rich lovely eggs

I haven't dyed Easter eggs for years. This post from Stephanie Barnes makes me want to do it. Look at these beautiful eggs that she and her family makes with all natural dyes. They use things like beets and purple cabbage. The result is such deep rich colors. I love them. Read more about it here.

trip to the nursery

I finally got to the nursery today. Don't you think it is sweet how they call the place where you go to buy young plants and seeds a nursery? I also got to a place to get a few cut flowers, as well.

My living room is normally always dressed for autumn. We are alike this way. The walls are maroon and the furniture is all dark wood. The other colors are burnt orange, winter white, forest green and brown.

So, it is kind of a challenge to try and lighten it up when spring comes and I start craving brighter colors. Today I got to get it all taken care of with a few plants and by pulling out some pieces I had put away last fall.

Here are some images. There are more on my flickr.

little chest of drawers

I spent some time this weekend putting together this little chest of drawers from Ikea. It isn't hard, but it isn't easy either and it is't quiet. Lots of nailing, lots.

Anyway, I wanted it for my my work table in the craft den. Once it was together I set about painting it.

I just used acrylic paints that I already had, not the paint they sell at Ikea for this purpose.

I chose turquoise, which is an odd choice if you know me, but for some reason I like it in room decor and it would match my curtains. I wanted to do three colors for the drawers in different shades of green. I had to mix one to make it work, but it turned out how I imagined it, which is always nice.

I really like the combo of turquoise and avocado green. It was used a lot on the early 70's and I think it is due for a comeback.
















After the paint, I put on a light coat of Mod Podge. I chose glossy and should have chosen matte. After I did it I remembered that glossy always seems to stay a little sticky, whereas matte doesn't seem to. But, it seems okay.


Here you can see it a little with the curtains. This little chest of drawers will soon have stuff piled up on top of it, I am sure. But, for a little while I get to see it like this.

It's a Zine, Zine, Zine, Zine World

The new issue of Zine World is out and it is on it's way to me right now.

In it, there is an article on We Make Zines, that I and other wemakezinesters answered questions for.

I am excited to see it.

We Make Zines is constantly surprising me with it's amazingness. I love the interaction and projects and discussions going on there. We are now at 1,173 members. Will we make it to 2000 by August, which will be out first year anniversary? We just might.

the art we choose

I have been meaning to write this post for several months. I haven't becasue there have been so many things I have wanted to say and I was having trouble organizing the thoughts. This is my attempt. Forgive me if it is not perfectly worded.

We all like to see people like ourselves reflected in art. How many times have you purchased an art print or a vintage image for you or a friend not just because you liked it, but because the person in the image looks a bit like the recipient?

Sometimes, I think people collect images of what they wish to look like. But, if your room walls are covered with images of women or girls who are what you want to look like, but do not, how would that effect your self esteem in the long run?

I think about these things often when I am looking at some of the beautiful art on Etsy. I think about it because as much as I love some of the pieces I find, I do not want to surround myself with images of thin women and girls. And on top of that, a lot of the art you see of females is extreme in the proportions, with large heads and eyes and skinny bodies.

I am not thin. I am a fat woman. When I find an artist I like and I look at their work, there are images of women or girls with all different colors of hair and skin - and yet none of them are fat or even chunky. All of them have the same body, maybe some are shorter and some are taller, but all are thin.

Why would I want to invest in this? I know this may seem extreme, because people have seldom questioned it, but stay with me here. How is it going to effect me as a fat woman who is already being told everyday in many ways that I am not okay, that I am not normal and that I need to change in order to be loved and valued?

How empowering would it be to be able to have images by artists you love of beautiful and lovely women and girls who are also fat? I think it would be revolutionary. Imagine if there were so many to choose from that a young girl or an older woman could have many choices of images of fat beauty available to her.

