How To Piss Off A Graphic Designer

This was sent to me by a fellow graphic designer, found on someone else's blog.

How to piss off a graphic designer:

1 ) Hide the crayons.
2 ) Ask them to keep a work log.
3 ) Stand behind them and give direction.
4 ) Touch their computer screen.
5 ) Make them use computers more than 3 years old.
6 ) Make them wait “awhile” to purchase the newest software versions.
7 ) Ask for a JPEG to be sent to a print publication.
8 ) Call Macs toys.
9 ) Pretend to know something about design.
10 ) Ask for anything at 4:45.
11 ) Tell them work starts at 8:00 not 8:02
12 ) Ask them for a Word document.
13 ) Tell them they need to work on a PC.
14 ) Ask them what Apples are good for anyway.
15 ) Put them in a cube farm.
16 ) Let the pop machine run out of Mt. Dew
17 ) Suggest that Microsoft Publisher or Pagemaker should be used to layout a project.

Welcome to my job...

Can You Tell Me How To Get, How To Get To Emerson Street?

It’s very rare that someone can say they actually get to experience a true artist’s work. To see someone who has creativity and raw talent radiating at all times is quite the treat. What’s even better is when you can call an artist a very good friend…who is this glorious, artistic wonder that I’m obviously in awe of? You may know her as Emerson Street Stamps, Traveling Painter, or what I know her as; Molly Carlson.

Much to my surprise she’s never been featured on a blog, so I figured this would be a perfect opportunity for me to introduce you to her. Born in North Carolina, raised between home and a horse farm. She now lives in the chilly Chicago ‘burbs (yep, took that right from her blog bio…because I can!). She has a genuine love of creating, sharing, horses and her family (including a very sweet ball of fuzz, Kaya). From a personal standpoint she’s my (almost) weekly crafting buddy, craft fair partner in crime, and over all amazing friend. We drink coffee, gossip, vent and of course craft and create. From a fellow artist standpoint, she’s great at what she does and I have the utmost respect for her talent.

Right now she has 2 stores of her work online, Emerson Street on Artfire and Traveling Painter on Etsy. Both of which are very impressive. They showcase two completely different styles but are barely the tip of her iceberg of talent. Emerson Street is a great place to find just about any kind of hand carved stamp imaginable, and then some. Molly has an amazing talent to create anything you’d want as a custom order (I saw her do it at our last craft show). Her Etsy store Traveling Painter, is a shop full of absolutely beautiful fine art prints, original paintings, and illustrations. You can find anything from hand drawn greeting cards to mixed media painting. I am lucky enough to display some of her work in my home.

So….straight to my point, check out her stores or blog to get to know an amazing artist and crafter. She is epitome of sweet. If you’re looking for a little love and plenty of Southern hospitality drop her a line…she loves to chat (stole that little line from her bio too!).

Nothing new to report...

Poochies
Originally uploaded by FlockToghether

The past few days have been eventful but nothing too exciting. I sat on a jury for the first time (2 day trail downtown, personal injury). Although most of it was less than exciting, I did appreciate the experience. It was really interesting to be in a court room and observe a case first hand. I am glad that our deliberations lasted less than an hour, and I got to peace out in the early afternoon. Tomorrow I'm back to the grind for work, freelance and job hunting...yes, in that order. Every. Single. Day.

Wish me luck and till next time,
The Woodman's Girlfriend

Ps.
I just had to share the picture. Ratchet and Coffee relaxing in the sun. To be a dog...

Dani Fascinator

Waking up to good news is well, great!

This morning I got a call from my pal in Maine. I recently made her a custom flower and feather fascinator for a 40's themed event at Colby College. Aside from the usual chat, she also wanted to tell me about the numerous compliments she got on her hairpiece! I was so excited to hear how many people liked it and asked where she got it (great advertising). She also sent me pictures of how it looked in her hair and she (of course) looked beautiful. Photographers from the Colby newspaper also snapped some pictures of her hair too, I can't wait to see that either!

I also made a bunch of pieces for her peacock Halloween costume, I'm eager to see everything come together for the costume. Just sharing some good news on this lovely Sunday morning!

Thanks Dani!

