I'm leaving for a week in Chicago tomorrow morning, and I'm starting to get antsy. This may be in part because I'm taking the cat and the dog to the vet in about 45 minutes, and I'm going to miss them. Also I hate juggling both of them at once. Also I think it's about to rain, which makes driving in LA super fun, because when it rains a whole lot of people here forget how to drive.

I'm also all anxious and antsy because I don't really enjoy traveling. I mean, I'll like the being there, but I hate the airport and the airplane. Which I suppose no one is super crazy about. For me it isn't a fear issue, it's a being trapped in a crowded place with very little control of the situation issue.

I'll be fine though. I'm taking deep breathes, and reminding myself that all of this packing/dropping off/traveling part will be over soon, and then I will be in Chicago with family and it will all be worth it.

Papercut in progress

Inspired by this, this, and this, along with making some paper snowflakes by hand out of coffee filters (a much beloved activity), I've started doing some paper cutting again.



It's still in progress, but I think it looks pretty good for a half hour's worth of work.

Butter is softening on the counter for the cookies I'm baking for Charlie's work party tomorrow. There is something about baking cookies for a party I'm not going to that makes me feel very grown up. Realizing that, on the other hand, makes me feel like I'm twelve, so it evens out.

Baking will be good. I haven't baked in a long time, and I really ought to. The kitchen in this apartment is pleasant. I have a stand mixer, which generally makes things like cookies come together very quickly. Plus it's December, and even in Pasadena it's chilly enough that having the oven on is pleasant.

It will also be good because the art is currently not working. Luckily, it worked long enough for me to finish the commission piece, but now that I'm working up new stuff, it is not. Things have gone wrong that defy basic concepts of geometry. It's very, very frustrating. I finally have a piece going alright, but it required enough odd little saves that I know the pattern I made for it won't be worth reusing.

It's worth it, the experimenting and taking risks with my work, but when it does fail it is a bit disheartening.

Edited to add: The cat's doing alright. I'm not certain about how he'll be long term, but for right now he seems to be improving.

Hi! I've been working on another commission piece, which has left me busy and without a lot to share. And now my cat is having some health issues, so I'm dealing with that. So posting may be sparse for just a bit longer. Please don't abandon me. I promise I'll come back soon.

I've commemorated my poor fallen toy as necklace. It turned out well, and was easier to make than I thought it would be. I may need to make some of these for the shop.


In the meantime though, I have many faces painted and ready for bodies!

This is what I spent my day on. Thirteen standard size faces, one very big face, one very small face, and one pendant. This was taken pre-baking. Now they're baked and cooled on my worktable (a whole side story for another time, but hey! we bought a dining room table Saturday, expressly so that I could have my worktable and set up my office.), but alas the picture I took of their current state is somewhat crappy.

The next step will be painting them which will be tomorrow or Thursday. It takes a few hours, which puts tonight out, since Charlie should actually be out at a reasonable hour. We haven't decided yet if we're staying in or going out, but either way I want to spend time with him. Since I also want to keep painting until I'm through once I do start, it'll have to wait.

I'm glad to have so many done. In a way, sculpting the faces is my favorite part, but it is time consuming. But it's worth it not to have to stop sewing when I'm on a roll just because I'm out of finished faces.

Plus I'm excited about these in general right now. I'm full to the brim with ideas and enthusiasm.

Shop Update!

Hey! There is an update at ye olde etsy shoppee! You should go look at it! And buy things! We will all have fun in this endeavor, I promise.

In other news, my back hurts for no apparent reason, and it's making me feel like hunkering down with a cup of tea and the television. Which I think I am going to do presently.

Anyhow, I'm hoping to do another update later this week. So keep checking back.

Also, I will try to be more exciting right here tomorrow, content wise! So come back for that too!

One step back. . .

I selfishly wanted to go to the bathroom without the dog's company yesterday morning. And when I did so, I stupidly left the door to my office open.

Thus this:



Became this:



It was up high, hanging on the switch of a broken pole lamp I need to bulk trash. I think he climbed up on the also broken desk chair, leaned over, and pulled it down to the floor to eat it.

Luckily, he is very cute:



That incident, combined with my having a fever and sleeping through most of yesterday afternoon, and being busy with household stuff most of today, means tomorrows shop update will be a little smaller than hoped. But! I'm going to do a few more small updates throughout the week, and possibly into the next week as well, outside work permitting. I considered pushing it really hard tonight, but I decided that I would be more likely to put out quality products if I got them done at a slower pace and did small updates more often. It's what works for me.