Happy Monday

It’s been a while. How are you? Despite my lack of posts last week, I’m alive and well, although, kinda grossed out at the general state of humanity right now.

What, you too?

Yesterday I went with a friend to see that animated movie The Secret Lives of Pets. And I cried. Hard. I cried eight times. And y’all – this isn’t a crying movie. Like at all. Not an Ol’ Yeller in the bunch. It’s got dogs and cats and badass pig named Tattoo. An it’s not like me to see a kids movie in general, much less in a theater on the weekend, but it was a good to have a distraction from all the ugliness on the news. In retrospect, I recognize that me, a 36-year-old childless woman crying at an animated dog movie was just tension relief from all the other stuff last week, but yeah. It was weird. The movie was good btw, but the week was weird. And horrible. And terrifying. I had a post ready to go on Thursday but somehow didn’t feel right talking about this crafty doodah I made when people are struggling to be heard. And by “heard” I mean “not murdered.” If there was ever a time for me to feel gratitude for my life (and let’s be blunt – my privilege)…now is that time.

Holy shit am I lucky.

Don’t know about you, but I have seen some folks on social media demanding we all take sides and scream one way or another. And that makes sense because when you are neutral in situations of injustice you enable the oppressor. Evil thrives where silence persists. But, there is also something to be said for choosing compassion. Compassion and opinions are two different things. And to the best of my knowledge, compassion rarely lives in the hearts of those busy speaking; it comes to those who are listening.

So this is my current mantra: Read, watch, listen. Even though I am burned out and want to go off-grid to live in the woods like a bearded gypsy just to get away from intense current events, I’m going to make myself consume it. I’m doubling down. And I would encourage you to do the same. But here is the thing – just for this week, consider getting your news from the sources you usually avoid. Talk to that friend/relation/coworker whose opinions are usually the polar opposite of yours. Listen without intention of speaking. IT IS HARD. Why do it? Because maybe people are more alike than we are different…and maybe we’ll figure out how we let it get this bad in the first place. Then, if we try hard enough, maybe we can use that as the roadmap back to decency. Because that it our current situation – indecent.

So that is what I know about that. Below are some things I have read lately that I’m glad I read. Some are serious, some are smile inducing, some are just plain comforting by way of deliciousness. It’s a good time to take the bitter with the sweet.  🙂

Google’s corporate headquarters have a tyrannosaurus rex named Stan who is constantly battling flamingos. I might need to come out to California to further the war effort!

By 2030, 75 percent of the world’s population is expected to be living in cities. Today, about 54 percent of us do. In 1960, only 34 percent of the world lived in cities. Watch this map illustrate the dawn of civilization.

In praise of scruffy hospitality.

This astronaut has the best official portrait you will ever see.

The uncomfortable reason why it came to this in Dallas.

Ways to support families of the Dallas PD.

This is one of the most important things I have read in a long time. Maybe ever. It took about two minutes to read but it changed my understanding of my lack of understanding and it makes times of contentiousness (like this week) (or like election season) a little easier.

Illustrating the article above: Blue Feed, Red Feed. Whoa.

How to criticize with kindness.

When I was at the White House to help with Christmas decorating one of the catering staff mentioned their kitchens were never short on almonds because the president was nuts about them (no pun intended). Apparently it’s more specific than that.

Childless women to marketers: we buy things too!

This essay “I don’t know what to do with good white people.” stayed with me long after I was done reading. And along those same lines…Explaining white privilege to broke white people. (<That’s the title. I would also extend it to not-so-broke white people, your uncle who likes to exaggerate racially-driven anecdotes, and anyone who overuses the term “bootstrap”).

“How do you prepare or train an individual to see 26 children who have been murdered?” And other terrifying thoughts. The typical life of an American Police officer is medically and psychologically disastrous.

How to write a condolence note. Worth bookmarking.

See the lingering effects of apartheid by aerial photography.

People verses coloring books: the verdict is in. And you might not like it.

Yeah, now would be a good time for unapologetic comfort food. How about dark chocolate salted caramel oreo pie? 

Meet the 68-year-old 10th grader who knows a thing or two about not giving up.

Gut check: Would you stop for this girl if you saw her in the street? Honestly, before seeing this I’m not sure if I would. Food for thought…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday my friends. I type this sitting in my friend Kiki’s living room with the assistance of her cat Barnaby, a 12 pound black and white tuxedo cat. Kiki says Barnaby weighs 12 pounds but he feels more like 34 pounds, perhaps more. Hard to say. When a cat is bound and determined to take a nap on your laptop’s keyboard (while you are typing), belly up, driving a meaty hamhawk paw into your face, a single claw extended up into your nostril, 12 pounds feels like 34. Either way, he’s real cute. And he is all rolly-rolly and oreo colored so this is probably as close to panda cuddles I will ever get, so, I’ll accept his assistance in writing this post. Thanks, Barn!

