Five Faves

Thanks to Amy, my Skunkboy Creatures Swap Partner, I was inspired to blog today. She suggested listing my "Five Faves" - and because its been a wee while since my last post PLUS since Five is my Fave number I thought I would join along in the party.

1 - Fave Beverage: A&W Diet Root Beer


Really, really, really good.

2 - Fave New Yarn & Accompanying Project (plus complimentary kitty toes)


This is Koigu's Handpainted "Dr. Seuss" yarn. I describe it as a "woolen tutti frutti, rainbow...with sprinkles" and I'm working it into a lacy, Koigu Wave scarf pattern. Perfect for Spring/Summer nights. It will look totally different once I'm finished and have washed/blocked it.

3 - Fave (recent) Etsy Purchase


Roundy Bottomed "Made By Hank" clutch in teal. Adorable. Tactile. An inspiration. She uses a lot of upcycled fabrics, so she is a kindred spirit, too. Good luck snapping up a bag, tho, as she sells out in a Flash!

4 - Fave New TV Show - Parenthood


I honestly don't know how we stumbled upon this show, but it pulled us in with the gratuitous Bay Area references and kept us hooked (or at least me) with Dax Shephard's crooked smile and the hilarious, over the top liberal family stereotypes. I Love it.

5 - Fave New T-Shirt


This "Climbing Cowlneck Tee" made me stop in my tracks. And, it fit! So I bought it. And, I love it!

Sooooo, if you've been inspired and feel like sharing your "Five Faves" - please leave a link here in the comments!

Fun! xo

Makin' Whoopie

The other day at the office this caught my eye:


Yum, right?

It was a festive little photograph attached to an article about how the new & kewl things to make at all the hip Bay Area eateries are "Whoopie Pies". Chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, buttercream, salty peanut butter and lemon zesty cute wee cakelets of beauty...with creamy centers. YUM!

Honestly? It was the rainbow sprinkles that made me stop in my tracks. And, stop I did. I stopped and slipped that newspaper under my arm because I knew in my heart of hearts that I would definitely be Makin' some Whoopie...and soon. Yesterday was the day. Friday was Whoopie day because it was rainy, I was a bit glum and because I knew I'd have a visit from a very special birthday boy over the weekend. So many reasons for party sprinkles and chocolate decadence.

In preparation for the endeavor, I scanned the internet for more recipes and photos - just for comparison. Here are the visions that filled my head:





Adorable, right?

Wellllllll, mine didn't quite turn out like the guys above. Maybe it was insufficient "whipping" of the butter/egg/sugar into ribbons as the recipe requested. Maybe the chocolate was too hot when we folded everything together? Maybe our baking powder is a little bit expired? Maybe a "fluffier" cream cheese frosting sort of filling might have been better? Geez, I don't know...but here's what we got:


Wait for it.....


They look as though they are rejecting the marshmallow fluff innards. It was a culinary science experiment gone terribly awry.

But, they tasted super yum. Super, fudge-y and delicious. The rainbow sprinkles charmed everyone completely and made the birthday boy smile. Which made it all totally worth it.

Losing the Baby Weight

When I embarked upon this adoption voyage, I was a fairly trim gal. You could find me in the gym most evenings kickboxing or cross training. I was totally into it. I even ran a marathon the Summer of 2005!

Then, I lost my energy. The drive to eat super healthy and get a really good workout was replaced with lots of TV, pizza and chardonnay. My new sewing hobby and the subsequent launching of my Etsy shop required a lot of sitting and not a lot of calorie burning.

What can I say? The pounds just kinda stacked up.


And, then they stacked up some more.

Last summer something shifted. I got my hands on Valerie Bertinelli's autobiograpy and was inspired to make a change. Valerie looks great and I want to, too!

Sooooo, September 1st I changed my eating habits and October 1st I signed up with a very, very cool Spinning studio.


My little spinning shop is in the back of our local cafe - a five minute drive from my house. It is a small, clean, well ventilated, uncrowded workout space. And you can grab a non fat latte after you exercise! Nice.

It is so completely great that I somehow manage to drag my butt out of bed for a 6 am class 3-4 times a week. Now thats what I'm talking about! And, I've lost 20 pounds!!!!!!! So, yeah, I'm gonna stick with this program and hope to lose another 20.

Time to let go.

From a Land Far, Far Away

A friendly girl named Katie put out a cyber-call and invited anyone interested in a crafty interchange to sign up on her adorable blog: Skunkboy Creatures. It had been quite some time since I involved myself in anything swaptastic and I decided that it was a most excellent idea indeed.

