rest and reflect

I'm sad it's over. The whole experience was a blast. Even the parts that were frustrating. It was great fun to learn right along with my co-workers...in fact that was the best bit by far. My favorite exercise was the blog and all that has gone along with it. The most positive thing I gained from this exercise was the confidence to figure things out on my own. It didn't start out that way of course, and I owe Joe a big THANK YOU for all the trips he made to the mailroom during those early lessons. I would classify this experience as a 'do-over' for sure. My only suggestion would be to include better instructions for the fiddly stuff.

cobb galore

Cobb on! This past Saturday my husband and I spent an enjoyable morning up to our ankles in cobb. We had the awesome opportunity to participate in a 'cobbing bee' at the home of Brina and Darin Burke. To make cobb you squidge around barefoot in a mixture of sand, clay, straw, and water. When you get just the right consistency you plop it onto the in-progress structure. 

I'm always looking to learn something new so I was thrilled to attend this session. I can't say that I would build something out of cobb in my own yard (it's very cool, but a load of work) but I enjoyed learning about the process. 

The most amazing thing to me about the 'bee' was the cast of participants. As we worked on our batch of cobb, helpers arrived in a steady trickle. It was clear right away that most of the volunteers had never met Brina or Darin in person. They seemed to be part of a greater community of cobb-lovers who connect one way or another on the Internet and invite each other over for a glorious day of cobbing. It was instant camaraderie over a shared passion. Who knew that such things were going on in secluded backyards all around the greater Puget Sound? Getting to spend time with cobbers could change my mind about cobbing in my own backyard. Thanks Brina and Darin for a fabulous morning!

gaming

Gaming has been in my life one way or another for the past 20 years. I can't say that it's been all that positive, though I do have fond memories of time spent playing James Bond on Nintendo with my son. More recently gaming has caused real anxiety in my life...from listening to my son wander the house at 3 o'clock in the morning too hyped from too many hours spent gaming to be able to sleep; to consoling friends whose son quit college in part due to his addiction to World of Warcaft; he just couldn't fit attending classes around his game play. Then there's that false sense of self-esteem that comes from doing well in a fantasy environment. How does that help you in the real world?
At the same time, I know that my 74-year-old mother enjoys several online games nearly every day which seems like a good thing.
It's such a mixed bag, I'd like to think that it's all fun and games with no downside, but that's just not the case. If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure I would let gaming slide so easily into my life. It's a difficult dragon to get back into the box.

maps galore

Google maps are just like lots of other things available on the net...really wonderful and sort of scary. The infringement on privacy and the potential for voyeuristic escapades boggle the mind...having said that I still find the whole thing pretty amazing. It brings our beautiful planet into awe inspiring focus.

this and that

OK, so I have quite a bit of catching up to do. First let me say that I will address that whole 'belief issue' in due course. As to being gone and not keeping up on my blog...late Saturday night I gave my avatar an office chair to spin around in, so that's something. I don't know if the chair passes the rigorous ergonomic standards set out by our beloved institution, but it swivels nicely and that's the main thing you want from an office chair anyway. I want my office chair to be as much like a ride at Disneyland as possible.
I don't have much to report on the cardboard front. My creative time recently has involved a wood burning tool, a bag of cement, some ribbon, and an old table. The bag of cement was hands-down the most satisfying. I used it to add a step to the bottom of the rock steps in my backyard. Pinch me! There is nothing quite like a bag of cement to really get the creative juices flowing. If I remember I'll post a picture. I cut the table in half and mounted one side to the wall of my art room...very shabby French-country. I used the wood burning tool to make holes in a plastic Adirondack chair that needed repairing...it's too complicated to explain here.
Believing...why is it that most conversations about belief begin with the whole higher-power thing? That vein makes most people uncomfortable.
What about believing in the inherent goodness of man? (Joe doesn't). Or what about believing in Bigfoot? (Ditto). Those who know me best know that I love believing in Bigfoot. I figure, why not? I want to believe that there are things on this planet that remain a mystery. If we already know all there is to know then it could get pretty boring from here on out. Joe says he doesn't believe in anything; but his belief in superheros (and their endless list of totally believable skills and abilities) is hard to ignore.

my avatar

First of all, everyone who sees me on a daily basis will recognize that the only thing about my avatar that even remotely resembles me is the gray hair and dark eyes. Having said that, I did find creating my avatar to be interesting and maybe a bit disturbing. The choice of attire was a trip through fantasy land...though I'm not sure whose fantasy I was tripping though! I know it's about creating a fun looks-like-me (sort of) alter ego, but most of the choices made me feel like I was creating an ava-tart. And let's face it, at my age the whole tart wannabe thing is a distant, albeit pleasant memory.

