Check out the Fungible necktie and others that are coming soon on my etsy.com site :  http://fossumluova.etsy.com

After picking a date (which isn’t easy!) – I designed a wedding invitation.  But before I sent out the invites I set up a wedding website.  In order to set up the website first we had to register for some wedding gifts.  

All this planning is a process. I am just banking on everything coming together in the end with a little help from my friends.  

To check out our wedding webpages and registries go to www.mywedding.com/ryanlovescarrie  

I’ve posted a couple blogs there.  I am hoping to get a couple bags cranked out within the next couple of weeks.  .. (although that has been my goal for about half a year or so.)

But I am engaged!  And that is an excuse for everything.

Our friends got hitched!  In a simple civil ceremony last Thursday, I stood behind Denise as the judge read them their vows.  We made it through the court house security right before 5pm (when they close for the day).  We followed Denise and Peter hand-in-hand to the elevators.  Exiting the elevator Denise, holding a small bouquet of flowers, (that I put together for her – what bride doesn’t have flowers on her wedding day?) followed Peter through a door displaying a ‘asbestos trial – court in session’ sign held up with a strip of scotch tape.  The judge greeted us and within all of ten minutes we signed some paperwork and the judge said the vows and sent us on our way.  And that was that – Peter and Denise were a married couple.  

Making that day extra special – Great gifts for Newlyweds: 

- If the ceremony starts getting lengthy, what better excuse than to go out and decorate the get-away car.  Buy or make a cute soda chain getaway car chain that will not only draw attention the the cute couple but that they can also keep for many long years ahead.  Be sure to take pictures and gift them a framed photo of their car displaying your artwork.  

- If you are truly a last minute person or maybe the couple is getting hitch quick – then throw together a “remember the day” gift basket.  Include local and national newspapers, a US weekly perhaps.  A NY Times best-selling book (think James Patterson-esk, something you can pick up at a grocery store check-out) or a top-selling toy (like in the 1990′s the latest Beanie Baby would have been appropriate… Ty is still making beanie babies to this day though – perhaps still appropriate?).  Include a bottle of the current years wine with a corkscrew. Include a pair of movie tickets to the latest blockbuster flick in the card mixed in with a couple bucks for popcorn and soda.  

-Since everything was last minute for Peter and Denise we decided that the best gift was finding them a place to spend their wedding night.  My first pick was a great bed and breakfast in Downtown St. Paul on a riverboat but it was booked full (on a Thursday night?!) I kept the search up and found a delightful room in Stillwater at The Elephant Walk.  If not for our gift Peter and Denise would have returned to Peter’s apartment with his roommates and the closet-sized room he was occupying … not so romantic.  

-If you have any kind of skills with a camera or just happened to get a great picture of the couple or something that is dear to them (a new house, dog, favorite place or place they were engaged or first met) you can blow it up on a canvas and have it mailed straight to them.  There are many online sites that do this service for great prices check out a few I found: http://www.posterprintshop.com/, http://www.personalcanvasart.com/, http://www.canvasondemand.com/

-And if all else fails check out craigslist.org and just search wedding gift.  I have found many listings of brand new items that couples have received double or just decided they didn’t want and they sell these items for cheaper than the stores.  The only thinking you have to do is picking out the wrapping paper, perhaps you can bargain with the craigslist seller and have them wrap up the find. 

So congratulations to Peter and Denise and may you live happily ever after or something close to that.   

This was a fun tote bag to make because I knew its destination.  

Perhaps it was a tad bit cliche to incorporate glasses into the gift.  The middle section of the bag is made from fused plastic.  Being a bit like my mom, I saved a plastic bag Jenny brought back from AUS and used that as the top layer of fused plastic.  The black horned-rimmed glasses are also made from fused plastic, yet those bags held no kind of sentimental value (except maybe Crazy old Mother Earth).  The other material used for this bag all experienced previous lives either as pants or cushion covers.  

And now since the sewing machines are dusted off I have begun working on other totes for the summer season.  Check back for pictures and information on where you can purchase.  I’m working hard on getting my latest spaces into a boutique in the western suburbs of The Cities.  

As for the Craigslist find o’ the day…. 

How about a job as a Balloon Artist?  My late uncle was a clown/teacher in Japan for awhile and some of my favorite memories of him were when he would share his balloon sculpting secrets.  I thought that perhaps my ability to twist a pregnant wiener dog balloon could get me this job – what can you make?

          Hello! 

          I would like to make contact with a balloon artist/twister in the Twin Cities. I am looking for an artist with high level           skills to work at gigs where kids and adults will ask you to make anything and everything (not just standard poodles             and giraffes – more along the lines of cowboys and deep-sea angler fish). Preferably want someone who has at least a           few years of experience, a warm and friendly personality, and the ability to quickly twist detailed creations – animals,           hats, flowers, costumes, random objects, etc. Gigs don’t necessarily require you to wear costumes or provide the skills           of a clown, and you set your own hourly fee. Is this you or someone you know? Please send a few pictures of balloon             creations you are proud of and contact information, and I will get in touch with you. 

           Thanks! 

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/crg/1185583476.html

We all die.  And we all need a place to rest thereafter.  Luckily I came across a “great bargain” for a two person mausoleum on Craigslist under the garage sales category.  

