The January Wrap Up.. A Lot Late

 

The 29th!

Finally hung up all the flotsam and jetsam in the studio...

(click to enlarge... if we've been friends for a bit... you will probably recognize

some of your treasures!)

The 30th!

I had to toast to this one.. 

The former craft cave really converted 

to an organized and utilitarian

pantry !!!

And 3 zipper pouches for the 31st!

Phew!

Starting next week we are back on track with new tutorials, 

regular posts and generalized silliness!!!

Missed you, but after Finish A Day... I needed a nap!

Finish 28: Tiny Flock and a Nice Pair of Buns

I found some cute vintage plastic game pieces at an antique store in lovely Niles.
I had an idea that it might be fun to try and use them to make mold to cast some new paint-able creatures from paper clay...

Oh click on the pics... There are details here people... details!

And it worked. And I totally love them. If I found them elsewhere... I would totally buy them.

Hmmmm... I think I feel a tutorial coming on!

okay... A list of catch up and #27

Let's see:

Finish Line List is as follows: 

23: paperwork stuff... covered in the last post

24: Finished all the winter pruning the garden. No photo... looks like heck. You can see my celebratory hoolahoop self portrait here.

25: Finished a major photo shoot in a great big field and did my first clone photo using and learning my new Photoshop 5. That was the utili-obi picture from my last post...perhaps you recall?

26: Made several zippered pouches. But I have not staged a decent photo shoot for them. They are cute but not earth shattering.

However, I will photograph them. 

Eventually.

Soon eventually. 

I want a Whole Month of Done mosaic to hang on my wall.

My final finish for the 31st!?

Which brings me to today.. I mean What Have I Done TODAY?

Aesop's Fables cushions.

tortise and hare 

and 

the stork and the jug.

For Etsy? or???

 Finished and photopraphed and I'm happy about that.

So G' Night.

Weekend Wrap Up: Finishes 21,22,23

( click to enlarge... go on. I dare ya!)

Okay.. So here is my secret. I cloned myself.

That is why I'm able to finish so much more than I did as just

Betty Singular.

Well, I don't know that I'm getting that much more done , 

but this focus on finishing has change the pace 

and structure of my generally unstructured life.

Because it's supposed to be "Fun A Day" 

I do try and have fun with it.

My finishes aren't like building a barn or anything. 

It 's just turning into a fairly long list 

of little things I have been meaning to get to.

# 23 isn't pictured. It was doing all the marketing listings for our next show

and revising all the forms and contracts for the next FashionART trunk show

and getting the email box organized.

Done. A 3-fer. 

That day I didn't have any oomph left over for anything crafty,

so I counted what I did accomplish.

I think that is important when you are facing a challenge like this.

Most of us could stand to give ourselves a bit more credit

for what we do get done (like- all the time.)

So on Betties Right and Left, in the top photo,

are two more Utili-Obis that I have known

I wanted to make for awhile.

 So on top of my finishing Wins:

Stash Sewing Bonus points!!!

If this wasn't Fun A Day I might not have even posted this

because I'd be busy knocking myself around 

for not being able to post them on Etsy, 

because I didn't take close ups too.

But that's not fun. So here we are. Keeping it fun,

and, hopefully, tomorrow my finish will be 

all the new stuff is available in the Etsy Shop.

 

Special Thanks to Michelle of Green Kitchen 

for a super fun photo safari 

and a great day.

(That's her lamb.)

Finish 20 is all juiced up and ready to go.

 

Finish 20 is the first of the Marimekko Utili-Obi's.

I will call her "Margarita".

Way back last fall I went mad and bought several Marimekko prints 

because I thought they would look great as Utili-Obis.

I am not disappointed!

Well, a little disappointed with my photo and styling, 

but with a finish everyday... some will be crisper than others.

Adios.

Finish # 19: Crispy Like a Crinoline

Found a great old crinoline out thrifting in the Very Recent Past.. 

but it needed mending: 

a teeny bit of darning and a brand new elastic waist band...

Viola.

That one wasn't on the mending pile for 3 days.

Yes, I can-can.

Finish # 18: Nellie The Elephant

This is another original felt animal pattern.

Designed By Me!!

Nellie the Elephant Jumped the Fence and said Goodbye to the Circus

Off she went with a rumpity -rump -rump -rump -rump.

Designed to do on the vintage drum ornament thrifted a year ago last November.

This pattern was just a sketch since December 2009 but I finished it yesterday.

The detail oriented amongst you may have notice I skipped Finish #17.

Okay, I bet no one would notice but just in case...

I will be posting it before the 31 days of Fun A Day/ Finish A Day are over.

I am having a blast with this but I have to admit, 

I am itching to jump on a bigger project or two.

A garment perhaps.

but This is pretty darn good for now.

Finish A Day!

Finish #14, 15, and 16: Come On Baby, What's Your Sign?

 

Want more details? click to enlarge

When you are on a roll with a personal challenge

but you need to take a little road trip

to see your cousin get married,

it's best to pack portable 

Finishes For Each Day.

These are part of a much bigger collection.

