Project Runway, naps and more.

Feeling better and ready to start going again. I'm writing while my whole pack of animals sleeps soundly, which is unusual for the middle of the afternoon when I'm home and working. They love to bring me toys and ask for hugs and stomp on my keyboard. On some days it's cute and other days it's frustrating, but for some reason, today they're sleepy and I'm free to type away.

So what do you think about this season of Project Runway? At first I thought it was a less talented group than last year, but I think I'm seeing some strong contenders emerge. The Drag challenge was so fun! I absolutely loved what Joe did with his pink jump suit. I was amazed by the fit, it was like a glove.

I think next week is another recycling episode and those are my least favorite. Why assemble a group of talented designers and then give them garbage to sew with? Has anyone else been thinking that Tim is kind of "out of the picture" this year? I wish they would show more of his critiques. His input is really interesting for me as a seamstress and designer.

This week I really need to decide what I want to do for Halloween. I'm thinking of designing a group of ceramic pieces to put on Etsy. Maybe a line of cuffs and necklaces too? Maybe a headband with cat ears or a pumpkin bag? Designing Halloween merch is my absolute favorite thing to do, but for some reason I always wait until it's too late. Not this year!

Alright. Lastly... The Beijing Olympic ceremonies were so inspiring to me as an artist and as a human being. They proved what we can do if we try and how a vision can become reality, no matter how outrageous it may seem.




Oh! They're awake. I now have a 35 lb dog in my lap and another jumping at my side. Must have moved around in my chair too much. :)

Laugh about it.

Alright, so I'm sick at home and little bit miserable. So, of course I turn to the internet to entertain me and what do I find? I found this page called YearbookYourself.com. It's crazy. You upload a picture of yourself in B/W and it automatically puts your face into a yearbook photo. You can choose 1950-2000. Some of them were too hideous to imagine and some were just hilarious. I made a montage of the ones that made me giggle. Hope you like it. This is what happens when I'm not feeling well and boredom takes over. It's dangerous.

You can see me blonde, nerdy, mod, bookish etc. Last one is really me. I can't believe they look so different, even though the face is the same. Feel free to vote for the best look! Maybe I'll get a new do.

Post Pony Post

Aaaaaaahhhh. Yes, it's over. The Shop Pony Show is in the past, but it has left me with good memories. Truly, this was my first "big" show since NY in December. The experience has left me feeling energized about my work and ready to go forward.
There was some really cool stuff at the show. Really, I had to hold back from buying to save my budget. I did score some extremely yummy candles from Dark Candles. Her Halloween collection smells amazing. My favorite one is the Chocolate Bat. Just try and keep from eating it!

Another of my favorite vendors was Claudia's Burning Ink. She had the booth across from me and I was really impressed with her wooden creations. She's got a style similar to mine, so I'm partial. She's super sweet too and I hope to work with her again.

Yes, It was really steamy in the middle of the afternoon. Not sure what caused the spike in temperature inside the building, but it definitely had me feeling a bit woozy. Still, the crowds were exciting and I loved, loved, loved the space we were in. The artwork on the walls was so cool!

I spent about 2 minutes with the pony. Her name is "Lady" and she was really cute. Rumor has it, she recently had a baby and this was her first time out since the big event. During our visit she whinnied several times, which was louder than you'd expect. I thought she might be scared of me, but her handler said she just wanted to get back into her trailer and was telling him so. Then she left a little "gift" on the floor and I excused myself.

The swing dancers were so inspiring. Gosh, I wish I could dance really well. For years Kent and I have been saying "Let's take swing lessons.", but we never do it. I hear they have a swing party every weekend, so maybe we'll go to one of them in the future.


Gee wiz! My headbands were the big hit! I didn't expect that, but I sold more headbands than anything else. They're totally new for Superchica and I like making them. So, more headbands it is. There was a super cute girl at the show and I think her name was Heather. She was absolutely determined to buy one of the headbands and so she did. She even accessorized it with her own band on top. Her mother told me that she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. Maybe one day we'll see her work on the runways.


