Made the front page twice this week! Hooray!


I'm watching "Anchorman" for the first time.... And loving it.

Encourage the impracticle

Haven't been blogging cause Mikey D has had my camera for three weeks now, and I'm usually uninspired to post when I have no pics to share.

So the roomies and i are heading to Costa Rica in two weeks. I get really superstitious before any big trip, and usually try not to think about it or prepare for it until I'm on the plane. Planning for these kinda trips can be really overwhelming -- the hostels, the trains, figuring out how long you're gonna stay in a particular city.... It's easier for me to just get there and then deal with things day-by-day.

For this Costa Rica trip, we're gonna do a tour. It's a small tour company that I've used before. I think none of us really wanted to deal with the stresses of travel this time around and just wanted to have everything mapped out for us. Which can be both a good thing but also make for a more staid kinda adventure.

Anyways, the pic above is apparently one of the places we'll be traveling to while in Costa Rica. All I can say is.... looks good!!!

Never buy Wrigley's "Classic" bubble gum. It was on sale today, so I stocked up, but it tastes like chemicals. Ugh.

Man I wish it was summer. Then I could see things like this:

(In Long Island City)

And I wanna ride my bike out over the bridge that connects Brooklyn and Queens:

I'm crawling back under my blankets till at least April!

A Final Thought

How is it that Dick Cheney looks more and more like Mr. Burns with every passing day?



Seeing Obama get sworn in today was a beautiful sight, but what really brought a tear to my eye was watching Bush get in that helicopter. And so ends a failed embarrassment of a presidency.

Weaz, this one's for you

Karenin's Smile

There's a line from a Guided by Voices song a former boyfriend used to sing to me: "I'm looking inside your brain/And Christ, it's a cluttered mess."

I am still sorting through the backlog of NYTimes that were delivered to me in Queens over the holidays, while I was upstate. For some reason, I can't justify getting rid of these newspapers without reading them first. So, for the past week, I've been plowing through 2 and 3-week-old news.

I rarely read fiction these days, because I always feel so pressed so time that I've managed to convince myself that I should only be reading things of educational merit. Which is ridiculous of course. Especially when combined with the fact that i forget everything I read, so what difference does it ultimately make? For Christmas this year, I asked for a book that had been 0n my must-read list for a few months. Halfway through the book, it dawned on me that I'd already read this book a couple years ago. Am i losing my mind?

Anyways, I made a new necklace that I'm totally in love with:



It's snowing in NYC tonight. The streets are EMPTY.

Throws my hips off kilter

So the woman behind the counter at the post office refused to ship my package today because it was going overseas and I had listed the value at $90.

Finally, after going round and round a bit, she conceded that she could ship it, but "couldn't promise that customs would let it through. And if it doesn't get through, it's not gonna get returned to you."

Well that's helpful.

I go over to the UPS store. The guy inputs every bit of conceivable information into his computer - addresses, weight, phone number, dimensions, blah blah blah. Then he says "$65." To ship a package that weighs LESS THAN 2 OUNCES and is in a 5x7 envelope.

Back to the post office i go. Repackage the envelope -- one piece of jewelry in one package, another piece of jewelry in another --- despite the fact that they are going to the same place. Two new customs forms, another 20 minutes in line, and finally SUCCESS.

Hey, it's not thrilling but its all I got.....

Sometimes I Research

Never in my life had I ever heard of a Blythe doll, and now all of a sudden, they are everywhere I look.


It began when the vendor next to me at Craftacular was selling Blythe.... dolls? clothing? Hmmm, it's kinda hazy.

Then I saw some Blythe stuff on Etsy.

And tonight, more Blythe crap-ola.

Is it a sign that I'm getting older and thus am out of touch with these pop culture toys? I needed to get up to date with the Blythe mystery. So, I googled it and it seems that Blythe dolls were created by Kenner in the 70's and had a resurgence over the last five years or so. Basically, they are these dolls with huge eyes. I searched them on Etsy and sound more than 5,000 items for sale -- mostly handmade Blythe clothes, but also Blythe artwork and photos. Hmmmm.

Anyways, I doubt I'll have much use for this new bit of knowledge, but at least I can rest easy tonight knowing that I'm still down with the kids.

It Ain't Pretty

The gory aftermath of the frenzied last-minute-order-filling marathon that occurred yesterday:




Yupp, my studio is trashed. What can I say? I'm beyond trying to remain organized at this point.

