Customer Gallery on Flickr

As of late I have been joining more and more Flickr groups, not to mention starting my own. So far I belong to Stitch, Craft, Wardrobe Remix, I Made it Myself, Handmade Jewelry, Plush You and Felt Club. Are there any other awesome ones I should join?

Recently I started another Flickr group, a Naughty Secretary Club Customer Gallery. I have one here on the blog, but on Flickr you can join and upload pictures of yourself wearing your Naughty Secretary Club bling. I would love you forever if you joined and added your pictures.

This picture is one I added that I found on My Space it is my friends Erin and Cory. Erin is wearing a big skull necklace I made and Cory has on some Naughty Secretary Club earrings.

Lucky for me I saw both of these lovely ladies yesterday. Cory and I went and had our eyebrows threaded and then went to lunch on the deck at the Hula Hut. If you don’t live in Austin this is an awesome restaurant with a big deck that extends out over the lake. It was a beautiful day for sitting outside yesterday. Last night I got to see Erin too! She and Hope stopped by to chat and watch me stuff my new “Crafty Curio” bags I am making for Etsy. More on that coming soon!

New Earrings, Sewing Room Organization and San Francisco

I meant to tell you that I added a ton of new earrings to Naughty Secretary Club. Not just any earrings mind you big, bright, colorful ones. There are giant giraffe print hearts and neon colored Curly-Qs in Nouveau Earrings. Over in Nostalgic Notions Earrings look for polka dotted mushrooms and perky little strawberry earrings. Animal print guitar picks are hanging around in Thing-a-Ling Earrings and Hand Collaged Earrings can be found in Revamped Vintage Earrings.



Yesterday while doing the blog rounds I read something of interest on my friend Susan Beal’s blog West Coast Crafty. Susan is an awesome chic. She is a member of Portland Super Crafty, I am going to have a jewelry project in her new book, and she has been a guest on Craft Lab – so see I heart her for lots of reasons. Anyway, she mentioned an article about Bead Stores in San Francisco (which interestingly mentions another Craft Lab guest Kate Richbourg and her store Beadissmo). I am headed out to SF next week and am looking for some cool places to shop. Any other suggestions are appreciated. 6 years ago Chris and I were out there and then closer to 10 years ago I took a road trip there with some girlfriends. So it’s not that I have never been, but there is always new and exciting shopping I should be kept abreast of so send your suggestions on over.

Speaking of Susan she writes for a lot of my favorite craft magazines, Adorn and Cutting Edge for example. The other day I was standing in line at Hancock’s fabric buying the latest issue of Cutting Edge when I realized that I was in it more than once. I knew I had some jewelry in the spring 2007 issue and that was one of the main reasons for picking the magazine up. However, it was a long line so I started thumbing through and glanced and saw my name in an article called “Organize Your Sewing Room” written by Susan. I had forgotten about being interviewed for the story. It is a great article with not only tips from me but 2 other DIY Network hosts Alison Whitlock of Uncommon Threads and Cathie Fillian of Creative Juice.

Don’t forget the Naughty Secretary Club jewelry in Cutting Edge. There are Flower Behind Her Ear Hair Clips on Pg. 46. A bracelet version of the above pictured Strawberry Earrings on Pg. 47. On Pg. 49 there is a bracelet version of the Poison Apple Earrings. On Pg. 29 there is a wee little picture of the now sold out Strawberry Surprise Necklace.

Oscar Outfits

For some reason I watched the entire Academy Awards last night. I can’t remember ever doing that in my life. I think it was out of pure boredom really. I didn’t have any strong feelings for any of the movies. Actually out of all of them I have only seen Pan’s Labyrinth and Little Miss Sunshine. I thought the outfits would be awesome, but everyone of course looked like they had a stylist make them perfect little clones. Patricia Fields had on an awesome giant penny necklace that reminded me of my Big Bucks Baller Necklace. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Zac Posen Dress was an awesome cut, but the peachy color didn’t do a thing for me. Plus for whatever reason I have started to obsess about the fact that she always wears her hair down and straight. Maybe I am just jealous because I never wear my long hair that way and wish I could. I loved Naomi Watts Escada dress. There was something about Kirsten Dunst dress that appealed to me with that little collar. I think it was Chanel, but I am not sure. I wonder what it says about me that the 3 dresses I liked most were all on Yahoo’s Worst Dressed List? I noticed that the peeps at Seamsters agreed with me on a few. Ellen was pretty dang funny. I have never seen Reese Witherspoon look like a sex kitten. One of the things I especially found interesting was that Jackie Earle Haley was nominated for best supporting actor. He was the thuggish kid on the Bad News Bears series in the 70’s among other things. Once upon a time when in Los Angeles I took a trip to the Built By Wendy store and saw that she had a T-shirt with his image on it that I immediately snapped up. Still one of my favorite T-shirts!

Rubber Faced Dolls

This weekend with my parents was full of great scores in the thrifting and antique department. This is a picture of a little vignette I created in one of the shelves above the desk in my office with some of my new toys and new radio.

I did a little research on the internet today about my new favorite collection and realized that the vintage stuffed animals with plastic faces were mainly produced by a company called Rushton starting in the 1950’s. Remember the Monchhichi dolls? They are kind of like that. Rushton was not the only company to produce these stuffed animals, but they appear to be a biggie. I also found they are often referred to as “Rubber Faced Dolls”. I actually don’t like the dolls, I prefer the animals. In the picture you can see a monkey who I believe is named Tippy and was the girlfriend of Zippy. You can also see a pouty little lion, perky elephant and surly looking Donald Duck. I have several that are not pictured like a tiger that was my mom’s in high school that has a tag that says “Stern Stuffed Toys and Novelties”, a Rushton skunk with flowers, Panda Bear, wind up beaver and some lanky bear creature in an orange and plaid jump suit. I have blogged my cows before.

When searching for more information on these I found this old ad on EBAY. I would kill for the plush octopus with a hard rubber face. Talk about adorable.

Crafty Synergy Interview

Hey my interview at CRAFTY SYNERGY is online now! read my answers to hot burning questions like: What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?

Crafty Synergy has lots of great interviews with people like Tracy Bull from Happy Owl Glass Works who I just blogged about the other day. Craft Lab guest Claudine Hellmuth. Fellow Austinite Jennifer Ramos from Textile Fetish. Little Odd Forest and lot's more.

I have a few interviews on my blog, a few more I need to transfer over from the old zine and a few more in the works for the future. Any crafty peeps you wanna read about?

Googly eyes and weiners are always funny.

My sister Hope Perkins, who you might know for her hand painted purses at Naughty Secretary Club, just got a new website and I am so jealous I could spit. Feast your eyes upon the new and improved HOT PINK PISTOL. You can see all her hand painted clothing, suitcases, art and more. This picture of Tupac in a Carmen Miranda style hat is one of my personal favorites on the site.


Oh and if you want your site to look this pretty contact Karly Hand. You might also take a gander at her work on the Stitch site.

If you live in Austin and want to see this painting as well as some other pieces of art by Hot Pink Pistol come out this Saturday February 24th to Lowbrow for an art opening. The Lowbrow Emporium is a new funky little shop at 2708 S. Lamar (right where Manchaca dead ends into Lamar). The party starts around 7 and is sponsored by Lone Star Beer, so you know what that means!

There will also be art by: Alex Despain, Angel Ortega, Bryan Nelson, CUF, Hank St. John, Karen Slafter, Matthew Collum, and Merillee Phillips.

Lucky for me Hope is going to continue selling her purses through Naughty Secretary Club. Just this week I noticed an order for one in my inbox from one of my favorite fellow crafty Texan’s Julie Jackson of Subversive Cross Stitch. It was like karma because via a link at 52 Projects I realized that Julie was the winner of a crafy challenge involving applying googly eyes to food products judeged by Amy Sedaris. Pictured is her winning entry of a hot dog octopus which I think is genius! For those of you that are vegans you could do the same thing with a Tofu Pup with an equally comical effect. Googly eyes and weiners are always funny.

