Working on my neglected blog and some classes.

Big changes.
Getting ready to start teaching, so jewelry should have it's own page over here.(I think)

I have spent a number of hours trying to figure out the best way to get out class information,
with a few photos and all the facts.
fret. fret. fret.

The mice should have their own page, too. (I think)

Marcus punched in Great Balls of  Fire while Tilly thought about all the songs she'd heard on car radios.
At Johnny Rocket's in Valencia, California

I explored some newsletter templates, but all of them seemed to take me off to another site and make more work, even though some of them looked more elegant and cool than I look here.
fret. fret. fret.

I have finished most of the sample pieces for the classes.

I am not worried about the actual days of teaching, that is fun for me.  I am worried about presenting
the classes clearly, so the people who want to sign up know what to expect.
fret. fret. fret.

derped

derped, a photo by FishTrax on Flickr.

My son. Reacting to the debates.
Apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Olives growing

Olives growing, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

How did anyone ever figure out how to cure olives?

Tilly on the September issue

As in, on her September issue of Vogue. 

She hadn't made up her mind about what she thought of mouse ears on the model.
She had been working her way through the magazine looking for inspiration to update her look.
Tilly saw that her pink bow was showing some wear.
Now that the mice were in Lala Land, she wanted to try edgier accessories
to stand out from the rest of the talent.

Previously, living in Providence surrounded by designers and Artists had been challenging enough.
In Los Angeles, that competition is multipied by the whole entertainment industry.
New talent streams in every day from all over the country, hopeful and enterprising.
Tilly knew she had to step up her game.

She bookmarked the page for black lace with the soft white sheer dress.
She thought that black lace ears might be too literal for mice.

The rest of Marcus and Tilly's story is over here http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/sets/72157623001687695/ ♥Chloe

 

Sloppy Joes with the homemade pickles

Sloppy Joes with the homemade pickles, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

$1.99 eggs with pancakes and excellente picante sauce

$1.99 eggs with pancakes and glorious picante sauce, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Sharing this because of the picante sauce served on the side of my $1.99 breakfast on a Monday when I could not get my own eggs together in the morning.

Subway in LA.

Subway in LA., a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

How weird is that, a subway in LA.
Not dissin' LA, I was born here.
But I left before there were subways in LA.
So it is weird to me.
There wasn't an earthquake, and the whole Pacific Ocean did not flood the tunnels.
OK.

Bright green relish at The Stand

Bright green relish at The Stand, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Almost made me want a Hot Dog. But this is not Chicago, and we were on a burger mission.

Mission accomplished.

They do hot dogs for a dollar on Monday nights. You need a Stand card, it's free.
www.thestandlink.com/events/
Dollar hot dogs.
Oh man.
Might be back for the bright green relish.

California Traditional Music Society

California Traditional Music Society, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Hand Carved sign on the door
Where my sister took me for a Celtic Women's Songs workshop with Janet Cornwall.
I do a lot of things. Singing is not one of them. 
Unless I've been drinking. A lot.
Kind of like tweeting, usually not a good idea for me to drink and sing.
From too much poetry was more comfortable with the Gaelic than I thought I would be.
ctmsfolkmusic.org/calendar/events/2012/Concerts.html

Knitting and Lucky Bunny

Chose the blue & white cotton yarn to be all Aegean.

So I can pretend I am vacationing in Greece when it is 110 here.
Works as a coaster too.
You know how cold drink bottles get all wet with condensation?
The cotton yarn absorbs it.
And I can stash it in my purse and take a drink on the bus without getting busted
or getting the inside of my purse wet.
Hot or cold.

Don't think anyone would think my green crafty washable cotton water bottle holder would be transporting alcohol, do you?
It fits all the containers shown here because it is knitted, stretchy.

Any serious knitters going what the heck kinda stitch is that?
I pic the back of the stitch holding the yarn in my left hand for utilitarian knitting.
It makes me think about when a community could pick out a knitter's stitch.
That's me, with the slanting ridges on all my kid's snow hats in New England.
No need for Winter hats here in the desert.
But we do need to carry water. Seriously.

But what has this got to do with Lucky Bunny?

http://www.luckybunny.net/

This.

Shut Up and Do Something - Poster

$35.00

People love complaining but few ever do anything to change things. So I call this my “Shut up and do something” poster. Keep creating, keep fighting, and for the love of god quit complaining.
The black is screen printed, the red standing bunny and red type are spray paint stenciled on. The tagline reads, “Wack name, tight game.” It’s my tongue in cheek way of making fun of making fun of my cutesy name.
Print come rolled in a sturdy cardboard tube to frustrate the postal goons who crush mail.
Size: 18×24
Medium: Screen print, spray paint.
Edition: 50, Signed not numbered.
Support: 110lb cover stock.