My motto right now is "Why Not?", so not only did I offer my name, but I agreed to trade with anyone...in the world...totally hoping that I would have the chance to go international with this endeavor.

And, did I luck out!!!! Oh yes I did.


I was matched with a very lovely, creative, colorful, energetic woman from New Zealand. Her blog is called A Whim of Mine and she just opened an etsy shop of the same name. This little lady is quite skilled with a needle and with a hook. Look at this beautiful embroidered rhino she created...


Amy and I chatted a little via email and shared our fave colors and a few other personal thoughts in order to inspire the others creation. I was quite enamored with a crocheted doll that she made (I think it was Charles Darwin or something?) and asked if she made any "girly" ones? She said "maybe". Haha.

Look what just came in for a landing at my house:


Adorable! Thanks Amy!!!!

This little fairy wears magic wings on her spring green sweater vest! How cute is that? Did you see the wee buttons? And, the cheeky expression? She wears her hair in little pony-buns just like I do from time to time. Oh my gosh!


This wee fairy came bearing gifts, too.


The pretty candy-colored crochet hook was Amy's way to encourage me to try my hand at crochet. What she actually said was "Get Hooking".

Why not?

Wow!

I just found out today that not only was I nominated but I made it into the "short list" of contenders for the Eco-Friendly Handmade Olympics event!

I am So Stoked!

Kristal is the creator of the RikRakStudio blog & organizer of the Handmade Olympics. She is a lovely Canadian seamstress who shares my enthusiasm for upcycling and repurposing long-forgotten, castaway fabrics. Kristal has an adorable and very popular etsy shop, too! She is incredibly generous with her promotion of other makers and handmade artists and I couldn't be luckier to be one of them.

Yay!

Sooooo, may I ask for your vote? My Redwood Lovers "Humboldt" Hoot Owl is the lucky little plushie contender.



Voting is easy - Click Here - and you will go directly to "Eco-Friendly Event 3". Once you drop by the RikRakStudios blog, please hang out for a minute and check out the other Handmade Olympic events, there are 8 in total. The Innovative Design group is really exciting!

Thanks!

This is a neat opportunity to introduce a bit of what I've been working on over the past year into this languishing little blog. I envision a colorful dovetail and hope to have some fun with it. I'm even cooking up my own little contest.

Good times. xoxo

Lily Allen - The Fear

@ Yahoo! Video

When do you think it will all become clear?

Mixed Feelings

I can't tell you how happy (& surprised!) I am to hear that there are still some old friends that kept me in their bloglines.

Thank you. It is so good to see you.

It sure was fun to blog back in the day. I really enjoyed it. The connections, the swaps, the shared photographs, the support, the "real life" meet ups were all something that I truly enjoyed about blogging. Heck, I even enjoyed the memes. It all was energizing for me. Somehow blogging and the support that grew from the shared experience kept me tethered to a sense of hopefulness in the international adoption process. A sense that I wasn't alone in the struggle.

Until it didn't.

People left for China, came back and then went password protect with their blogs. One person politely told me "sorry, but we never met in real life, so you won't be invited to my private blog" - or thats how I heard it. Even the blogs that I was invited to visit after going private would require passwords to memorize and "keychains" and far too much work on my part. (sigh)

Some folks just completely disappeared. Leaving me to wonder what happened to them. What happened to "us" - haha. Honestly, though, some of these former blog-community-mates I don't really remember, some I really do miss and some I really was tired of listening to anyway. Probably the feeling is mutual for some of them...and I totally get that.

Anyway......

I'm back to hug my blog, greet my ol' bloggy friends that stop by and hopefully welcome some of my new crafty cyber buddies to hang around here, too.

We'll see how it goes. xoxo



beautiful image above is by artist Lisa Congdon

Is anyone listening?

Just wondering.

I've been thinking about reviving this old blog...getting it up and sparring again. Get it up and moving around...

Like a Phoenix. Sort of.

I've also been thinking about getting my Bai Jia Bei quilt going again. And, about the possibility that we may just...in the most slim of random possibilities.......may just actually get our referral this year!

Maybe?

Rumor Queen predicts the possibility. And, I may just be letting down my guard to think that it just might happen.

Maybe.

Anyone with me?

Is a Phoenix tentative?

Feeling Lucky?

There's still time to enter the buttercupbloom contest on Phydelle!

Click this here link to throw your hat in the ring!

Giveaway Time!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a First for me, so I am really excited!!

My Etsy friend, Brenda, makes these beautiful things.....


