Ticking Down

Busy working on the Chickie's birthday party.  I went and met with the General Manager of Osaka, the restaurant at which I want to hold the party, on Wednesday.  I got a tour and ended up booking the night for eleven of us.  I also sent out reminder Emails to those who had not responded so that I could either add them or tell them about the procedure to send me a card for her.  Now I'm just thinking about decorations and the logistics.  I'll have to go back at least once to measure the chairs and see if I can craft a quick tombstone (or two or three) for chair decoration.  I'm operating on a short budget, so it's important that I get this together. 

Temps will be in the 30's (F) on Sunday morning
so I'll be pretty cold until the sun really hits. 

I got the flourishes painted around the hood of my cloak yesterday and will heat-set those this morning before I leave for the shop.  I need to attach the closures and I can get at least one set attached before I open the shop this morning and the other two tonight.  It will be COLD on Sunday morning.  The cloak is wool, but it's light-weight wool.  However, it will be some help against the cold.  I think I will probably add beads to it at some point, but I know I have no time to do so before Sunday.  My time is too compressed. 

King Crab legs - yummy!  I'll have a nice
anniversary (several weeks late) after all!

We went to the grocer last night and picked up their latest flyer.  They are having a BOGO (buy one and get one free) on large king crab legs.  These things are HUGE and with this offer are selling for approx $11/pound.  DH owes me an anniversary dinner so we decided that he will buy crab for our dinner tonight and I will do Italian on Monday night instead of my usual Saturday.  I'm looking forward to it already.  DH always laughs at me when I eat crab.  I take FOREVER to eat it, but I enjoy it SO much.  I hope I'm busy at the shop today so I don't think of my crab dinner ALL day. 

Accomplishments

I had a GREAT extra day off.  I accomplished a lot of what was on my list, but not everything.  I did get the check from my brokerage and got over to the fabric store.  I did find a light-weight black fabric that will be perfect for a pair of pants for DH.  I'll try to get to that by early next year - it's not a rush because we're heading into colder temps now.  And I got over to Dick Blick to take advantage of the 20% off everything one-day sale as well as use a 40% off one item coupon that they had Emailed me.  I bought crayons for Sebas' box.  I'll strip the main box next week at the shop (as I recall, that's where I have my stripping solution at), and then can start refinishing the box.  I bought a 120 Crayon mix yesterday for a great price, as well as a nice shapener that I will insert into the side of the new box.  I'll build divider/risers in the interior of the box, cut out and insert the sharpener, and decorate the exterior.  The box itself is perfect for this application which is why I had purchased it.  By the time I'm finished with it, it will be adorable.  I see the finished item in my mind's eye and just have to work towards it. 

I just love Crayola Crayons.  I grew up with the
64 crayon box and still think that crayons are
one of the BEST gifts EVER! 

I had planned on spending the day at the sewing machine and that's exactly what I did.  I got home around 11:30 am, starting my load of laundry and settled down with my cape.  If I was on Project Runway I would just have used my scissors and cut around the stitchline to separate the satin lining from the wool, but I decided to use my seam ripper instead so it took more than an hour to get the two layers separated.  Then I began finishing the interior seams.  I could have left the seams as they were - rough, but I think that visible seams should be finished.  So I spent several hours pinning and sewing the three long seams down the body of the cape, the line up the center of the hood, and the joining between the hood and the body of the cape.  Then I pinned and stitched the entire exterior seam.  Everything has to be sewn in the proper direction to allow for the cloak to fall properly.  Then I threw it back into the washer and dryer again.  And I decided to give up on the embroidery and do what I do best.  I picked up some metallic fabric paint and I will be painting the scrollwork on the hood this morming.  I can set the paint before Sunday and mount the closures and I'll be ready to wear it on Sunday.  That's been my goal because it will be a colder day (temps into the upper 50's).  We will have a long day at the Fest because we always close the Fest down on the final day.  It's always a bittersweet occasion - it gives my Sundays back to me, but also means that winter is right around the corner. 

Extra Day - What a Gift!

My DH has been objecting about this day for more than two weeks.  For Christmas, he gave me a number of certificates for future things, one of which was an extra day off of my choice.  Today is that day.  I love having the opportunity to have two days off in a row, I can extend my list into two days and that's a blessing.  Yesterday was a wonderful day - I spent most of the day learning how to use my new Silhouette cutting machine.  I think that it has great possibilities and I ordered some self-stick vinyl from the company so that I can do some signage for the store.  I've been wanting to do this since Spring but I didn't want to pay the $100's of dollars that the signage companies quoted to do them.  I want one sign that says BEADS, one that says LEATHER and a sign with our hours for our front door.  Things will look much more professional, and I can then drop the paper signage that I have which will increase our light and allow our beautiful custom-made security bars to be visible again.  They have our Stormcloud logo in them and really are an ironwork piece of art. 

Blick's is my local art supply store - very close
to my home.  They get WAY too much of
my disposable income because I've never met
a sketchpad I didn't like :-)

Today's list, however, is long. I hope to spend today at the sewing machine.  It will be cold on Sunday, although the sun will be out.  I want to be able to wear my cloak, so I want to cut a new hood, remove the lining and finish the edges and inner seams.  Instead of having it be a lined cloak, it will be a single layer.  But it will be wearable and that's the most important thing.  I can always line another cloak.  I still have one load of laundry to do and I need to get to Dick Blick's art supply store.  I was there yesterday using a 30% off one item coupon for a watercolor sketchbook.  They are running a one-day sale today with a 40% off one item and 20% off anything in your basket sale.  These are the good sales and they come rarely.  I'm broke, but I can't turn my back on getting supplies for less money.  Also, I need to pick up a check at my brokerage.  It's pretty much the end of extra dollars that I will have available and it's going to dig me out of a hole right now, however, it won't go far.  That's a problem.  And I want to get to the fabric store and see if I can find fabric for a new pair of pants for DH.  He melted his last pair (don't ask) and needs a replacement pair.   I'm tired just reading my list!  I'm grateful that I got some sketching time in yesterday because I don't think I will have the time today at all. 

