Signs Of The Times? (or H1N1 and Omega 3's!)

As previously promised, here's a stenciling job I did on a clock a while back:





At first glance, plague doctors seem rather ghoulish and scary, but I've always found them oddly comforting... They were the ones who stuck around, still trying to heal the sick even in the darkest days of the Black Plague.

I think he looks quite fetching in my favorite color combo of the day: grey and yellow.



And, on a lighter note, here is my first foray into the polymer clay world.



Is it time for lunch yet??

Ladies' Night! (or, Fun On A Tuesday??)

I'm excited to be attending Kasey's shindig tonight!




I'm also excited to wear my new borderline-Lady-Gaga-faux-spats ankle boots while I'm there!



If I teeter into the onion dip, please pretend it was all part of my act.
Thanks!

My Favorite Photographer (or Kasey Marsh: Cool Gal Extraordinaire!)

So I thought I'd take a moment to acquaint you with my favorite photographer, Kasey Marsh. Kasey owns Monkey Tree Photography here in Houston and is definitely one of the most excellent people I've met since moving here.





As you can probably guess after seeing the Style page at RobotInBloom.com and previous blog entries, I met Kasey when we hired her to photograph our wedding.

It was funny, actually - Josh and I had met with a pretty big handful of photographers before we found her, but none of them seemed quite right for our wedding. I liked the name of her business and what we saw on her website, so we made plans to meet her at a local Panera. We talked for a few minutes, flipped through her sample albums, did the whole photographer-bride-groom-discussions thing, and Josh and I tried to play it cool. We're not ones to make snap decisions, especially on something huge like our wedding photography.





Acting like ultra-savvy business people, we told her we'd think about it and let her know. We got just outside the front door, literally stopped, turned to each other, and said, "So, you wanna go with her?"

We waxed poetically and excitedly in the doorway for about 20 more seconds about how much we liked her work and how she was a great mix of confident and laid-back. She seemed like a great fit for the mood we wanted for our wedding. And her work looked like she'd catch all our special details and shmoopy expressions.

We walked right back into the restaurant and dorkily said, "Can we sign a contract with you right now???" blowing all our steely negotiating cred right out the window.





Her work was excellent and she was a total pro. She somehow managed to blend into the day, while also successfully wrangling guests for the formal shots. Honestly, I barely remember her being there - which I guess is actually a compliment in the wedding photography world!





After the wedding, I opted not to have her create an album for me. One part control freak, one part confidence in my design skills, and one part wanting waaaaay too many images and pages than is feasible for a flush-mount album, I decided to have a go at designing my own album through Blurb.





I'm incredibly glad I did it that way because I caught the album design bug!

I had so much fun designing my own album, I decided I wanted to do something, anything like that. No more secretarial drudgery for me!

But, I didn't know where to start, and my mom suggested I contact Kasey to see if she could offer any insight into that world.





Kasey's help and generosity was a total bolt from the blue!

She met with me, looked at my album, and asked if I'd want to use her computer and her software to help her with her workflow.

She taught me all sorts of things from the software to running a business. She's given me insights on running an art-based/creative business that you really don't get in regular "How To Run A Small Business" by I.M. Boring* books at Barnes and Noble. Not to mention she's totally relaxed and funny and fun to hang out with!

(*Not a real book, but could be.)





Now, though, I'm on my own feet. I have my own office, and she's recently leased a fabulous new space in the middle of Houston's hip Rice Village.

Her new place looked great for the open house, and I'm really looking forward to her upcoming Fancy Facebook Ladies' Night.

Fox Clocks (or Glitter Felt... Again!)

I wanted to share with you a clock I made about a year ago...

I was inspired by some excellent deep blue glitter felt (Moi?? Attracted to glittery felt?? Perish the thought!) at the craft store one day and thought it was a perfect setting for an adorable fox.

I didn't catch any shots of myself drilling the center hole into the wood base, but here's what it looked like after a few pieces of felt and some strategic cuts.



I started with fabric glue, but quickly found a hot glue gun to be the path to felt-gluing salvation.



Sir Foxington the VII proved to be a challenge, but I think he came out as close to my vision as 20 cent felt and a pair of nail scissors can get.

What a handsome devil!



The finished product.



I never did decide if I want to paint the hands... White? Perhaps a bright red? Maybe orange with white tips like Sir Foxington's tail?

I've been toying with selling my extra creations on Etsy just for fun, but I'm hoping I can find the strength to let them go to new homes.

Stay tuned to see a cheerful fabric necklace I finished yesterday, and a ghoulish plague doctor clock from last year.

Diversions of a Vaguely Halloween-ish Nature (or More Coveting)

Stupid Houston flooding.
I wasn't able to go to the Finao Playdate last night and I'm quite upset about that.

The radar looked pretty much like this last night - the blobs were about an inch or two to the left, though.




To help relieve my disappointment in missing out on last night, I'm browsing on Etsy.


Now, I ask you, have you ever seen a more gorgeous hat?



Made by Baroque and Roll, purveyor of various glamorous head-things.




I also found this excellent alternative to wallpaper, by Byrdie Graphics.






And who doesn't need a good pair of spats? (And a reference to Skeksis?)



Spats of all kinds are available at Straight Razor Slasher Designs.




And, finally, a subtle crow fashioned from an old vinyl record, by Prefectly Random Designs.




Have a lovely Halloween weekend, kiddies!

