Natalie Tischler's Blog

I like to organize

2009-06-17T12:17:00.005-12:00

I have this utopian dream of getting rid of all my junk and living one of those highly organized minimalist lives. Lately I have had the strong urge to get things in order around my house. It may have something to do with recently becoming an empty nester.

A couple of months ago I organized my budget. Quicken has a free online budget tool. I totally recommend it. I am the CFO of my family and for me the hardest part about managing my budget is all the miscellaneous things that come up each month. I find it really helpful to be able to look at exactly what I am spending in each category. I have been checking in on it about once a week.

This past weekend I finished organizing my file cabinet and then I moved on with great force to my laundry room. The last time I organized it, Forest was 12 and I made it a project for us to do together. After I sorted everything out, I loaded up my car and set out to disburse my junk.

I had tons of home repair stuff that I'd kept, thinking I might need it someday. I wanted to donate it to Habitat for Humanity Restore but they were closed and a sign advised of a camera and threatened prosecution for leaving stuff after hours. I knew that if I didn't get rid of it then, I was in danger of driving around with that stuff in my car for the next 6 months. So, I dropped off my collection of misfit plumbing parts at Goodwill along with 5 other grocery bags of stuff. I am positive that someday I am going to buy something at a thrift store that I actually donated.

I dropped my stash of used batteries off at Radio Shack to be recycled and I dropped off plastic bags at the grocery store for recycling.

So far so good. I am trying to psyche myself up for the next project: the junk closet under the stairs. It's the type of closet you open very carefully. Lord knows what I have in there.

Deep South Road Trip

2009-06-04T04:15:00.004-12:00

We just returned from a road trip through the Deep South. We went to Columbus Georgia to visit Forest on his first leave from Army Basic Training. We had not seen him for about two months. He looked very handsome in his uniform. We asked him about 100 questions about his experience. He had really slimmed down from all the intense exercise. It was wonderful to see him looking so happy.

We took it easy for two days in Savannah, exploring their historic district and going out to Tybee Island to walk on the beach. We had fish tacos at North Beach Grill. We visited Fort Pulaski, and then headed up toward Charleston.

On the way we drove through Beaufort, where we sought out the house they used in the movie The Big Chill. It's one of my favorite movies so it was kind of fun to find the house. The gate is very overgrown and I was a little too shy to get close enough to peer through to see the house very clearly.

We drove on to Charleston where we originally intended to stay only two days but ended up staying four! What a beautiful city! We stayed at a really cool 150 year old hotel called Mills House. (We got a super good deal on hotwire!) The room was just so lovely and pleasing. We spent a lot of time sightseeing around Charleston, touring two old houses and eating a lot of great Southern food. We also visited Fort Moultrie.

Two of the days in Charleston, we drove out to Folly Beach and spent some time enjoying the sun and the surf. There is something about going to the beach that makes you feel so peaceful and happy. I felt like a little kid walking all over the beach collecting shells.

Along the way we stopped into many thrift stores and antique stores. I found a lot of inspiration and cool old jewelry for my designs.

On the way home we stopped in Atlanta for two days so that I could do the Indie Craft Experience show in Centennial Olympic Park. James did some sightseeing around Atlanta while I worked the show.

It was a great trip! You can view all of the pictures here.

Here are some travel recommendations for Charleston:

Tours of old houses: http://www.historiccharleston.org/
Mills House Inn
Gaulart & Maliclet Fast and French Restaurant
Jestine's Kitchen
Folly Beach
Fort Moultrie

And for Savannah:

Tybee Island
Fish Tacos at North Beach Grill on Tybee Island
Fort Pulaski on Tybee Island

Punched Tin Jewelry

2009-05-13T04:31:00.004-12:00

I love punched tin jewelry. There are some amazing artists working in this medium and each one expresses her own design vision with the material. Here are two of my favorites!