Speaking of cats, last week was Lola’s birthday. And not only her birthday – her Bat Mitzvah. That’s right. She has always projected the attitude of a sullen teenager but now it’s official. HBD Lolabelle.

What else has been happening on the internet that is not cat related? Good question…

23 margarita recipes to start next weekend right!

The four words that will get my money anytime: New Jane Austen Movie. 

The science of visual storytelling.

What happened to me at jury duty. The horror!

When graphic design goes cookie.

This village without roads is straight out of a fairytale!

Brittany is drawing a different kind of flower every day in May and I’m picking up a few new tricks!

Fifteen random objects that turn into nifty stamps!

A little story about my mom.

Cherry blossoms in Japan like whoa.

A compendium of Native American tipi decoration.

There was a French fartist who headlined the Moulin Rouge. Yes, you read that right: fartist.

Instant addition to the bucket list: cook a meal in Julia Child’s kitchen.

This sea-inspired fabric jewelry is INCREDIBLE.

Thank you to everyone who took part in my art sale last week! Nearly everything sold in a flash but there are still a few prints and pillows plus a couple of big paintings left in stock. Just until tomorrow, I’m offering 20% off everything! Use promo code BARNABY20. Did I mention there is already free domestic shipping? Yeah. I’m nice like that. And I have a second batch in the pipeline. If I hustle this week it’ll be out sometime next week. Eeeep! Better get painting!

 

I realize this post is called Happy Monday and is supposed to be published on Monday, but it’s Tuesday, and I’m publishing anyway. Bah! What a rebel am I. Or maybe I’m being lazy. Or maybe I was too busy Netflixing on Sunday to schedule the post on time.

It happens.

In other exciting news, a recent lull in design work has given me ample time to paint my butt off. Weird stuff. Some of it good. Mostly flowers. Painting flowers in March is my futile way of ushering in spring with a paintbrush, though, sometimes it feels like a sledgehammer. In any case, I’m hoping to coordinate another pop-up sale sometime soon. Stay tuned! In the mean time, the internet is full of all kinds of amazing stuff this week!

How needles are made. Did you know they tumble for two days?

An oddly brief-yet-comrehensive-yet-heartfelt fill-in-the-blank wedding speech.

The good news is unicorns were real, the bad news is they were hideous.

The hidden messages in corporate logos.

By far, the nicest thing I have seen on the internet this week.

14 surprising things about parenting in Sweden. Three words: outdoor winter naps.

Marble coasters got me like whoa.

These wall hangings from JuJu Just are the cats pajamas!

My recent adventure with dyeing wooden beads has me on a pinterest DIY bead bender. These clay beauties are awesome! Also, THESE. Also, if anyone has experience with wax coating wooden beads, I’m all ears.

Turns out British people are real weird about their fridges.

Ten beauty tips I had actually never heard of before.

Karlie Kloss started a coding camp for girls and I want to go!

Glue anything to anything with this handy chart.

And here is a vintage video from the Hershey’s chocolate factory. Nostalgia and chocolate in one! I’m also crazy about their new commercial. Not saying it made me cry, but I might have needed a new round of mascara. And s’mores. And what is this wetness all over my face. Jeezers, these people know how to induce the chocolate spiral.

PS: Any folks out there want to participate in a community art project?
Last year I shared with everyone about the trees in my neighborhood being yarn-bombed by one of my favorite stores, Stumble & Relish, and they are doing it again this year. And THEY NEED HELP! They need roundish pieces and roping made from macrame cord (that way they can take it down and reuse it again next year). If you are in the Chicago area, there are workshops all over Evanston this month (scroll down for dates and locations). If you want to mail in some pieces, leave a comment below (I’ll see your email on the backend) and send you the details. They need everything in by early May, so now is the time!

Dear Sweetums,

Greetings from the hobbit hole! I stand before you, a bewildered groundhog, peeping her head from below the warmth of my tree stump bunker, timidly sniffing the air while looking for signs of spring. And you know what? I think it might be here. Praise Dolly!

News from the glitter front: I’m closing in on the home stretch of my book, which is a good reason to stay away from the distractions of social media. That, and the populace has gone and lost its damn mind. I just spent 10 minutes on Facebook and everybody and their brother Wayne is angry about something. Did you notice this too?

