New Work!!! Life in Brunoland

Bruno's logo for The Life in Brunoland Project

Well, making art with a busy 6 almost 7 year old is more than just a notion.  We are more than halfway through the project, and are almost 1/3 of the way funded.  It's been fun- I have learned a lot about my son, man, he is DEDICATED.  As soon as John gets him home from school, he's pulled out the sketch paper and declares that he needs to make some art.  I am loving it.  Man, he's more dedicated than I am- he draws when he gets home, does homework, eats supper and draws while watching qubo.  He's really into aliens, space ships and friends right now and the images that are coming soon will reflect that.  I just love the one above, though.  It even looks like him!  Here are a few of my contributions to the project.

All is Well

Authenticity

Elation

The Gathering

The Right Way

Truth

The Perry Fam!

Burning Questions...

I just got turned on to Danielle LaPorte's website and it got me thinking.  The burning question was raised:  How do you describe what you do? 

Here goes!

I’m an artist.  My brand is all about creating handmade ooak artifacts from what I call “the rich and textured life”.  My goods are inspired by the folk art traditions from Africa, South Asia and Japan.   I create precious and semiprecious handcrafted jewelry, art quilts, dolls and wall adornments, paintings (representational and abstract), drawings and silkscreen prints.  Occasionally there are a few eclectic mixed-media pieces that are thrown into the mix for good measure.   I’m currently developing a side line called Proverbs 30 ONE woman which is a kinda funky, urban- inspired concept that’s a “one-world vibe”  extension of Caprichos Studio.  My main products with Proverbs 30 ONE Woman at present are original handcrafted, ooak purses made from unique and collectible fabrics and trinkets from my special stash that I’ve been accumulating for the last 20 or so years.  

The name Caprichos Studio comes from a conversation with a grad school roommate from Colombia who got a care package from home filled with “caprichos” as she called them- goodies, keepsakes, knickknacks and the like.  Most people associate the word caprichos with “caprichuda”, the Spanish word used to describe someone who is very high maintenance and difficult.  Nah.  Caprichos, or the term “un capricho” can be used to describe having a yen or hankering for something.  Gotta have it.  That’s what customers have told me over the years!  The font for my logo resembles Hindi script, and is inspired by my burning desire to go to India one day to do missions work and to buy a bunch of salwar kameezes and block-printed fabric for quilts.  Proverbs 30 ONE is inspired by the wife of noble character described in the 31^st chapter of Proverbs in the Bible.

Easter Bunny Cake

   
Ha ha, haven't done this for awhile.  Two layers, about 7" high.  Red velvet on the bottom, lemon on the top, almond and vanilla cream cheese icing.  Yum.  Too rich.  Took some to my sister around the corner, John has hit it, I have had a couple of slivers (really!), and Bruno hasn't touched it yet.  He  might get a sliver tonight.  Gonna put a chunk of this baby in the deep freeze for when we need a sweet fix.  Too much sweet stuff in the house!!!

April is Autism Awareness Month

I just finished reading one of the autism awareness blogs and I am livid. One of the organizations that I have recently connected with to locate resources for Bruno has posted the new stats on autism prevalence.  The last research I located giving autism stats collected by the CDC were that one in 110 kids in the U.S. would be diagnosed with autism.  That was a year or so ago.  According to the article, the updated figure is now 1 in 88.

1 in 88.

In my earlier blogs I have discussed Bruno's diagnosis, and I had to revise the Kickstarter project several times in order to delete the facts.  No apologies or hidden agendas- my kid has this crap and I am doing everything in my power to ensure that he has as normal a life as possible.  But what is going on?!   Autism is not the "new normal".  My money is still on the vaccines that they pump into our babies nonstop.  Green vaccines or not, all I know is that my son was FINE and progressing beautifully until he was vaccinated at around 8 months- then things began to change.

Ha Ha!!! The video's done!!!

Woo Hoo!!! There's a lot of excitement around here.  Thanks to Bruno's Auntie Nichelle for the use of her Flip camera!  We finished the video last night, prayed over it for its success and sent it off to Kickstarter.  We are  hoping to go live with the project on Thursday, March 15.  Yay!  So this week I will be updating, updating and doing more updating...to the Caprichos Studio website, the Life in Brunoland page on Facebook, and preparing to Tweet and looking for whatever other resources that I can to get the word out about the project.


Spring break just started for us (4:15 p.m. last Friday, to be exact!) and I finally had enough time to jump into this.  I was so bummed that it rained all weekend because I was really looking forward to the show at Whole Foods.  I'm going to do it this coming Sunday March 18, and more info is coming on that one.  This week is gonna be a busy one- getting caught up with stuff around the house, getting Bruno psyched about our project (he is drawing up a storm, practicing!) and planning on activities to keep him from getting bored.  I can relate to that, that's part of why I'm a multitasker.  It's supposed to be in the 80s today, so we will go outside and practice riding our bike, and maybe go for ice cream or to Souper Salad later.  We got a DVD with 300 Looney Tunes cartoons, some of them go back to 1937.  A lot of Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd stuff that doesn't even look familiar-nothing like the cartoons that I grew up looking at.  Gonna go out hunting for purse snaps later on when I take the boy to speech and OT.  Too many new ideas.  Ok, People are starting to get up and are looking for breakfast.  Gotta go!

Update to the Whole Foods Show

Well, the week started out warm and inviting, and now as we anxiously await the weekend the temps are dropping and it is COLD.  The weatherfolk are predicting rain ALL WEEKEND LONG.  There's been an update on the show this weekend at Whole Foods.  The Whole Foods Craft Fair will go on, but unfortunately due to the wet weather that's forecasted this weekend Caprichos Studio won't be in the lineup. 

 

HOWEVER...

 

An additional day has been added for this Craft Show and benefit for the Whole Planet Prosperity Campaign. It will be Sunday, March 18, 10a.m.-8.p.m.  Caprichos Studio will be in attendance with lots of new purses, freshwater pearl jewelry and other goodies.  I'll see you then!

 

March 10-11 Whole Foods Patio Show

It’s March 10th and 11th from 10a until 8p on the patio at the Whole Foods Market in Lakewood!

 

2118 Abrams Road
Dallas, TX 75214 USA
map, directions & nearby stores

Phone 214-824-1744

Store Hours are 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

 I love this store- I lived in the Lakewood area of Dallas when I first moved here in 1997, and located in a really pretty, historic part of town.  If you live in the DFW Metroplex come on by- 20% of vendor profits will benefit the Whole Planet Foundation . The Whole Planet Foundation's mission is poverty alleviation through microcredit in communities worldwide that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products.

By that time we will be almost into the Life in Brunoland project (http://www.kickstarter.com/), and you will be able to see the type of artwork that I plan to include on display.  It will be available for purchase, too.


Hope to see you there!

LIFE IN BRUNOLAND

Hello all,

I’d like to introduce you to someone.  This is Bruno, my inspiration behind Bruno’s Multitasking Mama.  Besides being an artist and teaching for the “real” gig, I’m also mom to John Oliver Perry, III (a.k.a “Bruno”).  He’s a smart, lively and high-spirited 6 year-old kid with PDD-NOS, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  Life as a wife, mom and working woman (artist/educator) can be a wild ride, and I’ve decided to challenge myself to do a painting/drawing/collage/mixed media exploration a day for a year starting on March 15, 2012.  Some will be collaborative works with Bruno, as he loves to draw and paint.   I’m doing this as a challenge to myself to hold fast to my art while doing all of those essential things that a Mama with a treasure kid’s gotta do.  It’s my desire to encourage and nurture his appreciation for creativity by working directly with him.  My hubby,  John Oliver Perry, Jr. turned me on to Kickstarter, an online venue on which to do this project. I  ultimately plan to  present an exhibition of Bruno’s art alongside my own in venues to be arranged in the upcoming year.   These will be small works, visual thinking and ideas to springboard into other media (such as quilts, t-shirts, posters, coloring books, calendars, greeting cards, postcards, etc.).  In the process I also plan to develop a collection/book of selected works created over the course of the year by Bruno and I which will include art projects  that could be used by home schoolers and school districts alike for munchkins who on or off of the spectrum.  Your support with this project would not only help me to keep my creative juices primed and flowing, but to also get more insight into how to help my son to grow in terms of confident visual self-expression.  Despite Bruno’s current limitations with speech, his interest in art and creativity and could possibly serve as a means for him to earn a living when he becomes an adult- and I believe that my boy is gonna go FAR .  More to come about the project, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year, All!

Now that all of the hustle, bustle 

and general madness of the holiday season is over, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy and awesomely blessed New Year!  Lots of changes already- the website has been spruced up, so please come on by and check it out.  We're featuring a New Year's special on Red Sari, my premier limited edition print.  

It's huge, 24" x 36" and it's only $30.00 plus s/h.  Hey, it's a new year, and EVERYBODY NEEDS SOME NEW ART! 
She'd make a great Valentine's Day gift.

