Sushi in the City

One of the many reasons I heart Asheville so very, very much is that there is practically a sushi restaurant on every corner. I think I have tried every one. But, the winner is...(drumroll please)...Green Tea. They get my vote. Man, I am hungry.
Mmmm...kani salad.

Hatch Asheville!

What a week it has been! Hatch Asheville is all the buzz...a 4 day fest that celebrates the freelance artist, from fashion to photography to design. I made it to at least one (free! most every event is FREE!) session per day and was able to admire some of the exhibits; I have come away fueled with inspiration. While I was unable to get great pics at some of the events, this was one that inspired me greatly: a fashion exhibit of slow design (see pic below), at the AAAC Front Gallery. These handcrafted wearables were just stunning!

Just look at the intricacy his hand dyed fabric...gorgeous!

I really liked this fabric dyed print and this picture, but more importantly, you will notice that there is a box of Short Street cupcakes down below. I went in for the buttercream coconut. Yum! :o)

And now, I am sitting here covered in fabric dye. I was so inspired by this fashion exhibit that I was experimenting with dying shiny silks and fabrics today. Ummm...not so much. Tie dye went awry! But I'll post pics on that soon anyways....got some fun pics of tie dying in the driveway!

Happy 40th!

Don't you hate it when people make a big deal out of your birthday and Photoshop your head on some stupid picture, broadcasting your birthday all over the internets? Yeah, me too. Oh...whoops.

Well, in celebration of your day of birth Jim Tyrrell, I give you a fine selection of Toothpaste for Dinner, Married to the Sea and Natalie Dee birthday themed comics. Enjoy!

(This one has nothing to do with birthdays. It's just funny.)

Happy birthday, Jim!

Whattayathink?

Details, detail, details! All of my paperwork for the state has been submitted and any day now, VeggieArtGirl (on Squam) will be an official LLC! :o) I am finishing up the final logo design for the shoppe so I can start building my sign and print my business cards and hangtags. In keeping with (my wacky) traditional font/style, I wanted to give this logo a retro feel, but with an earthy type border that can be used throughout the identity of the shoppe. I had been literally drawing for days, and today I came up with this, while (getting a sunburn) sitting on the lawn at Earth Day Fest. I am feeling pretty good about this one, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I am also looking to tighten up the tagline, if anyone has any suggestions. I made a swap from "an earth-friendly boutique" to "a funky, unique boutique" about a month ago when a.) I got nervous about the responsibility I would be holding as an "earth friendly" gallery and b.) when I found out "unique" and "boutique" rhyme. I am still committed to making all aspects of the place as friendly to Mother Earth as possible and will be bringing in many artists who work with recycled mediums. But I am also extending the opportunity to some artisans who may not work from all salvaged/recycled materials, so that I can provide a greater variety.

So think tagline and feel free to shoot me a line with any suggestions/comments! Just to get your creative juices flowing, here are a few (of the many) crafts that will be featured in VeggieArtGirl: vintage/retro clothing, handsewn aprons, funky jewelry, photography, woven fibers, herbs, lotions and potions, mosaics, fun hats and more. It's going to be great, and if you are looking for a place to sell your wares this summer, also hollar at me! Thanks!

Thank you for the thank you. :o)

So I am crusin' along today in my van, driving down Vandalia Ave. and listening to some Bob Marley, soaking in the sunshine, when I realize that the mail had come early. Huh. I grab it from our (newly stablized) mailbox and flipping through the stack, amidst a sea of bills and flyers is THIS!

What a sweet little thank you all the way from NH for a job that I just LOVED doing. So now, I will give you another shout-out, Michelle Goodearl Photography! Thank you...you made my day and you ROCK! Everyone check out this lady's fancy schmancy photography...HERE! It's dee-lish! :o) Mmmm....delish. Can I has cheeseburger now?

The Revolving Door

This was a fun little project right here in town that I got to paint a few weeks back. An avid lover of anything vintage, antique, unique and for a bargain price, I stopped into the Revolving Door in West Asheville, where I met the owner, Doni. We connected about painting her windows and signs, and I added splashes of color and movement--I made the windows look kind of vintagy...like old circus signs, and the sandwich board to match. And next--we're painting her front door bright blue for a new funky presentation...more pics to follow upon completion of that project! But what a fun little shop it is! She has a fine selection of vintage boots and belly dancing getups, funky jewelry, and a bargain sale rack that is fun to check out in the back of the room. She is just getting setup online with a site, blog and all that, but you can link to her site here for directions/contact info. Thanks, Doni...I look forward to coming back to add the finishing touches and swirls!

The Beacon Pub

These are kind of oldies, but goodies: few more pics from Jim's shows (these are from the Beacon Pub in Swannanoa, NC). This was a fun show and at a great place--it's a brand new bar that is family owned and operated, where they make you feel right at home (wellllll...home but with bigger TV's and a larger drink selection). They host this Drinkin' with Lincoln extravaganza one night a week--$5.00 to get in the door and penny drafts! Check them out at for fun events and live music!Cheyenne taking stage with her drumming skills...woot!

And then the urge to get on stage kicks in, and I join in...

JAY MAN! Read all about Jay Burnham Boraodcasts! (He's kind of a big deal): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090203&content_id=504634&vkey=news_t573&fext=.jsp&sid=t573 Weeee! It's my super cool roommate, Chey!

Thanks everyone for coming out!

Sweet chalk art.

I love that you can walk down the street any given day in Asheville and see something like this:

Shake it Like a Caveman!

