The Ninja Fetus Adventures

Never a dull day.

2008-07-01T15:21:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't been keeping up with this whole blog as well as I should. Its been really busy out here with everything we've got going on. I have to share this video with you guys, though. Its from this morning's Bank Robbery in West Seattle. We ended up being less than a block from the end stand off and shoot out. Take a peek at what I captured!

I'll be back on the ball here soon.

Garrett Shirts

2008-05-06T13:30:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to Garrett Shirts. His step-daughter gave him one of my cousins for Christmas and he made this shirt for her. Do you see?? That's me on the shield! I'm so super honored to be included as part of their family. You should take a sec and check out his for sale shirts on his website: GarrettShirts.com. Thanks a lot dude!

Favorite Things

2008-04-23T12:00:00.003-05:00

Ok.. so we're moving in like 3 days now and don't really have time for any real adventures but here's a list of some of our favorite recently discovered, or rediscovered, things.

1- Liquor store boxes
2- Willis Alan Ramsey
3-Shoestring French Fries
4- Proud parents that come to visit
5- Ross Stores
6- Pandora Radio
7- Friends with weddings out of state so we're forced to go on adventures

Help Fort Cloudy Get A New Apartment Sale!

2008-04-19T15:03:00.004-05:00

That's kids! We're moving out of our friend's dining room and into our very own Seattle apartment! BUT we need your help to get together enough dollars for a security deposit and first months rent! AAAHHHHH! hehe. Head on over to the Fort Cloudy Etsy shop and check out our biggest sale yet! And its only going on until we move, May 1st!

Matteart

2008-04-17T12:20:00.006-05:00

art by Matteart "Weather Vivienne"

Last night we headed over to the South Lake Union Velocity, a really hip home art and design shop. Velocity owner, John Tusher, felt that there weren't enough opportunities in Seattle for artists and designers to meet, chat, and make some connections. In attempts to remedy this he's freshly launched "The Lab" a monthly get together with a special speaker or panel each time. This month, the first month, Matte Stephens (Etsy shop: Matteart) was asked to come and give a perspective on his success and share tips. The number one tip he gave: produce! He encouraged everyone to create something new everyday, and discussed his daily routine and inspirations. If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Matte's work, you better go run to his Etsy shop!
John's vision is exactly what I've been looking for to become more involved in the community out here. So thanks a lot, John! The Lab will usually be held on a Wednesday night from about 6-8, late in the month. Next month they'll be hosting a panel of celebrity bloggers to talk about the importance of blogging, and what its like to run a daily blog. That should be a great event to attend! Hope to see you there.

Winery times

2008-04-17T00:08:00.003-05:00

Fort's parents came out from Baltimore to hang out with us for the weekend. Mama Cloudy said it was a requirement that we head out to a winery and do a tour. Well.. what Mama Cloudy wants, Mama Cloudy gets! We headed out to Woodinville for the day to check out Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia Winery, and Redhook Brewery. And we barely made a dent in all of the wineries that are out there! I highly recommend you check some of them out if you ever are out this way!Lily Cloudy came out with us for her first ever wine experience! Nooo we didn't let her drink, we are a *little* responsible. :P She did get a good lesson in wines, though!
I'm always looking for a good winery to go visit. I'd love to hear suggestions from you guys on where my adventures should take me!

Back in Action!

2008-04-01T01:48:00.001-05:00

Come hang out with us at Chop Suey in Capitol Hill for I Heart Rummage THIS Sunday from 12-4. We're headed downtown to Buenos Aires for drinks afterwards! This is our first show of 2008 help us kick it off right.

Valentine's Day

2008-01-03T14:49:00.000-05:00

I just found out that MC Chris is playing the Show Box in Seattle on Valentine's Day. I think I'm going to ask Fort to be my date.. or maybe I'll try and find her a real date and third wheel it.. You should come with us if you live around here!

A New Year.

2008-01-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

So, wow, its 2008 already. How did that happen? So much occurred in the past year it feels like time just flew right by. I thought that when you're as little as I am that the days were supposed to feel like forever, not feel like they're blowing past.
Since the holiday rush has cooled off, I've been trying to take more time to explore the city. I hadn't previously been able to do so with the crazy travel/craft show schedule we'd been keeping. Its funny the things you don't notice when you don't take the time to look. For example, I was walking up 1st Ave the other day and came across a completely smashed computer monitor and television. I laughed about it with my friend and she told me it had been there for several weeks. I feel silly for missing it as 1)its kinda hard to miss and 2)I walk down first fairly frequently.I spent a decent amount of time walking in the downtown shopping district, people watching. Even though it was post xmas it was a flooded Saturday afternoon. So much hustle and bustle, I can only assume for the After Christmas Sales, which when I took a peek didn't seem all that impressive to me.
When the immense crowd started to get to me I decided I'd pop on down to Pike's Place Market to pick up some veggies for dinner. Out of the pot and into the pan. I had forgotten that it was in fact the weekend and you can barely move at the Market on Saturday and Sunday. The flying fish, the giant piggy everyone wants to take their picture on, and all the great handmade shopping are pretty alluring for tourists and Seattlites alike. I wish I didn't continuously make the mistake of going down there on the busiest days since it is pretty fun to walk around. But I got my veggies (and some purple potatoes - my favorite discovery of 2007) and headed home.
Maybe its just 1st Ave that attracts the weird goings on, or maybe I just pay more attention when walking on that street. A few months ago I saw a man cutting his hair in the middle of the road, and its a main one. This trip I discovered the empty collection of minis the homeless folks in the neighborhood coax out of the patrons of the liquor store.
Oh, no, wait. Its definitely not just 1st. Sunday we saw a man panhandling in a dress and over the top make up. I love this city.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T09:47:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

BUST Craftacular!

2007-12-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

So.. ummmm.. I think all I can say is wow, what a whirlwind weekend! 4 Days 3 cities. I'm not sure I could do much more... Let's just start with the BUST Craftacular.
What an amazing show! We were so busy the entire time I hardly got to walk around and talk to anyone! Our table was next to Lollibomb and Lemon Cadet and straight across the way from Brookadelphia. I don't think we could have asked for a better spot ourselves! Fort was been a long time silent fan of Brookadelphia, so she was totally psyched, and ended up getting one of her awesome "Crafty" pendants! She also got a "Bourbon" necklace from t8designs, and a couple of xmas presents from other seller (I'd tell you tell you but that might ruin the surprise for a couple people!).We had a few new toddler zip up sweater shirts with us, that haven't even made it into the shop yet since we don't have a model, that flew off our table! Along with new scarf designs and and a couple of paintings that Fort just recently did.
Seriously guys, if you weren't at this event you better make sure you're there next year! There was a line to get in until 3pm! 3pm! Those are some super dedicated shoppers! Oh and I think I forgot to mention(!), Amy Sedaris was there signing her new book and selling some of her super crafty wears! We went and got her autograph for Danger Cloudy, he's a HUGE fan.Lollibomb, Fort, and I didn't go out and cause too much trouble after the show since we had to be up at the butt crack of dawn to fly down to Florida for the Atomic Holiday Bazaar, but more on that later! Right now I need to grab something to eat!

Recycler Rant

2007-12-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Recycler Men,

Do you really sit outside my window and dump glass bottles into your truck every Wednesday at about 7:30? Does it reeeeally take you about 45 minutes to do so? There aren't that many apartment builds on this street. I'm starting to become convinced that you bring all of the bottles from the surrounding streets to our happy little cul-de-sac just to wake me up. I don't really want to be up this early. Do you really find it necessary to play with all of the knobs, buttons, and levers on your vechile while being parked outside my window? Don't you already know what those do? Would it be possible for you to do this on 4th Ave next week? I hear those people like to be rudely awaken at ungodly hours of the morning. I've tried sleeping in different rooms, but your clanking and clattering seem to resonate throughout all of the apartment. So please guys, please, let me sleep in a little for once. Thanks

Sincerely,
A very tired, slightly hungover, fairly irritated Ninja Fetus

On Facebook?

2007-12-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

Now so is Fort Cloudy! Swing by and click the button to become a fan! Its a one stop look at where we'll be and what kind of fun we're brewing up in the FC laboratory. Hope to see you there!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6552833659

Where to find us...

2007-11-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

Good news folks! This weekend you can find Fort Cloudy on BOTH coasts!

If you live in the Baltimore area, head down to St. John's Church at 2640 St Paul St tomorrow (Dec 1) for Holiday Heap! A kick ass show brought to you by the Charm City Craft Mafia. For more information go to the CCCM's website! Make sure to go say hi to Danger Paul, it'll be his first show by himself.If you happen to find yourself on the other side of the country, come hang out with Fort and I at Urban Craft Uprising at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. We'll be there Saturday AND Sunday from 11a to 5p. Go to their website for more!We hope to see you getting your Holiday shopping on at one of these great events!

Always Learning...

