post-festival apartment squalor

so, taking a cue from my online buddy catherine, over at redshoeshomegoods.com, whose own blog recently highlighted the reality of her otherwise seemingly clean and "with it" life, i've decided to share with you, my reading audience, just exactly what the greenstarhome looks like AFTER (and in the weeks leading up to) a show, which in case you've done any quick math you'll realize is like, oh, all the time.
let the horrow show begin.
now, i'll say that it's probably not evident in the photos (god, i hope its not!), but we have dog-hair-tumbleweeds almost bigger than the dog itself.

what we see here is what the festival booth looks like AFTER it comes down and comes back into the apartment, where it will live in the hallway, obstructing our walkway and causing a half dozen stubbed toes, for a month or so, until the next show when it will be carted one piece at a time down the stairs and back into the car. we also see piles of "things to make" and "things to make things out of". and of course, poor shiloh, regarding these piles and asking so sweetly... when oh when will i get space to stretch out again. look at her pleading little eyes.

i hope this teaches us all that dirt is cool. clutter is better. and organization is time spent NOT knitting or sewing or painting and that time is just more fun. with that in mind, i'll ask you not to say "i told you so" when i complain about my allergies or stubbed toes. xo danamarie.

artscape

yay artscape! yay repetative beats and drunken masses! yes ladies and gents, that day has come (and gone) and thank you so much to all the lovely folks i met this weekend... and all the old friendswho were sure to stop by. check it out, by the way, greenstarstudio whipped out a new booth layout. those of you who got to experience this new "multi-sensory trip into the inner most levels of my mind" (also known as: canvas and acrylic knitimal panels, tap lights and colorful display banners) seemed to enjoy the changes, so thanks. as i write this now, i am acutely aware of the lack of sleep and ground in dirt that won't be showered away, that is artscape. 3 days of sun and dust, and before it, at least a month of obsessive production and brainstorming (not to mention packing, unpacking, packing and unpacking the bins and rubbermaids that carry my wares and necessities to shows. i like things "just so"). every day of artscape just got better and better. half of my knit friends went home with new friends and well... there's not a frame or box or journal left. i couldn't produce other work fast enough! so thank you--- thank you for wanting to own things i make. thank you for buying handmade. thank you to every single person who came in and told me my work was cute or sweet or gentle or positive or unique or wonderful or weird (in a good way)... thank you for reminding me that this little venture of mine really IS a good idea (i mean, i think it is, but i can only own so much of my own work, ya dig?). i should be getting the website updated again in a couple weeks tops, SO, if you saw anyone or anything at artscape you wanted but didnt go home with, let me know and i'll get it right out to you. xoxo danamarie
(next stop: harbor east fine arts & music festival!, august 25th).

"patches? we DO need some stinkin' patches!"

need another reason to stop by the ol' booth on friday? patches. yes. patches. look, if you're gonna pin some silly piece of canvas to your bag and announce your feelings for something, shouldn't that something be Knitimals? i thought so. they're only a buck! pins included. see you soon! xoxo danamarie

pile of wool-love

a stack of sewn Knitimals™ waiting to be stuffed and sewn shut. i like the look of this pile.

artscape is upon us! and so are the minimals!

no, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you... those ARE tiny knitimals... MINI Knitimals even. Or minimals, as i'll call them (special thanks to bob for that clever title). these little buggers will be making their debut at Artscape this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you've never been to Artscape, you are very sad. BUT, you can redeem yourself this year. The festivities begin at noon each day and include short films, music, puppets, fried food on sticks... good stuff. the greenstarstudio booth will be in exactly the same spot as last year, for those return visitors. for those who didn't see us last year, we will be on mt. royal avenue, right across the street from the main building, in front of the brown center. hope to see you there!!!! xoxo danamarie

wanna see me make a box up close?

here's my messy desk. and here is a happy little box on my messy desk. i've already painted the base coat and have spent the last hour or so drawing on the top of it with colored pencil. it'll be up on the website and available for sale (along with a half a dozen new boxes and frames) by the end of next week!

plates and bowls

look ma, new work! i told some of you already, but so everyone knows... yes, i am painting plates and bowls now too. i was just thinking how boring my own plates are at home and then i thought "well heck, i can fix that". if you'd like to "fix that" too... they're up online and can be custom ordered as well.

flitamals, flitamals, flat knitimals

here's another pile of sewn knitimals awaiting their stuffing. i've been resting my wrists and catching up on my sewing this week. all of these fine new friends will be waiting for you online and at artscape!

knitimal group shot

here's a brand new batch of happy little knitimals waiting to go home with you! they're all up on the website, ready to be adopted, and anyone who isn't snatched up will be waiting for you at artscape later this month. xoxo danamarie

news of the visionary kind

the KNITIMALS™ have done it, ladies and gents--- they have infiltrated the wacky, wonderful walls of the American Visionary Art Museum here in baltimore. for years people have been telling me (and rightly so) that Sideshow, the gift shop at AVAM, would be a great space for the Knitimals... i'd like to say i'm fearless, but those of you who know me know that i can be a little stubborn when it comes to trying something i think i might fail at. thus, i put off approaching the good people over at Sideshow until 2 weeks ago. its a funny story... basically the day began with me (and estelle, my "day-time daughter") going out on what we thought was a sure thing retail visit (it wasn't). we were prepared to talk shop. we had a car full of knitimals. we were hungry (me for getting my work out in the public eye... estelle, probably for macaroni and cheese). we'd promised the knitimals today would be the day for some of them. i couldn't just bring them back home! i was on a mission. so, maybe it was the "you can't tell me what to do" vibe i was feeding off of, but i decided that there was no time like the present and i really wanted to see the knitimals at sideshow--- i'd been avoiding failure for two years and that was just plain silly. more silly was worrying about failing. if they weren't interested in carrying my work, no harm, no foul; it would just be another little road block in the already less than perfect day. so, we parked the car, fed the meter, got ourselves stamped as "ok" for the shop but not the galleries--- i on my hand, estelle on her leg--- and we walked off toward the future, nervous, but steady. only a minute later, we were confident. we were SO well recieved by the Sideshow staff, and after a lovely little visit, estelle and i walked out 5 knitimals lighter. it was great. so reassuring, and another great reminder for me (and i find i need these) that i really DO know what i am doing... ah, sweet success! i'm so proud of them. the Visionary, if you haven't been, by the way, is a MAJOR must visit here in baltimore. an entire museum dedicated to untrained artists making some of the must gut-torn, heart felt, amazing art you've ever seen. so good. so so good. anyway, this is mr. ledu and if you want him, head over there and pick him up! (if you want to see who else is there, check out the listings in the "knitimals 2007" section of my website. for more on AVAM---check this out:
american visionary art museum