China Girl

Today I went on an epic adventure to Chinatown. I don't think I posted photos of these before, but when I was in San Fransisco I found these amazing cookies at a grocery store in Japantown.





Seriously, this is the coolest candy ever. Well, I finally found them after much searching in the Chinatown mall, and bought several boxes. I am planning to use them as cupcake toppers. I will post pictures when that happens.

When I found the tree stumps, this box also caught my eye.



I had to buy it, and I sure am glad I did. They are delicious!



I did not explore that much of Chinatown, but it seemed pretty dirty and run down. I think I prefer the one in San Francisco, but I will go back and look around more another time.

I went to Goodwill’s website and used their store locator and saw that one of the locations was close to where I was going to be shopping today, but when I got there it turned out to be their corporate office – no store. Then later when I was finished with the other shopping I had planned, I set out to find the Goodwill store. As I was strolling along and snacking on Goldfish crackers I passed a panhandler. I waved to him in a way, which said I acknowledge you, but I won’t be giving you any money. Then he somewhat interested said “Ohhh… fish…” and as I offered them to him he extended his cup and I poured some into it. It was a pleasant exchange, probably the best I have had; it put me in a very good mood. I never know how to deal with panhandlers. I usually walk by, maybe saying hello and smiling, but sometimes I feel guilty that I smile even though I’m not giving them anything. It just makes me so nervous because you never know the situation and where the money will go. (Plus, I rarely carry any cash with me anyway.) It is a lot easier though now that I live here, and see which people are at those same spots each day. It gets easier to tell who is genuine.

I realized that I really didn’t know much about the location of Goodwill, and it would involve more walking than I really wanted to do after a long day, so I hopped onto a bus heading home. A lady sitting across from me complimented my engagement ring and that struck up a great conversation. She wanted to know all about it and took notes on her phone to go to Etsy.com and look for Danielle Maveal. The conversation continued and we talked about public transportation and cars, the pros and cons of each depending on city or suburban dwelling. As she got up to leave she said it was nice to have met and talked. I agreed. I am glad I tried to find Goodwill, and it did not matter one bit that I never made it because I had two very good interactions with people I may never have seen otherwise.

*Lazy moment: I did not my own photos for this entry. Each one links back to where I found it.*


(David Bowie)

Fun, Fun, Fun

I don't normally work on Sundays, but today there was a class for screenpriting on Tee shirts and I was really interested in it. Angee said that I can take a day off later in exchange, so it will all work out great. The class was taught by Megan Klāwitter, another Spudnik printmaker. We encouraged people to work in pairs to make things go smoother, which really worked out well. They all got along so well, and finished their projects hours before we had anticipated. Look at all that teamwork happening!




Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of all the finished shirts together. They were all great though, so you will just have to take my word for it.

It was interesting to be on the other side of a printmaking class. It was weird because I am not the teacher type, but it is so different outside of the collegiate pressure. I got to watch everyone making work and hover around the room without having to worry about my own project. People were there because they really wanted to learn, not just to comlplete any credit. It just makes the mood so much lighter.

(The Beach Boys)

Plans Get Complex

I helped Angee print this amazing piece by Jeremy Tinder. He mostly does paintings and illustrations, but with a little help from Spudnik he now has a screen printed edition.

I really like this piece because it is way more complex than in appears. First we did a layer of red. Simple enough.




Then the blue layer, which was so much more difficult. We had to match it up perfectly so that the image lined up. And since the blue covers the whole paper, it often got stuck to the screen, which makes an unwanted pattern in the ink.




Once we got the hang of it, they came out beautiful! After Jeremy signs and editions all of them I will get my very own copy of one. I can't wait!



(All Time Quarterback)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Today we went and saw Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the court theater. It was a preview night which meant that we were sort of the guinea pig audience. We got to fill out surveys at the end to help them figure out what was working and what they could do better before the real show debut. I never knew theaters did things like that.

The play was good, but not really my cup of tea. I mostly enjoyed the arts with the music, but that was hardly the focus of the play. It is mostly about life for African Americans during the 1920s.

Earlier today at work we made a sweet collage. Angee was sick of looking at the blank wall so we pulled out all of the scrap papers that have been printed on over and over again. They make a very interesting piece.




That is my boss Angee on the left there. She is so wonderful to work for!

(Ma Rainey)

Renegade

For many years now it has been my dream to be seller at the Renegade Craft Fair, and this year the dream came true.











People really loved the quarter machine. It was our best seller! You put in 25 cents and out comes a miniature print. How fun!

I sold lots of buttons, a bag, a print, and one of my pointing hand cards.





It was so hard to stay in the booth with so much going on around us, so we took turns wandering around. Then when I was done with my shift I shopped more, and even came back the next day with Chris and Kym. It only comes once a year, so I had to soak in as much as possible. I really didn't spend much money, but I brought home a bag full of stuff both days. I can't show you everything I bought just yet because it is for someone's birthday, but here is the rest:



Of course I could not resist getting another hedgehog card from Rhymes With Twee. I also got some Timber buttons with designs that I have been drooling over for some time now. And finally, a cute little spool of red and white twine from Paper Stories. Of course, I also ended up with enough business cards and fliers to re-build a forest. I can't help it, I just love to look at everyone's card designs. I keep them in those handy clear business card holder sheets for binders.

I signed up for the Craftside mailing list and received that journal for free. Then there was this one stall that had free frames and green glitter spray paint and several demo stations where they would show you how to make a rustic looking frame or something using one of their other spray products on the free frame. I didn't really like the look of it, so we all just snatched up the freebies and moved on. I'm not that into glitter, but I am curious to how it looks in spray form. Could be fun around Christmas. The frame now has a picture in it and is awaiting its very own spot on our frame wall.



Only three days at my new internship and already it was straight to Renegade. Although I wasn't as prepared for the event as I would have hoped to be, I still think that I did well. It was a fantastic experience.

(Styx)

Sweet Home Chicago

As promised, here are some photos of the apartment. I took these when we came to sign the lease, so it is all clean and bare.





This is the view from our windows. It is a bit blocked by steam, but that is the John Hancock building. The view is best at night, so I will try to get a good photo of that too.








We are in the process of decorating still.



I will post our finished decor pics later.

(The Blues Brothers)

Chicago

Anybody wondering where I disappeared to?

CHICAGO!

All last week I was here at the Hotel Allegro for Chicago Semester orientation. It was a blast! Now Kym and I have moved into our adorable little apartment, but we have had some trouble communicating with the cable/internet people so that is not hooked up yet. I feel a bit pathetic because I have realized how dependent I am on the internet.

I also don't have any pictures to show since the apartment still looks a bit post apocalyptic. Hopefully it will be all settled soon.

For the quick update, I will be interning at Spudnik Press!

And most importantly:

RENEGADE!



Come on down and look for me! I will be representing Spudnik there along with my boss!

(Sufjan Stevens)