Rain Day Project How-To: Silhouette Self Portrait

Just posted this simple DIY art project on the official Fuzzy Grapefruit Blog. Check it out for the how-to and let me know what you think!

Fuzzy Grapefruit on NMTR Artist Spotlight

Check out the awesome spotlight on Fuzzy Grapefruit, put together by the very talented Riaz Khan via Never Mind the RizzRazz:

February Second Saturday Craftacular - Feb. 9th in Houston

Do you have your Valentines all squared away and ready to go? Yeah, me neither. But come to this awesome love-themed show and you won't have to think twice about what to get your sweetie. The Second Saturday Craftacular at Hello-Lucky promises to showcase an eclectic array of loveliness that will have you oohing and ahhing just in time for Valentine's Day. I'll have a bunch of new bookboard jewelry designs, as well as a few new art prints and hand stamped notecards. Don't miss it!!!

February Second Saturday Craftacular
"Hearts Were Sliding Everywhere"

When: Feb 9, 2013

Time: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location: Hello-Lucky

(1025 Studewood Street, Houston, Texas 77008) 
Cost: Free

For more info:
Official Event Page
Facebook Page

Valentine's 2013

Dear blog, I have been utterly neglectful. Please forgive me :( Well, it's a new year and there's LOTS of room for improvement! Christmas is over, but there's another holiday on the fast-approaching horizon: Valentine's Day.

It might come as no surprise that I'm pretty fond of lovey-dovey imagery, so Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity for me to create more lovey-dovey artwork. I'm in the midst of multiple creations and am super excited to be participating in the Hello-Lucky February Craftacular on Saturday February 9th, at 1025 Studewood Street, here in Houston (more news to come on that soon!)

My newest lovey-dovey creation? A happy little volcano who is just erupting with love...

Never MIND The RIZZRAZZ: Featuring Fuzzy Grapefruit

Recently, I was approached by a photographer/blogger here in Houston named Riaz, who contacted me after seeing some of my work at Space. He was hoping to feature various Lone Star State artists on his blog and wanted to know if I'd be interested in meeting with him to show him my workspace and pose for some casual artist portraits. After the wave of 'oh crap, I really need to clean my apartment' subsided, I of course said yes. I'm so glad I did! Riaz is a super nice guy and a super talented photographer. Check out the feature and his awesome blog.

New Bookboard Designs Featuring 'Dot' Landscapes

I recently started selling my work at Space and am relieved to find that most of my items were sold before the holidays. There's nothing quite like seeing my sad dwindling stock on display to put a fire under my seat and force me into productivity. Yesterday, I sat at Cafe Brasil for four hours, tediously drawing new designs for my bookboard jewelry. I really have a love-hate relationship with these items -- there's something quite lovely about getting lost in repetitive tiny little drawn details, but by the end of the day I'm pretty convinced that my eye prescription has changed a couple of points. The worst part is the walk home where everything has that weird Alice in Wonderland tunnel vision effect that comes with doing a lot of closeup work. But, I also loooove lining up all my new designs and seeing evidence of progress. It's pretty gratifying.

Also... how cool is it that the 'dot landscapes' sort of fit together to form one horizon!? That was entirely unintentional...

Look! A Crafted Christmas Thing I Made!

I don't know about you, but since moving to the humid swamp that is Houston, I've found it extremely difficult to get into the 'Christmas spirit'. There's something very unnatural about hearing Bing Crosby croon "happy holidaaaay" over the loud speaker at the grocery store, whilst shopping in my flip flops and tank top. So to force myself into the mood, I decided to make a wreath for our front door. I'd never made a wreath before and honestly this one is pretty simple, but it does the trick, don't you think? All I needed was a $7 wreath from Home Depot, a package of cinnamon-scented pinecones for $1.99, and a random assortment of crafty things I knew I already had at home (a length of wide wire ribbon in gold, a handful of cheap silver plastic beads, and a glue gun.) After hanging it on our door for three days, I decided it needed something else, so I mixed elmer's glue with water, painted the mixture onto some of the pinecones, and added a sprinkling of white glitter. But really, you could decorate it in any manner you see fit with a variety of materials that you already have, in a variety of colors. I settled on the gold ribbon because I thought it would look nice with the gold doorknob.

I have to confess I feel pretty festive every time I walk through the front door and catch that cinnamon pinecone scent!

