The Middlebury Diary, Part 2

I updated the first blog post with the photos, so take a look at that one HERE.

Saturday was the BIG event! The Non-fiction Comics Mini-Fest at the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury, VT. I was surrounded by amazing cartoonists!

Marek Bennett (in the hat) was responsible for telling me (MANY years ago) that there was a little school in Vermont devoted to teaching comic creation, and I should go there... Steve Bissette, in the center, was one of my favorite teachers there (at the Center for Cartoon Studies), and Andy Kolovos, on the right, invited me to the Vermont Folklife Center for the mini-fest!

Steve signing his new dinosaur books...

Isaac Cates - oy! If you haven't seen the Cartozia series, they are AMAZING! Literally, some have mazes. And maps. a whole mess of amazing cartoonists creating a round robin type of comic - working off each others characters and story lines.

To the right of Isaac is Dana Walrath. She was a visiting artist at the cartoon school and is known for her book "Aliceheimer's: Alzheimers Through the Looking Glass".

Seated is Joel Christian Gill who was also a visiting artist at the cartoon school. He creates a comic of "Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History" called "Strange Fruit".

Sarah Rosedahl (left) is ALL about chicken comics - comics ABOUT chickens... not FOR chickens. "What the Cluck?" love the title! And Stefanie Zuppo (right) - juggling comics, The Ladybroad Ledger comics newspaper, AND a new collaborative art studio in Essex Junction, Words and Pictures. Whoa. Superhero.

Robert Waldo Brunelle Jr. - his comics Explain it All!

Below: Kevin Kite (left) was my tablemate - he does science comics with very cute characters.  And Gregory Giordano - with the cool mustache - who created the Vermont Comic Creators group (I'm a member!)

Not pictured, but also awesome, is Bryan Stone - who has been emailing me advice on how my daughter can get started in the world of Dungeons and Dragons! It was fun to finally meet in person.

Oh yeh, and then there was ME! Yes - I know I look a little... perplexed...
I brought my dummy for the picture book I just finished, "Ready, Set, Gorilla!" and the new science comics - also JUST finished.

Photo by Robert Waldo Brunelle Jr. 

I want to take this house home with me!! It’s so quirky - looks like the house of a cartoonist, right? Or a tiny house for the Addams Family. One of the best parts of driving through these Vermont towns is seeing the amazing houses! I would never be able to choose just one.

As you can imagine - my brain was fried. By Sunday morning, the social hangover was kicking in hard! I slept through 8 alarm snoozes and decided to go "walk it off" at The Montshire Museum of Science.

It was nice and quiet there until later in the afternoon when folks realized that 90 degree weather is the perfect reason to take advantage of the science waterpark. I walked out to the other water features...

I’d walk for a while, then sit and “think”. I usually do this by the ocean, but this waterfall had to do the job. And then a lake... I’d think of a subject that was giving me trouble, and ask for a sign. The Studio? Money? The Fireman? Etc. I had no answers, but I was feeling a lot calmer than I had in...months.

I was deep in the forest when my phone buzzed - with a text from The Fireman. Seriously? Does that count as a sign? What does it mean?

I turned my phone off. And kept walking.

I had my lunch under a tree and when I couldn't put it off any longer... I finally drove home.

Minou let me know that she had been very well taken care of by Laurie - and I admit - for a minute or two - I thought about getting back in my car, and returning to Vermont!

Give me some Sugar!

Last week I did a really fun project for Red Kite Candy's "Candy Lab" - I designed the candy box label for the latest winner - Apple Pie Caramels. They are only available for a limited time and the money goes to Food4Kids.

And, NO, I don't get paid extra for promoting this - I just wanted to show off my artwork - and I think this is a cool way to raise money for a great program...

oh FINE - I admit it... I'm hoping someone will order some of these amazing caramels and SHARE them with ME!!

Nyum yum yum....

Your Winner is here!

