Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Best Christmas Photo Ever!
Ahhh, the Christmas of '87, also affectionately known in the family as the "Karate Pajama Christmas". This was the Christmas right before I left for the Peace Corps, so the whole family was home--14 of us, with sleeping bags all over the place. Note the awesome shag carpeting and gold velour couch. And yes, if you were to venture into the kitchen, you would find avocado green appliances....
My Mom in all her Grandmotherly wisdom decided to get all 5 nephews karate pajamas that year. This photo was taken at probably the only moment that they actually stood still--I'm still amazed that it isn't blurry...With five guys under the age of 6, there was a whole lot of kicking, chopping and "hiyAA-ing". Good times....
Wishing you all memorable holidays with family and friends!
-Laura
Friday, December 11, 2009
Last show of the Season!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Strange Brew
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fine Art of Fiber Right Now!
So I'm making up for it now, midway though the show. The show started just last night and I'm already out of all just a few of my shawls and Flamenco scarves. I'm certainly not complaining--it's a good problem to have! Thanks God for coffee and Diet Pepsi....
The weather for this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, just like the past two days. Even though mostof the leaves are on the ground, the Chicago Botanic Garden is still beautiful at this time of year.
Stop on by!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
They like me, they really like me!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sneak Preview
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
New Store!
My felted geode pincushions are now carried at gift shop of Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature preserve in Niles, MI. I can't quite remember how they found me--I think the executive director might have been to the Hyde Park show and suggested them to the gift shop manager. Or something like that.
Make sure to check out their website--they have gorgeous gardens and lots of educational programs. I definitely need to make a road trip over there. And I noticed that they have an annual road trip to the Fine Art of Fiber at the Chicago Botanic Garden! I love being a part of museums and non-profits like this -- I much prefer it over regular stores. Makes me feel good that a purchase of one of my pieces does a bit of good for an organization.
And speaking of doing good, Uncommon Threads, the annual fundraiser for the Fine Line Creative Arts Center is this weekend. Tickets are still available for the luncheon and fashion show--the boutique will run from 10:30 am until 1:00, then will open again after the luncheon, around 2:30. This will be the first year that my pieces will be in the runway show--I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Fall into the Arts in Bloomington
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Fingers Crossed....
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Art in the Barn this Weekend!
(UPDATE: Just got back from setting up my booth tonight and I have the same space as last year: A-5 in the lower barn.)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Montage Monday
I came across this montage of my Flamenco Scarves on an Italian design blog several months ago--I think they did a great job on the photo! And here's the descrition they provided:
Monday, September 14, 2009
Meet What's-his-name
Friday, September 4, 2009
One Week 'til Big Shoulders
Just one week until Big Shoulders, Chicago's only open water race on Lake Michigan. I'm doing the 5k this year and think (hope?) that I'm prepared for it. I've done more long distance swimming than in previous years, plus I swam during the winter with the Evanston Masters.
One of my greatest pleasures during the summer is swimming in Lake Michigan. There is something so peaceful about open water swimming (usually--sometimes the weather adds excitement). But being in Lake Michigan in the city is something else--seeing the skyline every time you take a breath...well, that is just something you have to experience.
And swimming with other open water folks is just the best. I've been swimming with a group called Open Water Chicago--great group of people. It's all about the lake and enjoying your swim-no competition and no posturing that you often see with the triathlon crowd. I'm generalizing here, but it seems that most triathletes are not as comfortable swimming, so there is a lot of nervous energy when they are down at the lake. And don't get me started with the primping and preening over their wetsuits--honestly, I think many spend more time squeezing themselves into their suits and fussing with the zippers than actually swimming.
As for me--I don't have a wetsuit. I am blessed with *ahem, cough, cough* my own natural insulation and padding :)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Exhausted, but happy
I treated myself to a massage last night (Chicago Touch--I highly recommend it!) and was explaining to the therapist why I was so sore. He had been to the show and asked "Did you see those cool wavy felt scarves?" I smiled and said, "well, yeah...those are mine. " He immediately turned to the receptionist and started telling her how she just had to see my stuff. What a cool surprise!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Bucktown Arts Fest this Weekend!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Complete Sensory Overload
The exhibit was really amazing--wonderful background of the origins of felt in Central Asia, to its contemporary applications in craft and its industrial uses. To top it off, the other exhibit there was on Design for a Living World, sponsored by the Nature Conservancy. The premise was to take 10 internationally known designers from various disciplines and have them explore the use of a sustainable resource in their work. While all of their projects were amazing, the one that sticks in my mind is the evening gown made by Isaac Mizrahi. He uses salmon skins (a waste product from the fishing industry) to make pailottes (a type of sequin) to cover silk chiffon. Elegant and amazing. For more on the exhibit, the projects and their designers, see this link from the Nature Conservancy.
Then there was the garment district. Oh, where to start? I was like a kid in a candy store--a really, really big candy store. Found some wonderful silks for my nuno felt, as well as wool lace and wool gauze (which I didn't even know existed). I can definitely see making a trip back here for fabrics--maybe even a day trip with a cheap fight. NYC style pizza makes for great sustanence during marathon shopping jaunts.
I wish that my hands would work as quickly as my mind--I'm trying my best to create as many pieces as I can in preparation for the Bucktown Arts Fest this weekend. Between the new silks I've purchased, the silk and fibers I've been dyeing and the sari silk I am now using, I have so many ideas and projects to make. But I guess I shouldn't be in such a hurry--I do have 8 shows this fall--plenty of opportunities to debut new items!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Hmm...maybe I AM a bit of a Luddite....
