Month: November 2007

Uncategorized

Notes From the Universe

Shelly

Do not judge the journey, Shelly, by the path you’re now on. Like driving cross-country, you can’t possibly know in advance if or where you may encounter detours, hairpin turns, or passing cars passing cars with
noses and whatnot pressed to the window. Moreover, little, if any, of the scenery you travel through will remotely resemble the destination you have in mind. Yet neither the “constellations” you see nor the unexpected
maneuvers you take will ever mean you aren’t headed exactly where you want to go, moving as swiftly as possible, getting closer every flippin’ day.

Road trip!
The Universe

Crankypantsing, Meta, Photography

Coppermine Errors

Shelly

Something has gone horribly wonky with my Coppermine database. God only knows what, but I have a feeling that it’s beyond my ability to fix. As far as I can tell, my web host is not experiencing any known issues, so whether it’s something on their end, that will miraculously heal itself, or something I’m going to have to fix (ha!), I don’t know.

I am not amused.

The only bright point is that it looks like images are showing up fine within my blog, but if you try to click on anything to view it larger, you won’t be able to. I think pretty much everything is hosted over at Flickr, though, so if you really want to look at a full-size image, that’s the place to go.

Did I mention that I’m not amused?

However, as promised, here’s the sink from our conference room. Charming, isn’t it? It sort of suits my incredibly cranky mood!

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Art

Notebookism

Shelly

Have y’all checked out Notebookism.com or the Notebookism group on Flickr? If you haven’t, you should. Both are daily stops for me. And today, I’m the featured artist on the Notebookism blog. Aieee! Thank you, Armand!

So go have a look, and if you have any interest at all in notebooks, journaling, sketchbooks, bookbinding, etc., please make it one of your regular blog-stops. I promise you that it will be time well spent.

Art, Collage, Journals, Paintings

Asian Pear

Shelly

Asian Pear
Asian Pear (detail)

I like the way today’s pear turned out, which is good, because yesterday’s was a bit of a disaster. I reworked it a bit and rescanned it, but I’m still not happy. Sometimes sketches just don’t work out, and that’s okay.

Today’s drawing (painting?) was done by first applying a thin layer of acrylic matte medium to the paper with a credit card. Then, I used Neocolors II watersoluble crayons, working in layers, wetting them with a Q-tip, blending with my fingers, then blotting with a paper towel. I’m usually a slow worker, but this sketch went very quickly.

The recipe is one I’ve actually had, though I’ve not made it. It is delicious.

Photography

Dried Pear Slices

Shelly

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The first batch of pears are all dried. They’re like candy. The recipe I found for oven drying them called for sugar, and for the life of me, I cannot imagine why anyone would perpetrate such a crime on dried pears, because they are more than sweet enough on their own. These were just sliced, dipped in diluted lime juice, and stuck in the food dehydrator. Easy and damnfinetasty.

Harriet thinks they are just about the best treat in the whole, wide world.

Art, Collage, Drawings, Journals

Blue d’Anjou

Shelly

D'Anjou Pear
d’Anjou Pear (detail)

This one didn’t scan very well. I may try to get a photo of it tomorrow, to see if that works better. I didn’t do a very good job of spacing the stamps, but that’s how it goes sometimes. If were smart, I’d’ve done the checkerboard first, then centered the text stamps in the spaces. Alas, I am not smart.

About half the pears are finished drying, and the other half is about half dry. I picked up ten new pears at the grocery store: d’Anjou, Bosc, Bartlett, Red, and Asian. I also bought cranberry muffins, but we won’t talk about them. Ahem.

I timed my store run perfectly, because as I was driving down 3rd street, I got to watch the most spectacular sunset. The grocery store was kind of crowded, so there were lots of people milling around in the parking lot, and not a single person even noticed the beautiful sky. Look up, people!!!

[Edit: I reworked this one a little rescanned it. My scanner just does not want to cooperate with blues, so it’s still a crappy image. Better, but still crappy.]

Photography

Lazy Saturday

Shelly

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Northern Sky Before Sunset

It feels like I’ve done a whole lot of nothing today, but I cleaned the house, did laundry, and sliced nine food dryer trays of pears. Then I laid on the couch for awhile and flipped back and forth between Dinosaur and Silence of the Lambs. I couldn’t make up my mind between Disney and serial killers, so I watched both. Until I fell asleep, that is. If it weren’t for my neighbor’s shrieking Chihuahua, I’d probably still be happily napping.

Oh well.

I still have to run to the grocery store, for a new batch of pears, eggs, rice, and something I can’t remember. I’m cat sitting again this weekend, so I’m going to wait until I do the evening feeding, so I can combine trips.

It’s starting to get dark, actually, so I think it might be time to think about heading out.

Art, Journals, Paintings, Photography

Bosc Pear

Shelly

Bosc Pear
Bosc Pear (detail)

I started this one by covering the whole page with acrylic matte medium. Then I used brown and yellow ochre watersoluble crayons, blending them with a wet paper towel, then blotting with a piece of dry paper towel..

The photo is the back from a Polaroid I’d separated, then covered with the plastic half from another Polaroid that I’d wiped clean of everything but the brownish border. I like the way the ghostly pears peak out through the still slightly cloudy plastic.

Photography

Sinks! In! Bags!: The Musical!

Shelly

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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the ever popular Sinks! In! Bags!: The Musical! has been remade as a one-sink play. Alas, today is the one day I did not bring my camera, so pictures will have to wait until Monday (assuming the play in question does not close on opening night).

In the meantime, please join me in welcoming the ensemble cast of the original Sinks! In! Bags!: The Musical!