money.

today i received two big boxes of shredded canadian currency in the mail (thank you jeannie for giving it to me, and john for sending it to me).

but why would i want such a thing?

a) it's cool.

b) more importantly, it is going to be used in some manner(s) for the next installment of trampoline hall (which i am curating). the theme of the show is money and it will feature an audit of trampoline hall, a lecture by the audience and a near-clairvoyant lesson in things to come. the money shreds will be used for some very special buttons for sure and might also figure into the set that will be done in collaboration with serena marie mccarroll. i'm really excited about the whole thing. april 6. sneaky dee's. be there.

(oh, but i should say that getting tickets should be taken really seriously. somehow, trampoline hall has miraculously sold out every monthly show forever. it amazing.)

pteridomania, pt. 2.

a little update on the ferns, mosses and lichen in my life.

this whole project has involved a lot of experimentation and potential failure but i have been learning a lot thus far.

pictured above is a terrarium that began as an open-air moss experiment. well, until summer hits with all its sticky unpleasantness, my apartment is too dry to keep west coast mosses happy, so i scoured the homestead for something to cover it with. magically, this cheese coverer thing (thrifted with the intention of adding it to aitor's cabinet of curiosities) fit perfectly over the lip of the low dish i was using. and i mean perfectly. like they were made to be together. it kind of creeped me out.

since the addition of the cheese cover, all sorts of action has been happening. the ferns got happy, little plants and grasses are popping up, the live sphagnum is softening...i even spied a little mushroom (way too small for my macro-less camera to capture).

spring lives under glass.

brokeback pontiac.

artwork by tyler brett

it is now time to make some swooping announcements about the show i have planned to raise money for my ailing vehicle.

the show is called brokeback pontaic (thanks to emma's smart brains)

it will happen on friday, april 24th
the doors will open at 6:30pm
the small silent auction will start at 7:00pm and end at 8:00pm
the performance will start at 8:00pm and be all wrapped up by 10:00pm
after that, you can stay and drink at the comedy bar or go have a friday night out in the city.

i have secured a pretty stellar line-up of performers (mostly through guilting people who have borrowed my car). performers include katie crown, sara hennessy, kathleen phillips, levi macdougall, zeesy powers, iron cobra (half of which is me) and more. also, chris locke will host. i you are not familiar with these people, you should just trust me that they are all very good.

we also have silent auction goodies secured from all sorts of places/people/things like worn fashion journal, leah buckareff, claire louise milne & more. a little online preview of the silent auction should be popping up soon. i shall keep the world posted.

and look at the artwork that tyler did for the show. isn't that amazing?

i am pretty excited.

general update.

a) above are some bits of plastic bag yarn for the upcoming window display at the knit cafe the installation date is just being confirmed, but it should go up next week so i am in crunch mode. the corals and creatures being made are pretty exciting (i had some sneak peaks at a recent crafting get-together).

b) as my security envelope collections come back into my possession, the project will have a second dawn around here and replace plastics in my obsessive world of making things.

c) i was recently (and for no reason other than being at the workroom at the right time) interviewed for an article about craft and the economy for the globe and mail. these seem to be questions that i get asked constantly these days. i feel like my answers were a bit gloomy but, to me, the tension between telling the truth and good marketing is akin to the tension between making things and selling handmade. by the way, when i ask tenille (the journalist) what her general beat was, she said 'the economy.' apparently, there is enough to talk about that an entire beat can be formed out of the current economic tumult.

d) all of a sudden, i have booked myself into a ig string of craft and art shows. it must be spring. in order of appearance, they are:
- pop with brains at the rivoli
- spring wake-up and hart house
- telephone city art and craft fair at the ford plant (brantford)
- hunt & gather trunk show at the workroom

e) i am curating the next installment of trampoline hall. it will transpire monday, april 6th and will all centre around the theme of money.

f) i have also put together a show to raise some funds for car repair as i prepare to go on another little tour. the car got pretty hurt over the last six-month tour and needs some fixin'. i started by asking people who had borrowed my car to perform (i am lucky to have a lot of talented friends). the show, aptly named brokeback pontiac by my friend emma, is coming together wonderfully and will include a big show and a small silent auction of art, craft, flotsam, and jetsam. you can bookmark it on facebook now if this sounds appealing.

g) i joined twitter. why? i'm not entirely sure yet. but i'm there.

stitching + bitching.

photo by karyn at the workroom

i will not lie to you, internet; i have been having a rough go lately. it's not the kind of thing that craft blogs tend to focus on, by life is challenging, long and sometimes difficult.

that's why little things like walking across the neighbourhood to attend a stitch 'n' bitch and make crafts with friends and strangers can seem like such a vital and generous indulgence. i spent yesterday evening at the workroom, one of many toronto homes and establishments that host free craft nights. the knit cafe also hosts a weekly stitch 'n' bitch which i keep planning to attend, if only to brush up on my knitting and see if i can squeeze some assistance out of someone smarter and fix a scarf i have been ruining for a while. streetknit also hosts a weekly stitch 'n' bitch (which has just moved to the green room). with all this free stuff to do out of the house, i don't have much excuse to stay home wallowing in my poverty and other concerns.

it's true, you know.

new iteration of new invention in the etsy shop.

gosh, the windows are salty here. that kitchen window is one we can't clean on the outside, either.

heretical happenings.

hmmm...what's this? a science magazine in the mail. hmm...let's see what these guys have got to say. what's this...?

huh. i wonder what...

it's true! there's a picture i took of the good reverend at the creation museum in kentucky.

thanks for sending us the copies, guys. i am looking forward to pouring through some scientific discussion as a brief respite from craft magazines.