It's been muuuuuch colder than anticipated here in Asheville, so I have been hybernating. No complaints from me, though....as long as I have my space heater and my paintin' pants, I am all set. I have been making crafty goods to both sell and display at my shoppe (which I am uber excited to reopen!). Here's a little how-to project that is going to adorn the walls of the Veggie Art Girl Boutique in the spring:
These little people clothes were all finds from the Goodwill Clearance Center here in Asheville. I used scraps of fabric with iron on material to create letters and cut them out in my signature font. They are going to hang on a make-shift clothesline with vintage pins on the wall above the (new and improved!) vintage clothing section of the boutique. Fun!
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 
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.: 
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)
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!
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 
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. 
So, the first place I moved to in Asheville didn't quite work out. Luckily, I was (quickly) able to find a living situation that worked muuuuuuuuuch better for me. There are chickens out back and the world is your oyster out your front door. I can walk to thrift stores, the cupcake shoppe and the River Arts District. It's a sweet little space. My roommate is great. And there is a little bonus doggie, Star, is quite adorable (even though I am more of a cat person- but don't tell Star).
This wall of jars reminds me of my Noni, and her cozy little kitchen that always smelled like hot simmering soup. 
