L'Orangerie

Finally.

I acquired the truly inspiring  Alabama Chanin books last Xmas, and have done nothing but moon over them since.* I think I had a psychological block around working with jersey (those wacky rolling edges) which is odd considering my vast quantity of handknits.

Somehow the time was right on Monday. I chalked the pattern onto the fabric and carefully cut out two panels. That wasn't so hard! Must stencil now!

Late at night, basement studio, little ventilation, never used the airbrush before. This is gonna go well. I survived with no ill effects, but felt incredibly stupid. Respirator and extra filters are on order. The stenciling is a bit spotty in places, but I figured the worst of it would be cut away in the reverse applique process.

And I was right. I sewed most of the shapes last night then couldn't resist trimming a few. Ok, all of the them. The green is a bit vivid, but for a practice piece I was pleased enough. Until I looked closely at the fabric without my contacts. It's all done on the wrong side.

AARRGH.

At least I was consistent. The upper and lower layers are both wrong side up. Practice piece! It's a practice piece! Must keep repeating that.

Lessons learned:

1. Cut a bigger stencil so you don't have to keep repositioning
2. Use a respirator when airbrushing (duh)
3. Make sure the fabric is right side up (see above)

 

*Actually, that's not quite true. I made the headband out of some t-shirts this spring. It went pretty well. The design's on the right side!

SCORE.

Not that I need more art fodder, but I tend to keep my eyes open to possibilities. Imagine the tingles when I saw this album on Etsy for the princely sum of $17.

Look at the size of this monster. It measures 8" x 10.5" and is about 2.5" thick. The spine is gone and the covers detached, but that just makes it more perfect for two new FTB journals. I've been re-watching the Frame Block Journal vids, and it's all I can do not to start a new journal immediately.

Did I mention the clasp is functional, and totally awesome? It is both. Imagine the giant pages I can create... sewn or not sewn? I think there should be sewing. What colors? what interesting material for tapes? which linen thread?

This project is in danger of taking on mythical status because I was very afraid the package was lost forever in the postal system. It went from Macon, GA to Federal Way, WA to Jersey City, NJ back to Federal Way then finally up to Seattle. No explanation, no abject apologies just a tour of the continent. I guess the important thing is that it's home.

Juice! new hair! all good things!

*weep!* Does this thing not have an auto-save when one accidentally closes the browser?? because now I have to start over from scratch. Grr! Blogging gold, that was. You'll just have to take my word for it.

So yes, I was whinging about August passing me by. Journaling here and there, but mostly I'm trying to organize and coordinate my basement studio/sewing room. It's been a dumping ground for 2+ years and am trying to correct that. It's slow going.

In rejuvenation news, I was treated to freshly extracted carrot & apple juice a couple of weekends ago.

I NEED A JUICER, my whole being screamed. Knowing that I'm highly suggestible I hemmed, hawed, and researched the matter. I think it was a pretty short struggle, as I had birthday monies burning a hole in my pocket and Zappos has free overnight shipping.

Say hello to...

Hmm. Francis (our espresso machine) was easy to name. What does one call one's new Breville juice fountain? Will have to muse upon that.

Grant was not opposed to the juicer (did he get a vote at the time?), but querying now he says he's "an enthusiastic proponent. A backer." We started with a simple orange juice then moved to an apple/carrot/celery concoction.

Then things took a turn and I added a beet.

I know! I'm not sure I've ever voluntarily touched a beet in my life, but was an excellent addition. There may be some parsley in there as well. So fresh! Oh, and that pineapple a few shots ago? We had that this morning. Divine. That was the richest, creamiest...and it was just one fruit! Juicing is amazing to me. If I love Whosit as much as I love Francis this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

In other rejuvenation news, that hair up there? So long and unwieldy. I was in a mood, so when I saw Darrin while perusing the new Knitty did I even see the cute cardi? Barely. What I mostly saw was the cute hair. Mine turned out more bobsy...

...and I'm still getting used to how bangs work, but am enjoying the refreshing change.

Release the Kraken!

Old post alert! I really should launch these in a more timely manner, but formatting is limited on the mobile, and I'm a sucker for centering, italicizing, etc.

Here's the full on view of the cracked (or as we call it Kraken!) plaster journal.

I tried to crochet assorted buttons to the spine, but crochet and I? We don't get along.

That's been abandoned for the moment. I wonder if sewing would work better. I used curved needles to do the Coptic stitch, and they were a revelation. I may always use curved needles to bind books.

In book news, I read Chime by Franny Billingsley in a day. I sneaked it from the return ILL pile (it wasn't due till later this month! It's on it's way back now, honest!) My guilty conscience aside, it was riveting and well written which you don't always get in YA. This paragraph spoke to me for some reason:

"This is what I want. I want people to take care of me. I want them to force comfort on me. I want the soft-pillow feeling that I associate with memories of being ill when I was younger, soft pillows and fresh linens and satin-edged blankets and hot chocolate. It's not so much the comfort itself as knowing there's someone who wants to take care of you."

Sniff.

Take many pictures.

I've been thinking about our Sibyl lately.

Reading about Mary Ann's devastating loss will do that, I suppose. My heart goes out to her. Buck Moss was a star, and it's pretty obvious how devoted they were.

I get that. Sibyl was our first cat as a couple. She liked Grant fine, but she was my girl. I picked her out from petfinder.com and we bonded over ear scratchies at the shelter. She was a lap kitty, champion purr-er, and a licker. Her little sandpaper tongue would lick a hand raw if we weren't careful. We three had seven great years together.

