Of fairs and cardweaving...

Oh, /man/ ... Mom wasn't feeling up to a lot of traipsing around, so we didn't go all that early - in fact, we got there at or around 4:30. Whoo. Heh.
I hadn't been able to pull my warp before we left (That's a two-man job - or one, with the assistance of a table) and wound up testing the weight of the table against how hard I can pull to get the threads straight. Not very hard. Heh. Wound up bracing the damn thing with my foot most of the time, just to keep the table outta my lap! ^.~

Why'd I think no one would be interested in this? We had a lot of interested people, and if I'd been thinking with half my brain, I would have suggested to Mom that we write up some little flyers to put out. A couple of the people we talked to had actually done cardweaving before - and in fact the lady who was spinning just behind me for much of the evening had also done cardweaving at one point at was rather interested in the whole thing.

Actual weaving was interesting - despite some oopses with the pattern (KC very helpfully dumped the whole thing on the floor Sunday, before I'd gotten the cards bound together, and it looks like I swapped two putting them back together, which turned a nice greek key into a nice wave pattern.) Hm. Going to have to chart that and see if I can do it on /purpose/... it made an interesting contrast to the un-muddled greek key on the other side...
The adding cards went fairly well, although I had one or two issues. Mom has big loops in hers where the new warp-threads weren't tight enough... *sigh* I had the same thing happen. You have to pull them /tight/ - which creates it's own problems later.... Anyway. ^^
There was an older gentleman spinning behind us - I think he was there all evening - whom I found rather amusing. He spun nice .. thread? Fine yarn? I'm not sure what exactly, but it looked nice. I didn't get a chance to ask him about it. He was kind of amusing - he always had something to say to the people passing, and even dared another gentleman to pull my braid to see if it was all mine. *chuckles*
Pulled it myself, to demonstrate. Heh. They all thought that was funny and I wound up telling him and the lady with him some about what I was doing. Very funny. ^^

Are long skirts going out of style or something? I didn't feel like wearing jeans - I /knew/ I was going to be sitting down a lot and most of my jeans (what's clean, anyway) dig into my gut when I've been sitting for a while. So I got annoyed and fished one of my skirts out of the closet and wore that (Mom said I should have taken some more care with my choice of colours - brown shirt with burgundy-red skirt does not meet her approval. *Sigh* Thanks, Mom. Now I am wondering if that girl who complemented me on it was being sarcastic...). but y'know what? I only saw one other person around my age in the whole damn crowd nutty enough to wear a skirt - and she was wearing a short skirt. So, what the heck? (Okay, I grant you, jeans or slacks are a hell of a lot more practical, but I wasn't planning on hitting the rides.. ^.~)

Oh... they had a giant slingshot. No, you did not go flying into orbit, but you'd come damn close before you came back down.... O.o

We had a good time, though - it was fun and I'd sort of like to do it again next year. (And next year, I will be a little more on the ball, and we may legitimately get in free. Of course, no one bothered to ask us for a ticket, so ... Heh.)

Yes, yes - I /did/ get some pictures. Not necessarily of everything around us (Lutra, you can kill me, if you like - I did /not/ get pictures of all the nifty quilts I saw - but I can describe a few, if you like...) but of Mom and I cardweaving, with maybe some background, I did get. (Some background may include the massive walking wheel one of the ladies had - I'm not sure. If it /is/, it won't be in terribly good focus, I don't think.

... I hurt. My back did /not/ like working off that table.. or maybe it was the chair.. and complained all the way home. I did the driving, and did /not/ get us lost. In either direction - which is probably a miracle in and of itself, considering that Mom didn't know where she was going and I don't usually direct well when I don't know all the street-names and what they call the bridges.

Oh, and no - neither of us finished our bands. I might have, except that I got sidetracked by all the booths when I went looking for something to eat. I saw some beautiful glass dragons... *sigh* for $50 ... and wound up getting a corn-dog from a boothie with an unlikely furry black hat (like a wide-brimmed bolero with /fur/. I damn near went looking for one myself, just for the *snerk* factor - and I think I know where I /could/ have got one - but the only one I saw was PINK. Or maybe bright magenta. Bright, anyway ^^). My stomach is not real pleased, although I admit I like the damn things better fresh and hot enough to feel going down...

Gods, I'm longwinded tonight - but I keep thinking of things to write down.... ^^;

Of memes and odd random thoughts

Yay! My Student ID is in! (Finally. HRf.) And a thingie about the work-study awards - there's a couple of orientations I'll have to attend... (I'm not oriented enough already?! Geez..) anyway. Should be interesting to see what they offer in options. ^^

Got a start made on the end table and because some of the repairs made to it are obvious - how many kinds of wood did they /use/ in those doors, anyway?! - I've elected to paint it. Gonna paint it /black/ - with a white interior. That should be entertaining and it will be nice with the slate top. Ladd tells me he's nearly finished with the shelf he's finagling for the inside - I'll paint it before it goes in, methinks - or maybe just sand the crap out of it and finish it with light Old English - might be a nice contrast to the interior....

