FINALLY, my "yummiest" project yet...

Ta-daa!!

Finally, finally, here is my latest project!!! These darling little glittery NON-edible cupcakes! They're made in these cute little vintage jell-o molds & decorated with a variety of "stuff". Beads, sequins, old jewelry pieces, wire words, words & phrases from my favorite book and GLITTER!! The little ribbon flag on top reads "cake". Who knows what will show up next, I've been collecting "stuff" since I was a little girl!!

as always, my photography needs some work, this little "point & shoot" just doesn't cut it for product photography, but the $1,200 just isn't there for the new camera i need...

I have a ton of these little cuties in the works & need to hop downstairs & get going so i can update my shop this coming Monday (Oct. 6, 2008).

THANKS so much to all of you that are reading my blog & spreading the word! I can't tell you how much it means to me!!

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave me a comment or email me at:

chinamommy_04@yahoo.com

Happy Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Friday...

i feel like i've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off... sometimes not having any real boundaries isn't good for a person like me. Plus we spent monday evening in the ER with darling daughter... I have tried to raise her to not be afraid, but i need to re-think some of this. She snuck up on a wild baby kitten, grabbed him & then endured his wrath! The chompers got hold of her sweet little baby arm & chewed her like a piece of jerky. I did a mini "freak out" then took a deep breath & called my cousin (hey Steph) "the wonder nurse" for some advice. She thought "better safe than sorry", so she's on 10 days of an apparently nasty tasting antibiotic...

When i have several projects going, i jump from one to another back to the first & so on. i started painting the bathroom...

Yes, that's Barney purple, & NO i didn't do it...

Priming it white... NO FUN at all... I hope to be able to use my girlish way to get the manfriend to finish the job this weekend ☺ (oh come on... you knew THAT was coming). I've got this GREAT turquoise color waiting in the wings...

I also have my next project in the works & let me say, i haven't been this excited for a long time! They are turning out just like the idea in my head & are SOOOO fun to make, i can't wait to get some listed in my etsy shop next week & see if everyone else loves them like i do. I was really working like crazy wed & thurs in the art room & it LOOKS LIKE IT!

i know, my pictures stink, i'm going to blame the lights...

i can't stand to start something new when it's like this, but i def. tend to work more creatively in a disaster!! The manfriend made a ledge for me that you can just barely see in my pics. It's along the back splash of the counter top & gives me this great area to get all my little stuff up & off the work area. He also painted & hung this little vintage shelf for me (the color of this is the color i'm painting 1 of the upstairs bathrooms!).

Look at all that glitter!!! I think that means: a) i have a problem or b) i need to start using more glitter in my artwork AND i have a problem! I LOVE glitter, it's a wonder i'm not a stripper! Glitter, sequins, flocking, micro-beads, glitter flakes.... ♥EYE CANDY♥!!!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

and if you don't mind, try to add a comment, i messed with it a bit & HOPE to have it fixed. i'm tired of having comment envy from the other artsy bloggers out there. if you STILL CAN'T, those of you with my email, drop me a line... thanks ♥

must... go.... to the ART ROOM...

i feel bad when i don't post, but i must get to the art room- i have a 1,000 ideas swarming today & before i kill my creativity i better head down!

i've had a few emails telling me you can't make comments & that makes me very sad- esp. when i see other blogs with 166 comments!!!! i'm going to look into that, because that will just NEVER do!

Check out my etsy shop: chinamommy, i have several new pendants listed!!!

I'll be back soon & hope to have pictures of something that is COMPLETED!!!

Happy Hump Day...

watching plaster dry....

well i'm not really "watching" it dry, more like waiting for it to dry. i have my latest project in the works & am SOOO excited about it. The problem with the new project is: the prep work- ugh! i just want to dig in & get started, but waiting for things to dry with this idea is just part of it. I waited last week for my vintage jello mold tins to arrive & they finally showed up Saturday, so it IS moving forward...

i was having so many problems last week getting pictures to load, so I'll get those posted now, while i have 3 bars!! The first one is a granite etching of my daughter, when she was 11 months old. I had this done while in China & they are just amazing! I wish i had the picture of the girl making it, but for some reason in 2004.... i feared the digital camera. I don't have any of my China pictures anywhere but IN a photo album. The girls that make these go to school to learn this process & basically they tap into granite with this giant pencil looking tool that has a metal tip instead of lead. Everything white in the picture has been tapped into the granite.

