A Day at the Beach

Took Max to Half Moon Bay on Thursday. I was hoping the weather would hold out for our trip and miraculously we had sunny skies! I've had Max since I was 12 and he lives at home with my parents. I don't get to see him so often, but he will always be my baby.  MJ took some film of him running around. Hopefully she'll send it to me so I can post it soon. Isn't he the cutest?!?

Coraline

picture source

Saw Coraline last night and was so pleasantly surprised...it was better than I had expected. I loved the story and the animation was hauntingly beautiful. Every detail in the movie was perfectly executed; I was so impressed.  I don't know how it compares to the book, but I already want to see it again!

Arts Benicia Show Opening

Went to the opening of The Art of a Community exhibit at Arts Benicia tonight. I was so happy to have found this arts organization in my somewhat nearby neighborhood. Although I live in Vallejo, I find myself on First St. in Benicia far more often that any downtown Vallejo street. 

I spent an hour or so looking at the work of 180 different artists. I was pleasantly surprised by the vast range of mediums. Being especially into book arts right now, and as always, anything precious and delicate, I was drawn to this altered book by Karen Hatzigeorgiou.  While butterflies are not my favorite motif, the all white frames of these paper insects cast shadows on the book. They leap off the page only to be suspended, unmoving, yet flickering in the light. I like how the forms create other shapes, constantly changing and shifting in its environment. To be honest, there were so many people, I didn't get a very close or intimate look at any one piece, but I was happy to have spent my night there.  The show will be up through most of March, and I will like to see it again, without the buzzing crowd.

Am so happy to see the cherry blossoms, here and there along my travels, starting to spring to life, white and pink dotting the landscape and punctuating my rather boring drive to and from work. Not such a great photo, but they make me happy, pink pompoms adorning my little kitchen table.

Cake Box Book

Made this Cake Box Book as seen in Esther K. Smith's How to Make Books.  I love the look of using this vintage looking yellow cake mix...so 1950's! I of course considered making a book of the funfetti style cake for MJ since that's her favorite cake mix, but I didn't like the box. 

I used kraft paper, a cake mix yellow paper, and old school ruled newsprint paper (the kind I hated using when I was a kid). I bound the book with red and white baker's twine.

I love how the stitches look on the spine.

Voila! A Cake box book!

New Workshops

I am happy to announce I will be teaching workshops out of my studio at the Napa House. Check out the Napa House Blog for a class schedule!!! Coming up on Sunday February 22nd, I am offering a class in image transfer techniques for collage and paper arts. I will also be creating a Spring Schedule of new classes at the^workshop in Berkeley shortly. I have a renewed sense of purpose after the past few weeks of not wanting to even be at my house, let alone making anything. I hope to kick of the new year in February since January wasn't a proper send off into 2009. Hope this surge will last!!!!

Sticky Sushi Rice

Thanks everyone for all the support!  It helps tremendously!  I will be posting more regularly now. The last 10 days or so I have been hiding out at my boyfriend's restaurant and so I haven't been home much. Good stuff to come..

Went to Ichiban Kan (my favorite japanese dollar store) and bought these plastic molds for making rice balls and sushi. I made the girls avocado sushi for diner and they had cucumber rice flowers and hearts for lunch the next day. I had so much fun making them. I even have a little bird shape to try also.