A Different Direction

I started messing around with this today. Kate had a look and said, "That's weird." Yeah, it is weird. I know it's weird. I still want to do it, but maybe not for the work project. It's hard to explain, but I don't think it would do anything for me there.

So I decided to do a "Diversity Banner" for work. I cut a panel of brown upholstery fabric I have, and on it I will sew many streamers of fabric in different colors. I'll embellish it. Kind of neutral, easy to understand. I have the dining room strewn with a million different fabrics. It's noon, and Joe is still sleeping. Wait until he sees this place.

Another

More

Ideas

I started messing around with ideas for the diversity art project. I was kind of sketching in photoshop. Now, I need you to understand that I was drawing with a mouse, which is not unlike drawing with a bar of soap. Awkward, to say the least. But, it's ok, I am just messing with ideas. I rarely sketch before I make a piece of art, I figure it out as I go. I did need to take a picture of myself and get it ready to print on fabric. As you can see from the sketch, I want to put my face in the middle of a flower or sun-type form. I want to have the rays or petals in different colors, patterns, or embellished in different ways to represent diversity. The working title is, "Self Portrait Showing the Effects of Diversity on Me." I posterized my face in photoshop, and I kind of like that effect. The problem with the photo I used is that I had a lot of hair around my face. I don't want that in the picture. I think I will take a different picture, or something, with my hair pulled back off my face.

This reminds me that I went to the salon last night for my usual hair thing. I was able to read junky magazines instead of a text book. This article caught my eye:

"LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT TRYING; Your weight loss grocery list: Yes, chocolate's on it!"

Hey, kiss my ass! Chocolate is not on it! I lost a lot of weight this year, (Last year?) and now I am in the danger zone. By that I mean, it's time to gain it all back, and I HAVE gained some of it back, sorry to say. About 6 pounds. And, when I eat chocolate, or ice cream, or something like that, I see an almost immediate upward trend in the scale. It's just terrible, and I really resent these people who print this crap. This is simply designed to catch your eye and get you to buy the magazine, with the hopeless hope that somehow you can eat chocolate and lose weight. I've been around long enough to know that it just ain't happening.

I have a couple of more vacation days left, and I took tomorrow off. Yay! I will work on my diversity art quilt thing. It will be really crazy, and will stand out like a sore thumb from anything else anyone does. But, I really like the idea.

A sudden challenge

So, in the midst of shopping and decorating, I've been thinking about what kind of art I should be working on. As I mentioned, it's a little hard to get started out of nowhere. I was thinking that the UFOs I have around would be an obvious place to begin. I was even fantisizing about the related blog posts. Now all of a sudden, there comes a challenge, from work, no less!

What does DIVERSITY mean to you?

We'd like to get your unique perspective on that question – and, in the process, create a work of art that represents all of us. You are invited to share up to 3 reflections on diversity, whatever form they may take: Image Graphic Word Phrase Link Video Your ideas, together with those of your Media Services colleagues, will then be combined into a one-of-a-kind mosaic capturing diversity in its many interpretations. Feel free to include a very brief caption for each idea as well. Please submit your reply to (My Boss) by EOD  December 23.  Your participation in this project is greatly appreciated and valued.

"The true potential of all people . . . can only be achieved through the equal acceptance of all in our society. Allowing people to confidently share and express their ideas, thoughts and strengths without fear will only improve productivity on both a personal and corporate level." - Gary Guller

This is the e-mail I received today. I already have an idea of what I'd like to do. It will involve many fabrics, some unexpected... diverse. I'm not really great at working with concepts. I usually ignore quilt challenges when I see them. I can't exactly ignore this one. I will bet that every single person in my department will do something digital, except me and maybe one other person. I also bet that they are groaning right now, at being forced to make art. We'll see how it goes. I'm kind of excited about it. And, it will keep me off of ebay.

Now What?

Now I need to make the most of my free time this month. I will do some Christmas shopping on Saturday. (I haven't even thought about it) But I also need to think about some art. I have some worthy UFOs that need finishing. Maybe that is the way to go? I'll take some pictures tomorrow and see what I think.

Another Semester, Out the Door

OK, so I took 6 college courses in 2010. And I've decided that I can no longer go at this pace. I signed up for just one class, next semester, US History up until 1820. I just don't feel like killing myself any more. I want to enjoy my classes, and my life. If I graduate, then I graduate. If I don't, then I don't.

I took Philosophy this time, and I really enjoyed that. I would recommend this to anyone. Philosophy is basically thinking very deeply about a variety of subjects. The most difficult subject I had to think about was what is being? Different philosophers had different takes on the subject, and many were genuinely hard to wrap your head around. Good brain exercise, that's for sure.

But enough of that crap, it's Christmas time!!! I've already bid like a fool on vintage ornaments on ebay until my husband started looking askance and using unkind words to describe my interest, such as "obsession." The nerve of that guy.

The entire time I was going to school, work was really busy. Like a miracle, that has suddenly let up. That is why I am posting today, because I can! I really feel happy right as this moment. Now I think I will create the return mail address labels for this years christmas cards. It kind of looks like I am working when I do something like that. But first, I will look at what everyone else has posted. Oh, what fun!

One half Century: That went quick!