Small Business Saturday

Woah, how is it already Thanksgiving!?? Where did the summer go!? And how did my hair get this long? Sheesh. I need to keep better track of time... and get a haircut.

If you're like me and you've suddenly become aware of the dwindling days before the gift-giving gets real, I'd like to take this moment to encourage you to step away from the big box stores. By visiting your local independently owned boutiques and shops, you're helping small business in a big way. And let's be honest, what really says "happy holidays" to your loved ones -- another generic thingamajig purchased from the cavernous aisles of the soulless super stores we've become accustomed to, or the finely crafted, lovingly handmade work of your local artisans? Do your part this holiday season and pledge your support for Small Business Saturday by shopping local!

In honor of Small Business Saturday, here are some new notebooks I just finished, now available for purchase at the adorable little shop Space, here in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Happy Holidays!

Ugh, Overambition

Every now and then, I find myself in the midst of a panic attack due to the amount of work I create for myself. It's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it's only in these moments that I realize what I'm capable of accomplishing. Anyway, enough warm-fuzzy feelings! Here is an overly ambitious stamp I intend to complete before next week (and that's on top of a full work-load). We'll see if I disappoint myself this time around...

P.S. Yes, I intend to carve the center of the leaves as well. Blergh.

Rustic Botany Book

On account of having recently run a marathon, acquired a full-time job, and just being generally bad at managing my day-to-day distractions, I have not posted anything in aaaages. Nor have I done much along the lines of crafting.

For that, I am truly sorry.

But here, a peace offering! Enjoy this delightful image of a delightful hand-bound sketchbook I made a few weeks ago. If all goes well over the next few weeks, I'll have even more delightful things to showcase at this years Streeterville Artisan Market. Fingers crossed for productivity.

Do-Division Street Fest!!!

I've been rather bad about posting lately. In part, it might have something to do with the excessive crafting that MUST GET DONE BEFORE NEXT WEEKEND! I (fuzzy grapefruit) will be selling my handmade goods at...

Do Division Street Fest

June 5th & 6th, 12 noon - 10pm

Division Street (from Ashland to Leavitt)

Come out and say 'hello', or better yet say 'hello' AND purchase something cute and whimsical from me (need I mention that Father's Day is fast-approaching? I will, indeed, have no fewer than two highly masculine notecard designs to choose from)

And for the ladies, I have new bookboard designs! Here's a sneak peek at a few of the new drawings that will be available for purchase in the form of earrings and pendants:

It'll be lots of fun, hope to see you there!

Bookboard Earrings & Pendants

So, I've been working on this new idea for fuzzy grapefruit, and I'm soooo excited to show them at the Two Craft Minimum Show this Saturday. Presenting... Bookboard Earrings & Pendants! Each one is lovingly hand-drawn with archival ink onto recycled bookboard (the material used to make hard cover books), and sealed to a high gloss. No two are exactly the same (it's like wearing a one-of-a-kind illustration on your ears or around your neck)! This set is all packaged and ready to go to a loving home. Come to the show this Saturday to check them out :)

Two-Craft Minimum: Awesome Artists

Chicago Style Crafters' very first show, "Two Craft Minimum" is just around the corner (May 1st)! We in the CSC have been working hard to promote and talk up the event, and I've been busy making notecards and sketchbooks, but I wanted to take a couple of minutes to promote some of the beautiful work of my fellow crafters and artisans. Here's a sneak peek at some of the fantastic goods you'll find at the Two-Craft Minimum show:

Melissa & Zoe's one-of-a-kind notebook keychains are totally romantic

I'm in love with this beautiful print by Madame Platypus

This 2-sided starfish pendant necklace by Something Beautiful is awesome (and reversible!!)

Nothing says "badass" like Spinal Fusion's rifle shell earrings

Milton and Margie's soy candles are perfect for adding a little warmth to your home

Swallow Kisses tattoo-inspired jewelry is both adorable and edgy, love them!

Cranky Pickle's bottlecap magnets and buttons are super-cute and earth-friendly

To see all of these awesome artists (and more) come check out the show:

Chicago Style Crafters Present: Two-Craft Minimum!

Saturday May 1st, 4:30 pm - 9 pm

Cole's Bar, 2338 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

*bring a valid ID (we're in a bar)!

