Critter Fall Schedule

I'm still hoping to experience fall this year- how about you? It's awfully difficult to picture the colors of changing leaves and the nice, crisp weather when the temperature outside is 102! Grrr! It's definitely during times like this that I miss my fellow New Yorkers and the awesome autumn weather...

The monsters were so warm, they got lost looking for ice cream:

Regardless, the critters will be very busy this fall- I've included their schedule as of 1 October. Maybe if we all hope really hard, autumn weather will come!


Houston Area Events Coming Up:

1 October 2011
First Saturday Arts Market
http://www.firstsaturdayartsmarket.com/


17 October – 5 November 2011 (Exhibition)
21 October 2011 (Auction)
24th Annual Dia de los Muertos Retablo Auction and Exhibition
Lawndale Art Center
http://www.lawndaleartcenter.org/


5 November 2011
First Saturday Arts Market
http://www.firstsaturdayartsmarket.com/


12 November 2011
Avenue CDC: Art on the Avenue
http://avenuecdc.org/art-on-the-avenue/


18-20 November 2011
Spacetaker’s Winter Holiday Art Market (WHAM)
http://www.spacetaker.org/wham


3 December 2011
First Saturday Arts Market
http://www.firstsaturdayartsmarket.com/


Out of Town Events:

1 October 2011
Mission: Munny Show
Lift Designer Toys and Art Gallery
http://www.liftdetroit.com/events2


13-16 October 2011
Toy2R USA/Tenacious Toys Booth
New York Comic Con
http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/


5 November 2011
Above the Radar Tour
(curated from Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles, CA)
The Fridge
http://www.thefridgedc.com/

Homespun Houston Handmade Fundraiser Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, the awesome Bri Land of Homespun Houston Handmade
has organized a fundraiser to help the families that have been affected by the recent Texas wildfires. Her online Marketplace will direct you to a varied selection of handmade goods created by local artisans, who will be donating a portion of the proceeds of their sales to the American Red Cross of Central Texas. Get those credit cards ready everyone!

I will be donating 50% of the sale price from my Miao and Mousubi:

Miao and Mousubi Etsy Shop Link

Hopefully they will find a nice, new home and they will also get to help out at the same time. Critters LOVE to do that kind of stuff, ya know...

Be the first of your friends to check it out tomorrow!

Homespun Houston Handmade Marketplace: http://www.homespunhouston.com/marketplace/

The Big Move!

Well, it finally happened... the critters and I moved to another apartment, closer to work and we will finally have more space- yay! I now have an art/music studio and won't have to peel the paint, glue and glitter off my dining room table anymore...

The process was a complete nightmare though, and I don't ever remember feeling so absolutely exhausted... And now we are dwelling in the Land of Cardboard! Wage doesn't seem to mind though, especially since he enjoys rearranging the boxes:

In the style of David Letterman, here is my Top 10 List of what I have learned this time regarding moving- enjoy!

10. Wage loves to move and rearrange boxes. It never gets him down- seriously!

9. Do not buy the cheap 2/$5 packing tape- everyone will complain about it!

8. Make sure to have at least 150 cartons and 20 boxes of bubble wrap on hand at all times...

7. TV and internet really do keep the peace- you do not want to know what happens when they are disconnected...

6. When the movers get there and you're not finished, just throw the rest of your crap in shopping bags on the truck. Trust me- this is what you should do!

5. Be well-stocked with as many unhealthy munchies and beverages as you can find...

4. Driving back and forth to your old place for 12 days after the move to finish up is super-fun!

3. Make sure all family members are fully seated in your car BEFORE driving away...

2. Ask for the same guys who moved you last time- it's like having a family reunion!

1. Moving during the month of August in Houston is the worst idea ever! EVER! EVER! EVER!

Santa Fe Railyard

Happy September everyone!

It would seem that I've missed August somehow... It was over 100 degrees for more than 30 days here in Houston, and I believe it contributed to a sort of "mind-melt" for all of us...

Now that the weather has cooled off a bit, there are horrible wildfires burning throughout Texas. The critters and I are worried about the people who live in these areas, including some of our friends who've had to evacuate! If you would like to help, this article from the San Antonio Examiner.com has some great suggestions: http://www.examiner.com/weather-in-san-antonio/texas-wildfires-how-to-help-and-raise-money-for-fire-victims

The fires have been partially contained, and I just hope the situation there will improve very soon. Now that I've made a small plea for help, I will continue onward with Part II of my Santa Fe trip...

The Santa Fe Railyard District is a fairly new area in the city where one can shop, eat and view even more fantastic art. I've never been there before, since no one can usually tear me away from Canyon Road... But it was time to expand my horizons!

We had a delicious lunch at Pranzo Italian Grill, and then went wandering around the Sanbusco Market area.


A cool graffiti train- pretty unexpected for this locale:

How'd they get that big truck up there?

As always, an Uglydoll came along for the excursion, and Babo's Bird had a great time posing with the beautiful flowers:

A fantastic looking place, but probably not the best name for a hair salon...

This was the coolest pen ever! It came with it's own fancy, schmancy haunted house "box" and cost about $5000 according to the nice person working in the shop. Don't let that scare you away from Santa Fe Pens though... they had lots of awesome affordable options as well.

Babo's Bird continued to enjoy the pretty flowers...

No car trip is ever complete without one of my lovely "car photos" of the New Mexico sky:

Stranger Factory

Howdy everyone! It would seem that I have taken a longer break than I had intended... I hope you are all having a great summer, in spite of the horrendous heat!

