Latey-Late Night.

Just me and my hot glue gun. Oyeah.

Worlds collide!

My handsome husband's favorite show ran a piece on Etsy. See Honey, it IS real! And? I managed to put a video on the blog - technology!

Game Reviews - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

The Daily: If we had a dog....

Fin: Can we put it there?

Me: Can we put what? where?

Fin: The dog.

Me: What dog?

Fin: Big dog, short legs.

Me: Ummmm, like this? (see above)

Fin: Yes! No. That's big ears, small dog, short legs. Yes, that's our dog.

Me: You don't seem 100% sure. Maybe we should keep looking.

Fin: Okay.

Just as well, for I've heard that basset hounds have a "deep and musical voice" and I'm not sure I'm 100% down with that. Thank you, for helping us narrow it down, to SharonMontrose. It's a lovely photo, isn't it?

My picks for the Poppies: Paper.

GO go go vote for your fave maker of Papergoods here. My pick: 1canoe2.

My picks for the Poppies: Jewelry.

Go here or here to vote for your fave maker of Handmade Jewelry. My pick: Leaves of Glass. Also? I want those earrings.

My picks for the Poppies: Photographer.

Go vote for your fave Photographer here. My pick: SweetEventide.

My picks for the Poppies: Textiles.

Go here to vote for your fave Handmade Textiles. My pick: FlowerPress.

The Daily: If we had a dog....

Seamus: If we had a dog, there wouldn't be five people in our family. There would be four people and one dog.

Me: That makes a whole lot of sense.

Polaroid by futurowoman. Isn't it lovely?

My picks for the Poppies: Vintage Shop.

Vote for your fave Vintage Shop here. My pick: cottage farm.

My picks for the Poppies: Artist's Blog.

Go vote for your fave Artist's Blog here. My pick: Enhabiten.

My picks for the Poppies: Housewares.

Go vote for your fave maker of Handmade Housewares here. My pick: chakra pennywhistle.

A remote and snowy place.

Did I say: no internet?

Yeah, I should have said: no electricity.

A remote and snowy place.

This morning we are going to a remote and snowy place which features snow and remoteness and in-access to things like the internet. My handsome husband said to me, in his most concerned tone of voice: Are you going to be okay with that?

Yes. I said. And, I shall. I may have to employ lamaze breathing and cabernet sauvignon, but I will survive.

Maybe I will even like it!

Hee. Scratch that last part - I forgot who we were talking about.

My picks for the Poppies: Eco Artist.

Okay. I can't tell you my pick for this one because I'm NOMINATED, people! And here's my official position on that: It's an honor just to be nominated.

Unofficially? Do you have any idea how thrilled I'd be in the unlikely event that I won? It becomes a lot less unlikely if you go here, right now, without hesitation, and vote for BananaSaurus Rex. Which? Is actually spelled incorrectly on the ballot (yes, how fitting) so if you wouldn't mind voting for "BananSaurus Rex" I'm sure we'll get it all sorted.

My picks for the Poppies: Affordable Art.

Go vote for your fave maker of Affordable Art here. My pick: Dolan Geiman (um, duh. I won't shut up about him.)

My picks for the Poppies: Accessories.

Go vote for your favorite maker of Handmade Accessories here. My pick: Bayou Salvage.

Thinking about Haiti.

Thinking about Haiti, and feeling rather unhelpful. Sending money doesn't seem like enough. Also, I'm living on a faultline and sleeping with a flashlight next to my bed. Maybe I should go bake some cookies for my local EMTs and building inspectors.

My picks for the Poppies: Crafters.

Vote for your fave crafter here. My pick: dottie angel. I wish I could vote twice because I love her blog as much as I love her work!

My picks for the Poppies: Ceramics.

Go vote for your fave ceramics artist here. My pick: Ninainvorm.

Rain.