The next picture i was trying to add: these freaky little Halloween cats. I ♥ them!! darling daughter is very afraid of them but they're all paper mache & kitchy & vintage looking, so i MUST put them out. Lucky for her, it only happens once a year! Can you even believe we're staring AUTUMN in the face? As of TODAY, it's here!! Halloween, just around the corner!!

Ok, i better get off the computer & back to the art room before my entire day is gone & i'm back at the bus stop waiting for darling daughter (who is LOVING kindergarten, by the way!).

Have a good Monday & look for more posts this week... I'm painting a bathroom the color turquoise!!! Very similar (VERY) to this ♥ ♥ ♥. Of course, pictures will be posted when I (who am i kidding...) when the MANFRIEND finishes painting it!! I only like the start of a project or the very final step of putting the decor up... It has to be primed since right now it's PURPLE. I've always been a BIG fan of purple, but after buying my 2nd house as a single gal & making it very girlie with LOTS of purple (including my kitchen counters) I kinda "purpled out". The new color scheme is: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ with some touches of black...

ok, off i go...

The latest project...

This has been our latest project around here- an old cabinet the manfriend found in Shipshewana, Indiana.
when i suggested we paint it black, i did get a raise of the eyebrows, but hey... he knows who the designer is around here! The doors on the top didn't have the glass to begin with... another suggestion by moi'! I wanted to be able to showcase my goodies from China. Since I was showing off my international treasures, the manfriend wanted to know if he could show his (international treasures ☺)... He went to the Netherlands several years ago & his "treasures".... beer glasses! A nice mix with the Chinese goodies, wouldn't you say??
well, i'm having some major trouble getting my other pics to load, so i'm going to sign off & try later... i'm headed down to the art room ♥

more button pendants...

I just updated my shop with a couple more button pendants! Let me know what you think! This one is my Halloween pendant, in black & orange- of course!

and the other is AQUA!! Love that color!

You are all aware of www.etsy.com, right? I've been spreading the word, my 1 little woman crusade! There are just so many creative, talented people on there! I can't believe I'm saying this, but... Christmas is coming! Don't forget to check me out at chinamommy.etsy.com!! My pendants are only $10. I hope to have my next project listed next week.... I'm really excited about this, so i'm off to work on them...☺

more later.... Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

i'm still alive...

I really haven't forgotten you... it's just been a crazy several days! honestly, i don't know how i ever had a "real" job... i'm so busy now with all this free time i never get anything done! I even got sucked into babysitting on Monday- & you know how i hate kids that aren't Asian & these were just regular boys! On Sunday we met my parents to celebrate the man friends birthday (yes, it was August 11th, but this is the first chance we've had...). We got to the meeting place about an hour before they did & were lucky enough to see an "almost" knock-down-drag-out at the Dollar Store! I was looking for some little tins or little ceramic jars for the next project i'm working on (more about that in a min.) & saw this woman THROW a shopping basket down an aisle. At first i thought she dropped it (since i saw it out of the corner of my eye), but when 2 cops showed up, i figured there was more to the story than greasy fingers. Since it was raining & i'm made of sugar, the manfriend went to get the big man-truck to pick up her royal highness & darling daughter at the front door... well, wasn't that convenient because that's where they were all being "interviewed". The employee was inside with 1 cop & the other "lady" was outside, talking very animated with her hands flying every which way (no wonder that shopping basket couldn't stay in her hands!!). I pretended to look intently for my ride, while using my super sonic ears to get the low-down (which i never did totally catch on to). Apparently there was something about a void or a return & the fact they didn't give cash refunds- blah, blah, blah... My thought was "it's a dollar store, what can be SOOO bad that you throw a stinkin basket & have the cops called on you... it's a FLIPPIN' DOLLAR STORE!" I left the store empty handed, they didn't have a thing i could use... rats!

