I'll just draw a diagram.....

One year ago I met Mr. Smartguy. Or, rather I met him in "real life". We had been chatting on the interwebs for about a week before the grand meeting took place. The night of the first date was crazy. It involved a neighbor falling out of a window, a blown fuse, a haz-mat spill, several traffic violations, and 3 Republican National Convention lawyers. Sometimes, it's just easier to draw a diagram.

Here is how it worked out:

Home, Sweet Nomad....

It's that time again. I find myself standing in a partially packed apartment, there are boxes here and there, some full, some waiting to have my possessions carefully sorted and packed away. Yep. I'm moving again. This time, it's not for a job, it's for love.

Mr. Smartguy and I are making the leap. After almost exactly a year, we are moving in, shacking up, kicking the tires, and taking a test-drive. We aren't doing anything legal, just logistical. It's a big step for two grown-ass people to decided to move in and give it a shot, but somehow I'm not concerned. Maybe that's bravado, and maybe it's foolish to think that in this day and age a girl can meet a guy on the Internet and in about a year they can be living together happily, but here I am prepping for my 7th move in as many years, and I think this is the best move I've ever made.

Good luck with all the plastic!

Once in when I was working in the costume shop in Hartford a tour of tweensy children came through our shop. Amongst the eager faces of wannabe theatre professionals was a just barely pre-adolescent boy? kid? mini-dude? who wanted to know everything. What was this made out of? How did we do that? He was especially intrigued by the chorus-girl costumes made of a sparkly leotard that created the illusion of a girlie champagne flute with busty-booby-bubbles (gee I wonder why he was so interested?). The "flute" was made of a molded plastic cup, and he was mesmerized. On the way out of the door the young man proudly wished the shop "GOOD LUCK WITH ALL THE PLASTICS!" Unfortunately the kid had a terrible lisp, and it came out "GHOOD LUHCK WHIHTH ALL THE PHLASTHICS!" To this day, we still wish each other luck with ALL the plastics.

Weak segue, but whatever......

A few people have been asking me if I am still making my re purposed plastic wallets, and the short answer is- well, um no, not really. The reason? DC has enacted a totally-awesome-freakin-love-it-five-cent-bag-tax, and suddenly plastic bags are getting a little difficult to come by. People are bringing their illicit suburban bags into work to give to co-workers who use them for diapers, litter and doggy-duty. The once overflowing bag holder in my kitchen is becoming less and less full and I have to import my kitty bags from my fella's house in suburban Virginia. My once overflowing raw materials supply, is becoming less and less plentiful.
I'm making a few pouches when I find something that tickles my fancy, and I have a few bags left from the mass shipments that used to come in from as far away as Massachusetts and Chicago, but with the prevalence of totes and re-usables, I'm happy to say that this product is almost no longer viable. If I get into Crafty Bastards this year, I think that will be the last hurrah for my re-purposed plastic bags, and I couldn't be happier...

Part Deux

Upping my Crafty-nerd-street-cred-photoshoot-style

This is the second of a multi-post-series detailing my photoshoot with the Tomerlins of Tomerin Photography in preparation for the Crafty Bastards application process.


Once I decided which pieces I wanted to have photographed (of course, most of those pieces where not yet in existence) it was time to get-a-goin’. One piece I want to start selling are totebags. Why totebags? Well, because Washington DC has instituted a bag tax (which I FULLY support) and totebags are now, oh so very now. So I pulled out the YUDU Mr. Smartguy gave me for my birthday, and I took it out for a spin. **This is yet another up-side to dating someone who is interested in what you do, fully committed to gadgetry, and supports the furthering of said craftiness with gadgetry**. I think the results are strong, and graphically pleasing.



If I were to change anything about the YUDU as a product, it would be the horrible cheesy name. Additionally, as someone with limited experience with legit silk screening, (but more than a decade of painting and dyeing experience) I wanted clear and highly technical instructions. Luckily, with the assistance of you tube, some new and vintage books on textile printing, a few dozen websites and a some facebook conversations (hey, I get points for thoroughness) I fulfilled my nerdy needs and realized that although technically a bit complex, the products available on the market simplify the process. Making screens is something that someone with strong attention to detail, a commitment to following process driven instructions and a basic understanding of the importance of patience can do with reasonable success.

When styling the photos we wanted to be sure it looked like the bag was being used. Also, it was important to me to make sure that the scale of the bag, the quality of the screen and the overall image looked “professional”. We ended up stuffing the bag with a handmade lap quilt my mom made; it was a great color to have popping out of the top, and filled out the bag nicely. I’m particularly happy with this image, I think the styling and overall composition are quite pleasing and it is a good example of the quality of product (both for crafty lady and photographers!)

Like a real professional

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was high time to get some real pictures of my work, myself, and get my act together for the Crafty Bastards application (which is due in a couple of weeks). Crafty Bastards, for those of you who don’t remember- is a local show that-is-to-date my FAVORITE craft show of all times. The show was well organized, well planned, and had a great attendance. Sooooooooo I gots me a photo session.

The impetus for the photo session was pictures of items that needed context. For those of you who have not tried-it is really hard to take good photographs of your own work, on your own body. It’s even harder to try and convince your attractive friends to let you take pictures of them without some serious cajoling and maybe some roofies. So that leaves me, wearing my own stuff, and trying to take a decent photo of my own wrist, head, and (gulp) belt. Needless to say it is really hard to conjure up the littlest bit of my vague memories of that one episode of Top Model I watched in 2004 all the while trying to figure out how to operate my camera that has a more complicated processor than the space shuttle. In walk the Tomerlins, and I fall in love with the idea of getting someone else to ‘shoot’ my work.

