11 January 2010

A New Skill Learned, Art and Some Critters

Hello Readers!
Hope you all are doing alright today. I'm better than yesterday in some ways and not so good in others. I won't complain about my aches and pains though cause they don't make any more sense to you all than they do to me.

As the title of the post suggests, I learned a new skill since I posted last. The first pictures in this post show that skill. Granted there is great room for improvement, but I'm pretty proud of this little blank book!
I spent a few hours over at YouTube watching bookbinding tutorials. I was attempting to understand how to do the coptic stitch. I got it down pat! Least the basic anyway! I couldn't believe how easy it was once I did a few holes in the first signature. Got my rhythm and sailed through it!

10 January 2010
My first attempt at stitching a book with coptic stitch.
Book covers are an unaltered board from a kids game. Pages inside are in signatures of 5 sheets of paper folded in half to make 10 pages, 4 signatures sewn with yellow hemp cord. The book wobbles a bit but that is from my inexperience with the skill.
Overall, I am very pleased with the results!
Thanks to ANg for pointing me in the right direction at YouTube!
After I had made this book, I made another book. The second one is the same size as the book I showed you all yesterday or the day before. The little black one with inchies in it. I haven't taken its picture yet though cause the box isn't done.
I'm gonna have to transcribe the story in the book. The little book has 50 pages. I wrote a story in it after I had stitched it together. No rough draft, just whatever came to mind as I was writing. It's a bit of a nonesense story, but fun. Susan laughed when I read it to her. The book has a few pictures in it but I gave up the drawing when I realized how badly those line drawings really sucked! I'll show it to you and I'll write the story out for you all when the box is done.
I DID promise you all ART. I did not specify that all of it would be my own! :)
To make a long story, short, I found this picture of these elephants on the sd card from my old camera that refused to talk to the pc for the longest time.
I took this picture in April of 2007 when I was in California with my friend Robyn.
We were on Hollywood Blvd at the time, having lunch with Dorthea who drove us to the Education Building in downtown Los Angeles that day and then took us sight-seeing. Dorthea was 83 yrs old at the time. I never felt more safe in a vehicle than with Dorthea tranversing the freeway. That traffic was a NIGHTMARE to me, but Dorthea knew what she was doing.
I collect elephants so this place totally fascinated me! These statues were atop the vender buildings in a courtyard of sorts. There was a fountain in the middle of the courtyard that was flush with the pavement. The jets of water shot up from the pavement and folks, young kids and teenagers playing in the water. It was a cool place! Thought I'd show you all the elephants though cause they were the best part of that courtyard! Cool aye? I've no idea who the artist is that created these guys.
OK, now on to art I'm more familiar with.
Red Bird Pink
10 January 2010
Markers on recycled cardstock.
This is my card for the 365 Project. I need to get a button to add to this blog for the Project. I got the idea for this bird off that game board I made the blank book out of.
At The Station
10 January 2010
Markers on recycled cardstock.
Red Butterflies
9 January 2010
Collage and markers on recycled cardstock. I used 5 different images cut from magazines for this card. The background is a book with a man standing atop it. The leaves and flower petals were an ad for a car, The stems were a picture of the earth with arcing lines showing some sort of statistic, the butterflies were an antique picture in red tones of a Mexican Bandito (those are bullets on the bottom butterfly) and the flower centers were a picture of a multi-story building.

Time for critters:
Lobster
This rubber lobster resides in my kitchen. If you push the button on his base, he'll sing and dance. He will also totally freak the cat out! He sits on the three tiered cart at the moment but eventually he will get put on the cupboard door. I paid a dollar for him at a yard sale. I just couldn't leave something this cool there!

There's Fred waiting for me to catch up with him. He's on his way home, but he ain't going unless I do as well. That's my house in the background and Susan's pumphouse wall in the foreground. Nothing lives in that pen but the goldfish in the horse tank in the corner. This path looks a whole lot better in the summer time when everything is green. The fence is covered with virginia creeper then. I'll be glad when all that snow is gone. This was taken yesterday afternoon. We are supposed to get temps in the 40s today so more of it will be gone by nightfall.

There's Fred (again) in one of his favorite spots....lounging on the sofa. That dog has gone on a diet. He always gains weight in the winter time. No one wants to go out and play ball with him for too long in the winter. It's too danged cold to do it consistently. Perhaps today Evelyn will play ball with him for awhile while the sun shines.

I took six pictures of this silly Billy cat while he sat on the cabinet in front of the kitchen sink. He refused to keep his eyes open. He has the prettiest yellow eyes.

Lola wanted canned catfood. She doesn't like the dry stuff. As you can see, the plate behind her has already had canned catfood on it and she is not getting anymore at this point. She's another silly critter. She's a good little mouser though! She caught another one just after 1 a.m. She and Billy had stalked the bottom of the fridge all night. I wondered which of them would succeed in eliminating the vermin. She gave that dog what-for when he tried to take her mouse away.

Doob's like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...go away!"
All the critters are quite well. Thankfully. Doobie went outside earlier today. That's an unusual occurance for Doob. She hardly ever goes out and never when it's cold. She didn't stay out very long, but she did make it all the way over to the side porch of the burned house. That's a ways for her to travel when she does go out. She was ready to come in less than half an hour after she went out. Guess she just needed some fresh air.

The sun has come up and it's about time for me to go down. I'll come yak at you all again tomorrow with at least one piece of art. Until then....get your hugs, give a few, collect some kisses if you can and be happy!
Peace
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