Mermaids & mermaids

Lately I've been dabbling with making watercolor mermaids, for some reason. They always end up with long torsos because why not! Mermaids! I'm kind of on the fence about whether they wear clothes or not (Do they? Why would they? Should they? Who knows? Questions!), and while I'm inclined to say they don't, one of them just wanted a traditional pink pearly top.







Trying to work on improving my inking has been a challenge, since I find it really easy to make mistakes that are difficult to fix. It was also a tough journey trying to find materials that gave me the result I wanted -- even finding something that would stand up to watercolor without changing or smearing took a long time. Not to mention that the scans always come out looking sort of lifeless in comparison to the original. But overall, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, and am looking forward to making heaps of non-mermaid things and silly fan art in the future :)

Hopefully someday this blog will be updated more than four times annually. The last entry was from the beginning of the semester -- a semester that left me pretty worn out. Every semester begins with a promise to myself that I won't stress over things too much, that lasts about three weeks and it's back to full on get-things-done stress mode. I only had three classes, but the preservation, conservation, and archives class really threw me for a loop; writing papers about chemical processes is really tough without a chemistry background, it turns out. Even my classes on reference sources and services were interesting... it turns out there's plenty to know about both!

Recently I started in a new position at a new library, this time up front working in circulation and helping with basic reference stuff. So it turns out that those classes are somewhat useful, too (although they don't help much when trying to teach basic computer skills to patrons on the other side of the digital divide). It's definitely been an interesting experience, and maybe someday I'll become one of those bitchy librarian bloggers who hate you the internet seems to have exploded with.

Probably not though.

Anyway, now that I have some free time again, here's a drawing of what I wore today!



Mostly everything is from Target. After a big allergy attack this morning (sad to say that breathing is, in fact, important to me), comfort was a necessity! Currently reading Joan Aiken's The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories, which is delightful so far.

What We Wore Today

The new semester starts next week, so it's been a whirl of tracking down the remaining (or surprisingly added at the last minute) necessary textbooks and reading through the first week's assignments. One I'm excited to read is Thomas Mann's Oxford Guide to Library Research -- very entertaining so far and really energizing me for my new classes!

Since my winter wardrobe has grown a bit lately thanks in part to some terrifically lucky vintage finds, I've been trying to get back on my What I Wore Today drawings kick. It's always fun to spend a few minutes browsing through the new additions to Gemma Correll's flickr community pool devoted to this kind of daily self-celebration, if you haven't taken a look I recommend you follow the link. So many artists with such diverse styles contribute their own "looks," it's very inspiring -- especially for fashion-loving yet photo-shy types like me!



This is the second dress I've purchased from Modcloth.com, the "Too Cozy to Be True" dress. Although I do love this darling seasonal number, it's actually a little less cozy than advertised and constructed from fairly thin material. Definitely worth it's not terribly pricey price, though, on cuteness alone (and I bought it when it went on sale!).



This dress was a vintage find, and a good excuse to relearn how to make patterns in Photoshop! The boots and snarky look can both be attributed to the (at the time) impending snow storm, which hit last night and ended up not having much of an impact on anything. Bring it on next time, snow!

Happy New Year, all! It's been a long time since my last entry here, but the new year seems like the best time to pick up neglected projects, spruce them up, and see where they can go.

The biggest accomplishment of the year, for me, was starting graduate school and beginning to work toward my MLIS. After much self-doubt about whether or not it was worth pursuing, it felt good to make a decision and start down a path, regardless of the (un)certainty of being able to find a better position after finishing.

In 2011, I hope to make more watercolors, continue needle felting, and as usual read read read! A better goal might be to write, write, write, record, record, record, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Let's hope that the new year holds happiness, creativity, and wonder for everyone!

Here, and curious to begin exploring the world again!

The museum I work for is gearing up for a big exhibit of Hollywood costumes and costumers, and looking through the books and collections has left me feeling (oh so slightly) more glamorous then usual!





Not exactly Myrna Loy, but at least it's a try :)

This dress is a "best ever" find from one of the thrift stores I frequent, a nice little vintage number in a style that suits my body type and of-late zest for purple. One of the great rules of shopping that took me a closet full of clothes and a long while to learn is this: no matter how amazing or adorable a garment is, if it doesn't fit right or suit you and you know you're not going to sell or alter it, you should just leave it on the rack and save your money. Also, it's alright to embrace and enjoy a high waisted dress on occasion -- they're not actually all that evil, it turns out.

Dance, hedghog, dance!

Hedgehog dance party fun times, or, Ira and I celebrating after cage cleaning day. He's not actually so happy after having a bath -- mostly he just looks damp and escape-y. Happy to get back to a clean wheel though!