Did I mention I collect costume jewelry?

I know I just gave you a pictorial guide to all that is Tiki in my home, but I wanted to show off my spare bedroom while it is clean. This is a rare and elusive event since this room basically doubles as a giant walk in closet for me with all my shoes, purses and jewelry. My mom and dad are coming to stay today then next Saturday my friend Jeff arrives from London for a visit so I had to clean up a bit.



A lot of times when I get interviewed people ask me where I get my inspiration from for Naughty Secretary Club and I always say from the vintage costume jewelry I collect. In case you thought I was lying, I just wanted to show some evidence.



This little mirrored piece of furniture is really cool in person. The piece came out of an old barbers shop and the glass on the drawer says “sterilizer” I guess that is where they kept the combs and such. The piece was narrow, has mirror, blonde wood and has shelves so it was perfect! I found it at my favorite Austin antique shop, Uncommon Objects.



This is a close up of the shelves in the barber station. There is a little rack my mom made me for my charm bracelets that is painted all cute and funky. On the shelves you can see I also have a thing for kitschy metal vintage earring displays.



If you look really closely at all these necklaces you can see that I support the other crafty types. I see a Black and white Deer Necklace by Charcoal Designs, I also see a green deer necklace by Happy Owl Glassworks, there is necklace by Craft Lab guest Yvonne Palermo, I spy a mirrored machine gun necklace I snagged at Chocosho, I can also see the red necklace I got at the babes in business holiday gift exchange that Diane Petkoff made. So see all kinds of necklaces!



Anywhoo there is usually a mountain of clothes on the bed, shoes and purses everywhere and all the jewelry is in disarray so I just wanted to show you my room while it was all clean and pretty.

Parts and Labour Birthday Party & Stitch Planning

Tonight is the birthday party for the best store in all of Austin, PARTS AND LABOUR! Three whole years they have been around and Naughty Secretary Club has had a shelf since day one! I am actually in my 3rd shelf there now, smaller shelf right across from the counter. Be sure and stop by the party tonight at Side Bar to tell Talena and Lizelle Happy Birthday!

Oh and special shout out to my right hand man Travis Nichols who designed their birthday card.

Can you believe that we had our first Stitch meeting of 2007 last night! February and we are already planning. Looks like this year will be Nov 10th at the Austin Music Hall. We are looking into new and exciting things like live podcasts and thinking of not having a band this year. I started a Flickr Group for Stitch last night too. If you have pictures from the last 4 years pretty please join the group and upload your pictures for everyone to see. We are also getting ready to start a Stitch Blog. I sent the girls the link to the Handmade Detroit Blog as an example of a blog I really like.

Ok I'm off to take pictures of new jewelry and clean my house in preparation for my parents arrival tomorrow!

No more extra large jaw breakers for me.

The main news of excitement for the day is that we have new Hot Pink Pistol Purses and Hair Clips at Naughty Secretary Club. Hope has been like a little painting machine with these bad boys. Word to the wise if you see one you like, snag it fast they are one of a kind and 2 sold this morning already. I think I am going to use some of the images to make some jewelry. What are you favorites? I do the Deer Hunter Earrings, Owl-e-Poo Necklace and my mom makes several belt buckles with her art already.



Last night Chris and I went to the movies and saw Breach. Sadly it was not as good as I had hoped it would be. Chris Cooper is awesome, Ryan Philippe has an odd bump on his head and I wanted to hear more about Robert Hanseen being a sexual deviant. Otherwise he is just a boring old spy. A pervy spy is a way more interesting story. On our way in I bought myself a GIANT jawbreaker and two came out so Chris and I both got one. As we watched the previews Chris and I realized that he could fit the whole thing in his mouth with room to spare and I could not even come close to getting it in. The thing was bigger than a golf ball. Chris finished his about half way through the movie, but I mean the credits were rolling when I was done. My point is my tongue is still raw today from the stupid thing. No more extra large jaw breakers for me.

Freaky Tiki

Can you see the excitement in my eyes about the passenger buckled into the passenger seat in my car? This is my new 3 foot tall Tiki God I scored at Big Lots yesterday. I drove all the way home with Mr. Tiki riding shot gun and the windows rolled down. As he rode in my cart through the aisles of the stores I saw small children cower behind their mothers in fear. I guess he is a bit creepy, but I heart him.


The big tiki was not the only score at Big Lots, oh no. I went looking for some things to organize all the swag I have from other crafters that I stick in my orders and left with enough tiki paraphernalia to host a luau. I also scored this tiki planter that looks awesome on the coffee table in my game room. This whole room and my bedroom have a Hawaiian theme of sorts. I just so happened to have a rubber plant that fit in the new planter perfectly!


The tiki you see on the wall was also snagged. He has eyes that light up, but they seem to be a bit fickle about when exactly they light up. It doesn’t really matter to me either way, I just liked that he fit in with all the other tropical delights on this wall like aquarium furniture, undulating hula girls and palm trees.


While we are at it, I might as well show you some of my other favorite Hawiian themed goodies in my house This is a vintage lamp I found at the flea market on Melrose and Fairfax in Los Angeles. It was love at first site. I later found the old straw child’s hat in an antique mall in Oklahoma that made for the perfect lamp shade. Check out the adorable little felt fish. The lamp is made on a coconut shell with sand, huts, hula themed dolls and wee little palm trees.


I have two different fancy carved wooden light switch covers that I find amusing. The hula girl is in my game room and the naughty tiki switch is in my bedroom. He makes me giggle.


This is a random couple of shelves in my game room to give you an idea of some of the other bits in my collection. When I find old hula records I of course have to pick them up. One of them is more like a book that I plan to make into a photo album eventually. There are carved tropical wooden shoes, another tiki planter (that I got at Big Lots last year), coconut purse, hula girl bust and a box. Not just any box though. My dad was stationed in Hawaii when he was in the army and this is the box that he sent my grandma a leigh for her birthday. It is all post marked from Hawaii and says fun stuff like Aloha on the sides. I have all his old Hawaiian shirts too that I eventually plan on making into throw pillows.


This is a picture of my bedroom, but what I wanted to show was the tropical Barkcloth Curtains and carved wooden shoes as tie backs. There are some bamboo curtains and the bedside lights are bamboo lanterns with a nautical feel. I have the matching Barkcloth of my curtains and need to get a duvet or throw made for the bed, I have just been too lazy. I also have vintage suitcases as my bedside table and what my bedroom TV is propped up on. Oh and then there is a reproduction travel poster for Hawaii in a faux bamboo frame above the bed.


This is the shelf across from my bed that is kind of a hodge podge of vintage goodness, mostly with a tropical theme. I collect shell lamps, old radios, sunglasses, and other goody stuff you can see in the picture. If the color themed matched it also made it onto the shelves. Things like cream colored radios, old clocks and a rusty fan rescued from my grandmas attic.

When Naughty Secretary Club was a zine there was an article called Please Tiki Don’t Hurt Em’, a play on a MC Hammer song that I guess at the time I thought was funny. I might as well repost some of my tropical tips from there while we are on the topic.

* Fake Fruit can be found at any crafty store like Michael's. Just look how a pair of plastic pineapple book-ends makes this average bookshelf a tropical delight!

* Hula Skirt Window Treatments! You can buy a hula skirt at almost any party or costume supply store. Basically take the skirt and fold the edges over or trim it to fit the width of your window. Now staple or tack the skirt in place. Hula skirts also look nice in bathrooms around the back of a toilet or a free standing sink.

* Get yourself a coconut scented glade plug in to get the tropical experience a la' olfactory.

* Once upon a time Airlines gave away free travel bags. Displaying these gives you the feeling of vacationing somewhere tropical.

* Aquarium furniture is all around and looks pretty damn tropical. The older pieces as well as the ones marked Japan are more valuable.

Goth Dinner Parties, TV and Brittney Shears.

