My Island

destashing--need some goodies?

2008-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm destashing and sending some inspiration back out into the world:

Magazines, $5 each postage paid to the USA or Canada:

Fiberarts Summer 1995
Fiberarts Summer 2003
Fiberarts March/April 1999
Fiberarts Jan/Feb 2003
Cloth Paper Scissors Winter 2005 (Issue 5)
Somerset Studio (Magazine), July-August 2000 (Volume 4 Issue 4)
Somerset Studio (Magazine), July-August 2001 (Volume 5 Issue 4)
Somerset Studio, November/December 2001 Issue (Volume 5)

Books
prices are also postage included to USA and Canada:

Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs by Girls, Incorporated and Jen Bilik, slightly used but in great condition, $5

A Fine Line by Melody Crust and Heather Waldron Tewell, new, perfect condition, $20

Collage : A New Approach : Collage Without Liquid Adhesives by Jonathan Talbot, like new, $5

Sanity Savers: Tips for Women to Live a Balanced Life by Vicky Dale, used, $5 (a good inspirational book to help you have more time for what you love)

Stopping: How to Be Still When You Have to Keep Going By: David Kundtz, used (excellent condition) $6

Art Journal grab bags:
a priority mail envelope stuffed with unique journaling, collage, altered book style inspiration, may include but not limited to: antique book to alter, handmade paper, vintage fabric, ribbon, yarn, ephemera, old photos, stickers, metal objects, beads, buttons, etc, etc. I have 4 of these bulging envelopes. $25, priority mail postage paid to USA. Careful opening, these are really stuffed full. :)

Non-USA address, we'll need to negotiate about the shipping costs. Email me.

All are from a nonsmoking home. I can take PayPal, and actually prefer PayPal, but we can talk about other forms of payment. If you're interested, drop me a comment.

Dot McQuade

2008-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

will you email me your new address? I am kerriecarbary on gmail. Thank you!

Charlie the Unicorn

2008-06-22T10:31:00.001-07:00

I didn't pay attention for a little while, and look! A new Charlie the Unicorn came out!

dog eared magazine, again

2008-06-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry in advance to take your time with this post, if you're not interested, please feel free to move along for the day... I'll have something more upbeat tomorrow, I promise. :)

An anonymous poster asked me to "let everyone know you've weasled out of your obligation." I will not do that, because I remain committed to publishing dog eared magazine. Turtle Arts is still going strong. dog eared magazine is still in production. Personally I feel horrible at the delay. I've tried to be honest with you all about the fact that there has been a delay, that I'm as upset as you are about the delays, and that yet we WILL STILL be honoring ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS. We will, we are, we shall.

We've had plenty of issues, and life has certainly been interesting. I feel like I shouldn't go on about the details, but I'd like you to know that we haven't been vacationing in Mexico instead of working on the magazine. We haven't been vacationing anywhere, in fact... I'm surprised that I still know how to spell "vacation." We haven't run away, haven't weaseled, haven't disappeared off the planet.

SO, if you've been worried about dog eared magazine, please don't worry about it. There are other things to worry about instead. You'll get as many issues of dog eared in your mail box as you signed up for. Please, please, I don't want your blood pressure to go up over this. Try not worry. There are other things more concerning to worry about. dog eared will be in your future. Take a deep breath and think soothing thoughts. Try to resist any cravings for worry. It'll all be OK. Leave the worrying to me.

Oh, and I don't know what's up with the web site. I'm not surprised that another crisis has hit, the web site has not been kind to us. I'll get it fixed as soon as I can.

Soothing chocolate for everyone...

employed

2008-06-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hooray!
I am employed again.

I have my own cubicle.
I have my own phone line.
I will have a key soon, and business cards that I won't have to handwrite my name on.
I have a badge that must be worn in the building.

It's all very grown up.

I'm a little angsty about it, but overall I'm excited.

I knit, too.

2008-06-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

I’m a slow knitter, but I was drawn to play in the 52 Pair Plunge that started June 1st. A group of slightly insane, I mean DARING folks try to knit lots of socks in a year. 52 pairs to be exact. Here are my first two pairs, Pair 1/52 and 2/52.

I want to make a few pairs of baby socks for Warm Woolies and for a local charity baby cupboard for babies in need to start with. Not only is this good karma, but it’ll make me feel like I’m accomplishing something. I'm a really slow knitter, see... At the same time I’m working on baby socks, I’m making some big socks for my husband’s big feet, so it balances out.

adorable, or frightening?

