the fine art creatures of Amanda Louise Spayd

Doodles

2011-12-27T21:30:00.005-05:00

I've been having fun doing little sketches recently. I've never really thought myself to have strong drawing skills, but I do enjoy doodling nonetheless. It's kind of funny how what I draw and what I sew/sculpt are almost the same thing....someday my 2D work may make itself onto a gallery wall, but for now I've just really been enjoying the feel of pencils on paper. You can see more doodles at my Tumblr stream, where I've been posting them as I scan them in.

Wrap-up and fresh-start

2011-12-27T21:23:00.002-05:00

If you're visiting this blog after some time, you'll notice big changes! I've decided to scrap my dinosaur of a website, and integrate everything you need right here. I've got links to all the relevant places to find me online, and will continue to update this blog. I'll still post information on Facebook and Twitter, but this site right here will be the heart of my internet happenings.

Okay, so what's been going on...well, I had a big show with my pal Chris Ryniak, called "Late Season", at Stranger Factory gallery in Albuquerque. You can see a bunch of pictures from the show and the opening HERE, and there's a little video about the installation and opening HERE.

There have been other group shows here and there as well, and some behind-the-curtain plans for custom figures that will be revealed in 2012.

Little Medic was a success (and I apologize for the random and inefficient way I ran the sale and fulfillment of that particular edition, it shall never happen that way again), and I'd like to offer one more small run of Medics, as well as a run of the Dark Medics. Because of some rather big shows that will be eating up a lot of my time early next year, I can't really guarantee when they will be released, but I'm going to plug away at them steadily and see what I can do :)

Bewitching

2011-10-05T09:40:00.001-04:00

Here's a little witch I stitched up recently...

"Plum Witch", 2011

She (and pieces by other great artists) are available from the "Bewitching" Halloween Group show at Stranger Factory, starting today at noon, PST. Here's a link to the preview - if you're keen on trying for a piece, make sure you read the info at the top of the page. The gallery is in Albuquerque, so if you're local, head out to the opening later on this week to check out all the work in person!

Video Game Music Nerddom: The NES

2011-09-23T13:17:00.001-04:00

So before you get it into your head that I'm "cool", you should know that I listen to video game music, like, for real, as recreation. I have for nearly 20 years now. My friend Amanda and I used to make these painstakingly complicated compilation tapes (that I still have somewhere) by recording music off of our consoles as it played through this black-and-white TV/radio/cassette player system my dad gave me.

I LOVE older video game tunes. Now that anything goes, in terms of how they're made, I feel like for the most part, they just don't have the same charm and power for me. In ye olden tymes, a composer only had a handful of tracks to fill at any one moment in the song, and a fairly limited array of sounds to choose from, so while to a casual listener they may sound like beeps set to a drumtrack, a lot of the work being done throughout the NES's time was pretty amazing.

Yeah, I still have mine. Plus a backup spare. Both need repair :(

First, some technical info. The Nintendo Entertainment System (introduced in the US in 1985) used a sound chip called the NES 2A03. There were a total of 5 sound channels available for the composer to use at any one time - that means that if you've got 5 things going on and you come to a part in the song where you want to add one more, you have to choose something to drop out to accommodate the new sound - which includes all in-game sound effects like guns and jumping noises. Not only were they limited to 5 channels, the channels were specific types: two Pulse Wave channels, that had set duty-cycle (producing different types of sound) levels, a 16-position volume control, and some pitch bending (used a lot in the "musical" tones), one Triangle Wave channel, with no volume control. One "white noise" channel with adjustable volume, and 16 preprogrammed sample rates (good for drums and explosion sound effects). And one kind of interesting channel capable of actual low-rate samples, called PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). These samples were sometimes used for speech or sound effects, but creative composers used the PCM for expanding their library of percussion sounds.

Okay, techy stuff over, let's listen to some of my favorite stand-out NES tunes, where I feel like the composers really got creative. Keep these limitations in mind while you listen, and try to hear how all of these songs are constructed! It's like an auditory puzzle with only 5 pieces that are constantly changing, I think it's pretty fun.

Don't be self-conscious either, turn this crap UP! You can hear it better ;)

Journey to Silius, 1990, Sunsoft:

By this time, composers were really making use of that PCM sampling feature - listen for the really "80's" sounding laser-drums. Those were definitely not possible with the existing sounds. Also a good track for just pushing the envelope in terms of NO silent moments during the song, the constant deep bass, and some nice volume-shifting with the lead.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, 1988, Konami

Really nice examples of the bassy depths those pure tones could reach, and a nice array of white-noise drum sounds. Composition is super-interesting, with weird timing, cool lurching beats, and the fact that it still continued in the canon of "what Castlevania games sound like" without repeating itself. Those guys at Konami knew what they were doing.

Mega Man 3, 1990, Capcom

In my opinion, Capcom's MegaMan games really took the musical cake when it came to composing songs that never sounded like they were limited to 5 tracks. There's always so much going on in all the layers, and they change so often, it's sometimes hard to pick out what channel is doing what. They also employed a lot of "chorus effect" by layering the two Pulse wave tracks over each other, doing the same thing. This is a track that's built kind of like a pop song, with an intro, verse, bridge, and chorus.

Seriously though, I could talk about this ALL DAY LONG. There are so many more examples I'd love to share, but you'd never get through the blogpost. If you want to hear more, Youtube is a great resource. Start with MegaMan 1-5, Castlevania 1-3, Ducktales, Metroid, and Contra, and that will keep you busy for a while.

Also, lest you think I'm only "nerdy sometimes", I'll be continuing this series intermittently, with music from different consoles. Hooray!

Check one off.....start on the next

2011-06-14T20:17:00.000-04:00

Phew, the Belladonna-mania portion of my life is OVER! Sold, created, and shipped. I'm excited for everybody to start getting their new friends in the mail. I took a little nap today and did some cleaning, and three loads of laundry, so.....

Holy giant pile of mute, snaggletoothed bunnies!

...that brings us to what's next. Fast and furious preparations for next month's show at OhNo!DOOM gallery in Chicago, that's what.

I have started to enjoy the idea of "themes" for any group of critters bigger than 4; it helps me come up with ideas, and there's something really aesthetically pleasing about a whole group that just seems to "go" together.

My theme for this show will be a sort of grimy pre-WWI military vibe. Lots of neutral colors, ratty old army wool, bandages, medals, dinged-up brass. While this isn't an actual piece from the show, it's a sort of color/texture exercise for what sort of tone you can expect. More soon...

Building lives

2011-05-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

Here's some progress news for the Belladonna edition.

I ran into a few manufacturing snags which held up the process a little bit, unfortunately. The two biggest issues were a near-failure of the silicone mold used for casting the face (which I was able to work through, thank goodness). The other has been the absolute non-cooperation of the weather, producing steady downpours almost every day for the past month. Not only is it rough when I have to be outdoors for some things (priming, spraying, sanding), but it also builds up a lot of humidity which does not play nice with casting resin!

However, I'm happy to report that I'm finishing these steadily and I'll have them all shipped within the week! My apologies for the extra few days this added to everybody's wait time - I know you're probably eager to have these, by now, and at this point I can confidently say, they are almost there!

Here are some pictures I took this past week - everything is at a much less attractive phase now, but I wanted to share some process shots with you...

Crate of faces - the box is 4" deep, and filled to the top!

Left: ears all pinned together before sewing. Right: body pieces ready to be sewn.

Vial of scent blend, which will give a soft, dark fragrance to each Belladonna.

Ballet Class

2011-05-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

Just finished up this little one for the June group show at Stranger Factory in Albuquerque, NM.

It was hard to capture the true details and color on this one, since it was all so subtle...there are lots of really beautiful soft pinks going on, with soft ivory mesh tutu, that's all been stained over with the "patina of grime" that I love so much. I think she's rather charming!

but....I have stage fright....

The Maker trailer!

2011-05-24T12:56:00.001-04:00

The trailer for the stop-motion short "The Maker" has been posted, take a look!

(make sure to click the little arrows on the lower right corner of the frame to view it big, it's worth it!)

The Maker - Trailer from Zealous Creative on Vimeo.

Stranger Factory

2011-05-19T21:19:00.000-04:00

Been working hard to finish up not only the 50 Belladonnas (still very much in progress!), but also to get 2 guys ready for Stranger Factory's inaugural show, "Vintage Modern Narrative", which opens on June 3, 2011.

Bodies are underway, but not in a place where they're nice to look at yet, but the faces are done!

Having fun working on the bodies...the pink guy has lots of lace and ruffles all over. I wanted him to look like a ballerina! I was excited to start on the body for the other one too, as it involved finally slicing into an old moss/brown velveteen jacket I've had for awhile, and have been itching to use; the fabric is such a neat color.

Thousands of frames

2011-05-16T10:21:00.001-04:00

Back in December, I was approached by a film director/animator from Australia named Christopher Kezelos, and he asked if I was interested in designing and building puppets for a new stop-animated short film he was working on. Ever since then we've been collaborating on the puppetry efforts (as well as some random sketching and title-card making), and at long last, all the frames have been shot, and it's into post-production!

Here's the title card that I made for the film - I designed the logo (based on the elegant typography on the cover of an old 1895 book I have in my own collection) and embroidered it onto linen with cotton thread. I frayed the edges and took a photo of it against some old wood. Pretty pleased with the look, and it was fun!

Click to biggify...I might have to re-examine embroidery as a hobby, this was enjoyable!

It is SO unreal and exciting to see my creations come to life - I've seen some top-secret clips of the animation, and it's surreal...the eyes move, the ears bend, the limbs have life, seemingly all on their own! The animation is fluid and the world is so believable...I really can't wait for people to see this, so I don't have to suffer in secret excitement!

This is "The Maker", himself!

Follow The Maker's Facebook page, and check out all the behind-the-scenes photos and shots of the sets and lighting tests. I am SO impressed by the sheer quality and craftsmanship of the sets. All those little drawers, books, bricks, boxes....I've seen a few things that aren't on the page, too, and they're equally impressive. Wait until you can see his little workbench, it's beautiful!

The set is amazing....

I'll post more when there are viewable clips and/or a trailer to see...until then, you can follow the FB page for progress!

In Mourning

2011-05-08T21:05:00.002-04:00

Click me, I get bigger!

