Our Comic-Con weekend

We attended Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend and man, it was crazy. Normally, I'm not into this kinda stuff - comic books, science fiction, gaming, etc. - but Erik's work was footing the bill as an educational experience so Sage and I decided to tag along. It turned out to be a blast! A super-crowded expo full of friendly costumed freaks. Here are a few of them:


A robot caveman! We also saw our share of Spidermen, Supermen, Batmen, Star Warsians and even, my favorite - Muppets!


There were also plenty of Storm troopers. My favorite was this Elvis one:


And we saw some famous people. Among them, Lou Ferrigno, Ron English, Andre 3000, and (not pictured) Ray Bradbury.


Sage wouldn't believe me that Lou Ferrigno was the Hulk. Right in front of him he yelled, 'That's not the Hulk, that's just a guy!" I had to rush Sage away after that. We didn't want to see him get angry.

Also, scattered among the vendors I ran into a few Felt Clubbers - Poketo, Fuzzy Balls Apparel, and these guys:

Funchicken, Steven Weissman, and Jordan Crane.

They all told me that they although Comic-Con was fun, they enjoyed working at Felt Club better. The Comic-Con crowd tends to gravitate toward mass produced pop culture, whereas Felt Club aficionados appreciate and celebrate the one-of-a-kinds. I'm not saying one is better than the other. . . oh wait, yes I am. I can't help it, I'm biased.

(edit: On further reflection, I've decided that assessment isn't fair. There were plenty of indie-artist booths scattered about the convention floor, many of whom had the difficult task of selling a story. Whereas crafters set up a display of various items from which customers can browse and choose, many of the booths at Comic-Con were peddling a lone character and its accompanying story, which, I bet, is harder to sell than a functional tote or fuzzy monster. My husband has an interesting take on this topic. You can read it on his blog here.)

So there it is, in a nutshell. We managed to collect a bunch of needless swag like stickers and buttons and enough temporary tattoos to cover Sage from head to toe. On Sunday we spent the day at LegoLand, but I'll save that for tomorrow's post.

Something for everyone. . .

I haven't had much luck with yard sales lately, but this weekend restored my faith in bargain hunting. I didn't find anything too amazing, but did manage to find a little something for everyone in the family.

For me:


Not necessarily to be worn together, although they do match pretty well. Hopefully they'll fit when my body returns to normal. I also got a vintage Dymo label maker and a small unicorn pin with rainbow-colored mane and a cursive V in gold on it's chest.

For kokoleo:


They will soon be chopped up and turned into who knows what. I also got a needlepoint Sagittarius piece from the 70's that will probably become a purse.

For Erik:


50 cents. Yeah, I spoil him.

For Sage:


A lady gave him this robot for free because he fell in love with it. It drives around and talks via remote control. He named it Robbie and it's his new best friend.

For the baby:


Sage and I agreed that it will look nice in her room. Now all she needs is a bedroom to put it in.

East Meets West

My cousin Andy and his wife came to visit this week. We hadn't seen them since their wedding two years ago where Sage was their dinosaur-carrying ring bearer.


So little! Here he is now all grown up with Andy and Becky in front of the Mann Chinese theater.


Andy and his doppleganger Matt Damon's handprints; Sage and Shirley Temple:


Superman!


I love taking visitors on the Hollywood tour. I amaze them how easily I, little ole girl from West Virginia, zip up and down Sunset Blvd., Melrose Ave., Santa Monica Blvd., etc. as well as scary L.A. freeways. I've come a long way. So has Andy, a West Virginia country kid now living in our nation's capital and working for NBC.

After seeing lots of Hollywood, we scoured Burbank for the 7-11 that was rumored to have been transformed into a Simpsons-themed. . .



This was my favorite part:

Ha! We weren't, however, crazy enough to wait in the big long line to get in. It's still just a 7-11 people!

Later we met Becky's brother and his wife for dinner where Sage, once again, impressed Becky, a nutritionist (visit her blog here), with his willingness to eat anything put before him.

Now, everyone else - come visit us! We miss our east coast friends and family.

Felt Club Rocks!

I survived! My booth didn't even have to become a make-shift delivery room. There wouldn't have been any space anyway. See?


If you think that space is packed, you should have seen the UCC filled with all the people!

And that shot was taken after the crowd had thinned out a bit. I heard the line to get in wrapped around the building and down the street. It's heartening to know that there are people out there who really do appreciate handmade goods enough to wait in line and brave a sweaty crowd. It was HOT in there!

