Keeping Your Cups Cozie and Warm!

There are few things I hate more than wasting art and craft materials because there isn't quite enough of the supply left to make a project. This holds extremely true for the last bits of yarn I end up with after knitting hats and scarves. I've decided to put those scraps of yarn to good use and knit up some cup cozies to help keep your beverages warm and your hands from burning. You won't forget which cup is yours with one of these! At $10 each they make great gifts too. To see which one you'd like to sport on your cup, click the "Handmade Items for Sale" link on the sidebar.

New Project: Wrist Warmers

After contemplating how to speed up the time it takes me to knit a pair of wrist warmers, a friend of mine mentioned she'd recently seen a pair of felted wrist warmers that were really cute. And although I don't know how to felt, I do know how to sew. And it just so happens that I had some fleece left over from the ear-flap hats I made last winter season. I made a quick test sample and had a few different people try them on for size. A few more measurements of hands and wrists and I narrowed down my pattern to two different adult sizes: one that is small to fit narrow wrists/hands/arms or snugly fit the average woman, and one which is large for women who prefer something with a little more room (and as proven by my boyfriend will also fit men). Each pair is adorned with a iconic button, anything from flowers to monsters, and with all hand-crafted items, no two pairs will ever be exactly alike. Each pair will be sold for $10. To see what I currently have finished, click on the link "Wearables for Sale" on the side of this page.

New Paintings: "The Order of Trees"

New Paintings by Kelli Busch

I have been painting when I can the last 3 months. Ok, rephrase that to artistically painting. I paint walls all the time at work, and just finished painting the hallway & staircase to our flat. And after all the gallons of white, beige, and various gallery colors spread on the walls with a 1/2" nap roller, I manage to find a few 2oz tubes of color to paint with a little brush onto some canvas or panels in my spare time. I never get bored with paint. Whatever size my "canvas".

So here are the most recent paintings I've finished. It is a continuation of the Art-O-Mat series "Little Bits: Trees" I started at the beginning of 2010. These new paintings, however, are too large to fit into the 2.125" x 3.25" boxes that kerplunk out of the re-purposed cigarrette vending machines. (www.artomat.org for more info.) But they are for sale, non the less, and I will be happy to box one up and ship it to you if you are interested.


Title: "The Order of Trees (2)"
Date: August 2010
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20" x 16"
$75







Title: "The Order of Trees (3)"
Date: September 2010
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20" x 16"
$75







Title: "The Order of Trees (4)"
Date: September 2010
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20" x 16"
$75







Title: "The Order of Trees (5)"
Date: October 2010
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20" x 16"
$75







Title: "The Order of Trees (6)"
Date: October 2010
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20" x 16"
$75

DIY Bicycle Panniers from Scratch

Panniers: These are bags that can be attached to the sides of a bicycle, either from a rear or front rack. These bags are used to carry gear, clothes or other things in.

The term derives from the Old French, from Classical Latin, word for bread basket.

Retail cost for a set of panniers starts around $20 for something I wouldn't trust to hold more weight than a box of tissues and tops out around $215 for the most deluxe travel-the-world bicycle luggage you could ever hope to find.

Wanting the quality but not the sticker price of something that I hope will last me years of commuting, I decided my best option was to make my own, from scratch, using low-cost parts and re-purposed materials. The outcome: one solid bag made for less than $10. (Cost will vary depending on what you can get for free and what you already have laying around the house.)

Most of the internet instructions I could find about DIY panniers were how to convert a pre-made bag or backpack into something you could attach to your bike rack. And although there were some helpful photos of what the hooks and bungee systems could/would look like, I couldn't find any articles about making the actual bag from scratch. After many days of picture searching and review reading, I finally decided on making a smaller, sewn version of the Boundary Waters dry pack I have. With less straps (than the original) to get caught in the spokes I realized this would most likely be the best multi-purpose pannier I could make. The size is adjustable - appropriate for anything from carrying my lunch and rain jacket to/from work to hauling a load of groceries (including a gallon of milk and a sack of potatoes) back from the store or farmer's market.

As this was a custom-fit bag, made specifically for my bike and the after-market rack, along with how far my heal extends backwards when on the pedal, there is no reason for me to post specific dimensions or sizes to follow. I will mention that this is not a finish-in-a-few-hours type of project; from start to finish this bag was constructed over the better part of 3 to 4 days. And that was just for one bag. I plan to make another after giving this one a test-ride for about a month. There might always be a few little things that need to get tweaked, liked the length of the bottom bungee hook or adding a coroplast liner to stiffen up the bottom of the bag. And then there's the possibility that a major design flaw sends the contents of the bag flying out onto the pavement while I'm riding down the potholed streets of Milwaukee. Happy riding!

