May the best lemon win

Cameron's Sunkist Lemon video is up and ready for comments! No voting on this one, just commenting and you don't have to sign up or anything so if you have a second, go see what I was doing last Saturday and leave a little thought!:) Just click THIS LINK and then click on VIDEO GALLERY and click on ours, THE SUNKIST LEMON MAN. For some reason I can't link you directly to it. 

Chase just went to get some carmel topping for me:) We were going to see Planet of the Apes but we decided to stay in and watch Four Weddings and a Funeral instead. He bought it for his mom's birthday...twice. So I guess this one is ours now! Sorry Arleen!

Have a good night everyone! Did you see I listed my new carrot cupcake toppers? I've got lots more, I'm just going to pace my shop activity and list a new item every day. I love these guys! My goodness, if I'm this in love with my inanimate objects, can you imagine what I'll be like about my kids?!

Don't wear such short dresses, just incase you faint.

Well THAT was an eventful day....
I waited in line yesterday for about 30 minutes to officially register my business name, The naked bird, at the LA county registrar's office. I made it to the counter around 4pm, filled everything out, wrote a check and eagerly waited for my return slips while thinking "I'm going to faint, oh no, I'm going to faint! Maybe I should ask the lady for some water, no that's weird, why would she have water back there? OH NO! maybe I'll just sit down on the floor right here, I know that's so weird but I just need to sit down for a minute-" and then I went black. I woke up with several women around me, helping me up and into a chair. I'm sure I flashed just about everyone in line because I had been very conscious of how short my dress was. They brought me some water and called the paramedics and I was SO embarrassed! They took my blood pressure and monitored my heart and took me to Kaiser because my blood pressure was low and my face was completely white. I called Chase and he met me at the hospital. Several blood tests, a couple x-rays, an IV, and a $135 co-pay later, they sent me home with a referral to see a cardiologist.
Chase took me to dinner at one of our favorite Italian places and we were so hungry by that time, we had bread, crab cakes, an entree, (mine was chicken and portabella mushroom raviolis:) ) and tiramisu. So good, so full.
I didn't get much done other than my registered business name. But at least I finished it before I went down! When I came around I said, "did I finish everything?"
Today I'm going to head over to Central Casting in Burbank and register. I've been very reluctant to do any background work but one of the nurses from yesterday told me that she walked in with a friend and they taft-hartleyed her on the spot. If only! I at least need to get on some bigger sets and start networking more. I can't be so proud. George Clooney says he accepted every job he was offered,  which surely had to include some background work...right?
Have a lovely Wednesday everyone. And be sure to drink lots of water!

Noodle eater

 I must wait till the sun wakes up on this side of the world again tomorrow to photograph and post my new creations on etsy but in the meantime, here's a taste of what I spent my day doing...I loved the idea of carrot cake muffins so much, I thought, who wouldn't want cute little carrots to add to their carrot cakes!? I sure do! So here they are along with some other cupcake toppers. Hopefully my paper clay people will be dry sometime tomorrow so I'll be able to slowly share them too. I love my new art dolls, they are so much fun to create. I just wish paperclay wasn't so expensive!
It's so nice to lay down after hours at my table.  I need to get to my emails and submit for auditions anyway.
My diet has become completely asian! When I did my last juice cleanse, I read a lot about reducing the meat in diets and I've been meaning to track down a copy of The China Study which apparently is one of the most well researched food studies. It basically talks about how an asian diet is so much more of a plant based diet with lots of whole grains and fruits and veggies. They really don't have a lot of red meat (depending on which country you're in I suppose, but either way, it's definitely far less than America's consumption) I romantically love the idea of being a firm vegan or even vegetarian, but I can't label myself one thing. That's too much pressure and I will crave what I'm denying myself, or think about it all the time. But I have been eating so well and haven't even thought about food and today Chase commented on how hyper I was. I feel like I'm never hyper but I was today and I felt so good! I've reduced a lot of my sugar intake. My diet has been mostly sushi, fruits and veggies and tea! Also Ramen noodles and I know they have a bad reputation but they actually have some fiber and protein and I don't normally eat any sodium at all so what could some noodles every now and then hurt? There is an entire isle at the Asian market I go to, devoted to ramen and other noodles. I found a brand that, at about $1.50, is a little pricer than the normal $0.50 packs, but it is So delicious with no msg and a bit more natural. It's called Hoo Roo Rook. If you can find some, try it. It's delicious. And look into eating an Asian diet. Especially if you have a history or family history of cancer.
I think Ramen is my comfort food. I spent every weekend growing up with my  cousin Danielle (who is more like my sister than my cousin.) She lived with my grandparents just down the street from my house and we would always stay up later than we were allowed to. And sometimes, in the middle of the night, we'd sneak out to the kitchen and make Top Ramen. The other day I was eating my bowl of Hoo Roo Rook and I felt so comfortable and calm and I realized it was my comfort food and I instantly knew why. Oh it's the little things....I think I'm craving some Ramen noodles now:)

Paper people

I just washed the paper clay off my hands and sat down to a cup of lavender tea for a little break. I didn't spend quite so much time at my craft table at I had planned last night so I'm making up for it tonight. I made a trip over to Trader Joe's and saw some carrot muffins, so I grabbed some fresh bunny food and headed home to make my own. They're really good! I just found a regular carrot muffin recipe and replaced half of the flour with chia seeds and almond flour. I've disappointed Chase many a time when, "I made muffins...but they are healthy" comes out of my mouth. I owe him some "cowboy cake" muffins as he calls them. Or Coffee cake as it's better known to me.