Peyton Manning retired – let’s be mad he had the nerve to grow old!
Nancy Raegan is dead – let’s be mad that she tried to stop drugs and it didn’t work!
Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee – let’s be mad people are voting for him!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for Donald Trump. Whoa Nelly, let’s get that straight. But I’m not in the business of telling people how to vote. Bad politicians are the direct result of bad voters (that’s on us, America) and half of us don’t even vote. Ever. So yeah, it’s no wonder someone started pandering to the lowest common denominator and the formula worked real well. Just the same, it’s just kinda gross when you know people for years -people who never vote and couldn’t tell you their congressman’s name to save their life- then one day you are talking about Easter candy and out of the clear blue sky they are lecturing you on government and telling you “I LIKE TRUMP BECAUSE HE SAYS IT LIKE IT IS.” And you know full well what they mean is “I LIKE TRUMP BECAUSE HE SAYS ALL THE HATEFUL, IGNORANT HORSESHIT I’M NOT RICH ENOUGH TO SAY MYSELF.”

…and he also likes to go on TV and talk about his genitals. Did you see that? WTF kind of goat rodeo was that? Not one man, but three grown men. And two of them are already elected and living on the tax-payer’s dime. How the hell do you explain that behavior to your kids? I’m honestly wondering how some of you parentals are handling this. That is one problem I am grateful to not be handling right now. Or do kids not watch the debates anymore? I used to love watching the debates with my dad when I was a kid and we’d talk about in school and stuff. It was just what you did. Not so much cable options then, I guess. Remember when Dan Quayle got his ass handed to him by Lloyd Bentsen? The whole country was like Oooooooooooo Burn! but that was a wet noodle compared this situation we got going on here. Y’all: WTF happened?

And yet, we can’t all go around writing off people because they follow a different set of political principals. That’s the kind of attitude that leads to oligarchy problems, and ain’t nobody got time for that.  Where am I going here? Don’t know. They say it isn’t good for business to talk politics in public because people may have a different perspective, but I wonder; what good has come from a whole country that only discusses their views with like-minded people? Isn’t that where we are right now? Couldn’t we all benefit from hearing a different perspective and weighing conclusions for ourselves?

Well, that was way too philosophical for Monday morning. I’m thinking the safety of my hobbit hole of cat hair and paper flowers is looking pretty good right now. In cheerier news, this is some other nifty/uplifting/not-related-to-republican-genitals things I found on the interwebs in recent weeks….

Two things I love more than chocolate which is saying a lot: David Sedaris and Ru Paul’s Drag Race. And for one shining moment, they collided together.

The mansions of the reclusive heirless, Huguette Clark. Nobody, even people who worked for her for years, knew what she looked like. I’m adding this book to my reading list.

Marikmekko is coming to Target! Marimekko is coming to Target! Breathe. Breathe. 

These wire wrapped bangles are the tits! Also, a really good excuse to start collecting chunky beads. Like I needed another thing to collect?

This is what reading is like when you have dyslexia.

Going through a breakup? Say it in pie.

OH HELL YES IN ALL CAPS: The adult coloring book to end all adult coloring books is here! Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Can you even believe they don’t ship to the US? Benedict Cumberbatch as a chocolate bunny.

Eat your heart out, Mozart: A real, genuine orchestra playing along to a cat playing on a piano.

Dorothy Zbornak screaming “CONDOMS!” for five hours. If the internet existed for this alone, it’s worth it.

Did y’all watch the Downton Abbey Final last night? So good! Not even going to pretend I didn’t cry ten times. Here’s the NYT’s mini retrospective.

Favorite thing I have watched this month: Darby Forever. Aidy Bryant from SNL is the cutest and here she is talking and crafting about it. Why can’t more interviews involve tissue paper flowers?

^Legit question.

Happy Monday Y’all. Did you survive Snowzilla? Thought so.

Hay. New game for you: Google your first name immediately followed by “glamour shot” and see what comes up then share the first image on social media. Dare you! You’re welcome.

Note. If the first one is bad but not not real-bad just somebodys-mom-wore-too-much-makeup-in-the-90s-bad, you can pick from the first five. This one was my favorite. Serious sequin action. I call her, The Gambler.

You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away…know when to run. 

…Apparently she ran right down to the mall and got herself some sass. Get it girl!

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Other highlights from this week in internet news:

City skyline as jewelry. Yes please!

Best vacation album ever.

The story of why my mom threw out all of my Barbies.

What is that tiny pocket inside the regular pocket in jeans for? Finally: the answer.

The craziest milkshakes you will ever see. New Yorkers, I’m jealous!