2007-11-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

Today I learned....
"baby jesus cries when you don't use a turn signal"

Don't upset baby jesus. C'mon people! ;P

Visiting Austin

2007-11-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we headed down to Austin, Texas for the Stitch Fashion Show and Craft Bazaar, a show put on by the ass-kicking Austin Craft Mafia down at the Convention Center. They CM girls had a party packed weekend planned, and we were more than happy to participate!
We got into Austin Friday late afternoon and headed almost directly to the pre-show party at First Samples for a Smart Water sponsored event complete with a keg and Q&A with Project Runway's 3rd Season contestant, Bradley Baumkirchner. We got to meet a bunch of awesome vendors (several of whom are from Seattle) and a few of the show organizers, including Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club.
Saturday was a bit of a whirlwind. We joined forces with Luca of Lollibomb Beauty and headed to the Convention Center to survey the lands and set up our booths. We ran into a few of our favorite Etsy friends like Aorta, Muttsywonder, RuffeoHeartsLilSnotty, and Matt from Etsy, who were also taking care of set-up.The show was fantastic! Those girls really did the best job ever at organizing the event, we send mad props to them! Along with awesome sales we also we met so many great people! Jessica from FunkyFinds stopped by to say hi, she featured Fort Cloudy fairly recently so it was extra nice to meet her! We also got to chit chat with Dismantled, TheRocketWorkshop, SweetWolf, and StephanieK. Craig from CubistLiterature also came to check out the show! It was really nice to see him again!
The Runway show was fantastic! It was kicked off by Bradley Baumkirchner presenting the Stitch Grant Award (a $1000 prize) to House of Dang. All of the designers that participated in the fashion show were phenomenal! If think my favorite was Rebecca Yaker and her collection of sock monkey clothing. The sock monkey bikini modeled by Jenny Hart was one of the best things I've seen in a while!After the show we headed over to the Mohawk to party it up with everyone and unwind. We danced the night away with all the other vendors and craft show patrons. It was a great end to one of the most fun shows we've participated in!

STITCH!

2007-11-10T04:06:00.000-05:00

TODAY, that's right today, Saturday November 10th come find Fort Cloudy and I down at Stitch in Austin, TX. The show has an amazing line up of sellers you do not want to miss. So come out and play with us. $10 with doors at 4pm and a fashion show at 9:30p. Seriously people, if you're in the area you will not want to miss this show! Just think about all the wonderful handmade goodies you can buy to finish off your xmas shopping or just get a little something for yourself. Since we just talked about how you need to sign the Handmade Pledge *cough cough* this is definitely the place you need to be. We'll see you there!

Take the Handmade Pledge!

2007-11-08T07:19:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't heard of Buyhandmade.org, I want to strongly encourage you to check it out. So far over 4300 people have pledged to buy handmade goods this holiday season! I signed a couple of weeks ago and it was half that. So join the masses and bring a little extra handmade love into your home this holiday!

Spelling Bee

2007-11-06T10:19:00.001-05:00

So, what's a fetus to do on the first Monday of a month? Join his good friend Kate (zoo1023) down at Re-Bar for a Spelling Bee! For just $5 you can go and participate in the (what will likely be) utter humiliation (I know I would have been slaughtered) or just go and watch.
Sign up starts at 7p and the spelling gloves come off at 8 sharp! Though word master, Josh, pulls out some pretty (ok, very) obscure words out for you, he seems genuinely excited for you when you get them right, and extremely nice about it when you don't.And what's the best part about the Spelling Bee being located in a bar? You can drink your embarrassment away! If you place in the top 2 you even receive drink coupons for the bar. How sweet is that?! The contest runs until about 10pm, providing 2+ fantastic hours of "what did he just ask her to spell??", "is that even a word??" , great laughs, and loads of fun!

Etsy Halloween Party

2007-10-29T00:53:00.000-05:00

What's a fetus to do the Saturday before Halloween? Why fly to New York for the Etsy Halloween party, of course! So, Fort and I hopped on an airplane and headed to the Big Apple to hang out with all our super cool crafty friends.
In true Etsy fashion there was a ghost pinata handmade by the girls at the Labs! It was pretty awesome, and a lot of fun to take a swing at!
And a ton of gift bags to be handed out. I took a peek and saw that they even contained samples from Lollibomb Beauty! She definitely has some of the best lotion ever.There were a lot of really great costumes too! Anda from stopsandstarts was a pregnant skeleton, Jen from sweetestpea came as a Hug Robot, Sarah the Lawyer donned an awesomely snarky Hello Kitty costume, and Lollibomb and Fort were Etsy cheerleaders! I also spotted a unicorn, a Mexican wrestler, Laura Bush, Tammy Faye, and a couple of bunnies.
Since the Portland Street Team was in town for the trunk show they had the previous night, Urbana decided to set up shop again, offering Jager shots with the purchase of her cute small bowls. I wish Jager treated me a little better, because I would have loved to join in on the fun. Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty also had a couple racks out. They have some really awesome stuff! Going on the wish list for sure.
The Majestica Collective has been hanging out at the Etsy Labs for the past week offering workshops and performance art. The piece in the above photo involved a wooden frame, a large plastic bag, a shop vac, and a women. I would describe it past that, but I just don't know what to say. It was amazing, and I'm sure a bit windy :)Overall, it was an awesome party as all Etsy parties are. Definitely worth the hellish airport conditions it took to get there! Tomorrow is our last day in New York so we'll definitely have to squeeze out another awesome adventure before heading back out west for I Heart Rummage in Seattle.

Favorite Quote

2007-10-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

"I'm an alcoholic. I drink beer and lick pussy as is."

This was over heard from a passerby while sitting outside of Uptown drinking some coffee. I enjoyed it so much I wrote it down and took a picture to share with everyone.

Coolest candy ever.

2007-10-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

Generally I curse countertop items for purchase at coffee stores due to the temptation that arises. BUT! These I'll take any day. They're like legos but candy.. that you can eat... and build with.. Pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen.. and eatten...
Fort kinda shook her head at me for a while and then gave in and joined the fun. And let me tell you, it was fun!

Crafty Wonderland

2007-10-15T10:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Fort, Lisha (our friend from Baltimore), and I, drove down to Portland to attend Crafty Wonderland. Its a nice little show with about 40 vendors, mostly local, held at the Doug Fir Lounge on Burnside.

The show was in the downstairs portion on the Lounge where they have concerts. (The Go! Team is playing there in a couple weeks and I kinda want to go...) I really liked the way they used the space in the room, having vendors on different levels made it very visually appealing.

The variety of the vendors was really neat, and it was nice to see a few paintings there as well. The group of vendors reminded me of a creaft-heavier Big Art Show. Mona, from Tinymeat / Mamadelic, was there! It was really nice to see a familiar face as well as meeting all those cool new vendors.
Our spot was on the stage so we were able to utilize the fun stage lighting! Maybe not the coolest thing in the world, but it sure amused me!

Burlesquin' it Up!

2007-10-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night we head down to The Bedroom Club in Pioneer Square to catch the Burning Hearts Burlesque show. Miss Anita Goodmann hosted the evening. She just got through her divorce and was eager to put on a fantastic show (she succeeded).
There's not much better than cocktails and women tastefully taking their clothes off to pep up your Wednesday night! The performers were great! Ms Luna Nocturna did a really awesome Day of the Dead inspired number, as well as one with Absinth and the green fairy.
Sara Rose was there keeping our ears super entertained. She has a spectacular voice! Her microphone didn't work for the first half of her first song so she just belted it out as loud as she could! I was very impressed. Miss Elaine Yes came out for a few sets, as well as Miss Cassie O'Hara, and Miss Goody Goody! The show was all around fantastic!

Oh! And I forgot to mention that they made Fort get up on stage and gave her some birthday spankings. HA! I'm not sure if there's a good picture of it.. I'll ask around... She made me go with her so I couldn't get one.

Happy Birthday, Fort!

2007-10-10T12:11:00.000-05:00

It's Fort Cloudy's birthday today! We're going to a burlesque show tonight!! There will be awesome pictures on flickr tomorrow ;) Hopefully it'll be a blog worthy night!

Adding Toast to the Family?

2007-10-09T08:58:00.001-05:00

We, here on Fort Cloudy, have been asked to adopt Berny Toast into our family. What do you guys think? We may change his name if we do decide to keep him around.. But what do you guys think? Should we keep him around? You decide!

Stitch Rock!

2007-10-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

This past week we headed down to South Florida to participate in Stitch Rock in Delray Beach and hang out with Luca of Lollibomb. Saturday morning we headed up to the show.There were a LOT of great vendors there. Some we had met before, like, Lollibomb, Owl Movement, Ragamufyn, Tuff Betty Bags, Erica Burns Designs, 75 Rabbit, and others
And we met some awesome new vendors, too: Snitches Get Stitches, Ciara Loves You, With Sugar on Top, Humble Bumble B, Backbone Music, and tons of other great crafters!There were also some local shops and boutiques at the show. We got to meet the cool folks from Bear and Bird Gallery and Pink Ghost! If you're ever down in the Delray/Fort Lauderdale area try and check them out!

