Fly, Flu, Flown

Today I drove out to the Air & Space Museum for my free flu shot. There's the regular Air & Space museum in downtown DC and then there's the facility located out by Dulles Airport ~ it's like a huge hangar filled with all manner of flying machine. It's, you know, planes hanging everywhere and what not. Turbines, engines, yadda yadda. Wright Brothers...zzzzzzzzzzzzz.



Then I found me some SATELLITES! Holy Mother of God! It's like every gay man's dream of what Mardi Gras should be. Shiney gold and copper, fins, wings, delicate netting spotted with lights! A whole display of gigantic Christmas ornaments...and then my camera konked out. sigh. I get in free. I'll be back. Battery fully loaded....

Let's Go Shopping!

My new motto is: go shopping, take home only photos. Today I took a long walk around downtown. I felt like looking at weird stuff so decided to go to Paul's. It's usually deserted and has a big back room that's far enough away from the girl at the front counter that she'd never notice me taking oodles of photos of stuff I'd never buy at that price.


Paul wanders the globe picking up all sorts of refuse then transports it back to Frederick. Here he stacks it artfully and slaps on a Pier One inspired price tag. One person's junk is another person's photo op.
Yay for Paul! Here is a sampling:





Of course, there are plenty more where these came from by visiting the tiny town link. Not to be missed are the rest of my laundromat photos including those of Lester proudly displaying the sparkly skull t-shirt he thought you'd appreciate ~ as well as a collection of antique spool photos that I especially like. Enjoy!

Time to Sit & Spin, 123!

Fall Color

The leaves are turning a mile a minute around here. Today it's sunny and breezy and I have yet to step out the door! I KNOW! I need to get my ass walking and taking some more pictures. There's a ton of art to be made, though. One of my buyers, Katie is coming here in a couple of weeks with a friend or two. They're going to visit my studio and then I'm going to show them around downtown during First Saturday festivities. My goal is to have art too gorgeous to pass up!


I took some photos of new work in progress this morning that I'll use to update the other blog. These colorful shots are from that batch of a.m. photos. I just finished several more crocus-shaped botanicals that I'll add to my etsy shop later today. They all have pieces of those comic books from India about the life of Buddha in them ~ so I guess they're a series.


On an unrelated topic, and because you committed Facebook suicide, I'll have to tell you here ~ I'm back in touch with Chris Rosendall. He's a friend from way back when who made me mix tapes including the famous Songs to Birth Babies By. He's sending another one ~ actually new cds with songs from "that era." I"ll send you copies...

Words

What my heart does when I think of you:


mum

Staying Warm

The checkout girl at Goodwill and I agree about the economy. If you're really, really wealthy and you've seen your huge investments plummet to slightly less than huge, it must be very frightening (we suppose.) But if you know how to make a quilt out of "big and tall man" sweaters, you'll never go cold in winter. I considered adding some decorative fringe but then thought about The Crow...

Crunching Numbers

This past weekend was incredibly productive. I figured out the whole etsy thing and nearly broke my brain in the process. Whenever I need a break from the computer, I sit down and cut out more botanicals. My goal is to have enough of them so that I can post a new one every single day. I know. That's insane. I'll end up with carpal tunnel or something. Whenever I need a break from that, I go out for a walk and take pictures. Numbers have caught my attention for some strange reason. Probably a subconscious response to financial collapse.


Anyhoo, they're all so stylish and unique. I just may collect all the numbers from 1 to 1000. Deana said it reminded her of Sesame Street. I'm collecting words, too, but that's for a future post. I just hope no one yells at me for standing in front of their house and aiming my camera at their door.


Last we spoke, I told you I was headed off to find a blow dryer. Found one for $1. I have yet to plug it in and fire it up. Scouted around for some interesting books but found nothing worth picking up. Just a whole lot of James Patterson. He sure cranks those puppies out. So glad to be out of the book business...

