We have sent several care packages to the phantom subscriber in Afghanistan, including copies of this newsletter so she could hand them out to the locals. She thought it was going to be pretty much like Miami Beach and didn't take enough warm clothes. A reporter from The Washington Post remarked that he thought that her flowered muumuu was a post-Taliban burka. Then he saw the orthopedic shoes.

road trips and classes

After Daytona I will be at DARLAPALOOZA in Houston, Texas, Saturday, June 8th with classes on Friday and Sunday before and after the Saturday vendor market. This is a brand new show produced by Darla Pruitt of Eccentricities, one of the largest rubber stamp and paper arts stores in Texas. As Darla puts it, "Quite simply, it's three days of creativity and artistic adventure. A variety of classes will be offered incorporating rubber stamps, fibers, beads, polymer clay, collage and other mixed media elements."

I will be teaching three classes, so those of you who have repeatedly asked me to teach in the South West - here I come! On Friday, June 7th I will give the Wild women Collage Pins class from 10:00am to noon. Then in the afternoon from 1:00pm to 5:00pm I will teach the Spirit Guide Vessels in polymer clay. Sunday after the vendor market (which is on Saturday), I will teach my popular Intuitive Collage Workshop from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

Darla has gone to great lengths to make this show as inexpensive and convenient as possible. The hotel, the Houston airport Marriot, is $69.00 a night and the airport tram takes you right there. No need to go into the city or rent a car. Contact Darla for more information at (281) 288-0585.

Also see the next item.

Goddess I
258-001L

new images

These five new doll forms are for stamping on fabric. You can paint, stuff and bead them and then wear them as pendants. These stamps are the basis of a new workshop. I completed a beaded example which is up on the web site Gallery. I will teach this workshop at Stamptacular in Las Vegas on April 27th. Call Mary Senn at (702) 435-8401 for information.

Goddess II
258-002L

faq

Q: I know the copyright laws prohibit me from republishing your stamp images without permission. However, can I publish my artwork, in which I used your stamps, in an article or on a web site? Vanessa

A: Yes, Vanessa, there is a Santa clause. The restriction is limited to my artwork - not yours. It would be appropriate, and much appreciated, to give credit to ERA Graphics for the stamps used. I also appreciate your asking, more than you can imagine, for so many people simply go ahead and assume they can do something or don't care enough to even ask. These are also the same people who would have cardiac arrest if someone reproduced their work without permission.

Q: Can I purchase the beautiful small faces you use on your polymer clay pins and amulet bags? Mary H, Andre from Australia

A: Sorry but they are not for sale.

Q: Where do you get the faces you use in your work?

A: From just about everywhere. Buttons, Toby jugs, small statues and castings. For me it is the great hunt. I always walk around with a conditioned piece of clay in my purse. I have even been know to have The Hun create a diversion (you know like a seizure or a tantrum) so I could grab an impression. But I always consider the purloined face as a starting point and modify it extensively from the original before I start to use it.

Q: Do you have a shop or showroom? We are visiting. I live near.

A: Nope, mail order only. I have on occasion run a guided tour or two through my studio by appointment and for groups of 20 or more ;-) Seriously, my studio is in my home and I am not set up for retail sales (no finished stamps to peruse as they are made to order.) But I have on occasion - when the moon is in ascendancy and Jupiter is lined up just right, invited one or two guests over for coffee and a crafters gab fest. Give me a call if you are going to in my neighborhood. But PLEASE understand if I can't do it when you are planning to be here because I am up to my neck in orders, getting ready for a show, or under a publishing deadline.

Q: The Hun. Is that like Hunny? Is your Hun Hungarian? Does The Hun stand for Honeydew? Alice G. and other misguided souls

A: No, nothing as sweet and cuddly as that. The Hun stands for Attila The... Oh and to all who took one of my classes and write that The Hun (who sometimes tags along and tries to help out) is cute, a softie, very nice, you know not what you say. However, I have stuck it out for almost 37 years, I guess I'll stick around for another 37.

Goddess III
258-003L

a chance for greatness

Keep it to a paragraph or two and tell me what you liked and didn't like about it (same old - same old, incomplete directions, bad illustrations, etc.) and whether you would recommend it to your best friend. Be honest but kind. Please include the title, author, publisher, and price.

This way we can all be steered towards the terrific new books (or a forgotten classic) and warned about the dogs that suck up our money and give very little back. Tell me about you ATF (all time favorite), the one book in your library you could not live without, or the one that inspired you to start beading, or...

kerchunk! kerchunk!

Kerchunk has the most comprehensive stamping links anywhere. And our own WebMistress Xina checks them regularly so no dead ends as you get with most other links listings.

You can also order your craft, and other, books there, through Amazon.com, and the cybertwins, Xina and Liz, get a tiny little commission which helps keep the zine going. You can find this great zine at: www.Kerchunk.com

bistro hun

Q: What are the differences (advantages) between olive oil and extra Virgin oil? Also between first press and cold press?

A: The primary difference between Extra Virgin, Virgin, etc. is the amount of oleic acid present. The lower the acid level the higher the grade. Makes for a sweeter oil. Extra Virgin is the highest grade and has less than 1% acid.

The color and country make very little difference to the taste. IF THE OIL IS PURE and free of additives as the vast majority of good brands are. In fact, tasters use a dark blue glass when grading to avoid bias based on color. Spain, Greece, Italy, France, and the US all make good to great oils. The US oils have really improved over the last five years or so. If you come across one with a COOC label (the California Olive Oil Council) grab it. Only 32 made the grade last year.

The two major taste differentials are the type of olives used and the time of the pick (and therefore the crush.) The earlier in the season the fruit is picked, the more piquant the oil (an almost peppery bite.) Much more assertive. The later the pick/crush, the milder. Most big brands are blends to even out the flavor because olive trees are indeterminate (meaning they do not bear their fruit all at once but over a period of time.) Harvest is from the late fall into the late spring.

Another major taste differential is whether the oil is filtered (cleaned of fruit sediment) or simply allowed to decant in the holding tanks. Unfiltered oil will have a more robust flavor. You can usually see this by holding up a bottle to the light.

Cold press refers to the crush method, in that a pressing method that generates heat tends to cook off some of the volatiles which contribute so much to the flavor and bouquet. It is therefore preferable.

First press refers to the fact that the oil is the result of the first pass thru the press. The more the fruit is pressed, to extract the greatest amount of oil, the larger the traces of bitterness extracted from the pits. The degree to which this happens is greatly determined by the press itself, for not all presses are alike. There is the traditional screw type which actually compresses or squeezes the fruit and others which use a rotating stone to crush the fruit. Some of the newer presses actually use many tiny knives to cut the fruit and allow the oil to seep out.

I use several grades of oil in my kitchen. The highest grade (and most piquant) is for salads and finishing applications (when you drizzle it on a finished dish), where you can really taste the difference. Try several good oils and you will settle on a favorite. I tend not to spend extraordinary amounts of money on oils as they can trend upwards of thirty dollars a bottle. Ten to twenty is a good range. I also use a lower grade and blander oil for cooking. Lower cost and it doesn't overwhelm the food.

For frying and sauteing I do not use much olive oil because the heat cooks off most of the volatiles and thus the taste is very natural. Might as well start with a less expensive Canola (rape seed) or grape seed oil which have a very neutral taste and a much higher smoking point (which allows you to get the pan hotter without burning the oil).

That's all for now!
Roberta