Free sign giveaway!

I'm teaming up with Steals, Deal & Heals, a groovy giveaway blog site this week for a (literally!) sweet giveaway. This sign is going to be raffled off this week to all their blog followers and sent to one lucky winner:All you have to do is go to the site and sign up. You get extra chances in the raffle if you buy something from my etsy shoppe, become a Facebook fan or comment on my wares. More are coming soon and the contest is going on all week. Be sure to check out Steals, Deals & Heals for more info! Good luck! :o)

Jim comes to town.

Jim came to Asheville for a week's vacation and well, I was pretty much on vacation too. :o) Unfortunately, the weather was not warm and sunny all of the days (he actually drove in AND out of Asheville in a nasty blizzard!), but we certainly made the best of it! We went on walking adventures down the snowy roads, saw lots of live music, caught the Found Footage Fest, fit in some of the classics (y'know...bowling, thrifting, karaokeing), shared many-a-laugh and ate (ohmygosh!) sooo much delicious local food.

You see this? Yeah, I'll say it. The BEST cheeseburger I have ever had AND the best sweet potato fries. Ever. And that other plate in the background: that there is the BEST quesadilla I have EVER had. Insert shout-out here: go to ROOTS CAFE in West Asheville. Maybe the best cooking I have ever had. Click here for their menu.: http://www.rootsfood.com/

We did have a couple of sunny days. On this particular one, there was a traveling puppet show...and a dude dressed as a can of raviolis? They were advertising for Asheville Vaudevale, and I'm *pretty* sure we had "tourist" stamped on our head, so they insisted on picture taking.

And for the record: the puppet did indeed ask me to lick it. I typically do not lick puppets.

Jim took pictures as I dragged him on fun and exciting adventures to places like the fabric store for just the right fabric for a curtain install I had coming up.

And then we just walked around and looked at stuff. This is certainly the place to do just that.

Oh, did I mention there was bowling? I think you should take note of my form here:

...Although Jim pretty much doubled my score. (Check out his shirt- a Goodwill Clearance Center score....more on that place later!)

And oh yes, we drank beer. Lots and lots of yummy, locally brewed, hoppy goodness. Ahhhh. (This one is an Abbey Ale from the Wedge brewery here in West Asheville)

Woot.

My Play Space

Before I traveled back to Asheville, I got the amazing opportunity to paint My Play Space in West Lebanon, NH. This play space has a new concept that is going to take off and be a huge hit in the community: an educational and diverse place to bring your kids (ages 1-6) and be an adult too! Parents have to stay with their kids, but there is a lil' wifi zone and cappuccino for them on the upper deck, where they can watch their kids play. And boy do the kids get to have an experience!

It is an internationally themed indoor play arena; I did all of the mural designs and assisted with the design of the play structures. From a double decker bus to an Eiffel Tower (both with slides! Weeee!) to a deli to Lego Land, the place is chock full of fun activities for kids. (Oh and one of my favorite parts? The Sit n' Spin station- remember those from the 80's?) These pics are all from when it was under construction. Now that the new carpet is in, I'll have to go back and shoot some better pictures! This part of the mural is my favorite: a representation of Japan and China, with a wall full of cherry blossoms and mountains.

The double decker bus is the main attraction. Kids can climb up top, slide down and even control the wheel! The Eiffel Tower later got a slide, a net and some rock climbing pegs added, but how much fun would this be to climb?This was one of my creations: a deli where kids can serve up magnetic food (it all sticks together!)...anything from sandwiches to ice cream!

One of the rooms in the play space is a classroom, where birthday parties and classes will be held. I designed giant boards (painted on the wall) for chalk and dry erase markers.

There is so much more...the space was nearly 2000 square feet of high ceilings. So really, this is just a small samplin'! For more info about My Play Space, visit them online at http://www.myplayspace.net/, or just swing on in and say hi sometime!

A Super Herbal Workshop!

I know, I know...I am slightly biased. But my mom (Susan Lucas of Wise Woman Tradition Herbals) sure knows her stuff when it comes to herbs and is an excellent teacher. She's offering a 2 hour workshop at the end of the month, focusing on stress reduction using all natural herbs. It is being held at one of her practicing locations: Peace of Infinity Holistics in Bethlehem, NH.

Here is the flyer (if you want to pass it along, that would be great!). You can also now find Susan Lucas (my momma) on Facebook if you want to see what she's up to. (She IS going to be starting a daily herbal tip, so she's be a good one to follow for tips of the herbal trade!)

If you would like more info, please feel free to e-mail Susan directly at: wisewomantradition@yahoo.com

Hope you can make it!

The Bacon Cupcake.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: the bacon cupcake. It's compliments of Short Street Cakes, which is just a stone's throw from my abode. Oh yes, it's cupcake. Oh yes, that is bacon on there. And oh yes, it was guh-hoooood. Happy V-Day y'all. :o)

Happy Birthday, Lyss!

My lil' sister turns 25 today! Happy birthday and cheers to many more!

Wow. That makes this picture.....24 years old? Well despite the fact I am not *really* smiling here, and I *did* get your head stuck in that Cookie Monster puppet that one time, I do love being your big sister! I love you, Lyss!

My roommate Erica called me one afternoon.
“Do you want to go to the Free Store with me?”
“Ummm...(insert half a second pause here)....YESSSSS!”

This place is fantastic and I am not sure why we don't have one in every town. People drop off their unwanted or unused goods and student volunteers sort it out in a way that is easy to navigate. They have everything from clothing to beauty products to office supplies to furniture. What a great way to recycle something that would otherwise end up in a landfill! If I had to chose one thing that Asheville has opened my eyes up to, it's the amount of waste we use. I have learned so much from this community about reusing, rethinking what you buy and passing on what you do not need. Every little bit *does* help.

Here is another example, for instance. A free market. Same concept as the store, but a one day event. Why can't we get something like that going in NH? I would certainly like to help be a part of it!