Doesn't that just look like the prettiest blue sky you've ever seen? Brenda's photography and eye for color really inspire me. She has two Etsy shops Phydeaux/knitwear and Phydelle/knitwear for dolls - feel free to take a look, her work is really special! She's also a super nice, very supportive person that I've come to know via Etsy Street Teams (kinda like cyber colleagues) and more recently "IRL" contacts. She's "Good People".

Brenda approached me for an interview a few weeks ago and I asked if we couldn't have a giveaway to make the feature all the more fun. She loved the idea & the spotlight is now LIVE!

I am giving away one of my Blue Skies Hoot Owls - it is one of a kind and just about as squeezable as it gets. See?


There's no purchase necessary, just hit this link and leave a comment about something you like in my etsy shop. You get bonus entries if you do other things - but the basic ballot is suuuuuper simple. And, you might win one of my Hoot Owls! Sweet.

Here's another pic of the prize:


Thanks so much for your support. I'm crossing my fingers that one of my Blogland Buddies wins the PRIZE!!

Click here to get to the Giveaway....hope to see you over there!

xoxoxoxo

A Wee Delay

The super cool surprise that I alluded to the other day...has been postponed.

I'm sorry. What I can share is that the secret treat is my First Ever Giveaway!!!!!!!

An Etsy Pal, Brenda (of Phydelle Fame), asked to interview me and I asked her if we could include a giveaway as part of the fun. Feel free to drop by her blog to visit, but I will also notify the start of the giveaway here on buttercup as well!

Here's to a lovely weekend!

If forced to wait long enough....

Sometimes better gear comes down the pike.

New Ergo Sport!

Awfully Sporty! And, definitely going on the wish list.

Muchas Gracias to everyone that traveled over to etsy.com to vote for my Hoot Owl. That was fun! My plushie won 4th place and a spot in the Americana Gift Guide - a prized position. It has since made the long journey to Mount Vernon - to make a sweet nest with its Forever Family. Mount Vernon being just the right place for a Red, White and Blue Hooter, I believe.

Stay tuned for a super cool opportunity later this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks again! xo

Vote for my Hoot Owl...if you please

If you love Owls, if you love upcycling, hell....if you just love me. Please consider voting for my entry in this week's etsy contest!

Go here: Vote

Thanks! xo

PS - I'm really close to winning! How cool would that be?

Maker Faire Success!

And, it was so much fun! I really hope that I'll be invited to vend again as the Maker Faire and Bazarre Bizarre were truly the perfect market for me! Lots of families that care about upcycling, value handmade and love plush owls, carrots and rad ass radishes! My people.

Here is a pic of my pre-set up laid out on my dining room table.


Here is my table at the show itself! (I had a bunch of "stock" under the table and I kept filling in as the day went on).


Here is a pic of my table-mate "May" - of OhMay Designs on etsy. She is an amazing knitter and sells her original work as well as patterns at her etsy shop. She also lets me call her Mei Mei (my little sister - haha!).


Buttercupbloom and Ohmay!
Originally uploaded by brenda // phydeaux designs

We make a very good team as she is the calm, cool, collected one and I'm more of the perky salesgirl. Thanks to Brenda/Phydeaux for taking and sharing this photo of May and I.

And, many many many thanks to everyone that came out to support us at the Faire. I am happy to say that well over half of my "inventory" walked out the doors and into some pretty happy homes that day. A few people have actually even come back to my shop for more! One girl was so inspired by my Hoot Owls that she's founded a "Hoot for Owls" club!

Very, very, very cool!

I'll leave you with this vid from the Maker Faire website that will give you a sense of what else was going on at the event as well as the size of the crowds that were there! Pretty amazing!

xo

Stay Tuned!!

Maker Faire was Fantastic!!!!!!

I have some photos to share, but haven't uploaded them yet.

Until then, have a look and a listen to my favorite tune for Summer 2009.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

More later, I swear.

xo

I'm a Maker

Yeah, baby...I'm a Maker.



So this is what I've been really, really up to. Preparing for the Maker Faire, San Mateo 2009.

Woot!

Holla!!

I've always had it in me. A desire to create, to be creative. Didn't always matter about what. Cooking, sculpting, sewing, painting, cutting, sprouting, writing. For me, it was and is all about making something. About putting what I have in my thoughts and heart on the outside. Sharing. Creating.

Making.

So, when one of my bestest friends called me "crafty" and I cringed, I needed to know why. And, when I joined an etsy group and someone called me an artist and I felt like an imposter - I had to take a closer look. Where do I fit in?...I asked myself...and I still do. Where does someone like me without any art school experience or commercial endeavors fit in?


My work and what has come out of me over this past year is more than "crafty" to me. The fact that I have managed to sell and send my creations worldwide is an amazing adventure that tickles me to death. And, an endeavor that I think has kept me sane. For now, I would like to call myself a Maker. It works for me and it feels pretty sweet.