The Tomerlins are a couple that met via their Flickr accounts. Yep, they met because they both liked each other’s photos, and started chitty-chatting online…fast forward a couple of years and they are hitched and own a photography company together. If that’s not a story made in cyberspace and digi-photography heaven I don’t know what is. I became familiar with their work via some great shots of a dear friend on facebook, later we met and chatted at a cocktail party and it was clear to me that these people could make me look great. Professional. Like a Crafty Bastard.

Here are some shots from our session.







I’ll be writing more about how I prepped for the session, and what the session itself was like in the coming days…stay tuned.

3 652.42199 days

That's how many days are in a decade.

This decade has brought us so many things- advances and back-steps, money and poverty, joy and sorrow. Here are some of the things I've done this decade.

I've:

Lived in 11 apartments/group houses in 4 major metro areas and 7 towns.

Met Mr. Wrong

Fallen in love

Graduated from college

Gone from being a vegetarian-straight-edge-very-serious-hardcore-kid to being a middle-of-the-road-meat-eating-wine-drinking-adult

Fallen out-of-love (with Mr. wrong)

Witnessed many friends fall-in-and-out-of-love

Witnessed weddings, births, adoptions, and deaths

Had my apartment broken into

Traveled to Europe

Quit 5 jobs

Been fired from 1 job

Earned and spent around $194k (that's scary on many levels)

Started a small business

Fallen in love (with Mr. Right)

Lived with 5 cats

Become the owner of 1 cat

Bought and killed 17 house plants

Gone from no car to owning a car back to a no-car lifestyle

Traveled to 14 states

Gained and lost and gained again 35 lbs


.....and most recently I've met my new niece. This is the littlest Stacklet of them all. She is amazingly beautiful, and talking to her momma inspires me to continue to take my birth control. Welcome to the family. I hope the next decade brings you lots of fun things.

Busted

Dear Blog,

It's been a while. I've not been writing in you because I've been too busy. Also, I try not to write in you when I think I might say something that would bite me in my kiester later. Therefore, you have sat blank for a (very) long time. I'm sorry. Here's a nice little post so you can feel like I still love you.


Crafty Bastards? Effing rocked. I was not the Craftiest Bastard, but I would do that show again in a heart beat. By far, my best selling day and the nicest organizers EVER. Hands down. Awesome. They brought me a whole foods sandwich. Never in my life have I had a craftshow provide me with even a snack, and this place gave me a sandwich, and it wasn't even a nasty cello-wrapped egg salad from a food museum, it had vegetables on it. **it's sad that I get this excited about a sandwich, but during a full day craftshow, it's the little things that count** Other awesome thing about the show- Mr. Smartguy helped me tear down. Ladies, if you can find a guy who is willing to help you move heavy stuff and brave a craftshow for you, you know you've found a keeper. Which is a nice segue into the holidaze...

Hey Katie, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Oh, well I'm headed to Texas to meet my boyfriend's family. I'll write that again, I'm going to Texas to meet Mr. Smartguy's family. Specifically Austin, specifically his parents. This leads to the other question-- are ya nervous? Ummmm, maybe?...a little? I'm pretty good at meeting people and getting them to like me. I'm not so keen on feeling like I am the center of attention. Last night I found out that members of the extended family heard of the arrival of a girlfriend, and they are excited to check her out. I'm sure they are all going to be wonderful people, but until I meet them- I'm a little antsy about the introduction. Which leads to another question....

Hey Katie! What about Holiday Craft Shows? Well, like I mentioned before, I try not to say things on the Internet that are going to bite me in the tuckus later, so I will simply say that my job took over my life this fall, and I did not get my act together with enough quality goods to be accepted into any of the big NYC craftshows (well, that was diplomatic). I'm really bummed about it, but it has taken a little of the pressure off the holidaze for me. It also has allowed me to *gasp* have a little time to make some holiday gifts for my loved ones. Who knew?! when you aren't making gifts for other people to buy, you actually do have some time to make gifts to give.

I always feel like I am cheating when I buy gifts. There just seems like there is something wrong about buying things when you are fully capable of making something that has a little love already built in. So I apologize if I've ever given you a store bought gift. I do really love you, I just didn't have time to make something so I went to the mall. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again...well, okay it will but we can pretend that it won't.


Additionally, due to the aforementioned work surplus, I did not do the graphics or website for the Side Project Market this year. The torch was handed off to someone who actually knew what they were doing! Again, I'm bummed that after lots of years as a participant, and at least 2 years doing the graphics I had to bail due to a work surplus, but that's the way the craftsperson cookie crumbles. Here is a link to the groovy website, and the name of the market has changed too. It is now part of a larger event called Shop Jarvis Square, which brings in the local storefronts and restaurants to create a really fantastic shopping extravaganza! Also, the coffee joint on the corner makes a freakin' awesome mocha (I'm just sayin'). If you are in the Chicago area on December 12th, swing by the square and support the local artisans. They make some really great stuff.

So there ya have it blog. The latest news from Craftlandia. Not too crafty, but hey! If it were all about crafts- would ya still be reading this blog? Here are some pics from Crafty Bastards, and some images of pieces that I have been working on in case you really do read this blog just for the crafts.