Hello–I'd like to interrupt this blog to introduce myself.  I'm Hilary, otherwise known as the Bunny with a Toolbelt, and I'll be sitting in on the GladRags Blog for the next few months.  Brenda wanted me to tell you a little bit about myself, so I'll start with a piece I made over a decade ago that fits right into the conversations here. I made this piece in 1987 when I found a call for entries for a show in New Orleans called "Feminine Products," which immediately triggered the idea for this piece, which I lovingly called the "Giant Tampon Punching Bag."  It came out of a monthly frustration at the high price of disposable menstrual pads and tampons.  The bag was the full size of a regulation punching bag, and hung from a large rope.  The boxing gloves were covered with images of dollar bills.  It was a simple, humorous idea, like much of my student work. The giant tampon is long gone, but my artwork carries on.  Most recently, I have been focusing on a line of wood animals and wedding cake toppers I sell on Etsy, a fabulous online marketplace for handmade goods.  You can see my shop by clicking here.  Here's an image of one of my favorite pieces, a red bird sitting on an elephant's back.  My sculptures are made entirely from reclaimed wood, gleaned from woodworkers' scrap bins or a local business in Portland called the ReBuilding Center, who is able to salvage up to 90% of a building before demolition and sell it back to the public at a great price, not to mention the benefits of saving it from the landfill. I love to write, and I feel strongly about the great products that GladRags makes, so I'll be checking in from time to time to let you in on what I'm thinking about.  Thanks for listening and I'll be back soon!