Save The Kitties!

The CAT ZIP ALLIANCE is having a benefit art show at the cafe in our local EARTHFARE! Missy donated a framed colored pencil drawing of hers to the show, which we brought about half-an-hour before the opening this evening:





The show also features several pieces by local artist JAMES DEAN and his beloved "PETE THE CAT" character:









All the artwork will be on display (and for sale) throughout the month of July, with all proceeds and donations going to benefit the many cat-friendly charities and organizations that the Cat Zip Alliance supports. If you're in Athens, make sure you stop into Earthfare, check out the art, pick up some pamphlets, donate a buck or two, etc...IT'S FOR THE KITTIES!

Weekend Wind-Down #62

Oof. We've had a long weekend with ATHFEST here in town...we were out late Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, watching bands and taking in the festival atmosphere...my new band, THE SLOW ROWBOAT, even performed on Saturday. I've got photos and videos from the past couple of days events and it's taking me a long time to process everything because I'M BEAT. All the running around, not to mention the oppressive heat, finally caught up to us and we're just too damn tired to do anything productive...and I just hate that feeling! So, I thought that if I could at least bust out a new WEEKEND WIND-DOWN, it would be better than nothing. In lieu of photos and videos from Athfest I've posted more photos of Missy sitting in LITTLE GUANTANAMO, feeding OREO...

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Seeing you play was good.
RAOUL - The moment saturday night was through!

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - The hot weather.
RAOUL - Friday at work took excruciatingly forever to finish.

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "LET'S GET REPTARDED!"
RAOUL - Someone yelling "LET'S GET REPTARDED!" in between songs during Reptar's set at Nuci's.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "LET'S GET REPTARDED!"
RAOUL - "LET'S GET REPTARDED!"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Potatoes with fennel from The Grit.
RAOUL - Szechwan tofu over rice from The Grit.

FAVORITE PERFORMER AT ATHFEST?
MISSY - The Slow Rowboat!
RAOUL - Circulatory System!

WHAT WAS WORSE THIS PAST WEEKEND - THE HEAT OR THE CROWDS?
MISSY - I'll say the heat.
RAOUL - The HUMIDITY!

THREE THINGS ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Cat litter, bunny bedding, sparklers.
RAOUL - Orange juice, sponges, Blue Sky soda.

ONE THING YOU "MUST DO" THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Go to the bank and pay the bills.
RAOUL - SLEEP.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Alessi's Ark, Laura Marling, Craftsanity podcast.
RAOUL - Abe Vigoda, Finally Punk, The Very Best, Vampire Weekend, Santogold, Seefeel, The Happy Mondays, Yo La Tengo, Lazer Sword's "Future Blappin'" mix on the XLR8R podcast.

Hey, I made a new zine!

Kneehigh Cupcakes, originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

As most of you know, I got my start self publishing many mini comic books and zines when I was in high school and college. I still dream of making my own magazine, but for now I just made a mini. This is my new one that is part of my Kneehigh series. It is all about cupcakes I have made, cupcakes I have had on my travels, and cupcakes I remember from my childhood. I think it is interesting to think about the variety in cupcakes, as well as how yummy they taste. Check it out - it is available on my website and my Shoppe Sugar Cookie on Etsy.

While I am on a roll, I have two more Kneehigh comics in the works. One is all about Blythe dolls and the other is about donuts!

Nilla Sixty

Nilla is so happy., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

We are a day late posting Nilla Day, but that is okay cos we were at last night's Flagpole Music Awards! I am sure we will post photos and news about that, but first things first. Here is our sweet kitty Nilla rolling on the new green rug I purchased last month! This photo makes her look like her head is tiny and her body is not so tiny, but it is all fluff. I swear!


Here is Nilla happily rolling around. She loves to roll.

Weekend Wind-Down #61

(Missy hangin' out with the bunny in Oreo's summertime getaway - LITTLE GUANTANAMO)

FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Finishing two new zines!
RAOUL - Finally buying replacement bulbs for Lord Focus (slow week).

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Waking up with sore shoulder and back.
RAOUL - Can't pinpoint the worst moment...just "out of it" most of the week.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE WEEK?
MISSY - "An alive car"
RAOUL - "It's like a car. An alive car"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Mashed potatoes.
RAOUL - The spicy chinese dinner at The Grit last monday.

WHAT ARE YOU CRAVING RIGHT NOW?
MISSY - A Blue Sky soda.
RAOUL - Sleep.

THREE THINGS ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Bunny bedding, Fiesta Max, carrots.
RAOUL - Hummus, Blue Sky soda, sourdough bread.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Laura Marling, R.E.M., Craftypod podcast, Craftsanity podcast.
RAOUL - Finally Punk, Santogold, Cause Co-Motion, BARR, Squarepusher, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Motown mix cds.

Happy Father's Day Interview With my Dad

Dad hold up his coffee and shows off his clean oatmeal bowl., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

Here it is, another Father's Day! I am going to interview my Dad for all the readers at home. This year we pitched in and got my dad a radio controlled helicopter. I think this is going to be a great gift, and like I told you on the phone, don't go flying it into any power lines, okay? Now on with the interview...

1. What is the best part about being a dad?
Having great kids that all turned out to be decent, productive and caring people.

2. What is the worst part about being a dad?
Paying my part for education.

3. What is the best Father's Day gift?
A Harley would be nice, but just knowing all my kids are safe and healthy is the best.

4. Tell us about the gift we got you this year. What do you think?
The Hofbrauhaus on the Southside was a hoot. Good food and drink, it brought back memories of my days in the Air Force stationed in Germany.

I haven't made my maiden flight of my helicopter yet.

