LIGHT MY FIRE!

Christmas time is here...so Merry Christmas and all that jazz.
Keep an eye on our blog for some big news next year.
- John and Conn

HELLO KITTY!!!!!

A few weeks ago, our good friend Lauren sent me an e-mail with a recipe for a "Kitty Litter" cake that she got from her mom.
So I then sent it on to several friends, who then sent it on to several friends... you get the picture.
Well today I get an e-mail from Parnell (the Orchid Painter) with this picture attached. His co-worker Lyndsay actually made this cake for her uncle's birthday!!!!
I don't know where this recipe originated, but here is the recipe.
HAPPY BAKING!!!

1 spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
2 large pkg vanilla instant pudding mix, prepared
1 large pkg vanilla sandwich cookies
green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls(r)

1 new kitty litter pan
1 new plastic kitty litter pan liner
1 new pooper scooper

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans).

Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble.

Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in food processor or
put in sandwich baggies and crush with tolling pin. Set aside all but
about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green
food coloring and mix until completely colored.

When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl.
Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled
pudding. Important: mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it.
You don't want it too soggy. Combine gently.

Line a NEW, clean kitty litter box. Put the cake/pudding/cookie
mixture into the litter box.

Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat
until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt,
curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls bury them in the
mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter
the green cookie crumbs lightly on top of everything -- this is
supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.

Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them
on top of the cake; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Spread remaining
Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it
over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with
cookie crumbs. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the
cookie crumbs around for a truly disgusting effect!

LOVE THAT TREE!

Our friend John Roberts has provided us with the definitive life cycle of the suburban Christmas Tree as seen through the eyes of a very enthusiastic devotee.

HARD COOKIE CHRISTMAS

I guess about 8 years ago, my friend Chrystine organized a Gingerbread House party. Well, more like a small workshop. Ok, there were only three of us including our host. Though we were a small group, we managed to churn out 7 houses that day. And had an insanely fun time doing it. I was surrounded by candy, how could I not have fun. We used ice cream cones for trees and we melted hard candy for stained glass windows. And because I had to see the effect to it's fullest, I cut out holes in the cardbpard bases so we could put lights inside and see the colored windows alight. The last image is of Chrystine as a very cooperative teenager. She unenthusiastically dressed as a Christmas Tree for her Granny and this picture cracks me up because you can see the teen angst in her expression. "If i remain perfectly still, no one will notice me in this ridiculous costume"

SWATCH IT

THE SACHETS
DIFFERENT TEXTURES

Here are some swatches from ALL of the weavings I have been doing. At 4" x 6" I decided to make some cedar and lavender sachets. I stopped at 4. I might connect 8 or more together for a pillow... we'll see. For now I'm content with just making and making and making different weves. I just made up all of these textures without patterns. The cool thing is that when you take the piece off the loom it looks totally different - it actually comes too life. Until the next round...

YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP!

What to say? This was at my Grandparents house setting up to play Battleship on Christmas morning. It was in Indiana somewhere around 1976. Also notice the Six Million Dollar Man doll and the instamatic camera with the flash bulb extender. We also got really cool boots that year, which you can see in the background... I LOVED THOSE BOOTS. My brother is his ever charming self with the tounge out. I seem to be wearing my Miami Dolphins PJ's... odd that I loved them so much and hate sports. Truth be told it was all about the color combo of turquoise and orange that I was attracted to. The presents were from mom... the money cards on the tree were from grandma... who NEVER SHOPPED!. It was just easier to give us money. As for the tree, I think we had that one for about 10 years. I remember that each branch had a different colored dot on the stem so you knew which layer it went on. And the red satin balls!!!! They NEVER changed. That's tradition I guess.

TIME FOR A TRIM

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas decorations this year.
MUSHROOM ORNAMENT TRIO AT THE CURIOSITY SHOPPE

SMITH AND HAWKIN HEDGEHOG ORNAMENT

URBAN OUTFITTERS SKULL AND CROSS BONES ORNAMENT

CHARLIE BROWN PATHETIC CHRISTMAS TREE


URBAN OUTFITTERS CHARLIE BROWN PATHETIC TREE

'TIS THE SEASON

Well the Holiday sesaon is upon us and 'tis time for shopping.
Remember to head over to THE CURIOSITY SHOPPE
for some really great gifts. Hurry because things are flying off the site. I just sent out some mushroom ornaments and necklaces so keep an eye out for those. The acorn necklaces have sold out 3 times and we cannot keep them stocked. This weekend I will be making more to keep them going through the holidays. John has sold all of his keychains and the re-order was gone before they even hit the shoppe. John is also gearing up for a weekend of keychain making.
Here is a sneak peek at the ornaments which are sold in sets of 3 and necklaces.

IT"S A COTTON-CANDY WORLD

The Pleiades Gallery is having a show featuring the work of Ellen Bradshaw one of which you see here. It's called Winter Trees, Southbridge Towers, 20x16" oil on canvas. I was completely drawn in by her winter cityscapes. Part of it is the quick and colorful style that is in essence what John Sloan and his contemporaries did in order to capture the ever changing scenes of New York City. Though their work doesn't resonate with me as much as Bradshaws. Part of it is the way these scenes are snap shots of that magical but all too short period of time when the snow covers the city in pure white-uniting all the disparate surfaces under one clean layer. As most New Yorkers know, that doesn't last very long. But since they are not photographic snapshots, they strike me more as mental snapshots that mirror what I see when I conjur up memories of this time in New York. And there are times when the streets were as quiet as they seem in the paintings...when no one had ventured out into the snow and the streets were blissfully void of people. And since those moments are fleeting at best, it nice to find an artist that so wholly captures them.
Thanks to Manhattan Users Guide.

SEEING RED

DECEMBER 1, 2006 -WORLD AIDS DAY.