The Meatload

Turkey, Spinach & Feta Meatloaf
Originally uploaded by FlockToghether

I love dinner. I don’t mean go out (that’s nice on occasion too), but I love to sit down and eat a home cooked dinner. Growing up it was the law of the land that we are home at 6pm to sit down and eat. Dinner was so important to my family growing up; my brother and I always chose to have friends over so we wouldn’t miss that time together. It was never anything fancy, your standard dinner, meat, vegetable, side and salad. My mom always made it a point to make sure that she cooked something for dinner every weeknight. This is a practice that I’ve inherited (or I would have starved to death by now).

I also love email. Sending and receiving…it’s what keeps me going throughout the day. One main person I get emails from is my best friend Heidi (she’s also my cousin so her name might also come up in family entries at some point). She lives in Austin with her family so we email each other about a million times a day. Ok, now to the point…she sends me recipes that went over really wel with her family and are generally really easy to prepare. Recently, she sent me something that has turned into a favorite of both my main squeeze and me.

Chicken, Feta and Spinach Meatloaf. Sounds good, huh? It’s so good I decided to share! I made it my own by changing it slightly but it was very good, and very easy nonetheless. Hope you like it.


Chicken Feta- Spinach Meatloaf

• 3 lbs ground skinless Chicken thighs
• 1cup (approximately) Italian Style Bread crumbs
• 3 Tbs. + /- to taste of Garlic- Pepper mix from Whole Foods
• ½ lb cow feta crumbled
• ½ bag (4 oz) fresh Spinach (cut with pizza cutter)
• 1 egg: lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix chicken, bread crumbs and seasoning. Add Feta and Spinach. Mix well.
Add Egg. Mix well.
13 x 9 x 2 Pan - form into rectangle shape about length of the pan. About 2 inches thick.
Cook uncovered 1 hour and 5 minutes


*I did change this recipe a bit and it turned out great. I halved the recipe, used ground turkey (not chicken), and used frozen spinach (thawed).


As my mom and grandma always said "make it your own". I encourage you to do the same.

First Peacock Earrings!

First Peacock Earrings!
Originally uploaded by FlockToghether

Such a productive Sunday! My friends are the best, especially when they commission me to make fun things for them!

My friend Danielle is going to be a peacock for Halloween (fun right?). She asked me to make her some handmade jewelry to accent her costume. Here's my first try using peacock feathers! Danielle has sensitive ears and can't wear heavy earrings. With this in mind I used Sterling Silver 3" threader earrings as a base, and kept it simple. About 3.5" peacock feathers strung with green/purple glass beads. I think they'll look great with her costume and even better for a night out.

I can't wait to get these shipped out to her in Maine...and I know she'll rep me like crazy on the Colby College campus!

A Circle...

When I was younger I gave people "stuff" just as fast as I could make it (no holiday needed). You name it I’d make it; earrings, necklaces, worry dolls, collages, leaves glued to paper…completely custom stuff! The main recipient of my gifts was my grandma, even if she helped me make the crafts, she still accepted and wore it like it was made of gold and diamonds. Simply, she was my biggest fan, and my craft buddy.

Since her passing I’ve gotten a majority of the things back that I’ve made for her. It’s sort of ironic, getting back the things you handmade for someone. You never really think of the life something will see once it’s out of your hands. I of course, held onto to everything but stored them away. This entry is really about the stuff that I got yesterday, nothing that I made but the stuff that was made by my grandma.

It’s been 8 years coming, it was the first time that I’ve been able to go through stuff that was my grandma’s without shedding a single tear or feel like my heart was being burned out of my chest. I finally got to claim what my grandma left behind. Her 90 years of being an artist and crafter was right there in a few boxes.

Aside from the paintings that I'm going to frame and some of the jewelry that I'll keep for myself, I found an amazing amount of very old costume jewelry. My grandma, being the thrifty lady she was re-purposed anything that was broken and obviously never threw anything out. I don't think I can bear to throw any of this stuff out either. I took a bunch of beautiful pieces and amazingly have become very inspired.

Mixing old with new, it's such a obvious concept but really shines for me in this situation. She was proud of everything I ever made her, wasn't it my turn to keep and be proud of all that she did? It's like the whole circle of life thing...but circle of crafts and handmade. Isn't that why we all do it? Not to turn a crazy profit but to share the love and heart that goes into a piece that specifically came from your hand. That's why I made her all those wonderful macaroni necklaces...and that's why I hand make things now.

