Runnin' up that Hill

This crazy, yall-- I should have been in bed about three hours ago. BUT FIRST, before the fairies take me, I wanted to show you my new rings! I'm calling them electronrings mound: aerial views. They are inspired by the ancient people of the world who built/build mounds as part of their ritual lives.





These rings are in "neutral" colors. I do have an up-coming rant about people wearing black all the time, but, I still wanted to make some rings that were more in a "natural" state, so here they are.




They're asymmetrical, and seem to have a mind of their own. So does my body-- and it wants SLEEP. . .ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz. . .

Cupcake Land

What's up with the cupcake craze? I tell you what. IT'S AMAZING. Cupcakes will rule the world someday. Mark my words.

I wish I could come up with some ancient explanation for this historical, culinary movement. Like, cupcakes sprang forth from an ancient class of bakers who performed sacred rights with miniature cakes, because big cakes were too heavy to be carried on their various pilgrimages. Or, maybe there is a lost biblical story: there was only one cake for 200 people at an art opening. . . miraculously said cake transformed into a lotsa little cakes. Yeah, that sounds about right.


So, my birthday was the 24th. Lots of curious things happened on February 24th: the first time nylon was used commercially (in tooth brushes), Wilhelm Grimm of Grimm's Fairy tales was born in 1786, the science fiction writer, Octavia Butler passed away, and the birth Billy Zane. Yes, I share a birthday with Billy Zane. And Barry Bostwick. Isn't that hilarious?


ANYWAY. I thought I would celebrate my birthday by staying home. I made tuna melt, and watched two scary episodes of Supernatural and then I went out. BIG MISTAKE. I tried to get a cupcake. All I really wanted was a cupcake! How hard could that be? Just a simple cupcake. . . I couldn't find one to save my life, or my birthday. I should have just ordered one from etsy.

In etsy land, there are lots of cupcakes to choose from, real and imagined:




DANAES BATH AND BODY




Somebody better tell me what kind of Druid magick this is, comin' out of Austin, Texas. DANG. Are you SURE I can't eat this? Danaes makes. . . SOAP cupcakes. I feel like Augustus Gloop about to dive into the Wonka chocolate river (but, just for the record, that Dove commercial where the chocolate river engulfs the city, is NOT my idea of fun, exactly)! But Danaes' cupcake soaps look so real. . . so inviting. . . if I had a bathtub, I would be all over this soap. Ohhh, I'm feeling a little dirty. . .might need to have my mouth washed out with cupcake soap! Time to rent a hotel room and have a little fun!

Just in case you want to EAT a cupcake:



VEGAN EASE



Okay, this is what I SHOULD have ordered for my birthday. I might have to do it after the fact: sometimes, I just look at Vegan Ease's cupcakes and day dream I can taste that criss-cross, white icing. The texture of the icing. . . the. . . the. . .
I can't talk anymore. Wait-- I have to tell you-- they come four to a box, and they're BIG. Just get these flippin' cupcakes ASAP.




DR. FAUXTESS!

VEGAN HONEY

I remember going to the gas station, back in the day-- my dad would always buy
us a Hostess cupcake 2-pak. He would eat one, and I gobbled down the other. Now I won't go within 10 feet of the things-- you know what's in them. NOTHING. PETROLEUM. Crazy.
But VEGAN HONEY makes the most yummy "fake" version of the cup cake favorite:




Look at that. So pretty. Yummy. I wish I could have one right now, and here's why:



I am delighted to present to you the vegan Fauxstess Cupcake! Devilishly good devils food cake stuffed with a whipped cream frosting and decorated with the classic swirl!

FOUR scrumptious vegan Fauxstess cupcakes can be yours. . .
Brooklyn based Vegan Honey uses no animal by-products including dairy, eggs or honey in any of their baked goods. But you'll never tell the difference!And don't forget, five percent of all sales go to various animal advocacy, environmental and social justice organizations!


I think that's pretty dang cool, Vegan Honey.






Okay, so I had to show you my version of an electronrings cupcake:




It's neither a cup, nor a cake. But, that's what I was thinking when I made it.
Sprinkles and all. . .

Hey Stella!

In my other life I am a performing artist. I have show called Absolute Brightness and in it, Haley's Comet appears, along with the disembodied voice of the irrepressible Mark Twain. I made a shadow puppet of the Bayeux Tapestry version of the comet, which is my favorite interpretation of this particular flying ball of gas and ice and space-business.



Anyway, I was trying to make what I thought was an angel wing. Basically, I made my first brooch, and it's Haley's Comet.





I remember seeing the comet in the 80s. The 1980s. But it also appeared in 1066 DURING the Battle of Hastings. Can you image being a war, and seeing a comet crashing your blood bath? Bizarre. . . And before THAT, Haley's Comet appears shortly after Julius Caesar met his death by the hands of a few of his closest friends (Jules, I know what THAT's like). ANYWAY. . .

I hand-felted the wool, and made it into a circular patch-- it was a coaster for about two weeks, when it occurred to me to cut the thing up. When I did, I just reassembled the pieces and come up with something completely different. Mounted and stitched the pieces onto pre felted felt and low and behold. A comet. Look for these in the electronrings etsy store, real soon!



Also, I have decided to created a new section of the store. It's called neutrons/neutrals. I just figure not everyone digs on color-- so I'm going to start making neutral electrons. Neutrons have no charge-- so it makes sense. Or it is just me. . .

Thanks for checking out this new blog! Come on by this week for more "reviews" of etsy stores, and all the interesting crafty business in-between.

I wanna be your man

I was feeling a bit restless last week, so I had a little dance party in my tiny living room. Danced for three hours-- I'm not sure what got into me, but it felt great. I started with Chic-- nothing kicks off a party like a little Le Freak. . . says Chic. Didn't take long before things got dirty. You know what I mean. T.Rex. Marc Bolan with is sexy, kinky fro and shiny lips and flirty guitar licks . . .

Don't get me started. Next thing I know I'm making come hither eyes at one of my human-sized house plants I have decided to call. . . Dean. Yes, Dean is name after Dean Winchester on the Sci-Fi show, Supernatural (what-- I LOVE that show).

Anyway, you can imagine how thrilled I was to see that WhizzKid1-- a new etsy store, has a great tee of Marc Bolan from T. Rex.





I think I've got to get this. The thought of Marc Bolan near my boobs? A girl can have her fantasies, can't she?

Salvage Light

I have to say that right now, when I can't really tell the slate-gray sky from also gray sidewalks of New England, I'm mucho into the harbingers of Spring. I mean, I normally look like a box of crayolas melted all over me, but there's something about Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty that goes BEYOND color.

Based in wilds of Seattle, Ruffeo knows how to rummage, dig, and unearth that nasty, nasty, Cameo nasty WORD-UP spandex (and denim, fleece, cotton) to produce something that's dare I say it. . . ADORABLE. I mean, in the most hip but nerdy, apple sauce mixed with peas, sort of way. These are the clothes you wear under your office gear so that you can quickly transform into the super hero your were born to be. Or, be a bad ass all the time and say screw the establishment-- EAT MY COLOR. I'm talking high-stepping, Gogol Bordello after party cocktail wear.

The next time I go to Europe, I'm getting a Ruffeo pull-over, so people know how we REALLY roll over here, dammit. In gear like this, I could save the world. . .