Unproductive day

Today kind of sucked. I over slept, so I had to rush to school for a meeting, only to find that the person I was meeting with was out sick. I printed out some patterns while at school, so when I got back to my apartment I really wanted to work on them, but guess what? No fabric, I brought it all home! I was finally feeling creative after who knows how long, and I didn't have any supplies except some yarn and a bit of paper-clay. I wish I could say that I got wicked creative and made something awesome, but instead I just got annoyed and didn't make a thing. None of my supplies appealed to me, and I don't even have any watercolors here! I don't know when all my stuff migrated back home...

Then I tried to do some homework, but I need to make some abstract drawings and come up with a clay model (also abstract) by Friday, and I am WAY too literal to deal with it. I just have no idea or inspiration, and the clay we need to use is gross, so I don't even feel like messing around with it in hopes I come up with something. I just kept letting myself be distracted and have gotten nothing done, as usual. I'd almost prefer to go back to not wanting to make things rather than be stuck wanting to make something and being uninspired. I've felt this way before, and let me tell you, it is really crappy. I have no idea what I am going to do for any of the assignments this semester.

Oh well, at least I had the girls to keep me company. Here are Rue and Ivy showing off the necklaces I made them yesterday (Rue is also wearing her cute new sneakers, and her first wig, which I still dislike, so you probably won't see her in it again!)

Please ignore my messy desk.

Some light reading

So I didn't post yesterday mostly because by the time I remembered I was just too tired from spending about four hours at the studio hammering away on my chasing and repoussé sample piece. The other reason is because I was reading a really good book! I found this series through an Amazon recommendation, and I am so glad I did! It is more like what I used to read: straight-up fantasy with some political intrigue, which has been a refreshing change from my usual urban fantasy books. The books are part of The Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling, and I just started the third book. The only downside to these books has been their ability to keep me up reading WAY past my bedtime.


Anyway here is a look at how my sample is going so far. I think it needs one more round of repoussé and a tad more chasing around the edges and middle if I have time.

Side A

Side B

Too-big shoes

I took the day off from homework today, which was nice. My mom came into the city to see me and we did some errands and then had Thai food for dinner. Ivy's new sneakers came in the mail, but they are MUCH to big! I'm not sure if I want to bother sending them back... I probably should but they are so cute! I also got my Steampunk Gir tee-shirt in the mail!!! I cannot wait to wear it. Not tomorrow though, I need to spend time in the studio and I don't want to mess it up.

I haven't put a picture of my smallest BJD, Juniper, on here yet, so why don't I end of a nice relaxing day with a cute picture of her? She I quite small, only 11.2 centimeters (about 4.4 inches!), and usually lives in a zippered sunglass case in my bag. I have gone through four wigs with her, and this one is still not perfect... but she still look damn cute if I do say so myself!

Small but mighty.

Chasing and Repoussé

I am SO lucky. Dunno what was wrong with my camera but it is all better! I removed the battery this morning, and when I put it back in, the camera turned on as usual!!! It is working fine now <3 What a relief!

Today was a long day. I had class from 8am till 1pm, and then stayed after to work until 4pm. Most of class was spent with the teacher doing a demo, but it was still exhausting paying attention so early! Luckily I got a good bit of work done in and after class. The demo was on chasing and repoussé, and then we worked on a practice piece. It is a lot of hammering, and my thumb got really sore from holding the steel punches (they are made from square stock steel nails and so have hard corners). I think it went well though! Here is what it looks like so far, I finished chasing the outline, then flipped it over and began to repoussé it to create the raised areas, I still have a quite a ways to go:

Side A

Side B

Broken camera blues

So my camera is broken. Again. The first time, it fell to the floor and the little latch that kept the battery door locked broke. So I exchanged it. Today when I took it out to take a picture of the tools I am making and turned it on, the green light turned on but the lens didn't open. AND THE LIGHT WON'T TURN OFF. It doesn't register on my laptop, although there are two folders on my desktop that probably belong to it, but which are empty and which I cannot eject. I am so sad right now... I really like this camera, but it seems like it might not be well made. Tomorrow after class I guess I will head back to the store and see what they say.

