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

Welcome 2009

I don't know why I feel the urge to blog every time I get carded. But I do.

Today I got carded again. This was at 10 am-ish, at a Whole Foods shop and I was purchasing a Pinot Grigio alongside toasted sesame oil, tofu and sherry vinegar. It was a young woman who was clearly embarrassed after having a look at my license. Odd. The carding also occurred immediately after I'd gotten my annual mammogram. Nothing like a mammogram to make you feel the aging process. Getting carded was a surprising antidote.

I bought this because I was feeling oh-so young & jaunty:

Makes me want to take a long sabbatical and work on my tan somewhere South of the Border. Or pack some warm scarves and head to Paris so jzboy & I can trade homes with a nice French couple that dream of living in California. Or throw all caution to the wind, quit my job and become a full time art student in San Francisco.

Is this what a mid-life crisis looks like? Maybe only if one does such things vs. dreaming about them?

This past week has been great in that I've gotten to congratulate some China Adoption friends (Kelli, Pipo & Holly) on their lovely referrals. What beautiful wee faces! One friend (Shannon) just posted her homecoming photos and Joel/Kim have posted pictures of their family day with Ruby. What happy, sweet times & sights for sore eyes. I truly want to thank all of you for sharing. xoxo!

So.

Is 2009 going to be our year? If referrals continue to trickle in as slow as they did in 2008 (a grand total of 2 months for the entire year)...then, nope. Will there be a speed up in 2009? Ah, the age-old question we've been asking at the top of a New Year for a while now. Who knows?

Girlfriend's gotta think up some new ways to span time because Paris is pretty far, the day-job's gotta stay for now and unless I can find me a kind benefactor - full time art school/extended sabbaticals in exotic locations aren't likely. I'd better get to work on a plan otherwise my closet might fill up with more things like these:


Somebody send help. Or...maybe some watercolors.

Happiest of All the Holidayz

Warmest Wishes from our wee home to yours!

xo

Life Your Life

I'm posting this, in part, because I was carded tonight. That means that it is more than o.k. for me to love this music....

It speaks to me.

So. Whats been going on?

A lot of ancillary stuff. Important stuff - but supportive, not necessarily primary stuff. Not necessarily life changing or heart stopping...stuff. But it is my life. My Life. If only I looked as flippin' hot as Rihanna. She hot. And, yeah-baby this girl got carded tonight. Nice.

In other news, today I hit 100 sales on etsy. How cool is that? I became a seller just over a year ago. Since then I've made countless plush owls, convinced many folks to appreciate upcycling, learned how to write a press release, grasped a greater knowledge of marketing and color theory and became a front-page curating etsy artisan. Nice.

Life Your Life.

That is going to be my new mantra. I hope. Sometimes things don't turn out as you planned. Little did I know that I'd be facing another holiday season "Waiting For Referral". But I am. We are. Its rough. Sometimes the emotions are closer to the surface than others.

Right now I have Rihanna.

Even if you haven't heard from me, I think of you. Those of you in China. Those of you on the brinks - waiting for TA's and haunting Target for all the needed supplies. And, those of you/us that continue to wait. Mark time. Watch the years pass. And, attempt to put a handle upon the elusive Hope.

Big Love.

xo

Team Trashion Encourages Shoppers to Go Green on Black Friday

Going back as far as the 1960’s, the day after Thanksgiving has held the unfortunate title of Black Friday. The name was given due to the madness that happens in highly commercialized places of commerce, but mostly because of the heavy traffic on that day. Folks are at the mall before the sun comes up, cars fill freeways and parking lots, money is burned on mass produced products and the gas it takes to get to them. It can get ugly.

Team Trashion, a unique, eco friendly, international group of artisans on etsy.com visualizes a different sort of Friday following Thanksgiving. Team Trashion wants to encourage families to keep the car in the garage, leave their slippers on and curl up with loved ones and a second helping of pumpkin pie. Doesn’t that sound great?