LOOK AT THE CHAIR I FOUND IN THE ALLEY.

The best job in existence is hiring.

This was so inspiring: One woman’s story of creating a million dollar business from her kitchen table.

Are you still in need of a homemade valentine idea?

Thought so. Subversive Cross Stitch to the rescue!

Also, below is a video I made last year with an idea for batch valentines that you can make at home. They look reullll cute on their own with a little tag tie, or added to a small gift or parcel of baked goods. Cookies in particular. Not that I would know, cookies haven’t successfully left my house in years  as they get eaten as they were intended – on the confetti littered floor while drinking margaritas and singing love songs to the cat.

Happy Valenines!!!

Hello friends! Please forgive my recent hiatus. I went to California with plans to post regularly but the palm trees voodoo’d me into distraction. And by “distraction” I mean slothful consumption of sunshine and Dr. Pepper ice cream floats by the pool. Not to worry – ample details to follow!

Also. On the excuses front, there was a major meltdown on the backend of my site’s server. If you came here in the last two weeks and it was down or it looked like another site (yeah – that was weird, right?) I apologize. Finger crossed it’s fixed for good now but stranger things have happened. Then the fun part – I came back to Chicago to find a water pipe at my studio froze and exploded and it was horrible and I cried and the good times keep rolling.

But I digress. It’s Monday, it’s a new week, and Carson and Mrs. Hughes got married (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) on Downton Abbey last night so I’m going to be a happy camper IF IT KILLS ME.

Now. Let’s get back to the previously scheduled program of being awesome.

Ahem:

This 93-year-old granny models her granddaughter’ weavings like a champ!

Every color lego ever invented.

The pigment library to end all pigment libraries lives at Harvard, thus, I’ll be needing a reason to visit Boston asap. Thank you.

Ann of Green gables is coming back with thanks to one of the writers from breaking bad and i’m ready to LOSE MY MIND.

This is what I’m wearing through March. Save your judgements for your cold, puffy parka coat laughing in the corner.

Dogs with flower crowns. Need I say more?

Also! An update! Some of you asked if I’m doing another Valentine swap this year. The answer is YES, but I’m going to need to change up the format a little. I’ll be honest, nearly 10% of last year’s participants reported a problem with sending or receiving one or more Valentines and that is NOT COOL. For anyone. Especially my inbox. Most of this is the result of people who decide to pull out at the last minute, or people who didn’t take it seriously in the first place. I’m thinking if I add a small obstacle to make it harder to sign up (don’t hate me)…we can separate the wheat from the chaff. Sidenote: Is it chaff? Or shaff? Or maybe it’s shaft? I’m not sure but spellcheck says shaff is not a real word and chaff sounds vaguely farmish to me so I’m keeping it. The point being, as much as I would love the swap to keep growing in size, I would rather see it go small if it meant all those participating got what they signed up for.

Some people suggested a small entrance donation, while others suggested changing it to an ‘by invitation only’ basis for people who participated successfully in the past. Neither one of those sounds appealing to me right now, but I’m open to suggestion. Thoughts? Either way, I’m keeping the signup window short. Expect to see something something the last week of January. Holy cow I just typed that out and that is next week. Oufff.

Did I mention? Happy Monday!

 

Well folks, we are less than two weeks from Christmas and I am operating like it’s October. Plenty of time to procrastinate, right? This is usually my busiest time of year, but between my trip to DC and a whopper of a flu I haven’t done much of anything I said I was going to do except watch the Dolly Parton television movie (OH MY GOD SO GREAT). The good news is it’s a fresh week and my winter scented candle supply is at an all-time low, so no matter what, I’m probably going to leave the house soon. Probably.

Last minute gift idea: Adult coloring books. Here are my favorites!

The 12 beards of Christmas.

I made a batch of these homemade hand salves last year and the recipients keep asking me for the recipe – it’s a keeper!

A cheese tree. Yes!!

How to elevate your hot chocolate game.

This massive Hungarian “charity tree” will be donated after the holidays are over.

This ballet dancer is my new favorite.

Why are little kids in Japan so independent?

The Christmas Truce of 1914.

Watch out: Mrs. Obama just out-mommed all y’all. Catch it.

Did you heard about Serial? It’s baaaaaack! Also, Season 2 of Transparent. It’s like the entertainment people want me to stay on the couch all day.