2008-06-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

As Scott would say-- "Yes."

Actually, I think that Mochimochiland is the best business I've discovered all week. Go check them out, and let me know which toy you love best. I see handmade gifts in my future. :) I've already picked ones out to make for my mom and my husband.

Mochimochi Shop: Tubby Pattern

The Bee

2008-05-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

In ancient cultures, The Bee was a sacred creature that bridged the natural world and the underworld. A messenger that travels between the outside world and the hive, The Bee is at home in both sunlight and darkness. The Bee also symbolizes fertility. The Bee’s honeycomb is a hexagon, which is a symbol of community, interconnectedness and strength. The Bee has also been associated with hidden wisdom and mysteries, but also with industry and hard work. As a totem, The Bee might teach us to create art in our everyday lives and to trust in our communities. Like The Bee, our lives are interconnected.

The Bee on etsy.

Cute of the Week

2008-05-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Etsy :: KaysK9s :: VEGAN Commission a Realistic Needle Felted Likeness of your Dog or Cat Custom Order - Great for those allergic to wool

This etsy seller makes some fantastic stuff. If I win the lottery (or get a well paying job!) I'll order past pets for all of my family for presents. A Pussen for Katie, a Tiger for Kellie, a Roma for Mom, a Turtle for me. Ashley for Scott. Sam for Patrick/Dad, even. That's how much I'd love to support this etsy business, I'd even order one for Patrick/Dad. :)

Ride Free

2008-05-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's official. My brain has morphed itself. I'm a downtowner now.

Today, I had a job interview in my old hood, Ballard. (Irony, hello!) I was walking up the hill to the library to meet Scott, and a bus pulled up right next to me as I passed a bus stop. My first thought was, hey! I can jump on that bus and be on the top of the hill in no time!

Then, I remembered. I wasn't in the Ride Free Area anymore. I'd have to pay $1.50 to ride three blocks. Ug.

Downtown, you can get pretty much anywhere else downtown, on the bus, for FREE. I have to pay bus fare to get to my favorite grocery stores, but I can get to several unfavorite grocery stores (plus the Pike Place Market!), the central library, several drug stores, department stores, even a yarn store. All in the Ride Free area, so all for free. I can get to the International District for free, and I can get to Belltown for free. I used to be able to get to work for free... if I got off the bus one stop early. I can ride the bus up the hill for free, just because I don't feel like walking.

I've only been living downtown for about 6 months. But I'm spoiled by the awesome buses and the closeness of so many things already.

At the same time, though, I'm walking more. I walk to the bus stop, yeah, but also to the little, slightly scary grocery store a few blocks away. I walk to the post office without even thinking about the fact that it's almost a mile away, because downtown such distances seem so close. Downtown distances are deceiving. Three blocks uphill can seem like three miles. Ten blocks can seem like just a block or two.

Do I miss living in Ballard? Hell, yes. I do. I miss my favorite coffee shop, Nervous Nellie's and my favorite bar, People's Pub. I miss the lack of crack dealers. I miss the jumbled cacophony of birds in the morning. I miss living closer to my mom and the parks where you can just sit and the outdoors seating that doesn't come with a free dose of soot from the traffic.

But a lot of that is made up for the coolness of being able to take the bus uphill three blocks. For FREE.

I so want one of these

2008-05-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

haiku - lifestyle accessories for women

I especially love all of the brown ones. In case anyone wants to know.

Rubber Duckies, an ADD Ramble

2008-05-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today we saw the cutest little dog and his person racing across the street. Scott and I gave each other one of those looks that says a million things, one of those looks that couples are famous for. A visual shorthand, a smile, and Scott said, “The dog is winning.”

I started to babble, as I do when I have had caffeine and there are tigers* around me and my ADD is acting up. I wondered out loud what kind of dog those are, are those Yorkies, or is that something else? Did you see the flashing and floating rubber duckies on the counter of Bartell’s? I wonder exactly what’s underneath those duck suits, and do they only flash in the bathtub? Perverts. There was water bamboo there, too, a planty impulse buy. And how does water bamboo survive in just water, when I’m trying to start a plant clipping in water and if I leave it in there too long, the poor plant just gets all freaked out and dies? Can you only put water bamboo in water, or are there other plants that it’ll work with too? I like not having to buy potting soil, I never remember and even when I do, I don’t feel like carrying it home on the bus. Could you carry potting soil on the bus for me, if I bought it?

