Batteries, Errands and Fabric - A Very "Domestic" Day Off

It's my "day off", and as usual, my agenda is more than full.  I have to add getting a replacement battery for my home's alarm system to the list. The power outage of last week pretty well snuffed my current battery. I would have totally forgotten about it if the battery supply store hadn't emailed me with their monthly "We're here and ready to help with your needs," email. Sometimes advertising can actually work - LOL. 

My local Batteries + Bulbs is convenient, and since I have a
business account with them, very affordable. They send me
monthly emails reminding me of the services they offer. I'm
going to go there today to replace the battery backup on
my home's security alarm system - a victim of our
power outage last week. 

High on my agenda, after the usual shopping and laundry, is beginning the clean out of my sewing cabinet. I was rather appalled last week, when I had to bring my sewing machine in for repair. I knew I was fabric heavy and space light, but now much (or little) of each I actually had was a bit eye opening. I think I have to start doing some serious sewing once again. I have too much fabric and probably won't need to buy anything else except interfacing or seam binding until I'm much older. The thought of "old and grey" passed through my head, dismissed with a chuckle. No grey for me - bald is beautiful. I probably can't avoid the "old" portion, however, 

I love this quote by Ava Gardner. I think we could all aspire
to live our Golden Years like this. 

So, today I'll bring over some boxes and start boxing my sewing, weaving and spinning books. I'll need to find a different place for those, because I want the shelving for fabric only. Then I'll start moving through the fabric stash. I have some amazing fabrics that I've purchased through the years. I think it's time to remind myself of what I own. 

I need to get a much better idea of what fabrics I own. I still can't
get into my other sewing cabinet, but the fabric in that one is
pretty well organized. The main cabinet, however, is a disaster! 

I hope to be able to relax a little bit too. At worst, I'll at least relax for my weekly chat with Aearwen. That's something I always look forward to. I think it's been at least three years, probably longer, since Aearwen and I started our Wednesday afternoon catch-up chats. It's always fun, never scripted, and often unexpected - the twists and turns that a good conversation can take. We don't see eye-to-eye on all things, and that's perfectly OK. We're respectful of our differences and we celebrate our commonality. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a totally fabulous Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Singing the Fabric Blues

There are never enough hours in the day for my day off. I spent a very productive day working on my budget, printing out materials for my upcoming income tax appointment, and of course having a delightful conversation with Aearwen, as I do every Wednesday afternoon.

The shopping center for my local Hancock Fabrics
isn't very upscale, but they've been there for a very long
time. I remember shopping here when it was still
called Minnesota Fabrics, before it was purchased
by Hancock. They're closing three Twin City stores,
Bloomington, Woodbury and Roseville. 

My local fabric store is closing and I'm quite sad. I happened to be driving by that part of town and saw signage covering the front windows that they were closing. So sad. However - closing also means bargains and I wasn't one to turn down opportunity. So after the groceries were put away and another load of laundry was put into the washer, I headed over there to see what might be on sale that I could use.

That leaves JoAnn Fabrics as my only choice for standard
fabric stores in my area, and that really isn't a choice at all. ICK!!!

The biggest thing I ended up with were several excellent patterns. They were already sold out of the Steampunk patterns I wanted (weeping - they were really excellent), but I was able to get one superb corset pattern, two skirt patterns and a dress pattern. I've been busy washing and putting away long lengths of calico fabric that I've had for years and I wanted some patterns I could use with all of this fabric. 50% off the pattern price (patterns normally retail for anywhere from $16 to $19) was a total SCORE. Add in a few excellent buttons for 40% off and a new thimble and double needle for 30% off, and I walked out with a small bag of deliciousness.

There's also Treadle Yard Goods, my primary source for
fine silk and extraordinary buttons, but they're small and
rather pricey. They almost closed two years ago but were
bought out by one of their employees. 

Of course, the fact that I spent an extra hour shopping (instead of just doing the grocery and the household shopping) meant I had no time to write. I think I've determined where I want to go with this year's B2MeM, though. Hopefully I'll have some time to write this morning. I'm changing my schedule up to have more eat-in breakfasts and less eat-out ones, which gives me more computer time between the gym and when I unlock the store.

There also is SR Harris, but as you can tell from the photo, this
is warehouse shopping - not easy to access and it also is a
serious drive away from where I live. It can be a treasure trove, but
not for me. I'm glad I have a good stash of fabrics stocked up
through the years. Don't think I'll be shopping for material anytime soon. 