This is my new necklace. It was made by Kari Stringer of Fat Cat Studio in San Antonio, Texas. I have been checking out Kari's work for years now because we both participate in the Blue Genie Art Bazaar every Christmas. She and I obviously share a love for vintage things so it was a thrill to meet her recently at Art City Austin art festival. It didn't take long to pick out this lovely necklace for myself. "Follow your Bliss" is one of my favorite quotes from Joseph Campbell. I love it's worn, faded quality. Kari sells her work in quite a few galleries around the U.S. More info at her website: http://www.fatcatjewelrystudio.com/

Christine Terrell of Adaptive Reuse makes these really cool owls and earrings. Christine loves coming up with new uses for things that might otherwise get thrown away. I love the way she uses color in her work. Her style is quite original! You can find more of her work at http://adaptivereuser.com/home.html

5th Anniversary Sale

2009-05-06T06:39:00.004-12:00

Ornamental Things is celebrating 5 years and it's time for our annual birthday sale. The sale goes through May 18th. Use coupon code FIVEYEARS to receive 35% off your purchase. While you are on the website, be sure to check out the Very Limited category as we have lots of new one-of-a-kind styles there.

Throughout the sale each order will include a free cd from Austin singer-songwriter Jana Pochop. She writes the most lovely verses, you'll be humming her songs before you know it. She tours with Susan Gibson and may soon be coming to a venue near you. Check out her website, www.janapochop.com to learn more.

Thanks so much for your support over the past 5 years. We are very much looking forward to the next 5!

Parts + Labour Grand Reopening Party Tonight

2009-04-30T03:46:00.004-12:00

Parts + Labour in Austin is having their Grand Reopening party tonight to celebrate their new space. The new store is really getting settled in! Come out, have a drink and check it out!

I have a new line out too, it's called Recycled Things. I have started making these really fun little necklaces that are 100% recycled. They are made with repurposed old charms and chains. Priced at $18 or $24, they are more like budget relief for these hard times! They come in a cute little package that is perfect for gift giving. Right now they are only available at shows and at Parts + Labour in Austin. So, if you are in Austin, be sure to get by Parts and Labour to check them out!

Spinach you might actually want to eat...

2009-04-28T15:36:00.002-12:00

Espinacas Tapas, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

We had this yummy tapa when we were in Spain called Espinacas. Basically spinach in Spanish but I like the way they make spinach! I couldn't believe how good they could make it taste.

We found this recipe on the internet and made it for a potluck. The cumin makes it taste so good! You eat it with some little bread, like a sliced baguette. Here's the recipe. It's actually pretty healthy.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 (12 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic and onion in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach, garbanzo beans, cumin, and salt. Use your stirring spoon to lightly mash the beans as the mixture cooks. Allow to cook until thoroughly heated.

(found this recipe on allrecipes.com)

Molly is growing up!

2009-04-16T09:57:00.000-12:00

, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

I haven't written about Molly in a while. She is the puppy we got last year around this time. She has really grown up! Now she is a smallish big dog. She makes me so very happy. She has so much curiosity and crazy puppy energy still. It's a little much when you are trying to get into the door of the house. However, I love watching her in the backyard. She chases squirrels, tracks bugs and watches birds. She loves being outside. Sometimes we find her hiding under trees watching an unsuspecting squirrel or bird. It's especially funny to see her try to prowl up to something and pounce on it.

She loves to play with Forest's old deflated basketballs. If you throw it for her, she will run after it and pounce on it like it's an animal. Then she gives it a good shaking.

We have also been taking her to the dog park. She is a much more social dog than our older dog, Zaphod.

I took this picture the other day when she was playing with a grasshopper. She was so focused on it that she wouldn't even come in when I called her. She followed it all over the yard, picking it up with her mouth and tossing it back over her head. I was so entertained watching her that I couldn't even chastise her for not coming in.

I met Janeane Garofalo!

2009-03-23T16:15:00.002-12:00

During SXSW, our Springtime, city-wide music festival, I set up a booth down on S. Congress. It was a lot of fun to meet out-of-towners who were visiting Austin. So many people were like "I want to move here." I guess Austin is a prett cool city to live in.

The most exciting thing that happened was Janeane Garofalo walking into my booth. It took me a minute to muster the courage to say "you look like Janeane Garofalo." It was a real thrill to meet her as I am a big fan of her work. I used to listen to her radio show when I was making jewelry and I have seen almost all of her movies. I went to see her live show when she came through Austin around 2003. We had a fun conversation while she shopped my jewelry, talking about tv shows like Flight of the Choncords, True Blood, X Files and The Larry Sanders Show. She told me she was going to see some bands at Emo's that night.