I'm aiming for 25+ words embroidered in sign language.

I think a wall full would look so amazing!

50 was my original goal. Perhaps I should stick to that.

But I finished one per day.

Finish A Day= Fun A Day

Maybe that's because I am no longer a flaky Libra, 

but instead a determined and fastidious Virgo.

Hmmmmm.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Finish #11: The Longest Swap

 

Mini quilt that was so long in the making,

I bet the person I traded with has forgotten about the swap. 

We are talking years. 2 or more. Bad.

So Embarrassing... I have no excuses.

But was I wracked with guilt the whole time.

Dropping it off in 5 minutes.
Finish-A-Day as Karma Cleanser.

Phew.

Finish # 10: M is for Mousy with Mushrooms

I'm not going to mess this up trying to write something clever.

Finished up late last night.

Back on the crafty fast track today. 

That Tah Dah Done Feeling comes rushing back.

In any case, Please just sit on back

and enjoy a little warm and wooly cuteness.
For more cuteness you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Snuggles.

Weekend Wrap Up and a few more finishes

Wow. Okay, so I had the new exhibit open at the gallery on Friday and that was fun, fantastic.

The next night was a big surprise party for a good friend of good friends.

Yes. He's dancing in front of his cake.


And then Sunday was yet another party. A fairly big one, that I kinda co hosted. And I was kinda wiped out, so No Pics.
3 parties. 3 days.
I swear to God, I am not that social.

So what did that do to Finish A Day?
... well the finishes did get a little compromised.
 Especially on Sunday.

Friday, I finished a part of another challenge which is to complete Carla Sondheim's Drawing Lab ...
One exercise per week. There are 52, so it makes sense that way.

The first one (Friday) was to draw 30 cats while you are in bed. I was tired, so: PERFECT.
Are there pictures?....Wellllll, maybe later.

Saturday I repainted an thrift owl plaque that had been hanging out primed and ready since May.
Originally it was all the "avocado and harvest gold with dry brush metallic accents" you could stand.

I thought Faux Wedgewood would be cool. So: Viola.

 I don't expect the Metropolitan Museum of Art to come knocking but.. it's done.

Sunday I only managed to get my 365 photo projects done.
 I'm working on 2011 being the year I finally complete:
365 self portraits

and 365 photos.

Well, I also finished making a gallon of fresh lime margaritas and those were finished too
(not by me alone, mind you...)
but I didn't finish any lingering crafty projects.
But Finish is Finish.

So that brings us to today,
where I:
meal planned and shopped for the week. FINISH.
Took the 365 pics. FINISH.
Finalized the show for next month. Kinda finish-y. More of a start.

And Right Now am going to go finish another little craft project that has been on my table for 20 days, to photograph tomorrow, to try and wrestle this thing back to it's intent.

Finish Numero 6

Okay.. I don't know how to say anything like "number"
in any kind of language a camel might speak,
or even overhear.

So Spanish is as exotic as I can get..

 This one is MY camel. 

I actually designed the pattern myself,

and as originally planned

perched it on the vintage drum ornament I thrifted over a year ago.

In fact, the camel, himself, was mostly done for 13 months. 

He merely lacked tail, eyes, and hump warmer.

But today he is Finished.

He's part of a series, but the rest of the critters don't even have their patterns drafted yet.

and I'm thinking about publishing them/him for download, 

so in a way, this project is far from over.

Is It Okay to celebrate the finishing of stages?

I Vote Yes !!!

(and this is my game and I'm still winning, if I play by my rules....

So, I will listen to your opinions but I am counting on you to agree with me.)

Okay, just look at his full profile.

Finishing this was FUN.

Now he needs a name.

Go on... Let's hear the suggestions!

Finish #5

The tree is down and all the decor is stored. 

That is a finish that will last for a whole year!

Whoot!

On a Roll ??? #3... On The Blog!

A studio "Before" shot...

 

And then with the new finished shelf draping!!!

3 days and 3 finishes...

And I barely eeeeeked one out today.

I began to see how challenging this Fun A Day might be.

Some finishes might be a bit smaller than others.

(If I clean my plate at dinner, can that count?)

I mean it occurs to me as I look at these pics,

a little steaming wouldn't have hurt the final look of these...

Does that mean they weren't really done?

No! They Must be done.

Tah Dah Done.

I am going to do this.

I better go rest up.

Second Project on the Second

 

Okay 14 months in the making and then.....

Made.

I am giddy with accomplishment.

If you are keeping track you know that today is actually day 3 

and I finished what I set out to do today as well. 

Pictures will, of course, be shown tomorrow.

I have a plan of accomplishment for tomorrow too.

Can I keep it up for 31 whole days?

Each finish setting off a new blast of momentum until

my inner procrastinator is powerless in the face of the Done-ness.

This is a western shirt from vintage pattern, 

Kokka and Joel Dewberry fabrics from Hart's Fabrics.

And seriously, fabulously, nowhere near my to-do list anymore..

I have a new list:

The Tah Dah Done List.

I'm a little full of it this evening. 

Could you tell?