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.