Sprout on the road - 30,000 ft edition

About to touch down in Raleigh.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hear No Evil

My fave picture from Renegade actually has nothing to do with Renegade:

Props to Taylor for helping us out all day long.

And here is Ang praying for a good show on Sunday (her prayers worked! Hallelujah!)

I'm happy cause it's Monday night, I'm watching "Intervention" (totally hooked) and Renegade is OVER. It was a HUUUGE success for me and Elsie Q and tons of fun. But so crazy busy-- my feet look like hoofs today, they are so swollen.

I was on a cloud all weekend -- a mix of exhaustion, happiness, and a twist of insanity (my brain felt like it was in knots as I tried to make change and chat with shoppers). In the midst of the chaos, I got to meet so many other artists and wonderful customers. I left Renegade with a beautiful shirt from Les Enfants Sauvages, an indie line hailing from Montreal. Look at how gorgeous it is:


I love leaving craft shows with something special from another artist.

Renegade pics coming soon!

A few months ago, I started a list of my happiest/favorite memories. It's a list that probably makes sense to no one but me, but I guess that's the point. The best part about creating the list is that the process itself puts me in a good mood, and the cataloging is eternally unfinished.

Today, a new memory to add to the list:

Dancing with my whole fam to Reid singing Cripple Creek under sunny skies at Crawfish Fest. Everyone just looked so joyful -- just happy to be together, listening to our fave band, soaking up the sunshine.

Here's a clip from the end of the day, when we were starting to wind down, but were suddenly re-energized when Terrence Simien tore through a kick ass medley of Iko Iko, When the Saints Go Marching In, and My Indian Red. Goooood One!



Overall, a truly wonderful day out in Jersey. Fam, Bobby Love, Emmy, Stace, Sarah.... basically a great mix of people from random corners of my life.

With Emmy

Crawfish with Mikey and Bobby

Happy Crowd

Festin'

So Elsie Q headed out to California last Friday. She's selling for both of us at Maker Faire in San Mateo this weekend, so that I can stay in NYC and catch some tunes at Crawfish Fest. What a good one she is!

Last week I packed all my displays into one big box and sent it out to CA. Then I recruited Misha, who we met in Costa Rica but who lives in San Fran, to help out Elsie Q at the show. And that pretty much ended my involvement with this show. (other than a lot of stressing out as I put my entire jewelry inventory in the hands of the United States Postal Services). So tomorrow, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the show is a success. And I'll be eating a lot of crawfish.

This time, our Crawfish Krewe is bigger than ever, with lil C's and even MY PARENTS joining in the festivities. All I can hope is that they have a good time. yeek.

Blues Run the Game

Just realized I never posted any pics from Jazz Fest this year.

Sun Studio in Memphis. Went here between Fest weekends. hung out with a friend, ate some BBQ and, yup, went to Graceland!

Brass band at Fest

The scene outside the Maple Leaf bar right before Jon Cleary's set. Too bad my friend was sitting on the curb a few feet away, puking her guts out, while I took this shot.

This coming weekend is Crawfish Fest in Jersey, sort of a mini-Fest. It's a good sort of soft landing as I come down from the high of NOLA, and a nice way to start off the summer.

As for jewelry, art shows, and everything otherwise related, I'm too exhausted to even mention it. Lets just say, it's gonna be a busy month....

Eat Your Heart Out, Weasel!

Yup, i did a little cooking this week. Actually, I did a LOT of cooking, but this was a crowning achievement. Really, all the was involved was chopping veges, so maybe it was not an achievement, so much as a really really freaking good salad.




Scallions, red peppers, green peppers, cilantro, black beans, onions. A little lime juice and topped it off with some grilled chicken. Wow, delicious. Made a huge batch and ate it all week.

Can't Wait to Get Back... On the Road Again!

Friends, my life is one of perpetual motion. Just got back from New Orleans/Memphis, where i ate tons of crawfish and got twisted around in a cyclone of music, music, music. Now back home in NYC, I'm planning for more travel and lots of jewelry shows!


Sprout will be at the Bazaar Bizarre in San Mateo, CA on May 30th and 31st
Then it's back to NYC for Renegade Brooklyn on June 6th and 7th.
Finally, catch us in Seattle at Urban Craft Uprising on August 1st and 2nd.

But first and foremost, we'll be at Craftacular in Brooklyn on May 17th. It's going to be a great show with some fabulous vendors. Sure to be a fun, fun afternoon!!

And so it goes...

I found a gray hair today, my first. It is curly and near my right temple.


I am a silver fox.

The Asparagus Saga

Our story begins last weekend, at Easter dinner, when I cooked a lovely side dish of asparagus to compliment the platters of assorted meats and potatoes. I was so impressed with the dish, and my apparent aptitude for roasting yummy, plump asparagus that I decided to make it again (yesterday). So off I went to Yuri Mart (aka "The Cheap Fruit Stand") where asparagus was 2 bunches for $1. Hooray!

Later that evening, having committed myself to a "Night of Productivity" -- filling jewelry orders and finishing my taxes-- I decided to throw my delicious asparagus in the oven. They could roast for the requisite amount of time, and then I'd put them in the fridge to snack on later in the week. I warmed up the oven, washed my asparagus, tossed them in some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and laid them out on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet. Into the oven they went.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard a banging sound on my ceiling -- my upstairs neighbor. For months Taylor and I have attempted to communicate by rapping on our shared ceiling/floor, but every time it has been an utter failure. But there it was -- i distinctly heard him this time! I grabbed a broom and punched at the ceiling in response. He knocked back. Again, I hit the ceiling with the handle of the broom. Ten seconds later, Taylor came running into my apt. We were both laughing with joy, jumping up and down and hugging. Our stupid, juvenile attempt at "communication" had finally worked!!!

