Safe Baby Handling Tips

From a book by David and Kelly Sopp. I dare you not to laugh!

Powerful Solace

This is a poster by Christine Clayton that moved me beyond words this quarter. Completed in Creative Strokes, it wowed her critique panel and when she wrote to thank me for the assignment, I was moved to tears.

It is all too easy to look at such a controversial subject matter with an attitude of judgement. To prevent the unthinkable, I think our first task to to ask "why" with the ultimate goal of understanding.

Bravo Christine!

Heavenly Tuft

A photo Nanny snapped of Anton playing in the sun. This is his classic bed head look, framed masterfully by the dramatic shadow behind him.

Left Orchid Lace Mitt Completed

With this deliciously yummy lace-weight wool from Uruguay called Malabrigo Yarn, I've completed the left mitt of Anne Hanson's Orchid Lace Mitts. Mind you, I have a toddler and actually began this project back in October. Though, I must admit, I took a break from knitting altogether after xmas - so maybe my timing isn't that bad.

I sit here in bed with Gunther at my feet, listening to Anton's soft breath through the baby monitor. It's been a sweet weekend. So wonderful to watch him grow and develop. The bond between us is getting stronger as he becomes more aware of himself - he looks to me for a mirror. It's quite a thing to be so intimately involved in another person's life. I know every nook and cranny of his body, his mood, his laughs and whimpers, every minute of every day of his life. And to think that someday I have to be strong enough to let him go is amazing to me. An exercise of true love. I will need a lot of grace.

Soup!

Let's not tell Miss Manners.

What movie is this line from?

Have A Happy Period

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you ------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong',

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always. . .

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

More Color Theory

Well! I've been having more fun with polymer clay. Last week we did this exercise in class and I baked and strung my color beads tonight. I think they look pretty sweet on my red beret.

Blast From the Past and Into the Future

New Bookmaking classes/workshops

For a current schedule of bookmaking and calligraphy classes taught by Anne Elser, please visit her current teaching calendar here!
Friends!

We have rescheduled all the bookmaking classes at Binders.

We'll have a Weekend Workshop on Sat. March 15: 11am-5pm and
Sun. March 16: 12-5pm
Fee: $95

We'll make a Book and a box for the book to go into.


Then we're doing another 6-week class this time on Wednesday nights:
Wednesdays, 6 sessions, June 4- July 9
6-8:30pm
Fee:$140

We'll make lots of books and one box. :)

Tell your friends!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. Joe Smith: Creative Muscle's recovering Color Tard. Although his MansLator comp lacked pizazz this week, he was the first to complete his sculpey color triangle. What a trooper.

Anton and Olaf at Breakfast

Turning 40

Color Theory in Sculpey

This is fascinating exercise I found on this very cool beelog. I'm considering adding it to the mix of color exercises we do in Creative Muscle.

Mom's new work

Here's a beautiful new painting by Mom, who has gotten her painting groove back after adjusting to life as a full-time grandmother. :)

Newly listed buttons on Etsy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Peter & Mia

I loved this picture my brother posted the other day of Mia examining his ear.

New Painting

Here's a painting Mom did of me, Ruthie and Bjorn a while back, set in the old mountain house we had up in Highlands, NC. I love the two little fuzzy black & white dogs at my feet. We still miss Ruthie.

For the Disgruntled Singles on Valentine's Day

We had a blast in Holy Hand this morning. Kevin whipped out his new copy of Hand Job and we all got to work with some down and dirty emotive type. Mike drew this gem and I colored the screws with lovely fleshy tones of pink. Nice, huh? I'd love to do a whole line of offensive holiday cards for folks not in the mood to celebrate.

And speaking of new books about type, I'm interested in New Vintage Type by Steven Heller. Anyone got it and love it? Tell me!

New Buttons

New buttons are ready for display and sale! Yippee!

Beauty Contest

OK Voters: Who wears the hat better? Be ye kind.

Two More Connections

Celebrity Look-Alike

I could not resist the connection!

Norwegian Table Prayer

Here's a new piece of calligraphy I've been working on, the Norwegian table prayer my great grandmother Dagny Davnes taught us. This is done in Blackletter - a meaty, greedy and sensuous face. Quite different from the gentle flourishes of Copperplate. I'm digging the thick strokes and the ability to lay that much ink down on the paper.

Color Palettes

An exercise we did in Creative Muscle this week. Extracting every color possible from an object using Color Aid paper. These would have been much better photos has I not taken them with my dinky camera phone. You get the idea, though.