DIY Platform Bed in 20 Easy Steps

Just 2 inches shy of fitting through the door frame and up the stairs into our new apartment, our queen sized box spring is now wrapped in plastic and sitting in our garage. The mattress, being memory foam, was able to be squished enough to fit. But for the past month it has been lying on the ground. I didn't think it would bother me so much, but it did. Not the fact that it was so low, but how hard it was to make the bed - get the sheets tucked under and keep them there. After a disappointing trip to IKEA (all they had were slat bed frames, and those are not recommended for memory foam mattresses), I did some online research on how to construct a simple raised platform bed frame. Most of the plans weren't that simple, or they involved making the platform much larger than the mattress for that "new age" look. Seeing as we only had 9 inches to spare at the foot of the bed, and none on either side if we still wanted the door to close, I came up with my own version. Feel free to use these plans to make your own. Just be sure to MEASURE YOUR MATTRESS before you begin and adjust the needed materials accordingly.

Necessary Materials for a 80" x 60" Queen Sized platform:
2 pine 2"x10" boards cut to 80"
4 pine 2"x10" boards cut to 57"
2 pine 2"x4" boards cut to 24 5/8"
1 pine 2"x4" board cut to 24 3/4"
1 plywood 3/4" sheet cut to 80"long x 4'wide
1 plywood 3/4" sheet cut to 80"long x 12"wide
12 corner L braces, 1 1/2" (4 hole)
a whole bunch of 3", 1 5/8", and 1" drywall screws

Optional Materials for the platform:
-enough fabric to cover all the boards and plywood
-plenty of staples to attach fabric to boards
-40 felt pads, 1" diameter (use these if you don't want to scratch a hardwood floor)

Tools needed:
Electric drill/screwdriver
tape measure
square or 90 degree triangle
pencil
saw (only if the lumber yard or hardware store can't cut the wood for you)
staple gun (only if using fabric to cover the boards)

Step 1:
Cut all boards and plywood to size.

Step 2:
Cover the 2x10's with fabric. If you can afford something nicer than pine, you could stain or paint the boards instead.

Step 3:
Cover the plywood with fabric. Again, if you can afford nicer grade plywood, you can stain or paint them instead.

Step 4:
Attach felt pads 11" apart on the bottom edge of all the 2x10's. This step is approximate, and only necessary if your bed will be placed on a hardwood floor instead of a carpeted floor.

Step 5:
Bring all boards into the room you want the bed to end up in. It is easiest to assemble the platform in place, as it will get large and heavy quickly when the pieces start going together.

Step 6:
Lay out the boards. The two 80" long 2x10's will be on the OUTSIDE. The four 57" 2x10's will be set in between the long boards.

Step 7:
Use two 3" screws to attach the outside most boards together at the corners.

Step 8:
Temporarily place the 2x4's as spacers between the middle sections. Use the 24 3/4" one in the middle section.

Step 9:
Mark a center line at 26 3/4" from the ends. This is where you'll line up the centers of your cross supports and screw them in with two 3" screws on each side.

Step 10:
Use the square or triangle to square up the corners of the frame. Screw in one L brace to each inside corner using the 1" screws.

Step 11:
Mark 12" in from the outside of the width as a center mark for where the 2x4's will be placed. Line up the 2x4's with their marks. The 4" side should be facing up, and flush with the 2x10.

Step 12:
Attach the two outer 2x4's first, using 2 screws and one L brace for each.





Step 13:
Attach the center 2x4 with four L braces.









Step 14:
Stand on the frame to test it for sturdiness and wiggling. If needed, add more screws and/or L braces wherever they will help. (You probably won't need any more unless you bought really warped boards.)

Step 15:
Position the larger piece of plywood onto the frame.

Step 16:
Position the smaller piece of plywood onto the frame.

Step 17:
Line up the corners and sides as best you can.

Step 18:
Starting with a corner on the smaller plywood, use the 1 5/8" screws to attach the plywood to the frame and the 2x4 bracer bars.

Step 19:
Pushing the larger plywood into the smaller plywood, line up the edges and screw plywood to the frame and 2x4 bracer bars using the 1 5/8" screws.

Step 20:
Place mattress on top and take a nap!

DIY Recycled Area Rug

Here's my version of the Do It Yourself Recycled Area Rug. It was my first attempt and turned out pretty well. If you have any suggestions on ways to make the process or end product easier or better, feel free to share your comments! As I am not the first person to come up with the idea for making the rug, feel free to use this "guide" to make your own. If you'd rather have me make one for you I'm sure I can work in some requests in my free time. Please keep in mind the colors available are based on whatever the "discards" are at the time....mostly neutral colors.

Tools/items required for completing this project: Carpet samples, 1 roll of heavy-duty strength duct tape, utility knife and extra blades, mat cutting board, sharpie marker, "L" shaped ruler/square, scissors.

Step 1: Make a few phone calls to your local carpet stores and find out if they sell carpet samples, carpet squares, or "retired" demo carpets. Many places do have them and sell them around $1 each.

Step 2: Calculate the size of rug you want to make. For my project we measured the size of our dining room table with the dimensions including people seated around the table. (This way the chairs will still be on the carpet when they are pulled out.)

Step 3: Take a trip to the chosen store(s) and pick out as many samples as you like. If there's room at the store, lay out your picks next to each other on the floor. You don't need to organize them at this point; just make sure the colors work well with each other to your liking.

Step 4: If the samples are not already 12x12 inch squares, now is the time to mark and cut all the samples to that size. Turn them over to the back side for this; it makes the cutting easier and ensures no marker will end up on the finished side.

Step 5: Arrange all the samples on the floor. Try a few different versions to figure out which way you like it best. An easy way to pick which way you like it best is to take a picture of it after each arrangement and then view them on your computer side by side for comparison.

Step 6: Once you've gotten your perfect arrangement, you'll need to flip them over IN ORDER. (When the top right square is flipped over, it should be in the top left position facing down.)

Step 7: Duct tape 2 samples together, making sure to push them tight together before taping. Continue this for all the samples.

Step 8: Duct tape (in a single piece) an entire line/seam for each row in both directions.

Step 9: Duct tape the outer edges from one corner to the next. Be sure just to tape to the edge of the backing; if you leave any tape hanging over the edge, you'll have the sticky side on your feet when you flip it over!

Step 10: Walk on the duct tape to make sure it's squished all the way down for proper adhesion. Sweep, vacuum or pick up all the crumblies stuck to the back side.

Step 11: Ready, set, FLIP!

Step 12: Trim off any excess fuzzies around the edges and where 2 pieces meet, along with any plastic backing material that didn't cut nicely in step 4.

Step 13: Vacuum and voila! Finished!

Tri-ing For Children's Triathlon 2010

Event: Tri-ing for Children's Olympic Distance Triathlon 2010
Bib # 90
Overall: 106/166
Female Division: 35/78
Age Group: 11/16
Finish Time: 2:52:18
Just Under a Mile Swim Time: 00:34:57
T1: 00:02:04
25 mile Bike: 1:21:24
T2: 00:01:15
6.2 mile Run: 00:52:40

Swim Recap:
I have no idea what the distance was for the swim of this tri. Close to a mile according to my time. Started way to the outside, so I added a little distance, but I was able to avoid getting kicked. Lap one went pretty good, minus the first few kicks when my timing chip loosened up on my ankle. I was paranoid the rest of the time that if I kicked too hard it would fall off, so I wasn't able to push as hard as I wanted to. Lap 2 wasn't bad either, until the last "leg" when a guy doing what looked like a backstroke butterfly hooked me. He said he was sorry though, which is pretty cool. But it threw off my stroke and took me a minute to find my bearings. And then right before getting out of the water I went to step up but the ground was farther down than I though, face went under with my mouth wide open. Managed to spit it all out and didn't choke.

Bike Recap:
A whole lot of people for the first lap. Many/most of them were doing the sprint or super sprint distances. And then there were the elite men on their $3000+ bikes with their rocket-shaped helmets passing me so fast I felt like I was standing still. They were already on their second lap. They changed the course this year from the map we had been practicing off of, but it seemed a little better this way. Except they really need a big huge brightly colored sign that says "Oly 2nd lap Turn Right", not "Oly turn around ahead". I was so confused I almost missed the turn, but luckily the police officer staged at that cross-road was able to tell me fast enough to turn right when I asked. After I turned I saw no other bikers and thought I had still gone the wrong way. Then way off in the distance there was a guy in a white shirt on a bike, and I realized that not as many people are doing the Oly, and those that were most likely were close to being finished on the bike, not just starting their second lap. I was able to catch up to him & pass him and a few others. I was sad when I saw the dead kitten in the middle of the road twice, and dedicated lap 2 to him.