For those of you in the Dallas Metroplex, I will be teaching several classes during the spring semester through the Continuing Education program at Mountainview College in QUILTING and fiber manipulation techniques.  I am soooo excited because I have been looking forward to an opportunity to share this information for a long time.  My classes are listed under FUNtastic Education for Adults and they are for ages 18+.  The first one is coming up in February, and I'm really looking forward to it.
The descriptions and course numbers are as follows:

Art Quilts and Quick Primer on Elements of Design $20

ARTZ 1000 4 HRS

This class is designed to provide a quick, concise introduction to art quilting and to provide sources and resources for inspiration for quilters of all experience levels. Art quilting today is a wide open field that demands exploration. Students will begin a simple “quickie quilt” utilizing color and shape as

an introductory piece using an iron, fabric and heat and bond as a means of visual thinking. Min. Age: 18.

66601 9:00AM - 1:00PM S 3/24 MVC W220 Ritter-Perry

Art Quilts Printing Your Own Designs on Fabric $40

ARTZ 1000 9 HRS

This technique is great for personalizing your quilts and wall hangings! This class will discuss and demonstrate the basic “how-to’s” of creating iron-on fabric transfers; scanning images; and printing techniques. Fabrics that are suitable for this technique will also be discussed and demonstrated.

Students will be shown design possibilities for this versatile and fun medium as it relates to fabric quilts. Min. Age: 18.

66701 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM S 2/11 - 2/25 MVC W228 Ritter-Perry

Art Quilts Immersion Hand Dyeing Techniques $50

ARTZ 1000 12 HRS

Flower children, hippies, and Bohemians in general will love this throwback technique! Immersion hand dyeing is similar to tie-dye, but is great for art quilting because it is done on a small scale with minimal muss and fuss. It’s easy to do and the results will enhance the originality of your quilts. Once

the technique is mastered it can be applied to t-shirts, onesies, pants, whatever your heart desires. Min Age: 18.

66801 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM S 4/28 - 5/19 MVC W22 Ritter-Perry

More to come.  The pop-up markets should be starting up in a couple of months once the weather stabilizes, but stay tuned for a Trunk Show at my studio for those Valentine's Day goodies.  Go to the website and sign up for the newsletter if you're not on it already- you don't have to live in Dallas to take part in the giveaways and special online discount offers.  


So what's new for 2012?  The quilting bug has bitten me HARD- I have tons of sweet original designs that I developed back before Bruno was born (almost 7 years- Moms, you know how it is) that I plan to compile into a book and/or develop into a line of quilt and purse patterns that will be available for sale on my website and on Etsy.  I've got more one-of-a-kind purses and messenger bags in the mix, too.  I'm so mad that my clone hasn't come in yet!  Oh, just come on by the website and see what's new...LOL!

Cheers,

Beth

Second Red Sari Poster Winner Announced!

A great big shout-out and congratulations go out to Ms. Donna Hawkins of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, who is the proud new owner of the Red Sari poster featured in last weekend's giveaway!  Donna was thrilled to be the winner- and I hope she enjoys her print!  She heard about the giveaway on the Delta's page on Facebook.  If you'd like to get in on the giveaways, just shoot me an email at info@caprichostudio1.com and I'll get you on the mailing list...and I will keep your info under lock and key, I promise.

I am absolutely beside myself...Spring Break is now less than 24 hours away!  Studio time!  Time to work on the website update...work on developing some new patterns and purses and a bunch of new stuff for upcoming shows.  I am planning a trunk show in late March/early April so stay tuned for more details.  I already promised Bruno a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo and the Childrens' Aquarium at Fair Park, and that is all he's talking about.  There are a few other little excursions that I am scheming on, too- so we'll see.  I don't DARE mention anything else or I can forget having ANY studio time! 

Winner of Red Sari Giveaway Announced! What the heck, let's do it AGAIN!

 This girl's got a new home!

Congrats go out to Sandra Pedregal, winner of the Red Sari poster!  Sandra was the first to locate the token on the Gallery page at the Caprichos Studio website. 

What the heck, let's do it again- I'm giving away a signed Red Sari poster to the 21st person to send me an email telling me where they heard of the contest. At this time U.S. residents only- sorry! Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

KANZASHI

Just the word gives me goosebumps.  I shoulda been a geisha so that I could wear these things!  Doesn't matter- I'm gonna find some kind of way to rock them with my dreads.  It's funny how I discovered them- Everything that I have been making lately has an Asian vibe to it.  I've been doing Bollywood for awhile now- but recently I'm doing purses with a lot of convolutions and folds, and I got the wild idea to research origami to see if I could find anything that would translate.  I found lots of stuff, but nothing really grabbed me by the throat and demanded that I explore it further.  Instead, I started encountering these FABULOUS images of geisha with these...well, delicate bits of magnificence in their wigs.  Like little bitty flowers which I later discovered were hundreds of tiny folded pieces of heavily starched silks and fabric called chirimen (rayon) designed to look like flowers- plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, all kinds of flowers.  Words escape me.  Look at them and GASP, like I did.  Awesomeness.

Anyway, the purses are still in the cooker but I had to digress a little to go on a crusade for tutorials for everything about them.  Spring break is coming in a week (THANK GOD!!!) and  I'll have a few minutes to rub together soon- hopefully I'll have time to make a few and share them with you here.

Red Sari Giveaway! Contest ends Saturday March 5

I'm giving away a signed print of Red Sari to the first person to give the location of the Red Sari Giveaway Token located on my website, www.caprichostudio1.com.  Just click on the link for the email and give the correct response.  If you're the first to hit me back, YOU WIN! 

 

This is what you're lookin' for.

I absolutely love this image.  It's one of my all-time favorites.  I'm a fanatic for South Asian fashion, fabrics, jewelry (gold and uncut diamonds and chunky natural rubies), the unusual and unexpected color combinations, you name it.  Indian and Pakistani Bridal stuff makes me SWOON, do you hear me?   Red Sari is a painting inspired by the understated elegance of  the sari- a garment that is thousands of years old and consists of like 5 yards of fabric wrapped around a woman's form in a way that utterly transforms her. I enjoy cultural exchange and I actively seek out ways to combine elements of diverse cultures in my work.  I thought that nothing would be cooler than to depict a graceful, elegant Sista crowned with long, flowing dreadlocks in a traditional red bridal sari.  Many bridal saris are encrusted with heavy zardozi embroidery involving delicate gold coils attached to silk.  I decided to keep this one simple, and to allow her graceful curves and gesture speak for itself.  I imagine her as a young bride, or a young Proverbs 31 woman in the works.

 If you're interested in checking out South Asian fashion, exclusively.in.com and  Silk Threads (owned by Ruby Bhandari, they're local, too, Dallas folks!) has some eye candy, wow, there are soooo many vendors of gorgeous saris, lengha cholis (long skirt and midriff top) and my personal favorite, the salwar kameez.  To me, the salwar suit is the epitome of modest elegance.  I went through a stretch where they were all I wore- dress 'em up, dress 'em down and accessorize with a billowy, diaphonous dupatta (a long shawl/scarf) that can be worn a number of ways to accent the suit.  

Anyhoo...go to www.caprichostudio1.com and be the first to find the token!  Time's a wastin'!  

Art Expose 2011 at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

Today was the big day, and I am about to crawl into bed.  Thank God spring break is coming soon- but I doubt if I will spend much time resting up- gotta entertain the troops, i.e., Bruno.  That's not his REAL name, by the way- it's John, but I digress.  The art show at church today was a grand success- I introduced some new product- these cool little cut paper collage pieces with scriptures that have really been speaking to me lately.  Guess they are talking to other people too- they got snatched up pretty quick, so I think I will make more.  It is so funny how you can read or hear certain scriptures forever and you're like, aw, yeah, that's cool, and then God starts working on you and dag-gone, every time you turn around it's like the Spirit is talkin' to YOU.  Lately for me it's been relative to maintaining a positive attitude and remaining focused.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  As a woman is in her heart, so is she...and so on.  Casting down crazy notions and subjecting them to Christ.  I'll have some pieces to put online soon- so much going on on the homefront lately that I haven't had time to really devote to developing ideas and when I get a few moments to rub together things combust and I just can't force myself to go to bed- like last night.  Finally crawled into the sack about 3 a.m. last night, set the clock for 6, made it up by 6:30.  Told myself I would call my play cousin Tammy in Hawaii tonite (that 5 hour time difference is something else!) and then crash at a reasonable hour.  Called Tam, but she didn't pick up- probably out paddling or surfing or something.  Laid down on the couch and just as I nodded off Bruno came calling for me and  I woke up just in time to keep from getting  hurled on. Got him cleaned up, but who's sleepy now?  So get ready for the upcoming week- and try to figure out how to squeeze in some time for art.

Winner of the Wallet Giveaway Announced!

Congratulations go out to Susan Abell, who answered the Bruno's Multitasking Mama Blog question and found the GIVEAWAY TOKEN located on the "About Us" page at www.caprichostudio1.com!  Susan won the wallet- ENJOY!  I had a ball making it.  Also, thanks to all who entered, and watch out for more goodies coming up soon at www.brunosmultitaskingmama.blogspot.com.

Bruno's Multitasking Mama's Super Cool Handmade Wallet Giveaway

 

Hot off of the sewing machine!

 Welcome to my first giveaway on Bruno's Multitasking Mama.  I'm really into creating purses, wallets, slippers... stuff that holds stuff lately.  We had another snow (ice, rather) day Wednesday and I got a little more playtime in the studio than expected this week.  YAY!  Started playing around with some goodies in my African stash and this is what came out of it.  Figured I'd share the luv.  This baby is 9" long x 4 1/2" wide made from authentic African mudcloth and handwoven Kente cloth.  Bears the Proverbs 30 ONE Woman label on front magnetic snap closure with blanket stitch detail.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Look inside - it'll hold wads of cash, your cards and has a sleeve to hold your ID.  3 1/2" x 4" velcro pocket holds pocket change, and a 3" x 3" Kente patch pocket will safeguard an electronic device.  Lined with bright red hand-dyed cotton.

Retails for $45.00

Makes a nice Valentine's Day gift for a loved one- or keep it for yourself!

Here's how you get it:

I'm looking for the 21st sender!

Go to www.caprichostudio1.com and look for the Super Cool Handmade Wallet Giveaway Token.  It looks like this:

Once you've found it, shoot me an email  revealing what page you found it on.
If you're the 21st sender with the correct response, it's YOURS!

Contest ends 12 midnight (central time) on 12 February 2011. I will announce the winner on Sunday 13 February 2011.  Sorry, no international entries at this time. 

Now, go find that token! ;-D

Hey Y'all! Welcome to Bruno's Multitasking Mama!

Ok, so I'm in Dallas and we've been iced in for the last week- and we're supposed to get hit again on Wednesday.  I don't care, I think it's fun.  I teach and I will tell ANYONE, I will take those days however I can get them.  Besides, the time off has given me the opportunity to not only work on rearranging/organizing my studio, but I have had the chance to just cook, cook cook.   But I digress.  I'm from parts north (Tennessee, Northern Virginia, Maryland and Wisconsin) so I know enough to stay in when the temps are in the single digits and the roads are icy.  Unfortunately though, when the weatherfolk were hawking the message of the wintry mix, I pooh-poohed it off because in the  past it's just been a bunch of hot air.  Hubby is from "The Boot" (Louisiana, that is), and he had a different chant.  "Beth, we ALWAYS get bad weather around the Superbowl."  And sho' 'nuff ( as both of my grannies used to say), it hit- HARD.

My frozen tundra

Anyway, I didn't go to Save-A-Lot or Tom Thumb like I shoulda.  I didn't even make a quick run to the 99cents Only store.  I love to cook and ordinarily I keep the deep freeze, cupboard and fridge well-stocked and packed tight.   I did pretty good, though, even though the rations were starting to get lighter than I would have liked.  We still ate GOOD and I didn't miss a trick.  Pozole, Pakoras, Kadhi Pakodi, Spaghetti, and Chicken and Dumplings tonight.  I got lazy and relied upon Mr. Pillsbury (when 99c Only gets the Organic Chocolate Chip and holiday sugar cookies I usually stock up for a quick fix for Bruno, my wacky 5 year-old) and we munched on a lot of popcorn.  But the snow and cold weather had me craving one of my holiday staples- soft molasses cookies.  One problem, though.

There was no butter in the house.

And we don't fool with margarine.  What to do?  I got adventurous.  I used olive oil instead, and the Brotha from The Boot was none the wiser until I told him.  I figured, what the heck?  It's GOOD fat, right? My pint-sized cookie conoisseur loves them.  Cool.

So, here's my recipe.  I've been looking for this for years- a cookie that is soft and moist and chewy on the inside, a little crispy around the edges.  Can't remember if I found it at recipesource, cooks.com or Martha's vault, but here it is- including my own little tweaks and trick-ups.  Enjoy!  Be sure to hit me back to tell me how you liked 'em.

 Hungry yet?

CHEWY MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES

Ingredients

Makes 36

·         2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

·         1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
      (Now, if you like your cookies spicy, add this along with the dry ingredients: 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. Jamaican allspice and 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger.  If you are real adventurous and can get your hands on it, finely chop up 1/4 cup candied ginger in the dough. I grind my spices fresh whenever I can.)

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 1/2 cups sugar (1/2 cup is to roll 'em around in.  I combine 1/2 cup brown and 1/2 cup granulated for the cookie dough.)

·         3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (Or use 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil!)

·         1 large egg

·         1/4 cup molasses ( I use 1/3 to 1/2 cup- love the flavor!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.

Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved granulated sugar to coat.

Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days. Don't bank on them lasting that long.  We're down to 3 in the cake safe, and that's only because Bruno doesn't know they are there.

The chix and dumplings are off the chain. Recipe coming soon!