Very Exciting Things (or Happy Birthday, Website!)

The air around here is buzzing!

Not only is it getting closer to Halloween, but the air is getting chillier, the wind is getting gustier...

Oh, and did I mention my website is finally done??

Yes, kiddies, www.robotinbloom.com is finally, officially ready for the world!

You can get to it by clicking the links above.

And, not only is my site done, but tonight is the night of the Houston Finao Playdate, hosted by Christine Tremoulet.

You can just feel a palpable thrum of tension in the air!

It's either all this awesome business excitement....
or the fact that all I've eaten today is trick-or-treat candy while the fighter pilots of the 25th Annual Wings Over Houston Airshow are buzzing my apartment building, practicing for the show this weekend.

Either way, my blood's a-boilin' and I'm jittery with excitement!
Wheeee!!!!




So loud!




Those buggers are hard to catch!

Networking (or Cupcakes)

As I posted on my Twitter account yesterday - "Today would be ideal for a deus ex machina-style assist..."

That holds true today. Seems I was overlooked by the fates yesterday.

I'm racing to finish my website by next Thursday so I'll have something substantial to show the fine folks at the Finao Albums Playdate in Houston. It'll be my first real networking event since starting my business... (I only received my business cards in the mail a few days ago, so it's all gonna be fresh and shiny!)

The event is hosted by Houston photographer Christine Tremoulet. Judging by her online portfolio, she does really excellent work. I'm excited to meet her and hopefully make a few new friends in the Houston photography scene.

Also, I hear there will be cupcakes!

Friday Kvetching (or Weekend Dreaming)

I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

This week has been a rough one - dropping a chunk of cash on lawyer services, continued wrestling with my site's HTML, and perpetually watery eyes because certain plants have decided to propogate their species lately.

On the bright side, though, I got my new business cards a lot earlier than I thought (exciting!), tonight's episode of Star Trek: TNG is the one where Data and Lore hang with Dr. Soong (goofy!), and our latest Netflix shipment looks promising - The Wrestler, The French Connection, and Breaking Bad: Season 1.

In the meantime, I'll let you greet your weekend with pictures of amazing cut paper artwork by Michael Velliquette.

Incredible!













Please go to his website. Those pictures are just the tip of the iceberg!

Color Your World (or My Apartment Definitely Needs Therapy)

I'm totally plotzing over the entries in Apartment Therapy's Room For Color 2009 contest.



Oh, how I'm dying to paint a room so boldly...



In my current apartment living situation, I'm quite prohibited from indulging in the world of creative wall paint. Hopefully, I can change that soon.







"Contractor Beige" is the worst, don't you think?

Great Minds Think Alike (or JimandPamandJimandPamandJimandPam!!)

Pam made paper flowers for her wedding, just like me!










Flower photos by Kasey Marsh of Monkey Tree Photography

Plasticland (or When I Close My Eyes, I'm Joan Holloway)

Taking a little break in this super crazy day today (Seriously, what's with that?? Today seems like an avalance of hectic-ness for everyone...), I decided to windowshop at one of my favorite sources for eye candy online:



Oh Plasticland... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.


I can be Joan Holloway





Or Brigitte Bardot






Or even Twiggy




These are largely pipe dreams due to my lack of bravery - not to mention that working from home means having very few occasions and places to wear excellent clothes.

My cowardice didn't stop me, though, from ordering a fabulous winter coat from them this summer.



I know, I know... "It's Houston! Why would you need a winter coat? Especially in the summer?"
Well, a) It's actually snowed twice in the 5 years I've lived here.
b) It's an excellent coat... Come on. Look at it.
c) I needed it to keep my 4 other winter coats company.......... (So maybe I have a coat addiction. So what?)

Anyway, that coat is gorgeous! The color is vibrant and unique, the wool is somehow light yet warm at the same time, and the lining is so soft I go into my closet just to touch it sometimes.

And the folks at Plasticland are totally professional and accomodating. There was a weird shipping fluke when I ordered my coat, but they handled it immediately and straightened everything out.
Awesomeness!

Go shop there!
Unleash your inner Mad Men!

And In The End (... Or Is It?)

I finished my recent foray into the embroidery world a few weeks ago, and thought I'd share the pictures with you.



I tried my hand at some free-style embroidery, inspired by the excellent book, Doodle Stitching.







And, quelle suprise! A robot somehow found his way into my coaster set. And on glitter felt, nonetheless. Hmmm... I'm sensing a pattern here.

Diversions (or Things I Covet)

There is so much awesomeness online, I can't help but feel compelled to share some of my findings with you. I spend way too much time on the Internet to not do something at least partially constructive with the list of treasures I find...

If you're at all concerned with building a stylish, small, and temporary nest for yourself, I'm sure you're heard of Apartment Therapy. They're the harbingers of design who, in their own words, are "saving the world, one room at a time."

Yesterday, they featured some art that I just refuse to accept as paintings.



I mean, that's got to be a photo from the 70s, right?
Artist David Imlay is clearly a master of the brush. Go read the write-up at Apartment Therapy for more paintings and information.



Also, in keeping with my my love for all things whimsical, bizarre, hilarious, and vaguely old-timey, there is this:



This dandy Boxer dog is the brainchild of The Utilitarian Franchise. Please go check out their Etsy shop. You won't be disappointed.



And finally, here's a picture of an awesome glittery purple skull I bought yesterday.



No, no 99 Cent Store... Thank you!