It's pretty easy to see what my current obsessions are by looking at the critters I make. I've been really drawn to old mourning jewelry and funerary artifacts lately. I recently bought an old (I don't know the exact age, but I think it's fairly old) silver-plated plaque that was made to adorn a child's casket.

It's a sad artifact for sure, but I also think it is very sweet. There's no way to really know if it was ever used, as there's just as good a chance it was leftover stock from the manufacturer. But families would keep these plaques (often personalized with engraved names and dates) as mementos after the burial. People didn't have stacks of photos or home videos to remember loved ones by, so simpler things were kept instead - locks of hair, a single (expensive) photograph, clothing items or ephemera from the funeral. Funerary custom is an amazing and interesting topic, because every culture has its own canon of tradition, practice, and belief.

Now, of course we all know the Victorian English were over-the-top about any customary thing, and mourning a death was no exception. Mandatory social rules and strict dress codes most certainly applied, and right after a death (especially of one's husband or child), solid black dress was expected, often up to a year after the fact.

Taking out all the history-seen-through-modern-eyes fantasy aspects of this, there's something pretty amazing aesthetically about layers upon layers of black. Black isn't just *black*, there's dull, shiny, dusty, faded, silken, velvet - any texture or fabric is going to be different than the one next to it, adding into this amazing layered effect.

I'm a huge fan of layered monochrome in any color, but the neutrals really do it for me.

Oh yeah, this guy's name is "Epitaph", and he's for the "New Dimensions" show which opens May 12, 2011 at Bold Hype Gallery in NYC!

It's about time...

2011-05-06T10:23:00.000-04:00

Finally, Belladonna is here!

All the brooches have been sent out (and hopefully almost all received by now), so it's time to focus on the next thing.

The next thing is called Belladonna, and it's a purple, stripey bunny with a beautiful raised forehead design and really unfortunate teeth.

The pre-order for them opens on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at 3:00 pm EST. They're not done yet, so it's a pre-order, but this will reserve your spot and in two weeks I'll send you one of these beauties!

They come gift-wrapped in a special little box, and for fun, there's a chance you'll get one of these three different ear patterns - it's a surprise! My subtle version of a "blind box" experience, but they're ALL cool.

There's some more info up at my Art Shop, and if you want to keep abreast of any info I'm releasing, don't forget you can always follow me on Twitter (@AmandaSpayd), keep tabs on my public Facebook Page, or join the fun in my section on the Circus Posterus Forum!

Almost ready to go!

2011-04-26T16:48:00.000-04:00

Just a few days after an amazing sell-out of my Dirty Bunny Brooches (I can't thank everybody enough, that's pretty humbling!), they are all painted up and just about ready to ship out...Once I get the pin backs attached to the brooches and scatter pins they will be all done.

Looking like quite a gruesome collection...

One hundred little bunny eyes staring at me while I work on them.

Pretty excited to get these into the hands of their new owners!

Dirty Bunnies

2011-04-19T20:43:00.001-04:00

FINALLY, I am ready to release the bunny brooches! They will be available from my BigCartel Shop this Friday, April 22nd, at 3 pm EST. There are 12 or 13 of each color available, and each comes with two scatter pins that look like human teeth! More details at the shop.

I'm not quite done painting them, but I have a few days still - soon there will be 100 or so shiny black eyes staring up at me, and 100 molars lying about...I have a lot of painting to do!

Catching up.

2011-04-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Whoops, it's been a while since I've updated, I'm getting a bit behind, apologies.

Not too much to report - still trucking along, casting and painting resin brooches, casting, painting, cutting, sewing, and stuffing critters. Hoping to get both editions ready to go out this month. That's starting to freak me out a bit!

In other news though, for those that didn't see it, I was fortunate enough to meet the wonderful George and Ayleen from Toy Break when I went out to LA last month, and was a guest on their show. Here's the episode:

Toybreak #160

I'm actually going to start an e-mail news list for anybody who wants to sign up...I'm realizing that a lot of folks don't really use social networking sites, and it would be helpful to them if they could get release information and project news from me directly. I'll make sure to put up a link once I've got that done.

I promise a much more interesting update soon, with pictures even!!

...and on to the next one...

2011-03-19T17:28:00.001-04:00

Phew. The last three weeks have been an absolute frenzy of activity...20+ hour work days, shifting my schedule to 3rd shift, a trip to LA, my art in 2 shows. I've taken the past two days to sort of do basically nothing and recover. Still can't seem to shake the graveyard-shift schedule, but at least I feel a lot more awake/human than I have in what seems like forever.

I sent these guys off to My Plastic Heart, NYC for their Soft* Plush Exhibition, which opened last night. You can see pics of the other pieces I sent here, at My Flickr Page.

Cocoa, sold

Rosamund, sold

Saltbaby, sold

I was bummed that I couldn't make it out to the opening (both to see the show, and it's been a long time since I've been in NYC), but coming off the crazy work/travel bender, I was afraid that would just push me over the edge.

Huge thank you to everybody who gave my babies new homes, and everybody who stopped by to see all the awesome artwork in both the Inle show at Gallery 1988, and the Soft show at My Plastic Heart!

Now that I've rested up a bit, I can hook up my mountainclimbing gear and attempt to tackle the giant pile of correspondence that's been building up....oof...

sewing, sewing...

2011-02-28T10:46:00.000-05:00

I've been really busy and kind of stressed out lately. Working on a project for overseas, which involves creating puppets to be used in a stop-motion film. WAY exciting, but also kind of intimidating and stressful, because everything has to be made completely differently from how I am used to making it. I've had some frustrating times. But you know, I've made some rewarding discoveries too, as far as labor-saving ideas, and different ways to do things that used to be very time-consuming. Sometimes thinking "outside the box" can really open new avenues of innovation...but sometimes it's just really difficult and all I want to do is quit and go have a beer!

I can't show any progress on that, unfortunately it is pretty top-secret, but I've also been working fervently on 6 new little guys for next month's "Soft" plush show at My Plastic Heart in NYC. Here are some snippets...

All creatures begin as piles of fabric.

This one is made from an antique salt sack..."Grandmother's Table Salt".

Patterns all cut out and pinned...that fabric looks far too clean!

I use a lot of pins.

What is, is what must be

2011-02-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

Finally finished up my Black Rabbit of Inlé piece for Gallery 1988's "Inlé" group show, curated by Greg Simkins. Here he is, welcoming you into the eternal.


I'm pretty sure this will biggify if you click on it.

He's different from my other creations in that he's not a stuffed plush doll - he's completely hard and solid. The fabric covering his body is attached over a hard form, and the arms (still bendable at the elbow) are thickly wrapped wire, with hard clay hands.

All of the materials used on his exterior are natural - black linen, natural wool yarn (straight from a Navajo Churro sheep in Washington state!), the ruffles were made from cuttings from a vintage pair of men's wool dress pants, and waxed cotton thread. Oh, and he has some "ear tufts" and a back patch of black rabbit fur from an old fur coat. That red stone on his forehead is carnelian.

facial and dusty ruffle details

I'm really interested in seeing how differently all the artists in the show interpret this character. I wanted him to look like a three dimensional "icon" of sorts (hence the star halo) - almost like a token image of some mysterious dark god. Not as a malicious force, but simply as a passionless, immortal being.

The opening reception will be at Gallery 1988 on Melrose on Friday, March 11. If you're in the Los Angeles area, this will be a great show opening, and most likely a crowded one, with tons of energy. There is an amazing list of talent (100+ artists in all) included in the show, and I'm pretty excited that I actually get to be out there and see all the pieces in person.

http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/

The Black Rabbit of Inlé

2011-02-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd post a progress shot of my piece for an upcoming show - "Inlé", curated by Greg "Craola" Simkins, opening next month at Gallery 1988 Melrose. The show is based upon the character "The Black Rabbit of Inlé" from Richard Adams' beautiful novel, Watership Down.

I'm only going to post a shot of his face for now, since everything else, while in progress, can be described with words like "pieces", "mess", and "like a bomb went off"...

If you've read the book, you're familiar with this character, as part of every rabbit's cosmology (and if you haven't read it, get thee to a library now! You don't want to live your life without this amazing book in your brain, seriously). He is described this way:

"Now, as you all know, the Black Rabbit of Inlé is fear and everlasting darkness. He is a rabbit, but he is that cold, bad dream from which we can only entreat Lord Frith to save us today and tomorrow. When the snare is set in the gap, the Black Rabbit knows where the peg is driven; and when the weasel dances, the Black Rabbit is not far off. You all know how some rabbits seem just to throw their lives away between two jokes and a theft: but the truth is that their foolishness comes from the Black Rabbit, for it is by his will that they do not smell the dog or see the gun. The Black Rabbit brings sickness too. Or again, he will come in the night and call a rabbit by name: and then that rabbit must go out to him, even though he may be young and strong to save himself from any other danger. He goes with the Black Rabbit and leaves no trace behind. Some say that the Black Rabbit hates us and wants our destruction. But the truth is- or so they taught me- that he, too, serves Lord Frith and does no more than his appointed task- to bring about what must be. We come into the world and we have to go: but we do not go merely to served to the turn of one enemy or another."

I suppose the Black Rabbit is sort of an Angel of Death - he is not evil or malevolent, yet is something to be feared. He does not choose who dies, he simply carries out the task that Lord Frith (the rabbits' sun god) appoints him to do. "Inlé" is also the rabbit word for "moon", so I chose to put a moon motif on his forehead, underneath a sort of supernatural "third eye". He is supposed to have red eyes, so I chose to use the focused, red eyes of a fox - a natural predator of the rabbit, which is a tool the Black Rabbit could use in his grim work.

I'm pretty excited to be involved in this project, and I'll post more pictures and stuff very soon, all is coming together pretty quickly these past few days.

Brooch Paint Test

2011-02-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to doing a paint test on one of the resin brooches:

Still not 100% sure when I'll be able to release these, but I'm really hoping it will be some time around mid-March, if all goes well. I'm trying to make a nice amount to start with, probably around 35, in various colors (color ideas welcome!).

Oh, and those little teeth? Scatter pins! Each brooch set will come with one bunny face and two molar pins. And let's face it, you are going to get all kinds of noticed if you are wearing human teeth!

The Beauty of Ugly (again)

2011-02-06T22:23:00.001-05:00

I actually blogged this same entry a few years ago, but I recently stumbled across it again, and realized that I still feel *exactly* the same way. So I thought it would be fine to just post it again....

