Merimask Goes On And On

Let's start with the cute; a river otter mask.

He snurfles and waddles...you can just tell.   ^_^

It may not be sublime, exactly, but I'm very happy with my second attempt at the "Fighting Bettas" mask.

I think this second color combination is just as popular as the first one.

(  Karmic philanthropy... )

Oh no...I am not well.

(  Puffy McPuffster )
*sigh*  Wish me luck.

I think I've been working too much, perhaps.  Everything is upsetting me today.

The news is upsetting; the stimulus plan hopes to create five to six million jobs by the end of the year (that's an optimistic estimate) but I just saw on CNN that 600,000 new applications for unemployment were opened last week.  Over half a million people fresh out of work...in one week.  That scares the heck out of me.

The child is upsetting; Char told me yesterday that she thinks I love the dog more than I love her.  I can't tell if she really meant it or she was just trying to hurt me for some reason, but it still stings.  The dog, at least, never tries to make me cry.  

Friends are upsetting; I don't know why but my online social connections are all screwy & angsty & sad lately.  This is troubling because I am SO isolated between work & the weather that all my friendships are online.  & everyone is too grumpy to be nice.   Well...not everyone, but you know what I mean.

Winter is upsetting; today was supposed to be a bit warmer than yesterday.  Instead, the cold front has stalled out right over our heads, so we have another day of single digit temps.  I cranked the heat & still I'm freezing.

So.  I'm going on strike.  I did a load of dishes & a load of laundry.  I cleaned the cat box.  I made a few barrettes for my etsy shop...and that will have to be enough, today.  I'm putting on some big warm sweatpants and a big fluffy sweater & I'm going to play video games all day, I've decided.  I haven't played any games at all since I opened my Etsy shop over a year ago (yes truly!  I know in my DevArt profile I mentioned some games 'cause I used to play those all the time, but really I haven't touched any in over a year).  Greg bought me Ratchett & Clank games for our PS3, which is over a year old & I've never used it once.  Today I will remedy that situation.

If anyone wants me I'll be curled up on the couch, playing R&C.

EDIT:  Okay so I entered a contest on Etsy  (art submissions of holiday-themed pieces...I thought my Harlequin Romance masks were perfect for that).  And later I have to hop on & buy some darn Main Showcase spots 'cause they sell out in mere minutes & they only go for sale once every two weeks.  But that will be IT.  *doesn't know how to truly relax*

As I said in the previous entry, there has been a lot of curiosity about my mask-making method.  This entry & the last one is a sort of tutorial, illustrating my technique.

( Details! Details! )And there you have it, from start to finish.  A weekend's project.  Not including drying time, about 10 hours of work (I am FAST, though, because I know what I'm doing).   A totally fun, totally unique mask.

I hope this was a helpful couple of entries!  If you have any questions regarding products I use (or just any little thing you're curious about),  just ask.  ^_^

Sea Otter Mask!!

There is no way to look mysterious or fierce while wearing this mask.  Probably to complete the effect you ought to float on your back & eat your dinner off your tummy.

It's actually a pretty old design I came up with years ago.   Haven't done it in a while because bigger, flashier, fancier designs sell better (see yesterday's dragon), but I don't know...I thought my Etsy shop needed a little range.

Besides, how many people make otter masks??  Probably not many, I bet.  I'm cornering the market on cute & fuzzy, here.

In other news; it just keeps snowing and snowing and snowing...

Okay...I managed six uninterrupted hours of sleep (which for me is GREAT, I hardly ever do that) and I'm feeling much better.   Sorry for ranting yesterday.  :-/  I was a grumpy gus to be sure.   Things got resolved to a certain degree; I didn't scream but I did complain enough to be heard (I hope) and also, Charlotte's phone was found at the Rec center.  So yay for small victories.  Bictoly!

I think I better get tested because I have all the signs of being iron deficient again.  *sigh*  No fun at all.

Anyhoo, things are continuing to look up, career-wise.  DeviantArt just posted an article/interview with me!  It's such a very cool interview too, all about the "Tsuru" mask but also about my methods & motivations...really it was a great Q & A.  Go look!!

Another online magazine is doing a feature, too (I just got their letter of interest today...see how PR pays off?).  It should be out in a month or so...I'll link you when it happens.

I am working on two masks...nearly finished them last night.  They couldn't be more different.   One is a very elegant dragon; the color combination on this one is going to be striking, I can tell already.  The other is...well.  Let's just say that when you wear it, you'll be absolutely adorable and utterly without dignity.  There's no way to look fierce in a sea otter mask.

More soon!   

First of all, I want to thank everyone who read my last entry (Charlotte's essay about her day in Hiroshima)...I let Char read everyone's comments and she was really touched and grateful.   She's so insecure about her writing, so it meant a lot to her and myself as well...thank you thank you.  ^_^

Today I got pretty things in the mail.  New pendant from this artisan on Etsy.  I love it!

I used this picture of me wearing it to show you how HUGE it is...but I really love that because it makes a statement. 

(  pretty things made with our hands... )
I used to balk at being called a "crafter" & I still do...it diminishes my art.  However, I've recently come to terms with the label "artisan" and I really like it...it feels right to me.  More than an artist, it sounds to me like who I am; a person who makes things with her hands.  I think all of us on Etsy are artisans.  It's funny that we all make our living in such an anachronistic way, & yet modern technology has allowed us to blossom & prosper in a way none of us could before.  We sit in our homes in our little studios & make pretty things with our hands for the world to love...it's quite beautiful if you think about it.  Such an honest living in these dishonest times!    Go visit Etsy and support an artisan!  ^_^

To paraphrase Elton John, Saturday night was alright.  Greg & I went to see "Frost Nixon"...it was incredible.   So timely too.  I think it would have sent me into a spiraling despair had our most recent election turned out differently.  As it was, I had to shake my head and wonder why the more things change, the more they stay the same (really, Dick Cheney was pretty much channeling Nixon, when you think about his ideology & what he said about the executive branch.  Holy crap).

One thing that I hope has gone away & never comes back; sideburns.  And wing-tip collars.  Yucko.  Oddly enough though, womens' fashion was still cute even in the 70's.  Which is why the retro look works for women.  In my opinion.  Mostly.

I have been working away like a busy bee as usual.  I spent a chunk of the day organizing my leather.  I hate to throw any materials away but sometimes you just HAVE to.  I have boxes & boxes of scraps that I'll never use because sometimes the leather is just plain lousy.  Every hide has imperfections.  So, I culled the scaps and threw out the junk and cut up boxes for hours, and now I have a nice neat empty space where a lot of junk used to be...yay! 

I got my new hide today too.  So I cut out a bunch of masks and I'd work on everything except I had two glasses of wine with appetizers after the movie & I'm feeling too "winey" to trust myself with sharp objects.  Fiddle-dee-dee, tomorrow is another day.

Hope you are all having wonderful weekends, my dears.