Monkeys in the Arboretum

No, there are no real monkeys in the arboretum, just these "weaselly" ones.

In a candid shot, they're like little Renoir paintings.



When asked to smile, however, their true colors shine through.



Monkeys.

Oh, and by the way, the U of M Arb is stunning. We'll be baaaaack.

Early May Update

Hello? Are you still there? You are? Really? Alright! Let's get started.

One of the perks of living closer to family is being able to drive up for a weekend birthday party. Here's the recent birthday girl and her cousin Leah being pretty darn cute.



Natalie spent a litte (too) quiet time with a crayon and was very proud of the art she drew on two walls of the house. Hard to be upset with that face shining back at me. And thank gourd for Magic Erasers.



I found a rainbow in the sink after a load of dishes. How nice!



Leah, in her ongoing quest to care for all animals while simultaneously organizing the world, found a little niche for each of a bunch of her toys. I didn't ask but there was probably a logical and lengthy explanation as to why each animal was placed where it was.



This year, Mother Nature had an April Fool's Day trick of her own. We were greeted in the morning with over an inch of wet snow, most of which, thankfully, was gone by sundown. It was pretty, though. Maybe it was more of a treat, then.



One of the highlights of my extended blogging hiatus was a trip back to Madison to see some great flics and be uber-crafty. Mrs. Happy Stuff and I tried our hands at some screenprinting using professional screens and contact paper. Way cool.



Just a bit of the fun and lovely things we made:



I took the girls to the park on one of the glorious Spring days we've been having. Here, Natalie contemplates the park as a metaphor for something important.



Riding a pig - don't think she can catch H1-N1 this way.



Leah preferred the Toucan:



I completed a fun custom "Topo" piece that incorporated some islands and ended up being 26 layers thick and a solid half pound!


I'm beginning to tackle the wallpaper border in the girls' room. It's in fine shape, but I'm not fond of the pastel/Aztec design. I'm planning to paint some uneven stripes in different colors and add a little chair rail about a quarter of the way from the ceiling around the walls.



I purchased four classy, little, hand printed chair cards from Etsy seller LeiLiLaLoo. I inteded to find a pre-matted frame with four openings. IKEA had one with three and one with five. So, five it was, and I added a little hand cut table in the middle. I think it turned out pretty well!



I stumbled upon another of Leah's little organizational displays. Using two halves of a styrofoam cup holder, she has divided her small animals into soft (in the background) and hard (up close). She then divided them further by putting babies with females and males by themselves. I asked her why there was a rabbit with the mother and baby lion. She said that it couldn't be with a male because the males are mean and of all the mothers, the lion is the nicest.



For another custom request, I cut out the entire San Francisco Bay. I must admit I enjoyed marrying the two hemispheres of my brain as I learned a little about the bathymetry of this body of water and crafted it into paper as accurately as I could.



Leah colored this piece of paper she brought home from our fellowship. I get the feeling that the Earth in this picture is sort of giving up, hands raised in defeat, while still keeping a sense of humor. "Earth Day?" it asks. "Whatever."



Whew! That's it. If you only look at one picture a day, maybe it won't seem so long until my next post! Thanks for being here!

Up To My Eyeballs...

... and lovin' it!

The new year has brought in a wonderfully consistent flow of fine folks to my Etsy shop and business has been good! While I cannot yet supplement the family income and convince Matthew that this could indeed be my new job, it's a start and I welcome it with open arms.

The first of many big shop-related events came in the form of a wholesale inquiry. The lovely Suzy of the Soo Visual Arts Center in Uptown contacted me and purchased a whole bunch of Topo cards and Wall Topo pieces to sell in the SooVAC shop. Once again, I was excited and nervous, but the process was ultra smooth and the shop is a great fit for my work. Here is a look at the loot before I hand delivered it.



