I couldn't sleep so I got up at 5 am, made a pot of coffee and here I am creating a monster TO DO list. I am working backward from Xmas Day and jotting down everything that is flying around in my head --just a day by day, blow by blow list of what needs to happen when. I feel like things are going to fall through the cracks if I don't get it written down NOW. I'm fine with all the planning and party-having but the shopping just kills me. iTunes gift cards for everyone!

Snow in the Berkeley Hills

Yesterday morning we woke up to snow! OK, not a lot of the stuff but enough to ball up and throw. It was a gorgeous, chilly morning. 3 of the chickens stayed in the nesting house for the night and 3 stayed on the roost out in the run. Crazy birds! They seemed happy as could be to have their feathers fluffed up by a little snow.

The sun is out today but it is still cold and crisp. The newspaper mentioned that it snowed at this elevation back in February of 1976. My family moved to the East Bay in May of '76 so I missed that snow fall. Wouldn't it be spectacular to have snow for the holidays?














Here are some photos from last week's picture-snapping jaunt down by the train tracks near Gilman Street. I am so pleased with how the pics came out. I love the rough and tumbleness of the images. I am planning to use some of the backgrounds and graffiti for some screen prints. Stay tuned!

Prepping for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays. Food, Scrabble, fine wine and pie. Leftover stuffing is my raison d'etre. I don't eat turkey but with my love of all starches, it promises to be a delicious day. I have a lot to be grateful for--let's hope I can focus on that in my carb-induced stupor!

Several Things and chickens

From this:

To This (in 9 short weeks):

THING ONE:
The wheelchair basketball fundraiser was a huge success! Lots of $ raised for an excellent cause and it was totally fun evening. What a great group of kids and grown-ups! I can't wait to go to their big game in December.

THING TWO:
New prints up in my Etsy shop. Trees, trees, trees. Also, I hung several new pieces at Tresses on Solano Ave (at Ensenada above Sweet Basil). These prints are already framed up and yours for a very reasonable price (20-60 bucks). One of my "Good Wood" prints is hung back by Becca's station and might be an inspiring gift for a husband--wink, wink.THING THREE:
The chickens had their first taste of pasta this morning. They loved it and gobbled it all up in record time. Just now, I gave them a bunch of slightly wilty basil and, again, they snatched it up with great relish.

THING FOUR:
Char e-mailed me this picture of a purple chicken. It's what you find when you google "purple chicken". 10 year olds are awesome!

The Coop is finished

Phoenix, Astrid, Dot, Vesper, Piper and Harper are spending their first night in their new digs. They aren't babies anymore and at 8 weeks old, they've been pushed out of the nest and into their nice cozy coop. What a relief!

Some new prints!

"Joel's Tractor" I love this one! It is a visual representation of the male mind.
"Vesper and Piper" Come on--you love it!
"Vesper and Piper" with a periwinkle composition book-like background.
As of yet untitled but reminds me of my time in Vermont. The orange really pops in person.
Smooth trees with pistachio dots and the yolky sun.

More trees with a minty background.



I'll post these to the Etsy shop later this week.

Trees and Tractors

I burned 5 new screens and the printing has begun! The trees are printing wonderfully. I am having some issues with the tractor but I think if I thicken the ink up a bit I will have better luck. Chickens are up next!

Rockin' the poulets! or les poulets...

I continue to blur the line between chicken and art. Chicken silhouettes? It promises to be amazing and very chic. Printing today...stay tuned!

ARTS & CRAFTS SALE!!

I will have some of my prints, paper assemblages and gift tags at this swell art fair on Saturday, 11/7-- see below for the deets. Here are some pics of my offerings. Please stop by!


Pre-holiday Open House
Hosted by Nan Mervin & Lisa Fontaine
Saturday, November 7
10am to 3pm
Nan's House @ 1090 Keeler Ave. in Berkeley (cross street Brett Harte)
Crafts, jewelry, children's and baby clothing, art, vintage, paper goods, yummies, & drinks!

La Coop

Biggie M is just about finished with the Chicken Coop. It is going to be so nice to move our wee barnyard girlfriends outside. The chickens need to stretch their little wings and peck and poke around the backyard. The brooder is just too small for the darlings and it is making me a little crazy (crazier?) listening to the squeaks and squawks from Mike's office.

