Finally! Some Snow in Iowa

Coming from Michigan,  snow is just a way of life.   People exaggerate how "bad" the snow is there but we soldier through.   But here in Iowa,  things get a little more frantic it seems.   Today, for instance,  our work place closed down because of the storm!    This has never happened to me before!   In Michigan,   12 inches of snow falls  and you are still expected to come in!   In Minnesota,   you are still expected to attend school!   And in Alaska...Really?  Do I even have to go there?   NOTHING CLOSES!   Well,   except the summer lodges that cater to the tourists...but that is a customer thing, not a weather thing.   So coming from a several snow environments,  I find it a little entertaining when "warm weather" people shut down over 2 inches of snow.
   So Don't get me wrong,  I'm GRATEFUL that we did NOT have to work today.   Lack of snow does not mean that the wind and the slippery roads make for easy driving.   Not to mention we live out in the farmland so assistance and phone reception is bad.   And I have plenty of stories of driving to work or home from work in a blizzard with my knuckles clamped around a steering wheel and a scraper for the windshield next to me . I really did not LIKE those "required work days in Michigan"  So "Thank you, Iowa!" for being ill equipped and poorly motivated to deal with snow.  There is NOT this culture of "We live in  a Snow State...DEAL WITH IT!"  Mentality. And quite frankly,  I'm to old and tired of this false "Bravado" that is required to live in the north.   I actually learned much by living in Alaska where cold weather training keeps you WARM and COZY instead of cold and stuck in a snow drift.   
     So...on our new found day off,   I'm probably going to origamify something.   Everyone in the building has the day off as well  so it feels a little crowded at the moment.   I'm sure Fleabait and Tickler ( nicknames) will hole up and hide out while the snow blows over.   So...here are the pics....it doesn't look very bad,  but it has picked up since I have taken these pics and the whiteout conditions have increased.  Poor visibility makes for difficult driving ....under any weather condition.   Hope everyone in the Midwest is surviving this little squall as well as we are.   Looks like a fun filed night of wine, cheese, crackers, and Anime.....Perhaps we will bake up that Christmas Pizza   Cheryl has been saving.  

Origami Long Horn Beetle

Ah!  Vacation is almost over...and tonight is the last day for stockings.   Cheryl plans on closing it tonight as any sale we make after today has a high probability of not making it in time for Christmas.   So,  Between small bouts of personalizing a few last minute stockings,  I worked on an Origami Beetle using left over Christmas wrapping paper.  Granted,  the paper was a little thicker than I would have liked  but it was surprisingly strong.   And after wetting it a bit and fine tuning the small folds,  I think it turned out pretty well.
 The secret (  well,  one of many)  is binder clips....lots and lots of binder clips!   Also having a small brush to wet the paper in key areas then quickly drying it helps it hold it's shape without ripping...( usually)

 I'll admit I'm hardly a pro...but I'm past the beginner stage...I'm more somewhere in between "Awesome! "  And "totally useless!"  However,  I can at least follow the diagram and have it look almost like the picture in the book.   So I guess that counts for something.  

Other than that...we begin work at ACT once again on another project.    So it is back to getting up early and drinking lots and lots of coffee while not letting the musings of high school students get me down.   High school students are great.    Full of optimism, attitude, and surprising, lacking in reality.   Perhaps I'm just saying that as a jaded adult.   No doubt real life skews your perception a bit when you hit 30...and then again at 40!  I can't wait till I hit 50!   By then, I will be Older,  Wiser, and totally useless to society.  If I have not given up on everything by then.  ( see what I mean?    Jaded!)  
  I should not be to down, though.   I mean,  Christmas is right around the corner!  And we DID mke some sales this year that were not that bad.   When you have high expectations,  things that fall a little short end up looking like failures...but seriously....it's not that bad.    Especially if you listen to the Westminster Chorus singing " wouldn'tit be nice!"    great song...Great Chorus.   Enjoy!

