temporal millionaire

Temporal Millionaire goodies are now in NYC!

2009-05-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes it's true! Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts has invited me to share my little world with Queens. I couldn't have been more happy to join the fun. Here is a little more information about FCCA:

"Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (FCCA) is a revitalizing force for its community, and a creative catalyst for developing and promoting the arts throughout the Borough of Queens in New York City. Each year, FCCA presents an array of high quality arts and educational programs at Flushing Town Hall (which it operates on behalf of the City of New York), as well as providing vital services to local artists, arts organizations and community residents."

Currently they have a student art exhibit in their gallery until June 14th and will be hosting the Queens Jazz Orchestra on May 29th. You can also take a trolley ride through neighborhoods where Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane lived. I also recommend going to the Asian market right next to the FCCA building for some grocery shopping while you are there (great prices and fresh food). Don't forget to stop buy the gift shop for your Temporal Millionaire goodies though. I'm one of about 20 Queens and Long Island based artists. It's a really nice assortment of handmade goods. A big thanks to Ellen, the director, for reaching out to community artists and giving us a great place to showcase our work.

I've decided not to wear shorts this summer

2009-05-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've decided to wear cool skirts (and some capris for days when I really have to get to playing wiffle ball). I figure I can make a whole bunch of cute skirts for very little money. So, that's that. I'm well on my way to getting things on my list of goals started. I just bought this book, Sew What! Skirts, a few days ago. It explains how to make a whole bunch of skirts and design your own patterns, which should be a cost savings over buying a bunch of patterns...they are quite expensive these days. I've been searching through photos of cute skirts on flickr and this book had a lot of good comments, and from the photos I saw the skirts turned out very well. I also saw these three other patterns I may try down the road. Two were on Get Crafty in this post and I also saw a lot of happy looking skirts made with this pattern from Favorite Things. I'll be reading for a few days before heading off to the store for fabric, so stay tuned. I also need to get a few other sewing projects off the list before starting my first skirt for the summer. Maybe you will want to make a skirt with me? Let's read on...

Happy boy!

2009-05-02T20:06:00.001-07:00

This was another picture from the arbor day festival we went to last week. Eli was running through huge fields of flowers with us. It was happy in a whole new way.

I made this photo using my new favorite toy, poladroid.

Hoodie boy and his lamb

2009-05-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

This is my entry for Moral Plush . It's suppose to convey an emotion.

I think sanguine-- cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident.

Well, at least that's how I'd feel if i had on a cozy hoodie and my favorite little guy.

What do you think?

Spring!

2009-04-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

I spent most of the weekend outside which was wonderful. Here are a couple of the cherry blossom pictures I took while we were at an arbor day festival.

I also started working on making a patch of our yard into a garden. It is still under construction. The seedlings are planted though, and hopefully I'll be ready to transfer them in a few weeks.

Oh, how far I am from being a temporal millionaire

2009-04-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

I started this blog over two years ago when I published my first zine. It was a strange time. I was on leave from my job and was home taking care of my little guy. I had taken the first step toward allowing myself to enjoy the spare time I had to be creative, to embrace the idea that life without a paying job could be rewarding, and that cooking and cleaning didn't have to define my success. While the spare time seemed sparse with a little guy to love, each moment was appreciated. I allowed myself to participate in the art world in a way I had been too intimidated to do before. I wanted to create something during this period of temporal freedom that I would actually allow other people to see, and that zine was my first happy step. I did a lot during that time, things I never thought I would do. I wrote and drew, painted and sewed, I made things, and thought things that excited me everyday. The time has zipped by, moving to NY and starting to work part-time again has limited my creative time without me even really being aware it was happening. I have just recently started the torturous process of searching for a full-time position and now realize that this creative period is on the verge of ending to some degree. (I will go back to work full-time in September). So, with that in mind I wanted to share some of my creative goals for the the next few months so that I can make the most of what free time I do have left.

1. Draw everyday for one month
2. Write Temporal Millionaire Issue #3
3. Finish the baby gift for my sister
4. Make 5 hip skirts for the summer
5. Send work to Renegade Handmade in Chicago
6. Make photo books of Eli
7. Apply to four art exhibitions (plush you!, wall graphics, womenmade gallery, mortal plush, )
8. Finish little bear project for shop
9. Finish Hoodies for shop
10. Update the TKP site
11. Update this site with new graphics

That's it for now. Eleven is my favorite number so that seems like a good place to stop. What about you? Have you reassessed your situation lately? I am more appreciative for this time after looking at what happiness it has brought my way.

Happy Monday to you.

The move from Wordpress to Blogger

2009-04-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

It was about time. There are many reasons for making the switch...but for now a little time working on setting up again and making this feel like home. Sorry Wordpress...you drove me nuts. I will tell you all the great reasons and how I made the switch after getting reorganized. For now enjoy the first 50 posts I brought over, the rest are coming tomorrow.