Lesson learned from this section: don't try adjusting your arm rests the night before the race unless you're going to put your shoes on and ride around to make sure the adjustments are comfortable.


Run Recap:
Let's just say I wasn't very fond of having to run through thick deep mud/hay to get out to the smooth flat street. Could they not have re-routed to keep us out of the ditch? Turning left onto the street after the ditch I must have kicked up a rock that hit my right ankle square in the bone. It hurt so bad I stopped for a second to see if there was blood coming through my sock. (There wasn't so I kept going). Lap 1 was pretty good - opened a Honey Stinger gu and took "sips" of it throughout the run. I have a feeling my pace for the first lap was much faster than my second lap. I was doing well catching up to people one by one on the first lap. At some point I thought it was a good idea to squeeze some of the honey half-way up the packet so I could sip it out better. All the sudden I realize I have honey all over my left hand (the packet was in my right the whole time) and honey dripping down the back of my fingers on my right hand. Guess that was a bad idea. Then it was back through the mud ditch and paved road to the finish -- well almost finish. There was a "turn-around" to the right for the Oly distance, just before the finish, where they sent us back through the mud to the road, and one final time from the road through the mud to the pavement for the final dash to the finish. Can't wait to see a finish picture - I kicked it up right at the end to make it look really good for whatever photo might have been taken.

Race Results - Pewaukee Triathlon

Event: Pewaukee Sprint Distance Triathlon 2010
Bib # 245
Overall: 300/1199
Division: 41/429
Age Group: 7/55
Finish Time: 01:27:54.1
1/4 mile Swim Time: 00:09:44
T1: 00:01:21
15.55 mile Bike Time: 00:50:05
T2: 00:00:47
3.1 mile Run Time: 00:25:56

Here's my recap from this weekend's Pewaukee Triathlon.

The 1/4 mile Swim:
Mass chaos running start into the lake. I don't think people ahead of me were aware of their swimming capabilities - arms and legs were flailing everywhere. I didn't want to get kicked in the face so I did some head-out-of-water freestyle until I could get around them. This cost some precious time, but I came out bruise-free and with all my teeth so I guess that's worth the added time.

The 15.55 mile Bike:
An extremely hilly course, but the new road bike with installed aerobars stepped up to the plate. I think I tied my top speed down the same hill again of 36.3mph. I was passed by men going downhill, but I was able to pass both men and women on the uphills. And not all of them were on mountain bikes. One lady even said outloud to herself "Oh sh*t" when I passed her on a level straighaway. I had to contain myself from laughing, as I presume she thought she was going at a really fast pace.

The 3.1 mile Run:
I was really hoping to have an 8min/mile pace for this race, but the humidity combined with the hills did me in. More the humidity than the hills. I don't sweat well, so once I get hot it's usually a lost battle. A resident in the neighborhood we ran through had a sprinkler pointed at the street for us. I ran through it but felt only about 2 drops of water hit me. At the top of another hill there was a water station. Unfortunately this was also a water station for the bikes, and the runners had to cross over the street section of the bikers. I was able to avoid the bikes, but was almost decked in the face by a man facing the other direction suddenly holding out water for the quickly approaching bikers. Luckily I had enough tread on my shoes to stop dead in my tracks before getting whacked. He was nice enough to say "Oh, Sorry" once I ran out from behind him crossing the street. After running this course I've decided I won't be doing the Pewaukee Tri again - I'm just not that good of a hill runner. Ottawa is going to be a piece of cake after this! (Very flat run.)

Wave 5 - Pewaukee Tri

Sunday, July 11 I will be participating in the Sprint distance Pewaukee Triathlon. The race starts at 6:30am at the Lakefront Park beach area. For anyone coming to watch, I am in Wave 5, racer number 245. It's a 1/4 mile swim, followed by 15 mile bike ride around the lake, finished off with a 3.2 mile run which starts at the beach area and finishes at Village Park (about 2 blocks away for spectators). Looking forward to the possibility of beating my fastest bike speed of 36.3mph.