5. Greg thought you would break this gift. And we all thought you would lose your ipod when you got that for Christmas.
As it turns out, I still have my Ipod, I try to keep a close eye on it. I let Joey have the first turn on the flight stick of my new helicopter. He lifted off really nice, but then proceeded to fly it into the rhododendron bush in front of the house. A few pieces flew off, but it goes back together easily. Now I'm starting to get the hang of it, but it's going to take a lot of flight training.

6. Did you always know you were going to be a dad?
I didn't always know. I got my first inkling when Rita told me she was pregnant.

7. Do you have plans for Father's Day?
I think I'll go to Rita's, the ice cream shop that is!


Thanks, Dad! Happy Father's Day to the Number One in my life. I love you! I know you are going to say something to me about my choice in photos, but trust me, did you really want me to post the one of us with big googley eyes?

And when you come to visit you wanna catch a game of tennis??

Sketchbook Sunday

Kneehigh: Cupcakes in sketch form., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

Above is a sketch of my new Kneehigh zine all about cupcakes. Raoul thought it would be a good idea to show you some of my process. I did try my best to make these photos more view-able, but at least you can see how I sketch these. Usually I do not use pencil at all, but on these I did.


Now you can see the inked version of this mini zine. I wrote a little story about each cupcake and drew some pictures. I think it will be a good addition to my popular Kneehigh series of comic books!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! This is one of my favorite pictures of my DAD...it was taken by my neice, JULIA, at my cousin's wedding a couple of years back. I like it because it is totally from a little kid's point of view and because when I was little, I probably looked up at him in that same way a million times. I love you, DAD!

Little Dog Goes For A Walk

Open here please., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

I love shopping on Etsy, even though I am a seller, too. I found a beautiful handmade doll, Little Dog Goes for a Walk by one of my favorite sellers, Misako Mimoko. Misako Mimoko is really Eva in Spain. Please have a peek at how she packaged my lovely doll!

I love the little teapot character!!


The package had a thank you note to me and was carefully wrapped in tissue paper.


A colorful illustration was the backing scene for the Little Dog. She really is going for a walk.


Look at the detail in those stitches! I love Little Dog's look.


Now Little Dog is going for a walk on my desk! I love you, Little Dog. I think she needs a name. What do you think?

Of Course, A Horse Attack

A HORSE attacked Missy in the SUPER DORM while a GIRAFFE tap danced on my collection of 7" singles...(there was an incredible "lunchroom sale" at work today and I really couldn't pass up on these big plush animals at only ten bucks a piece!)

Nilla Fifty-Nine

Snuggle Bunny Monday (And Kitty, Too!)

Nilla and Oreo kiss., originally uploaded by sugar-cookie.

This weekend we put OREO in her "summer home." That just means we moved her home into our craft room before it gets too terribly hot outside. Bunnies do not like hot humid weather, and neither do I. I am never quite ready for summer here in Athens! Anyways, Nilla and Oreo met up close for the first time this weekend, and they are getting along very well. Nilla is very curious about Oreo - she likes to "kiss" her! Oh, and Nilla is never with Oreo unsupervised. I love this set up cos I can pet both pets at the same time!

Weekend Wind-Down #60

Last Thursday, Missy, me, and the rest of the ART DEPARTMENT from work, headed out to the SUPER FLORAL SHOW at the GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER in downtown Atlanta. It was basically a trade show for corporate buyers, sellers, and distributors in the floral industry. Needless to say, there were a lot of flowers to be seen - a lot that we weren't allowed to take photos of:





Check out these giant LILLIES:



The best thing about the Super Floral Show is that it was right next to CNN, which was especially great when it came time to take a break...they have a huge food court along with a bunch of network gift shops. We got some ice cream and sat at a table emblazoned with the CNN LOGO. I couldn't help but hear the voice of Darth Vader - JAMES EARL JONES - echo in my head..."THIS IS CNN"...





Missy was super psyched about the CNN PENNY SMASHING MACHINE...she added a couple of pennies to her ever-growing collection:







...and then we found ANOTHER penny smashing machine in front of the CARTOON NETWORK gift shop! Missy got herself a FLAPJACK penny:



Group tours of CNN start with an escalator ride up into the ass end of THE WORLD:



On the way home from Atlanta, Missy, me, and our co-worker, Sam, stopped off in CABBAGETOWN for a late lunch. We ended up getting slices of veggie pizza from the VILLAGE PIZZA CO...the tablecloths there were sheets of butcher paper that you could draw on...of course, Missy could not resist to add a couple of doodles:









FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - BUNNY FEST!
RAOUL - BUNNY FEST!

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Mom saying that Harry got a cut on his paw.
RAOUL - Having to walk the Super Floral Show.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE WEEK?
MISSY - "Horticulture"
RAOUL - "Bunny massage"

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Bunny Fest!
RAOUL - Bunny Fest was pretty ridiculous. Watching Oreo get a bunny massage and Missy and Oreo's "Sears Portrait"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Last night's mashed potatoes made with potatoes bought from the farmer's market.
RAOUL - Mashed potatoes we made with farmer's market potatoes...delish!

FAVORITE KIND OF FLOWER?
MISSY - Tulips!
RAOUL - Digitalis (a.k.a. Foxglove)

FAVORITE THINGS TO BUY FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET?
MISSY - I like carrots, banana bread from Big City Bread, the Limeade from Dondero's, and pea and potato empanadas from the empanada man.
RAOUL - Spinach, when it was in season, and sourdough bread from Luna Bakery.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - I listened to the Craftsanity podcast pretty much all week.
RAOUL - The Housemartins, Dean & Britta, Julie Doiron, Bow Wow Wow, The Other Two, Yo La Tengo, Squarepusher, Grand Buffet, LAKE, The Wedding Present, Pulp.