Super cute moss garden

2009-04-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

I heard about moss gardens somewhere and had it on my list of things to do with my little guy. I did a little looking on the internet and found this post by Ciao Birdie helpful. Like everything these days I wanted to do this project on the cheap and I did! I took my little helper to the thrift shop to see if we could find suitable containers and we did. We each picked our favorite container ($2 for both). The only other thing we need was something to keep the dirt from going through to the rock. Ciao birdie suggested horticultural charcoal, but fearing that something that sounded fancy might be expensive, I bought a small bag of sphagnum moss ($3.50). We found the rest of the needed supplies in our yard. I took a few containers and we started our collection. One bowl of pebbles, one of dirt, and then one of assorted moss. I was amazed at how many different kinds of moss we found in our yard. I had never looked at it that closely before. I think we found six different kinds. We brought everthing to the table and got to work putting in all the layers. First pebbles, then sphagnum moss, dirt, and finally the moss. He really enjoyed making his garden and so did I. Here is my finished product. The bowl is about the size of my palm...it's super cute. Oh, and I went with bowls that did not have a top because I knew my little guy would want to "take care" of his moss. I gave him a mister to spray it whenever he wants. It evaporates at a rate that keeps it from getting too wet with all the misting. Just right! A good project for about $5.50.

Hoodies

2009-02-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

I drew these little guys in my sketch book the other night. Today I drew a couple on 4" x 6" matte board and added some collage. The green guy didn't scan as well, maybe that's why he looks kind of bummed out.

Vote for Love! Laslow Kiss #175

2009-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

This little Travel Kitty got all dressed up for Valentines day and the folks over at Etsy thought he was pretty cute. He's in a special poll called "Which lovey dovey makes you say awwwww?" Does he make you say awwww? If so, give him your vote...here's the link:

www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=30

(voting ends 10am EST on Feb. 16th)

Thinking about sushi...

2008-11-30T10:27:00.000-08:00

Sashimi Toy Set

One day I wanted to eat sushi...I thought and thought and thought about the sushi. Oh how yummy it would be to eat sushi. I did not have any sushi. I did not have money to buy sushi, but I did make this delicious stuffed set of sashimi.All of the pieces snap together for loads of sashimi making fun, and best of all you can throw them all in this cute little bag with a sushi print. YEAH!This went up at my etsy shop today. Time to gear up for Cyber Monday!

Grateful Dead inspired Travel Kitties and some shopping tips

2008-11-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

These are some of the latest Travel Kitties I made. I think I was looking for a reason to use bright colors and the dancing bears came to mind. They are cute and happy like these kitties. I just started putting these guys up at my etsy store, which despite my efforts to stockpile my kitty supply...it has been bought out. I'll see if I can fill it back up before Black Friday. Oh, on that note if you have not taken the handmade pledge, now is the time...support an artist!

Here are a few more places to find cool handmade goods this season:

The inspiration behind the drawing...

2008-11-02T04:43:00.000-08:00

[flickr video=2968283404 show_info=true w=260 h=195]

Eli ties his shoes!

Originally uploaded by temporal millionaire

tie your shoes

2008-10-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

tie your shoes

The Illustration Friday topic for the week was "strings" (I thought). My wee boy learned how to tie his shoes today, so I had shoe strings on my mind, perfect. I drew this up and went to IF to upload it and that topic must have been for last week. This weeks topic is "late"...still seems like a fitting drawing given my dilemma.I also started the list of drawing topics for Everyday Matters. I knew shoes was the first thing on the list for a long time now. I never felt like drawing shoes, which means in my twisted way that I could not continue on with the list...lame. I'm counting this as my shoes drawing and moving on. Join me! It's a drawing party and you're invited. Yeah!

I love carnies

2008-10-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I've been taking pictures of carnival rides...I can't help it.

They are so colorful and, well...run by carnies-and who doesn't love the carnies?!

Another Gocco Success! (and a gocco tip)

2008-10-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest cards I printed with my gocco! I took a little illustration I made of my neice Emily and made them into cards for my sister, Emily's momma, as a birthday present. I hope she likes them.

For this print I used two screens and four colors. The outline of the girl I did on one screen so that I could print the envelopes without the word hello. The second screen had all the colors. One thing I did learn that I can pass along to you new gocco-ers is to make sure you mix your colors well. I mixed the blue for this print and although it looked thoroughly mixed, it was not. Their were little swirls of white that came through while I was printing, and as a result the blue looks faded in some of the prints. I did do fairly well with the registration which I was happy about. They have some Gocco machines that come with a plate to help you with registration and i can see how that would be helpful in more complicated prints, but for this one using the Gocco pad to line up the prints worked out just fine for me.

Slapping up some TKP stickers

2008-10-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

I made up a bunch of stickers with the little Travel Kitty lino print I carved a whileback. I gave most of them to a store that is selling my kitties. The next thing I know I was seeing them up around town. Crazy!

It's been a long time!

2008-10-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I fall off the computer wagon. I don't think this is a bad thing. It probably means I'm spending more time playing outside or making something neat...and that's probably for the best. My latest break from the blog world started when I pulled out my Gocco machine to print some invitation for my mom's 70th birthday party. That was back in May! I was helping plan the party from many states away (NY) and prep for my annual trip back to the homeland (Chicago). I all went well. It was a terrific summer and has been a busy but productive start to fall.

The invitations were a collaboritive effort between my sister and I. She recommended the colors which went with the decor of the place where we hosted the party and I did the layout and printing. I think they came out pretty good for my first Gocco attempt. I hand cut a bunch of matte board for the invitations instead of using cards, and did a two color print using one Gocco screen. If i were to do it again I would have used two screens and put the text in the center of the screen and just worked with the registration on the prints. The font I chose was really delicate and pretty (like mom...awe) and it didn't always print well because it was on the edge of the screen. I printed a bunch of extras and chose the best of the bunch to send out.

