RANCHO COCOA

Weekend Wind-Down #86

2010-01-04T21:11:00.005-05:00

(carbo-loading at FIVE STAR DAY CAFE before our night out on the town)

Saturday night, we went to the 40 WATT to see New York's BLACK MOLD LIGHTNING, NEW SOCKS, and THE AWESOMELIES open up for Athens' home-town heroes, NANA GRIZOL, who were celebrating the release of their new album, "RUTH"...it was cool seeing everyone perform again and it was interesting to see how well they transitioned from playing in a living room one night, and then playing on a big stage the next...

Super charming Black Mold Lightning:

New Socks rock out with their socks out:

SHOW 8506 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

The kids dancing up a storm....AGAIN!

The Awesomelies making everyone go bananas on the dance floor:

Nana Grizol getting rambunctious:

MISSY and SANTA sharing a "HIGH-FIVE":

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - Christmas!
RAOUL - Ditto!

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - Food poisoning!
RAOUL - Ditto!

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - Nilla chasing Oreo.
RAOUL - Steve from Black Mold Lightning!

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - "Why pay full price, when you can use a coupon?"
RAOUL - "Why pay full price, when you can use a coupon?"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - Buche de Noel!
RAOUL - The Christmas dinner we made that lasted three or four days...

WORST MEAL OF THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - The one that got me sick.
RAOUL - Egg nog pancakes at IHOP. Ooof.

THREE THINGS ON YOUR TO DO LIST THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Care for the pets, write my comic, make more gingerbread.
RAOUL - Work off those egg nog pancakes, see Alton Brown live in person, finally send out these mix cds.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS?
MISSY - Beirut, Air Miami, B-52s...Christmas music!
RAOUL - Band Aid, Bjorn Again, No Way Sis, Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass, Silicon Teens, Architecture In Helsinki, The Cure, Human League, Beirut, Best Coast, Blast Off Country Style, The Tinklers, They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, Nothing Painted Blue, Cotton Candy, "A Very Merry Christmas" comp, TeenBeat Records' "TeanBeat 50" comp, TeanBeat Records 2004 sampler comp, March Records' "Pop American Style" comp, March Records' "Losing Friends, Losing Money" comp, Shimmy Discs' "Chinny-Chin-Chin: Four Bands From NY" comp, Bomarr Monk's xmas mix on the Anticon podcast.

(3am...Missy and Katy share a basket of french fries at the INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES)

Ohh, Boy! x Rancho Cocoa

2010-01-03T11:00:00.003-05:00

Hey, in-town shopping shoppers! The fine folks at the OHH, BOY! boutique here in loverly Athens, Georgia have made a special little section for MISSY KULIK and EXTRA CREDIT CRAFTS merch...how convenient! In addition to re-stocking our stuff, the store just got in a buncha new items from a buncha new indie designers, in addition to their selection of choice vintage treasures...so, you should probably stop in if you get a chance and check it out!

Also - and this has absolutely nothing to do with us - they offer an alterations service now...so, if you need some article of clothing (like, maybe something vintage you buy from them, or even something you just bought at the Gap) altered to fit you like a glove, they can do that! We think that's pretty cool:

Ohh, Boy!
585 Barber Street, Studio E
(in the DOC Building Across from the Habitat ReStore)
Athens, Georgia

Mon-Fri
12pm - 7pm

Sat
11am - 7pm

website HERE

Awesome House Show

2010-01-02T12:33:00.005-05:00

Last night, THE FRENCH TOASTS (a.k.a. me and Missy's musical group), played at a super fun house show here in town with THE AWESOMELIES, BLACK MOLD LIGHTNING, NEW SOCKS, WEREWOLVES, and SHUT UP AND LISTEN. It was at Wyatt Werewolves' apartment...The Awesomelies, Black Mold Lightning, and New Socks are on tour from New York and they brought their endearing and catchy brand of indiepop with them, much to the delight of the packed apartment. These are a few images and video from last night...

