I'm not creating anything inspiring this week at all, though I do like the way this newest little dragon mask turned out...

It has a cute little face I think.  


Doesn't it look clever and smug?

I, meanwhile, am neither clever nor smug.   I'm preparing for another trip & so, in the interest of making sure my Etsy shop is well stocked while I'm gone, I raided my stores & found several barrettes.

Here.  Look at them.  The barrettes.

More fantasy stuff than you can shake a stick at.

Although I'm not crazy about making barrettes, I have to admit I've always thought the griffin was a pretty neat design.  Some of my best design work has been turned into utilitarian accessories that I've sold far too cheaply.  Don't know whether to be proud or embarrassed about that.

Dragon barrette...one of several.  I think I must have made all this stuff for I-Con.  It has a "fantasy convention" feel about it.

To be honest I'm not so sure I'm going to continue making things like this very much anymore.   It never feels right when I do.  I don't mean to sound snooty...I just mean I think I'm outgrowing the genre.

Besides, I shoot myself in the foot every time I make something utilitarian out of leather.   On one hand I work so hard to ensure that my art is taken seriously, because my choice of media has such a strong "craft/utility object" connotation attached to it.  I like it when people are surprised to discover that the masks are made of leather & not resin or polymer clay.  I feel like I did a good job when I get that reaction.   So to make belts or barrettes just feels like an easy out for me.  Sure it'll sell because leather accessories always sell.  But not for much, you know?  'Cause there's only so much you can charge for a belt or a barrette. 

At any rate all this stuff & more is on Etsy.  I'm filling orders like crazy too.  I wish I had time to make something really cool just for myself...I'm itching to do another "big" piece but it's a luxury I can't afford right now.

In other news: People who I thought were grumpy turned out not to be.  People who I thought were happy turned out to be very grumpy indeed.  Charlotte (who I thought was happy) has had a long pouty red-eyed sobby day...complete with a sulky refusal to share with me the reason for her sulkiness.  She all but said that classic teenage mantra "you're not the boss of me!"  which of course made me laugh, which of course only made her sulk harder.  Some days you just can't win.

I think the grumpy person is me.


From: [identity profile] tricia612.livejournal.com


Is the tail different on this one? Like the way it loops over the nose. I could be dreaming - it is kinda early for me to focus.

Think of next week - grumpy will fall by the wayside to be replaced by OMG I'm actually going!

From: [identity profile] merimask.livejournal.com


I always do them a bit different each time but yeah...I think I made the tail curl a bit higher over the nose. I just like the way this one looks!

Yep it'll be nice to get away with John again. Another trip of fun no doubt! I sort of REALLY need a break right now.

From: [identity profile] tricia612.livejournal.com


So glad you're able to take some time off - you deserve it. Have fun with John!

From: [identity profile] ramblingrican.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)


Enjoy your Vegas trip :) I wanna go too.. never been to Vegas! Take pictures like you did the last time! I want more pictures of that cat.. I love John's cat! Oh and PLEASE don't go hiking mountains like the last one in 100 degree heat.. remember.. it's a friggin' desert!!!

Anywho.. I love the stuff you make. Each has it's own personality even if your perfectionist eye doesn't like it anymore :D Love to see what's going on in that brain of yours once in a while! Looking forward to more creations!

From: [identity profile] merimask.livejournal.com


John's cat has this great name that I can't spell...it sounds like "Ah-Koe-ee" & fits her perfectly. His other cat Hardy is a big moose. I need to get more pictures of him.

Frankly, I love my stuff too. Even my small stuff. I always make the best things I can possibly make, even if it's just a barrette. I'm beginning to think, though, that all that effort is wasted on something like a barrette. I have such grand ideas lately! ^_^

From: [identity profile] golden-meliades.livejournal.com


But you ARE the boss of Charlotte...at least until she's a legal adult. Aren't you supposed to say that to siblings, babysitters and MAYBE step-parents? Your actual parents are the only people who ARE the boss of you! Until you are employed, anyway.

I've never said that before. Though I did used to giggle when my sis would wail "I can't do ANYTHING right!" and stomp up the stairs...I never said THAT, either.

But I'm pretty sure I was the one who was odd, not my sister, and not Charlotte. I seem more normal now that I'm a growed-up, but when I was a teenager I was pretty glaringly odd.

From: [identity profile] merimask.livejournal.com


lol...no teenager wants to feel like they're not in control. They all know darn well that they're not, but it drives them crazy. So, every now & then I remind her & it makes her prickly. I'm ok with it. We're both just playing our parts in this predictable drama. ;-)
.

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