The Gocco machine makes me so happy. Life would be good if you could experience the flash of the Gocco bulbs everyday. I also really enjoy making prints. I kept wanting to screen print things, but the space, mess, and chunk of time you have to commit makes it a bit prohibitive with a wee boy running around. I was able to start making these prints after he went to bed and still finish and clean up before it was too late. So all hail the Gocco, it rocks my world.

Travel Kitty Makes it on the Book Cover!

2008-05-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the book cover for the Crammed Organisms Show .This print features art inspired by the plush works of:Waffle BrownUgly Pretty ThingsTrish TatmanTemporal Millionaire (Yeah!)Stitches & GlueKill TaupeSpooky Daddy ToysCyrus CordsPrickly PearApple NogginCate AnevskiAbsolutely SmallTravel Kitty sportin' his Puss in Boots cape made the cover. Yeah TK! The art work is by Kill Taupe who also has 50 limited edition prints of the piece-cool. I like that TK is telling the world about love...what do you think? If you haven't made it over to the TKP site yet here is a link.

Starhead is my invisible friend

2008-05-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Starhead is my invisible friend

If you didn't check out Dave Bloomfield the first time I posted about him, you're silly. He decorates my life with happiness. Thanks Starhead for the great pack of goodies!

We mourn the spindle

2008-05-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

I saw the Spindle with my big sister when I was 14. It was 1989, the year the Spindle was put up. Her "cool" high school friends took me as some sort of mascot to Berwyn for fun. They took me to Parkey's for a double dog with handmade fries in a greesy bag and to see the Berwyn Moose. I was as happy as could be. Years later I married and had my first place in Berwyn. I drove past the Spindle and the Garbage Sculpture regularly. Sadly, today I heard the Spindle had been torn down. Such tragedy...for a Walgreens. Bummer. Thank you to Dustin Shuler for all the crazy art in Cermak Plaza. I loved it.

Free Art Friday

2008-05-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is Sunshine Sally giving out a little love this Friday. This is going out on the street somewhere today.

Puss in Boots Travel Kitties!

2008-04-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

These Special Edition Travel Kitties headed to St. Louis yesterday to make their appearence at the Crammed Organism Plush Show. They will also be in the Crammed Organism book that's coming out. Go Travel Kitties go!

Making Some Special Edition Travel Kitties

2008-04-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

I drew this up at lunch yesterday. Travel Kitty is going to rock the cape for the Crammed Organisms show. The theme for the show is "Fairy, Folk, and Fable", so he's going as a hip Puss in Boots...awe yeah! Actually four kitties will be going. I'll try to get another picture up here before I send them off to St. Louis.Have a good Friday everyone. Don't forget to go to the Poetry Project tonight to see Nicole Georges if you are in NYC...and hook me up with a copy of Invincible Summer #2 while you're feeling happy.

Nicole J. Georges is cool-See her in NYC tomorrow night!

2008-04-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to stumble upon Nicole's first volume of Invincible Summer while I was at Gosh! in London. I loved the drawings, so I got it. The writing was just as fun and interesting and I spent a handful of nights staying up to long reading and admiring how she drew black hair with shine spots in it. Now Nicole has volume 2 coming out! Hooray! She will be coming to NYC tomorrow night (10 pm at St. Marks Poetry Project). Oh, how I had planned on being there to get my copy of I.S. #2, but gettting selected for the Crammed Organisms show means I may be making kitties on Friday night instead of heading to the city. If there had to be a reason not to go, at least it's a positive one. I am still excited about living in my new city, knowing people I like actually come to this area. Yeah for NY! You should go though. Really, it'll be fun.

TKP will rock the Crammed Organisms show!

2008-04-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well TKP friends, in addition to being world-wide, the TKP will be showing St. Louis, Missouri (North America) just how cool plush can be when some special edition Travel Kitties make their way to the worlds largest plush show! YEAH! I was so excited to get the news today. Head over to the Crammed Organisms site and look at the other artists who were selected for the show!

TURN TO CLEAR VISION

2008-04-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on my first trip to the beach this season. It was still chilly, but I do believe it cleared my vision. Seeing the ocean is still unexplainable and beautiful to me. I love it every time.

Travel Kitty Hats!

2008-04-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

The fun never stops with the Travel Kitties. I made a bunch of these little kitty hats today. Check them out at my etsy shop.

Happy Spring!

2008-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

TK Poog ForestToday I made a bunch of these Travel Kitty lino prints and sewed them into little plushies. They were so cute I took them out for a spring time photo shoot. Now they're mega-cute!On a side note...A laundrymat in my town has a sign outside that says "Super Mega Jumbo Washers!" My guess is they are pretty freaking big.

Makin' Zines

2008-04-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Makin' ZinesI spent a little time collating a bunch of zine copies today. Nothing fancy, just getting it done in my wee boy's yellow chair with all my words of wisdom spread out on my garage sale couch. Can't beat it!