The Beauty of Ugly

I was thinking this morning on the way to work about why exactly I am drawn to things that aren't just less than perfect, but have obvious defects, wear and tear, or just "wrongness" about them. I came up with three conclusions, all of which play a part in my attraction to, and need to acquire and surround myself with peeling paint, rusting hinges, wobbly joints, and frayed edges.

The simple answer would be simply because I like the aesthetic; old worn objects tend to have a beautiful, unified color statement when placed together, and the patina of age and time has a tendency to soften edges, mute colors, and smooth out the stark corners of newness. Being made of more natural materials as well, the textures and colors just resonate with me; there is such visual poetry in a beat-up wooden bowl, a sun-bleached piece of moss green silk velvet, or the slightly dusty, peeling face of an ancient taxidermied creature. But I think there is more to it than that.

My first conclusion is the feeling of maternal protection many of these things give me. I always thought that if/when I choose a pet from a shelter, I would find the most ragged, three-legged, one-eyed cat they could throw at me, because he would probably be considered unadoptable, but I would love him in his ugliness. Many inanimate objects give me the same feeling, the feeling that they are vulnerable, and need to be loved and protected. Old plush toys with their vacant glass eyes and ripping, handsewn seams are very much like the Velveteen Rabbit - loved into oblivion. Objects can fall into ruin by being loved too much just as they can by being abandoned. Perhaps it's that exact dichotomy that draws me.

Another, probably obvious, idea is the constant search for fellow misfits. So many people feel like they can't relate to "most" other people, or that they are somehow different in a way that is seen by the general populous as "broken" or "strange" or "ill-fitting". I collect things that are misfits. They are old, they have very few, if any, matches in the world, and the very nature of them being produced one at a time means they are not one of a million, and maybe not even one of a thousand. And completely handmade treasures, like home-made toys, were made in a production run of one. Time has affected them all in a unique way, and even if they began life looking identical to their counterparts, they will look vastly different now.

The allure of ugly is very strong. I remember always being upset at the end of Beauty and the Beast stories, when the beast turns into the Prince - I always liked him better as the Beast. All that was interesting about him, all that was a little bit dangerous, a little bit primal, a little bit frightening, was traded in for a clean-shaven square jaw and doofus-y pageboy haircut. So boring. I love the quirks in other people; freckled skin, crooked teeth, cowlicks, shadows of life still marked on them, and in the case of my husband, a scarred upper lip and one pupil that always dilates twice as much as the other one.

I think I'll always be attracted to what is slightly "off", a bit foreign, a bit uncomfortable, a bit dirty. It's not just an aesthetic appeal, it's something that touches me deeply and resonates within me. Perhaps my modern life is just too sterile and branded, I don't know. But I do know that I will continue to create new things that seem like old things, in my neverending quest to fill my world with the comfort of things loved literally to pieces.

Spikes

2011-01-31T18:12:00.000-05:00

In lighter news, yesterday I brought home a new friend - a stuffed porcupine from 1953!

Look at that face, isn't he cute?!

Fearsome claws!

The case he was in, while great for protecting him and keeping him in great condition (he's nearly 60 years old, according to the date on the back), is an aesthetic horror. I plan to rebuild it into a Natural History Museum-esque diorama box, with crown molding and a nice label. But for now he is just chilling in my living room.

on obligations

2011-01-31T17:57:00.000-05:00

Apologies, friends, for what follows may be considered a bit of a pissy rant, but I feel like it's a good subject to have a discussion about.

Reading a fellow artist's Facebook page the other day, there was a commenter who asked some specific questions about the process of how this artist's pieces were constructed. When they were given a humorously avoidant answer, they responded by basically saying this person was being selfish for not answering their question, because they thought it was the right thing to do to "help others learn".

Which made me wonder - why is it that so many seem to assume that artists and craftspeople are obligated to teach others the knowledge that they have gained?

It isn't limited to art, either. I've been running my soap and perfume business for about 8 years now (ooh, that makes me feel old!), and I have experienced this phenomenon many times, and it is always uncomfortable, and irksome. Nobody held my hand while I learned how to make products or build a business. I learned by reading books, scouring forums, and endless nights in front of Google. I also learned by making countless mistakes and spending a lot of money that inevitably was never recouped. I learned by doing it, and doing it over and over for years.

I'm not saying that reaching out and asking questions or finding friends who do similar things is bad - it certainly is not, and a lot of the things that I learned came from my heavy activity in a lively soapmaking forum, where members get to know each other, and share helpful tips and opinions. It makes us all better.

But to ask direct questions and expect direct answers, and then act offended and a bit belittling when you don't get it? That's ridiculous. Artists are businesspeople. We make things, sell things, and use that money to pay the mortgage. It's a business. When I worked as a commercial designer, part of the contract I signed before I was hired stated that I was not to share company ideas or processes with non-employees. Nobody bats an eyelash at that, because after all, that's business! But when an individual artist - who has personally more at stake if trade secrets are shared - declines to give step by step instructions, materials sources, or how-to's, they're treated as if they are being stingy or pompous.

Having a unique identity as an artist or craftsperson is one of the most absolutely critical elements of defining oneself in the market. I have had more than my fair share of thinking I was "just being nice, and helping someone learn", and sharing my information, only to see them biting my style or copying my products a month later.

It actually makes me sad that I can't share more, because I LOVE to talk shop and share ideas with like-minded people. It's fun to me, and exciting. But I've been bitten back too many times now, and it takes a much more developed relationship for me to talk much like that anymore.

So artists and artisans, don't feel bad if you don't want to share information. You can politely decline. And for the inquirers, please don't take offense. The handmade game is a tough one to play and every little edge counts. It's hard enough to get your voice above the din of the crowd without the fear of being "paid homage to" a little too closely.

Thoughts?

Heart Day approacheth...

2011-01-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

They day is approaching to tell a special someone that you love them....buy way of buying them an awesome gift!

Here are some ideas from my shop - nobody expects amazing soap for Valentine's Day, so why not surprise them?


Clockwise from top left: Beer Soap Extra Stout, Heart Throb, Spun Sugar, Vampyr

1) Beer Soap (Extra Stout): Good for a man. Why? Men love beer. Valentine's day is about Love. Everybody wins!
2) Heart Throb: let them know how much they make your heart throb
3) Spun Sugar: Flirty scent and super-sexy corset wrapping!
4) Vampyr: maybe love doesn't end with death, so celebrate a dark and eternal love...

Remember, you can always get 4 soaps for $20 at my Shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandalouise

2011 in full swing and injury!

2011-01-25T09:45:00.000-05:00

Well January has nearly come to an end, and I've finally healed from all the damage I did to myself this month. Falling down the steps, twice, deep sprains on both feet, and beveling a corner off of my finger, to be precise. I'm hoping that was just this year getting all of that out of its system.

LOTS going on right now, but unfortunately not a whole lot to show for it at the moment. Many things are in process, and in a sort of "incubation" period before they come to the forefront. I can announce shows that I'll be participating in, at least:

March 12: Inlé show at Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, curated by Greg "Craola" Simkins
March 18: "Soft" Plush exhibition at My Plastic Heart, NYC
May 12: Sculpture group show, Bold Hype Gallery, NYC
July 9: Group show with Doktor A, Chris Ryniak, and Lana Crooks, OhNoDOOM!, Chicago

There will be some smatterings of self-releases in there, a plush edition and a cast-resin brooch edition, but I have to figure out when I can squeeze them in!

I'll post again soon, but I'll leave you with some photos of my recent life...

Little guy I finished up for a commission...on his way to live on a goat farm!

Sketching patterns for a stop-motion film puppet...

He keeps me company while I play video games.

He greets me whenever I come down the stairs.

"Tundra", from the Soft Served show at OhNoDOOM

Hundreds and hundreds of flavored lip balms, ready to be labeled and wrapped...

Fantasy Crossover

2010-12-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

Just did an interview for Tor.com, care of the fabulous Lana Crooks!

Tor Interview

New Directions...

2010-12-16T09:38:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping to start some paint application trials with this guy next week:

It's cast in semi-translucent urethane resin, and will eventually become a handpainted brooch. I'll be doing a bunch of them in all different colors and finishes, and can't wait to start experimenting. I'm also thinking about some special ones in cold-cast metal, porcelain, or maybe even glow in the dark...

the million days of Christmas

2010-12-15T18:39:00.000-05:00

Haven't had much time to post in the last month or so - the Holiday shopping season came on fast and furious, and I've been sequestered in the lab cranking out what probably amounts to thousands of bars of soap...

But I did still manage to make 4 new pieces across 2 different Plush shows for December - one in Columbus and one in Chicago.

These are "Verdancy" and"Winter Wanderer", which were shown at Rivet Gallery in Columbus. I tried sculpted antlers for the first time on this guy:

And I sent these two to Chicago - they are titled "Thanks, Grandma" and "Tundra". Tundra sports yet another set of antlers, while the other guy wriggles in an itchy woolen sweater.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas - not necessarily because of the holiday itself, but the small rest period it represents, and the closure of yet another year of Squeaky Queen Laboratory. I usually take a break between Christmas and New Year's Day, where the shop is closed for that week, so I can clean, take inventory, do finances, drink some wine, and just rest up for the next onslaught!

Squeaky Queen Gift Guide #4: Shabby Chic

2010-11-30T07:52:00.002-05:00

Soft, rustic, and feminine. Perfect gifts for those who appreciate simplicity and beauty.

This collection includes these ideas:

1) Bloom: classic, feminine rose

2) Rosemary Mint: traditional European herbs to energize and invigorate

3) Honeybee: warm, soft and comforting

4) Vanilla Cloud: white-on-white fits any taste

Get these (or any) 4 soaps for $20 over at my webshop! This is just one idea for how you can customize the 4-for-20 deal!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandalouise

Squeaky Queen Gift Guide #3: Warm and Cozy

2010-11-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

Rich golden hues and warm, comforting scents. Perfect for those that enjoy naps with soft blankets, fireside chats in stocking feet, and a cup of hot tea and a book on a lazy afternoon.