We then went down to Marshall's, the twin sister of TJ Maxx & a real favorite of mine!! I also left here empty handed, which is very, very, very rare! It must have been a full moon though because darling daughter WANTED to try on a: furry giraffe costume!

Now my parents show up & we meet them at TGIFridays. Lots of chatting, eating & fun. Got the low down on the story about my 99 year old Grandma's missing glasses & my parents ex-pastor who was running from the law- wish i was kidding!! After the meal we head to the foyer to wait for the men folk to pick up us sugary meltable princesses. The greeter/seater guy comes out & asks my mom if she has the waitresses credit card receipt because they can't find it. Mom digs through her tiny purse that is stuffed to the brim like she's leaving the country for a month, i swear she had a portable dishwasher in there! It's truly amazing, this purse of hers! Remember those wallets that were on a purse strap that you could carry without needing a purse??... Yeah, she had one, BUT it was stuffed IN her purse~ a purse IN a purse- the trend never really caught on for others! Well, she can't find the waitresses copy & tells this guy she'll ask her husband when he comes in if he has it because "they'll make sure she has it before they leave because they're not "that" kind of people"... so funny! So my dad comes back in (to carry her out on her velvet tufted pillow) & mom frantically is asking if he has it, no, he doesn't have it. Once again the purse opens with a BOOM, well heck, now she can't find her own copy... oh wait, there it is... I'm thinking why don't they just run a copy of the last transaction, which someone inside finally does & off we all go. A few min. later my mom calls to see if i accidentally grabbed her bag with her vacation pictures in it, Yep, I've got it. They've already headed down the road so i say i'll just get it to her the next time we see them. Sooooooooo, tonight i'm clearing off the counter & i grab that bag to put in the closet, but before i do, i look inside to see what all is in this GIANT plastic bag (that was full of stuff for darling granddaughter to do while we waited for the food) and what do i find??? Not only the waitresses receipt, BUT the entire folder and ALL the receipts! Yep, ol' sticky fingers threw the whole thing in HER bag! I thought i was going to pee my pants laughing, after her whole "we're not that kind of people" comment! Now at this point my very literal mother would like me to add: she would NEVER take ANYTHING (& i'm even talking a paperclip from a place of employment) on purpose! This is the most honest woman you'll ever find! There mom, do you feel better? :)

As far as my new project: think: papermache, glitter, & yummy cuteness! I just won some mini tins on ebay last night, so i hope i'll have pictures to post very soon!! Sorry i don't have any new art to post, i really, REALLY want to have something new at least once a week! I do have LOTS of new button pendants.... if only i could find where i put them... something else i wish i was kidding about!

Happy day everyone!!

Creative Funk...

I've been in a major creative funk... just wondering around the house with NO ideas floating in my head, which is weird. i guess it has been a "different" couple of weeks with darling daughter going off to school & me being left alone 4 days a week- def. not use to the QUIET! Last year at this time i still owned that stupid pizza place (ugh, ugh, UGH!!) & was so busy slinging dough & trying not thinking about everything i couldn't do (that was fun) & laying awake for hours at night wondering how i would ever pay the bills thanks to a nameless FREAK who imbezzled thousands from us... I guess i'm still coming down from disaster. I decided yesterday i needed some inspiration & thank to a suggestion from my mental twin Chris, i headed to HOBBY LOBBY. i wondered around the store (ALONE & in silence!!) & picked up a few things that were 50% off (yippeee). I went up to the check-out & as i did a copy of cloth*paper*scissors caught my eye... Yep, it jumped right into my cart!!

Now I am on inspiration overload & hope to have some things ready to show on Monday!! Now I'm headed to the art room since it's a nice rainy day - all the better for being creative!