The folks from ThreadBanger were also about checkin out the craft show for one of their episodes! Have you checked out their site before? I'm really excited to see this episode! They interviewed a lot of really great crafters including Lollibomb and Snitches Get Stitches.Stitchrock put on a really awesome fashion show, organized by Adrianne Ruffin. And one of my favorite things at shows... CUPCAKES! Which I bought a bunch of... so I'm gonna go eat one now.

The Indie Path

2007-10-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

Woooooohoooo! Fort Cloudy is the featured artist right now on TheIndiePath.com. Check it out!

Also if you find yourself in South Florida this weekend come on out to Stitch Rock! It's going to be an awesome craft show!

Crafty Bastards!

2007-10-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, had you been in Washington, DC you would have found Fort and I at Crafty Bastards, one of the East Coast's most rockin' craft show! We had a fantastic time meeting everyone that came out and stopped by our booth. A big thanks to them!
We were SO busy the whole day that I didn't get a chance to leave the table to take photos to share with you all. Partly Cloudy was going to come out to help, but the poor dear got food poisoning :(
So I don't have any photos for you.. but I can tell you that you should definitely try and check out the show if you ever can. The level of awesomeness will blow your mind.

Oh, and so you guys know: Fort has a bunch of new items that are about to drop in the store so check it out soon, if you get a sec! FortCloudy.com

Back to Seattle for us! Later!

Baltimore to Seattle: The final day!

2007-09-26T01:24:00.000-05:00

The majority of Friday was spent on the road and besides our post office stop to mail off some Fort Cloudy goodies, there isn't much to report. So enjoy the photos from our super scenic time of the road!

So, yay! We finally made it! Safe and sound and in Seattle! And who was here to meet us, but:

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 7

2007-09-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, Jessica (Aorta) was awesome enough to get up early with Fort, Mama Cloudy, and I to head over to the University of Nebraska to go check out the International Quilt Study Center. We had a bit of a hard time finding it, but I’ve always had a hard time navigating campuses.

We finally found it though and Mama Cloudy got to have a good bit of fun with the volunteer guide. They discussed all sorts of fun quilty world stuff. Since Mama Cloudy had studied for a stint at the University she told us about the AMAZING ice cream that is made and sold on campus. I guess its needless to say that we had ice cream for breakfast that morning.

While we were waiting for them to open for the day (yes, we were there that early), Jessica and I went around to check out the displays littered around the room. One case was filled with what appeared to be various Nebraska food companies. We came across one product in there that was like a steak rub brand called Fat Boy and the name of the product was Butt Rub!!!!! I guess I’m a little juvenile… well I guess I’m not even that yet.. ha!

After leaving Lincoln we headed out to Alliance, Nebraska to go visit Carhenge! Which in Stonehenge but made out of cars instead. I love weird stuff like that so I ate it right up! We got a little lost finding it because of a switch in highway names, but still, really amazing!

Then we headed up to South Dakota to go see the one thing that Fort has always wanted to see, Mount Rushmore. We made really great time getting there and arrived soon after nightfall. The hotel that we registered at told us that the lighting of the monument would be taking place in the next few minutes, but we were famished and went to find food. On the way back to the hotel we saw it clear as day when we pulled into the parking lot. Even from a few miles away it was breath taking! Mama Cloudy suggested that we drive closer for a better night shot that we could send back to the other Cloudies. The closer we got the more awe inspiring it was. I couldn’t believe that we were actually there and that man had actually created that in nature. Absolutely amazing!

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 8

2007-09-22T23:09:00.001-05:00

Thursday morning and I met early as I was way too excited to sleep! I jumped on Mama Cloudy a few times to wake her up so we could head over to Mount Rushmore. Fort, however, was much slower to get her head off the pillow. She'd been up pretty late the night before uploading pictures to flickr so I could post blogs. I ran out the door to take a look at our view in the day light. It was breath taking!After we finished munching on some dounuts and juice, we headed up to the monument for a better look. Absolutely beautiful! I can't really describe it properly so here are some photos:

After we saw all of the amazing, amazing sights we headed on to Wyoming to go find a place to stay for the night around Yellowstone, but the closest town had some sort of event going on and the majority of the rooms were booked. So we agreed to skip it on this bout and catch it the next time round. We drove through right as the sun was setting which allowed for some beautiful scenery. But we quickly found that the hi-beams on the Cloudy mobile were adjusted too low and made it very difficult to see very far in front of us. It became pitch black very quickly and it was extremely hard to see what was going on around the car. There were a couple of occasions were I was able to see to off to the side of the road, but there wasn’t anything there.. just a cliff. Fort drove us through the park and I noticed that she remained hunched close to the steering wheel straining to see the entire way through. About 2 hours after our entry we found the end of the park and our entrance into Montana. We drove as far as the rain permitted us but finally stopped due to weariness and the inability to see the road any more. It was a good day and we made great time. I think Fort is hoping that we only have one more day to go, but Mama Cloudy is saying that its probably a 2 day trip… we’ll see.

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 6

2007-09-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

We left the house of the Cloudy friends fairly early on Tuesday quite rested and ready to go. There is however one problem with traveling cross-country through Wisconsin with 2 girls.. we found ourselves driving past the Mall of America in Minnesota and naturally had to stop.

That place is crazy!! Not only do they have a plethora of Dairy Queen's and Burger Kings but also 2 Victoria Secrets (which we all now is the perfect place to find my favorite sitting place) AND a Lego store.

Oh! AND there is also an amusement park in the middle of the whole 3-4 story high shopping experience. I wanted to go on a couples of rides, but Fort said we had to get back on the road. Oh yea.. and we also found a severely random gas pump inside the mall.. I have no idea.. don't ask :P
After the mall we continued on down to Lincoln, Nebraska to stay with the fabulous Etsy seller Aorta! She and Fort are both apart of Appliquecore. I know Fort really admires her work.
We arrived fairly late, but Jessica took us to a kick ass burrito restaurant. I got a potato burrito, which are now my favorite variety… ever. Yum!

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 5

2007-09-21T08:14:00.000-05:00

Monday was fairly uneventful. We packed up in Chicago and headed up to Western Wisconsin. The drive was pretty nice and it gave me a chance to write out my blog for a bit.It didn't get to it too much since Mama Cloudy has us listening to the Harry Potter books on tape and CD. That ends up capturing the majority of my young concentration. But the drive was beautiful. I very much enjoyed staring out the window, catching the passing scenes. Especially when we passed the giant signs advertising cheese!!We stayed with Mama Cloudy's friends and Fort and I tried to meet up with Lunamom from Etsy, but unfortunately we didn't get the opportunity :( We'll have to try better next time!

Baltimore to Seattle: Renegade Craft Fair!

2007-09-19T22:39:00.000-05:00

On days 3 and 4 of our grand adventure we took all the Fort Cloudy goods to Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, Illinois. What a fantastic time!
Saturday morning I think I heard Fort get up around 5am.. She had a lot she still wanted to make before we left for the show. Around 10 or so James (MagnoliaStreet) and her boyfriend came to meet up with us and bring us some scones for breakfast. They pretty much rule! Since we had hardly any room in the Cloudy Mobile they grabbed the bus up while we drove with everything we needed for the show.
While I was helping Fort set up Priscilla from MoxieMadness showed up! We gave her a quick hug but, unfortunately, didn't have a whole lot of time to chat since we were still trying to get everything to look presentable. Fort's been kicking herself about it, but has just been excited for a great reason to go back!The show was AWESOME! We got to meet loads of great people! We were able to meet BoyGirlParty, PeachCake, Lavender Zebra Press, Papered Together, CharlieandSarah, and a slew of other awesome crafters!Some of the cool people from Baltimore were there too! Including: Spaghetti Kiss, Imogene, Red Prairie Press, and Squid Fire.A couple of the cool kids from Etsy were there too! Lauren (Stellaloella) and Julie (YourSecretAdmiral) were there to represent! It was too cool to see them again :)
The show was amazing! And we're all really glad we were able to be apart of it. If you get a chance to check it out next year your should definitely jump on the chance!

We headed off to Wisconsin Monday morning. More on that soon!