By the way, you MUST go fetch some lavender green tea for yourself (i found mine at the asian market but I'm sure it's available most places) and some CREAMED honey and SOY creamer (the last two I found at trader joes and I'm in love with both) I had this combination in my head and it was better than I imagined when I tried it. OH MY GOODNESS. Do this and report back. Have you ever had lavender ice cream? Kinda similar but warmer and not quite as sweet.

Okay I better get my hands on some clay. I will hopefully be able to post a few new items tomorrow. Working on lots of paper clay art dolls and puppets and some more cupcake toppers!

Blessed Sunday everyone.

Beatrix Potter and the barbarians

'Beatrix Potter's rainy day' by thenakedbird

When I'm home crafting, I love to watch Beatrix potter & friends, for the opening scene where Beatrix runs through the rain to a cozy little cottage on her farm. She drinks tea by the fire, writing while the rain pours outside. It's just magical to me...

Victorian dress/coa... NinasWerke $189.99	Vintage Aluminum Te... littleshopofph... $13.50	1980s Victorian Sty... MaPetiteChambr... $45.00	treasured - fine la... YesandAmen $4.50
Earl Grey & Lime Sh... thistleconfect... $8.00	Fox and Duck - F35 ... crystalbouquet $12.50	Adawatte Estate Pek... teavert $11.00	Bunny Photo - Hazel... ara133photogra... $10.00
20 Better Than Tea ... BookCraft $12.00	vintage art supplie... sadieolive $42.00	Mama and Baby Hedge... gingerlittle $14.00	Pen and Ink Persona... KingdomKards $24.00
30's Little Mis... OHolyVintage $12.00	Gardenia - Locket, ... StefenyStanyer $26.00	Art Photography Gre... lmthorntonarts $20.00	Organic Spaghetti S... RunningBugFarm $2.25

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Isn't this just lovely?? I had to share this one on here, Beatrix Potter is so special to me. If you ever watch Beatrix Potter and Friends, you will be blessed:)

I shot my part for my wonderfully talented friend, Cameron Thrower's, video for the Sunkist Lemon contest today. It's going to be so cute, I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll post it here so you can see and comment on it! (there's no voting on this one, only comments allowed) I think he's aiming for Wednesday so it should be available in a couple of days!

Yesterday was the last day of fairy training till Fae comes back in like 3 weeks. Oh my goodness, I'm freaking out a little bit, I'm truly living off my etsy right now! Thankfully, I have two parties back to back tomorrow as Cinderella which will be very helpful. Oh speaking of which, I need to go pick up the dress! ahhh! We received lots of special gifts from Fae! Big magical book -boxes to hold all of our new face paints and brushes. Everything is such wonderful quality too. I'm soooo excited to be employed by a company with such standards! Check out happilyeverlaughter when you can, it's so wonderful! 

Also, I finally found the movie I have been looking for, for YEARS! When I was a little girl I saw a movie (that must have been on TV at the time in the late 80's) and it has been SCARED into my brain ever since! All I could remember was this really REALLY creepy looking guy, trying to find the next queen by fitting this magical ruby into their belly buttons. But I remember them crying and fighting it. Chase helped me track it down on a google search and I'm surprised that he found it when I couldn't cause I'm usually I very good googler but we watched it last night and I just finished it and it's The Barbarians!!!! This really cheesy movie from 1987. And the part I remembered was supposed to be a happy scene and the other girls were crying because the ruby didn't fit them and they wanted to be queen! Did you follow all of that? Well you can find the movie on Youtube. Oh my goodness, I'm so happy it's out of my system! Now if only I could track down those weird little plastic barrel juices with the attached straws....Oh my nostalgia cravings...

Okay well I better grab that dress and eat something! I just realized that all i've had today was some green tea, a grapefruit, some wasabi peas and a little scoop of vanilla ice cream in a lemon rind  (compliments of Mr. Cameron Thrower after filming)...