I utility piece of work for me

2008-03-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

I used to have a bunch of needles all poked into a piece of paper and then put in a plastic baggie. It was messy and drove me crazy. You may be asking, why not a pin cusion? Well my deranged kitty likes to bite all the pins and needles and pull them out and leave them all over the floor. This is not safe for a kitty...(or anyone else right?!) so I started putting them in the secret hiding plastic baggie. It was ugly and we shouldn't live with ugly if cute is only takes 50 cents of felt!I made this little book to have a some cute for my needles...they deserve it. It has made me happy, and all my needles are always ready to go for some crazy sewing!

A movie to see this weekend

2008-02-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this movie a few weeks ago, but I really thought it was good...and artsy, so this seemed like a good place to share it. I also enjoy the word busker, so it was really a winner all the way around for me.

Here's a wikipedia link if you want to know more or check out the music from the film.

German Interview Translated

2008-02-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

I got the translation of the German interview I did last week. I posted it over at the Travel Kitty Project site if you want to read it.

TKP Interview with German Newspaper

2008-02-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the interview I did with the great Heike Unger from the Amberger Zeitungin Amberg, Germany. You can click on the article and head over to Flickr to see a larger size and read it if you know German. That's me and my wee little boy in the middle. Now you know who made that cool little kitty of yours. Oh, and the boy, he's hugged every one of those kitties before they left, so I figured he needed to get some credit too.Pretty neat! Thanks Heike!

Clean out those cigarette machines. It's time for the ART-O-MAT!

2008-01-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Super cool machines huh?! The beauty of the remade machines and the idea of turning evil into good just couldn't be passed up. I never gave a bit of thought to where all those cigarette machines went, lucky Clark Whittington did. Terrific idea Clark! I have my submission for the ART-O-MAT almost complete and I should have it shipped off by the weekend if all goes well. Hopefully my little box of goodies will get picked for the project. Check out the Art-o-mat site and see if you have a machine near you!

Getting some newspaper love from Germany!

2008-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

I just got asked to do an interview for a German newspaper on the Travel Kitty Project. TKP continues the push world-wide! I should be doing it in the next week or two and will link it for you cool cats if they have an online version---get your translators ready!Many other exciting projects on the horizon. One especially cool one with vending machines...hmmmm...what could it be? I'll tell you about it tomorrow.Off to draw!

I am now the proud owner of a Gocco! (and other good things)

2008-01-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is one of many exciting things that have already happened in 2008. A gocco! I'm so very happy about this because I never thought I'd get my hands on one. Here are a few links if you would like to know about my new toy! It should be coming to my house in the next few day...I wait, not so patiently...http://savegocco.com/what.html New things to make!Another good thing in the creative world is my sister was slyly reading this blog and got me a sticker maker for Christmas! Nice and sneaky! Good work Beans!And the last good thing i have for you today is that I will be going to DAVID LETTERMAN on Monday! Yippee! I will take a Travel Kitty in hopes of trading for a canned ham or maybe the chance to play "Know Your Cuts of Meat", tune in to see how it goes!Happy New Year everyone. Hope big fun is on the horizon for you too.

Starhead in NYC...who put that there?

2007-12-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

Starhead in NYC

One day I got a sticker, and then I found just the right spot to stick it.I hope you are all living it up like this little guy. I'm on the road saying hey to the family and enjoying some of that Christmas cheer. Where's TM#3? It's coming, hopefully sooner than later. Maybe January will bring more time for cutting and pasting. I've been busy with the Travel Kitty Project and the word is getting out there! Thanks to all of these folks below...check out these links if you have a minute:Craft Etsy Plush Street Team Newsday Cheap Thrills

Craftzine.com giving the Travel Kitty Project a little love

2007-12-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Craft for mentioning the Travel Kitty Project today on their blog. Go check out thier site for all the crafty action you can handle!

Cool stickers...soon

2007-12-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday and then couldn't go back to sleep because I was thinking of all the cool stickers I want to make. I could have gotten up right then and got to work, but since there is no sleeping in when you have a wee boy living with you, I decided it was not in my best interest to sacrifice the whole next day to the tired gods...I hate being tired. I've been working on drawings for stickers though...gonna be cool I tell you. If anyone has had stickers made and has a good person/company to promote here's your chance.

I'm a sucker for the snail mail

2007-12-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

I've had some amazingly good mail days over the last few weeks. Zines, letters, postcards, art, trades, Chrismas gifts I've ordered for people, some with the added bonus of drawings and other fun on the envelope. It's all very exciting. So, really this is just a Public Service Announcement for snail mail...Send it, it will make someone happy.

Get to know Dave Bloomfield...

2007-11-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here is another artist who makes me happy. Dave lives in Seattle and enthusiastically joined my Travel Kitty Project a week or two ago. I'm lucky enough to have some of his work hanging on my walls (Thanks Dave-the paintings you sent are terrific!). If you are in the Seattle area go check him out. He is having shows almost every week. If you are not in the area, well, tune in to the TKP as his kitty, Sodabread McGrath, will probably make an appearance at one of his shows.Here are some links to his work:Imagekind online gallery Dave's MySpace pageHere are some of my favorites from Dave:

I've been meaning to share this with you

2007-11-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

Right before I moved I got this letter from Ed Emberley. I was overjoyed to get the letter, but I was in the process of moving and I stashed it away for safe keeping. Well, I just found it. If you read my zine or my about page you know I mentioned this fellow. His book sits on my desk to remind me I can draw even on the days I don't think I can. I sent him one of my zines and thanked him for his cool drawing books that I looked at over and over as a kid. He was kind enough to return a note. Thank you Ed Emberley. You are cool.

