Next

Stamp kit found at the thrift store for under $3!

In thinking about what kind of a business card I might want, I knew it would need to be something different, a little weird, memorable, something to represent me, my ideas, my art, my photographs. Something that the card itself will remind you of me.
One of my favorite ideas was to use something upcycled as the card itself, and collecting old board game bits led to the idea of using board game money.
Eventually, I will have a customized rubber stamp made to look like a business card, with my blog address, and store(s), stamp it on the back of old board game money, and cute, unique business card.
But until I actually have all the addresses, and get all my stuff figured out, I'm not going to NOT hand out cards, right?
I found this rubber stamp kit at one of my favorite thrift stores for $2.98! It seems to have come from a set, everything goes together, though there was no box or instructions, and it appears to be almost complete. There are two trays with lids with two font sets, one all caps; two rounded and two rectangular stamps to put the letters in; a stamp pad and a plastic tweezers thing.
Until I get the letters sorted out and the stamp made, I've hand written a few business cards. So...
NEXT is sorting out a bunch of tiny, tiny letters. Good thing I have a good light!

A Fishy Tale

Of course, it's a fishy tail. ;p
I found clip art of a sun fish of some type, and modified it into my own little fishy. Not much is stitched so far, just the spots on the eye and the, well, spot, and the parts of the tail. Each stripe will get some embroidery on it as well, and it will all get stitched together, with probably some details in the water as well.
I've really been liking using bright colors, imagining colors where they don't normally go, I started that idea with colored pencils and water color a few years ago, and am now bringing it into felt. But I think in the water it would be very cool to try using an almost exact color thread in different embroidery techniques or shapes. Then it would be almost hidden.
I'm thinking of these full sized felt pieces as Felt Painting. I'm not sure if that's the best term or not, but it's a work in progress term for a work in progress work.

On my desk

Thought it was time again to share what's on my desk at work.
I have a nice desk job, where I get to leave right at 5, and not worry about work until I'm back in the morning. (and lucky to be close enough to go home for lunch) I'm very thankful to have a nice desk job, even tho sure, I do sometimes complain about something or another. But hey, who else gets Arbor Day off as a holiday?
Anyway. We also get the standard two 15 minute breaks each day. So I use my time creatively. If it's a full work week, that's a whole two and a half hours of creative work I can get done.
I've mostly been making lots of little felt pieces; pins, magnets, key chains, and different kinds of hair thingies. But I was inspired to try a huge felt piece. I'm thinking to use one felt sheet as the background, the ones I get are just a few smidges bigger than an 8 x 10 sheet of paper, so I'm thinking when it's done, I can crop it to fit a regular picture frame.
So what is it?

'Night Shades

I guess most people would say sleep mask, but when I started making these, I just could not come up with 'sleep mask', in fact, it took me five minutes right now to come up with that. Eye blinders always popped to mind, I remember answering the fleece-cutting store clerk's question by saying I was making 'eye blinders' and seeing the silent confusion in her eyes. (Doesn't everyone understand what I mean, regardless of what I say??)
So the term Night Shades came to me, as they are kinda shades you wear at night, right? And adding the apostrophe, makes it actually Good-Night Shades. Awwe, how cute.
These are one of the things I'm working on for potential sale. There, I said (wrote) it out loud. I have had a goal for too long now, to get an Etsy store started, and maybe saying it out loud more will help my get my butt in gear. Besides the four that have been pictured here so far, that are for personal use or gifts, I have half a dozen started, with the felt layer, all embroidered and felty (the most time-consuming part) finished.
I'm kinda working through the trial run of the ones I wear, to see if/how I need to tweek the measurements a bit. The fleece inner side and the felt outer side don't seem to wear at the same rate on the ones I wear every night, so I'm thinking I need to cut the fleece a bit less. And the headbands that I have used so far have been ok, but I need to figure out a good supply, not just hope to pick some up at the Dollar Tree.
These two are:
top: (red with flowers) Holiday gift for The BFF's mom, just finished at time of photo.
bottom: (fuchsia with flowers) my own pair, worn every night since creation, worn at least two months before this photo.
Can you tell my pair has been worn?

Schemes

n.

1. A systematic plan of action: “Did you ever carry out your scheme of writing a series of sonnets embodying all the great epochs of art?” (Edith Wharton).
2. A secret or devious plan; a plot. See synonyms at plan.
3. An orderly combination of related parts: an irrigation scheme with dams, reservoirs, and channels.
4. A chart, diagram, or outline of a system or object.


v., schemed, schem·ing, schemes.

v.tr.

1. To plot: scheming their revenge.
2. To contrive a plan or scheme for.

v.intr.

To make plans, especially secret or devious ones.