dmnh's creative endeavors: Settle in... It's going to be a long ride!

Hello Readers!

It has been some time since I was last here. The main reason for that is because I thought I had broken the camera. I was certain it was a goner! I ordered a new one. While waiting for the new one to arrive, I misplaced the SD card. The new camera showed up last Saturday and the SD card was still missing. I finally bought a new SD card yesterday. I put it in the new camera along with a new set of batteries intent on catching up with keeping track of artwork. I turned the new camera on and it refused to do what it was supposed to do! It was stuck on one screen, asking if I wanted to exit review. I did want to exit. It wouldn't let me.

I've had a rough last couple weeks and that damn camera got the better of me! I threw it down the hallway and threw a tantrum the likes of which haven't been seen in years! The new camera went to a different screen, telling me the SD card needed to be formatted. And then it wouldn't let me do that either! I was really surprised it did anything after having flown down the hallway. I opened the battery case to take the SD card out and the little door that holds the batteries in fell off of the camera. The pin and teeny tiny spring that held it in fell on the top of my desk.

I've been trying for the last three weeks or more to get the old camera to work right. It has refused each and every time I've tried. I bought the exact same model camera when I replaced the old one. The old one's problem was with that little door that holds the batteries in. I don't remember what possessed me to give it one last try. Other than the fact I'd killed the new camera before I even got to use it! I put the new batteries in the old camera, shut the door as though there wasn't a thing wrong with it and it turned on as though it hadn't given me a lick of trouble for these past weeks. So, all the pictures in this long post are courtesy of the old camera.

I haven't really made a whole lot of things since I was last here, not when you consider it's been better than a month since I was here. And now that I have said that AND downloaded pictures taken before the camera broke, it appears I have indeed been busy since the first of the year.

Enjoy!

These are in chronological order.

blind drawing blue bird

ATC

markers on cardstock

blind drawing green chicken

ATC

markers on cardstock

Mr. Sun

ATC

markers on cardstock

blind drawing pink funky bird

ATC

markers on cardstock

blind drawing purple duck

ATC

markers on cardstock

blind drawing purple owl

ATC

markers on cardstock

brown basket

crochet

dyed jute cord

large white basket

crochet

macrame cord

small brick red basket

crochet

macrame cord

small white basket

crochet

macrame cord

shallow large basket

crochet

macrame cord

dish cloth and onion bag scrubby

crochet and whip stitch

cotton yarn

paper mache bowl

this bowl is actually already done. I missed taking pictures of the bowls made this year. This one is covered in a layer of black tissue paper with silver confetti embedded in it. There are two more paper mache bowls and another two bowls (still works in progress) made from paper pulp.

pink wink

ATC

markers on cardstock

brown rabbit

ATC

markers on cardstock

aluminum stars

these have been crimped

more aluminum stars

uncrimped

tablet cover

I upcycled an old leather purse, some felt and part of a Monopoly board.

It's listed in Fred's Fantastic Finds on etsy.

Here it is being made. There was a lot of drying time involved in the making. I have made four tablet covers this year. I will have to find pictures of one of them and take pictures of the other one. You've already seen the first two of them.

I made 11 pamphlet stitch books. I've been using them for my daily journal for 2014. I don't really journal EVERYDAY. I try to remember to do it often though. When 2014 is done (which seems to be happening very rapidly!) I will bind them all together into one book with real covers.

Here they are on the shelf beside my computer desk.

Non-dominate hand drawing on an envelope with a ball point pen.

Mel put out this challenge over at AFA in the altered envie group. Practice makes perfect. I got a lot of practicing ahead of me if I'm ever going to be good at drawing with my left hand!

Front side of January's Altered Envelope

Backside of January's Altered Envelope

markers on white envelope

I made a boatload of Valentine Postcards

fingernail polish on matboard

collage and markers on matboard

collage on matboard

for some reason I missed taking a picture of the other postcard that looks almost identical to this one.

markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

white pen on matboard

markers on matboard

markers and fingernail polish on matboard

markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

collage and markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

stickers and markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

stickers and markers on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

white pen on tissue paper on matboard

fingernail polish on matboard

stickers on matboard

sketchbook drawings in marker

Work in progress:

I call this the chain mail basket. It's made from magazine paper.

chain mail close up

This basket still needs three more rows of rings before I can call it done. This basket is taking a LOT longer to accomplish than I first thought.

Just a fun look at some magazine paper units I've been folding in anticipation of more magazine paper baskets like the following baskets in this post.