Our friends EBBIE and LOUISE came all the way down from Maryland to spend the New Year's holiday here in Athens, ready for whatever adventure and good times came their way:

Shut Up And Listen kicked things off with a one-song set:

The French Toasts went on next...since we were busy performing and all, I only managed to take this one photo of Missy playing guitar. After not playing a single show in over a year, we practiced for like, half-an-hour before we left for the performance. Sadly, it showed! haha! We've got a lot of rust to shake off:

Wyatt of Werewolves wowed the crowd with his ukulele:

Missy checked out the merch table...or rather, the "merch floor":

The Awesomelies got everyone to dance up a hot sweaty mess...so much fun! As soon as their set ended, everyone immediately made their way outside to cool off in the winter air:

SHOW 8429 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

SHOW 8430 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

SHOW 8436 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

We came back in for a quiet and lovely set from Black Mold Lightning:

SHOW 8450 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

And then Black Mold Lightning morphed into New Socks...the night ended like most house shows end - with a giant all-star-style "jam session"...

By the time the show ended and everyone said their goodbyes, we were famished. Ebbie and Louise had been talking about making pancakes during the show, and it must've put a wild craving in our bellies for IHOP. Missy and I headed out to the International House Of Pancakes and gorged ourselves stupid...

Like A Rainbow

2010-01-02T00:27:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:44:00.001-05:00

!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY 2010 !!!!!!!!!!

Buche de Noel 2009!

2009-12-28T22:09:00.002-05:00

This is the second year in a row that Missy and I made a BUCHE DE NOEL for Christmas and we're hoping that this will be a yearly tradition for us. From beginning to end, we present to you, a pictorial rundown of Rancho Cocoa's "Buche de Noel 2009"...

MOOMIN!

Scenes From The Collection: Xmas Music On Vinyl

2009-12-27T12:02:00.003-05:00

Frankly, CHRISTMAS isn't one of my favorite holidays, so I usually need a little help with "getting in the mood". When I'm wrapping presents, I like to lock myself in my room, fire up the turntable, and play some Christmas tunes. I don't know what Christmas would be complete without giving the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS comp a spin. Since 1987, it's been the "go to" album to get my Christmas spirit up (don't even bother with any of the subsequent volumes of A Very Special Christmas - none can touch the first and best one). Everything about it is so classic - from the gold-foil KEITH HARING design on the cover, all the way to RUN DMC's "Christmas In Hollis", one of my all-time favorite tunes to bust during the holidays...

I also always have to break out the BAND AID "Feed The World" single, even though the lyric "...let them know it's Christmas time" has always bothered me. Like, what do starving children in Africa care if it's Christmas? They just want something to eat! If you're too young to remember, or were born way after 1984, Band Aid was an all-star roster of 80's UK pop acts who got together to record a charity record to benefit starving children in Ethiopia...all the usual suspects are here: DURAN DURAN, U2, CULTURE CLUB, BANANARAMA, PHIL COLLINS, STING, SPANDAU BALLET, FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, WHAM, etc. etc. etc...

BJORN AGAIN were basically this awesome ABBA COVER-BAND that put out a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in the style of the god-like swedish quartet. This was back in 1992. If you close your eyes and listen, you'd swear it was the real thing...

...speaking of the real thing, NO WAY SIS were basically an OASIS COVER-BAND who put out a version of "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" back in 1996. The song is most known for being used in a COCA COLA ad that they used to play around Christmas time - waaaaaaay back in the day. Every now and then, the Coke company likes to dust it off and run it on TV...it's been a while since I've seen it though. Anyways, Oasis apparently recorded a song that sounded very much like "I'd Like To Teach" and they got a lot of crap for that. No Way Sis decided to go one step further and actually record the song in the style of the Brothers Gallagher...puts you in the Christmas mood, down a few pints, and then get into a bar brawl...

I love HERB ALPERT & TIJUANA BRASS - it's the trumpet player in me. So every year I have to bust this out. Herb Alpert was the original "Rico Suave", but the sexy can't shine thru this Santa beard...

Last but not least, I have to play the THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS' "O Tannenbaum" seven inch...even though it skips. Missy has the exact same single and she claims that hers skips as well. Anyone else? Maybe we can get a CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT going and get our money back...

Merry Christmas, Pets!