Later that week, I also received a request for a commissioned set of papercut houses like this piece. In the meantime, I was gearing up for a feature article on the Apartment Therapy blog by writing an artist statement, taking some work-in-progress photos, and stocking up on Wall Topo pieces. I was contacted about it and given about two weeks to prepare. I appreciated the time, but it ended up being a bit hard keeping the pieces in the shop - definitely a good problem.



The article was published on Wednesday, the 4th of this month and I had a banner day of sales, interest, and requests for custom work. It was so much fun to be a celebrity for a day and to feel at least a bit of what it must be like for some of Etsy's superstars who sell five times as much as I sold that day on any given day. I worked out a system of assembling orders, printing mailing labels, writing thank yous, and getting everything packaged and ready to ship the next day. This was my "mail bag" to bring to the post office on Thursday:



Since then, the daily sales have slowed a bit, but the custom and wholesale requests contine to come in. I found out today that a piece of my topo work has been added to Etsy's Gift Guides in the Travel category and that's been bringing in new hearts.



So, yeah, I've been a little busy. Not too busy to keep me from playing animals with Leah or from bustin' out some beats on the keyboards so the girls can boogy. I've been trying to consciously pace myself and so far, it feels great. Have you seen my shop lately? :)

A few photos and short video

Just a quick post with some recent photos and a little video . Leah, my mother in law, and I attended a portion of Minnetonka's Kid's Fest a couple of weekends ago. It was a fairly balmy winter day and the event was very well planned. In addition to seeing a small dog sled team pull a sled in a circle, watching an ice sculptor work his magic, and scarf down s'mores and hot chocolate, Leah got to pet some snakes,



had her face painted (she's branching out a bit and chose a shark),



and made this awesome cheetah mask.



Leah and Natalie have been playing together more often these days. They haven't ganged up on us yet, and it's fun to see them each find delight in each other. In the morning, when Natalie's awake and Leah's still in the room, Natalie will shout, "Leeeeeeee-ah! Leeeeeeee-ah!" and then the giggling will ensue. Natalie's taken to liking and imitating Leah's goofiness including "prat falls" and silly walks. Quieter times, I can find both girls huddled under a dresser or my desk, pretending to sleep. I find them, and there's more giggling - mine too.



Finally, here's a short video of Natalie a few evenings ago. She was very busy transferring chocolate bunnies from a cup to a toy tart pan and back. And she's wearing a leopard ears headband around her neck. The song is Jack Johnson's "The Sharing Song."

NadoSpeak

This morning as I was waking up and still in bed, Natalie handed me, one thing at a time, everything from my bed side table save what was plugged into the wall. As she handed me my lotion she said, "Doof Oof." That's her word for "lotion." Our little conversation went something like this:

Me: Natalie, say "lotion."
Nato: Doof Oof.
Me: Lowwww Shunn
Nato: Doof Oof.
Me: Natalie, say "Loooowwww..."
Nato: DOOF!



Totally cracked me up and still makes me giggle. I love this little squirt.

p.s. All of these photos were taken by Leah Bear.

New Gnome

Maybe it's the kid in me, the girl in me, or the nerd in me, but I like gnomes. And I like miniatures. And I like handmade. So I pretty much had to buy this little guy from the talented and wonderful, Etsy seller, Dannielle.



I took this photo of him as soon as I pulled him from the shipment wrappings, and I sent it to Dannielle to confirm his arrival. She said it brought tears to her eyes. He's made out of bendy wire wrapped with thread, handstitched pants, shirt and hat, and a handpainted wooden bead head with a soft grey beard. My new gnome now lives among my other miniatures in one of my three old type tray shadowboxes. I like to think that when no one's home, they all jump out and play together.

Dannielle's taking a little time off from her shop to work on other projects, but I think there may be a buddy for my dear gnome in the not-so-distant future.

Miscellaneous Other

This post contains some fun pictures from the last month or so. By themselves they hardly warrant a blogging (not that that last post did), but together, they might be worth something. Anyway, here we go.

I bought Matthew a little bouquet of daisies for his birthday and this blossom had an interesting irregularity.



