After a day of creating liturgical art with Taylor and a quick rendevous with Jason at my favorite Harris Teeter, I received a call. I had just unloaded the groceries and totally suspected that it was Henry. But it said Cell Phone PA. I almost didn't answer because I can't take another call from some kind of political campaign.
Good thing I answered! Amber was just a few blocks away. They had just finished eating and were looking for desert. I knew exactly were they were -right outside of Henry's office. I told her I would love to meet them at Gifford's Ice Cream just a couple of blocks away.
And there I met Andrew, a tax day baby, and caught up with Micah for the first time since Corey's wedding many moons ago. I told Amber that I knew my mom would want to see a picture of the baby. Could I post it on my blog? Of course! So, Mom, this is Andrew. He is very cute, as you can see. Even a little boy named Buddy, with matching blue eyes, thought so and came over to meet him.
Seeing the Lovettes was a great surprise, but not nearly as shocking as when I ran into Amber last year in a hotel room at the Hotel Monaco for the LWL book signing. I could hardly believe it.
Being in DC quickly feels like a very small world. Fortunately it's one that people like to visit. So if you are ever in DC, please call. Chances are, I've just put away the groceries and can run out the door to meet you.
I have spent the last four hours or so carving "take off your shoes" out of this book board. Henry worked pretty late tonight, but not late enough to have this step of my burning bush project finished. My right hand is hurting and will probably be killing me by the morning. Plus, I'm starting to second guess the wording. I guess i should have checked the verse first. A good journalist knows better than that. Should it be "take your shoes off"? Good thing there are a gazillion translations of the Bible. Oh well, I'm not starting over now.
For the last few weeks spam has attacked my half-hearted attempt at self-publishing Art and Play. So tonight, I buckled down and published Art and Play, once again.
When I graduated with my Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies in December 2003, widgets were not part of the popular lexicon. I had dreams of creating maps of all of my artists' art work from all over the world. But in reality, I just wanted to finish my oral presentation. I was so convinced that I had failed, Rodney Waschka, my thesis adviser, had to congratulate me a second time. I just couldn't believe it. This was my baby and I even had dreams of going into labor the night before my exam. I was squatting and pushing away.
The most wonderful part of a Liberal Studies program is that you are given the opportunity to take a question and figure out an answer - most likely not the answer you were expecting.
But after trying to share my graduate work with others, I realized that people don't want to read a long pdf document of black and white text, especially when you are talking about art and play. You need pictures of the art, the artists and everything in between. But how could I possibly capture all of the art created by these six amazing artists: Marcel Duchamp, Alexander Calder, Jean Tinguely (my personal favorite), Claes Oldenburg, Elizabeth Murray and Joseph Cornell. I have a strange desire to be completely thorough and detail oriented, or not at all. Well, thanks to the magic of the internet and widgets, I can create content which gives you a glimpse into the breadth of these artists' creative genius. Plus I am hoping that it won't become hopelessly outdated within a week.
Thanks to Dipity, I am able to embed links to YouTube videos, Flickr photos, new stories and countless items that people have Dugg. I even decided it was time to sign up to Digg my artists as a way to add to the content.
I even have my own time line, although I am not sure that it is that interesting. Plus it is somewhat repetitive.
However, these widgets and my site is not without serious flaws already. These timelines, maps, and lists are created from search terms. Everyone seems to be influenced by Marcel Duchamp. So the Flickr pictures are filled with not just photos of Duchamp's work, but take-offs, which I would clearly not pick if I had a choice. Also, I have discovered that there must be another Joseph Cornell who has something to do with the Bush Administration. And finally, Elizabeth Murray's name is normal enough that her search captures some Murray family photos for someone completely unrelated to the New York artist. Hmmmmm...
But I could no longer take the spam. It was like a little bird saying, it is time to make this priority and finally get it off your plate. Other than the About Art and Play section, which is the academic theory behind the book, I don't have a lot of my original content about my artists. That will have to come soon. Very soon.