There are some fat girl art pieces out there, but it is often new age in style and usually the artist only does fat people. I really appreciate them doing what they do, but why the divide? Why can't people include chubby bodies like they include redheads?

I encourage artists out there to seriously consider this. I am tempted to link here to the artists that I most want to see this message, but I think I will not. But, I do think I will send this link to some of them and I hope that you will consider encouraging your favorite artist to include diversity in body size.

Here is an image of one of the fat positive artists on Etsy, ladyatlarge. This is one of the best I have found on there. Here is hoping there will be more featured in the future.

birds nest cake

I just had to show you all the beautiful cake that Jenn and Jenny made. You may know these cake wizards from their many adorable ventures like Chet and Dot, Plants and Animals and Robot Candy.
This cake is like something you would see in Martha Stewart. God, I would never have the patience for that. I so appreciate people who do things so well. So very sweet.

You can see more on the blog.

fabrics for sale

I spent this afternoon cleaning out gthe fabric section of my craft closet and then I just spent way too long posting the fabrics on Etsy. I did already sell some, though, so that is good.

If you are looking for some fabrics. Here is a sample of what I just listed. It can all be found in my shop, The Cedar Chest

the adventures of mr fox and mrs polar bear

I stumbled upon these very cute photos on Flickr a while ago and quickly became a fan of Mr Fox and his friend Mrs Polar Bear.











They are photographed by tommy toast and he tells you all about their lives and daily adventures, along with other creatures from the "land of bed". I like his story telling.

Moments after uttering "Hand me my harmonica", Mr Fox was hot on the trail of Mr Completely Bonkers Raccoon - the Pied Piper! His ears pricked, and using his extraordinary sense of smell, the chase had begun.

Mrs PB, who had finally located her ear plugs, followed close behind. It took some time. Every so often Mrs Polar Bear's shrieking or humming would put him off track, but as the amplitude began to increase (proportionately to the square of their distance from the Piper), pursing his lips Mr Fox began to blow!

Beginning with Carnival of the Animals.. the little bears turned, looked and began to edge towards him, but the the Raccoon who could be heard but not seen reposted with Hall of the Mountain King. Mr Fox was losing them! He had to pull out all the stops. There was only one tune that could save them now. He was going to have to give the rendition of his life.

Only one tune could do it, and the one tune did it. Mr Fox's recital of Land of Hope and Glory was truly awe inspiring!

Vive la fox!

They are working on the global domination of Mr Fox and Mrs Polar Bear, along with their friend Mr Shaun, and you can help.

Cut out the images and take pictures of them in your town or on vacation with you. (You get bonus points for Holy Grail locations).

How cute is this? I don't know why, but I love something even more when it has little cut-out lines next to it.

little green things

I am ready for spring to come. Usually each year I am a little sad when winter leaves. People are always so ready to get rid of it, complaining about the cold when winter is not even halfway through. I never understood that and enjoy the quiet sparse grey days of winter. I like home bound activities and winter is a season that compliments my homebody nature.

The winter in Portland this year has been a proper winter. Lots of cold and even lots of snow. Usually in Portland when it snows it is a big deal, blog posts and twitters are busy with the reports. This year, it is old hat by now. This morning I drove to work with snowflakes as big as chicken feathers floating down and I wasn't giddy with it. It was pleasant, but did not seem to be a noteworthy event.

So, spring is due to arrive soon. I have been craving pretty stuff. I want to see some new things and I long for some sunshine and sweet green leafy items.

I know terrariums are all the rage right now and I do like them, but I am rather smitten with Jenny's project of potting small succulent plants. She makes great terrariums, too. I like the idea of using old vintage teacups and small pottery items to create a collection of succulents.



I also noticed this nice big planter on the table in the home of another Portland artist, Tess of Egg Press. Design Sponge did a showing of her home and it is beautiful. You can see more here.


So, maybe I will get to the nursery and make up some little pots of green things. It should be warm enough to start some gardening soon, fingers crossed.