The 2009 Calendar Debut is here!

The moment we all have been waiting for: The unveiling of the 2009 Calendar of Famous Chicago Graves! 

You can visit me and pick one up in person at the ArtWalkRavenswood: http://www.artwalkravenswood.org/ this weekend. (In addition to the calendars, I will have greeting cards, new paintings, and fine art prints for sale. It’s free to look! And did I mention you get to see live artists stand near their work?)

I am offering the calendars for $15 as a special ArtWalk discount this weekend only! They will be for sale on-line at my etsy store as well for $20 starting now and after the ArtWalk. 

This homegrown 2009 calendar, collaged lovingly by hand, features 12 gravesites “brought to life” in the Chicagoland area. ( January: Marshall Field, February; Victims of Al Capone’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, March: Oscar Mayer, April: Dick Tracy cartoonist, May: Emma Goldman, June: Circus Disaster Gravesite, July: Mrs. O’Leary-and her legendary cow, August: bicycle maker, Ignaz Schwinn, September: the legendary ghost and statue of Inez Clarke, October: Chicago’s famous ghost, Ressurection Mary, November: Enrico Fermi, December: Indian burial grounds.) Learn about rich history buried around Chicago and keep track of your days at the same time!

 

In the heat of the summer…

It’s just another day in Chicago…kayaking down the Chicago river and then placing a hot dog in front of Oscar Mayer’s grave. Yep, just another day. (You’ll have to wait until the calendar comes out to see the hot dog vendor in front of the sausage maker’s grave.) You won’t have to wait to go kayaking at kayakchicago.com though. The garbage in the river is pretty bad, like don’t touch it with a 10 foot stick or kayak paddle… but it gets a little “sparkly” and “clear” as you paddle further into the loop. A few more pics are at my flickr site.

August is jam packed with”cemetery dates.” I’m still looking for a cow costume for Mrs O’Leary’s grave. I’ll dress up in it if I have to. A two person costume would be ideal. And if anyone doesn’t like their photo taken, you can hide in the rear legs… Anyone?

 

3 minute scarf

“That is the most Jean Fitzgerald photograph I’ve ever seen….you know, sans Polka-dot car.”-Natasha. This was taken at the Swap-o-rama-rama in  good ole Chicago. I arrived Saturday at the event with my dear friend, Liz, pictured to the left of the giant mound of free and amazing clothes:

I did put on a personal small-scale clotheswap in my own home a few weeks ago as featured earlier in this blog but that pales in comparison to this event. This specific Chicago Swap-o-rama-rama -there have been many held in other cities- served as a fundraiser for a newly proposed school called Three Sisters Folk Art School to be located outside Chicago. Their tag line was “Creators not Consumers” and they described the event as “part Project Runway…part clothing swap…learn to turn  “fiber trash” into wearable treasure.”  I can get into that…old clothes manipulated on the sewing machines and then displayed on the runway in celebration of the thrift.

Here is a quick clip from the founders of the Swap-o-rama-rama:

and yes that was a cyberdundant move of me…

At that event I learned how to make way cool earrings (tba at a later post), silkscreening techniques, loom demos, and my favorite…the 3 minute scarf!

First, I gathered random shreds of yarn, especially the fluffy, poofy kind. I cut them at unscientific lengths that I thought sufficed. I suppose you could shred a t-shirt or other non-fraying fabric into your desired length as well.

Then I knotted them randomly, I mean, intuitively, together. The more knotting you do, the shorter your scarf length will become.

Presto! A scarf in just minutes from scraps of yarn.

Although, I ‘ve been altering and knotting while at stoplights and in line at the grocery store— I guess it’s the 3-minute scarf that reincarnates.

 

Clearing screen (and green) space

In the purging frenzy that originated from the clotheswap, I felt the need to rid myself of other things…such as the old college laptop-a cheeseburger of a laptop, says my friend-sitting in my closet. It was a hand-me-down from my sister in 2001.

Good ole, Windows 95!

It even has a floppy disc drive!

After some shallow internet research, I have learned there is a drop off site in Chicago specifically for recycling your old computers and other hazardous items. I did, indeed, just say recycling and Chicago in the same sentence. I haven’t recycled it yet so maybe there is a nerd who wants to adopt this computer from me? They have strange hours:

The facility is located at 1150 N. North Branch Street, which is two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street. The facility is open for drop-offs on the following days:

• Tuesday (7:00am – 12:00pm)
• Thursday (2:00pm- 7:00pm)
• The first Saturday of every month (8:00am – 3:00pm)

I am going to try and work around these strange hours and give a complete update on the recycling experience. Presently, a friend is helping transfer old files into my new computer via the internet connection that is still possible on this machine.

Before Mozilla married Firefox:

¡Viva my Sophomore Art History essays!

Also, at a later date, I hope to interview my father about his KAYPRO 10 (a green screen!) that is still in use for his business. (Whadya say, Pop?) Anyone up for a little time travel to 1983? If it ain’t broke…

 

Making Space

Today was the day of the Clotheswap. Amazing women from different corners of Chicago come together to trade wares. Allow me to give special thanks to all those who donated their stuff and their company to a fantastic afternoon. We, of course, had to make space in the apartment for the event, and later our closets. But, personally, I am currently concerned about making more space in my nose. Blasted cold! Let this Spring Cleaning usher in new breath in our living space and our nasal passages.

The first week I heard about this thing, I called it the “nutty pot” but it is actually a patented shaped pot called the Netipot. I was willing to try anything last fall during allergy season, so my friend recommended this wacky hippy dippy thing….sent straight from God or Buddha or Taiwan or something. You pour a warm saltwater solution through one nostril over the sink while tipping your chin up and one ear to the ceiling. The patented shape of the spout creates a seal around one nostril and the angle of your head prevents the water from traveling down your throat. While holding this somewhat yogic pose, you wait for the funny-I got water up my nose-feeling, and then watch the water (and other items stuck up there) dribble out the other nostril. Gross? Maybe.  Here’s to clearing spaces in your life for new things to happen.