Alma Stoller

Ariel

Our new cat Ariel Rocky Pudgie Stoller.

well, actually he isn't all that new any more. We adopted him in May.

He had a few medical problems before we adopted him, so we fostered him first to see if we could deal with it. He was operated on, wasn't in the best shape.

But we were able to see through that. He is perfectly fine now. Completely normal. 

That face...

Isn't he beautiful....the sweetest thing in the world.

Though sometimes, Baby Boy isn't completely thrilled he is around.

The Brooklyn Flea

Yesterday I was a vendor at The Brooklyn Flea as part of The New New Etsy Team. It was really great. I vended with Waisze, who makes really beautiful paper crafts. Karen who creates the cutest (oh, not so scary) monsters, Martin, who creates the most eye-catching vintage jewelry, and Lindsay, who creates her own original feminist stencils and prints them on recycled and vintage clothes. I love her clothes and her designs. It's in complete alignment with my thoughts on recycling and feminist expression. I must have sounded like a broken record to her...as I went on and on about how much I loved her work. Super cool.

This was a great experience for me, as I normally only vend in art retreats full of artists.

Selling in an open setting is a completely different scene.
The tentative rain, the holiday weekend might have been the reason for the low turnout....but the day simply FLEW. Before we knew it, it was already time to pack up. I sold a couple of my ‘Get Crafty’ kits. and my Doodads packages. These were a super hit with young kids....girls and boys.

I think it might have something to do with the neon colors and all the goodies inside. But I didn’t sell as many as I had expected. C'est la vie! I have posted a few of them on my Etsy shop. 

Tomorrow, I start teaching an online class via Joggles.com
It is called Butterfly Art Doll.

In this class, we will cover various image transfer applications on fabric, construction and embellishing the sculptural doll.
It is chockfull of fun step-by-step picture techniques. 
If you are interested, sign up for it now. Class starts tomorrow, but I think the last day to register is Saturday.

Looking forward to chatting and sharing with this online class.

The Art Nest

My trip to Utah started out great. I left my apartment at 5:00 am, made it to the airport at 5:25 am, was all checked in by 6:00, boarded at 6:30, took off at 7:00. Beautiful. Perfect. Then I had to meet my connecting flight in Dallas. During take-off, I noticed a very familiar luggage on the tarmac. huh? I brush it off. Nah, it can't be. Using the power of positive thinking....I concluded that it wasn't my bag. It couldn't be. There must be a hundred bags with a neon pink piece of fabric on it.

I mean REALLY.

Well, I get to Utah and wouldn't you know.....my bag was still somewhere, roasting in that Texas sun.

Gee, what a surprise.

After spending the entire day with the same sweaty clothes that I started the day in....my room mates, and students all generously offered me anything I needed to comfortably make it through the night. Julie drove me to the nearest Rite Aid to purchase a new set of toiletries.

My bag was FINALLY delivered at about 11:30 pm.

Note to self: Always carry undies and a toothbrush in my carry-on bag.

Utah is insanely gorgeous. Our hostess, Julie and Candice are some of the sweetest people I have ever met. My room mates and fellow teachers, Carla and Stephanie were as nice as nice can possibly be.

Carla is a superb instructor. Fun, focused, whimsical....(and btw, that is my new favorite word.)

Her approach is very forgiving and free form. I soooo appreciated that. 

Stephanie is a brilliant instructor. Aside from being as passionate as I am about childbirth, midwifery and labor, she is smart, giving and incredibly talented. 

One thing they both have in common in a raw sense of self. Very real and very unpretentious.

I felt really comfortable amidst their energy. 

I learned a lot in their class and I highly recommend them.

I taught my class on Saturday. It completely benefited from the teachings of the previous two days.

I felt my students were open and ready for a process a little more meditative.

What a thrill! Lunch time came and no one was ready to go....clean up time came and no one was wanting to leave. So insanely fun. I LOVED teaching that class and I loved how open everyone was to creating their art quilt.

This is what is so great about The Art Nest. Three completely different teacher, with different teaching styles and project....and you the student, get it all. So if you define yourself as ONLY a jewelry artist or ONLY a fabric artist, etc.... being in this setting allows you to nurture a part of you that you would NEVER consider of feeding, exploring or learn about. The Art Nest ROCKS! 

Going home, was fine...at least the first half of my trip. Again, Dallas had its own plans for me. When I got there....I find out that my flight to NY from Dallas was canceled. To make an already long story short, I ended up sleeping in the airport. My flight left Monday at 8:00 am. It was nearly 2:00 pm when I finally got home and Julian needed to be taken to his swimming lesson by 4:30. 

So it has taken me this long to settle in.

But what a joy it was to meet Maija, Beth, Krista, Cheryl, Shauna, Char, Cindy, Colleen, Julie and my sister Helen of (old) York....and all the other ladies that came in for the day.

It was also so nice to meet Sherri Haab during vendor night. What an amazing time.

I have some extra class kits. I have posted them on my Etsy shop.

I also have 5 instruction packets on HOW TO MAKE FABRIC BEADS. So check 'em out.

This Sunday, I will be vending at the Brooklyn Flea, as part of the Etsy Team called The New New.

If in the area....stop by and say Hi.

Now....to ready myself up for the next art retreat, Art Unraveled in August. I can't wait.

Morsels of Fiber Candy

an insanely colorful bead
Originally uploaded by Alma Stoller

An example of what makes hand sewing and hand work a sheer joy.
Meditative. Spiritual.....and kick-ass fun.
Candy anyone?