Still tracking down odds and bits. And trying to work out how to pack some of my dragon-statues so they won't get broken. (Again, in one case.) I also have to come up with some kind of nifty display for my tiara (No, no from prom - from being crowned Honour Star back in Missionettes) /and/ think up some way to wrap it. Bubble-wrap, maybe? Hrrrrr...

Netted this in Lutra's Pond - thought it looked interesting. ^^
Thorne from A - Z.

A - Accent: I have an accent? Um. Not sure I have an accent...
B - Breast size: Inconvenient.
C - Chore you hate: Most of them, when people bitch at me.
D - Dad's name: Laddie. No, he isn't Scottish. ;p
E - Essential make-up: For formal occasions? Eye-shadow. Purple or grey. Otherwise, I go without.
F - Favourite perfume/ cologne: Dragon's Blood oil.
G - Gold or Silver: Yes. (Silver in my ears, both around my neck - gold on my hand)
I - Insomnia: Rarely.
J - Job title: Artist. Although according to my ID, these days I am a 'student'.
K - Kids: Two cats. I'd count my husband, but he takes care of his own shit. ^^
L - Living arrangements: Crowded. Moving soon, though. ^^
M - Mum's birthplace: Uhhh.. Montreal, Canada (I think)
O - Overnight hospital stays: Hit by a car once (concussion, busted collar bone), asthma attack (Several days. Hospital food is /nasty/.)
P - Phobia: Haven't tripped any yet - unless my dislike of heights counts. (I can face that, so it probably doesn't.)
Q - Favorite Quote: "'It seemed like a good idea at the time' are the nine most dangerous words in the English or any other language when strung together."
R - Religious affiliation: I'm not affliated with any religions. I guess you could say I'm Agnostic with pagan leanings, though.
S - Siblings: Technically, none - got a bunch of brothers-in-law and some step-siblings, though...
T - Time you wake up: Before Noon?
U - Unnatural hair colours you've worn: Once in a while, I'm tempted to dye my hair purple ....
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Peas. And Lima beans. Blegh.
W - Worst habit: Hmm... grumping to myself out loud about chores I hate.
X - X-rays you've had: Collar bone, I think - after I got pitched twelve feet by a minivan...
Y - Yummy foods you make: Gods, you want a /list/!? Biscuits, Potato Salad, Spaghetti sauce and I am told I make an excellent pumpkin cake. There - you've got a whole menu!
Z - Zodiac sign: Cancer! Heh.

Of a great deal of miscellany...

Since we're pretty sure we're going to take this place, we've been prepping to pack up - which means consolidating a whole /lot/ of scattered stuff. CDs, tapes, VHS and DVDs, are what's /mostly/ scattered - admittedly, not so much the latter-most.

In addition, I'm ripping tracks from CDs that aren't mine so I won't have to do without music I like! (Since I won't have the cash to buy 'em for a while, I might as /well/, ne?) Even so, methinks I'm going to need another CD rack... O.o

Gods, how the heck does one accumulate so much /stuff/!? No, don't answer that. I am /still/ getting rid of things... O.O

Ah - I /finally/ got a picture of Omen good enough to post. (I didn't take it, though... maybe that's why. ^.~)

He's sitting in the shower - probably just getting done with a game of shower-hockey. ^^

Of hills, bicycles and entirely too much fabric...

That, of course, assumes it is /possible/ to have too much fabric - going from the collection Mom has amassed in the sewing room, it probably isn't possible. ^^
Hit various places today - Walmart for twist-tacks and floor-cushions (The choices in the latter were brown, pink - or you could have had brown. I chose brown.) - and I was going to get a pot of black lacquer for the end-table (Examination proved that while the broken panels on the cupboard doors were fixable, they would /show/ - and the table is partially made of chip-board. *Sigh*) and I forgot. Oh well - Ladd has some black enamel he says I can use. ^^

Jo-ann Fabrics was running a sale and I picked up some lovely wine mole-skin type fabric (Ten bucks for five yards and change - YES!) and some thread - tomorrow or the next day I'll hit the storage and bring home a chair.

Mom recently acquired herself a bicycle, with the idea that she's going to work the hellhounds on it. However, before she can arrange that, she has to again get used to riding it - so the past couple of days we've been riding up and down the street in the evening.
Neither of us can do much ... I'd be embarassed to admit it, but it really doesn't surprise me any, given that /I/ haven't been on a bicycle in, what.. eight years? Long effin' time, I know /that/. (The reason had more to do with the seat that bike came equipped with than me not wanting to ride it ... when we refitted it, I bought it a new saddle, and it's a /big/ improvement!)

This is a very hilly town. Our house is situated at the bottom of a dip in the back - so no matter what you do, you have to go uphill to get out. So it's good exercise - lord knows, I could use it.....

Some /good/ news..

We got our table. ^^

Wood, four legs - one a mite wobbly, but I figure a little serious woodglue will fix /that/ - and very round. Shouldn't be too hard to find tablecloths to fit it! *amused*
(Vinyl tablecloths are very big in this house. Real fabric is for special occasions... not that you can ever see the table for very long.....)