And another What I Wore Today sketch of my typical gym clothes -- boring, but since I wear some variation of this kind of thing 4-5 times a week drawing it was inevitable! The capybara t-shirt came from an arts and crafts session with my friends a couple years ago where everyone made shirts using the stencils and bleach method. Definitely a fun day project to try if you've got some plain shirts handy!

Two friends...

Oh, hello!





Two pink friends on a cloudy, impending snow day. The left is the result of a night's needlefelting, and the right is a pink daruma I bought while visiting Miyajima a few years back.

Meet my newest needle felted friend and first attempted Cephalopod! This nervous little octopus decided he's going to go to school and become an art teacher, and who am I to stand in his way? Good luck, octo-friend!

Wheels and Plastic

Another belated illustrated outfit post! I've pretty much worn the texture off of those cords but they're so comfy and great for shopping or relaxing days. On 2/3 I went out and ended up buying a bigger cage and wheel for the hedgie. Ira wasn't thrilled at first, but since the first night he's become a wheel-running maniac! I'll go to bed to the sound of him running, and then wake up in the middle of the night and hear him still running like mad. Is there something inside little critters that helps them know how to use a wheel? Will he eventually become the buffest hedgehog ever known?

I've been thinking more about putting some items up in my neglected etsy shop, and experimenting with shrink plastic again with varying amounts of success. The results are so wildly different each time that it drives the perfectionist in me crazy trying to keep the shapes consistent. On the other hand, it's always fun to anticipate what's going to come out of the oven next ^^



Just a few cute ideas for now! Next up, a hamster for iamchubbybunny!

Another clothing doodle today! Since starting the project of making the occasional WIWT drawing I've developed a bit of a backlog of them. The pin makes this one appropriate for celebrating Hedgehog Day, I think!

So a happy hedgehog day everyone -- that naughty groundhog might have promised a longer winter, but Ira didn't even bother waking up until the sun went down anyway. Quite sensible, hedgehogs.

What I Wore Today 01222010

My first what I wore today drawing -- dressed for work at the museum! After finding the flickr community What I Wore Today (Drawings Only), I thought it would be fun to try to do a drawing to add to the pool. Most of the time my outfits aren't very distinctive, though! The shoes from Target are my favorite right now, I'm tempted to buy a couple pairs of them to save for when this pair wears out.

This week, in an attempt to drink at least a little less coffee than my usual 8-10 cups a day, I've been drinking a lot of Lupicia's 'Orange Kidd', an orange cream rooibos tea. Sweet-smelling, subtle, and perfect for relaxing -- it's even beautiful to look at, with sugar bits and purple accents. I guess tea doesn't need to be attractive to be delicious, but there's nothing that says it shouldn't be, and it makes the brewing preparation just a bit more special to me.



After finally getting up the resolve to order some new tea before the wintery/Christmas-flavored teas disappeared until next year, I'm swimming in both new and nostalgic flavors. My friend Michelle sent me a beautiful sampler of some Christmas teas, Cache-Cache, Carol, and the strange, heady Orzo Cioccolata, a wonderful, unexpected treat that spurred me on to finally place the order... Lupicia's tin design is so lovely that the box is now a permanent fixture on my desk :)

やる気がない。

Lately dear hedgehog Ira has been a big grump with me when it's time to play. He never wants to leave his hedgehog pocket, unless it's for a treat or a mealworm. Much like I haven't been very compelled to leave the house, unless it's for a delicious dinner or the promise of finding something that will provide a delicious dinner in the future!





This year I will be more creative. This year I'm going to be brave, have fun, make a mess, and read widely.

Things are already better then they were a month ago -- I've found a suitable second part time job that leaves me with little free time, but almost an actual salary's worth of hours. I'm still hopeful about finding a full time position somewhere this year, but in the meantime at least things are a little more stable and maybe I can allow myself to open up again and enjoy things more, without as much of the constant, aching stress of feeling under-employed and unnecessary.

Favorite Reads of 2009

2009 has been an invigorating reading year. It was also a great year for new releases -- that have gone on my to-read list because my reading list is more inspired by silly whims and current obsessions rather than timeliness. Most of these came from the library - I can't say enough good about the library system around here, it's really stellar. So, here's my list of enjoyables and inspirions of 2009, in no particular order:

+ The Plague and I - Betty Smith
+ Foundling - D.M. Cornish
+ Juliet, Naked - Nick Hornby
+ We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
+ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson
+ Drood - Dan Simmons
+ DC Showcase Presents Batlash - Aragones, O'Neil, and Cardy
+ A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
+ The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime: Con Artists, Burglars, Rogues, and Scoundrels from the Time of Sherlock Holmes - Michael Sims
+ Asterios Polyp - David Mazzucchelli

Drood, guys, Drood. That one was actually the end of last year, but it came out in February and I spent so much of this year thinking about how great it was and being dissatisfied with other historical fiction I read for not even coming close to matching it -- so on the list it goes. The Plague and I is still my favorite of the Betty Smith books, even though it turned out I never had TB. We Have Always Lived in the Castle was such a brilliant, deliciously creepy little gem, something it's crazy to think I never discovered before but am thankful to have read. My gaslight crime obsession continues, and Bill Bryson's charming, easy to listen to history got me through some soul-crushing hours at work. Asterios Polyp was a NOT AT ALL overrated example of what a graphic novel can be, and Nick Hornby's Juliet, Naked proved it wasn't just High Fidelity, Grown Up.