Get your Apple Pie Caramels before they're gone. Support FOOD4KIDS and order yours before midnight Sunday.

(As always, 100% of profits go to our Candy Lab partner, 

currently FOOD4KIDS)

Buy Now

Your idea. Our know-how. 100% donated.

Candy Lab is a program of Red Kite Candy
226 Industrial Drive
Bradford, VT 05033

Alice

"When your sole purpose in life is to entertain the gods, there's nothing to do but put on a good show."

So, yesterday I was (whining) about how I need an Alice, right? Here's how the universe plays with me... I've been reading this excellent book called "The Red Book" - I'll post more about it later - but I was reading a section about how the universe/god/etc always answers our prayers, always. But we are often too thick, too busy, or just plain afraid to see that it has been answered. Or it is answered in a way we didn't expect. My Irish grandfather always said that his favorite curse was "may all your dreams come true." Which my Jewish Gramma re-phrased as "be careful what you wish for, you may get it." It is very true. I was terrified to have to dance at my wedding. I started dance classes, but also prayed not to have to dance. I had foot surgery and didn't walk for three months. I was on crutches for my wedding. I didn't dance. "That's not what I meant!" I yelled.

I think the universe has a great sense of humor. So, after posting yesterday, I started wading through the hundreds of emails I had put off reading while I was in France. One was from Ramit Sethi at I Will Teach You to Be Rich (which is a great website, despite the scammy sounding name. Ramit is a money genius. He has a lot of very practical, sound suggestions.) In Ramit's email he talked about a great new online service that helped organize your shopping lists, find the best prices on your products, find coupons, place your order, and ship it all to you with no shipping charge. Oh, and it reminds you when you need to reorder stuff, and has a community discussion board too. Someone to do all my grocery shopping and offer advice!!
Hmmm... guess what it's called?
Yep... Alice.com.

Little Pink Hoody Visits the Dark Forest

A Cautionary Tale in 6 Pictures Proving That Two-year-olds Will Fall For the Same Trick Over and Over.

Also, this proves that girls who kick butt can still look good and appreciate a pretty dress and stylish flipflops. This is a lesson that Lilah learned from her babysitter, Kayla, who is starting boot camp very soon! (Good luck, Kayla!) By the way, the pretty dress or, rather, "pwitty dess" - is from Little Girl Pearl. Her booth was at the Concord Arts Market and I couldn't resist. Isn't it odd how a girl can grow up as a tomboy (sprained ankles, scabs and ToughSkin jeans) but find herself buying 'pink" when she has a daughter? I never thought I'd own anything pink. The camera that took these pics was pink! I wouldn't have been caught dead wearing a dress when I was a kid. But then, they didn't make dresses like these back in the "old days". It's hard to believe we didn't have jeans either. Or cotton t-shirts. And we had to program our own computer games. And I think there were only two real TV channels. My son doesn't believe any of this. But, MAN, it makes me feel OLD! Oh, and Barbie Dream Furniture came in BLUE!! Can anyone else remember a time before "Barbie =Pink"?

My Honeycomb Hideaway

A few years before I got pregnant with my daughter - ah, now I see what happened - well, anyway - before I got pregnant, I found a little retreat on Blaisdell Lake in Bradford/Sutton. It was only about 15 minutes from my real life and I thought it would be perfect as a place to escape to and make some art. I did escape and I made some art. I also sat on the dock and splashed my feet in the water, kayaked and watched the loons. I even got to stay overnight a bunch of times (and actually SLEEP through the night. It's so quiet there at night.

Once I let my son, Alex, stay overnight too. We stayed up really late transcribing the words to an epic poem/rhyme about history that he had set to the tune of the Blackbirds-baked-in-a-pie rhyme. But usually I was there alone. Ahh. Sometimes Ken and Alex would come out on the weekend to splash around or take the boats out. But once Lilah was born, we no longer seemed to have time to go to the cottage. I couldn't stay away overnight much anymore, and since there is a road in front of the cottage, it wasn't really safe for a little person.

