Happy Birthday Jane Austen

Jane Austen
16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Mr Darcy
From Pride and Prejudice

Maybe this is not the best quote from the book, but it is certainly one of the most romantic Thank you Jane Austen!

Visit the Jane Austen website for more info at http://www.janeausten.org/

Happy Zappadan.. its the most wonderful time of the year!

“I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird.”
Frank Zappa

The festival of Zappadan runs from the date of Frank's death, 12/4, through the date of his birth, 12/21. I did not make this up. You read more about this holiday season from an old post at the blog The Aristocrats

OK, so i do have a Zappa thing, just look at the hair. We were both born at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. His parents were part Italian ....and Catholic. Mine were full blown Italian which requires one to be Catholic too. He too was the oldest child of four and he also had asthma. wheeeeeze gasp... pass that inhaler please.

Frank and his family ended up in San Diego in 1955ish depending on which bio you read. (I eventually moved there in 1981) You can read more about Frank's early career at wiki

It was not just the brilliance of Zappa's music that made me fall in love with him. He was a rebel. Outspoken. Blunt. A genius... a real one with a high IQ. He was a smart bad boy with a sense of humor and an inhaler. Oh take my breath away. And he had no problem being odd, different or weird. He did not even try. I can relate to that- though it took me much longer to accept that about myself. Some of us are just born that way. It pisses some people off, confuses others and stuns the rest. Rest assured, most of us freaks are harmless, just scary to watch or understand.

He was oh so very handsome in that ugly-sexy rock star kind of way too. Of course i think if i ever had kids i would have thought of better names for them than Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. (Diva is a beautiful name without the pigeen muffin.)

So in 1993 Frank Zappa died on my birthday of prostate cancer. (Bill Bixby, of the Courtship of Eddie's Father had just passed away a week before with the same disease.) What a shitty year for good guys. I remember that day vividly, what i wore, ate, drank and the tears. I took it as an omen that it was going to be a very bad year. (And yes it was THE year that sucked- but it also was the year that sparked many big changes in my life- death of my dear friend Edie, the death of a bad marriage, moving to new apartment alone with terrorist cats, a sick dog and starting acupuncture college. And i am certain it sucked much more for the Zappa family.)

It has been 18 years since all that has transpired. My terrorist cat will be 19 in April. I can't even believe how old i am today. I feel young inside. Old in my joints. My inhaler is still in my purse, tho since moving to Virginia away from the coal dust of Salem, i no longer need to puff on it as much. So..when i learned of the holiday season known as Zappadan started on my birthday a few years ago, i took it once again as an omen, but this time as a good one.

So today i will floss, not eat yellow snow and celebrate my weirdness. It's my birthday and i'll floss if i want to. (yes i did live in Montana for 9 months too!)

Thank you Frank!

Happy Birthday Divine Miss M!

Happy Birthday Bette Midler!
Thank you for your sense of humor and outrageous talent!

Visit Bette's website at www.bettemidler.com

Magical Earrings Arrive on Planet Calamari Etsy

See more fairies, devas and angels on the Planet Calamari Etsy Shoppe

Free shipping on Cyber Monday. Use code CYBERMONDAY11 when checking out.

Wishing you and your loved ones a magical holiday season!

Support your local indy business!

For art to wear, greeting cards and gifts you will never find at Walmart or the mall please visit the Planet Calamari Art Shoppes


And do you really need to stand in line at midnight to shop at Walmart after Thanksgiving dinner for a bunch of imported crap from China?

Happy 83rd Birthday Mickey Mouse!

"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing...
that it was all started by a mouse."
—Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954

It was love at first sight the very first time i saw Mickey Mouse. Those ears, the gloves .... and the voice. What is it about him that makes him so special? Well first off he is so graphically correct. All those circles perfectly drawn into a jovial mouse. Very simple. Maybe almost zen? Therapy via cartoons.

I think Mickey Mouse's birthday should be a national holiday, with pay. Put on your mouse ears and sing along with the Mickey Mouse Club

Learn more about this infamous mouse at wikipedia

50% Off Blowout Planet Calamari Zazzle Shop

Friday November 18th 4 Hour Blowout Sale

Visit http://www.zazzle.com/planetcalamari

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Get a jump on your holiday shopping on Mickey Mouse's birthday. Unique designs inspired by acupuncture, Eastern Philosophy, Yoga, Meditation, and whimsical characters. Featuring the new Screaming Uterus Collection for ladies only.

