Rock and Roll Monster Bash 2007

Also while in atlanta, heather and i went to the Rock and Roll Monster Bash. loved getting my picture with this guy (this could be why...).

first up, blastoff burlesque performed...i have big plans on making myself some of those bat pasties...

and the folks from Zombie Walk Atlanta were there doing free zombie makeovers...i should have taken advantage of it...

here's a person getting done up. i was so impressed with the amount of work these folks put into doing the makeup. along with giving someone that general zombie look, they airbrush the skin and apply all sorts of oozing lesions for the full effect. why again did i not do this?

heather and i with a zombie dude. this guy was amazing...stayed in character the entire time and came to the event already looking like this...i don't think he gets out much.

also at the fest was an array of artists and crafters with creepy wares. got to meet c. martin croker (involved in many ways with space ghost, but most importantly to me, he is the voice of zorac "I'm chartreuse").
other fun stuff to see and do includes but not limited to was a hearse show, a few decent bands, and my favorite all time activity, gawking at people.
Loads o' fun...waay better than drive invasion... hands down.

ICE

heather and i went on a mini vacation weekend to atlanta a few months back. the main reason was to go to ICE (Indie Craft Experience), an alternative craft fair. just now getting a chance to post about it. and because it's not as fresh in my mind as it could be, i don't have alot of details to share...sorry. i wish i could blame it on drugs and alcohol because that would at least be a fun reason but no... anyway, back to our story. below is a booth, who's booth? the hell if i know, but i liked it.


my dearest heather, trying to eat a crocheted pastry. the girl loves her cupcakes....



me, at the esty booth. along the bottom edge of the table were crafty offerings. i hope i didn't mess up the karma by picking up this...er, i'm not sure what it is but it's cute. maybe a food item of some sort, i think it's living in a bowl.


here are some girls that know how to pose for a picture the way i like, all over dramatic-ish..unfortunately, i don't recall their shop name or i would give some props.



now meet the Geets... heather and i bought this little monster fam and toted them with us everywhere for little photo shots . the Geets got to go to IKEA and enjoy swedish meatballs among other "vacation in Atlanta" hotspots. they are seen here in the park in front of the world of Coke. they were just a few of many purchases we made.


if my memory serves me right, it was a very cool craft fair, lots of neat stuff ...i highly recommend going...maybe one day the dixie dolls will be representing.

it's an oooh la la baby soiree!

one of my dearest friends, dixie doll heather got herself knocked up just so we could throw this cool baby shower soiree! we knew she and her hubby were getting a little girl and since the nursery is done up in pink and black with french poodle decor, we decided to carry that idea into the shower theme. we did our best to hose the room down with anything pepto bismal colored ala steel magnolias and briefly entertained the idea of even painting the walls pink. above image is the fabric i bought as decor for the shower and then to make into a gift...notice in the script it says Coco (this is the baby's nickname!)

princess heather at her throne. we all dressed in pink and black.

seen below is the hors d'oeuvres set up. the baby's nickname is spelled out in foam letters atop the table. the pink Eiffel towers are photo holders with ultrasound images along with french words and sayings relating to babies on them. heather's mom made the black/pink polka dotted table cloth. all the hor d'oeuvres were french inspired or within the color theme: croissant sandwiches, chocolate eclairs, strawberries and mini quiches.

here is a cheap decoration i came up with using paper plates and streamers suspended from the ceiling. kinda snagged the idea in part from martha stewart magazine.

here's the beverage table. more pink and black! heather came up with the neatest idea. you see that thing hanging on the wall? well that is a framed print that was already there of something that just didn't go with our decor and we just couldn't have that! so heather covered it in black/white polka dotted paper and affixed the extra ultrasound photos and frenchie saying on it. genius, really.

these, well, didn't quite turn out as i had hoped. they are pink tinted white chocolate little Eiffels. they are weeble woobles really...and not as pristine as i would have liked. not to mention these few took forever to make.

forgot to mention that it was heather's birthday as well as her shower! yay! here she is with her own little birthday cake i did up for her. notice the candles match the decor theme. the little crown was my birthday present to her.

here are the "petite fours" i made for the rest of the guests. they are actually upside down cupcakes.

the hat boxes are from coco's nursery. we put the thank you gifts in and around them.

close up of the "merci beaucoup" parting gifts.

okay, now for some other details. it's going to get lengthy here on out so stick with me if possible....

