Thrift Store Find - Tennis Glass

Thrift Store Find - Tennis Glass

I have to cheat a bit, I did find this in a thriftstore but it was a while ago. I spent the weekend sailing and capsizing (not on purpose) in a 2 man catamarran which pretty much wiped me out. Add to that the extremely happy and vocal group camped next to us, who proceeded to play badminton at 6am and you can factor in sleep deprivation too. Who knew sailing was so hardcore ? Not me, bruised knees and elbows are among the injury count. All of this is my way of saying I had no time to shop.

This item is a gem, it can hold two cans worth of drink + ice and its stylish, well I think so at least. I stumbled on it at a Goodwill and despite there only being one had to have it. On the annoying front I've had to send my 6 week old camera back to Canon for repair, it just decided to have a lens error and that was that, but I'm hopeful that I will get it back soon so its back to the trusty Nikon. Enjoy.

Painting Chronicles - Overcast

9am Sunday morning I cycled down to the beach. The sky was overcast, its not that I have anything against a blue sky its just that for the purposes of my paintings, I would like a bit of drama. Normally I would be in the ocean with my surfboard however the husband had to take the car as he hadn't been able to replace the spark plug that he had taken out of the 1962 bug. I can't believe that my weekend plans rest on the road readiness of that vehicle. It's pretty, that fact cannot be denied but its almost 50 years old so it needs regular nursing. So I was on the bike and there was no room for the board, sadly. The waves were in the 3-4ft + region by Huntington Beach Pier and I started snapping away. Much easier to see through the viewfinder when its overcast. I have a waterproof camera but I haven't tested it in the ocean as I need some sort of mechanism to attach it to me. Otherwise one big wave and Poof, there goes $300 which wouldn't be good. When I got home I was surprised to find that I had taken 283 photos, the great thing about digital is that you can take pictures at whim and its instant, the bad, you don't spend as much time thinking about the shot. I can still remember waiting for the postman every day to see my holiday photos and it seemed like such a long wait. Now its plug in and ta da. I once picked up a pack of photos years back at the local chemist as I walked home I tore open the envelope and found someone elses photos. What was most disturbing was the content, the man was dressed in women's clothing, I only looked at a couple before the images indelibly marked themselves in my memory bank and duly marched back to the chemist. "These are not my photos!" I said. Fortunately, I got my own photos back but I shudder just thinking about it. The man needed his own darkroom for those sorts of pictures.

But back to the painting. Here are two more I've been working on, I went out and bought some more oil paints so I'm raring to go this weekend with my manganese blue and viridian. There are two more in the pipeline but I'm waiting for them to dry a bit. I liked the effect I got in the very first painting for the sky and can't seem to replicate it but still trying.

Here's one I made Earlier

Check Book Holder
Materials: Used USPS Tyvek Envelope, thin transparent plastic, thread, tape,
Tools: Sewing machine, scissors, cutting knife,
Check book holders are functional but don't ooze individuality so I decided to make my own version. I had a disastrous first go using fabric as I didn't measure properly and ended up making it too small. It's pretty quick to make, use your original check book holder as your template and make yours at least a cm bigger so when you sew it you don't make it too small for the check book. Use two sheets of tyvek to make it stronger, optionally you can use cardboard to make it stiffer. Sew both sheets together. Use tape to hold your plastic inserts in place and sew around three edges leaving a gap for check book to go in. Repeat on the opposite side. Et voila.

Picture Moment -The Dog ate my shoe

This is my dog Sanford, no explanation needed really I caught Mini-Will so nicknamed because he shares many similar characteristics with the husband (not that he chews shoes, its more the attention span and high energy.) So, I came home and caught him red handed in the act, he had previously limited himself to old pairs of flip flops, only mine I might add. These photos were taken the next day, can you see the guilt ?

Uh, oh I remember that shoe face.

I did a bad thing, I know.

Take it away, I can't bear to be reminded.

I'm sorry.

Honestly, its impossible to stay mad at Sanford, he's so darn cute.

Picture Moment

I walked to the beach on my lunch break. An envy producing sentence but its true. The sand did burn my feet though and I ended up sprinting back from the shore to the asphalt. Other than taking in the sea air there was a purpose to the visit. If I'm painting the ocean I need to gather material so I found a spot by the pier where the waves were biggish and started snapping away. I couldn't actually see what I was snapping through the viewfinder so to be on the safe side I switched to beach mode which seemed to make a difference.