On Friday, November 28, Team Trashion will provide holiday shoppers with a unique opportunity to shop for one-of-a-kind gifts that are innovative and eco friendly. Buyers will be able to connect directly with sellers at a virtual Trunk Show on www.etsy.com. Over 30 Team Trashion artisans will be showing a varied collection of handmade treasures all created from upcycled, repurposed or otherwise abandoned materials. The Team Trashion Green Friday Trunk Show will be overflowing with holiday shopping opportunities that would make Mother Earth proud. You will not want to miss it!


The Team Trashion Green Friday Trunk Show is at 7pm est – just the perfect time to grab a cup of tea and do a little shopping in the comfort of your own home. Here’s how you get there:

1 - Log on to www.etsy.com
2 - Choose the “community” tab at the top of the home page.
3 - Choose the “Virtual Labs” tab at the top of the community page.
4 - Choose the GREEN Treehouse “room” within the Virtual Labs.
5 - Sit back and enjoy the Trunk Show!

6 - You could also just click here & that will take you directly where you need to go.....

It will be great to see you there.

Getting Ready for my Big Show!!

After splurging on fancy-schmancy business cards:


(They look way cooler in person)

And, super-cute buttons:


I decided to go handmade with my sign:


If you are local-ish, please drop on by - I'd love to see you!! Click here for more deets or if you're curious. There are 2 artist galleries with photos of what everyone creates.


Yes! I am very excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meme? Why not.

Where is your mobile phone? Recharging.

Where is your significant other? Couch

Your hair colour? Brown (w/ pervading gray)

Your mother? Thoughtful & Kind

Your father? Funny & Disarming

Your favourite thing? Color

Your dream last night? Can't remember

Your dream goal? Contentment

The room you're in? Kitchen

Your hobby? Sewing/Creating

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Walking someone to kindergarten.

Where were you last night? Watching Tivo at home

What you're not? Fake

One of your wish-list items? I'm really not wanting or longing for anything material - at all.

Where you grew up? All over. (Try explaining that during your homestudy).

The last thing you did? Eat Dinner.

What are you wearing? Corduroy

Your TV? Tivo'd Guilty Pleasure Shows like Real World, Oprah, Martha, Project Runway & The Hills

Your pets? = Family

Your computer? Very Functional

Your mood? Blase

Missing someone? My former self.

Your car? Red & reliable. With new tires!!

Something you're not wearing? A tan.

Favourite shop? Etsy.

Your summer? What?

Love someone? Lucky for me, yes.

Your favourite colour? Kelly Green. Raspberry Red. Lemon Yellow. Glacier Blue.

When is the last time you laughed? Few hours ago.

When is the last time you cried? do you really want to know?



I'm thinking that we need some racier meme's....this one was a little weak. Just sayin'.

Oh My Gosh Its Been Nearly a Month!

Wow. Time flies sometimes.

Tomorrow marks a month since my last post & that is a new record for me. If you haven't heard from me it is because I've been been saving up my Bloglines connections for catch up in a big swoop. Marathon style. Like back to back Amazing Race or Real World episodes...but you know the players. That was my plan, at least, but now I am overwhelmed. At this point, I have some blogs with 32 posts to catch up on (Chief!) and some with 21 (Mamacita!) and a few others that I'm just too embarrassed to admit.

I kinda don't know how I'll catch up. But, I'll do my best.

The reason for my absence from the adoption/blog slice of cyber space is for a lot of little and big reasons. Too many to list, and that would mean more writing than I really have time to do right now.

I have been writing, though, just not about myself. Here is one place where I've been spending a lot of my creative time:


Click here to get to the site....

I'm still not sure why I thought I should volunteer for a Promotional Team on etsy - but I did. And, I've been loving it! Go ahead and click on the above link & see our work. A lot of the writing that went into the category blurbs was mine. This week I am also in charge of changing the artwork on the front page on a daily basis.

Its been fun. I get to play with color and pretend that I'm all advertiser-ish. I've also made some new friends and have learned a lot in the process. Here is a blog link to one of the primary peeps on our California Promo Committee:


Please go visit this link - you just might win a very cool pendant handmade by the Crafty Wren! Wren is giving one away EVERY DAY for the rest of this month! I've already purchased 2 of her pendants & won one last week for playing along...they are beautiful keepsakes. Feeling lucky? Leave Wrenay a comment & try to win today!