So, I've come to the realization that it is no longer my retreat. It needs a new master/mistress and I must sell it soon. I have fantasized about picking up the cottage and moving it somewhere for storage. But everyone thinks I am making a joke. sigh. If you are interested in knowing more about the retreat, please look at the website: http://www.honeycombhideaway.com/


I have put lots of photos and videos on the site so you can tour it virtually. There is a link to the realtor on the main page and she can answer all your practical questions and give you a real tour if you like. The cottage itself is like a treehouse with a huge sunny porch, and there is a very large detached garage-barn that makes a great studio space for scultpure or a boat. It also has a lovely view of the lake from the porch, the bedrooms and from the garage! And don't let the composting toilet scare you off! We had put it in to be enviromentally correct and also so that if we came to iceskate in the winter, we could still go pee! The water gets turned off in the fall so the pipes don't freeze. So, YES, there is water, and there is a septic tank. We are considering having a standard toilet put back in.

(At one point, this lake was an enclave for personalities from the vaudeville circuit. There was a very interesting article about it in the Kearsarge Magazine.)

We put a lot of work into this cottage - turning it from a shack into a cozy place to hang out. We sanded the porch floor, scrubbed all the creosote (yuck) off the walls, built a bathroom, new rugs, curtains, furniture, stove and fridge, pipes, electric stuff. It's pretty nice. I try not to go and visit it, because I miss it so much. But someday, the time will be right for me to have a retreat again. Oh, and we are selling it furnished (except for a couple of things I still need to take out of there). There are beds and chairs, table, sofa, curtains, plates... you can buy it and come right over for a vacation! We might even let you have one of the kayaks!

So let's see the magic of the internet at work. I really need to sell this cottage. It really wants to be occupied. If you, or any of your friends need a place to escape to (especially if you live in the city!! Or if you don't even know what a LOON is!!) please check out the website and forward this post or the web link to anyone you know. Thanks thanks thanks!

Happy Easter

If we forget about the grouchy boy, high-fever-girl and cranky Gramma at the nursing home... this was a really nice weekend! It was nice to have Kayla helping out too - weekends always go smoother with someone else watching the baby! Kayla is, technically, Lilah's babysitter. She started out as a mother's helper and progressed to personal hairdresser, jungle gym, big sister and bodyguard. She has been taking care of Lilah since she was about 2 months old. It's amazing to think of how many adult sitters Lilah has blown through in only two years. No surprise Kayla is thinking about joining the National Guard. Someday she'll have her own reality TV show I think.

Now her mom, SherRee, is working at Wingdoodle. Well... "working" is not the right word... she's actually taken over my position. Creative Director, Arts/Crafts Manager, Teacher, Demo Table Facilitator, Chief Store Blogger... you get the idea! This weekend she had an adorable Make-It/Take-It at the demo table with die-cut bunny baskets and Wingdoodle-y M&M's. She sent me a bunch of cute pics she took from behind the demo table. These are my favorites.

(Kayla has taught Lilah lots of very important things - like which M&M colors taste best!)


I imagine SherRee will have more photos from this weekend on the blog, so be sure to check it out. She's an "Extreme Blogger" so you can always get the latest news about stamping products, cool gifts at the store, classes and interesting projects. Shameless plug: go look at the Wingdoodle blog! - Thanks! :-)

Zentangle Class Schedule

I posted a schedule of Zentangle workshops I'll be teaching this spring, on my studio blog - Beez in the Belfry. Click the link, above, to see the post. Well... I won't be teaching them on my blog, the list is there, the classes will be in my studio space - The Belfry (above Wingdoodle). It was hard to make a schedule - there are so many things happening in the next few months! In a few weeks, I'm off to Art and Soul in Virginia, then there's Spring Into Warner, on May 16th and Squam Art Workshops in June... (and France this fall!!! eeee! I'm SO excited!) OK, breathe...