My friends Jeff and Carrin had a few friends over for a “Goth Dinner Party” last night. Here is a picture of Chris and Chris in all black and then wee little Sophia and I in our goth duds. We listened to The Bauhaus throughout dinner, played Pictionary and discussed the different Goth Sub Groups. I think I was an Industrial Goth in high school since I liked KMFDM, Ministry, Nitzer Ebb – those types. Dinner was fun and I almost dusted off my knee high steel toed Doc Martins for the event, but my new patent Mary Janes just looked so much cuter with the dress.

In press news I meant to tell you that Hope and I’s hometown paper the Dallas Morning News did a story about us. They didn’t get everything right in the facts department, but hey no one is perfect. Read the story here. While I was away in Vermont Craft Magazine’s online blog posted an interview with me. Read it here. The interview was done by Natalie Zee who also does one of my favorite fashion blog’s Coquette.

Speaking of blogs. Is it awful of me that I keep checking in to Perez Hilton and Pink is the New Blog to check on the latest Britney Spears updates? I just think it is so sad. Not that she shaved her head, though that was not a great move either, but that she seems to be train wrecking so bad. Poor kid.

In the world of TV remember that Craft Lab is all DIY Network all the time at 11am Central. If you are so sad that you might shave your head and get a tattoo because it is no longer on HGTV, feel free to write in here and here. In the meantime I heart DIY Network and here is what you can see this week: Barbara Matthiessen and I are going to make Altered Books, Anne Igou rocks the polymer clay and makes a flame cane bottle, cutie pie Katie Killean stops by and whips up some floral art, origami by Jeremy Shafer, Darlene Schaper makes amazing encaustic wax collages (the picture is a piece of her art), last but not least Elizabeth Dunn and her Embossing Powders stop by the lab. I wonder when they will start showing the new Season 2 episodes that they were showing on HGTV over at DIY?

Also on DIY Network you can catch the Austin Craft Mafia on Stylelicious Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week watch Tina, Hope and Vickie explore the world of 40’s and 50’s glam then it’s High School Revistied with Susann, Vickie and Hope. I especially like that Hope’s segment is entitled “Prom Dress Ghetto Top and Spray Painted Shoes”. They clearly let Hope name it. Weird since I just reposted the article Hope wrote on spray painting shoes.

Oh and I just watched the online blog of Todd Oldham about last Wednesday’s Top Design, I was trapped in a snow lodge and forgot to tape the show. Hmmm, Elizabeth goes bye bye. Maybe it was Goil that held her up on that original win. Have you watched Todd’s blogs? He seems much more relaxed and personable in those. I also enjoy that like myself he is another TV host with sleeves of tattoos on his arms.

I felt like I was living inside a picturesque snow globe.

I arrived into Austin last night sometime after 2 in the morning by the skin of my teeth. My day started by waking up at 5:30 in the morning Friday to have a car in Stowe, Vermont drive me to the airport in Burlington. That car never came because it got stuck in the snow, and I knew it was going to be a long day. Eventually Steve and Cathie from Creative Juice and Michelle from B. Original came down for their car service at 7 and I caught a ride with them. Maybe one of the scariest car rides of my life. Starting out there was so much luggage and so many people Michelle who was in the middle could not move her arms due to all the luggage we had to ride with in our laps. If the roads are icy and the windows are so fogged up you can’t see out, things are not good. We got to the airport alive eventually and in transit I got the call that my flight had of course been cancelled. Hey poor Vickie had trouble getting into Stowe, her luggage got lost and she could not get out. I left her in Burlington because she still did not have a flight. At the airport Steve, Cathie and Michelle all got on their planes and I got put on standby. At 4 I actually got a ticket to Chicago, but if you recall my last trip through O’Hare I was afraid I would never get out of there. Once in Chicago my flight was for 8 at one gate, then 9 at another gate, then 10 at the original gate. This went back and forth for awhile. There was another huge snow storm coming so I knew if I did not get on this flight I was in Chicago for a few days at least. The Austin flight kept being on the board of flights and then disappearing and then back again. Eventually at 11pm last night via standby and very tightly crossed fingers I got on the plane. WHOO-HOO! It was super late when I got home, but the point was I was home.

So yesterday was a bit rough, but other than that I may be a snow bunny and never knew it. Vermont was so gorgeous it was sick. The first night in Burlington I met up with my old friend from Dallas Chris and his wife Stacy and we all went to dinner at Flatbreads for yummy pizza. Burlington reminded me of Austin in the there are 5 colleges kind of way. I wished I could have stayed in town longer but I was whisked away to the Stoweflake up the mountain in Stowe.

The first day there we filmed at a gorgeous house out in the country. I have lived in Texas my whole life so when I have seen snow it gets maybe a 1/2 “ deep, so this was pretty new and exciting to me. Good thing I listened to everyone about buying a new puffy jacket, thermal underwear and dressing in layers. They are not kidding. So filming went fine. Poor Vickie got in late, but after her filming she and I went back to the hotel and quickly off to bed. There was a fireplace on a timer in my room, it was awesome.

Day two we journeyed back out to Stowe Meadows, the name of the house in the country. Here Vickie and I met up with Michelle, Sandy, Cathie and Steve for more filming. Sandy had arrived late the night before due to weather and it this point it was rumored that Allison who had come all the way from Australia was not going to make it at all. The house we were filming at was lovely and had heated floors, no really. There was a big snow storm approaching so we kind of had to hurry. Hurry we did, but it was snowing the entire day and eventually it became too much for the snow plow that was constantly plowing at the drive way. By about 4pm we realized that no one was going anywhere. So all 20 of us had to stay out at this house. Lucky for us it was a big house. Things could be worse right? We went out and walked and say the car that was scheduled to drive us back to the hotel stuck in a snow drift, watched Steve shovel snow and at some point just snuggled in. It was like a big slumber party in the end. Turns out the Valentines Day blizzard of 2007 was the 2nd worst snow storm in Burlington’s history. So if I wanted to get the full effect of the north east and snow, boy did I get it.

The next day we were able to eventually get out and head into Stowe to explore the city a bit. Vickie had to leave to catch a flight, and Allison never did make it. I scored Chris a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cook book at a store because that is where they are from and Chris loves to make ice cream (remind me to give you his recipe for pumpkin ice cream sometime). After work we were all treated to a massage at the Stoweflake which is also according to the pamphlet in my room a world class spa. It was only my second massage and it was pretty dang good. Michelle, Cathie and I also soaked in the heated mineral baths afterwards. At this point we found out that Vickie’s flight had been cancelled and she was on her way back to the hotel just in time to miss all the spa goodness. We all had dinner at the restaurant and then off to bed early. Good thing because refer to paragraph one of this blog to refresh yourself on how I was going to need a good nights sleep.

The trip was totally fun and full of adventure and Vermont is so beautiful. I felt like I was living inside a picturesque snow globe. Cold as all get out, but super duper pretty. Plus it was good to see all my friends that I don’t get to see all that often.

Vermont here I come!

Today I am leaving for Vermont to hang out with the DIY gang. We are going to film a special for the network in a ski town called Stowe where it is apparently in the single digits temperature wise. I have never experienced this kind of cold and am really not looking forward to it. Seeing my DIY friends will be fun, but the cold is icky. I raced around in the last few days and found some furry boots, a lime green down jacket, a hat with ear flaps, gloves and more scarves than I will ever need. Living in Texas winter wear does not come up that often.

The other hosts filming the special with me (Craft Lab, duh) are Vickie (Knitty Gritty), Michelle (B. Original), Cathy & Steve (Creative Juice) not pictured Sandy (Scrapbooking) and Allison (Uncommon Threads). Amy and Carl are in this picture we took at the Sterling book party at CHA, but not going to be there. Apparently this picture was in Publishers Weekly newsletter. I’m just happy there is a good picture of the horse jumper that Hope painted for me.

Anywhoodle so everyone keep their fingers crossed that today is delay free. I am flying through DC rather than Chicago so that is always a good start to arriving on time.