Anyhow, had my second Visual Ecology class today, my brain is aching with all the science that the prof tried to shove in it. This is NOT a class you can space out in, I had to take so many notes... It is interesting at least. Then I finally finished my steel tools, wasn't as hard to draw the temper as I remembered it being which was a nice surprise. I just need to write two paragraphs and make two more drawings and I will be set for tomorrow. Too bad it is after ten and I am so freaking tired.

Well, good night I'm going to go finish my homework, but I will leave you all with this cute photo of Rue I took earlier this week for a theme photo thread on DOA.

I can see my house from here!

A short visit home

Another post after midnight... IT STILL COUNTS!

So today I went home for a bit, saw my Nana, my little brother (who I scared the hell out of by sneeking up on him while he had his video game headphones on), my awesome mother, and my two home-cats, Troy and Maybee. It was great to see everyone, Nana took me out to eat at IHOP, and then my mom made dinner! I LOVE when someone feeds me so I don't have too :D After dinner, my mom took me by the Library to grab some books that were in, and then back to my apartment. While at home I picked up some items that could work for Intermediate Jewelry (although I am a slacker and haven't started drawing yet), plus THREE little packages had come in the mail for me <3 Two pairs of shoes for Rue and a Doctor Who mini-figure surprise pack! I was hoping for a teeny Dalek, but I got my second choice, A MINI CYBERMAN!!! Ivy begged him off of me, but I am thinking I may need more! Here is a photo of Ivy and her new best friend...

You will be upgraded.

Second payment for my first MSD!!!

Okay, totally forgot to mention earlier, but I got an email from DDE today telling me that my second layaway payment for my Doll Chateau Bella was due!!! I paid it, which means I AM HALF WAY THERE!!! I can't wait to get her, I hope the face-up artist I want is taking commissions when she gets here, I don't think I will be able to deal with her being blank for long! Anyhow, incase you haven't seen her before, here is a stock photo of this fabulous doll!

What shall I name her?

The search continues!

So despite being out all day looking I have still not found an item to be inspired by for my Intermediate Jewelry class. I have to get going, because I need to make sketches and write a bit about it by my 8am class on Friday. Today I searched the Brookline Village and Coolidge Corner areas, and a little bit near Kenmore, but to NO AVAIL!!! I will keep trying tomorrow, going to go to the goodwill in Dedham and then to my house (some rules are meant to be broken, dammit!) so hopefully that will pan out and I will have good news tomorrow.

While I didn't quite find what I was looking for yesterday, I did buy two cool items at this little kitchen shop on Center Street: a portable set of chopsticks/spoon/fork/knife!

Even cooler than a spork.

Plus I got these awesome tiny plastic fish-shaped bottles for holding soy-sause in bento boxes! I don't even like soy-sause, but I just love these bottles! They are so freakishly cute. I hope I can cast one or two of them later in the semester :)

The little green noses unscrew so you can add stuff!! <3

So wish me luck finding something awesome tomorrow! I also need to go to the studio before Friday to draw the temper on my steel punches, I was too tired to go in tonight (tired + torch = hair on fire!), so I will take pictures of those when they are done. Good night faithful viewer!

Busy day, awesome shirt

,So today was wicked busy (I can say 'wicked' because I live in Boston) with shopping for my Intermediate Jewelry class inspiration - don't ask, I'll explain tomorrow - and eating a at a place called the Purple Cactus. It was meh, and not purple. I spent a bit of time working on my steel punches, and then walked in the rain at 9:30 back to my apartment to veg. While vegging, I stumbled upon the Greatest Shirt Ever, and was forced to purchase it. It is beyond awesome and it is called The Invader Zim Gir Steampunk Girls T-Shirt and here it is in all it's glory!

I literally CANNOT wait to wear this thing.

Soon it shall be mine! I got it on Amazon, and I love it already. You saw the brass cupcakes, right? WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE? <3 Any who, I'm going to bed so I can get up and post about other cool stuff. SO THERE.

Didn't go outside today

Hullo faithful viewer! Yet another boring day, I had a plan, but alas most shops are closed on Sunday. Did laundry, so that is something, and if I can just finish this bloody essay, I will be golden! I just wish I had taken a moment to go outside while the sun was up and look at the snow. Oh well. Any who, took this cute picture of little miss Rue today, I think it edited up quite nice! Hurray for photobucket filters!