Somehow I feel a wee part of a greater movement that is changing our world. I didn't mean to do that but am happy to have gotten caught in the undertow....

If you are in town, please come by to visit. Reduced price tickets at Radio Shack...and kids under age 3 are FREE!!!!!

I'd LOVE to see you!

xoxoxoxo

Bento Babe

I'll be honest, I haven't been hanging around these parts for a while. A long while. My heart told me that distance from the blog/cyber/adoption world was a good idea. And, I think that has been true.

A week or so ago, however, I happened upon one of the "OG" Bloggers MaryMia and her "Salsa in China" blog. It was a take your hat off and stay a while moment. I paged through and hung out reading up on her adventures with her adorable twin girls. I missed her and missed the community.

M3 sure has a lot of fun with mommying, blogging and photographing. She's even been named a winning "Mommy Blogger" by Scholastic - how cool is that? I was particularly taken with her photo journaling of lunchtime around the Salsa Home in the form of Bento Boxes, twin style (click here to see her fantastic flickr collection). Brilliant. And, yes, I wanted a part of that action. Just a little piece of the cuteness.

There just so happens to be a Daiso shop nearly walking distance from where I work. They had a full- on Bento Box section that was easy to navigate but difficult to leave. The colors and the cute wee shapes just pulled me in. Here is my starter pack:


My excuse for buying these toys? Easy. I promised to help my sister entertain/occupy her one year old and nearly 3 year old during their father's lengthy graduation ceremony. I brought crayons and little toys.


But the Bento Boxies definitely stole the show. And, I think, saved us from a simmering and likely meltdown.


My proudest moment? They ate the tofu!

Yay!

Score one more point for Auntie!! (Maybe two?)

Part One in the "Where She At?" Chronicles

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I've been busy with a large project that I will reveal later this week. Til' then, I thought that I'd revive the buttercup blog a little with some photos and updates about where I've been and what I've been doing.


A friend of mine told me about this very cool collective called the Art House back in December. I thought that I would give myself a Christmas present and sign up for one of their cool projects. The Art House is based in Atlanta, GA. Here is their synopsis of their mission:



ART HOUSE IS ABOUT FAMILY
Art House creates massive, nationwide art projects that tie hundreds of artists together – and anyone can participate.
We started two years ago with the goal of bringing art to the masses. Since we started, we have interacted with thousands of artists from around the world, all brought together with the common goal of creating art and sharing it with each other.

We host many of the exhibitions for our projects at our gallery in Atlanta, Ga. In an attempt to give artists as much recognition as possible, as well as providing the opportunity to see the exhibition that they're a part of in person, we have started taking select projects to guest galleries around the country.



Pretty sweet, huh? I signed up for the Sketchbook Project. I sent them a little money, they sent me a cute little Moleskine sketchbook and a deadline. Very little else was specified by the Art House beyond the theme of the sketchbook show - "everyone we know". My kind of art project.

Here's a bird's eye view of my offering:


You can look at my submission in its entirety here, if you'd like.

It ended up being more of a journal sort of project for me. Filled with family members, colors and things symbolic of what I love and who I am. Here is a pic of the last page of my sketchbook:


My hopes, dreams, friends, family, heart and art - in watercolor and journal form have been having a way better vacation than I. Traveling all over the East coast, shaking hands with curious gallery visitors. Brooklyn, Boston, Chi-Town. Pretty cool. At some point, my sketchbook will come back home to me and I will imagine who has held it, what they thought and hope that someone understood a little about who I am.

I also wanted to blog about this because I thought that it might inspire someone who still comes around to visit this little bit of cyberspace. If you are interested, here is a link to the Art House - there are some more really great projects happening. And, I know that there are (or used to be) a whole lot of creative people that visit my blog.

More later. I've got some fun stuff to share & pictures, too!

xo

Help a Girlfriend Out??

Etsy has a weekly Vote and this week I was included. Or, more
specifically, one of my Hoot Owls were included. The theme for the
vote this week is "Eco Friendly Items for a Better World". I couldn't
be happier to be part of that theme!

Actually, I could be happier - if I were to win!! Haha. Now you know
why I'm emailing and asking for your help. Its really easy & fun!

:::Click Here for the voting link:::

The poll ends on April 20th - and the results should be listed the
following day. Just in Time for Earth Day!!!

Hope this note finds you all doing well.

Happy Earth Day!

xo, WendyZ

Hello Sunshine!

Happiness is a lazy Sunday, a warm beam of sun, cozy slippers and you.

xo