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 2

2007-09-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

Thursday night at Gemmafactrix's house, Fort discovered that she had managed to leave her sewing machine foot pedal back in Baltimore. So we all woke up semi-early to get back on the road to find a replacement. Mama Cloudy made a few phone calls and located one in Lafayette, Indiana. The owner mentioned to her that they were dropping their Janome line and all the machines were 40% off.
The whole way there (including our Cracker Barrel breakfast, yum!) Mama Cloudy and I worked at convincing Fort that she needed a new sewing machine. Not that there was really any room for one in the Cloudy Mobile, but she really did need a new, heavier-dutier one. They had one that was exactly like Mama's, but even after the discount it was still over $1000. Which would be awesome and all, but Fort felt that it wasn't a practical purchase to make while moving across the country. We looked at a few others and then she saw it! The most perfect Fort Cloudy sewing machine e-v-e-r. It was a small white and green machine right in her price range. Being that green is by far her favorite color she quickly tried it out and snatched it up. The timing was fantastic as well, as her birthday is less than a month away (October 10th - she'll be accepting gifts and cards - email me if you need ideas or our address ;P) it made the perfect self-gift. Fort has always had an air of child-like excitement which came rushing to the surface as she bounced out of the store singing the happy sewing machine song. Before we left the town we made a quick stop for ice cream!
We reached Chicago around 5 or 6 or maybe some other time. I'm not 100% sure.. There was a time change involved in there some where and I still cannot keep track of what time it actually is. Traffic sucked, but it was rush hour. However, after 2 days straight in the car I was itching to get out. They made me sit in the back for a little while and I found myself wedged between a suitcase and the clothing rack Joy gave Fort as a going away present (she rocks hardcore). Our friend, Auriane, had been awesome enough to agree to let us all sleep on her floor. She's a friend of Danger Cloudy and Fort's from Baltimore who recently moved to Chicago. It was awesome to see her again! Her little chihuahua, Sinatra, eagerly greeted us when we arrived. He's teeny-tiny and an absolute blast! Only a little bit bigger than me, actually. I spent the night chasing Sinatra around the house while Fort and Mama Cloudy kicked back and did a little sewing.

Tomorrow is the start of Renegade.. eep!

Baltimore to Seattle: Day 1

2007-09-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

So the adventure begins! Mama Cloudy, Fort, and I left this morning to head out west. Before we could get out of town we ran into some of the inevitable traveling problems. Several of the boxes that were necessary to come along were not going to fit in the Cloudy Mobile. So, Papa Cloudy, being the awesome Dad that he is, went out early this morning to pick us up some supplies: ratchets and felt pads.Very quickly this morning, Mama Cloudy and I figured out how to use said ratchets, and successfully did an amazing job securing the precious materials to the roof. Just as we were ready to head out the Littlest Cloudy jumped into the drivers seat and refused to let us go. After a while we convinced her that we needed to leave and we'd be back to visit soon. The Cloudy girls got a photo together and we hit the road!
But not until the Middlest Cloudy helped make sure that everything was going to fit into the back...Before we left Maryland, I insisted that we stop by Sideling Hill. Fort had told me a bunch of stories about her family stopping there when she was little. It was awesome! With a very educations visitors center. If you ever head out I-68 I recommend you make the quick stop.
From there we headed to Morgantown, West Virginia to have lunch with Beth from LemonCadet and her husband. They took us to Black Bear, a really great burrito restaurant. It was really great to hang out with them again and the food was awesome! I admit it.. I ate too much and ended up in a nice food coma for the next leg of the trip.
After a really great visit with them we all got back into the car and headed over to Ohio to stay the night at Gemmafactrix's. She was awesome enough to offer to let us crash! And we got to hang out with Squirtle.. So its pretty much the coolest thing ever. I think he and I are going to have an adventure of our own tomorrow!

Surprise guest!

2007-09-13T02:28:00.000-05:00

You'd never guess who made a special trip (according to me) out to Maryland to wish me well and see me off on my great new adventure?! LILY! She came out with her Mom and Dad to send Fort and I off properly. And the best part of all?? She'll be there to greet us when we arrive! I just don't think it gets any better than that! Next time I blog it'll be on the road! Hooray!

The lovely Ms Lily with her proud great-grandfather.

Going Away Party

2007-09-11T07:03:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, Mama and Papa Cloudy threw a kick ass going away party for Fort and I. There was so much super delicious food and so many super awesome people to share it with. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate and say good bye to a bunch of the people we love!
Mama Cloudy got a carrot cake! Yay! The frosting writing on top was supposed to say "Watch out Seattle!" but someone forgot to cross a t and Seattle was told to "Walch Out" instead, hehe. But Fort took charge and crossed the t with one of the almond silvers from the edge.UglyKitty, who made the fantastic invitations for the party, came out to show her love. She is the biggest sweetheart e-v-e-r. She special ordered a really great guest book from Kate Black for everyone to sign! Fort and I are so extremely happy to have it, people wrote really, really nice things. Fort even teared up a little.

After the party a bunch of us went dancing at a Brit Pop style dance night. Unfortunately, we got there after midnight so we didn't have a lot of dance time left, but it was awesome! It was probably the most perfect last Saturday night in Baltimore we could have asked for. Thanks to everyone that came out, and to everyone that wanted to but were unable to.

We're gonna miss the East Coast a lot, but don't worry, we'll be back as frequently as possible!

Coney Island Adventure!

2007-09-10T08:45:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to go to Coney Island, and since this was its last summer before being knocked down and replaced by condos, I made a special point to go! I headed down there with my friends Rania (shoofly/goshdarnknit), Julie (yoursecretadmiral), and Jen (sweetestpea). Boy was it ever an adventure! We ran across some awesomely random sights. It would all take a lot of explaining so I'll just show you the pictures instead!
It was an awesome time! But I was one tired little fetus afterwards.

Checkin' out the EGCG Trunk Show

2007-09-04T22:21:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I made a little trip back up to the Etsy Labs for the Etsy Green and Clean Guild's (EGCG) Trunk Show. Man, can I just tell you, those ladies rock! Such great sellers on hand selling their environmentally friendly bath and body products. Representing the group there was:

Coffin Color
Lollibomb
Magickal Realism
Martinsville Emporium
Soap
and Xiane

As always it was an awesome party!

Xiane did an awesome job DJing all night, and she even let me help out for a bit! I was so excited! We rocked out to an awesome mix containing a great amount of 80s tunes!Like at the majority of the trunk shows the workshop was heavily occupied. I had a blast talking to all those great crafters. At one point Haim hopped on to talk to the ladies whom he was quite popular with. I think the running tally ended up with about 5 marriage proposals. I wish I was that popular with the lady folk!
It was a really, really great night! If you ever get the chance to make it to an Etsy Trunk Show I highly recommend that you make it out!

Cupcakes!

2007-08-30T07:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Fort and I made cupcakes for the Charm City Craft Mafia meeting. I have to say, it was one of my more delicious experiences :) I think baking in one of my new interests, one my my new yummy interests. I think I'll bake some cookies tonight!

Funfetti + Chocolate Icing = Love. That's just all there is to it.

Here, have a cupcake!

Renegade Take Over!

2007-08-28T07:15:00.000-05:00

Come out and visit Fort, Mama Cloudy, and I at Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, IL! We may just have a little surprise for you! Booth number soon!!

Brandon the Ninja Fetus by Saxony

2007-08-27T06:58:00.000-05:00

Brandon's Outdoor Adventure

:::

Brandon The Ninja Fetus was bored sitting at the computer. No one was on.

He checked his phone for any messages but there weren't any.

Brandon thought he would like to go outside. He had never done that before!

So he opened the door. Poor little Ninja Fetus was scared!

But he managed to take his first step outside. What a brave little ninja fetus Brandon was!

He was amazed by the world around him! All the different colors he saw awed him.

He spotted a lovely pinecone lying on the grass. He decided he would talk to it! He thought he spotted a red chair and asked the pinecone if she would like to join him there. She was happy to join him!

So there they sat, getting to know each other. Her name was Belinda, and she said she came from a tree. Brandon was amazed! But not too amazed.

He ate her.

From where he sat Brandon spotted a pelican.

He decided to ride it! So Brandon rocked back and forth but then...

He fell off!

While he lay there, upset, he spotted a basketball hoop. His former sadness was soon gone and replaced with joy!

Brandon thought it looked fun and tried to play.

OUCH! The little Ninja Fetus landed on his back! He started to wail, and exclaimed, "Boo! I hate life and life hates me!"

But along came Saxony and came to the rescue! She told Brandon that it's okay to suck at life and that everbody does in their own special way. "At the same time," she told him, "We all rock at life too!"

Brandon felt better after Saxony left! "Oh boy," he thought, "Life is worth living again!"

He thought he had enough of the outside world. The fifteen minutes of exciment wore the little ninja fetus out!

Brandon waddled into bed, content with life.

The End.
:::

(This story was brought to you from the creative minds of Saxony and Brandon The Ninja Fetus. No fetuses nor pinecones were harmed during the making.)

Happy Birthday, Littlest Cloudy

2007-08-24T07:09:00.001-05:00

The Littlest Cloudy celebrated her birthday this week! Man is she getting old... ;P

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLEST CLOUDY!!

It's Official!

2007-08-23T07:10:00.001-05:00

We're moving to Seattle! Right now we're in the processes of putting all our ducks in a row in preparation for our big move! Fort and I are hitting the road with Mama Cloudy for one hell of an adventure! Along the way we'll be hitting:

Morgantown, WV
Cincinnati, OH
Chicago, IL (for Renegade Craft Fair)
Lincoln, NE
Carhenge
Mount Rushmore
and Yellowstone National Park

If you know of anything fun for us to do please let me know!

Don't worry though, Eastcoasters! We'll be back pretty frequently for shows.