At this point, Scott has probably already tuned out, in fact I can guarantee that if he reads this, he’ll only remember half of what I said. We’re a good team that way. In fact, I can’t remember half of what I said either! Did I actually say that out loud, or did I only think it?

There are so many things I want to know. It can be distracting sometimes, even though I’ve mostly learned to work around my ADD. I was never even officially diagnosed with ADD when I was a kid. Some classes that I got great grades in are just a blur to me, as I tuned out and let other thoughts stumble through my brain. Someone I managed to detach and yet absorb just enough to get my A. If teachers noticed at all, they worried that I daydreamed too much, or that I had a problem with my hearing, or that I was just having problems at home. Which might have all been true as well, but it’s really good for me to have realized that I’m not just being stupid, or lacking the ability to concentrate, or listen. I learned hot to purposefully focus, which I think is why they never caught my ADD when I was young.

My mom still gets really annoyed with me when I bring up ADD to her. I feel like she goes from thinking that I’ve just hit on another pop psychology disorder that I can blame her for, to just blowing me off totally. She shouldn’t be surprised, though, that I’ve discovered another pop psychology disorder to blame her for. It’s one of the things my family does best—we blame each other for things. It’s right up there with more than a touch of hypochondria, as we compare brain tumors and toe cancer and bubonic plague symptoms. We’re all pretty paranoid, it’s true.

By the way, Scott has ADD too. So when I was talking to him about water bamboo, he was using my own classroom tactics on me and tuning me out. We do have to sometimes really focus on focusing, but at the same time we can really understand when focusing is impossible. (Unless, of course, we don’t understand, but that’s another story…)

One of the reasons that I think that Scott’s cool is that maybe in a week or a month or in ten minutes, he’ll come back to me with some more of our couple shorthand. I imagine some time in the future, we’ll be somewhere and he’ll gesture to a rubber duckie with his head, in that almost imperceptible way he has of pointing something out, and mutter, “look: perverts.”

Rubber Duckie image "borrowed" from rubberducks.org.uk.

The Salmon (The Struggle) Totem Art Print by Kerrie CarbaryI

2008-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

I was teasing you a while back about a new collage I was working on, The Salmon. Well, would you like to see?

There are actually two salmon collages. This one is The Salmon (The Struggle). I'll save the other one for later. :)

The Salmon is big for me, sizewise. I've been working small lately, but have been reminded that I love to work larger as well. So, there's no medium right now! Only miniature and XL. XL is 22 x 30 inches for me, I know that's tiny for some artists, but I'm still recovering from having a tiny space to create tiny art in.

For me, The Salmon relates to the tarot card, The Chariot. The Salmon will be one of the cards in The Totem Tarot. This is a good card for my life right now. I'm in the middle of a ton of transitions and changes and decisions. The Salmon is a fighter, creative, a creature of the cycle. What goes around comes around. The Salmon is also a symbol of creation and birth, death and rebirth. The Salmon finds home upstream to spawn, then dies giving life so the cycle may continue.

While you're (surely!) anxiously awaiting The Totem Tarot, I'm offering prints of The Salmon: Etsy :: kerrie :: The Salmon (The Struggle) Totem Art Print by Kerrie Carbary

First Thursday

2008-05-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

As an artist, First Thursday is the best party around. Mainly in Pioneer Square, but also in many, many other locations, galleries and studios stay open late to bring some art to Thursday nights. First Thursday has been part of my life since I was in college, but I've taken long breaks from going out on First Thursday to view art.

But now I have a studio in Pioneer Square, so on Thursday, I had my studio open. For the first time since we moved in, I felt pretty good about the art I was showing. I had a few new things, some older pieces that I'd revised and reframed, and copies of some of my editions that I hadn't offered at First Thursday before, like The Grandma Deck.

I always say that artists are artists because we didn't get enough show and tell time in kindergarten, and for sure First Thursday makes me feel all exposed and show-and-telly. There were some good comments, actually quite a few attendees I felt really "got it," and there were a couple ambiguous comments (um, "nice birds?"). I did make a little bit of $ too, which was VERY helpful given our current state of economics here at the Taylor-Carbary household.

The First Thursday star of the Tashiro-Kaplan Building had to be our neighbor David Weed. He was showing his MFA thesis in his studio. His showing was amazing. He filled the space with his installation, "18 Signs," which were all pieces made up of light bulbs mounted on wood. They flashed at different rates, which made for a very effective emotional and physical response. The entire studio felt warm from the signs, actually! The glow could be seen coming out his door from down the hall. The titles made the pieces, though. One was titled, Made in USA, and was a checkmark created out of red, white, and blue bulbs. Very cool. My favorite piece was the series about terror alert levels. I tried to find some images to link to online, but haven't been able to find any. I'll keep looking and update if I find an article or review of David's show.

