Chicken Teriyaki Bowl #7

I found this tacky plastic pencil box at the Dollar Store yesterday:

Tacky Pencil Box - Closed

I really liked how it slid open, though and thought it would make a cute box if done in cardstock.

Inside slides open. A lip on the sliding part hits the snap on the inside and keeps it from sliding all the way out.

So, I opened the parts up flat and took measurements.  First problem - the inside is too big for a single sheet of even 12×12 cardstock.

Laid out flat

So I created a drawing of both parts in Illustrator to scale and then scaled them down equally to fit onto 8.5×11 sheets.  I made at least two prototypes, trying to get the fold lines correct so that the inside would slide smoothly.  Finally, I made a prototype in actual cardstock:

Closed

Open

Side View

I glued a regular magnet to the flap and inside the box.  Note - you want to glue the magnets in after you slide the box together.  I didn’t do that and kind of goobered the box getting it past the inside magnet.  The inside magnet keeps the insert from sliding all the way out.

If you are interested in the pattern it is here (inside, outside) in PDF.  Make sure you print at 100%.  I don’t have any instructions with it right now but it should be pretty self-explanatory.

Monday and Tuesday were bad days for me.  I really spiralled down with depression and couldn’t get anything done.  Yesterday I felt much better and created a page about all the things I like about October:

October Page

If you click on the image you’ll get a larger version to see the detail.  I played around with some new gel pens I finally went out and acquired.

I also finished this can, which was the theme over at Awfully Big Art Adventure.  I as going to do more, but after I got the burnt umber on and the eyelets I decided I liked the simplicity of the parallel lines and just added a little Celtic triskelion which I created.  I’m just learning to emboss, but I like how it turned out.

Triskelion Pen Holder

And finally, from a week ago, here is my first attempt at ATCs:

ATCs

Again, click on the image to get a more detailed view.  I have them hanging on the wall above a dresser I use for my supplies in my office/studio.

Connect to the Source and
you connect with the whole world;
life is richer,
creativity bubbles,
joy wells up to fill
corners in your soul.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says…”Oh Shit, She’s Awake!”

The rattle of rain on the roof
waking the uneasy sleeper;

The smell of wet leave, woodsmoke,
windfalls rotting in the orchards;

Men in orange, distant gunfire,
trucks draped with game;

Crackling warmth, wool blankets and
spiced cider;

And I curl at the end of the couch,
reading Little Women for the 42nd time.

Fall

My triptych “To Wake at Dawn” is finished.  I really like it except for one bit of scroll work that looks out of place.

To Wake at Dawn

Detail of each panel:

First Panel

Middle Panel

Third Panel

This was a tough week for me.  I suspect it was tough as well for the other members of the collective.  Very few have posted on their blogs at all and there are no comments on Creativityist!

My work is really slow right now, which is stressful and causes a lot of guilt when I spend time doing art instead of working.  I find myself hiding my art from my husband, which I know I need to address…

I did morning pages every day, except today.  My artist’s date was another trip to the local dollar stores in town, which was amazing.

I’m still a little lot worried that this burst of creativity will end.  I know I have to just take the leap on faith.  I suppose that it is my Critic talking - being sneakier and lot more subtle about how he sabotages me.

I just noticed.  My Critic is definitely a he.  Interesting.

Today was a happy day even though we didn’t go to the Central Washington State Fair like I expected.  This morning it was pouring sheets.  Not a cool stormy rain, mind you, but just straight down, like being in a shower.  Now if there were wind with it, or thunder and lightning, that would be something, but straight down rain is boring. (We actually got the wind later, after the rain stopped).

So, after checking finances, I went shopping and splurged.  I bought some watercolor crayons, gesso, double-sided art pens, a crop-o-dile (which I scored, it was on sale) and a couple of stamps that were in the dollar bin.  Then I came home and worked at my current WIP:

It is exciting, because it is coming together how I imagined.  The inserts, which you can’t see well here, but I’ll post closeups when I’m totally done, are the rising sun, noon sun and setting sun with words from Gibran Khalil Gibran’s Prophet:

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;

To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;

To return home at eventide with gratitude;

And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

I just need to (just need to - hah!) finished the foil embossing for the second and third panels and then embellish the outside.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the whole thing will fold well after it is done - but it is made to stand upright, so I’m not flustered about that.

My other project was working on magnets.  Kind of a test before the holidays, because at Thanksgiving I am going to take photos of each family member and then make a family tree set of magnets, including photos from my grandparents and great-grandparents who are deceased.  Here’s how my experiment turned out:

These are made using Dollar Tree glass gems, which worked pretty well, but the quality is so-so.  I noticed that the craft store had bigger ones that looked nicer for a little more money, so I’ll probably go that way for presents.

A short, fun little piece I did today:

Our Lady of Wasilla