Green Chili Hash Brown Casserole

It's Sunday morning and Chris and I are getting ready to make a big batch of Green Chili Hash Brown Casserole and I wanted to share the recipe with you.

WHATCHA NEED:
1 cup sour cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
3 4-ounce cans diced green chilies, drained
1 32-ounce bag frozen hash browns
1 10 3/4-ounce can cream of chicken soup

HOW YA DO IT:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir hash browns, green chilies, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese and sour cream in large bowl to blend. This can be messy, so make sure it is a pretty big bowl. Transfer mixture to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

This Week on Craft Lab & Stylelicious

Wowsers this has been a whirl wind weekend of working. I got home from Dallas Friday and I leave for Vermont tomorrow. This weekend was spent cleaning house, making jewelry for orders and bonding with Chris. We managed to squeeze in a couple of movies like The Descent (scary) and Mullhound Drive (typical Lynch weirdness). Today I am going by Parts and Labour to restock my booth with new and exciting goodness, so be sure and check it out!

As mentioned this is the last week to see Craft Lab on HGTV so I am not exactly sure what days which shows are airing. I do know that it will be on Monday-Friday at 9am. Addi Somekh stops back by the Craft Lab for a Balloon Party. Keep an eye peeled for Nicole Vasbinder of Queen Puff Puff and the Stitch Lounge as a crafter! Randy Townsend makes an IPOD case out of polymer clay and a candy box. Make a pet name plate with Steven James and I plus check out Jasmine Lindley and I at First Samples in Austin making a pet casa out of box in the field piece. Stephen Horn shows that you can make art on clay with a copy machine. My mom Fredda Perkins stops by to make reproduction art deco picture frames. The field piece is at CHA with my buddy Traci Bautista.

Craft Lab’s permanent home is on DIY Network at 11am. This week tune in for an Altered Board Book by Jan Bode Smiley. Gretchen Martin shows how to make an adorable Cast Resin Bobble Head. Katie Killean has some ideas for Romantic Flowers. It’s Recycled Paper Making with Heidi Reimer-Epp. Melynda Lotven works magic with gourds. Learn origami with Jeremy Shafer.



We ladies of the Austin Craft Mafia know a thing or two about creating handmade wearables and that is what Stylelicious is all about. Tune in Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2pm Central on DIY Network. This Tuesday is about accessories with Jesse, Hope and I. Check out the hair chopsticks I am going to show you! Thursday is Jesse, Karly and I keeping you warm with Outerwear!

Remember if you wanna see more Craft Lab on HGTV write here and if you just wanna let DIY Network know how much you heart Craft Lab or Stylelicious write here.

Craft Lab on HGTV

You may have heard that HGTV is shaking up their programming a bit. They were nice enough to show all the DIY Network shows like Craft Lab, Knitty Gritty, B. Original, Uncommon Threads and Creative Juice temporarily. However, this coming week is the last week some of the shows, including Craft Lab will be on HGTV.

Craft Lab is still going to be airing on DIY Network at 11am don't you worry. I'm just not sure when season 2 will start airing. If you don't get DIY Network please call your cable provider and tell em you want the best crafty channel ever. If you loved seeing these shows on HGTV please write in and tell em so. You can always write DIY Network too and tell em that Craft Lab tickles your fancy. Your letters really do help I promise!

If It Ain't Broke, Spray Paint It!

Speaking of spray painting suitcases, here is a reprint from the zine of an article my sister Hope Perkins of Hot Pink Pistol wrote entitled: If It Ain't Broke, Spray Paint It.

You know if you have to show your ID to purchase something its gotta be good. Spray Paint, yes spray paint can breath new life into things once thought of as useless. Stop passing up those yellow strappy heels you keep giving the hungry eyes to at the thrift store. Now those heels have a reason to be bought and worn. Spray Paint em'! That's right, spray paint can transform even the barfiest shade of green into any color your little heart desires.

Shoes are not the only accessory that spray paint can make over. Those useless white clutch purses that are inevitably at every thrift store in America are no longer just taking up space. Yes, those too can be spray painted. Turn that boring white clutch into a sassy cherry red evening bag with shoes to match.

Now as you have probably guessed these items are not exactly going to withstand the test of time. They will definitely hold up for at least two outings of bar hopping.

Here are some hints about selecting shoes and purses that will take the brunt of spray paint better than others.

- Stay away from suede and fabric.
- Purses that are not pliable and do not bend will do better.
- Plastic or hard leather are your best bets.

Once you have found your victims and the perfect shade of spray paint lay down some newspaper, do I really need to mention to do this outside? All that is left to do now is spray away. One can should work for two coats on a pair of shoes and a small purse.

Let the items dry completely and you are good to go. Now you have no excuse not to coordinate every pair of heels with a purse. So go ahead and get those doo-doo brown pumps, cause if it ain't broke you can always spray paint it!

Happy Birthday Flossy!

I am disgusted with myself that yesterday while driving down 635 in Dallas I passed the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile and today I went to a birthday party at an assisted living facility for someone named Flossy and did not take a single picture. The picture shown is actually from another encounter I had with the wiener mobile at the Buda Weiner Dog Races. Yes they really race weenie dogs and yes it is awesome. As for the birthday we went to visit my grandmother today and decided to hit the party for the all the February birthday ladies. My mom danced, there was a man that sang karaoke style Elvis songs and we all had cake. It was actually pretty awesome. They had craft hour after the party that I wanted to stay for, but we had to leave to run some other errands.

Homburg Harry and Enid Collins

First of all I want to thank everyone for the condolence emails on my suitcase. Like I said those bad boys have not seen the last of me, I might still repaint them black and start all over.

In other news I am in McKinney visiting my parents for the week. Hope and I decided to hit several thrift stores and antique malls on the way down and like whoa am I glad we did. One of the many things I collect are odd little stuffed animals from the 1960’s. I scored 4 new little friends for my collection, one even still has his original tag. Apparently he is an autograph hound named Homburg Harry. Everybody better either write really small or you better not have very many friends. I remember I had everyone sign my Keds when I was in school, who needs a vinyl dog toy when you have a white canvas tennis shoes.



The other exciting purchase of the trip was that I managed to snag two Enid Collins purses, and for cheap! Plus they are the older box styles. One has a pig and says “Whole Hog” and the other has a bird and says “Bird In Hand”. Speaking of purses Hope also found 10 new vintage purses to paint, so expect some new Hot Pink Pistols Purses on the site soon.

Besides that the drive home was uneventful. I did an interview for a book that is being written by a nice guy named Rob Walker who wrote an article I once blogged called Craft Work.

Ask A Soccer Mom: Spotty Slipcovers

Dear Soccer Mom,

We recently washed the slipcovers for our couch - following the instructions - and now that they are dry there seems to be water spots on them. We are looking for ideas on how to either get rid of them and/or avoid them in the future.

Thanks,
Jeff

Hi Jeff, It's hard to know what to tell you about the slipcovers without seeing them and knowing the fiber content. I'm not quite sure what you mean by water spots. Are there just a few big spots or are there lots of little ones? Are they white or do they look dark? Yours is the second email I've had this week from someone who has washed the covers on their couch with bad results. As I told her, just because covers have zippers and can be removed, it doesn't necessarily mean they can be washed. However, I'm assuming that since you read the cleaning directions first your slipcovers were designed to be washed.

There are a couple of things that come to mind that might be the cause of spots after washing. The first might be the result of some additive you put in the water like a fabric softener. Those don't usually cause spots but you never know. The other possibility is that the fabric had a finish or sizing on it. Some manufacturers add sizing to their fabrics to give it more body and sheen. That finish is usually not permanent and will wash out. The spots might be sizing that has pooled in areas and didn't completely wash out.