She told me that she makes jewelry too. She made the leather and bead necklaces she is wearing in the photo above. They were really cool. She picked out a horseshoe charm (one that I'd found in Spain!) for her purchase. And she was nice enough to let me take a picture of her wearing it. I really enjoyed meeting her. She is just as cool in person!

Parts + Labour's new space

2009-03-16T05:30:00.003-12:00

Last week, along with making lots of new one-of-a-kind jewelry, I put in quite a few hours helping out with the Parts + Labour move. Parts + Labour, in case you don't know, has become an Austin institution in the 5 years that they have been in business. Everything this store carries is made by a Texas designer! Having outgrown their original store next to South Congress Cafe, they have moved to a bigger location up the street next to Doc's restaurant. If you are in Austin, you should really check out the new space! I snapped this quick picture with my iPhone:

This move happened within the span of one week thanks to all the vendors in the store pitching in to help with packing, moving and stocking the new space. It's so nice to be a part of such an amazing and giving community of artists. The space will continue to evolve over the next few months as they settle in. Right now all of the jewelry is displayed together on big tables but eventually, we'll all have our separate shelf spaces again just like in the old store. Please support Texas artists at Parts and Labour!!

Pool Tradeshow

2009-02-24T07:41:00.006-12:00

No sooner had I returned from my amazing vacation in Spain than I had to begin preparations for the Pool Tradeshow in Las Vegas. I spent a month with my nose to the grindstone working on a bunch of new pieces to add to my line.

The show was really fun! We were set up in an area called Emerging Concepts which was for new and emerging brands. Pool is a really hip and edgy show. We loved getting to know all of our neighbors.

Marisa came along to help out at the show and I am so glad, could not have done it without her! Pool hosted a party at Beauty Bar on the first night of the show. We attended and had so much fun people watching!

The purpose of being part of the Pool tradeshow is to meet buyers and find new stores to carry my jewelry. I am happy to say that we acheived this goal and will be sending out orders to a bunch of great stores over the next few months. Stay tuned to the Stores page of the website for more info. I posted a few more pictures from my Pool adventure on my flickr page. New jewelry will be out on the website soon.

Flea Market and Last Days in Madrid

2009-01-07T14:25:00.007-12:00

On Sunday I had one more chance to get to the El Rastro flea market and find the good stuff. It turns out that Marco loves to going to the flea market. He was the perfect guide!

He took us around to his favorite streets and stalls and negotiated prices for me. It was such a bonus to visit the market with someone who knew it so well. I came home with a nice little stash. There were some great old junk stores in the streets around the main EL Rastro market. I am so glad I got see the cool part of the market.

Afterward we met up with Julie and the kids and went out for lunch with Marco's family.

James and I were feeling tired so we took a siesta. We were starting to feel worn out from our crazy trip. Late in the evening James took me out for an early Happy Birthday sushi dinner. It was kind of an adventure ordering sushi in Spanish.

Monday was my 37th birthday. In the morning we checked out the Star Wars exhibition. It was totally rad.

They had some of Queen Amidala's dresses and cool models and props like the piece they built to film the scenes on the surface of the death star. We watched a documentary about how it was filmed. I love that they used stop camera animation to film those big walkers. They also had a landspeeder on display. Very nostalgic.

We spent most of the afternoon packing at the apartment and in the evening we went out to see the Three Kings Parade with Julie's family.

James bought me a super cute pair of boots for my birthday.

We spent all of Tuesday getting home. We are so happy to be back on Texas soil. The trip was amazing and beautiful and I feel like it's an experience that is going to stay with me for a while.

Day Trip to Toledo

2009-01-03T23:01:00.001-12:00

On Saturday we met back up with Julie's family to take a day trip to Toledo. I was very excited about this because Toledo is where damascene has traditionally been made. In my work I use a lot of vintage damascene pieces that were souvenirs for past generations. I was pleased to see that it is still sold in many shops there.

We had fun walking around the little city. We stopped into the Santo Tomé church to see El Greco's famous painting The Burial of Count Orgaz.

We saw the narrowist street in Toledo.

At all times we had Julie's three delightful children running and laughing all around us.

