Bits & Pieces

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Each square is one rubber stamped image in black ink on red cardstock, topped with another stamped image on blue cardstock that I cut into the center piece and the little points. Those are some teeny tiny pieces - the whole thing is only 3-1/2" x 5"! I tried putting some red diamonds along the lattice strips but it was way too busy. Sometimes less actually is better. "Stefani, step away from the paper! I mean it!"

I don't know why it scanned with the top strip looking cropped like that. And I don't care enough to re-do it. It's just a prototype, for stuff I'm working on. I made this to be mounted on light blue cardstock, in a red frame. It's definitely the look I'm going for, but I learned some things in making this piece so I'm redoing it a bit better - and another one in yellow & red, also to be framed in red. In preparing for the May 4th show, my plan is to make a couple of framed pieces and a few cards in each style. Good to have product available at all price points, as they say.

I made another mandala I'm pretty happy with that's 8-1/2" square in shades of gold and black. I ordered a black frame for that one last night - and a few shadow box frames to spare, some black, some white. I ordered a rasberry frame for the card I made for Gretchen.

I also ordered some frames for a couple of posters I promised Steve long ago I'd frame for him. One is lime green, which will frame a poster of whatever stadium the Baltimore Orioles play out of. It's actually a print ad by a printer company that I scarfed off someone at work. I hope the frame works with the bright green ball field. It will have bits of two corners of ad copy showing after framing but I don't care - it will still be cool anyway. Lime green frame on bright orange walls. (Steve took over Lizz's old room as his new office.)

The other poster is a satellite shot of the Finger Lakes - a group of lakes here (shaped like fingers, duh) in upstate New York. I picked a lapis blue frame for that.

Yep, I loves me some color.

I'll say it again, I highly recommend Frames by Mail for all your framing needs. A artist friend turned me on to MTS Frames for wholesale frames but I just didn't find their website or catalog as helpful so for now I stuck with what I know and love. I may give them another look for my next order.

What I'd really like to do is find some inexpensive (but decent quality) frames at garage sales and thrift stores. But there are two problems with that scenario. Most of the stuff I've made (so far anyway) requires a square frame, not commonly found. And secondly, I don't really frequent garage sales and thrift stores. But maybe I'll try harder at that.

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I was on a roll this weekend accomplishing tasks. I placed the aforementioned frame order. I hated to spend the money but hopefully I'll make it back in a few weeks. Gotta spend it to make it, right?

I finished my income tax return this past weekend. April 9. So much for getting that finished in February. I always strive for February and have hit it just once. Usually I finish it late March.

I ordered a couple pairs of shorts, two pairs of shoes and a new swimsuit & coverup online. Man, buying clothes, shoes and spending money - that's the trifecta of agony for me. Beats going to a store I guess.

My old swimsuit is pretty old and looks it. I wear it just about weekly in the hot tub and it's a two piece (a modest, looks like a one piece) and the top of the suit fills up with air from the jets in the hot tub. Bubble Chest, that's me. So I wanted to find something better for the hot tub and maybe to wear in Florida, if I dare. In the privacy of my deck is one thing so I don't know if I'll wear it in FL or not but at least I'll be prepared. This will be the 3rd suit I've ordered in as many weeks. I liked the last one - black, one piece with lime green trim (seeing a pattern here with the lime green??) - but the shoulder straps kept falling down. I swear I have the roundest shoulders in the kingdom. Being overweight certainly doesn't help but I've always had this problem. Can't carry a shoulder purse and my "foundation garment" straps tend to slip a lot too.

Yep. Too much information.