Pinterest on a Sugar High

or, hi! this is what I thought about pinterest today....

I was inspired to create this during a conversation where my mom invented an idea for a pinterest party. Keeping with tradtion, this concept sketch happened in one of my favorite mediums:

So A to be:

The diamond pattern (Alice Diamonds) in the back is some iPaper i designed and that you can download and print for a dollah as always at www.AmberInk.com

Dog Dayz

I went to Seattle to visit Beth and Glen Molly. 

Like the rest of the Logans, she and I are pretty much kindred. We are kind but haters and energetic but happy to lounge. We like to put on a show. We both felt Flossy the cat was getting a bit too celebrated for day to day living these days. We dog people haz gotz to represent... 
These are all done on location and from life. 

 What can I say? Girl knows her angles.

It's Been Two Weeks

So I thought I'd say something.

Sometimes something just seems to precious to blog about until I've relived it a million times in my head.

I saw this
<--------------------
thanks to Brittany of Grief and High Delight fame and then repinned it on Pinterest (Where I live in my mind's eye). I thought, "Well that's pretty effing cool". It reminded me of Barbie and tween toys and playing with make-up before I used make-up to cover up the fact that I am no longer in the dawn of the particular digit duo I'm riding out.

Thus, on Halloween (and on the four days leading up to Halloween) I played with make-up and zippers. A few dry runs, like this year's annual pie bake-off... grr... and my annual volunteer gig at Gilda's club Halloween party taught me what I could love and what I did not love about my costume. I learned the best thing to tell people screaming "I LOVE your costume!!! WHAT IS IT??!".

"Oh. Me? I'm Eighties on the inside."  

 What I loved best about this costume was that on my way to its first unveiling at an amazing Friday night costume gala (3 days before Halloween -- Seriously people, why don't we just make Halloween the last Saturday of the month??) I was the only one dressed up.

There wasn't a single person on the street in a costume. No one. None. I had a zipper gash across my arm, one across my chest, one across my face. Make up and feathers exploded from the zipper wounds that slashed my body in to sections. I was ballgown clad and wearing Keds, gliding down Broadway.

 No one batted an eye. People just kept on walking and that is why "I <3 NYC" is so fracking  universal.  This seemingly simple experience reminded me why I will be a New Yorker until the day I die.

I have been a Misfits Fiend since the tenth grade. I even have the badge to prove it.

 On Halloween I did the thing that I wish I had known I would do ten years ago. Being a teenager would have been so much easier if my 'It's a Wonderful Life' fairy godfather angel would have swooped down during Marching Band practice and said. "Don't even worry about it kid. In ten years you'll have tickets to a Sold Out Misfit's show on All Hallow's Eve. Yeah. You're that cool."

On the night of I painted my face to the smashing sounds of  Horror Punk's Gods 'Halloween' and anticipated a delicious evening with skeletons and boys in leather jackets. It was so boss. I caught the parade in the Village, swung by a party in NoHo and then headed to Times Square - a place I'd normally rather be shot in than walk through. Oddly enough if you splash a ton of make-up on your face and have people running up to you asking if they can take their picture with you, Times Square is not so bad. 

Before long I was swinging my hair back and forth with a ton of dead heads to the melodic chords of Jerry Only. Some guy I met during the show gave me this poster. I was for once in my life caught without a sketchbook and he wanted to write his number down for me. He scrawled it on the back next to the copyright. I'm enjoying dating this kid because I know how much it hurt him to give me this. He loved this and he still parted with it because in that moment he liked me better. In a Sophie's Choice kind of way that makes him all the more endearing. Plus, let's be honest. Boy got taste. Is this not the coolest poster ever?
In nice news I got Jerry Only to sign it... after he signed my chest.... but that happens later....
WHAT? WHAT IS THAT YOU SAY FAIRY GODFATHER ANGEL??! 

