Taking Up A Collection.

This is our collection of Jason Munn Screenprints. I fell in love with The Small Stakes a couple years ago and introduced Simon to his work this September at Bumbershoot's Flatstock. We picked these out and had them wrapped up a few minutes after we found his booth.

  

  

  

  

  

We tried to restrain ourselves since we only have 500 square feet of wall space. I think we did pretty well. What do you think? Hugs. xox=vv.

Oooh I Want To Live Here.

Oh my goodness. It has been so long since I have written anything here. I love this space, but I simply have not been on the computer in a few months. My phone has internet capabilities, so I can check in on all the inspiration, but not communicate as well. Kind of ironic.

I love the GMC Concept PAD (searching will bring a good amount of results). It is part vehicle, part home and part telecommunications center. My updated concept of Utopia is a city that can re-configure itself. Traditional homes take up so much space. Wouldn't it be great if our homes were mobile (mobile homes, but not mobile homes. Ya know what I mean?) and we could travel between natural, beautiful communal spaces. Just a thought.

Also thinking of you. Hugs. xox=vv.

Certainly Not A Secret, But Worth Knowing All The Same.

Fall is here. My days of summer dreaming are at an end and I long for the cozy, busy days that signal the swift approach of the holidays. I've been meaning to tell you so many things. I have been in the blogo-sphere admiring the handiwork of my friends. Silently, I've been sympathizing upon news of their sorrows and celebrating upon news of their joys. My heart is with you.

That being said, one of the first things I need to mention is a crazy good deal from Joann's. I did not mean to keep it from you (and you may already know), I just forgot. Regularly, I think even monthly, they put an entire brand of patterns (ie. Simplicity, Vogue, Butterick) on sale for $1.99 a piece. So, as soon as the Simplicity patterns went on sale, I bought each-and-every Built By Wendy pattern for a whopping $20.00. Normally, they would have cost $150.00, so I saved $130.00 !!!

That leaves a lot of money for fabric and I hope that someone out there finds this newsworthy or useful. Hugs. xox=vv.

The Paper Source Of All My Joy.

Oh, the Paper Source ... hmmm ... happiness! I have some more goodies but these were on hand during the photo shoot. Anyway, I will tell you more about the purpose of these items at a later date.

There is more pressing news right now. Did you notice the new main page? What do you think? There may be quite a few changes to come which stem from my overwhelming need to post in less than 4 hours. In the meantime I thought I would try out a bit of the new design on the front page while I work on the whole site on a bigger scale. That way, if you hate it or you hurt yourself pointing and laughing, I have time to change it before to many people get hurt! I am curious to know what you think.

p.s. We keep getting orders and we are very close to printing now!
So, please email me at vegasandvenice@comcast.net if you are interested in purchasing a Shy Monsters coloring book or stickers in the next run. I will keep the run very limited again and only order the amount requested. Thank you very much! Have a wonderful day!!

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Pia.

Look who came to live with us! Her name is Pia and she came all the way from Fiona at hop skip jump via Mahar Drygoods. She was packed in her very own little green suitcase with it’s eggplant colored stitching and handle!! Yay!

p.s. The order will be placed shortly! So, please email me at vegasandvenice@comcast.net if you are interested in purchasing a Shy Monsters coloring book or stickers in the next run. I will keep the run very limited again and only order the amount requested. Thank you very much! Have a wonderful day!!

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Crushing.

Last week, I bought three books to study at Barnes & Noble for 85 dollars. When I went home I looked them up on Amazon and ordered them from there instead. Free 2 day shipping, I got EIGHT books for a hundred dollars. Five more books for just 15 dollars more. Crazy good prices! We returned those original three books today and when I saw this one, I had to have it. I wanted it right away and so I completely did not care that I was paying the Barnes & Noble price.

Am I the only one totally crushing on this book? Have you been holding out on me?

It is absolutely lovely and very well designed inside. The pictures of the projects are fabulous and the illustrations from vintage children’s books are incredible! This is the best book ever!! I love it so very completely. It is called See and Sew by Tina Davis. She has another book called Look and Cook which will have to go on my wish list! Please tell me that I am not the only one who drooled all over my keyboard!

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Seriously Sorry.

Okay so this week’s Illustration Friday Topic was “sorry”. However, I am really sorry that I have not been able to keep up with all of you delightful people. I have glanced at all of your blogs, but I have not had the time to comment.

The surprise that came from the Apple store was a new Wacom Intuos3 9x12 tablet!! Soooo exciting. I am learning a lot, but more than anything I am trying to finish up current projects. I am having a hard time with printing from Illustrator and I am experiencing some frustration. Also having trouble getting ”usable” pictures out of it (this one should be b&w).

