…more critters

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Animal Tables

Holy lack of posts, Batman.  Now outside of the haze of winter… I am ready to revamp and boost (sounds like a hair product) my creative output.

Currently I am working on a series of animal and frame drawings for a friend’s wedding.  She is a zookeeper (animal obsessed, needless to say) with impeccable taste (born to have a Martha Stewart-approved wedding), and of course there is nothing more fun to draw than animals.  The drawings will mark the different tables, and each guest will receive a place card with their animal, then go on safari to find their table.  A perfect project to work on– many animals to draw, so it’s like an exercise to get me back in the habit of drawing again.

I’m keeping the drawings of the animals pretty simple, as the frames I drew are more detailed, and the animals must be readable from afar.  Colors are lighter tints, as to bring a touch of color, character, and life to the drawings, but not too much to offset the subtle pallet already established by other decor (mostly pink and gold).

I’m thinking of printing sets of note cards (a whole zoo!) with these images to sell at my Etsy Store (to be established soon!).  I may post more of these as I churn them out.

Is it a scarf? Yes!  Is it a string of jumbo, wool doilies?  Yes!

I crocheted this from a pattern on LionBrand.com.  It’s probably the best scarf I’ve ever made.

Home

Video of a bronze/wood/intaglio/embroidery piece as doors are taken out.  I’d never used iMovie before, so it’s not quite as polished as I’d like, but was an easy and nice first project.  The proportions of images vary slightly from frame to frame– something I’ll figure out how to fix.

Mission Recover

the old…

the new!

Carved Crayons

From artist Diem Chau, as seen in the most recent issue of American Craft.  They remind me of the soap carved children that Boo Radley placed in the tree hole for Scout and Jem.  Know what I mean?  At least how I imagined them… except, you know, in crayon and not soap.

Insta-book/zine

Instant zine!

All it takes is

-a standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper

-scissors

-imagery/text

-a bone folder (or other creasing tool- a paper clip will work)

Only 4 folds, one cut, and you’re there!  (it is in its unfolded state above, of course)

1. Fold the paper lengthwise (“hot dog” style) and unfold.

2. Fold in half the other way. (Note: Go over every well with bone folder!)

3. Fold the outside edges into the middle crease, creating an accordion of sorts. Unfold.

4. Cut a slit on the lengthwise fold from the center to the beginning of the folds created in step 3.

5.  Insta-book/zine: re-fold the lengthwise fold, and book pops into form.  Re-crease your folds and decorate!

i love stop motion.

book making!

Bookmaking: my new LOVE.  This one is of design sketches, made for prospective employers; to show them I am creative, because sometimes words just won’t do.  The cover is a highly textured, and unfortunately discontinued paper (got the last sheet) with my signature embroidered M on one of my favorite patterned fabrics.  The embroidery shows from behind a square window cut into the paper.

All around good.

I sewed the book together (10 pages) with a sewing machine… really pushing the RPMs to the limit.  Atop each sketch is a sheet of vellum (translucent paper) with written descriptions and arrows detailing the drawings beneath.  I opted not to crop out my 50’s formica table.  Love that too.

I plan to make more books.  It’s not only addicting, but therapeutic!  (This is a book I’ve been coveting.  So cool).

mpls.

View of the skyline from behind wrought-iron gates in the Prairie School exhibit at the MIA.