It was inspiring to see kids having such a good time together. Their parents said they could have this much fun anywhere. Julie had dressed them all in red and again, on a dismal cloudy day, bright colors were such a pleasure to see, especially on three such cute kids.

There were so many sword shops in toledo. Each of the kids got a souvenir and Marco chose a sword. He had to keep it in the box it came in so after he showed it to me he said "can you help me put it in the box because sometimes caballeros need help."

You can see all the trip pictures here.

The New Year in Madrid

2009-01-02T22:00:00.000-12:00

We arrived back in Madrid on New Year's Eve. We gathered provisions and stayed in to ring in the new year. We had some champagne and grapes - the local good luck custom. You have to eat 12 grapes, 1 grape for every dong of the clock at midnight. Afterwards we went out on the terrace of the apartment to watch for fireworks. On the horizon all around us, small fireworks shows were going off. They must not have the same fireworks laws in Madrid as we have because the fireworks were everywhere. It was thrilling to see so many shows going on at once.

On the 1st we took a day to rest up and wash our clothes since everything was closed anyway. We were running out of clean clothes so we washed a load in the apartment. Julie had advised us that dryers are not common in Spain and that everyone hangs their laundry out to dry on a line. We hung our clothes on a line that went out from our bathroom window. It was kind of a fun adventure. It reminded me of hanging laundry out with my grandmother when I was a kid. It made me want to put up a line in our backyard.

The next day we hit some museums. First we went to the Reina Sofia where they have a great collection of 20th century art. We saw Guernica by Picasso!

It was amazinging big. I had no idea. They also had photographs of the painting in process as well as other paintings he had completed around the same time where you can tell he is working out certain elemnents of the composition.

We had a yummy lunch of calamari sandwiches and cervezas in a bustling counter cafe.

Then we walked up the Paseo del Prado, which is a big beautiful street. We had heard a rumour that you could get into the Prado museum for free at 6. It was about that time when we walked past the museum and saw a long line. We got in free! We spent 2 hours going all over the museum seeing tons of Goya paintings. The highlight was seeing Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Garden of Earthly Delights.

It is such a detailed painting and you get that so much more when you are standing in front of the original. The colors were so striking and beautiful. Those pink flower like things in the middle panel really pop out at you. Afterward we wandered around looking at all manner of paintings depicting the deaths of saints. They finally ran us all out at 8 PM.

You can see all of the trip pictures here.

The Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain

2008-12-31T08:48:00.001-12:00

On the way back to Madrid, we stopped for one day in Cordoba to see the Mezquita. It was my single most favorite thing in all of Spain. I remembered way back to my very first art history class when I learned about this amazing place. It was originally a mosque, built in 786 and then later in the 16th century, a Christian church was installed in the middle of it.

It has 19 ailes of columns with red and white striped, double archways. It's like walking into a surreal forest. Standing in certain places, it looks as if the arches go on forever. It's amazing. It is very peaceful inside and smells like incense from the cathedral.

We were lucky to stay in a hotel right at the edge. Lying on our bed, we could look out the window and see the outside walls of the Mezquita.

Seville, Spain

2008-12-29T16:00:00.000-12:00

On Sunday we took an early morning train to Seville. The weather had turned cloudy and rainy. The streets were lined with orange trees which really brightened up what could have seemed like a dismal day. We spent the first day walking around looking at the amazingly huge cathedral, taking in Seville and eating great food. James bought a flamenco guitar.

On Monday we visited the Seville Cathedral. The cathedral was build between 1300 and 1600 on the site of a former mosque. The builders said "we shall have a church of such a kind that those who see it built will think we were mad." It really is ginormous. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.

Then we climbed to the top of the cathedral's bell tower, called La Giralda. The bell tower had formerly been the minaret for the mosque and you could still see the Moorish architecture. I find it so interesting how Spain's history is revealed in its great architecture.

We decided to stay another day to see the Alcazar of Seville which was closed on Monday. It was nice (and a first for me) to have such freedom to make choices like that. I really hope to do more of this kind of travel in the future - playing it day by day. It's so relaxing not to be on a strict schedule.