2008-04-29T14:55:00.001-07:00

I'm a treehugger, it's true. I'll recycle to a fault (my husband screams, can't we PLEASE get rid of some of these plastic bags??!). So, I get a lot of joy out of reclaiming materials to use in my art.

Slabs of wood are one of those found treasures.

I love working on wood. It doesn't buckle, it takes tons of abuse, and it feels nice and hefty.

Waiting for My Imaginary Friend is a mixed media collage on wood. It's just under 12 x 12 inches. The piece of wood isn't exactly square. Its siamese twins became a bookshelf, I think... I got this wood from the scrap bin at Ballard Bookcase. I started with gesso, although I've also worked on wood as is, bare and ready for collage, paint, pencil and ink. This piece needed some gesso though, mostly because I like the way that the way I paint looks over gesso. I've also done carving on wood, pounded in textures and objects, sanded, scraped, and drilled. Really, it does take most any kind of treatment.

But, then, what to you do with it once it's finished? Originally I thought that my collages on wood could stand on end on a table , but gravity took over. (And, sorry for the bad poetry there.) So I've pounded a couple of nails in the back, strung wire or ribbon or twine across, and now they can hang on the wall.

Why am I posting this? To remind myself and maybe you that you don't need amazing equipment or frames or hanging materials to create a display for your art. Sometimes just a nail or two will do.

By the way, I am planning some art out of those plastic bags.

a little bit more about wolves

2008-04-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

One month ago, gray wolves were delisted as an endangered species, leaving them open to hunting. And the hunting started.

Wolves that didn't happen to have calendars with them wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time and will continue to do so. Now, I don't want to meet a wolf in a dark alley late at night, and we all know that wolves have an irrational rage toward girls in red hoodies, but REALLY. There's somewhere around 1500 gray wolves. We have them a bit outnumbered. Yes, they kill elk and sometimes pester small wild animals and pet dogs, but so do the kids that hangs out in the part across the street from me. (Well, maybe they're not so into the elk...)

Oh, wait, elk are cool too, right? Well, sure. So are the other hoofed animals (ungulates is the vocabulary word of the day) that this law is protecting from those evil wolves. Guess who especially loves ungulates? Hunters. They're fun to hunt.

So, hunters win here. They get more elk and deer and other wild things to kill, and plus they get to kill wolves too. (By the way, I'm not necessarily against hunting, but again, they have the wolves a little outnumbered. And out weaponed.)

I've been thinking about wolves for another reason. I wanted to show you another card for the Totem Tarot: The Wolf.

As a totem, the wolf is a pack creature, reminding us to surround ourselves with likeminded souls. However, the wolf has a set role in the pack, so as a totem the wolf might be warning us not to break away from our role, or she might be telling us that our defined roles might be holding us down. Wolves are big communicators, using attitude, touch and sound to "talk" to other members of their packs. They are extremely loyal to the pack as well. If you think the wolf is your totem, you might be outspoken and good at communicating, but you might also consider whether your pack i sthe right one for you.

If you want to read more about the dangers that await wild wolves, check out this web site. And you can find art prints of The Wolf at my etsy site. I'll be donating a portion of wolf print sales to Earthjustice, or a better wolf rights group if I can find one.

what's faux postage, you ask??

2008-04-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

After my post yesterday, I was asked what the heck I was talking about, when I mentioned faux postage. Sorry, sometimes I feel a little like I'm having a conversation totally with myself, and of course I understand what I mean! Usually, anyway.

If you haven't heard of faux postage before, it's a fun an addictive art form. Also called artistamps, these are miniature artworks in the form of postage. They're not intended to be used in place of postage, although if you do use them on an envelope and they get canceled, that can be extracool. Artists create them to use in mail art, to trade, to give away, and to sell. I was turned onto the fun of artistamps by my dear friend arto posto, who I miss greatly. I still treasure my collection of her artwork.

My sisters even were inspired to create their own faux postage, and I remember that arto traded with them in the mail. She was such a sweetie, sending them age-appropriate art in trade for their first attempts at mail art. Hey, my sisters' first attempts were awesome, of course! But arto never had children, and I think they befuddled her a bit. Hmm. I think the sisters were maybe 9 and 11 or so...? I do have one of baby sister's sheets, still, but middle sister took hers back a few years ago.

