Krissi's Art Studio: May 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

UPDATED: It's a matter of opinion (new photos)

My hubby doesn't care for my newest creation - says it's too much 'in your face.' A few of my girl-type-friends LOVE it for the same reasons I do - it's funny and it's oddly empowering. And, yes, it's what you think it is.

I'm in a group of female artists & crafters on Swap-Bot (www.swap-bot.com) who openly talk about anything and I'll give it to them, no-one has been judgmental at all. One of the girls posted a link to a vagina coin purse and jokingly said we should make and swap them. I immediately decided to do just that - but for another, unrelated swap for an "emergency puta kit," or, in English, "Ho on the Go").

I've shown my little 'snatchel' around (hey now!) and have decided that I should make a limited edition run of them for sale. I'll be taking a few custom orders and just about any color is available. I may even make a few "ready to wear" so to speak, but when those are sold out, they're gone for good folks!

Here are the details:

made from 100% high quality (quilting quality) hand-dyed cotton fabrics from my HUGE fabric stash - if you want a specific color(s), I probably have it
features light stuffing (labial puffiness is negotiable) and a plastic pearl bead "clitoris"
fully lined and features a garment quality zipper
approx 5" in diameter (2-3" high when filled)
will easily hold several credit cards, a lipstick, money & a key (or your tampons and liners ... or condoms... or ...)
guaranteed to be a conversation starter ... or stopper when you pull it out to check your lipstick!
~~$30~~ ~~plus tax ($2.33 CA residents only) & shipping ($6 - includes a $1 PayPal use fee; deduct $1 if paying by check) --~~ ~~LIMITED EDITION!~~ NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

UPDATE: OK, since my MySpace pal Inspirada asked, here are some more photos (of the filled purse) to give you a better idea of what it really looks like. I used 3 colors (light pink, pink and red) of hand dyed cotton on this purse. Since the lining (red here) and back.(lt. pink here) aren't really seen much, a print could be used instead.

You know you want one.

~~Reserve your custom 'coin-puss' now and I'll start sewing for a down payment of $10.~~

MODELED BY THE LOVELY SAM MARIE

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Night of the Crafters is back!

It's that time again already! It's fourth Tuesday and that means it's time for Night of the Crafters in Sacramento.

This month, we'll be:

looking at the creations resulting from the "monster" craft challenge from April
announcing the craft challenge themes for June, July & August
announcing the hands-on technique/tutorial for June
CRAFTING (isn't that what it's all about?)
and watching Miss Sam Marie use her scissors and a little magic to turn T-shirts like this:

into T-shirts like this!

HUBBA HUBBA! If you would like to craft along with Sam Marie, please bring a T shirt or another article of clothing for reconstruction, a pair of scissors, a needle and thread and anything you'd like to add to your new creation (beads, buttons, lace, etc.)

No matter what you'll be working on, be sure to bring your craft supplies AND A CHAIR! Last month's turnout was great, and we expect to have more people this month (so if you have a table too, we welcome it warmly). We'll see you at the:

NIGHT OF THE CRAFTERS
graciously hosted by Side Show Studios
May 27th (and every 4th Tuesday), 6:30 to 9pm
Side Show Studios
5635 Freeport, #6 - Sactown
(adults and mature teens only please - thank you for helping to give our Mommy-members the night "off")

Friday, May 23, 2008

Crafters & Artists - look professional AND be green!

Hey all!

For those of you who use clear cellophane sleeves and bags for a professional finish to your ATCs (altered trading cards), prints, greeting cards and other original crafts, I have great news for you!

ClearBags, the company from which I purchase my packaging, recently introduced biodegradable bags™. Because these new bags are made from a component of corn, they are a compostable alternative to traditional packaging. Clear Bags offers almost 20 stationery sizes from which to choose, and you have flaps/no-flaps and adhesive/no-adhesive options.

Of course, this sounds really awesome, but there are a couple of things to note before jumping on the biodegradable bandwagon:

they have a different feel, texture, and durability than the standard polypropylene bags; and
they are not archival-safe (made using lactic acid from corn), but could be used in place of otherwise temporary disposable bags (greeting cards, prints to be framed, non-fabric/non-paper items).

If you're interested in checking the material out in person, ClearBags.com will provide a free sample of the material upon request. They are also running a 5% retail discount through the end of the month on the new biobags and on certain recycled paper envelopes (discount code: 156842).

I'll be looking into these myself and will give you a review on the product once I've had a chance to check 'em out.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Kathy (Craft Chica) Murillo gets cuter every single day....

I love Kathy and you should too (even if you don't like glitter).

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Lehman Caves & Baker, Nevada's weird and wonderful art!

A trip across Highway 50 and the Great Basin just wouldn't be complete for Ron or me without a stop at Great Basin National Park and a tour of Lehman Caves. Our first tour, on our first wedding anniversary (10/11/04) was a bit of a personal challenge for me - I wanted to see if I could get over some mild claustrophobia (p.s. It worked. I still have problems with huge crowds in small places, but caves are no issue anymore!)

It seemed appropriate to wear Suzi's Kitty Bat Cupcake shirt into the caves!