Also, if you see this man... run! although... for all you single ladies, i'm pretty sure he is too!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

premenstrual woman eats neighbor baby purely out of spite...

Tuesday is about Teesha

So it's Tuesday & i feel like i have stage fright... i mean it's up to me to keep everyone entertained, right? :) Actually today i'm going to post some ART stuff. What is more entertaining than art, am i right??

I somehow ended up on this site ( http://www.teeshaslandofodd.com/1/temp.html )a few years ago & felt like this woman's art really got me, or i got it, or something along those lines. This is the first one i ever remember seeing:

Her name is Teesha Moore & because i loved her art & have crowned myself "Friend of the People most high" i dropped her a line. She was so nice to return my email & we chatted a bit- she is so encouraging & down to earth. i was telling her how the stars in the universe MUST be out of alignment because here i was, this artist full of weird ideas, doing DAYCARE... daycare, does it get any worse? i am NOT one of those people that just "love kids", i mean my own i am totally in love with (& in general Asian kids get a pass) of course friends & families kids are acceptable... BUT: the general public's kids, NOPE! But i digress... Teesha Moore: she does these incredible journal pages & she is nice enough to post some "directions" of how she journals. I love her colors, her style, how whimsical they are... i REALLY love her stuff. One day i was at Schuler's books & low & behold, my new "friend" was in a book i was looking through! I didn't know i was chatting with a published "real" artist... i mean, after all, i thought I had discovered her! hahaha!!

I remember when i was getting my art degree & my prof. was a real pecker! No matter what i did he found a way to rip me to shreds instead of finding something i did well & re-direct me. I just don't get that... why would you want to make someone feel bad or NOT help them find them self? Anyway, one day we were suppose to be making valentines on the computer to practice with some "new" program (oh brother, that was when computer graphics were SOOOOOO new....) & i, of course, wandered off to chase dandelion fluff. i was making a collage from a cosmo i was cutting up ( i'm quite sure i still have it & am trying to not jump up now & go look for it...). It was a man giving a woman a bouquet of broccoli & said "man can not live by pumpernickel alone". my prof comes up behind me, grabs my collage (i'm thinking he's getting ready to rip me a new one) & says, in a booming voice, "EVERYONE..... THIS is ARTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!" & then walks off. That was as close as i got to a compliment from the big jerk. So anyway, at that point (i'm thinking) he could have really helped me on the path to discovering who i am as an artist... but nope, he took the low road. Ok, don't cry for me Argentina, but seriously!...

Back to Teesha (am i having trouble making this not all about me or what? haha):

She & her husband (Tracy) run this artfest every year & before i die, i MUST MUST MUST go! If anyone out there has gone -PLEASE drop me a line!! This whole blogging/Internet thing has opened my eyes (thanks so much Al Gore... hahaha) to the fact there are thousands of "us" -whimsical dreamers with heads full of bunny fluff & dandelion fuzz. She & Tracy were in Japan for their anniversary not long ago (yes, i online stalk them) & so now she is doing several journal pages with an Asian twist, which you know, i am ALL about!

More:

You can buy her prints & collage sheets, & rubber stamps & all kinds of very cool things on her site, I encourage you to check her out! & IF you want my wish list... i'll be sure to comply :)

On a side note: I've started RUNNING again!!!! my goal is to bounce a quarter off my butt at my 40th birthday party in HAWAII!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!! & if you're reading this blog, leave me a comment... i'm just wondering if i have the thousands of fans i'm dreaming of....

Darling daughter's **NEW** Room!!

