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I NEED ONE MILLION DOLLARS & A PARTNER IN ART CRIME + SEPTEMBER 01, 2010

Having completed my EAST application today I feel like I need to do a bunch of work. Exactly what are all of these people going to be looking at in my house with only some walls covered and about four million things unfinished?! I have really got to get my shit together. And by shit I meant stuff. Reminds me of something funny that I found on the internet- you know, while I was not doing any work at all...

On the super exciting side though is that my dear friend Brian Hull will be here during EAST and will show some of his metalworks in my home. This means that I won't be bored for a single moment and that I will have a partner in art crime to help me out. This way we may both escape for bits of time to go see other galleries, which I believe was one thing that I was very sad about missing last year.

Since all of my work is two-dimensional, his work is able to be everywhere else in the house. I will be so happy to have him. Hurrah.

Last week I put a bunch of artwork on Etsy.com and while I have had a few people look at my work, not a damn thing has sold. From what I can tell by snooping around the site, it apparently takes hundreds of views for someone to finally purchase something.

Man oh man, I sure hope that people spend their Labor day weekend pulling up artwork on Etsy. Who the hell is outside during Labor Day weekend? Not a darn soul, that's who.

Its also still hot as all hell here in Austin. Its a fairly common practice to observe polar hibernation in Texas, where many of us hole up in our ultra air-conditioned homes and stay there until the more agreeable weather of late September. Just a few more weeks to go and boy oh boy I am sick to death of all of this.

One of the world's greatest writers, Douglas Coupland (Genertion X, Life After God), who prior to being a writer was an art and design student in his native Vancouver, has come out with a line of clothing, tables, bags, skateboard decks that are being carried by Roots.

The motherboard pattern is brilliant. And I love the use of colorbars. And how fabulous would everything look on this table?! Ugh- I love him so much. What a brilliant dude. Perhaps if I wrote some crazy books people would be interested in my artwork. Check it all out here.

Now that I can't shake Mr Coupland, I must add my very favorite from him, the story of Doggles:

"We stayed at a motel in Kamloops that night, halfway to our ultimate destination. I just couldn't make it any further. After we got settled into our room, the big drama was that we forgot your Dr. Seuss book back at the Chicken Shack in Merritt. You refused to settle down until I told you a story and so I was forced to improvise in spite of my tiredness, something I am not good at doing. And so out of nowhere, I just said what came into my head and I told you the story of 'Doggles.'
'Doggles?' you asked.
'Yes-- Doggles-- the dog who wore goggles.'
And then you asked me what did Doggles do, and I couldn't think of anything else aside from the fact that he wore goggles.
You persisted and so I said to you, 'Well Doggles was supposed to have had a starring role in the Cat in the Hat series of books except...
'Except what?' you asked.
'Except he had a drinking problem,' I replied.
'Just like Grandpa,' you said, pleased to be able to make a real life connection.
'I suppose so,' I said.

I could just die its so awesome. Bananas awesome. J'adore it awesome. How can you not want to read every single thing that he has ever written?!

Speaking of fabulous reads, I am mere pages away from completeing Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, which was pilfered from a complete lunatic and is therefore safer in my hands. And I must say that I have absolutely DEVOURED the book and I have plans to begin it again the very moment that I finish. It is perhaps the fat girl inside of me that keeps me obsessed with food.

SADDNESS UPDATE + AUGUST 20, 2010

OK, OK, OK... Apparently I wake up just as sad as I can be if I hear from Daniela's dad before I go to sleep. All is back to normal now.
Do not be blue and play sappy sad country music- it will almost kill you off. It's why people drink more when they listen to country music (a proven fact that I am far to lazy to find sources for.)

And I would like to say that I have found something awesome, something beautiful and inspiring and if I were more ambitious and well put together this would be my blog: www.compaiblog.com
It's a great mix of DIY's, graphic and interior design.