New Painting for a New Month

After working on my Art-O-Mat series entitled "Little Bits: Trees" for the past few months, I've finally gotten around to starting this theme as a full-sized piece of art. This particular one is 14" wide by 20.5" high, acrylic and latex paint on plywood. I was testing the properties of the latex paint and how they would work with acrylics. Not sure if I'll continue to use the two together, but at least I know it is an option.

Two weeks until the Pewaukee Sprint Triathlon. Training: complete. Might do a few more speed miles to help with the running pace.

Four weeks until the Tri-ing for Children's Olympic Triathlon at Ottawa Lake. Training: ran 10 miles on Friday. My legs (quads) were sore yesterday, and still sore today. Felt fine during the run though. Tappering starts this week. Biked a few 30+ mile rides in the past few weeks. Might try to get in a few more to work on speed and eating while biking. Commuting for my short rides. Swimming a mile in 35 minutes or less in the pool. Have done 2 open water swims so far this season, and am planning on getting a few more in as long as the weather cooperates when I have the time to get to the lake. Need a little more sighting practice to become more fluid. Hoping for a finish time of less than 3.5 hours during the race.

Requested, Painted, SOLD!

This is the painting I've recently started and finished per request. Entitled "Color Association: Blue (2)", completed size is 18x18" done with acrylic on canvas.

How it came to be: The requester, Ali from MN, had stopped in to the Minneapolis Art-O-Mat Swap Meet back in April, after a baseball game. I had my booth set up, complete with three of my Art-O-Mat series "Mini-Jewels" (earrings), "Little Bits" (paintings), and "Key to Planet Earth" (key chains). Just for fun I brought along a few of my "normal" sized paintings for people to see. Ali purchased one of these, and in May, requested another one in similar style of a complementary color. Here is the finished project.

Tour de Cure in 2 Weeks!

The American Diabetes Association is hosting their 20th year of the Tour de Cure bicycling fundraiser in 2010. On June 19th I will be participating in the 50K ride in Grafton, WI. My goal is to raise $500 to help others fight diabetes and help find a cure. If you'd like to donate to this cause, please visit my participant page.

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=6872&px=2265175



Thanks for your support!

Mammoth Cave National Park Trip Review

May 2010:

After 4 days with 5 or 6 miles of crawling through caves and 23 miles or so of hiking on muddy trotted-up horse trails with 40 lb packs on our backs in 85+ degree mostly humid weather, we decided to come home from our trip a few days early to relax and give our muscles a break.

Trip Recap:

Sunday: drive down to Kentucky (8 hours from our apartment). Stop in the Visitor Center to pick up our backcountry permit and pick out the campsites we'd stay at for the week. The first and second night were supposed to be at the closest site, 1 mile hike from the car, so we could get up early for our cave tour. That site was taken. We got the next closest site, a 3 mile hike in; it took 1:22 to hike in (stopping to take pictures and mark trail crossings with the GPS). The Green River was just down the the hill/bluff from us. We couldn't find a good way to get down to it to refill our water supply.

Monday: Got up at 5am, took 1:09 to hike back to the car (without all our gear). Back to the Visitor Center to check in for the Wild Cave Tour, which was the best part of our whole trip. 6 1/2 hours of crawling around in a nice cool 55 degree cave while it was 90 and humid outside. The first half of the trip was in dry parts of the cave. The "Bare Hole" was our first test - no chest sizes bigger than 42 inches could fit through it. We got to have lunch in the "Snowball Dining Room". The second half of the tour was a little wet. They had a major flood on May 2-3 and a few of the tunnels were closed off at that time because there was only a few inches of breathing room left above the water line. Most of the water had receded by now, but we learned how to "Canyon Walk" on the ledges to bypass wading through some water holes and rivers. "No Name" passage was the lowest ceiling - crawling on our stomachs with our heads tilted to the side until it was wide enough to roll through. 6 1/2 hours later we're done with our tour, back out in the heat, and hiking back to our first site again. 1:12 hike time this time. Fell asleep to the sound of wild turkeys running around and flying up to their trees.

