Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Taste of Atlanta

This weekend Cam and I learned something about each other.  You'd think that after five+ years, we'd have our tendencies figured out.  
False.
I love to plan things.  
Cam suffers from fear and paralysis when it comes to planning things.
He can spend weeks making beautiful furniture, card cases, etc. for me, but the simple act of searching online for "events" to do for my birthday weekend mortally weakens him.
Unfortunately, you can't attempt to snag tickets at The Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts the night before.
That's ok, though, because Cam is delightfully spontaneous.
While walking through town, we saw workers raising tents for...
We knew it was meant to be.
And it was.
Taste of Atlanta is a festival of FOOD.  
Over eighty of Atlanta's best restaurants set up shop in Tech Square and offer samples of their best dishes.  
Cam and I went online and got ten dollars knocked off our tickets, and so it ended up costing $50 for the two of us.
You get ten tickets a piece, and you then peruse the different vendors who sell their dishes for 1, 2, or 3 tickets.  
I highly recommend you follow the system Cam picked up while at Taste of Chicago with our bff Charlie:  
combine your tickets and split everything.
Free samples and coupons also abound.
Our favorites were:
Philly Cheese Steak from The Tavern at Phipps.
Some sort of nutella fried doughnut concoction from  No. 246
Oatmeal Cream Pie from West Egg
Creole BBQ Shrimp & Grits from Max Lager's 
I definitely would love to go back annually.  
Check it out next year!

West Egg Octopus

Cam and I grabbed a late lunch at West Egg, where anyone can enjoy "southern comfort in a modern, energetic, environment."  
Revered by many as the best breakfast in Atlanta, West Egg has yet to disappoint me, and I highly recommend checking it out. 
Not only do I love the food, but the aesthetic is right down my alley as well: High ceilings, a mix of modern and rustic details, and beautiful old-school print menus.  
Above is my perfectly wonderful "Occapus" ring that Cam bought me for my birthday.  
He originally took me to several antique stores and a shady pawn shop to find a lovely old ring, but after a fruitless search we retreated to my familiar favorite: Paper Source.  
Each time I've visited I've loved this Octopus print, and when we were near the register, he found the ring and we new it was meant to be.  
It's adorably quirky, just like him, and I love it. 
This pumpkin whoopie pie was too delightful to gobble up all at once.  
I savored each small bite.

Cupcake Key Covers

Cam and I hit up Urban Outfitters for the first time!  
Lots of fun, but pretty pricey.  
We looted their lower price and sale items and snagged these deliciously silly Cupcake Key Covers.  
Now we have cupcake keys.
Ahh...what would he do without me?  
Cam's stylish keychain update.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Open for Business...On Etsy!

A great milestone has been achieved!
I opened my Etsy shop! 
I trembled as I felt myself overcoming the next hurdle towards my career as an artist.
Show some love and check out the shop!
Currently in stock are my bookmarks, but I hope to be adding the garland and eventually some notebooks as well.  
Also, I accept custom requests, so stop by and send a request if you have something particular in mind.
I can't believe this day finally came.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Box Cat

I can't wait to purchase Simon Tofield's latest book of hilariously spot-on cat antics: Simon's Cat In Kitten Chaos.  
Check out the website for more shorts including two of my newest favorites: Double Trouble and Hop It.  

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bloom Market Success:
New Work Available for Purchase

Bloom Market was a great success, and I had a wonderful time selling my work.  Notebooks sold like hot cakes, and I learned a valuable lesson for my next fair: Mothers can NOT resist personalization.  Every notebook I sold ended up with custom ink lettering.  So fun.  
My hand-illustrated bookmarks and pom pom garland also did very well.  
The fair would not have gone so smoothly by half if my bff roomie and assistant, Amber had not been there.  She handled receipts and notet-aking, and watched the table when I had to take bathroom breaks.  
Not to mention the emotional support of having her there: we didn't get to talk a lot, as we each sat on opposite ends of the table, but there is nothing so reassuring as looking up and seeing her smiling back at me.
Also, good news!
I have left-overs that I would love to share with you!
Bookmarks
$3
These make lovely gifts, and also double well as tags or ornaments.
Pom Pom Garland 
$10
(color combinations vary)
Perfect for hanging on the mantel, in a window or in a child's room.
Custom Lettering
+$1
Just shoot me an email or leave me a comment if you'd like to take some of these goodies home with you!
I will hopefully be opening my etsy shop before the year is out.
 Much of my time was spent personalizing notebooks and bookmarks.  People had me do gifts for teachers, granddaughters and sons who played the viola.
 Victorian House
 James and the Giant Peach
Chandelier 
Queen Bee 
 Bunny
 Piano
Violin
 Hot Air Balloons
 
My bff roomie and always lovely assistant.  
 Here I am at the end of a very successful two days, showing off one of my pom pom garlands.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I broke it!

I fell going up the basement stairs last night carrying two sculptures.  
Let's say that my first instinct was not to protect myself.
My work!
Unfortunately, even though my shins took the brunt of the fall, my rainy day sculpture was still damaged!
Fortunately, I was able to do some hasty repairs. 

The Almighty and Charismatic Zebra Cookie

Demetri Martin's photo Today's drawing. #demetrimARTin >>>
Also known to mere mortals who have not partaken of its effervescence as the black and white cookie.
Thanks for this one, Amber.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Support Me at Bloom Market!

Looking for unique, hand-crafted Christmas gifts?  
Then come support me and other vendors at bloom market this weekend!
I will be selling notebooks, book marks and pom-pom garland--and offering a personalization option!
Check out the bloom market blog for more information.

Paper Colosseum

This paper colosseum by the very talented dsharp suited my fascination with all things paper and all things Italian.  
This past semester I have not only been learning to speak Italian, but through my Honors Comm class have been participating in The Ideas of March, a role playing game staged after the assassination of Caesar.  
I'm actually going to be leaving for the curia as Senator Lucius Cornelius Cinna in about two hours.  
I'm learning lots and lots in that class.

I have kept the faith

Speed, quality, price: choose any two.
Words I need to remember during a time that Amber finally articulated for me: 
the Sophomore Slump.
For the first time I've wondered: 
"Can I even do this?"
"What if no one will like my work?"
"What if I waste this education?"
"Why can't I just drop out now?"
"How much money do strippers make...?"
That last one was a little melodramatic, I admit. 
I'm attempting to adjust and reevaluate all the have-to's, got-to's and need-to-get-around-to's of college (along with the pouty I-don't-want-to's) and remember my goals and what is truly important.
Anyways, I've been completing many exercises in examining opportunity cost.  
For all my planning, only prayer is practical.
   

Monday, October 10, 2011

Bunny Meditation

Here is a silly illustration of the Jackass Rabbit from Mark Twain's Roughing It.
"He is just like any other rabbit, except that he is from one third to twice as large, has longer legs in proportion to his size, and has the most preposterous ears that ever were mounted on any creature but a jackass."

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Peachy Sneak Peeky 2

 Tools of the trade.

Peach Project in Progress

A beautiful sabbath spent with Cam, his family and my work.
I'm working on bookmarks for the Bloom Market Craft Fair in Hoschton, GA, this Friday and Saturday.  
Keri kindly featured me today on the Bloom Market Blog; check out my work and more information about the fair here!  

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Strawberry Swing

I can smell Autumn, and hear the sound of tinkling chords in the dark, emerging from the dulled murmuring of a quietly crowded room. 
The residual sting in my eye's creases and the scrubbed, weary sensation that clings after a good cry--God remains in all of this.  
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