2009-12-25T17:23:00.001-05:00

Nilla having some Christmas fun., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

This morning we gave Nilla her Super Scratcher Christmas pressie. She loves cardboard, so she really just plucked away at the new Scratcher, then was ready for a nap. Until I opened my stocking and found a candy cane from Raoul! Nilla liked the candy cane, too, but no, she did not get a bite! She only played with it.

And our little Oreo had some new pressies, too - check out her willow tent, balsa pumpkin spice chews, and apple twigs! Oh how thrilling it is to spoil our lovely pets. They are so happy.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T16:41:00.001-05:00

Our tree - Christmas 2009., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

We have been relaxing after being ill all last weekend and into this week, so no posting, just well deserved resting. I thought I would share some of our holiday decorations for fun. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

This year I wanted all handmade ornaments on the Christmas tree. Lucky me, I found these cinnamon dough ornaments that I made about five years ago. It is really easy and they still smell amazing! I used puff paint as "icing." My dad helped decorate the Santa shown above. I love these ornaments cos they really do look and smell like cookies.

I think they look quite festive on our fiber optic Christmas tree!

Speaking of trees, Raoul made this tree from felt for me the first year he moved to Athens. I love the heart garland going round! So cute...!

I have alot of my family's vintage Christmas decorations, so this little elf friend I remember my whole life! It is nice that he has a little tree to hang out with this time of year!

I also have some vintage glass ornaments that Mom gave to me, too. I think they look so pretty in my glass mushrooms. Raoul gave the idea to me when we were trying to think of a nice way to display them, but I did not want to make a wreath (well, not just yet).

And here is a snowman and Santa that my mom made for me a few years ago, too. I treasure these handmade gifts! They are the best. I think cos the snowman's face is made from real peppercorns and that Santa has googly eyes that get covered by his massive hairs!

Merry Christmas!

Barnstorming

2009-12-18T00:17:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Missy and I headed out to MAINSTREET YARNS & FIBER in nearby Watkinsville. The shop is located in this huge renovated BARN owned by artist (and friend) CINDY JERRELL who was having an open house in her studio which is located in the back of the barn...

The entrance to Cindy's studio...there were these CACTI on the wall outside the door with all these FUNNY FACES punched out of them! I totally want smiling cactus plants of my own:

We looked at photos of the barn before, during, and after the renovation process:

One thing that Cindy is known for is her sepia-toned "VINTAGE PET PORTRAITS"...for the right price, she'll take photos of your beloved pets and transform them into very convincing, vintage-looking, Victorian-style portraits. We can hardly wait for NILLA and OREO to have their portraits done:

Turned out that the open house was also a birthday party for Cindy! We drooled over the b-day cake that was crawling with cats:

We left the party early and rushed back to Athens to catch a free TRAPEZE PERFORMANCE at CANOPY STUDIO. Our friend JO did this mind-blowing and hilarious PERFORMANCE ART piece where, between aerial acrobatics on the bar, she tore into a wrapped present and pulled out these red latex balloons which she inflated and then popped...it was brilliant. SERIOUSLY...but it was definitely one of those "you had to be there" kinda moments...and luckily, we were:

Weekend Wind-Down #85

2009-12-15T20:32:00.003-05:00

MATT came over last week and cleaned off all the leaves from our roof. The roof hadn't been cleaned off in the two-plus years since we bought the house...shameful, I know! When Matt was done, there was a foot-deep ring of dead leaves, branches, and organic debris surrounding our house. The leaves were up there so long that they actually started turning into MULCH. He took our roof measurements while he was up there and hopefully soon he'll be able to get us a quote on a TIN ROOF...

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Flagpole Christmas party!
RAOUL - The Flagpole Christmas party was pretty fun...

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Leaky roof!
RAOUL -

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Jo's dancing at the Flagpole party!
RAOUL - Jo's African dancing at the Flagpole party!

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "black hole"
RAOUL - "you're just two white stripes..."

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "Dinner at SJ's house!"
RAOUL - "mmmmmm...dinner at SJ's"

THREE THINGS ON YOUR "NOT TO DO" LIST THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Get drunk, do drugs, and curse a lot.
RAOUL - Wake up late, craft, spend too much time on the internet.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE?
MISSY - Emmett Otter!
RAOUL - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Laura Marling, Beirut.
RAOUL - Best Coast, Desolation Wilderness, Cause Co-Motion, The Aggrovators, Abe Vigoda, Fool's Gold, LCD Soundsystem, The Very Best, Vampire Weekend, Tuscadero, Pens, Beck, The Mendoza Line, Architecture In Helsinki, Bibio, Au Revoir Simone.

