Thursday, April 20, 2006

Junk Drawer

Not the one in the kitchen with the extra batteries, random coupons, screw driver, pens, glue sticks and other beloved clutter... this is just the junk drawer of my mind. (See DebR for more info.)

My Own Biggest Critic
Did you see I posted a new picture to my profile? I get tired of the same picture for months and months and needed something new. I posted a different one earlier in the day. It was black and white. Were you one of the unlucky few to see it? It was not great. I have a big smile... which is fine. But it makes my chin look like a circus clown. You know how they draw extra "laugh" lines in with black face paint over that white clown skin? No need to draw lines when I'm smiling, they stand right out. I thought black and white might look arty like Sonji. Not so. I took about 20 more shots later in the day and ended up with what you see on the right. I like pictures that have a bit of action. In this one I'm brushing hair out of my face. Or showing off my new earrings. You choose.

Another Item on the To Do List
I really liked the thread and fiber vessels in the lastest issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. I also have flipped through the book Threadabowls and I think they so enticing. I just might have to make one of them. Maybe more than one. I never made a fabric bowl when those were all the rage. They didn't thrill me. But the wispy, interesting, light look of these bowls and vases and boxes is irresistable. Sigh. I miss my sewing machine.

Step on a Crack, Break Your...
The My Turn essay in Newsweek magazine this week was fantastic. It was about the demise of the all-American sidewalk. The author wrote about how as a child she memorized every crack in the sidewalk on her walk to school. Knew the dogs that were friendly and the dogs that were not. And the best place to find the biggest puddle in which to jump. I remember that too. It seems like I even walked home for lunch when I was in elementary school. Through the alley. Singing or talking to myself the whole way. Now we pile our kids into minivans, turn on the radio and sit in drop-off lines swirling around school parking lots. It's just not the same world as it was when I was growing up. It's just not safe or responsible to let young kids walk to school by themselves. I hope when we move into our new home, we can find a healthy practical balance. We will live just under a mile and a half from the school. Managable, occasionally I think. Especially once Benjamin gets comfortable on a bike.

Trade Tease
I think I have finally come up with an idea for my "trade" for Art and Soul. Trade??? Apparently, in the world of mixed media workshops, it's common for attendees to bring small hand made items to trade with other attendees to celebrate and remember their experience. I've heard that many people do atcs (artist trading cards), little packets of ephemera, handmade beads or small art dolls. Kim wrote about making her trades before she attended Artfest recently.

I really wanted to do something with fabric. I'm all about the fabric, right? Aren't we all? But, we're still in this temporary apartment before we move into our house. And I don't have my sewing machine or any fabric. (What. Was. I. Thinking?) So, I had to come up with a new idea. And I wanted it to be clever but fairly simple to make. I'll need to make several. Trades are not required, of course. But I don't want to just smile and hang my head and say, "I'm not trading, sorry." Plus, I don't want to miss out on the goodies all the other artists will be sharing.

Anyway... it's not going to be fabric. I'll tell you more about it after I test it out and see if I like it. It might be something like this or this.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....my mind doesn't HAVE a junk drawer....it IS one. Just ask my family. I still don't know how I managed to NOT pass the Jeopardy test.

Anyway, I saw the b&w pic. It wasn't bad. I guess I should get one up. Maybe.

Will have to get the latest CPS...

Re: walking to school- lots of kids still do here but we are just too far out in the country and people drive too fast on our road for me to feel comfortable letting my kids ride bikes to school. Besides, I am afraid he would get sidetracked (at almost 15) and decide to NOT go to school.....Plus, had a scary experience yesterday when I was driving home. We have a state highway that runs through our town (two lane- speed limit 30 in town). I was just moving from the 30 MPH zone to the 40 when a black and white dog ran across the road and started barking very aggressively at two girls (pit bull- hackles raised). I now wish I had stopped at yelled at the owner to get that damn dog on a leash (yes we DO have leash laws here) and I wish I had called the police to report it. I will look for our police chief today to let him know about it. I suspect the dog and owner live in town....

Since you will be so close to school walking along with your kids for a few years will be good exercise!!

teri

Debra said...

They always say that it's "just not the same world"... that's it less safe, etc. I cannot believe that suddenly perversions sprang up in the world fully formed 20-30 years ago.

Instead, I believe that news media is making it sound less safe.

I grew up in a bedroom suburb in the '50s. We were trained to deal with the stranger in the car who might try to nab us walking home from school; we were trained to not walk home alone.

I do not believe that today is significantly different. Except in the way that the news media shows our lives.

A lot of the kids around here walk to school and home again. Not the ones who need to cross a major road, but all the others do. Then in middle school and high school.. they walk down the major road.

Deb R said...

I really like the new photo! Wish I'd seen the B/W one, but I missed it. This makes me think I should put a new profile photo on my page too. I haven't changed mine for ages. In my home, I'm a person who arranges the furniture and it stays in that spot nearly forever, and I'm kinda that way with my blog template, I guess! I don't even think about things like new profile photos unless someone/something else MAKES me think of it! So thanks for the idea, Deborah. :-)

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for your trade item. You're so creative with things like your paper collages, that I have no doubt you'll come up with something wonderful, even without messing with fabric!

Gerrie said...

I like your new photo. I love listening to your stream of consciousness as I would call the junk drawer of your mind. One thing I love about our new neighborhood is that it is an old, established neighborhood and sidewalks abound - I am enjoying exploring it on foot.

Mandi aka Fabric Princess said...

Are you going to Art and Soul in Dallas? I am. I'm kind of nervous. Going alone...nobody to eat with. Guess I'll take a book, and a few atc's to trade!

Claire said...

Hi Deb, I have heard of an interesting thing around here called the walking school bus. As I understand it, a responsible person walks the kids to school, picking kids up along the way... like a bus, but walking.

I can see lots of benefits like combating childhood obesity, reducing traffic congestion around schools (maybe reducing the liklihood of kids getting hit by cars), Kids learning to cross the road safely and probably more.

When I was little my sister and I were taught never, ever to get in a car with anyone unless we had been told by my dad, even if it was a person we knew well. And we had a policeman come to tell us about stranger danger and I was pretty scared and very aware.

Cheers
Claire