I don't know why, but for some reason in the last few weeks I have started a couple new projects. One is an afghan that I will share pics of someday when the sun comes out again and the other has been stitching up some cross stitch patterns I made.
I'm not totally sure what these are going to end up as yet, but I have some good ideas.
I want to work on some nice patterns of well...patterns for cross stitching. I've been making my patterns in Illustrator and it's so easy!
I'm going to be heading over to the Twin Ravens Press studio (aka Kristin's house!) again today to help out with finishing up a big order. I was over there for most of yesterday along with one of Kristin's other friends helping to bind booklets and piece things together. It's nice to get out of the house and help out a pal. Especially when it's doing things that you never do on your own!
I'm heading home to Maine in a few weeks for an insane marathon of wedding decoration and favor making with my Mom. Although I've been keeping busy with some wedding projects there is still so much to be done!
Last week I got my fabric from Spoonflower in the patterns I designed for our save the dates and invitations. I'm not going to tell you what the fabric is going to be used for but it's going to be cute! I got a yard of each pattern on a cotton/linen blend canvas and I absolutely love how they came out!
The colors look much richer in person but it's not the nicest day here and I snapped a pic during the only few minutes of sunshine so far today. I changed the fuchsia pattern up and I like it lots.
I helped out my friend Kristin yesterday and I got to see the plates for our invitations. I kept taking them out and looking at them and I can't wait until we can start printing. Even though there is still much to do for the wedding it's so cool to see things coming together.
I found this illustration today on my computer. I'm not sure what I should do with these ladies! I drew them last year but never really finished them. What do you guys think? Any suggestions?
Also, I'm sorry! Buddy Monday completely skipped my mind yesterday. GEEZE.
I got to learn something new on Friday! My friend Morgan came over to hang out and decided to bring over supplies to dye some yarn. I had no idea she was bringing it over so it was an awesome surprise. It's something I have been thinking about a lot lately and had been meaning to ask her about so yeah, like I said, awesome surprise!
Those are the skeins we dyed. It was a lot of fun and my fingers turned the blackest black ever. I'm so excited I learned how to do this and I really want to try it again soon!
Ok, now Adam and I are off to finally look at wedding rings!
Adam's (and soon mine!) niece, Carisa, is reading Flat Stanley in school and asked us to help her out with a project. We were sent a little template and we had to decorate it and dress him up how you would dress where we live. Since we live in the mostly rainy Pacific Northwest we went a raincoat and rain boots.
Since Adam and I weren't familiar with the story or character we looked up a picture on Google to see what his face looked like. We didn't realize until after we drew it on that the version of him we were drawing was actually illustrated by a professor at the college we went to, Scott Nash.
I made all of Stanley's clothing and hair today out of card stock and it was really fun! We are going to take some pictures of him out and about town tomorrow. I didn't realize what a big project these Flat Stanley's are. They have been all over the world, what a cool project! I sure hope that Carisa likes him!
Funny thing about this week's buddy, Nick...I've never met him! However, he is the boyfriend of one of my BFF's, Bobbi and I'll be meeting him when I go back to Maine in about a month. I'm really happy that he was able to do the questions for a couple reasons - I think his work is awesome and fits perfectly in my goal to use Buddy Monday as a way to highlight all different kinds of art. So enjoy Beartrap because it's full of good stories, links, artwork and even a recipe! I couldn't have asked for more of a soon to be buddy!
1. Tell us about yourself?
I am Beartrap, A 24 year old tattooist and mascot. I live and work currently in Portland Maine at BLNDSGHT Tattoo with Watson Atkinson and Shannon Doah. I also play music; formerly, I played bass in the New Hampshire based band Backstabbers incorporated and I currently play in the band Waranimal. I can usually be found riding my bike or shooting fireworks at stuff and trying to skateboard. If I get lucky I might graduate someday from the University of Southern Maine, where I have been studying printmaking since 2004.
2. What do you make?
Jokes [ http://www.youtube.com/user/xieatbagelsx#p/u - check out my hightime for a jokes ] Flyers. Stone teeth. 2-d and 3-d prints. Logos. Lots of drawings . Loud noises. Dinner. The bed. Plans to party. Fun. I once made a my sister pass chicken noodle soup through her nose at the dinner table, I think we were being loud and my mom had yelled at us to be quiet or stop laughing or something. I looked at my sister and pretended to silently stifle a laugh as she was eating some soup and she could not hold it. It was awesome ( it might have been orange soda actually, or milk, I don't remember which one that time was )
I also make pizza and once made this Pb&J pizza for dessert at a pizza party I had - its awesome.
3 cups of Bisquick Heart smart mix
1 cup of Soymilk
peanut butter
Jelly
Chrushed Graham Crackers
Shredded coconut
follow the directions on the bisquick heart smart box to make a double batch of biscuit dough and roll it out/stretch it out so its really thin and instead of cutting it to make biscuits just leave it whole and bake it like you would normally.