I Heart Zines Swap

Here is the information about the annual I Heart Zines Swap. Read about it, join in, and pass the word around. I am hoping to make this exchange a really big one.

I also wrote an article about zines for Squidoo. Read more about it here and let me know what you think about it. I have FINALLY managed to finish a few of my Christmas gifts. Yes, that's right, Christmas.

slowly onward...slowly.

zines, zines and more zines

I've started working on samples and art work for the class I am teaching at The Art Nest next month in Utah. I am sOoOoOo looking forward to it.

This is the cover of Odd Ball Charm issue #5. A really YUMMY mixed media zine...if I do say so myself. It was such a JOY to create it... I hope you consider it another installment of visual and creative juice.

Somewhere inside is the Golden Ticket.
I really don't know where it is. An order comes in and I pull one out and stick it in an envelope.
So you...and I will be completely surprised.

As for mailing....Media Mail sucks.
I have mailed back a few that were returned.
I always...always have some kind of problem with this feature.
Either packages gets lost, arrive INSANELY late, are returned back to me, or arrive looking completely unlike the way I sent it. Some packages look like they were sitting in a battlefield.
It really is not worth the stress and hassle. But I always think...this time it will be different.
I will print the address just right....I will even center it exactly in the middle of the envelope.

Forget it...any effort always results with a few undelivered packages.

No, not again. I WILL NEVER USE MEDIA MAIL AGAIN.
It sucks.  It sucks a million times...a million times + 1.

It sucks a million times to the second power. And it exponentially continues to suck.
So if you ever decide to mail a bulk of handmade, one-of-a-kind creations....don't do it.

Be a dear and slap yourself out of the lure. It is soOoOoOo not worth the discount.

Here is a bit inside this issue.

Here are a few of the inclusions.

If you'd like to order one *click here*.

Will you get The Golden Ticket?

I have been working on Issue #5 of my little zine.

Painting, creating patterns to include, and assembling.

In each issue I am painting an abstract image on a magazine page. (recycle, recycle, recycle)

In a pocket on the inside of this page, will be a few collage papers.....in the mix, you might find this.......

a Golden Ticket.
If it is in your issue....you will receive one of my portraits.
Just a little something extra.

Will the Golden Ticket be in your issue?

 

New Soul

My son is much better. When he gets sick, he has to be densely monitored.
He has Van Willebrands Disease. Without getting into too much about the Van Willebrands factor, and platelets and all of that....it is a blood clotting disorder.

So when he gets cut, bruised or has a spontaneous nose bleed, I am outwardly calm but inwardly a total mess. His fever was quite high and I was afraid it would break out in to seizure.

(candle making in Historic Richmond Town.)

Van Willebrands Disease is actually quite interesting. Most people have it and don’t even know it. Ok, so I’ll get into it anyway. I know it will help someone.

It is characterized by prolonged bleeding, easy bruising, prolonged or heavy menstrual periods, prolonged or unusual bleeding following a minor injury or dental work.

The problem is an abnormality or a deficiency of a protein called the Van Willebrands factor.
The VW factor helps blood cells (platelets) to adhere to the injured area and stop bleeding.
Luckily, Julian has Type 1...which means that he produces the VW factor but a
slightly decreased amount of what is typically normal.
He is fine now....actually, we haven’t had to visit his hematologist in a while.
So he is doing well right now. I am hoping that as he gets older, it will become less
of an issue for him.

Rose was great at her school's talent show. She performed New Soul by Yael Naim.
I was so proud of her...she was really outside of herself on stage. It was the most comfortable I've ever seen her. Her stage presence, her voice.....PERFECTO!

Now I am back to working on the classes I am teaching and various other projects.

 

 

Five for Fighting

Two weeks ago, the kids were home from school for an entire week on their mid-winter break.
We had a great time sledding....yes, we FINALLY got some snow.

It has been quiet around here.
Last week, Julian came down with something like the flu....fever and achy. He has missed school since Thursday.
His temperature was up to 105. He and I spent a good chunk of the day in the emergency room. He's been fighing this for five days now. He is slowly coming out of it...building up energy and an appetite. I am hoping that he gets better soon.

I have started teaching my Mixed Media Portrait class on Joggles.
I am really loving the class. My students are an eclectic bunch, fun and eager to learn. I am teaching another class called She’s So Unusual which starts on Thursday. Check it out here.

The zine is coming along great. I am not working on it as intensively as I was a few weeks ago. Haven't had much time to post or advertise it much. Spread the word for me if you can. I still have some ad space available in it. If you are interested...it is on my Etsy shop. You can pre-order the zine here. I will be closing the order form this week.

That is all for now. Gotta get back to my boy.

Extreme Embroidery

The kids are home from school this entire week. I took them to the Museum of Arts and Design to view the most amazing exhibit called Pricked (extreme embroidery).
And if you remember Julian's embroidery work, you will know that he has an eye for it.
The exhibit isn't for kids....because it is quite.....extreme in concept. But they looked at it and took what they could and made sense of it in their own way. They walked away commenting on a favorite piece....either because of the crystals or the flowers.

All I have to say is.....I must go back. Really, really amazing work....and interestingly enough, many of the embroidered pieces were created by men. I need to go back,....alone...... to REALLY look at it and REALLY take it all in.

The only crafty thing accomplished today.....the Floret Stitch