Anthology

i'm sure there would be pictures...

If I hadn't left my camera at my parents' house a few days ago.  To make a long story short, somehow I've ended up carrying only the bare minimum around with me for the last couple days.  Usually there's a larger tote with the yoga clothes, fig newtons for the adorable girl, camera, sunglasses, calendar, etc.  But for the last couple days I've just had my keys and my wallet.  I'm not at all a minimalist so I'm not sure why the situation is going on as long as it is.  There have been several occasions that I've wished for my camera.  Wait, was this going to be a short story?  The short story is that there are no pictures with this post.  I really don't like blog posts without pictures and if you are of the same mind, you might as well just stop reading now.  But I thought I should say something.  I've been so negligent lately.  That's what I get for thinking badly of people who can't post often to their blogs.  Karma, I tell you, it gets you sooner than you think it will.

So, where was I?  The month of November has been much more pleasant than October.  Not only does that make me happier personally (it was really depressing to think that the next nice weather we would have would be sometime in April), but that makes the store busier.  People are starting their holiday shopping but they are also just out and about enjoying the sunshine and the fall colors.  There are still some leaves clinging to the trees, though I am also enjoying the emerging bare branches. There's something so poetic about bare branches silhouetted against the sky.

My parents' have made the move to their new house so I've been helping a little with that, though I need to spend a lot more time unpacking some boxes.  I tend to hang my artwork within a few days of moving so I was glad when Mom went ahead last week and started hanging things up, even though there will be some painting done sometime down the line.  I think everyone is getting settled into new places and new routines and all in all, it feels totally right.  I am really glad for a Facebook friend's suggestion that I take pictures of the old house.  I had several photo sessions and it was a good way to work through my emotions and to say farewell.

I finally had a chance to take care of some paperwork, including cleaning out my email sent messages box last week.  I do periodically find those messages useful so it's something that I might not do for 8 months. It was an interesting reminder of everything that went on this year.  A good first step in the Christmas-letter-writing process, which really should begin soon.  I remember times when I used to everything written and addressed before Thanksgiving and would just sit around waiting a week or two until it wasn't too early to send them.  It will probably be a January project this year, though I must be careful not to expect too many things for January.  We will be gone for a week to southern California for the craft & hobby trade show, as well as some beach vacation time.  And I'm always busier than I think I'm going to be, and consequently get less work done.

I enjoyed an inspiring night out to see Carmen with Mom, and then this week, a last-minute outing for Flamenco Vivo, which was a really great performance.  Dance with live music is a treat for me, and there were a few moments when I was busily figuring out how I could modify an awesome flamenco dress into something for myself.  Perhaps that will be my treat for my 40th birthday party.  I thought I'd make everyone wear polka dots, or would that be too dizzying?

In addition to being busier with customers, many of our artists have brought deliveries for the holiday season: storybook coasters from Naomi, bottlecap necklaces from Emily, hand-dyed slips from Michelle, felted critters from Lisa, sock monsters from the other Emily, felted baskets from Donna, mirrors from Jen, notecards from Alisson. Not to mention other shipments like more fun notecards, recycled book journals, Christmas wrapping paper... LOTS of stuff to find space for!  The office is a little crazy, despite two attempts to enforce some order.  And I need more drawer space. That's a chronic condition.  I did spend time this week and rearrange the store.  There have already been sales of some of the moved items so it feels like the moves have already been rewarded.  Now that we have a little table of Christmas items (don't worry, we won't play Christmas music until after Thanksgiving!) that means things have to crunch even more.  

Sachi and I have been diligently restocking as well. Sachi made another batch of resin pendants with some new images: books, shells, pears.  We are having lots of fun putting the pendants on the silk ribbons.  Well, I just love the silk ribbons no matter what; I like the color and charm and their flexibility - I've been having lots of fun with the ones that I made myself, trying a different grouping of ribbons with every outfit.  Sachi has also been making her Madison photo snippets and button bracelets.  For me, this week has been a terrace chair extravanga: button frames, bracelets, photo snippets.  Not to mention that we've had a lot of commissions for custom photo charms so I've had plenty of opportunities to play with ICE resin. 

