FELT UP

For this month's ATC (Art Trading Card) I decided to try and use up some yarn scraps. The theme was color my wprld so iused all sorts of colored yarns to make a felt panel that I cut into the appropriate size. It's quite simple actually as documented below. I have documented the process with a very small portion since I did not think to document it until after I was finished with the large.

Materials: wool yarn scraps and a wire brush. These are small yarn scraps from a few different tye-dyed yars that i had but never really liked. What I do is run the wire brush over the small pieces on top of a cutting board until the yarn has been shredded apart. You can buy the wool already "carded" as it's called but this is a good way to use up scraps.

This is what you will end up with after the scraps have been brushed. In order to get a 1/4" thick panel, you will need to start out with a pile og carded wool about 4"high.

Next you place the wool into a tray or large baking dish and pour very hot water with about 1/4 teaspoon of dish washing liquid in it over the top. Then "work" the fibers of the wool together by pressing up and down on the wool creating bubbles. It is very important to work fast before the water cools. The hot water and the motion along with the bubbles force the fibers to meld together. Do not over work or you could end up with holes or thin spots. I still don't really understand how it works.

Once you have completed working the wool, roll it up and remove from tray and run it under cold water to shrink the fibers...almost like shocking the fibers. The hot water expands the fibers and the cold water shrinks them quickly. You can repeat the process of hot and cold several times depending upon how tight you want the panel. On the second round of hot water, just place itt back in the tray and pour hot water over without working it.

Next, place the panel on a towel and roll the water out of it. Here I am just pressing the water out for illustration's sake.

Allow to dry thoroughly before cutting or sewing. You can also press with a hot iron while wet to further the shrinking process.

The final ATC cards. Pretty cool that the entire process (excluding dry time) took about 2 hours. If you used carded wool, it would go much faster.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC COLORS MY WORLD

This is a close-up of December's ATC, Sound of Music is the theme. I sketched this kooky contraption in my sketch book a while back and i just thought that it visually represented an animated musical suite in my mind. I imagine that this machine runs with with some sort of fancy dancy syncopation. We created them by cutting out all the shapes from sticky Pantone color overlays using an xacto knife. Conn helped out.

These are the January ATC's that we just sent out. The theme is Color My World. At first I wanted to do a stylized map of green and blue textures. That wasn't successful. Then I turned to a box of Martha Stewart paint swatches. I always liked the striped color combinations and with my penchant for interior decor (Conn is laughing) coupled with a recent clip I'd seen of Martha extolling the virtues of versatile paint over permanent wallpaper I thought them a fitting example of coloring ones world. I also like the high-falutin' names they give these colors like, sandstone and beach glass, so I used the names as criteria in choosing which color swatches to use. Only those whose names referenced vaguely Hawaiian things made the cut. Throw some vellum in the printer and voilá!

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE!

We have been packing and tossing stuff for a few weeks now and this past Sunday we dropped our old computers and electronics off at the Union Square Electronic Waste Recycling Drop-Off Event by Lower East Side Ecology Center. It was sort of sad to see the old iMac go, but it had been in storage for 3 years. It is just insane to me that these machines become obsolete after a few short years considering how much they cost.

But we felt good in dropping them off to be recycled, because discarded computers and electronics are toxic hazardous waste! In addition to being the most toxic components of the waste stream, e-waste is also the fastest growing one. It is estimated that by the end of 2006, some 163,420 computers and T.V.'s became obsolete in the US... EVERYDAY!
It is estimated that 315 million computers will become obsolete in the United States and that they contain a total of more than 1.2 billion pounds of lead. About 40% of the heavy metals in landfills - including lead, mercury and cadmium - come from discarded electronic equipment. The negative health effects of lead are well known, but also consider this: just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury can contaminate 20 acres of a lake, making the fish unfit to eat.

Please drop all your electronics off to be recycled...you get a tax deduction to boot!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

HAPPY NEW YEAR... AND WHAT A YEAR IT WILL BE!
As John alluded in his previous post, we have some REALLY BIG NEWS to share with you all. Some of you already know, but for those who don't... CUCKOO FOR COCONUTS will be relocating. Yes, we have decided that it is time to leave New York City for the warm tropical breezes of Maui! We bought a house on Maui late summer of 2006 and look to be moving sometime in the next few months. Are we crazy? NO! What are we going to do when we get there? TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME! Eat fresh fruit from our yard... coconut (of course), banana, guava, papaya, orange, mango, tangerine, starfruit and many more. Our first goal will be to get the garden planted.

Here is a sneak peek at our 2.1 acres of PARADISE. Stay tuned and check back often for all the details of our journey. Oh yeah, we hope to see many of our friends in our new home so make your reservations early! We are actually getting bookings already.

The view from the drive down our road. The cluster of cook island pine trees in the center of the image is our yard.

John taking a stroll through the front yard.

The view of Haleakala from the back of the house.
In the morning's and evenings you can see to the 10,023 foot summit of the dormant volcanic crater.

The view from the back of the house to the vegtable garden and back yard.

The view from the far corner of the backyard looking toward the house through the palms and banana grove.

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.

