Why does this warm my heart so?

Enter If You Dare.

I finally made my virgin voyage to Berkeley Bowl, a fierce competitor of the company I work for. To be honest, I wasn't nearly as impressed as I thought I'd be. Yes, the produce selection was vast, but much of it was from Mexico, Peru, Chile, etc., etc., and I just don't need my asparagus to come from a different hemisphere. Especially when we have such an incredible local produce selection! The organic section was also disappointing and small (and overpriced). But that's not to say I didn't buy a bag-full of the other stuff at a cheap price! I'm not a fool.

The whole point of going to Berkeley Bowl is to get that weird item that no one else carries. Case-in-point: the durian.

I had never actually seen a durian before, but I've heard about them. They have an intense, stinky reputation. When it caught my eye, I headed straight for it and proceeded to just stare. Then I touched it.

Mid-fondle, a woman came up to me and said hastily, "Don't do it!" To which I assured her, "No, I've heard about them." She went on to tell me how much her husband loves durians, but that they make her want to vomit. Then she walked away, poof. How can a fruit create such intensely opposite feelings?

Nibby Co.: Ho!

capsule sf, originally uploaded by s. treatzone.

Although things have been quiet on the blog front here, I've been cooking up a few upcoming events! I'm very excited to announce that Nibby Co. will be attending both the PCBA: Book Arts & Printers Fair and Capsule/Union Design Festival!

MAY 15 > PCBA: Book Arts & Printers Fair
@Fort Mason Center

MAY 23 > Capsule/Union Design Festival
@Hayes Valley (along Octavia, between Grove & Fell)

Hope to see you all there! They're both going to be exciting events with loads of talented artists and crafters. And hopefully the weather will behave!

New Work: B-I-N-G-O.

My mother is turning sixty this year, and we're throwing her a big party in Oroville, my hometown. My mom is so many things: a teacher, a quilter, a guitarist, hilarious. At first it was a lot of pressure, I mean how do I distill the essence of my mother and the way I feel about her in one little invitation? Once I calmed down, I decided to have a little fun with it.

My intention was to create a quilted look with the background pattern, and added just a hint of yellow and a lot of transparent white. On the backside of the invite, I mounted a page of family photos, which was different on each invite. Included in the invitation suite is a little "Practice Test" with trivia questions that will come in handy for a game at the party.

My sister and I had such a delightful time coming up with the questions—it's moments like these that I'm so grateful to be in this field. I'm so happy that I could do this for my mommy dearest. Love you!