Octomug

My friend Rachel commissioned me to make an octopus-themed mug for her husband's Father's Day gift (Happy Father's Day, Eric!). Though I probably would never have thought to make anything like this on my own, I am quite happy with how it turned out, and discovered fascinating facts about octopuses in the process.

For example, an octopus has no skeleton so it can squeeze through a tiny opening, or even a skinny, hairpinny tube in order to get to some food at the other end. An octopus can figure out how to unscrew a jar in order to get to a crab sealed inside. Check out this You Tube video:





There was a large aquarium where dogfish shark carcasses kept appearing at the bottom of the tank, and when they put cameras in to figure out what was going on, they discovered that a giant pacific octopus was doing them in.

On the other hand, even though octopuses can be very strong and very fast, they run out of energy quickly because of their poor circulation.

I also found a cool octopus jewelry shop on Etsy at Octopusme.etsy.com






The suction cups are fun to touch and I think I will try adding little bumpers like these to some other mugs.

Art Star Craft Bazaar 2009

Art Star put on a super Craft Bazaar again this year! The Penn's Landing location is lovely because it's on the water and feels nice and spacious, and they make good use of the amphitheater by having a full lineup of live bands each day. I'm so impressed with Erin Waxman and Megan Brewster for putting this event together each year.

The weather was beautiful and sunny on both days and lots of people came out! Thank you to everyone who came to the Bazaar and stopped by my booth! My booth neighbor, Shoba Ohal, who was great company, commented on the fact that I had so many friends come visit. I love you guys!



My booth! I am so pleased with how it came together. I felt like my work has developed a lot over the last year and I wanted my booth presentation to reflect this, in terms of the palette as well as a cleaner, cohesive look. I sewed a tablecloth to fit the table, and made the banner using iron-on inkjet transfer paper. It was time-consuming, but I believe I achieved the desired effect.







My friend Yasha Butler also had a booth at Art Star. She makes tableware and jewelry from porcelain that is often left unglazed, so that it feels like touching smooth stones, or frosted glass, or bone, which is what she named a series of work. She is about to move to New York and I wish her the best. I'll miss working in the studio with her at The Clay Studio.







This was my giveaway to put in the goody bags that they were giving out to the first 250 people to come to the Art Star booth. I had postcards printed up (m3 Printing, in Philadelphia, good prices, fast turnaround) to which I attached a teabag, the idea being that now that you have the tea, come over and get your mug!




I also had a pastry chef friend make handmade marshmallows, which I thought would be fun to have at the booth. If you've never had a fresh, homemade marshmallow, it's a totally different experience from the "jet puff" ones that come out of a plastic bag (what is "jet puff" anyway?). It was wonderful to see the delighted looks on peoples' faces when they took a bite, and to feel like I introduced them to something very familiar and completely surprising at the same time. Which is what Snowday is about.