On one of the nights we were there James did the research and mapped out a great tapas crawl for us. It was so fun! We had a rule of one drink and one tapa at each bar. We ate some really yummy stuff and had fun exploring the Santa Cruz neighborhood with it's tiny winding streets and beautiful plazas.

On Tuesday we visited the Alacazar of Seville. It is a palace that incorporates both Moorish and Christian architecture, called Mudejar, and was built after the Reconquest (1492). I have to say it was just as beautiful as the Alhambra with the same intricately carved stone walls and ceilings. It was breathtaking.

There was also the most expansive and beautiful garden on the grounds, full of very tall palm trees and walled in with an ivy covered wall. They had a hedge maze and we had fun trying to figure that out. We spent a relaxing and peaceful afternoon in the garden.

You can see all of the trip pictures here.

Granada, Spain

2008-12-27T23:00:00.003-12:00

On Friday morning we drove with Julie and Marco to Granada. Once we checked in, Marco showed us a couple of great tapas bars.

Between the bars we walked around the streets, through a Moroccan style market place and a plaza where hippies were making giant bubbles. The tapas were wonderful. Afterward we were all feeling kind of sleep so we had a siesta.

After our naps we walked up through the small windy streets of the Albaicin district to a good high spot to watch the sunset on the Alhambra and over the city.

Then we went to the Alhambra for a night visit. We saw the Nasrid palace which had walls covered in intricate stone carvings.

The ornamentation was amazing and covered every possible wall and ceiling. We ended the night with a great tapas dinner and muchos cervezas. We enjoyed hanging out with Julie and Marco.

James and I decided to stay a second day. Julie and Marco went to spend some time with their kids at the beach. James and I walked around and explored more of the Albaicin district and then went for a day visit to the Alhambra. We saw the gardens of the Generalife (pronounced heneraleefeh) which was the summer home from the palace.

We were also able to climb to the top of the watch tower where we had the most amazing panoramic view of the city and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

You can see all the trip pictures here.

Pueblo de Don Fadrique

2008-12-25T22:45:00.003-12:00

On Tuesday we drove south 5 hours with Julie and Marco's family from Madrid to a small town called Pueblo de Don Fadrique where Marco's parents have a home. It was a lovely little town with pueblo type houses on a hillside, all bunched together with winding little streets. Marco's parents were so warm and hospitable with us. Marco's mother is an amazing cook and we enjoyed some wonderful Spanish dishes like Pisto with fried eggs on top.

Marco's father makes wine as a hobby and we enjoyed a lot of his red wine. Words cannot describe how beautiful their bohemian home was. Marco's father had done a lot of work to restore it. They had the most amazing collection of 20th century "modern" furniture. They had a library of art books which I enjoyed looking through.

On Christmas Eve day we drove out to see a house that they own in the countryside. It was so beautiful and quiet out there. The house was very old and rustic. They cooked meat on a fire and we ate lunch out in the sunshine. Afterward, we played hide + seek and duck, duck, goose with the kids.

On Christmas day Marco's father took James and I out for a field trip. He took us to a neighboring town. First we went to a cafe and had churros (which we watched the woman outside make) and cafe con leche. Then he walked around the town with us pointing out interesting stuff. On the way out of town he showed us some cave homes where people actually live. One of them was abandoned so we were able to walk into the carved out rooms.

He drove us through the valley on the way home and we stopped at an old Tuscan style church and cemetery. We drove through fields of broccoli and almond trees. Finally he showed us his work space where he makes wine and stores all his findings that he uses when restoring houses, which he does professionally.

On Christmas night, the entire family took a walk around the town. The town has a very interesting tradition in which men and boys dress in these traditional costumes and walk around with whips and sticks soliciting money for the church, or else! We gave them money! Really it's just a bunch of little boys running around in colorful shirts and banging on the sidewalks. There was a group of local musicians walking around the town playing traditional songs.

Afterward we all gathered around the tv in our room and watched Wall-E with the kids. Once everyone had gone to bed, James and I stayed up and re-watched it with the director's commentary. I love that movie!

You can see all the trip pictures here.

First few days in Madrid

2008-12-22T23:55:00.009-12:00

Madrid is such a lively place! We arrived on Saturday morning. After settling into the apartment and having a little nap, we went out to explore Old Madrid, the very center of town. There were so many people out walking around and having fun, almost like it was New Year’s Eve. Women were wearing colorful wigs. There were many families out walking around with small children. People were spilling out of bars having tapas and cervezas.