I'm not *quite* sure how to describe this musical act. Shake it Like a Caveman. He's a one-man band, posessing a crazy energy, unique style and raw lyrics that you can't help but dance and laugh to. Oh, and he likes it when you throw stuff at him...like cheeseburgers.We saw him at MoDaddy's (notorious for "Asheville's *best* fried chicken) for a rockin' good time. He tours all around and if you have the chance to check him out, I highly recommend you do! Glug, glug. Fish love Shake it like a Caveman!

Positively brilliant.

I miss having a good camera. My little lime green HP that I toted around in '08 was a beast—it took the BEST pictures, was compact (and of course was my favorite color)...ahhh, I LOVED that camera. I am now sporting a red Nikon, just a small 8.0 MP digital, that I bought the day before I left for Asheville (after the sad screen shatter of my lovely old green one, that I haven't even thrown in the trash yet—I know...pathetic!) So for my birthday this year (look out, I'm approaching my dirty thirty!), I am going to treat myself to a new camera. I am in search of something reasonably priced, but also something that will wow me with it's zooming and detail capturing capability. This Nikon...not so much. :o(

If anyone has a suggestion...a camera that they LOVE...please comment away! I am open to all brands and sizes, but do not want to spend more than your average car payment. (Or if anyone is selling one, I'm open to buying used, too!)

So in my everyday internet wanderings for camera ideas, I found myself checking out photographer's portfolios, and by way of click, click, click, I stumbled upon this site: http://www.someoneoncetoldme.com/. Aren't these great? They just seemed to resignate with me—the rawness and simplicity of the compositions, the hand-written element, the expression...gorgeous. Sigh...makes me want a new camera!

Michelle Goodearl Photography

Here's a little logo I designed for a (super fun) photographer--Michelle Goodearl. She wanted something grungy and crumply and typewriter-ish, with her little green star that she uses as a signature, and this is what we came up with. Her work is amazing--check out her blog at: www.michellegoodearl.com. Thanks Michelle...I look forward to connecting with you for future creative endeavors when I return to New Hampshire!

Building and planning and painting...oh my!

To fill y'all in real quick (in case you didn't know): I am moving back to New Hampshire in June to open a little boutique on Squam Lake (appropriately named VeggieArtGirl). Essentially, I hope to be able to spend my winters in Asheville, and summers in New Hampshire. But as June is quickly approaching, I have been working on stuff here to bring there for the shoppe. Before I left, I laid a pretty solid foundation--paint on the walls, display racks moved to the location, and took measurements so that I can be building stuff while I am here. I feel I am in good shape about all of this, and have a good feeling about it. I have been painting and creating and planning my head off!

But as I am trying to organize things here for there, I am still in need of a few items to display. I am in search of a garment rack for my vintage clothes I will be selling (we're talking vintage--just wait 'til you see some of the disco-y dresses and groovy threads that are going to be in store!) Ideally, I am looking for something like this:
But I could use something like this as an alternative:

Ahhh...but then I saw this: So now, I am trying to create a design that will be easy to build, be sturdy enough to hold a ton of polyesther suits and have a rustic look to it. Not sure if all of this is feasible, but I do like the idea of it. So, if anyone has a place they can send me to online for ideas or help, it would be greatly appreciated! Orrrr....if anyone knows of a boutique that is going out of business or has one of those metal racks kicking around (and you want to make a few bucks), send me a line! :o)

Veggie doodles.

I've been oh so inspired, sitting down in my little basement studio here in Asheville, just painting away. The dork in me who is in love with words and fonts and language has been coming out, as I have been practicing new fonts with a paintbrush. I have a bunch of new signs that I'll be posting to etsy any day now, and will be all ready to hang in my shoppe this summer when I return to New Hampshire. I am finally feeling comfortable with painting in script (ok, I screamed when I figured out how to make a sweet looking "y"--finally!), and now I am trying to find out how to make a font to sell or give away. Anyone know anything about this or how to program it? I'm thinking something like Veggiescript? Figfont? Snarkydoodle? Any suggestions?

These are few of my favorite things...

...that I was able to enjoy with Jim when he came for a visit. (It was soooo nice to be able to show off Asheville to someone from back home). And I always say it's the little things in life. Well, here are a few little things that all added up for one super fun week:

Early afternoon Guinness and slice of heavenly chocolate mocha cheesecake, eaten in a high top bistro set, overlooking downtown Asheville.

This, my friends, is what a person who just ate what they claim to be "the best bacon tehy ever had" looks like. (At Tupalo Honey Restaurant in the center of the city)

And *this* is the famous bacon:

Jim taught me how to play Vegas style solitaire and I am hooked. I brought a deck of cards everywhere we went...even to Shake it Like a Caveman (blog entry about that to follow in the very near future)

We did a whole lot of antiquing and yard saling. With the green grass and sunny weather around here, Saturdays make for some great lawn bargains. This was one of my favorite finds--a vintage chandelier, that I am currently refinishing a retro cool blue color, with handing beads for my little shoppe on Squam.

This is what two people look like after full body massages (who also happen to be wearing pretty much the same hat). The Asheville School of Massage and Yoga has a program for the community where the soon-to-graduate students offer grrrreeeeeatttt massages at a super low cost. They fill up quick, so when I found out they had a couple of openings, I jumped at that opportunity. Ahhh... Oh. And I finally had an excuse to go to the Hot Dog King. There is no good reason for me to venture in there myself. Isn't this old sign just great?

But really, I think Asheville is pretty great. And next, Horseshoe is coming to visit, followed by Tina and Tanya! Fun!