Sold Out

I own one of these sold out bad boys, nicely framed, thank you very much.

My own personal reminder to shut up and do something.

I have been complaining quite a bit about being banished to the desert.

This is not the life I would have chosen for myself.

So Rich's admonition 

 "Keep creating, keep fighting, and for the love of god quit complaining."

is kicking my butt.

I'm here, Los Angeles.  

The knitted water bottle holder is a small step, but I'm standing up.

I also am lucky enough to have one of these-

Which is the first thing I hung up 

to personalize my room at my sister's in the Valley.

Feeling pretty lucky.

♥ Chloe

* Images from Lucky Bunny used with permission thank you very much

in la casa de los gatos

in la casa de los gatos, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Moses really does have just one eye. Pretty nice cat.

Mini photo albums

I went looking for a little book template for a Flickr friend.
I have Publisher, and InDesign, but wanted something simple, without much of a learning curve.
I found a template that had been made for making mini comic books http://www.droakir.com/?p=16
Thank you, Nathan Rackley!

Here's what it looked like empty.

  

I cropped and pasted random photos that were laying around on my desktop.  

(my own random photos) Notice they are all about food.

I pasted the picture of the piglets over two pages (oooh)

I didn't put images on the front or back covers, to emphasize that they were

the front and back covers.  The images on the top are pasted in upside down,

they will be right side up when you fold the paper into a book.

Here you see Nathan's directions from the link, and the little book.

I put a dab of glue from a glue stick on the corners to hold things together.

The point here is not my photos, but for you to see how easy this is!

You could make little books of subversive poetry, and leave them laying around.

You could make blank books for kids to draw in, or make your own photo book,

small and thin enough to mail in a regular envelope.

While I was messing with the photos and the paper, I made a different kind of album.

I made a mosaic out of one of  my sets on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/sets/72157629454684830/

with the mosaic maker from Big Huge Labs

http://bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php

Printed it, and made a mini accordion folded album with the tidy squares.

It could use a nice cover and some kind of a closure, but that is for another day.

I hope this gives you some ideas! Snap a pic and let me know.

♥ Chloe

OMG I went to a Free People in real life for the first time.

OMG I went to a Free People in real life for the first time., a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Road Trip

Since my last gloomy post (sorry) I have crossed the country with my brother driving a rented truck and landed at my sister's (for which I am thankful) and am staying in the purgatory of the San Fernando Valley. 

Normally, I love a road trip!

Cars and trucks, the food, radio stations fading in and out, the food.

This trip was under duress, a rescue operation.

I have been on this route before.  Even though I was feeling sorry for myself, I couldn't help but notice that the old Rt 66 has been taken over by slick new highway,  most of the roadside business has disappeared .

In place of the small diners and gas stations that used to mark the road to California are chain restaurants and  generic fuel stations.  

Not knocking the Love's chain, they consistently had nourishment and clean bathrooms. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/7476951900/in/set-72157630365414596

We saw some sights, even under duress.  I made a set on Flickr. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/sets/72157630365414596/

Probably not what I would have shot if it was a leisurely see the country road trip. It is a big country.

This was my favorite thing. The horse motel.

If you are shipping your horse, how nice is that to have accommodations for the horse. 

The Happy Tracks Horse Motel in Amarillo, Texas still makes me happy to look at. 

I am so glad I stopped to snap it.

I am laughing at myself looking over the road photos. You got waffles, horses, cars, food.  

Same me, different place.  

It is not an easy time.  I need a job.  A lot of my skills don't translate over here. 

This stuff I write about is usually too personal to link to for showing employers how savvy and skilled I am ; )

I have to find my way out here.  

I'll keep you posted.  It is really the same me.  ♥Chloe

Hard Times and Disappointment.

Hello friends.
I haven't been around for a while.

I moved to Florida to be near the youngest who has flipped out,

flown the coop, and left me stranded in an apartment with no transportation.

1.8 mi to get milk for coffee.  That is 3.6 mi round trip on foot in Florida heat.
You'd think I'd be thin.


She had said, "Move down here."  She and her boyfriend had a comfortable life.  
I had visited a few months earlier, so had checked out the situation.
She said, "Don't bring any furniture. Don't bring that TV.  Don't bring the toaster."
Everything would be new.


