It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye

...or you have to fill out a government form.

Skelekitty becoming stamps (and I'm looking into silk-screened tees) = AWESOME. We're making an honest kitty out of her and she'll soon have the little registered mark to flash at everyone. However, reading instructions and filling out of US Library of Congress copyright forms is not for the squeamish.

Mind you, I'm NOT complaining!

And the winners are...

Skelekitty Rubber Stamp flyer (1)
Originally uploaded by krissi's stitchery & mexiphemera

The winning votes for the Skelekitty rubber stamps are in!

77% of voters overwhelmingly chose "Welcome Home" (Skelekitty rubbing against skeleton legs) as their favorite!

The detail from "Play Time!" featuring Skelekitten popping out from behind a ball of yarn came in second (68% of voters liked her).

The new Skele-Mer-kitty (which you voted on without the benefit of seeing the final drawing) received votes from 51% of folks, as did "Always Time for Love" - the image of kitty popping up from behind a heart.

Thanks for voting everyone! Stay tuned for all the pertinent information on release dates, purchase info (location & price) and maybe even more stamps! Again, special thanks to Lee at Guadalupe Fun Rubber Stamps and Stampa Fe Art Stamps for making this possible!

Skelekitty is branching out into a LINE of rubber stamps!

So, you've probably heard that my original Skelekitty character is going to be made into a rubber stamp by Stampa Fe Rubber Stamps (and carried in at least one specialty store).

Well, I got a message from Stampa Fe's owner this morning saying that she wants to create a line of at least 3 or 4 stamps right off the bat!

EEEEP! and YAY! So what images should I use?? You tell me, would ya?

Please help by voting on which images you think would make a good rubber stamp. Remember, even if you're so NOT into stamping, I'd love your opinion (what if someone gave you a handmade card - which images would you think are the coolest?).

Over on the right side of my blog are some thumbnails (the photo links to skelecritters on my Flickr page). Just check the boxes of your favorite images (1 to 4 please). Sorry, the polling is closed, but the results available here.

THANK YOU! I'll update later this week with the final decisions.

Art Show and Benefit for the Midwest flood victims

Artists and art collectors, we have an AWESOME event coming up in a few short weeks to benefit the flood victims in the Midwest. Here's a quote from my beloved pal, The Queen of Trash, which got this all started:

FLOODING IN FRANKLIN, INDIANA

On a serious note, I have been very upset about the flooding in Franklin. Mister Lobo and I were in Franklin last year for the B-Movie Celebration. Upon arriving it looked like one of those small towns that only exist in the movies. Now, being that I'm The Queen of Trash, and quite prone to walking around in public in nothing but my corset and underwear, I was honestly expecting the angry mob to attack at any moment--but it never happened. In fact, something far stranger happened. They loved me!

Walking around Franklin on a Sunday morning, the old folks coming home from church waved and said "hello" and that they hoped that the festival was enjoyable. Almost anywhere else in the United States, I would be getting nasty glares, car horns honking, or perhaps even a piping hot cup of Starbucks to the noggin! They smiled and waved and as I got to know them, made me feel like I was part of the family. It boggled me to think that there was so much love and closeness in this community. If it weren't for the Cicadas (I'm terrified of bugs), I would have already packed up my things and settled there.

Now with the flooding, the town has been torn apart. They are bravely pulling together as the strong community that they are, but they need help. At the The B Movie Celebration this year, I will be donating many items to a silent auction, including a one of a kind, never to be made again, life cast of my bust! In the meantime, if you have anything that you can spare, I am asking you to please donate to the relief fund.

To further help with donations, The Q-o-T has rallied her artsy-type pals in Sacramento and elsewhere to donate artwork for a benefit show: The AMAZING COLOSSAL ART SHOW and benefit is a “B-Movie”-themed art sale to benefit the flood victims in Franklin, IN, home of the Midwest’s annual “B-Movie Celebration.” The event will be hosted by Franklin’s adopted daughter and our own local B-Movie goddess herself, The Queen of Trash, with an appearance by Mister Lobo!