I am always attracted to excessive collections and can't tear myself away. They are a little like car crashes. I think that it is in part because I love to organize stuff. Plus my dad and mom save a lot. A LOT! So I am in a constant struggle of trying to make sense of it all and protect them from possible health hazards and mental congestion that could quickly blossom from too much stuff. Somethings should be treasured; others should be trashed. Well... given away. You know, reduce, reuse, recycle.
Ann is the queen of this recycling philosophy and following she describes her recent trip to a place which has taken a new approach to, well, sharing stuff. Artists are coming from all over the world to make sense of it all.
So when I read her letter, I immediately asked her if I could post it to my blog. Her response: "yes, yes, and yes." You always need lots of yes people in your life. Enjoy!
Last week, I was invited to speak on “The Art of Reuse” as part of a lecture series hosted by Elsewhere Artist Collaborative down the road in Greensboro, NC. It was the first time I’d been to Elsewhere and it was truly fascinating!
Elsewhere is like nowhere on the planet. It’s a “living art museum” that houses an unbelievable collection of clothes, dolls, games, toys, books, fabric, ribbon, antiques, and oddities amassed over a 68-year period by lifelong Greensboro resident Sylvia Gray, first with her husband, Joe, and then on her own after Joe had passed away.
The Grays bought their building on S. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro in 1939 and originally ran a furniture business out of it. After World War II, they began buying surplus military gear and selling it through mail-order catalogs. Following Joe’s death in 1955, Sylvia branched out further, turning the store into an all-purpose thrift shop. Eventually, collecting items became more important to Mrs. Gray than selling them. (While we were in the space, a man stopped in and told us a story about how he used to come around when the store was open. He’d find something he liked and ask how much it was, and Sylvia would say “Twenty dollars.” He’d pull out $20 and try to buy it and she’d say “Oh no, that’s $40.”)
Sylvia Gray passed on in 1997, but rather than clearing everything out as most families would have done, her people decided to keep the collection just as it was and her grandson George Sheer, along with Stephanie Sherman, have created a living museum where “experimental creators are invited to utilize the immense collection of objects to pursue site-specific material, conceptual, and/or technologically-based projects.”
It’s fascinating to be in place where not only is nothing for sale (there are big signs all around that say “Absolutely nothing for sale.”), but also where art is made from this astounding collection.
I am still blown away by all of the stuff (and I have seen some stuff in my life!) and also the energy and power that comes from material objects, especially when you have A LOT of material objects, gathered over decades, that essentially are not allowed to leave. I highly recommend a visit. (Possibly followed by some kind of cleansing exercises to return yourself to your previous state of existence ... it is really mind boggling.)
All the best,
Ann May Woodward Executive Director The Scrap Exchange
Welcome to Week Five of Telling Stories - the official half way point of my series of art projects.
Last week, I was so inspired by Elise's video that I thought I should create one of my own. Especially once I realized the pleasant surprise of a little kinetic paper sculpture in my two midwives from the Five Women of Exodus. I knew since mid-July that these women were really where I wanted to spend a lot of time.
A few quick comments on my video:
1. Some of these women have names, which I did not include. This is the official description:
For the five women of Exodus, I created a series of paper dolls representing each of their roles. The first two women represent Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives who rebelled by saving the sons. They are seen here in pink and blue holding sculpted babies. Next is Moses' mother, in green, who wove the basket to place him in the Nile. I cut a small hole in her heart. The fourth doll is Miriam, Moses’ sister who watched over him and saved his life. I tore waves into her dress. I am certain that she felt torn about what she had to do as Moses' big sister. Finally stands the royal princess, in a pleated, regal fashion. Pharaoh’s daughter reached down and rescued Moses from the river. Her jewelry extends down to create arms shaped in a cradling position.
2. I had no idea I was making such a loud noise when I blew on the pink midwife. Sorry.
3. Miriam is actually Moses' big sister. Not little. I know that doesn't make any sense.
4. I forgot to add that I used a piece of purple telephone wire to hold the accordion folds in place. In turn I created a necklace, from which her arms extend. You can see this detail in the pictures.
