Sketchy

I came across an old sketch book tonight. I've become addicted to carrying one around with me. I feel naked without one... just like when you forget to put on a watch.

Do you keep a sketch book? I take one with me almost everywhere. I usually have two or three small books for doodling at any one time because I'm so scattered that I always misplace at least one of them.

My sketch books aren't really all that sketchy. They are mostly filled with word associations, lists and written ideas with a few quick scribbles here and there. If I didn't put them on paper I'd totally forget 3/4 of the things that run through my head :)

I really am curious how many of you keep a sketch book or journal type thing...

Here we go again.

Today has been a bit of a bummer. I've came across a couple of items, from different people, that are exact rip offs of my stuff. I'm not going to lie... it's getting to me. It's especially disheartening because one of those sellers is from very nearby, and I've actually purchased from them :(

I want to show off my artsty fartsy things. I want to share my work so that others might be encouraged to make stuff too. However, when I see two vendors in one day passing off items that are replicas of what I make, it's frustrating to say the least. I don't even want to think about what I'd find if I actually searched.

You know what the funniest thing about this whole thing is? Someone mentioned paper theatres a couple of months ago and felt I should have acknowledged that when I posted the Faerie Theatre. I didn't copy anything, or swipe an original idea, paper theatres have been around for hundreds years, but she felt that her post should have been mentioned. Truthfully I had forgotten all about it, I had been influenced by a load of historical and fanciful fantasy things that I had seen in the past few months, but I had no issues acknowledging her original post. Somewhere in the mess in the middle of my brain I'm sure it had become part of the inspiration.

The thing is, it's one thing to be inspired by something that you see and to make your own version. Hell, if it's just for you, go ahead and make a carbon copy. But, it's whole other ball game when you start selling or passing off other people's ideas without changing a damned thing.

I don't make a heck of a lot of money from the things I make. Mostly I'm happy if I can make enough to buy supplies, and sometimes even that doesn't happen. When I see other people trying to make money off of the things that were born in my head, it's really upsetting.

*sigh*

Listen, if you're going to sell stuff, just play nice would ya? Use my projects as a springboard for your own creativity. I know you can do it! You are pretty damned fabulous after all.

Two Wee Books

I've spent the morning finishing up two wee books. One book is a sort of pink colour study, the other is about the night sky. Here's a gander...

I'm really glad I made a load of extra pages for the night sky book because I think I'll be making a few more of them.

Before I make any more books though, I think I need to tackle this lovely mess... and yes, that is a box of Popsicle sticks on my desk :)

Thrifting!

The Big D went to a 5 hour birthday party today. The husband and I were at a loss as to what to do. I honestly don't remember the last time we had 5 hours alone together.

We went thrifting... and to the pub.

It was a pretty fantastic day :) Here are two of our grand finds.

Isn't this wee rocker gorgeous? Best of all it was a whopping 50 cents! One man's junk as they say.

And I think I've found my next revamp project. I've sort of got an idea for this... kind of along the same lines as the faerie theatre but a tad different. We'll see where it ends up and just how long it takes to get there :)

Anywho, huzzah for birthday parties and thrifting and lovely husbands :)

Blah!

Ug. I feel like poo. A big pile of poo. A pile of poo that feels sick. It's like I'm constantly on the cusp of full blown illness but instead just feel crappy and nauseous all the time. Ick!

Despite feeling like poo (did I mention I feel like poo?) I've managed to finish my entry for the craftster challenge for this month, Super Ugly to Super Awesome!

Here is what I started with....

This is what I made...

You can see a boatload of pics and some in progress shots here.

Death, Estrangement and a Pint of Cider

There's about a zillion and three things that I should be doing... instead I'm prepping pages for some new wee books. They look rather pretty, hanging by colour, in my studio window. At least I've been productive.

I'm feeling sort of blah. Not quite maudlin, certainly not depressed, just blah today.

We drove to the big city for a memorial service this past weekend. A family friend passed away the other week. He was a nice man who bought plenty of rounds at the pub, danced with me at my wedding, argued with me about which was better Holiday Inn or White Christmas. He worked until the day he died at age 77.

I won't lie, I wasn't extremely close to the man, but he meant enough to make the 3 hour drive.

It was pretty clear that he wasn't close to his 5 children. They felt that he was distant. His affections were not demonstrative. The term "estranged" was used by one of his sons.

I can understand their sticky position. My own father hasn't spoken to me in years. It's been over 20 years since I've actually seen him face to face. If I were asked to speak at my fathers funeral, I'd politely decline. I don't know my father, he doesn't know me. He has chosen to not be a part of my life. I may not agree with his choice, but I accept it and carry on.

Honestly, I don't even know why I'm sharing all this. I suppose when someone passes you can't help but think about your life and the people in it. I'm definitely not the huggy kissy type. I admit to living more in my head than in the real world. I sure as hell hope that the people in my life know that I care about them anyway... even if I don't want to kiss them :)

Gah! When I'm dead tell my loved ones not to even bother with a service. Just have a pint and spare a thought or two about something funny we shared. Much better than uncomfortable ceremonies, tears, and bad music.

A WIP of the big D

I've been meaning to do another painting of my fantastic kiddo. Somehow between the swim lessons, another trip to the dentist (where I awoke mid-sedation to find the masked bastard still working away on my chompers!) and a power outage that lasted hours upon hours, I've managed to squeeze in some painting.

It's far from done. I'm guessing it's only about 45% there at this point. There's a whole whack of pushing paint around left to do but it gives me a total thrill that my camera recognizes it as a face :) I'm really hoping that it turns out well because I love the graphic effect of the black and red.