Design inspiration from Parliament Funkadelic

Have you been feeling uninspired lately? Blah? No fresh ideas? No lightning bolts or grand passions? No need to break out of the expected box and create something over the top, fresh and magical?

Then you need more Parliament Funkadelic in your life. Because the P-funk folks were not afraid to jump outside the expected norms. The P-funk people were pure theater. They will knock you out of that rut you're in!

My favorite is Bootsy Collins, and can you blame me? No! It's time to tear the roof off the sucker. Flashlight. Spotlight. It's time to get your funk on. Let these pictures inspire the next piece that you make!

OMGTV! Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows was a daily gothic romance horror soap opera that ran from 1966-1971. Love, scandal, vampires, werewolves, rich people, drafty old houses, family drama, elaborate hairdos, annoying child actors, ghosts, trips through time. . . Dark Shadows had it all. It's amazingly campy, and amazingly addictive. Now on DVD, and available through Netflix, it's a great way to spend the summer. While it's blisteringly hot outside, you can escape into the cool and shadowy haunted hallways of Collinwood. With over a thousand episodes, this could take you well through September.

But, if a tall dark-haired man who only appears after sunset tries to give you an antique music box, it's best to say no.

Get your domestic on with MeAndMySewingMachine

My friend Gini has opened a fresh new Etsy shop, MeAndMySewingMachine, full of domestic goddess wear--the most fabulous aprons on earth. Here's her sexy little "Hotter than a pepper sprout" reversible cocktail apron.
And the retro pup cool of her "pampered pooches" half apron.

Dig this "rock tattoo" half apron! For the badass in you.

This coy little "corny picnic" apron is retro fab, with its ruffles and rickrack.

And this full "cherries jubilee" apron is classically ladylike.

Gini has a great eye for fabric, and everything she designs is perfectly made. It's time to fancy up your next dinner party or picnic, or pretty up your daily house happiness. The pocketed aprons would also be fantastic for craft shows, when you always need another pocket for money, pens, and other stuff.

Stop by Gini's bright and joyful shop. She's the hostess with the mostest.

MeAndMySewingMachine on Etsy.

Do something nice today

I have a challenge for you! Over the long Memorial Day weekend, try doing something randomly nice for someone, a stranger, a friend, a loved one. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Some little sweet act can make a huge impact on another person's day. It will make you feel good, too.

I live for random acts of kindness, even though I hate the phrase "random acts of kindness." I'd rather think of myself as a kindness ninja who likes presents. Positive energy makes the universe a better place for all of us.

Yes, I'm a goody two-shoes goofball. Now, come here and let me give you a hug. And wipe that look off your face.

Random stuff that makes me happy

On a chilly, rainy Monday morning in Ohio, it's always nice to think about little things that make you happy, right? Like this make up primer from Sheer Envy. You can get it at Wal-Mart for eight bucks. It makes your skin a little glowier, and your make up goes on nice and smooth and stays put. Yeah, I was kind of unsure about the word "primer" in terms of my face, too, but this stuff is magical.

Wolfgang's Vault, a website that streams live concerts for free. They have everything. I spent the morning listening to Van Morrison from 1971, and it was transcendental. Oh, Van, how I love you. They have shows from back in the Fifties, all the way up to shows from 2011. You can also buy concerts, posters, t-shirts, and other fab stuff. This is a musical treasure trove.

Japanese Kawaii stationery. So very cute, and often so very weird. Dancing food, happy pandas, Hello Kitty, and some of the strangest translated to English phrases you will ever run across. Every sheet is a little piece of joy. And don't get me started on the stickers!

Lucky Charms cereal. Of course I pick out all of the marshmallows and eat them first. Nom.

Design inspiration from Lisa Frank

When I was in college and took a lot of creative writing classes, my poetry professor asked me once what poet had the greatest influence on my writing. I immediately said, "Bob Dylan," and he had a nervous breakdown. Sure, I love Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, and a lot of others, but I was listening to Dylan in the womb. Of course he had more influence on me than Keats, right?