Above is her post from today. Unlike me, she apparently doesn't bring any of her messy emotion to the table.
Super cute site. Stable woman who writes it.

SADDNESS STICKS TO ME + AUGUST 20, 2010

Had you told me ten (or fifteen) years ago that my art school education would be put to use to design the invitation to my dearest friend's memorial I would have never believed you.

I hope that I do not feel so raw and so broken forever. And the guilt. The guilt may just swallow me whole.
I cry without end- without any kind of knowledge of how to stop.

ATTEMPING TO CATCH UP ON ALL + AUGUST 8, 2010

So FINALLY I have a box full of invitations ready to leave the house. The damn monogrammed seal that I ordered for the back flaps took almost 3.5 weeks to get here, can you believe it?! And it finally got here and now I hate the way that they are addressed, so I am guessing that I must double up the names on the front-- the vellum is super see through and its very distracting from the front address.
Perhaps I can wrap the invitations (that I thankfully can put off for quite a bit) with some sort of cutout or layer of paper. Let me go work on these addresses...

I think that the seal came out alright, though I may prefer one in script for the invites. It also did take a bit to get used to using. Works best when the seal is kept on ice- the wax dries almost as soon as you stamp and very easy to remove.

Slade says that they look like condoms, which is both kind and intellectual.
I feel like they look as if they would glow in the dark. Its now no doubt too late as I will walk to the local post office as early as possible to get around the swealtering heat that we must endure here during just another Texan August.

So that's the package for the mail. If I had to do again I would change the addresses, perhaps simply a different pen?, I would make the seal in script letters, and I would have some solution to the transparency issue. But they're cute. I hope that they make people smile.
PS Please do not send Brad mail.

A photo of my desk covered in drying postcards and stickers. There were many tiny pieces and details and it kind of took over my life for a bit. Had problems with 2 of the 5 vendors, which is a bad average.

On an awesome note, I did find time to recover four chairs in this kick ass blue and white Brunschwig & Fils fabric. Super gorgeous. Mason obviously is a fan as well.

Have also ALMOST finished a wedding website that should cover most information and give all of us a damn break for quite awhile and especially during the weekend that we get married. But yeah-ALMOST finished. And will have to hustle hustle hustle as soon as I leave the post office tomorrow morning.

And I am hoping that I am 3 steps away from finishing an Austin map. And thinking that I should make several more. It is a no doubt pain to throw a big fat party and invite a bunch of kids that live somewhere else..

The East Side Studio Tour will be coming around again in November and I am starting to look around my house and try to figure what direction I am going to be going in. I should probably make a list of things that worked and didn't work from last year. I also need to make several things that are affordable enough to move. Oh my lordy and then there's the issue of what we will eat!
Please e-mail me if you have any great ideas or see my work and like something in particular.

I am also helping the Ann Richards School organize a show for their girls during EAST as well. It should be a very exciting year and hopefully I will be able to be all over the place during that week- and I am wondering if I stay open for only one weekend or two??!

I have been working quite a few late nights and I am almost done with an updated portfolio website, which is great because it has been a hot mess. I also have every intention in the world to get Mr Madden's Dinner up and running. An entire year has passed since we had purchased these sites and I still have yet to get the darn thing up and functional. What a waste, you know.

For today's last bit: Is it just me or is it BABY EXPLOSION time? I have become inundated with baby pictures on every last corner of facebook. My cousin just had his first child days ago and a cabinmate of mine from camp is due any moment. I am shocked every single time that I see someone I grew up with with three children. Where did they get all of that time and THREE?! I can't even get Slade to get me another dog.

Above is my mother, my aunts, my grandmother, back when they were experiencing a baby explosion. I am on the bench, Cousin Olivia is in her mom's lap, and I think my cousins, Richard and Britt, in the corner. Pretty cute. Probably 30 years ago, so I guess we are right on track!

CACTUS CHAIR/BEST TATTOOS 05.27