I slowly made friends as I edged closer to the stage. I made a tremendous amount of show lead when a tall bouncer like boy in skull paint and a leather jacket grabbed me and yelled
"HOLY --- I've been watching you and you know all the effing words to this song!"
I screamed, "THAT'S WHY I AM HERE!"
He cupped his hand to his ear and hollered back "WHAT??!"
Gotta love a Misfit's show....

I thought i heard him yell whisper in to my ear "I'm getting you closer to the rail!"
But like that was going to happen.

Since I'm not built like a bouncer and have a natural tendency to swoon for Clark Kent way more than Superman.... I was not prepared to become a believer. Boy in skull paint made me reconsider my previously thought to be iron-clad taste in 90-pound-weaklings-who-know-how-to-rock-a-skinny-jean while he bowled Misfits fans out of my way like a Disney lumberjack. It wasn't long before I stood there, staring up in awe at the man himself. Jerry effing Only

um... yeah this is the view of the sex god from the underside of a skeleton pelvis.....yeah....OK. Moving on... We got to that part in a concert where the band is sweating. They want a break. They start slapping hands. If you've been against the rail at a show you know you might get to TOUCH their sopping wet hands and then live on that for like a week... It's not guaranteed, but if you get your hand out and up in the air you might get lucky.

When Jerry got to my outstretched hand he touched it. I swooned. He moved on. He came back. He gripped it.  What's that, Fairy Godfather??! What?? Then He (yes we're capitalizing that) didn't let go. He pulled on my arm.  "What is happening!?" I searched my memory and then recalled. I knew this...
I knew this sensation from years of not being able to haul my ass into a kayak unassisted. I was climbing the wall Neo-Style. I was being lifted up on stage. I closed my eyes. I tried to remember how to breathe. My hand brushed metal. I stood with His spike clad arm around me up on stage.

It was a heightened sensation I can only compare to the blessed few times I have been giving Morphine
(either the band or the drug -- I often fantasize about having these two together...)

Before depositing me back on the floor (only physically, I assure you I was mentally flying the rest of the evening) He said, "You stick around here, you hear?" Homonyms! The inventor of the Devil's LOCK used homonyms on me :) Then he licked my face and signed my chest.

Did I ask him to sign my chest?? Of course not. Someone gave him a Sharpie and he went to town. He was flourishing that Y before I realized what had happened. Apparently when you are a Rock God you can do stuff like that. I however didn't know it was an option.

I left the above photo's persona on the dance floor, where it was coaxed out of me by a set of groupies yelling.  "STOP BEING CUTE! THE MISFIT'S EFFING LEAD SINGER JUST SIGNED YOUR DAMN CHEST! YOU GOT TO BE ON STAGE! BE SEXY AND LOOK LIKE YOU DESERVED IT!!!"... Groupies are mean... This was one of the previous and unapproved of photos in this Times Square shoot.

I will be back to blogging as this girl...^  again later this week.
For now I bask in my on stage-sex goddess persona.
Let's go play some effing tunes.

Big Waves... Close Together

TODAY SUCKED....

and then i turned my head to the left.

Also, at job-job I am designing animal crackers.

In exactly one hour I am going to acupuncture.

How are you holding up?

What's the fun stuff?

Ain't Nothing Like a Brooklyn Girl

Last year I got some Glittens for Christmas. They're bright ruby-red and they shine like the sun in the sun. I get compliments on them all the time. I was thrilled to pull them out the second we found ourselves in the sixties. They're totally inspirational and so, that is why...

on a beautiful bright morning in October I wrangled a gaggle of my girls, adorned them in kind, and went all Glitteratti on them. The sun shone and we shutterbugged the shine. Here are some of my favorites from the photoshoot. They're rocking out on Etsy, like a boss.

My gramma is the Betty behind these beautiful fingerless convertible glitter glittens (they actually sparkle!).

When I was a kid my parents were obsessed with this book called 'Start Small, Finish Big'. I don't remember anything about it, except the title. Maybe I'll look it up. However, that's exactly how I designed this shop. My gramma Betty handed over the glittens and I designed a logo. I thought I'd try a photoshoot.