5. The Pharaoh’s daughter had a crown that we lost on the way to the church, during which time Henry graciously helped me even though he was receiving work calls on his Blackberry. (Other than walking a little more slowly, he really didn't go out of his way. Well, maybe ten steps.) He said he felt like he was in some kind of crazy Easter parade. Thanks, Henry! You're the best!!!
6. I am trying to pronounce the word "awl." Yes, I am aware that I have a Southern accent. I am asked this at least five or six times a day. Even from people who also talk about their own Southern accent. It's fine to ask me about it. I have even added it to my about page on my web site. Just don't mock me or try to imitate me. That is my number one pet peeve in the world.
Now back to the work...
I have considered these ten weeks of art work as quick creative exercises. I only have a week to create them and a very limited budget of $0. But they are great. I have a deadline, quick turn around, guidance, free reign to do what I want, and immediate feedback. I have loved having freedom and structure all wrapped into one. Honestly, I don't know how this summer would have ended up without these projects. I am always one to run with anything. But it is nice to know that Amy was listening when she asked, what do you want to do? I replied "art." I had no idea what that meant. Months later a nice little body of work has evolved.
I am also working on a little bit larger scale than I normally do, which reminds me of when Sue Anderson whispered "work big" over my shoulder many many moons ago. So far I haven't really had the space or reason to work big. Plus, any attempts of working big have ended up wadded up in a trash can after a harsh clean out of my work space.
When I first saw the plan in mid-July, I immediately thought of the paper doll I had used for Leah in the first week. I was going to make five more of them. I figured out which colors I wanted to use and bought five large text weight pages from Paper Source. I only bought one of each color. I thought it would be an easy no-brainer. I would add elements to each doll to represent the five characters. But after folding the purple doll a few weeks ago, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to twist her into the same shape. The paper was not long enough and it was very stiff. I was stuck. But she looked pretty good flat. So I went with that.
Moses' mom was pretty easy. She had woven a basket, so I created a large basket weave for her. By end of day Tuesday, I had dolls pretty well developed. So I dedicated last Wednesday to my dolls. Instead of just making them, I spent almost three hours in the library looking at paper related arts. This has to be its own blog entry because I was ecstatic. I found some wonderful paper sculpture books. All week, I had paper sculpture in my head. I have seriously been thinking about my blog's focus. What is it? Good question... after reading Elise's the term paper sculpture just kept haunting me. That's it! Anyway... three hours and twenty books later, I found the inspiration for my final dolls.
Thursday night
On Friday I woke up to some bad news. The midwives had toppled over from their own weight. I really needed to be using a cover weight paper, at the very least. I had no idea what I was going to do. I finally realized that I had to salvage their arms and babies and start over with a new base. Fortunately for me I had a bunch of large sheets of paper on hand. Who knew? Maybe I should try a cone form instead. That was the perfect solution. I am so happy that I did. I only wish that my other three dolls were able to stand on their own.
Friday morning
But everyone was really pleased and complimentary of my work. First of all my parents were visiting. So this was a great week for them to see. My mom figured that she needed to come and check my art work out. Second, Naw greeted me at the steps with a hug, before I even reached the upper level. She loved my other works, but I think that she was about to explode. We took them down to her classroom to leave for the children from her Burmese Sunday School class. I also met someone from London, who was just visiting from the week. He wanted to take a picture, but we had already taken them down. I told him that I was greatly influenced by the work of Bruce Angrave, a 1950s paper sculpture from England. Plus I am meeting people than I would normally ever talk to. So the response has been great. I am just so pleased.
Now Victor is adamant that we put the pieces up in the library for everyone to see. That is great news, because we do not have any room for them in our home. Plus, can stop by and see them all in one place. I will be sure to post as soon as the exhibit is up and ready!
This coming Sunday is another big week for me - a pop-up burning bush. I can't wait. I have dedicated all day today to it. And it is now almost 3. I've done the laundry, two loads of dishes, watered the plants and mopped the bathroom floor. With that level of procrastination, this piece promises to be great. I need to get to work right now.