Hot Pants

The Anton Man gets DOWN with his bad self. Takin' his first steps, standin' and clappin' and meltin' our hearts.

Watermelon

Bookmaking at Binders

Friends,

From February 16 - March 22, I will be teaching a 6-week course on bookbinding at Binders Art Supply. The class is $250.00. We will meet on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. All the supplies you need are sold right there at the store. I'm excited!

Please spread the news to anyone you think might be interested in the class. You can sign up for the class on the Binders website.

Thanks and please spread the word!

Ketubah

Here's a ketubah I did for a recent PC grad a couple of weeks ago.

Buttons!

Holly suggested I try playing with sculpey. She's a knitter, too and makes buttons to sell to knit shops. She sews them to a card and the knit shop displays them. My finger's still injured from knitting and I'm going through a kind of panic similar to the withdrawal symptoms I experienced when I really quit smoking. My hands need something to DO.

SO I spent the weekend excessively making buttons. Yay for sculpey!

First Snow

We took Anton out in the snow yesterday for the first time, made a mini snowman and snapped a few pics. Yay for snow!

New Calligraphy

Here's some new calligraphy work I did recently for a wedding. Like it? Want it? Know someone who would? Spread the news!

Rug Hooking

Since my finger is still blue at the tip, I've put down intricate knitting for a while and am looking for a larger craft. Anyone heard of rug hooking? It's an old craft of making your own rug with scraps of fabric pulled tightly through linen or burlap. It's got a heavy folk art feel and is completely charming! This pattern I'm particularly interested in. Meow!

tanks

This disturbing image comes with an endearing message.

Peter, Glo and Mia came to town for the weekend to help celebrate Dad's 70th birthday. Some point in the conversation, we started talking about teeth. Dad flew upstairs and returned to Peter and me with two little jars with our names on the outside. Inside was the stash of two lifetime's worth of Tooth Fairy paychecks: our baby teeth.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for the tooth fairy. For candy and cake and ice cream (see my cavities) and fabulous slumber parties with friends and the best ever birthday parties by far in the neighborhood. Thanks for 2 years of braces (see the 4 permanent teeth with long beautiful roots?) and my retainer and 5 years of art school, 10 of piano lessons and mucho help with grad school. Thank you for tubes in my ears to keep infections away.

Thank you for giving me so many reasons to smile. I love you.

P A N D O R A

Sick of your iTunes library? Go to the Music Genome Project!

Ahhh Chooo!

Well I have nothing clever to say today. Though I am happy, anton and I have been battling colds. After three days of a fever that spiked 104 this morning and three night of little sleep for all of us (yes, I'm dizzy and barely functioning), I took him to the Dr. today. His fever went down again, and he doesn't have any serious infections, though his throat is terribly red and sore. If he doesn't get better in 3 days, we take him back for a recheck. The one benefit from this experience is another chance to seriously bond with Anton. He's never been this sick before. When he feels his worse, he buries his head into your chest and falls asleep there. It is the most heavenly feeling. I relish every whimper and snuggle. He is such a beautiful boy.

He has begun to walk while holding your hands. This is amazing to watch and really fun to see him smile at his own accomplishments.

Other good news, Bjorn's getting better. I walked him yesterday during lunch up and down Peachtree & Bennett and he did really well. Then back in the hallways at school, he walked off-leash with me, never stepping ahead of me. This is a HUGE step. He slept soundly in class and was cheery and obedient the whole day. I am feeling like I can tackle his aggression and make him feel safer around me and therefore safer around Anton. I am feeling like a rock star. I love you BjornMouse!

Mom is keeping Anton tonight so we can get some sleep. I am soooooooo excited.

Dad turns 70 tomorrow and I have this present to give him. My goal is to make him cry. Wish me luck!

I Love Burt's Bees

I have a horrific cold and cough and will post this yummy, girlie post in spite of how I feel.

This limp shimmer in "Champagne" has the tiniest hint of shimmery light pink - a perfect lip gloss in an elegant thin tube. Also tastes and smells like mint.

Yay!

I Love Dexter

Well, we are officially hooked. Hopelessly hooked. Doomed. Forever. We've just finished watching the entire first season and are now into the second. We call them Sode Marathons. What I love most about Dexter is the kernels of truth about life that apply to ALL of us. This truth is laced in between the bloody strands of detail about serial killers. And this one's a good guy. Remember how smart Hannibal was? Only killing the rude or guilty? Dexter's the same way. He deals with loneliness, isolation, and other aches for deeper feeling and meaning in his life, just like we do. So I like this guy cause I see myself in him.

Betcha didn't know I had a dark side, eh?