I'm also working on a 2x2 book swap for the guild that I'm a member of.  I'm making several editions of a mini Alice in Wonderland book because I'm hoping to persuade other people to swap with me.  Now that I've finished up the blurb 2x2 book, I see how many fellow artists' books I don't have in my collection...  And, oh yeah, speaking of blurb, I'm working on Lily's second year book.  It might not be done in time for Christmas at the rate I am going, but it has been fun to work on that.  She has changed so much over the last year! It's pretty amazing.  I find now that I am an aunt, mentions of aunts/nieces/nephews resonate more with me - I'll find myself thinking, 'oh, that will be me in 20 years' when someone talks about taking their niece on a college visit.  

And what else?  Oh yeah, the CRAFTACULAR!  Coming soon!  The volume of emails has definitely dropped off so that's a good thing.  It was a pretty time-consuming task there for a while but now most of the details are worked out.  We're getting a flyer printed for the day of, there were posters and postcards to distribute.  I'm pretty excited about it, even though I probably won't get to see the results of the work.  It's the Saturday just after Thanksgiving and hopefully the weather will be fantastic and lots of people will come downtown for the holiday open house and Mom and Pamela and I will be so busy at the store that we won't be able to stop over and see Sachi and Deandra and Jen and Naomi and Jermoe and everyone else.  There was already a nice write-up in the Sunday 77 Square section of the newspaper and certainly a lot of people that I've talked to have been excited about it. 

The time has just been flying by.  Every Friday, Sachi and I marvel that yet another week is gone.  But things are good and busy and happy, even if the list of things to do doesn't really get any shorter no matter how much I accomplish.  On Facebook, people have been posting things they are thankful for, in honor of the upcoming holiday.  A friend started posting a list each day, which has been a fun challenge.  There's so much that lists quickly gets long.

changing seasons, catching up

Time is flying, or swinging?  But it's still October, right?  I think I've finally managed to catch my breath!  This summer was so crazy; I was so tired I was near tears for most of August, and it took me well into October to finally feel like I could face the holidays.   But now I'm ready.  I've been slacking a bit but Sachi declared that it's time for both of us to get ready for Christmas.  To that end, I have been very productive this last week: made butterfly button bracelets, scrabble tile necklaces, scrap paper packs, mini fabric button bracelets, glass square pendants, epoxy necklaces, Madison photo snippets. 

I even made a cupcake costume for the adorable girl for Halloween.  I was inspired by the Pottery Barn catalog, but we found wide wale corduroy at the fabric store so I rigged up a litle cupcake bottom from that.  The top is a multi-layer felt cape of pink and red, with ric rac for trim.  There's a headband too with a cherry on top. 

We'll see if she actually wears that.

The leaves have been inspiring to look at; I do love the changing seasons here in Wisconsin, though it seems like autumn got real cold rather fast.  But at least that's an excuse to wear my striped hoodie from Charlie & Sarah with the camera silk screened on it. 

Besides working on my list of projects, thinking about new projects (thanks to Valley Ridge Art Studio for the resin inspiration), placing Christmas orders with vendors and artists... Oh yeah, the Craftacular! 

Now, don't get me wrong, I am excited about the Craftacular.  I feel like it is a really important event to have and am committed to be a co-host, even if it leads to my being committed...  Let's just say it's like a full-time job all on its own, except that I'm not being paid and that's on top of the other full-time job that I'm doing.  On the whole, most artists are appreciative but of course everyone wants to make sure that they have a successful event so there are lots of questions to answer and some hands to hold.

Yesterday I was feeling very cranky and then suddenly I realized that aside from anything else, between the Craftacular, a 2x2 blurb book that I am editing and a collaborative art journal swap that I'm coordinating, I am working with over 100 people - trying to get them to reply to my emails, making sure information is correct and complete, trying to motivate without scolding or nagging...  That's a lot!  As I was stomping crabbily around yesterday I realized that I felt a lot like those New Zealand sheep dogs, trying to run like crazy to get the entire herd to move as directed.... all the more so when Ann pointed out to me that it is to be done without barking or biting.  Hmm.  What exactly is an introvert like me doing in this situation?  What was I thinking?!

