Rain, Clouds, Stockings and Runs.

Clouds?  Rain?   The mean NOTHING!

The last couple of days have been rather dreary.  Rain and clouds darken the skies and the cold temps of fall have finally arrived.   Undaunted, Cheryl continues to insist that we run.   Even in the rain!

 No biggy for her, but I have to dress up for the occasion.   Riding a bike does not generate the same amount of heat as running.

Cheryl the Conquerer!  (Or Terrible...)

   And with the cold, slow pace, and lack of pain pushing her;   She plans to make up for it all by running longer.  Today she increased the millage to 4 miles. She probably plans on getting up to 7 miles by the end of the week.  We shall see.

Cheryl sewing up the custom orders

In the mean time,  Stockings are slowly trickling in.  Last year, apparently,  I did not blog about the steady stream of 3-4 stockings at this time.    So this year, I want to make a bit more of an effort to catalog things. 

The Motley Crew of Fur-bearers.

The Finished Stocking representations.

We started the day with "no sales" but that quickly changed by mid afternoon.   During this time of year, that is how it is.   Start off thinking you have an easy day and BOOM!  5 sales with three on the back burner for tomorrow.  Cheryl had an especially fun time making the cats.

Armadillo.

Bulldog

Standing Crane.  First time go! 

Bulldog reads the blog. 

As for me,  now and then I get called in for my button sewing skills.   Otherwise I keep my self occupied by playing with the cat, digging in the mud, and folding origami with my latest paper creations

 Korean Paper.  Similar to cloth. 

I finally figured out how to make that Korean paper (Hanji) work. ( Hint:  LOTS of methyl cellulose. Without it, it folds like a fragile cloth.)   The stuff I'm currently using we purchased from Amazon.   Apparently, it is the "industrial strength" kind.  I'm still trying to figure out how to portion it up so it does not solidify in my container.

Sounds dangerous.  But not really. 

There are so many uses for this stuff.  Mostly for Slime, blood, and other gooey special effects for movies and Halloween .   Also it can be used as wallpaper paste, paper binder, book glue, and food emulsifier. (Makes gravy thicker) I doubt it will ever explode...  about as flammable as flour and an open flame.  It took me a while to figure that out, because each producer markets it as ONE of the intended purposes.  Causing much confusion.  In the end, it is all the same stuff...  as long as you don't eat the "non-food quality" stuff.  ( not that I would want to anyway.)

Hope everyone else is staying dry and warm on this chilly October day.    In the mean time,  Enjoy some Rod Stewart.   (Small note:  Remember when Rod Stewart was "too sexy and raw for the youth of America?   Funny how time mellows us all.)  Thanks for stopping in and enjoy.
 

Happy Presidents Day! With Finished weekend Origami...

I finished only three sculptures this weekend.   That is pathetic given that we had a three day weekend this weekend.  I guess the designs were a little more challenging than normal.  And I did do a few housekeeping chores that needed to be done.  But I really had three whole days where I could let my creative fire loose on the world...and All I have to show are three designs.   BLA!

Well at least they are finished.  I was worried I was not going to complete the ancient dragon in time for work tomorrow.  By the way, ACT had presidents day off!   I have never had presidents day off from work.  Heck,  I usually had to work on most holidays!  It is nice to work for a place that celebrates the obscure holidays that only the US Postal Service even acknowledges! 
I'm not sure why ACT "celebrates" ( or simply 'observes') Presidents day, but my theory is that Iowa School are closed on this day, and ACT, being a part of academia, follows the education crowd and gives their employees a day to recover.  Then again,  According to Larry's Creative zone,  The schools in Des Moines were still open for business today.  Well, what do I know?  I'm just a simple origami Artist.

Speaking of Origami:  The finished bulldog and dragons are here on display.  I had planned to fold up another bulldog design, but time was in short supply.  This one apparently likes shoes...and cats.


As for the dragons,  well the ancient dragon did not turn out as well as the previous one.  However,  he isn't all that bad.  And he is the third one that has been successfully completed!   Not had out of five attempts!  Paper makes a huge difference in the folding process.  I still think that the red wrapping paper is not the best choice, so there is still room to improve. 

Well, I hope everyone had a great Presidents Day.  And if you are starting the work week,  I hope things go swimmingly for you for the remainder.  As for me,  the project at ACT has about three more days of scoring and then I will find myself with a surplus of time to fold and start up that Etsy shop that Cheryl has been bugging me to create.  So Much to do....so little time.

This Week In Origami...

I know I have not posted much during the week, but that does not mean that I have not been busy.   Well,  sort of.... I try to keep the larger projects to the weekends.  But during the week,  if I have any energy after working at ACT,  I try to fold at least a few easy projects to "stay in shape" as they say.  A co-worker gave me some paper made from recycled coffee filters so I had to give it a try.  I folded a few simple cranes in various poses to see how the paper handled wet folding.  I liked it!  But the small sheet size will ultimately limit what I can fold with it.  But for the basic simple designs, it should work well!
Then there was Valentines day!  I folded a few roses for the ladies in our group.   I had a few left over, so Cheryl suggested that I offer the remainders to the men......Er.   That was rather uncomfortable and awkward.  I don't know that it needs to be said,  but apparently,  females do not see the innate problem with men giving other men flowers.  So, for the few female readers that may stumble upon this blog,  I will share the ground rules for acceptable male to male contact.   One:  Shaking hands.  

This is the only form acceptable when greeting a stranger...and you only need to do it once!  After the initial greeting, a wave will be sufficient for the remainder of the engagement.  The only other acceptable male contact I can think of is in the army on the battle field pulling a comrade out of a burning vehicle or into a foxhole during a artillery barrage!  Everything else is, at best, frowned upon.   Men do not hug, braid each others hair, soap each other up in the shower.  So....don't ask us to give flowers to male co-workers and think that is "precious"!


Other than that,  I have been working on a few larger items for the weekend, but none of them are completed as of the writing of this post.   A Bulldog and a simple Dragon are in the works, as well as another ancient dragon. Hopefully I will have them completed by Tuesday and will have better pictures to show off.

  In the mean time,  A couple of things:  One:  a sleeping cat!  And two,  a fork the defies gravity!  It was one of those moments where something unexpected happens and you simple have to take a picture because you don't see something like that everyday.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend!