Ohhh, Ohhh, Godzilla!!

One of my favorite things that I picked up for A was an activity book of cardboard punch-outs that made all sorts of fun things--games, finger puppets and scenery. I found this book and A loved punching out all the little characters with me.

While my family was visiting over the holidays, we worked on one scene in particular--a cityscape, complete with skyscrapers, a roadway with little cars, a cute little mountain and lots of trees.

Of course, a certain uncle of A's got in on the action, and before we knew it, our fair city was being attacked, one cardboard building at a time. (Bob the Dinosaur, how could you?!?)

I'm not sure what was more fun--punching out the scenery with A, or watching her--I mean Bob--trample our fair city.

Back on the Creative Wagon

It's been some time since I last posted. To be honest, this has been a particularly tough holiday season. But with each end comes a new beginning, and I've started to feel creatively energized again.

A asked me to make a flower for Little Lammy, her stuffed animal. She was about to have her lunch and she needed a flower in a vase to set the table just so. It was just the request I needed.

I think it's going to feel good to get back in the creative saddle.

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?!

How come nobody told me my favorite magazine was packing it in? In particular, why didn't the publishers let their subscribers know?

http://www.readymade.com/blog/readymade/2011/06/16/farewell_readymakers

Gimme a hand (me down)!

We are in full-on hand-me-down mode here in "Madridia".

After Irene hit the area, we lost power for nearly 4 days, and I knew I'd have to do some serious cleaning around here before the kiddos could come back in--mainly in the bathrooms and kitchen. Everything in the fridge was thrown away, and because we use well water, we were not able to flush our toilets.

All that "Belated Spring Cleaning" motivation quickly spilled into the girls' bedrooms, and specifically, the closets. I took the opportunity to sift through A's outgrown clothes and package them up into different bins for V.

Take a look--each bin is for a different size, so that as she grows out of a size, I can simply dump the older (gently worn) clothes into the white basket, and take clothes out from the next bin. Finally--I have a system! And what's nicer is that V is set up for Fall--I know what she has already and what she needs (which is just about nothing). She has all sorts of warm, wooly footie pj's and a bin full of different shoes, long sleeved shorts, jackets, fleece pants and even a few sets of scarves and hats.

Then I looked through V's clothes, and all the items that were out of season or were too small got packaged up for the second hand store and Goodwill, along with her baby swing, Bumbo and a few other pieces of baby gear.

So yesterday A and I stopped in to the second hand store and dropped off a few bins for them to look through. The little one was so fascinated by all the tricycles, strollers and play yards they had outside for purchase. Inside, it was wall-to-wall clothes and toys. They had us sign in and leave out bins and then A and I ran a few more errands. After an hour, we returned and the store had selected a number of items to purchase and cut us a check on the spot. We took our bins, and the items they didn't purchase back with us, and will drop them at Goodwill another day.

Now, I'd love to be able to say that we made money on this whole Irene business, but sadly, no. Because of the electrical surges we've experienced throughout this whole ordeal, our range hood is now on the fritz--the exhaust fan won't shut off. But at least we won't have to pay to have it fixed completely out of pocket, right?

Renegade Craft Fair/Brooklyn Recap

I was lucky enough to meet in the city with an old friend and take in the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn last weekend. What a hoot!! We had a great time (Thanks LJ!)

Of course, we saw plenty of the requisite trendy/artsy-fartsy/hipster stuff: octopuses, handlebar mustaches and bird silhouettes....lots and lots of bird silhouettes. (By the way, if you haven't seen the "Put a Bird On It" clip from Portlandia here, you HAVE to check it out.)

But there were a few standouts that we checked out, in fabric crafts and illustration in particular. I was really struck/amused by the following artist booths:

Ceramic Artists:

Andrew Zangerle

Andrew Zangerle (www.themapleridge.etsy.com) - This guy had a great sense of humor. While his little figurines were not functional, they definitely made me smile.

Abby Berkson Ceramics

Abby Berkson Ceramics (www.abbyberkson.com) - Yes, there were some birds, but her wares were simple, understated and just sweet.

Reshape Studio

Reshape Studio (www.reshapestudio.etsy.com) - I liked the juxtaposition of many of the objects that this studio created. I especially liked their line of ceramics made to look like cable sweaters.