After months of work darling daughter's room is finally DONE! This has been the major "TOP SECRET" project around here. I decided to keep it a surprise because i happen to LOVE surprises & she.... well, like i said I LOVE SURPRISES. Kennedy is not overly animated, to say the least & really is not someone that likes any type of attention directed at her (see post about the 3-D movie). I think i see her personality as some type of challenge for my home grown comedy routine, i'm always trying to push her over the top, get her to squeal with laughter, jump up & down, FREAK OUT... I'm always trying to out-do myself & see if i can get the ultimate reaction from her, so far... the ultimate "freak out" eludes me, but i'll keep trying. Now, don't get me wrong, she smiles constantly, laughs often & is a ray of sunshine almost 99.9% of the time, just not over-the-top. I can almost bet i will NEVER get a call from any teacher requesting a time that we can get together & talk about my child's bad behavior. She was only 11 months old when I adopted her, but she has that quiet, reserved personality that i think you so often see in the Asian culture... nature? nurture? So, anyway, THE ROOM! i tend to be "the planner", i like the big picture, but hate the details. i like to pick the colors, the bedding, the decor, but hate doing the work :) Thankfully, the manfriend is all about being the work-horse, he's the guy that keeps the project moving forward as i get bored & drift off to chase dandelion fluff... I think the room turned out darling & without 1 argument, 1 cross word or even any gnashing of teeth- i guess i'll keep this guy around!!

Here are the pictures, hope you enjoy!! Now I'm off to my art room for my first FULL week of ART ART & more ART!!!

I hand-painted the loop-de-loops around the room between the pink & the brown. It took 4 times- 1st i was making these little tiny loops that looked way too small for the room so i decided after i had a wall & 1/2 done it was NOT working. i grabbed a wet cloth & started rubbing it off as quick as i could (manfriend is looking at me in total disbelief). i thought maybe a marker would be better, the brush didn't seem to be making what i had in my head, so i grab a sharpie (sharpie markers, one of my true LOVES!!) & start again, 1/2 way down 1 wall- i HATE it! The manfriend is saying "it's marker, it's not like you can erase it!!"... well, apparently, he hasn't heard of the Mr. Clean sponge! i grab it & get the marker off. Now, i decide maybe a crayon would work (who knows... i'm in a panic at this point), NOPE, this looks like crap!- so again with Mr. Clean... Finally, i grab a different brush ('cause it's all about the right brush) & make BIG loops.... ahhh, big loops- that's the key!

There it is.... "the banner"

Below is a print i bought on etsy (www.etsy.com) from theblackapple. The artist, Emily, is a BIG seller on etsy - check out her things, you'll see why! The dresser we found downtown on a street corner with a sign (that was a large piece of junk mail turned over) that said $25! Well, let's just say the manfriend pulled his big man truck over very quickly when he heard me squeal! There was this little store front with all kinds of stuff sitting out on the sidewalk with "signs" taped to the front of each piece. I went in the "furniture store" to look around while the manfriend went over to the cash machine across the street (because, of course, this place only takes cash- yeah, it's a little sketchy). The store is STACKED floor to ceiling with..... stuff! Doors, chairs, boxes, high chairs, couches... you name it, it's there! I asked the guy if they were coming or going, because you totally can't tell if they're moving in or out. I guess they're there to stay, they go to estate sales & then use the $ from what they sell to support some type of mission work - no one was selling flowers or chanting so i don't think it was the hare Krishna's... SP?

This little lamp had water damage all over the shade, so i glued pieces of ribbon all the way around it, CUTE- hun? The manfriend said it was a good thing i had $75 worth of ribbons so i could have enough different ones to use... $75? More like $175 worth of ribbon - so i have a hoarding problem, i get it honest, have you seen my Dad's "shed" :)

Well, again, I hope you enjoy- have a GREAT day!! OH and... her reaction? We taped her coming into the room (what can i say, she's my ONLY child) & it was typical Kennedy: head down slightly, small smile & a quiet "yeah... i like it" She knew she was going to be taped because David was IN the room with the video camera & she says to me, as we head over to the door, "Mom, i just want to say -you did a good job- really quiet, ok?". You've GOTTA love this girl!!

So what do i do now?...

So here i am, my first FULL day without ANYone in the home... just me alone with my thoughts- YIKES! My great fear is that i'll have to go potty & i'll be all by myself... I'm not sure i can go without my assistant... i haven't been alone in a bathroom for years, home or public. Wait, you do know my "assistant" is my daughter, right? haha!