Another nice thing about yesterday's workload was a refund I had been expecting. I had purchased and returned an item for more than $100 in mid-2014, but the refund had never appeared back in my account. I found the original email confirming that they had received the returned items and would refund my purchase price and sent it to them inquiring about the money. I received an answer today stating that the money will be in my account within 7-10 days and apologizing for their computer glitch. Not happy about the delay, but will be very happy when I have the money back.

It will be nice to have that money back in my account. I'm not
happy about the delay, but am happy that I caught it and
they were fast to respond. 

Happy Thursday, I'm off to beat the elliptical back into shape (yeah, right! Like that will EVER truly happen). Enjoy your day and be creative!

A Happy Weekend and Le Tour (of course)

I had a happy weekend - well...to be more precise, I had a happy Sunday since I work on Saturdays. I woke early, watched Day Two of Le Tour de France and did some beadwork. I went to the fabric store when they opened to get something I needed for my current project and totally scored - two small pieces of fabric (because I couldn't make up my mind about color), a spool of thread, a 40% off coupon and a 10% off everything sales day equaled a sale of less than $5.50. SCORE!

There is something so marvelous about shopping for fabric. I love
going to my local fabric shops. 

After returning home I helped DH with his chainsaw work, went grocery shopping, ate dinner and watched Iron Chef America and the final episode of Inspector Lewis. I'll miss the Inspector and Hathaway - they worked so well together and the writing was marvelous. But I knew it was the final season *sigh*

Inspector Lewis and Hathaway were a wonderful duo solving crimes
in Oxford. I loved the scenery, the plots and the characters. Looking back
at pictures of Season One and comparing them to now, they've certainly grown
older in the roles, but they play them beautifully. I'll miss them.

Today's Le Tour is still on the island of Corsica and it's a twisty-turning mountainous course where no single part has more than 200 meters on the straight. When I think on the miles and miles of straight road that the riders often go through in the middle of France...well this will be quite the change. It's a mid-range length at 145.5 km and, as always, it will be a joy to watch the boys do their thing.

Day Three has lots of twists and turns, hills and mountains (one Cat 4,
one Cat 3 and two Cat 2) and is the final day in Corsica. It's been a
joy to see this lovely island and the gleaming turquoise seas that surround it.

The bus getting stuck underneath the banner at the finish line of Le Tour on Day 1 has got to be one of the funniest things I've seen in many years. The sheer idiocy of the banner being too low and the bus actually being taller than any other team bus led to a comedy of errors. It took almost 15 minutes for the lemmings swarming around the bus to come to a decision, back up the bus out of its captivity, and send it down the side lane. Sure the side lane is meant for the smaller cars, but when necessary...well. All turned out fine after all and it made the front headlines of news services throughout the world. Totally laughable.

The bus getting stuck under the banner was one of the funniest things
to happen at Le Tour in many years. The banner is stiff and actually
damaged the air conditioning unit on the top of the bus. The bus ended
up being backed up and moved down a side road that goes off to the left.

I had hoped to have a piece of o-fic ready to submit for possible publication today but I knew it probably wouldn't happen, and indeed it did not. I only heard about this particular anthology on Thursday - a 3000-8000 word story to fit within their parameters. I did get 1000 words written, but I just don't work that quickly for finished work. I like to read and edit time and time again. But I did turn in my Fixed Length Ficlet to the LOTR Community. When entering the story into my database I realized that I chose the same number of words last year. How totally bizarre! I had no idea. I guess I must love 333 words - LOL. The story will be released closer to the end of July.

I love strawberries. Actually - I love fruit and veggies.

So, it's Monday. I've already cleaned two pounds of strawberries and washed five pounds of grapes, washed my hair and responded to reviews, packed up my beading project, put the TV tray back into its stand, and cleaned up the kitchen. *whew!* I think I need a nap! Have a totally fabulous Monday!

Project Runway Finale

My DH is NOT a happy man.  For weeks we have been watching "Project Runway" every week.  The show is a reality TV show of fashion designers.  The final three were Andy from Hawaii, Gretchen from Portland, Oregon, and Mondo from my old home of Denver, Colorado.  Both my DH and I really wanted Mondo to win - he has a fantastic sense of style and put together a very strong collection.  Andy was a bit unicolor, although the textures of his fabrics were wonderful, and Gretchen was the one person that my DH has disliked since Week 2 and really didn't want to win.  But she put together a really nice collection (if you ignore all of the high-cut shorts - WAY too many of those).  I knew that she was putting a strong collection out there for the final because I looked at her collection on-line last week.  I was really pulling for Mondo - I love the playfulness in his styling.  But Gretchen won the show this season. 