cardboardqueen

Tools Galore

I can think of many ways to use Google Doc. What a great tool to share the load when working on a project with other people. This would be a useful tool in my personal life to access the balance sheet that my husband and I keep on our joint checking account. And Zoho has lots of potential. The best thing about both of these (from my perspective) is that they are very user-friendly.

pedal to the metal

I enjoyed cruising around with the different search engines and found some interesting sites.
I'm interested in Rollyo, but as usual my attention span for figuring out how to use it was pretty short.

pods for everyone

I have used iTunes pretty extensively in the past; but that's my only brush with podcasts to date. I think the opportunity to capture first person-accounts of past events is an exciting use of podcasts...especially local history.

last week

This lesson was more about seeing what you could do rather than learning how to do it. I made a monopoly card; but I didn't feel I had the luxury of time to figure out how to put my head on a different body. Too bad, because that has been a life-long dream of mine.

Overdrive

I had no problem loading my media player. Which was a nice surprise since I tend to be a bit challenged in that area. I admit that I had a dependence on Joe for tech support at the beginning of this process, but in the past few weeks I have tried to go cold turkey and figure things out for myself. (It's not as big a victory as you might think since I have downloaded a media player once before).
I found a favorite author and was downloading a novel within 5 minutes of downloading my player.
It surprised me that I could burn some selections to disk.

delicious tags

Tagging is a useful shortcut. The best part is being able to access your favorites from any computer.

wiki wacky woo

I enjoyed learning about wikis and see that they could be a great tool, especially in an environment where you have many people working on a project together. I don't know how I would use them in my work environment, but you never know.

airstream

Check out my awesome Airstream that a friend made for me. It's not just an Airstream; it's also breakfast, lunch, and dinner! (Dark blob behind the Airstream is Jones, my some-what snotty cat).

at long last

Here it is. I realize only now that I should have included something in the photo for size comparison. It's about 12" in length. I did take some creative license with the upholstery.

(That's a tiny bit of my 600-square foot paver patio that shows in a couple of the photos. No cardboard involved in that...but what a project).

finished

The car is finished. I'm not satisfied with the end result, but who can I blame except myself?
My son Jonathan came to visit yesterday and we had the following conversation about the car:
CQ: I'm done with the car. I'm not happy with it.
J: Let's see it...you're not happy with it because it isn't really finished. You need to add some details.
(He gives me some advice on which details and how I might accomplish them).
CQ: I will never do those things. I'm disappointed that I
didn't do a better job to begin with and I've lost interest. Thanks for your input and candid observations.
J: We don't need to bulls..t around with pleasantries
and self-congratulatory yap; we're both artists and we just
need to get stuff done.
CQ: I miss having you around JT.
J: If you aren't going to finish the car, can I have it to work on?

I'll publish a photo of the car in a day or so.
This whole Flintstone car fiasco signals to me that there are things on the 'before I die' list that need to be gently nudged off the roster.
I still want an Airstream trailer though.
What's next? Maybe cubicle doors fashioned from...what else?
Additional...just so you know, I don't really consider making a Flintstone car to be 'art'. JT and I both dabble in a variety of mediums.

youtube, etc.

I'm not sure how I would use YouTube, Hulu, or Fancast in my work environment, but I enjoyed checking them out. Hulu was a fun look back at the television programs I watched as a child. At first I couldn't get too excited about YouTube, but then I started searching for topics that I'm interested in and found lots of art and craft videos and some for interesting stuff to do with cardboard. I continue to be amazed at the range of information available and how generous people are in sharing their skills and abilities via videos. I must admit that I enjoy YouTube the most with my son. He finds the best bits and enthusiastically shares them with me.
I had no end of trouble trying to embed a video into this blog. As you can see, I was unsuccessful.

what went wrong?

