(Inside A Black Apple)

Two Little Pieces + Miette-gate 2008 update

   Yesterday, Josiah and I spent the afternoon taking a tour of the many Portland Goodwill thrift-stores. There are tons, which is great...I mostly look for old surfaces to paint on + also kitchen-y stuff, and Josiah browses the books and sweetly and patiently waits for me to stop being a weirdo.

    It's funny, but I've noticed that  I barely look at the clothes anymore. I guess because in places like Portland or Athens, the chances that the vintage store owners have snapped up everything good is so huge. Also because I spent all of college thrifting all of mine + Josiah's clothes (because it was a financial necessity!) and I'm kinda tired of it. Rummaging for clothes, that is.

Here are two new paintings from the Ordinary Forest:

Brown Bear Capelet     5.5" x 4"    Acrylic on vintage plaque

I thought the close-up was neat because you can see my minuscule pencil sketch-lines weaving in and out of the painted image.

And I am flipping obsessed with this guy...I think I want for him to be my new business card or something big:

Little Fellow    5" x 6" framed    Ink + Acrylic on paper

These tree-hats figure prominently in my newest drawings and paintings...they first appeared in my sketchbook a few months ago and they tickle me so. And how about that green vintage frame? Not too shabby.

Oh! Also, someone else wanted to say Hello to you. It appears Miette has learned to type and is demanding to use the computer...

Hello Applets,
     My mama tells me you have been asking about me and my recovery. Well, as you can see, I still have this foolish apparatus on...though I am proud to announce that today, this very day, I was liberated from the shackles of my belly-stitches.
     That's right...3 weeks after my crises, we're really trying to move on. Unfortunately, my parents saw fit to place this tool of the devil back around my neck, because I am, as they put it, "a little too gung-ho about cleaning the site of my stitches". They don't seem to understand that the voices in my head keep yelling: "Unclean! Unclean!"
     But thank you very much for your concern, it is greatly appreciated. Now, if you could just petition my keepers to remove this absurd hat, I would be most grateful.
Sincerely,
His Furbaby-ness, Miette

Ordinary Forest

I'm trying something new with the current series of work I'm making, which is called:

What, you wonder? I've created an online gallery just to house it.

This way, all of the related paintings, drawings, dolls and etceteras can be together in one place, and you and I and whatever bears and rabbits might borrow your computer when you're not looking can go visit it whenever we please. Also, when update time comes, one can look at all the work that will be available in the shop all in one cozy place.

It can be found right here, and I'll have a link in the sidebar of the big blog soon enough.

Here is the first denizen of these woods that has made it to her destination:

Joanna     8"x10"x2"     Acrylic on canvas

It is a Black Apple-ish portrait that has been in my head for a while of the endlessly special Joanna Newsom. Josiah noticed that I was singing "Emily" from her second album, Ys, the entire time I was working on it. But I sing that song all the time, so it might've just been more of my usual mind-wandering-off singing...

Nesting

I am so smitten with these nesting bunnies.

I'm not really crazed about matryoshka dolls, but when I spied a set of these on Ebay over a year ago, and lost the auction...I was so sad!  How lucky then, that I would happen on another set a few weeks ago when poking around on Ebay again.

It was like lightning (cute, vintage Japanese lightning) striking twice!
Here's the biggest guy:

But here's my favorite:

Ahhhh! Their perfection is out of control.

Well, the nesting phase of our moving-in is out of its fever-pitch, and my studio is functional and pretty. I'll have photos for you soon, promise. I'm working on new paintings and planning some good things for the next update...and even thinking ahead to Christmastime! At this moment, I'm catching up on the DNC speeches from last night, since we don't have television. The internet is such a great thing.

I hope your week is off to a nice start...see you soon!

Two Rabbits Being Polite

I am obsessed with this weird painting that I recently acquired:

I like to imagine that the title is "The Last Piece of Lettuce" or maybe even something doom-ier.

It's so peculiar the things that one really fixes on...like this painting, which isn't even a "real" painting by capital-A Art standards. It's completely silly. And I love it very much.

Does everybody have fun stuff planned for one of the last weekends of the official Summer (or Winter, I suppose, for my applets across the globe)? I have really nothing planned, besides planning + making work (which is very fun, to me) and that feels very exciting. We got all the sale orders out the door and it feels good to not be locked up in Fort Apple watching Netflix'ed Mad Men anymore (is everyone in the country watching this show right now? I feel like it's a mania).

Happy Friday & see you soon!

Plates for Books

Just a little note to tell you that the bookplates are now restocked in ye olde shoppe.

Fort Apple

Have I mentioned that the Dollhouse has a basement?
I think I did. Maybe not...but it does, and I have been/still am inordinately excited about it. I've never lived in a house with a basement before, and I love the idea of a place where your unsightly but necessary possessions can be stored. Love. Especially for the business, because otherwise we have a ton of huge Uline boxes in my studio and that's not so pretty.

So, when Ryan and Lucy (former inhabitants) were showing us the place, I got all starry-eyed when we got to the basement. I immediately imagined a "Shipping/Packaging Fort" in one of the corners, and so when we moved in (especially because getting the shop back up and running was the first priority) I made it happen.
Before, it looked something like this (an opposite corner of the basement):

Yikes.

Then, using some cheapy tapestry-things from Urban Outfitters (they were an extra $10 off the day I went in, so I was extra-lucky) I made walls and a canopy. The rugs and lamps are also super cheapy and are from Ikea. It's completed by the enormous faux apple given to me by the lovely Vanessa (see it, over there in the left corner on the white drawers?). All of our shipping supplies and such are out of the frame, but they're all handy.

I am a life-long lover of blanket-forts, so it feels like the coziest place imaginable to me.

