Day 260 - 365/2014

Day Two Hundred Sixty

Today I have been putting the final tweaks and touches on the fluffy black biteyou.

I am also sorting out my leftover artpacks and back stock...I cleaned out two drawers of papers and stuff, too.  I am taking a break to post this and sit for a bit...this sorting is going to take a while.

365/2013 - Day 289

rainy day stuff

I LOVE dark, overcast mornings that drift into light showers all day.  A lovely fall day like this reminds me of a certain cherished memory from childhood.  A day like this fills me with energy to make things, get things sorted and organized, and it starts my brain going with jillions of ideas...so many that I often have to sit quietly and really listen for a little bit of guidance so that I can jot some of them down.

It also makes me want to concoct a soup or chili for dinner.  When I came back from a quick run to Hiller's for ingredients I noticed -- once again -- that the squirrels had moved the yarn bombing snake off of my back landing (outside of my studio).  I wasn't sure what was moving the snake until yesterday morning when I caught one (of the 2 or 3) gigantic fox squirrels dragging it down the steps.  I sure surprised him -- ha!

Anyway, I moved the snake to the back porch (where the squirrels are actually eating my house) and gave him an adorable pose.  I know it won't keep the squirrels away, but it might give them something else to focus on for a while.

Here are just a couple of the first jottings of ideas for a new hand sewn guy:

My evening was taken up with organizing, sorting, sweeping, etc. in the wet studio.  I can actually walk around in there again!  I still want to do a table clean up before I get back to the wet plaster cloth.  Man this feels good!

before -- the "save-them-for-later" projects area

before - the area with the closet where the crocodile and tiger wait

before - looking out of the room from the table

Wow -- all of those wads of paper that came as packing material folded up into just this much space!

whew -- after!

after

after

after

365/2013 - Day 1

working in spurts

I worked at various things today in spurts.  My orthopedic appointment is still a week away and I am limited to what I can do physically.  In many ways, these last few days have been a challenge.

Today was a day of tidying up the blog, organizing and sorting things in the studio, gathering thoughts and ideas for the 2nd Thursday group that I would like to introduce (very minor structural tweaks), and making two more Tookies finger puppets.  

I set a production goal for myself for this batch of 100 Tookies finger puppets for Art-o-mat.  I have to make at least one puppet a day, but no more than 10.  I need to pace myself this time so that I don't fall behind but I also don't overwork my hands.








In the studio I made some de-cluttering progress by sorting:

• small hand tools
• paintbrushes
• little canvases
• stretch animals
• plastic jumping frogs
• tubes of acrylic paint
• various objects for plaster cloth

I also stacked numerous boxes of Art-o-mat art (that need to be sorted out -- inventory, pieces for demos, my own collection, etc.)  Empty Art-o-mat boxes were also put into the storage closet.
 

AND -- another minor achievement -- I made a small path so that I can walk all the way up to the metal racks in the very back corner of the studio behind my desk.  (I had to stretch to reach over things before...not a very smart for my knee.)



Well -- it doesn't look like much, but I was busy all day.  It is a start!

12/365 - Day 366

wow -- another year is over already!

I spent the last day of the blog year doing something I have been meaning to do for a long, long time -- sorting through glove parts and actually throwing away parts that I can't use.

Gah -- these glove parts started out in just the two baskets but have found their way into so many places and little bins -- they've been making me nuts.

That basket (which was about 2/3 full) sorted down into that little container -- the paper bag is parts to be tossed out!

I sorted the use-able fingers sections into colors.

Leftover containers!!!!

And now the little bins of parts get stashed conveniently onto a shelf that will be all for sewing stuff.  Whew!

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by blog-wise.  I need to think of a new prefix thing for the blog's daily subject lines.

See you next year!

2012/365 - Day 360

sorting and re-finding

I wanted to DO something today...the studio is a mess and I am having trouble being able to do much physically with this stupid bum knee.  I am not going to run on and complain about it, I'm just sayin'.  BUT I had two bins in the living room that I could sort from my chair and I wanted to go through them and separate and bag up the various yarns I have so I can work on Tookies and sewing stuff.

Getting down to the bottom of the bin.

YAY -- two bins sorted into one!

