Cleanin' The Work Space

I'd like to think I'm a pretty clean, organized individual.  I always clean up when company is coming (even if it's my parents) and insure that every crumb is off the floor. However, I've been so busy with Of The Fountain work, that I've kinda of just ignored my work area when it came time to clean the apartment.  It wouldn't be too bad if my stuff didn't cover the entire dining room table. But it is that bad, so eating meals is relegated to the coffee table or our respective computer desks.  Sometimes, though, you just need the space that a dining room table can provide.  Be it for a family meal, playing a board game, etc.

Since I'm caught up with orders and have the time to clean, I decided to clean off my "studio."  It took me hours. It was so messy. I am so gross. :(  But I got it done and now we have 1/2 of the dining room table free.  Hopefully I can maintain it...

BEFORE

  My work table after I removed all my tools and supplies.  (I am too embarrassed to show the table before I cleared it off.)

This is my main work area.  All the brown stuff is leather bits and leather dust.  On top of the towel I usually have a giant marble slab where I stamp the leather tags.

AFTER

 After dusting, vacuuming, and washing the towel, all is clean!

It would be great if this table stays clean for at least a month, though I'm not holding my breath.

Chambord and Champagne Cocktail

I didn't have my first alcoholic drink until I was 21*ish.  It's not that I was anti-underage drinking, but I just wasn't interested in booze until then.  My entrance into the world of drinking alcohol was found in my grandmother's freezer.  In there I found a teeny tiny bottle of Chambord (a delicious raspberry liqueur).  I confiscated the booze and sipped it over a few days (it was precious and I didn't want to waste it).  That became my drink - Chambord over ice.  Over the years I've branched out and will drink anything except for beer (weasel piss).

Plastic Halloween flutes my Mom got us from the Dollar Store.  I think it was money well spent. :)

This past 4th of July, I came across a new cocktail: Chambord and champagne.  While a drink consisting of two French beverages was probably the most unpatriotic thing I could be drinking on that particular holiday, I put that fact out of my mind.  1 part Chambord to 2 parts (or more) champagne.  Delicious dessert drink.

Chambord can be expensive, but luckily the champagne I got was super cheap.  I think it balanced out...

Weddings in Houston Magazine

Of The Fountain has been featured in the July-August 2011 issue of Weddings in Houston Magazine! Yay! A set of 2 custom tags were included in the "Our Favorite Things" article.

Lookie! There I be! ^^

NYC: Origami Convention 2011

Giant T-Rex made out of paper.

As my boyfriend is hardcore into origami, we've started going to the OrigamiUSA convention in New York City every June. Held at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology), this year we were able to stay at the college dorms right across the street.  While this meant that we had to use a public bathroom and supply our own linens (I simply wore all my clothes to bed), it also meant that we didn't have to use the subway to get from an affordable hotel to the convention.  (I would rate the NYC subway a 8-9 out of 10 on the "How filthy is this subway?" scale.)

I lived at home during college, so this was my first experience in a dorm.

While my better half was across the street from the dorms folding paper and taking classes to learn new origami models, I was siting at my little dorm room desk, working on some Of The Fountain tasks.

 I stamped out a bunch of Of The Fountain wrapping paper using my hand carved stamp. :)

I brought a batch of tags (that I had stamped at home right before we left) to be dyed.

When I wasn't cutting a crapload of suede lace (to be tied on the long train ride home), I was wandering around the city.  I had just learned that there was an Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met and I absolutely HAD to go!  While in college I did a Specialty Design project where I designed a high end boutique for Alexander McQueen that including building a massive 3D model. It was a lot of fun and my parents were really supportive.  While no one in my family really gives a crap about fashion, we all care/cared about Alexander McQueen because of all the research I had to do for the project and my parents' involvement in my project. So! I jumped in a cab all by myself, waited in line for over an hour at the Met (after I had bought my ticket), and then finally saw the exhibit. I was blown away.  Oddly, I was moved to tears. It was worth the wait and I'd definitely go again given the chance. Sadly, I couldn't take pictures in the exhibit. :(

1/10th of the line to see the A. McQueen exhibit at the Met.

I did, however, buy the coffee table book that had photos of all the pieces in the exhibit.  Below are a few of my favorites.

 Dress, Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006-7. Black silk.

 Ensemble, The Girl Who Lived in The Tree, autumn/winter 2008-9. Dress of ivory silk tulle embroidered with red glass beads; bolero of red silk.

 Dress, Widows of Culloden, autumn/winter 2006-7. Cream silk and lace with resin antlers.

I loved this dress so much I got myself a little magnet that I have since stuck on my fridge.

One of the best parts of the trip was being able to see this every time I went outside:

IMAX 3D tickets: bought! Midnight showing: I'm too old for that crap...I'm going 7/15 at 7:00pm. :)

Quotes to Live By

I find it interesting to discover what people choose to have stamped on their tags.  Here are a few recent favorite quotes that I hammered into dead animal skin (cow to be precise).