I have a ton to share with you, including such delightful things as: Cheerleaders climbing ropes in an old airplane hanger (yeah ... hot!), a stationary design for miss Lisa, a few more drawings, maybe a couple of surprises and hopefully, very, very soon a little shop with a coloring book happily for sale.

So why am I sorry? Well I think I need to continue on my unscheduled blog break. This time though, I am scheduling it. I think I need a week away from the pressure of the computer. I have some non-electronic things that I would like to accomplish and since I love you all so much I find it very very hard to stay away and not return e-mails immediately. If I owe you an e-mail I hope to get to it after the break. Thank you very much for corresponding with me! In the meantime I will be thinking of you all!

Lastly, I am kicking it old school with this little free hand sketch that I drew in Illustrator today (bleh). I am trying to get used to the tablet. You can blame Lisa for the request for more drawings and please let me know if you tire of it!!

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Blue Bird Day.

The title of today’s post is actually the default name. It seemed appropriate. These are some yummy pictures of a couple sampler goodies. This vintage button pin that I love with all my heart is from pimienta negra.

Another one of my absolute loves is this turquoise glitter pin from glamscience whom I adore!

I am a glitter fiend and I have been actually using some of mine lately! Hope to share later. For now let me share these with you: Here are your Panty O’ Scopes for today if you are wearing:

Red Panties- Watch your shoe laces as they may easily become untied today and this may have a serious effect on your future.

Orange Panties- Today you will remember the importance of your five daily fruits or vegetables.

Yellow Panties- Today a friend may approach you with a proposal (hopefully nothing kinky).

Green Panties- The earth is calling you today, she hardly ever leaves a voicemail though, so don’t forget to call her back (you know how she is with the guilt and the nagging “Why don’t you visit me anymore? Pluto’s children spent some quality time with her every day last week. Don’t you have time for your mother?” Don’t be selfish, she just wants the best for you!)

Blue Panties- Today blue birds will sing in honor of you (and your panties of course).

Purple Panties- Today is a good day for quiet meditation. What? You don’t like today’s Panty O’ ..... shhh... shhh ... remember, QUIET meditation.

Black, Brown or White Panties- You crave excitement today, but find it may be harder to achieve than it is for those people wearing yellow panties.

Floral or Patterned Panties- Today you may have a hard time committing (to a panty color, at least).

*Don’t forget to add the words “in bed” to the end of your daily Panty O’ Scope if you are wearing lace panties today. If this project continues to be interesting enough to carry on, it may have to have it’s very own page (or a part of The Random Panty Color Generators, since it was her brilliant idea in the first place *wink*). Have a wonderful night! Thinking of you and this crazy wonderful bloggy world we share! Thanks to the darling mav!

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Orange You Glad To See Me.

If you can not tell by the last few posts, I am exhausted. I am completely not dealing with this time change very well at all. I wonder if you are feeling the same way and because you are not here to say how you are feeling, I have decided to just assume that you agree with me 100%, totally and completely.

I have also decided to assume (again since you are not here) that the following will make you smile (or at least roll your eyes) no matter how tired you are. Unscramble the words to get the answers! Great for little ones!!!

1. Where do burgers go to dance? (A taMe lBal)
2. What has a thousand ears but can’t hear? (A norC lieFd)
3. Why did the spider cross the computer? (oT etG oT isH eWb ietS)
4. What kind of glasses do spies wear? (pyS olscaF)
5. What part of your body has the most rhythm? (uorY raE mrsuD)
6. What does mother earth use to go fishing? (hrNto dAn utSho oleP)
7. What do whales like to chew? (rbebluB uGm)
8. Why didn’t the skeleton go to the party? (eH daH oN yBod oT oG hWit)
9. What is a ghosts favorite cereal? (maScer fO tahWe)
10. What did the belt get arrested for? (rFo gHnidlo pU eTh tsnPa)
11. What did the sock say to the foot? (eroYu niuPtgt eM nO)
12. What starts with “e” ends with “e” and has only one letter? (nA elvEpeno)
13. What do you call a fairy who never takes a bath? (Sernkit lBel)
14. What kind of phone never rings? (A aexnSopah)
15. What kind of bank has no money? (A erirv nkaB)

Looking for more questions? Buy these snacks (of course I did not eat all mine, I read the answers through the packaging)!! Do you have any suggestions to get us out of the “time change slumps”? I would love to hear them!

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I’m Sending “Mad Love” Out To My “Pretty Posse” - Fa Shizzle.