NOVEMBER 22

November 22, 2009 Sunday 3-5pm REBECCA RIOTS
Youth Wheelchair Basketball Fundraiser CONCERT
Please come and help us send these incredible kids to their games!
Great music, silent auction and all kinds of fun-- I promise!

Halloween Round-Up

CHAR'S PRINCESS LEIA PUMPKIN!

The candy wrappers have been swept up and the pumpkins are collapsing in on themselves in the compost bin. We had a great time trick-or-treating with our usual Oct. 31 gang down in Albany. Then we feasted on Minestrone and tiny candy bars up at our house. It was a gorgeous night!

The Best of Both Worlds

Tim Gunn and Iron Man? NFW! So much to look forward to-- make it work, people!

Happy Halloween! Perfect day for plunging knives into pumpkins and eating tiny Twix bars.

FIrst Gig Poster COMPLETE!!

Hey! The Wheelchair Basketball Fundraiser poster is complete! 4 screens and lots of ink-- I'll still be cranking them out for a few days but the design and first run is ready. Also, save the date-- Sunday, November 22 3 pm - 5 pm at The Ashkenaz-- the fabulous band Rebecca Riots plays a fundraising gig for Matthew and Koda's most excellent wheelchair b-ball team.

Work Space Chaos

I think this guy goes to my gym:




My damn desk is a mess. I am trying to cobble together some more paper houses for a craft show/party and my studio is adrift in tiny scraps of paper. Bits of glue and book dust are everywhere. I can't wait to move into a bigger space but that is at least a year off. The larger the space, the larger the mess, I'm sure.

one month old lady belles

Here are some pics of the darling peckers at one month. Doesn't it look like our lovely lady Phoenix might end up being a rooster? Her comb is much bigger and far more pronounced than the other henny pennies.

The BEST granola

In order to thwart my urge to make Rice Krispy Squares, I made a batch of Mark Bittman's Granola. It is super easy to make and the house smells great. I added salted almonds this time-- it should hit that salty/sweet thing pretty hard.

It is too humid to screen print but it's a perfect day for baking or soup making. Also, a good day to work-- for pete's sake-- gotta bring home the bacon, too.

I'm still craving the RK treats...

Big Black Boots

Clearly, I am nobody's fashion maven and I am loath to even speak of style matters. I am widely regarded as Queen of the Man Blouse. But, there is one wardrobe element that has the power to change your outlook-- a pair of kick-ass black boots. They can be nose-bleed high heeled boots (think: spicy, sexy) or they can be clunky chunkers that make you feel as if you can take on the world and win. I almost have too many pair. Each has a place in my arsenal. If I find myself in an acquisitive mood, I hop onto the web and google "size 12 womens black boots" (don't be alarmed-- I'm 6'1" so I need giant feet). There is something to be said for adding a 4" heel to my bod and turning into a 6'5" tower of power (OK maybe just in my own mind). My latest pair are Frye Motorcycle-types with tough looking harness and buckle embellishments. I feel like I should be starring in an episode of "Alias" when I wear these things-- kicking down spies and stomping on bad guys.

Big Mike is rowing his heart out in Boston -- good luck, gents! Char and I miss him like crazy but are managing to have a lot of mommy/daughter fun. Lyra took us over to a used clothing store this afternoon and we found most of the elements for Char's Bellatrix costume. Bellatrix is a very naughty witch from the Harry Potter series in case you've been under a rock for the last few years. It promises to be a perfect Halloween!

xmas lists

Does your family publish xmas wish lists? Char got us started on ours (yes, I know it is a bit early) and Mike's list is hilarious. Good luck to Santa.

just humor me

Here's a look at the girls...3 weeks old and getting feathery. They fly into a tiny pterodactyl panic everytime I reach into the brooder. Cheeping and squeaking and flapping. They stretch their weird little necks up, up, up-- asserting their dinosaur connection. I put a piece of sod in with them and they stood around staring at it for about 30 minutes. Astrid was the brave lady of the flock and finally gave the clump of grass a hard peck. She pulled a blade free and minced around the brooder with her prize. Immediately, the other 5 belles got in on the action. Damn cute!