Just think: rubber monsters, zombies, go-go girls, Mexican wrestlers, space girls in silver bikinis, paper plate saucers, giant robots, brains in jars, kung fu masters, death cars radioactive insects and, of course, amazing colossal people! Here’s the best part: ALL of the pieces will be very affordable (most under $100) and the majority will be $50 and under! The very air will abound with art, jewelry and trinkets that won’t put a dent in your wallet!

WE STILL NEED DONATIONS! There is still plenty of room for more art donations, so if you're interested, please e-mail me (art@krissisandvik.com) or Her Majesty (queen-of-trash@hotmail.com) and let us know. We are also in the market for a couple of sponsors to offset the venue fee and to provide some snackage, so if you know of some folks, please pass it on.

100% of profits will benefit the Johnson County Flood Relief Fund.*

Saturday, July 19^th, 6pm – 10pm
Vox Gallery Sacramento
Corner of X & 19^th
Sacramento

* unsold pieces will be shipped to Franklin, IN to be included in a silent auction in September.

Up the garden path

Remember my 'farmer's workout' from a couple of weeks back? Here are a few photos of the construction of the brick pathway from our patio to the macaw's aviary. I finally finished so I've posted some photos of the final results:


I first had to dig (pickax) down an inch or two into Folsom soil (read as "granite, clay and mining tailings that my tortoise can't even burrow into"), lay a bed of sand, tamp it down, level it, then ...



break bricks


lay the bricks


edge with river rocks (swiped from up against the back fence where I couldn't admire them)


add joiner sand, about 6 cubic yards of soil, another row of rock, two pots, my beloved English clay hedgehog (Spiny Norman) and about 60 marigold plants. All that I had to do after that was sit back with a well deserved lemonade (yeah, it's sugar-free of course).

My hubby was good enough to pretty much stay out of my way and make several runs to OSH for sand, soil and flowers. I'm quite proud of this little project, if I do say so myself.

Collage Contessa: Studio Organizing Tips

Here's a little goodness from one of my Twitter-pated pals, the Collage Contessa: Studio Organizing Tips. There are tips here to please everyone from the type A clean-freaks (yeah, I meant freaks) to those like me: messy girls. Many photos. An all around GREAT read.

My tip (and personal failure) - put stuff away when you're done with it.

Big-Ass Announcement for SKELEKITTY Fans!

Skelekitty has goals & that spunky little minx cannot be stopped!

I am very proud to announce that the first Skelekitty rubber stamp is in the works and will soon be available to you.



"Always Time for Love" is the first of what I hope will be many Skelekitty designs (the next in line, depending on the stampin' public's reaction to "Love" will either be "Welcome Home" or a brand new skelekitty-mermaid design).

Special thanks to Lee Kellogg of Stampa Fe Rubber Stamps for taking Skelekitty on, and to my husband, Ron, for coming up with many of Skelekitty's poses and especially for pimping the idea out to Lee - it didn't take much since, luckily for us, she was looking for a cute kitty muertos image! We met Lee at her AWESOME store, Guadalupe Rubber Stamps in Santa Fe, NM (online shopping is now available folks) during our visit in May, and I've kept quiet on the announcement until now. It's because of these two that I'm able to offer this design to the rubber stamping world!

More special thanks to Kathy Murillo (aka The Crafty Chica) for convincing me I could actually do something like this and to Yoli Manzo (aka Sacred Snatch) for her undying support and willingness to listen.

Stay tuned for more information like Skelekitty's release date, pricing and future designs (which will depend on your reaction to this first stamp image)!

Take It Easy Kid, It's Only a Movie

For my younger friends (or those who weren't watching late night TV on Saturday nights during their youth), who haven't seen Hardware Wars, here you go: This is why those of us in the 35-45 age range get all goofy looking when we actually meet Ernie Fosselius.


