i just returned from a trip to austin, texas visiting friends, cj boyd and jim edwards.  they are both musicians working on music for an album together.  cj told me they were looking for a record name that included both their names in the title.  i have been tirelessly working to come up with the best choice.  i know i have found my favorite.

my parents have two dachshunds, angelina and willie.  i grew up with dachshunds annie, lucy and molly.  my dad’s parents, emile and doris, had five dachshunds each named nedrick, ned for short. that’s five consecutive dogs all with the same name.  and the name was ned.   i don’t anticipate having another dachshund in this lifetime but if one did materialize i would take it in and call it ned.  i like the idea of dachshunds materializing.

“tear your curtains down because sunlight is like gold.”    -glen hansard

i hope i am not crazy.  i am feeling a little bit crazy.  this evening at dusk, sweet jane and i went for a walk.  i was wearing my hat plus a jacket with a hood.  ten minutes into our walk i decided to try out my jacket’s hood.  i removed my very favorite green hat and replaced it with said hood.  i folded the hat under my right armpit and put my hands down deep into my pockets.  two minutes later i had to put jane on a leash and so i did.  after a second of walking with jane’s leash in my right hand, i noticed my right pit was exposed and that there was no hat.  this all occured in a three minute time period, on my gravel road, within the space of a block.  no cars, people, or dogs came by.  i walked back and forth looking, even removing my sunglasses for greater clarity.  nothing.  i am out of ideas.  i am sort of in mourning.  i really liked that hat.

another fun commision for a birthday card.  this is my first kangaroo.   i was looking up images online.  they are damn cute animals.  damn fine animals.  i am trying to use cute less in relation to anything i make.  we’ll see how that nonsense goes.

the mens bathroom sign is done.  sweet.

i am working on the bathroom door signs for a favorite restaurant in town.  so far i have finished the women’s.  i am really done with the men’s too– but the colors aren’t quite right.  oh, the colors.  looks like today will involve some reworking of the men’s.  rats.

on occasion, wanting things to be perfect is awesome.  most of the time though- letting it go would be a far better option. i just can’t help it sometimes.  my grandfather was a commercial artist.  i can remember my dad telling us that grandpa would throw all unsatisfactory work into the fire place.  this sounded ridiculous when i was young.  how could it have been bad enough to deserve incineration?  what about a gentle stashing of the imperfect. i nice placement in a drawer.  i am going to make a conscious effort to stash the imperfect in my life.  it may be time for some bigger drawers.

already this weekend, i  have been lucky enough to eat at REID’s two times, and holy damn, it is certainly delicious.  visit reid’s in boone or online at reidscateringco.com.  either way it is perfect.  no need for stashing.  oh, and don’t forget to check out the bathrooms!

i can’t even put it into words, that’s how much.  i have just returned from a super fantastic vacation to the carribean with my family and best friend, kelly.  kells bells and i racked our brains to figure out an appropriate way to thank my parents for such an extraordinary gift.  i think we may have landed on it.  we took photos all over the island holding this thank you sign.  later when the photos are developed we will create our masterpiece.  i think this has to be my favorite out of the lot.

my roomie charlotte and her pal chase have been working on a break-up line of cards.  here is our first go.  i think we have managed to collaborate pretty well.  more to come on the break-up frontier.

now that everything is back on track, myself included, the shop has been updated.  thanks thanks.

by way of procrastination i have been watching the movie, labrynth, over the past few days.  i like to watch the best scenes over and over.  also, it amazingly has special features, including a documentary on the making of the film. it is seriously awesome. how tremendous would it be to be a puppeteer?  labrynth was a definate fave when i was little. i remember watching it sandwiched between heman episodes and legos.   i think david bowie could be considered my first real crush. (i also had the hots for george michael)  it is hilarious to see it now.  as it turns out i still have a crush on david bowie, stretchy pants and all.  oww sss. (hot noises)

after some serious research, jamie, my web designer, figured out what was happening with the computer.  i think now everything should work as planned.  oh i hope.  so here goes, an uploaded image. 

my poor scanner has been out of commision for the last several weeks.  i was just sort of ignoring it hoping that maybe all it needed was to rest before it would be back to its old self.  no such luck.  today i took the time to call epson.  my phone call landed in the phillipines.  it was 3 am  there and miguel sounded  pretty sleepy but very helpful all the same.  it only took ten minutes and now i am back in action.  things i have learned today.  number one- don’t leave front door unlocked.  it could blow open and freeze out your canary.  number two-call your service provider its not a big deal.

i have an image to post but now the program won’t let me upload.  what the f. can’t a girl catch a break?

wouldn’t it be fantastic to have an avocado tree in your yard? i would seriously eat them nonstop.  my friend kelly grew up in florida and her grandparents had one in their yard.  according to kelly, you were sort of scared for your life, as avocados are quite large and heavy when falling from the sky.  i would be willing to risk it- maybe even have a net system worked out. if i had an avocado tree in my yard my life would be perfect.  when i have an avocado tree in my yard….yesterday i heard someone say that they had a soul connection with tomatoes.  i love the way that sounds-soul connection.  while i would like to have any connection with tomatoes, my soul only has eyes for avocados.   this morning for breakfast, i had some wheat crackers piled high with avocadoes, olive oil, and herbamare (veg salt).  holy delicious.  already i am thinking about a way to eat them for lunch.