A few days beforehand I thought--hey, I should get some books on tape from Cracker Barrel (back in the days of frequent road trips, I did this a lot). So, thinking that I was being organized and all, I called a Cracker Barrel just to make sure they still rented them. Sure the person said, we rent audio books. Audio books---so that's what they call them now.
I stopped at the first one outside of Chicago and sauntered up to the kiosk where to my dismay I learned why they now call them audio books: 'cause they aren't on tapes anymore. Damn....
My 10-year-old car only has a tape player. Reminds me when I learned the hard way that Blockbusters didn't carry VHS movies any longer. After my initial disappointment, I realized that I probably wasn't missing anything--the selection appeared to consist of self-help books and Danielle Steel romance novels.
Never fear, I foraged through my car and came up with a rockin, if not eclectic selection of tapes: Madonna, Led Zepplin, David Bowie, Gyspy Kings and others. Oh, I travel in style...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What's Old is New Again
Well, it's sunny and my birthday, so I'm off to bike along the lake and swim!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Signal-less Summer
The transition has been great--aside from the initial "It's 10 o'clock I should put the news on" reflex, I haven't missed it at all. Especially during the Michael Jackson non-stop coverage.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Hyde Park Community Art Fair this Weekend and $5 coupon!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
First Show of the Year!
The show runs both Saturday and Sunday, from 10 'til 5 (until 4 on Sunday) . I'll have loads of new nuno felt scarves to show--lightweight, sheer and perfect for warmer months. Also lots of felt bowls, pincushions and flower brooches. I'm on the fence as to if I should bring any Flamenco or other warmer scarves--maybe just a few to pique interest for later in the year.
Stop by and say hi!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
F*cking Golden...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Dyeing to Play
I'm teaching a Nuno Felting class in two weeks and need to prepare silk for the students to choose. Plus, I rediscovered my love for Nuno felting in the past few weeks and have been dying (no pun intended) to play around with silk gauze again. I had forgotten how easily silk gauze felts in comparison to silk chiffon.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Spring Cleaning
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bloody Fantastic
Monday, April 6, 2009
I know it's not rocket science....
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Yoga for Felters
Bikram Yoga is an amazine workout of 26 postures in a heated room of 105 degrees. After 90 minutes, I feel like I've worked every inch of my body and have had a massage. My back is so much better and I find that I eat better, too. Sweating and working out for 90 minutes makes you think twice about what you put into your body.
If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi to Jessica--she runs a great studio!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I'm Old School....
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Custom Orders
I also recently completed a home decor piece requested by a customer. She liked the lattice scarves and wanted something to throw over a chair in her living room. She brought over swatches from her furniture and throw pillows that she wanted to match.
I think the resulting piece can do double-duty as both a decoration for a chair as well as a person.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Four down, one to go....
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
RIP Booger
I adopted him from a shelter when he was about 7 years old and had him for 4 years. Shortly after I adopted him, I realized he had a chronic sinus problem, hence the name. The past few weeks, I have really missed the presence of having a pet around. I find myself perusing petfinders.com, checking out all the local shelters. If you haven't been to petfinders.com, I highly recommend it--it's kind of a Match.com for animals. I've even been to a few shelters to look around. It's been heartbreaking to hear of all the stories of people having to give up their pets due to foreclosure or job loss. Felt Inspired will have a new mascot in the near future --I'll keep you posted.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Felting Class Feb. 7th!
Come on out and join the fun!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Seriously, WTF?!?!?
Time for some comic relief. Like Blagojevich, my family hails from the former Yugoslavia (he is Serbian, whereas I'm a Croatian/Slovenian mix). As you might recall from the 1990s, the groups don't generally get along all that well.
Every week, I recieve this Slovenian newspaper with all sorts of news of Slovenian-Americans and news from abroad. Many advertisements for all things Slovenian (polka CDs, recipe books travel groups etc.) And potica. Potica (pronounced po-TEET-sa) is this wonderful nutroll coffee cake known throughout Slovenia and Croatia that is pretty labor intensive to make.
So I was thrilled to find a bakery in Colorado that has mail order potica--Rocky Mountain Potica. Proclaiming that they have the "Best potica this side of Ljubljana", they carry many versions of the coffee cake-- some traditional, some contemporary and some just plain funny.
Take their "Blagojevich Totally Nuts Potica". I love the description:
I have to order some of this!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My Baloney has a First Name.......
Bacon Talk features all sorts of tidbits regarding bacon and happened to link to this earlier entry of mine. I love the fact that the entry linking my blog is listed under "Bacon Culture". I also love the fact that all of the entries are authored by "His Baconness". Further investigation led me to realize that the blog is sponsored by Oscar Meyer. I have to say, they are being really saavy by being subtle and not making the blog too brand specific, which would ruin the fun of the site.
I love how all sorts of companies are in on social marketing. So who exactly are you, Sir Baconness--out yourself! If anything like my old organization, I'm guessing you are a 20-something with a sly sense of humor. Either a relatively new internal hire or part of an outsourced marketing firm--I'm not sure which.
Am I right?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
"If it's not your ass, it's your elbow"
The quote perfectly sums up the past few days that seem like weeks. Or maybe it's weeks that seem like months. I'm kind of losing track.
A series of parental health problems, doctors visits and an unexpected hospital stay. I've been in the same clothes for the past four days. This morning I ended up borrowing a pair of my mom's underwear (that one is just wrong on so may levels--I shoulda gone commando, but I'm running on scant sleep)
There is nothing easy about facing long term care for a parent. At least I'm from a large family to share the burden/emotion/whatever. Fringe benefit of being Catholic (cue "Every Sperm is Sacred" from Monty Python...)
An unrelated fringe benefit is that I'm getting a helluva lot of knitting done.