carnival is crazy early this year...

 For more parade details be sure to visit our website.

Parade Day

a few pics from 'titREX Parade 2011. more images may be found filed away in flickr. wish i had more to say, but i believe i'm still experiencing post-parade letdown. you work so hard for so long to finish everything up for this one moment, then mourn the loss of a project completed. oh well there is always next year.

a few examples of tiny throws. this year i made: tiny beads [as always] - glitterized army men - handpainted dolls, firemen + action figures in 'titREX colors - sewing kits memorializing the Triangle Fire of 1911 [my float subject this year].

my too little, too late float subject was the Triangle Fire of 1911. the tragedy brought to light the inhumane conditions of garment factory workers, which lead to labor reform and nation wide safety standards... but all too late for the 146 lives lost. march 25th this year will mark the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Fire of New York City. i'll have more on that subject closer to the 25th. till then, check out the link above in boldface for more information.

click on images for larger viewing.

'titREX 2011

mardi gras is fast approaching. it's been a mad flurry trying to finish up all things 'titREX. we're counting down the days to the micro spectacle that is 'titREX Parade.

tiny projects*

here's a few pics of the tiny float i made this year for our 2nd annual 'titREX Parade, New Orleans only micro-krewe. this year's theme, la petite mort, [the little death] interpretations varied from float to float. my float title, sugar coma, a chronicle of the euphoria and eminent crash that is my sugar addiction... and that's why, even though i'm a non practicing former catholic, i'm still giving up sugar for lent this year. this love/hate affair has to come to and end sometime. more 'titREX pics can be found here and here.

good-bye mardi gras*

alas it is ash wednesday, which always marks the closing of yet another mardi gras season here in new orleans. no matter how many parades you attend, how many costumes you throw together or how much fun is had, you always feel like you still missed out on something, then you remember that... there is always next year. a simple fact that seemed uncertain after katrina. but come mardi gras 2006, only six months after the storm, the parades did roll... and we didn't miss a beat.

so here's to mardi gras 2009 + many, many more to come. this year marked the start of a new mardi gras tradition, one that i hope will continue. 'titREX Parade: New Orleans first micro-krewe and shoebox processional, rolled through the streets of the ninth ward on valentine's day. i feel very fortunate to have been a part of this hopefully annual event. the parade's theme this year was tiny victories. parade day pics may be found here.

here are a few process pics of my 'titREX float entitled Your Never Gonna Take Me ... Alive.

all saints night*

here are a few images from all saints night on the northshore in lacombe. this was my first time going to all saints night in louisiana. the traditions seem similar to those in latin america. spend the day cleaning up the cemetery + visit relatives at night with candles, flowers + the occasional gift. i believe this used to be the custom in new orleans as well, until laws were past against lighting candles in the cemetery at night. i've blacked out any visible names out of respect for the families. i wanna say thanks to my friend beth for telling me about this and letting me tag along.

you may find additional photos here.

the productivity bug*

so it's been a while. i've been distracted by hurricanes, birthdays + the day to day. trying my best to be productive + create work habits for myself. you would think it would be easy now that i have all this studio space, but it hasn't. it's been nearly a year since i've had the space or time to work at home. picking up the momentum again has been difficult to say the least. i'm not sure why. it would be nice if there was a productivity bug that with one bite, could kick start a weathered work ethic. maybe it would be a virus bug instead of a real bug. in any case, it's about time i caught it. hopefully there will be some crafty posts to be had in the very near future.

in the meantime here are a few pictures from sunday's hiking trip with my mom. we went to clark creek/tunica hills to hike the primitive trail. it ended up being a five hour hike due to all the down trees. the trail hadn't been cleared since hurricanes gustav + ike. it was quite the adventure. we had to navigate around [or over] trees . we got lost quite a few times as well due to all the debris, but we made it out alive. it was fun except for the mosquitoes. too bad mosquito bites don't ignite productivity. if that were the case, with as many bites as i have, i'd bee finished with two halloween costumes and starting on x-mas by now.

this was the coolest spider ever. i just love her fuzzy knee pads.

something to see*

i hope one day to have a roadside attraction of my very own. until then i plan on visiting the UCM Museum in abita springs, louisiana, as much as possible. there's just no way to absorb it all in one visit. i can't believe i had never heard of it before. courtney and i were in abita springs for the annual town wide garage sale. when she saw the sign for the ucm museum she said, you have GOT to see this. and she was right. it's the best three dollars you'll ever spend.

my favorite thing was this little lady in the leopard print outfit with the gold purse around her neck. she's barefootin' at the juke joint. i pretty much loved every last thing i saw, but i will remember her always.

for the complete set of photos click here.