**These collections are simply ideas for what you can do to personalize the "4 soaps for $20" deal listed in my Etsy store - if you like one, all you have to do is order the "4 for $20" deal and let me know that these are the soaps you would like in it!**

This collection includes these ideas:

1) Honeybee: Golden sweet scent of the harvest
2) Pumpkin Pie: slightly spiced scent of home baking
3) Honey Oatmeal: nutty and wholesome, like artisan bread
4) Vanilla Cloud: soft, rich vanilla

Get these (or any) 4 soaps for $20 over at my webshop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandalouise

Squeaky Queen Gift Guide #2: The Übergoth

2010-11-25T23:38:00.000-05:00

4-pack Gift Guide #2: the Übergoth

Everybody has a bit of a playfully dark side. You can trust me on this one, as I've spent over half my life in black nailpolish and combat boots ;) This collection is a gift suggestion for the spookily-inclined.

1) Vampyr: Sexy, dark, seductive blood-red soap
2) Absinthe: Legendary green fairy, the muse of artists and writers
3) Grave Dirt: bleached human bones atop shimmering earth
4) Nevermore: sparkling midnight sky color, and seductive, mysterious scent

**These collections are simply ideas for what you can do to personalize the "4 soaps for $20" deal listed in my Etsy store - if you like one, all you have to do is order the "4 for $20" deal and let me know that these are the soaps you would like in it!**

Get any 4 soaps for $20 over at my webshop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandalouise

Squeaky Queen Gift Guide #1: The Professional

2010-11-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've put together some ideas for how you can personalize my "4 soaps for 20 bucks" deal in my Etsy shop to work for your holiday gift lists! Here is the first idea:

#1: The Professional

While some might think that nobody wants to take their job home with them, a fun, whimsical, and practical themed soap can be the perfect small gift.

**These collections are simply ideas for what you can do to personalize the "4 soaps for $20" deal listed in my Etsy store - if you like one, all you have to do is order the "4 for $20" deal and let me know that these are the soaps you would like in it!**

This collection includes these ideas:

1) Prep Wash Soap: nurse, doctor, veterinarian, lab assistant
2) Heart Throb: cardiologist, heart patient, cardiac nurse
3) Sweet Tooth: dentist, candymaker, sugar-lover
4) Radium: chemist, scientist, physicist

....but it doesn't stop there! How about Jurassic Amber for a geologist or archeologist? Or Spun Sugar for a burlesque performer, and Fetish for a dominatrix?

Get any 4 soaps for $20 over at my webshop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/amandalouise

bye, guys...

2010-08-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

Another group of critters is all boxed up, next stop Chicago - at the OhNo!DOOM Gallery!

I really loved making these guys, and I'll miss having their big eyes staring up at me while I work in the studio. I'll be posting more shots of my pieces from this show in the coming week (including the three large pieces I did), but for now, here's a parting shot of the little misfits. Goodbye!

Deadnettle

2010-08-19T17:40:00.001-04:00

I'll be at Dragon*Con in Atlanta this year, helping man the Rivet Gallery booth. I teamed up with Rivet and made an edition of 13 exclusive, handmade pieces, called Deadnettle. As you can see, he glows in the dark!

More pertinent info can be found on my forum here.

Second Beginnings

2010-08-17T19:16:00.003-04:00

It's been a long time since I've updated, and even those updates have been sporadic.

I've decided to be more committed to this blog - I was wooed away by the instant gratifications of Twitter and Facebook, and while those have their place, I've found that I find updating a "real" blog, where I can write more than one sentence at a time, and show pictures, to be far more satisfying, and more personal.

I'm busy with preparations for a bunch of things tonight, but am hoping I can find a few spare moments every couple of days to share my thoughts, and maybe some photos.

Until then,
mandi

Peek!

2010-03-05T20:30:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd add a few photos of my pieces for the show, which opens tomorrow night! I'll be at the opening, I'm excited...

"Breakfast of Champions"

"Now What?"

(I am particularly proud of that padlock I sculpted!)

Entire show can be found HERE, click on "details" to see larger photos of each piece. Also check out Cris Rose's awesome vinyl customizations and original resin robots.

news news

2010-02-28T19:15:00.002-05:00

I've been busting my behind lately getting ready for a new show! It opens this Saturday, at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. I'll post another preview image later in the week, but for now, here is the info. I'll have 10 completely new pieces for this show, and I'm pretty excited to release them to the world!

soap scum

2010-01-26T06:35:00.004-05:00

So, stretching truths and such is nothing new in advertising. The new Dove ads bug me, however, and I know it's just because I make soap.

You know, because every other bar of soap leaves some kind of white, UV-reactive slimy residue all over you, and theirs magically does not (imagine!).

So let's clear up what all this means.

"Soap Scum" is the colloquial term for what happens when minerals in your water react with your soap and leave a film on the shower walls and floor. It's also sometimes called "limescale". So for the most part, you can actually blame your water, not your soap, for the severity of your soap scum problem.

Real "soap" is made from animal or vegetable fat which has been reacted with an alkali (sodium hydroxide, also called lye). It's an anionic molecule, which is polarized - one side attracts water, the other side repels it. This is what makes the water "wetter" and helps to clean things. Real soap *can* actually be quite the offender, as it does tend to react a lot with minerals in the water. Some folks add a chelating agent (usually Tetrasodium EDTA) to their soap to battle the soap scum reaction, and if you look at the ingredients of most commercial soap bars, you'll find "EDTA" on there somewhere.

Now, let's look at what Dove actually is. Dove, as they are proud to tell you, is not soap. However, it does start its life as soap. The ingredients "Sodium Cocoate, and Sodium Tallowate" indicate this. Any time you see "Sodium ______ate", you are looking at a fat that has been reacted with lye. In this case, Dove uses coconut oil (Cocoate) and beef fat (Tallowate). They then extract the glycerin from the soap (the glycerin is worth good money, and it is common commercial practice to do this), and mill that soap together with other ingredients - synthetic detergents, moisturizing ingredients, and usually, chelating agents to fight the soap scum issue. So basically, Dove is a hybrid product, starting its life as a natural soap, and having synthetic surfactants and other ingredients added to it.

I make and sell two kinds of soaps. My Glycerin Bars are not soap-derived. There is nothing soap about them. They are entirely synthetic; engineered surfactants and moisturizers (glycerin included) that make the water wet and lather up.

My Cold Process Soaps are the "old style" of soap making. Just vegetable oils that have been reacted with lye. They condition the skin with extra oils, and are about as natural as you can get as far as soap goes.

I'm not knocking Dove here. Their hybrid product seems to be efficient and effective chemistry, combining the anionic cleaning power of natural soap, with modern surfactant technology, and chelation additives to fight the dreaded soap scum.

But I AM knocking their advertising campaigns, which are so simplistic and infomercial-esque as to be extremely insulting to the consumer. SOAP leaves slime, but ours is slime-free (even though it has SOAP in it, oops)! SOAP makes you have weird UV-reactive goo on you, as you can see in this "simulated" video! Gross!

I prefer not to stretch the truth in my advertising, personally. I feel that an educated customer is a good customer, and that people vote for what they think are good products with their wallet. I've been making these same two kinds of soaps for years and years, and see the strengths of both, and feel confident about both of them, because if the only way I can sell my stuff is by knocking other stuff, that doesn't say much about my product.

/rant.

P.S. If you want to know more about the chemistry of soap and detergents, this is a rad page (there are actually two pages, look at the top) with good visual aids and clear information. You know, for nerds, like me.

a year ends, a year begins

2010-01-20T02:00:00.003-05:00

It's been forever since I've updated. It feels like a lot has happened, yet not much has happened. I'm chugging away as a full-time soap/art maker, and let's face it, mid-January isn't exactly a time of year that's bustling with activity to report.

Christmas came and went, and to be honest, I was pretty happy when it "went". The holidays this year were just too busy, too crabby, too rushed, and too stressful. It's always stressful that time of year when you are in the retail business, but this year was especially not enjoyable for me.

However, moving on. This week, at grocery checkouts everywhere, you can spy my Jurassic Amber soap on page 5 of Woman's World magazine! (click the picture to biggify)

Other than that, life has been fairly low-key. I'm hustling to get some pieces ready for a show at Rivet in March, with artist Cris Rose...so that will hopefully break my dry spell of no new pictures of stuff for a while.

To be honest, I think I've been succumbing pretty hard to the ol' Seasonal Affective Disorder this year. It seems to get me every year, and it's a little earlier than usual. I keep having dreams about needing to tend my garden, and hearing the birds outside the window, and warm weather...and then waking up and looking out to see snow covering everything and about eight thousand blankets keeping me warm in bed. Ah well. I can hope for an early spring.

teeny tiny

2009-11-07T13:02:00.004-05:00

I was invited to be a part of DKE Toys' custom show at Designer Con this year. The custom platform was their 3" YOKA bear figure. He came white, jointed, and without features. This is what I did to him:

I have to admit, it was a challenge working so tiny - he's only about 2.5" tall at his ears! But it was a good exercise, and I loved the figure....he has this really cute, slouchy shape, and his little body sort of looks like a fat egg. I used epoxy putty to seal up his joints and after slicing off his face (sorry yoka!), I used it to build up a new face to set in the eyes and teeth. His little party hat is covered with printed cotton fabric, and I made the cotton pom-pom on the top. I think he came out really cute.

All Hallows' Eve

2009-11-05T17:51:00.007-05:00

So of course, Halloween is pretty much my favorite holiday ever. Not only is it a sanctioned occasion for full-blown makeup and costume creativity, but it takes place at the best time of the year. Just before autumn gets yucky - the leaves are still colorful and smell crisp and papery when they pile up, the wind is still a little bit warm, and there are blooming mums and pumpkins everywhere. It's heavenly!

My pal Chris and his wife throw an awesome Halloween shindig at their house every year - along with the usual Haunted Mansion-quality lawn decorations and sophisticatedly creepy interior decor, this year they featured a costume contest and a live DJ hosting Skaryoke!

My idea for this year's costume was a sort of pale, anemic-thin alien/vampire/queen of the underdwellers sort of thing. It was my first time ever using a bald cap (quite uncomfortable). I had a thrifted pair of black leather jeans that I cut up and reassembled into the neck corset and tops of the gloves, and made the skirt and top out of fabric, spraypaint, and a thrifted grommeted belt. It had a black tulle bustle that came out of a slit in the back of the skirt, with tiered black ruffles (from a thrifted skirt) coming down into a slight train.