 

 

Bad Mom

How often is too often to blog about your cat?   I try not to overload the blog with my freakishly ugly/cute cat, but sometimes I need something to talk about...ya know, blog fodder?

So my sphynx cat, Rasputin, is currently my only child.  [Totally off subject, I am really digging the name "Khaleesi" for a girl's name.  Too much Game of Thrones? I think not!) Anyway, my Lil' Pooper, Rasputin is a terrible, terrible child.  Due to his ill-natured temperament, I am often finding myself doing things that may make me a bad "cat mom".

For example, his breed requires that he be thoroughly bathed once a week.  Well, my catty HATES baths.  He screams and claws and whines, like you would expect a cat to do.  So I only give him a bath when I am expecting company or once a month.

The place where traumatizing cat baths occur.

Due to him not having any fur to protect his skin, my cat is more susceptible to skin irritation caused by the sun, AKA sunburn.  Aww!  Rasputin loves to look outside at the buses and people roaming through our backyard, and in doing this he is often sitting in direct sunlight for an hour or two at a time.  The top of his little head and ears get red.  When I remember, I put some SPF 80 on these places, but I don't always remember.  I hope this doesn't spur medical problems in his future. :(

I think the worse thing that I do is let him get away with things he should not be doing.  I should be guiding him in the proper ways that a nice catty should act, and I am so not doing this.  At first, I didn't want him on the kitchen counters, because ew.  I would yell at him, spank him, look at him all mean-like, etc. whenever he did this.  I don't think he feels pain like a normal cat, because he didn't respond to my spankings.  He did however, loudly (and heart-breakingly) respond to my boyfriend gnawing on his tail.  Unfortunately, my boyfriend isn't around during the day, so I have to be the disciplinarian most of the time and I just can't will myself to gnaw on my kitty.  (Haha. See how I did that??).  My point is that I've given up on teaching him that climbing on the kitchen counters and cabinets is wrong.  I'm just going to let him be bad because it's easier than raising him to be a good cat.

From high up in his kitchen cabinet command post, Rasputin stares at me while I work.  It's quite unsettling.

I think the worst thing that I do by him is not give him the amount of attention he desires.  His breed is very social, and he spends hours a day walking around our apartment, meowing his little hairless heart out, calling out to be socially stimulated.  I am ashamed to say that I am often too busy to provide him with an adequate play session a lot of the time.  However! We plan on getting him a little dog friend soon, and Pooper *loves* other animals, so I hope this will help with the incessant meowing.  Until then, we'll both suffer. Together. :)

Lovely Couples

Each of the following sets of tags feature such a loving sentiment. <3

 Their love for each other and adventure is displayed in a few words...

 ...their new status is shared in a handful of words...

...their devotion is told in a pretty decent amount of words. <3

Happy Sunday! My better half and I are currently in NYC for the yearly OrigamiUSA convention.  Well, my boyfriend is attending the convention, while I work on Of The Fountain stuff in our hotel room.  I brought a handful of recent orders with me to dye, ink and assemble.  In addition to that, I've been stamping out Of The Fountain wrapping paper, cutting hundreds of yards of suede lace, working on taxes for 2011 and making new cat heads! I'd call it a pretty productive work weekend. (I did the whole "travel to NYC with a friend and the brother and stay in a hostel in Brooklyn and get abducted by Scientologists in Times Square then later get trashed at the hostel and fall out of a bottom bunk bed and onto a rolling locker receiving a leg wound and then drunkly talk to my parents on the phone to check-in and then wake up the next morning and feel like crap whilst visiting the Met and then catching a bus in scary Harlem to get to the airport and finally arrive home" thing a few years ago, so I'm fine with not doing anything touristy this trip. ><)

Out of Stock

*pout*.  I had to close my shop. Again. :(  When I closed it a month ago, it was because my family was in town.  This time, I simply ran out of materials. A few weeks ago I ordered supplies as I was running low on things that are integral in making my custom luggage tags.  Sadly, my order was placed on back order and I have no idea when the materials will be in stock and shipped to me.

I am so sad about this that I heaped onto the grass.  (Lies! I took this picture in May. No idea why. I am still sad, though.)

I still have enough materials in stock to finish up orders that were placed before I closed my shop, but I am not comfortable with new customers ordering tags when I don't know if I will have the materials in stock by the time I got to processing their order. So, I decided to close up shop until I get a refill on my supplies.

I have my *fingers crossed* that the supplies arrive soon.

A Trio of Tags

I recently got an order for three tags that were all linked together by the Almond Brothers song, "Soulshine."  Each tag had a different part of the song's chorus, with the song's title at the top of the tag.