And THEN, as if there wasn't enough already, we are entering into the countdown of the final days of my childhood home.  My parents will be moving next week so my apartment is a jumble of boxes that I had to take from my studio which was at their house, not to mention other odds n' ends from childhood... a box of old art projects, a box of school papers... There has to be some good art project for those.   There are emotions as well to pack up and move around but after one week of feeling overly emotional, I've been able to look forward to what lies ahead.  Having my sewing machine at my place has already been very handy, and my parents are clearly ready for a new location and a smaller house.  It's still very close compared to other people so the change is rather minimal.  I'm sure I will accidentally take the bus to their old house a few times (it's just two stops past my own bus stop).  I went with the adorable girl to see thier new house and she was already excited about the park that's around the corner. She informed me that Elmo lived in the yellow house across the park.  AND there was a dresser on the curb in front of the new house.  6 narrow drawers.. .. why, just last week I was commenting that I needed another dresser for the store!  Sweet!  I had to ride facing backwards in my brother-in-law's car, holding onto the dresser while we drove downtown, but I've already fit it into the store and filled up the drawers.  My sister says I am like water, able to expand to fill any space...  It is nice to have a little more storage space going into the holidays.  The store is really filling up!

I've been taking pictures around the old house.  Eventually they will be part of an altered book.  I have a book that is cut in the shape of a house so I'm planning to put in pictures and text. In all my spare time... So much had been packed up and really, so much about the house has changed since we moved in 20 years ago, it was tricky to find views that were quintessential to the house.  I think I need one or two more times around the house to get pictures; I think I've forgotten to take a picture of the bathroom floor, which is the same green tile as when we moved in.  Despite all the changes and the chaos of packing, I managed to get some really interesting/good photos so I think this is going to be a really lovely book.  Here's a picture from yesterday's rainy morning.

a night out and a chance to catch my breath

This was the sight that greeted me last night, arriving out in Spring Green to see a play at American Player's Theater.  The night was interrupted by a brief but intense storm (including hail -- thank goodness for their new shelters) but ended with stars and moonlight.  It was a lovely way to pause and savor the moment, which doesn't happen too often since my head is usually bent over the sewing/button machine...

And honestly.  It's almost October already?!  I'm not at all prepared and I've been really bad about blogging.  I used to read that in other people's blogs and think, "what's the big deal? just sit down and tell me what you've been up to."  ha ha ha.

September, although it has passed quickly, has been a little bit of a break in the mad rush.  Things were a little quieter at the store (same as last year) - people are going back to school, preparing for the changing seasons...  We have already exceeded the annual sales from 2009 so that feels great.  I've managed to catch up just a tiny tiny bit, although the list of things to make to restock the store is still quite long.  Well, at least I don't feel quite so frazzled as I did in August.  Which is good because there is a lot ahead of us. 

The Craftacular is the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We are co-hosting the event so right now there's lots of paperwork and planning to be done.  Not to mention making stuff for our own booth.  We will have over 60 artists there and it promises to be a fun event.  Already a lot of our customers are marking their calendars.  It's exciting to be a part of a local & craft holiday event.

And even though it seems early, it is time to start thinking about the holidays.  But first I have to decide about a Halloween costume.  Who am I kidding, I always dress up as a fairy.  But I don't know if I should make something else for the adorable girl.  Speaking of, I have been working on her Blurb book for year two, reviewing the pictures and thinking about how much she's grown.  It's all good, but poignant too.  Here she is this morning in my parents' backyard.  I love hoodies with ears.

And, oh yeah, my parents are moving.  Only a few miles away but it means packing, making room for art supplies and furniture at my home...  I need to take pictures of the old house for a book project that I have in mind.  I need to clear room in my livingroom and make new cushions for the couch.  Brown zig-zag does NOT go with lime green and red flowers!  But I have been making progress and I feel like maybe it will only be a year before people can come over to my place, instead of two years that I initially thought.  There's still a lot going on; which will always be the case since the living room is also a studio.

We have had some craftivities going on at the store.  Last weekend we hosted a birthday party for a group of girls to make the mini coil-bound notebooks/journals. 

The craftivity for the month is the decoupage paper bracelet.  Because of the curved surface, the paper has to be cut into thin strips but it is fun to see the different colors that people come up with.