THE GATES

Not Christo's Gates, Angelo GIordani's gates. First, excuse the blurry pics, i was recovering from a Thanksgiving turkey hangover so my hands weren't as steady as normal. These pics show the finished gates that my brother designed and created for a local homeowner in Kerhonkson, NY. He also installed them and hooked them up to an automatic opening mechanism. It was interesting to see how he had to time the closing so that one closed a few seconds before the other one. And he didn't stop there. The posts that had been there were out of sync with the new design so he made some more decorative moulding that fit over the posts.



These are pics of the gates in the shop. It took him about a year to make and hang them. He even created his own forge and curlie-cue forms to heat the steel and bend it. He then welded all the pieces together. He really enjoys working with metal.

WARP AND WEFT

Like I don't have enough to do, I started a new project last week. Well not so much a new project, since I have no idea what I am going to do with these little weavings that I made on my new WEAVETTE. But they sure are cute. I am working in ivory and tan alpaca and have 4 different pattens done so far. Stay tuned for the end result.

NATURE #111906

Polipoli Cows on the slopes of Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii

ART CARDS

Here are some art trading cards I made. They are meant to be self-portraits. I broke out the Xyron sticker maker to affix . I love that thing! After years of cursing the glue stick and the mess it left, this thing is the antidote. See, I like to get really good stick-factor on the edges. It's just let down when they bubble up. So trying to glue tiny pieces is not the futile pursuit it once was. But of course this convienience comes at a price. The replacement cartridges aren't cheap and they are a serious disposal concern. The idea behind these was to basically gather my favorites. The backgrounds are cut up pieces of an offset-printed Charlie Harper print. I chose them because he is my all time favorite artist. Green is my favorite color. Animals like bunnys, kittens, birds. Hawaii. And, as Conn will most assuredly attest, shiny, colorful things that have an interactive aspect.

ORCHIDACEAE

Here are 2 new stunning ORCHID paintings by Parnell O. Corder. They just keep getting better and better!

PLASTIC BY NATURE

I took this picture when we were on vacation this summmer with the intent of blogging about it as soon as we got home. Well here we are several month's later, and after my nature post for today I thought this would be fitting. NEWMAN'S OWN ORGANICS and NEWMAN'S OWN have always been responsible companies and I was excited to learn about the environmentally friendly packaging they are using.
They work with a company called NATURE WORKS for the packaging of their products which are derived from 100-percent annually renewable resources, such as corn. Along with producing biodegradable products like bottles, floral wrap, food / deli containers, bowls, plates and cutlery - they also have a new fiber called INGEO FIBER. The Fiber is the world's first man-made fiber derived from 100 percent annually renewable resources and is an environmentally preferable option to petroleum-based synthetic materials. Agian... I know it's hard to get all these changes to take hold in today's world, but it's a start.

NATURE 111206

A diverse collection of trash is displayed on Kahuku beach, Hawaii. Greenpeace are highlighting the threat that plastic poses to the world's oceans.



*all photo's from GREENPEACE.© Greenpeace / Alex Hofford

Today's nature post is a bit different. Instead of the pretty images normally seen here. , I have decided to post about the effects plastic has on our environment. This week I came across 2 articles that really disturbed me, one titled "Swirling plastic vortex menaces sea life" and the other "Only 50 years left for sea fish". Sea life can get caught in plastic bags and drown. They see small bits of plastic floating in the water like cigarette butts, lighters, bottle caps and mistake it for food. Since they cannot digest it, it sits in their stomach and they die of starvation. Birds can regurgitate these small plastic bits up to feed their young where the plastics may remain in the stomachs, blocking digestion and possibly causing starvation.

We all need to stop living as if everything is disposable. It is hard to do in the world we live in today to do without plastic..everything is made from it. When you go to the grocery store and buy veggies and fruit... think twice about putting your items in the produce bags. Do you really need that bag? Most likely it will end up in your trash can 15 minutes later when you get home, then in the ocean. Ask yourself if you really need the straw with your next soft drink? Every morning when I get my coffee and bagle, I say NO BAG. They look at me like I am crazy, but I am going 5 doors away to my desk. Keep a set of silverware, plate and glass at work and wash then to use again.
Ok...that's all I'm gonna say... But I could go on and on. Do some research - If we all make little changes, we can make a difference. BE RESPONSIBLE!

Here's how long it takes for some commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered about as litter:
Cotton rags 1-5 months
Paper 2-5 months
Rope 3-14 months
Orange peels 6 months
Wool socks 1 to 5 years
Cigarette butts 1 to 12 years
Plastic coated paper milk cartons 5 years
Leather shoes 25 to 40 years
Nylon fabric 30 to 40 years
Tin cans 50 to 100 years
Aluminum cans 80 to 100 years
Plastic 6-pack holder rings 450 years
Glass bottles 1 million years
Plastic bottles Forever


Click HERE to read the full article on the debris in the sea.

Click HERE to read the full article on the decline of sea fish.

LOST CAKE

Our wildly talented friend Agnieszka finally sent me a pic of her Lost premiere cake. I do believe it was worth the wait. I mean look at this thing! There are plane fragments, palm trees, numbers and all. Take a peek at her incredible work here.

TALES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ

What to say about this one. It's just cute. I love the the simple colors of the characters and the backgrounds. All courtesy of my personal faves Rankin + Bass from 1961.