I made the little bunting yesterday while I was waiting for Josiah to be ready to commence to packing up the tons of orders we're knee-deep in from the sale.

Fort Apple is being inaugurated with a vengeance this week!

Happy Monday!

Two Things...

That have been out of stock in the shop for a while are back and looking well:

The Flora + Fauna Postcard Pack
&

The Simple Things Pin Set

Here at the Black Apple Dollhouse v.2.0, Kittywatch '08 continues, and I cannot wait for it to calm down.
Happy Sunday, my applets!

The Black Apple + the Fur-babies of the World Salute you!

My goodness!
What a smashing success the sale was...I was so taken aback by the kindness and interest that was shown. I don't know that I'll ever stop being genuinely delighted and thrilled by people's warmth and enthusiasm. Goodness! Goodness.
I'm so happy to be able to report to you that, amazingly, Miette's surgery AND weekend/overnight emergency care...the whole shebang...was covered by the proceeds of the sale.

(Photos from DoveLewis.org)
I'm also happy to report that because of the huge success of the sale, I was able to make a very handsome donation to the DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital. They are the good people who were able to care for Miette over the weekend when his normal vet was not able to, and they provide 24-hour emergency, critical care, education and community outreach to the people and pets of Portland. The thing I admire the most about them is this (the text is taken directly from their website):

"Stray animals, lost pets and injured wildlife depend on donations to the DoveLewis Stray Animal & Wildlife Fund for medical treatment. Hundreds of injured strays and lost pets come to DoveLewis from county shelters, Good Samaritan citizens and police officers each year. In addition, we provide care for injured wildlife when the Audubon Society is closed on evenings and weekends.

Last year DoveLewis provided over $300,000 in medical services for stray animals, lost pets and injured wildlife."

So, in addition to Myself, Josiah, and Miette being grateful for your support of the sale...the little hamster/chinchilla thing with the collar, the squirmy baby kittens, the birdie with the syringe, and that little black + white cookie kitty (or someone like them) thank you, too.

xoxo, big time. 

Miette Benefit Sale

Miette's emergency care cost quite a pretty penny, so I'm hosting a sale in the shop.

It will be August 13th and 14th, and every single thing in the shop is remarkably on sale! By taking part in this benefit sale, one is able to help out his cause while saving some money in the process.

Also, many of you have emailed asking about the particulars of Miette's recent debacle, and while I'll spare you the gory details, this is the bare bones of what happened last weekend: the little grey one threw up for 36 straight hours, was very sluggish and not himself at all. We took him to the vet after 24 hours of this, and they conducted x-rays which proved inconclusive, but showed that his intestines were abnormal. His condition was deteriorating, so by the next morning, my vet was so afraid that he had swallowed some thread/string (how could I ever forgive myself?!) that she began emergency surgery. It wasn't thread, but it was compacted paper and waste that was lodged in his intestinal tract. For the 2 days after that, he was in the care of the emergency pet hospital, and now he's in our care. He is currenly being positively drowned in love, in between being forced to take antibiotics and sleeping...

And all of your well-wishing isn't hurting at all, either. Thank You from all three of us.

(Almost) Out of the Woods

Thank you (and Miette thanks you, of course) for all of the good thoughts and kind notes over the last few days. I thought I should give an update, since some of you thoughtful souls were getting more worried.
Right now, at least, it looks like...

He (and we) have been through a lot in the last 3-4 days...countless trips to multiple vets, emergency surgery (!!!) and a good teacup full of tears and worrying. Lots of pleading with Miette to hang on and get better.
Now he's at home with us, resting, and trying to recover nicely with a 6" long scar running down his belly and an Elizabethan collar on.

Please feel better my little grey one!

xoxo

Happy Night/ Worried Daytime

We had a really fun night yesterday (Thursday), beginning with a trip to the Reading Frenzy opening for their current show of lady comic artist's self-portraits. I got to snap up the original I had my eye on, by Lille Carre, which appeared on the poster for the show:

I got to chat with zine mistress Nicole Georges about dresses and the futility of strapless bras, which was lovely.

Then we went to the Evan B Harris opening:

Which was a hit with all, and was crazzzzy crowded. We ducked out quickly, after taking in all the seafaring goodness.

Today,  on the other hand, has been as crummy as last night was good...our little Miette seems to be very sick and we don't know what's wrong. He spent the day at the vet, and is headed back tomorrow morning. If you don't mind, think a few good thoughts for the guy who just last post brought you the most hilarious image to ever appear on this blog.
He/we could really use any spare positive thoughts you have on hand!

xoxo

We're here! We're safe + sound.

And one girl, one boy, and one grey cat are happily going about the business of making the new Black Apple cottage just right. The cat is mostly "overseeing" the work of the other two, but his managerial skills are appreciated.

Let's break down the last week, fact-style:

-Number of places we smuggled a remarkably well-behaved Miette into over the course of the road trip: 
5 (mostly fast food restaurants)

-Creepiness-level of lower Wyoming and likelihood of "The Hills Have Eyes"-type scenario occurring while there:
Extremely high

-Birthdays celebrated on the road:
One (Josiah's), which is still being celebrated this morning with belated cake

-Flocked Jackalopes purchased:
One.



-French Fries + 'tater Tots consumed in the company of Ashley + Drew by the former or by us:
Basketfuls.

-Shipping Forts assembled in new basement:
One. (Pictures to follow)

-Excellent traveling companions and friends who were stolen back to Athens by way of PDX yesterday:
Robert.

-Trips to various Grocery Stores/variety stores thus far:
5

-Trips to Ikea:
1 brick & mortar trip,
1 online order,
Another real-life trip imminent.

-Mysterious Nooks in new home:
Innumerable.

-Morale level among girl, boy and cat in Portland:
Very strong