Speaking oust remember, behind every prolific Instagrammer, there is an Instagram husband…

Well folks, it’s hard been a week of extremes in my little glitter cubby. What started as a string of blissful highs ended in a string of violence…then a string of public shaming for showing support for some victims and not others…followed by people being mean-spirited assholes. (And we wonder why we fight so much?). It’s difficult to be celebratory and look for what is good when you know so many are hurting right now, but, perhaps that’s why it’s all the more important to march forward. I don’t know. As the last of the leaves fall, I find myself increasingly aware of the brittleness of everyday comforts, which makes me all the more determined to appreciate them here and now.

 

Before we get started with the usual list, I wanted to let everyone know that November is National Adoption Awareness month and AP reader Veronica is looking for some help: she needs people who enjoy making and sending cards. As part of The Card Shower Project, they have 9 teenagers in need of positive messages. As she says, they need people to let these kids know you care what happens to them, “Only you can foster hopes and dreams by empowering non-traditional & LGBTQ youth with kind messages through card-writing..Encouraging youth in foster care, to reach their highest potential, no matter what.”

If there is anyone who knows how to bust out a card, it’s you guys. See details on their site to find out what you can do to help.

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Speaking of random acts of kindness…I was on the receiving end myself.

A color quiz to see if you are an Idealist, Realist, or Surrealist.

20 Tips to pregame Thanksgiving like a pro.

The four horsemen of gentrification.

Meet the artist behind the Eiffel Tower peace sign sweeping social media following the Paris attacks (although, the art history nerd in me is fond of an alternative).

The weather phenomenon sweeping desserts pink.

Can you see the sheep?

Have you been watching the latest Netflix binge, Master of None? A lot to love here, especially the subtle take on sexism.

North Korean interiors that look suspiciously like Wes Anderson film sets.

Speaking of movies…here is one of my all-time favorites and hardly anybody ever knows about it!

How to hate winter less.

The cult of Japanese WWII silk fashion jackets.

And last but not least…Special thanks to everyone for their support in my art launch! It was a bittersweet moment when I mailed off 19 last week, and there are still six available before I shut things down at the end of this week. The support and encouragement you guys have sent me this last week has been HUGE. Just hearing people ask questions or offer comments…it’s a big deal to know people are interested. I know it’s just a little Etsy shop, but I can say with confidence, this last week will be the pivot point for all sorts of doubts and fears I have been hauling around for 20 years. And mostly, it’s thanks to people I have never met. How do you even thank somebody like that? I’m not sure, but when I figure it out, I’ll let you know. But in the meantime THANK YOU.

I know, I know, I know…It’s supposed to be Happy Monday but I had date-specific sponsored posts that took over Monday so we will do this on a Tuesday. Cool? Cool. I know we wrapped up Halloween half an hour ago but I am currently carrying ten pounds of Christmas in an eight pound bag, so this baby is ready to bust. Starting November 8 I am sharing a new holiday DIY for a whole week. More to come!

Also. A little news here: I am opening an online pop-up shop.

Months ago, you guys told me that I should consider selling my paintings and I was so encouraged that I put it on my Must-Do list or 2015, then must do turned into To-Do, and then I pushed it back and back and back…and well. Life happens. And I watched a lot of Netflix. And the end of 2015 is irritatingly close. Man! So here is the deal: This is going to be short and sweet. A couple dozen items available for two weeks or until they sell out. Prices start at $30 and will go up to a few hundred, depending on time invested (a couple of these are real honkers).  Mostly paintings. Some abstracts. Some florals. Some paper, some canvas. All originals. I will make the link public NEXT MONDAY NOVEMBER 9, but I will send it out a little early to folks on my weekly mailing list (that signup box in the sidebar). You can see a bunch of the florals I made this summer over on Instagram (#flowersfor30days) but there will be other stuff too. So if you are interested…stay tuned. No dibs allowed, not even for friends or family, SO I HOPE YOU WILL BE READY TO POUNCE!

Post Halloween Trivia: Did you know candy corn was originally called “chicken feed” (and a bunch of other cool stuff about candy)?

An ode to movie props.

Are we thinking about addiction all wrong? Interesting.

Intricate sculpture carved into pencil lead. WHOA. 

China has a new headwear craze. Would you wear one?

The Boss Ladies of SCOTUS finally got their own portrait.

An artistic, court-reporter style, illustrated guide to Gilmore Girls fashion.

15 Fun facts about When Harry Met Sally.

John Irving can do no wrong in my book (no pun intended), I can’t wait to read his latest.

They say arm knitting is easy. This looks really hard, but also, I really want that blanket.

Sesame Street’s new character, Julia, has autism. And people are being all kinds of awesome about it.

This 97-year-old high school graduate has my mascara running. Guhhhh. 

Massive crop art VanGough is INCREDIBLE.