I hope you had a chance to come out and experience it for yourself. Thanks to everyone that supported me.
We hope to do another one next year, so be sure to visit The Dallas Craft Mafia site to see pictures from the event and to sign up for our newsletter and get info about more shows.

Oh, and this too!

So, I also wanted to say that I have been really working to fill my etsy page. I've also been shopping etsy lately and doing a daily "pounce". Please take a minute to visit my etsy page and maybe even *heart* me.

http://www.superchica.etsy.com

My August.

It has been a while since my last post and I have a lot to catch up on. First of all, you probably noticed that I totally re-vamped my website. I thought it was time to simplify my look and hopefully it's easy to use. Secondly, I've really changed my work and have focused almost entirely on fabric arts. Ceramics will still be in my collection, but only during the holidays. For now, I'm happily sewing and painting things that are soft. No more yards of bubble wrap!

This week is all about preparation as The Show Pony Show is coming up this weekend on Aug 17th. This is my first real show since December!!! Can you believe it? Me neither. Well, it promises to be great. The Dallas Craft Mafia is hosting and has chosen over 25 vendors for you to shop from. We've also arranged to have a sweet pony in the afternoon, which is really cool. I'll have an 8x8 booth of just Superchica goodies. Be sure to stop by and get into one of the raffles.

My other big news is that we adopted another dog! Yes, we're totally insane. Totally. She's unbelievably sweet and cute and we are happy to have her, even if it means more work. I was running errands a few days ago and there she was wandering the streets near a busy intersection. She had no collar and no micro-chip. It turns out she's had a litter of puppies at some point and has not been spayed. She's only 8 months old and must have had quite the life. Nat and Arlo or beginning to accept her and the cats seem to be saying "Eck, another one!" and "Oh, whatever.". So, things have been a little topsy turvy this past week. By the way, we named her Tilda.

Oh, and yesterday was my birthday! Woo! Kent and I had a yummy lunch at Houston's restaurant. If you haven't been there, I hope you get to go sometime soon. I just love the food and the service is really good plus they keep it dark. Nice. Then we finally went to see The Dark Knight. Sadly, I think it wasn't worth all the hype it's received, although I thought it was very good. Not excellent, but really good.

Right now I'm dying fabric for some of the pieces I'll have available this weekend. I really hope you can come out and shop or just say "hi". This show is a good test for my new work. Right now I have pieces at House of Dang and Make, but I'm still not sure how the newest items will be received in a show environment. We'll see!

It's like candy!

Today I came across something fun and completely new to me. Some of you sewing people may have already seen these and are wondering what took me so long, but I'm finally in the know. It's the "Jelly Roll" by Moda! These touchable little gems are a quilters dream but for people like me they mean a world of possibilities. What's a Jelly Roll? Well, it's a circular bundle of fabric strips measuring 2 1/2" wide. Each roll has a theme and will include 40 strips of fabric. There is even a club you can join through which you can receive a Jelly Roll each month. Who knew? Visit Fat Quarter Shop for more details.

Also check out this super cute Monkey fabric! It's also from MODA. Don't you think it would make the best party dress for a little girl?

Treat yourself.

Wanna be the coolest kid on the block? It's easy. Check out some of these amazing accessories from two super-swell sites.

Grab this stellar wallet for only $12 from Gamma-Go


Browse through the many wallet designs for $20 at Poketo... cheap and stylish, no doubt.



Score a crazy cool shirt for $28 also from Poketo

The things I see.

Do you ever seen crazy things that make your head turn? I do. All the time. I don't mean a weird bumper sticker or a random hair-do. I mean really crazy stuff.
Last year I saw a man walking or should I say stumbling down Northwest Highway. I was driving west and he was on my right. I nearly crashed the car trying to get a good look. I think it was an actual zombie. Yeah, that's right. I said ZOMBIE. Here's why I think that.... He was shirtless and wearing cut off shorts with frayed edges. His arms were hanging in a zombie like fashion. His lips were blueish and around his mouth was a white ring, like he was dead or UNDEAD. His eyes were huge and blankly staring, his mouth was agape and he was dragging his feet as he moved along the side of the road. No, it was not Halloween.