I accidentally broke one our pilsner glasses and it looked kind of cool under the kitchen lights.



Natalie was walking around with a little blanket, sucking her thumb, and looking a lot like Linus from Charlie Brown.



This is Leah's hair after two days of not brushing it, and one shopping trip wearing her coat's hood. I briefly considered transitioning her into dreadlocks, but thought better of it, and finally bought some leave-in cream that, to my great relief, works wonders!



A couple of weekends ago, Matthew and I got to attend an amazing concert put on by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Matthew's folks not only looked after the girls but they also gave us their tickets for this show.



Matthew and I have attended great concerts before, but this one, especially the first half blew our socks off. The program included Tippett’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra and Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. The second piece was performed with a second, smaller ensemble in the back corner of the stage. That smaller group echoed many of the themes of the larger group, often with the added interest of mutes. It was an extremely emotional piece and it was a treat to watch as the performers swayed and lurched with their bowings and their faces contorted in tortured and exhaulted expressions. Goosebump city.



It was one of those performances where we felt like we were in the right place at the right time - some magical event that would transform our lives in some way, and that the rest of the world missed. It was that cool.

I found a portion of it on YouTube. Obviously, it's not the same, but maybe you can get a hint of what it was like. (I just realized that in the last ten seconds of this clip, the violist begins his first solo in the movement. I remember seeing him strike out against a hushed ensemble and thinking, "Go, Viola! Go!" It still gives me goosebumps.)

Good Eats

Lately, our entire family has been enjoying a little of the sweet life by dipping our spoons into massive amounts of Honey Greek Yogurt. If you've had it, you probably know where I'm coming from when I say, "Om, nom, nom." If you haven't tried it, imagine perfectly sweetened yogurt made from cream instead of skim milk. Yeah. It's godly.



Another little bit of decadence comes in the unassuming form of these lil' fellas.



They're marketed to kids, or the health/environmentally conscious parents of kids, and our kids love them... and so do I! They have a very rich chocolate flavor and the small size makes popping them into your mouth far from sinful (until I pop in my thirtieth bunny).

One afternoon, I tried something a little daring:



Too much of a good thing, I think. Better alone, enjoyed with their respective textures and flavors.

Please note: I have not been paid to advertise either of these products, but if either company would like to send some free samples along as a "thank you," we'd happily accept.

My Name in Lights

Hooray!

While many kind folks have been sweet enough to feature my Crafterall pieces, my first, official "artist interview" has just been published. You can find it here, on the blog of the fabulous and talented Nicole, creator of beautiful jewelry under the name Lillyella.

Check it out -there's a giveaway and a discount attached!

I am thrilled, honored, humbled, and doin' a little happy dance.

Ya-hoo!

Games Kids Play

Leah likes to have names for pretty much anything in her life. She wants to know what things are called or named, and if they don't have names, she gives them names. You may recall that she named all four of our monarch caterpillars (Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan, Monarch Boy, and Stripey Guy) last fall. She also names the games she plays with us.

One of the first games she imbued with a moniker involved rolling a big, plush ball or two across the floor, back and forth with one of her parents on the other end. The name: "Balls Roll Across the Floor." Tricky, huh? This game was later modified by using little cars in the place of the balls, and it became known as, "Cars Go Really Fast."

More recently, she invented a game that does need a little explanation. The game, played only with her Dad, is called, "Stiff Man." Basically, Dad pretends that he has been haphazardly stapled to the ground through his feet, hands and head. I know, gruesome, right? Leah, the "kind citizen" saves the day by yanking each limb from the ground and thus releasing Dad from his horrible bondage. When Matthew thanks her for her kindness, she screams, "I'm Leah Evelynn Tift!" And that's how that game is played.

For the sake of our dear readers, here is a recorded episode of "Stiff Man." Somehow an extra walked onto the set, but she becomes only a minor distraction from the heart-wrenching drama that unfolds. Advance apologies for the butt crack too. Enjoy.