Party Over Here!

2009-12-12T13:07:00.004-05:00

(JO, ANDRE, and MISSY give “thumbs up” to having good times!)

Last night, Missy and I bundled up and headed downtown to TASTY WORLD for FLAGPOLE MAGAZINE's yearly CHRISTMAS PARTY...

We got our dance on and took photos of TOFU BABY enjoying herself along with all the other party-goers, while downtown athens sparkled down below...

ALICIA and her +1 poses with Tofu Baby:

Tofu Baby dancing with MELINDA:

Posing with LARRY, the Production Director at Flagpole:

Hangin’ out with publisher, editor, and head honcho, PETE:

After all the hobnobbing, Tofu Baby took a breather and had a BROWNIE:

The highlight of the night came when Jo promised to show off the dance moves she learned in her AFRICAN DANCE CLASS (no joke!) during the “mama-say, mama-sah, ma-ma-coo-sah” part of Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”...

FLAG 8088 from Raoul de la Cruz on Vimeo.

A tipsy IAN wished Tofu Baby a Merry Christmas and adieu before we headed back downstairs into the chilly winter night...

Mix Tape!

2009-12-11T19:50:00.002-05:00

Yay! We LOVE LOVE LOVE Melbourne, Australia's MIX TAPE ZINE! We're especially excited about the latest issue because Missy's got a brand new ADVERTISEMENT in it. Reading IS cute! If you didn't already know, Mix Tape isn't all about music, like their name might suggest (though, they do have a page or two of music reviews)...rather, it's focus is a mix of all sorts of creative mediums, with an emphasis on crafting and art. There's also articles on food, recipes, how-to's, and of course, some music stuff. If you get a chance, check out their website HERE and maybe pick up a copy...or better yet, subscribe!

Nilla Seventy-Seven

2009-12-10T21:56:00.003-05:00

I got Missy this little party hat at OHH, BOY! last week. It's made by Atlanta-based MINISTRY OF TINY HATS. I thought that either Missy or one of her BLYTHE DOLLS could wear it...NILLA was a little reluctant to try it on, though...

Weekend Wind-Down #84

2009-12-07T22:13:00.006-05:00

This past Friday, Missy and I took time off work to prepare for Crafstravaganzaa, run some errands, and visit a couple of other craft sales in town. Our first stop was at OHH, BOY!...we dropped off some of Missy's items with them, like the FUZZY HOOD on the mannequin head shown above, and the plush TOFU BABIES, hanging on the tennis rackets below...

We walked across the street to see if we could find any gems in the massive HABITAT RE-STORE...

From there, we headed around the corner to a HOLIDAY CRAFT SALE happening at the CHASE STREET WAREHOUSES. Missy ended up buying a cute little FELTED PANDA and we checked out the new art installation going up in ATHICA (Athens Institute Of Contemporary Art)...

Our last stop of the day was at HAWTHORNE HOUSE to check out the FIELD TRIP art exhibit and pop-up shop. We got so engrossed with looking at all the pretty found objects, art, and carefully selected curios, decorations, and gift items that we forgot to take photos...we did manage to come away with a little bag of special goodies...

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Meeting everyone at Craftstravaganzaa!
RAOUL - Craftstravaganzaa!

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Worrying that it was going to rain during the sale.
RAOUL - Having to set up and tear down TWICE, in the freezing cold, during Craftstravaganzaa.

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Meeting all the Tofu Baby fans, especially the kids!
RAOUL - The amount of hand sanitizer we used after visiting the Re-Store...

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "I just want to go home, eat this cookie, and look at my buttons!"
RAOUL - "Everything smells like urine and cigarettes"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Dinner at The Grit after the sale on Saturday.
RAOUL - Guinness Stout "beef" stew at The Grit.

FAVORITE CRAFT SALE PURCHASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - My felted panda!
RAOUL - Japanese tape measure from the Field Trip exhibition.