What else? Oh, I don't know. A lot of sewing. I'm getting ready to work a pretty cool show up in Sonoma, so I'm up to my elbows in plush owls. Here's proof:


Etsy has been good to me. It has provided a much needed distraction and some very cool validation for my efforts. Creating is cool and I've met some really talented and nice people. Truth be told, though? I'd walk away from all of it in a heartbeat if I knew when it would be my turn to go to China. I'd pack up my thread, my bobbins, my growing button collection. You'd prob. find me hanging out chitter-chattering in Yahoo groups or on my blog, if I knew that motherhood was on the horizon. Damn straight.

Until then.......

This is what fills the crib this season:

Its better than old boxes and clothes for donation. I figure that something cute and future oriented is a better bit of energy for the crib.


More later. Gotta go put my goggles back on and get back to work. This is on my Christmas list:



More later, there are some other fun things to share.
xoxooxoxoxooxxooxxoxoxoxoxo

My Own Version of Project Runway...

Sooooo.....

I entered another Trashion Challenge. This one was thoughtfully named the "Monster Mash" with the organizers hoping that our creative efforts would appeal to Halloween enthusiasts.

The party began when I was paired with twistedwear - another Trashionista on etsy. Rules for the challenge were loose - send your partner some stuff from your stash. Appropriate items to send would include: stuff you want to get rid of, things in need of a new home and/or items that others might actually consider Trash. I will admit to feeling a bit of trepidation as I opened the mystery box from Kentucky. You just never know.

Here's what I found inside:


A massive pile of fabric exploding with color, texture and possibilities.

My strategy was to whittle the heap down by choosing a simple color palette. This is what I came up with:


The vintage bit of purple plaid was my favorite scrap included and I went from there. twistedwear also sent the luxurious purple velvet that just felt like Halloween. Like a Halloween costume, I guess. I added the green tulle, yarn and beaded trim from my own stash. Picking the colors was the easy part - engineering a way to make a monster out of them, however, really threw me for a loop.

You'll notice a few other things in the photo meant to inspire.

The book at the top is Lynda Barry's "One! Hundred! Demons!". It was a unexpected and well loved gift from another Linda. (Thanks again, btw). I became a fan of Lynda Barry's when I read MAD magazine back in my middle school years. Or was it Dynomite? I really can't remember when I first discovered her - but I have forever since had a kinship with her pimple-faced, awkward Marlys character. The One! Hundred! Demons! book is all about real life demons in Barry's life. She painted them with a Chinese brush & explains that the demons (such as "My Worst Boyfriend") just came out of her brush. It is a brilliant read & I highly recommend it!

The other little thing you may have noticed is the cassette tape pouch on the table. An inspiration, for sure.


This was the most stellar birthday gift that I've received in a long, long time. It holds some very important crafty bits and pieces...and sits on my work table smiling at me while I create. I love it. (You can buy one from BraveMoonman, if you'd like. She sews them by hand and makes them in custom colors).

The hardest part about this challenge was my resistance to making anything "scary" - or even "Monster-y" for that matter. That's just not how I roll. Cool thing is, the rules and guidelines for these sorts of challenges are pretty loose. At least that is how I see them. So often in my day to day life, the rules are fairly rigid - I think that is why I really embrace the looseness of interpretation of this creative work and just do whatever the Hell I want. Here is what I ended up with:


I named her Karma the Kosmic Kitten after another well-loved and dearly missed furry friend.


She is a feline with a mission to save the Big Blue Marble by educating Earthlings about Environmental Protection. She wears Solar Powered, Magic Green Whiskers and was handcrafted from 100% upcycled materials. Click here to read more of her story and to see more photos.

Thanks for joining me on this little adventure. It was a LOT of fun.

Here's to the beginning of another Fall weekend. xo

It Was a Really Good One...

This year, I truly enjoyed my birthday. It was super-deluxe and very me.

Jzboy took the weekend off and we spent it doing the things that I love to do. No, not camping! Not hiking big gorges...or any of that boy-stuff. Not even organizing the "clutter" as I am want to do. We ended up having lunch at Cafe Gratitude my fave vegan restaurant, hit my regular fabric shop and got provisions at the all time most excellent market that exists. Jzboy seemed to like it - a lot, even. But even if he didn't, he was a rockstar at hanging with me.

