*Finally*

After not having the...time, inclination, wherewithal, energy, juice...take your pick, I finally did something creative today. I had stashed away my maternal grandmother's locket for quite awhile and found it again last week.

I wanted to do something other than just wear it on a chain or a ribbon, so today, I got out my never-before-actually-used-successfully-by-me Tricord Knotter. Since this locket has such a beautiful rosy gold hue, I decided to use garnet beads and pearls on a white cord. I am pleased with the results.

This locket is only one of two things that survived my grandmother's death. It contains the only photo I have of her as she was as a young woman. I'm guessing that it dates back to the very late 1800's, given that she wasn't yet 40 when she passed away. I've always known that I wanted to incorporate pearls but wasn't sure until today how.

I still have to add the clasp, but that means that I have to *find* the clasps first. There's always tomorrow...

Remiss again

It's not that I forget to post...it's that I've been needing a poke to do so lately. So thank you Eric for the email.

I haven't had much time recently for being creative...lots of things happening on the home front. More work on my house, some financial woohas and looking for a *gulp* job. Preferably something i can do right here, but I'm not holding out much hope right now. Ethel apparently needs some work _again_ and hopefully, it will work for my friend Mark to come and do so tomorrow.

It hasn't been all unfun however, I'm knitting a nice girly tank top for my kid (well, hardly a kid anymore) friend Aubrey. She now lives in Florida and hardly has a need for wool socks, hat and mittens, so it's something she can wear there. She's in love and discovering that it's fun dressing like a girl, so after this tank top is done, I'm sewing a skirt for her to wear with it. I have a little over a week to finish both, but the front and back of the tank top are done and just need the shoulder straps and the finish on both the neck edge and armholes. The skirt....piece o cake with my mad sewing machine skillz. I found this lovely silky sarong-y fabric in my stash, that is gorgeous with the green of the tank top and her mum assures me that orange is her new favorite color.

A girl after my own (orange) heart!

I'm backing up all my files for this 'puter work coming up so I'd best get back to it!

The back of my altered cd

Someone from the arttechniques group asked how I finished off the back of my cd's so I thought I'd post the scan and supply an explaination.

I covered the back with cardstock, by liberally applying a glue stick to the cd and burnishing on a circle I'd cut. I read a hint somewhere to cut the circle larger than the cd and cut it down to get a good fit and I have to say...it worked like a dream.

The transparency is a short history of my family moving to the US and how they came to be in Iowa. I found a font (gothenburg) that reminded me of old family documents, downloaded and installed it, typed the document in MS Word, translated it in babelfish, copy/pasted back into my Word document and voila'! I printed it out, cut more circles, used a little liquid adhesive just to hold the transparency in place and then used copper tape (for soldering stained glass etc) to finish the edge.

The label was simply typed up in the gothenburg font and adhered with the copper tape again. It's part of the definition for the word 'relic' and also says..."a bit of soil, a forgotten key, some photos and a last name". Although it's difficult to see, that is a photo of my mother taken from their wedding portrait.

...and now, for something completely different...

These are 2 APCs (artist postcards) that I created a couple of years ago, but I still like them lots and need to make a set for me. Still using family photos and transparencies. I do have in mind some more experiments, like using tranparencies for image transfer. But work first, play later.

Saturday AM

After waking at the @sscrack of day, I'm here at puter, at work still, after more than 3 hours. I've been compiling various de-stashing lists so I don't tear at my hair because I can't find what I'm looking for, printing those lists so I can make sure they are up-to-date, creating an online calendar to remind of when I can advertise on various yahoo groups, making lists to battle the "shiny things" monster and hopefully help keep focus, updating blogs, trying very hard not to get lost looking at other blogs, considering the future, no matter how bright nor dim it may be.

Life at its best, eh?

Oh and I've decided that I've cultivated horrible keyboarding habits. Such as not capitalizing, using weird made-up sandiwords, not seriously paying attention to little things like punctuation. I'm a smart woman, it's time to start *looking* like one online. I'm still me, just working at being me better.

I may have to have my favorite editor peer in here every once in awhile to beat my @ss if necessary.

altered cds

These were made for a fatbook I signed up for in one of my yahoo groups. It's a fatbook with the theme "Relics". I had something else entirely in mind to do for this, but I just couldn't make it work.

