supermerino scarf

this was the project i was tired of but had to finish before i could start scala. i do not like to have too many project at once. it's enough that i usually have a beading project, a knitting project, and a drawing project. well, plus a book i am reading and this and that. anyway, i was getting bored with this by the end but i am very happy with the results. the pattern called for 3 skeins of artyarns supermerino, but you certainly could make a nice scarf with 2 skeins -- this one used all 3 and is 7' long! the pattern is here. the color i used was #129

now i am trying to decide if i should bead, knit, draw, or sleep.

january beaded journal house and scala

ok, i wasn't really better after all, but i am now. still, not much art-making was going on for a bit there. i managed to get some art going in the last few days, though.. i have gotten quite a bit done on my january beaded house, in fact, i am almost done, but here is an "in-progress" shot from a couple of days ago:



and i also finished the scarf i was knitting and started louisa harding's scala:
scala (photo from "venezia" book)

i finished the 1st repeat (10 more to go!)

true blue and zines galore

i am feeling much better today, went to work. did lots of stuff. played with pendleton trade blankets. i swear everyone who has ever owned one had a white cat, and even though i know they have been vacuumed and drycleaned and everything, every time i look at one some new cat hair has appeared.

i also got a great zine in the mail today, The Creative Life. I read it straight through right away, good zine, inspiring, check it out. Also if you do not read Ricë's blog, you might enjoy that. almost makes me want to do a zine again myself. well, maybe. you may know i published several zines in the past -- mysterium and la luna, and i have done a few one shot zines. too. more about my zines can be found here. I still have some back issues of la luna and mysterium left, plus the crow zine and selkie zine.

and lastly, some new art. true blue, it is on etsy. i think it would make a nifty valentine gift.

river and peace...

a little under the weather..
but there is new art from the weekend.. on etsy:

gluten free, watercolors, and about drywall.

what you may not know about me is that i can't eat wheat. or corn. or a lot of other things.. but wheat and corn are the big ones. this has been the case for over 10 years now and i've adapted pretty well. i am fortunate to live in a city where there are a lot of resources for me, health food stores, gluten free sections in regular grocery stores, restaurants with gluten free offerings, even a whole gluten-free bakery or 2.

and just now i've made a stir fry with broccoli, bok choy, mushrooms, and chicken. served over rice noodles. actally there is enough for 2 more meals. and i got the ingredients for gluten-free vegetarian lasagna.

this weekend i learned to tape and mud drywall. i would not say i was good at it, but i did get slightly better as i got the hang of it. it is probably not something i was born with a natural gift for. also i got mud in my hair. as payment i got a trip to the gluten free bakery where my friend and i each ate: 1 slice gluten free cheese pizza, 1 spinach and egg gluten free sandwich (amazing) and 1 gluten free brownie. he can eat wheat and did not complain.

and also this weeknd i did some beading, knitting, and painting. and reading. and watched shrek 2 and shrek 3.

here is some of the painting i did. i think it is time to start a larger piece soon.. these 2 are on etsy.

buffalo in the snow

i would be sound asleep right now, were it not for the fact that i have heartburn. i think i am about to try giving sleep another go, but here is a peek in my living room/bedroom. (i live in a tiny studio condo. at least, tiny for seattle.. possibly spacious for new york.)

these are three new collages i recently purchased and just framed and hung, made by
cobaltika:
you can see them up close here.
and this is what they look like in my home:

this is what i can see when i am lying on by bed. i am very happy with how the dark wood frames look with my dresser.

december beaded journal house

i finished my december beaded journal house (i am running a bit behind!) and started my january one (must catch up!) i was very happy with how this turned out. each house is about the size of my hand. this is the 7th one i have done -- 5 more to go to complete the year.
for this one i got to use vintage sequins, quartz, and a variety of seed beads. click for a larger view.

here are all the houses so far: