Facinator Creator

Finnish based OutsaPop Trashion Blog provides many interesting and oh so helpful tutorials on all things trashionable. Her specialty is using recycled materials in her creations much to my delight. I am passing along a tutorial she posted on Etsy, it was posted as an Easter offering but you can customize it any way you want. Trade the birds for feathers or vintage pin, figurine or soft sculpture. The variations are endless per ones imagination. Funny, sassy, sexy, noir or no.



Great for any fancy occasion or just with a simple pairing of jeans and a tee for instant yes. Would also make for a great teen or even child craft. They are simple to make with minimal money required depending on one's taste and are super fun to wear. A great project for anyone with beginner's sewing skills as it only requires straight hand stitching and maybe some fabric or hot glue.

Outti Pyy is the woman behind Trashion and you can find more examples of Ms. Pyy's work on her Flickr account with more examples than you can shake a ruffles punky shoulder piece at.

Arizona does not represent me.

I'm spreading this where I can: when California passed prop 8 I was disappointed and disgusted. Rage is what fills my head though when I think of Arizona's new immigration law : SB 1070. The good folks at moveon.org are helping people to express their anger and disbelief at this ridiculous law. I got one and am inviting anyone who care to to do the same.

thanks

Copy and paste this email to send to your friends and family

Hi,

Do you want to get a FREE sticker to show your frustration about the new Arizona immigration law SB 1070? Presente.org is giving them away (even free shipping) to spread the word that we won't stand for racial profiling.

I just got mine. Click below to get yours:

http://presente.org/ref/186780/sticker/az?im=mo

Sincerely,

AK

First Thurday Madness!

One more shout out for our show tomorrow. We feel fortunate to have so many good friends pimping it! Here's our friend Brent Wear featuring us on his blog, thanks Brent!

We are very excited for our first show since coming back home to Portland. Dave and I are showing a collection of works by us, including a few collaboration paintings. We will have some inexpensive prints and boxsets to sell as well as original work.

Brent will be there to with a selection of works for sale as well as Kirsten Moore of Piper Ewan, our hostess. Come check out her seriously gorgeous goods.

Ahh alliteration, how I love thee.

We will be at:

Coeur Studios, 323 NW 6th, 6-10 pm

thank you!

ak

Intergalactic Planetary

A fairly resent discovery for me, Jimmy Mcbride is a quilter. He is a manly quilter. I have a lot of admiration and have been following his last few quilts with great interest. The quilts come with dialog, there is a story behind them. Documentation of scenes seen out the windows of an Intergalactic Transporter. I recommend checking out his website for a proper explanation. Besides; really how often does one get to say that, Intergalactic. Short story is he quilts stars, galaxies, real photos of celestial bodies from Hubble.

My fav is the blog that documents the process, being a process driven girl myself. The pics of the cut out are what really get me though, the stacks on interconnecting shapes in a variety of colored plaid. He claims the plaid helps to create the "wispy effect" needed to create the gaseous galactic formations. I can't wait to see the finished results!

He also has an Etsy store: Stellar Quilts. Just remember, my birthday isn't until December so you have lots of time to save up for the M64 quilt.

I'm just sayin'.

Our First, First Thursday

First Thursday is an institution here in Portland, an early evening of art around Downtown and the bus mall as I call it, or the Pearl District if you like. [ That humble little area, I never thought back when I lived on 6th and Couch above Fellini/Satyricon that that yucky slice of heaven would look as gorgeous as it does now. ] Wrapping up around 1030-11 just in time to hit the bar.

But I am off topic.

We are very excited to have our maiden show here in PTown.
Dave and I are going to be showing at Virtuoso Studios this next First Thursday, March 4th. There will be some of my work, some of Dave's work and collaborative work. We are bringing a bit of merch. too, like boxsets, ACEO's, etc. as well as our original work. Graciously sharing the walls with us is Brent Wear , also the charming, couture, creatrix, Kirsten Moore of Piper Ewan. Life is better with handmade lingerie.


