We're getting married (for real!)

Ok, Justin and I have been engaged for what seems like forever but now we're really going to whip up a wedding and make it official. We'll be having a tiny service on January eighth (our seven year anniversary of sweet love) in Connecticut with our family. That is only 49 days away!

We are so excited and a little stressed out too. I would have never expected that planning a wedding with less than twelve guests would be so challenging! I completely understand now why brides become bridezillas or plan their weddings for a year or more. We really sped up the process and gave ourselves three months to plan the wedding. The elements are starting to shape up though and I really love the treasures I've been gathering to make the day special. I've been buying quite a few pieces to add handmade touches to the event.

Allow me to share:

I'm delighted to have made a special order from Carrin of Rainsend for a pair of felted cake topper birds similar to the ones at the top of this post. Ours are going to have gray accents though.

Justin just got his wedding band in the mail today from Elizabeth of ES Designs and he is very anxious to start wearing it.

Justin also recieved his elegant gray satin necktie in the mail from Toybreaker


I bought some white flower hairpins from Betsy of Foundling and some earrings from Cassie of Clementine.

gocco promo-stravaganza!

fronts

backs

bunnies helping to clean up my scraps

finished pockets!


I spent about eight hours today making new business cards and promo pockets for Argyle Whale. I am really proud of them even though the process may have been a little bit inefficient. I busted out my Gocco and got to work making use of a pile of imperfect prints that were too good to throw away. First, I screened my promotional designs on the backs of the imperfect prints. Then, I cut them all out and made pockets too. I'm excited to go pinning my pockets-o-promos on a few corkboards around town. I think they are pretty slick... and repurposed!

I've heard that business cards are one of the least effective forms of advertising but I enjoyed the process. I really would have spent my day just making more lolbunnies if I hadn't done that anyway. I'm addicted to the lolcat generator. I really can't understand why I'm so delighted by putting misspelled subtitles on pictures of my bunnies but I absolutely cannot stop.

My favorite toy is my print Gocco.

I recently purchased a Riso print Gocco machine from Japan to make some thank-you cards and I completely fell in love with this simple printing process. There is nothing quite like a new tool or method to get me working again and the Gocco sent me into a flurry of productivity and had my head brimming with new ideas.

Before I started using my Gocco, the main imagery I was working with was for Lazer Beanz. Due to the nature of my materials and the technique I used in the LazerBeanz appliques, my aesthetic became bolder, simpler and mostly color based. When my Gocco arrived in the mail I was surprised by how much of a challenge it was for me to make a simple line drawing to print. Using multiple colors in one print on the Gocco was too advanced at first so I couldn't rely on using color to define my shapes as I had been doing with the fabric. I had to shift my brain into contour mode and that was a big obstacle that I hadn't been expecting.

My creative side was a little lopsided so I'm glad that the Gocco forced me to design differently. It also helped to expand the types of images I use. I would have taken forever to make something as detailed as the "Barnacle Whale" or "Treasure patterns" with sewn fabric and, honestly, I'm more of the instant gratification type.

Here is my first try:


"Treasure Patterns"



"Barnacle Whale"



I'm pretty delighted with my Gocco and plan to make lots and lots of things with it forever! In fact, I plan to have a whole Etsy shop (argylewhale.etsy.com) packed with my limited edition prints and other treats by mid January.

I bet you are wondering...
What is this Gocco?
Where did I purchase such a fine thing?
How do I use it?
What's the news on the Gocco?
Where can I see more prints?

"DOMUS"

"Diamond Snakes" handstitched rug in wool

"Mumbling Slugs" machine stitched rug in wool

"Eat Upon Antlers" vintage dishes with painted antlers

"UVULA" handstitched rug in wool

"His & Hers" appliqued and embroidered hand towels


These are a few of the pieces that I made for the DOMUS show that Katy Irving curated. When she asked me to participate, I was overwhelmed because I hadn't been making anything at all. She thought I could pull it together and the domestic theme was pretty inspiring so I made this collection of housewares for the show. It ended up being a very positive experience and I'm thankful that it forced me to make things when I had been slacking.

It was the first time that I let the imagery I'd been using for my Lazer Beanz clothing designs spill onto different surfaces.

"Come High Water"

"Bob Squad" hairdo shaped refridgerator magnets

"Wishlist" giant mound of furniture cut from paper

"Egg Screen" screen made of a zillion eggs woven together and projected on with a video of the eggs being blown.

"25 feet wound around inside me" crocheted intestine spells the word accompanied by a photo of the yarn on my stomach.

"Tchotchke Terrain" hundreds of blue painted figurines from the dollar store.


I thought I'd give a little bit of background before I start posting about my new makings.

These images are from my senior thesis show when I was a student at Montserrat College of Art. This is the art that I created in my last year at school and it is a good bridge into my work now. Each piece uses a technique that is normally classified as craft rather than fine art. The differences between fine art and craft is a question I was looking into at the time. While at school, my persuasion was definitely very fine arts and the description of art as "crafty" was generally meant to be a little condescending.

My senior work was made with the humblest of craft skills that most children could grasp such as:paper mache, ceramic magnets, egg blowing, crochet and paper cutouts. The techniques were simple but I tried to make them monumental through sheer magnitude and repetition.

I am no longer as interested in the question of art vs craft because the more I thought about it, the less the labels made sense. The work in my show that year made me remember materials and techniques that I hadn't used since childhood and also helped me lighten up a little about art.

Back then, I called myself an artist and for a little while I called myself a crafter. For now, I feel most comfortable as a maker and that gives me the freedom to create anything and not obsess about labels and frivolity vs seriousness. Whew!