It's good to be home!

Japan Part Two will come, but I'm still sorting through my feelings about being there during the earthquake event and the nuclear crisis that is ongoing......

So I thought I'd pop up a couple of nice to be home shots!

Xi was definitely pleased to be home!

The pumpkin patch did well, we've 24+ butternuts growing, so I'm hoping to get at least 15 ready and set before the vine's finished.

I did a new little succulent garden in an old crucible at the entrance to my studio, and got in a few vegie seedlings and some rhubarb into the patch.

And it was my birthday! I decided to try out a new cake, rather than my standard (and favourite) and I went straight to Nigella's Feast book, with the chocolate cake chapter.

This is the Chocolate Malt(easer) Cake, and I must say, even though I used different sized pans so the cake was not as high as the picture in the book, and was running around outside with a baby in a pram trying to rock him asleep while the cake was in the oven. It worked out pretty well. We decided that it'd be better as just one cake, with half the amount of icing, so maybe next time, or maybe I'll just try a different one! I did get lots of new cookbooks from DC!

Someone also got his first taste of cake, no icing, just a little morsel, and promptly went into a tantrum on the floor for more, so it couldn't have been all bad!

......Now I need to think of my Rosie New Year Resolutions... must make more frocks!

Instantaneous exhibition and auction

Previously.....

I did a zine, I sold it in my comic store, I got invited to be in a show, I did a particularly poignant piece of cross species post apocalyptic love (Dead Dinosaur Love Story) I got invited back again (even though I haven't quite finished my next zine.....)

End of recap!

This is the drawing I ended up doing:

G.I.A.R (Girl In A Robot)

I didn't have much time as I was juggling other things, and then when I had the time, I couldn't think of 'an original or parody comic book cover'. But finally inspiration struck! With Robot arms and a pocket furnace!!!

So it's not as detailed as I'd like it too be, but I feel I made up for it with silver ink - everywhere. I wish I'd had time to tint the background a blue gray, but the inks were at the other studio and I was at home....

I'm not actually that big a fan of drawing for drawing's sake, but I'd like to get over that big whole 'white fright' and all the angst that comes with it. And I do like doing pictures like this, and I have got two little comic zines in the works, so hopefully after the muesum they'll see the light of day!

The exhibition details are here at Pulp Fiction Comics. It's an exhibition and charity auction, so I'm really happy to be a part of it. We caught the exhibition last year, but missed the auction, because I was tired, pregnant and hungry, and now this year we have the results of that, but we might drag him along anyway!

Happy New Year!

I think I'll do this a bit backwards, but got to start the new year with new year things (then I'll get back to christmas).

I'm at my parents house at the moment, having a holiday, which is great, but away from all my projects (well, I brought a couple up, but they were more work ones and thus not as exciting as play ones (because I have to do some drawings and they are not my favourite things to do...)).

But I do have a new diary and it's getting full of lists!

I love them.

I also love New Years Resolutions. I find them so exciting, but have always had a bit of trouble with them, probably because they don't contain the usual, eat less, exercise more, but rather I just keep adding to them, until it would take ten years, full time to finish them. So this year I am proposing to put them up here, and see how I go, also not get too carried away with all the things I ever want to do in my life!

As this is a finishing/making blog, and not an emo one, I'll leave off on the personal resolutions and stick with things I want to make/start/finish this year.

MAKING

* Five Fabulous Frocks - does not necessarily have to be a dress (just like the alliteration) but has to be something that has taken time, experimentation and is more than just whipping something up because I have nothing to wear. I have not made anything that falls into this category for myself for the last couple of years, and it makes me sad.

* Origami - I really love unit origami and the kind of obsessiveness it takes to make a structure containing 60 parts, each made up of three separate bits of paper. Aim big and conquer!!! (but I also have trouble following and understanding the instructions at times, so I'll start small)

*Zines - finish the one that I've almost finished, I've just got to do the faffing around for the printing and assemblage, but since it's been so long, I probably need to go back and do a re-write. AND continue (and finish) the one I've just started, about the bit of a life change I've had called Xi.

DOING

*Tidy - finish going through the last couple of boxes in my studio and figure out what to do with all my stuff. Hopefully I'll use a bit of fabric in my fff challenge.

* Photos - go through our entire digital library and print out a selection.

* Frames - finish my framing that I started last year and put them up on the wall!

MISCELLANEOUS

* Start (again) The Divine Comedy and actually finish it.

* Paint my toenails, because it's fun.

et voila!

You always need something easy, fast and cheap to do to help you start your list crossing off!

But they can't all be like that, they need to be challenges above and beyond the normal things you do, and special (or so I think) and to quote LKH,

If it was easy I wouldn’t need to be resolved to accomplish it.