Evidence of Fairies

Fairy Daytime Frock

Magnolia Ball Gown

Fairy Party Dress

Fairy Play Romper

Fairy Sun Dress

Fairy Tea Dress

These may look familiar to some of you. They were previously posted in my Etsy shop, which is now closed since I have decided to return to my noncommercial roots. The frocks above were hand-fashioned from flower petals, with a heavy reliance on daffodils.

Curate Your Neighborhood: We're Here, We're Ginkgos, Get Used to It!

The idea of curating my own neighborhood started with this hate crime against a ginkgo tree.

Note graffito on sidewalk saying "This tree is a faggot."

I created a reader panel and attached it to the support posts of the tree. This is on a well-traveled foot route around Lake Merritt in Oakland, California.

Click on image to see larger readable version.

I printed the ginkgo leaves on the sign by painting a leaf with copper paint and then making simple leaf prints. I may continue to curate the neighborhood, including the underground stream that keeps valiently breaking through the pavement on a side street, the Ethiopian hugging tree, and more. 

Before There Were Bics: Tibetan Fire Starter

I bought this little leather pouch in Oakland from a Tibetan immigrant who told me that now that people have abandoned these traditional fire starters, the Himalayas are littered with used Bic lighters. I turned the pouch into a survival necklace with a piece of twine and a few old beads.

Metal blade on bottom is a striker.

Inside the pouch, a piece of flint and some fluffy lint.

Chinoiserie Lamp

A little welding and a little melding of France and Chinatown. Lamp base made from an old metal aspic mold a friend bought for me in Paris. Shade combines rice paper, strips from a Chinese astrology book, and negatives of photos taken in Chinatown. When the lamp is lit, you can see the images in the negatives.

Pilgrims: A Thanksgiving Manual - Part Two

If you'd like to see part one first, click here: Pilgrims: A Thanksgiving Manual - Part One. Below is the remainder of the how-to manual for Thanksgiving in particular and pilgrimages in general.

Click on page to read larger version

Click on page to read larger version

Click on page to read larger version

Pilgrims: A Thanksgiving Manual - Part One

Make a pilgrim hat, bring it to a Thanksgiving dinner, and force everyone to pose for photos. It is amazing how donning a hat can completely transform someone's appearance. This little booklet with the pilgrim hat photographs used as illustrations will tell you more about Thanksgiving and pilgrimages in general than you ever wanted to know.  This is the first of two postings.

Click to view larger version

To see part two of the manual, which covers games, food, and more, click here: Pilgrims: A Thanksgiving Manual - Part Two .

Early Art Car

My current art car is finally biting the dust. You can see it in this previous post: Art Car. In sorting through old photos I found pictures of my very first art car, a 1963 Ford Falcon covered with beads and with a funeral for Charlie Chaplin running down the middle of the roof and front hood. Here are various stages in its creation.

At some point beyond this documentation, lots of stuff was added to the roof including pink plastic flamingos. It was a happy little car.

Fuzzy Rabbit, Mean City

Run for your life! This bunny is scrambling madly through an apocalyptic scenario. An urban survivor pin fashioned from old rust, railroad track rubble, and a rabbit charm.