Well, I haven't been posting very well lately, mostly because I've been gearing up for something big! I mentioned earlier this month that my guy and I are going to start a contest of us each making a 'thing' every day. We've been hashing out the details all month, and getting the website ready. I had suggested April 1 as the goal for start date, I thought April Fool's Day would be perfect for such a fun romp. So, we've modified the rules from what he origionally thought of, we're each going to post one thing Monday through Friday, and have the weekends off from posting. We can do the things any time after April first, so things I've already completed won't count, unless the 'thing' is that I make a tutorial of how to make it (I've got one of those on the back burner) or use the pictures to make a comic or something. I've been getting lots of ideas, and have kinda held back here, not on purpose, but just not sure what the role of this blog will be. Once the new site/blog gets started, we'll see, but I have no intention of stopping this blog. I won't be posting 'in progress' things on the new site, and I'm sure there will be plenty of other things that I will keep here, and not find a home for at the new site.
3/28/07
3/20/07
Fixed Scarf
In a previous post, I whined about making a mistake in a tubular scarf that I was working on. I got lots of good advice both a nice comment on the blog and posts on the knifty knitter groups I'm in, thanks to all! What I finally ended up doing, was taking off each and every stitch of the second skein. It was slow going sometimes, especially because the Cha-Cha yarn is so fluffy, and has extra fringes. So now it looks fine, but short. And as soon as I tie off and cut off the extra yarn, there's a little girl that a short fluffy scarf will be just perfect for.
3/19/07
Awesome Clay Artist
I tried to post the YouTube videos, but for some reason they didn't show up. Here's the link to his page with the videos. This guy is using poly clay differently than I've ever seen.
He makes figures, but they're not rigid, he makes each body part seperate, and hollow, and strings them together with elastic, so they can move. I want to try that!
He makes figures, but they're not rigid, he makes each body part seperate, and hollow, and strings them together with elastic, so they can move. I want to try that!
3/14/07
A Few Cool Tools
If you're like me, you tend to have several projects going at the same time. We creative types just can't stop creating! I tend to have a couple-three current projects that I work on every other day or so, and another several projects, partially finished, but kinda on-hold, just sitting. And sometimes when a project is on-hold for too long, it kinda gets forgotten about for a while. And if it's not a creative project, maybe it's a book we meant to finish, or a recipe we were going to try, or just a site you meant to visit more often. Here are a few things that are fun and useful to help keep track of all those projects, or things-to-do.
Joe's Goals is a nice, free web based goal tracker, developed by a guy to help himself keep track of his own goals, and he opened it up to others. This tool is useful on a weekly basis, a day-to-day basis. You list your goals each seperately, and how often you mean to do them, and when you do them each day, or each week, you can put a little check mark in a box to show you did it. If it's a negative thing that you want to NOT do, you can put a bad red X if you did it, and you can also list a number in another box if you're couning up or down to something. (weight loss, or number of pages written perhaps) I use Joe's Goals for some personal healthy goals, stretching, eating breakfast, etc. But you could easily use it to track some of your projects. My New Hampshire Auntie, who loves scrapbooking, altering books, sewing, and trying many new things, told me her project plan of keeping track: she works on a certain project type on a certain day. You could definately do that with Joe's Goals, Joe could remind you that Monday is for scrapbooking, Wednesday is for sewing, etc. These goals stay private unless you choose to share them, and there is a section to be inspired by others' goals as well. Joe keeps updating the site, and the program, so it keeps getting better. Definately something to check out.
If you're looking for a tool that is a bit more public, take a look at 43 Things. It's more of an online community, where everyone makes and shares their list of things to do. Some go grand, big wishes, and some go down to the everyday mundaine. You could list 43 projects you want to work on, or 43 steps to a project. You can list which ones you've finished, and comment on others' list. You can also send yourself reminders, which are fun, "Dear future self, I'm reminding you about your goal. How's it going? Sincerely, Your past self." Very nice.
A reminder tool you could add to your blog is a personalizable count down from the Ticker Factory. This was origionally made for tracking a pregnancy or a birthday, but you could put any specific date that you want to count down to, a craft fair that's coming up, or the deadline for making hats to donate, or just a date you pick to have something finished by. And it keeps counting down for you. Below is my next birthday!
Try some of these cool tools, and if you find any more, let me know, too!