While the Weather Outside is Frightful

The past few days have been lovely and even the nighttime low has stayed above zero. But last week we endured some butt-ass cold days and nights. I don't use the term "butt-ass" lightly either. It was the kind of cold that takes your makes your lungs seize with shock on their first, shallow inhalation. The kind of cold where Jack's poop steams wildly at first before freezing almost before I bag it up. The kind of cold where snow behaves differently, more like ice, and trees withdraw into themselves. The kind of cold when you marvel at the fact that we make our homes on this barely sub-arctic tundra. The kind of cold old grandpappies speak of when they tell stories that begin with "Back in my day..." You get the idea. Butt-ass cold.

So what happens in the Karger/Tift household when faced with what amounts to a lock-down? We make the most of it, as you can clearly see below.

Leah finds some bubble wrap and takes the little car for a spin.



Both girls find it's more fun to play IN the toybox rather than with the toys inside the toybox.



Natalie finds a precariously cute pose on a dining chair.



And then this happens. Inevitably. Cabin Fever is sometimes, mere moments away.

Natalie's Internal Combustion Engine

So Natalie makes this noise... We call it her "working groan." She makes it when she's working at something: turning pages of a board book, putting small things into larger things, pulling small things out of larger things, and feeding herself. It's part growl, part hum, part...well, hear for yourself.



This video reveals the following:

1. That strange sound definitely comes from this little girl... somehow.
2. The groaning must obviously assist in the feeding of herself...somehow.
3. Her older sister finds the behavior quite amusing...somehow.
4. Our brilliant, youngest daughter must have inherited some strange genetic behavioral patterns from her parents.

Jenny

Two years ago, my hubby bought me a ukulele for Christmas.

Sounds like the start of a strange country song or a bad joke, but it's true. I had wanted one for years and he went to an Indie music shop in Madison and picked out the most beautiful instrument I have ever owned (except for my amazing shower voice, that is).



My obsession with ukes began in elementary school. It was common knowledge that in third grade, you learned to play the little xylophones, in fourth grade it was recorders, and in fifth grade it was ukuleles. I mastered the xylophones, played a solo during the recorder recital, and was primed for the ukes when... they disappeared. Suddenly, when I reached my "senior year" at Lincoln Elementary, there were no ukuleles. The box of dark brown mini-guitar like things was gone. I was crushed. I joined the orchestra and began playing viola, but it wasn't the same.



I got to play guitar in seventh grade. I made up a song to entertain my friends, called it, "The Sun's Comin' Over the Hill," and I got requests to play it in the practice rooms. I enjoyed guitar, but found it difficult and painful to press the strings with my little hands and puny fingers. My oldest brother played guitar in a band by this time and he, with his seven-inch, monster fingers, made bar chords look easy.



My fascination faded a bit until I saw Steve Martin's "The Jerk." Uke players know well the scene where Steve plays "Tonight, You Belong to Me" on a ukulele while Bernadette Peters sings harmony before busting out her trumpet for a solo. That sealed the deal. From then on, any song with a simple chord arrangement and catchy lyrics was added to my list of songs to play on the uke someday. That day was just before Christmas 2006.

Matthew presented me with a short, black strap with a curved, rubbery shoulder pad threaded onto it. I was truly baffled for a while, before I figured that it probably went to some sort of instrument case. Once I guessed correctly, he brought out the case that went with the strap, and I still wasn't convinced that there was a real ukulele inside. When I opened the case, I think my heart skipped a beat. It was soooooo pretty. I undid the velcro tie and lifted the treasure from the case. The movement made the strings vibrate a little and the slight chord it made was like a perfect little chorus of bells somewhere. Yeah, it was love at first sight.



It's a Bushman Concert "Jenny" made of spruce and rosewood with mother of pearl inlay. I also got a felt pick, a method book and one of Jim Beloff's songbooks to get me started. I quickly decided to bring the uke along with us on our holiday travels and I played it a few times in front of our families. By the end of two weeks, I had built up decent calluses on my left hand and knew most of the basic chords by heart.

