Inland Scholar Blotch

HA! The SAQA list is posting about their issues with having people call their work a 'hobby' today. This to me is funny and I no longer get my back up against it when people refer to my stuff as my artsy-craftsy interest, or start talking about their aunt who made a quilt one time. I don't do cheesy stuff, I like to think (!) however I do admit to having the sensibility of a magpie and if it glitters I love it. Shiny? Gimme gimme! Sparkles? I'll make it into something! Tacky? I bet I can use it somehow!

Anyway, I'm not going to change what I like, and when I go to Michaels or any other craft store I can disappear for hours picking over stuff to use. The trick is to not use it as it was intended, and instead to make something IRONIC out of it. I don't want to disquise the original material or 'thing' I am using, instead incorporate it. For instance, give me a tube of jungle animals and I poke holes in all their hands and join them with jump rings to make a necklace. I love these themed animal tubes and was surprised to find I've been buying so many of them- used the turtle collection in a big necklace with ping pong balls to simulate their eggs, used the snakes as an entwined lump as a package decoration (but couldn't get the jump rings through them- I know there is another use for the snakes in the future), and my favorite are the tree frogs which will be next- as soon s I find some qualifying beads for them to hold onto. And they are calling for tiny colored rhinestones. Since the two grandkids are still too young for the tiny toys, I can't give 'em away anyway so I may as well wear them!

A current interest is the wall of unpainted dollhouse furniture. A pity, but it's too big to wear. I've used a wee armoire in an artist's book and see loads of possibilities to continue that for a bit. And there are all this little wooden shapes cut out and ready to go that are calling to me. I've already attached WalMart paper mache vegetables to a few quilts but alas, they don't travel well. The doll house sized stuff is small enough that it folds nicely into a rolled quilt but the big stuff takes the knocks in unpredictable manner- after all, I don't want any show to unfurl a broken quilt.

And while at the craft shop, I also get stuck in the scrapbooking department because they have amazing decorative papers to buy by the sheet. I don't think I've ever checked out without a whole pile of these. And there are punches and clips and fancy scissors to play with too. My collection grows uncontrolled.

Galaxie Playdough! Found this over on Fairy Dust Teaching blog, and here's the recipe, can't wait to make a batch and then figure out what I want to sparkle:

2 cups of plain flour

2 cups of water with black and blue food coloring

1 Tbsp. of cooking oil

1 Tbsp. cream of tartar

1 cup of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix liquid ingredients in a large pan. (FYI: I found black food coloring in a large size at Big Lots - so I added the entire bottle! I added a small bottle of blue food coloring. It made the dough so deep and rich!) Begin to heat liquids.

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add to the heating liquids. Stir until the dough gathers and thickens. Cook until it gets that sheen to it. Let it cool slightly and then knead to bring proper consistency. Store in plastic container.

I had neglected to fill out a Grant of Rights form for a book that's coming up and was informed I have made the last cut, though it's no guarantee I am 'in'. Anyway, I filled out the form and got it re-mailed last night. This morning there was an email from the gal I've been corresponding with at the publishing company, and she wanted to tell me she loved the name of my studio, Ganymede, in Jupiter, because she used to work in Astronomy! She is the first one to 'get it'. Nothing like a tiny bit of validation now and then.

And today is clean-out day to get rid of a few layers of stuff and finish up some small projects. Also have to return a sweater they didn't take the electronic tag from the other day when I bought it- what a pain. And I KNOW the alarms will go off as I walk IN the door!