Then a few months ago my husband and I saw a cave woman. Yep. That's right. A cave woman! She was sitting on the corner of a residential street near the sewer opening. She had long stringy, messed up hair and was wearing a one piece brown dress with jagged edges on the sleeves and hem. She was barefooted and filthy. Something in the sewer seemed to fascinating her and she was actively working to get it.

One night I saw a car completely engulfed in flames in front of a Souper Salad near my neighborhood. It was a giant fireball in the shape of a car and the flames were so hot and so bright that it illuminated the entire city block. Talk about random. I still wonder how it happened. There was no accident. The car had simply been parked in a spot, likely minding it's own business. Then poof! Up in flames. I hope no one was hurt.

Today we saw a man carrying an excercise machine down the road. What on earth? He couldn't have been bigger than 5'8" and 165lbs. The machine was nearly 2 feet taller than he was! He waited patiently for the light to change and then crossed the street with it. I have no idea where he was going or what his plan was or how far he walked before we saw him. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about a machine in a box. It was a completely assembled home exercise center!


There are so many more things I could tell you, but you can imagine. I'm sure you've seen something strange at some point in your life. Feel feel to comment on this post with your own weird stories.

Do over.

Ok, so I know we have to be some of the last people on earth to get started, but at least we're doing it. We're RECYCLING! Yes, we are. We should have been doing it for years, but it seemed confusing and difficult. It's not. It's actually pretty easy and kind of fun. Check out this great site....
www.lime.com

They've got tips for recycling almost everything. Did you know that Whole Foods will take your used alkaline batteries? They will! I've decided that when I grocery shop I'm going to keep in mind whether or not the product packaging can be recycled. Hopefully I can choose wisely.

Happy Birthday!

Dad
Originally uploaded by ImSuperchica

April 23rd would have been my Dad's 68th birthday. He passed away 20 years ago. I can't even imagine what he would look like at 67 because the last time I saw him he was only 47 and really very young. He was such a special man and the best Dad. I miss him more than I can say. I miss his laughter and his smile, his jokes and silly stories. I miss his kindness and his curiosity for life and the times he shared his thoughts about the world and people and the way things ought to be. Most of all I miss his unconditional love and the way he made me feel safe. I thank him for the many things he taught me and for giving me a love for learning. He was a gentle, thoughtful and wildly intelligent person with so many hopes and dreams.
So here's to my amazing Dad, Richard Petrosky born in NY in 1940.

I love you Dad. :)

Things.

I've noticed. I've thought. I've learned. I've realized. I remembered.

1. I'm not as disciplined as everyone thinks I am.
2. Planting herbs and peppers in our garden is satisfying and eating them is even better.
3. NyQuil is an awesome product.
4. A week's worth of groceries cost me $35 last year. Now, the same groceries cost $60.
5. There are actually friendly people living in Dallas. It took forever to find them.
6. Getting a giant, blue recycling bin is more exciting than I thought it would be.
7. My dogs are amazing people.
8. Annie Lennox is a real rock star.
9. Balls of Fury was actually a funny movie. Seriously.
10. I think my body and soul need to travel the world if I'm going to thrive.
11. People are selfish. That's not new, but it's just more obvious than ever.
12. Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are freakishly tasty. They remind of something but I can't put my finger on it.
13. Charlton Heston died. I wonder if he was buried with a gun?
14. Jane Austen had a beautiful heart. She would have made a good friend :)
15. God is the ultimate art teacher. I like his work.

Not so crafty.

I'm beginning to face the fact that for the moment, I'm all crafted out. What's that about? I can't really give an answer. So, for a while I may not blog about crafty stuff. Instead, I'll just put my thoughts out there and maybe share a funny story or this or that. Okay?