Once it has come out of the oven let cool a little and then spread peanut butter and jelly to taste over your giant biscuit.
Sprinkle Graham crackers and coconut to taste as well atop and enjoy.
you could also put banana and honey or fluff on top if you wished. I bet that would be good and if you eat meat you could omit the jelly and add banana and bacon for Elvis Pizza, or just use veggie bacon if you wanted, that also sounds awesome.
3. How did you come up with your shop/business/blog name?
Beartrap is a childhood nickname I was given after trapping a young blackbear in a walk-in cooler at a campground/restort that my family once ran in northern Maine. Til Death Do us Party comes from a tattoo I have on my leg of a heart shaped pizza with wings and a banner that reads " Til Death Do us Party, Rest in Pizzas" I could not decide if I wanted "rest in pizzas" or "pizza my heart" I got the idea from my friend Jeremy Myers and I have not asked him but I think he may have gotten it from the Groovie Ghoulies song "Til Death Do Us Party" which I had not heard at the time of his suggestion. Til Death Do us Party is also an army I am starting of people who party hard, there are some stipulations which can be revealed at the time of recruitment if one should wish to enlist but it basically entails getting some sort of ridiculous tattoo that somewhere says " Til Death Do us Party"
4. Influences? The outlaw print makers - Dennis Mcnett, Sean Starwars, And Tom Huck. I am largely inspired by people who in addition to their work/music/ whatever they are producing have created an alter ego/pseudonym that they adopt and stubbornly refuse to break character. This is something that has always intrigued me and I am starting to notice it around me with some of my friends and people I see and interact with on a daily basis and it is really awesome. And as far as my tattooing goes my mentor, Watson Atkinson, has been incredbily influential but I am also really drawn to the work of Thomas Hooper , Daniel Dimattia, Yann Black, Guy Aitchison and in large by the sort of spirit and play on words / humor of a lot of Americana tattooing.
Blind Guardian - " The Soulforged "
Manowar - " Sons of Odin "
Basil Poledouris's " Anvil of Crom" from the Conan the Barbarian Score
Tragedy - " Conflicting Idea"
Van Halen - "Jump"
Polyphonic Spree - " Light and Day"
Jeff Walker and Die Fluffers covering "You're still on my mind" by the Byrds
Austin half watching over and half staring me down.
Sometimes in the right (or wrong?) light he kind of looks like he only has one eye.
So I'm up to 87 pieces and counting. I feel like I could have so many more done but I'm trying really hard to make sure I take a day or two in between crochet-a-thons so I don't end up hurting my wrists.
Yesterday I went over to talk final details about our invitations with Kristin of Twin Ravens Press. I am so excited that we are getting to work with her and I can't wait to help out once we can get started with printing.
It feels so good to get stuff like that checked of the wedding to do list. Most of the time is spent feeling kind of like things might not ever come together and then before you know it there's only a few things left to do! Well, only a few more things to do if you aren't my mom or I because we still need to make a thousand things.
I don't usually post stuff about other people's giveaways but this one is too good on all accounts! The reason, the prize, all of it!
1. It involves a Sarah and us Sarah's with an H need to stick together. 2. It involves a wedding contest and since I'm planning mine right now, I see how stressful it can get and am all for helping someone else's be easy breezy! 3. The couple is really adorable! 3. The prize is from one of my favorite Etsy artists, Marañón, and it would be a dream to own a piece from her.
So here are the rules via Sarah and Brian's blog, Westervin: Remember to comment over there, NOT here for a chance to win and say that Sarah from S. Jane sent you!
Enter your email address (you will NOT receive spam, this is just to verify that you are an actual person)
Leave a comment on this post with your vote number (e.g. I’m vote #170). To get your vote number, just check the vote count on our entry page after you’ve received your confirmation email.* In your comment, be sure to include your name in the “Name” field and your email address in the “Email” field.
Tell others to vote for us. Why? Because you’ll get additional entries and increase your chances of winning the necklace! So tweet about it, blog about it, post a link on your Facebook wall or email it to your friends. Just ask them to leave your name in their comment (e.g. I’m vote #170 and Kelly Jones told me to vote!)
Give yourself a pat on the back!
*If you’ve already voted for us chances are I know about it. Don’t worry about the vote number unless you remember it.
This giveaway ends Sunday, March 14th at 11:59pm CST
So go forth and vote, you guys! If nothing else you will help to make a cute couple's wedding dream seem not so far away!
I got so caught up doing some design work, cleaning Adam and I's room (It was horrible in there. Just horrible!) and doing laundry today that Buddy Monday totally skipped my mind! Adam has been away since Wednesday and not spending the weekend with him has pretty much thrown off what day it is for me.
Right now I am eating some pasta salad and drinking some Fizzy Lizzy soda, or I guess, sparkling fruit juice. It's so good and I'm in love with the packaging! So cute!
So no new buddy today, but if you haven't checked out the past couple weeks then you should catch up while drinking some Fizzy Lizzy!