Plus I am also excited that as part of this week, we are collecting shoes to be donated after the display. So if you have any shoes that are taking up precious closet space bring them to the Calvary church office anytime this week on the corner of 8th and H, NW. We already have a few people who have requested shoes. I love that! So many of my favorite things - cleaning out, giving away, reusing, and sharing with those in need. Doesn't everyone love a new pair of shoes?
Sarah is coming up for Shannon and Will's engagement party in September. I told her that she had to go see two exhibits or I could no longer be her friend. Then I changed my mind and told her that I would not check her blog six times a day even though they generally only update it once a week. I was just trying to emphasize how amazing and moving these exhibits are. And of course, we are so lucky that they are both free while on tour here in DC.
The first is Martin Puryear, a DC native and master woodworker on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art through September 28th. I have been to the exhibit twice now. Each time I go, I immediately want to run home and pull out this sheet of doll house wood plank flooring and start making something on a very small scale. Really these are just wood veneer stickers, but if I could somehow replicate the coolness of his work as my own souvenior and the feeling I get when I see it, it would be worth the futile effort. Lucky for us, he and his work has been featured on the PBS Series Art 21, so there is lots of great information online. Plus, check out the MOMA online exhibit, specifically where the exhibit was not free.
My favorite piece is Desire, seen above. It is simply massive and incorporates his use of weaving in the stable base. I am amazed at how the piece is held together. I am guessing that he staples the wood into the forms while it is soft and later removes the staples from the piece. I simply don't know. I will have to watch the Art 21 video to learn more.
Plus, I love the fact that the artist is a local. I secretly believe that the security guards were acting a little more protective. And I was excited to see a group of construction workers walking around the exhibit when Eris and Robert were here. Did they give up their lunch break to check out their old friend's work? I like to romanticize that I am observing these little scenarios first hand.
The second must see exhibit is Jim Henson's Fantastic World at the International Gallery through October 5th. Lucky for those not in DC, this exhibit is on tour.
For me, I see everything through the lens of my grad work, which was an exploration of an artist's evolution. This exhibit once again proved that a lot of artists start out doing the same kind of things - lots of different creative activities, almost always including some type of graphic design work. There are several small seeds planted with one or two really taking off. And then the evolution begins. The work continues to grow and the focus continues to narrow, until you reach a huge body of work at the end of a crazy journey that took you there. Hind sight is always 20/20. Right? But no one could ever plan a path like this.
I have tried to get Henry to go with me to this exhibit on several occasions. I was so happy when Jason said he wanted to go and we had a little date one Saturday morning. My mom always likes to tell the story that I watched Sesame Street twice a day everyday of my childhood. Henry's dad loves to point out the TV, which he had converted into a china cabinet. Sesame Street, and the help of his big brother Tony, taught him English. To say that Jim Henson has not had an impact on your life if you are in my age group is just dead wrong. And to this day, his work lives with expanded meaning like the non-profit Sesame Workshop, which helps spread forward-thinking ideas to kids all around the world. We lost a great man when he died suddenly in 1990. And to think it was just all about pursuing a vivid imagination and never putting down a little puppet who looked like Kermit.
This is Elise. She is one of the assistant managers at Paper Source. Plus she is the workshop coordinator. I am sure that I have driven her crazy on many occasions with my frantic concern over an upcoming workshop.
Yesterday we were discussing our blogs. I started reading her blog sometime earlier this summer after I saw a link in the bottom of her email. (I have yet to add my blog link to my email, but really must make that a priority for this week.) Anyway, when I went to Penland, I sort of lost track of her blog. So last night I decided to catch up.
First of all, I must say that is pretty exciting reading Elise's entries. We share so much in common, except she has the job I wish that I had ten years ago. Not that I didn't learn tons from working in a traditional office. Let me correct that - several traditional offices. But the lack of creativity and constant contact with paper sent me home spending hours every night coming up with products I would hope would one day be in stores across America. There were the fortunehearts, die-cut bras, note card sets, onesies, and on and on. I was making my own little brand in my back room. I hoarded tons of paper, cartons, bags and labels. I still have origami paper from my first big purchase in 1998. Yes 1998. Ten years ago!!! No, I believe it was actually 1997. So that's even worse. ELEVEN years ago. There have been dramatic improvements in paper options and colors over the last decade. Believe me.