:games:
i didn't want us to play the same old boring shower games. i was able after some time of searching online to find a few suggestions that weren't the same sad overdone ones. first was the string game. i'm sure it could have a much punchier title but i can't think of anything right now...maybe "how huge is the pregnant woman really?". in this game, all the guests cut a length of yarn that they think is the circumference of mommy's belly, the closest guess wins. the second game involved giving every guest a disposable diaper and a permanent marker. they are asked to write a funny saying (ex: loaded! it's daddy's turn! beware of fallout! poops, i did it again...) on the diaper so that when the parent's are changing said diaper at 3 in the morning it will give them something to laugh about, maybe... the winner is whichever one mommy thinks is the funniest. the third game takes some prep work but it is humorous along with being a bit disturbing, if you are into that kinda thing. take photos of the mother and father's face foward. cut out nose, eyes, hair, lips, ears ect. then find in a magazine a photo of a baby's face/body that will as close as possible work ratio-wise to the features cut from the parent's faces. pass out pre-made forms with facial features and some personal attributes are listed (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, sense of humor, sense of style ect). mommy-to-be decides beforehand which of each features she would like for baby to have of her or daddy. the guests are asked to guess what they think mom will say, closest wins. for the visual part of the game put magnets or double-sided tape on the cut outs and place them over the mock baby face... it can become very creepy looking. to

:parting gifts:
example seen above with the merci beaucoup sign. to keep with a girly theme, the gifts were such things as pink lip gloss, pink nail polish, pink candles... you get the idea. the wrapping for them is pink netting on the outside with pink easter grass inside surrounding the gift then tied with matching ribbon.

whew, i hope i explained everything clearly, typing it all out was more exhausting than doing it...

hello dears,
i am out of town so posting will be sketchy. i'll do my best! ~m

cutesy embroidery

got these old transfers from my memaw recently (click on image to enlarge):

ahh geez.... too cute! the stewed pear makes me laugh.

since all of these sayings may not apply, i think it would be a better idea to just do a whole mess of towels in one design... "stubborn as a mule" would be fitting.

and for this set..."hot as a pepper" or better yet, "easy as pie"!

pumpkinbutt nursery

As part of the 2 year shindig of mhicty i am giving a tour of another room in my real house (last year's here). This time it's pumpkinbutt's nursery. i sadly disassembled it last weekend. i tried my best to keep him baby-fied as long as possible but he's just not into pink fuzzy old teddy bears and rabbits like i am. (above image is from inside of the crib...my infatuation over these little darlings is best not discussed, i would be committed)


here is his crib.. yes, it's old and it's not up to code.. i can fit a coke can between the rails...he's fine...really! so on to the bedding. i made everything from an old white chenille polka dotted twin sized bed spread. bought both the crib and bed spread at thrift stores. actually... bought those curtains at a thrift store years earlier as well.



awww... there are the old cutesy fuzzy critters! the little bookshelf is the top section of a old china cabinet, got it at a yard sale for 4 bucks. the dresser was a hand me down. i repainted all the mismatched furniture so it would seem cohesive.


the laundry hamper (seen left) and the "Baby Tenda". get it? baby tender..baby tenda? ah ha! got both of these from different antique malls years apart. i have had a thing for old baby stuff longer than the desire to have a little bugger to put in them. years ago i used the hamper for magazine storage. the Baby Tenda is a pretty neat contraption really. the legs, seat and foot rest are all adjustable and the back of the seat converts it into a flat table.

this is the top of the Baby Tenda. those images are so flippin' cute i decided to make the wall hangings based after them.


one of four said wall hangings. they are made of white foam board (lightweight to reduce any injuries) and acrylic paint ( no lead paint here! just in case he decided to gnaw on them) i used a projector to get the images on the foam board, traced them in with a pencil and painted them in the chosen color scheme.

one day when i have my own little craft room i plan on hanging his head/foot board and cutie critters on the walls.

well, now it's on to transformers....

2!

My House Is Cuter Than Yours has done turned 2 years old! i thought of just letting the day go by with not so much as simple crepe paper streamers but what the heck, let's have some cake!

i have many adventures and projects to report upon and will do so soon. thank you to everyone for the encouraging comments and emails. sorry if i have been out of touch, i'll make it up to you!

everything ablaze

i am trying my best to put out fires as they occur but i can't keep up. i don't like to do anything that i can't place full intentness on. therefore, my house is cuter than yours is going to have to be shelved for a couple of months or so. in the meantime, peruse the Deep Freezer (archives) til i have something that isn't scorched to serve!

fame!

here is the other 7.5 minutes of fame i mentioned recently! I am in the new issue of the digital crafting magazine creative TECHniques. yay! the article touches on dyi culture and the new crafters that take it on in the dot com world. i am in good company too, others mentioned are threadbared, plain mabel and tie on one (all are in my links section!)