The very first thing I would do if you haven't already is see if the manufacturer who made the furniture or slipcovers has a website. I'd check there first for suggestions. They may also have a help line listed there. It's worth a try to see what they say. If that doesn't work out then here are my other suggestions. I'm assuming you've already tried some of these but I'll give them anyway. Start by taking a brush like a baby hair brush or soft tooth brush and see if the spots can be brushed off. Sizing usually makes a whitish dusty mark that can sometimes be brushed away. If that doesn't work, try rubbing an inconspicuous spot with a moist towel and see if it can be wiped off. Finally, just try rewashing a small piece like an arm cover and see if that will take it out. You might also add a mild, nonclorine bleach like Biz to the wash. I hope this helps. Fredda of Naughty Secretary Club

My sad attempt at suitcase personalization

After sorting through a sea of a thousand different black roller suitcases last week at the airport I decided it was finally time to take matters into my own hands. I have hot pink tulle tied to all the zipper pulls on my suitcases to help with identification, but seems like most people have caught onto that trick and it does not really do much to distinguish your bag. This being the case I scoured the garage for what spray paint I had lying around and got busy.

First of all I made my own stencil. I used some clip art of fancy ladies profiles that I blew up on my computer and printed it out. From here I taped that piece of paper to a manila file folder. I took my handy craft knife and cut out the shape of the ladies profile. The folder is sturdy enough to be a stencil, I saw Jen A do it on Stylelicious so I knew it worked. Then on another episode of Stylelicious I had spray painted onto a blue jean jacket so I had tested it all out. Between the two my plan seemed flawless.

Well not exactly flawless. Let me start by saying that the hot pink spray paint did not work so well on the fabric of the suitcase. I tried a new special spray paint so that might have been it. It was too late to turn back once I realized this so I went ahead and gave both suitcases a light pink haze. I attempted polka dots, but that failed miserably.

Once the pink base coat dried I busted out the stencils. There was the one I had made and them some with sparrows. I found through trial and error that while hot pink and suitcases are not friends gold spray paint loves it! We shall see after next week’s trip to Vermont how it holds up but for the moment the gold and the suitcase are getting along well. My fingers and hands are covered in gold paint. I got a little on my porch and wedding ring (shhh don’t tell my husband).

Is it my dream set of suitcases? No. Will it stand out at the airport and be easy to find? Yes.

Girl Band List

The longest GIRL BAND LIST this side of the Mason Dixon line. I have tried to make it as comprehensive as possible. Did I forget someone or get something wrong? All you gotta do is leave a comment for the post. I originally did this post on Get Crafty years ago and just decided to move it here to the blog from it's second home at Naughty Secretary Club.

A The Aislers Set, Air Miami (Unrest, Velocity Girl &Panax), The Amps (Breeders & The Pixies), The Anniversary, April March, Aquanettas, The Adverts, Atari Teenage Riot, Atombombpocketknife, Autoclave (Slant 6 , Quixotic, Helium, Mind Science of the Mind, & Mary Timony),Abba, Autocollants (Test Pilot), Fiona Apple, Astroblast, The Aquadays, Au Pairs, American Analog Set, The And/Ors, Adickdid (Kaia, Team Dresch, The Butchies, Juned, & The Teen Angels), Apehouse (The Delta 72, Getaway Car, Star Sign Scorpio, Cupid Car Club, Skull Control, and Red Eye), The Action Time, The Applicators, The Ashley Stove ,Azure Ray, Agent Oragami, Altered Images, Anamotion, Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki, Lilly Allen, Asobi Seksu, Autocollants, Autolux, Ambulette (Denali)

B Bif Naked, The B-52's, Babes in Toyland (Crunt), The Bangs (Witchy Poo), Barcelona, The Beautys, Beekeeper (K & Ida), Belly (Tonya Donnelly & Throwing Muses), Bikini Kill (The Frumpies, Viva Knieval, Julie Ruin, Le Tigre, Helter Skillet, Panax, Suture, Wondertwins, The Feebles, Severed Lethergy, Spray Painted Love, Chopped Liver, Weird War & The Fakes), BIS, Bjork (Gling-Glo, Kukl, Tappi Tikarras & The Sugar Cubes), Black Tamborine (Gloworm & The Castaway Stones), Bananarama (Shakespeare's Sister), Blake Babies (Juliana Hatfield), Blast Off Country Style (Hot Pursuit), Blondie (Debbie/Debrah Harry & The Jazz Passangers), Bonfire Madigan (Tattle Tale), Boss Hog, Bratmobile (Cold Cold Hearts, Deep Lust & The Pee Chees), Butter 08 (Cibo Matto), Breeders (Pixies, Ladies Who Lunch, Belly, Tonya Donnelly, Kelly Deal 6000 & The Amps), The Brittle Stars, Broadcast, Butterglory, The Bangels, Bettie Serveert, Bow Wow Wow, The Boredoms (Free Kitten), Beat Happening, Blonde Red Head (The Lapse, The Van Pelt, & Enon), The Body Snatchers, Buffallo Daughter, The Bobby Teens, Black Flag (Dos), Bonnot Gang, The Butchies (Kaia, Adickdid, & Team Dresch), Black Fork, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Belle and Sebastian, Berlin, Kate Bush, The Booty Olympics (The Friggs), Black Cat #13, Bristles, The Bangles, Beauty Pill, Blast Off Country Style, Bonde do Role, The Blow, Broken Social Scene

C Candy 500, Canannes, Cardigans, Cadallaca (Sarah Dougher, The Lookers, The Haggard, Sleater Kinney, The Crabs & Excuse 17) Cartwheel, The Castaway Stones (Black Tamborine & Gloworm), Cat Power, Cheesecake, The Chubbies, Cibo Matto (Butter 08), Cocteau Twins (Massive Attack & This Mortal Coil), Cold Cold Hearts (Bratmobile, Dig Yr Grave, & Deep Lust), Combustible Edison, Julee Cruise, Containe (Versus), Concrete Blonde, The Cradle Robbers (Lois, Courtney Love, & The Spinanes), Cranes, Crowsdell (Shannon Wright), Crunt (Babes in Toyland), The Cupid Car Club (Delta 72, Getaway Car & Star Sign Scorpio), Curve, Cuties With an Attitude, Comet Gain (Ray-K-Ray & Proper Little Madams), Circus Lupus, The Cramps, Cub, Chia Pet, Creatures (Souxie and the Banshees), Cinerama, Chicks on Speed, Cath Carrol, Calamity Jane, Come (Dangerous Birds, Uzi & Live Skull), The Crabs (Sarah Dougher, The Lookers, & Cadallaca), C.O.C.O., Andi Camp, Kim Carnes, Debra Clinger, Catapult, Cococandissi, Kelly Clarkson, CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy), Camera Obscura

D Damnbuilders (Mind Science of the Mind), Cynthia Dahl, Dig Yr Grave (Deep Lust, Bratmobile & Cold Cold Hearts), Dead Can Dance, The Delgados, The Delmonas (Holly Golightly & Thee Headcoatees), The Delta 72 (Cupid Car Club, Getaway Car, Star Sign Scorpio, Skull Control, Red Eye, & Apehouse), Dickless (Teen Angels), Demolition Doll Rods, Tonya Donnelly (Throwing Muses & Belly), Dot Allison, The Drop 19's, Dusty Trails (Luscious Jackson & The Kostars), The Dandy Warhols, The Donnas, Ani DiFranco, Drowners Sailing (The Swells), Sarah Dougher (Cadalica, The Crabs & The Lookers), Dance Hall Crashers, Dressy Bessy, Gene Defcon, The Dishes, Deep Lust (Cold Cold Hearts, Bratmobile, Dig Yr Grave), Deerhoof, Dos (Black Flag), The Dead Teenagers, Death by Chocolate, The Drive, The Distillers, The Devotchkas, Death Wish Kids, Kiki Dee, Denali, Deviant, The Dears, Deerhoof, The Decemberists