I've been promising pics of the art room, pics of things from the AA art fair (way back in mid July) & who knows what else, so... I am going to try & make this blog my daily routine :) First, I've had a question about where I blog, so here it is:

Nothing too exciting... Hey Mo, that's you on facebook on my computer screen :) Thought it was fitting since YOU asked. That metal artwork on my wall is from Carol Roeda's Studio. If you aren't aware of her things... very cool! She's always at the art fair in Ann Arbor, MI & has 3 stores in Michigan. The picture does NOT do it justice.

I also promised some pictures of the art room & i didn't post them yet because they weren't great since i took them in the evening, but today is a nasty rainy day so i won't get any better ones now & if i wait another day, i would probably just forget, so here those are:

This is my main "work" area: TV, sewing/embroidery machine that is WAY WAY WAY too nice for my lack of any "real" sewing skills!, spice rack that ALMOST went to Goodwill until i realized the error of my ways & saved it to put beads in (seriously, how will i EVER throw anything away?), the toaster over/coffee maker/mini grill the manfriend bought so i only have to leave to go across the hall to the potty (ALONE), drawers full of sharpie markers & jars full of pencils, paintbrushes & exacto-knives :). Oh, the giant pink daisy is another Carol Roeda piece- a mothers day gift this year.

a close up of my painting area: brushes, work in progress, paint, crayons (96 & all mine).

The wall opposite of my work space: a rack of work in progress, more totes with "stuff, a clothes line of artwork by my daughter & some favorite pictures. There is a picture on the clothes line, right in the middle (& a bit hard to see) that i tore out of readers digest YEARS ago, MANY years ago. It's a little Asian girl that i fell in love with & have saved all these years- def. some foreshadowing about what was to come!!

And what is an art room without a wine fridge, i mean seriously??!! Paper to the left, ink pads on the counter along with the cricut :)

and when you run out of room IN the room... move to the storage area behind the art room! totes & totes & totes of pictures & beads & glitter &.... stuff i just MIGHT need!

Hope you've enjoyed, now it's time for me to actually GET DOWN THERE & make some more art!!!! :)

lator tators...

i survived...

so orientation was only 1 hour... we did it!! we were on time & darling daughter even allowed a few pics to be taken of her... Her teacher is going to be fabulous & i'm pretty sure the lady with the nicotine patch won't be smoking around the children this year - BONUS!! I just wish some of you so called "friends" would have informed me that "daisy dukes" & fanny packs are no longer in style!
First full day of kindergarten is Wed... better go find my biking shorts & that ring that clips on the side of my really long T-shirt that reads "RELAX".

1st day of SCHOOL!!

So, today I am sending my ONLY child off to school. We've had a headstart on this coming, because when I adopted my darling daughter she was already 11 months old. It just doesn't seem fair, It's come way too fast! Last night my cousin (hey Steph!) sends me this txt that sends me into a tailspin, she says "so wht is K wearing 4 her 1st day".... WEARING?? Doesn't she know I've been stressing ever since I got the letter telling me the 1st day is only 1 hour & a time for the parents to come in & meet while the kids get aquainted?! I mean, seriously, do you break out "the CUTE 1st day outfit" for only an hour? Do you really want to "waste" it for such a short time, yet the moms, THE MOMS are going to be there... OH CRAP the moms!!! Now I am not only in a tizzy making sure my kid is in the cutest outfit, and still thinking about what the 1st FULL day outfit will be BUT I also am having a mini-panic-attack about what I am going to wear.... OMG, I have NOTHING...Is it too late to have Jimmy Choo express mail me some shoes? Crap, why can't it snow, at least I have this great pair of new UGG's the manfriend got me.... Must go...... I have thousands of outfit combinations to try & only 3 hours.....
I'm AM in hopes that I will have MUCH more time for art & etsy & this here blog once the full time schooling starts since she's going M-Thurs ALL day. Unless of course, I'm putting together outfit combinations...
So see Stephanie & Candace, My life is not all fun & games & art, I have MAJOR responsibilities, MAJOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)