If anyone is interested in coming to the Going Away Party in Baltimore Sept 8th feel free to email me ( ninja@fortcloudy.com ) and I'll get you the info.

A big thanks to UglyKitty for making the kick ass invitations!

I met a man with a sword of meat.

2007-08-22T07:13:00.000-05:00

I did indeed, well make that multiple men. Christa from It Knits awesomely invited the Charm City Craft Mafia along to the restaurant opening of Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse freshly placed in downtown Baltimore at the Inner Harbor.The restaurant's website describes the atmosphere as a "dining experience like no other" and how right are they! We had a large group of about 30 but were all split up among smaller tables. I was seated with Jo (of Meghan and Jo Aprons) and Rebecca (of Bake Sale Designs) and their significant others. Once seated a server came over and explained that we could help ourselves to the salad bar (the amazingly awesome salad bar) and once we were ready for the main course we could flip the small red disc by our plates (that we were all using as coasters) over to the green side and the meat would be served. Stop and go, I liked that.These people do not fool around when it comes to meat! They offer 15 different cuts, ranging chicken legs wrapped in bacon to lamb chops to sirloin to pork to sausage to filet mignon and filet mignon wrapped in bacon. It took me a little while to build up the courage to flip my card to GO, and to be honest I'm glad I waited. As soon as the green faced the air our table was swarming with men offering to cut meat off of their swords for us.
It was all extremely delicious. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. And not only was the meat tasty (especially the filet mignon) but the sides were really rockin as well! They had started us off with warm cheese beard nuggets which were hard enough to keep my little fingers out of, but while the main course was flying around our table we were also given yummy, yummy fried bananas, finger-lickin polenta, and cheesy-chivey kick ass mashed potatoes.
I was a little relieved when I finally flipped my card back to red. Each time they came around with their meat swords they only gave you a small piece, but small pieces add up, and quick! It was almost more than my little fetus tummy could bare. If I wore pants they would have definitely been unbuttoned.
And to top the whole thing off I still went for a little dessert. Well, not that the serving was small. The server that came around to offer rattled the list off so quickly that I couldn't really tell what she said. About all I got was Key Lime Pie and something something chocolate. I went for the chocolate, which ended up being a warm little moist chocolate cake with ice cream drizzled in a couple different sauces. Talk about yum! Though I could have probably split it with 3 other people.I rolled home that night. Yup, definitely rolled.

Pimpin' it ain't easy

2007-08-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

Nuff said...

Ninja Fetus and the Death Breakfast

2007-08-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

Immediately upon returning home from Seattle, Fort and I grabbed the first bus to New York in search of the ever-so-amazing Luca of Lollibomb Beauty. We went directly to the EtsyLabs in search of her, but to no avail. A friendly group of engineers told us about Death Breakfast and that we would be sure to find Luca there. So we waited for them to take us. I had no idea what to expect from this Death Breakfast, even though Fort had assured me that she had participated before and it was nothing to worry about.

What little fears I had were replaced with utter joy when we arrived at the Brownstone diner. The menu was incredible. Pages and pages of pancakes and breakfast foods of all varieties, and even more pages of deliciously fried goodness. My mouth watered. I grabbed a seat next to Luca and plunged head first into the menu. It took me forever to decide, so I was happy to be with such a large group.(Photo from Luca's Flickr)

We started with mozzarella sticks and brownstone fries and I got French Toast for dinner. It was amazing and incredibly hard not to eat too much. There were mountains and mountains of food covering the table. I could hardly see the person sitting across from me, though that may have more to do with my size than anything else.I'd say that the whole experience was absolutely amazing and I definitely want to go again! I rolled out of there that night. Rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled.

(Photo from Luca's Flickr)

Last Day

2007-08-17T07:03:00.000-05:00

On the last day of my Seattle adventure I didn't want to do much besides hang out with Lily. I figured we needed to get in a lot of quality time now, even though I'll be back in a little over a month. So for today, I'm just going to give you pictures of a too-cute-for-her-own-good baby. Enjoy.Time to get back to Baltimore for some more awesome adventures!

Doughnuts and Drinks

2007-08-16T07:52:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning we headed back down to Pike's Place Market. There is a doughnut vendor at the market who sells the tastiest little treats you could ever eat! There is a similar vendor at the Baltimore Farmers Market, but in my opinion the Seattle people do it better (even though they are exactly the same). I'm a big fan of the cinnamon ones, so we all split a dozen.There is definitely a lot of really awesome stuff to see at the market, like I've said before. There are always several street musician and entertainers on hand to keep the masses amused and smiling. Almost every single time I've been there I've run into the man that wheels an upright piano to the corner and joyfully bangs away at it. However, this time we came across a very talented man the next corner up. He happily strummed away at his guitar, which isn't super extraordinary, but the astounding thing about him was that while he played he balanced a hula hoop on his chin while spinning another around his waist!His name is Emery Carl, which I only know because he found my flickr that Sunday night and left me with his website information, which you can find here. So take a look at him, he seems to be a fairly interesting guy!
After our long adventure on Friday we all decided to call it an afternoon. Later on the girls and I left Lily with her Aunt and popped out for a couple drinks around town (thumbnails at the bottom) and took a nice long walk. It was a spectacular evening so I enjoyed the time spent out side. I wish I could have stayed longer, but there was only one more day left. Though, I guess I'll be returning soon enough :)

Seattle: Day 3

2007-08-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I woke up to find the most adorable mother-daughter moment I'd ever seen. Steph had gotten up early to feed Lily, and once full Lily fell into a food coma and then quickly back to sleep. They sat on the couch, Lily with her small hand under her head rested on Steph's chest. I couldn't pass up this precious scene so I snuck off to grab my camera.I walked off as quietly as I could so that I didn't disturb the special moment, went to find a telephone and called Kate (the ever famous zoo1023, who has paintings to die for!). I sauntered off with Fort towards Capitol Hill, which is in my opinion, one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle, to meet up with Kate for lunch. She took us to a fantastic little sandwich shop on Pike St where we sat and had a drink. Kate was kind enough to offer to drive us around the area for a bit to collect the phone numbers of apartment complexes in preparation of our big move. We drove around to at least an hour up and down streets, pausing frequently to write down the name and phone of a building, and often irritating whatever car was behind us. It was awesome, Kate rocks! (Seriously, go look at her paintings) When we felt we had exhausted the area we parked and headed to Dick's for some ice cream. It was the perfect thing to do on such an ideally weathered day.We took our frozen treats over to Cal Anderson park and stuck our feet in the coolest fountain/pool I've ever seen. There were children running through the water in their diapers screaming with joy. There was even some sun bathing to be had! I'd say it was about the perfect. Kate and Fort really seemed to enjoy it too!

About and out in Seattle

2007-08-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

So what's the first thing I do when I get out of the airport in Seattle? Get on the bus in the wrong direction, of course! I took a seat behind a man with feathers sticking out of his baseball hat. I wish he hadn't gotten off the bus as quickly as he did since he was fairly amusing to watch.
It wasn't all bad though. I was able to... explore... more of the area? I successfully transferred buses and made it to my destination without another hitch. It is always exciting to see my good friend out there, Stephanie, but this trip was extra special as I was able to meet her new little bundle of joy, Lily. I gave Lily the Radish onesie (Fort Cloudy's newest baby onesie) to her as soon as I walked through the door. I was so excited to make sure she had some more FC goodies in her wardrobe!

On Friday we all went down to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) in downtown Seattle. When we walked through the doors we were greeted by about six Mercury Sables and Ford Tauruses suspended at different angles from the ceiling with long pattern lit rods intersecting at the centers of each car. The museum definitely have some amazing pieces in their collection, including a large section containing Pacific Northwest Native American art. Their modern art collection was quite interesting as well. Several Lichtenstein's graced the walls of the main gallery on the second floor. It was hard to pick a favorite among all the great pieces, but Lily and I decided that we both liked painting of the boobs.

After we left the museum we headed towards Pike Place Market, the large open air public market which is a very big attraction in Seattle. While we were walking I noticed that there are a few... ummm.. gentlemens clubs... yes that's how we'll put it. One near the SAM is called The Lusty Lady, my favorite out of the ones we had seen. Their marquee is always filled with funny euphemisms and sexual innuendos, some a bit lamer than others. The one we passed on this occasion was in honor of SeaFair.

Pikes Place was the same as always, except busier due to summer. There was the ever present smell of seafood wafting from the various fish merchants, the delicious looking produce everywhere you turned, and the amazing floral arrangements at the best prices I've ever seen. I wanted to get some flowers to take back to Mama Cloudy before I left, but was worried about how well they'd do on the long overnight flight back.
Then it was back to my favorite little hide-away in Queen Anne. Lily was tired from being out all day, and to tell you the truth so was I. We both passed out in the stroller on the lovely summer-time walk back to the apartment. More soon!