Before I knew anything about Gustav Klimt or Georges Seurat, I was a sticker and stationery fanatic. So, today I salute the colorful, rambuctious, slightly hallucinogenic joy that is The World of Lisa Frank! Lisa Frank is an American artist who creates cute and rainbow laden trippy art, transformed into stickers, binders, and all sorts of merchandise beloved by young girls, and we older girls, around the world. Lisa's art inspired me in my youth because, well, it was marketed directly at me. I still love her fiercely, with that nostalgic romantic love reserved for Eighties hair bands and the TV show Head of the Class.

What brought about this winsome longing for all things Lisa Frank you might ask? I had a not so great few days. I was walking through Wal-Mart, and what materialized before my weary eyes? A display of rainbowlicious Lisa Craft products. Yes, I bought the mega box of happy stickers! Yes, I will put them on the envelopes of MAB orders when I ship! I may even get them out tonight when I'm making jewelry, and let all of those candy colors just seep right into my creations.

Lisa Frank, I salute you and thank you for your candy colored kittens and unicorns of endless happiness. You have made my life a better place.

If you want a true Lisa Frank overdose, you can visit her website. Do not get out your credit card first, I'm warning you!

March Madness

Spotlight on metroretrovintage

Vintage 1950's Reddy Kilowatt Electric Company mascot earrings

So, dear readers, I've been unrelentingly busy over the past couple of weeks, and my blog has been badly neglected. I've listed a ton of vintage jewelry in my GUSsupply shop on Etsy, and I've had a fantastic mentor in metroretrovintage, my kitten cousin. She knows everything about vintage treasures, and has come to my aid a hundred thousand times. That may be an overstatement, but it surely seems like a hundred thousand times.

Her Etsy shop is full of fantastic finds, and I thought it might be nice to make a killer stunning outfit from her listings!

Yes, I'm staring with Reddy Kilowatt earrings. Why? Because they are ultimately groovy.

Vintage 1930's-40's black bakelite bangle bracelets

Then, let's stack up these yummy bakelite bangles. Bakelite is delicious.

Vintage 1940's black felt sequin sculptural doll hat
We're going to need an appropriate hat.

Vintage 1940's black velvet swing opera wrap coat

And I have a weakness for opulet outerwear. Seriously, does it get any better than this velvet coat? I say, NO!

Vintage 1940's black crepe beaded cocktail dress and jacket

This frock should do the trick.

Victorian red bohemian garnet rose cut brooch
And the finishing touch, a sparkling pin. Our ability to accessorize is what differentiates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, you know.
Now, we are dressed to go to the grocery store. Huzzah!
Stop in and say hi to metroretrovintage on Etsy. She has great stuff, is full of fun, and knows the difference between bakelite and lucite. Plus, she's one of the sweetest kittens around.

Blue Moon ice cream: An ode

Oh, blue moon ice cream,

You are packed with creamy sweet goodness.

I cannot decide exactly

What you taste like.

Whatever it is

It is full of blue winning,

Yes, in the Charlie Sheen

Sense of winning.

You make me stop

At United Dairy Farmers

Because I can find you nowhere else.

And if little nuggets of cookie dough

Are added. . .

Sublime.

Saturday morning

Oh, Saturday morning, how I have needed you all week. How lovely to get up, putter around, drink some coffee, do some little chores.

Turn on the repeat of Tabatha's Salon Takeover.

Kiss the kittens. Enjoy the sunshine coming through the window.

Not much to do for a couple of hours, except get ready to go to my mom's.

No rushing. No thinking of the sixty thousand things I need to get done. Yes, they're still there, but not this morning.

Sigh. . . delicious. Come over. I have coffee left.

The vintage jewelry mother lode

So, I have a friend who has a ton (and by a ton, I may literally mean a ton) of vintage jewelry and doodads. His mom used to sell it at flea markets and such, and she passed away quite awhile ago. He's been bringing the stuff by so I can sell it in my GUSsupply shop on Etsy.

