It's a Spring Fling NLP!!

So much going on over at Moxieville. First off, I want to tell you all about the Naked Lady Party we are having over at Petaluma Craft Mafia. Take a looky here: looky here

A Cocktail with Moxie

Groundhog day. It rates right up there with National Buttercrunch Day on the holiday yawn-fest barometer. Since February can be such a 'blah' month, even with this year being a leap, why not celebrate the dickens out of it? Give it some bling, a shot of Angostura bitters, a maraschino cherry tiara. Va-voom, Feb, you've got style! I'm a hipster flunkie, but I do have 'moxie' and what do folks who have moxie do when the days are sooty and short, and a Naked Lady Party is looming on the horizon? You guessed it, invent cocktails!

So, I figured, what better month to be experimenting with cocktails for the Naked Lady Party we are having with our Petaluma Craft Mafia famiglia. Winter's end requires all the extra glow you can muster. They just beg for cocktail experimentation, don't you agree? Make it a party, invite friends to help with that book, "DIY cocktails." Heck, pull out your game of "twister," all the hep-cats do it. I won't tell anybody.

Though, not in season, peaches and strawberries have been on my mind. It's deep winter, and I'm craving the taste of summer fruits. Usually a big, fat glass of zin is my favorite winter libation and my favorite cocktail stand-by is a cranberry vodka, with cointreau and twist of lime. My mother perfected the art of the cranberry cocktail, and I adore them. But, with Spring blooming, I'm ready to move on and give my cocktail a new party dress. And really, who could disagree that crafting and cocktails don't make a beautiful pairing? I'm sure our sultry vixen header would agree, and volunteer to play bartender.

Okay, right. Peaches. I keep coming back to peaches, and after taking a peek over at Jesse's blog, "bread baby," right here, and coming across this heavenly sounding peach, cardamom cobbler, I knew peaches could hold the answer for what to drink for our Naked Lady Party.
And if you are not a peach lover, you know what they say, "if'n you don't like the peaches, don't be shakin' that tree"... or something, like that. Try another fruit, mango, for example.

I'm still in experimentation mode, but insofar, this beta-test version is coming up a winner! I also think it might be nice to switch it up and replace strawberry puree for the cranberry juice. But were talking peaches here, and I'm calling it a "Naked Lady Blush." It pairs nicely with just about any appetizer from goat cheese on toast points to cheeze whiz on celery. But, I just know you gourmands can put the spread on, and do better then that.

A word of warning: This is a woman's drink, not a little girl's. It's got warmth of a cracklin' rosy fire, depth and body, and is refreshing at the same time, thus incredibly easy to drink...just saying. You might say this cocktail's got "moxie." It goes something like this:

Naked Lady Blush

1 oz of your favorite Vodka (I like Tito's Handmade Vodka)
1/2 oz presecco wine (optional)
1/2 oz Cointreau orange liquer
1 lime wedge
1 splash cranberry juice
1/2 ounce peach puree or juice (preferably white peach)


Pour vodka and cointreau into a shaker. Squeeze in the juice of one wedge of lime. Add peach puree, a splash of cranberry juice, (your Naked Lady, is going to blush now), and shake it, baby , shake it. Strain into a cocktail glass. Mmmmph. Ya'll, February doesn't scare me. Cheers!

Craftaluma 2010 "Craftyville, The Usual Suspects"

Yawwwn, s- t- r- e- t-c - h..... Late winter; time to shrug off the insulating attitudes, peel back the cocoon of winter layers, allow the imagination to roam along the dreamscape that meanders down the cool, blue path to tangerine sunsets. Butterflies, zebras, moonbeams, it's time to plant bulbs for spring fragrance and harvest summer crafty magic, like only the Petaluma Craft Mafia can. Get ready to make a journey to "Craftyville," join the usual and some unusual suspects for Craftaluma 2010!!

The talented creatives that make up the Petaluma Craft Mafia are busy planning our next show! We've got CRAFTALUMA 2010 penciled in on the PCM calendar for JUNE 19th, 2010!! Yaay!

Have you seen the usual suspects of Craftaluma's Craftyville? There's the Church of Craft, spreading the Crafty gospel, (and you know, as the Petaluma Craft Mafia, it's well infiltrated), then there is the river, well, that's where all of our crafty secrets go for a swim. More on that, later. Yes, in Craftyville, your Petaluma Craft Mafia is involved, fighting for craft and giving it a voice. Your crafty famiglia is here, committing craft, living and working in our community, and creating the best craft show in the world. Yes, Craftaluma 2010 is on it's way, and we've got the keys to the town.

Stay posted, stay tuned, and most of all, stay crafty.