Just so you know, I didn't intend for the text to turn out so wonky on my last post. I tried to edit, but couldn't make it happen. Send tips on how to edit!

vinyl lives on

This is a photo of my most recent non-Flintstone crafting. It's a popcorn
bowl made from a record album. I found the directions in a book titled
Pod Parties that was a gag gift from thisandthat. The book was full of interesting party tidbits and projects. Before anyone panics, I had two copies of this album so I'm not out any music. In fact, if I was to keep it, I could put my feet up and listen to Elton John on one record, while I enjoyed popcorn served in it's twin.
As it happens, I made this particular bowl to give as a hostess gift. I usually give wine as a hostess gift, but this host has confessed that he doesn't know the difference between a decent glass of wine and a tumbler full of grape juice mixed with vodka. Cheers.

bogged blog

I feel like my blog has been bogged down under the weight of the much-anticipated Flintstone car. And I'm the one with most of the anticipation. I had to change the size because I couldn't make it work with the cardboard tube of choice. Once I accepted the need for a size change, I was back on track. I've been up at 5 every morning this week cutting and gluing. So far, the supply list includes: a different (and somehow more fabulous) cardboard tube, corrugated cardboard, dowel, fabric, white paint, PVC pipe, mod podge, washers cut from a plastic milk carton, and half a container of partially hardened spackle (argh!). The wheels are complete so I feel like I'm over the most fiddly phase of the project. Now I need to decide if I want right or left-hand drive since the car is depicted both ways. So that's what has been happening with the car.
If this project hadn't been on my 'things to do before I die' list since the late 60's, I would have abandoned it. But it would eventually creep back onto the list; and let's be realistic, I'm more than halfway to the end so I need to get cracking on some of the items a bit further up on the list.

MySpace

After goofing around at home last night and fiddling with it some more this morning and asking Joe (yet again; what would I do without him?) and Brenda for help I was able to get my MySpace page up and going. At least I think it's going. To be honest, I'm fairly ambivalent about MySpace and it's sister sites. It seems both silly and sort of dangerous.

Flintstones mobile

Flintstones mobile
Originally uploaded by tygerlyl

The whole Flickr process was pretty painless. One or two things that I tried to make work were a bust, but that has more to do with me than it does with Flickr, I'm sure. I look forward to using it again in the near future.
Check out this adorable Flintstone ride. This encourages me to amp up my creative ideas for my car.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

distracted me

I have been distracted of late reading and commenting on my favorite blogs and fussing with my play list on Finetune. I can see how noodling around on the computer can become a several hour a day thing...go figure. And I admit that I have been stumped in the design phase of my Flintstone car...this must be the reason why I didn't make one of these darn cars when I was a kid, what a fiddle. I'm still on the project, it's just slower going than I anticipated.

streaming revisited

OK, I stand corrected; streaming music is pretty nifty. Jazzergigi helped me embed my Finetune player into my blog so anyone who visits can check out what I'm listening to.

Fred's ride

I'm hard at work collecting supplies for my Flintstone car. Captain ILL has generously provided several awesome photos of Fred's car from a recent Daily ILL pick. Today when I got home from work, I dug Fred out of storage (I might put him in the fridge to freak Bill out when he gets home later). This weekend I will take him shopping with me...for inspiration and because I think it will be a laugh. Look for the first project-in-progress photos on Monday. 

streaming music

I signed up with FineTune and spent some time creating my own unique play list. I'm not sure I would ever use this format, and to be honest I haven't actually listened to my choices yet, but it was a fun memory jogger to come up with a list of 45 songs. One nifty feature was the list of related artists that popped up with each of my choices; which really cut down on time spent. Maybe I'm too old and impatient to invest the time necessary to search around for favorite songs. I'm just as happy clicking on my ipod or listening to my CD of Aja for the 500th time.

freeze frames

These are images of an existing box (that started life protecting a book) that I made into a wine glass carrier. It holds four glasses and a corkscrew and it tucks nicely between all those cases of wine we usually end up buying on jaunts to Walla Walla or Zillah. I attached purse handles, padded the inside with quilt batting and fabric, piped the edge and...viola! for a few bucks and minimal time investment I have a spiffy little picnic tote.

These are not my most exciting or creative cardboard projects...but I did promise photos. That's the thing about cardboard, when what you create has out- lived it's usefulness, the recycle bin is only a toss away.

freeze frames

Finally...here are some of my adventures with cardboard and boxes.
The top image is a custom box that I designed for my son for a high school biology project...(yes, I am the kind of mother who meddles and helps too much).
The second image is a cardboard book truck that I designed for my Nancy Pearl action figure. I canabalized a toy dump truck for the wheels.
The third image is a box that I created to store stuff when I was working in an area that had zero personal space. It's a Costco-sized Quaker Oatmeal box that I turned inside out, attached wooden legs to, and painted black. A button sewn to the top and a ribbon with a useless key keep it closed. (I turned it inside out because paint didn't adhere well to the slick outside). I've had this box kicking around for at least five years.