I first found Paper Source on the internet. I just remember thinking, "This changes everything." I might could define my life BPS and APS. I love their paper that much. All of the colors and scalloped edges made my white flat cards look, well, white and flat. Just plain. The options were a little overwhelming.
It was February 2005. I was working at a conference in DC and had to make invitations for Sarah's shower in my hotel room. (I actually posted this on my original blog, which is now defunct.) I trekked off to the store to buy the goods. While checking out, I remember thinking I can work here. I knew that we would moving to DC in August, but it was a big secret. I had no idea at the time that my boss would talk me out of quitting three months later and let me work from home four hours away.
After we moved to DC, I started working as Paper Source as a way to meet new people. I was working at home for NECTAC (UNC) and I needed to get out in the world. Plus who doesn't love Paper Source if you love paper as much as I do. Paper Source is my first experience in retail. I am coming up on my third anniversary of part-time work there and I must say that I love it.
But after so many years behind a desk, including my college summer jobs, I really resisted the idea of not needing to be behind my computer every day all of the time. It honestly took me at least a full year after leaving UNC not to feel the lull towards the laptop. Thanks to my iPhone and a mental shift, I can now go maybe three, four or five days without picking up the laptop. That's a good thing because it slowly sucks my time away from me.
Paper Source is great, not only because of the employee discount, but because I enjoy my time there. I help people come up with a product, pick out the materials and send them on their way. I don't have to do any of the printing and/or labor. It is great! I am so happy just being an idea person.
I also get to organize and see lots of pretty things. The whole time I'm working, I think of things that I can make out of everything in the store. It is like being paid to take an extended shopping trip in one massive store filled with things I love. My wheels are always turning as I put away packs of converted paper or rearrange glitter based on the Paper Source color palette. Sounds lame, but it's incredibly soothing.
Then there are the great people, all of whom I love. Including Elise... not that I love her more than others. But I do enJOY her blog. Plus, I don't know of anyone else's blog. So please come forward if you are reading this and think, "Hey! What about me?" Good to know if I ever begin to miss Elise, I can watch these videos to keep me company.
And as Elise, expresses in this video, the recent PS Clearance was just like Christmas. This is literally the first sale I have ever seen in the last three years. I honestly think that they keep me on staff because I spend my entire earnings for the evening at least every other shift. On Sunday night, Elise ran up to me and said, "We are $88 short of our goal. Anything you want to buy?" I fell for it hook, line and sinker. Don't worry, Henry. I didn't personally meet the goal, but someone with a Xyron machine did. (Don't even get me started on the Xyrons... I owned three before I even found PS.) Unfortunately I can't share the items that I bought because I went the Christmas gift route. (No more hoarding paper for me. Watch out, Elise.) I am way ahead of schedule this year. Thanks, Paper Source.
I am always amazed when I meet couples who have marked milestone anniversaries. Yesterday Victor and Sallie Tupitza celebrated their 62 years of wedded bliss. When I saw their wedding picture, I was surprised how much they still look like they did so many years ago, except I believe that Sallie has gotten even skinnier. I am not certain that is exactly fair. But she is so wonderful that I will forgive her.
We met Victor and Sallie when we first began attending Calvary three years ago after arriving in DC. Since I was working at home, I knew that I needed to aggressively seek out ways to meet people. The church was about two blocks away, almost the same walk from my parents' house to Friendship. When the service included Spanish in the service, we decided to come back.
Sallie was one of the many amazing people everyone kept telling me about. Amy picked up pretty immediately that I was an artist and so is Sallie. We needed to meet. She arranged for us to put together some display on the altar. Sallie and I instantly hit it off. I asked Sallie to bring some of her work to share. I was amazed by her beautiful illustrations that she had drawn over the years. I loved her whimsical style full of curls and lines dancing around the page. I still hope to put together an exhibit of her work for everyone to see. That is a must for the next calendar year. Plus I love Sallie's choice of modern and playful accessories. There aren't that many women in their eighties whom you look at and think, I want those earrings!