The gloves extended my fingertips by inches, and were made of cheap plastic green "witch fingers" sold in the party favor section, painted black and attached to thrifted black leather gloves. All in all it was a success, though now I know to shave the little hairs on the back of my neck first, should I ever wear a bald cap again! Yeouch!

Me and the host of the party - our outfits went together well.

I added UV-reactive paint to my face and arms, after finding out that the entire kitchen would be blacklit.

So now I have to start thinking about next year....

The power of perfume

2009-10-06T09:12:00.004-04:00

So now that I'm working from home, I'm trying to establish a good schedule for myself. With whole days of time and very few mandatory obligations at set times to break them up (no specific lunch break, no meetings, no review deadlines), the workday can be a little meandering, and less gets done.

One of those things is to get myself up and dressed and ready to take on the day. And I've found that even if I'm going to forego a shower until afternoon, or just want to pin my hair back and get to work, I will brush my teeth, wash my face, and every single morning, apply perfume.

I feel like in our culture, the idea of perfume is that it is some magical potion that will help us attract a mate, or exude some kind of power of our gender to others. But for me honestly, it is simply something that *I* enjoy, and I don't feel quite dressed without it.

If something so simple, that takes so little time, and for the most part is inexpensive makes my day a little better, why not? A soapmaker I admire once said this about lip gloss "without it i feel poorly groomed. and homely. and plain. and life is too short to feel like that, even for a second."

And that is how I feel about perfume. It surrounds me with a beautiful fragrance, and even if it is subtle, it is something I enjoy very much and to me it is very important to enjoy each moment, if it is at all possible.

Transitions

2009-09-17T12:34:00.008-04:00

So, I wanted to post some pictures of Renegade, but first, I thought I'd share some good news with all of you.

I quit my job. Starting October 1, 2009, I will be employed as Owner/CEO/Production/Art Director and Sales of Squeaky Queen Laboratory. And I couldn't be more excited and comfortable with the decision.

It's been YEARS in the making. I've been doing SQ for nearly 7 years now, and now is the time to take it further. This is going to be a lot of work, but I would rather break my back for something I am passionate about, then break it trying to do my own thing but having my time dictated to be elsewhere. Of course it means less money, but we really don't spend much and will still have our needs met comfortably. I am so happy :)

So, onto Renegade. It was a long, hot weekend. Drove from Cleveland to Chicago on Friday night, and drove from Chicago to Cleveland on Sunday night, arriving at 2:30 am (ugh). The crowds were good, and people seemed to be in good spirits. The event was meticulously well-organized, which was much appreciated.

Your hostess with the mostest.

View of the tent from the entrance.

Lip balms and body balms.

Some of the soap piles.

Insomnia

2009-08-11T01:42:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm too amped up to go to bed tonight, so I thought I might do a post on this sad little blog I've been neglecting.

So, I have an antiques habit. One might think that would get expensive, and you know, if I counted up my receipts every year I might be dismayed, but the antiques I go for aren't exactly Antiques Roadshow material. I just LOVE old stuff.

I love the way things were made before the days of mass factories and plastics. Yeah, they're heavy and tend to rust, get water damage, and look kind of shabby, but I'd much rather have scratched old wood than yellowed plastic. Appliances and technology are the worst. My friend Emily calls them "blobjects" - the über-smooth, modern, gigantic plastic contraptions for baking bread and mixing stuff and watching movies on.

This weekend, I bought a dented and chipping painted-metal pie safe for the kitchen. It's probably from the 30s or 40s, and is a great thing to sit the coffee pot on, while storing coffee mugs in easy reach. I also found a white popcorn chenille throw for the guest bed.

I guess I just love the fact that I bought metal and cotton. Not nylon and plastic. If the hinge breaks on the pie safe, we can probably figure out a way to fix it. If the blanket frays or rips, I can easily patch it. I want to fill my life with things that can be fixed, and understood. And kept for a long time. Plus, using old stuff is recycling, and buying it at my favorite shops supports local merchants. I don't mind doing things "the hard way" sometimes.

Sometimes, I think that actually improves my life.

July, at Rivet Gallery!

2009-06-17T13:34:00.003-04:00

public service announcement

2009-06-17T13:15:00.004-04:00

Okay folks, I know I've said this before, numerous times, but I feel like I need to iterate it again.

I keep seeing these long rants on "natural" body products' sellers pages, about how their stuff is made without "icky" chemicals, and how natural essences truly have some cosmic depth and amazingness that "chemicals" do not have, and how they are inherently better for you, for the earth, and everybody.

I often observe the words "safe" and "ethical" tossed around. Saying essential oils are safe because they are natural is like saying nothing in the animal kingdom can harm you, because it's part of nature. Nature is also full of deadly things, and things which can harm you, and I keep seeing people throw these substances around with wild abandon, gleaming with the satisfaction of being safe and natural. Also, the harvest of a number of extracts is far from ethical, requiring large volumes of rare and endangered plants, as well as the destruction of natural habitats to supply to the ever-growing demand.

Essential oils are NOT magical plant spirits in liquid form. They are complex mixtures of chemicals (yes, chemicals. You and I are also made of those "icky" things), some odorous, some not, that make up the volatile oil of that plant. It is really, really important to know safe practices for these, if you are producing consumable products for the public and selling them. The same caution that is taken with synthetic aroma compounds should be taken for essentials - and that includes not using things just because they smell nice. They are volatile compounds, many of which absorb directly into the bloodstream, very quickly.

The boom of the DIY body product/aromatherapy industry has made all of these natural compounds available to anyone, and I hope that people are taking the time to really research what they are mixing together in their hand-labeled bottles. I know there is a danger of this sounding like jealousy (I don't know why though, I use both natural and synthetic ingredients), or just bitterness in general, but I promise you, it is not. I just want to see makers and sellers in the home-based bath and body industry take serious precautions in terms of safety, before somebody gets hurt, and some of our freedoms, in this respect, are lost.

catching up

2009-04-21T14:45:00.009-04:00

It's been a long time...

...not much has really happened out of the ordinary. We both keep working at our jobs and working at our personal projects at night. Spring is finally coming on, and I have a lovely bunch of daffodils from our backyard in a vase on the kitchen table.

I've been sculpting and painting a lot of faces:

Which in turn get attached to fabric bodies I've sewn on my old machine:

I've been experimenting with putting sawdust and wire inside some of them, so they can sit up on their own, and be posed:

A few weeks ago, Shoparooni in Cleveland had a show/contest/event for customized vinyl Munny toys. For the uninitiated, a Munny is a 7" tall blank vinyl toy that looks like this:

I used glass eyes, epoxy clay, sculpey and paint, as well as a small metal wagon I found (and rusted). My Munny also came with a small bear, so I customized that too:

I've also been working on a larger scale, experimentally. This guy is over 52" long!

Whew...I guess I HAVE been busy!

Autobahn is this coming Saturday, so if you're in the Southern Ohio area, come on down - it's cheap, fun, and lasts all day! Great line-up of bands, and coffee drinks available too.

vacation time

2009-03-12T15:35:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, Jon and I went on an uncharacteristically "All American" vacation - to Walt Disney World in Florida. He'd never been (though growing up in SoCal he's been to Disneyland countless times), and I hadn't been for about 15 years, so we thought it would be fun to check it out. The great thing about vacationing at their resorts is that everything is immediately available for you - all you have to do is open your hotel room door, hop on a bus, and you're driven to whichever park you choose that day.

At the Animal Kingdom, I got to touch an Agouti (and was told by the animal handler than nobody had ever guessed correctly what he was, when asked, I was the first true nerd to know!)

We ate our way through the parks...

Jon at the Lego store, purchasing some A la Carte pieces.

Animal Kingdom is Disney's newest park, and divided into large sections, one called "Asia" and another "Africa", where they house animals and attractions relating to those regions. I was incredibly impressed with the amount of authentic detail that went into creating these areas - this is only a little beverage stand in Asia, but every inch of it has been detailed so well. I took a lot of pictures here, for reference - they aged things very realistically; good textures.

Our resort, though part of the Disney resorts, was a little off the beaten path, and about as quiet as you can get when surrounded by families with children. It was really pretty, and was on a series of manmade rivers.

I don't ever want to see or hear anything Disney-related again for as long as I live, but we had a really, really great vacation. It was so nice to actually relax and not worry about anything - no cellphone, no appointments, no work, no email. I desperately needed a break like that.

stitchery

2009-03-07T23:22:00.002-05:00

I recently acquired this little beauty:

It's a 1920's Vesta VSIII "Portable" hand-cranked sewing machine. I put the word "portable" in quotations, because while it's not tied to the floor like a treadled machine with a built-in cabinet, it's about as portable as a wooden box filled with bowling balls. The whole thing is steel and cast iron, with a white porcelain crank handle that folds up when nestled in the wooden carrying case (which locks with a large metal key).

Sewing with this machine is such a pleasing task to me, compared with sewing on a modern electronic machine. I'm sure my modern machine will still get use for projects which require a little more speed and power, but for all of my fabric art, this will be what I use.

It's so quiet. All you can hear is a soft mechanical click-thunk-click-thunk as the shuttle moves back and forth. Each turn of the crank yields three stitches with the needle. It has a built-in bobbin winder that uses the steel wheel to engage a series of gears that thread and automatically disengage the bobbin when it's full.

Because everything is completely mechanical, I feel a certain comfort and appreciation when using this machine that I have felt with very few things - there is no mystery with it, I can understand what everything does, and why every part exists. Modern magic is great, but I find myself often longing for simple machines that are extensions of my body, and not replacements.

snowslump

2009-01-29T10:17:00.002-05:00

It's been snowy and cold here. Like REALLY snowy and cold. Check out the ice-spear Jon found off the side of the garage:

Northeast Ohio is really wonderful in the spring, summer, and autumn, but for all that lush green, the smell of growing daffodils, and the crisp crunch of fallen leaves under your feet, you have to deal with a long and arduous winter filled with shoveling, endless cold, and exhausting commutes to work in terrible conditions. When the thaw happens though, that is worth it to me, because new life creeping up through the cold ground is intoxicating like a drug in its promise of warmer days to come.

I can't imagine living in a place without real, definite seasons. Jon grew up in southern California, and while it gets a little cooler there in the winter, it's not like a pie cut into four parts like it is here. The changing seasons give me a sense of time passing; it's easier to compose time within a year when it is divided into near-quadrants.