So, I finished my Fat Book pages for Art and Soul. The theme this year is "Rock 'n' Roll at Art 'n' Soul" so I did "Rockin' Robin". I used Ranger Inks to spray large pieces of canvas paper. I carved the words and stamped them, die-cut the birds from old sheet music and rubbed their tummies with red PanPastel, photocopied two charms (sunglasses and microphone) and glued them down. The bird is mounted with an accordian hinge so he "rocks" a little. I made 45 pages. Whew-eee!

It is Amazing!

Just saw this You Tube video called "Everything is Amazing, Nobody is Happy"
It's very funny, but also brings up a good point. We roll our eyes when our parents (grandparents) say things like "when I was a kid..." And now I find myself saying the same thing with my children, except that it wasn't so long ago that we did these unthinkable things. "When I was a kid, we didn't have cell phones or microwaves." "When I was kid, I had to program my own computer games." Can it possibly be true!? Sesame Street was first aired the year I was born (and man walked on the moon). Which one is more impressive to a kid? Rocket ships are nothing new, but Elmo... Oh, but we didn't have Elmo, when I was a kid. (Thank goodness). I would gladly trade 95% of the hundreds of kids programs we have today, to get Kermit the Frog back on Sesame Street. sigh.

We have SO many amazing inventions, new technology, but honestly, how much of it do we really need? Does it really make life easier? When I was a kid, our parents didn't bring their jobs on vacation with us. There are hundreds of ways to reach out and touch someone - and yet we are all so lonely. When I was a kid, I remember playing hide-and-seek under the pine trees with the neighborhood kids until the fireflies came out. I remember my mom bringing treats in to our classroom, just because, and she hadn't been fingerprinted! Shocking. I remember when PB&J was standard food for all kids and not considered "illegal" in the lunchroom or a ticket to the ER. Oh the good old days. Funny how the grandparents thought we were all spoiled and didn't appreciate any of the amazing things we had (like the telephone and school buses...)

It could be that these "scary economic times" happen as a system of checks and balances to help us see what we have. Take down the big "super-sized everything", and give the small "hey, I have a great idea" people space to grow. This way, perhaps, all the jaded, younger people,get a chance to see what they can come up with when they aren't inundated with all the technology of past generations. So maybe there is a positive way to look at this... mess. It's a way of clearing space - Spring Cleaning. Forcing us to be creative, use our brains - "what would I do today, if someone hadn't already done it all for me?"

Artella Free Sample

You may have noticed the banner ads over on the edge for Artella. This is a very fun website to explore. Lots of collage-y artsy projects and downloadable "e-books". Here's some incentive to surf:

Download a FREE copy of the Artella eBook, Artella Mae's NEW Altered Ancestors!, a 58-page eBook overflowing with ideas and techniques for using vintage photos in your artwork. Download your copy here!

Juego con mi Jugo

Well, I may have unleashed a monster, but Alex now has his own blog! Called Juego con mi Jugo. Here is his description of the site:
¡Bienvenido! Hi, my name is Alex Bee. This is my blog all about me. I look forward to telling anyone brave (or foolish) enough to enter this webpage about my personal book reviews, conspiracy theories, ideas (the realistic ones), *and secret plans*.
And here is his explanation of the title:

About the Title

Around 1519, Hernán Cortés sailed to the new world and discovered the Aztec Civilization. Yeah, you probably know that, but what you don't know is that when Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, introduced Cortés to his first cup of xocolatl (Aztec hot chocolate), Cortés said, "I know now that my life is not wasted." Of course, he said it in Aztec; and the first people who wanted to know what he had said were the Spanish conquistadors he was traveling with. Directly translated into Spanish, the phrase is, "Juego con mi Jugo." Directly translated into English it means, "I play with my juice."

Should be fun!