Today he brought over six boxes of stuff. Little bags inside little boxes inside bigger boxes, all full of shiny stuff.

It's like an archeological dig. I never have any idea what might be in the next layer. There are three copier paper boxes, one larger flatter box, a dvd player box, and a shoebox.

I started going through them tonight, but just got overwhelmed and closed everything back up. But before I started sorting and listing, I wanted to take pictures of the boxes as they showed up at my house.

Seriously brimming with mystery and possibility, huh? Who wants to come over and play?

Yeah, Franklin likes boxes. He's helping here.

Keep an eye on my GUSsupply shop. New vintage stuff coming as soon as I start my dig!

Spotlight on zippityduda

See the gorgeous banner up there with my shop name on it? Zippityduda made that especially for me, to use on my tables or tent at shows. It is one of the most beautifully crafted, professionally designed items I have bought off of Etsy, and I kinda want to hang it up in my living room year round.

Zippity is the Young Quiliting Phenom from Minneapolis. She can sew anything for you. Anything you want! She has a vast collection of fabrics, and a head full of fantastic ideas. If you can dream it, she can sew it up for you.

Coffee cozy sleeve - choose your fabrics

Q: What is your idea of earthly happiness?

A: Well-rested, well-fed, not too warm, not too cool, projects to complete but no panicky deadlines, and the company of good friends.

Q: The quality you most admire in a man?

A: Tenderness.

Q: The quality you most admire in a woman?

A: Certainty.

Be Mine bunting banner garland

Q: Your favorite virtue?

A: A sense of humor - If you can't laugh about what happens in life, it's a pretty long, sad trip.

Q: Your favorite occupation?

A: Anything that involves helping other people's lives run more smoothly.

Q: Your most marked characteristic?

A: Openness.

Groovy quilted wall hanging

Q: What are your favorite names?

A: Well, I'm partial to the two I gave my children: Harrison and Glory.

Q: Your favorite words:

A: I like words that sound like what they are. For example, "tintinabulation" is that delicious sound ice cubes make when bouncing off the side of a cocktail glass.

Q: Your favorite sound?

A: Laughter. Gut-busting, tears rolling, can't-catch-your-breath laughter.

Fresh fun Frankentote fabric shopping bag

Q: What natural gift would you most like to possess?

A: Musical ability.

Q: What is your motto?

A: The whole poem "Desiderata" sums up my outlook on life, but my favorite passage is this one:

"Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

Sweet Cherry Pie fabric jewelry roll

Q: Tell us about your Etsy shop and what you do there!

A: My Etsy shop, Zippityduda, is a place for me to hawk my wares which I obsessively create during my every spare moment. Even without the shop, I'd still spend an indordinate amount of time quilting and sewing, but we would have needed a bigger house by now to store it all. I am in love with fabric, and hoard it obsessively, which I maintain is still cheaper than drugs or therapy - it just requires more space in my home. I love a good challenge and find the most joy when creating a custom, one-of-a-kind piece for someone who thought they'd never be able to get exactly what they needed.

And that, dear readers, is exactly what Zip did for me. Stop by her Etsy shop and say howdy!

Spotlight on SquidBullySquid

SquidBullySquid is a plush cephalopod designer with a happening and happy shop on Etsy. She's from Seattle. She rides her bike through all kinds of weather. She lived on a sailboat for three years and has a ball pit in her apartment. Oh, and she makes the coolest squids ever. I love me some Squiddy. Here's a list of random philosophical questions with her wonderful replies.

Q: What is your idea of earthly happiness?

A: Freedom, comfort, and a good smooth Scotch.

Q: The quality you most admire in a man?

A: I like it when men listen. Although, when I'm admiring them, I'm usually admiring their eyes, tattoos and ability to hold liquor.

Q: The quality you most admire in a woman?