Hung out at Artists & Fleas Friday night, then trucked back to Queens to fill orders till 4am. Up at 7 to finish up, then ran (literally) to the post office. Then out to Site to drop off some pieces. Passed out for a bit, then felt too lazy and groggy to go to Karrie's holiday party. Made a few new pieces to sell at Waltz tomorrow -- my last show of the season.

We're supposed to get hit with a big storm, so who knows what the morning will bring....

In other news, this is freaking hilarious:

I've just added Sarah Haskins to my list of girl-crushes.

Table 108

Still reveling in the adrenaline rush from the Bust Craftacular on Sunday. So much fun!

It was great to see some favorite vendors from past shows, including Megan and Michael from Harrilu, who we met in Austin and Brookadelphia, who hail from NYC and shared in the rain-soaked adventure that was Renegade Chicago.

Equally exciting was meeting some new vendors --- most notably Bunny Butt Apothecary and Lois Aronow Porcelain. I got some awesome soap and lotion from Bunny Butt and let me tell you, I can't stop using it. My hands have been in pretty rough shape these days (getting attacked with a jewelry file day in and day out!) and the delish Masala Chai Whipped Cream moisturizer is nursing it back to health. And from Lois Aronow I got the AMAZING mug I've been lusting after for a year now! I'm drinking out of it right now and it's even more lovely in real life than I could have ever imagined.

As for the action over at the Sprout Jewelry table, luckily Jenny and Mikey D were on hand to help me out. And thank god for Elsie Q, who helped me set up and ran out to Home Depot at 10am to buy a much-needed house plant for my display. Gotta love her for that!!

Oh, here is Mikey D and Ang the night before Bust. They helped me do some jewelry prep, before heading out to the bar.

After all the energy and anxiety that has accompanied my life since September, it's really sad that the holiday shopping season is essentially over. No more big shows to obsess over, no more racing through the airport with a huge suitcase full of jewelry displays. Honestly, I'm pretty proud to say that Sprout Jewelry went coast-to-coast this year and SURVIVED. Hell yeah!!! Now it's time to Rock N Roll in 2009!

It's all like this...

Wake up to the sound of a Golden Girls rerun on Lifetime.
Coffee. Yogurt.
Jewelry.
Jewelry.
Check email. Relist.
Jewelry.
Jewelry.
Address envelopes.
Jewelry. Jewelry. Jewelry.
Shit, it's 4:35.
PJ's off, jeans on. Hat to cover up my unwashed hair.
Bike to the Post Office; it's 4:58.
Ship envelopes.
Fruit from the cheap fruit stand.
Second pot of coffee.
Jewelry. Jewelry.
Email.
Jewelry.
Daily Show.
Done.

Yup, that pretty much sums up the last month of my life. Any takers?

xoxo K

Underground in Seattle

Wow, wow. Got in from Seattle yesterday. Caught the red eye, arrived in NYC where the temp was freeeezing and the subway it's usual mix of madness. Back at 29th Street, i stayed awake long enough to run the stack of credit card slips accumulated this weekend, then passed out on the tiny patch of my bed that wasn't covered in jewelry and random crap.

Seattle was an amazing experience. I loved it even more than anticipated. Mountains, water, pine trees, cool little neighborhoods and still the rushrush of a city.... I mean, what more can ya ask for?

Spent two days being a tourist -- Pike Street, Seattle Art Museum, a walking tour, parks.... Then two days at Urban Craft Uprising. UCU was AMAZING! What a great show. Good size crowds, nice people, and lots of enthusiasm from both buyers and sellers alike.


By the end of the first day, my inventory was reduced to a tiny little pile and i was beginning to panic about what I'd even have left to sell on Saturday. Luckily, an all-nighter in my hotel room (and some supplies from JoAnn Fabrics) got me through day 2.

Left Seattle exhausted but exhilarated. No time to rest though -- onward to Craftacular!

One hour from Utica

Spent the day on the train, from NYC up along the Hudson, past Albany and deep into Central New York. Watched the sky go from piercing electric blue as we sped out of Manhattan to dismal gray outside of Albany. By the time we pulled into the Syracuse station, it was raining and frigid.

All is well though. A few glasses of wine, some awesome horseradish dip and my fam around (for the next 24 hours at least).

A prelude to the insanity that will kick off exactly a week from now:


Next weekend I'll be selling in Seattle, while Ang holds down operations on the East Coast -- four shows in Brooklyn over the course of next weekend. Yeek!

Something Smoky and Sweet

Mikey D has got me totally hooked on this version of "I'd Rather Go Blind." You must watch this (over and over again.)


