  Who doesn’t like a cool bow tie?  I like this craft because it is out of my element and something that I might not normally try on my own, so it puts me out of my craft comfort zone.

This afternoon is when we find out if we got into Renegade Handmade Craft Fair this summer.  It’s a huge event put on by a group of folks from Chicago and is held downtown for two days in July near Chinatown,  in a  field.  I really hope I get in and am able to be a part of such a great event.  I went last summer and it was so good, I went both days!

I’m off to the gym and my sweaty fingers will be crossed!

A Word About Diligence

Diligence is defined as steadfast application – the virtue of hard work rather than the sin of careless sloth.  I was trying to be diligent with my blog, but I must admit that I am not keeping up with my ambitious goal of blogging five days a week.  There are  a few blogs that I follow and I take comfort in knowing that some of my favorite ones only blog one or two days a week, but I still feel a bit bad about it.  I realize and accept that sometimes life gets in the way of our ambitions, but I’ve let myself down.  I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, but I am going to try harder.  I have to admit that when I click on one of the blogs that I follow and there isn’t a new blog post, I feel a tiny bit of disappointment in the pit of my stomach.  There are a few blogs that I love that make me upset because they only blog about once a month.  I promise you – faithful reader, that I will never become that monthly blogger.  Plus, I ‘ve got too many exciting things to share!

First off, a friend of mine asked me to needlefelt her some cake toppers for her wedding this summer.  She wanted bright yellow birds and I am very pleased with the finished results!  I apologize for the blurriness of the photos.  They were just quick snapshots that I emailed her.  I like their bird tails!  I don’t think that anyone attending their wedding in Texas this summer reads this blog, so I hope I’m not spoiling the surprise by posting these!

I am working on a few softies that aren’t quite finished, but you can have a sneak peek…This lion and bear are an extension of the retro lion that I made for the feature film which apparently has started production.  I was sad to send him off and since I really like the retro look, I am going to make a few.  As soon as they are sewn up, I will list them in my shop.

In other news, my friend Mary and I are attending an Etsy craft night tomorrow evening at the Folk Art Museum(CAFAM) and we are going to learn to make a victorian needlepoint.  It should be fun and it’s my first Etsy craft night!  Then, next weekend(May 12 and 13) we will be attending Unique LA’s spring show.  I didn’t apply for this show, but I think it will be nice to attend and check out all of the talent!  My friend Stephanie will be selling her soap and you can read more about her ethical soap here…http://www.lukasoap.com/

Okay, I am off to run some errands and try and find the sun, which has been absent for a few days, which is rare here in SoCal…