A: Confidence, motivation, kindness and a healthy dose of adventure. A good figure never hurt either.

Squid in rust red and dark blue

Q: What is your favorite virtue?

A: Lust! No, patience? Crap, I misunderstood the question.

Q: Your favorite occupation?

A: I miss fixing boats. Classic wood boats have so much personality.

Q: Your most marked characteristic?

A: My skin! Ha! I have a bunch of tattoos!

Giant Super Squid

Q: What are your favorite names?

A: October, Lunchbox, Tiberius

Q: Your favorite words?

A: I love you.

Q: Your favorite sounds?

A: The wind in the rigging and the gentle waves lapping against the hull of a boat.

Q: What is your motto?

A: Be awesome, have fun, smile lots, be nice to people. Always ALWAYS tip the bartender.

Q: What natural gift would you most like to possess?

A: I wish I could sing! I even took vocal lessons for nearly a year. The vocal coach said, "I can't make you good. But I can make you better."

Baby Giant Squid in teal and pink

Tell us about your Etsy shop and what you do there!

SquidBullySquid is pretty self-explanatory, I'd think. I crochet cute, yet anatomically approximate squids, festoon them with buttons, and hope the public loves them as much as I do. I've been working on branching out to other cephalopods. I hope to introduce octopuses and cuttlefish into the shop this year. The whole endeavor started as a way to get rid of my acrylic yarn, so I had room for fancy wool and other fibers for knitting. I taught myself the amigurumi style crochet from the internet and made some blobby looking sea creatures. Now I have more acrylic yarn than I know what to do with. Boxes and boxes of it! After a full year, I finally settled on a design I like. I don't have any written pattern, so I freehand every squid with a loose idea of formula. My favorite part is choosing colors and putting all the little button suckers at the end.

My goal is to sell another thirty squids on Etsy this year. Really though? I'm here for the community. Team Bacon! is the sweetest group of crafty people I've ever met. I adore all of my friends in the Etc. Forum, and I have so much fun being a part of this site.

Hearts and stars and love and sharks!

Yours truly from the dinohouse,

Cass

The Pledge fabric sweeper for pet hair

We have some shedding issues at my house. You see that large, fluffy cat butt up there, right? Gus sheds like it is his life's purpose to shed. He sheds in the fall, he sheds in the winter and he is a professonal, full time shedder in the spring and summer. Big tumble weeds of Gus hair blow through my house in July, let me tell you. I vacuum like a psycho. I have lint rollers strategically placed all over the MAB compound. It doesn't matter. Pet hair attacks me every single day. So, I picked up one of these fabric sweeper doohickeys from Pledge the other day. (Disclaimer: Pledge has not given me any free stuff or services or promises of services or stuff for this endorsement. However, if they want to send me a big old case of these babies, I will not say no.) It's a handheld. . . sweepy thing with a sort of double brush in a plastic case. I used it on my furniture today, and it magically picked up all of the cat hair. The fluffy, gossamer Gus hair. The little sharp Franklin hair. Even the long black MAB hair. It did a heck of a job, as well as my Dyson with the furniture attachment usually does. I love cleaning products, especially when they do what they're supposed to do.

If pet hair is attacking you, give this a go. Now if Pledge would just make something to magically repair my shredded couch.

Send a postcard, brighten a girl's day, help your karma

Melissa from HauteTote's 10 year old daughter is having surgery on March 31st. Take a second to read her blog post and then send a postcard to her daughter in the hospital to brighten her day. It will cost almost nothing, take a couple of minutes, and make this experience a little easier.

Check out her blog here. Also, there's an etsy forum thread with details here.

Cards need to be sent so that they will reach California around 31 March.

Here is the address, and be sure to include the surgery date:

Satori Lewis

Surgery date 3-31-10

Davis 7 Pediatrics

UC Davis Children's Hospital

2315 Stockton Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95817 USA

No money, no presents, just cards. Thanks, everybody.