HARDWARE WARS (1978), PART 1

HARDWARE WARS, PART 2

Not to mention why Ron and I crack up and shout "Tractor Beam!" every time we see one of these!


Oh, he worked on this, too!

Looking around at some of these sites, I see posts like "what's Ernie doing now?" He's working on some amazing little carvings - two were for sale in February at the Scary Art show at Grind & Groove in Sacramento, and we hope to see him at more shows in the future.

More on the wonderful world of Ernie ... NOW:
MAKE interviews Ernie
Ernie on BOING BOING
Fan photos of Ernies recent work

Why? Part 2

For part one in the "Why?" series, click here (sorry - it's only on my MySpace blog).

When I tell folks outside of my immediate circle that I train the way I do (i.e., like a powerlifter), I get looks of puzzlement and sometimes well-meaning, but ill-informed advice on watching out so I don't "bulk up" (umm, I've lost several sizes & many inches since starting this regiment). If you don't buy that, have you SEEN my trainer who can outlift and outbench me by several times???

Thanks to the training methods of Chip Conrad at Body Tribe, and the lovely Allyson Goble (aka Seconds)'s seemingly unlimited patience in actually training me (known at the Tribe as "The Grumble Bee"), I was able to do the following "workout:"

I call it "Krissi's Up the Garden Path workout"

- pickax swings (20 lb ax) 100 reps
take as long as you need to complete all 100 reps - don't cut off your toes
- deadlift warmups, 10 reps
using a pair of vice grips, pull 3" rusted garden 'staples' out of clay
- shoveling wet earth/clay, 100 reps
- sandbag deadlift and toss (50 lb bags) 11 reps
- grip strength/wheelbarrow combo:

- load brick pavers 4 at a time into wheelbarrow

- carry wheelbarrow 20 yards (though obstacle course - don't run over the tortoise) and unload bricks

(this combo can be done with heavy weight and light reps or light weight and more reps. Must move 50 SF of bricks.)

Geez.

Ima get me a purple suede hat with a pheasant feather

...'cause I'm pimpin' out my fellow artisans so much these days!

Another indie designer you should familiarize yourself with:

Alt Designs


Rikki of Alt Designs hand sculpts all of her charms from fine silver (PMC or precious metal clay for those in the know), so each of her designs is truly one-of-a-kind. I've pictured my three current faves above, but she also has jewelry that would be PERFECT for grammas and also has a line of masculine charms on cords (ahem, Dad's Day is this Sunday folks).

For those of you looking for a not-quite-so-sweet charm, Rikki does custom work (and has a bit of a twisted streak, which makes me love her all the more - heh heh).

Anticipating the launch of two awesome product lines!

PIMPIN' STITCHES:

A few of my pals from the Sacramento Craft Mafia have started a new company, Pimp Stitch! Starting June 25th, they'll be offering original designs for hand embroidery! All eight of the pattern collections are created by the four designers, Tamie Snow (Roxiecraft), Missy Balance (Mohair Circus & Crafty Carnival), Amy Cluck (Peptogirl Industries) and Lauren Brandy (Goody-Goody & Speckled Hen). Each of these very talented ladies brings their own unique style to the mix & .

Can't wait for the 25th? Well worry not; there are FREE goodies to be had in the meantime (free is my favorite word)! Just head over to pimpstitch.com, or get all clicky for the newest free pattern, Get Your Party On designed by our own Peptogirl, Amy (featuring, of course, a cupcake)!


And if you haven't done so already, be sure to download Missy's free design, Let's Get This Party Started, or you'll be sorry!


Next week, free embroidery pattern goodness from Lauren! Woo Hoo!