Good. Well, lately I've been addicted to LastFm.com. Kent was told that his album had been posted there and was getting pretty frequent play, so he checked it out. One day I finally sat down and started playing around with it myself and I love it. The basic concept is that you type in your favorite singer or band and then they show you their discography and you can play mp3's of their songs. It also shows you similar artists and you can set it to "radio" and it just keeps playing music that it thinks you'll like. Sort of like Amazon, but without being a storefront. It's fun. Not all the artists have their songs available to listen to, but I've found almost everything I like so far. Check out my playlist...


It's funny. When you actually sit down and make a list of your favorite songs, and not just what you like right now but what you can't live without, you can see what really influences you. It's clear that I'm a product of the 80's and that I like melancholy music. Yep, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. This list is not perfect, because some of my favorite songs were not available on LastFm, but it's close and pretty representative of my style and my heart. I've made my "Desert Island" mix in my head a thousand times. If I were on a desert island would I really have access to a cd player? Well, maybe. Until the batteries went dead. Anyhoo.

NY Follow up and more.

So, where was I? OH yes. Monday night. Well, in a nutshell we walked through the village feeling refreshed and ready for more. We passed a lovely book store called Partners in Crime-Mystery Books. It's exactly what I wish we had here in Dallas, but don't. Then we happily stumbled upon the Jonathan Adler store. I had no idea how much I would like it! It's a very small shop and in an unexpected spot. Inside was a great selection of house wares and linens and interesting furniture. If you like simple and sophisticated design, you should visit his website http://www.jonathanadler.com to see what I'm talking about. We spent about 20 minutes shopping and sadly left empty handed. Our budget was tight and we had to be good.
It was raining and our feet were tired so we stopped at the famous Max Brenners. A large portion of their menu is made up of chocolate delights. It's really a dream come true, right? Well, I have to say we were a bit disappointed. I ordered a mexican hot chocolate that was soooooo spicy that I couldn't manage more than two sips of it. Keep in mind that I love spicy food and have a high tolerance, but it burned in a weird way. Kent did better and ordered the double chocolate, which was just that. Imagine drinking a cup of melted chocolate and there you have it. The girls at the table next to us ordered the Urban Smores which included marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate and your own personal grille to fire up at the table. The smell was divine. Buzzed and confused we finally decided to move on our next destination. The St. Mark's Place neighborhood and Giant Robot!!!! I have waited for 5 years to visit a GR shop and now was my chance. Woo! It was small but full of goodness. I bought 3 shirts, stickers, pins, 2 posters and a gift for my nephew. I pretty much blew my whole souvenir budget in one night, but I didn't care. I was happy.
It was raining slightly. Rain is always nice, but it's unbelievably charming in NY. I swear. More walking and then a few stops at the record shops for Kent. He was so excited to find shops full of vinyl and out of print cds. Dallas has the worst music shops, so he was in heaven. He scored a jazz CD or two, which was great. Every day we were in the city we walked at least 5miles and Monday was no exception. Our dogs were barking! I truly needed a foot transplant, but there was nothing for it and so I settled for dinner and a chance to sit down. Fortunately, in addition to being a haven for freaks, St. Mark's Place is also known to some as the JapanTown of Manhattan, so of course we were thinking sushi. We found a place called Sharaku that was not what we had hoped for, but they had chairs and that was good enough for me. Our table was on the 2nd level and we had view of city and the rain. Not bad.
I really think that's enough action for one day, don't you? We headed for the train and our trip back to Jersey City and bed.

More tales of NY

It was a wonderful weekend and then Monday came.  We started off the day in the best way. We had bagels!  Well actually we each had a bialy and cream cheese.  Bagels on the Square had been recommended to us by one of the vendors at the Bust show. She was right!  It was sooo yummy, well priced and right near a lovely park.  We ate in the park with a pigeon or two, grabbed a copy of the paper and tried to think about our day.  

For some reason we had decided to venture north and see a few of the more touristy sites.  It sounded like a great idea, but maybe not so much.  The first stop was Bryant Park, the home of Fashion Week.  