This flowing dress with a leather overvest was
adorable.  I would buy something like this. 
Congratulations to Gretchen. 

My DH ranted and raved and bitched and moaned.  It will take him weeks to get over this (he tends to hold onto things like grudges, etc for a very long time).  I'm over it already because I know that Mondo will still do wonderful things in fashion, whether or not he actually won the full competition.  I think DH is only upset because he disliked Gretchen so very much, but I think she deserves my congratulations.  Why not?  Although there were plenty of things she designed that I didn't like, she managed to pull it off.  But it was a bitterly contested win with a 2-2 split jury who argued for a long time before finally managing to choose her, so it was a VERY tight fight, and I also would have preferred Mondo. 

Final Four

So, I'm a "Project Runway" groupie. Blame my DH - he started watching in Season 6 and got me hooked for Season 7. Last night the final four were determined for Season 8's finale. There are only two episodes remaining.

Michael C was the great surprise for us. His dress was loved by all of the judges when DH and I thought it was rather boring and non-descript. But, on the strength of that dress along with the other clothes he had developed during the season, Michael C is in the final four.

Mondo, of course is in. His gutsy work with patterns and colors and ability to always turn something fabulous up under pressure pretty much guaranteed that he would be in the final four. I think it is quite possible that he will win it all, but we'll have the fun of the next two episodes to see if I'm right.

Andy is in. Although he had some times when his designs didn't come through, he wasn't afraid to play with color and he is fabulous with construction. It's not that easy to put disparate fabrics together and not have the seams pucker. It's also not that easy to make the drapes perfect and pants fit exactly. He's got great skills.

Gretchen is not my favorite, and it seemed that her vision grew more cloudy as the season progressed, but she's a strong designer and just needs to remember to be on edge with her designs to avoid looking "off the rack" from your local mall store. She's got a shot at winning it all, but I doubt that she'll be able to pull it off. She'll do fine with her carreer, though. She's got a good sense for "off the rack" design.

And that left April on the outs. No real surprise there. She had done some very innovative design, but her pallette was black, black, and more black. She really needed to break out of her box and she didn't.

Why do I love this show? It is a show about creating under pressure, thinking outside of the box, and pushing one's creative limits to new heights (or lows). I enjoy any shows that celebrate creativity and Project Runway is a great example.

Pain and Studio Day

So my DH is still in pain - still unable to sleep and still determined to give it a week before he sees a doctor.  Duh!  You're in pain - take a pill.  You're in pain for more than 24 hours - see a healer!  It's basic!  Apparantly it isn't if you're a guy, or at least MY guy.  He actually is a highly intelligent person, but he's not really demonstrating intelligence right now. 

Too cute.  This little "To Do List"
avatar is by Sarah McIntyre.  Check out
her life on LiveJournal. 

My list for things I need to do on my studio day is as long as my arm.  One of the most important things will be to get going on a new pair of pants for my DH.  He melted (don't ask...) one of his most frequently worn pairs and that has caused his wardrobe to be seriously impacted.  I purchased some fabric last week for a new pair of pants and grabbed the old pair.  I'll cut out a new pair today based on the old pair and should get a good part of it sewn up.  I also have to continue cleaning the den - I can't work in that room - too cluttered and messy to be able to accomplish anything in it.  I have boxes to wood strip (and new chemically resistant gloves to wear while doing it) and I have to get over to the restaurant where I'm holding Chickie's funeral dinner and make sure that everything is ready, that I can get some measurements taken, and some final, or almost final, numbers down.  DH seems to be leaning more and more to attending - it would be great if he could join us.  Oh well, my work can't get done until I get going, so I'd better sign off today and start the next activity on my list....

The Saga Continues

So, my DH is still in pain.  Over four nights, he's gotten approximately eight hours of sleep.  Total.  Can you repeat after me?..."This is NOT good."  He's so tired that he is feeling sick.  He tries sitting up and lying down, on the bed, on the couch, in a recliner;  all work for a short time, but no longer.  Hot compresses helped last night, but don't seem to be helping this morning.  He really wrecked himself up this time and he is most definitely feeling his age. 

Hancock got my "disposable" income for
this month.  DH actually found the
brocade that I fell in love with.  Now

I just have to do the fabric justice. 

