A-Oh. I Gots Connections Now.

Tonight is Big A$$ Indie and it can't get here fast enough. If all the stars align I will also be interviewing THE Leslie Hall and the Ly's with my pal Courtney from Girls Guide to the Galaxy. Courtney has bedazzled a super secret project that she'll be unveiling tonight. I can't wait! As if all of that wasn't exciting enough, I also found out last night that I've been accepted to the St. Louis Craft Mafia! Check out the mafia's list of members and their shops by clicking the links on my page. This has been an AWESOME week!

The Big A$$ Weekend

After a whirlwind of activity in the last week I'm glad to have a couple days of quiet-ish time in between activities. Last night was a marathon meeting for Girls Guide and we got a ton done. Tonight and tomorrow will be nice and mellow. I have a few things to do, but nothing as intense as last weekend. Getting ready for Big A$$ Indie damn near killed me. Of course I waited perhaps a bit too long to really get my butt in gear, so I had weeks worth of activity to cram in to a weekend. Oh well, its done, submitted, I was pleased with the results and I'm REALLY excited about the show this weekend. I hope y'all will come check it out this weekend at Mad Art.

The kid got back from Mexico today and she smells like heaven - sand, salt water and sun tan lotion. I'm glad she's back too - this mama doesn't like to go more than a few days without some kid love and it has been a full week. Since she's a teenager affection is rationed in such small amounts anyway, ya know?

Tomorrow afternoon I have the dreaded allergy testing where I will be poked, proded and injected with stuff that makes me itch like a mo fo. After I have a handful of Claritin washed down with some Benedryl I have big plans for the dog park. I'm going to sit on my kiester with Bobbi and watch our unofficial black dog club (Mackie, Zipper, Noodles and Bibi a.k.a. Debbie) romp and play. I might throw a fudgesicle on top of the whole thing if I'm feeling extra adventurous.

I'll need my energy for this big weekend. Friday night I'm working at Mad Art from 7 to 11. Saturday morning I'm up at the crack of dawn to work a booth for Paste at Soulard Farmer's Market. Sunday afternoon it's back over to Mad Art to pick up my stuff. Somewhere in there I'll hang with my kid and sleep some. Maybe eat.

Speaking of...I better get my arse to bed. Toodle-loo!

Busy, Busy, Bee

So many exciting things have happened this week. It's been a total whirlwind! Earlier this week I got a "promotion" at Girls Guide to the Galaxy and am now the new Arts Editor. YAY! I'm so honored to be a part of this fantastic women's magazine! We have all sorts of neat-o events coming up in the very near future, be sure to stay tuned for details.

Today, I got an email letting me know my artist feature is live on Cafe Handmade. This is such a cool site that hosts a weekly virtual craft show. I'm thrilled beyond belief to be featured.

In addition to the totally awesome stuff happening I've also been feverishly crafting my butt off. Lots of new things are happening in the studio. I've added some toddler clothing with cute-as-hell appliqued animals, some new doggie toys, as well as making a bunch of jewelry. I've got lots more new stuff in queue for the big show at the end of the month, Big Ass Indie Arts & Crafts show at Mad Art Gallery. This is going to be a cool show. There will be live entertainment too! That same weekend I'll be representing my favorite craft store, Paste, at Soulard Farmer's Market with my pal Bobbi of DownZipper. I'll be at the Farmer's Market in Tower Grove Park on September 19th, then the next big show will be on September 26 & 27, the Strange Folk Festival in Illinois. It's going to be a huge bunch of fun with tons of artists from all over. I can't wait!

I'm feeling a little tired reading about all my big plans! In addition to all the fun in the studio, I have a wedding to attend and photograph for one of my dearest friends, Teri, a camping trip with the kiddo and a hotel overnight at the Crowne Plaza with my bff, Paula (I won a free night's stay last year and it's about to expire!). The day job is crazy busy with the fall semester rapidly approaching and I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to sleep again. Good thing I like coffee and there's nothing more I love than being busy.

Swamped City Studio

The last couple weeks have been crazy busy and the coming weeks are sure to be more of the same. My little sweatshop of one is a buzz with the hum of my sewing machine and a little sticky all over from projects requiring glue. I figure I'll get around to giving it a good scrubbing in about a month or two when things slow down a little.

Because things have been so busy as of late, my "diet" has consisted mostly of ice cream, cheese, coffee and popcorn all of which I'm fairly certain is not Weight Watcher approved. One of these days I'm going to eat like an adult for more than 3 days in a row. Last week I splattered myself all over the sidewalk in front of Mad Art Gallery leaving a planning meeting for Big Ass Indie Arts & Craft show (July 31-August 2). Injuries sustained include: one bruised ego, hurty joints and multiple soft-tissue injuries. Now a week later, I'm mostly better, but my right knee seems to be unconvinced that we're on the road to recovery and is currently screaming at the top of its lungs. To top it off, Bad Cat is not well. He's all lethargic and lovey, which can't be a good sign. The vet is coming tomorrow to take an arm & a leg (mine) and hopefully make my little fuzzy delinquent all better.

Now that the bitching is out of the way, on to the good stuff!

I got an acceptance letter from Autumn at Strange Folk yesterday. YAY! Mark your calendars for September 26th and 27th. Stay tuned for more details in the near future. I'll be participating in the upcycling program along with several other vendors at both Big Ass Indie and Strange Folk, be sure to check out our wish list - awesome excuse to unload some of the "junk" that's lying around the house and support the local artist community. I'm so excited to have an opportunity to participate in both Big Ass Indie and Strange Folk. The artists are fantastic and so much fun to work with and the organizers are top notch.

Time for me to shuttie and get craftin'. Can't wait to see you all!