E Echobelly, Egon, Elastica, Emily's Sassy Lime, Eskimo Kisses, Ethyl Meat Plow, Everything But the Girl (Marine Girls), Excuse 17(Sleater Kinney),The Eyeliners, Eric's Trip (Julie Dorian), Experimental Aircraft (The Swells), Essential Logic (Lora Logic & X Ray Spex), Enon (The Van Pelt, Blonde Red Head, & The Lapse), ESG, Sheena Easton, Erase Errata, The Epoxies, Easy World, Maggie Estep, Eve's Plumb, Earlimart,

F 5th Column, The Fakes (Viva Knieval, Bikin Kill, Julie Ruin, Helter Skillet, & Le Tigre) 45 Grave, Fluffy, The Frumpies (Bikini Kill, Star Sign Sorpio & Frenchie and the German Girls) Fugees (Lauryn Hill), Furry Things, Fuzzy, Foxy Brown, The Fastbacks, Lita Ford (The Runaways), Free Kitten (Pussy Galore, Halo of Kitten, The Boredoms, & Sonic Youth), The 5.6.7.8's, Flogging Molly, Film, Frenchie and The German Girls (The Frumpies, Star Sign Scorpio, and Bikini Kill), Fleetwood Mac, Frogpond, Four Nonblondes, The Frigs (The Booty Olympics), The Fall, The Four Corners, Frankenixon, Fabu, Edith Frost, Fannypack, Feist, Fergie, Frou Frou, The Fiery Furnaces

G Diamanda Galas, Galaxie 500 (Damon and Namoie), Garbage, Gaze (Go Sailor, Tiger trap, Rose Melberg, The Softies & Tiger trap), Gentle Waves, Glow Worm (Black Tamborine & The Castaway Stones), Geek (Grenadine, Licorice, My New Boyfriend & Tsuamni), Grenadine (Geek, My New Boyfriend, Licorice & Tsuamni), Gus Gus, Guv'ner, The Go-Go's, Gling Glo (Bjork, Kukl, Tappi Tikarras & The Sugarcubes), God is my Co Pilot, Groovie Ghoulies, The Geraldine Fibbers, The Gossip, Gritty Kitty, The Gossip, Gang of Four, The Get Hustle, Geraldine Fibbers, Go Sailor (Rose Melberg, The Softies, Gaze, & Tiger Trap), Nina Gordon, Getaway Car (The Delta 72, Star Sign Scorpio, Cupid Car Club, Bikini Kill, Frumpies, Skull Control, Red Eye & Apehouse), Glitter Mini 9, Gore Gore Girls, Gertrude, Girlschool, Gritty Kitty, The Gymslips, The Gitz, The Go Team, Goldfrapp

H Juliana Hatfield (Blake Babies),Thee Headcoatees (Holly Golightly & The Delmonas), Heavenly (Marine Research & Tagulah Gosh), Helium (Autoclave, Mind Science of the Mind, The Spells & Mary Timony), Helter Skillet (Julie Ruin, Viva Knieval, Bikini Kill, Le Tigre), Lauryn Hill (Fugees), His Name is Alive, Hole, Holiday Flyer, Holly Golightly (Thee Headcoatees & The Delmonas), Hot Pursuit (Blast Off Country Style & Tuscadero), Huggy Bear (Blood Sausage & The Phantom Pregnancies) , Hooverphonic, Heart, Debbie/Debrah Harry (Blondie & The Jazz Passangers), The Heartworms, Huon (The Long Weekend), The Haggard, The Holy Rolers, Nina Hagen, PJ Harvey, The Hangovers (Voodoo Queens & The Raincoats), Halo of Kitten (Pussy Galore & Free Kitten), Hazel (Team Dresch), The Hissyfits, Emily Haines (Metric)

I Ida (Bee Keeper & K), I Am Spoonbender, Iota Songs, Ivy , I am the World Trade Center, Ill Ease (Skinner Pilot & New Radiant Storm King) IQU, Internal External, In the Nursery, Indigo Girls (Amy Ray), Isobella

J Jale, Jejune, The Jewws, Julie Dorion (Eric's Trip), Juned (Adickdid), The Jazz Passangers (Debbie/Debrah Harry & Blondie), Junior Varsity, Joan Jett (The Runaways), Japancakes, Jawbox, Japanic, Joydrop, Zenda Jacks

K Killer Barbies, Kitty Kraft, Kostars (Luscious Jackson & Dusty Trails), Komeda, Knife in the Water, Kicking Giant, Kaia (Team Dresch, The Butchies & Adickdid), King Kong, Karaneedoke, Kitty Kat Spy Club, Chaka Kahn, Kukl (Bjork, The Sugar Cubes, Gling Glo & Tappi Tikarras), The Knife, Kelis

L L7, Ladies Who Lunch (Luscious Jackson & The Breeders), Laika and the Cosmonaughts, Licorice (Tsuamni), Lolita #18 ,Lois (Courtney Love & The Cradle Robbers), Los Fresnos Rebeldes, Mary Lou Lord, Love Spirals Downward, Courtney Love (Lois & The Cradle Robbers), Low, Lung Leg, Luscious Jackson (Kostars, Ladies Who Lunch & Dusty Trails), Luna Chicks, Lush (Sing Sing), Lydia Lunch, Lora Logic (Essential Logic & X Ray Spex), The Lapse (Blonde Redhead, The Van Pelt, & Enon), Le Tigre (Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin, Helter Skillet, The Fakes, & Viva Knieval), The Long Weekend (Huon), Little Kim, The Ladybug Transistor, Licorice (Grenadine, Tsuamni, Geek, My New Boyfriend), The Lies (Bonnot Gang & Film), The Lookers (Sarah Dougher, Cadallaca & The Crabs), Liliput, Lipkandy, Live Skull (Come & Uzi), Ladytron, Little Champions, Cyndi Lauper, Lords of Acid, Les Baton Rouge, The Lemon Drops, Luxx, Little Red Rocket, Lucy Loves Schroeder, Ladytron, Lady Soverign, The Like

M Madder Rose, Magnapop, Magnetic Fields, The Makeup, Barbara Manning (The S.F. Seals), Marine Girls (Everything But the Girl), Mecca Normal, Marine Research (Heavenly & Tagulah Gosh), Mary's Danish, Massive Attack (Tricky & Cocteau Twins), The Maulies, Mazzy Star (Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions), Medicine, Rose Melberg (The Softies, Go Sailor, Gaze & Tiger Trap), Mind Science of the Mind (Autoclave, Helium, The Spells, The Damnbuilders, & Mary Timony), Miranda Sex Garden, Mocket, Mojave 3, The Muffs (The Pandoras), My Bloody Valentine, Mercury Rev, Mile Marker, The Mendoza Line, The Mekons, Melt Bananna, My New Boyfriend (Tsuamni, Grenadine, Licorice & Geek) Mates of State, Masonic, Macabees, Moonkat, Milena, Alannah Myles, Mirah, Mum, Manda and the Marbles, Missing Persons, Katheryn Musilek, Daniela Mercury, Morcheeba, Aimee Mann, M.I.A., Metric

N The Need (TheTransfused), New Radiant Storm King (Skinner Pilot & Ill Ease) The Neptunas, Nashville Pussy, Now It's Overhead, Niki and The Corvettes, Naked Aggression, No Doubt, New Young Pony Club

O Beth Orten, Sinead O' Connor, Tara Jane O'Neil (Sonora Pine, Retsin, & Rodan)

P Dolly Parton, Panax (Bikini Kill, Air Miami, Velocity Girl, & Unrest), Papas Fritas, The Pee Chees (Bratmobile), Phranc, Picasso Trigger, Pixies (Breeders & The Amps), The Plasmatics (Wendy O. Williams), Por Avion (The Teacups), Penetration, Pork, The Process, The Pugs, Pussy Glaore (Free Kitten & Halo of Kitten), The Pandoras (The Muffs), Potishead, The Pretenders, Liz Phair, The Pogues, The Pastels, The Pogues, Pussycat Trash, Pank Shovel, Peaches, Pram, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Pleasure Seekers, Poe, Puffy Ami Yumi, Pizzicato Five, Prototypes, The Pipettes