I decided to look up the word 'relic' and it sparked this idea. I printed these main photos of my greatgrandparents on our farm (circa late 1800's) on transparency. I found a nice grungy cardstock to cover the cd and then applied the transparency. I did a similar process for the back.

The photos in the slide holder are of my parents from their wedding photograph (circa 1937). The paper covering the holder is a brief family history that I wrote, translated into German (thanks to babelfish) and copy/pasted into MSword using the 'gothenburg' font. I then printed it out on old parchment paper. (old cos *I'm* old and I got it when was in high school).

The vial holds some soil from the farm and the key is an old skeleton key from my vast collection. The fibers are from an even vast-er collection.

ok so...

life goes on. moods swing. it gets hot, then cold, then rainy. i still have a hard time with focus. i still am battling depression. it's all old news.

the new news...i take myself far too seriously. *bangs head on desk* i think i may be the last person to recognize that. d'oh.

ok so...i might seriously muse. but now...posting art work!

*ahem*

princess katiepie gave me a poke today. she feared that since there were no recent posts, that life has gone a bit sour. again.

never fear, i've just been working on STUFF. all kinds of stuff. getting ready to garden stuff. reading blogs stuff. art stuff. business plan stuff. how to not get distracted by shiny things stuff.

it also appears that it really *is* spring. WHOPPPEEEEE! there, i got it out of my system. WHOOOPPPEEEEEEEE! oops, i lied.

i'm also trying to figure out how best to get my web presence best together. i have a blog *here* and photos *there* and artwork for trading *over yonder* and then there's always the stuff to sell.

oh yes. i hate ebay. it's official as of the day i got my monthly billing from them. not sure exactly how it happened, but almost HALF of what i made my first month goes back to them. i'm thinking that i'm only going to use them to sell fibers by the yard, cos it *is* easier to do there than anywhere else i can think of. i have X yards and you can buy y amount right now. otherwise, for artwork, (jewelry, fiber, knitting) i know what i need to make. on ebay i might get it, but i'm thinking it's much more likely that i'll *actually* get a sale through etsy.com.

i dunno. life is complicated. and it's spring. WHOOPPPPEEEEEE!

oh.

*ahem*

realizations

i keep thinking that i have a problem with time management. i don't really. what i have a real problem with is distraction. as in "oh look! something shiny!"

it seems to begin simply enough...i go looking for something i need to complete a current project. i run across something i was looking for yesterday/last week/last year and put that aside. then i find something that would work nicely with the first set aside bit and i have a brill idea brewing. then i have to stop completely to run and fetch my sketchbook to make sure i get all the swirly bits down (apparently, so they don't leak out my ears). then while i'm in the sketchbook i happen to page past something that i r*e*a*l*l*y wanted to try yesterday/last week/last year and decide that i need to look for x/y/z to make sure i can get that down next.

"oh look! something shiny" and it's next tuesday and i can't imagine where the last two days went.

but i know where all the shiny things live...

unavoidable absence

last saturday, i was sitting here at the ethelpooter doing some work, when felt my knee starting to swell. odd. not only swell, but got quite hot. when i tried to get up, i found that it wouldn't bend out of the sitting position. when i tried to walk, intense pain radiated up into my hip and lower back and down to my ankle.

oh oh.

i have a pinched nerve in my back that occasionally flares. so, after a few days flat out, a massage with a tiny woman who possesses pointy elbows, flu like symptoms after, i'm better now, thank you.

follow up appointment with sheryl today. hopefully, she'll leave her elbows at home.

thing is, being flat on my back for a few days certainly gave me alot of time to think and reflect. and i think i may have figured out some things...i'll try to share them as one cohesive ramble per post.

later though. i have to take a shower.

a long day

with little sleep i might add. it must be spring fever. i can't seem to turn off my brain at night and i have to say...i haven't felt this creative for a long time. it's rather nice.

my goddaughter sara was here with both of her girls today and we pitched ourselves a play day. i had a small crate of ATC jams sitting here (and has been for over a year) so we worked on them all, added our art and now i have to get them ready to send on. along with more new jams for people to art up. it was fun, but a bit stressful with the girls...especially the baby. she's at *that* stage. i tell her all the time that it's a good thing that i love her cos i don't like her very much right now. at any rate...

