What we've been up to
I've decided it's more important to let you know what The Boy and I have been up to, instead of hanging holiday ornaments, and getting presents wrapped and shipped. Takes the pressure off.
At the last minute, I closed my eyes and jumped into vending at my office's holiday craft fair. My friend Stacie Kentop was one of the organizers.Those are her mandalas over there, right across the aisle.
As in previous years, I altered composition notebooks to sell. This time I made a much simpler design with gaffer tape and personalized tarot cards, and voila -- the Recession Tarot Card notebook. A repurposed Fixer card, and another I called The Unlocked Door. 'Cause you don't know if an opportunity is locked away behind closed doors until you try the doorknob, no?
With the previous designs, I kept getting craft fair visitors picking up the notebooks and admiring them by saying, "Oh, that's too nice to use." Nonononono -- the point is that you have something nice to use! (!@#$%^!!)
The Boy, TwoBoo and I also visited Stacie at the Lowell Art Works, a local gallery which held their annual "art-tastic holiday shopportunity."
TwoBoo was a little muzzy from his nap, but he seemed to enjoy Stacie's mandalas.
And The Boy and I went to his art studio the Creation Station to get our art on for a few hours. It's one of those places, like SCRAP in Portland, in which you can use recycled odds and ends to make art. He had such a good time I'm considering having his next birthday party there. (Don't tell him, though. He can read now, but he's not doing a lot of websurfing. So if he hears about this, I'll know you guys were talking to him.)
At the last minute, I closed my eyes and jumped into vending at my office's holiday craft fair. My friend Stacie Kentop was one of the organizers.Those are her mandalas over there, right across the aisle.As in previous years, I altered composition notebooks to sell. This time I made a much simpler design with gaffer tape and personalized tarot cards, and voila -- the Recession Tarot Card notebook. A repurposed Fixer card, and another I called The Unlocked Door. 'Cause you don't know if an opportunity is locked away behind closed doors until you try the doorknob, no?With the previous designs, I kept getting craft fair visitors picking up the notebooks and admiring them by saying, "Oh, that's too nice to use." Nonononono -- the point is that you have something nice to use! (!@#$%^!!)The Boy, TwoBoo and I also visited Stacie at the Lowell Art Works, a local gallery which held their annual "art-tastic holiday shopportunity."
TwoBoo was a little muzzy from his nap, but he seemed to enjoy Stacie's mandalas.And The Boy and I went to The swan princes
The theme for next year's Artfest is "Fairy Tales"... any interpretation of familiar ones, fairy tales you dream up yourself, it's wide open. I'm almost finished with my take on The Six Swans.
When I was a kid, I read the original Grimm's Fairy Tales -- and a lot of them live up to the brothers' name -- and this was one that I remembered right away.
The short version: Six princes have been turned into swans, and only their sister can save them. To restore their human form permanently, she has to be totally silent for six years while she makes them special shirts.
She just misses finishing in time: there's a missing sleeve on the youngest prince's shirt. So all the princes become human again, but the youngest is left with one wing.
I brushed soft white acrylic paint on German paper wings. Would've been cool if I still had some of Artchix Studio's swan wings, but gahh! -- I used those up a while ago. I also found the little compass in an Artfest 2008 bag. (I know, I know.)
The image was originally of seven boys, but I had to cut off the seventh guy.
It was getting pretty crowded, and I hadn't even added the castle and shrubbery in the background. After I tweak the youngest prince's sleeve bit, it's time for varnish.
No, I didn't forget about the heroic sister! She'll be in a version I make for the Artfest ATC book.
When I was a kid, I read the original Grimm's Fairy Tales -- and a lot of them live up to the brothers' name -- and this was one that I remembered right away.The short version: Six princes have been turned into swans, and only their sister can save them. To restore their human form permanently, she has to be totally silent for six years while she makes them special shirts.
She just misses finishing in time: there's a missing sleeve on the youngest prince's shirt. So all the princes become human again, but the youngest is left with one wing.I brushed soft white acrylic paint on German paper wings. Would've been cool if I still had some of Artchix Studio's swan wings, but gahh! -- I used those up a while ago. I also found the little compass in an Artfest 2008 bag. (I know, I know.)The image was originally of seven boys, but I had to cut off the seventh guy.It was getting pretty crowded, and I hadn't even added the castle and shrubbery in the background. After I tweak the youngest prince's sleeve bit, it's time for varnish.No, I didn't forget about the heroic sister! She'll be in a version I make for the Artfest ATC book.
Giving thanks for Good Mail and good coverage
The Edmonds Beacon published the story on me and "Good Mail Day" today! Whoo-hoo!So for those of you who found my blog from the Beacon story: welcome! Say hi to me and my other readers in the comments!
I wonder how many Beacons I can pick up and stagger to the car with, without pulling some sort of important muscle.