323 NW 6th Ave

On 6th between Everett and Flanders

Collective Locale

I want to start taking photographs of window art by Scott Campbell of "Extremo the Clown" fame. If you don't know him, you should, he's one of the finest performance artists around. He's a painter in oils as well as a sculptor of cars, magnificent art cars. Gargoyles, fountains, scenes in bas relief and the man driving is dressed like a clown complete with puppets.

This is why I call him a performance artist. Sure he's a great painter and his cars are awesome but the whole package is just over the top bad assidry. He brings it to the people, on the streets, at the bank, down the freeway. I first started seeing him because he banked next to where I worked 11 years or so ago.

As far as his window art, I saw it randomly, then started looking for it and now it is a collection. A collections of locations where I have seen an Extremo window painting. Advertisements for the store inside. Smiling, expressive filing cabinets beckon you to come in and purchase an office chair. I have driven in Salem Oregon and seen an Extremo window and of course all over Portland. Once I was watching HDTV and the lady being interviewed gave a tour of her house. Low and behold she had an Extremo painting in her front room, I am good at spotting them. I asked him to confirm it was his. Also being from St. Johns Portland, Radke's Auto is a landmark for me. With its huge sign and neon race car, the huge lettering on the front of this corner building: wait could that be. I am 98% sure that it is the work of a younger Extremo, perhaps at the start of his career? It has been there since I was a baby.

The point is there is a level of local permeation that I think goes largely unnoticed. There are a lot of people who know of the "clown in the art car" but I think it might surprise people how at large he is. So support your local clown, he's just out making people smile. I think that is a might fine vocation.



And did you know he's a musician too? And ran for Mayor and placed pretty high. The next step is to document the locations, then compile them. A fun art project begins.

PS the painting of his that I own contains his actual hair, the hair that was cut off soon after the picture above was taken. I know that has a bit of an "ew" factor but I thought it was a good cross section of his more serious oil paintings and his sculpture. The bust is three dimensional and made in the same manner his cars are.

Backyard Chickens: Its a good thing.

Almost a case
Originally uploaded by A.K. Miles

To all my chicken loving brethren, across the the world should you look west:


The Martha Stewart Show in NYC is taping a show on urban farming in March 2010 and are looking for urban chicken farmers (among others) to be in the audience.

If you're interested in being there, you have to request tickets and help them understand why you should be in the audience. The details are in Anne's email:

If you or someone you know have recently turned your backyard space into a chicken coop or turkey pen, we have a special show that's just for you! We're filling our studio audience with individuals who raise livestock in urban environments as we celebrate the backyard farming movement. If you're interested in attending this show, please be sure to tell us about yourself and your backyard farm, as well as why you'd like to be part of this special audience. Please feel free to spread the word and request tickets as soon as you can if you're interested!

The link to request tickets is www.marthastewart.com/get-tickets; scroll down to "calling all urban farmers."

Keeping chickens is quite a big deal these days, and thats cool: pets with benefits. We have a few girls ourselves: Diamond, Atilla the Hen, Crystal, and Chick Norris who we recently adopted having been found roaming the streets. We get 3-5 eggs a day, ranging in color between off-white, tan, a speckled one and a slate green. My kids love having them, like a petting zoo in our backyard. We bond over caring for the hens, they are messy and quite a lot of work. The coop was purchased, a modified rabbit hutch and the run/tractor was made by me. The majority of the wood was scavenged from an abandoned pile and cost nothing. A box of screws, a borrowed miter saw and some poultry netting. Also my husband putting on the side supports. Three of the chickens I raised from two weeks old and one free lost chicken to add an extra egg a day. Pretty good all around I'd say.

I first saw someone in the city keep a chicken about 7 years ago, my friend Eryn had a rooster. He lived in downtown Portland right on SW.5th Ave, it was a big red-orange rooster and he was gorgeous.