THREE THINGS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Rest, clean-up, and draw my comic.
RAOUL - Dishes, watch some dvds, stay warm.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Beirut, Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You"
RAOUL - Depeche Mode, Best Coast, Beirut, C.O.C.O., Cryptacize, Cex, Vivian Girls, Tuscadero, Old Hickory, Teenbeat Records' "Wakefield" box set, Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You", Mayer Hawthorne's "Hawthorne Radio" mix on the Stones Throw podcast.

Lost And Found

2009-12-06T23:14:00.002-05:00

Wendy! We hope you read this...WE FOUND YOUR MISSING SILVER EARRING! Please get in touch with us! We were setting up our tent for Craftstravaganzaa this morning and Missy just happened to spot it on the ground...it was in the "aisle area" in front of our booth. Missy's got EAGLE EYES...

Also...there was a really nice lady who stopped by our booth on Saturday and she showed us this cool CHARM BRACELET that she got at AGORA...anyways, we found one of her CHARMS in our booth. It's a dude standing under a banana tree...if anyone happens to know this person (or, if you happen to be the person who lost this charm, and you happen to be reading this post) please get in touch with us too!

2009 Holiday Craftstravaganzaa - Day Two

2009-12-06T22:52:00.004-05:00

Here are a few scenes from our second day at the ATHENS INDIE CRAFTSTRAVAGANZAA...despite the day being a bit colder, the time shorter, and the people less in attendance, we still managed to have a pretty good day. Maybe not as profitable as the previous day, but we only only missed that mark by a small margin. Not bad, all things considered...

I tried to make it look like Missy was in the cauldron full of "boiled peanuts":

One of the flying horses flanking the door of BETTY, a vintage clothing shop next to the Craftstravaganzaa:

Missy babysitted the GENEVIEVE GAIL booth across from us...and then later tried her hand at babying Genevieve's wiggly dog, BUSTER:

Missy bought these mini cupcakes from Stephanie and Emily's booth...mmmmmmm, it was a perfect way to cap off another successful day...

2009 Holiday Craftstravaganzaa - Day One

2009-12-05T22:50:00.003-05:00

We're back home from a long cold day at the HOLIDAY CRAFTSTRAVAGANZAA craft sale, here in downtown Athens. We've got feet pains and back pains and we're just plain beat. And to think, we've got to do it all over again tomorrow! The forecast called for 30 percent chance of rain and earlier in the week there was even talk of snow. Luckily, there were only very few drops in the morning while we were setting up. The rest of the day was actually pretty sunny and people ended up coming out to the sale in droves. It was pretty much non-stop action from the time the sale officially opened at 11am...here are a few images from our day...

A lot of people decided to leave their tents behind...some even left their merch! We, however, took our time to pack everything up, knowing full well what kind of riff raff roam the streets of downtown Athens afterhours. For sure, there was someone there that was going to watch over the lot, but also for sure, he will be outnumbered by all manner of ne'er-do-wells. We celebrated our successful day with a hot meal at THE GRIT...it felt good to finally sit down and actually eat something other than left-over cold pizza and doughnuts...back for more tomorrow...

Hecho En Rancho Cocoa

2009-12-04T23:56:00.002-05:00

Hey Folks! So today, Saturday, December 5th, Missy and I (and over 50 other crafters, makers, and artists) will be at the big 2-day ATHENS INDIE CRAFTSTRAVAGANZAA in downtown Athens, in the parking lot on the corner of Clayton and Pulaski, behind the 40 Watt. The event will be from 11am to 7pm on Saturday, and then from noon to 5pm on Sunday...rain or shine...or snow! If you're in town, stop by on your way to brunch, lunch, church, or whatever and get some of your holiday shopping out of the way! Missy has added some new items to our mix since the last craft show a couple of weeks ago...we pressed some buttons, including some new cute designs, and we made about 250 of them into MAGNETS:

Missy will also have these new COMPACT MIRRORS...they feature 2 different TOFU BABY designs (if you want to see the other design, you'll have to come to the Craftstravaganzaa) and Missy made a bunch of TOFU BABY POUCHES to put them in...sooooo, come out this weekend, head downtown, and say "Hi!" if you can...we'll have a little something for everyone at affordable prices...we got your STOCKING STUFFER needs covered!

