MAKE - How To: Zine-Making For Kids

Whoa! Huge shout out and big THANK YOU! to MAKE MAGAZINE'S CRAFT BLOG and DIANE GILLELAND for featuring some of Missy's zines in their ZINE-MAKE TUTORIAL FOR KIDS! (and thanks to our friend Eric for giving us the heads up!)

You can click over to MAKE's article HERE.

Traumfrau

Missy has a new book that just came out! The book is called "TRAUMFRAU", which is German for "DREAM GIRL" (the whole story is written in German). The story was written by her friend ALEXANDER BACH and then illustrated, graphic novel-style, by Missy. We're sharing a few of the original drawings from Missy's sketchbook, since we haven't gotten a copy of the book yet. You can order Traumfrau via the German version of Amazon HERE)...Alexander used some of Missy's illustrations to make a cute little BOOK TRAILER to help promote the release of the book:

Long-Arm Stapler First Aid: Self-Care In Zines and Mini Comics

Friends in Chicago can check out this really neat art exhibit I am really excited to be a part of! The art show is called Long-Arm Stapler First Aid: Self-Care In Zines and Mini Comics and is focused on the healing aspects and self-improvement by creating zines and comics. It promises to be a great show, and it opens on April 20. More information can be found on Liz's blog here. Check it out!

Shop At Shanalogic!

CYBER MONDAY is just around the corner and if you're looking for cute, adorable, and geeky gifts for your loved ones (or, if you're in need of treating yourself), then look no further than SHANALOGIC.COM! They've got a buncha Missy's stuff in their shop and we just sent them a buncha items to re-stock. Yay! Avoid the malls and big box stores this holiday season and click on over to Shanalogic for gifts galore and more...

Check It Out

Friday night, Missy and I headed out to the OCONEE COUNTY LIBRARY to attend the TEEN ZINE SECTION LAUNCH PARTY. Missy was a SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER at the event and WEREWOLVES (sans me) played an acoustic set of songs. Before heading out to the library, Missy put together a bunch of GOODY BAGS that were going to be raffled off at the party. Each goody bag had a copy of her book, PERSONAL CHARM, several copies of her zines, a bookmark, and a collection of one inch buttons that she designed...



By the time we got there, the PIZZA AND ZINE-MAKING PARTY was in full swing. We had just enough time to say "hi" to our friends before Missy had to take the stage. Our friend Lonna, who coordinated the event and is also a librarian at the library, interviewed Missy along with our friend Katy, who also makes zines. During the interview, Missy and Katy talked about how they got into making zines, why they love zines so much, and why it's important for teens to have access to zines. They also talked about how teens could go about making zines of their own...









After the interview, Lonna gave us a quick after-hours tour of the library while the band set up and sound checked:















After the tour, we checked out the temporary ZINE READING LOUNGE while everyone else was waiting for Werewolves to perform. It doesn't look like much, but there are actually over 100 TEEN-FRIENDLY ZINES stuffed into that little magazine rack...









Before heading back into the auditorium to see Werewolves play, we checked out drawings that were left on the zine-making table in the lounge...































Lonna and Katy:



Missy and Jay:



Missy and Jean:



Missy and Kamron...Kamron was one of our favorite kids that we saw that night. We really dug his hat! Anyways, we were happy that he won one of Missy's goody bags in the raffle at the end of the night...

Teen Zine Scene

Hey Y'all! Missy will be speaking at the dedication of the brand new TEEN ZINE SECTION at the Oconee County Library in Watkinsville this Friday! She will be talking about her experience as a teen who was heavy into making ZINES in the '90s, and how she has steadfastly continued to create zines ever since, for well over 20 years. There will be free pizza, free zines, and a free performance by WEREWOLVES! This all-ages party starts at 7pm...come one, come all!

Renegade Handmade L.A.

I'm finally posting up my photos from last month's big RENEGADE HANDMADE craft fair which took place in a park on the outskirts of Los Angeles' CHINATOWN. My two sisters and two nieces took shelter from the unrelenting California sun under PINK PARASOLS:



The first thing we noticed when we arrived at the park was a line of FOOD TRUCKS and a MOBILE WOOD SHOP. The wood shop was pretty impressive, with all these perfectly appointed individual workstations:









We decided to take advantage of the food truck situation and fill-up before the trucks ran out of food. We loaded up on Mexican food, Belgian waffles, and gourmet popsicles, and found a nice shady spot for an impromptu picnic...





















Once we had our fill, we headed into the fray, with the Los Angeles skyline looming in the background...











We geeked-out over this faux LIBRARY INDEX CARD FILE CABINET tablecloth:







I couldn't resist this CONSTELLATION PRINT that featured the title of one of my most favorite SMITHS songs...I ended up buying the very last one they had on hand:





















The LOS ANGELES ZINE FEST had this cool makeshift ZINE LIBRARY set up at the fair...















































We saw these AZTEC FOLK DANCERS with these amazing FEATHERED HEADDRESSES milling about. They performed several ceremonial dances for the fair-goers as the sun began to dip towards the horizon. It was a great way to end our day shopping at Renegade Handmade...































After the fair, we headed over to HPK (HIGHLAND PARK KITCHEN) for dinner...for dessert, we made TABLETOP SMORES (we would have tabletop smores the following night at my parents house, too)...











After dinner, the kids went back home to Riverside, while my sister Cynthia, Missy, and I headed over to the ARCLIGHT THEATER in Hollywood to see the new Wes Anderson flick, Moonrise Kingdom, with Missy's friend Jamie. Of course, this being Hollywood, the Arclight had ORIGINAL COSTUMES from the newest BATMAN MOVIE on display in their lobby...







We saw this painting in the theater which perfectly encapsulates the sultry air-brushed sexiness and subversiveness of HOLLYWEIRD:



Following the movie, we headed over to the HOUSE OF PIES for a late night snack. Growing up in Southern California, the House of Pies was always a great place to stop on the way home after seeing a show in L.A...It's a lively place to see showbiz-types, cops, immigrants, hipsters, and tourists rub elbows while having a cup of coffee and a delicious slice of pie. It was the perfect proverbial cherry-on-top of an excellent day out...