jolly holiday giveaway

I love me a good indie art giveaway, don't you?! Ease on over to one of my favorite blogs Queering Domesticity and find out how to soon win some goodies handmade by me and some other really terrific folks.

what i'm working on

You may have noticed my bloggity blog has not been getting many updates! I've been thinking about you everyday whilst I work like a maniacal sewist preparing for my upcoming public appearances. Let's take a gander at what I've been working on lately.

I have a limited (yet very terrific) amount of knit material in my stash. I'm really picky when it comes to vintage knits and have managed to find some yardage around town. I will be using up every last drop of it to bring you this wonderful dress in all sorts of sizes.


My lovely assistant and I have been creating LOADS of these fun vintage button accessories. I have some gorgeous pieces made with bits dating back to the 19th century, bakelite, celluloid, plastics and even Canadian military ones.


I've started to list a few of these versatile a-line skirts in my Etsy shop. This season I will have a series of appliqued, organic feather shapes, pockets & vintage buttons on many of these garments. I've seen so many lovely feathers included into designs, but animal derived products aren't my cup of tea so I've created these vegan-friendly ones! Of course, I have sizes small to 3x!!

(vegan) cookies and waffles

I've been locked up in my studio all week long sewing more garments then you can shake a stick at, prepping for my upcoming shows in Washington, DC and Pittsburgh. Today I allowed myself to come up for some air, go to Wegmans and get some cookie making supplies.

Now, while I sit here and wait for my cookies to bake in my oven, I've been perusing the internet and eyeing a fancy new waffle maker on a Web site that sells cookware sets and what nots. I need to replace my old and tired one that should be called a "waffle ruiner" instead. Does anyone have a really solid recipe for vegan waffles? Let's swap recipes like little old ladies! Here... I made up this one for the world's best vegan chocolate chip cookies; these are baking in my oven right now!


The Best (Vegan) Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ever

½ pound buttery vegan sticks
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 tblsp non-dairy milk
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
1 cup cashews (optional)

Preheat oven 350F. Cream together with a mixer the buttery vegan sticks and sugar until fluffy and light. Toss in your vanilla, molasses & non-dairy milk and blend more. Add in salt and baking soda and blend a little more. Add in flour a little at a time (to prevent a poofing mess by the mixer). Fold in by hand the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-9 minutes, less for a softer finish, more time for crunchier. Let them cool for a few minutes before placing onto a cooling rack. Eat while warm for maximum deliciousness. Makes about 3 dozen.

i've been featured

Want to know about my little business, The Garbologist's Wife, in a nutshell? I've been featured on a really terrific Web site, Queering Domesticity! Go read it and meander around her site, it's chocked full of other indie artist awesomeness that is not about me, too.

malls = barf

The regular mall out in the burbs make me anxious and barfy; anxious because of all the people in my way and acting a fool in the parking lots & barfy because all of those perfume counters smell sooo bad with the 857 different aromas being sprayed at me as I walk past them. I will let you in on a dirty secret, I worked in a very well known mall in Baltimore county in recent years for a month and the secret hallways behind the stores smelled overwhelmingly like rotting milk. I think I just let two dirty secrets out.

Have you seen Indie Fixx's brand new fancy Holiday Galleria? No?! It's an online gallery of indie goods- like an 'indie mall' featuring a juried mix of indie designers & boutiques. This year you can find my work floating about in it along with some really terrific work by other artists. It however does lack that special barfy, anxious aesthetic if that is what one needs.

oh... hello, pittsburgh

I'm heading to Pittsburgh in December! I'll be selling my wares on December 12th in the Hunt Armory at Handmade Arcade. I'm planning to work double time in the next month to be prepared for this show as well as the 4th Annual Holiday Booty Market in Washington, D.C. on December 19th. I've got a few new things up my sleeve including some garments as well as lots of great accessories... all made with upcycled and vintage materials in sizes small to 3x.

flame toasted toast with white bean goodness

A favorite restaurant of mine makes the most butt kickingly delicious appetizer with a hearty crostini topped with white beans marinated in something vinegary & scrumptious. I decided to make my own easy version at home with things I have on hand or could easily pick up from the grocery store. The result: really yummy & stupid fast! Plus it's also vegan. This will be showing up on my table when friends come over to visit.

2 15oz can of white beans
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 baguette of your choice

Rinse & drain your beans. In a medium bowl toss vinaigrette and beans together with the thyme & oregano. Cut baguette into 1/2-3/4" slices. Toast your bread on the grill. OR place the bread on a baking sheet & toast in the oven on broil (it takes less then a minute, flip them over for a few more seconds). *For maximum flavor, allow the beans to marinate for a few hours on the fridge.