It was a huge year for comics and graphic novels for me - they probably made up about 50% of my reading, and I didn't really want to count issues or ongoing non-collected volume things on this list. So, two of the things I've enjoyed reading the most this year, Tiny Titans and the Batwoman arcs going on in Detective Comics, aren't up there, but deserve a special mention for being completely awesome.

bunny magician friend

Recently I've discovered a new hobby, needlefelting! If you don't know anything about it, it's basically just stabbing wool with a barbed needle until it binds together into the shape you want. Which is, (un)surprisingly, terribly satisfying, as far as hobbies go.

One of my felted friends, the bunny magician:





I am considering turning myself into a felting machine for the winter months.

the ladies of autumn

The end of fall is coming, but there're still some surprises to be found outside!



It's time to burrow in with some tea and a pile of books for company. Hopefully this lady has the same idea.

Infinite Summer: Dracula

Infinite Jest might have been just a little (alright, well, quite far) beyond me this past summer, but I'm looking forward to reading Dracula during October for Infinite Summer: Dracula! Despite being a horror buff I've never actually even tried to read the original classic. Now's the time to end that embarassment!





Anyone else plan on reading along?

Facebook blues

Hello blog!

Maximus missed being posted here, so here's his latest glamour-shot.




I've been posting on my twitter, when posting anything at all, just because it's easiest. And, in a funny way, while still being personal, it feels impersonal. Don't ask me how!

For a while, I've felt overwhelmed and depressed by the internet. Mostly by Facebook, to the point that I've been seriously considering disabling my account on it... but even that seems like a hassle. So I just don't add much to the internet dialogue, and continue my own little life.

Moomin Bakery & Cafe

There are so many places to want to visit in the world, and silly as it might be for me one of them is this little Moomin Bakery & Cafe in Tokyo, Japan. Pictures from my lovely friend Nikki:


Snufkin noren leading to interesting travels, no doubt.

A glance at the menu, featuring a honey toast and Moominmama's homemade pancakes! (Moomin likes them very much, it seems.)

Automats and vending machines

One of the essays that I enjoyed from "The Food of a Younger Land," the newest Mark Kurlansky-edited food adventure collecting some of the material from the Federal Writers’ Project of the 1930's, came early in the book and described in worshipful detail that New York City self-service institution of old, the Automat. I've read about Automats in other things, about people going into Automats, meeting at Automats, and so on, but none so persuasive and glorious as this gem. Maybe it appeals to my love of ridiculous efficiency?

Here's the first paragraph and some glamorous photos from the google search I immediately did after reading the essay :)



"A sight to the out-of-towner, and an honored institution among the city's millions, is the mechanical lunchroom known to fame as the Automat. This type of self-service eating place is the result of deep probing into the needs to the five-minute metropolitan center. Here, the man-in-a-hurry is worried by no middle-men; his relationship with his fodder, over which he may gloat, ruminate, or despair, is strictly private. He selects, pays, conveys, eats, and departs, leaving no tip, uttering no sound."



Paying for things with nickels is looking pretty good right about now since the vending machine at work is strange and only accepts certain combinations of coins for certain products, leaving me with a purseful of useless nickels and never the dimes necessary for what I want to buy. I'm such a sucker for vending machines and often get ACTUALLY nostalgic for the convenience and efficiency and variety of vending machines in Osaka.

The whole book is of varying interest to me as a reader -- it's not really something I can say I sat down and read cover to cover -- but it's an oddly inspiring collection of food this and that, worth looking at for the introduction alone. It's crazy to imagine that these essays were just sitting around somewhere unpublished and uncelebrated.

Lately...

-- making lots of silly round owls, inspired by my souvenirs from Matsue Vogel Park from my trip from Matsue, Japan.

-- excited about seeing Ponyo! at the cinema! The art is so strange and amazing.

-- learning new exercises to do with my new (free!) body ball

-- browsing through want-ads and feeling pretty blah

-- finding new blogs to read that are full of beautiful things and ideas (any suggestions?)

-- putting in holds at the library. Since discovering the whole "library holds" system, I've been enjoying the silly thrill of pushing the online button to place holds with reckless abandon.

-- and, just for the fun of it, Ira Ira Ira!