Okay, happy Saturday to everyone! Hope you did something productive or lazy or silly or whatever strikes your fancy. Have a lovely night, I'm going to spend mine at the craft table:)

Thursday treasures

Alrighty. I made two treasuries today. I have a headache from staring at the computer. I'm trying to make at least one treasury (which is basically a collection of other artists items you put together based on a theme or color or whatnot on etsy) per day to network and support other artists but I wonder if it takes other people so long to put them together. I can't just put a mess of things, it has to be perfect. I think too much sometimes. It makes me stiff when i dance and tense when i sing and spend much too much time on treasuries.

I was late for fairy training today! 15 minutes. I felt soooo bad. We had fun though, and I learned how to make a few balloon animals including a snail, a bunny, a classic dog, and a little tiny poodle which was probably one of the most simple but definitely my favorite. Tomorrow we will face paint. Then we'll keep practicing more and more things on our own until our "Fairy godmother" returns to LA in another week or so.

I hope everyone is having a happy cozy night. I'm fantasizing about halloween pumpkins and cookies and lights. I can't wait till it smells wet outside and gets gloomy and I can wear tights with my dresses and sweaters all day.

I'm not a mover, I'm an eater

I meant to write when I got back from Yosemite, but LA sucked me back into my busy routine...also, I left my camera in the mountains and I couldn't share my photos till Chase returned with it and my beloved little mustard sweater:)

Chase and his younger brother drove up Monday at 2am to get the campsite (a feat I took on last year with Chase that I was not so eager to relive) And his older brother and I drove up Monday afternoon. I made chicken rubbed with garlic, olive oil and rosemary from Arleen's (Chase's mom's) garden, along with foil pouches of red, white and purple potatoes, tossed with spaghetti squash, and olive oil. We made a campfire, tossed the potato pouches on the coals and cooked the chicken over the fire...It may have been one of the best meals I've made...or maybe we all love it so much because we were starving by the time it was thoroughly cooked! We got up the next day, moved to a bigger campsite and went on a hike to Elizabeth Lake which we did last year together. It's such a beautiful hike but very dangerous...I fell down on the way back! I tripped over a rock or tree root or something and banged up my leg pretty bad, it brought me to tears! You know the kind that just come cause something hurts so bad but you don't mean to cry?

I can't share just one photo, they are so beautiful! I miss it already! So, we came back, I fell, took an ibprofin back at camp and read The Help (which I didn't get to finish but it's soooo good so far!) till Chase's parents arrived with the U-haul and all! They bring a bbq and lots and lots of stuff cause there are so many of us that go now. I had so much fun at the campfires with everyone. Chase's two brothers went head to head with the two of us on what the true definition of a zombie is. I was quite passionate. What has this man done to me??! We shared old stories and jokes and roasted marshmallows, made s'mores...oh and I requested sloppy joes for my special meal on the last night I was there. I hadn't had them since I was a kid and you know what? THEY ARE SO GOOD. The last day I was there, we went to the valley with his parents and Bud (dad) got to tell me and show me all the things that their family already knows so I think he had fun teaching me and I had fun learning! We walked around the old cemetery, the little indian village, and in the museums and shops. Then we all pitched in and collected fire wood on the way back and had my last campfire...the sloppy joe night. I crawled out of our sleeping bag at 6am Thursday morning, Bud made me a map to get out of Yosemite, I said goodbye, kissed Chase and I was off. Oh boy what a drive. A little over 6 hours and then it was straight to my interview. And I got the job! I am now working as a fairy with happilyeverlaughter! I'm so excited! And you know what? We have our first training days tomorrow and friday so I better get to sleep! I don't know why I'm still up, I ran around Van Nuys all day applying for sellers permits and business licenses and running errands and then we went to a late showing of Crazy Stupid Love which I adored....You'd think I'd be conked out right now! Here's to trying...Goodnight all...

Oh, I have a little mini etsy on here now! it will show you some of my items currently for sale and you can click and go directly to them or my store! you see? on the right...:)

Puppets and Fairies and Camping, Oh MY!

HHHhhhhhhhhhh. Did you hear that? That was a breath of relief. I have finally finished my puppets! And I am in love! I love paper clay and pink wool roving hair and painting! And I love my little puppet babies! Ah, I feel so accomplished. Yet, in the process, I've come up with so many more ideas and now I feel like I have more that I NEED to get done! Ah, such is the disposition of a crafter...
I think I need to force myself away from my craft table for a while and get some exercise! I'll just have to write down my ideas this week and work on them one by one from now on, instead of all at once!
On one last craft note, look for my boogie monster cupcake toppers in the next, Halloween issue of Child Style Magazine!!! Yay, how exciting!! See why I've been creating like crazy??
We are heading to Yosemite on Sunday which will be such a lovely escape from LA life. I am just going to read and sleep and hike and try not to think about money or work or anything else that involves effort of the mind. I can feel it, my brain is sore from concentrating!
I'll have to cut my visit short and come back a few days early for a job interview to be a fairy! Not a bad gig if you ask me...I think it'll be worth the few lost days. I am a little nervous to drive down that mountain by myself though...