a new shape is finished!  it is so helpful when the shape you are making already has stripes. i realize blueberry bushes don’t usually have raccoons inside, but guitars aren’t usually bathed in bananas either and they just looked so nice together, i couldn’t help myself.  i wonder if zebras will ever be in my future. for some reason it seems like alofty goal.   i am inspired by the director, wes anderson.  he is responsible for putting together the royal tennebaums, the life acquatic, the darjeeling limited, etc.  i like him especially for his wild attention to detail.  in the royal tennenbaums, the family lives in this great house with mostly dark magenta walls.  in one of the rooms, the walls are covered in this great red zebra wallpaper.  when i can afford beautiful wall paper, (notice the when) i am going to have wallpaper like that all over.

i think i may be to the point of being cut out.  is this even possible?  i hope not, as there is so much more cutting to do.  last week, my wrist started feeling carpal-ish/tendony.  i have since been stretching on the hour and my girls and i have formed a kick board team called jazz hands- our slogan, “get on board!”  how glorious.  let me tell you, the pool is overwhelmingly fun and you really don’t have to know how to swim.  wrist trouble be gone.  sweet.  feeling refreshed, i have been working on some snacks for a local restaurant called Reid’s.  the ladies that own it are super- fantastic as is their food.  i am really having a nice time.

i have been really trying to get my camera to work with me and my computer. so far- nothing. so far, i can take the photos. i can upload them into iphoto. i do not seem to be able to go anywhere from there. how, oh how do you get a photo into a blog. i do not know. in the mean time while no photos are being posted, how about a nice scan. everyone loves a nice scan. these shapes are not glued down. they are pieces that i will later use in a much much bigger pinwheel.

also new in the shop.

i will be adding several posts today with new snacks in the snackshop.  hey- i wonder if i could wait and add them all at once.  i did not have much luck with this previously.  several blogs it is. sweet.  i have computer class on monday.  double sweet.

i am making one bagillion papersnack greeting cards today.  so far i have finished 12.  i am so on my way.  when making snacks i have to really watch out for the cute-si-ness factor.  it is an easy line to cross especially when working with vermin.  these rabbits sort of remind me of the california raisins. delicious?  it is so hard to tell sometimes.

i am a planner.  i almost wrote i like to get things done ahead of time but i am pretty sure that is just not true.  maybe even the opposite.  i do, however, love getting christmas presents ready absurdly early.  like ready as in purchased, made, wrapped and hidden under my bed so no one will see, by the time the farmers market is over.  that is why i am especially enjoying my newest commision.  fran saw my work at the hands gallery in boone and emailed me with a request to make eight yellow labradorian christmas ornaments for her family.  so far the labs are done.  they still need some accoutrement before its all over, hats, scarves, etc.  this is only the beginning.  again if only my scanner was bigger.

i am just learning about computers.  i took a digital imaging class in school and straight forgot everything i ever learned about my mac and photoshop soon after.  now i have computer help.  my friend, Uijin, has been trying to teach me how my computer, scanner, and camera work.   did you know you can make your computer read things to you? and not only that, but you can select different voices and cadences.  creepy.  i may have been better off without this tool.  now all i need is to figure out  how to make my scanner bigger.  this paper collage is one of the very first paper projects.  it is huge.  maybe 4×5 feet even.  my scanner is tiny.  maybe you get the idea.

My friends Meghan and Sam, in Washington DC, asked me to create a family portrait in celebration of both of Sam’s parent’s upcoming birthdays. I really love projects like this. I especially liked trying to figure out a way to capture Eli the dog’s Tenessee big hair. I think it worked out pretty well. Thanks Meghan and Sam. Hope the birthday is super- fantastic.

Some time last spring, while rummaging through a box of nonsense at my parents’ house, I rediscovered this hilarious handmade book full of limericks and haikus i had put together back in the 4th grade. Needless to say the poems were unexceptional. But the “about the author” bit on the very last page has turned out to be extremely telling. Next to a photograph of myself with a hot new perm and an arm full of jelly bracelets, were the words, “My name is Lindsey. I am ten years old.

I have a dog, bird, guinea pig, fish, turtle, and another bird. I want to be an artist when i grow up”. Well, that pretty much sums it up. i am crazy for animals and crazy for making. The two together, have lead me to create my very own business, PAPERSNACK.

I began using paper cutting as my primary medium sometime in highschool, experimenting with magazines and colored paper collage. In college, as an art major with a fibers concentration at Appalachian State University, I would often sketch with a pair of scissors and paper instead of pencils. I quickly discovered that there is no need for an eraser when you can just lop it off. If a shape is too big, cut it smaller. In the wrong place, move it. Can’t decide if its finished, don’t glue it down. For someone who sometimes has difficulty making decisions, paper cutting has been the very best choice.

PAPERSNACK, the art of Lindsey Cero, was launched in 2006 as a custom art and greeting card company specializing in the unusually delicious. Each PAPERSNACK original is handcut and packed full of whimsy and thanks because this is what i get to do with my life. I am an artist. I do have a dog, a bird, and another bird. Looks like you do get what you ask for. Every time. Thanks for your support, I love it!

Lindsey Elenore Anne Marie Cero.

p.s. Don’t forget Father’s Day is right around the corner. And nothing says “I Heart You Pops!” quite like a few mustachioed, bunny-eared, carrot bandidos.