I do believe mine is the very last blog to feature Mama's Magic, the very cool maker of baby-safe jewelry (and other things!) but that's on purpose-- a month should be a month, gosh darn it, and it's no fun to have your features all over in the first week! So here you go, Mama!
Now, before I get going, I should mention that Mama's Magic is actually a sister shop to Baby Friendly Beads. And I like BFBeads, with its very neat necklaces. Pieces like Planet Baby and Clarity would look good on anyone, and be a standout piece in the too-often rumpled and food-covered wardrobe of early motherhood (hey, I don't have children, but I know those who do!). But I don't have babies, and after the Summer of the Child on Etsy, I'm a bit tired of childcare specialties, so let' go back over to Mama's Magic, where the Mama goes to party while the baby stays at home!
What I really like about Mama's is the asymmetric theme paired earrings. It seems like such an obvious idea, but I see it very rarely. But check out this filigree fairy tale:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16181761
Or this take on an old quote:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14213182
And the standout diva of the shop, perfect for any knitter, crochet queen, or other yarn crafter:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15096013
The artist of the hour calls them fraternal earrings, and I can only hope she makes more such twins. Go look! But do it soon, because I suspect these earrings will soon be gone into a certain bug's gifting stash.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Vote Etsy Texas 10- 08!
While I have your attention...
Remember that War of the Worlds pic of mine? It's in a contest! In fact, it was gfor a contest, hosted by my Etsy Texas team! And it's not even close to the coolest thing there. So go, check it out, and vote vote vote! One of these links will work for you:
Firefox users (and everybody else)
http://tinyurl.com/ETC-Design-Challenge
Explorer Users:
http://etsytx.blogspot.com/2008/10/october-design-challenge-war-of-worlds.html
The contest is running until this Thursday, the anniversary of that grand panicmaking Welles broadcast. So vote early! But not often.
Remember that War of the Worlds pic of mine? It's in a contest! In fact, it was gfor a contest, hosted by my Etsy Texas team! And it's not even close to the coolest thing there. So go, check it out, and vote vote vote! One of these links will work for you:
Firefox users (and everybody else)
http://tinyurl.com/ETC-Design-Challenge
Explorer Users:
http://etsytx.blogspot.com/2008/10/october-design-challenge-war-of-worlds.html
The contest is running until this Thursday, the anniversary of that grand panicmaking Welles broadcast. So vote early! But not often.
Daily Sketch: Happy Birthday Hookahfied!
Mannie, one of my most constant commenters, is having a birthday! It’s one of the big ones, too. Happy 21! Don’t get too used to booze, it’s not really worth the trouble!
Anyway, she’s had me thinking over Alice in Wonderland pics. I’ve already mentioned, in my Agnes sketch, that I don’t feel entirely comfortable drawing work that has an “official”, distinctive look to it--especially if it’s a look that I like. Well, shoot, nothing is more distinctively illustrated than Alice-- Tenniel’s gorgeous detailed work. Ya’ll’ve seen my work; I’m not going to slag on myself here, because that would be daft, and I’m not ashamed of my stuff. But not only am I not in Tenniel’s league; I’m not even in his game. I’m doing freeform dives, and he did kung fu. Frigging impossible.
And I grew up with that stuff. It would be impossible for me to forget his interpretation of the story. Even the *Disney Animators* drew off his basic ideas, and they were a whole studio!
But I’m trying anyway. And I’m enjoying it, I must say. I like my Alice, she’s mine, and I’m having fun with the various rabbits. But there is no Cat but Tenniel’s for me, I fear.
More Alice later, I'm sure.
Anyway, she’s had me thinking over Alice in Wonderland pics. I’ve already mentioned, in my Agnes sketch, that I don’t feel entirely comfortable drawing work that has an “official”, distinctive look to it--especially if it’s a look that I like. Well, shoot, nothing is more distinctively illustrated than Alice-- Tenniel’s gorgeous detailed work. Ya’ll’ve seen my work; I’m not going to slag on myself here, because that would be daft, and I’m not ashamed of my stuff. But not only am I not in Tenniel’s league; I’m not even in his game. I’m doing freeform dives, and he did kung fu. Frigging impossible.
And I grew up with that stuff. It would be impossible for me to forget his interpretation of the story. Even the *Disney Animators* drew off his basic ideas, and they were a whole studio!
But I’m trying anyway. And I’m enjoying it, I must say. I like my Alice, she’s mine, and I’m having fun with the various rabbits. But there is no Cat but Tenniel’s for me, I fear.
More Alice later, I'm sure.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Yes In Fact I Have Fallen Off the Face of the Earth
Well, I've fallen ONTO the face of the earth a whole lot this week, anyhow.