Use code: FFHSHUGEDEAL is applied at checkout on or before November 18, 2011 4:01pm PT.

Happy Holidays- no matter which ones you celebrate from Planet Calamari Art Galleria featuring one of a kind art by artist/acupuncturist jeanie mossa.

Happy Happy Hysterectomy Greeting Cards

Is your uterus screaming? Painful menses? Hysterectomy scheduled? Ovarian cysts? You won't find a Hallmark card for those symptoms! On Planet Calamari we share your pain and have designed art for you and your uterus.

To see more cards,gifts and shoes for the menopausal woman visit the Planet Calamari's Screaming Uterus Collection on Zazzle.

Happy Blog for Peace Day!

Feliz Dia de Los Muertos!

Click for Day of the Dead info

Sages Artists and Lunatics

"Those people who recognize that the imagination is reality's master we call sages, and those who act upon it we call artists or lunatics." - Tom Robbins

New Planet Calamari Products on Zazzle!

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Planet Calamari Moving Sale

The Planet Calamari Etsy Shop is getting ready for the big move to Honville, Merryland with a Giant Squid sale and free shipping.

It's Christmas in July, Hon!

Visit our shop at www.etsy.com/shop/PlanetCalamari Please use the code Honville for free shipping when checking out.

Take 10% off anything at the Skinny Legs & All Vintage Boutique with the code MOVINGhon.

I will be journaling our moving adventures to Merryland in the Honville Chronicles blog.

Don't you just love that U-Haul dedicated a truck to the Giant Squid!

as of 9/23/11
CHANGE OF PLAN! Moving to the Washington DC/Virginia area instead!

Swan Messages Land on Derby Wharf Salem

While walking my dog tonight out on Derby Wharf, i ran across a few old friends that i had not seen since my birthday two years ago. I had wondered where they had been these past few years and so hoping to see them before we left Salem. What a joy to see that they now have a new addition to their family.... a fluffy swanette.

Usually i pull an Animal Medicine tarot card each day to see what animal spirit guide is with me. Its been a tradition for about 20 years. The cards never lie. Sometimes i will pick the same one over and over - no matter how much i shuffle them, which can be quite annoying. Especially if it is the Ant card... which means Be patient! Not one of my virtues.

However, lately i have just been leaving it up to the Universe to send me a live message. On a good day a hawk will hide in our evergreen tree and look into our window. Or a dragonfly will buzz by my head. A monarch butterfly will take a walk with me or land on my shoulder. This winter a fox ran down Derby Street and stared me down. (Kind of sounds like a John Prine song) Other days i just get flocks of seagulls or worse.... a trail of ants. Hoping for a wolf to appear would just flip out the neighborhood.

This week i asked the Universe for a sign. I needed a BIG sign. .... S.O.S.
And never doubt the Universe when it sends in the swans! What a magical omen. I am grateful.

"Swan... The power of woman Entering Sacred Space,
Touching future Yet to come, Bringing eternal grace"
The Medicine Cards

The Native Americans believe that Swan fell into the Dream-time pond by accident. A Dragonfly came flying by and said "Swan, that is the doorway to the other planes of imagination. If you want to enter there you would have to ask permission to earn the right."

Swan was not sure and asked the Dragonfly what she needed to do. He replied, "You must be willing to accept whatever the future holds as it is presented, without trying to change Great Spirit's plan."

Swan looked at her little ugly duckling body and answered, " I will be happy to abide by Great Spirit's plan. I won't fight the currents of the black hole. I will surrender to the flow of the spiral and trust what i am shown."





Dragonfly was pleased with the Swan's answer and spun magic to break the spell of the pond's illusion. Suddenly Swan was engulfed by whirling water in the center of the pond. Many days later Swan appeared ... and now she was graceful, white and long necked. Dragonfly was stunned and asked, "Swan what has happened to you?"

Swan smiled and said, "I learned to surrender my body to the power of the Great Spirit and was taken to future lives. Because of my acceptance i have been changed. I learned to accept the stat of grace."

Swan medicine teaches us to be at one with all planes of consciousness and to trust in Great Spirit's protection. Go with the flow! Relax- life will be easier.

So- i guess i need to chill out. Surrender Dorothy. Trust that it will all be OK and
Jump - because the net will appear.

Rumor has it we are jumping in the fall. I hope to be graceful, much calmer and have a decent haircut by then.

Coming Soon to the Planet Calamari Etsy Shop

Just a preview of what will be listed soon on the
Planet Calamari Etsy Shoppe as soon as i have time!

Happy Birthday Frida Kahlo!

I hope the end is joyful, and I hope never to return."
— Frida Kahlo


Frida Kahlo de Rivera (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954)
born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón
Read the Wiki on Frida click here

Through the Looking Glass Dale Chihuly at the MFA

Happy Birthday Paul Gauguin

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin
7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903

Happy Birthday Buddha!

poetry festival invades salem ma

This weekend the Poetry Festival of MA is being held in Salem. As i lay here on my heating pad on the couch with a few cats and a dog i thought i would post something from one of my favorite poets, ee cummings. Because of his influence, , i received a B in English by Sister Mary Hildagard, aka bucky beaver for not using capital letters when signing my name! Needless to say my parents were not pleased with my refusal to cooperate and get an A. (It was worth it!)

i carry your heart with me
e e cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

edward estlin cummings

All Wired Up And No Place To Go....

It almost feels like summer. The snow is melted and it is possible to walk the beach collecting shells and sea glass. In a perfect world i would sit on the beach at Winter Island, soaking in the sun, the sea breeze and that wonderful ocean air while crocheting.

My latest addiction is crocheting with wire. Here are a few pieces with sea shells, recycled beads and freshwater pearls.







Made with love and magic in my Planet Calamari Studio located in Salem MA. See more art to wear at the

Art to Wear for the Budget Conscience Soul

It seems that May and June always seem to be filled with weddings, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and other gift bearing holidays. Gift giving in this economy can be a stressful thing. Most of us would like to give something meaningful at a reasonable price. (Gifts from the evil land of Walmart just do not seem special!)

With that in mind,i have decided to create a line of jewelry for the budget conscience consumer. Most of these pieces have been created using recycled and upcycled beads and baubles, which help to keep the prices down. Some of the jewelry i have been making this past week are from beads i have been holding on to for 20 years. I finally went up to my ghost ridden attic and am ready to let go of my stash of vintage beads. (I hope the ghosts do not mind.)



More pieces will be added over the next week. Here is just a sneak peek.



For more Budget Conscience Art to Wear for the Bohemian Soul click here!

..........i surrender!

Today is the 18th anniversary of my dear friend Edie's passing. It was Edie who brought me to a Chinese doctor who gave me acupuncture and stinky herbs for my damaged lungs. She was the catalyst that changed everything in my life at that time. Giving up doing art for a living, going to acupuncture college, a divorce, moving, moving and more moving! I will be eternally grateful for her friendship and her wisdom. And like every anniversary of a friend's passing it makes me ponder things like ....what the hell am i doing? Life is precious. Time to live, laugh and love.

I often wonder when whoever is running the big show in the sky- whether it is GOD, The Goddess, the Universe, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, fill in the blank with your favorite Deity______. Whoever it is does He/She/It look down at us and think "Boy did I create some stupid humans or what?"

Maybe life really would not be so hard if we just paid attention to those little messages or signs sent to us. That billboard that reminds you to breathe. The song on the radio with that perfect message about a current situation. A bluebird sitting on your window sill. Your stomach hurts every time you walk into your cubicle at work. A friend suddenly passes away shaking up your entire belief system.

I find that whenever i try to force something to happen it either backfires or creates chaos. However on those days that i just allow life to just be without any effort it flows. Things happen in unexpected ways. So why is it so hard to just trust that everything will be OK? Who was the first human who discovered the power of worrying? Is it hereditary? Days like this i just want to stay home and watch the Wizard of Oz and eat twizzlers.

Perhaps the Wicked Witch of the west was just trying to tell Dorothy- STOP TRYING SO HARD... with her Surrender Dorothy sky message. Then again, none of us were sad when we all learned you could melt a witch with a bucket of water. (Need to test this theory out next halloween - i wonder if it works on warlocks with big egos?)

Dorothy always had the power to go back to Kansas. She could have clicked those ruby slippers in the beginning had she just believed. Of course- i never understood why she would choose to return to a monochromatic home to live with a mean aunt and uncle who tried to get rid of her dog.

I always wished for a sequel to the Wizard of Oz. Hoping that Auntie Em or Uncle Henry got the nerve to throw a bucket of water on Mrs Gulch. Maybe Dorothy started a dog walking business or became a motivational speaker on the power of belief.... and that the use of color was finally discovered in Kansas.

