bunny with a tool!

My friend Peggy gave me these cute socks sporting a bunny carrying a handy crescent wrench. Made by local sock company Sock it To Me.

Monkey with a Toolbelt

No affiliation, but I approve!! For more information, click here!

Holiday Windows courtesy of Fred Flare!

This year's pictures are up on the Fred Friends blog--it's their holiday window tour, featuring some of the most dazzling windows the Big Apple has to offer. Click here to see their favorites!

I knew he was one step away from.....

This morning there was a brief story on National Public Radio about nativity scenes from Naples, Italy with Barack and Michelle Obama included in the lineup.

the butts have it!

I always feel flattered when someone includes my work in their Etsy Treasury. If you don't know what an Etsy Treasury is, it's when someone puts together a collection of 12 things on a theme and displays them on one page. Sometimes those treasuries are chosen to be featured on the front page of Etsy, which many consider to be an honor.

Well today I got included in the most unusual theme ever, called "Does This Make My Butt Look Big?" One of my protesting Santas was chosen, and it's really interesting to see the way that the theme of butts was interpreted. Case in point, some things are plays on the catchphrase used in the description of the treasury, like this one that says "Does this Scarf Make my Butt Look Big?" Another submission is handmade goat milk soap, a more indirect connection, but I think it works.

Click here to see the Does this Make My Butt Look Big Treasury (Note: treasuries are only available for a few weeks, so this link will not always be valid.)

Brand new work at the Museum of Contemporary Craft

My last special show of the year is now on display--I created another holiday scene with even more picketing Santas! More penguins, but these ones are ravenously hungry! Partridges in Pear Trees! And a train bringing presents to all the good girls and boys. It's all part of the best holiday sale in town at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. If you're a Museum member, you will receive 10% savings on all items in The Holiday Shop and The Gallery.
DECEMBER 4, 2008-JANUARY 4, 2009

HOURS
11 AM-6 PM, Tuesday-Sunday
11 AM-8 PM, Thursday

SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS
11 AM-2 PM, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
Closed Christmas and New Year's Day

take the pledge!

Hey beautiful people! Have you taken the handmade pledge yet? Click the image to make this holiday season more thoughtful than ever. (And if you need a suggestion about where to implement your newfound loyalty, I have a few ideas....)

More scenes from the Guardino Gallery

More scenes from the Guardino Gallery

Guardino Gallery window

santas with something to say

Here's a sneak preview of my new window display at Guardino Gallery. I will release images all week long, so check back. If you're in the Portland area, there's an opening at Guardino Gallery this Friday night!

the mecca of window displays

I just discovered this slide show of New York City's most fabulous window displays, created by the ever-fabulous folks at Fred Flare. They just opened a store of their own in Brooklyn after being a web presence for many years, so I am guessing they're going to have their own offering to add to the mix this year.

Here you can see a variety of images from eight of New York's most famed window dressers, and a pull down menu at the right lets you see past years. Click here to go to the website.

bunnywood

Little Birdies

Soon I promise I will create an online album with images from my show at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. But for now, it's onward ho! I am working on some cute little necklaces for the trunk show at Relish Design (see accompanying image of the yellow birdie) next week as well as my next window at Guardino Gallery which will debut around Thanksgiving. (I will have some bird necklaces available on my Etsy site within the week as well.) Meanwhile, here's info about the show at Relish. (click the image to make it bigger!)

many monsters

Don't forget--this work will all be part of Bunnywood at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, opening this Thursday at 5pm! See you there!

turtlepile!

Reasons to be thankful

Plants for the Magical Forest

a peek into the magical forest

elephants waiting for their ears

animal companions

Little Buns

Get along, little doggies

Boom Box Gator

Public Radio Fans

a forest full of mushrooms

A passel of punkins

Boom Boom Boom give me Room!

Hey Beautiful People! I have been working so hard getting ready for the big show next week Bunnywood at the Museum of Contemporary Craft that I haven't even had time to post the studio shots I promised! I have a whole bunch of them that I will dispatch at random intervals during the next few days. Mark your calendars for the opening next Thursday, November 6 from 5-8 pm.

In the meantime, I want to mention that I got a nice mention in Emiko Oye's Reware Blog today. She's an amazing artist with a show on display right now at the San Francisco Museum of Craft + Design. We virtually met last week when she placed an order on my Etsy site for Boom Boom Boy. Click here to see her incredible wearable work made with Legos©. I am thrilled to get to see this show when I am in San Francisco next January!

testing the train out

I set the train up on the dining room table the other day to see it run--one more week until I set the show up at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Choo choo!

helicopters everywhere!

I have been working steadily on my show for the Museum of Contemporary Craft, which will be installed in just over two weeks! I hope to have some images soon, as the painting process begins, but my sweetie showed me this fun image today by artist Olaf Breuning, and it reminded me of a piece I made for the tiny town that I'm working on for the MCC. Breuning's current show ranges in work from drawings to sculpture to site-specific installation, all of it fun and provocative, but this helicopter hairdo took the cake for me.

Calder's Cirque

Nice article in the New York Times about the work of Alexander Calder today, whose work has been inspirational to me for most of my life. Here's a film of his circus, which I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Don't forget to vote!

Brand new from the workbench--and just in time for the election, Democrat Donkey and Republican Elephant figures! Collect 'em all! (Visit my Etsy site for more details)

brand new from the workbench!

I have some fun new animals on my Etsy site, which were immediately spotted and posted on the Babygadgets blog. (They did a little bit of creative embellishment on the story of my original bunny suit, but we'll forgive them because it sounds plausible!)

here comes the train!

Today my doggie Weegee and I drove out to my Grandfather's house in preparation for my show at Contemporary Crafts. He's the authority in my life on the subject of model trains, and when I called to consult, he said he even had some parts he could lend me for the show. We then went to the greatest train store I've ever been to: Whistle Stop Trains in Gresham. They had an incredible inventory and I was able to buy the few other things I needed to get the train together this weekend. I should be done constructing pieces this weekend and will be ready to paint and do other finishing touches on this show before it opens in less than a month!

Birds + Their Dwellings
San Francisco Museum of Craft+Design | 550 Sutter St. | San Francisco | CA | 94102

This selection of juried works is inspired by the amazing variety of forms and colors of birds and the places they dwell. Found on every continent from the Arctic to Antarctica, birds have found an enduring place in our cultures as figures of myth, art, food and pop icons.

All pieces will be for sale in the Museum Store so make sure to stop by and make your selections early. The work chosen encompasses a variety of media including clay, glass, metals, textiles, wood and alternative materials.

October 11th - November 13th

Champagne Reception: October 11 3pm - 6pm

Can't join us? Check out images of the show on Facebook.

Participating Artists

Melinda Ainsworth
Rae Dunn
Renee Eaton
Sheila Ghidini
Renee Harris
Anna Lorich
Jennifer Martinelli
Chris Motley
Moxxy Designs
Mary O'Brien
Mark Orr
Hilary Pfeifer (Bunny with a Toolbelt)
Beverly Prevost
Barbara Prodaniuk
Jim Rosenau
Jan Schachter
Barbara Sebastian
Barbara Shapiro
Demetra Theofanous
Barbara Vanderbeck