What the Peep - Easter Notecard Design

As I'm sure you're aware, I'm a sucker for the following things:

- animals (especially the cute fuzzy kind)

- sweet treats

- dorky and/or cutesy humor

...so it seemed only natural that my newest notecard design for Easter

would include one or all of these elements. Enjoy!

(notecards can be purchased through Supermarket or Etsy)

A Star(ling) is Born

After much deliberation, I've decided that my etsy shop, fuzzy grapefruit, will no longer include jewelry. Perhaps this is obvious to everyone else, but fuzzy has always been about my love for paper goods, stamp-carving, and whimsical designs. And now it will continue to be about that, featuring notecards, books, gift tags, and a number of new items that I'm excited about sharing with you. In the immediate future, expect to see a new Easter-themed notecard about a certain marshmallow treat we all know and love.

Of course, I cannot abandon my other child. To address this creative need, I've opened a new etsy shop: starling. starling is (I hope) a way for me to continue pursuing my life-long dream of becoming a metal-smith and jewelry maker one baby step at a time. For now, starling will include pretty adornments and accessories featuring hand-drilled beach glass and semi precious stones. I'm excited to add handworked metal to that list as I acquire more metal-smithing equipment (fingers crossed). In the meantime, check out my newest addition of pretty: the Halcyon Necklace.

Handmade Market @ Empty Bottle THIS SATURDAY

Just a reminder: fuzzy grapefruit will be at the Handmade Market in Chicago on this Saturday, February the 13th from 12pm - 4pm. I'm sharing a table with the absolutely awesome (and girl-crush-worthy) Melissa Rutherfoord from Melissa & Zoe, and I've been crafting up a storm, so it should be pretty awesome. And just in case you've waited till the last minute to purchase something lovely for your special someone, fear not! I'll have plenty of Valentine-themed notecards available, and there will be lots of other cool sellers to choose from (check the official Handmade Market site for a full list of sellers.) Yippee!

CHA Winter Convention & Trade Show

I just recently went to Anaheim, California to attend the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Winter Convention & Trade Show. Ahh, how I love winter conventions in warm climates. I was there, working with Paper House Productions, a scrapbooking company located in Upstate New York, to assist with their "Make & Takes". "Make & Takes" are fun mini-projects that you show attendees how to make at your company booth to learn more about your line of products. This year, we made Wizard of Oz home decor projects and boy, did people go crazy for them! Day 1 was Glinda the Good Witch (which was so popular, we ran out of them), day 2 was the Wicked Witch of the West (which we ran out of by 2 o'clock), and day 3 was Dorothy Gale (which we also ran out of by about 2 o'clock). So all in all, I think they were a big success. And although I don't consider myself much of a scrapbooker, I am totally inspired by all the great projects and products I saw. Hopefully in the near future, you'll be seeing some uploads of three-dimensional paper illustrations (something I've been dying to try my hand at, and now feel confident to attempt). Happy crafting, everyone!

Helping Haiti

Earlier today I stumbled onto Craft Hope, a fantastic site devoted to spreading hope and awareness through crafting. In response to the tragedy in Haiti, they've started an Etsy shop called Craft Hope for Haiti and you've GOT to check it out. All proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders, the shop has been open since January 14th (that's less than two weeks), and they've sold 1,532 items! That's over $27,000 in two weeks! I'm so in awe of what they're doing. So be sure to check out the shop (hint hint: there are some great items on there that would be really nice gifts for Valentine's Day).

Obsessed With: Winter Ice Lanterns

...I'm totally obsessed with this fantastic idea from the DIY section of Design*Sponge. Now, if only I was classy enough to have dinner parties and my own outdoor patio...

[Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley]

Crafting Eden, Here I Come!

This weekend, I'm heading to the CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Winter Convention & Trade Show, and I'm super excited. It's the world's largest professional craft and hobby show, will feature over 600 exhibitors, and did I mention it's in Southern California!? Take that, Chicago! Just to get an idea of how much awesome arts and crafts supplies I'll be able to oogle (yes, I said 'oogle'), check out the exhibitor directory. That's a LOT of stuff. Thank goodness I don't have the right kind of licenses to purchase anything.

Anyway, should be a fun time. I'll be sure to come back with a head full of ideas and craft-gadget-envy (and photos, of course).