I invite everyone to surrender today... do something fun and foolish.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day. Please take the day to be nice to our one and only planet.

"The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
— Chief Seattle

Visit the Planet Calamari Etsy shop for one of a kind art to wear made with recycled baubles at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PlanetCalamari

Bye Bye Birdie SALE at Planet Calamari

Happy Easter.
Happy Spring Cleaning.
Happy Sun enters Taurus.
Happy soon Mercury will no longer be retrograde!

I found a new addiction- crocheting with wire and will soon be debuting my latest art to wear pieces. Meanwhile it is time to do some spring cleaning at the Planet Calamari Etsy shop. All bird nest pendants are now marked down. A few other earrings have also been reduced. Please visit the shop and look for the SALE.

more nests...

Silver and copper wire with New Jade Serpentine beads.

Silver and copper wire with green marble beads.
This was a special request order.

Green turquoise beads with silver and copper wire.

Planet Calamari Etsy Shop for more nests and art to wear. 18% off all items through Saturday morning to celebrate our CEO, Zevo Calamari's birthday. Use the code ZEVO18 checking out.

Celebrating Zevomas!

It is Zevomas here at Planet Calamari! April 14th marks the 18th birthday of Zevo hussein Calamari, founder of the infamous Pooses for Peace and CEO of Planet Calamari!

Hard to believe that this part siamese, tonkinese mix has been with me for 18 years. Longer than any relationship i have ever had!

Zevo was born in Escondido California under the bed of my dear friend Edie about 10 days before she passed away from a long bout of cancer. Zevo and her sister, Baby Pig (who has since passed away) came home to live with me, 3 German Shepherds, 2 cockatiels and another scruffy being we will not mention! This was the very first time i had ever had cats.

Zevo has been cooperative moving with me on my various escapades to Hillcrest San Diego, Toronto, Newton MA and now Salem MA. Who knows where we will all end up next...

For 18 years she has been by my side through all the various changes, ups, downs and absurdities in life. There is never a dull moment living with this Queen of Snark. Zevo is always ready to vocalize exactly how she feels and bites when the need arises. (You can follow her adventures by visiting her blog wwwzevocalamari.blogspot.com


Thank you Miss Zevo hussein Calamari for the love and constant entertainment you have given us. We love you!


To celebrate the life of this extraordinary feline and CEO of Planet Calamari, we will be offering 18% off all items at the Planet Calamari Etsy Shop on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Please use the code ZEVO18 when checking out.!

What Kind of Civilization Shuts Down Art?

It's Friday and i am feeling snarky. It has been a long week. I am grateful that i do not have TV or else i would be glued to it watching CSPAN or worse CNN and throwing things at it. It is annoying just to read the latest Google headlines or if tempted to visit the Huffington Post

I am in awe at the stupidity of our elected officials. Here we are ... on the brink of the government shutting down because it has spent way too much money in the past on an illegal and unnecessary war, then the bailing out of the greedy bastards on Wall Street (who then congratulated themselves with million dollar bonuses) and a Congress who can vote on a pay raise each year. Not to mention take several vacations, paid insurance and other benefits the common citizen is not privy to.

And what do these buffoons want to cut? Well besides things like women's health which is an entirely new blog topic for another day- they want to cut ART. Funding for things such as PBS, Sesame Street, Art museums, the Boston Symphony, Art education, Dance and more.

Art is one the planets oldest and dearest treasures. Every great civilization honored art and its artists. I believe the key word here is great. Those cultures who cared nothing about art, music or literature that were based on war and power collapsed. Not a pretty sight.

If we take away the arts what will this nation become? Can you imagine a monochromatic life filled with nothing but work, reality TV and war? Maybe NSCAR races and football. (And mandatory church meetings.) I bet House Speaker John Boehner's idea of art is a velvet painting of Elvis and dogs playing poker.



And those GOP folks must know that even Jesus loved art. Well he seemed to featured in so many famous paintings so it must be good. Right? Just look at the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. It's filled with art. Holy art.

The arts create jobs and boost the economy. Just think what happens when Jimmy Buffett comes to town. He sells out in less than 15 minutes. I know- i have tried several years in a row holding 2 cell phones while on 2 computers in hope of scoring 2 tickets.

