Entries tagged with projects

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Crafty Tuesday: Blue Skying for Next Year

Technically I am done with Art Shows this year. I think my first one next year is Farpoint. Next year are my usual shows of Farpoint, LunaCon, Shoreleave, and DragonCon if I jury into each. I might have one or two others to add.

In doing so, I need to figure out what I would like to do next year. There are always a couple of things I sort out during the year that get added into the mix.

I have been thinking about doing a Firefly puppet set for quite a while. I think I might have it all figured out. But after I heard the comment about “puppet show in the backyard” now I have to make them. Deciding whether to do a set of hand puppets or the large ones.

I am working through my head some new monster type puppets that I think I am going to introduce along with the usual Phluzzies.

The dolls are going to make a comeback this year. I had mostly puppets last year but after a talk with Wendy Froud at NYCC, I have an itch to do the anthropomorphic Victorian dolls (Not calling them Steampunk because I don’t know if I am going that direction.)

Might make a puppet or two based on anime characters. Or maybe some dolls.

Am working on the geometry of what is know as a chibi sort of doll. Same for some stuffed animals that are not puppets which will be a first.

I might have to finish up a few critters that I found in the not quite done box. I have about half a dozen bodies that are only so far along. Some of them are fail experiments at the time but I think I can salvage them.

My goal for the next year is NOT to be rushing right before the convention.

Also I do plan to put some stuff up for sale on Esty this year to see what might happen there.

I open the floor to you my dear reader, based on what I have done before, what would you like to see me do? Remember this is blue skying so just about anything goes except recreations of established puppets.

I am grateful for ideas that work.

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Introspection (First in an occasional series)

I have been thinking about a lot of different things this week. Some of it connects to things that happened at New York Comic Con and DragonCon. Some of it is connected to things that have been going on at Casa David.

Kung Fu Panda was on the other day. And the first line I heard was “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.” I have always liked that line. It is part of a larger quote but this is the part that sings to me. Living in the now is not a bad thing to do.

I know a number of you love my tag line where I express something I am grateful for each day. Sometimes it is directly tied into what I am writing about and other times it is things that are on my mind. And, yes, there are days that it is hard to come up with something to be grateful for but I dig down and really examine my life to find something that I am grateful for.

I have been told I am a positive person. I like to encourage others to follow their dreams and hopes. I am a big cheerleader for others and I am happy when I see others achieve those things that are close to their hearts. I know I have been incredibly lucky and blessed that I have been able to achieve things that I have wanted to do. I haven’t achieved everything and what I want to achieve changes as my life changes.

I also put a copy of Plato’s Apology, which is Plato’s account of the trial and death of Socrates, on my iPad. From which my eye went over “a life unexamined is not worth living”. Which is what got me on this Introspection.

Some of you may remember that I was a history major for my undergraduate degree. Probably many of you didn’t know that. I was told by a wise professor that undergrad was going to be the only time that I could explore what I wanted to learn rather than when I need to learn for a job. So I took that to heart and did a lot of different courses in a lot of different fields just so I would have some knowledge of various subjects.

Those who have known me longer than that can attest to the fact that I tend to find a subject or an author interesting and I will go into research mode and read all I can on that subject. And that has served me well over the years because I have a screwy brain that researches very well and retains what it reads over time. May not be able to do a direct word for word quotes but I have all the ideas in my head. And I play with those ideas. That’s why I like math. I can play with Math in my head and due to my dyslexia, Math always made more sense than spelling to me.

Back to Plato, I have been examining my life recently. Some stuff happened that got me looking back and looking forward and I feel like I am losing the now which is probably where I need to concentrate. I wasted some really great opportunities in the past couple of years that might have me in a very different place. So I am resolving to use the new opportunities that have cropped up and stop wasting what the universe is giving me chances at. I have to stop being afraid of succeeding or failing spectacularly. I have succeed and failed at things so many time in my life, I really should be over the butterflies I find myself having still as I show off new art or a new writing to someone. I can take criticism. I had to learn how to and it was a hard lesson but a very useful one.

So one foot in the front of the other and move forward. I need to live in the now right now.

I am grateful that Peter has always given me his honest opinion and never sugar coated it.

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What is that Big Yellow Glowing Thing in the Sky?

When you haven’t really seen the sun much in over a week, it is amazing how much seeing it can make you feel better. The cats are happy because they can stretch out in a sunbeam and sleep. I am happy because, even with the temperature in the 20s, the sun will help some of the snow melt. It has already done a great job on the snow we got last night which I would call a dusting at best.

Yesterday I finally got out of the house and to my local fabric store for some things I have needed for projects for a while. It was nice to chat with the ladies there and catch up on news and hear other tales of the snow. They wanted to know what I was up to and I promised pictures once I get some stuff done. They are very interested to see how the postcards turn out.

Today is all about the sewing machine and me. I need to clear off the table that I do my layouts on and get some stuff ready to sew. I have an idea of how I am going to do all this but I need to spread the fabric out and plan what I am going to do with it.

I am grateful that we only got a dusting and, due to the sun, don’t have to deal with it at all.