Funny, we never see bats, but Ron and I do seem to attract more than our share of small wide-eyed mammals who flutter around us in caves. On each cave tour, we find ourselves, unwittingly though not unwillingly, hanging out with pre-teen types. This time we met a family of eight (five of the 6 exceedingly well-behaved kids were with Mom & Dad), and as usual, the youngest boy and the three tween girls were hanging out with us and the Ranger at the front of the line before the tour was out. Of course, every time this happens, I make a point to tell the folks what a great kids they have (always a big hit with the parents)!

The very first time we went to Great Basin National Park, it was 2004 and we were celebrating our first wedding anniversary (6 years together and about 18 since we met). We spent the night in the little town of Baker, Nevada at the Silver Jack Motel (now "Inn"), and had a great time the next day, roaming the town (3 or so blocks) and taking photos of the public art.

Porchasaurus Wrecks (in his natural habitat - the porch of the SilverJack Motel in October of 2004)

Space is a Vacuum then - 2004 outside the Silver Jack Motel in Baker, NV.

I told Ron, if we were going to the caves again this year, we were going to Baker too (even if only for an hour). Baker is a small town with about 50 to 65 permanent year-round residents (depending on who you ask). Many artists and artisans have chosen Baker as their home and exhibit their work in the Silver Jack Inn's Gallery. The "Post" Impression Art movement began in 1997 when "Doc" Sherman of Baker put a glove on a fence post and proclaimed the "Permanent Wave Society" (get it? 'cause it was waving ... permanently). Since then, Doc and others have added spontaneous contributions of whimsical art on fence posts along roads around Baker. I know you'll ALL be wanting to see this "Post" Impression Art and other roadside weirdities, and I don't disappoint, so get clickin' (on the pic):

To tide you over until I actually post again....

Hi all! Well, I am officially home from my 2+ week vacation and I have TONS of photos and lots of blogging yet to do. I lost a huge chunk of a blog yesterday and am not even sure when blogspot SAVED over the full version with the truncated version! However, as I seem to do most of the time, I brought some germiness home with me and am not quite up to snuff, as they say (but there is lots of sniffling).

In the meantime, here is an awesome blog by "Sew, Mama Sew!" where Beth demystifies professional looking seam techniques. To prove that you don't need to have an "overlock" or "serger" to achieve awesome seams, all but the very last technique can be done with a basic sewing machine. All you need is a straight stitch & a zig zag stitch - there is also a technique using pinking (zig zag) shears.

Yes, Yoli, I know I still owe you (in person) and the world (in photos) a step-by-step tutorial on how to install a zipper without swearing. As soon as I stop sneezing and coughing (or if you wear a surgical mask and gloves), I'll show ya!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Venus Zine Interviews Me!!

I was fortunate to be chosen by Jihanah Rasul at Venus Zine as one of their Readers of the Week.

Read the interview here (look for mention of Scary-Art and Mr. Caesar). While you're there, check out the rest of the magazine!

XOXO

Krissi

Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Trip Thus Far (Part 1 - Day 1, Folsom to Ely)...

Ron and I set out last Saturday morning at an ungodly hour on our "southwest tour." As we approached the first stop sign near our house, the "check engine" light went on in our beloved '07 Escape Hybrid. Of course, we HAD taken the car in for a service before the trip -- we even did it a WEEK prior so that if anything went wrong ... you get the idea. Apparently, this was one instance where swearing and yelling at the car (by Ron, which is scarier than if I do it) actually worked. Each time he turned on the engine, he dared the car to tell us it needed service, punctuating each request with "you fucker." We haven't seen the little wrench light illuminate since.

Our first day on the road took us across Highway 50 from Folsom all the way to Ely (say, "eelie"), Nevada. I was on a bit of a tear to see weird shit along the highway & our first stop took us to a giant black widow sculpture made from a VW Beetle.

Of course, we also stopped once again at "the shoe tree" in Middlegate and met some cool folks who had motorhomed their way across the states from Michigan. We were treated to a viewing of a few wild horses while out that way too. Unfortunately, the horses were ... y'know... hoofin' it, so no photos of them.

(clicky for more sizes of this photo and, eventually, more photos of this tree!)

We stopped at the giant sand dune, but all of the OHVs crawling all over it like ants (and buzzing like bees at a distance of 2 mi) put us off that adventure once again.

We stayed at a clean, but uninteresting motel in Ely since we weren't able to get the John Schneider suite (or any room at all) at the Nevada Hotel and Gambling house. However, we did end up meeting some retirees on a road trip with their Model A Fords. Pretty dang cool and generally uneventful evening, which is pretty much all you want after 12 or so hours in the car.

Oh, and there was some intense giggling that involved dry ice and a pink hotel bathroom....

More later on our underground adventures in Great Basin NP, above ground adventures in Dinosaur NP and the best pancakes anywhere, EVER.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Woo Hoo! Now I can do something with those T-Shirts!

I'm excited that my pal Sam Marie Grove has agreed to grace the Scary-Art CRAFT crowd at our next craft night, Night of the Crafters, and show us how to do a little wardrobe refashioning!

Watch Sam use her scissors and a little magic to turn T-shirts like this:

into T-shirts like this!

HUBBA HUBBA!

Check out the Scary CRAFT blog for more info on Sacramento's original craft night, "Night of the Crafters" with Side Show Studios & Scary-Art CRAFT.

I wish you were ALL in Sacramento!

xo

K