Victor is quite amazing, too. I was in a meeting with him a couple of weeks ago with a summer intern about how to become a better minister. I was overwhelmed with how thoughtful and smart he is. Victor must have been an amazing minister. What could I possibly contribute after he shared his comments? Although he would never make you feel inferior in any way. When we left the meeting, I pushed the button for the elevator, which services the massive building all on its own. He looked at me and said, "Well, I usually take the stairs, but we have already pushed the button and might as well use the electricity." A man after my own heart.
Each time I see Victor and Sallie, I am always lifted by their light-hearted spirit. They are full of joy and laughter. They are encouraging, insightful, creative, and incredibly young at heart. They are the perfect role model for us. Congratulations, Victor and Sallie.
I didn't really, but I wanted to make a grain reference, since this week is all about grain. I believe that this week's story relates to someone hiding a silver cup in a bag of grain, making it look like Joseph's brothers were trying to steal. So I made a giant bag and we are going to tuck a silver cup inside. I never really gave Paul a description of this week's project for the bulletin. By Thursday I was still perplexed about what I was actually going to do.
Rumor has it, there is a little visitor in the sanctuary and I did not want to leave anything that might attract his attention. I love this autumn tracing paper and thought it would look so great with the rice showing through. We are in Chinatown, after all.
I recall an exhibit I saw at The Weatherspoon Gallery. It featured a sea of rice and beautiful envelopes made out of red wax. That was way before my blogging and digital photography days, so I have no idea who it was other than the memory of the beauty in the abundance of rice.
Well, what am I going to do with 10, 20 or 30 pounds of rice? I made this giant origami bag that I would dare say can handle that kind of weight. I did roll down the top to reduce the amount of rice needed to fill the bag. As additional filler, I also gathered all of our Chinese take out plastic containers and a bag full of clear air pocket pillows from Paper Source. I can't bear to throw them away and recycle them at Trader Joe's. Last week Lucy challenged me to use them for my parting of the Red Sea project. She even said she would come to see it. Wow! Maybe I should hold her to that.
Anyway, I checked the times on Da Hsin Wholesale. They open at 10am Sunday morning. Perfect. Now just as long as I can gather the rice up and deliver it to the food bank before attracting any unwanted attention.
This summer I have really started to rely heavily on our local farmers market. No, it's not the one pictured above. But you may have seen it in our final issue of MerriMail. Our neighborhood farmers market is held each Thursday from 3-7 pm on 8th Street between D & E. I think that the key to success was adding a reminder in my phone each week, which rings at 4:45 pm.
Yesterday I bought little balls of fresh mozerella, yogurt with a touch of honey, a red onion, button mushrooms and a bag full of peaches and friends that Henry picked out. I really wanted some corn and zuchinni, but we decided not to buy any, unlike last week. I also bought three loaves of bread. One was a ciabatta and the others were a two for one sort of deal.
I wasn't sure what kind of bread it was, so I asked after I said yes. He was loading the loaves up in a paper bag as he mentioned the word rye. I hate rye bread. I almost said as long as it's not rye. But this was some sort of Swiss mix and he started to cut off a sample for me. Henry just said let's go before I could even start to chew the bread. I needed to really concentrate in the hubbub of the street to make sure I didn't notice the rye flavor. But Henry acted like the baker was a car salesman trying to add on that glassy wax protective coating to my ticket. I gave him the "you better calm down" look and continued to chew the bread. The guy was right. I did not taste the rye. And I didn't taste it this morning after eating the delicious ham and cheese sandwich Henry made for breakfast. This is the exact moment i was trying to protect myself from, when I knew I would be really sleepy and not want to be jarred awake by a strong rye flavor.
This week I signed up for a class I am taking this fall at The Corcoran. It's called The Sculptural Book and I can't wait to start. I really wish that we had already started because I want to make a pop-up burning bush for church in two weeks. I'm not sure how that will happen. Anyway, my class is on Thursday afternoons. I also like to group my hours at Paper Source with any trip to Georgetown. Long story short, I am not going to be able to shop at the farmers market this fall. I told Shannon and Will my world is crumbling (with a touch of sarcasm, of course).