SOON, WE ALL CAN BE CRAFTY CHICAS:


So everyone knows by now how awesome the Crafty Chica Cruise was this March, yes? Well I've been waiting, impatiently at times, since I first heard Kathy Caño-Murillo was working with Duncan Crafts to launch a Crafty Chica product line. Thank the glitter gods (actually, goddesses is probably more accurate) that it's almost here. August first.

Every day during the last week of July, I will probably be lurking outside each morning, awaiting the opening of my local craft store (the one that has a masculine name) so that I can get my butt in there and get all my Crafty Chica glittery, bright and Latin goodness as soon as possible. (Maybe Sacred Snatch and I can team up and divide and conquer.... Hmmm... that's worth considering.) The product line will be in 140+ of these craft stores throughout the western & southwestern US on promotional endcaps. The purchases that we make at this unnamed craft store now will be the deciding factor on what products they decide to carry in their permanent inventory - this product line's future is in OUR paint-spattered hands, fellow craftistas!

Here's just a tiny peek at just a few of the awesome items!


In the meantime, head over to Kathy's website and blog for project ideas. Don't forget to drop in on her Flickr account and choose the "crafty chica" (by Patrick Murillo) that best represents you & put her on your website!

This time last year

I started blogging officially in March of 2007 (using Word Press) & then this March, I happily moved my babbling self over here to Blogspot. WordPress is great - don't get me wrong - I just love the ease of comment posting and networking here on Blogspot (plus, it's gotten easier to use since Google took it over).

Here's a blast from the past - a post from June of 2007 when I was still trying to find my style. "Am I a quilter?" "Do I make accessories?"

I was working on my large sacred heart quilt and a decorated "sugar skull" inspired by the fabulous Patrick Murillo. I hope he doesn't secretly want MY skull (on a platter) for abusing his original creation with a bunch of sparkly thread. He and his wife Kathy (aka The Crafty Chica) have both been a huge inspiration to me along the way. It truly was a thrill meeting and crafting with them both on the cruise in March!

K

=================================

June 15, 2007: Mental Fred Flintstone Scramble

I tried to get goin' yesterday, but didn't seem to get anywhere. Today I clearly got some traction and gained momentum.

Details:

(I need to take some better photos of the details, but I still have to bind this one and I think I'm going to add a few beads.)

Next - here is the base for a Mexican sugar skull -- I used a skull mask from Patrick Murillo's Dia de los Muertos "teachers' kit" to get me started. I was going to fuse on the decorations, but I just scored some awesome Ricky Tims sparkly thread, so I think I'll do a little more bobbin work (where you put thread too thick to fit through a needle in your bobbin, then sew from the back of your work).

==============================================

June 22, 2007: Quick Post on Ricky Tims Razzle Dazzle Threads

Just one word: AWESOME!

"V" is for Victory

for finishing two more custom Vagina purse (aka "coin puss") orders!



Two more of the limited edition mini-purses (numbered & signed) for fellow crafty womenses.
On the left, #3 for Rain. On the right, #2 with sacred heart lining for Aimee!

I'm working on another custom request (#4) for Sara & that one has proved to be a bit of a challenge as she requested piercings and a .... ummmm ... errrrr... "landing strip." Fear not, Sara - I love the challenge! It keeps me from getting bored!

Holy Cupcakes, Batman!

Y'know, it's awesome to be featured on someone's blog - especially when it's a really COOL blog and it's not even run by a friend practicing the age old tradition of nepotism.

Wanna know what makes it feel even cooler? When a respected colleague forwards a link info to aforementioned Cool Blog and that's why your stuff is featured.

Case in point: My original quilt, "Sacred Cupcake" (with a mention of and link to my "Cupcake of Guadalupe") is featured on All Things Cupcake!

I have Gothcupcake (creator of my beloved Harry Potter "riddikulus" ring) to thank for putting me on their radar. (You rock!) BTW fellow geeks, I noticed last night that she is now creating 20-sided (and 12, 10, 8, etc.) dice rings - I just might need one with the 20 facing up!