Q Quasi (Sarah Dougher & Cadallaca) ,Quixotic (Slant 6 & Autoclave), Suzi Quatro, Queen Bee, Queen Adreena

R The Raincoats (The Slits, Gina Birch & The Hangovers), Rainer Maria, Red #9, Retsin (Tara Jane O' Neil, Sonra Pine & Rodan), The Rondells, Royal Trux, Ruby (Silverfish), Ruby Falls, Julie Ruin (Bikini Kill, Helter Skillet, Le Tigre, The Fakes & Viva Knieval), The Runaways (Lita Ford & Joan Jett), Romeo Void, The Rondelles, Rodan (Tara Jane O'Neil, Rodan, Retsin, & Sonara Pine), The Rachels, The Rentals (That Dog), The Red Aunts, Raooul (The Tourettes), Red Level Eleven, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), The Riff Randells, Revenge of the Bad Apples, Rilo Kiley, Robots in Disguise

S Skull Control (Getaway Car, The Delta 72, Star Sign Scorpio, Cupid Car Club and Apehouse), 7 Year Bitch, Saint Etienne (Sarah Cracknel), Scandal, Scrawl, The Search for Saturnalia, Secret Stars, Seely, The S.F. Seals (Barbara Manning), Shampoo, Shonen Knife, Silverfish (Ruby), Sincola, Sing Sing (Lush), Sixteen Deluxe, Skunk Anansie, Slant 6 (Autoclave, Tareo Balero, Quixotic), Sleater Kinney (Heaven's to Betsy, Quasi, Sarah Douger, Cadallaca, Excuse 17, & The Spells), Sleeper, The Slits (The Raincoats), Small Factory, Smashing Pumpkins, Sneaker Pimps, The Softies (Rose Melberg, Gaze, Go Sailor, & Tiger Trap), Solex, Sonic Youth (Free Kitten), Souxie & The Banshees (The Creatures), The Spells (Sleater Kinney, Autoclave, Mind Science of the Mind, Mary Timony & Helium), The Spinanes (The Craddle Robbers), Spiritualized, Stereolab, The Sub Debs, Subsonics, Sugar Cubes (Bjork, Kukl, Tappi Tikarras & Gling Glo), The Sundays, Superchunk, Super Junky Monkey, Super Star Disco Club, The Swells (Drowners Sailing & Experimental Aircraft), The Swirlies, Poly Styrene (X Ray Spex), Patty Smith, Skinner Pilot (Ill Ease & New Radiant Storm King) Sonora Pine (Rodan, Retsin, & Tara Jane O'Neil), SWV, Super Snazz, Swallow, Suddenly Tammy, Slumber Party, Star Sign Scorpio (Bikini Kill, The Frumpies, Cupid Car Club, The Delta 72, Getaway Car, Star Sign Scorpio, Skull Control, & Apehouse), Smog, Southern Culture on the Skids, S. Process, Seafood, Sexy Finger Champs, The Seconds ( The Bodies, Highschool Hell Cunts, The Strap Ons), Shade, Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions (Mazzy Star), The Stratford 4, Shade, Sympathetic Magic, Superchick, She, Sweetater, Splendora, The Sick Bees, The Swans, Michelle Shocked, Slum City, Stars, Smoosh, Shiny Toy Guns, Scissor Sisters, Regina Spektor

T Tagulah Gosh (Heavenly & Marine Research), Tareo Balero (Slant 6), Tattle Tale (Bonfire Madigan & Jen Wood), Team Dresch (Kaia, Hazel, The Butchies & Adickdid), Teen Angels (Dickless & Adickdid), Test Pilot (Autocollants), This Mortal Coil (Cocteau Twins and Massive Attack), Throwing Muses (Tonya Donnelly, Breeders, Kristin Hersh & Belly), Tiger Trap (The Softies, Gaze, Rose Melberg, & Go Sailor), Mary Timony (Helium, Mind Science of the Mind, The Spells & Autoclave), Toadies, The Trashwomen, Two Ton Boa, Tribe 8, Tricky, Tsuanmi (My New Boyfriend, Grenadine, & Geek), Tuscadero (Hot Pursuit), The Talking Heads, That Dog (The Rentals), Tom Tom Club, Tuuli, Tourettes (Raooul), Tracy + The Plastics, The Transfused (The Need), Tina Turner, The Temper Tantrums, Tappi Tikarras (Bjork, The Sugar Cubes, Gling Glo & Kukl), Thunderthighs, Tsunami Bomb, The Thermals, Tegan and Sara

U Unrest (Air Miami, Velocity Girl , & Panax), Unwound, Urban Legends, Ultababyfat, Uzi (Come & Live Skull), Umpire

V The Van Pelt (Blonde Redhead, Enon & The Lapse), Velocity Girl (Unrest, Panax, Air Miami) Versus (Containe), Veruca Salt, Virginia Dare, Vixen, The Volumptous Horror of Karen Black, Voodoo Queens (The Hangovers), The Velvet Underground, Viva Knieval (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Julie Ruin, The Fakes, & Helter Skillet), Vaselines

W Wendy O. Williams (The Plasmatics,) We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It, Wolfie, Windy & Carl, Jen Wood (Tattle Tale), Shannon Wright (Crowsdell), White Zombie, The Wicked Farleys, Witchy Poo (The Bangs), The White Stripes, Dar Williams, Gillian Welsh, The Waitresses, Watson Twins

X X Ray Spex (Essential Logic, Poly Styrene, and Lora Logic), X, XIU XIU

Y Yo La Tengo, Young Marble Giants

New Blog and New Jewelry

What do you think of the new blog make over? I am pretty smitten on it myself. My friend Jenny at Websy Daisy helped me with it and I think she did a stellar job. This is similar to what my new website is going to look like, that is if it ever gets done. I especially like how on the right hand side there are categories now so you can easily peruse old posts. I have always wanted to bring back the Naughty Secretary Club zine and I think I am going to do that through my blog. I am going to try to slowly but surely move over interviews and crafty goodness from the old site. Today I am reposting an old interview I did with Miranda July right below this post.

So anywhoodle in jewelry news I added a ton of new goodies to the website this weekend. 15 new Nostalgic Notions Necklaces, Thing-a-Ling Earrings, Hot Pink Pistol Purses, Hair Goodies and Revamped Vintage Necklaces. Can you tell I am totally smitten on my new style of collage jewelry?



Among other things like going to eat at new and exciting Indian Food Restaurants I scored 3 new vintage craft pamphlets. I have always picked up old craft books, but after meeting Leah Kramer of Craftster in person on her book tour for The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty and Kitschy Crafts I started to really pick the books up. I found Can Crafts, Magic With Tin Cans and Cardboard Tube Fun Ideas. There is actually a couple of tackaliscious crafts I might really try out like the tin can fancy fantasy bubble. I like how these are basically crafty recycling.


Oh and while others were watching the Super Bowl yesterday I had a creative spurt and made a bunch of new jewelry to take up to Parts and Labour. No your eyes do not deceive you those are Martin Luther King Earrings and a hotel room key to the Sands in Las Vegas.

Miranda July Interview

Miranda July Interview By: Jennifer Perkins

Recently Naughty Secretary Club took the time to interview one of the more interesting and creative people of our generation, Miranda July. Miranda does multi-media performance art pieces that get shown all around the world. She founded Big Miss Moviola which is a distribution house for female oriented independent films. She has directed videos for Sleater Kinney, directed 4 short movies to date, has spoken word records out on K...Miranda July is a woman of many talents indeed.

How did it come about with you having a role in Alison MacLean’s “Jesus’ Son”? How was that? Did you get to meet Holly Hunter or Dennis Hopper? Can we expect to see you in any more upcoming film roles?