I loved being back amongst my fellow Felt Clubbers and also having friends visit me at my booth. Here's my former student Lillye (who did this awesome drawing):


Yeah, I predict she'll have her own Felt club booth one day.

Later, my friend Renee and her boy Julian stopped by to hang out and let me take a pee break.


And toward the end Erik and Sage and my friend Lauren and her girl Ava came out. Here are Sage and Ava dancing to the D.J.'s tunes:


. . . and getting stickers at Mats!? booth.


It figures our kids would go for art like that, seeing as how their dads have similar Juxtapozian tastes.

Since my spot was up by the stage, I got to hang out with the M.C. Charles Phoenix.


He's a fellow flea market aficionado who likes to collect kitchy old slides and photographs taken all over California and then compile them into books. Fun!

I also got to meet one of my blog links, Jennifer from Textile Fetish, as well as her helper, Shari from Bonnin Designs.

I only wish I had more time to hang out with them.

These pictures only capture a a few glimpses of the whole crazy day. To see more you can check out the Felt Club Photo pool.

Now, I can relax. Except next weekend we're heading to San Diego for Comic Con. Eek!

There are monsters in my garage.

Once in a blue moon my fabric stash starts to grumble and growl. It usually comes from the fake fur/fleece section. I pull out the offending fabric and let it speak to me. Last night, this purple fur said, "Make me into two monsters with long legs and arms made of fleece and horns made of naugahyde."

When monster parts speak, I must oblige. Introducing: These guys!


And this one too.


They are currently hanging out in my garage getting psyched up for Felt Club. Here's a sneak peak:


It's taken a little MacGyvering, but I think I have my best kokoleo display ever figured out. The space is tight- 6ft. by 4 ft. - and my belly is large so I had to get it totally streamlined and ready to go ahead of time. Also, I have a LOT of stuff.


The thing in the middle is a 4-tiered circular necktie accessory display atop a lazy Susan. It spins! Come visit me at Felt Club and spin for yourself!

Made by Monday. . . for Felt Club!

I'm gearing up for Felt Club, sewing up a storm. I was on a necktie accessory kick this weekend and made all these cuffs, chokers, and headbands:


Add that to my stash and. . .

. . . that's a lot of neckties! Seriously, my studio floor often looks like a bird's nest of tangled ties. Sometimes it takes a while to match the perfect vintage button or applique with the perfect tie, but that's part of the fun. It's almost as fun as sifting through fabric scraps. Or eating tapioca pudding with cinnamon graham crackers. Mmmm.

Other things I made this week:


Vintage aprons (folded). They're the last of an unfinished lot I got on ebay a while ago. All I really did was stitch them up the middle and add the ribbon. Easy as pie. Easier, actually. I don't make many pies.

Also, I made these shirts for the ladies:



I loves me some tree tees. Also, is that a butterfly on your boob or are you just happy to see me?


Everything you see here will be at Felt Club this Sunday. Stop by! Say hi!

Pool Party!

Some belated pictures from our 4th of July BBQ. . . Sage made this sign and stuck it on the door:

Guests arrive! Ava's rockin' her kokoleo sundress:


Caution: Lifeguards drinking beer.


My son, the future plumber:


Fabian rockin' the perfect Slip 'n Slide form:


Erik rockin' the BBQ. Shish Kabobs anyone?

Made by Monday

Some recent personalized commissions:





I've come up with a new way of doing my pillows, one that allows for the inside pillow to be removed so the cover can be washed easily. This requires a few more steps and extra material, so my prices will increase a bit on August 1st. If you've been thinking about getting a personalized piece, you still have this month to get one at the old prices. Hurry and get your name on the list! Also, I'll be adding a few more options to the personalized section of my web site soon - pillow cases and printed shirts. Stay tuned!

... and we're back.

We survived! Man, Las Vegas is OVER THE TOP. Everything is HUGE and ornate and sparkly and a replica of something else. The sound of slot machines is still ringing in my ears and the smell of smoke is still stuck to my clothes. After four days of excess it's good to be home. It was fun though. This was our hotel-home last week:


and our view of the strip at night:


Here I am with my big belly at the top of the Stratosphere overlooking the strip:


I won $98 on a penny slot machine here:


And we won $121 on Roulette here:


. . . but then we proceeded to lose it all at all the other casinos. Oh well, at least we broke even. You can see the whole Vegas slideshow on my Flickr album if you like.


Viva Las Vegas!