I am selling a mausoleum for 2 people, it’s located at Crystal Lake Cemetery in Minneapolis. I am moving out of the state soon for this reason I’m asking only $3,000, I purchased this mausoleum at $6,000 about 6 years ago, so this mausoleum must be worth more than $6k. Don’t wait until the last moment to buy one, now you can buy it for little money. If you want to trade something, like a car, boat, equipment, tools or other things.  

I am moving next week, if you are interested please let me know and I will give you all the information you need 

Some of the centenarians are very much with it mentally and others are able to wake up in the morning with a smile and recall only certain gems from their rather long life.

One of my regrets is not spending more time with my Great grandmas.  Growing up I knew my Dad’s paternal grandma, and both of mom’s grandmas.  I was well into high school when the first one passed away.  My Great-grandmas were all very loving yet I felt shy around them.  When I was alone with them I was at a loss for words.  They were old people.   

After reading this book I am inspired to talk more with my family and gather our stories.  The book also inspired me to live a purposeful life and a long life.  

Awhile back I heard about “The Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner on Oprah ( I think).  I borrowed it from the library and I have begun to read about the Earth’s so called “blue-zones.”  I am looking to gather tips on how to extend my life.  

I used the life expectancy calculator at http://www.livingto100.com/ to determine how long I will live… drum roll – my life expectancy is 98.  I could add a year to my life if I start taking an aspirin a day but I don’t know what I need that for I am only 24.

Now I have to figure out what I want to do with the next 74 years of my life.

what is your current obsession?  Planning out my garden.  I have seeds that I am going to get started indoors today!  I am also on an organizing kick.  I organized my office/ craft space yesterday … today I am shooting for the closets, although this is quite the project to take on in just a day’s time.  

what are you wearing now? An ‘I love NY’ T-shirt that sister Katie got me a long time ago.  I, myself, have not been to NY but hopefully I will start using my airline travel privileges and see the sights of the big apple.  

do you nap a lot? Yes.  More when Ryan is home with me.  

who was the last person you hugged? Chata (the dog)

what is your favourite tree? Ginkgo (love the leaves and that all the leaves fall at the same time … how romantic) or a corkscrew willow (love the shape of the branches/twigs).  

what´s for dinner?  Soup with the bread Ryan left for me and fruit

what was the last thing you bought? Food for Ryan’s lunches

what are you listening to right now? Chata breathing

what is your favorite weather? Fall sweater weather

what is on your bedside table? Books, reading lamp, cell-phone charger and chap-stick

what is your most challenging goal right now? To find a job/ figure out what I want to do with myself

if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where do you want it to be? I have always wanted to go to Norway – but maybe somewhere warm or  somewhere in the mountains, somewhere quite with a view. 

favorite vacation spot? Spain

name the things you cannot live without: Ryan & books

what would you like to have in your hands right now? more time

what is your favorite tea flavor? Green

what would you like to get rid of? The broken bird feeder on my front steps.  

Birdy, I think the roof is leaking.

if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Parkview, IA to see Katie’s little monkeys.

Update on the birdfeeder:  I listed it for free on Craigslist and 20 minutes later it was gone off my front steps… I love the magic of Craigslist!

Walking to work yesterday at 11 am nothing was too out of the ordinary.  Business people were walking to Herbs and Gerb’s to grab a sub or stopping by the hot dog vendor squeezing out ketchup on their dog.  But, something felt different.  Labor day was a hot muggy day, but that wasn’t what felt different.  Instead of the weather, it was the miles of black metal fencing splitting the downtown in half, it was the police and military men dress to protect walking and standing everywhere that made the winds change direction.  

I work downtown and we were staffed for a legion of people, yet not many stopped by.  We did however have our celebrity sightings: Tom Brokaw and John Stewart.  Outside just walking around I also spotted Wolf Blitzer.  

But what is even better than trying to spot a celebrity around the Republican National Convention?  Watching the protesters.  Yesterday the protesters became a bit rowdy breaking in windows at Macy’s, and of various police cars.  They upturned garbage cans spilling litter in to the clean streets of downtown and smashed those plastic pamphlet handouts that are found on many of the corners and next to bus stops.  

All of the protests inspired me to finally post pictures of my upcycled t-shirt peace scarf I recently made.   

I am heading off to work in a few hours and here’s to hoping I catch something exciting with my camera!

Check out my mnartists.org site: http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=189297

I sat in the booth and introduced curious fair-goers to the wonderful website.  I manned the stand with an abstract painter – Tonya Balik.  She was good company and made wonderful free pencil scupltures which were destroyed by freebie lovers.

Before my fair experience I met with one of my models for the Robochic show coming up in October.  We had a quick fitting and chatted for a few minutes over coffee.  Check out a preview of the outfit on Carin.

The dress is made using recycled materials.  The premise of robochic is to design high fashion for androids.  I have designed this dress using socks who have lost their pairs – as humans we all have containers or stashes somewhere with socks that need pairing.  Most of these stashes of unpaired socks will never becomed paired, they will end up alone in the end.  As a designer for the androids I had to search for materials to use to make clothes and I found lots of unpaired socks.  Also used in this outfit is grandpa’s old ugly christmas sweater, turned chic.  Did I mention the turtleneck turns into a hoodie?

And the republicans are in town.  The convention starts Monday and the city is feeling full already.