Alison was a judge at the Cinematexas film festival in austin where my movie The Amateurist was playing. She wanted to interview me for Filmaker Magazine. I was going to be in NY, performing Love Diamond as a work in progress. She came to Love Diamond and we did the interview a few days later. A few days after that she asked if I'd like to audition for this movie that she was in the process of casting. I was on tour at the time, so i had to have the script faxed to one of the venues. When we (me and my accompanist Zac Love and the band Octant who we were touring with) were driving to the audition we got completely lost. I had to get out of the van and hail a cab just to not miss it entirely. I arrived all breathless and flustered. I didn't meet holly h or dennis h. just billy and his brother and dad and I hung out with his girlfriend who is the actress mary-- I forget her last name -- was in fried green tomatoes and other movies, long dark hair. and samanthat morton who is really really on fire all the time.

Imagining you trying to stick to only one medium, seems a difficult task. If you had to choose between film or live multi-media performances (that included some film) only, which medium are you more attached to? Which did you do first?

Well that's hard. i think it would be a mistake to forsake live performance for movies, so i will never do that. at the same time i can forsee taking taking some time off performing if I were to make a feature of write a book; something that took a long time to make. but that's not gonna happen this year or next year. I will probably tour more in 2001 than I ever have before (with my new multi-media performance, The Swan Tool). This is partly because I will go to europe where there are more sites that think new = good, not just a hassle.

Is the character Tinny Santiny based on anyone in your real life? What about in of the other characters in your pieces?

Tini was originally based on my mother. many of the characters start out based on a real person and then evolve into someone else, a fiction. but having the core personality be rooted in someone i know allows me to find my back home when I start becoming to vague. the characters in the FATE are based very closely on my family. that is perhaps the most literal thing i ever wrote. of course my parents never would catch and of the completely blatant references, my mom would just say I have a "wonderful imagination".

Who are some directors and also some films that you think are worth a damn? Are there any films or filmmakers you can point to specifically that have led you in a certain artistic direction?

When I was a kid: Jane Campion's first movies (her student short films), Sex Lies and Videotape, Slacker (the first wave of indie films did have a big impact on me, She's Gotta Have It. I didn't think too much about these being men, I just read about them maxing out their credit cards and I thought: oh.) Rumblefish. More recently: Animal Charm, Ross Mc Ewee, watching Edie Sedgewick. I am more influenced by books and art that I see in books and magazines: artists: Gillian Wearing, Harrell Fletcher, Mark Dion. Authors: Julie Hecht, Emmanuel Bove, Nina Berberova.

Which of your artistic accomplishments are you most proud of? Is there a CD or a movie of Miranda July’s that you like better than any of the others?

I think the Binet-Simon Test is more polished and complete than the other cds. it's hard to say since the i am usually trying to do something i've never done before with each thing. not just new content, but a new use for the medium itself. but everytime i don't quite achieve what i wanted, i try again. so the Binet CD is in a way what i wanted to do with 10 Million, but I didn't know how to. I think the Swan Tool CD will re-attempt some of the things I was just starting to think about when working on the IQU ep.

How did it come about for you to direct a video for Sleater-Kinney?

We are friends. they knew i made movies. i think it just seemed natural at the time. it was hardly even discussed. on the night before the shoot i explained to then what it would be like.

Has it ever been played on MTV?

yes.

Who are some bands, musicians, composers, whichever you enjoy?

on the turntable right now: Kento (from iqu's) mix cd, cat power, low, takako minekawa. I pretty much listen to whatever my music friends give to me. i don't buy records. i do buy books.

I saw you for the first time play with Dub Narcotic Sound System, I don’t think many people in the audience were expecting what you gave them. There were some people that obviously couldn’t handle this and made cracks throughout. Do you experience this a lot with your performance being so intense that they catch people off guard and they react negatively?

not so much anymore--the audience is generally there to see me because i take up the whole evening. i do kind of miss the arbitrariness of performing for fans of the band that comes after me. nobody makes cracks anymore because they think that i'm art. but the reactions are still very visceral. always the endless nervous laughter at the strangest moments. and then they come up afterwards and ask : was i supposed to laugh? were you trying to be funny? Hey man that's your job, i just decide what should happen on the stage.

What are the plans for the future of Miranda July? Are you going to be traveling and promoting The Swan Tool? Are there any talks of wide screen releases for your films in the future to art house theaters across the country rather than just select “showings”?

I'll be doing a west coast tour of the swan tool as a work in progress in ocotober, it premieres at the rotterdam international film festival in jan. It will tour extensively in the US and europe in 2001. There's a new Big MM Co-Star tape that will come out in October and is curated by Astria Suparak. She's going to tour will the swan tool in oct and show some of the movies to celebrate it's release. it's a compilation all about sexuality malfunctioning. hmmm, i don't think they'll ever be any wide screen releases of my short movies, but that's a nice thought. they are distributed by Video Data Bank however, so festival around the world show them regulary. You can see Nest of Tens at the NY Video Festival this month and at Cinematexas in Austin in October.


This interview has been reprinted from my old zine Naughty Secretary Club and was done a long long long time ago.

The Anatomy of a TV Craft Show

Why would you watch the Super Bowl today when you could be watching the Knitty Gritty Knit In on DIY Network. The choice is so clear to me, even if I don’t knit. I may not knit, but did you know that I have a color of yarn named after me? Vickie Howell has her own line of yarn out through South West Trading Company and all the yarn colors are like inside joke code names for crafters. There are 3 categories of the gorgeous soy silk yarn Craft, Rock and Love. Under the Craft section look for my color Jennifer which is the exact color of my house with the trim being the colors Martha (Martha Stewart) and Chica (Crafty Chica). Oh and peep Mafiosa color an homage to all the Craft Mafias! Rock has colors like Siouxsie, Joan (Joan Jett) and Kim & Kelly (The Breeders/Pixies – who were guests on Knitty Gritty). Then the colors under Love are named after famous couples, Harold and Maude being my favorite.

OK back to TV talk, let me fill you in on what you can see on CRAFT LAB this week starting with the new episodes on HGTV at 9am Central. MONDAY: John Ahr and I make a plexiglass Lantern. The techniques in this episode have so many jewelry making possibilities it made my head spin. TUESDAY: Polymer Clay Pops when Anne Igou stops by Craft Lab. Her mom is after all polymer class goddess Lisa Pavelka. WEDNESDAY: Keri Plezia stops by Craft Lab to show how to make a kaleidoscope. THURSDAY: hipster parasol. FRIDAY: Karen Mitchell has a few tricks up her sleeve to get some Metallic Clay Effects.

Both Ann and Karen Mitchell were guests on Craft Lab, and adorable ones at that. They write a monthly column for BeadBugle.com and the current column is entitled The Anatomy of a TV Craft Show and is all about their experience as guests on Craft Lab. If you were ever curious about the inner workings of how the shows come together and what it is like to be a guest be sure and read the article.

Over at DIY Network you can catch more Craft Lab at 11am Central. MONDAY: Why spend a bazillion dollars on a Fondant Cake for your wedding when Edith Meyer is going to show you how to make your own. TUESDAY: Seth Savarick shows us that you can screen print on polymer clay. WEDNESDAY: Cutie pie Sonya Nimri shows us all about Foam Crafts. THURSDAY: Is it just me or does this episode air every week? Doesn’t matter to me because from all my new revamped vintage earrings you can tell that I love it when Traci Bautista stops by and makes Collage Paper. FRIDAY: Let me tell you that Airbrushing a Skateboard is harder than it looks, but Chris DeRubeis is a great teacher. At 3:30 Central Heidi Reimer-Epp and I will be whipping up some Recycled Paper.

Also on DIY Network at 2pm Central you can catch the Austin Craft Mafia girls and I on Stylelicious. TUESDAY: Tina, Jen and Susann whip up some Eco-Friendly Fashions like skirts out of sheets and paper bags into passport cases. THURSDAY: Old to New is the theme with Karly, Tina and Susann making capes and slip dresses.

Remember if you are digging the shows please be sure to let HGTV and DIY Network know you wanna see more Indie Crafty Goodness on TV.