It’s okay, Snoop said that he doesn’t mind if people like me (the kind with no street cred) use his izzle language. He gets a kick out of it!

Anyway, my new necklace from Yankee Girl Designs arrived in the mail yesterday! It came super duper fast. I was very surprised to find it in my mailbox. Lindsey is a beautiful jeweler (meaning both she and her creations are beautiful) and she was a delight to talk to! She allowed me to “hmm” and “hah” over my silver/gold dilemma and in the end I went with the silver after all! It was perfect and she is totally brilliant. I should not ever have questioned her, not for a single second. I would super gladly buy everything she makes. It is really, really tough to pick only one piece, but I love these brand new pea pod necklaces and I thought I would show them to you! Aren’t they fresh and springy?

Another thing to share that is beautiful and simply soul ensnaring (in the most wonderful way) is this! I found this from another beauty who makes beautiful things. It takes a little getting used to but it is wonderfully fun! Clicking, dragging and mousing is where it counts though, so don’t get discouraged!!

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One Is Silver And The Other Is Gold.

I ordered one the second I saw it. After falling in absolute love with this post (containing a picture of a similar necklace) on Posie Gets Cozy, I rushed over to Lindsey’s site and bought the first one I saw. My heart fell on the floor (which was very messy) and I used all my “goodie” money right then and there, no regrets. Except one small and weird one. This necklace is perfect in every way shape and form. I prefer to wear silver. However, somehow I fell in love with the gold color of the necklace in Posies picture. I asked Lindsey if she was planning to make any more in gold and she told me a secret. The necklace that Alicia received was also silver, it was simply a difference of the photograph’s lighting. Here is where my dilemma begins. She said she could make it in the gold I desired.

Speaking of precious things... this is part of a comment from that I received from Janet to my “At the Dawn of Creation” post and I wanted to share it with everyone:

“I'm a new blogger, and I know exactly how you feel about the creative community. I always thought I had good ideas until I got involved with blogs! Then I started seeing everyone else's work and thought mine was not up to par. Only recently have I decided to just do what I like and stop worrying whether it's as good as, or on the same level with, or....you get the picture. Afterall, isn't creating an expression of one's self....so to put limitations or restrictions on my creativity is like putting them on who I am. I know that a lot of my things aren't what other people like but as long as I like creating them that's what matters to me. “

This endearing and insightful comment made me realize, that having other people like your work is great, but loving your own work ... well baby, that’s gold!!

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Getting My Monthly Fix.

This calendar year seems to have a theme thus far. Subscriptions. Lots of subscriptions. Most are very kind and generous gifts and I thought I would share their links with you. Gosh, isn’t that terribly generous of me. Well, tell ya what. If you want, I will read the magazines over the phone to you also. I will even describe the pictures. Now that really is generous!

Magazines:                       Kits & Samples:
Real Simple                      Jenni Bowlin (photo above)
Martha Stewart Living            The Sampler
Blueprint
Lucky
Domino
Juxtapoz
Smithsonian

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Junkies.

Yesterday, our morning started with the first step to recovery. We admitted we had a problem. A serious problem. We would trade the dog for a good book. If it is a reference book we will build you a dog house with our hands tied behind our backs. But that was the past. We had a new day ahead of us. A new start. We vowed to stop getting carried away with our book buying.

Later that day, we ran into our dealer/pimp in the most unexpected place. Yes, somehow she had snuck into Borders book store. She talked us into a small snort with a cheaply priced book about Leonardo Da Vinci. We were weak. Very weak. We wanted one last fix. We were ready to get Charlie’s leash and hand him over to her immediately. There was just one glitch. This particular book did not appeal to me as much as a book that contained all sorts of artistic wonders. We made a deal Da Vinci would be Si’s and The Little Big Art Book would be mine. We started on our way out and then our dealer mentioned that she had something very special for me indeed. She pointed to a tasty little book titled First Home with Style. I was a goner, I was already starting to experience withdrawal symptoms. I had to have it.

Si said we should grab it and then we should run. Run far, far away from the book store and never look back. Not to worry though. Today is a new day. We can stop buying books anytime we like. It’s not a habit, it’s just a bit of fun.

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Ménage á Trois.

We have decided to bring someone into our marital bed. Not only is Mrs. Meyers a hot little biscuit, but she is going to help with the housecleaning as well. In an attempt to convert our cleaning products to those with natural ingredients, we are getting rid of some of our old products and replacing them with Mrs. Meyer’s products. We chose the Lavender scent which I think will be especially nice between the sheets. I bet you’re all hot and bothered too. You dirty girl.

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