And a few of our other favorite things? 

New headbands from Oshkosh and from Chicago, German paper scraps, new cards from Appleton and Milwaukee, mosaic picture frames from Illinois.  The store is chock full right now as we gear up for Christmas and also unpack new arrivals that we found at Renegade in Chicago. 

a case for connection

OR, another reason why I love Facebook.  Seriously.  I know, I know, it's silly, but here's the story. 

Our parents are in the process of selling the house they've been living in since... hmm.... 1980?  I think I was in 5th grade.  They are wanting to move to a single-story house and down-size a bit.  I certainly don't want a house and wasn't feeling that emotional about the whole thing until a couple weeks ago.  I was at their house with Lily while the realtor was walking around measuring and assessing and I was starting to feel like a two-year old (apparently when I was around that age, when meeting a new neighbor, I hauled out all my toys, put them in the baby buggy and threw my body across the buggy.  "MINE!").  All of a sudden, it was all rather bittersweet, thoughts of no longer playing with Lily in the yard, not being in that place.  I know, I know, in the grand scheme of things, this is NOTHING.  My parents are not moving far away, everyone is still alive.  Nonetheless, combined with the list of things to do to prepare for the holidays here at the store,  the tiredness resulting from an amazingly busy summer at the store, having to pack and make room for stuff and studio at my house and leaving my childhood home - it was all leaving me feeling a little fragile.  And then, so fast, I've barely had time to catch my breath, an offer was made and accepted (on the house my parents want) and offer/counter offers were made and accepted (on my childhood house).  And just like that, it's done.  Another month maybe and that will be that. 

Ok, that was a long story, but there was a point. Mom came today and told me that they accepted the counter-offer and I was feeling a little teary.  Not that I have anything to do with it at all, but of course I don't think the buyer is the right fit for the house, I think the price was too low.... did I think I was ready to let go of this house?  Too late.  Anyway, I mentioned as such on Facebook and a Facebook friend (let's see, I think she was in Latin with me in high school but we haven't really been in touch in the meantime), mentions that a friend of hers was in a similar position and made a photo book about the house and all their memories.  Everything that was precious, they could take with them. And another Facebook friend reminds me that the location, the place, isn't really as critical as the people who are in it. Others who have been through this ahead of me and still others who have been through much worse give me comfort.

So, I'm still feeling a little emotional about the whole thing.  But my mind is also racing with ideas about a house book.  A blurb book?  Hmm... but an altered book would be totally awesome.  The advntage of the blurb book is that I could make a copy for other people, but there are so many cool altered book options that I can tell that is the way to go.  Nothing like a new project to make me feel better!  And now that I have my sewing machine at my house, I can work on it until late in the night (sorry downstairs neighbors) and include some sewn pages.  So now, besides packing, I get to take photos of the house, and also gather old photos, think about text, paper, paint.  This is going to be a good project.  And maybe I would have thought of it eventually but I'm really glad to have something positive to be thinking about instead of wallowing in what cannot be changed.  So, where was I?  Are you on Facebook yet?  I have friends who say, oh, I don't have anything to say, I don't have any time, I can't even keep in touch with the people I WANT to keep in touch with, let alone those random people from high school who will track me down.  And sure, being open to possibility means that you might run into some people who are boring or annoying or who post political views that make you really aggravated, but who knows where the next big idea for your art or mental health is going to come from.  It seems like such a little thing but then there are so many ways that you can give and receive little gifts.  It's worth it to be daring!

a productive evening

Ahh... isn't that nice?  Of course, it is offset by the email from my sister reminding me that I am sold out of Madison snippets and really should make some more for this weekend.  Still, I spent last night watching movies and working on some jewelery.  Finished another Vintaj bird necklace to replace the one that sold a few months ago.  Sometimes it is hard to focus - looking at the coffee table with the little baggies of beads and findings.  Where to begin?  I had some charm bracelets in mind and ended up going in a completely different direction.  The cloth button bracelet just needed a few finishing touches.  And, oh, speaking of cloth buttons, I really need to spend time cutting out more fabric scraps to make more of those.  The super mini cloth button bracelets are all sold out... but boy, those are not easy to make!  First, cutting those tiny circles of fabric, then pressing them into buttons, then gluing them on. 