Joe's Goals is a nice, free web based goal tracker, developed by a guy to help himself keep track of his own goals, and he opened it up to others. This tool is useful on a weekly basis, a day-to-day basis. You list your goals each seperately, and how often you mean to do them, and when you do them each day, or each week, you can put a little check mark in a box to show you did it. If it's a negative thing that you want to NOT do, you can put a bad red X if you did it, and you can also list a number in another box if you're couning up or down to something. (weight loss, or number of pages written perhaps) I use Joe's Goals for some personal healthy goals, stretching, eating breakfast, etc. But you could easily use it to track some of your projects. My New Hampshire Auntie, who loves scrapbooking, altering books, sewing, and trying many new things, told me her project plan of keeping track: she works on a certain project type on a certain day. You could definately do that with Joe's Goals, Joe could remind you that Monday is for scrapbooking, Wednesday is for sewing, etc. These goals stay private unless you choose to share them, and there is a section to be inspired by others' goals as well. Joe keeps updating the site, and the program, so it keeps getting better. Definately something to check out.
If you're looking for a tool that is a bit more public, take a look at 43 Things. It's more of an online community, where everyone makes and shares their list of things to do. Some go grand, big wishes, and some go down to the everyday mundaine. You could list 43 projects you want to work on, or 43 steps to a project. You can list which ones you've finished, and comment on others' list. You can also send yourself reminders, which are fun, "Dear future self, I'm reminding you about your goal. How's it going? Sincerely, Your past self." Very nice.
A reminder tool you could add to your blog is a personalizable count down from the Ticker Factory. This was origionally made for tracking a pregnancy or a birthday, but you could put any specific date that you want to count down to, a craft fair that's coming up, or the deadline for making hats to donate, or just a date you pick to have something finished by. And it keeps counting down for you. Below is my next birthday!
Try some of these cool tools, and if you find any more, let me know, too!
3/9/07
TTOTD
So Monday, when I get home from work, my guy says he has an idea.Let me back up a tad.
A while back, my guy had a funky blog/website called Thing Of The Day. He put a lot of work into it, and did it every single day, so he got kinda burnt out on it. I've encouraged him to restart it, because he is a very good writer, and very funny. (And gals, be honest, don't we all know that a guy that makes us laugh is extreemly sexy?) Plus, it was a good project for him. I have my beads, now I have my looming, I have clay, and my retro craft project, and photographing everything, and too many other things I want to try. I have plenty of projects, the website was a good project for him.
Ok, back to Monday. And his idea. He wants to start up the TOTD again, but with a twist: we'll BOTH do it! We'll make it a contest! We each have to post one "thing" every day, first one out looses. And we can make a bet on it! Great idea. Except, I already have all these OTHER projects! I thought. But my "thing" can be one of my projects, or a part of a bigger project. And I could do a comic or a photograph, something not as time consuming. I do really need to have some smaller projects, to suppliment the big projects, all in different stages of being done, a finished project really gives a sence of accomplishment, and with only big projects, I don't get that as often.
We're still working out the rules and what exactly constitutes a "thing", but it's mainly bringing an idea to fruition. And I'll keep you posted where and when we're starting, as soon as we get it all figured out.
So Tuesday, I get to work, and I have a few ideas going around in my head, and I rip off the Monday page of my page-a-day calendar, and notice the quote, the quote from the day he told me the idea, from Maya Angelou: "Nothing will work unless you do." I thought the quote was very fitting, and thought the page might be just the place to jot down a few ideas I could use in our little contest. And that is what turned into that little piece of artwork you see here.
3/2/07
February Habit
So February is over, and I did my habit every day...well, to be perfectly honest, I missed the LAST DAY!! I was so excited that I had remembered to take a photo every day (even though I haven't uploaded them all yet), even when I forgot that day until the last minute, and had to find something interesting to shoot right before bed, so excited that I forgot to take that last shot! Silly me! I've tried a couple times to put a little flickr badge of just those shots here, but either I get too much white space that I can't get rid of, or the code is off, so I'll just give you a link! So did anyone else do a February habit? How did it turn out?
I'm proud to report that I've been doing my Artist Way morning pages for over two months now. What that is doing for me, I'm not yet sure, but it's becoming a habit, that's for sure.
The photo a day habit did help me stretch my photographic 'eye' a bit. I experimented or re-experimented with a few cool things, and probably most of all, I looked through a lot of great photos on flickr to get more great ideas.
I'm proud to report that I've been doing my Artist Way morning pages for over two months now. What that is doing for me, I'm not yet sure, but it's becoming a habit, that's for sure.
The photo a day habit did help me stretch my photographic 'eye' a bit. I experimented or re-experimented with a few cool things, and probably most of all, I looked through a lot of great photos on flickr to get more great ideas.
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