Ohh, Boy!

2009-12-04T10:47:00.002-05:00

Hey! There's a new shop here in Athens, Georgia called OHH, BOY! that specializes in vintage and handmade items...including items from yours truly, EXTRA CREDIT CRAFTS, and our very own MISSY KULIK!

OHH, BOY! is located at 585 Barber St., Suite E - in the D.O.C. building across the street from the Habitat Re-Store, just over the railroad tracks. They're open monday thru Friday from noon till 7pm, and then on Saturday from 11am till 7pm.

They're open today, Friday, December 4th, until 9pm as part of the RxR HOLIDAY GIFT FAIR that's taking place at the D.O.C. building and around the corner at the CHASE STREET WAREHOUSES. Missy and I will be there to represent (and to do a bit o' shopping ourselves), so come by and say "hey!", see the new store, and get some holiday shopping out of the way...Missy and I will probably get out to that area sometime after 6pm, so look for us...or don't!

Then, Saturday night, December 5th, is Ohh, Boy!'s giant LAUNCH PARTY, from 7pm to 10pm. There will be food, catered by FARM 255, beer, fire pits, and live music courtesy of Werewolves, The Pretty Faces, This Piano Plays Itself, and Spring Tigers...we're gonna try to be there for that as well, if we're not too wiped out from the big CRAFTSTRAVAGANZAA sale earlier that day. So much good stuff happening this weekend!

This is the same store where Missy and I got our awesome new (vintage) dining table and chairs. Here it is in the store before they cleared it off and delivered it to us:

They hauled back our old (vintage) dining table and chairs and we ended up putting them on consignment! (we liked the table and chairs, but after a while, we weren't feeling the tubular steel anymore and wanted wood table and chairs to better fit our decor). So, you can stop by Ohh, Boy! and buy our old dining room set as well as our crafts:

I had already brought them some Extra Credit Crafts items and Missy's stuff should be up by tonight, so keep an eye out for it. The cool thing about Ohh, Boy! is that they are planning on having a rotating stock of handmade and one-of-a-kind items, so the store won't look the same week in and week out...so stop by, do some browsing, some shopping, and get it before it's GONE:

Adopt A Tofu Baby

2009-12-02T22:33:00.002-05:00

Me and Tofu Baby., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

Wow - check out this fabulous photo that I got at the photobooth at ICE Atlanta this year! It is done by LEAH AND MARK PHOTOGRAPHY! And look - I am holding a mini TOFU BABY doll that I made... and I have some for adoption now online at MY WEBSITE or SHOPPE SUGAR COOKIE on ETSY!

Weekend Wind-Down #83

2009-11-30T21:28:00.003-05:00

It wouldn't be a proper visit from Missy's parents without some sort of HOME IMPROVEMENT project being involved, though we kept it fairly simple this time around. The last time they visited, they helped us install an ADJUSTABLE SHELVING SYSTEM in our CRAFT ROOM (which also doubles as our MUSIC ROOM). The weight of some of Missy's craft supplies was causing some of the shelves to bow in the middle. The solution was to install a third brace between the two previously installed braces and brackets that would prevent the shelves from bowing. We pulled everything off the shelves, installed the new brace and brackets, and added an additional shelf...

We also installed a brand new SHOWER HEAD (not pictured) in the GUEST BATHROOM (which I use as my own personal bathroom)...it's amazing how something as simple putting in a new shower head can greatly improve your quality of life. And then, on Saturday, Missy's parents were especially kind to gift us with another upgrade - they snuck out of the house early and came back with a brand new 32" FLAT SCREEN TV to replace our out-dated television. Christmas came extra early to Rancho Cocoa!

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - My parents coming to visit!
RAOUL - Thanksgiving!

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Not getting to do everything I wanted to when Mom and Dad were here...
RAOUL - When Missy's dad bought that faulty deep fryer from WalMart...and then having to go back to WalMart to return it.

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Standing in the front yard, pouring out oil from the broken deep fryer back into the bottles...
RAOUL - Watching "Tropic Thunder" on the new wide screen TV...especially love the fake movie previews...