A little Fetus in a giant world

2007-08-03T09:59:00.000-05:00

I like to think of myself as a mover and a shaker. Why sit in one spot for too long? Well, this next string of adventures has taken me to Seattle, Washington. Its a beautiful city with many interesting things to see.
This adventure was supposed to begin Wednesday night, but was slightly delayed by the money hungry corporate Air Lord. I was a good little fetus and arrived at the airport 2 hours before my flight and made it through security fairly easily with only minor problems. I arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare and sat to wait. With only about 15 minutes left until I was supposed to take off into the skies the keeper of the ticket counter made an announcement. In a shrill frieghtful voice she said "We've overbooked our flight this evening, and are looking for passangers to relinquish their chairs". They waved money under our noses to tempt us to switch. I was not as strong as most and approached the counter to get further details on this money for seat transaction. She offered me the money for future travel.. I do travel a lot, traveling on their dime didn't sound so bad. Then she offered me a First Class chair for the longer, more intense part of my journey.. Being as young as I am in negative years, it sounded very intriguing to ride in the front oh the air beast... She sold me. I arranged to leave the following morning, took my free travel money, and called Mama Cloudy for a ride home.

The next morning came so quickly as I had to be at the airport by 5am to tackle security again and check in for my flight. I took a slightly long way to get to the concourse. I figured that I'd pass through security even easier than the day before since it was so early, so you can imagine how shocked I was when the security line met me halfway down the hall I was walking through, roughly 40 feet from where I had walked into the TSA area the day before.
I headed straight for the ticket counter when I finally arrived at the gate. When I checked in for my flight they gave me a "Seat Request" slip for my supposed first class leg. This put me at great disease as yesterday I had seen people with those slip waiting to be allowed on the plane. I really worried about not being able to board, especially when I had been promised swanky accomedations. When the ticket keeper finally showed up (I'd been waiting there nearly 20 mintues) she rudely informed that I would have to wait until arriving in Cincinnati to be issued a seat. That most certainly did not put my mind at ease, but I felt it best not to argue and went to sit.
Baltimore to Cincinnati was an easy enough flight. Probably, though, because I slept the whole way. We even arrived 10 minutes early, which I really appreciated since I had very little time to make my connection. At the next gate I was able to get my seat assignment quickly much to my relief, but shortly after I picked up my boarding pass they made the announcement that they had oversold, again. I almost, almost went to volunteer again and weighed it out in my little head.. more money.. first class... get there 2 hours later... first class won. I was just too excited about the opportunity, and also at that point I was farily ready to be done with airplanes.
Upon first sitting in my first class seat, I didn't realize what was so special about it. Yes, the chair was bigger. Yes, it was slightly more comfortable. Yes, you can drink for free. But I just couldn't figure out why it cost that much more for those perks. I would come to find out. Not only are they flight attendants super, super attentive (figure that ;P), they asked me several time what I would like to drink, and when asked if I was 21 one, an easy yes was all they needed. I went to reach for my pocket to pull out my id, but she refused. I, also, didn't realized that they do actually give you a hot towel before the flight. I had seen it done in the "Wedding Singer" before, but didn't know it was still in partice. I giggled to myself after she walked away. All the little stuff was great, but I believe that the number one reason I would want to fly first class again would be for the food. O - M - G.
I'm very accustomed to regular airline food, not terrific but mostly likely won't kill you. But this meal they gave me, oh this meal! Pasta with veggies and chicken, salad with ranch, a warm roll with butter, AND a piece of chocolate cake. Chocolate cake! Good cake too, more like a rich, delicious torte. I was extremely full after the pasta and salad, but I was not about to let that cake go. It was by far the best part of the trip.
After a bit I fell asleep and woke up to the ding of the fasten seatbelt sign. I groggily peered out the window to be faced by a giant mountain. We were flying right next to Mount Ranier. It was breath taking. Off in the distance you could also see Mount Saint Helen and Mount Hood.

We landed safely and today I will hit the street of Seattle in search of more adventures, exciting adventures. Stay tuned, there is much more of Seattle we have yet to see!

Letter to a new mother

2007-08-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

August 1, 2007

Dear Amanda,

Your little ninja was feeling a wee bit uncomfortable when we told him that he'd be leaving Fort Cloudy. He picked a fight with Charlie the Penguin while we were getting him ready for his new home. As docile and laid back as Charlie is, he whapped the young fetus in self defense and split his eye open. We rushed him to the hospital last night and he ended up with a few stitches. Luckily along with the probable scar that he will end up with, Charlie was able to knock some sense into him. Now he is more excited than ever to be welcomed into your home and I hope you feel the same way.

Sincerely,

Sarah Cloudhopper

Adoption Relations

Fort Cloudy

CC: The Ninja Fetus Adventures

Philadelphia and the purple potatoes

2007-07-31T08:09:00.001-05:00

Last week I headed up to Philadelphia with Partly Cloudy to drop off some Fort Cloudy goodies at the Curiosity Shopp e. The CS is part vintage clothing/book store, part local art boutique right off South St. We discovered it last November while on a trip to Philly for a Big Art Show, and they've been selling FC wears since the January rotation! If you ever get a chance to check it out, do it! Its really a fantastic shop.

The Curiosity Shoppe
529 4th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

I was starving by the time we left, so Partly and I wandered off to find some good eats. We stumbled across this swanky little restaurant called Bliss, in the artsy/theater section of town.The menu was scrumptious, period, but they completely won me over when I happened to see Purple Smashed Potatoes on the list. Yes, yes.. its odd, but there is nothing like a yummy, yummy starch with food coloring in it. Mmmmmmmmm, the way to a fetus's heart.

Artscaping

2007-07-26T07:59:00.000-05:00

So, Artscape, I'd say its one of the best of the art festivals in Baltimore. I had a blast! The festival showcases ALL types of art: visual, performance, a/v, etc. I would have to say that I think their art vendors this year are starting to get cooler, especially in the fashion area. Over there I found a bunch of friends Rebound Designs was around as well as Pistol, Red Prairie Press, and Squidfire.
I stuck around pretty all day Saturday to see as much as possible, and here's what I found:

:People dancing in the air (my favorite thing)
:A phone booth for prayer
:A man on stilts and a woman dressed as a tree
:A milkmaid fashion show
:Crazy cool art cars
:A Star Wars art car
:McFerris Wheel
:An indoor safari
:Some really rad music
:And a nice tall drink

Its a really, really great time. Even if you're going by yourself! If you find yourself in Baltimore next year while its going on you should definitely check it out!

Ninja Fetus vs. Harry Potter

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-05:00

Friday night, Mama Cloudy took Partly Cloudy and I down to the Borders Bookstore to brave the crowds and pick up her copy of the new, and finally, Harry Potter book (and book on CD). Boy, was it ever a mad house down there!

We got there about 10:30 or so, which we imagined to be plenty of time to get there, get a wristband, get the book, and be home by 12:30, 1:00 at the latest. HA! That's right, HA! We way underestimated the power and allure of the Harry Potter series. The fans were out in full force, and I was there to meet them. We definitely witnessed some strange goings on at this particular bookstore. I am convinced that one group of attendees were not 100% positive of where they were. They came dressed as pirates and jedi, and even had a lightsaber fight in that parking lot!
We also discovered that book buying is now considered a spectator sport. Who woulda thunk? Across from the door to the bookstore were several people camped out in camping chairs. Perhaps waiting for a book fight to break out?
Waiting in line was pretty rough for me being that I'm still a fetus and my limbs are still under severe development. Partly Cloudy had to help me out a bit and keep me upright. Luckily, Mama Cloudy said she didn't mind if PC and I went into the store to see what was going on there.

It was jam packed in there! I took a spin around the store to see what all was going on. There were a ton of people cozied up in the aisle reading books to keep themselves occupied. I also found some awesome, hardcore fans! I'll just show you, cause that'll be easier than trying to describe these kick ass folks.I wandered back outside to find my peeps only to realized that it was getting late and they weren't letting anyone back into the store. The Borders that we had gone to closed at its regular hour of 9:00pm, but then re-opened from 10:00p - 2:00a especially for this book release. We got a chance to talk to Dan, the Regional Manager for Borders (he was watching the door), who told us that the store had extended special hours before, but usually for CDs, not books. The store had prepared for the influx of Harry Potter fans by separating groups into wristband colors. Six colors, with 200 bands per color, for reserved copies and then one color (red) for everyone that had not reserved a copy of the book. We ended up in the 4th color group, pink, which meant that we had to wait for about 600 people to get their book, pay, and get out of the store before we could even go in.Midnight struck! And you could feel the excitement of the crowd intensify. Everyone was eager to get their hands on the book, and to see the first group of people leaving with their copies. After about 10 minutes we all realized just how long we'd be there, and then the doors opened. A woman ran out of the store screaming, fist pumping in the air in excitement as the crowd cheered. The woman coming out behind the first thrust her book proudly in the air flaunting it to everyone.

Many others quickly followed, beaming. Hold their books, posters, and audio books tight in their happy little fists.