Macarons! And another Origami Pegasus

As the Christmas crazy time winds down for us,  Cheryl and I have been working on the gifts for the people who helped make this season happen.  Namely, the postal and UPS guys!  Oh,  and a few family members as well.  I don't really keep in touch with my only living family member much any more,   ( my brother...)  so Cheryl's family gets most of the attention.  Back up a bit...My brother has his own things going on in Michigan, and I'm sure he has his hands full with his own family and does not waste time worrying about me.  It's all good...
   So, to make Cheryl's family an extra special Christmas gift,  We decided to make and send macarons!   "Surprisingly simple!"   they tell you in the books and on Youtube...Don't be fooled!  There is MUCH to learn and get the hang of before just diving in...which we often do.    Weather it is burning toffee,  overcooking fudge, or ruining the Oreo cake cookies....Cheryl and I have figured out that practice runs are essential to a presentable product.   So  This year we may have shot a little over the top.   I believe our macarons look so good,  no one is going to believe that we slaved over them for two days!   YES!   TWO DAYS!    They take a surprisingly long time to assemble.   First   if you want anything that looks cool,  you need to make several different versions...  Second,   it is best to make the cookies  first then work on the filling.    Third.  Packaging is everything!  
   As posted before,   there is a nack to making them that I'm thinking some people forget to mention.   Example.   when making merengue..  make sure the eggs are at ROOM TEMPERATURE!  Otherwise they will not form the white fluffy stuff.   Another example:   If the dough is runny while you pipet it out...that is GOOD!   It may be messy, and will require a little practice to get the size and spacing right,   but if it is not runny,  they will end up puffy.  
   That all being said...I think we did a good job.   Six batches took five hours yesterday.   and making the fillings took an additional three hours.   However,  they turned out exactly as we had pictured them in our minds.  Additionally,  Cheryl purchased several boxes to match the cookies size and they look quite professional!   So there it is...Macarons for this years "Ethan And Cheryl's Odd Ball Christmas Treats"   Hope the family likes them.    they are so delicious that I made myself sick eating all of the cripples   ( well...a slight exaggeration.)   There are many Youtube Videos that are a great help,  even though they may fail to explain tiny details that aid in success.   At the very least, they show you how to make them....
   And finally,  an origami Pegasus that I just finished for the post office.   It will most likely be the last one I give her this year so I wanted to try a slightly more difficult version.    I actually have several versions in my library, but this one looked the most complicated.   It is wet folded with a large cardstock cotton paper.  I think it turned out pretty good,  considering the thickness of the paper made it difficult to form the hooves.   Hopefully,  Molly ( the post master in Wellman)  will like it and add it to her collection. 

Origami Turtle, This IS Christmas? Isn't it?

Ok,  First...Where is the Christmas Spirit?    Hmmm? ....I'm not sure how to explain this from my small, narrow point of view,  but  the "mood" of the season seems a little down this year...And it is not just the evidence from our lack luster sales....Honestly, I get this feeling that things are a little down all over.   For instance:  the mall!   No music,  no color,  few crowds.   and  not much Christmas-y stuff.   Is it just me?    I have not seen many lights in town or on many houses.   No tree decorations.    Just  BLA!    So perhaps I'm wrong...or I live in Iowa  where they don't celebrate Christmas...I'm not sure.   But   all that.. And the fact that our sales have plummeted (compared to last year)   Makes me think that  people are just not into the spirit this year as in previous year.   
   Ok,  That being said, we still are making  sales and I know that there are some Christmases where the economy,  or  the political scene have an impact on the mood of the country.   things just do not seem as festive as years in the past.   And with our own expectations being rather optimistic this year,   I'm sure that that helps paint  this picture a little more gloomy than it truly is for other people around the country. 

    For now,   I will try to pick up my spirits a bit and continue to fold some more paper.   Today we started baking our macarones for the Christmas gifts we will be sending the family.  ( and postal carriers!)  Additionally,  I folded a  Turtle that turned out pretty good.   I used wet folded cardstock paper.  Also, having a heat gun helps!   The post office is becoming quite cluttered with origami gifts from me  lately,  but she has not thrown any of them away yet.   Perhaps she has a plan for them all in the end....we shall see.