Of course, we're still looking for the /rest/ - I posted a Wanted note (sans table) to the Washington County Freecycle list - we'll see how that flies. ^^

I think I'm fond of this table already. Still debating the fabric to get for the chairs ... I want something that won't show dirt, will feel nice on the hands as well as look nice and is washable.

Need to go and get one and confir with Mom about yardage and the like...

Well, the word is in...

Got a note from the Art Annual people today (They sent 'em Friday, I was actually expecting it to turn up Monday.. heh.) and ... my entry was not even chosen to be exhibited. *sigh*
Well, they chose 90 entries out of a hundred and some odd - so I can't really say I'm surprised. Just ... well. Disappointed.

I'm still thinking to hit the reception, though - be nice to see who /did/ win, and who's being exhibited and congratulate the ones who made it. And, yanno - there is always next year.

Next year I can have two ready - and hell, by then I'll have improved. *grins*

Still bouncy about the apartment though. It's hard to be disappointed about the Art Annual for long when there's /that/ to think about. ^^

Of FreeCycle and our own apartment.

This might take a while - I've never posted a 'want' on FreeCycle before... Methinks I'll also look into garage sales, just in case.

Eeeee!!! *boingboingboingboing* It's official! In mid-September, we've got an apartment! Wai! *bouncebounce*
Sight-unseen, unfortunately, but we can look at it the 15th and, if we like it, move in the next three or so days after. Eee!
The place does have some amenities (half-assed gym, sauna, pool, balcony/terrace, little garden-plot) - it's a bit eccentric, as well. We figure we'll fit right in. ^.~

I had, however, forgotten that a one bedroom apartment could be so /tiny/ - going from some of the other places, I was more right than I knew about the whole dang apartment fitting into the living room of this house... O.o
Oh well. I /did/ expect that. The advantage there is, we won't be acquiring /nearly/ so much furniture and gadgets as I'd feared, simply because we won't have the space. ^^
Small favours, ne? ^^

Of contest entries and nerves..

It's in.
Due to circumstances beyond my control - (ie some unid'd person carelessly forgot to relid a fish-bowl with a bubbler and one of the two drawings I wanted to enter was - you guessed it, replaced over it and suffered water-damage) - only one image went in.
Maybe next year I can do two - but we'll have to see how it goes. /That/ will almost certainly require renting a vehicle by then...

The State Fairgrounds are /huge/ though - you could easily squeeze the Yamhill County Fair into a small corner of the State Fairgrounds. You might even be able to do that with the Washington County Fair - although I haven't been to that in a long time.

With my entry, I got an invitation to the Artist's Reception the ... 25th? I think ... which I'm seriously considering attending.

Nerves, though - I /know/ I said I've got no expectations, but they let us have a look at the competition before we left. I was impressed. Some of the stuff entered was excellent - and I'm not just talking about /my/ entry! ^^
So, yeh. Nerves. Big time. ^^

I'll probably know /before/ the thing lets out though - they say there'll be a notice sent to all the artists who entered - this coming Friday? Would make sense.

Ai, crap - gotta call the vet Monday, and get Omen an appointment for his next series of shots. He'll be thrilled, I'm sure. ^^

Happy Anniversary!

One year!
Yay us! *grins*

And here, I damn near forgot - seems like we've been together forever.... ^^

Heeheehee.


And, it's official! We're going to the Fair!
*chuckles* No free admission, but we've got a parking pass and I'm going to take them at their word it'd be okay for us to show up early and see if we can't take advantage of the 'bring cans of food and get a chunk off your admission' deal happening that day. Benefits all 'round - just the way I like it. Heh.

Now all we gotta do is figure out some way to get there next weekend - since Mom and Ladd are taking the hounds coursing again - and naturally, that's the weekend I need to get those drawings in.... (I swear, this is just typical...)

Also officially enrolled and stuff - I signed up for classes for the Fall term. I think I signed up for 13 credits. *is amused* Should be fun - most of it is art and writing - my kinda deal! ^.~
The studio classes particularly ought to be fun - I am finding that I'm /really/ looking forward to it.....

What day is it ..?!

For some weird reason, I thought it was Thursday. But it's not ... it's Wenesday. I think. O.o
My brains is all screwed up and my timesense went with it.

Got 'Firedance' a frame today. The framer was closed (huh? It wasn't yet five when we got there..?!) so I went to the Wall (Walmart, for the uninitiated. *sigh*) and got a frame for it. Did /not/ want to do it that way, but damnit, I don't have a lot of time left to deal with this shit.....

Also picked up a new folder for drawings (PotC! Sparrow and Turner! Eee! *whacks fangirl in the nose*) and some dinner and stuff. Still doesn't feel like wenesday.

So, the 13th or the 14th, I go get them entered. Hope I have the entry fee and Andi's got the route sorted.... Also, I want to go /later/ - after the fair is really rolling, so.. got to scrape up parking or something. Maybe I'll talk to the Mac spinning group and find out if they want a cardweaver to help... ain't like I got a shortage of projects. ^^

I was going to blather about something else, but I can't remember what it was, so I think I'll put a sock in it now. ^.~