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "Soap n'at"
RAOUL - "Booty Sweat"

FAVORITE "BLACK FRIDAY" PURCHASE?
MISSY - Bananagrams!
RAOUL - New shower head.

LEAST FAVORITE "BLACK FRIDAY" PURCHASE?
MISSY - I think the shower curtain is kinda boring...
RAOUL - Faulty deep fryer from WalMart.

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Thanksgiving!
RAOUL - duh...Thanksgiving dinner!

THREE THINGS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Clean up Nilla's litter box, organize my crafts, draw my comic.
RAOUL - Attend Ohh, Boy's grand opening shindig, pack the car, participate in Craftstravaganzaa.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Laura Marling, St. Vincent, Craftypod podcast, This American LIfe podcast...same crap I always listen to.
RAOUL - Best Coast, The Very Best, Simon & Garfunkel, Human League, Finally Punk, Cryptacize, Phil Spector "Back To Mono" boxset, Mayer Hawthorne's "Hawthorne Radio" mixes on Stones Throw podcast.

New Handmade Goodies!

2009-11-29T22:18:00.004-05:00

My Headphones Mini Notepad, originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

I have been busy as a bee adding new mini notepads to SHOPPE SUGAR COOKIE (and soon to MY WEBSITE!) My dad (who owns and operates RECORD PRINTING, up in Pittsburgh) brought these MINI-SIZED RAINBOW NOTEPADS when they came to visit for Thanksgiving. I just love how they turned out! Thanks, Dad!

I have eight new notepad designs, so keep an eye out cos I will try and list them throughout the week, I hope. These are a great size for little thank you notes - I use them for all my Etsy orders! Plus, they make good little stocking stuffers, too!

My Meow Kitty Mini Notepad was a favorite at the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta a few weeks back. I love this drawing, too. It is so Nilla!

Nilla Seventy-Six

2009-11-28T20:47:00.002-05:00

Yawny., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

Here is my alarm clock, Nilla. She gets me up at 4am and I toss her one treat and then I go back to bed. Then she gets me up again between 7 and 8am. I have been up early on our Thanksgiving holiday cos pets need to be fed at the early hour!

Scenes From Black Friday

2009-11-27T22:28:00.006-05:00

Missy posing with a giant sub outside of the SUBWAY which was inside of a WALMART:

Looking for a new CEILING FAN at the HOME DEPOT:

Missy reacting to some shocking tabloid news she read while standing at the registers at KROGER:

Missy's dad bought some LOTTERY TICKETS at the Kroger and won TEN DOLLARS. He got ten more SCRATCHERS and gave one to each of us...I ended up winning FIVE DOLLARS!

Missy's dad was really really wanting to DEEP FRY his own FRENCH FRIES, so he bought a deep fryer while we were at WalMart. He filled it with oil, only to find out that the darn thing wouldn't even turn on! They ended up pouring the oil back into the plastic bottles and they did it in the front yard so it wouldn't spill over everything. The neighbors were scratching their heads, wondering what was going on. Missy wondered when the madness was going to end:

Missy's dad was hell bent on frying up some potatoes...so we went to TARGET and bought another deep fryer. We placed it in the trunk of my car, to the left of the deep fryer we were taking back to WalMart. This is probably, hopefully, the first and last time TWO deep fryers will ever occupy the trunk space in my car:

We ended up back at Home Depot to buy an extra shelf to add to the adjustable shelving system in our craft room. Missy posed with this huge SANTA RUG...it is supposed to look like she is sitting in his lap, asking for a pony:

We stopped at the PEACHMAC across the street from Home Depot so that Missy could buy a case for her new iPOD TOUCH. The nerds running the shop seemed to be in a good mood:

We stopped in at BORDERS and I scored this awesome SIMON & GARFUNKEL BOX SET for HALF-OFF...I love BLACK FRIDAY!

During one of our visits to Home Depot, I treated myself to a brand new SHOWER HEAD. Of course, it was on sale...I'm looking forward to some pulsating water massage action tomorrow morning:

Missy's dad was finally able to make the scalding hot golden brown fries he had been obsessing over the whole day. And yes, they were delicious: