Whiskers on Kittens

Maudlin Mannequin

Another fabulous window display brought to us by Los Angeles' own Trashy Lingerie.

My First SLR Camera

Me and my Canon AE-1. That camera served me well.

 

Photobooth image circa 2001
Those were my iron-on shirt days. It used to saw Rah Rah, the name of my unpublished 'zine.

To contribute to Flickr's "Photobooth Friday" or check-out other 'booth enthusiasts, click here.

My First Quilt

There's nothing like a deadline to get a project done and the excitement of my friend's little girl being born finally kicked me into high gear.

I present to you, my first quilt.

I started do stripe-y strips and then merged with the improvisational quilting style that I learned from Denyse Schmidt.

I read a great on-line article by Bonnie Hunter about making quilt labels and I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to say.

The quilt I started with my mom is almost done. That quilt has 2 different artists, was worked on in 4 different cities, 2 countries, and over 2 years. I expect that label to be a novel.

I heart photobooths!

I started visiting photobooths semi-regularly in 1999 when I decided to do my creative thesis project on women & self-portraiture photography. God bless UC Berkeley and interdisciplinary studies.

To contribute to Flickr's "Photobooth Friday" or check-out other 'booth enthusiasts, click here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

May all your fantasies come true.

Mom's Sewing Vacation Christmas Present

My mom likes to give me crafty presents for Christmas. Many years ago she bought me a sewing machine and gave me the carrying case she made for the sewing machine her mom gave her. Score!

This year, I suggested we take a quilting class together and after some research, we decided that we are going take a class on "improvisational piecing" with Denyse Schmitt in her Connecticut studio. We had so much fun the last time we went to New York, I can't wait to go east coast with her again. Eee!

P.S. I don't think I could make up a dreamier post title except by adding the words dinosaur donuts and silhouette portraits. Talk about Whiskers on Kittens.

My First Commissioned Silhouette

At Felt Club XL Holiday 2006 I showed some of my first attempts at cutting silhouette portraits. I brought them to get some feed back and someone actually took my information and contacted me for a commission! I was in shock. Excited! But shocked. I was not prepared for the anxiety that came with having to actually re-create the likeness of someone for actual money. I mean, it's not subjective. It either looks like the subject or it doesn't. What if the buyer doesn't like it? Do they still have to pay? Is it no longer art but rather a service? I wasn't sure if I really had the skills.

The good news was the subject is ADORABLE. The bad news was there was no way I could capture how incredible cute she is. Silhouette portraits tend to be a bit serious. Here's my subject:

I ended up adding an extra cut to emphasize her sweet elfin-like ear. It was a stylistic choice I feel good about.

The fellow who commissioned the portrait said he met the subject at Halloween party several years ago and she was dressed as red Fraggle. I think I captured her cuddle-y felt creature-ness.

"I'm Not An Anya Hindmarch Bag"

I got a knock-off "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" bag on Santee Alley this weekend. I'm a sucker for pop culture phenomenons. My guess is that the knock-offs are made in the same factory in China as the originals.

Seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the Green movement these days...even the pumpkin patch!

I Corinthians 14:40

"Let all things should be done decently and in order."

Even at an early age I appreciated the details, but that aqua & orange striped wallpaper with cornflower blue stars was actually lot less colorful and innocuous. I guess I've always had mid-century modern sensibilities. Hahaha.

The long hair that curls up into perfect buns, also a bit of a fantasy. I'm still trying to get that hair! But the saddle shoes and rosy cheeks were dead on. :)

Who is L. Pierre Bottemer?

A few years ago I started collecting hand cut silhouette portraits and teaching myself how-to cut from this amazing book Silhouettes: Rediscovering the Lost Art by Kathyrn Flocken. I'm still very much a beginner but I find great inspiration from the originals cut by professionals and sold as souvenirs at circuses, local fairs, or on the boardwalks across the United States. Before photo booths and Polaroids...there were silhouettes.

Here's an early acquisition, a "sweet old silhouette" found in a little antique shop in Sarasota, Florida. Thanks Jeff.

For Christmas last year, my mom gave me a portrait cut of her and her sister done at a local fair in Kansas in the late 50's. It hung in our hallway all the years I was growing up but was lost amongst a large group of photos in one of those collage mat frames. I couldn't believe I never noticed it! It's funny how something can be in front of your eyes but not on your radar.

Delores Jean is on the  left. My mom, Patsy Ann, is on the right.

Notice anything similar? They are both "signature" stamped by L. Pierre Bottemer.

Although the stamps vary slightly (note the slant of the 'L', the loops on the 'B' and final 'r' flourish) they have to be the same person. I LOVE the personalized stamp signature (I use one in my own craft packaging on library cards) and I feel like it really opens up a dialog here. Why the juxtaposition of something handmade with something pre-fab especially when a signature is also considered one-of-kind? Does a stamp bring down the work's one-of-a-kindness or does it read more as being done by a professional? I feel like by making the signature a stamp and incorporating it as part of the graphic design, he is able to keep the focus on the silhouette while still taking pride in his work. Who is L. Pierre Bottemer and how many silhouettes did he do to warrant at least two different custom stamps? I'm totally geeking out over this.