That went well....

Once we got a glimpse at the film I realized two things, firstly,  Charles Hamilton was right and secondly, our tagline had to pay homage to these brownstone hotties.  We fixated on twinkling eyes and sparkling smiles and suddenly found ourselves with a tagline. I designed a banner

It's been a perfect exercise in fearless living. On that note I have some to go do. 

 Go see! Tell your friends! Dust off those wallets! Rock those manicures. Woot! Rally! Rah!

Stripes.

Brainstorming.

Still Brainstorming...

This is my second post of the day. Check out some Life Drawing in Revolutionary Costumes.

You Say You Want a Revolution

Guess what??!!? 

 I finally remembered I am an illustrator. 

Sorry, loves -- It's been a while.

Tonight, my intern extraordinaire and I indulged in some good old fashioned life drawing, that's right -- Revolutionary War style. 

There was maybe not a horse. I don't quite recall.

 OK. Fine. There was no horse. However, how could anyone with any integrity waste this 'happened on an ottoman' pose on anything without reigns?? 

 

 

 

The Society of Illustrators provided the light, the glitter, the flocked feathers, the electric live music, the bar, and the gorgeous powder-wigged models who slowly but surely stripped from their 1775 finery down to their diamond pasties at the evening's end. 

However, I provided your total raging jealousy with the power of description.
(I assure you it was better than it sounds).

Seattle Days Drifting Away

It is a little known fact that nestled up along the region of America
nom'ed 'The Greater Northwest' lies an enchanted "Emerald City".

Two weeks ago I spent a blithe four days cozied up with The Benevolent Queen of all Bethtopia. There was dark chocolate to eat, animals to pet, REVENGE to watch and oceanfront strolling to be had for all. I finally crossed Puget Sound, a place I had never seen but have long loved. (Thank You Cynthia Voight

Beth and I spent the first two days of my indulgent Washington adventure with our asses stapled to her cozy little couch and the next two eating every cheese product we could find at the Pike Place Market.

It was wonderful. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been allowed such complete luxury. 

We ate out. We stayed in. We talked until our faces turned blue from forgetting to breathe.

We channeled magic and danced in the firelight cast by a glade of lanterns unlike anything I have ever seen.

Once Molly finally deigned to be my friend the couch got even cozier. I totally appreciate her willingness to extend her paw in friendship, even when it was scary to let some one new and unknown in to her doggy heart.

I had the chance to finally meet the famous Flossy. She is even better than previously anticipated. Man that girl can stink-eye. The Kahuku girl in me was impressed. Please, note this picture is taken on a completely different night, although I'm not sure if I had moved from the couch since the above photo was taken.

Oh wait, I take that back. This photo was taken after our divine dinner that we made from scratch. The domestic culinary goddess' that we are created something entirely new, 'Scrambled Eggs and Green Salad'. We ate fresh tomatoes from the garden and reveled in our brilliance. Everything I ate in Washington was a delight to the pallet.
 ...............................................
I got to see Seattle all proper like too. Beth is a Pike Place market superstar (a boy even hollered her name as we forced down fresh peaches from his cart after eating our weight in lunch-like things). Is it any wonder what with licensing designs like these?!

This first leg of my gargantuan trip of wonder, relaxation and spiritual happiness was exactly what the doctor ordered -- maybe for all of us. It was such loveliness to just be.  Beth and I are kindred.  I always believe that when you're lucky enough to find the people you just click with you need to force them to spend all day with you for days on end.

This trip was bliss. Special thanks to every member of this little family for making my Washington dreamz come true. Mad props to husband-guy too for letting me come and kidnap his wifey for days and days. That man is so too cool for school (in the best ways).

On my last day in Seattle, i turned a corner and there it was....

and keeping with the theme of my wildly indulgent and lengthy sabbatical...
that wish was a wish that came true too....