My Halloween handy work

2007-11-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who wanted to see the Kermit the Frog suit I made for my little guy...

Tree huggin' and cool envelopes what more could you ask for?

2007-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

All these fancy catalogs come to my house... I can't afford to buy anything out of them, but I turned them into some cool envelopes. I even recycled the cardboard template from a UPS envelope. nice!Thanks to Paperseed for the great idea. I'm making the paint chip card holder and messenger bag next!

IF-Grow

2007-10-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Remember that bean plant you watched grow in kindergarten?

IF-extremes

2007-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

IF-extremes

My goal with IF is to stay away from what I think are the obvious ideas that would pop into your head. This week for "extremes" I didn't want to do anything about bad/good, hot/cold, light/dark...that sort of thing. So, welcome to my world... I love sushi and spaghetti O's (just not at the same time).

See ya later kitties!

2007-10-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Happy to report that three more Travel Kitties have joined the world of travel. I started out my little etsy shop with seven official Travel Kitties and after one week I only have two left. That's pretty cool. Hopefully I get some pictures rolling in soon.

Today I decided to join Monday Artday

2007-10-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

Yup, Monday Artday. It's another reason to do something creative on a topic that I wouldn't normally have thought about. We'll see how it goes. This weeks topic is "retro."On a side note, I got some supplies for my Travel Kitty Correspondence Kit today. I already got started on it. I should however be making a Kermit the Frog costume...that project actually has a due date!

Art on Paper

2007-10-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am very fortunate now to live in a town with a great library that has a huge selection of art books as well as periodicals. I've been reading issue after issues of Art on Paper and I thought I'd share some of the interesting bits here with you.In the May/June issues, 2006 was the article Floored. A Swiss artist named Joseph Felix Muller carved all the wood floors in his rental house to make four gigantic woodcut prints--how terrific! Huge, huge prints!Here's one picture:I found a few more pictures here.Getting the word out about the TRAVEL KITTY PROJECT continues,as does the work on a Travel Kitty Correspondence Kit I've been thinking about.

Finally, a blogroll.

2007-10-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating about the blogroll for sometime now. Mostly, because I wanted to have it categorized and this theme wouldn't let me do it that way. Bummer. I realized I could add those little scroll-overs to tell a little about each one so you know what kind of site you're going to click. Anyway, check 'em out...I'll probably be adding a few more, but this was a good start.

Makin' friends at Etsy

2007-10-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly after day one at Esty, I made 10 friends. I also had two of my little Travel Kitties leave the litter. Sad, but exciting. I look forward to the pictures from the owners.Cheers to old friends and new today, as I also received an email from a friend I've been missing.*Photo courtesy of the cool mac my husband got from work.

Illustration Friday-Open

2007-10-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday-Open

Just a quick one for IF folks out there. Thanks for coming to visit. Leave me a comment so I can come and check out what you're doing.

Travel Kitties on Etsy

2007-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today I loaded up all my Travel Kitties over at Etsy. We'll see how it goes. It's been fun putting everything together for the Travel Kitty Project so, I hope some of you will want to play. I still have some things I want to add in the upcoming weeks, but I finally felt ready enough to list my stuff.Now I'll finally get back to Temporal Millionaire issue #3 which i've put on hold for a while. Thanks to those of you have been emailing me to trade or buy zines. It's always great to have some new reading material and art work around as well as some new pen pals!.

Where's the Travel Kitty?

2007-10-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tyker Funf in Treir, Germany

See him in the statue's hand? This picture cracked me up, mostly because that's a little Travel Kitty I made and he's in Trier, Germany kicking back with this statue boy!

I've been consumed with the TKP in my free time, but it's finally getting close to getting officially started. I have the blog for it set up and looking pretty good. Tomorrow I upload the pictures for my esty store and then we'll see who wants to participate from there.

Here's a link to the Travel Kitty Project if you want to check it out.

Travel Kitty Project

2007-09-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is Perth Amboy.He is getting ready for a trip with you.He is 5" tall and made of felt.

.....

Here are some of the Perth's friends.

Hey everyone! It's been quite a while. I'll get back to visiting all of your sites soon. I've been really busy trying to write Temporal Millionaire #3 and get the Travel Kitty Project started in my spare time. I figured it was finally time to start getting the word out about where i've been...just making little poseable kitties. I still have some writing to complete on the Travel Kitty Project site and getting my esty store finished, but it's close now. The kitties are ready the pictures all uploaded. So you can start checking them out and let me know what you think.Flickr Pictures Travel Kitty Project BlogOff to a friends wedding in D.C. tomorrow...have a good weekend everyone.

Illustration Friday-alphabet

2007-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday-alphabet

Here's my IF drawing for the week. I'm trying to spend more time drawing and working on projects this week instead of sitting at my computer. So if you want to know something about this drawing you'll have to leave a comment. Cheers!