We decided to celebrate with a drink. So long "Night of Productivity." MIRACULOUSLY, I remembered to turn off the oven before we departed, thus leaving my asparagus in mid-roast. I'd attend to them after the victory drink.

Cut to four hours later. It's 2:30am, and as I stumble into my apartment, the last thing I'm thinking about is roasting asparagus. The long green stalks will have to sleep for the night in their little tinfoil bed.

The next morning, as I'm deliriously prepping my first cup of coffee, I step on something. It's the end of an asparagus stalk that managed to escape from the cutting board the previous evening. Ahhhh yes. I open the oven, and there lay my asparagus. A little droopier, a bit yellowish. But still. I turn on the oven and begin my day. The sun is out, and I retreat to the balcony to soak it up.

An unknown amount of time has passed when I finally drag myself out the of the beach chair I'm relaxing in and head into the apartment, only to be greeted by a putrid smell as soon as i cross the threshold. Damn it! Nooooooooo! Smoke fills the kitchen as I yank open the oven door. A layer of black crust now lines the tinfoil and the asparagus gaze up at me as if to say, "How could you?"

Defeated, I throw the pan onto the range and stare at my now-charred veges. My beautiful asparagus are shriveled to a third of their former plumpness, and the ends have now taken on the brittle texture of sun baked stalks of wheat. "They never really had a chance," I think. But still. I pluck a stalk and bite off it's top. It crunches and crumbles in my mouth in a satisfying kinda way. It has a smoky, garlic-y kinda taste. Hmmmm. Not bad. Not bad at all.....

staff meeting

Have you seen this one? It's my first foray into working with gold, and I'm really digging it.

There are matching earrings too:

Both are made with silver and gold fill. Yum!

Thanks or something

Great Easter. Fam, ham, friends, & many many bottles of wine.

Fridge stocked.
Freezer packed.
Pies aplenty.

Taylor demonstrated how to snort smarties and "smoke" the dust. It sounds more
criminal than it was.

Decorated hard boiled eggs. I brought a few to work today for lunch. Cracked the first one open against my desks and suddenly my hand was full of egg yolk..... as was my desk.

Yup, NOT hard boiled.

Flowers in Your Hair

Reason #244 why having roommates can be just the antidote to whatever ails ya:

It's Wednesday, so C. and I had our weekly "Lost" date. But this time, she had a surprise to further enhance the evening -- a wheel of gourmet cheese the size of frisbee and package of fancy cookies. The cheese was this delicious blend of goat and cow milk, I think. C. was describing it's origins in detail, but I couldn't really hear her over the sound of my chewing.

Yup, that's what it takes to make me happy on a Wednesday night, fancy cheese and Lost -- could this post sound any sadder?

Totally unrelated, but this kid kills me:

oh, so this is what she means.

Got an email from one of the art shows Elsie Q and I applied for. They needed to see more Elsie Q pics. Boo.

I didn't want to tell them that we haven't actually gotten around to shooting all the latest Elsie Q designs.... So I corralled M into an emergency Friday night photo shoot. Which was quickly taken over by Taylor. With a white russian in one hand and a his Canon in the other, he became not just a photographer but an artiste, shouting "You're beautifu!" and "Give me more of that!" as M struck some poses. The wine was flowing, the music was pumping, and Elsie Q and I diligently played the roll of photographer's assistant to Taylor. We ended up with some good shots to send over to the Powers that Decide Who Gets to Be in Art Shows. So there.

The artiste in action.



M strikes a pose, Elsie Q. works the lights

The next day, as we were reviewing the photos and laughing about who the hell spends their Friday night doing a photo shoot, M turned to me and said, "You know, are lives are not normal."

Hallelujah.

This Weekend

Indian takeout
Arrival of Elsie Q
Sucked into 40 Year Old Virgin on TV --> we never made it out of the apt Friday night
Bed
---
Yogurt/ Newspaper
Run/Walk around Roosevelt Island
Cafe Bar with Megan and Bonner --> huevos rancheros and sangria
Shower
Crescent Lounge
Leftover Indian food/strange documentary that Carrie Netflixed
Bed
---
Cornflakes /Newspaper
Emails and Etsy stuff
Dim Sum in Chinatown
????? (to be continued)

Another new pic from Michelle:

This is the Cyclone necklace. Up for sale in my Etsy shop and website. Love this one!

Dare we say Spring is almost......

New photos, new Spring styles! Hooray!
(and thanks to Michelle for the fabulous photos)

It's just like easter sunday

I've been neglecting the blog.
Much to the dismay of my four devoted readers.
So consider this it's resurrection.

So I've returned to a semi-normal 9-5ish life. It's only temporary, but still.... The work is fine, but the routine is sooo depressing. I actually uttered the words, "Thank God it's Friday!" to my coffee guy yesterday. Wow.

Still, the 9-5 routine has been helpful in getting other parts of my life back in order. I've been promising Elsie Q that I'd redo her website for a while now, and i finally finished it: www.elsieq.moonfruit.com Heres a collage of images i put together for the website:

The photos above were taken by the ever-popular Michael Borders, as well as a new photographer EliseQ and I have been LOVING lately, Michelle Heimerman. Thanks Michelle for the awesome images!

So, ever since getting back from the CR, I've been totally obsessed with this smoky "salsa" that seems to be ubiquitous over there. I mix it with beans and rice, and douse my eggs in it. I brought home three bottles, but let me tell you that in the course of a month I've already finished off one. I'm already envisioning a return to Costa Rica to stock up.

Here's a shot of my new love. His name is Lizano.