after they left (and i had some quiet time) i did the final edit on my digital album pages, rendered and printed them. i learned more lessons today like...don't try to print 21 pages at the same time. the rendering and sending to the printer takes twice FOREVER. but i am still pleased...so much so that i've started another digialbum. i'm starting to think that when i F*I*N*A*L*L*Y get all of my printed pictures scrapped, i may not do hands on with my digitals. this is just too fast and much nicer pages than i would take the time to do normally. i always say that i can do the really fancy nice pages that you see in scrapbooking mags...i just can't justify the time. i can if i do them digitally.

i also started working with PS today too. a bit more daunting then my scrapbooking software, but still doable.

i have about a zillion ideas for ATCs...and i'd best stop thinking about it or i won't sleep again tonight...

still blown away

i completed 21 digital pages today. the tattoo album is done. i think one more look with fresh eyes tomorrow for the detailed details and i'm printing it. hope i have enough glossy photo paper. yup, i do...guess it pays to buy in bulk. but it will be time to restock.

now that i'm getting my brave on, i figured out another mystery today...how to do movies with my digital camera. and by damn, i did. sara's babies were here tonight and isabel and i were on the couch playing. she was soooooo tired and just giggling helplessly and it was too cute. i'm surprised at the quality of the movie. honestly, i've seen movies done with actual digital camcorders that didn't look as good.

so i guess my newest passion will be to make films to embarrass the girls. gawd, it's good to be the godmother.

pleasant surprise

wow. i'm still blown away. i spent a few hours today building a digital scrapbook. i am quite surprised that it was as much fun as it was and i liked it. I LIKED IT. i've had this memory mixer software for months...maybe close to a year (that's what i get for watching QVC late at night with credit card close at hand).

i piddled with it a bit initially, decided that it probably wasn't for me as i like texture too much. i like the feel of good cardstock under my fingers. the smooth texture of the photos, the way it feels as i build the layers.

but i guess my real enjoyment is the act of creation. AND i completed 12 pages in the time it would have taken me to do less than half that much. i still have to print, but i'll do that when i'm done. i have prolly 10 pages left and some more journaling. and then AND THEN i sent it off to Somerset Memories. not entirely sure how i am going to bind it yet, but i think i'll just wait till the pages are done. nothing is so close to the edge that i can't use either the rollabind or the coil machine or perhaps...profession binding.

we shall see.

ahhh

on feeling productive

not sure that i got a lot done today, but i sure feel productive. working still at 'puter files, trying to delete and organize. also did some digital scrapbooking. woot! kinda fun once i got passed being frustrated at not knowing the software. luckily, the company that produces the software has tutorials online, so i used those to find my way around.

i'm working at a couple of submissions for Somerset Memories. they have ongoing calls for both digital work and a category called "tattoos and all", scrapbooking that's more than just happy babies and squirming puppies. (not that there is anything wrong with babies and puppies. i have scrapbbooked my share of both). but this is the real gut stuff...working through sometimes unpleasant issues et al. so i'm working on a digital scrapbook of my tattoos.

i'm doing the pages in the order that i got the ink, trying along the way to reconstruct the time frame. i'm also explaining the significance of the symbols i chose, something i may not get into with people.

i must admit, i didn't think i would find working digitally to be fun...after all there is no cardstock or paper running through my fingers.

when the scrapbook is done and the pages printed and embellished, i think i shall scan them into a .pdf so i can share.

stay tuned.

on time and time management

time is not my friend. it seems either that i have too much time or not enough. right now, it's not enough.

i have *so* many ideas. i can and do fill sketchbooks with them but never get back to anything cos i'm on to more. i wish i could just sell my ideas. but i love creating just as much if not more then simply coming up with the idea.

i still struggle with the whole time management issue too. how does one successfully combine being an artist with being a businessperson? cos you can't be successful at either without marrying them both. the only real marketing i can do right now seems to be the guerilla kind. posting on groups, posting on more groups, generating ebay listings. and that all takes time.

i need to get to the point that i can hire someone, even part time to do this stuff for me. but i can't help but think that in this venture, i need to do it all and i need to figure out how to do it all. preferably so i can hire someone to do it for me. a circle in a circle in a circle...