Madrilenos eat dinner late, around 10 pm. We found a quiet restaurant on the outer area and had a great dinner and a really good bottle of wine. I had mussels and gnocchi and James had a warm cheese salad and fish.

On Sunday, we meant to get up early but accidentally slept until noon. We went to the El Rastro flea market. It was a bit disappointing. The offerings were primarily new stuff and a lot of the vendors were already packing up. However, I got a lovely wallet and a cute little carved wooden owl.

Then we walked around Retiro Park. We rented a paddle boat and then stumbled upon a surreal carousel that had large bugs and beasts rather than the typical horses. The children could used gears to move parts of the animals.

Afterward we took the Metro back to Old Madrid for a dinner of tapas and cervezas. I love the tapas. That is what we ate all day for each meal! We had patatas bravas (potatoes with a red sauce), calamaris, croquettes, sautéed mushroom, a plate of cheese.

James and I both love appetizers and we feel like we have discovered a utopia where all you do is eat appetizers all day! Heh!

There is so much performance art in the street here. We have seen bands, dancers, singers and mimes dressed as Chewbacca, a silver cowboy, statues, puppets and an angel.

Madrid is a very musical city. Once we were walking past a cafe and this large table of people burst into song. People walk through the street singing and they even sing on the metro. There are amazing jazz bands in the street.

On Monday we finally saw Old Madrid in the daylight for the first time. It is beautiful. It kind of reminds me of New Orleans. There was a time in Spain’s history when it was heavily influenced by France. The streets were filled with Christmas shoppers. I visited a bead shop and bought lots of neat little beads and charms that I have never seen in the United States. We had a lunch of potatoes and calamari at a taberna that faced the Palacio Real.

After lunch we walked through the palace. Each room was decorated with fabric walls, tapestries, velvet curtains, painted ceiling, and chandeliers – an almost-overwhelming feast for the eyes. We were feeling pretty tired afterward so we had a siesta at the apartment.

We made reservations for dinner at a restaurant called Botin. Botin has a very interesting history, having been open since the 1700’s. Hemingway placed a scene in one of his books in this restaurant. While we were there, a troupe of singers came in and sang beautiful old Spanish songs. The sangria was yummy.

I am off to Spain

2008-12-17T17:50:00.003-12:00

, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

Tomorrow James and I are leaving for a long vacation in Spain. We will be staying mostly in Madrid and travelling for short trips to Barcelona and Granada. Getting ready for a trip is almost as fun for me as the trip. I have enjoyed reading about the history of Spain. The art history student in me is peeing her pants to see Moorish architecture! And, I am really looking forward to taking photographs and hopefully resting my mind and getting inspired. If all goes well with technology, I will post some blogs and pictures from my trip. Fingers crossed!

This has been another great year for my business, Ornamental Things. I have worked harder this year than ever before. I am still finding the work of designing jewlery and running a business to be gratifying. Thank you so much to everyone who purchased my work this year or supported me in some other way.

Marisa will be wo-manning the fort while I am gone. She'll be sending out orders and answering calls. I will be checking in.

My "little artist" project

2008-12-16T12:40:00.001-12:00

My "little artist" project, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

Cherrywood Art Fair did a fun thing this year, pairing up a young artist with an older one to make something for themselves and something for the silent auction that benefits the Maplewood Elementary art program. This is what my "little artist" made. She used all the techniques I taught her, wire wrapping, coil making and stamping.

Sugar Scrub Recipe

2008-12-15T10:26:00.002-12:00

, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

I really like the Mychelle face scrub but my store doesn't stock it as often as I want to buy it. I have been trying out some other brands but I haven't found another one that I like. Some of them are just a bunch of goopy stuff with about three little granules in them. That's no good.

I remembered hearing somewhere that you can make a scrub at home with olive oil and sugar. A quick google search found lots of different recipes, some with oatmeal and natural oils in them. I went with the simplest one. You start with some sugar and then you mix in enough olive oil to make it the consistency you like. You need to use white sugar because it is the finest. You can substitute brown sugar (pictured above) but it's kind of lumpy.