Being that we were 600 people back in line, we had a while to wait. I decided to check out how many other people were still in line outside eagerly awaiting their wristbands and books. I must admit, I was a little shocked. The Borders we went to is in a typical suburbs shopping center with several large stores all next to each other. The line up at this particular one is Borders-JoAnn's-Circuit City. When we had entered the line it was backed up to the doors to enter the JoAnn's, at 12:30a when I wandered off to check, it was backed up to the doors of the Circuit City with people still steadily walking up.

After hours of waiting it was finally our turn. I believe we entered the store around 1:45a, but we still had to deal with the long line snaked throughout the store.

They were passing out the book in the very back of the store and snaking people through the racks to get back to the front to pay. Which, if you think about it is genius! You are practically forced to look at all those books, CDs, and movies. I know Partly ended up with a few extras. Again, you could feel the excitement heighten with the book window in sight.

YAY, MAMA CLOUDY!

I was astonished at the massive noise difference of both sides of the store. Upon entering it was loud, people were obnoxious BUT on the other side of the book counter you could hear a pin drop. I think Mama Cloudy got through the first 3 chapters while waiting in line to pay.

As amazing as the whole experience was, I was so glad when we finally got to go home. I sure was one tired little fetus.

Ballston Arts Market

2007-07-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

Omg, Arlington, Virginia, do you guys ever have an awesome show going on second Saturdays down in Ballston! I went to check out the Ballston Arts Market this past weekend since Fort Cloudy was vending. What a cool set up, and around 1p they even had a band come out and play! This month they had Bette Noir, and in August The Lovejoy Group will be there, and The Constituents will be entertaining the masses in September.

I don't think the day could have been any more perfect! The weather was absolutely fantastic, my good friend, Joy, came down with us to help out for the day, which was greatly appreciated, and we got to have a mini-picnic outside. People really seemed to dig the FC goods too!

The Market runs through October (and we'll be there for both August and September) so I strongly encourage you to come on out, soak up some sun, listen to some rockin' music, and take advantage of all the rockin' vendors! Check out their blog for more details! Held 10a - 4p in Welburn Square, across from the Ballston Metro.

Rockin' Out in Baltimore!

2007-07-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Fort's good friends, Tim Kaye and his band, played a show at Sonar in Baltimore recently, so of course we went out to go party and play! Tim's shows are always a lot of fun to go to since we know all the songs and most of the "regulars" who attend. We totally rocked it out and danced our tushies off.

Mama Saray and the cool kids from the Library of Progress were there dishing up some really yummy looking food. Tim invited Mama Saray up on stage during the show to help him belt out a few tunes. She danced and sang and did a great job with helping to rock the crowd! I even got to dance with her a little!

We hung out with our friend Sam for the majority of the night. She's pretty awesome. Fort and I introduced her to 007s, probably the best drink on the planet ....not that I have that much experience.... being a fetus.... and all... ;P

It was an awesome night out! Even though Tim didn't play my favorite song "Me and the Dogs", but I guess I'll forgive him for that. ;)

Crabby friends

2007-07-18T08:51:00.001-05:00

Last night Fort Cloudy, the Littlest Cloudy, and I went to a local Crab Feast. I'm not really sure why we all went since FC is a terratarian and LC is having issues with meat at the moment, but we did, and we had a blast! Its a good thing Mama Cloudy wasn't there because we sure as heck played with our food!
At first we were a little weird about even touching the carcases, but we quickly got over it and started poking and prodding. Eventually, we decided that a full out crab photo shoot was in order! Let me share:

So, my conclusion about crabs.. Fun to play with, kinda gross to eat.

Ninja Fetus Stickers!

2007-07-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

That's right! They're finally here! UPS just brought me my awesome Fort Cloudy/Ninja Fetus stickers and I couldn't be more stoked! If you want one let me know! Ninja@fortcloudy.com

Perfect for: cars, street poles, bar bathrooms, walls, note books, sewing kits, mirrors, and so much more!

Dynasty! Yum!

2007-07-14T06:37:00.000-05:00

So the Ninja Fetus was feeling a bit peckish. He's quite the hungry little fetus, you know? Still growing and all. So, in little ninja language, he voiced a desire for Asian cuisine. Happy to fulfill his request, it was off we went to Dynasty for some veggie dumplings and won ton soup. However, it was the pineapple fantasy drink that really captured his attention. Half of it was gone before the soup arrived. A little tipsy , fetus excused himself. As he passed the fish tank, sighs of admiration could be heard by the school of fish. When he returned, he signed autographs and posed for photos. They were grateful. He's a good little fetus.

By: Mari-Claire from beeczarcardsandgifts

Wine Country

2007-07-10T07:44:00.001-05:00

Well, I have to say, I really enjoy to city life that I've been leading, but it is so nice to get out into the country every once in a while! Fort, Mama, and Littlest Cloudy's all took me along to a family owned and operated winery, Linganore Plantations, out near New Market, Maryland. Mama and Fort have been really getting into Maryland wines at our weekly Pasta Sunday Dinner.
Linganore Planations produces about 125,000 gallons of wine per year and offer a variety of dry, semi-sweet, and dessert wines, as well as an awesome selection of fruit wines (I think we all decided that the Strawberry was out favorite). The wine tasting was really neat, we were able to sample almost every wine that they offered, plus we picked up some really great tips! Cooking tips like replacing the water in your brownie mix with the raspberry wine, mixing tips like combining their Skipjack wine with the blueberry one, serving tips like pouring some wine over your ice cream when eating, eating certain wines with chocolate to enhance favor, and my favorite, placing frozen grapes in the bottom of your wine glass instead of ice cubes to prevent diluting the wine while keeping it cold.
The tour was really great too! We saw (a picture of) the machine they use to gather the grapes (which they've only had since 2000 before that they did everything by hand?!?), the slicer which pierces the skin, the squisher (which is so effective at getting the juice out of the grape that by the time its done you would be unable to get a single drop of juice out of the skin), the large holding tanks where the wine ferments, and the bottling and corking room.

After the tour we finished the wine tasting and headed for the racks. About 12 bottles later and meeting Mrs. Linganore Plantions, herself, we were ready to head home and pop open a bottle of wine that best suited our Italian themed dinner.

In a few weeks we'll be checking out the Solomon's Island Winery! I think we're all excited for that one!

Adventures with Mari-Claire

2007-07-09T07:13:00.001-05:00

Ninja Fetus, got the late night munchies so a road trip was in order. We passed a Taco Bell but that was not gonna do for him. What he was really craving were some french fries. So, it was off to Wendy's for a large order of salt and greasy goodness. He did remark along the way that he missed Fort Cloudy terribly and even shed a tear when he saw the highway sign for NEW YORK CITY!! I heard him utter(in Ninja Fetus language).................... Sarah *sniff*. He's still adjusting.

Written by Mari-Claire of Beeczarcardsandgifts

Cupcake?

2007-07-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

Cupcake, anyone? Yesterday I headed back up to Etsylabs for the Cupcakes takes the Cake Cupcake party. It was put on by the NY Cupcake Club (they meet up about once a month). This month they had their get together at Etsylabs for a craft and munch party. Crumbs Bakeshop was wonderful enough to sponsor the event and send along some of their super deliciousness. And when I say super deliciousness, I firmly believe that's an understatement! I could not stop eatting the cupcakes! They had cookies and cream, carmel chew, cookie dough, red velvet, caramel apple, I could go on and on.
The event even received press in Time Out which introduced a lot of cool new people not only to the cupcake club, but to Etsy as well! I got there about an hour after the party got under way and when I walked in there were people everywhere excitedly making their cupcake themed crafts.
I ended up helping a lot of people with their projects rather than making my own, but I did get a little bit of time to make a cupcake birthday card for CubistLiterature (whose bday is today, yay Happy Birthday Craig!). I also got to catch up with Mellowbeing and Haasome, who were busily making embroidered crafts.

Like all my trips to New York so far, it was an amazing time! This party was such a great idea and I'm really happy that I decided to go up and be a part of it! But Baltimore will hold a Sunday adventure so I left New York and headed off into the Sunset.

Makin' Friends

2007-07-05T07:45:00.001-05:00

Have you had the privilege of meeting THE UglyKitty?! Her name is Quasi. She's fantasticly sweet and is the spokesperson for kitties in need. She helps raise and donates it to some wonderful cat causes.
She invited me over for lunch, so we got to hang out and play. It was awesome! But it did get a little rough.. Have you seen the bandaids? Ouch....

All photos courtesy of the UglyKitty flickr photo stream.

More Etsy Labs Adventures

2007-07-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

Wowie! What a weekend. Sorry its taken me a while to blog again, still recovering from all the adventures. This past weekend Fort Cloudy, Ugly Kitty, Supa Fly Monkey, and I headed up to New Jersey and New York for an exciting encounter with the great folks up at Etsylabs for the CREST (Capital Region Etsy Street Team) Trunk Show.
Our first stop was New Jersey on Thursday night. UglyKitty has family there and they offered to let us stay the night and bake treats in the morning for the show. Little did I know, however, how dangerous these treats would be! I thought I was going to eat them and wound up being attacked by them! Crab cakes.... you gotta watch out for crab cakes...