On the actual "day", Jzboy told me that I needed to be ready by 10:30 - with no further details. He later dropped me off at the local, stellar swank spot for a full-on massage and facial. It was absolutely divine. I felt like a happy, fresh, squeeky-clean person once they released me! Jzboy then picked me up in a freshly washed and tuned up car (which was my not-so-secret b-day wish)! Wooooot! Holla!! Now, that is my man. I love that guy!

We hung out and had burgers at our favorite place in the East Bay, then tripped around the local streets picking up some goodies for the evening celebration. Here is the best part:


How cute is that? Way better than I could have cooked up! Pey-Pey is just the most curious and sweetest baby boy that we could have hoped to bring into the fold! Oh yeah, and the cake was tasty and cute, too!

There were some presents....


But! the greatest gift was for me to be with my bestest peeps. It was a very good birthday, indeed!

Birthday Nails!

Check em' out! They are like a birthday party on my hands, make me want to bake cupcakes & I LOVE them.


Originally I thought I would go navy blue with white polka dots, but I thought that the lighter shade of blue suited my mood better. Definitely not pink, though, no matter how much the lady tried to convince me. When all was said and done, pretty much everyone at the nail shop wanted to see my wee works of art.

Yeah, I know, I'm weird...but this sort of thing makes me happy. Besides, now that I've become a hand model - I need to keep up with manicures. Actually more of a wrist model, if you want to get technical, but makes for a good excuse for blinging it up at the nail salon.

Here I am modeling one of my latest creations - a Cuff for a Cloudy Day:


I call this one "Grrl Scout". It is actually made from vintage boy scout uniform fabric plus the flashy red compliments that I think take it to the "Grrl" level.


Decorative cuffs are really trendy on etsy right now and I'm having fun trying something new. Cool thing is that I get to continue with my passion for upcycling as I use repurposed fabric in every cuff. A scrap of fabric from an old project here, a salvaged button from a favorite blazer there, a hand-me-down bit of vintage denim here, a little thrifted corduroy there...and so on. What can I say? Its my thing.

Time for a little more show & tell.....I named this one "Election Day".


And this one is "Indian Summer".


One thing that I love about my etsy endeavors is that I can be as creative and quirky as I want. Perhaps this newfound workout of my unique muscles is what gives me permission to paint polka dots on my fingers?

Works for me.

By the way, feel free to click on any of the highlighted titles for more pictures, or if you'd like to drop by my shop. I love visitors. If you are registered with etsy, send me a "heart" by adding me to your favorites. I'd love to know you were there.

xo

What Have I Been Up To???

Here is a glimpse of what has been on my table recently...


Lots of hunting for fabric, designing patterns, cutting and sewing.

What has been on the agenda is (drumroll please): 6 penguins, 10 owls, 8 strawberries, a large bunch of carrots and a slew of tooth fairy pillows. Here is one of the first Strawberry Sweets to roll off of the conveyor belt:


She is also known as Candace and has a very cute brother named Wyatt. Both are up in my etsy shop, so you can visit them (& see more pictures here).

Creating cuteness has been keeping me going these days. I've got some fancy Art Shows booked with the holidays on the horizon and am equally freaked out and absolutely stoked about all of that. If you are curious, here is a link to the Sonoma Artisan Faire where I'll be "vending".

Oy, so now I'm a vendor. That freaks me out completely. Cool thing is that this big show will also include wine tasting. Nice.

Good for the anxious vendor.....and the shopper.

Sorry I've been so quiet lately, but there have been stitches to be sewn, out of town visitors to be loved, clients to be soothed and pies to be lattice draped and cooked. My heart is still in this game, but a little distance is what the doctor ordered. Hopefully you understand. I'm immersing myself in color and creativity right now.

Maybe I'm an artist at heart.

xo

PS - Stay tuned for pics of my birthday nails. They RULE!!!!!!!

A Random Laugh - In German

Sometimes the random doppelganger brings a surprising, welcome smile.