mmm.... coffee.....

she understood the european things of 1943, but she does all these things i can't stand

(here is some of the no-longer super-secret box-making project)

there are two sets of three file boxes that fit into a slipcase, those are all finished except for covering the slipcases with the fabric sitting on top.  i am so happy with how they look & they pull out very smoothly by the little ribbon.  the last photo is one of two giant boxes that have inner walls, it is completed & the second one is assembled & waiting to be covered.  still in the works are 5 more boxes, half clamshells that tie shut & have lovely letterpress spines...

as i said before, i'm exhausted & it's quite a workout paper-backing fabric in large sheets, but i am excited to be doing it.  between the library & my studio, i'm working 14 hour days, it's pretty amazing & satisfying work - i enjoy the challenge of wrapping my brain around 3-dimensional shapes.  i hadn't been spending time in my studio these past few months & i had been itching to get back in (my usual all or nothing.)  i have managed to make time for a few dates here & there, held a craft-night at my house saturday & jodie drove down from maine to spend the night.  now i just need to squeeze in a weekend in NYC soon...

keep on knockin but you can't come in

i finally asked permission to photograph & share this project with you so i suppose it doesn't have to be such a secret anymore, but it more fun that way...  my weekend was a blur of box-making, as will be this weekend & next weekend, too...  they are gorgeous (if i may say so myself) but i am exhausted & my arms & back are sore.  i am making a set of insane boxes for a textile designer (Raoul Textiles) covered in her own fabrics.  the designs are screen-printed on linen & i'm turning them into bookcloth using this technique for paperbacking fabrics from NewYorKamera.  due to the dryness of my apt, i had much better results putting the methyl cellulose on the fabric first; it retained moisture longer than the paper & subsequently had a more uniform adhesion & dried flatter. 

i have been scrimping & saving all my money these past several months in preparation of being unemployed mid-april.  so, to congratulate myself for receiving steady paychecks for yet another year, i have decided to order a 30gig ipod!  the question is: what should i get engraved on the back?

signal when you can't breathe no more

teresa & i recently made a trip to Ryco Trim's factory outlet in Lincoln, RI so i could get ribbon for another little sewing project i haven't shown you.  the ribbon above makes me weak in the knees!  and that brown one below?  gorgeous!  i generally turn my nose up at grosgrain (gross) ribbon, but it seemed appropriate for what i'm making.  here's a hint: it has handles...  okay, so it's little purse bag things & they're wicked cute!  you'll see soon, i promise.


i hate to admit it, but i'm disappointed i didn't get to do anything for valentine's day this year!  normally i won't acknowledge the fake holiday, but for some silly reason i got ideas in my head.  i had plans for cupcake baking, card making & whatnot - instead i spent the evening in bed with a migraine.  i haven't even gotten to do any celebrating about my job extension!  something needs to be done about that, maybe i'll take myself out to a sushi dinner?  no, i don't have the nerve to go out to dinner alone, perhaps i should cook myself something...

oh i see how his life resembles yours and you somehow are like him

this is all i will show you of my super secret box making project.  i know cutting that s-curve by hand was a little insane, but, well, those are the best parts of my boxes!  i tend to do the little details that other people wouldn't bother with & besides, a straight edge isn't as beautiful...

i'm wearing a new pair of sock-sleeves today & arguably the most amazing socks ever.  or sock. since i'm only wearing one...  actually, they're both amazing since the non-cephalopod sock is a bowling sock teresa gave me.  i also bought skull socks & new sneakers - abby was visiting this past weekend & we wandered the east side shopping after our tasty sunday brunch.  pears in a grilled cheese sandwich?  strange, i know, but incredibly delicious.

i stopped in at work today, but i'm not really here because i'm taking a day off, but i'm working on the aforementioned super secret box project so i came in to use the board shear.  also, all my hand-tools are at my workbench & it's february birthday party day & i need to be here so everyone can congratulate me on my job extension!  yes, i will continue to be gainfully employed, pay my rent & eat for another year - complete with health insurance & retirement plan.  my new & improved unemployment/move to maine & work in a coffee shop date is now June 30, 2008...

life is like is like a dream

if my monday morning begins with a cascade of broken dishes it can only get better, right?  to add insult to injury, it all happened right before my eyes & there was nothing i could do to stop it.  among the casualties are several taylor smith & taylor 'cathay' soup bowls & a couple dinner plates, a north star fruit bowl, chococat rice bowl, pottery bowl handmade by my roommate's mother, green leaf saucer whitney just gave me, a couple atomic patterned syracuse china & other various unidentified bread & butter plates.

you may not know this about me, but i used to obsessively collect dishes with teresa.  i have two full sets of 8 place settings, 1 set of 4 place settings & those aren't even part of my 'everyday' dishes.  most of the dishes are taylor smith & taylor: moderne, weathervane, cathay & ever yours.  i also have many random single dishes that i picked up here & there because they appealed to me.  i seem to be handling this whole disaster oddly well, but i'd be a lot more upset if any of my temporama pasta dishes had broken.  i really should try to get some work done now...

i heard someone say the mind keeps wandering

this massive thing was found sitting in a puddle...

it was housed in an equally extravangant wood box covered in purple leather & lined with gold satin which took all the damage & protected the item quite well.  it weighs upwards of 100lbs & i can't quite figure out why!  sure, the velvet cover has enameled metal bosses & a giant cross in the middle, but whatever the cover is made out of seems to weigh an extraordinary amout... inside it is a four-flap containing chromo-lithograph plates of the mosaics in the Basilica San Marco, Venice.

it's breathtaking & i hope we send out the box to be repaired.