To be honest, the Kitty and the Cloud did most of the work.. Supa Fly flew me around the house on his back for the majority of the time we were there. He's a really great guy! I hope we have a lot more adventures together! Plus, who doesn't want a friend that can fly?!?

The Trunk Show was really great! I heard there we about 80 people that came out to party with us. The food was incredibly, the items for sale were awesome, and the company couldn't have been better. They even set up the workshop on Etsy so people could join the party online! Cloudy and I really like going to the Labs. I strongly encourage you to visit if you haven't! The people that work there are amazingly nice and they have just about every crafting tool you could ever dream to use. I got to hang out with Sarah the Etsy attorney for a bit, she told me about her article in Bead and Button magazine, and was kind enough to take a picture with me!

I think we all had a great, great time! Saturday we headed up to the Brooklyn Indie Market (which seems really awesome!) and then rode around of the subway all day. I love going to New York and will hopefully have a lot more adventures there over the next couple months! If you have any suggestions on what I should do while I'm up there definitely let me know! I just got an email so if you ever feel inclined, drop me a line! ninja@fortcloudy.com Till next time!

Visiting Etsy and Renegade

2007-06-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Fort Cloudy, Charlie (the penguin), and I headed up to New York to shake our butts at the Etsy 2 year party and sell, sell, sell at Renegade Craft Fair. We had a fun filled weekend of making new friends and sharing our current friends with all of Brookyln.
The Etsy party was awesome! They had cake AND a piñata! Charlie and I got to shake it with some awesome Etsy peeps, including: ashleywhitejacobsen, stellaloella, lushboxinc, girlscantell, taina, xiane, sweetestpea, Anda, sweetiepiepress, RelishDress, and Angeatelier, among others. Charlie and I had only heard Fort talk about these a bunch of these people and the Labs before, so it was rad to be able to meet everyone and experience the good times first hand. I definitely want to get back to the EtsyLabs to take one of the neat classes that they offer.

Saturday morning we all high tailed it over to McCarran Park Pool for the Renegade Craft Fair. Fort had a booth vending and Charlie and I wanted to go and help out. She had arranged it before hand so that we were placed right next to Lushbox. Its really great to be at a show and be placed by someone you know. I headed over to her booth for a bit for a slightly steamy photo shoot:

The whole weekend was really great! Rebound Designs was there, as well as, Kate Black, the Black Apple, Squidfire, Precious Pups, 1 Boy 1 Girl, EtsyLabs, Cloedee, Imogene, Red Prairie Press, My Paper Crane, Mogo, I could really go on and on and on... OH! and the Chocolate Lab was there! I had to get a picture with her!

Oh! And I can't forget my new friends!

Man, oh man. Everyone was really great! I can't wait till the next show to meet more great folks! If you're around in Baltimore this Saturday, come out to Pile of Craft (St Paul and 27th) put on by the Charm City Craft Mafia!

New York City Adventures!

2007-06-12T08:35:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my super awesome puppet making friend, StaceyRebecca, came up from Phoenix, AZ to teach a class at the ever fantastic Etsy Labs. Unfortunately I was unable to attend since I had a public appearance scheduled with Fort Cloudy for Saturday and Sunday. Luckily though, Sarah really wanted to go meet Stacey too. So we arranged a whirlwind bus trip to New York for the evening.
Our bus ended up being an hour and a half late to the Baltimore station, so we didn't end up getting to the Big Apple until 8pm that night and had to be back on the bus home at 3:45am. It kinda made me feel like a manly-fetus version of Cinderella.
Stacey is really great! But if you've ever talked to her, you already knew that. She suggested that we go to an improv show in Manhattan. She knew one of the groups preforming, Comic Book, pretty rock! So we hung out at the Labs for a bit, waited for Anda, and hopped the F train.
The show was totally rad. I'm not sure I've ever laughed that hard. The guys from Comic Book took all of us to an improv hang out bar called Triple Crown. Some food, drinks, and good conversation later they took Stacey and I up to Times Square since neither of us had seen it before. Even though the trip was really short it was totally worth it. I'm really glad we got to go. Check out the pictures:

This evenings Etsy Front Page

2007-06-11T18:33:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my good friend and fellow adventurer UglyKitty. I was featured on Etsy's Front Page today! I feel like such a rock star. So many people sharing the love! Hopefully a few of them will decide to share in my adventures and take me home!

This weekend in Baltimore! Hon Fest!

2007-06-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Come out for 2 fun HON filled days! This Saturday and Sunday June 9th and 10th! While you're there be sure to check out the Fort Cloudy booth and pick up some great handmade gear! I will also be around, so come and have your picture taken with me, the Ninja Fetus, and join in on one of my adventures!

More info on their website: HonFest.net

Wednesday night at Liams

2007-06-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

I swear I don't go out this much, heh, I am just a fetus after all.

My friends from Sweetie Pie Press are in town! Have you heard of them? If not you must be living under a rock! They're some of the raddest kids ever. I met up with them in Hampden at Golden West (one of the most awesomest restaurants around) and we headed down to Liam's Pint Size Pub on Charles St and met up with a bunch of friends.
Blue Heart Box was in the mix up. His wire sculpture is absolutely kick ass! Unfortunately though, I may have said the wrong thing to one of his squids and we ended up duking it out right on the tables. My head still hurts a little today!

I think I'm gonna go pop some aspirin and crawl back in bed for a bit!

Baltimore Farmers Market

2007-06-06T07:12:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we headed out to the Baltimore Farmers Market (Holliday and Saratoga under the I-83 overpass, 8a-noon). It was a lot busier than I expected it to be. There was so much to see, so much to smell!
We started off getting coffee for Matt and Mister Donut donuts for breakfast. I'd just like to say for the record what awesome donuts they are! And my childlike interest thought it was really neat to watch them cook in the fryer. Thats a pretty cool machine. I wandered around aimlessly the majority of the time that we were there since it was a bit of an eye full, between the apple/strawberry stand, the crepe cart, the delicious looking breads, the beautiful flowers, among all the other vendors. There was even an area designated for a Craft Market! Although, Sarah pointed out that it was mainly comprised of jewelry vendors. It would have been awesome to see a little more variety, but its totally rad that its there.
Overall, the Farmers Market was a great experience! If you live in the area or are in town on a Sunday you should definitely go! Check it out! Support local Farmers!

Friday Recap

2007-06-05T07:21:00.000-05:00

So Friday night Matt and Sarah took me out around Baltimore. We had a blast! Walking around Federal Hill, the Inner Harbor, and going dancing. I really wish AppleSue had been able to join us.

The night started off pretty relaxed. After we finally found a parking spot (pretty hard to do in Federal Hill on a Friday night) we headed up to the Hill to catch the dusk view of the Inner Harbor. I got to play on the cannons, it was awesome! Getting down those stairs sure did take forever though.. whew!

On our way to the Harbor we made a quick stop around the Rash Field area to play for a sec. Then went off to go find some new friends. I met a really fantastic group of adults that were out on a double date. They let me talk with them for a bit and even took a picture with me!
Since this was my first time to Baltimore I wanted to stop in the Visitors center and grab a bunch of information. So many things I need to see!

I really wanted to go on a boat sight seeing tour, but Sarah was right, it was too dark to see anything really well. I would have even done the water taxi, but Fell Point didn't seem like a key destination, not for us. So instead we decided to spring for the Dragon Paddle Boats! Which was probably the best decision we could have made! I was so excited to get on the paddle boats I even made the super awesome ticket lady take a picture with me! The water was awesome, beautiful and peaceful. Well, until Matt tried to play bumper paddle boat, then we had a high seas adventure of sorts :) The moon was amazing, too! Sarah and I didn't see it until he pointed it out. It was the biggest and reddest moon I had ever seen! Well.. not that I've seen that many.

After the paddles boats we walked around the area for a bit. I climbed a tree, got a slushie, and and ran into a fish that didn't seem to like me one bit. We walked past the aquarium while we were down there. I really want to go there some time! Especially to the new Australian expansion that they have.

Even though our night had been pretty full of adventure, I really want to see what "going dancing" was like. So Matt and Sarah agreed to take me to Sonar for an event called TaxLo. Sarah told me that it used to be called Taxidermy Lodge, but figured they shortened it for the "cool" factor. Since I'm stuffed I figured that I'd fit right in! It was a crazy time, definitely. At first I was a bit lost, that place is huge. It was awesome how friendly people were! No seemed to mind that I'd just walk up and start dancing with them, total party. A lot of people even let me get a picture with them! I felt like.... what is it you people call them.... oh yea.. a rock star!

Hi! Nice to meet you!

2007-06-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

Well, gee, hi! My name is the Ninja Fetus. Thanks for checking out my blog and wanting to keep up with my adventures. In case you don't know, I live at Fort Cloudy with a bunch of my friends. We're quite the spunky and fun-loving bunch. Thanks so much for stopping by! Plenty of adventures to come! Hopefully we'll run into each other one day and you can join in on the fun!