Jewelry:

Moira K. Lime

Moira K. Lime Jewelry (www.moiraklime.com) - Moira's pieces were delicate, well made and so feminine. There was so much I wanted to take home with me!

Hoi-An Tang (www.mehoi.com) - Again, a great sense of humor! I loved her pieces, like the ham pendants and rice cooker earrings.

Corky Saint Clair

Corky Saint Clair (www.corkysaintclair.com) - I especially liked her wood necklace charms and the "Super Luxe" charms in steel. I think her work is at its best when she explores the details in these larger-sized charms.


Apparel:

Wooly Baby Slippers

Wooly Baby Slippers (www.wooly-baby.com) - Just looking at these slippers made my feet sweat. All joking aside, these booties looked like some of the coziest footwear around. Made from recycled sweaters, you could see that the workmanship was excellent, and the design was beautiful.

Eliza Jane Curtis / Morris Essex

Eliza Jane Curtis / Morris Essex - (www.morrisessex.com) - The apparel and papergoods from Morris Essex used bold colors and gorgeous stock, and their quality stood out in a sea of average t-shirts and generic cards.

Sharp Shirter

Sharp Shirter (www.sharpshirter.com) - by far the most hilarious and wicked t-shirts and prints at the fair. And I was very happy to see a booth with a fantastic company name!

Illustration:

Jaime Zollars

Jaime Zollars (www.jaimezollars.com) - I love coming across artists who are super-comfortable in their creative skin, and Jaime's work displayed this. The work was kid-friendly, though a little moody at times.

Brainstorm Print and Design ((www.wearebrainstorm.com) - I loved their state map prints! Great use of color, and the photography on their site is excellent.

Michele Rosenthal

Michele Rosenthal (www.michelerosenthal.com) - Loved the flip calendar, shown above. Many items were very kid-friendly.

Kristiana Pärn

Kristiana Pärn (www.kristianaparn.com) - Absolutely gorgeous. I loved the prints directly onto wood, allowing the wood grain to show through.


Other:

Felt Forest

Felt Forest  (www.feltforest.etsy.com) - Beautiful and whimsical goods made from felt. I particularly loved the little crowns with felt hydrangeas sewn to them.

Horrible Adorables

Horrible Adorables (www.jordan-elise.com) - I think these were my favorite pieces in the show, and made the trek out worth it! The pieces was completely different from the other work at the show, based on a traditional idea, but created in a completely different, craft-centric way, with a little twist.

Are there any other fairs that you look forward to throughout the year? Any good ones in the Tri-state area that I need to check out? Leave a comment and let me know!!

Setting the Ground Rules

As I was discussing this blog with my husband, I wanted to be sure to let him know that I'm setting a few ground rules before I really get knee-deep into this blogger business. Quite simply on my end, I do not plan to use images of my childrens' faces, or use their real names. They aren't blogging and I want to respect their privacy.

Here goes:

COPYRIGHT
1. Please contact me if you want to use any images or text on this site.
2. Feel free to link this blog and any post on this blog and use some (but not all) photos for that purpose.
3. DO NOT use any photos of my children.
4. Do not post my tutorials on your sites.
5. The ideas on this site are free, but if I publish any tutorials, please only use them to make things for yourself or as gifts and not to sell.

(Thank you to LiEr at ikatbag.com for these guidelines!)

Thank you for your understanding and for visiting. I hope you like what you see.

Let's get this party started

After spending so much of my time following blogs that I love and getting inspired, I'm jumping in--or at least dipping my toes in--and giving this blogging thing a try. Please bear with me, as it may take me a little time to find my voice and focus. For now, I'm hoping to blog about design, craft, art, parenting, work/life balance and life in general.

So who, or what is a "Native Madridian"? Well, as my siblings and I were growing up, because we were close in age, we had a number of friends who became close to more than one of us at a time. These close friends who began to feel like extended family members came to be known as Madridians. 


It's also rooted in the questions of the geographically challenged people I've come across in my lifetime, who have asked mind-numbing questions, like, "Madrid, huh? Like the country?" or "Are you from Madridia?" Oh, yes. Of course.