on forgetfulness

yup. sat down and totally forgot what i was going to write about. d'oh. i think i'm finally passed the complete and total frustration with my forgetfulness. i used to really stress about it, but i find that if i take a deep breath and look away, i can usually remember.

i lost the word 'adjustment' today. knew what i wanted to say, knew there was a word for it. ah well, at least it wasn't a word like table or some such.

knitted a bit, screwed around on my puter trying to re-organize photos, graphics, photo shoots et al, so i can burn stuff to disk and start all over again. i did find that i have saved several copies of alot of stuff, however, that means that i have to look through stuff one at a time and rely upon my swiss cheese brain to remember what i've seen. i was able to toss a bunch of .jpgs and photos, so the clean up is a good thing.

oh and i made a pot o killer chili and banana nut muffins today too. sometimes, living an artful life includes domestic duties...i'll have to think on that for awhile. i had been able to avoid that stuff...

tangerine dream

i dreamt...

that i and some friends were approaching the graduation ceremony from our spiritual school. we were all happy and excited, that we had made friends from the beginning and we all made it to the end.

the monks took us to a huge building...HUGE...easily covering several square blocks in the warehouse part of town. the building was old brick, but it looked like it had been well kept.

the monks took us in and immediately we were faced with a massive old elevator that took us to the top floor several stories up. the ride seemed oddly smooth and fast and when we arrived, the monks explained that this was our test...to simply get back to the ground floor. when we looked around us, we saw long hallways filled with strong wooden doors.

the catch was that the elevator not only went up and down but from front to back and side to side, never coming back to the same door twice. the test no longer seemed so simple to me.

the monks blessed us and left and we decided as a group that it was all for one and one for all...we all passed or we all failed. so we each struck out in a different direction and began to open doors. door after door opened to darkness. door after door opened to nothing.

i opened a door, expecting again darkness, when to my surprise, it was the elevator and on board was an old wizened man who motioned for me to follow him. when i called for my friends, the old man shook his head sadly and the elevator left just as my friends were arriving.

tough luck for us all and we all went our separate ways again. this cycle repeated 3 times until finally my friends jeered and said that i was just trying to get attention. i felt so sad...i knew the way...i just couldn't make them see.

the next time i found the elevator and the old man, i did nothing except step into the elevator. the old man never said a word, just lead me from door to door and down and down until i reached the bottom floor. whem i turned to thank him...he was gone.

the monks rejoiced and blessed me again and we all walked away to celebrate.

on finishing projects

is it that i fall so madly in love with what i make that i can't bear to finish? is it that i just like the body of the work and don't like the details? no...that can't be it...i'm fanatical about details. i'm trying to finish the bag i started with the frogged recycled silk bag and i swear i've frogged the handles all the way through grindhouse and if you've seen it, you know that it's 191 minutes....that a tad over 3 hours!

bah. and bah again. and instead of finishing i'm sitting here.

it's been a bad day. feeling pretty low. i've been tired since i dragged butt outta bed.

i'm everso glad that i get to have another chance at a better day tomorrow.

it's a wabi sabi life

before yesterday, i had a vague notion of what "wabi sabi" meant. mostly, i think, in reference to how to decorate my home. yesterday, i did a pretty thorough search on the term for a swap that i want to join.

i figured i'd better have a better idea...turns out, i live a wabi sabi life.


All things are impermanent
All things are imperfect
All things are incomplete


i must have had some inkling because i had a skeleton tattooed on my arm. in his hand, is flame and the kanji for "heavenly fire". i've had so many people ask about that tattoo in particular...lots of people seem to think it's "gross", but it so completely and simply bears the message that "this too shall pass".

being impermanent, imperfect and incomplete is such a wonderful invitation to change.

paper, cardstock and ink

today, i decided to frog the stuff i don't like and i spent the day making ATCs. i did the majority of the work on 50 and had designs for about 35 - 40 more. all i have left to do is to embellish and scan them. some are for group swaps and some are for straight trades.

i feel rather accomplished. and guilty. i'm going to have to double time tomorrow to get more ebay listings done and listed. oy. and i have 2 drawers full of fibers to scan and list too. and business cards to make.

but it was SUCH fun to get inky fingers again.