Something Sad: Michael Borders is leaving NYC for Atlanta. We got together for some BBQ tonight for his "farewell" dinner. I met Michael in a kinda bizarre way: Years ago, I put a post up on Craigslist because I was looking for a photographer to take some shots of my jewelry. Michael responded to the post and offered to shoot my jewelry - for free! I discovered that he was not only a wonderful photographer, but an amazing person too. Me and the Astoria crew are truly gonna miss his presence at our parties, where he'd commandeer our blue arm chair and demonstrate his quirky "talent" of following multiple conversations at one time. Then he'd pass out on our couch.

This pic of me and Michael was taken at about 2am on the night of our White Trash Christmas party a couple years ago. I think we were both tanked at this point, although I do remember being thrilled to receive Michael's gift for the white trash gift exchange: a Steven Segal movie. Good times, good times. We'll miss you, Michael Borders!

Merry Christmas to Me!

I want this!


It's so totally ridiculous and wonderful! A blanket that you can wear!!

The Snuggie website looks like it was created by a kid in a high school graphic design class. Plus the logo/name is a blatant rip-off of Snuggle fabric softener. The commercial is equally bizarre, with a Snuggie-clad family taking in an outdoor sporting event.



And I'm feeling a little disconcerted by the fact that you get two snuggies and two reading lights for twenty bucks. I almost feel like I'd prefer to be over-charged in this case. Lie to me, Snuggie! When you pile on tons of "freebies" it's basically like admitting that your product is crap.

Actually, after doing a little product research, it seems that the Snuggie is the red-headed stepchild of the Slanket -- the rolls royce of blanket attire for the lonely and hopeless.

Unfortunately, it's always second-best for me --- I can only dream of one day being able to afford the Slanket. So for now, I'll be saving my nickels for the Snuggie and dreaming of the day when I can prance through the streets of Astoria, toasty warm in my Sunggie!

We are Golden

This morning I finally figured out how to upload my MP3s to iTunes. Yup. I've been using Winamp all these years cause I just couldn't get iTunes to work for me (though I do listen to a zillion podcasts a day. That much I managed to figure out).

It's a sad accomplishment, but an accomplishment none the less.

I hired a fellow Etsian to create a logo and marketing materials for me, and she did a wonderful job:


I'm really happy with the funky, kinda unusual color scheme and the overall aesthetic.

Yesterday I spent the ENTIRE DAY working with the new logo, creating new postcard and business card designs for Sprout, which I'll need for Seattle and other holiday shows. I couldn't believe how long it took. Sigh. At least I'm getting better at Photoshop.

Yesterday, I caught "Almost Famous" on HBO. How freaking great is that movie? Somehow that movie manages to make me nostalgic for things I've never even experienced. I think it's the soundtrack:

Halloween Run-Down

So, I'm proud to report that, contrary to expectations, I did not ass-out on Halloween. It actually turned out to be a fun night!

At 4pm Friday, I dug a pair of devil horns out from under my bed, where they have resided since the last time I wore devil horns for Halloween. Creative!

At 6pm, I joined the rest of Astoria at The Party Store, where everyone in the neighborhood was frantically trying to buy a last-minute costume. Fake eyelashes? Check? Long red gloves? Check. Disgusting $10 wig? Yup.

I went home to piece together this mismatched array of accessories. The wig looked like I was wearing a hairball as a hat. Into the garbage it went.

Everything else however, looked pretty awesome for a last-possible-second costume.

Some pre-party pics:

We hit the town. Our crew looked great and the weather was spectacular. The parade was a chaotic, crazy spectacle. We took in all the madness, then ventured into the West Village to find a bar. Everything was packed (duh) and we wandered further and further downtown.

We passed the Washington Square Park, and the arch was all lit-up and glowing bright white against the black sky. It was one of those {sigh} I-love-this-city moments.

Finally found a manageable bar below Houston. Drinking, shots of Jameson, Mikey D taking over the jukebox (loved the Dr John, Mikey, but Otis Redding is NOT party music!) more drinking, and eventually being joined by Lil C. Awesomeness! C regaled our group with some fine dancing, adding a few moves to his impressive repertoire. The die-hards left to find a party, leaving C and I to linger a bit longer over a few blueberry ales, then stumble our way to the subway.

The only casualty of the evening was Mikes "plastic" coat, which we bid farewell to at Queensboro Plaza as it jetted off into the night, spread out on the seat of an N train.

The next morning, I woke up to a spinning head and Mikey D barging into my room, announcing it was time for brunch. Excellent!