Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Still Here!

I haven't disappeared again! Just really haven't had much time to post. Although, I could have if I had anything great (or not) to show or tell. I do have a photo to put up tonight. It's simply a bookmark for a friend. BUT, when I say simple, it means I made simple, hard, and ended up with a finished piece that will, again, prove my favorite saying, "Do as I say, NOT as I do!"
Normal people should be able to do a handful of bookmarks in a day, right? Well, I'm never normal. I started this way back in the early Summer! I found some napkins before the 4th of July and because a friend was running a campaign for the WI. Senate, it gave me an idea for a small token gift as a memory of that time. As it happens, I started doing a collage bookmark but then got busy on the computer for the campaign and never finished the bookmark. Poor thing sat neglected in the art room, got buried a few times, found again a few times as I searched for one thing or another and last week I laid it right out in the work area so I would get it DONE!
I finally got to it and then lost time again over a stubborn idea of needing a DOVE and couldn't find one one I liked, didn't want to paint one, either. I finally decided this was silly, it could just be finished without the dove (peace dove). I got the bookmark done and then decided it needed lots of sparkly yarn with patriotic and meaningful trinkets attached. I found some perfect buttons in my button stash, wanted some beads and remembered I gave nearly all my beads away and what I kept had openings too small. Took forever but I finally got the buttons and charms on. I was so proud for finishing, finally! But, whoops! I already had the yarn dangly attached and sure couldn't get it off.....I forgot that I needed to give the bookmark a final spray of acrylic sealer to make sure the top medium didn't get tacky. So, I knew it would create some 'words' from DH for spraying in the house (it's way too cold here to go outside to spray anything) but I went in the art room, tried to hold the yarn out of the way and sprayed.
The glossy spray really made it pop and I was happy with this poor bookmark that took so long, even without a dove! Rather than walk to the washroom to use my blow dryer to help it dry, I decided to just carefully use the heater gun instead. I knew better, I really did, but I picked it up anyway and used it on both sides of the marker. Yup! You know what happened, it got too hot real fast, caused little bubbles to appear and even worse melted the glitter glaze I had so carefully placed on the "fireworks"! I let it dry, decided to maybe do another spray and using the hair blower, it would fix the damage.....maybe NOT!
It could be worse, I mean, it's a bookmark, it can still be used.....it's just NOT a masterpiece, not something that one would want shown in the hopes of orders or selling some. I know my friend will like it anyway and even be graceful enough to say, "I don't see anything wrong", even tho' it's blatant.
Such a tiny thing for a long post, hey? I did remember to scan it so I'll show it now. Haven't done anything else to show; although if I download the pics from my camera I might have some pics of a beginning project. No hurry, it may take me a year to do it anyway!  LOL!


                                                                   
The top pic. is where I wanted a dove but that's ok, the gal is looking at the fireworks. The fireworks that were all perfectly glittery but now have tiny bubbles traveling down right across the poor little girl's face. Or maybe it was starting to rain! Ya, that's it, it was starting to do a misty rain and that's what you see in the picture....right? So that's it. Hopefully, tomorrow it will finally be given to the sweet lady who should have had it a long time ago!