After I finished those two pieces, I was still going strong, so then came this pearl charm bracelet which was a total whim.  I do love how the pearls look with Vintaj bead caps. Naturally I started gathering beads for several other projects.  Why is it that it is so much more fun to start a new project?  We got bottle cap beads and charms in so I'm making a fun bracelet of those.  Then I really need to look at my sales records and prioritize the list of things to make for the upcoming months.  Magnet picture frames, button bracelets, I know, but I'm sure there's more.

Meanwhile, my parents are starting to prepare to move from the house that they've lived in since I was in 5th grade.  Eek.  I'd like to think that I am a good daughter but yes, I am using their house as a storage unit.  I still need to make more room at my place, but I think I'll be moving the sewing machine over tonightt and start to get that set up.  The realtor is drooling a little at the thought of showing their house, but not with my fabric scraps strewn all over the place upstairs.  The irony is that a side job is cleaning and organizing other peoples' studios.  It is SO much easier when it isn't your own.  I'd better do some major sifting, sorting and cleaning and clearing.  Maybe when this is all over, I will have such a great space that I can take pictures and submit them to some magazine like Where Women Create (I'd still like to see more studios in there of everyday people, not Marie Osmond, their last covergirl. I don't know why but it is a real pet peeve of mine when people who are famous in one area crossover into another.  It's not nice because everyone should be allowed to do what they want to do but I feel like their fame gives them an unfair edge - like Madonna writing children's books or Marie Osmond making dolls.  I'm all about the fairness and you should have seen how diligently my sister and I monitored or childhood presents and slices of cake).

caramel brownies

Ok, what does that have to do with Anthology? Nothing really, but it might not yet be apparent to the casual reader that food is another passion of mine. Food is very important to the Komai family -- we enjoy eating together and many of our memories are connected by food -- the trip where we had the first pizza with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the first fajitas in southern CA, the lime chicken dinners, that really good shrimp dish in the tiny village of Gien, the list goes on and on. Food is good. It is about taste and smell but also about companionship, family, friendship.

Anyway, I could go on and on about food, but the point of this post is to share the famous caramel brownie recipe. When I attend parties and if I have the time, this is the dish to bring. The recipe has been refined from one originally found in the book Entertaining People. The brownie part was not adequate in my opinion so the recipe was combined with Aunt Thelma's brownies, which are my standard for chewiness. Make Aunt Thelma's brownies and then pour caramel on top.

1. Aunt Thelma's brownies:
Blend 1/2 c crisco and 1 c granulated sugar with mixer. Add 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 c flour, 3 T cocoa and a little vanilla. Mix by hand. I mean it. When I tried it with a mixer, there was too much air and it didn't work as well. Aunt Thelma was right. If you want, you could add 1/2 cup nuts. Some people use walnuts; I prefer hazelnuts. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Let brownies cool. Meanwhile, make caramel. Do not use a nonstick pan even though you think it would be so much easier to clean up. The caramel doesn't caramelize. You will just have to soak the pan overnight and probably scrape a bit to get the burnt sugar off the bottom of the pan. Combine 5 1/2 Tablespoons of butter, 1 c powdered sugar, 1/2 c heavy (whipping) cream and 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat. Stir only lightly (sugar will start to burn on the bottom and you'd rather that not get mixed in the rest of the caramel). Let the mixture boil until it reaches ... Well, the recipe says 220 to 225 degrees but my dad's notes say 225 to 230. I think I usually aim for 227 on the candy thermometer. You should smell caramel and the color should be light brown. It needs to be just so -- too early and you'll only have sugar, too late and you'll have toffee which is yummy but hard to cut. Remove from heat and spread immediately over the cooled brownies. Allow to cool until filling is set.

If you are impatient like me, you might pour mini chocolate chips on top before it has cooled completely. I like to do that so they sink in a bit to the caramel, though they melt and then re-harden. Alternatively, follow the recipe and: in the top of a double boiler melt one tablespoon of butter and 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate. Blend until smooth and spread evenly over cooled filling.

Usually the edges are rough and not suitable for dinner parties; trim edges (they are still edible of course-- cook's perk!). Cut the rest into small squares and serve.