So I arrived with carefully curated boxes and bins of a minimum of stuff picked out of the 
lifetime of family stuff in my old apartment, and studio stuff from work.  It all fit into a small POD.

I arrived May 23, so that makes it almost a month now.
Pretty wierd.
The rest of the family is aware of what is going on, but they are far away,
with their own children and bills.
I have been updating my Flickr friends, their input and support has meant a lot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/

There has been drama and trauma.  Police and yelling.
It is not like I am stuck on the side of a glacier in sugary powder snow with a broken leg,
or anything like that.

I have tried to take myself out to take some pictures,
but once it all went bad I didn't care about taking pictures.
Here's one.  

The plan for now is that my brother will be flying out here from California on Friday, and we will be driving back with my stuff in a truck. Going to a spare room at my sister's.  It is a nice and big spare room
Road trip.  
Wish I was more excited about it.  ♥Chloe

Sad Day At The Swan Nest In The City

There were torrential rains and wind.

The swan nest was flooded and broke up. I did not take my real camera out because of the rain.

The steadfast guard duck was still there when I went early in the morning to see.

The river had risen and everything floated away. The mallard was waiting for the swans where the nest had been.
It was tragic.  For me, anyway.  I held it together, being informed about flooding being the major cause of swan nest failure.
When I was listening to the storm at home in the night I feared the worst.
But the duck waiting there did me in.  I cried in the morning rain.

I have walked down the river since, looking to see if any of the eggs were trapped in the debris from the storm.  None.
I was more sad for the people near and far who were watching the swan nest, and waiting in happy anticipation for the hatchlings.
It is so sweet when strangers can gather in cheerful hope and expectancy.
We will not have baby swans here this year.

Spring will come again next year, just as sure as the sun comes up every morning.
♥ Chloe

The Steadfast Mallard Duck, On Duty at the Swan Nest

He has assigned himself the job of watching over the Swan nest.  He is always there.
His mate is there also, often just out of the picture.
His work comes first, she knew that when she got involved with him.

See him on the board?  The swans can rest while he is watching.
He chases the interlopers away.  Who did they think they were?

A brave and loyal and noble duck.  Handsome, too.

Everyone is waiting for the swan babies to hatch now.
It won't be for a few of weeks.
We can wait easier knowing the duck is on duty.
Here is a whole set of pictures of the Swan nest in the city http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloe-and-ivan/sets/72157629250352920/ ♥Chloe

Not wasting fresh Nachos

Not wasting fresh Nachos, a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

I was served a huge order of Nachos at Uno instead of the bar menu portion. A lot of fresh and yummy ingredients. What to do?

4 eggs. Like Pumpkin pie.
Can of condensed milk. Like pumpkin pie.
Thought I had cheddar at home, it was Swiss.
Oh well.
Uno makes their nacho chips from fresh tortillas.
I was thinking like bread pudding, only savory.
Added chipotle seeds and cumino.
Uno is generous with the cilantro.
Oiled the pie plate with olive oil.

*This is important.
Ground some Himalayan salt over the whole thing when it came out of the oven.
Think of fresh salt on good fries.
Think of fresh salt on edemame.
Think of fresh salt on homemade quesadillas.

The nacho pie thing is tasty.
In the future, I would want some more body in the slice. That could be fresco queso, could be cream cheese. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, this is some breakfasts and lunches this week.

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

This turned out so good, even though I forgot to take some salsa to work to have with it at lunch.

Lemon cream with Nilla wafers and coconut and strawberries.

Lemon cream with Nilla wafers and coconut and strawberries., a photo by chloe & ivan on Flickr.

Thought about these all week!
Saw something like these in the Kitchn on Apartment Therapy. Hers called for whipped cream with the cream cheese with lemon. www.thekitchn.com/no-bake-recipe-lemon-coconut-icebox-cup...
Being of a certain age, real whip cream is not a choice. 
These have the cream cheese with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, mixed with Cool Whip. 
When they sit in the refridgerator, the Nilla wafers get cakey, the cream cheese mixture firms up, and it's all good.
Very yummy and easy.

Mother of All Cheescakes

Mother of All Cheescakes, a set on Flickr.

Made this for Katerina's birthday. She said she was happy when she heard the word cheesecake!
 I was happy for an excuse to use the Bourbon Pecan sauce.


Via Flickr:
The Bourbon Pecan Brown Sugar Maple and Butter topping Cheesecake.
I might not have another piece of cheesecake this year.