I cleaned for two hours this morning in preparation for this guy from Craig’s list coming over to look at the old dining table (which was a tiny round pub table, not at all useful for games or crafts). I didn’t want him to think I took bad care of my furniture… I even brushed the couch (and let me tell you, it needed it. I could have made a sweater…). But of course he turned out to be this young sorta nerdy guy who wouldn’t know a clean sheet if you slapped him with it. But it took everything, and for the price I paid for it a year ago! Yay!
I also got a system up on my website where people can buy a print of any of the artworks up there through Paypal. Right now it’s just the 2007 commissions, but I’m going to get the 2006 ones up soon. All in preparation for the art show.
And I also got some more art printed out, into the frames, and labeled. I’ve used up all the frames I have here; I think my parents have three or four layout around their cars, but that’s it. Then all I have to do is make more paintings (I’m having nightmares about huge bare expanses of white wall… I’m never going to fill that place up!).
Dinner: Frozen pizza and salad
Garry and I went to the mall today and spent the money my grandma gave us for christmas (I hope we never grow out of getting money from grandma ^_^). I bought a pair of jeans from Buckle (horray for extra extra long!), a bigger memory card for my new camera, aaand a table! That’s right, a table. And it was only $110, solid wood, really sturdy. And it’s so peeerdy. I needed a better table to do my crafts on, and here it is. The photo is with a board game on it that we were playing… the photo doesn’t do it justice. I loves my new table!
Got next to nothing done today - I’m so lazy! Though I did do some shopping - food, CD-Rs (for commissions), and four more 20″ x 30″ illustration boards. Also I finished that painting I started yesterday, and got a sketch done for the next painting. And I finished another level on Ceaser IV (now that’s what I call productive! Heh).
Dinner: Hoisin stir-fry with shrimp and snow peas.
My mom picked me up at around 9:30 today for our first weekly craft day (hehe, we’ll see how long it lasts). First we rearranged my dad’s office (hey, interior design is a craft~). It looks very nice, and my mom is really happy with it. Then we went out to eat at a new Mexican restaurant which was obscenely good – they make their own chips and we had to stop ourselves from getting a second basket. We got some artsy supplies at Michael (brushes, stencils) and when we got back to their house my mom started knitting the back of her sweater and I started my second painting. Unfortunately I only got about half done before the light totally faded, but it’s turning out pretty nice.
Dinner: Dad’s leftover turkey tetrazini
Today I didn’t get a whole lot done, however I did create one painting for my art show (first one, horray!). It only took three hours, so I should be able to start churning them out pretty quick-like.
Dinner: Chinese takeout
This morning Garry and I had a mini-gift giving time; he gave me a really, really nice new fossil wallet and a box of mints (I actually didn’t give him his present - “ok computer” on mp3 from amazon - until later as it would be for his new iPod). Then we went to my parents to open presents. We had waffles and eggs and it was all very cozy. And I got a new digital camera! Eek! It’s 10.1 megapixel, which is nice for me if I ever want to use photos in design. The only downside is the photos are 3.5MB each, which is going to fill up my hard drive like crazy. But it’s a reeally good camera. Here is a random photo of Pookie I took… ^_^
And that is pretty much all that has happened today. My parents also gave us a board game called Carassonne, which we played this afternoon. It’s a lot of fun; you build a region with towns and fields and then get points for what your little people control. I was a little disappointed, though, because someone had described the game to me a few months ago and told me your little people were called “Meeples” but in the instructions they’re just called “followers.” God knows where she got the idea they were called “meeples,” but it was one of the best advertisements for the game I could have gotten - and then it turned out it wasn’t true. Still, to me it will always be “The Meeple game.” Hehe, meeple….
And now, here is a photo of my parents wearing their respective head-related presents (with my dad taunting Charlie with cthulu, and my mom wearing her shopping bag like a tanktop and looking slightly bemused). Being unemployed may mean being broke, but at least I have lots of time on my hands to make things. ^_^
Other goodies from christmas were an iPod nano for Garry (and also Half-Like 2 for xBox, which needs to be returned since we don’t own an xBox ^_^), a gift certificate for a stained glass making class with the person of my choosing (who will I force to take a crafty class with me, hmmm), two history-related books, and the all-important box of mint chocolates. Yay!
Finished an image for the motorcycle company that is based heavily on a tattoo image she provided (only holding a piston and a wrench instead of american flags). How very… redneck. ^_^ I won’t find out what she thinks about it until after Christmas, though.
I also finished my dad’s hat and lined it with brown fleece, because he doesn’t like anything remotely itchy. The lining took a couple of tries; I was very nervous about sewing into my knitting, but the stitching is covered up by the brim of the hat. It probably wouldn’t look too good if you could see it, though.
Tonight we went to my parents and had Christmas eve dinner with a bunch of relatives – Tom and Jean, Jim and Terese, Christopher, and grandma. I’ve decided I really need to start knitting presents for everyone, because we got such nice presents and didn’t give anything back. But then again, I don’t want to experience “it” that the book Yarn Harlot mentions, where you’re trying to finish gifts at 4:00am Christmas morning….
We had breakfast at Sardines this morning with my parents and my grandma. It was incredibly good - I had buckwheat waffles with cinnamon orange butter. Yum. Afterward we went to my grandma’s apartment and opened presents – Garry and I each got $200 (horray for grandmothers! ^_^). We also got a wood Sudoku board. Grandma seemed to like the neck scarf I made her, but who can say. I thought it was a bit furry myself.
When we got back I made a passable Cthulu out of my new green fleece. I want to make a collared shirt and tie (he’s meant to be an accountant), but I had no idea how hard collard shirts are to make. So maybe just a tie.
We’ve also watched four episodes of Lost today (Garry had the day off). Season three is going to be over way too soon, and it’s another year until the next season comes out. Blast!
I finished my mom’s other bag, and I figured out they are almost exactly 15qts - because one of my boxes of yarn fit in it perfectly!
Dinner: Scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns (we’re eating too much bacon!)
I spent all of this morning working on a plushie cthulu for my dad that failed. I was slightly displeased.
After lunch I went with my dad to pick up a set of knitting needles for my mom. It was really misty out – I kept thinking of the movie The Mist and imagining one of those huge looming monsters stepping out from the side of the highway. We went to a nice little knitting store/coffee shop in Verona. I also got some yarn to make her a neck scarf, but I sort of miscalculated how much time I had until christmas, so I doubt it will be done. That’s okay, I have other presents.
Then we went to the fabric store and I picked up some pretty upholstery fabric for my mom’s reusable shopping bag things, and some green fleece that I’m going to use for cthulu version 2. My dad spent a great deal of time talking about all the changes they’ve made to Westgate (mostly for the bad, half the stores are empty. It’s only a matter of time before that place is gone).
When I got home I did manage to create a decent shopping bag. The fabric looks nice, though I’m sort of annoyed that the lining is rolling up over the top so you can see it. Now I just have to make another one!
Dinner: Baked Potato and peas with bacon
