The Have A Heart Bazaar is the third annual sale benefitting the American Heart Association, to be held in the Costen Floors parking lot. There will be over 30 craft, yard sale, snacks and direct sales vendors, including me (MonkeyDogStudio) and my good friend Dawn of Pop Culture Rehab among many others.
I've been going through my stash of extra supplies & gathered up quite a few things I purchased while in an overly ambitious mindset: tile nippers, resin, stamps, extra pottery tools, shrinky dink paper. You can see some of the supplies here: http://www.bixbe.com/users/4892/products
And I just went through my pottery totes and pulled out over 3 boxes of prototypes, discontinued items, and ones-of-a-kind including the last of my Monster Lanterns! I may have some regular yard-sale type stuff as well. I've already found some tiny dishes I bought because I really loved them but ended up squirreling them away somewhere. I just don't have enough space for all this stuff, so if you're looking for some art supplies or home decor items, please stop by!
Have a Heart Bazaar
Saturday July 31, 2010*
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Costen Floors (Parking lot)
9840 Mayland Drive
Henrico, VA 23233
(Between Gaskins and Pemberton)
*Rain date Saturday August 7, 2010 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fooooooooood. . .
A little over a week ago I had my wisdom teeth removed. ALL of them. This was a fairly painful procedure, and seems to have been a bit complicated in my case. I've been drinking most of my meals for the last 9 days. Occasionally I've been able to pulverize solids to the point that they are manageable, but otherwise it's been all liquids and mushiness.
Here are a few things I found online that I'm looking forward to chewing at some point (hopefully) soon:
The mozzacado sandwich.
Dill and Cheddar Beer Bread. I need to eat this.
These IKEA-esque cinnamon rolls look yummy, but I'd rather just go to IKEA and eat some there.
And speaking of going places to eat. . . I'm desperate to get some of the delicious fries and basil vayo dip from Strange Matter. Along with a vegetarian Monte Cristo. Mmmm.....french toasty, jackfruity, fake meaty goodness!
Here are a few things I found online that I'm looking forward to chewing at some point (hopefully) soon:
The mozzacado sandwich.
Dill and Cheddar Beer Bread. I need to eat this.
These IKEA-esque cinnamon rolls look yummy, but I'd rather just go to IKEA and eat some there.
And speaking of going places to eat. . . I'm desperate to get some of the delicious fries and basil vayo dip from Strange Matter. Along with a vegetarian Monte Cristo. Mmmm.....french toasty, jackfruity, fake meaty goodness!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Crafty tutorial!
This Friday, the Richmond Craft Mafia presents Handmade Throwdown: Art vs Craft, a gallery exhibit and sale at the Crossroads Art Center, 2016 Staples Mill Road. Since a portion of our proceeds goes to benefit the Richmond SPCA, I thought this would be a great time to show off a pet-related craft that can be done with the whole family: shrink plastic pet tags!
This is what you'll need:
Shrink plastic
Sharpies or other alcohol-based pens for drawing
Scissors or a punch
Standard hole puncher
Toaster oven (or conventional oven)
Aluminum foil
Something heavy and flat
Spray sealant or clear nail polish
Split ring
There are a many types of shrink plastic available, so you'll have to make sure you follow the instructions when creating your design. Some types of shrink plastic can be run through your inkjet printer, while others can only be decorated with alcohol-based inks and markers.
Whatever kind of shrink paper you decide to use, you need to keep a few things in mind. First: when you create your design on the plastic, you need to make it a little more than DOUBLE the size of what you want your image to be (shrinking varies by paper, so check you packaging instructions for shrink rates).
The SECOND thing to keep in mind is that the image will darken when it shrinks, so if you’re printing out your design, you’ll want to print your image at about 50% transparency.
For the dog tag design, you can be practical: make a tag with your pet’s name & your contact information – cellphone number, city and state if not your street address. You can also include important info like if your pet needs daily medicine.
Another option for these tags is to just be totally fun: make some seasonal tags – like a heart for Valentine’s Day, and some with cute sayings that show off your pet’s personality. You can draw freehand or if you want something fancier, you can find some templates online.
After you've created your design, cut it out. You can use scissors, but I like to use a jumbo hole punch that’s 2.5”. Then you’ll need to punch a hole to put your split ring through. I use a standard hole punch for this, but I’ll punch about 3 holes next to each other to make more of a tablet shape for the ring to go through. Make sure you don’t put the hole too close to the edge of the plastic because you don’t want it to break off the split ring when it’s finished.
