mmm.... coffee.....

i have a note

i was having thread problems: tension & breakage with the ol' cotton covered polyester especially when sewing on vinyl.  i noticed a difference when using some old thread my mother gave me, it was stronger & more tightly twisted than the cotton/poly i've bought.  teresa suggested i try 100% cotton thread, i scrutinized the guterman spool & noticed that it, too, was more tightly twisted...  well, several weeks later & i've switched!  okay, i might use up some of the other spools when not sewing on vinyl, but the gutterman 100% cotton is stronger, smother & less linty.

enough technical talk, look - monsters!  the furry monster on the left is intended for a friend of mine.  (i swear i will mail it to you someday, ryan!)  and the other one i made yesterday.  ryan's monster has teeth & toes made out of felt from those Anthropologie snowflakes.  the new one on the right is somewhat inspired by the 17th century illustrations of sea-life, hence the shark-head, unicorn horn & fins...

hey remember that month i only ate tangerines

i have these random moments in my life where i realize i'm utilizing my RISD education...  not something i learned in the classroom, but the culture of hard work & scrappiness, using whatever supplies you have access to, staying up for days & never considering giving up.  like this week when i'm making giant mats for giant maps for an exhibition.  i've never done something like this before, but, hell, give me an x-acto & some paper and i'll figure it out.

i'm also working under extreme conditions because my office has been without heat for over a week now!  it won't get above 60 in here, but at least it warmed up to 60?  i'd leave, but i have a space heater to keep me company & i'm climbing on tables - sound like fun to me!

and the words float out like holograms

it's a lazy sunday in the coffee-drinker household (i also had a wee plate of scrambled eggs with that coffee.)  that cute tree pattern is on my favorite flannel sheets, they are from target & i also have wrapping paper in the same pattern.  i think the flannel pjs are from target, too...  oh, and so is the sock!  it says "Naughty or Nice?" at the top.  yes, i do like that Target, they understand my need for things to be both affordable & well designed. 

it has been a year since i made my first messenger bag - i have used it every day & taken it everywhere.  it has been through the heat of summer & the cold of winter.  it's travelled from rhode island to maine, to nyc, south carolina & miami.  it gets tossed on floors, in cars, has been x-rayed in airport security checkpoints & crammed under seats.  i have worn it through rainstorms & spilled my lunch inside.  i can officially declare it a success!  not that i don't have faith in my craftsmanship, but i always test-drive my merchandise before selling it.  i have to know that they will last & are comfortable before i send them off into the world.  the immediate modification i made to my first bag was to switch the strap from vinyl to webbing, i also added a little more velcro on these new ones so they're easier to close when packed full.  i probably won't make very many of them, but here is a little sneak peek of what's in the works:

sun is in the sky oh why oh why would I wanna be anywhere else

that was the sky above Miami this past saturday afternoon.  how would i know ?  i ran away friday night to meet up with my sister & jo down in Florida & pretty much spent two days lying on the beach.  it was strange, lovely, but strange to suddenly find myself in 85 degree weather & getting sunburnt on a beach.  a wonderful little dream.  and now i am home again.

thank you, everyone, for your comments & thoughts.  last week reminds me that i am a strong individual.  i know that.  i know that despite heartache & death & other forms of loss, i will be okay.  but wouldn't it be nice if things were a little bit easier sometimes? 

my friend Beau died thursday night.  he was part of our bookstore family.  he was dark & goth, wrapped in leather & studs, piercings & tattoos, but we knew him as a sweetheart.  he would chase Art around the store, trying to hug him & he was always willing to help anyone out - i don't remember ever hearing him complain.  Art made a little display for him by the front registers & his mother put up black ribbons on Thayer St.  Beau was only 21 years old, an artist, a photographer.  these are photos he took at Swan Point.

i'm at work today, but i'm not really sure what to do with myself.  there is a lot less joy in my life right now.