Voila! These were my first experiment from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, blueberry cupcakes with whipped cream topping! I'm pretty proud with how they turned out, it's not often that things I make actually come out looking like they're supposed to (it's like a curse). The book's gorgeous, well laid-out, and full of adorable ideas for everything from simple everyday cakes to spectacular party cakes with decorative doohickeys like I can only dream of. My favorites have little marzipan bees on them.

Who knows how the recipes are -- I'm hardly expert enough to say -- but these were awesome and I'm fired up to make more! ^_^/V It's one I'm thinking of investing in, but for now it's going to stay with me on extended loan from the library.

it's a great big world out there

My little Ira got his first taste of the outside world a couple of days ago, and it almost passed by without my usual gushing here! So, without further delay and laziness, the gushing:

After a few minutes of hesitant sniffing, pooping, and hiding by my shoes, he started speedily exploring his new frontier, traveling at speeds so fast he even startled the dog! (Maximus is pretty easily startled.) Sonic the Hedgehog was no fantasy -- these little guys can move!

Ira's usually very timid in new places, or even familiar places that don't have a good place to run and hide, so I was happy to see him in such an adventurous mood. Whenever he shows this kind of interest in a thing, or something happens that really seems to show his personality beyond the quills and bad temper, it's SOOO ridiculously rewarding that it leads to me singing a made-up song or taking a billion blurry photos thinking that they're all going to be amazing because how could they not be he's sooo cute!

Anyway :)

Bloggers for Moomin Awareness

This week sees the release of the fourth volume in Drawn & Quarterly's five book series of Tove Jannson's Moomin comic strips! I couldn't possibly describe the Moomin world with more loveliness than Christy over at A Shelf of One's Own, so please read her post and then go to your local bookstore or library and read something Moominy!

Promote Moomin Awareness! Celebrate, be easy-going, have an adventurous adventure, throw a party, spend time with friends, live with whimsy -- let's all do our part!

Here's a video of one of my Capybara-san toys -- the larger ones are still in storage, so for the time being it's just me, this little guy, and his pint-size brother. I wonder if these little guys are still popular in Japan these days?




The Kapibara-san/カピバラさん/Capybara-san flickr group has a lot of great pictures of these cute little toys!

Here are a few thrifting finds from the Care and Share today -- no good clothes, but a couple of neat miscellanies. The yellow and white fabric is for one of Johnny's projects, but I'm hoping I get to use some of it too to make something cute. The pin looked kind of interesting mysterious, I'm wondering if it is a logo pin for something? Probably just my imagination :)






I've had four people look at the yellow fabric but no one can figure out what the pattern on it actually is -- if anyone has any ideas, please let me know! Current suggestions include chickens, candies, and baby rattles.

More pet nonsense

This video pretty much sums up the relationship between my cat and my dog -- Otto (the cat) is usually pretty aloof but sometimes can be alarmingly affectionate, and then Max (the dog) likes to play/fight, but usually just ends up doing something strange or cute when Otto doesn't want to participate. But that's OK! He's a corgi, and according to my sources (chiefly, Youtube and Google image search) being strange and cute is what they do best.

Sneaky sneaky

The Ott is a pretty sneaky cat.

Here's a challenge for you -- see if you can spot him in this picture!

1...

2...

3...

Go!



Did you find him?

Since yesterday I was feeling kind of down about things, I tried making a list, goals for this any period of time. This is kind of an exercise in silliness for me because if I make it too specific I feel like I'll end up feeling bad about not accomplishing things, but making such a non-specific list almost feels like a waste of time. Because, well, don't we all?

But, broadly:

- Eventually get a better position at work. For now, continue to gain experience and hopefully find a compatible part time job while applying to interesting things as they come up.

- Write more. Blog more. Craft more. The usual suspects.

- Keep up with my reading. Read more fiction and not feel bad about it.

- Keep the house cleaner.

- Continue to use my eco-bag/ be more proactive about being quote unquote green.

- Take more pictures. One day buy back my flickr Pro account to get the pictures being held hostage there.

- Start up an etsy shop. It's almost there, I just need to decide on the logo design and print up cards.

- Study some language! Spanish, French, Japanese, it doesn't matter, but it feels good and productive to study languages.

- Pay off any outstanding debts, aside from student loans. Save money, but don't become a complete shut-in.

- Stop watching America's Next Top Model, once and for all :) Guilty pleasure or no, this debacle of a season totally lost me.

It's been raining here and so I decided to try to crochet a teru teru bozu last night! Though really I like the rain, so... maybe I should hang it upside down like it says to do in the wikipedia article. He came out pretty well for the first ami I've made without using a pattern.

I used to love seeing these little guys around when I was living in Japan! Lately everything has made me feel really nostalgic...





Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
Like the sky in a dream sometime
If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
If you make my wish come true
We'll drink lots of sweet rice wine

Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu
Do make tomorrow a sunny day
But if it's cloudy and you are crying
Then I shall snip your head off!