Ok, now that you’ve made your design, and your tag cut out, this is where the adults step in. The next step is to shrink the tag in the toaster oven (or conventional oven, though it will take longer to heat up). Preheat your toaster oven according to the instructions on the packaging. (The printable plastic bakes at 275-300°F for 3-5 minutes, while the writable kind bakes at 325°F for 1-3 minutes.)
Most instructions recommend putting your tag on a piece of brown paper bag inside the toaster oven, but I find that the shrink plastic sometimes sticks to the paper, so I use a piece of aluminum foil instead. Put the aluminum foil on the broiler tray, and fold a corner of the foil up to help with removing it from the toaster oven.
Shrinking times and temperatures will vary depending on the size of the tag you're making, and the kind of shrink paper you’re using, so you'll need to follow the instructions and keep an eye on it in the oven. It will bend and curl as it shrinks, but generally flattens up by the time it's reached its final size.
The tag will be hot when you take it out. Put something sturdy and flat - like a book on top of another piece of foil - on the tag until it cools. After it's cool, you can sand the edges of the tag with an emery board if there are any rough spots.
You’ll also want to make sure your image is protected, so I spray it with a clear coat of acrylic spray. Some folks use clear nail polish.
After the sealant has dried, you can put a split ring through the hole that you punched. Then you're ready to hook it to your pet's collar!
This is what you'll need:
Sharpies or other alcohol-based pens for drawing
Scissors or a punch
Standard hole puncher
Toaster oven (or conventional oven)
Aluminum foil
Something heavy and flat
Spray sealant or clear nail polish
Split ring
There are a many types of shrink plastic available, so you'll have to make sure you follow the instructions when creating your design. Some types of shrink plastic can be run through your inkjet printer, while others can only be decorated with alcohol-based inks and markers.
The SECOND thing to keep in mind is that the image will darken when it shrinks, so if you’re printing out your design, you’ll want to print your image at about 50% transparency.
For the dog tag design, you can be practical: make a tag with your pet’s name & your contact information – cellphone number, city and state if not your street address. You can also include important info like if your pet needs daily medicine.
After you've created your design, cut it out. You can use scissors, but I like to use a jumbo hole punch that’s 2.5”. Then you’ll need to punch a hole to put your split ring through. I use a standard hole punch for this, but I’ll punch about 3 holes next to each other to make more of a tablet shape for the ring to go through. Make sure you don’t put the hole too close to the edge of the plastic because you don’t want it to break off the split ring when it’s finished.
Most instructions recommend putting your tag on a piece of brown paper bag inside the toaster oven, but I find that the shrink plastic sometimes sticks to the paper, so I use a piece of aluminum foil instead. Put the aluminum foil on the broiler tray, and fold a corner of the foil up to help with removing it from the toaster oven.
The tag will be hot when you take it out. Put something sturdy and flat - like a book on top of another piece of foil - on the tag until it cools. After it's cool, you can sand the edges of the tag with an emery board if there are any rough spots.
You’ll also want to make sure your image is protected, so I spray it with a clear coat of acrylic spray. Some folks use clear nail polish.
Big thanks to the lovely folks at Virginia This Morning on WTVR 6 who invited me on to share this craft with the Richmond community!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Eco Fashion: Worn Again 2010
Last night I went to my first ever fashion show: Worn Again 2010. Worn Again 2010 was Team Worn Again's 7th Recycled fashion extravaganza and the latest opportunity for Richmond designers to take the Worn Again challenge. This year, designers and artists each worked with a bag of cast-off clothing and materials (provided by Team Worn Again), turning them into recycled runway masterpieces! After making it past the jury, the top designs walked the runway during July's First Friday Art Walk at Art 6.
Since its 2005 debut in Richmond, Team Worn Again's goal has been to promote a recycled lifestyle that is innovative, creative, accessible and always fashionable! Part of this mission includes raising money for other local grass roots non-profits and strengthening positive efforts in the Richmond community and beyond. All proceeds from Worn Again 2010 will benefit Books on Wheels, who has taken their mission of bringing free books and free bicycle repair to low income communities in Richmond and around the country.
Before I post my pics of the event, let me say that all were shot with my camera phone. (I know, I know. . . I'm not always prepared. I'd make a bad scout.) And one thing I learned about my camera phone is that there's a nasty little 1-second delay between when I click and when the picture actually gets taken. So trust me when I say each of these models had an absolutely FABULOUS pose about 1 second BEFORE the slightly blurry images I captured. (Also, I ended up omitting 1 design completely because EVERY pic was a blur or a turn.)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Eco-Cute: buttercupbloom
photo by buttercupbloom
This is Buttercupbloom. Based in San Francisco, Buttercupbloom crafts a lot of her work from remnants of former projects, handfelted sweaters, thrifted and recycled fabric and buttons. She also reuses boxes and envelopes for shipping purposes to do what she can to limit what is sent to the landfill. And if you don't need the packaging after you get your order, instead of just tossing it in the trash, she'll supply you with a return address label and postage so that you can return the empty mailer to her.