(click on images to view article)

this issue also has a number of very cool craft ideas to check out as well...one involves shrinky dinks!

retro crafty memo pad

here is a pictorial tute on the craft project i submitted for The Crafter Culture Handbook. it is a memo pad made from Jiffy baking product boxes. any boxes with fun graphics would be suitable. maybe even covering thin cardboard with japanese candy wrappers.... that's an interesting idea actually... i am posting this because i don't think the instructional photos are going to be included in the book (i haven't received my copy just yet). i see this as a supplement, if needed.

okay, so here is a quick run down of supplies/tools and such.

you will need: interesting box, paper cut to size (a smidge smaller than the covers, and as much as your stapler can handle going through), stapler, glue, decorative papers and other embellishments of your choice.

the how-to:

the box....
only a serving suggestion mind you.

cut away sides and bottom flaps (discards shown to the right), leaving front and back of box along with the attached top flaps (see left).

again, what to save.

this is the part i have a hard time explaining. with front and back covers facing each other insert pages in between top flaps (which have been folded inward). staple in place.

disguise boring inside of covers and flaps by gluing down decorative paper cut to size. for me, i feel you just can't get anymore decorative than black! shown in this image i used pinking shears on the edges of the pages.

the finished product.
at this point adding embellishments could be an option. glitter is always nice.

and there you have it...

show and tell once again...

These two little cuties are vintage Asian chalkware bobbleheads with magnets on their lips so they appear to be kissing. i used to go through absurd phases where i needed certain items, and i was quite obsessed with getting a set of these guys. purchased on ebay, can't remember for how much. i collect vintage Asian stuff so... more to come, much more. a whole china cabinet full along with an entire dining room...like i said, i was obsessed.

here is a frontal view. awwwwww sooo cute! note the "Let's Kiss" motto on the bottom. just darling.

show and tell

a new series on mhicty...show and tell! some of my favorite objects along with a brief story if there is one worth saying. don't want to bore anyone with dull narratives.

here we have one of my favorite little belongings...The Brain offering a little heart with his ever present scowl. my mom gave it to me v-tine's day 1997. i kinda have a thing for The Brain....he's just a little darling with his need for world domination and all.

Weirdness and Oddities

tagged by Saucy for six weird things about me...only 6? ha!

1. i like to smell my son's feet to check their stinky rating. pickle feet, love it.

2. i have a dried wishbone collection. i figure i have better odds of getting my wish if i have a collection of them to break.

3. i would rather have a glass door knob from an old house than a diamond.

4. i wish i could get away with wearing aprons as clothing, or other more costumey kinda things...like, what's wrong with wearing tiny top hats or black plastic bugs on barettes when it's not halloween?

5. i like to dance seductively to Pulp when i am alone in the studio at school. mmmm....jarvis....mmmmm.

6. speaking of music... i like to listen to songs on repeat... the same song...for weeks. right now it's Radio Blast by the tiles.

Round #3!!!

Round 3 will be open for sign ups starting on monday Feb 5th and not a moment sooner! go check out the deets ! I won't be playing hostess this round, sadly....school, school,school. i will be keeping my eye on the going on's though. Good luck!

Savory Salmon Slime

Swapatorium leftovers:

Hello dear readers!

I have for you this month a dish from the Weight Watchers Recipe card set circa 1974. The recipe is from the Convenience Fish section (that term only brings to mind this: eww!) called Salmon and Savory Vegetables. I was intrigued by the image on the card and felt the need to recreate it. The bright yellow hue intermingled with the pale pink is not something you see everyday on your dinner plate, at least you hope not. I have never eaten canned salmon before and have been trying my best to steer clear of it. I must say, you folks owe me big time. Canned salmon is some nasty, gross stuff; the backbone is included along with a grey/green slimy funk (I'm guessing it was the skin) within the can. It's just icky, icky, icky.



Here are my results. Very unappetizing if I do say so myself.

I took two bites of this. The first because you have to start somewhere and the second to confirm that the first was as nasty as I thought it to be. If you are into canned salmon then by all means, try this recipe. I think it's some kind of vile and cruel punishment.

*** Recipe ***

i'm over at the swapatorium today.

spiffed up scrub #4

another addition into the new work apparel line that i am spiffing up for my best friend Kat. prefab fushia scrub with brown tonal leopard print accents that i added for pockets and tattoo chest coverage.