Craftaluma's Running with Glitter!!

"Baby, It's cold outside," he said. "Why not warm things up with a little glitter?" she smiled mischieviously. A sprinkle here, a splash, there...
The rumors are true, the whispers are telling.... and finally it seems we've landed in a glitter wonderland. The Petaluma Craft Mafia is launching it's third production, after Craftaluma, Holiday Craftacular, and now we're officially, Craftaluma,"Running with Glitter!!"

We were going to take the year off, but our crafty friends and vendors kept pestering us, so, while we will still do our spring show on May 15th, 2010, we're going to get things warmed up
for the Holidays with a runway and craft show. Whew!

Running with Glitter is hosting some of the best talent locally, and in the north bay. Handmade goodness that will help you with your shopping list and support local artists.
Come on down to the Petaluma Vet's Hall, groove to the live tunes, grab a cupcake, and take-in the glittery fashion show with some of the leading, cutting edge DIY'er designers!
We're gonna have a glitterlicious 'ol time, and the admission to the show is one buck, proceeds benefit the Phoebe Washer Foundation for the Arts.

Psst. Get there early for faboo swag bags!!

Peace, love and glitter,

The Petaluma Craft Mafia

Rocket Orange Launch!!

I'm so very happy that my dear friend Hannah, has decided to take the leap and get creative with her business name. She asked if I would design her logo and identity for her new business, of which I was honored to do. I also knew she'd be a "fun client," and open to all kinds of concepts for her new focus, which is on crafting vintage and vintage inspired jewelry.

After sitting around, probably drinking too much coffee, and discussing how I had used orange in my own identity for Moxieville, she blurted out, "Rocket Orange!!" We both loved it. I'm a copywriter and name junkie, and feel confident I can sniff out a winner or a stinker in seconds. Rocket Orange is so Hannah, positive, energetic, bursting with good deed, thought and creativity outside of the box, that it felt so right to me. I was happy we had determined an independent name for her new vintage jewelry business, that is cheerful, unique and truly her.

Thus, Rocket Orange is launching, and I'm pleased to be working at a ground control center, helping to make that happen for her.

Hannah, plans to open her Etsy Shop and website in the New Year. Her focus has shifted to a more vintage focus with a fresh twist, and I can promise her baubbles and bijoux will be gorgeous!
Stay tuned for more news from Moxie regarding Rocket Orange's release! And be sure to check out her blog here, and tell her "hello."

Petaluma Craft Mafia in Modern Seamster!

Look for Ms. Moxie and the PCM in Issue #3, coming SOON!

Last summer, the Petaluma Craft Mafia were invited to sit down for an exclusive interview with the editorial staff of what is quickly becoming a favorite read for us, Modern Seamster.

It was love at first read; packed full of juicy moxie goodness about sewing, the arts and crafts scene, music, culture, fashion. And of course, we fell in love with the hardworking, hard playing staff (after all, we identified with their spirit, and can do attitude). You might say they had moxie in spades.

They took us to lunch, at a local restaurant here in P-Town, and got a gander at our hometown of Petaluma and were surprised it was so bustling! We enjoy it so much, and came away feeling incredibly inspired by the talent and vision of this new magazine. We are part of a series they are doing on our entire famiglia, the Craft Mafia.

If you haven't checked out Modern Seamster do so now, Issue #2 is just amazing! Amazing, and you will just have to be patient for Issue #3, "The sixties" issue!

Love and Moxie darlings, and a big shout out to Modern Seamster!

Petaluma's Crafty First Family in the press... again!!

"We love our hometown paper, with it's crafty hometown flavor."

-The Petaluma Craft Mafia


We crafty mafiaosa peeps, try to maintain a low-profile, but the darned media, why, they LOVE us! And guess what? We love them back!
We appreciate our hometown newspaper's support of their craft family, the Petaluma Craft Mafia, but the spreading the good cheer to the community of creatives and other crafty folk throughout. I can't tell you how many times articles such as Yovanna's have inspired me to try something new, or get involved in something.

A special shout-out to the Argus Courier's talented journalist, Yovanna Bieberich, editor, Chris Samson and photographer, Nina Zhito, the later of whom had to put with a gaggle of craftyness and a pile of frosted donuts as she climbed, manipulated, moved lights around my kitchen to get a shot of craft in action! Mafiosa mascot and crafty canine, Sweet Georgia adores her, and was so sorry to have missed her this photo shoot.

Support your local newspapers, folks. We need our local news and the people that work so hard to craft a paper for the community. Looky here for the article.

Peace, Love and Glitter!

Your Petaluma Craft Mafia