Her creatures are ridiculously adorable and earth friendly to boot! You can check out her work at buttercupbloom.etsy.com.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
RVA Etsy Craft Party!! June 18
Photo by blissinateacupJoin the Richmond Etsy Street Team (REST) and Quirk Gallery as we get crafty and celebrate Etsy's 5th Birthday on June 18 at 325 W. Broad St!!
Etsy.com is a marketplace and community for artists & crafters & the people who love them, but you don't have to be an Etsy member to participate in the party! Just go to http://www.meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/4036/ and RSVP! We're still working on the party plans with Quirk, so I'll post more later.
If you're not in Richmond, you don't have to miss out on the fun! Just check http://www.meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/ to see if there's a party near you!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Eco Home: Cleaning Products
Since 2 friends in 2 different states were talking about natural cleaning products today, I thought I'd take this occasion to share a few earth friendly cleaning recipes on the blog. My friend Jen is the Green Queen of Shreveport. She was making some natural cleaning products for her local farmer's market, and offered to share some of her recipes with me.
Here's what Jen had to say:
**********************************************************
You can use a few simple things to clean your home and not buy stuff like comet and febreze. Everything I make is some combination of baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar, borax, bar soap and vodka. I use essential oils to make them smell nice and voila!
**********************************************************
Laundry Powder
1 part washing soda (not baking soda)
1 part borax
2 parts grated bar soap
Measure parts by volume, not weight...obviously, washing soda is much heavier than grated soap.
Mix thoroughly. Use one tablespoon per load ( I PROMISE that's all it takes).
Free of phosphates, surfectants, conditioners, and optical whiteners. Safe for septic systems, compatible with chlorine bleach, oxygen cleaner, and enzyme stain removers.
(When I'm being frugal I save my family's soap butts to grate for laundry soap. When I'm making it for the farmer's market, I use new bars of soap.)
**********************************************************
Hippie Febreze
Get the biggest cheapest bottle of vodka you can find. Add essential oils of your choice. Spray on the stinky stuff.
It will smell alcohol-ish at first, but it quickly dissipates and leaves the oil fragrance behind.
You can dilute it with water up to a third, but any more than that and it doesn't work as well.
Can also be used to disinfect countertops and sinks/toilets. Avoid using on wood furniture as it can break down fine finishes.
**********************************************************
Natural Fabric Softener
Fill a downy ball with white vinegar. Toss in the wash. Or just put a little white vinegar in at the rinse cycle. You can use any essential oils you want with the vinegar. The smell of the vinegar dissipates as soon as the clothes are dry.
**********************************************************
So, there you go! Three recipes from the Green Queen of Shreveport to get you started on the road to natural house cleaning. Do *you* have any natural cleaning recipes to share?
**********************************************************
You can use a few simple things to clean your home and not buy stuff like comet and febreze. Everything I make is some combination of baking soda, washing soda, white vinegar, borax, bar soap and vodka. I use essential oils to make them smell nice and voila!
**********************************************************
Laundry Powder
1 part washing soda (not baking soda)
1 part borax
2 parts grated bar soap
Measure parts by volume, not weight...obviously, washing soda is much heavier than grated soap.
Mix thoroughly. Use one tablespoon per load ( I PROMISE that's all it takes).
Free of phosphates, surfectants, conditioners, and optical whiteners. Safe for septic systems, compatible with chlorine bleach, oxygen cleaner, and enzyme stain removers.
(When I'm being frugal I save my family's soap butts to grate for laundry soap. When I'm making it for the farmer's market, I use new bars of soap.)
**********************************************************
Hippie Febreze
Get the biggest cheapest bottle of vodka you can find. Add essential oils of your choice. Spray on the stinky stuff.
It will smell alcohol-ish at first, but it quickly dissipates and leaves the oil fragrance behind.
You can dilute it with water up to a third, but any more than that and it doesn't work as well.
Can also be used to disinfect countertops and sinks/toilets. Avoid using on wood furniture as it can break down fine finishes.
**********************************************************
Natural Fabric Softener
Fill a downy ball with white vinegar. Toss in the wash. Or just put a little white vinegar in at the rinse cycle. You can use any essential oils you want with the vinegar. The smell of the vinegar dissipates as soon as the clothes are dry.
**********************************************************
So, there you go! Three recipes from the Green Queen of Shreveport to get you started on the road to natural house cleaning. Do *you* have any natural cleaning recipes to share?
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