RSS and more

I had a disappointing time with RSS. On a more pleasant note, I have had a couple of positive comments about my Flintstone car project so I will get busy and gather some supplies. Stay tuned for in-progress photos...probably at the beginning of next week. 

time to create

I know I promised photos, and I will eventually include some. The trouble is that most of what has survived doesn't thrill me that much. But a promise is a promise. What I am thinking about today is finally doing a project from my 'before I die' list. This one goes way, way back. It's a Fred Flintstone car. That's right Fred Flintstone and, of course, Wilma. Hmmm, I don't remember if Wilma ever drove the car. No matter, I have always wanted to make one. And, as luck would have it, I have a Fred doll just the right size for this endeavour. The fact that I have a Fred doll probably doesn't surprise anyone who knows me well, or only slightly. 

I will need a cardboard tube for the wheels. I think I may have one. If anyone sends me positive comments regarding this project, I will consider posting photos of my progress on the project. 

instant chat

I did my instant chat today. Honestly, it doesn't do that much for me. I remember now that I tried it years ago and had the same trouble then that I had today...I text out of turn and the conversation gets wonky.

Blog Blather

Good job thisandthat45...I had no idea that Wodehouse had written any plays. And good for you that you were able to suspend your bordering-on-obsession love of Hugh Laurie to even think of him as the hapless Bertie Wooster. 

I am still working on the photo thing to showcase past projects and I have been out with some nasty flu-ish bug; but I have been working on a vision board, er box, project (I know, how woo-woo can you get, right?) ANYWAY, it involves a box that I brought home from a book-making class (actual books, not 'making book' as in taking bets on events like boxing or horse racing...though I won't totally rule out that avenue if the vision box thing doesn't pan out). Back to the box...I purchased a quart of magnetic paint (to paint a wall in my house) and used some to paint the inside of my box. This stuff is FABULOUS. After just 3 coats the magnetic tape that you can get cheap, cheap, cheap at the craft store sticks like a dream! End result is black in color, but you can paint any color over it since it acts as a primer. I am giddy just thinking about the possible applications! (In addition to being the reigning cardboard queen I am also the magnet queen). No image is safe from my scissors. I am currently cutting up art books, but that's probably another blog altogether. 

unexpected connection

Today I had an unexpected connection with Captain ILL over that wonderful 'useless son' Bertie Wooster and his fabulous valet Jeeves. I have long been a fan of P.G. Wodehouse and his cast of wack-a-doodle characters. Over the past 30 years I have waxed poetic to many a friend on how absolutely delightful these stories are. Mostly I was ignored, barely tolerated, and in a few cases out and out despised. I was successful in converting my one and only child, Jonathan. What does this have to do with cardboard? Nothing that I can think of except that I once made a larger-than-life cardboard cutout of a Frenchish waiter...who could pass for a Jeeves look-a-like if you stand way back and squint. If YOU can think of a connection between Jeeves and Wooster and cardboard please reply soon (and often).

blogging thoughts

So far, I am enjoying the blog process. I have a great resource in Captain ILL for help with my technical questions. I want to post some photos and maybe some music.

Photo requests

I have had a request to share photos of my cardboard creations. I have kept a few things that I have constructed over the years. but most of my creations go the way of the recycle bin once their usefulness has come to an end. Over the years I have created several puppet theaters, doll houses, all manner of containers to hold interesting bits of stuff, Halloween costumes, at least 2 models of the Great Pyramid, and countless other less-interesting items. Stay tuned for more info on cardboard and as soon as I can get Joe to help me sort it all out, I'll post some photos.

boxes

Today I found some excellent cardboard boxes in the recycling bin that lives just outside of IT. The best thing about items found in this bin is that there are often multiples; which is nice if you want to make several items that are more or less identical.

Getting started with my blog was easier than I had anticipated. It's pretty exciting to think about getting my big opinion out to an even wider audience than I enjoy in my mailroom.
The name of my blog doesn't describe my personality.
It's a literal description of one of my life-long creative
pursuits: making stuff out of cardboard! It all started
sometime during the 'Barbie' years. My Barbie
had a house full of furniture and gear made mostly out
of cardboard...and it just went on and on from there.
Most recently I have been creating custom boxes
for mailing things; but I'm always on the lookout
for that special box or bit of cardboard because you
never know when the next great cardboard-inspired
project will present itself.