We had a dramatic day of rain and sun and rain and sun and rain and sun and wind yesterday, which we undramatically spent indoors - the boys building things out of Legos and their Mama building things out of vintage linen, lace, wool and lavender. It was splendid.

I've noticed lately that when the work is going well, I'm invincible and euphoric about everything and when it's not going well, I'm destroyed. Brilliant observation, yes?

And it only took me 40 years to figure that out.

More loveliness.

I love a girl who loves to make a list.

I am a girl who loves to make a list.

If you're in the mood to read a particularly nice list?

100 Skills Everyone Should Master

I suppose it's possible you don't enjoy a good list.

As much as I do.

I don't know.

How lovely is that?

Owl Baby Pin, $12 by needlings - available here, all proceeds go to the American Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief.

To market, to market....

I've spent the last couple of days pulling apart old tablecloths, some in poor shape, some in worse....and sewing them back together again, in varied configurations. And, now I have a glorious stack of MamaGoToMarket Bags, each one soft and solid and sturdy, each more beautiful than the next, in their lovely and perfect mend-and-make-do sort of way.

I must confess: I am currently experiencing a rare moment of complete satisfaction.

Those of you who know me (or read the blog with any regularity) know that my prevailing attitude toward my own work is one of extreme insecurity (or ridiculous bravado - which is motivated by and only partially obscures the aforementioned extreme insecurity). So, let me have my moment.

Things to do today:

Delicate, 16 x 18 inch original watercolor, $430 at MaiAutumn

Let go of worry and fear.

Do best and most beautiful work.

Take frequent milk-and-cookie breaks with young gentlemen.

Acknowledge own fragility.

Embrace an amazing opportunity.

Get ready to fly.

Breathe.

How lovely is that?

Herbert just got new wallpaper. He's not quite sure how he feels about it yet. What are your thoughts?

5 x 7 inch print, $10 at hushmouse

Hello, Baltimore.

So.

I have some news....

BananaSaurus Rex will be at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore on February 25 - 28, 2010. This is exciting news, to be sure, and astonishing and terrifying. And I'm sure that I will be very excited about it just as soon as I get over my astonishment and terror. It may be a while.

You know what I love?

You know what I love about blogging? That the post I thought would bore your pants off garnered a comment from a total stranger about how I got it all wrong. Oh, how I heart the internet.

Winner. m-hm.

Just found out I won this. Won this. (Via papernstitch, which rocks.)

It's a Dolan Geiman.

It's a bird.

Just sayin.

Of birds and boring you.

Autumn Owl, 8.5 x 11 inch print, $20 at DearDodo

I had this dream a few nights ago (and Yes, I'm aware that the best and fastest way to bore you is to recount the contents of my dreams, and yet I press on) in which I found a nest of five tiny speckled eggs. I brought the nest inside and the eggs hatched five teensy weensy perfectly-formed adult owls that whistled sweetly, flew around the house and fit themselves into wee spaces like thimbles and pistachio shells.

I'm so obsessed with this dream that I had to do online dream interpretation (and Yes, I'm aware that this is tantamount to believing in astrology or Keynesian economic theory, and yet I press on). This is what I found: Birds and eggs are generally a very good omen. If you dream of a nest full of eggs, you will soon see some financial gains. If the eggs are few or tiny, your windfall will be small but significant, coming at a time when you need it most. But, if you see birds hatching, your gain will be delayed.

Not a bad start to the new year, right?

Now I see birds everywhere. The keychain Julie bought me has birds on it, and the necklace she is wearing today. There was a bird stuck in the gym at school and Bob Marley's Three Little Birds is stuck in my head. I could go on and on.

Are you bored yet?

I am resolved....

1. To bend time and space.

2. To become the new darling of the craft world and a local celebrity.

3. To brush my teeth Before taking the kids to school 90% of the time.

How lovely is that?

Whatever you want, 8x12 inch print, $30 at Ozlem Haluk Photography

2010 is new. It might be terrible. Might be as fabulous as you can make it. Might be Whatever you want.