I didn't play my uke for a while. Natalie was born, we sold our house, and moved to Minnesota. With all the space in our new house, we ended up with an empty, glass-doored hutch in the formal living room. I suggested we turn that corner of the room into a music area. We put our stringed instruments including the ukulele in the hutch, slipped my recorder into the drawer, set up the electric piano, assembled the music stand, and food a nook for Matthew's guitar.



Since we've moved, I've played my ukulele quite often. I'm still not that great, but since it's so easy to play at least adequately, any little attempt sounds pretty good. The ukulele is, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the easiest instrument to play. While I'm not sure I'd agree with that, I will say that it is the source of some of the most beautiful and cheerful sounds ever produced. It's like happiness in a curvy wooden box.

I was pregnant with Natalie at the time and I like to think that she heard (and hopefully enjoyed) hearing the sweet, sweet sounds of a simple C chord through the layers of tissue between her and the back of my instrument. Because of this, or for no logical reason at all, I think Natalie is a more "musically-inclined" babe than Leah was or is. Maybe someday I'll post a little video with my playing in it, but until then, I urge you to have a listen to the fabulous James Hill or the virtuosity of Jake Shimabukuro. Enjoy!

In the Bag and Outta the Sack

Happy Oh-Nine, Everyone!

I think I've spent my quota of craftiness at my craft table lately, so rather than delight you with witty narrative, I'll just post some pics, a video, and some informative captions to illustrate our last two weeks. Ta-Da!

Christmas 2008 found the four of us and Jack-a-Roo, in our own home as our own family unit for the very first time EVER! It was precious and low key, and the coffee I pressed that morning was especially delicious.



Here the girls are coming down the stairs to see what may lay under the tree. This is an annual tradition that Matthew has done since he was a squirt. We four Karger kids used to come from three different levels of the house to converge upon overflowing stockings on Boxing Day while Ma and Pa caught a few extra zzzz's. I guess Santa hit Nymore a little late every year... :)
Natalie was just a little excited - perhaps it was the novelty that the rest of us woke her up and escorted her down the stairs. Either way, she was pumped.



The aftermath, taken using my new toy: a little Gorillapod hooked on the top of a chair. Sweet.



We spent two nights near Park Rapids at a nice resort with Matthew's extended family. It was super snowy and while we didn't get a chance to tear up the trails on snowmobiles, we enjoyed the company, singing karaoke, and swimming in the (indoor) pool. After that we had a long weekend in Bemidji with my fam. Massive meals every night, more fun gifts, and great opprtunities for the girls to play with their cousins. It rocks so much to see our kids playing with my brothers' kids. Leah had them all running around like cheetahs in no time.



Natalie "posed" for some pics while her Nana created her a couple of turkey pies (my all-time, number one, favorite meal).



Every year, we light the bonfire that Dad builds throughout the year with fallen branches, salvadge lumber, and other burnable scraps (one year we tried to light it using gasoline-soaked rose chafers - but that's another blog post). This year's fire was awesome, and it was further enhanced with some fireworks. The little kids didn't enjoy the hiss and pop, but we big kids thought it was rad. Check it:



One of the highlights for me was a visit to Anderson Fabrics Surplus Outlet store.



Stacks of high-quality fabric remnants at unbelievably cheap prices. It's a fabric scrap paradise. Drool with me.



What am I going to do with all of this fabric? I'm not sure, but here's a little of what I've done so far:



"Topo" Pillow:



Arrow Pillow:



Both pillows employ a reverse applique technique that was fun and fairly easy to do. I hope to make more of these, and maybe even sell them in my shop. We shall see. I also have some plans for a new informal dining table cloth, and a formal dining table runner. Too. Much. Fun. :)

All for now. Take care, and remember, that is SOoooooo two thousand eight. ;)