Hate to be revealing my super crafter secrets here, but this is a regular part of my schedule-days or weeks where my brains operate just well enough to propel me through the day, but not enough to let me do anything that requires actual thinking. I expect this post to show up drowning in typos. In which case, oh well, can't tell right now. Lo, it is one of those weeks. I blame winter.
You know how not-smart I am right now? I just posted a print in my Etsy store with ONE line of description. I mean, I'll fix it later, but geez. Breaks my heart, but I had to do it. For reasons I cannot understand at the moment, but I left myself a note, so there it is.
So: I will make up my sketches, update the site, whatever, very soon. For now I'm going to go read about raising chickens. Hey, if anyone has exciting chicken anecdotes or advice for a potential chicken-owner, I'd love to hear them, too!
Hate to be revealing my super crafter secrets here, but this is a regular part of my schedule-days or weeks where my brains operate just well enough to propel me through the day, but not enough to let me do anything that requires actual thinking. I expect this post to show up drowning in typos. In which case, oh well, can't tell right now. Lo, it is one of those weeks. I blame winter.
You know how not-smart I am right now? I just posted a print in my Etsy store with ONE line of description. I mean, I'll fix it later, but geez. Breaks my heart, but I had to do it. For reasons I cannot understand at the moment, but I left myself a note, so there it is.
So: I will make up my sketches, update the site, whatever, very soon. For now I'm going to go read about raising chickens. Hey, if anyone has exciting chicken anecdotes or advice for a potential chicken-owner, I'd love to hear them, too!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Daily Sketch: Bikegirl
*Squeaks in*
Yeah, I know, I'm gonna have to change the idea if I don't catch up...but I still want to post daily! Dial up is not my fault! Um...vote Obama, he'll give me high speed access so I can update regularly!
F'serious. He said so. I am SO open to candidate internet bribes. I would watch American Idol if it meant I could have high speed internet access.
Anyway off the political, into the odd:
The original was hand-drawn, but I traced over it and colored it with the tablet. Still not entirely comfortable with my linework there. I want to be good enough I can comic with the thing, but that may be a ways off...what do ya'll think?
Yeah, I know, I'm gonna have to change the idea if I don't catch up...but I still want to post daily! Dial up is not my fault! Um...vote Obama, he'll give me high speed access so I can update regularly!
F'serious. He said so. I am SO open to candidate internet bribes. I would watch American Idol if it meant I could have high speed internet access.
Anyway off the political, into the odd:
The original was hand-drawn, but I traced over it and colored it with the tablet. Still not entirely comfortable with my linework there. I want to be good enough I can comic with the thing, but that may be a ways off...what do ya'll think?
Monday, October 20, 2008
Daily Sketch: More Aesir!
I've got a secret!
But today's sketch ain't it. Anyone who hasn't figured out by now that the Norse myths are my personal brain candy must be new. Hi, new people!
Ok, free guessing time before I start prattling on about my pet pantheon. Can you tell who any of these are?
Well, don't feel bad if you can't, they aren't anywhere near done in this mode. Heck, I'll probably redo them in a different brown tonight. I love my Photoshop! ANyway, from left to right:
Odin, grand high poobah. Did you know most of what we know about Norse mythology comes from Odin? No, really! The Edda is pretty much Odin being asked questions by some mortal, calling the mortal an idiot for not knowing, and then telling him the answers anyway. Good for Odin.
Then again, Odin is the All-Father, the original prnakster, the guy who was messing with heads even before Loki came on the scene. And this mortal is pretty clearly easy to rook. And you remember how your dad (or uncle, or older brother) would answer your questions about the way the world worked? How you always had to double-check with Mom, to make sure you weren't walking around telling your classmates that clouds moved by solar wind.
So yeah, if you believe Odin at face value, we're all animated trees living on a dead eyebrow. Of a giant who was created by the friction on a cow tongue. Methinks the Edda amounts to All-Dad pulling our collective leg. He always did like humans to figure things out for themselves-one of many reasons he's my favorite divine patriarch.
Balder, The One Who Dies. Despite his near-total lack of presence in the myths, I really like Balder. He's the mellow god in a pantheon that otherwise gives us, well, Thor. Pretty, gentle, total Mama's boy, and yet the one god without whom the whole cosmos goes to pot. Such a weird dichotomy for a myth cycle otherwise dripping with testosterone.
Oh, also, while everyone rightly blames Loki for orchestrating the whole thing, Balder was actually killed by his blind brother Hod. Disabled doesn't mean unable!