Blues and Voting

Imagine my surprise when I drove in to Frederick to find the streets either blocked off or packed. Knowing the back alleys like the back of my hand this did not present much of a problem ~ but I knew that I had no choice but to shower, get dressed, and grab my camera. By god, I had landed in the midst of a street party! Weeeee! So, I strolled the streets following the music and taking photos. One of my stops was down on the creek where the Phat Blues Band was playing. Before leaving the stage and the city, the band emphatically urged the crowd to vote. I'm pretty sure I would've done anything this guy asked me to do, if you know what I mean...click below to enlarge. Have. Mercy.
Make sure you visit my tiny town link to see the rest of these pictures that make "festival" seem like shopping at Wal-Mart. In my tiny opinion, that is.

Let There Be Light

Aside from an xacto blade, the light table is one critical component to the whole botanical making venture. No light table and things grind to a halt pretty damn quick. So, enter the weird plant stand yearning to be free...

I know! Cute, isn't it? And cheap, too ~ thank you Old Glory Antique Mall in Frederick "the tiny town" Maryland. Buried in the back of one booth I spied this crazy table. It was just screaming out for me to take it home and put it to good use. Well, hell yeah, I need a tiny light table so let's go!

There are a number of interesting steps between this and that to be sure but this is the end result. A fully functioning, sturdy light table that will launch my newest batch of botanicals starting tomorrow, Wednesday, America, Hello Kitty Let's Go Make Money. To see the in between steps, consult tiny apt link and prepare to be amazed.

Beautiful Day

I'm quickly wrapping up the tiny renovation and soon i'll post a complete collection of before and after pictures. But first, christmas lights! What's with me and christmas lights? The kitchen cabinetry, soon to be the "art supply storage area" will be the last paint project. Note the lovely faux tin ceiling detail.

It was a gorgeous day in Frederick so I took the camera for a stroll again. This time, I headed down the alley and followed that street all the way to the creek. In the tiny town link to the left there are pictures of my stroll as well as decorative elements that caught my eye. Enjoy!

An End to the Whining

Okay, so I'll quit complaining about the tiny renovation. It's not like anyone forced me to do this. Plus, it's darned therapeutic so I'll quit whining. Maybe it's time to sit down and appreciate the lovely rays of sun pouring through the windows.


Then again, maybe it's the fumes and it's time to step outside.


This is a view of the tiny apt from the tiny backyard. The oddly shaped structure with the two windows happens to be my kitchen. The front door to my tiny apt is directly under the balcony thingy. Up above resides the lovely Miss S. whom I have not met. Behind that tiny oval window lives Mr. B, the outdoorsy electrician who owns a grill. Mr. D lives in the lower front apt. He keeps the pigeon and squirrel population well fed.
To my right, live an genuine hippy couple. As I mentioned, their happy dog wears a t-shirt and I don't yet know the story behind that but I plan on finding out. They tend a lovely little garden that I get to gaze upon while enjoying my morning coffee. Here is a view of it from the alley looking toward the tiny apt.

The Thrill is Gone

Some people do this for a living and, quite frankly, they're not paid enough, if you ask me. I'm sure Jamie would love to hear me say that. Load his paint sprayer in the back of the van and head in this direction, would you? I swear I'd be done already if it were not for the little "side jobs" involved.

Case in point: the mini blinds. First of all, I've never held mini blinds in high esteem. Ever. They are a bad idea all around and whomever it was that invented them needs to be hung by his...huh?...what, I'm sure it was a man. Why? Whoever invented the mini blinds has NEVER dusted.

Much like our former tenant whom we'll refer to as "Kev." Ol' Kev, god bless him, must never had any lady friends, if you know what I mean. I'm not saying he was gay. By no means ~ I need only refer you to the original color scheme. No, our friend Kev was too busy putting in hours as a chimney sweep ~ or coal miner. Clearly he had no time whatsoever to spruce the pad. Had he given that a shot, this is what he would've encountered:


Surely it would've been cheaper for me to just drive to Lowe's, purchase a $6 mini blind, and slap it up in it's place. That would just mean the destruction of one more vinyl tree.

So, I let those babies soak for a while and went out to see what's what in the tiny town. Low and behold, while I was all hunched over the black cauldron of sooty soup, there was real commerce afoot.