This may just be the best therapy I never paid for. Whenever I feel her memory fade I'll use her rhinestone pin and make it the focal point of a feather fascinator. I'll re-purpose a cameo pendant she made and put it on a headband. Take what she's created, make it my own and share it with others...the spirit of handmade.

Happy Tails

Lately, all signs have been pointing to me writing this entry…it’s about pet adoption.

Yesterday while waiting at the doctor’s office, I picked up some random waiting room magazine that had Lisa Edelstein (Dr. Cuddy from “House”) on the cover. Since I have an irrational love of all things “House” I read on and it pleasantly surprised me. It talked about she has adopted three dogs and is big animal adoption advocate and even volunteers at her local animal shelters (‘There’s your sign!’).

I really started to think about how much adopted animals have changed my life. After years of begging for a dog, when I was younger I told myself “as soon as I have a place of my own, I’m gonna get a dog” and that’s just what I did. About a year ago I came across my Beagle, Ratchet’s (yes, I renamed him and yes, he is named after a Transformer) listing on Craigslist. I met him and fell in love. It wasn’t a case of abuse or anything like that, his previous owner couldn’t keep him because of a no-pet rule in her lease. I was very lucky to be able to adopt a truly sweet and loving dog, although it did take awhile to adjust for us both.

I’m not the only person that has had amazing luck with animal adoption. My parents (the people who never let their kids have a dog J) just adopted a Beagle named Wylie from a wonderful pet adoption organization. Castaway Pet Resuce is a small but great place that really takes the time to find the perfect home for their dogs. Wylie is super spoiled and has brought my parents a lot of joy (and he’s a great playmate for my two dogs). Another adopted dog in my inner circle is Kaya, a fluffy ball of sweetness adopted by good friends Molly & Ryan.

So what’s the point of all this rambling about adopted dogs? I guess it’s just to raise awareness about all those dogs who are sitting shelters that need loving homes. Do they take a little bit of work to adjust? Sure, but animals bought from a breeder and a pet stores require the same patience and love (I also have a purebred lab at home too). Going to shelters can also give you a real understanding of all different breeds and give you a chance to interact with all types of dogs. Adopting a pet and welcoming an animal into your home can be one of the most rewarding experiences.

(Pictures above are Ratchet, Kaya and Wylie)

She's Crafty

This past weekend I was in my first craft show selling my feather jewelry. Close friend and fellow artist Emerson Street and I shared an outdoor booth. Not to be biased, but I think we had the BEST looking booth there…I also think we were the youngest crafters there. With our booth adorned with Christmas lights, bright colored scarves and a great GM Performance canopy (thanks Dad!), you would have thought we would have had more traffic. It was a cloudy, chilly day and the last hour it poured so I’m thinking the weather was a big factor as well.

The upside is that we did sell a few things each (about enough to pay for supplies and entry fees). It was considered a pretty successful day and family and friends were kind enough to come out to support us.

Now, what I’m wondering is…how do you attract a crowd at a craft fair?
Anyone have any advice, pointers or just knowledge they’d like to share?

Thanks and until next time…

FT

Keep Yourself Alive...

On the first Sunday in a lot of weeks, I have nothing planned…that brings me here, to a blog. Something I never really thought of myself doing for many reasons. I’m not the most talented or clever writer, I apologize in advance for any boring entries, I’m quite the rookie (and my grammar is less than stellar). Also, after a split, a person from my past mentioned me by name but also criticized and questioned my goals and my personal opinion in his blog. This was not cool and most of all I took it as being pretty hurtful….so none of that here.

So why am I doing this?

After talking to a good friend about it, I said “why the hell not?” (Sorry I have a “mouth like a trucker” according to my mom). I’ve been through counseling a few points in my life and one thing I’ve always been advised to do is journal. I found it especially helpful in those situations when you need to sort it out. What is “it” you ask? I’m not too sure but here I am starting a blog. Don’t worry this won’t be me crabbing about life, or anything else too negative. I’d like to share the things that I think people can relate to and things I am interested in.

If you keep up with me, you’ll read about crafting (I just launched my own Art Fire and Etsy Stores), cooking (I’m always wanting to share new recipes I try or make my own) and learn a little about a me.

Welcome.