West coast

Hey there!  I just returned from a fantastic trip out west for a couple of shows. The first was Designer Con in Pasadena, a show focusing on artist prints, sculptural toys and apparel. It was a lot of fun to showcase our goods to a new crowd and meet loads of artists. The mermaids I carved and cast received a lot of attention, but it was my paper dolls that were a hit. I think I'll do it again, maybe. Doing shows is out of my comfort zone. After the show, Jess and I drove up the coast to meet some friends at The Sycamore Spa in San Luis Obispo to enjoy the hot springs. We got a room with a tub and pretty much stayed in the water the whole time. I think that water is magical, since I went in with a variety of aches and pains and came out feeling like a kid. I wish I had that water in house.

Whenever I'm in SF, Jess takes me all over the city to sample the local food. This is my favorite part. The food is so good, every time I think about it I have to take a moment to relish the memory. Anyway, here's a picture of some amazing doughnuts from Johnny's. They were so delicious, it was hard to stop at one. I mean two.

The Conservatory of Flowers was having an exhibit of aquascapes ( which were really hard to photograph!) but it was the collection of carnivorous plants that amazed me. Not only was the collection varied, but many were huge! I couldn't believe the size of some of those pods! The ones in the picture are easily bigger than my face, which impressed me because I couldn't grow them larger than a few inches. Anyway, it was marvelous. 

Between jaunts around town, I worked on some projects for Jess's pop up store in the Mission that will be opening near the first of December and will stay open till the end of January. The store, Elton Jeremiah, will feature vintage finds, handcrafted jewelry and also hand painted vintage bags. They were so fun to paint, I've been looking around for a bag maker to make me some blanks.

I'll post more info on the opening as it gets closer.