After yesterday's trip, I told Henry that he was responsible for going this fall. The dairy is way better because the cheese tastes so fresh and not like a rubber ball, which I frequently find from grocery store purchases - just before it goes bad. Needless to say the food is the green choice with minimal travel miles. And I believe that it is actually cheaper. The prices are pretty similar to the grocery store with recent inflation, except rounded down and no tax added.
The only difference is you have to pay I'm cash through out the shopping experience. This can be hard to keep track of, but not nearly as jarring as seeing your final bill at the grocery store with the addition of those items you strolled by and casually tossed in your cart. I have yet to spend more than $60 at the farmers market, but easily spend $160 every time I go to the grocery store.
This morning on my walk I came across the USDA farmers market, which is held each Friday morning at 10 am located at, where else but the USDA on Independence and 12th. It starts a little later than my walk, but I can hang out the garden blogging, like I am now. I strolled through this morning as people were setting up. I'm not certain that they are the same vendors, but we can make do. The produce was beautiful and I noticed some banana bread. Yum! Now I can follow up with whatever Henry misses on Thursday evening.
This morning we were going about our normal routine. Henry showers while I fix coffee and breakfast and straighten up by making the bed. Today's coffee was the last batch of Krankie's coffee, which I love. I took one swallow and thought, "Maybe I should skip my walk and sit home and drink all of this coffee." Now I am ready to dive into the bag of beans from Dewey's to determine which brand we should serve for Shannon and Will's brunch.
Then I was completely sidetracked by this story featuring Sean Tevis, a Kansas politician who quickly raised $26,000 with a cartoon. I have no plans to run for local office. Well, I can't now that I am a DC poll worker. Later on my walk, I considered adding a PayPal button on the right hand column to give people a chance to donate money just because I am so entertaining and do good things. Hmmm... I don't think that will work.
No, I was actually sidetracked by the smooth vocal chords of Rick Astley. According to the story, the success of Sean Tevis' web site seems to be linked to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." (But I can't find the link!) The song took me straight back to the 7th grade. Plus it gave Henry the opportunity to sing a little. He is always primed to sing early in the morning. The debate - to use Henry's actual voice or mimic Astley's baritone. The latter, of course! Plus this song has an easy set of background vocals for me. I successfully sang a few bars to accompany Henry. His eyes lit up once I made it to the second round of vocals. Then a third. But I stopped short when I forgot the words following the chorus. Oh well... I guess I need to study up for our next night of karaoke.
Enjoy! (Plus a little trivia thanks to Pop-Up Video)
This week was one of the few stories I really remember. It was about Joseph and his coat of many colors. Let's just say it doesn't sound like his dad practiced the philosophy of even portions. Henry likes to point out that I am a little too into that practice myself.
I knew pretty immediately what I wanted to do for this project once I saw the beautiful Lokta paper at Paper Source. Earlier this year I had used my credit at Edward McKay's to buy an origami handbook. I didn't know why I wanted it but it was only five dollars. That hot pink slip of credit was burning my pocket. Good thing because it has definitely come in handy.
While browsing through the book and creating an enlarged version of the kimono for church, I recalled that I loved making little origami animals as a child. How great is that!
When we closed on our home last February, I stopped in The Container Store only to discover that they were having a sale on Elfa, their closet organization system. Our master bedroom closet was already outfitted, so I investigated the cost of two more. Peanuts... and since we moved right next door, I didn't have anything to buy. Everything was the same. I didn't need to get new shower curtains, new storage bins because our shelves were slightly different. All of my systems were in place instantaneously. It was like magic.
But since then I have secretly wanted to pimp my laundry closet. You know there are all of the shows like "Pimp My Ride" and probably even "Pimp My Tractor." I wanted "Pimp My Laundry Room" to arrive at my house and tell me exactly what to do. Let's be honest. It's not really a room. It's a closet with a stackable washer and dryer inside. I have three or four broom type objects falling on the floor. The hopes for something miraculous were very slim, which Henry reminded me of on several occasions.