There were lots of little shops or you might say kiosks all around, which is a great idea but the skating rink was the big attraction.  The weather was cold and just perfect for a visit to midtown.  We moved on to Radio City Music hall, which was packed with people waiting to see the Christmas Spectacular.  We weren't able to go in because of the event, so we made our way to NBC, the home of Conan and 30 Rock.  Secretly, I was hoping for a celebrity sighting, but no luck.  The NBC shop was big and crowded, but nothing really said "buy me".  

So then it was off to Rockerfeller Center!  I kind of wish we had gone at night so that the lights would be in full effect, but we didn't.  The tree seemed smaller in person and not very cheery, but at least we can say we've been there.  
Swarms of people were all around us at this point and everyone was taking pictures and looking for good vantage points.  We snapped a few ourselves and then made our way to Madison Ave.  
This is where Kent hailed his first cab!  It was a special moment and kind of scary.  The cab driver whisked us down the street like Godzilla was chasing us!  He was manic to say the least and we held on for dear life.  Our destination was 88th and the Guggenheim.  Unfortunately we didn't realize that the museum was undergoing a massive facelift and was covered by scaffolding.  We almost walked by it because it was unrecognizable.  Still, we went inside and got a taste of it.  We also scored a Lichtenstein poster, a Rothko calendar and a gift for a friend.  Heading out into the street again we got brave and bought a pretzel from a street vendor.  Ugh.  Worst choice ever! It was cold and tasteless and we were sad.  We stood between the museum and Central Park bummed about our pretzel and then somehow Kent stepped in poo.  Yes. Poo.
 It was funny and we laughed pretty hard about it.  We walked a little way and then caught a cab to Herald Square. 

The drive took us up 5th avenue and finally through Times Square.  I have to say that once again it's not all that impressive in the daylight.  In fact, it's actually a little sad.  All of the restaurants are big chains.  There was an Olive Garden, Planet Hollywood, Bubba Gumps and the like.  Not very NY.  Clearly it's a tourist trap and I'm glad we were only driving through.  The traffic was insane and so we asked the cab driver to let us out sooner than we had planned.  That proved to be a mistake.  We were tired, hungry and a little cranky.  The mood in midtown was so different from what we had experienced in the Village and Soho.  I thought that the garment district would be a thrill, but it just wasn't and I swear every single person we passed was smoking.  I almost had a panic attack at one point because I couldn't get a breath of clean air.  We wanted to find lunch and fast, we walked and walked in search of a Gray's Papaya and when we finally found it, we realized there was no seating.  Totally demoralized, we made our way to the nearest subway and headed back to the familiarity of 14th st. This was the best choice ever, because after walking a block or two we found a haven.  Yes!  Fish and Chips!  It was a massive score.  Nothing in the world could have been better at that moment than delicious, hot fish and chips and ice cold cokes.  We were slowly returning to normal and breathing more easily.  On Greenwich Ave between 12th and 13th stands the loverly "A Salt and Battery" right next to "Tea and Sympathy" in the heart of "Little Brittain".  Thank you God!  It was as comforting as could be and has to be one of my favorite memories of the trip.  

Monday evening was much better and I'll tell you about it in my next blog.

It's officially the first Monday of the new year for me, which means that the holidays are over and I'm mostly recovered and I'm ready to get back into real life again. Yes, I've taken my time getting it together, but I'm glad I did. 2008 is going to great and full of new possibilities! But before I move on, I'll recap some of my NY trip for you.

We decided to make it a road trip, because we love road trips. That meant 13 hours of driving the first day, 11 hours the second day and 5 hours the third day. It's a lot, but the scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed every second. When we arrived in NY it was snowing! As we made our way over the bridge, I finally caught my first glimpse of the NY skyline. For the first time in almost 25 years l was home. I was HOME!
The emotions that overtook me in that moment are hard to describe, but I can say that it was a combination of relief, healing and fulfillment. I cried hysterically while navigating the highway and Kent did his best to keep me calm so we wouldn't run off the road. Once I calmed down we were able to find the hotel and get settled and begin our adventure.
We took our first train ride into the city and walked up the stairs and out onto 14th st. At first it was overwhelming and a little scary, but we held hands as tightly as we could and made our way to 18th. New York city has the most amazing and diverse population and we we saw it all. A man with a cat on his head waited beside us to cross the street. I mean a real cat... on a leash... happily sitting on his head. I regret not having the courage to take a picture. I did however create this photoshop re-enactment....