Origami Elephant, New Names, and New Stockings!

right view

So we have still been busy packing up the stockings each day, but sales are still lagging behind last years marks. 



left view

real elephant 2

    Regardless,   ACT project has been pushed back another week so we will be able to concentrate on the stockings an additional week before having to head to the job.  This is good news!  And with that....I folded perhaps the best origami elephant yet!   This is my 4th attempt at the design, and first with cardstock instead of foil paper.   The look exceeded my expectation and I want to see if I can fold it as well again!    Perhaps a different color this time,    Pink elephants have an inebriation tag to it. 
  
 
 
 
 
Other than that,   names continue to sell.   I  think we have sold more names this year than last year.  Cheryl wanted to take a slightly better picture of them rather than my "jumbled pile" pic from before.  I'm not sure I like it as well.  

Also,  Cheryl wanted to test the waters on a new owl design.  Not that owls have not been selling!    She is just not that thrilled with the current design.   I like this new ones.    only time will tell if other people feel the same way.   We shall see if there is a positive vibe to them in the remaiing weeks before Christmas.  Wish them luck!  

Origami Dogs!

Enjoying the Great Dane so much,  I decided to take a stab at some other breeds.  So far,  A Papillion and a Chihuahua.   ( What kind of spelling IS THIS!??   Hooked on Phonics does NOT WORK HERE!)  Anyway,   they kind of look like the dogs they are designed from.   I know I could   fool around a bit more with the proportions,  but they look fine for now and all of my creative juice is all used up at the moment.   

In addition to origami, I helped Cheryl sew up some stockings.  We have been averaging around $1000 a day since the beginning to December.  The designs are all over the place,  so I really can't just narrow it down to one that is popular.   I guess the blue bear has been featured in a couple of blogs,  so there was a slight run on them recently.   Otherwise,  everything is getting low and we are going large batches with several designs to try to keep ahead of them so they don't run out..

ACT starts up again next week and Cheryl and I are a little nervous about it.   we will be in the middle of the Christmas rush and on top of all that,  we will have to qualify for a new project.  We have thought about  perhaps not taking this gig,  but sales are not where they wee last year and that has us concerned a bit.   The ACT gig should take us to February with a somewhat consistent paycheck to help us along.    Our only thought is what are we risking if we happen to take the job and neglect the business?   We will have to find out the hard way as we intent to attempt both at the same time.   Hopefully,  we will be able to keep up in the end.  We shall see

Origami Great Dane! Cat! And Stockings!

Great Dane! 



Looking fondly out window

It's a harsh fact that this year is not quite meeting up to our expectations.  We are slightly behind the high water mark of last year,  however,  we are working a lot less at having to get them out.   All that Prep work is paying off...but,  although it seems it was not required for this year.   Regardless!  To cheer ourselves up,  we are finding ways to spend our new found time with small things that make us happy...like Origami!   We have this really  ( REALLY!) cool dog that walks around town.  He is a Great Dane....AND BIG!   So big that he towers over his owner, a small petite lady.  So big I mistook him for a small pony the first time I saw him at the park!   With that being said,  he is the most majestic, graceful dog you could ever imagine.   He literally puts the awe in awesome....so,  Being inspired by the post master at our local post office,  I decided to origamify this image.  


Nobel and majestic!

I think I saw a squirrel

There are no images or diagrams of Great Dane Origami designs....so I had to make it up.    I'm happy with the results.   I basically modified my favorite blintz bird base to lengthen the legs, narrow the ears and give him a larger head and neck.   I would have been a little happier narrowing up his abdomen,  but I should have taken that into account earlier in the pre-creasing.  



Meow!

So...there he is!   I also worked on a cat From David Brill's  pattern.   Not bad when you wet fold it....better than with foil paper in my opinion.   I think with a little more practice,  I can get better results.



More Boxes!

 As mentioned before,   we ARE selling stockings.   It is just not as difficult as previous years because they are all done in advance.  Except for the names,  all we must do is find them and pack them up...and if we are feeling motivated...make some designs that are getting low in stock.   I'm sure when I look back on these posts next year,  I will be thinking" what was I thinking?"    so  this is why I wanted to at least keep a record of my thoughts at the time.   We shall see how it all works out now that December is upon us.