 AND I found all of the stuff I was looking for -- the socks Suzanne gave me, some bits of fabric I had misplaced AND the packet of not-so-sharp large-eye tapestry needles I knew I had!


AND...

ha -- these guys were in the very bottom of bin number two -- these are some of the first things I made with the magic knit gloves!

I think I will re-work them and embellish them some more.  Cool!

365 Day 319

slowly easing back into it...in short bursts

My hands feel quite a bit better. I saw my regular doctor yesterday evening and he agreed that it doesn't sound like carpal tunnel to him...we'll see what turns up.

In the meantime, it is okay to take the splint off, stop the ice pack every two hours...although I'm supposed to keep up with the meds and the new ones. PLUS I need to listen/pay attention to how my hands are feeling and stop before I get into trouble again. My fingers on my right hand are still fairly numb, still not back all the way so I am trying to keep typing down to a minumum.


Today I did a little here and a little there, resting my hands in between. I had to ice pack my right hand a couple of times and elevate it.

Today I starting sorting giveaway stuff into better bins -- trying to make it easier for people to go through this stuff without feeling overwhelmed.

It doesn't look like much, but it IS. This is just part of it.





My studio looks like tornado alley again -- how does this happen?

The first thing I have to do before I can put stuff away is to re-alphabetize the Art-o-mat inventory.
I don't have as much back stock as I used to keep and I keep it sorted in the boxes it is shipped to me in. This frees up a lot of shelf space.





There -- the inventory is alphabetized and back up on the top shelf.















I recently did another Arto-presentation and I needed to take loads of examples with me...this is part of my personal stash boxed back up again.




That's enough for today. I need to rest up for a new weekly art get together that starts tomorrow morning. I am very excited for this and I really want to be able to work on something...that means NO more for tonight.

365 Day 312

big ol' de-stash/clear-out/giveaway

On Sunday I am having a bunch of artist friends over to go through my no-longer-needed stuff. It will be a sort of garage sale of art supplies, art, and arty things -- only there will be no money involved -- it's all free.

I have invited them to bring some of their unwanted items, too, and we can all go through the stuff and Juana and I will box up and take whatever is leftover that no one wants to take back home again out to Ann Arbor to the Scrap Box. Scrap Box is one of those creative recycling places.

So today is the first real day of sorting. I know it looks like a mess right now but it really isn't.

I am sorting into giveaway and keep bins.

AND I am actually letting go of all kinds of old clippings and paper items that I have been saving for about a billion years. You wouldn't believe how old some of that stuff was!






This is a keep box.














This is a giveaway box.


















Giveaway














Sorting out giveaway stuff in to easier-to-look-through boxes.









Keep bin















Giveaway










And I am starting to put the sorted keep bins onto the shelves in my studio...to be sorted even more at a later date. But for now, wow -- this is SO much better. Now I know what I have and where it is!

The basement is getting empty!!!

365 Day 44 -- part 2

a little more prep work before I call it a night

I decided to do a little bit more after my first entry for today. I am really glad I did, too -- because it turned out it will save me a lot of time.

Because I often have a bit of difficulty selecting colors when I am making things, I thought it would be good to "pre-select" the eyes/buttons for this batch of 100 Tookies. I recently bought several new packs of buttons in different assorted colors and it seemed like this was the perfect time to sort them into color groups. I also sorted the little shaped buttons (stars, asterisks, hearts, etc.)...it just made it easier to see the buttons that way.














As I was selecting them, I put each puppet-to-be and the "eyes" together in an envelope so they wouldn't become separated.














Since I already sorted the buttons by color and by shape, I thought I might as well put them into separate bags and store them that way.














Oh -- and look -- I actually put the finger puppet parts bins and buttons on the shelf (instead of leaving it all on the table)! I know...I surprised myself...LOL.















I started doing that seemingly small amount of work right after I posted today's earlier entry at 5:33 p.m. I hadn't even noticed that it got dark out. I couldn't believe it, but it was 8:51 -- and I hadn't fed the cats yet or set the dvr to record my Sunday tv shows! Yikes!

I scrambled to set the dvr, fed the cats, cooked my dinner, ate it while watching my shows, then I came back into the studio and thought why not save some more time and do the printing tonight, too? That is just one step closer to getting the labels done.

And now it's just about midnight and I am DONE for the night!