Here's one I made Earlier

Storage Tins
Materials: Old Coffee tins, Spray Paint, Adhesive numbers.
Method: Remove label and prime with white spray paint, observe all the spray paint regulations and if you're doing it outside use an old cardboard box to create a 3 sided booth, use the extra side to place the object on. When dry apply adhesive number/letter/decal etc and coat with coloured spray paint, let dry and apply second coat. When dry peel off number to reveal first coat. Ta Da.

Other uses: outdoor candle, house marker, door stop.
Quote from the husband when I revealed my new project "Oh, you painted them." (Said not in rapturous tone of wonder. One word Philistine !

Here's One I Made Earlier

Water resistant Camera Pouch -
Materials: Button, Thread, Plastic carrier bags,ribbon,paper,
Tools: Iron,Needle, sewing machine,
I was on Instructables.com and read up on fusing plastic carrier bags. Inspired I decided to try and sew the fused layers together to make something. Fusing is a bit of trial and error, if the heat is too high you get holes too low, and it doesn't stick together. Remember to trap your plastic bags inside sheets of paper to shield your iron and board from the melting plastic. Cut your plastic into a rectangular shape and use it as you would fabric. Fold it in two with the side you want facing out on the inside and leave enough for a flap. Sew down the two sides, flip it so your seams are hidden. Sew on button and ribbon et voila. Unique pouch and eco-friendly, sort of.

Thrift Store find

I love thrift store shopping, its the thrill of the find when the odds are stacked against you. I have a few preferred spots that I visit. I found these clips at the weekend that I love. I try to be organised but it doesn't happen, it doesn't help that the other half has an aversion to opening post, filing and anything else paper related. I am hoping that he will feel inspired to put his stuff in order but I'll not be holding my breath. I bought a four draw metal filing cabinet the other week (also thrift store find $12 bargain) to replace the crappy wooden one that is falling apart which can't be thrown out because the old computer
is sitting on it till I find a suitably nice table. I happily printed labels for the hanging files and realised I need a whole lot more. There's still paper everywhere but I clip it now.

Week 1 - The flea and the sea

So, if you read the previous blog I did watch "Rookie of the Year" however, I did accomplish a lot in one day considering the physical exertions. It began with the discovery of two fleas on our small dog which led to copious combing of both dogs followed by bathing and drying. The Dyson was borrowed from the neighbour and the apartment was vacuumed with the determination of an athlete during endurance training. I spent an afternoon researching the flea and from said research can tell you they are a scourge, I haven't tried the light over a pan full of water with oil trick yet, apparently the fleas are drawn to the light and then drown because of the oil in the water. Also mothballs, salt, cedar chips and a whole heap of chemicals can all be used to wage war on the dreaded flea.

So the washing and vacuuming was exhausting and I steam cleaned the kitchen floor for good measure, this led to aforementioned watching of movie whilst eating some lunch. So you see in my mind I had earned the rest. Renewed and revived I set about finishing two paintings that I had started two weeks ago. The inspiration for this renewed interest in painting was going to a Wolfgang Bloch exhibition in Laguna. I loved the glossy surfaces of his paintings as well as his use of distressed wood and texture. I couldn't afford any but was fairly certain I could do my own version. Here you have the first two, even though we are still in Summer I wanted to go for a more dramatic skyline. The second one still needs work. I did get up and paint this morning at 8am though so the blog is having the desired effect already. Onwards.

welcome to i must draw

I'm always saying I must draw more whenever I go into a gallery or see a fantastic painting or illustration, I look nostalgically back to the days when I used to do that all the time and easily fill sketchbooks. I make excuses and at times get sucked in to watching a bad/good Tivo'd movie example "The Rookie of the Year" a fun movie but not Oscar material by any stretch of the imagination. By the time its over there's the dogs to walk, dinner,laundry to cook etc etc.
Life wasn't always like this, I didn't have a TV so I didn't have that distraction, ( I also couldn't participate in a lot of conversations either!). Did I do more though? Hard to tell. I used to keep a diary when I was younger I wasn't very good at padding out my days with insightful wit, just the essentials what I ate and what I did. Still even in its basic form it managed to relay to me what my priorities in life were aged 11. So this will be the grown up version, unless its a truly memorable meal I'll skip the daily food analysis. So what to expect from this blog, be prepared to be surprised I have the attention span of a gnat sometimes so I will jump from project to project. I hope you will be inspired by what you see and read to do more. I'm pledging now to bring you a weekly round up. Here goes.