UPDATED: It's a matter of opinion (new photos)

My hubby doesn't care for my newest creation - says it's too much 'in your face.' A few of my girl-type-friends LOVE it for the same reasons I do - it's funny and it's oddly empowering. And, yes, it's what you think it is.



I'm in a group of female artists & crafters on Swap-Bot (www.swap-bot.com) who openly talk about anything and I'll give it to them, no-one has been judgmental at all. One of the girls posted a link to a vagina coin purse and jokingly said we should make and swap them. I immediately decided to do just that - but for another, unrelated swap for an "emergency puta kit," or, in English, "Ho on the Go").

I've shown my little 'snatchel' around (hey now!) and have decided that I should make a limited edition run of them for sale. I'll be taking a few custom orders and just about any color is available. I may even make a few "ready to wear" so to speak, but when those are sold out, they're gone for good folks!

Here are the details:

• made from 100% high quality (quilting quality) hand-dyed cotton fabrics from my HUGE fabric stash - if you want a specific color(s), I probably have it
  
• features light stuffing (labial puffiness is negotiable) and a plastic pearl bead "clitoris"
  
• fully lined and features a garment quality zipper
• approx 5" in diameter (2-3" high when filled)
• will easily hold several credit cards, a lipstick, money & a key (or your tampons and liners ... or condoms... or ...)
• guaranteed to be a conversation starter ... or stopper when you pull it out to check your lipstick!
  
• $30 plus tax ($2.33 CA residents only) & shipping ($6 - includes a $1 PayPal use fee; deduct $1 if paying by check) -- LIMITED EDITION!

UPDATE: OK, since my MySpace pal Inspirada asked, here are some more photos (of the filled purse) to give you a better idea of what it really looks like. I used 3 colors (light pink, pink and red) of hand dyed cotton on this purse. Since the lining (red here) and back.(lt. pink here) aren't really seen much, a print could be used instead.



You know you want one.

Reserve your custom 'coin-puss' now and I'll start sewing for a down payment of $10.


MODELED BY THE LOVELY SAM MARIE

Night of the Crafters is back!

It's that time again already! It's fourth Tuesday and that means it's time for Night of the Crafters in Sacramento.

This month, we'll be:

• looking at the creations resulting from the "monster" craft challenge from April
• announcing the craft challenge themes for June, July & August
• announcing the hands-on technique/tutorial for June
• CRAFTING (isn't that what it's all about?)
• and watching Miss Sam Marie use her scissors and a little magic to turn T-shirts like this:
  
  
  
  into T-shirts like this!
  
  HUBBA HUBBA! If you would like to craft along with Sam Marie, please bring a T shirt or another article of clothing for reconstruction, a pair of scissors, a needle and thread and anything you'd like to add to your new creation (beads, buttons, lace, etc.)
  

No matter what you'll be working on, be sure to bring your craft supplies AND A CHAIR! Last month's turnout was great, and we expect to have more people this month (so if you have a table too, we welcome it warmly). We'll see you at the:

NIGHT OF THE CRAFTERS
graciously hosted by Side Show Studios
May 27th (and every 4th Tuesday), 6:30 to 9pm
Side Show Studios
5635 Freeport, #6 - Sactown
(adults and mature teens only please - thank you for helping to give our Mommy-members the night "off")

Crafters & Artists - look professional AND be green!

Hey all!

For those of you who use clear cellophane sleeves and bags for a professional finish to your ATCs (altered trading cards), prints, greeting cards and other original crafts, I have great news for you!

ClearBags, the company from which I purchase my packaging, recently introduced biodegradable bags™. Because these new bags are made from a component of corn, they are a compostable alternative to traditional packaging. Clear Bags offers almost 20 stationery sizes from which to choose, and you have flaps/no-flaps and adhesive/no-adhesive options.