Zine World #25 Reviews My Zine

2007-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

I sent my first issue of Temporal Millionaire out for review last year and the review will run in issue #25 of Zine World, excellent. Go buy a copy! It looks like this:

Here's the text of the review (Thanks to artnoose for the review and for Laura B. for sending me the text via email):

Temporal Millionaire #1: This is a great first zine. Lisa takes the moments when her toddler son is sleeping or occupied with a toy to draw the things around her and write about the vignettes of her life. Some of them are about being a parent and some are about being a drummer. I hope she continues doing this zine. Lisa M. Dalton, ~~PO Box 92, Lake Helen FL 32744~~, lmdalton1@hotmail.com, temporalmillionaire.wordpress.com [$1 + 2 stamps or trade, not ftp 30XS :15] –artnoose

Here's a link to a few of the pages I've scanned from TM-issue #1 if you haven't gotten a chance to check them out.So, my friends, that's the good news of the day...now back to the projects at hand.

Finally a drawing for Illustration Friday again

2007-08-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

IF-visitorsI just moved to NY in July so this was the first thing that popped into my head when I thought of the Illustration Friday theme, visitors. That feeling that you are in someone elses house. Once you unload the boxes and make that call to your mom though, you're home.

All good things

2007-08-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

This day is going so well that I might be in for a whole week of good, maybe even a whole month, kick started by today's good vibes.These are the good things that have happened to me so far today:

I got to sleep in...Daddy-o got up with the sweet boy at 6:45, yikes!
We got fast food for breakfast (my vice, soda and junk food. Yes, I know it's not good for me, but this is why I run :) ).
I went to the beach for the first time here in NY and found many interesting rock, shells and sea creatures.
Went to the local seafood store we found and got some treats for dinner tonight...and a few barley pops too.
Talked to my parents who are nice.
It's super sunny.
I have had time to draw.
I am not tired.
<>I got this cool award from teeni.

I hope all of you are having a good day too.

Zine #3 is on the way!

2007-08-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Issue #3 of Temporal Millionaire is in the process of being assembled finally. It took me a while to get settled here in NY and find some cheap copies (6 cents each versus the 4 cents I was paying in FL...bummer), but we're rolling now. I'll will be cutting and pasting together bits of my art journal for you over the next week or two. It's always an enjoyable process that I rarely have enough time for, so it will be the priority for now. Issues #1 and #2 are out and you can buy them through one of my distributors or right from me.

Eli officially becomes a city boy

2007-08-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

The visitors have left and we are getting back to business around my place, this included some morning Wiffle Ball with the little guy. Sadly, after a good hit the ball went into the street and despite my run at full speed it went down the sewer drain. The boy cried as I tried to explain to him that I couldn't get it out. Oh, such sadness. I have lost many a wiffle ball in my time, but mostly into big fields of weeds in the area I grew up. The sewer thing is new to me, but even more sad because you can't even look around for the ball...it's just gone. I caught myself just looking down the drain even though I knew I couldn't get it. Don't worry the story ends with a smile...we went out on the town and got a new Wiffle Ball for the boy and a Big Gulp for me. Ahhh, happy times...

Hey I'm nice...really.

2007-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the award I received from teeni (one of the nicest bloggers I've met!). Teeni you have definitely have your spot reserved on my blogroll. :) It seems I have chosen the only wordpress theme that doesn't allow you to categorize your blogroll, apparently a real hang up for a recovering perfectionist like myself.

My First Illustration Job

2007-08-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well it's official folks, I got the job. I'll be working on the illustrations for a educational (ESL) book. Thanks for all the encouragement.That's it for today. I am lucky enough to have one of my good friends coming to visit me at my new home. So the focus will be less on drawing over the next few days and more on beverage consumption while my cool husband has volunteered to take over all parenting duties while I get a break. I am a lucky gal.

Cool Lettering

2007-08-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hand LetteringI saw this the other day on the credits of "I Dream of Jeannie" while my husband was playing the beginning cartoon part for my little guy (ahhh... youtube). I really like hand lettering. I like that it is not perfect, that not every "e" is the same. I worked on this last night. It came out pretty well for not penciling it first. Do you see my favorite pen on the side there? Have I told you I'm in love with Sakura Micron pens? I am, and now you know.While I'm sharing youtube moments, I'll tell you that I also found this one for my little guy. Excellent. We've been singing it with him to learn the numbers and finally he knows the real thing! He seemed intrigued that they were singing the same song on the video.

Will i get the illustration job? What do you think?

2007-07-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the pictures I sent off today for a possible illo job. The person is putting together an educational classroom set. We'll see what they think.What do you guys think? I was debating a background color, but obviously didn't do it. I sent off a bunch of black and whites too.I'm glad I sent it either way. It was one of my goals for the year to get work out there, wherever out there may be. Just a goal not to over think things.

Tag, I’m it.

2007-07-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

hrsj tagged me a while back so here goes... Go check out her art work here.INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:1. Blairs Boys2. Harmonia’s Cuppa Tea3. Vaguetarian Tea Room4. drawing on the walls5. temporal millionaireNext, select five people to tag:1. ialwayswantedtobeatenenbaum.blogspot.com2. frizzillustration.blogspot.com3. williebaronet.blogspot.com4. http://colesedwards.wordpress.com/5. http://noveltyknees.wordpress.com/What were you doing 10 years ago?I was working on courses for my teaching certification in Illinois.What were you doing 1 year ago?I was teaching Special Education at a public school in Florida.Five snacks you enjoy:1. Soda (Does that count? I really love it, and it's bad for me which seems to put it in the snack category.)2. Snickers candy bars3. Speghettios4. Salt and Vinegar Chips5. Flamin' Hots-CheetosFive songs that you know all the lyrics to:1. Jellyfish: Baby's Coming Back2. Tom Petty: Two Room Apartment3. Jack Johnson: Better Together4. Indigo Girls: Closer to Fine5. Grateful Dead: High TimeOh, so many to put on this list, but these are ones I like to play on my guitar.Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

Restore my VW.
Work on my house. (an air conditioner for starters!)
Take my whole family traveling with me.
Start a charter school with my like-minded teacher/social worker friends.
Be an artist, who's not starving.