That said, I am really, really looking forward to spring. I haven't seen the ground for weeks and weeks, and all the snow is starting to make me anxious.

GRAND OPENING!

2009-01-15T17:23:00.002-05:00

So, updates have been few and far between, for two reasons:

1) I've been quite unhealthy for over a month now, with some kind of creeping winter lung death

and

2) I have been using all of my remaining energy (which hasn't been much, but I've been doing what I can) to get things ready for Opening Night of my month-long stay at the Shoparooni Annex Store!

Come Saturday, I will have transformed the Annex space into a wonderland of candy-colored soaps, perfume boudoir (with testers, apply as much as you like!), a bevy of haggard, handsewn and sculpted plush bunnies, and a wall full of mixed media ink paintings, all available for sniffing, viewing, and purchasing.

The fun goes down at 8 pm, Saturday, January 17th, come and say hello if you can!

Here's more information on the location and the show: www.shoparooni.com

2009

2009-01-04T21:26:00.002-05:00

I had a lot of learning experiences this past year, and I'm optimistic about this next one.

My biggest resolution is to stop escaping, stop being afraid of failure/success, and to let go of many of the restrictions I put on myself. Anybody who knows me well, knows that I am incredibly forgiving toward others, but horribly, brutally strict with myself, to the point where I'll deny myself things I want or need, if I feel that I haven't met my goals. It's a bad pathology, that I'd like to let go of.

In lighter, less soul-searching resolutions, I'd like to continue to simplify/streamline Squeaky Queen in 2009, and try to "work smarter, not harder" this year.

I'd also like to dive more deeply, and spend more time in my perfumery/aromachemical studies.

Another goal is to have some artwork in a gallery (other than my place of employment) this year.

And eat more whole foods. And keep the house cleaner. And be a better wife.

That's all for now.

hacking away

2008-12-21T16:27:00.004-05:00

Well, I've officially penned the final chapter in yet another year of soap-peddling. It was a good year - I made the switch over to Etsy as my full-time storefront which, even though it might be more "professional" to have your own website, the Etsy deal affords me much more time to NOT deal with updating and HTML, so that I can spend more time creating better product. Works for me.

The new soap year, for me, officially begins on January 15, with the grand opening of a super awesome local opportunity, which I shall keep under wraps for now. But it's going to be approximately 25 square feet of visual, tactile, and olfactory AWESOME. Stay tuned.

I never did post the finished versions of my pieces for the Stuff This show at Rivet Gallery. Big thanks, again, to Laura and Scott, for letting me be a part of the Rivet family yet again :)

In other news, I've been fighting a terrible head/chest cold for well over a week now, and am trying desperately to get better. So I should go rest now.

suds and needles

2008-12-08T09:53:00.002-05:00

The good folks at Core77 put out a rad Holiday gift guide every December....and this year they were awesome enough to feature me!

Be sure to go over there and check out the gift guide - there are so many incredibly interesting, beautiful, and just plain clever items there, that are all under 77 bucks!

up for air

2008-12-04T16:19:00.004-05:00

I know it has been forever since my last update.

My life has been a crazy whirlwind of soap, job, plush, and sweet potatoes. I'll come back to the land of the living, and post a more complete update as soon as I possibly can.

Enjoy this preview of a piece I created for Rivet Gallery's second annual "Stuff This" show, opening this Saturday, Dec. 6.

that was halloween

2008-11-14T10:03:00.005-05:00

I never seem to get great shots of my costume at Halloween, unfortunately. I'm always in such a rush to get dressed, that I completely forget. Here is my attempt, at the party, to get a shot of it all.

My wings - made of wire and some organza-type fabric, spraypainted at the edges, and glued onto the wire. Worn with elastic straps like a backpack.

Full costume (click to biggify), the thing around my neck is a glass vial with molars in it. Around my waist, I have some objects tied on a band of fabric: An antique pair of dental pliers, a rusty pair of calipers, and a blood-stained bag of "teeth", which were actually small tumbled pebbles, but felt and sounded amazingly realistic in there.

The apron is faux black leather, and the straps were made from an old pair of leather jeans.

Our window display for Trick or Treat.

Jon spent all day ripping/gluing/staining fabric strips for this fabulous mummy costume!

getting ready...

2008-10-26T21:34:00.002-04:00

Less than a week to Halloween...I have finished only one of three handmade portions of my costume.

Here is my hat.

More to come.

almost there...

2008-10-13T22:55:00.004-04:00

I only have a handful more trips to make hauling supplies down to the basement, but it's almost done. I have SO MUCH storage now! And it's all clean, wonderful storage, out of the way and covered. I am able to store things so much more efficiently now, that my side of the basement, the jumble of soaping materials formerly looking like this:

Looks like this!

Of course, in this last picture you can't see the microwave cart and the shelving unit, which are still in exactly the same place, although minus the stereo/tapes on the microwave cart (now moved across the room, sans tapes), and the shelves will be neatly packed with labeled bins. That is yet to do. But look at the difference, it is so wonderful to be able to find anything I need, and it's always going to be clean and ready to go.

More, better pictures when I am completely done and able to devote some time to setting up the camera properly. So excited!

Black Walnut Dye pt. 1

2008-10-12T14:11:00.004-04:00

Yet another chapter in my Urban Homesteading files.

Since I spend a lot of time and experimentation dyeing and staining fabric and paper, I thought I'd try my hand on a very old, very brown, and very smelly type of natural dye. The dye of the Black Walnut. It's colorfast and lightfast, and, as anybody who has these things littering their yard knows, the juice from the green nut-husks is extremely potent and dark, and takes a year to wear off of sidewalks. It's been used as a dyestuff for a very long time.

A friend of mine (and fellow soapmaker) was kind enough to send me a big box of walnuts from her yard. They were a bit dried-out and molded by the time I got to them, but they just need to soak in water to soften up for a bit. Once softened, I used a knife to cut chunks off of the nuts.

Nuts and husk-chunks get tossed in a big pot with some water, to be boiled. The boiling walnuts smell really terrible - not a "bad" smell per se, but a permeating, overly-sweet, cooking squash type of smell. I find it really nauseating.

After a few hours boiling, starting to look nice and dark. Here I am about to throw a handful of rusty nails into the pot - Black Walnuts are a "ferrogallic" dye, and the color deepens with the addition of iron.

After another hour or so, I'm going to turn the burner off and let the whole thing rest for a day or so. Then probably some more boiling, and reducing. I will post more pics as I make more progress.

recipe time

2008-10-05T11:22:00.003-04:00

This is an "heirloom recipe" of sorts, my Grandma has been making this stuff for as long as I can remember, and it's my favorite dessert at picnics and family gatherings. It's light and fluffy and whippy and was probably devised in the fifties or sixties when every dessert for picnics contained at least two cans of fruit and some whipped topping.

Macaroni Hawaii Style

yield (one very large bowl of dessert)

1/2 lb. Orzo pasta (half of a 1 lb. box)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp flour

1 can crushed pineapple (soup-sized can)

1 can mandarin oranges

1/2 bottle maraschino cherries (the red ones)

1 tub of Cool-whip (or whipped topping of choice, not the large tub, the regular size, I use generic store brand)

1) cook pasta as directed on package, drain (rinse if you want to, I don't)

2) drain fruit and save juice.

3) mix fruit juice, sugar, flour, egg, and salt, and cook until it gets slightly thickened (I bring it to a gentle boil and then just turn the burner off and let it sit there)

4) Mix drained pasta into juice mixture.

5) Refrigerate overnight, or at least a few hours to cool it down and get it thickened up.

6) Before serving, fold in fruit and whipped topping.

7) Dump it in a bowl. "Test" it with a spoon. Keep testing until you are full :)

Enjoy!

the badge of busy

2008-10-04T09:45:00.003-04:00

I was reading an article the other day, about a small business owner who also plays a sport and also attends school for some impressive and difficult degree. It was all about how she spends each day, and how she can block every waking moment into something "productive", and how she eats on the run and multitasks and "gets everything done".

At once, I found myself feeling jealous and depressed. Jealous because I feel like I'm often lazy and have bad time-management skills, and worse priority structure. Depressed because I often feel like I'm so busy I'm not living my life as much as I want to.

Being terribly busy is just this huge cover-up to me sometimes; even if I'm not making quality, at least I'm making an incredible quantity, or leading people to believe that I am, because being really busy is the sign of an "active" and "driven" and "motivated" person.

I make art, and I make products, and the whole reason I make them is because I want people to stop for a moment and enjoy something. I want them to have something that looks and smells beautiful in their shower or perfume cabinet, something that takes them away, and makes them happy and relaxed, and makes them escape a little bit, and take time to exercise senses that they don't always take time to stretch. I make art that I hope will take people beyond their ordinary experience, and make them think and wonder, and be interested in little details, and imagine a history for objects they've never encountered before.

I make things because I want people to stop and think and breathe and experience.

But I hardly do that myself, and that makes me feel like kind of a hypocrite.

still working...

2008-09-29T20:53:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted any progress pics of the Soap Lab in a long time - we're almost there. you can see the finished wall, ceiling (well, almost finished, there are still some tiles left to install), and new light fixture. In this photo, you can see that we were in the process of rolling out and trimming the floor - it's a GREAT flooring material, the same as we have in our kitchen. It's a flexible rubber/pvc type material that has a slight cushion to it, and is not only printed to look like wood, but textured as well. It's resistant to cuts and stains and dampness, doesn't show dirt, and is insanely easy to clean. It really makes the space look finished.

So, pardon all the junk everywhere, but such is the way construction goes.

where has the time gone?

2008-09-11T22:17:00.002-04:00

I can't even remember when August ended and September began, and September is nearly half over...

As much as I enjoy being productive and busy, I often worry that I'm just living life too fast. These past few weeks have just been thing after thing....a lot of exciting projects, but I feel like life is living me this time.

I just wanted to put my head above water and let everybody know that I'm still here....just mired waist-deep in obligations of my own design.

tasty

2008-08-31T18:38:00.006-04:00

We're still working through this summer's bumper crop of zucchini, so it seems like everything I make has squash in it.