Skaad! Or Skade, or whatever; look, it was an oral tradition, standardized names are kind of optional. Skaad rocks! Goddess of the hunt, mountains, and skiing. Former giantess of skiing, hunting, etc. Like Artemis, but with none of the creepy virgin obsessions. No weird untouchable feeeeemale myyyysteries, either. You could totally hang out with Skaad, go skiing, have a brew, whatever. She married into godhood, as a lot of the Aesir did. None of that Greek my-father'-wife-is-my-sister-is-my-cousin-is-my-daughter Greek nonsense. Things were confusing enough. See the next guy.
Heimdall, famous for his gold teeth, centuries before that was popular thing. Or indeed, possible. Slightly less famous for having nine mothers. Now, there are a lot of supernatural beings who claim multiple fathers, because it'sm hard to figure out exactly how a man contributes to child bearing, without microscopes and such. But multiple mothers are a big more problematic. Did they each bear a part of him, and assemble him after birth? Did they pass him from one womb to the next every month? Were the moms, who were sisters, just covering for each other in their out-of-wedlock circumstances, and making sure none of them got ostracized from the family? So many options, when you've already decided logic need not apply!
Anyway, Heimdall was sort of Loki's arch enemy, in the way those kids who always ratted each other to the teacher wee arch enemies. It was complicated and dumb, and like most of the non-mothering weirdnesses in the myths, pretty well Loki's fault. Heimdall was guardian of the bridge. He had a really long horn. Women went crazy for him. He always says it's because of the teeth.
But today's sketch ain't it. Anyone who hasn't figured out by now that the Norse myths are my personal brain candy must be new. Hi, new people!
Ok, free guessing time before I start prattling on about my pet pantheon. Can you tell who any of these are?
Well, don't feel bad if you can't, they aren't anywhere near done in this mode. Heck, I'll probably redo them in a different brown tonight. I love my Photoshop! ANyway, from left to right:
Odin, grand high poobah. Did you know most of what we know about Norse mythology comes from Odin? No, really! The Edda is pretty much Odin being asked questions by some mortal, calling the mortal an idiot for not knowing, and then telling him the answers anyway. Good for Odin.
Then again, Odin is the All-Father, the original prnakster, the guy who was messing with heads even before Loki came on the scene. And this mortal is pretty clearly easy to rook. And you remember how your dad (or uncle, or older brother) would answer your questions about the way the world worked? How you always had to double-check with Mom, to make sure you weren't walking around telling your classmates that clouds moved by solar wind.
So yeah, if you believe Odin at face value, we're all animated trees living on a dead eyebrow. Of a giant who was created by the friction on a cow tongue. Methinks the Edda amounts to All-Dad pulling our collective leg. He always did like humans to figure things out for themselves-one of many reasons he's my favorite divine patriarch.
Balder, The One Who Dies. Despite his near-total lack of presence in the myths, I really like Balder. He's the mellow god in a pantheon that otherwise gives us, well, Thor. Pretty, gentle, total Mama's boy, and yet the one god without whom the whole cosmos goes to pot. Such a weird dichotomy for a myth cycle otherwise dripping with testosterone.
Oh, also, while everyone rightly blames Loki for orchestrating the whole thing, Balder was actually killed by his blind brother Hod. Disabled doesn't mean unable!
Skaad! Or Skade, or whatever; look, it was an oral tradition, standardized names are kind of optional. Skaad rocks! Goddess of the hunt, mountains, and skiing. Former giantess of skiing, hunting, etc. Like Artemis, but with none of the creepy virgin obsessions. No weird untouchable feeeeemale myyyysteries, either. You could totally hang out with Skaad, go skiing, have a brew, whatever. She married into godhood, as a lot of the Aesir did. None of that Greek my-father'-wife-is-my-sister-is-my-cousin-is-my-daughter Greek nonsense. Things were confusing enough. See the next guy.
Heimdall, famous for his gold teeth, centuries before that was popular thing. Or indeed, possible. Slightly less famous for having nine mothers. Now, there are a lot of supernatural beings who claim multiple fathers, because it'sm hard to figure out exactly how a man contributes to child bearing, without microscopes and such. But multiple mothers are a big more problematic. Did they each bear a part of him, and assemble him after birth? Did they pass him from one womb to the next every month? Were the moms, who were sisters, just covering for each other in their out-of-wedlock circumstances, and making sure none of them got ostracized from the family? So many options, when you've already decided logic need not apply!
Anyway, Heimdall was sort of Loki's arch enemy, in the way those kids who always ratted each other to the teacher wee arch enemies. It was complicated and dumb, and like most of the non-mothering weirdnesses in the myths, pretty well Loki's fault. Heimdall was guardian of the bridge. He had a really long horn. Women went crazy for him. He always says it's because of the teeth.
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