Five bad habits:

procrastinating
eating junk food
being a perfectionist
staying up late even though I know I have to get up early
not confronting people

Five things you like doing:

drawing
sewing
running
playing on a drumline
playing with my little guy Eli

Five things you would never wear again:

Tightly cuffed jeans
Shoulder pads
Acid washed jeans
Moon boots
Leg warmers

Five favorite toys:

shrinky dinks (I loved these! I don't even know if they still make them.)
legos
bike
wiffle bat/ball
Nintendo...how could I forget! I used to play Zelda with my dad.

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Missing Sewing Machine

2007-07-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, after days of searching through boxes at our new house, my sewing machine has been found! It was in one of the many unlabeled boxes that were hastily packed on moving day (oh, to remember that crazy day...glad it's behind us!).

The project that was boxed before we left Florida is now out and ready to be worked on at my new pad. Get excited kids! The unveiling is now only a short time away. What? You want a clue you say? Time for another zine? Nope, it's not paper and it's sewn by me with love. I will tell you this, it satisfies all the things that make a toy good. 1. It is small enough to put in your pocket and take with you. 2. It's cute (what can I say, I like cute...maybe you don't) 3. It's fun to share with your friends.

More to come...

I'm back...finally!

2007-07-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you have still been visiting my site even though I wasn't. I've been busy moving. Moving, as much as I planned for it still came up on me quickly and then the whirlwind of packing, closing, driving (FL to NY with two cats and one sweet boy), closing, unpacking, fixing, fixing, fixing and trying to live normally seemed to take up weeks without me even knowing what day it was...it's been crazy. But, I'm back, and I'm drawing and making cool things again and will be updating you all on the ongoing fun as it happens right here!

Stationary for my mom

2007-06-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

So many things to make these days that there is little time left for writing about it all. Tonight I finished making some stationary for my mom. It's her birthday this weekend. I carved a linoleum block with a simple, happy, circle design. It took forever to carve because I had to be really careful with all the curves. It really came out well and I think she will like it. I was going to do a two color print, but I liked it with the single color and left it like that. It's a turquoise ink on a periwinkle paper (I wish I had more opportunity to use the word periwinkle!). I tied up six cards and six off white envelopes and will send it off to mom tomorrow.

By the way, carving lino blocks makes me think of the dentist scraping my teeth, and I can see why they never seem to be in a hurry to finish...it's kind of fun.

Illustration Friday-Your Paradise

2007-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Click on the image if you want to see it close up.

Your Paradise

Ink on some crappy paper

Here is my latest entry for IF. I started drawing this one tonight on some paper I hadn't used before and realized when I went to ink it all in the ink was going to bleed. nice. I also wanted to paint it with water colors but ran out of time. Maybe I'll do it this weekend. Anyway, that's me and my sweet boy and husband. We're taking the kid-o to see the shuttle launch tomorrow. He loves rockets and the shuttle...you can guess where I started on the drawing. Oh, sorry for the bad lighting on the picture...it's late.

I'm the Featured Art!

2007-06-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hey check me out! I'm the featured art on The Mile Project today! Excellent. If you haven't clicked on my link to Joe's site do it now and go draw him a picture while you're at it! I drew him my self portrait that I use on the cover of my zine Temporal Millionaire. Hopefully it will end up on the mile of drawings one day. Take care everyone...happy drawing to you!

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #2 gets another distributor

2007-05-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

Stranger Danger Distro, who distributed my first issue of Temporal Millionaire, is now distributing issue #2! Terrific news! It should be up on their site in the near future. Click here for more information on zines, or here for more information on getting mine.

Illustration Friday-Signs

2007-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday-Signs

Round two for me on Illustration Friday. Thanks to everyone who visits from IF, your comments last week were great. They made me so happy that I made this sign. Ahhh...feeling so inspired some days. I think I'll tape this to the wall where I draw.

Little, tiny MONSTERS...are not scary

2007-05-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Monster

ink and watercolor on paper, 1" by 1"

I tried to draw a monster that couldn't possibly be scary. This little guy is only about an inch tall and is really skinny. I was imagining if I saw a bunch of these little monsters running around my place that I wouldn't be scared. It would actually be kind of cool to see a bunch of little monsters running around that wern't scary.

I joined Illustration Friday...

2007-05-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Citrus

ink and watercolor on paper, 9" by 12"

Here's my first submission for Illustration Friday. The topic for this week was citrus. This idea came to me while I was busy not sleeping last night. If you want to check out the Illustration Friday site I have a link on the side bar.

Support DIY, buy a zine!

2007-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #2pages 10, 11, and 23

(If you click on the image you can see a larger size.)

Here are some pages from my latest zine, issue #2. It came out a couple months ago. I'm working on number three now as well as doing whatever I can to be creative everyday. It makes me happier than I would have imagined to get to make something everyday. I'll be posting some of the other projects I'm working on this week.