I have other sheets that I'm finding or working on finding, and I'll get them online when I track them down. Some, though, in the spirit of mail art, were sent out into the world never to be documented by me. Yes, some of that art is ephemeral in my mind and there is no record of it; it may only be remembered by the person it was sent to.

I've become more sentimental in my old age, and keep better records now. Or I try.

birds from the past

2008-04-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

Look what I found! My sheet of Birds of Ballard faux postage!

Obsessed as I am with collectible tradable art, I made 'em into a trading card. I'm excited because I found my stash of faux postage/artistamps, so look for more here soon.

something new

2008-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

So, my newest idea is to create limited edition trading cards based on some of my original artworks. These are presented as a trading card, perfect for collecting or display. Each trading card is printed on acid free, recycled paper using archival methods. Then, the card is backed with one of a kind hand painted or hand made paper (each is unique). Finally, the card is laminated with a permanent heat laminate for durability and versatility. Each card is signed, numbered and dated.

I like the idea of creating a collectible, approachable object at an easy to commit to price.

One of my first experiments is What Raven Stole, shown here:

There are more trading cards on my etsy site. What do you think of this idea?

The Salmon (almost a work in progress)

2008-04-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

I've been reinspired lately to work on my Totem Tarot again, after putting it aside for a while. I have a lot of card designs finished, but realized that I haven't done much in the way of organizing them or relating them to actual tarot cards. So, I pulled out my copy of The Tarot According to You (a book I love) and my favorite tarot deck and shuffled them up, asked what I was supposed to focus on, and pulled a random card. It was The Chariot.

The Chariot is a good card for my life right now. I'm in the middle of a ton of transitions and changes and decisions. I rededicated myself to talking to people in person about art (my monthly open studio) which can be tough for me. I am shy, believe it or not. Then, my Americorps job is coming to an end. Changes. Will there be a similar job for me in the future, in non profit, helping others, etc, etc? Maybe and maybe not. The nonprofit in which I served my ~~indentured servitude~~ Americorps term is not hiring right now due to budget concerns.

Money is an issue, of course. So I'm applying for jobs. But also wondering if a) it's a choice between more ~~indentured servitude~~ Work and Art, b) if I get a Big Job, a Career Style Job, if it means stepping back from the art just as I was starting to be able to make art again and c) will I die homeless and penniless, and no one will love me, Stuart Smalley Style? and finally, d) don't Real Artists have more ego? Maybe by worrying about this in a public place I'm cursing my rights to be an artist...?

See how appropriate The Chariot is?

I think Salmon when I started to think about what The Chariot means to me, so my next totem card will be The Salmon. The Salmon is a fighter, creative, a creature of the cycle. What goes around comes around.

environmental art

2008-04-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

A coworker and I were talking about art that is meant to be ephemeral, transient, temporary. The idea appeals to me, and always has. I started making books because I wanted to make miniature photocopy books to set free into the world, and I left them at bus stops, on busses, in parks, on literature racks...I even created some book dispensers that looked a little like tea bag dispensers.

At some point, art became more precious, and I stopped setting my art free.

Our conversation reminded me about the HIGH I used to get from creating ephemeral art. I love to see it too, from sand paintings to graffitti to the knitted sign cozies that appeared in Seattle last year to web sites like this: WWW.RiverArt.Net- Environmental Works by A. Nadalian هنر رودخانه: آثار دكتر احمد نادعليان.

So, I'm going to try to bring this game back to my art, too.

Tonight I had a Big Idea, a Major Idea, which I don't want to talk about yet. But I'm so excited about it that I wish I hadn't given up caffeine. If only I could stay up all night working on it. Hmm. Maybe I don't NEED caffeine to do that.

bee totem

2008-04-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have a new totem:

Bee Totem

hilton's nose

2008-04-13T23:01:00.001-07:00

hilton's nose
Originally uploaded by bluelemonegg

Sockmadness Reversai

2008-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

OK, so. I'm out of Sockmadness in Round Two. BUT, I did make it to round two!

Here are my reversai:

And here is my reversai about to jump out the window:

I'm going to keep knitting along with the gang, and try to end up with 6 finished socks, even if I'm not the fastest. Silly me. I'm a SLOW knitter. But, hey, I DID make it through Round One, so there!

Cider, mmm, cider

2008-04-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

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