make stuff besides lesson plans

| December 22, 2009

mom_xmascutout

Yes! Winter break! I finally have some time to make stuff besides lesson plans. This papercut will be part of  my parents’ Christmas gift. Although I really enjoyed making it, my back and neck are hating me so much right now. BJ and I decided we’re going to make it a tradition to give each other homemade cards. I finished his yesterday, but I’ll have to post it later. I’m not so great with surprises, but I’m working on it …

fabric_flowers_Web

I’m slowly making flowers from recycled and remnant fabric. I’m not sure how they’ll be used this summer…

owls_recycle_web

… but maybe I’ll pair them with some of these guys from the Rhode Island Recycling center? (Another thing I miss about Providence. You can buy scraps of silk and quality fabric for 15 cents a pound!)

boys_bout_test

Playing around with some ideas for the groomsmen.

Baked brie

| December 15, 2009

xmas_cards

My first homemade Christmas card in a while! I printed out a few and, once I work on my folding technique, I can send them out. Can you guess who is who?

We’ve been having a few busy but fun weekends. This last one, we celebrated two engagements. Sunday, Kevin drove down from Austin to spend the day with us. We had an AMAZING meal at Oporto and we usually order the same dishes, but, since he doesn’t eat meat, we tried the baked brie (whole brie cheese wrapped in pastry with walnuts and herbs, served with fig preserves, honey, crackers, and fresh fruit) for the first time. It is so delicious.

And I saw Up in the Air and loved it. The End.

→

| December 7, 2009

Weekend_12_6_09_web

I had a nice weekend. I only wish there were more hours in the day! On Saturday, I bought several rolls of film and fell in love with a Mamiya 645, picked out fabric and ribbon, went to the bookstore, ate a delicious dinner at Empire café, and got beignets for dessert. Oh and I added a shirt to my collection of all things striped. Thanks BJ and Thuy for spending the day with me!

snow in texas

| December 5, 2009

Thuy_snow

jennifer_snow

snowday

Even though it barely stuck to the ground, it was nice to see some snow. But that also meant a crazy school day with lots of requests to conduct class outside!

Camilla Engman

| December 3, 2009

camilla-big-sell-sheet[1]

The Suitcase Series presents in glorious detail the lives of select artists and designers. The books are image-based, full of artwork, sketchbook pages, beautiful photographs and artifacts from where the artists live and work. The book becomes a precious souvenir of a creative journey shared between the reader and the artist.

Some things I never get tired of: seeing artistic processes, unique & inviting homes, or anything with a hand-drawn/hand-made quality. This book does it all, and Camilla Engman is the perfect subject. I’m still a little sad I never got my hands on the reused porcelain collection, but they are beautifully documented in the book!

process

| November 29, 2009

Process_Woodblock

I’ve been slowly working on this linoleum block as a demo piece for my students and hopefully to include in the zine. After printing this proof, I see there’s still a good amount to carving to do. Back to work I go.

Listening to: Dark Was the Night and Girls

making it official

| November 28, 2009

So I thought I could sneak the engagement party into my sister’s graduation party this summer, but it never was meant to be. However, I am very happy we did have one this week because it gave me a chance to meet BJ’s dad, to see his mom and brother again, and to thank all our family members for their support. If only I had another week off, because this has not been a break at all! There has been a ton of cleaning, renovations, errand running, and late nights. Whew. Here are a few images I was able to capture.

wall_frames

I removed all the hideous vinyl wallpaper, painted, and hung some of my and my sister’s artwork.

mini_cupcakes

Carrot mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

tea

Serving tea with lots of whispered directions from the elders :) (pic by Quynh)

me_bj_engagement2

Still a little teary-eyed from my speech. Why am I so emotional!?

for under the tree

| November 24, 2009

Every year, I look forward to getting my brother and sisters’ Christmas list in my mailbox. They’re super fancy-like with images and direct links to buy the item online kind of  fancy. But the best part is getting to read the explanations and descriptions for each item as well as the banter that comes afterwards. This year, the lists arrived a few weeks before Thanksgiving- a little early don’t ya think?

I’m not sure what I want this year, but I put together a few items that I think would be nice to give. Up first, paper goods:

hOLIDAY_Papergoods
(clockwise )
1. Painting Today
2. The Small Object Labels & Stickers
3. Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton
4. Mike Perry Holiday Zine Gift Set ( I have a few pieces in this set and it is so worth it)

Lost Jewelry

| November 19, 2009

necklace

livingroom

bj_kubo

  1. Perks of cleaning: finding lost jewelry
  2. Slowly putting up our posters
  3. Sushi in the Rice Village

We have one week until the engagement party and I have done nothing! Eeek. However, this year, I get one week off, so I’m hoping that’ll be enough time to get things in order. If not, no biggie. I just can’t wait to see my sisters, cousins, and BJ’s family. (We finally got another couch, after over a year without one, partly because of their visit! And it’s grey. Perfect.)