Then Sibyl developed skin cancer so we knew her days were numbered. At the time surgery seemed like a good idea though the shaving and sutures were horrifying. She seemed to get better, but actually lasted only a few weeks after. She died at home. I still don't know if that was better or worse than having to make the decision. I do know it was the Worst Thanksgiving Ever.

Grant was brave enough to take her to the vet the next day. I didn't want the ashes. I think they said something about spreading them at an idyllic orchard. Upstate. It sounded good.

She's been gone almost five years. I made this heart for her yesterday. Another benefit of the plaster class :)

Her picture is still on the fridge. It's one of the few pics we have of her. She was all black except for her golden eyes, and it was tricky getting good shots. I think I'm making up for it in spades with Ginger.

Ginger is certainly an enjoyable companion, but she's a biter. Sometimes it hurts my feelings, but I think she had it a bit rough before she came to us. She's tolerant up to a point, and substituting toys instead of flesh helps. It also helps that she's totally cute. Both adoptions we were warned against the cranky adult loner cat. Pfft. They need the most love. A part of me regrets never seeing my girls as fluffy babies--like sand kitten!--but it's only a small part.

A return to plaster...

I had to have more plaster-y items to show because I met real people today!

Pam, Melinda, and Jeanne in Pam's gorgeous backyard with a table full of art--woot!

I'm so accustomed to hiding in my art cave that I forget how nice it is to get out and share with fellow artists. Such inspiration! I'm still swooning and full of new ideas. Or thinking about projects I meant to finish. Like journals with plaster pages:

 
This one is made from a Boston Grammar School Prize Book. It's such a pretty little vintage leather cover. It was a bit musty, but I stuck it in some baking soda for a few days and that seems to have done the trick. I did a Coptic stitch binding by Keith Smith. Reading his books makes me cry a little, but stitching along step by step was relatively easy. My attention span could use some work, however. I skipped a link under on the second journal:

I plan to embellish the spine so I should be able to fix, or at least disguise, the loose bit. I'm more worried about what to do in these journals. The plaster pages are so pristine I'm almost afraid. It needs some thinking.

New journal pages!

I dig these tiny pages.

Rainy days are made for journaling.

The weather's been a bit dreary for July, but it's a great excuse for tea and digestives, and hunkering down. I swear I'll become a hermit in later years if I'm not careful. I did manage to get out yesterday and finish an excavation in the back yard.

There's this concrete slab where I want to set up a table for plaster work. It's messy for the studio since I've got knitting, jewelry stuff, fabric and journals strewn about. I started the clearing about a week ago, but crashed early. The grass, needles, etc. had taken totally taken over. It turns out years of neglect can't be undone by half an hour of my feeble labor.  Sadly it hadn't spaded itself, but I managed to finish it off. Now all I need is some non-raininess.

In fabric news, I made a protective bag for my new journal.

I pieced together bits of wool and upholstery fabric, added strips of velvet and applique. It's a little floppy, but the journal is expanding at an alarming rate. The first bag I made was too small and I'm afraid this one is on the way.

Rainy days are also made for Netflix.

Hee hee! The Star Treks are on instant play and that's awesome. Pretty convenient for my journal that I have a supply of Next Gen trading cards from back in the day, isn't it? Or is that waaaay too nerdy?

Don't answer that.

Proto-Smash book

Inspiration books have been all the talk on the Full Tilt Boogie boards. (Ha. "boogie boards" see what I did there?) I've kept idea/inspiration/scrap books in the past and am fairly certain that if I wasn't now devoted to making my own I'd be a sucker for the SMASH book concept. I do love coordinated cleverness. I looked around and reckon the last one I did was for a home improvement scheme that never got off the ground.

The covers are Davey board, file folders as dividers and watercolor paper for the pages.

There must always be a cat in my home.

I still wouldn't say no to an airy French-doored breakfast nook. In case anyone wants to build me one.

Lazy weekends are best.

It being my birthday weekend I didn't feel compelled to do anything above the civilized minimun. Showered eventually, ate whenever. But mostly I played in my new journal.

These mystery cupcakes appeared in our fridge on Thursday. Apparently Grant took the shuttle to the Junction and picked up my two favorite flavors. In secret! I was just gobsmacked. I'm so used to knowing what's going on and when, and I didn't even get a chance to worry while he was out and about. Hmm...the thought occurs that that's a good thing. I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.

I keep getting picture texts from a friend who's visiting Lithuania. She sent this rainy day latte on her birthday. There's a castle in the background. Sigh.

I found cat poetry in the latest The Stranger. Snort. I suspect Ginger would not be at home to children. Fortunately, that ship--if it was ever seaworthy--has sailed.

Birds keep inserting themselves into these pages so, of course, I had to break out the Portlandia reference. The stencil used for the lettering was purchased in Paris 2006 (it has the proper accent marks) and the locked gate was in Dalkey, Ireland 2008. Interesting bits keep turning up in my stash. It's funny because I'm not normally one to look back--especially now when it seems like a lifetime ago--but I've taken some really cool pictures in my travels. It pleases me to use them in new ways.

Appearances to the contrary, I am SO happy with this page thus far. I found the text and the picture in some old ArtFest stash. I'd nearly forgotten Miss Cranky Pants, but now she is totally my mascot. The perfectly sized rubber stamp alphabet was $1 from Michaels and the tape was on a package from Japan.

It's all coming together. Yay!