Then you just scrub it lightly all over your face. Super easy. I am just making it up as I need it now. I have also tried mixing some white suger in with that goopy store-bought, 3-granule stuff I mentioned above and it works well with that too.

If you are the type that needs exact measurements, here ya go:

1 tablespoon of white sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cadence at Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T17:20:00.002-12:00

, originally uploaded by Natalie Tischler.

This is Cadence, my cousin's daughter. Here she is trying on my dad's reading glasses. On Thursday she asked me a question and I said "Okay sister." She said "We're not sisters." But then, after a long conversation, we decided that we would be sisters. So, all day, she called me sister and told everyone that we were sisters.

November Travels

2008-11-26T07:16:00.004-12:00

I travelled three times in the last month for shows in Oklahoma City (see last post), Dallas and Houston. I enjoy getting to go to other places for shows. It's nice to get out of your regular environment. I try to use my downtime wisely. In Dallas I was suffering with a toothache so unfortunatley I had to use my downtime to rest.

On the drive home I was feeling much better so I took a couple of side trips to make the drive more interesting. Just south of Dallas I took a side road and ended up in a small town called Milford. Some ladies were having a bake sale on the main road where I bought some sweet potato bread (which was awesome, I need to get a recipe for that) and some gingerbread man cookies. I also drove around and took some pictures with my iPhone. I found a really cool old church down one road.

Just north of Waco I stopped and spent a few hours at an antique mall where I found some very interesting items and a huge collection of dog things - statues, pictures, figurines - all vintage and really cool. Check out this painting I saw there. It's so clearly meant to convey the couple's status - note her fur and his Texas sized hat! It reminds me of the Roman portraits I learned about in college where the couple would hold things like a scroll to show that they could read.

The next week I had to go to Houston. My friend Victoria was doing the same show so we carpooled. During our downtime in Houston, we visited The Menil Collection and The Rothko Chapel. The Menil Collection was great. They had several nice displays going on, one on Max Ernst, a collection of old Greek artifacts and another on surrealism. They had this one room full of items that surrealist artists might have owned. It was really fun to see all these things gathered together though I had to wait for Victoria before I could go in. The room was circular and small and the first thing you saw was the Wild Man costume so it looked a little intimidating and scary to go in alone!

There are more pictures from my trip on my flickr page.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oklahoma City Weekend

2008-11-11T05:54:00.002-12:00

This past weekend I had to travel up to Oklahoma City for The Girlie Show. The show was great! They hold it in this beautiful old Farmers Market building. The crowd was super fun. Friday night was a crazy party atmosphere with loud pumping music and a huge crowd dressed to the nines. Saturday was a more mellow shopping crowd with local singer songwriters playing some great music. I met lots of really nice folks and learned that Oklahoma City is quite a vibrant city full of interesting people!

Most of the time I do shows on my own but this time I drug James along with me so that we could make a fun weekend out of it. It was late on Friday when I got out of the show so we had dinner in a college bar called Flips and did some fun people watching. On Saturday night, after the show ended, we had a fancy dinner at Paseo Grill.

On Sunday we had breakfast at a great little place called Classen Grill. I took a day off and relaxed around the hotel room with James. We caught up on some movies, Wall-e and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and did some reading.

In the evening we ventured toward downtown and walked around the Oklahoma City National Memorial and took pictures. We had dinner at Iguana Grill. On Monday I visited stores before we headed home. On the way home we drove through torrential rain storms and had to pull off the road to wait it out at one point. It was such a nice weekend with my man.

It's a very busy time of year for me and my business. I have 7 shows in the span of 6 weeks! Then I am headed off to Spain for 21 days of relaxing and sightseeing! We are planning to stay in Madrid and travel to Barcelona and Granada. Travel suggestions are welcome!

a little sentimental

2008-10-31T05:21:00.005-12:00

Perhaps I am a little sentimental but I really treasure little gifts from friends. All of these things are gifts and they greet me every day when I walk into my studio. They always make me smile!

The little painted toad rock is from Melissa Gable.
The succulent plant was a studio warming gift from Wendy Whatley.
And, the owl is an adorable thrift store find from my assistant/friend, Marisa.