I made these delicious little personal-sized pizzas for dinner tonight:

To make them, you need:

- 1 bell pepper (color of choice)
- 1/2 onion
- 1 six inch zucchini
- pesto (I used sun dried tomato type)
- 2 flatbreads
- cheese for topping

Start by caramelizing the onions in butter/margarine. When they're on their way, go ahead and throw the sliced zucchini in the pan (I cut the largest slices in quarters for a uniform size). Once those start to go transparent, toss in the sliced bell pepper. Cook these all up, add a little salt, pepper, pesto, season as you wish.

When the veggies are cooked, spread some pesto over each flatbread, and dump some veggies on top of each one. Shred some cheese liberally over each pizza, and stick them underneath the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.

Very filling, very delicious, and very colorful meal!

Halloween

2008-08-31T14:08:00.002-04:00

Yeah, Halloween.

Tomorrow is September, so I can start thinking about the holiday now, right?

I want to actually decorate the house this year, I never do. I usually just change the wreath on the front door and call it a day. My living room and dining room are basically all set - all I need is some creative lighting and maybe some twigs or paper garlands to swath over the taxidermy, human skeleture, and haggard dental antiques in there.

Outside is a different story - I hate all the cheap plastic decorations sold at stores. I don't want to put an inflatable spider in my yard or a glow in the dark skeleton on my door. I'm always poring over the Martha Stewart holiday editions for ideas. Basically, I want semi-spooky fall decor outside that looks great on Halloween night, but similarly appropriate for the rest of October and November.

Anybody have any great resources?

As far as costumes, yes I'm almost thirty years old but my love for costuming will never die. I will definitely dress up, as I know of a party or two that I'll be attending, so there's a reason to make one. I have some ideas now, but they're not set in stone yet, so I'll hold off on posting it until I work out some of the details.

Anyone else planning ahead?

hidden faces

2008-08-24T19:44:00.005-04:00

I've decided to explore a new idea by making a series of mask-like wall hangings...like flat versions of my bunny creatures, but without bodies. Here is the first.

I'll post some better pictures on my Flickr page in a bit - it's too dark outside to get any really good clear shots, and he doesn't fit in my light tent. Sort of a forest theme, bedecked in broken twigs and faux green astilbe plumes. His eyes are brilliant green and very wise.

I may list him on my Etsy shop soon, or I may wait until I have a few to offer...not sure yet.

But anyway, that's what I've been up to. Now onto a few plushes that I've needed to finish forever.....I just had to get this out of my system, I was really beginning to obsess about it, and if I don't "cleanse" by doing it, the idea will eat me alive. All you arty types out there, I know you understand.

Origins of the Forest

2008-08-07T22:18:00.006-04:00

All done.

Here is a good shot for scale reference...

There are more photos of these guys at my Flickr Page.

If you're in the Chicago area on Saturday, check out the show opening at DVA Gallery! From what I have been told, quite a few of the artists will be there (and so will I), so come by!

fairy balls

2008-08-05T19:26:00.004-04:00

For most of the growing season, Globe Thistle (Echinops Ritro) just looks big and ratty and weedy. It's tall (the uppermost globes are almost up to my chest), and has giant, spiny leaves that look like huge blue-green dandelion leaves.

But I keep it because when it finally does bloom, all the perfectly spherical, periwinkle flower heads are wonderful:

They look even more interesting up close, and the bees LOVE them!

a lot of work for something so small

2008-07-27T13:42:00.002-04:00

Finished resin teeth.

nightmares of dentistry

2008-07-27T10:26:00.004-04:00

Having spent a great deal of time in the dentist's chair this month (and still needing things yanked out), I've had teeth on the brain. I also plan on having human molars carried by one of the creatures in this piece for the DVA show.

Lucky for me, my buddy Chris has done plenty of resin casting in his day, and was kind enough to make molds and cast a bunch of molars for me. After the resin teeth were de-molded, I had to go to each one with a razor blade, needle files, sanding pads, and a small collection of antique dental picks/scrapers/scary things I had in my collection, to remove the extra bits of resin, and the seamlines. Those antique picks are wickedly efficient. I'm just happy that my dentist uses modern instruments, fresh from an autoclave, and not the rusted antique versions that I do.

all that rain paid off

2008-07-24T20:20:00.001-04:00

Cukes and Zukes from our little garden.

art show....beginnings

2008-07-12T17:51:00.004-04:00

I'm about to embark on a crazy adventure; creating 5 free-standing bunny-esque sculptures from fabric, plaster, wire, and clay, and shipping them to a gallery in two weeks.

I just hope I don't give myself stomach problems, because it's going to take a lot of coffee.

This is a life-sized sketch I made to reference as I go, with fabric swatches pinned underneath each character.

The idea is this. Five rabbit type creatures are marching along, in ascending order (or descending), with baskets strapped to their backs....with various materials in the baskets: smooth stones, moss, balls of yarn and thread, flowers, and human molars. But I kind of want to work rusty nails in there somewhere. We'll see.

Anyway, you won't be able to tell if they're coming or going - are they on their way to assembling something? Or have they come from a hunt, or a harvest? I hope I can make it work, building freestanding plush sculptures in this scale requires learning some building skills I nave never done before.

Remodel Progress II

2008-07-12T17:43:00.006-04:00

Progress has slowed a bit, due to other projects, and needing to measure and purchase more materials, but I thought I'd show what we've done on the sink wall. We've done the exact same thing on the opposite wall, where the workbench is.

Here you can see the sinkwall, stripped of any cosmetic touches, the pipes, bare walls, and dryer ducts. (click for larger pictures)

...and here we have installed the studs and pegboard, and painted it a light aqua color. There will be some cosmetic framing around the outlets and lightswitches, and those air ducts are going to be painted white very soon. Also, a short white curtain will hang from the rear of the ducts, to obscure the dryer vent from view but allow easy access if maintenance is necessary.

The washer and dryer and sink are all pulled forward - the water valves will not be visible when everything is back in place.

There is still A LOT to do, but it feels good to make some progress!

impulse purchase

2008-07-10T14:55:00.004-04:00

Without much thought, I placed a small bid on an Ebay item, on a whim, before going to a staff meeting.

When I came back, I realized that I had just won an auction for a Mason jar full of dried squirrel feet, with no real reason to purchase them. Of course I'll use them, for something.....eventually....

Progress Report: Soap Lab

2008-06-29T17:36:00.005-04:00

The lab is coming along, slowly. I spend all of yesterday clearing it out, and there is still stuff down there, but my plan is to just shift it around and work in sections, I'm tired of moving it all upstairs, and running out of storage space in the living room.

This picture makes it look like I'm doing the dirty work, but in reality it's Jon who has been an amazing engineer-type, measuring and cutting and devising support systems for the studs he made. But I just wanted to prove that I can rock a respirator mask, because Liquid Nails is toxic, and smells that way.

here you can see that I've cleared the area out down to the bare walls and ceiling beams. The previous owners painted the walls a sickly green color, but you won't even know it when we're done. You can see the stud system Jon has adhered to the wall over the workbench - all of the walls will be covered with hardboard and pegboard panels: clean and new and easy to keep that way.

More progress reports as we make more progress....

hmmmmmm

2008-06-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

You know, as a soapmaker, sometimes I think to myself, "Somewhere, somebody might be rubbing soap I made all over their naked body."

It's true. I guess I don't often give that much thought to how intimate a product I make, ha ha.

dropping

2008-06-24T09:08:00.005-04:00

Today is the release of the album Jon Sonnenberg: Acoustic Selections!

After a looooong wait, we are finally so excited it is officially released today. You can hear some samples at Jon's Myspace page, Old Man Records, on Amazon, and if you're inclined, the record is available for purchase on Jon's Website, as well as on iTunes.

If you know any of Jon's past work from House of Wires, Pivot Clowj, or Travelogue, this will be a really interesting and refreshing "cover album" to listen to. And I play a few mean measures on the pennywhistle.

four green thumbs

2008-06-22T16:53:00.004-04:00

We decided to try some gardening this year - of the edible variety. The garden is only just now three weeks old, and is looking good:

In the back row there are zucchini and acorn squash plants, along the left are red bell peppers, and some bush crop cucumber plants.

Here is a lovely little crop of Mesclun lettuce assortment. We harvested it this afternoon and it made for a very delicious salad, fresh from the ground!

Lucifugus in D Minor

2008-06-22T10:56:00.005-04:00

You can usually guarantee there will be some kind of wildlife drama going on at our place - I don't know if it's because there actually IS drama, or I just notice it more than most people.

Friday night after work, I was walking outside to collect the empty birdfeeders to fill, and saw a furry gray thing on the ground. I thought it was a dried-up dead bat, fallen from the eaves of our house. But upon closer inspection, it was an alive baby bat who had fallen from the colony.

I put on my gardening gloves, stood on a stool, and lifted him up near the colony of sleeping bats on the eaves of our house. He slowly climbed up toward the other bats, clicking and squeaking. At one point, a big adult woke up, started clicking back, and when she moved, I saw that she had another pup underneath her. It must have been mom. She climbed over and scooped the little baby under her, and later on that evening, they were all sleeping comfortably.

Fast-forward to yesterday morning, I walk outside, and oh crap, he fell again. This time I picked him up, gave him my glove to cling onto, and put him in a box until I contacted a local Wildlife center. They suggested that I try introducing him to the colony again, hoping that it would work this time.

Here he is - for scale, I wear size small garden gloves, and that is what he is clinging onto. He was about 1.25" long, snout to tail.

There were only three bats in the eaves this time (the number fluxuates a lot during the summer months), but the other baby was there, so I managed to get my little dude up there, and he wedged himself pretty firmly into the group.

I came back from a friend's house around 1 am, checked on them, and there were only 2 babies clinging up there, while the adults were hunting. Good sign.

This morning, the eaves were empty, and nobody on the ground. The colony has moved, and it appears they took their 2 pups with them. I'll never know what happens to them, but I want to believe that my little guy grows up to be a healthy adult, and continues to keep the mosquito population at bay in my backyard.

being boiled

2008-06-09T00:23:00.006-04:00

It's been intolerably hot the past few days, and I've been seeking shelter in the cool of the basement soap studio. I thought I'd share a few of my latest cold-process creations, made for a show this Friday, and if any are left, I'll be listing them on my Etsy page.