So in a matter of minutes, Jimmy is boosting sales for Ticketmaster who hires a ton of people. Margarita and tequila sales are up. The Party Shop sells out of coconut bras and grass skirts. Extra security is brought on for the concert. People are hired to sell t-shirts, whirlygigs and drinks at the show. CDs are sold. Hawaiian shirts, sunglasses and flip flop sales go through the roof. Buffett wanna-bees buy guitars and take lessons. Corona beer becomes popular again. Those walking around with illegal smiles buy Doritos and munchies.

People are happy, dancing and spending money and some are earning money. And this is just a Buffett concert. I have no idea what kind of impact something like CATS on Broadway has on the economy of the city it is playing!

Watch Kevin Spacey defend the arts! click here

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How about cutting the salaries of everyone in the senate, congress, lobbyists and over paid government officials to start off with? Make them pay for their own insurance, planes, trains, stamps, limos, phones and benefits. Let's stop wasting money on things like the Bridge to Nowhere, the Big Dig, and whatever they do with all that corn they throw away. OK- so how money did we save so far? Anyone have a calculator?

OK... next up on the list to cut... WAR - hmmm! ugh..what is it good for... AbsoLUTEly nothing. So let's send the bad guys some crayolas, paint and paper. Maybe throw in some clay and beads. Way more fun than shot em up. Way cheaper and safer for our troops. All we are saying is Give Art a Chance. Too bad old GWB didn't think of that option first. And i am sad that Obama backed down on his promise to end the madness.

So let's stop giving away stuff to people who are mooches. Yes- it is politically incorrect to say it...but i will. If you are on welfare then you need to prove that you cannot work. And take a mandatory drug test. I realize not everyone on welfare is scamming the system- but we all know there is a lot of waste. If you have a shiny new car parked out in front of your house, then i want to know how i work the equivalent of 2 jobs and still drive an 11 year old VW bug? Even without a calculator there is something just not adding up here! So let's clean that big mess up. OK... what number are we up to now?

More things to cut from the budget. No more bail outs to Wall Street. Let them dig themselves out of the hole next time. Perhaps the money would have been better spent on things like education or just divide the money up and send every US citizen a check. Some of them may even buy things like.... food or pay rent or save their homes from being foreclosed.

OK... has anyone added up what we are saving yet? Let's see if we can make some money too for the government.

Let's make the corporations pay real taxes. Not fake ones. No more kick backs for the oil companies and the evil conglomerates. Pay up! Come on we all know you have it. That should make a big bundle of cash right away.

Let's make churches pay taxes. Yep- they make a profit. Let them pay. No need for Father O'Greedy to be driving a Mercedes. Just like there is no need for the Pope to wear red Prada shoes. Crazy Reverend Pat Robertson's church is rolling in money. And what about those insane Westboro Baptist Church freaks that protest at military funerals? Now that could pay for the arts right there!



Have i left anyone out? Do we have enough money yet? Well if you think of more ways feel free to add them in the comments!

And even though this is not related to art- i really want to know who will feed the animals at the National Zoo if the government does shut down. Are they going to just put vending machines in their cages during that time?

And do i have to mail in my tax check to the IRS if nobody is there?


Here is my STAT team Etsy homework for the week:

'Art Shines Through even if the government shuts down STAT Team Treasury' by PlanetCalamari

With the looming threat of the US government shutting down arts and the rights of women i was inspired to find work by STAT team members that let their light shine though as a beacon of hope. With or without government support we will always be creating art. All we are saying... is give ART a chance!Please spread the Etsy love by commenting and sharing.

Limited edition, fr... shantellrae $15.50	Spring Welcoming Cr... grundyluks $25.00	El regalo postcard Toshisworld $4.00	Art Print - Mona Li... artandwares $188.00
Mosaic Whale with F... trinasclaycrea... $25.00	Accidental Poetry M... kaerl $8.00	Iced Pineapple and ... bubbletub $3.00	Turquoise Necklace ... HartAndBloom $29.00
Chrystal Visions Ea... TatteredMare $15.95	Gold crowned Coral ... FlawlessArt $98.00	Getty Villa Arches shyphotog $10.00	Two Double Helix ... Puppycatmeow $102.00
moonbeam fairy pill... bohemianblue $65.00	Atlas Charm Bracele... awesleydesigns $33.50	good karma dog coll... PetCollage $21.00	Waist Length Coral ... wulfgirl $72.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.