Sugar Skull Making Class at DIY Lounge!

I know it's still Summertime (hot as hell in Portland, in fact!) but Fall is just around the corner and along with the usual Fall traditions comes my annual Mexican Sugar Skull making class at DIY Lounge. I just love Mexican folk art and Day of the Dead traditions and look forward to teaching this class each year (this will be my third). Something super amazing and cool that is new to the class this year is my new Virgin of Guadalupe sugar mold! Yes, you heard it right - the Virgin of Guadalupe molded out of sugar.

I acquired the mold late last year so it wasn't included in the class. I managed to mold one but didn't get a chance to add decoration and see her in full glory. Imagine her covered in colorful frosting with paper gold stars on her robe and little fabric flowers at her feet. Amazing, right? Students in the class will have a change to make several skulls like the ones pictured below as well as a Guadalupe if they choose.

Because DIY Lounge has expanded to a second location, I will teach two separate sessions - one at each location. Each class session has two parts - on the first day we will learn how to make the sugar mixture and mold the skulls and on the second day we will decorate our skulls. Pure fun!

Here's the skinny:
Sugar Skulls: Celebrate dia de los Muertos

at DIY Lounge on SE Woodstock Blvd.
Thursday, October 2nd from 6-8pm
AND Saturday, October 4th from 2-4pm

at DIY Lounge on NE Alberta St.
Thursday, October 23rd from 6-8pm
AND Saturday, October 25th from 2-4pm

You can find even more details and register for the class HERE.
Hope to see you there!

It's Crafty Wonderland Time!

It's that time of the month again!

CRAFTY WONDERLAND!
Portland's Monthly Art + Craft Extravaganza
Sunday, August 10th
11am - 4pm
at Doug Fir Lounge
830 E. Burnside in Portland
info. and a full vendor list at www.craftywonderland.com

I'll be there with my usual assortment of skirts, sweaters and cut tin wall pieces. I'm cleaning house and marking down some skirts and sweaters to make room for the new ones so come check out my $25 treasure bin!

Plus, we've got the fabulous Jen Neitzel from DIY Lounge at the free DIY table making plush creatures out of old sweaters with our shoppers.

After you do some crafty shopping, head upstairs to Doug Fir's free summer concert series, "Pickin' on Sundays". From 3-7pm you can enjoy food and drink specials out on the patio while listening to the sounds of James Low and Michael Dean Damron.

First Thursday Art Opening

I was excited to create a piece that will be included in "Face Melting Double Attack" - a group show at Manette Gallery in NW Portland. All the juicy details are included in the above flyer. Check out the first Thursday opening reception this week. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend but hope some of you will be there to represent.


Here is a sneak preview of the hand embroidered piece I did for the show. My inspiration was a cool vintage book from the 1940s that I unearthed while cleaning out my studio - it's called "A Boy Grows Up" and is a coming of age book meant to guide a young boy into manhood. The illustrations are hysterical and rather random. This particular illustration was taken from Chapter 5 which instructs a boy how to get along with his mother. I added my own twist by giving the unsuspecting young man some tattoos.


I am all about the fine details so the back of the piece is just as presentable as the front and has the title embroidered on it - "A Boy Grows Up - Chapter 5".

The instructions on the theme of the show were to use "emotion" to create your piece. I struggled with what to do but finally made a decision as my son was off at sleep-away camp for the first time and about to turn eleven years old. He is growing up so fast. I hope that someday he helps me move my heavy furniture.

Letterpress Yard Sale in Portland

Check out this very cool event this Sunday!

What: Letterpress Yard Sale
Where: Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy
When: Sunday, August 3, 11 am - 4 pm
Detail: A one-day sale with over a dozen letterpress printers and
printshops selling original prints, letterpress equipment, and odds
and ends. Plus Demos!

Here are all the juicy details straight from Carye of Red Bat Press who will be there selling off some of her work:

You are cordially invited to the first annual Letterpress Yard Sale Sunday, August 3rd, from 11am to 4pm, at Liberty Hall in N Portland (311 N Ivy). Come browse letterpress-printed broadsides, cards and artist books as well as type and cabinets, bindery equipment, and tools. See demos on a small table-top letterpress throughout the day.

Vendors include:
the Oregon College of Art and Craft, Crack Press, Textura Letterpress, Triangular Press, Satsuma Press, Red Bat Press, Letterary Press, Sarah Contrary, Twin Ravens Press, the Independent Publishing Resource Center, Stumptown Printers, Arcana 27, Tiger Food Press, and the American Amateur Press Association (AAPA). The sale is free and open to the public.

Good Old Fashioned Fun

OK, so I was going to write a post about how I went to the Washington County Fair and saw really hysterical things like...

a prize winning guinea pig...

and a 4-H exhibit of fruit and veggie sculpture...

and this bunny that had a crazy hair-do.

It was all really funny and silly and made me laugh quite a bit.

And then today I found THIS!

Holy Crap! It is a website consisting entirely of crafts you can make using tampons. They offer fun and useful project ideas to suit many of your holiday needs, including, but not limited to...

Tampon ghosts for Halloween.

A tampon menorah for Hanukkah.

And my personal favorite - a tampon toupee for Father's Day.

So, I thought this banana wearing a Barbie doll dress at the fair was the funniest thing I'd seen all year...and then I saw that toupee. Wow. I can't tell you how glad I am that things like this exist. They make the world a better place.

If you would like to see more of my photos from the Washington County Fair you can view them on my Flickr.

New Goodies on Etsy!

I just updated my Etsy shop (finally!?!) - here is a sneak peek!

Brown + Pink I-Heart-Scissors Skirt

Cute Vintage Green Sewing-Machine-Love Cardigan Sweater

Magenta Cotton Blend I-Heart-Scissors A-Line Skirt w/ Pockets

Green Love-Your-Scissors Cardigan Sweater

More coming soon! Plus my new vintage craft supply Etsy shop is in the works and should be launching in the next week!

Cracked Pots Recycled Garden Art Show

Today I took a trip out to Cracked Pots at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale, OR (just outside Portland). I had been hearing about this show for years and was excited to finally make it out there. Plus, I had a few friends selling there so it was a chance to see new work by some of my favorite artists.
It's going on for one more day so head on out there if you feel inspired.

Cracked Pots
Wednesday, July 23rd * 1-8pm
at McMenamin's Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St. Troutdale, OR 97060

My Fabulous friend Janet Julian never ceases to amaze me! She combines her painting talents with significant junk to create angels, icons and mermaids. These Madonnas were my faves.

Janet also made these fantastic angels out of old wood molding.

I loved these garden balls covered with marbles by Ta Dah.

My neighbor Tim of The Reclamation Project is a whiz with a router and makes these awesome giant wooden bugs and super cool carved wall plaques.

Suzanne from Mugwump had her usual assortment of fantastic oddities including these cool maket totes made from old place mats and tablecloths...

and these garden tea light holders made from vintage tart tins and knitting needles!

These amazing children's chairs were my favorite things from an artist I had never seen before...and can you believe I didn't get their information!? Dang! They were made with vintage metal advertisements and garden hoses. So fantastic!