We scoped out the Pavillion where the Bust show would be held. It was a "trial run" and proved to be really helpful. Afterward, it was off to meet our friend Art and his wife Leah for dinner at Arturo's. We had baked clams, mozzarella with sun dried tomatoes and olive oil,  and a wonderful pizza. The place was packed! I mean that we were practically on top of strangers, but it was totally worth it. Later, I stood on the corner to take a picture of the restaurant and 15 ft away from me a cab crashed into another car.  Yikes!  Overall, it was an exciting and fun first day in NY.

The next morning we had to arrive at 8am to set up my booth.  We rode the path train to the city an walked 3 and half blocks to get to the Pavillion.  This time we did it with 2 suitcases, a set of folding shelves and a rolling rod in a box!   Crazy.  I can't say much about the Bust show. It was definitely not a successful show for me, but I did meet some amazing people, including Amy Sedaris.  I also traded for a killer

shirt that says "Kittens!" on it.   The show ended at 8pm and we were ready to put it behind us and get back to the hotel. 

Later, we sat and talked and enjoyed the view of the city while having a lovely Sushi dinner at Komegashi.

Sunday was one of my favorite days in NY. We met my Aunt and Cousins at the 9th st station and spent the afternoon in Chinatown. We had a fantastic lunch and then walked through the streets completely in awe. We also made our way through Little Italy where we bought cannolis on the street. It was more beautiful and lively than I could have ever imagined and I think that was the day we officially fell in love with the city. It was also a wonderful moment for me to reunite with my family after so many years. As the sun went down we found the MOMA Design store in SoHo and I scored a set of socks made from recycled Japanese Yarn. Just $15 for 5 pair. We ended the evening with a fantastic dinner at CremCaffe on 2nd avenue. Kent had his first Ravioli made with real ricotta, which blew his mind and I had an out of this world cheese tortellini.  The restaurant was dark and quiet with lots of charm.  My aunt and cousin were gracious hosts and we spent the time catching up and looking over old photos.  Perfect.  Kent and I then decided to explore the East Village.  We made our way past the church where I was baptized as a baby and headed for the quirkier and some might say seedier area near St. Marks place.  Of course we felt right at home.  We found one great record store after another and in between were tattoo shops, several sushi restaurants, comic stores, vintage shops and so much more.  It's a freaks' paradise.  

So, that's it for the moment. More tales of the city with Kent and Judy in the next blog.

Send happy thoughts.

I'm busy, I'm frazzled and I'm completely overwhelmed. The good thing is that I'm excited too and happy for all the busy days and work and meeting people. Superchica makes it's big debut in NY this weekend, so let's hope for a great reception. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I travel and work. :0)

Massive updates when I get back and I'll surely have a ton of restaurant recommendations.

Talk soon
Judy

It's New York or Bust... wait AND Bust!

That's right! The news is good. I'm headed for the Bust show in NY!!!!!
This is exciting for many reasons. Mostly because I'm thrilled to be a part of the NY craft scene, even for a day, but also because it means I'm returning to my birthplace and childhood home. I have not seen my family in 20 years and during my trip I plan to have a reunion of sorts. My hope is to be able to revisit places of significance in my early years, such as the hospital where I was born, the apartment my parents and I lived in, the church where I was baptized, where my parents were married and where I went to school. After all these years I'll be able to see and remember the life I lived and left behind. It will certainly be cathartic, but I know that it's all going to worth it.

On another note... the time is drawing near... HALLOWEEN!
No costume for me this year. Again. Even so, I plan to enjoy the day fully with my sweetie and watch scary movies, eat popcorn and rice krispie snacks and later, watch the Stars game. Can't beat it.
I wish you a Happy Halloween and many more to come.