Getting There

Land Lady still has no idea what's going on inside the tiny apt. Never having received a go-ahead on my color selection, I decided just to plow ahead. I don't suppose she'll have a problem given her relaxed approach to the former soot situation.
Painting always takes me longer than I think it will especially if the walls are bumpy. Faux stucco hides a multitude of flaws but it's harder than hell to paint. The trim sports over 100 years of paint too, so that's slowed me down as well. No big deal. The journey is the destination, right? Here's what I would do with a tiny room with a really high ceiling:



Paint part of the wall like it's the ceiling and it won't feel as much like you're playing house in a refrigerator box.


So this room will be done tomorrow and then I'll haul ass on the kitchen. Don't forget to click here to see the rest of the pictures from today.

A Day for a Drive

It was a gorgeous day for a drive ~ and since I haven't taken a long drive in a while ~ the weather and the destination provided a perfect opportunity. Jerry was doing the Long's Park Art Fair in Lancaster, PA so I went over to watch him do his thing.


The piece in the background is a theater. There's a mini television inside it with a movie playing. I swear, the stuff that guy thinks up...


Jerry was one of the few artists NOT talking on his cell phone while potential buyers milled about. What are these people thinking? Don't they know we're in a recession? Anyway, it's fun to watch Jerry with his customers. His enthusiasm for his work is an infectious and people love talking to him. They were also handing over the cash quite readily. He was having a good show. And by the way, Zak is starting his first semester at Harvard. Yes, university. Astrophysics. I know. Fibonacci that.

Long's Park is a 2-hour scenic drive from Frederick (I had stopped first at the tiny apt to open all the windows). It comes complete with a 3-acre spring fed lake and tree lined hiking trails ~ along which the artist's booths were situated. Apparently, they host the world's largest chicken bbq. I'm not sure if that refers to grill size or poultry carnage but I'm sure it keeps local chickens on their toes. Click here for more pictures of my day.

Closet Case

So, the ceiling is a pain in the ass. Or the shoulders, actually. It's nasty enough to need numerous coats and using a roller at the end of a pole is one of my favorite pastimes, as you know. So, I whittle away at it and pretend it doesn't bother me. Let us turn our attention to the Mini Art Library! The closet is coming along swimmingly. I'll bring all my books on Monday as well as other stuff I can cram in there until the main room is done. This is before ~


And this is during ~

Yes, it's kind of lavender, dammit. I happen to like lavender. Hey, it matches my phone. Okay, and you know how I told Land Lady I'd be using a drop cloth? Since when have I ever used a drop cloth? And masking tape is for sissies. So, again, I go at it free hand. The theme music I have chosen for the entire painting episode is the Woody Allen Film Music collection you downloaded for me. Thank God for children with good taste in music.
Tomorrow I'm going to Lancaster, PA to see my boy Jerry sell some diners. Then, in the early evening, I'll be heading to some pub is see the recently fired Ron play his mandolin. No renovations will occur so I'll post some travel pictures instead.

Staring at the Ceiling

It's my guess that there may have been a fire in this apartment at some point in the past. Either that, or the former tenant was a chimney sweep in his spare time. There's a thin layer of soot that's almost undetectable, that is, until you begin going at it with a wet cloth. Yow!



That came off the window. It's lovely to have big old windows. It's even lovelier to be able to see through them. Somewhere someone mentioned steam cleaning the carpet. I'm pretty sure that didn't happen. So, sitting down is not an option until I can get a chair in there. Or a big rug. Here is my little swatch collection for the tiny apt.



The kitchen will have one or two green walls and the bathroom will be lavender. The main room will be a combination of beiges or grays, I can't decide. All the trim will be off white. Anyhoo, I have to wait for Land Lady to give me the go-ahead on the color choices. Till then, I've turned my attention to the ceiling. The contrast is startling between what used to be white and what white actually is. Second coat goes on today.



The very next task is the renovation of the closet. This once was a stairway to the second floor. Where the shelves are there used to be a doorway to the basement. Soon this spot will start it's new life as my
Mini Art Library Hideout!

Before

Hey March! Though not technically "mine" until this weekend ~ I've been sneaking in with a tape measure and the camera! Here are selected "before" images ~ the rest to be dumped on Flickr so check those out, too.