On the street where you live
I just finished altering the second postcard I'm swapping with Tally. I'd been pressing it flat, what with all the matte medium and attachments and stuff on it, under some art books. And with This Thing Called Life taking some priority in the past couple o' weeks, I dang near forgot where I'd put it.
But then her latest postcard came in the mail, and that woke me up. Note the butterfly under wax below:
And the first one she sent (with a butterfly charm peeping through the window):
She's been working on some personal changes, hence the butterflies. Which will happen, believe me. God bless her, she's got her own issues and doubts, but her drive to achieve her goals is awe-inspiring. We were talking the other day, and I reminded her it's been only about three years since I showed her the True Colors book of art journals. She'd always had an artistic side, but that really got her going.
So in the interim, she's started her own business of selling hand-made cards, then turned that into hand-designed (printed) cards that are now sold in certain Whole Foods stores. She teaches in some local art venues. Occasionally, she hosts a collaborative project. Oh, and she's had a baby during those past three years too. She's a bad mama-jama.
So this is the one Tally will get in the mail in a few days:
The "street" is a piece of this cool wax-coated, slightly translucent paper. I glued it down with matte medium, but I also had the brilliant idea to heat the wax on one side, so that it was more likely to stick. Ooh, that was fun! Pinned a transparency scrap to the cigarette card girl, then pinned them down to the card. Cut up some "houses" and connected them with fiber. I added a wash of greenish acrylic on the edges, to link it visually with the back.
This is how the back looked until this morning: mostly green paper swatches, overlaid with circular-patterned rice paper on one side and the acrylic wash. Today I added the text, starting with an excerpt from "My Fair Lady":
The maritime route lines on the map paper provided a natural space for the "My Fair Lady" lyrics:
Let the time go by
I won't care if I
Can be on the street where you live
I'd mentioned in a previous post that I wished everyone I cared about could live on the same street with me. One big honkin' street. No more flights, no drives across town, no elaborate scheduling just to see each other. Of course, it all gets complicated when I think of what that would actually be like, but the fantasy makes me very happy.
But then her latest postcard came in the mail, and that woke me up. Note the butterfly under wax below:
And the first one she sent (with a butterfly charm peeping through the window):
She's been working on some personal changes, hence the butterflies. Which will happen, believe me. God bless her, she's got her own issues and doubts, but her drive to achieve her goals is awe-inspiring. We were talking the other day, and I reminded her it's been only about three years since I showed her the True Colors book of art journals. She'd always had an artistic side, but that really got her going.So in the interim, she's started her own business of selling hand-made cards, then turned that into hand-designed (printed) cards that are now sold in certain Whole Foods stores. She teaches in some local art venues. Occasionally, she hosts a collaborative project. Oh, and she's had a baby during those past three years too. She's a bad mama-jama.
So this is the one Tally will get in the mail in a few days:
The "street" is a piece of this cool wax-coated, slightly translucent paper. I glued it down with matte medium, but I also had the brilliant idea to heat the wax on one side, so that it was more likely to stick. Ooh, that was fun! Pinned a transparency scrap to the cigarette card girl, then pinned them down to the card. Cut up some "houses" and connected them with fiber. I added a wash of greenish acrylic on the edges, to link it visually with the back.
This is how the back looked until this morning: mostly green paper swatches, overlaid with circular-patterned rice paper on one side and the acrylic wash. Today I added the text, starting with an excerpt from "My Fair Lady":
The maritime route lines on the map paper provided a natural space for the "My Fair Lady" lyrics:Let the time go by
I won't care if I
Can be on the street where you live
I'd mentioned in a previous post that I wished everyone I cared about could live on the same street with me. One big honkin' street. No more flights, no drives across town, no elaborate scheduling just to see each other. Of course, it all gets complicated when I think of what that would actually be like, but the fantasy makes me very happy.
I can breathe now
Aaaaaahhh... it's finally less than 88 degrees Fahrenheigt. (Don't mock me. I've gotten used to not having a normal summer.) Still wiped out and tore up, but here are some pix to hold you until I have more coherent thoughts.
The Boy and me at the strawberry farm two weekends ago-- when it was maybe 71 degrees:
Still thanking my local farmworkers. I do not want to crouch and kneel like that for a living.
No pictures from this weekend. Too hot to focus, plus The Boy was showing us the range of his three-year-old orneriness. I spent most of my time trying to control my temper when I wasn't wiping away under-boob sweat.
Speaking of being unreasonably hot, more news from PreggerLand: we found out we're going to have a boy! He "waved" to us during the ultrasound (his hand was next to his head, and he flexed his fingers a couple of times).
And because I run a side specialty in weirdness: see this cuddly little Cerberus I found at the book store:
More soon.
The Boy and me at the strawberry farm two weekends ago-- when it was maybe 71 degrees:
Still thanking my local farmworkers. I do not want to crouch and kneel like that for a living.No pictures from this weekend. Too hot to focus, plus The Boy was showing us the range of his three-year-old orneriness. I spent most of my time trying to control my temper when I wasn't wiping away under-boob sweat.
Speaking of being unreasonably hot, more news from PreggerLand: we found out we're going to have a boy! He "waved" to us during the ultrasound (his hand was next to his head, and he flexed his fingers a couple of times).
And because I run a side specialty in weirdness: see this cuddly little Cerberus I found at the book store:
More soon.You're going to hate me for this
Current weather in my neck of the woods: 
67 degrees and sunny. I keep forgetting it's summer.
Ooh, I can hear you from here: "You bitch!"
[mad cackling from me]
Later tonight I'll post pix of the jaunt The Boy and I took this weekend, when it was about 72 degrees. Don't worry, this won't last. It almost always rains on Independence Day.
67 degrees and sunny. I keep forgetting it's summer.Ooh, I can hear you from here: "You bitch!"
[mad cackling from me]
Later tonight I'll post pix of the jaunt The Boy and I took this weekend, when it was about 72 degrees. Don't worry, this won't last. It almost always rains on Independence Day.