OK, so I am 50 years old today. For some reason, I feel great! My husband threw a party for me over the weekend. Last night I went to a woman in town and got a henna tattoo up my arm. It's major league cool. Here, have a look:

I'm in school again, taking Public relations and Philosophy. Whoa, that philosophy is dense stuff. Or, maybe it's me who is dense. I can read an entire paragraph in a text by Descartes, and realize that I did not understand it at all. I start again, and try really hard to concentrate, and next thing you know, I'm thinking about what to have for dinner. It's tough. It's a lot of re-reading.

I sold something on Etsy a couple of weeks ago. That seems to strike when I least expect it. I almost forgot how to complete a transaction.

On Sunday I went to a quilt show run by the local guild, The Courthouse Quilters. They have the show in a historic mill, which is cool. I was kind of disappointed. I try not to be too judgemental, but, I have these ongoing gripes about modern quilting. There were many really nice quilts, but, I can't be impressed if you made it from a kit, or you just bought a line of fabric that is all coordinated. To me, it is very exciting to find my own fabric. Quilts made from coordinating fabric have a slickness that I find unappealing. My next big gripe is that 95% of the quilts were not quilted by the person who made the top, and were quilted by the same 5 people. OK, so you don't pick your own fabric, and you don't quilt it yourself, am I supposed to be impressed? Our great grandmothers used to make really cool quilts using whatever they could get their hands on. I know we are past using scraps, but there just does not seem to be any soul in it anymore. What do you think?

Printing on Fabric and Other Stuff

Cathie over at This Girl's Art asked me how I print on fabric. It's a piece-O-cake! Of course, you need an ink jet printer. I have included a link, with instructions that recommend treating the fabric. I have to admit, I've started skipping that step. I guess you can't wash it. I warn people not to wash my art quilts anyway. I think that gets me off the hook. If anyone has any compelling reason why I should treat my fabric with Bubble Jet Set before printing, I would like to hear it.

The main thing you need to do is stabilize the fabric so it can get through the printer. I use a 8.5"x11" sheet of sticker paper. I peel off the back, stick it onto the fabric, and then I trim the fabric to the edge of the paper. I have access to this kind of paper cheap. I've also heard about ironing on freezer paper, but I have not tried it. One thing I would recommend, before printing on your prepared sheet, print on a regular piece of paper to make sure things are centered the way you want them, or not too close to the edge. Just set that weird fabric that you've created paper in the print tray and print. I'm amazed at how well it works.

Out of several awful pictures of me, this was the least awful

So summer is almost over. Damn it! I love summer and it always goes so fast. Last weekend I went to Cape May to hang with friends that rent a house every year. It's really nice of them to invite us, and we always have a great time. At Cape May, one of the hot spots is a bar called the Brown Room at Congress Hall. Congress Hall is a large, old-fashioned hotel that was amazing in it's heyday, then hit the skids, then was bought by investors and restored. All the hippest ($$$) people stay there. So anyway, I like hanging out at the Brown Room. Drinks are expensive, but you get some superior people watching. There was a wedding taking place at the hotel, (there almost always is) and that makes it double fun. Sometimes when it is very crowded, we go outside and drink on the veranda.There is plenty to see out there, too. I really love to wear dresses, and I was wearing the nice one my husband bought for me this year. I keep buying more dresses. I just bought one today from a vendor that was at work! It was only $15. I was powerless to resist. There are just endless pretty dresses, I wish I could somehow discretely take pictures of the dresses I saw others wearing. Then I could "collect" dresses. Really, it's high time that I started making art quilts about dresses. That reminds me, I just registered for Fall classes. I begin on Sept 20. I'll be all jacked up until Dec 11. I took Public Relations and Intro to Western Philosophy. I've always wanted to take a philosophy course.

Really rambling here.

The next day:

As you may be able to see below, I have the same picture in here 3 times. It took 3 tries yesterday to get this picture to load. Now it is there 3 times, and I can't select any of them, or any picture on this page, to delete them. I really think that Blogger is dreadful and difficult to use. I'm not going to let them reuin my blog post. I'm going to post this anyway. What's the diff, really? Are you put off?

I'm leaving work in about an hour. I work an extra hour Monday through Thursday and get a half day on Friday. It's called Summer Hours, and it is a stroke of genius. Why can't they do this all year, all over the world? Anyway, I'm going fabric shopping. A couple of weeks ago my husband went on one of his ride a motorcycle like a crazy person weekends, and I redecorated our bedroom. I want to make a new quilt. One of those quilts that are more about blocks and strips of gorgeous fabric than about any real patchwork. (In other words, easy)

I'm also going on a date tonight with my husband. Tonight is an anniversary for us. It marks when we started "going out" the first time, when we were kids. That was THIRTY SEVEN YEARS AGO!!! I might wear my new dress.

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Quiet my ass

No New Job for Me

My interview was not so great. Within 15 minutes both myself and the interviewer knew the job was not for me. I wish they had done a better job of describing the position; it could have saved all of us a lot of trouble. I sat down and looked at this job posting with my current manager, and he agreed that it would be a good fit. Then it was revealed to me that I would be doing financial forecasting and, although the job was called "Associate Production Manager" it became apparent that the position really is that of an account executive. Even if I thought I could do it, I'm not into that kind of responsibility and pressure. I apologized for wasting the person's time, he did not seem the least bit annoyed, and said I should keep the interview appointment with the next person. He called it an informational interview. That actually turned out great. The person already knew I was not suited for the job, but we spoke for an hour. She gave me good career advice and we talked a lot about the state of the company and employment in general. I felt better after that.

I did have a hard time going to work today. I am so burned out and now there is no hope in sight, for the near future, anyway. I don't even care if I make more money, I just want to do something different.