"Soulshine" chorus:


He used to say soulshine,
It's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Hey now people don't mind,
We all get this way sometime,
Got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

If you desire, you can listen to the song.  (How do I say that without sounding like a weirdo?)

It may be surprising, but I really don't stamp song lyrics too often.  I always find it fun to stamp song lyrics, because then I get to listen to the songs as I stamp them. (Not really, but I bet it would be neat to do so...Next time!  I'll do that next time.)

Never Go On Trips With Anyone You Do Not Love

To celebrate our two year anniversary, (thanks, Geek2Geek!) my boyfriend and I took a little weekend trip to Brattleboro, Vermont.  It was quite a neat little town, *very* different from the metro Atlanta town I grew up in. Much more hippies...so many hippies (but in a good way).

We had a super lovely time.  We stayed at an historic hotel that also held a movie theatre and restaurant, so that was convenient.  The variety of activities we indulged in included wandering around the town, seeing a movie (Midnight in Paris=slightly stupid), and attending a burlesque show!

 To start the trip off in style, I wore these pretty earrings I recently acquired by Folklure.  I only have 4 pairs of carefully chosen earrings to my name, and I have to say that these are my favorite. :)

 Summer in Vermont!

 Walking through town we came across a building that had been partially gutted by a fire that occurred in April.  A slew of residences, a hotel, and almost 20 businesses were affected by the fire.  We found this sign at the restoration site amusing.

Upon checking in at our hotel, I spotted this flyer for a local burlesque show.  Please note that one of the performers was named The Evil Hate Monkey.  Oh, I totally had my boyfriend snatch this flyer up from the hotel lobby when we were leaving.

So we went. We watched.  It was AWESOME.  In addition to the gal performers, there were scantily clad guys as well. It probably helped that I had been drinking, but it was seriously amusing nonetheless.  Aww! My first burlesque show!

We did a lot of walking on this excursion.  I'm glad we did, as we were able to spot fun hidden gems in the alleys between the old buildings.

This little dumpster man was the cutest thing ever!

So, the trip to Brattleboro, VT was fun. 2 days was just enough time to go into every shop within walking distance, try the local eats, indulge in a movie and show, and play in the hotel room (it had a mini-fridge and a bath tub [we don't have a bath tub at home, so it was quite a treat!]).

Banner Greeting Card

I am definitely one who prefers to make a card instead of buying one.  I'd rather just not give a card than buy one at the store.  My need to create my own greeting cards stems from my late grandmother's influence on my crafting "career".   As far back as I can remember she would make cards for everyone in our family for their birthdays, Christmas, etc.  As a youngling, I would sit on her bed with her and make my own cards.  She had more pure creative talent in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body, so I was lucky to have her as an onsite consultant to assist in my card-making endeavors.

I've found that creating greeting cards is a nice creative hobby because you get to give them away.  You aren't stuck with another useless art project sitting around your house. (Or maybe that's just me...)

This past Father's Day I made my dear 'ole Dad this "bunting"-inspired banner card.  I recently discovered mini buntings and am kind of obsessed with them.

 I was on a roll after I made this, so I also made a "Happy Birthday" banner card for my Mom and also for my Step-Mom.

I was recently involved in a very large move and I only packed the absolute bare necessities when it came to my art supplies.  Therefore, I really don't have that much to work with, which I suppose is good if you'd like to recreate this card. 

Supplies:

-a blank card/envelope

-parchment paper (for the little triangle pennants) 

-thick black thread

-black acrylic paint

-black ink pad

-gel ink pen

-glue stick

To begin, I watered down a little black paint in a bowl, and then used my fingers to flick the paint all over the card.   I then cut little triangles out of the parchment paper and rubbed the ink pad along the edges to give them a little more detail.  Using the gel pen I wrote a letter on each triangle.  Lastly, I glued the lil' triangles onto the card, making sure that the black thread made it underneath so the pennants had something to hang on.

Now I just need another holiday/birthday so I can make more cute little buntings/banners/pennants. :)  Maybe I could just string them across my kitchen cabinets...

Mount Wollaston Cemetery

I really enjoy visiting cemeteries.  Any kind of cemetery suites me just fine, but I find historic cemeteries to be the most interesting.  During the recent Memorial Day weekend, I visited Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, MA.  This is one of the largest cemeteries I've been to yet, and I still have more areas of it to explore. 

Baby Patrick

Mother, Lizzie, Willie

Not lost, But gone before.

Bertie

I believe what I enjoy most about observing all the old grave markers is trying to piece together the story of these people's lives with very little information.  The headstones themselves are also quite fascinating when navigating the symbolism of the designs found on them.  I had an internship once where for my "work" I visited cemeteries and wrote articles on the symbolism found in the various types of decoration on the headstones.  I was able to talk to the caretakers of the cemeteries and really gained a lot of historical insight into the town that I was interning.  Oh, what fun times! :)