Tuesday: Woke up to the sound of deer calling to each other down by the river. Saw 2 of them. Packed up our gear, had a quick cereal/granola breakfast, and studied the map. 8.5 miles to our next campsite. We started off slow. My pack seemed REALLY heavy after crawling around in all those caves yesterday, not to mention the extra water bag I filled up so we'd be sure to have water today. We hike for 2 hours and reached a trail crossing at Good Springs Baptist Church. It was only 11:15am, but we decided to stop here for lunch since they had picnic tables next to the graveyard. The church building was open so we took a look inside. Very plain, but it was built in 1856 (or so) and was in the middle of the woods. Saw my very first multi-colored lizard (orange yellow at the head turning to a blue tail). Rested for an hour and then continued on with the hike. Right after lunch I had more energy (or so I thought at the time) and our speed picked up a bit til we got to the bridged river crossing. Then the trail split again, and I chose to go the longer way. Thought maybe it'd be more scenic. It might have been, but we never noticed it. Our gaze was fixed on the horse-trodden trail and how to avoid getting stuck in the mud or how to avoid stepping in the horse poop all while trying to stay out of the brush to avoid poison ivy and ticks. Oh, the ticks. What a pain! The worst part of the whole trip was the lack of anywhere to sit or stand without ticks. It was a constant battle trying to keep them off us. There weren't picnic tables at the backcountry campsites, so it was either standing, sitting on the tick-crawling logs, or hanging out in the tent. Back to the trail: the longer way was not a good choice. There were a few fallen trees over the path. One spot in particular had one tree that took out 3 other trees, all of which converged onto the path at slightly different angles blocking any way to get around easily. We had to go through them - not a fun task with a 40 lb pack. Eventually we made it to our next campsite (6 1/2 hours total hike time). There were ticks. We made dinner, set up the tent, and looked at the trail map. Decided our muscles wouldn't take another 3 days of 8-10 miles of hiking per day with 40 lbs on our backs. Calculated the mileage of the shortest route back to the car to be about 4.5 miles. Check for ticks and pulled off a few (none were "buried"). Fell asleep to the nearby spring/creek babbling over the rocks and the light of an almost-full moon.

Wednesday: Woke up early. Ate breakfast in the tent to avoid the tick re-infestation. Packed up as fast as week could and headed out to the short trail. The first mile was uphill - up to the ridge line, where the next trail connected to it. That section was great - double wide, gravel, and dry. But it was only 1/2 mile of that before it got back to the horse-trodden muddy tick-infested trails that we were used to. 4.5 miles, 2 hrs 20 minutes later, we were at our car, headed for the shower building, and smiling with Cracker Barrel breakfast in our mouths. Hit 3 spots of slow traffic on the way home, but still made it home in under 9 hours. Ivory was sitting in the window meowing at us when we got home. The bed felt really nice on our sore and tired muscles :)

Lessons learned from this trip:
1. Try really hard to pack less than 40 lbs into your pack if you plan on hiking with it for more than a day.
2. Spray clothes with Permanone before trip to help avoid the constant fear of tick paranoia.
3. Be sure to bring enough water to the first campsite in case you can't get to the water source.
4. Don't try to do a 6 hour cave tour and a multi-day backpacking trip in the same trip.
5. Find out if the hiking trails double as horse trails BEFORE getting to the trails.


Pictures will be posted later.

Artists Wanted!

Are you and artist or know anyone who is?

Cascio Interstate Music is looking for artists to display their work in The Piano Gallery, located in their Retail Music Store on 138th & National, New Berlin, WI.

Sound interesting? Here are the details...

~ Art must be music related.

~ Art must be pre-approved digitally by Casscio Interstate Music, either by website or email. No additions, no exceptions.

~ Cascio Interstate Music will take a 20% commission of any sold pieces.

~ We would liek to display the art for a period of two months. If pieces sell quickly, we can always adjust.

~ Artists must hang the pieces (gallery has drywall walls and some wood columns that may be used).

~ Anyone interested can contact Brian Bott at bbott@interstatemusic.com or 262-957-4531.

Testing out the Gear

Did my first lengthy bike ride on the "new" Trek 1.1 road bike. 32 miles in 2:15:30. Adjusted the aerobars a bit before I headed out. Left arm rest still needs to be adjusted a bit. Short-sleeve Smartwool jersey worked well at wicking sweat without stinking. The Honey Stinger bar was easy to open and eat while still riding at a good pace. Still need to work on getting in to the clipless pedals at stoplights. Overall a good ride in cool weather with minimal wind.

J-Hawk Earlybird Triathlon, April 25, 2010. Whitewater, WI. 50 degrees, wind and drizzle.