Normalcy Rules!

Although I have always been a rebel - the one person who was unafraid to shake things up, it is a bit of a relief to be back to a "normal" schedule again.  Thus, my studio day.  I began searching images on-line last night to help me flesh out the picture that has been on my mind.  I absolutely insist on grabbing some sketching time today to begin putting it down on paper.  But I'll start the day out with my computer work and then at least 30 minutes of getting my recycling ready to take out to the curb.  My city regulates trash pickup by neighborhoods with each area assigned a specific day of the week when trash pickup is allowed.  This makes it very nice because the noise of trash trucks for residential pickup is limited to a single day.  I came from an area that had citywide municipal trash pickup and it was automatic and part of your utility bill.  Up here, in Minnesota, there are many trash haulers and you hire a company to pick your trash up for you.  I know that at least four different firms operate in my area, as well as our recycling firm. 

Eureka Recycling always had trucks that have
been freshly washed and polished.  No scuzzy
garbage dumps here - just attractive and well maintained.

And how would you do?  There was a recent poll on religious knowledge that has hit the news waves.  The thing that astounds people is the fact that atheists and agnostics scored better than mainstream religion believers - mainstream Christian and Catholic were at the bottom.  Try it for yourself.  This is not the whole quiz, only 15 questions, but it will give you an idea.  I got everything correct except for the last question - I'm afraid I'm not up-to-date with current Christian history.  I've always been fascinated in religious views since I am a great believer of Spirit, although not in an "organized" and pre-formulated manner.  I've studied religious history, characters and beliefs world-wide since I was 14 and was first introduced to Eastern religions by a teacher.  But after many years of searching through traditional outlets, I finally decided years ago that they just weren't expressing the total joy of Spirit that I felt regularly when I simply looked around me at my world.  Thus, my beliefs are self-held and not celebrated in groups, and I think it is better that way.  Enjoy your day, I know I will when I pick up my sketchpad later today :-)

Looking Ahead

So I get Wednesday and Thursday off this week.  I've had a piece of artwork sitting in my head that I want to try to begin sketching out, I want to set up the band sander and begin working on my next series of boxes, and I still have my laundry (2-4 loads) and the continuation of cleaning up the den to do.  I want to split the lining away from my cape and put French seams onto the wool.  I also want to cut a new hood, although I'll probably draft a quick collar from the existing hood and see what that can do first.  I know, for a fact, that I won't get everything done.  I also know that I HAVE to get some cleaning done - absolutely necessary.  But I am determined to get something creative done also.  I just have to get through today first. 

I loved my Frustration Ball when I was a kid.  I was
able to put the ball into each of the eight numbered
cups in order for hours at a time.  Some people can
do puzzles, I did Frustration Ball and I did it well!

My Manager is frustrated right now.  He spent two hours entering an order in for a purchase and then saved the shopping cart.  When he went back to the order last night, the shopping cart had not actually saved properly and he had to re-enter the order again.  Since he does a fair amount of this by little notes and instinct, he came up with a different total.  I helped him save his cart this time and it saved correctly.  Now he has to figure out what changed between the first and second order so that he can bring the total back to the amount that I had approved.  SO glad it's not me who made the error....

Autumn in Minnesota

Yesterday was a perfect autumn day, the kind of day that reminds me of why I love living in this state.  We had crisp temps getting into comfortable temps by mid-morning with blue skies and turning leaves.  Everyone I talked to was upbeat and smiling, in spite of portions of mud on the walkways.  It was stunning and wonderfully fun.  I was hoping to have an opportunity to listen to one particular harpist.  He has been there over the past few weeks, but he is not always there.  The other harpists are jokes compared to the talent of this man and he usually sits in one area at 2:30 pm.  Unfortunately, he was not there this week - probably a little nervous about the mud.  But I have one weekend left and with luck he will be there this next weekend and I can listen to him. 

A quick sunset shot - Minnesota can
be really beautiful in the Fall.

Chickie, Angie and Alex were out at Fest.  Chickie usually gets out there two times each year - once with me and Sharon over Labor Day weekend, and one more time with Angie and Alex.  Alex doesn't like crowds, so they always arrive early and leave mid-afternoon.  It is just as well that they held to their schedule - the Fest was crowded with the largest crowd of people there that I have ever seen.  Every overflow lot was filled with cars.  We were absolutely astounded as we saw all of them on our way out of the grounds and then out of the turnoff.  We were in the second row, and I was very grateful that I didn't have to walk for 15 minutes or more just to get to my car. 

The winner of the "Men in Tights" competition.
Missy is at the front.  Blackstone is one of
the members of her troupe this year, so lucky her!

The winner of the Men in Tights competition was Blackstone wearing a jack-o-lantern codpiece.  He actually was excellent and ended up raising quite a lot of money for the American Cancer Society.  The competition was stiff (OK, probably a really bad double-entendre there - LOL), but he won it hands over all others.  It was, as always, extremely well attended by screaming ladies and it is Missy's favorite work assignment.  That's her in the front, checking his tights with the other three judges.  As always, it was wonderfully fun and I can't wait until next year :-)  We have one more weekend this year and have already purchased our season tickets for next year.  We're set for more fun!