Of course, this sounds really awesome, but there are a couple of things to note before jumping on the biodegradable bandwagon:

• they have a different feel, texture, and durability than the standard polypropylene bags; and
  
• they are not archival-safe (made using lactic acid from corn), but could be used in place of otherwise temporary disposable bags (greeting cards, prints to be framed, non-fabric/non-paper items).
  

If you're interested in checking the material out in person, ClearBags.com will provide a free sample of the material upon request. They are also running a 5% retail discount through the end of the month on the new biobags and on certain recycled paper envelopes (discount code: 156842).

I'll be looking into these myself and will give you a review on the product once I've had a chance to check 'em out.

Kathy (Craft Chica) Murillo gets cuter every single day....

I love Kathy and you should too (even if you don't like glitter).

Lehman Caves & Baker, Nevada's weird and wonderful art!

A trip across Highway 50 and the Great Basin just wouldn't be complete for Ron or me without a stop at Great Basin National Park and a tour of Lehman Caves. Our first tour, on our first wedding anniversary (10/11/04) was a bit of a personal challenge for me - I wanted to see if I could get over some mild claustrophobia (p.s. It worked. I still have problems with huge crowds in small places, but caves are no issue anymore!)


It seemed appropriate to wear Suzi's Kitty Bat Cupcake shirt into the caves!

Funny, we never see bats, but Ron and I do seem to attract more than our share of small wide-eyed mammals who flutter around us in caves. On each cave tour, we find ourselves, unwittingly though not unwillingly, hanging out with pre-teen types. This time we met a family of eight (five of the 6 exceedingly well-behaved kids were with Mom & Dad), and as usual, the youngest boy and the three tween girls were hanging out with us and the Ranger at the front of the line before the tour was out. Of course, every time this happens, I make a point to tell the folks what a great kids they have (always a big hit with the parents)!

The very first time we went to Great Basin National Park, it was 2004 and we were celebrating our first wedding anniversary (6 years together and about 18 since we met). We spent the night in the little town of Baker, Nevada at the Silver Jack Motel (now "Inn"), and had a great time the next day, roaming the town (3 or so blocks) and taking photos of the public art.


Porchasaurus Wrecks (in his natural habitat - the porch of the SilverJack Motel in October of 2004)


Space is a Vacuum then - 2004 outside the Silver Jack Motel in Baker, NV.

I told Ron, if we were going to the caves again this year, we were going to Baker too (even if only for an hour). Baker is a small town with about 50 to 65 permanent year-round residents (depending on who you ask). Many artists and artisans have chosen Baker as their home and exhibit their work in the Silver Jack Inn's Gallery. The "Post" Impression Art movement began in 1997 when "Doc" Sherman of Baker put a glove on a fence post and proclaimed the "Permanent Wave Society" (get it? 'cause it was waving ... permanently). Since then, Doc and others have added spontaneous contributions of whimsical art on fence posts along roads around Baker. I know you'll ALL be wanting to see this "Post" Impression Art and other roadside weirdities, and I don't disappoint, so get clickin' (on the pic):

To tide you over until I actually post again....

Hi all! Well, I am officially home from my 2+ week vacation and I have TONS of photos and lots of blogging yet to do. I lost a huge chunk of a blog yesterday and am not even sure when blogspot SAVED over the full version with the truncated version! However, as I seem to do most of the time, I brought some germiness home with me and am not quite up to snuff, as they say (but there is lots of sniffling).

In the meantime, here is an awesome blog by "Sew, Mama Sew!" where Beth demystifies professional looking seam techniques. To prove that you don't need to have an "overlock" or "serger" to achieve awesome seams, all but the very last technique can be done with a basic sewing machine. All you need is a straight stitch & a zig zag stitch - there is also a technique using pinking (zig zag) shears.

Yes, Yoli, I know I still owe you (in person) and the world (in photos) a step-by-step tutorial on how to install a zipper without swearing. As soon as I stop sneezing and coughing (or if you wear a surgical mask and gloves), I'll show ya!