I, on the other hand, went fabric shopping on Sunday and Monday.  I had a 40% off coupon that was only good on Sunday, and I purchased an amazing silvery-grey brocade for a court-style dress.  I went back on Monday because they had special Columbus Day hours, opening at 8am, with a 10% off everything you purchase sale.  I got two different greys for the underskirt and sleeves.  I think I'll try some specialty rouching on the underskirt, along with single-stitch patterning reproducing the pattern of the brocade onto the grey.  I want half-moon shoulders and tie-sleeves for the bodice, and I want long cuffs with a finger-loop and puffed upper sleeves for the chemise.  The key will be getting the bodice to fit correctly, so I think I'll probably do a corset or two first.  I have been wanting a custom corset for a while - one that fits properly and supports better than the generic corsets I have been using for years.  But, tomorrow is studio day and I have a long list of things I need to accomplish.  A corset, unfortunately, can't make that list quite yet. 

Pain, Steaks and Fabric

Today is Columbus Day.  A day when Native Americans mourn for their poor immigration policies (i.e., letting Columbus and subsequent others land in America).  It's a semi-holiday.  There is no mail delivery and Federal offices are closed today, but banks are open and stores are open and most people have to work.  We have to work. 

This is a cute little pic of the Nina, the Pinta and
the Santa Maria.  Remember the old rhyme? 
"In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-Two,
Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue."

There are a lot of sales at storest today in honor of the holiday.  Because, after all, what better reason is there to have a holiday than to shop and spend money?  We went to the fabric store yesterday because I had a 40% off one non-sale item coupon that was only good yesterday.  I purchased an amazing brocade for a court dress, some shiny black/yellow stripe fabric for a pirate pair of pants for DH, and black chiffon for Chickie's party next month.  The fabric store will open at 8am this morning for a special sale (they usually don't open until 9:30am) and I have an additional coupon for 10% off everything, so I'll take one more look.  I do need the insert fabric to go with the brocade that I purchased, so maybe I can find something suitable.  I'll take a look.  I get monthly coupons from them, so if I don't find something right now, it's not a problem. 

Poor DH, in so much pain from the
muscles in his shoulders and neck. 

And we finished the day with steaks on the grill  SO good!  I ate WAY too much, and it was WAY worth it.  DH has been in incredible pain from a muscle pull of his Levator scapulae muscle.  That's the muscle that runs between the scapula and the head, so any movement at all sends jolts of pain into him.  He's gotten less than 5 hours of sleep over the past two days because it hurts so badly.  But he's also being a stubborn idiot and refuses to take any pills for the pain. 

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. 

Happy Weekend

It is Saturday.  For most people that is the start of their weekend.  They will sleep in this morning, wake when they cats walk over them or their dogs ask to be let out.  Or maybe their children will turn on the TV in the other room and the volume will wake you up.  You'll have your morning coffee, think about what tasks you have mentally scheduled for the two days, and get dressed.  The chores of the weekend may include planting your garden, mowing your lawn, volunteering at a charity or soup kitchen, going to a concert, going on a bicycle ride...what about art?  Does art or craft play a part in your weekend plans?  Are you going to paint?  Do a mosaic?  Melt some glass?  Throw a pot?  Compose some music?  What are you planning to do that will help your creative side?  Here's an idea for you - build craft or art into your weekend plans.  Make sure that you indulge yourself by allowing your creative side to have some expression; not just throwing basketball with the kids, but thinking about those arcs that the ball makes and putting them onto your paper or computer screen later.  Set your kids down to practice their music and sit down with your own instrument, keyboard, or voice and work on a new composision.  Open the tempra paints for the kids and take the last easel for yourself - see who can express their views of summer better or in a specific time frame.  Then get the sprinkler out and run through the sprinkler - it will help get any paint overindulgence washed off.  Play this weekend. 

I'll be working today, but I'm already looking forward to my pasta for dinner and a relaxed evening and Sunday.  I haven't put the resist down on my silk yet because I've been too tired after a day at the shop to sit down.  I hope to get that done on Sunday.  Then I could paint the center tree on Sunday, set the paint on Monday and wash the resist out of the silk.  Then I could put the new resist onto the fabric on Tuesday and do the next painting on Wednesday.  It will be pushing things to stick to that schedule, but it would get me a bit closer to schedule.  So we'll see if I can get Step 1 done tomorrow.  Have a creative weekend. 

Little Mountains

Small molehills in my art seem to become little mountains.  The focus of my art, many times, is keeping them small, rather than allowing them to grown into large peaks.  Yesterday was a day of learning.  As I had mentioned, I have never silk painted before, but I have a vision of what I want, and I have a center element that is quite detailed.  I had purchased applicator bottles with three different tips, the smallest of which was 0.5mm to apply the resist.  As it turns out - 0.5mm is quite thick when it comes to resist.  NOT good.  I had spent 45 minutes drawing my tree onto my silk, and it took less than 5 minutes with the applicator to realize that it was too broad a stroke.  I knew I had smaller needle-point tips at the shop; I use these for application of resins.  So in mid-day, I went to the shop and collected my needle-tips.  I had to rewash my silk, dry it and retrace my image so that it was darker and easier to follow.  I tested the smallest needle tip before I threw the silk into the wash and it is much thinner.  I may still need to apply some of this with a brush to be super accurate, but I think this will work. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get to this step.  I had to settle down and do some work.  I promised a customer that I would scan the opaque 14o/15o hex beads that I had available for her to purchase.  There are 66 of them, and I got almost half of them scanned in yesterday.  I'll continue working on these over the next few days and then get them onto my shop's website (www.beadstorm.com) so that she can look over the colors with ease.  It really is an amazing amount of work to do this, but it will be nice to get some more product up on the store website.  All in all, it was a productive studio day, even though I didn't accomplish  what I needed to get done.  I'll just have to be more focused over the next few days. 

Sushi Revenge

I love sushi.  It's expensive and my sodium intake goes through the roof because of the soy sauce, but I truly love it.  Last night I indulged in a very nice roll - tuna wrapped in brown rice.  Today I'm up THREE pounds!  I can place those directly at the feet of my sushi, and I'm not happy about it.  I know the pounds will be off in a day or so, but I'm not happy about the gain anyway.  I blame all of the things that I love to eat for putting pounds on me, but I can either eat a diet of no enjoyable food, or I can indulge rarely and simply lose the weight back afterwards.  Afterwards seemed the best course of action, so that's what I have to do.  It does get frustrating, though.  I'm working so hard on dropping some weight and in reality I'm just running very hard to stay in place. 

I did get my silk washed last night, and I'll assemble the stretcher frame tonight.  I plan to paint the silk on Wednesday and set the colors on Thursday (it requires a 24 hour period before heat-setting the colors into the fabric).  Then I can remove it from the frame and begin beading.  It's been a long haul to get to this point.  I started beading samples in March before I decided that what I was trying simply wouldn't work.  I shifted gears and moved from jewelry to household, beginning my box.  It has taken regular and intensive work to get to this point, but I'm very happy with the results thus far.  So, now I am moving into the final stages.  At every stage I had the chance to ruin my vision.  I still have that opportunity, so I have to be cautious.  I don't count myself any expert on silk painting - in fact I have never painted on silk in my life.  But I'll get it done because I need to, and if it turns out half the way my mind says it will look, I'll be very happy with the finished project.  I'm trying to get this finished before I leave for Bead & Button in June.  That's a tight deadline! 

Busy Studio Day

Today I already have the kiln firing a couple of pieces for a customer. Later today I will begin building the interior of my box and working the full-scale schematic of the cover. I need to pic down exactly where in the lid I am going to drill the hole for my etched piece. I am beading, painting and adding etched copper to the lid for the box. I also need to work on the text that will be etched and finalize the exact size for the copper disc. I was going to continue painting the box, but the interior partitions should be nailed into place before I paint. Paint should be one of the last things. I did make a final decision on color, though, so I am pleased about that.

I have a long list of errands that I have to do today, but at the top of the list is getting the fabric for my box lining. It needs to work with the bead colors of the kit. I tried to stop by the fabric store on Sunday and pick some up then, but I didn't have the beads with me and couldn't decide on the absolute shade that would work best. So I will bring the beads with me today and do it sensibly. I can't afford to waste money or time on mistakes.

Today's Beading For A Cure auction items are by Wendy Reed (top) and Pamela Perry (bottom). Pam has been a friend for a long time. A friend, a confidant, a roomie, and the best workshop companion ever - we go back more than 10 years. I have watched her come into her own voice and talent, become a strong beader, and expand her creative wings - it has been a joy. This piece is a lovely contribution to our fund raising cause. Wendy's bag is fabulous. I love bags anyway, but her beaded embellishments will put this one into the unique collectible category. Wendy was on the Board of Directors for BFAC for many years and we would not have been able to accomplish all of the things we were able to without her contributions. Remember - view and bid high - the money raised goes towards a fantastic goal.

Metal to the Rescue

Yesterday I posted about my desire to stain my wood in a Purple Heart coloring and my inability to find a stain in that coloring. I have a time frame that I'm working with, so I can't wait unreasonable amounts of time to find obscure things, so as usual, I need to practice flexibility. In this case, that meant finding something else that I liked. I settled on a new paint that Rust-Oleum just released - a really beautiful metallic Bronze. I bought a small sample container and painted the bottom of the box yesterday. It will work well. A soft shimmer in a metal shade that will compliment some of the beads that will be used on the cover. I'll buy a larger container and the top-coat sealer next week.

I was also looking for a good hasp or clasp for the box, but so far I haven't found the "perfect" one that I am seeking. I have options on this, though, and don't have to make up my mind instantly.

I am toying with the idea of adding a music box works to the box. I have always been very fond of music boxes. I can buy simple 13-tone works for less than $20, but I would really love to find a used music box at Goodwill that I could get really inexpensively. Fortunately I don't have to make up my mind on this aspect of the project immediately. I have a bit of time. I'll start the interior work on the box next week. I need to build the interior dividers and holders, so I'll need to buy the fabric covering and start work on my dividers and compartments. I just love it when projects start to come together :-) Have a creative weekend!

Busy Day Ahead

My kiln will be working overtime today - one way to heat the house, I suppose :-) I have several pieces of Metal Clay to fire for a customer, then I can start laying in my next layer(s) of enamel color and getting those fused in. I hope I'll have the chance to do more than one layer, but it takes 2 hours or so to lay in a single layer because the design is so complex and because I really need to think about my colors so that they turn out the way that I want. It's not as easy to strip a bad enamel job as it is to strip a bad paint job, so some basic thought is quite necessary. I have a feeling that it will be the layering on of color to get my mind's vision onto the silver that will be my quest in enameling for the next 40 years. What a fun thought!

Photo of some Gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral - the gargoyles are not original, but are relatively recent, added during a renovation a century or two ago.

I have museum envy. My dear friend Seth has been touring Europe with his latest job. He had some time free in London to go to the British Museum and in Paris he was able to get to the Louvre and Notre Dame (as well as the Eiffel Tower at night). I've been to London - absolutely loved it and bought WAY too many books at the museums out there. But I've never been to France or the continent at all. I want to go to the Louvre and I want to go to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona also. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna.... See??? Museum envy - LOL. One of these days I'll get there one way or another :-)

And just look at this image. When I first saw it, I thought it was some amazing fabric - folded and gleaming in the photographer's light. But it's actually the surface of Mars. Yup - Mars - that 4th planet from the Sun. This would make an amazing fabric so I saved the image. Down the line I may get the chance to do something with this and some careful dying on silk, or maybe with enamelwork. Hmmm, more possibilities. I love Studio Day!!!

Stress and De-Stess

Everyone handles stress differently, and in these economic times, everyone is experiencing stress. I handle stress by diving into my crafts and art, playing with my Super Poke Pets, and working with on-line friends. My DH harumps around the house, discusses possible monetary solutions that we've already discussed 100's of times before, and generally makes himself an unpleasant person to spend time with. Although he's been making an effort to be bright, shiny and happy for me, the fact that we are having a tough time at the shop, added to the fact that he will have surgery tomorrow (probably no post tomorrow, depending on what time his surgery gets scheduled for) have placed his mood into the toilet. As you can guess, my anniversary was pretty much a "not" happening. It's the story of most of my joint celebrations with him, so it was not a surprise.

I also didn't get as much done yesterday as I wanted. But I did pick up two magazines at Barnes & Noble (looked through a wonderful book on children's book illustrating but decided against spending the money). Then I went to the fabric store and got a wonderful brocade with lining and cord embellishment for my new bodice, and I went to Best Buy for my best bargain of the day - a micro SD card for my phone which was free with Reward Certificates I had earned earlier in the year. I did spend money on groceries though, and didn't even get everything that I wanted .



(This is not my exact fabric, but it's close. Pretty, isn't it?)

Today I'll start out with a repair. I told the guy that it would be ready for him by last week and he's leaving town on Sunday, so I'd better get going. I spent most of yesterday afternoon editing a talk that my cousin will be giving about her Dad and Mom's experiences in Nazi Germany. It was pretty good, but there were a lot of small corrections that needed to be made so it took me several hours to edit. My cloak sat on the manniquin, mocking me . Hopefully I can get some work going on it tonight. And "Survivor Samoa" begins tonite, so all is not lost - LOL!