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oh dear

(do my eyes look green in this photo? Hmmmph! They are most certainly gray and often quite blue!)

Lovely things that happened today: while searching for an adventure happened upon a monthly antique fair out in the boondocks. Perused said fair, got a flyer for a toy fair coming up soon. Later headed to a huge book sale, which was having a half price day. Came home with about 15 books for $9.75, all this after a tasty breakfast with my dear Ravi.

Not so lovely things: walk away with nothing from the antique fair, especially when I went back looking for the perfect deer figurine I saw and finding it GONE! I couldn't believe I didn't even ask how much it was the first time around. SIGH.

Last time I was in Phoenix I happened upon an amazing indie toy store called Red Hot Robot. I spoke to the owner a little and took his business card so I could send him a few images of my work and see if he was keen. And yay, he was! He was up in Tucson this weekend so I was able to hand deliver the items for his store. Hopefully they sell and I can send more. If you're in the area you have to check his store out, so many amazing things. He also features local artists, and has shows and openings in his store. :)

Here are the plush I sent him:

PLUSHED: Art Gone Soft

A show I am going to be in, along with many other really awesome plush artists. And, as you can see, the drawing for the promo image was modeled after my Baby Tripod monsters!

Here are the five little Vintage Napkin Monsters I sent for the show. :)

moving on...

(little monster embroidery I'm working on)

As I sit in my little studio (which I have to first say that I quite like) all I can think about is how very much I would like to move into a larger, brighter space.

I moved here at the beginning of August and this is really, truly the first place I have ever called "my own". I've always, since I moved out of my parents house at 18 ( I may have even still been 17) shared my space with someone else.

Right now this place is an incredible mess, which I have been "meaning" to clean for the last week. But the more I stare at all of my stuff, jam packed into this place, the more I think that perhaps I need to move on. I really do enjoy my roommate, the area where I live, our lovely big yard and the whole bit. But still.

I guess the issue, however, is money. (When is the issue not going to be money?)
I don't think I can actually afford a larger space. And also my pets. I have two dogs ( a dachshund and a chihuahua), three birds (two love birds and a parrotlet, which occupy two cages), and a ball python (which I have sadly been debating whether or not I should rehome for the last several months). I'm likely going to get another small-ish bird in the near future and at the beginning of February, my friend from the Betta Club is bringing me some BEAUTIFUL show quality bettas. So... besides money, I also need to find someone who is okay with my little zoo.

Here is how I picture my ideal place: A lovely, airy studio apartment, with a small kitchen (and bathroom as my current place has neither and I go inside my roomates house to use those!) with either hardwood floor or concrete. I'd like the walls painted a very light color and I'd love it to have lots of windows. And if it was in San Francisco, I'd be in heaven.

I guess we can all dream right?



(Dingo taking a breather during our walk)

I wish my Dogs didn't have dog shit breath...

Ick, it smells so bad! They aren't even in my face, but every time they exhale I get a nice big gust of stinky doggy breath.

In other news, I NEED THAT (above)! Isn't it perfect? Oh how I want it. So. Much.

I made these two as gifts. The Yellow Squid was for my family's Chinese Christmas Gift Exchange and ended up going to my cousin Marii. The Purple Kitty plushie was a gift for my Grandmother.

Blah. I'm feeling very down at the moment... and that is all.

I want a Namekuji....

I keep seeing these Namekuji on Flickr, and I want one. I don't exactly know why, but I just do.

goodbye dear whale sharks.... will we ever meet?

Right now I am supposed to be driving across the states to see Whale Sharks in Atlanta with my boyfriend. Instead, I am sitting all alone in my bed looking through Flickr pages and reading the This is Blythe forum. :( And my boyfriend is hundreds of miles away, in Seattle and not spending Christmas here with me, like he promised.

To say I am disappointed is an understatement. It is more like being heartbroken. But life goes on, right? I spent the morning at SAS buying fabric and trim to make doll clothes and then I spent the afternoon tidying my place and reading the internet. You can see my Alice Cherry Blossom in the photo above. I've named her Lola Pig. Ravi took the (read: his ) good camera with him to Seattle so I'm stuck taking sub par photos.

I have so much plushing to do it is unreal. I'm going to make a squid for the the Christmas gift exchange and "something" for my grandmother tonight because I am supposed to be going to Phoenix tomorrow morning. I kind of don't want to go. Yes, I want to see my Mom. No, I don't want to hang out in Phoenix for days. Oh well.

p.s. I'm doing a doll-sized fabric swap if anyone is interested: