Life Imitating Art

This was the most fitting end I could see to this dreadfully uncomfortable set of earbuds. I made the same knot as I had sketched for my Earbuds cross stitch picture. I got the whole idea from tangled headphone cords in the first place, so maybe I should say it is "life imitating art which was imitating life."

I just need to get one of those ipod shuffles so the player is small enough to fit in the center hole. I started leaving a big enough hole, but the length of the cords dictated the final size.

Taste the Rainbow

Or rather, don't taste these rainbows. They'll taste nasty.

For recording thoughts chromatically. Thirteen is a lucky number.

These are 'ittle baby (4" long capped) fountain pens made by Pilot. The Petit 1 Model. I get mine at JetPens and I find I've accumulated a whole rainbow over time.  They are only a few dollars each and write surprisingly well. They are perfectly pocketable and I'm not going to cry if I lose one or a pen snitch steals it. You could buy cartridges to refill them, but I used bottled ink and a syringe for both economic reasons as well as mad-science mixing reasons.  (Although it's hard to credibly cite economic concerns after having bought so many of these little guys.)

So why show you these today? My new find from my Portland trip a week ago: Pilot Petit 3 pens! I've just inked it up. These are the same size and style, but have fude/brush tips instead of the fountain pen tip. Did I mention I love Uwajimaya's Japanese market there? Had to pick up a few of these. Here is a nice thorough review of these pens if you want to know the details of why these pens rock.

The lime pen is loaded with brown; the purple hasn't told me what color it wants to write yet.

Top these tips!

Double rainbow blogging today: here is one of cotton.  My Mum was cleaning out her stash boxes and found these threads that were set aside to make a stamped cross stitch quilt top.  I think the fabric parts were Goodwilled years ago, as the whole stamped cross stitching is so... so 70's. However, thread is thread and always a resource, but I think she's moved on past the DMC thing now that we've introduced her to such things as Gentle Art Sampler Threads, Gloriana, Vikki Clayton, I could go on...

So, awaiting my return from Nashville, was this pile of lovely cotton. I do still use DMC for certain projects. Like my recent Earbuds piece.  This is making me think I need a Dark Side of the Moon album now.

 

Also awaiting my return was a lovely box of books from my friend Sisu, who was also apparently trimming down the accumulations pile. I am a sucker for lovely graphics. I can't wait to dive into these for inspiration. Thanks so much, Sisu!

Time for the Green Sawdust

Not sure if the same product is used in today's schools, but I remember back in grade school the janitor bringing out the green sawdust when ever somebody tossed their cookies.  Well, the SGUV (Stained Glass Unicorn Vomit) is done, so bring out the sawdust. I had some friends balk at my working title, but others assured me that it was "totally me."  Not the best pictures, but here it is...

and the big picture:

Stained Glass Unicorn Vomit - First Look

Mind you, that is just the working title. I've been working on the ink part of this on and off for a few years now. This week, I decided to make a few more steps towards its completion and started in with the watercolor. Can you say mega-mandala. This might take a while.

I Cleaned My Room

I figured that was a good way to start the new year.  My little spice rack collection has grown. I was given two for Christmas with the disclaimer that they were pretty scary in their current condition and I was under no obligation to use either of them.  The country-fresh maroon one (you know the color, complete with the edges all fake sanded/worn down to the pine) needed an immediate triple heart transplant.  Three little metal rusty heart blobs were pried from below the bottom shelf to reveal holes, where I inserted some hardwood pegs. Then I made and attached little facing boards to each shelf so they looked complete. Some putty took care of the many holes where the overzealous factory worker did his handiwork with a pneumatic staple gun.

The lime green shelf had already received one makeover before I got it.  We took care of some structural issues then proceeded to paint over the pink swirly roses and yellow sponged squares. I could have seen that color scheme in a twelve year old girly-girl's room - it was probably where she displayed her fingernail polish and My Little Pony collection. It took three coats of paint to hide all the ugliness, but they both sure came out nice.

So now, I just needed space on the wall and perhaps a shuffle of other items to better color coordinate.

So here is my corner. Ta Da!

And everything in its place... except for the huge pile of papers and crap that I put on the chair behind me.

I didn't realize I had so many colors of India ink until I started racking them.

My tall ink bottles were the inspiration for needing another rack. The original on the right was too short and too full. You can see it didn't take long to find modifiers to dangle from the little pegs.

Like a giant game of Tetris as I try to pack books and supplies into drawers and shelves.

I only have about a quarter of the table for working space - the rest is taken up by the laserjet, and the wide format scanner (hiding under the quilt) and printer.

String Theory

I have this theory. It involves the complex topography of knotted string and nieces.

Do you remember making friendship bracelets? (I must admit that I still do this.) I'm thinking two of my little nieces have hit the magic age where this would be a great activity for them.  So I've gotten the big packs of assorted perle cottons and an instruction book for each as Christmas gifts. I've also made each of them a bracelet to wear, plus one for a younger sister so she won't feel left out.  The wide one is special free-form one - not sure who's stocking it will end up in.

These are fun to make, and really quite fascinating when you think about the knot structure. There are so many color possibilities I want to try together.

Instar - In Color

I had finished my drawing, Instar, with the black pen and ink work and had called it done.  A friend wanted a print, but in color.  In this version I've added an over-the-top amount of color and pulled out all the iridescent paints too. You should see this baby sparkle.

My husband says it should come with a warning that the viewer might suffer from epileptic seizures upon gazing too long or hard.

In it's glory...

I'm happy to report that at least the intermediate recipient was delighted with the results.

IF: Mesmerizing

I've been wanting to participate in Illustration Friday back since bicycle (a looong time ago.) I have decided to end my procrastination today.  I'm also ending a long stretch without blogging. Being the last day for this week's word, my entry was rather quickly sketched, but I submit it for your entertainment.

"Mesmerizing." I first thought of a hypnotist, but realized the way to truly mesmerize a kid was by turning on the television.  BTW, these may look like my kids, but they would NEVER be caught watching a show with a purple dinosaur, so these must be somebody else's kids.

Road Trip

I took the girl down on a quick trip to Portland last weekend. Plans had changed unexpectedly, leaving the weekend open to hook up with a group of fellow stitchers.  We carpooled up with a friend from Pendleton, which was nice both from the aspects of companionship and cost.  We also had the benefit of Sue's being raised in Oregon and knowing all the cool spots to visit en route.

We'd always just taken I-84, but Sue showed us an old Highway 30 that runs parallel for part of the trip. Not for those in a hurry, but perfect for those who want to see some nice waterfalls and cool old government sponsored park projects. Some photos for those of you who have never experienced the beauty of the Columbia Gorge:

We got a bit of stitching done. My model stitcher Carol from Seattle was there so I got to see how one of my models was coming along (I'm quite excited about it!) Did a little bit of geocaching and took a visit to the local brew pub. I'm planning a trip with my son next along the same route, except perhaps skipping the pub. ;o)

Fourth Instar

A few more sections have been completed, and this piece is almost done. I made a boo-boo in the cobra and will have to doctor it with a bit of white paint. I've left it there for now for entertainment value to the type of person that likes to look for mistakes. I still have the outer side triangles and a few inside spots I want to add to. Five instars is a common number in nature, so watch for its fifth.

 

This is another sketch I made. I know, it makes no sense, but that has never been a limiting factor for me.  I do so like cephalopods. The title is "Oct-ane."  My friend Cindy is going to show me how to make etchings and I think this sketch will be the basis for that lesson. I'm excited, as I've never made prints that way before.