During my break, I travelled to New Mexico for a week to visit the parentals, and while I was there, I made sure to stop by Stranger Factory, in Albuquerque, which just opened 3 June 2011. What a place- I squealed when I walked in and saw the selection of vinyl toys and art! This is for sure the only place of its kind in NM and even in the Southwest! Stranger Factory is owned by artists Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters, of Circus Posterus.

I had missed the opening of Kathie's solo show, "Sweet & Sorrow", but her work was still on exhibit and it was thrilling to view her pieces in person. Most of them were sold, which was extremely exciting, especially for the future of this awesome gallery/shop. In addition to the gallery space, the shop houses a huge variety of designer vinyl toys and plush, including several Super 7 figures, as well as Dunnys, Uglydolls, Scavengers, and other limited edition pieces from the Circus Posterus artists. I was beyond excited to take home a mini-Skelve and Leroy C, as well as some other goodies. The gallery has shows already booked through 2012- I'm hoping to attend many of these on my future trips to NM as well, in addition to scooping up whatever awesome new critters they will have available...

Many thanks to Justin for being so kind and letting me take these photos- this is just a sampling of the collection of work on exhibit. If you are in the area, make sure you stop by!

Stranger Factory
109 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-508-3049

Kathie Olivas, "Sweet & Sorrow"

Lollipop Girl
Oil Study on Panel

Black Masao
Acrylic and Oil on Fiberglass

Guarded
Oil on Canvas

Unresolved
Oil on Canvas

Encrusted Elizabeth
Mixed Media on Fiberglass

Purple Greeter
Acrylic on Cast Resin

White Bear Kuma Skelve
Acrylic and Oil on Cast Resin

Golden Bear Kuma Skelve
Acrylic and Oil on Cast Resin

Purple Masao Skelve Cat (4-Legged)
Acrylic on Cast Resin

Purple Bird w/Bowler Hat
Acrylic on Cast Resin

Pink Masao
Acrylic on Cast Resin

Crusty Mega Skelve
Mixed Media on Cast Resin

Squid Armed Girl Study
Graphite and Acrylic on Wood

Bear Boy Study
Graphite and Acrylic on Wood

Lizzie Series: Memento
Mixed Media on Fiberglass

Orange Bird
Acrylic on Cast Resin

Other pieces at A Stranger Factory:

Snackcake Head
Colin Christian

Boo Skelve
Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters

Purple Bubblegut
Chris Ryniak

My critter purchases:

White Shadow Mini Skelve
Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters

Leroy C
Invisible Creations/Super 7

The guys!

Cookies and Cake Balls- Oh My!

It's been a really frustrating day today, and when I logged into Etsy, I saw some delicious cookies on the front page and I instantly felt better! I've included some of my favorite Etsian-baked goods and some that I've been wanting to try... Fire-up those PayPal accounts everyone!

Smore's Ganache Cookie-Wiches
Etsy Shop: tookies

9 Red White and Blue Cake Pops
Etsy Shop: lollidreams

Mini Cupcake Cake Bites
Etsy Shop: Daddysgirl91

Elmo Character Cake Pops
Etsy Shop: cquist01

Farm Animal Sugar Cookies
Etsy Shop: katiesomethingsweet

Homemade Oreo Cookies
Etsy Shop: clearpink

Cinnamon Chocolate Malt Biscotti
Etsy Shop: whimsyandspice

Bacon-o-rama

This morning while I was waiting for my breakfast taco and staring at a massive platter of crispy bacon it seemed obvious as to what I should post today... Is there anything more perfect and delicious as bacon? Over the last few years our love of bacon has expanded into other food groups, fine art, toys, and even our wardrobes! I've included a few of my favorites here- enjoy!

Shaky Bacon
Artist: Dan Goodsell

I've always been in love with Shaky Bacon, from Dan Goodsell's The World of Mr. Toast. Apparently Shaky Bacon "spends his time watching people out his window and fretting about their doings." How funny is that? Kind of reminds me of my dad...

Keep Calm and Eat Bacon
Etsy Shop: KeepCalmShop

I'm thinking I need this for my apartment...

Bacon Brooch
Etsy Shop: Dinogirl66

This lovely bacon brooch comes from one of my favorite Etsy shops in Atlanta, where they recently had a bacon-themed art show! How sad am I that I had to miss it...

Bacon-Scented Multi-Purpose Spray
Etsy Shop:Reibree

Nothing like the clean scent of bacon on your linens!

Breakfast Charm Necklace
Etsy Shop: JessicaLandau

Such an adorable way to wear your favorite breakfast treats!

Breakfast Art Print
Etsy Shop: kukubee

Breakfast cuties from another one of my favorite Etsy shops...

Flying Pig Earrings
Etsy Shop: LostApostle

I'd be proud to wear these flying piggies for sure!

Plush Breakfast
Etsy Shop: itsthesmallthings

These plush breakfast foods are just the cutest!

Maple Bacon Pancake Mix
Online Shop: Bacon Freak

Sounds pretty delicious to me...

Mo's Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar
Bacon Truffle Collection
Online Shop: Vosges

I've been wanting to try these for a while, but since they are a bit pricey, I'd love a recommendation... Has anyone tried these? One of these days I'm going to break down and try them!

Bacon is Meat Candy Hooded Sweatshirt
Online Shop: Bacon Freak

Bacon IS meat candy! Show everyone you love bacon and stay warm at the same time...