Making Troubles / Making greeting cards

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Longtime blog followers will remember when I began drawing trouble dolls several years ago . It started out on a whim when I drew my sister’s childhood worry doll, LeeLee (legendary in our family) in what I thought was a one-off illustration. But it quickly turned into a bit of an obsession. A succession of illustrations, watercolors (which always include musical instruments in the illustrations) and even the making of actual trouble dolls soon followed. Trouble doll making sessions became contagious and even spread into a teacher friend’s classroom as she turned it into a school project for her third grade kids (chronicled here on the blog). My sister and I turned making trouble dolls into a project we took with us to last year’s Newport Folk fest as well, and I continue to produce new trouble doll illustrations and related items. Most recently, I released the first in a series of  Trouble Doll illustration greeting cards.

In short, trouble doll art has become a huge part of my life in the past years. There is something infectious about them. Trouble dolls are meaningful to me in many ways: they are symbolic of taking away worries, which is so valid in an era where stress is rampant in our society; they are a physical piece of art that embodies folklore from another culture, of which I have a deep interest in; and at the very basic level they are just so tiny and cute that simply looking at them brings smiles to faces. I find myself slip into a state of cathartic happiness when I am painting and drawing them. Constructing an actual trouble doll is meditative and a big stress reliever.

In putting together the whole package that comes with the trouble doll greeting cards, I decided that with each order I would send a thank you gift to the purchaser. I am including a hand made trouble doll (made by me or a family member), and I thought I’d share in a behind the scenes look at the making of one of the trouble dolls, who will soon be sent to its new home to help wipe out some worries and spread a little extra joy! Meet . . . Fuzzhead!

Trouble Doll Series Cards
Series 1: “Trouble Drums”

I have gone to great lengths to research and make decisions that would result in producing cards that are environmentally sound, high quality printed pieces, unique, and that enable me to put some positive energy out in the world in some way.

etsytroubledrums1

  • Cards are 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, scroll to the 13pt Uncoated stock for specs
  • Coordinating envelopes are 100% recycled and look like little miniature kraft paper bags
  • Outer mailers for orders that need shipped are 100% recycled, from Ecoenclose
  • High quality printing handled by my favorite local printer, Jakprints
  • 10 cents per every card sold is donated to Oxfam America (made in quarterly payments)
  • Every purchase comes with a little thank you to the buyer in the form of a handmade trouble doll, each one is unique and made by me or a family member

For more information on purchasing the cards and what comes with a trouble doll greeting card purchase visit the Tulip Tree Studios etsy shop. Single cards are available in the shop, and custom orders of more than 4 cards can be created as well (get in touch for that).

Use this 20% off coupon code (valid through this weekend) that is a thank you to Mental Beans readers if you should decide to make a purchase. Use code TYBEANSAPR13 when you check out!

Archive | Trash City Radio Show – Tuesday April 9, 2013

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Greeeeeetings mad Trash City Mafia! I finally was able to be in the right place at the right time to capture today’s show once again for those of you who missed it (and of course for the hungry mob that wants to hear it all over again!) Apologies for the weeks gone by that I haven’t, but thanks to Joachim and Jake another archive is being built up so you’ve got lots of Trash City to relive (Team Trash City archivists at your service!) Check the end of the post for those archives, as well as an archive of the shows that are up on the site here currently.

Of course, today’s show was yet another corker, and somehow our DJ Joe Rebel manages to keep upping the ante every week! I’ll add the running order as soon as it comes in.

ARCHIVE | Trash City Radio Show: April 9, 2013

203566_248250871967942_954578409_nTrash City Radio Show is a weekly show hosted by Joe Rebel and airs every Tuesday from 1-3pm local time in Exeter, England via Phonic.fm 106.8 and can be accessed online via itunes, tunein.com and various other apps. Featuring two hours of top music that straddles the great musical divide including punk, reggae, 70′s glam, a regular heaping spoonful of The Clash and everything in between.

Running Order:

[Coming Soon]

Double Play
ARCHIVE | Trash City Radio Show September 28, 2010


Show includes Bran Van 3000, 60ft Dolls, Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Who, Shellsuit, Heptones, Mikey Dread, Generation X, Loudon Wainwright III, Runaways, Swingin’ Medallions, Smokey Robinson, Big Country, Robert Mitchum, The Clash, BAD, Joe Strummer, Isa & The Filthy Tongues, Age Of Chance, Prince, Half Man – Half-Biscuit, Bobby Womack, John Lee Hooker, Nick Cave and others.

MORE TRASH CITY RADIO SHOW ARCHIVES

Trash City Radios Show Archives (hosted by Mental Beans)
(Note some of the links are broken from the shows dating back to 2010 and 2011 and early 2012 due to the blog moving. Apologies for that. I am working on getting those re-uploaded and linked. Progress is slower than hoped so I’m going to continue to add a second show every time I post a new show).

Trash City Mafia Archives (hosted by Joachim)

Project Announcement | Danger!

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Here I sit lamenting this blog sitting dormant for oh so long . .  but I shan’t dwell on it for too lon. . .

. . . hey guess what! I have a new project to announce (see, not dwelling!)

Introducing project Danger!

dangersignI have always dreamed of being one of those people in charge of making road signs or other informative signs, imagine the fun and mischief you could make with the power of public signage in your grasp! Since I don’t, I find great joy in finding the especially weird ones, and so does my sister Ady.

Over the past year or so the two of us have found ourselves in a little game in which we snap and collect photos of warning, caution and danger signs. We are especially keen on finding signs that gross us out, make us scratch our heads, or otherwise incite fits of laughter. Most recently I happened upon one that has been under my own roof and in plain sight for many years, but that I had never actually noticed. Of course as soon as I spotted it I immediately texted the photo to my sister and we laughed, mocked it, laughed some more, and then I eventually posted it on facebook.  The laughter continued and friends started captioning it (I think Brandon won with his cooking tips!) This lead to more discussion and Ady and I decided we needed to turn this into a global Mental Beans photo project once and for all.

Enter, project Danger! Want to join us in the hunt for freaky warning signs? Over the next three weeks we will be collecting photos from Mental Beans readers in hopes to build a collection of danger signs from points around the globe.  After the collection period, all photos will all be posted here on the blog together. Let’s see where in the world the weirdest danger sign is located!

To make up for the recent dormancy of this blog (oops, I remembered again) let’s make it even more fun. One randomly chosen participant will win a digital print of one of my illustrations and one of Ady’s live music photos of their choice!

And now the details:

Danger! Project Guidelines:

Submissions:

  • Find and photograph especially outrageous looking danger, caution and warning signs. Submit as many as you’d like and as many as you can find!
  • Include with the photos your name and your location (and your interpretation of the sign if you wish)
  • Email photos to mentalbeans (at) tuliptreestudios (dot) com for inclusion in the final group exhibition

Deadline:
You can send them as you find them now through Saturday, April 13, 2013

Project is open to anyone, please tell anyone you know who may be interested! Share this project and spread the word!