Pages from my zine

2007-05-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #1pages 25, 26, and 11(If you click on the image you can see a larger size.)

Here are a few pages from my zine where I compile most of my journal entries and ink drawings. If you want to check out (and hold) the work of some artists and writers on the cheap go buy some zines. Really, they're all a buck or two, and a lot of folks will trade you for their work if you ask. Zinewiki.com is a good place to start learning about what's out there or you can go right to some of the distro links I have for some descriptions.

Pages from my zine

2007-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #1pages 25, 26, and 11(If you click on the image you can see a larger size.)

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #2

2007-04-30T09:49:00.001-07:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue#21/4 size, 32 pages, sewn binding, $1.00 or trade

Finally a picture of issue two's cover. I'm going to add some pictures out of each issue in the near future. So, check back if you want to see more of what's inside.

Issue #2:Continue following Lisa as she explores her world with less money and more time, oh, and a drawing book.Also includes:-a trip to the Lue Gardens-a few days feeling crappy-percussion rehearsals-uh, I think I'm pregnant-how to jump-start a car-a Sunshine Sally comic-a bunch of drawings-and of course, stories about hanging out with little Eli

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #2

2007-04-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue#21/4 size, 32 pages, sewn binding, $1.00 or trade

Finally a picture of issue two's cover. I'm going to add some pictures out of each issue in the near future. So, check back if you want to see more of what's inside.

I Love Sushi

2007-04-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

I Love Sushiink and watercolor on paper, 1½" by 1½"

Here is another one of the watercolor paintings I did this week. My friends were talking about getting sushi for lunch, and I started craving it. Yuuuuummmmm...sushi. I started making sushi a few years ago because it's really beautiful if you make it well.

I Love Sushi

2007-04-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I Love Sushiink and watercolor on paper, 1½" by 1½"

Miss Katie's Turtle

2007-04-27T09:21:00.001-07:00

Miss Katie's Turtleink and watercolor on paper, 1¼” by 1¼”I took Eli to his reading group at the library a couple days ago. His teacher was reading about turtles and brought in her tiny turtle to show the kids. Eli loved it. I painted this for him when we got home.

Miss Katie's Turtle

2007-04-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Birdies

2007-04-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

Birdiesink and watercolor on paper, 2" by 2½”

I decided to do a little painting this week. I thought I'd start sharing some of my work on this site since I'll probably be talking about it at some point in a future zine issue. It's my first go with the water colors, let me know what you think.

Birdies

2007-04-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Birdiesink and watercolor on paper, 2" by 2½”

Temporal Millionaire-issue#2

2007-04-08T12:29:00.001-07:00

Issue two is done and ready for you to read. I'll have a cover scan and description up soon. MY MY should have it up to order soon or you can order it directly from me. Look at my contact information for more info on ordering or trading.

Temporal Millionaire-issue#2

2007-04-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Our New Friend...MY MY

2007-04-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

A big thank you to Taryn (Girl Swirl, Sub Rosa) at MY MY for deciding to distro Temporal Millionaire. Go check out her site! She has a lot of cool handmade goodies and a nice list of indie craft fairs to check out this spring and summer.

Our New Friend...MY MY

2007-04-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

No, really, it's almost done.

2007-03-21T16:11:00.001-07:00

That sounds like one of the many lines I hear from my students. TM #2 is a few days behind schedule, but will be ready tomorrow. My copy shop has one copier accessible to people with prepaid copy accounts during their closed hours and it kept jamming. I'd have gone somewhere else, but I get copies there for 4 cents each and those of you making copies out there know that's quite a deal! So get excited for the zine that makes everyone smile...Temporal Millionaire. On sale tomorrow!

No, really, it's almost done.

2007-03-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

NEW Issue Coming Out!

2007-03-06T11:11:00.001-08:00

The long awaited Temporal Millionaire-Issue #2 will finally be finished and ready to mail out on March 17th. This one has taken me entirely to long to finish, but this self imposed deadline should help.

NEW Issue Coming Out!

2007-03-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Temporal Millionaire is now being sold at...

2007-02-13T10:44:00.001-08:00

Go pick up a copy of Temporal Millionaire at Stranger Danger Distro. LB (So Midwest, Truckface) runs a great distro with a lot of zines to choose from and great service to boot!

Temporal Millionaire is now being sold at...

2007-02-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

Go pick up a copy of Temporal Millionaire at Stranger Danger Distro. LB (So Midwest, Truckface) runs a great distro with a lot of zines to choose from and great service to boot!

Temporal Millionaire is now sold at...

2007-02-12T10:07:00.001-08:00

Temporal Millionaire is now being sold at Avocado Tree Distro! Go check out the zines and DIY goodies Raven (Panda Girl) has to offer online and look for her table at the Richmond Zine Fest in April.

Temporal Millionaire is now sold at...

2007-02-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Temporal Millionaire-Issue #1

2007-02-11T11:47:00.001-08:00

One year to be rich with timeOne year to teach and learnOne year to live simply & draw freelyIn this issue you will begin to find out what happens when Lisa stops working for the man and decides to draw a bit.Also included:-her trip back to Chicago-teaching a drumline-what she's dreaming about these days-the night out for Kristen's wedding-learning how to draw again-and of course, hanging out with little Eli, her son1/4 size, 32 pages, sewn binding, $1.00 or trade