A camera crew never knocked on my door, but I did receive some inspiration in the mail - a Real Simple, which featured an article Pegboards for Every Occasion.
The last time I went to North Carolina, I carefully measured the space and the torn out page from my magazine with me. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't forget anything. So Mom and I went to Lowe's and spent quite a bit of time there. We picked out the pegboard, selected all of the accessories and had them quarter the board before we headed home.
But one week turned into three before we actually pimped my closet. During this same time, Henry has been pining for some land out in the woods somewhere. He misses yard work and house projects. He wants a real fixer upper. He wants an actual mudroom. But at the same time, neither of us were happy with the guest bath becoming a storage unit. Last week seemed to end with ten projects up in the air. Agghhh!!!
I did a little research on how to actually hang the pegboard. I just wasn't sure. I found somewhere that I needed a 1" x 2" board so that it would be just enough off of the wall to allow the hooks to hang. What? I had all of these accessories and still needed something that basic. We decided to run some errands on Sunday afternoon, including finding another hardware store. Fortunately we opened one of the beginners packs filled with screws, hooks, baskets and more. There are lots of different options available to help get you started. Among the hardware, we found these little soft black plastic spacers, which were all we needed.
So after buying enough fruit to open up breakfast buffet from Costco, we settled in to hang the pegboard. Henry had a few complaints until I pointed out that this was actually a super easy home improvement project that only meant screwing in five screws into the wall. That's it! He responded, "Oh yeah," smiled and got to work.
Once the board was up, I started placing all of my little baskets and cutie containers from Ikea, which I already have for my art supplies. Henry pointed out that I was only organizing things I never use. Ah - but I do I never use them because I don't see them? Hmmm... he was probably right. So I moved them over and made an empty space for something great that is going to go there in the near future. I am not completely sure what yet.
But we have our guest bathroom back and I have enjoyed my little chores involving the laundry closet more than usual. We have both peered in to check it out several times over the last few days. There is something so satisfying about using every inch of space and cleaning out crowded other areas - like the bottom of our coat closet and the top of the washer and dryer. It's really not a good idea to store loose things on top of the washer/dryer, which we have already learned the hard way.
I love The Scrap Exchange. I can't say that enough. I even stopped by on my way home from Penland and loaded up on supplies that I could use with all of my new tricks. I bought fabric for found object puppets and a huge roll of white paper. So I was really happy to see Ann in this video from Ginny From the Blog. I was even more excited to recognize the shirt she is wearing. I have one made out of the same material. We bought them together at Raleigh's Handmade Market one year. $5 each! What a steal!!! Thanks, Mary Michele!
I am also dying to get my hands on quite a few of those Krispy Kreme paper hats. I think that there is some kind of art project bubbling up on the donut conveyor belt of my mind.
I'm sitting here in the sweltering heat hoping that the painter's tape does not unstick once the a/c is cranked on Sunday.
Yesterday it became pretty clear I was going to have to do a little more cutting. Fortunately it didn't take too long.
This afternoon I rolled over a couple of rolls of paper in my little cart. I guess I didn't need to because Paul gave me the painter's tape right after I arrived. He never told me to keep it simple, but it was implied by his actions. Let's just say he ignored my comments on leaning a giant scroll of paper up against the baptistry.
I must admit that rolling up the painter's tape was all I wanted to do once it was said and done. I placed them on the screen, checked to make sure they were somewhat centered, and laid the ladder down in the baptistry. If anyone wants an emergency immersion, they'll be in for a rude awakening.
It's so hot out that I've decided to treat myself with my favorite smoothie combination at Potbelly's - Oreos, strawberries, and bananas. I had my first last week. Literally as I was typing this, I overheard the girl who made it for me repeat the ingredients to her coworker. Then she said, "Only a white person would order that." The other girl defended me. She just needs to try it. She might be surprised and really like it. Now if I can just stop myself from drinking the whole thing.
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