My race results & stats:

Placed 18th/101 females

Placed 4th in my age group (out of 9)

66th/131 compared to the males

83/232 overall

Swim 500 yards in 9:39, T1 3:38, Bike 13.7 miles in 48:25 (avg 17.4 pace), T2 2:06, Run 3.1 miles in 26:03 (8:04 pace).

Finish time 1:29:51.

Not bad for the first tri of the season. Not too disappointed about not placing for a metal - the first and second place in my age group were in the "elite" category, so I would have only had a chance at 3rd, but my bike time was 6 1/2 minutes slower than the girl who got it. Guess I need a little more training with the uphills against the wind in drizzle at 50 degrees.

If you want to see everyone else's results, follow this link: http://www.timingiseverything.com/Races/2010/WTR10FEM.HTM


Next tri is not until July 11th at Pewaukee Lake. Also a sprint distance. Hopefully warm enough to bike/run without needing the long sleeve jersey on.

New for this year will be my attempt at an Olympic distance tri on July 25th at Ottawa Lake. (1/2 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run).

Keep on training!

Here's a look at the stages of making a few more of the "Little Bits: Trees" series of paintings for the Art-O-Mat project. These 73 blocks will make their debut in Minnesota for the Swap Meet on April 17th, 2010.

Jewelry Creations

So I've gotten little response with selling jewelry or paintings on etsy.com. And after 6 months of an item being listed, it disappears from public viewers. Instead of wasting my time to relist items all the time, I have decided to post the pictures at the following links, which will be there until the world of the internet is gone.

For jewelry, click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57804&id=1360239112&l=e9895dc0c1

For paintings, click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1331&id=1360239112&l=fe3f904894

If I add more pictures I'll be sure to update the links. Until then, happy viewing!

Tiny Art in Minneapolis, MN

I've been invited to an Art-O-Mat Art Swap (open to the public) being held at the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis, MN on Saturday, April 17th. The event is from 1pm til 4:30pm. I'll be there with many other local and regional "Artists In Cellophane", displaying/selling the tiny artworks we make for the Art-O-Mat machines (re-purposed old cigarette machines) and a few other larger works (whatever I can fit in my car). If you're in the area, stop by and check it out!


A little about what this project is all about, here's some info from the ArtOMat.org website:

"What is an Art-o-mat?
Art-o-mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art. There are 82 active machines in various locations throughout the country."

"What do you get from an Art-o-mat?
The experience of pulling the knob alone is quite a thrill, but you also walk away with an original work of art. What an easy way to become an art collector."

"Want to be an Artomat artist?
There are around 400 contributing artists from 10 different countries currently involved in the Art*o*mat project. We are always searching for fresh work."

For more information and a list of participating artists, visit their website: http://www.artomat.org

Window Paris View Completed!

As of today, the "Window Paris View" painting is finished and being shipped! It was a few weeks in the making. First I needed to acquire an "old" window screen & frame to use as the base size for the piece. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore in Milwaukee, WI was able to help me out with this. So many ideas for art projects in that store! After I got the frame I painted a wood panel with my interpretation of a window view of Paris, and attached it to the back. Viola! Finished painting (customized request) for a very lovely lady. Finished size is 46.5"h x 30"w.

The snow is starting to melt and it's time to test out new gadgets on the bike. In effort to shave some time off the bike portion of the triathlons, I started by purchasing a Trek 1.1 road bike last fall. I got in a few rides before the weather went south, but March 6 was my first ride of 2010. Road about 13 miles, dodging water-filled potholes and mud puddles, but overall a good ride through the park. The next day I installed some Profile Design Jammer aero bars (step 2 in my time-shaving strategy). Did a few laps around the block and wondered why I never bought these sooner! Instant neck relief and less wind resistance. And last but not least was the trial of the Sip-Away hydration bottle. This is an invention I wish I would have come up with myself. It's a Camelback-meets-water bottle contraption that allows you to sip water via tube/bite valve that's attached to the bottle that rests in the bike cage without you having to take your hands off the bars or break your cadence. I will now be well hydrated for the run before even getting off my bike. Highly recommended!


This year's race line-up:
April 25th: J-Hawk's EarlyBird Tri in Whitewater, WI (sprint distance).
July 11th: Pewaukee Lake Tri in Pewaukee, WI (sprint distance).
July 25th: Tri-ing for Children's in Southern Kettle Moraine, WI (olympic distance).

Official training plan begins April 4. Swim like the fish, bike like the French, run like the wind!