Herbal Citrus (Orange, Patchouli, Lavender essential oils, with pink Australian clay, comfrey and chamomile)

Sunny Calendula, with calendula petals

Honey and Oat

Dragon's Blood, with charcoal

trying to make scents

2008-05-29T09:59:00.004-04:00

After a too-long hiatus I have resumed long hours sitting in the Lab, filling countless vials with mixtures of oils, and countless pages with scribbles and ratios. I've come up with a couple of final drafts, and some still in progress, that need more time to develop, and more tweaks and test-drives.

Look for these new Perfume Oils to be available soon, on my website, and also in my Etsy shop.

Ritual: Dry and resinous in the bottle, it warms on the skin with a gentle sweetness of amber and a slight powder note that has great staying power. Ritual resins - frankincense, copal, myrrh, and dragon's blood - meld with deep amber and worn cedar beams.

Fairy Cake: Very sweet with a heavy dose of vanilla, sugar, and dried coconut - yet stays away from being a foody perfume with just enough labdanum, musk, bay, bergamot, and a touch of pink pepper. Warm and comforting, this is definitely a feminine scent, but men seem to love it.

(in progress) Harvest Moon: Autumn is by far my favorite season, and I tried to capture the best parts of it in this fragrance. The pervasive scent of smoke - but the rich, pleasant smoke that rises from piles of raked leaves. The dry, grassy crunch of fallen leaves, the slight moistness of the cooling forest, and a fleeting waft of ripe orchard apples in the wind.

(in progress, working name "Albatross") Inspired by the sea, but not the calm blue sea of beaches and resorts. This fragrance captures the sea as the mariner's Lady, the salt of the wind, the turbulent storms, the scent of sun-bleached ship's deck, and the brackish mystery of the cold deep. A dry, deep, haunting, masculine scent.

beautiful inspiration

2008-05-07T09:09:00.002-04:00

I came across this video while stumbling through YouTube yesterday. I can't believe this performer...not only is his voice so haunting, powerful, and raw, but his mastery of the instrument he is playing is just amazing.

I watched the whole thing with my mouth hanging open, and got chills several times. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

slinky stinky

2008-04-22T09:59:00.003-04:00

Spring is coming on strong - the trees are in bud, the daffodils are up everywhere, I see mating pairs of Canada geese and tons of wild turkeys on my commute to work, and the songbirds have returned to fill the air with a cacaphony that translates to "I'm beautiful!" and "Ladies, check out this DNA!".

My job is within a short drive from many park areas, and my friend Chris and I frequent those areas on our lunch breaks. I am pretty good with bird and plant identification, but fall short on the reptile/amphibian/fish front, so I'm trying to learn. He spent most of his childhood knee-deep in marshes catching crawlies, so he knows what to look for and how to wrangle them. Yesterday I learned something about garter snakes - how to grab them so they don't bite you, and they smell absolutely terrible. They have a gland that empties when they feel threatened, and good night, it is an unholy stench. Imagine packing a mason jar with fresh asparagus, screwing on the lid, and putting it in a hot car for five days. Now open it up and take a big whiff. That is what garter snake smells like.

Snakebites are no longer my primary concern. And I think for the time being, I'm going to stick to fish and frogs....I don't really care if a toad pees on my hand, but this foul slime is amazingly effective in keeping me away.

the bunny hole

2008-04-13T17:53:00.006-04:00

Remember the custom vinyl Labbit project I was working on? He's finished and on his way to Rivet Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, for an upcoming custom Labbit show.

Just as a recap, here's the before:

....and here he is now, in his beruffled, grungy glory:

happy early birthday.....

2008-03-27T14:41:00.006-04:00

...to me.

My birthday is still more than a month away, but I just got a new job so I celebrated by splurging a little on some absolutes and essential oils to use in my perfumery experiments.

I got some re-stocks (including my precious guaiacwood and vetiver oils, quite possibly the most amazing smelling substances on the face of the earth), as well as some new players in my collection - Pink Pepper oil, Cepes absolute, Beeswax absolute, Blond Tobacco absolute, Bulgarian Rose absolute, White Cognac oil...

I'm pretty excited to get them, and reviews will follow. I'm hoping for more time to actually set up shop down in the soap lab and get to creating. Jon is helping me build some small stands for all my little bottles of raw materials (my soap fragrances I buy in large quantities, but some of these natural oils are very expensive or potent, so I use them only for perfumery), all these tiny vials and bottles are just rolling around everywhere, I need a better organization system than what I currently have.

Spring is coming, soon, and the sound of the birds and the warming air makes me so excited for the new smells of green, and rain, and growing things, and flowers, and sunshine. I hope I can translate some of those into a bottle.

new project

2008-03-16T11:29:00.010-04:00

So, I have one of these:

...one of these:

...some of this...

...lots of this...

...and four of these:

...and a few weeks to finish. I'm interested to see what comes of it :)

where they disappear

2008-03-16T10:09:00.004-04:00

One morning last week, our house was enveloped in a thick, quiet, dense, mysterious fog rising from the snow.

And there is no better way to lift the fog than with some very, very happy coffee from the French press.

chocolate reviews

2008-03-01T14:04:00.004-05:00

Scharffen Berger: 82% Extreme Dark Chocolate

I thought this would be a shoe-in for me; I'd had the 70% bittersweet bar and loved it. It was rich, smooth, and full-flavored. The 82% is definitely a variety of dark chocolate taste I don't care for. It has the sharp tang and lack of sweetness that I like, but some chocolates seem to have this resinous, pine-like note to them, almost foresty in the way they taste at first. This has that in spades. I think I'll stick to the 70% from Scharffen Berger - not as dark as I generally like, but I'll take too much sugar over the "just sucked on a pine branch" taste.

Guittard Nocturne 91%

Just delicious! This is a smooth, hard, brittle bar with lots of cocoa butter to give a great, oily mouthfeel. The taste is all coffee and berries, the latter coming in at the end of the taste spectrum, with a smooth tartness of dark raspberry. It's really good, and even though the 91% seems scary, it's really smooth and user-friendly, I really like it. And the beautiful, classic black and gold packaging is a really nice bonus.

frosty

2008-02-29T10:34:00.004-05:00

It's been very cold here lately. We got pounded by a storm a few days ago, and got snow up to my knees - it was crazy, I don't remember snow like that recently at all. It was beautiful wet, thick, heavy, packable snow. The kind that piles on tree branches and bows the evergreens.

I was putting gas in my car on the way to work and noticed that every single snowflake that fell on me was picture perfect. I took this shot with my macro lens, the flakes are on my car window looking through to the post in the distance.

Here are some seriously wicked icicles on the side of our garage - the longest one was over three feet or so.

This was taken through my sunglasses. The snow falling that day was more like tiny ice crystals - it was only about 13 degrees, and all of them in the atmosphere cloaked the sun in diffused light.

brrrr....

2008-02-10T23:20:00.000-05:00

No wonder my heat has been coming on constantly...it's going to be a cold night. Keep warm, fellow midwesterners. And don't forget to refill your birdfeeders in this cold weather!

Stephen Gammell, scarrer of my childhood

2008-01-29T16:21:00.003-05:00

Anybody remember the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books?

When I was in elementary school, there was a waiting list five deep to check these things out of the library. Creepy, horrible little stories that I still remember, and still find scary....but the best/worst part was the illustrations!

As much as they freaked me out, I was obsessed with these books, bought them, and studied the drawings, trying to reproduce their creepiness with my own pencil. Even now I tend to draw filament-hair tendrils on things. Thanks Stephen Gammell, for not only giving me terrifying dreams as a kid, but fueling my young artistic need to make things look as disturbing as possible, on paper.

And I'm still amazed we were allowed to read these things, I was in third and fourth grade when these were all the rage at my school!

Hats off to you, Mr. Gammell, you influenced me in a big way.

by request

2008-01-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

Here is my recipe for vegan chocolate cupcakes. I have made this recipe many, many times, and it has never failed me. The trick is to get it into the oven quickly, before the baking soda/vinegar mixture loses its fizz (it's the leavening in this recipe), and they always turn out super moist, spongy, and cupcakey.

My friends wolf these down like it's the last thing on earth to eat, so they must be pretty good.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
(yield 18 cupcakes)

Dry Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 6 Tbsp. applesauce**
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2) Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls until each is thoroughly mixed
3) mix wet and dry ingredients together in large bowl, and quickly fill cupcake papers/muffin pans about 3/4 full with batter, and put in oven.
4) Bake for around 25 minutes. Cool, and frost if you desire***

* Use regular white or otherwise fine granules of sugar - I tried organic turbanado sugar, and the crystals were too big and it took forever for them to dissolve in the batter. I think it turned out okay, but it freaked me a little bit.
** I use apple butter (unsweetened) instead of applesauce for a little bit of a subtle spice.
*** Check the labels on frosting if you want these to retain their vegan-ness. A lot of frostings in the can are actually made of meat shortening, and even though hydrogenated soybean oil isn't healthy, it's still more vegan than beef fat.

casualty

2008-01-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

Clearly, my foot is no match for a heavy wooden clamp dropped from chest-height.

olfactory love affair

2008-01-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I am completely obsessed with basenotes. I have a hard time even coming up with a fragrance idea that isn't absolutely overpowered by sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver or some other resinous, tenacious ingredient. I could wear nothing but undiluted basenotes for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

In fact, I pretty much consider a good vetiver essential oil to be nature's perfect scent. It seems so balanced in its smoky depth, with enough sweetness and greenness to be feminine, but still dark and deep enough to be masculine.

If it's not the color of even marginally weak coffee in a clear container, it's not base-y enough for me, ha ha. I need to learn how to use the upper register of the scent scale, really. Perhaps it should be a resolution of mine.

A fresh beginning.

2008-01-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, this is my new home. For anybody who is curious, doesn't know me, or is wanting to stalk me but doesn't have time to google, my previous blog is here, and an even older one can be found here.

Now that that's out of the way....

I have been getting the perfumery itch again. I haven't just sat down at my workbench with an armory of bottles and droppers in a long, long time. I really feel the need to get back on that scented horse and go again. I've been scribbling down ideas and ratios in my notebook, and I just want to see how they turn out. Soon, soon.

In the meantime, I have a lot of little loose ends to finish up, including some CD covers for various folks, a plush bunny who is in need of more stains on her dress, and putting the final touches on a piece for an upcoming Ohio-artists-only show at Rivet gallery in Columbus (some pictures of that to come).