Origami Catch up!

A quick post after listing all of the items I folded up this weekend.  It is late, so I won’t say much.  This always happens when I neglect my poor blog for a week at a time.   Anyway,  Enjoy the pics!

 

Origami Wrap Up! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Tomatoes! Finally!

It seems like forever, but my tomatoes are finally bearing fruit.   In fact,  I finally see one that is turning red…-ish.  Anyway,  it might not be too long before I’ll be able to enjoy a few with our dinner.  We used to eat them all the time.  I mean…All the time.   My grandfather used to have a huge garden and he would give all of his tomatoes away….basically all to us!   My mother accepted everything, of coarse.   We canned them,  Turned them into tomato juice. Even ate them with every meal!   When I say every mean, I mean Even snack time.  We would eat tomato sandwiches, tomatoes with sugar, tomatoes with salt,  Even tomatoes just sliced up.  As a kid,  I thought this was totally normal.  Everyone ate tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, right?  Of coarse, only in season.   Whenever anything was in season,  we were literally buried in what ever grandpa had growing.  Pickles, beans, cucumbers, squash, strawberries, peppers, sweet corn, and, of coarse, tomatoes! 

But after Grandpa died, and I went away from home,  I realized that very few people ate those mountains of vegetables and fruits like we did.   Don’t get me wrong,  we were not thin and healthy.   We were total CHUB BALLS trying to keep up with the never ending flow of plant materials.  You see,  Mother’s zealotry for never wasting food, forced us to consume everything before it could rot.  She thought that It was an insult to grandpa if we  let one tomato over-ripen  beyond edibility .  Those early informative years shaped my life to question the vegan lifestyle.  And, when I was finally allowed to eat things OTHER than the mountains of produce, my diet quickly changed gears.

But now,  call it nostalgia,  I sometimes miss some of that fresh produce that is not found in your typical grocery store.  Granted,  I only want it sometimes, and in REASONABLE amounts, but I still crave It from time to time.  Farmers markets are actually kid of rare here.  And sometimes, if you find one open on a Thursday after 5 pm,   they usually have a limited selection or are missing the item you had in mind.   Not to mention everything is seasonal!  With that in mind I set out this year to grow my own tomatoes.

I started with just seeds.  Remember my post back in the spring?  I grew them inside with seeds I got for free.  The past has taught me that 6 plants will produce more tomatoes than a family of 4( under REASONABLE circumstances) can possibly eat for that season.  When Grandpa died,  Mom and Dad tried growing their own tomatoes and ended up flooding out kitchen with red fruit once again.  Of coarse,  Eric and I were away in college at the time and could not “help” them eat them all. 

Anyway,  I was proud when my little plants finally popped up.  I transplanted them several times and wondered if I had killed them.  You see, I’m not really a gardener.  In fact, I rather hate it.  It’s dirty, hot and sticky.  There are bugs that bit, sting and creepy crawl.   I’m impressed anyone likes doing that stuff.

However,  I recently got some compliments from the neighbor on the size of the plants.  This Iowa weather seems to welcome the tomato….if they get enough water.  So finally!  I FINALLY have a tomato that is almost ready to be harvested.  It has taken way too long, and now I remember the genius of CAPITOLISM!   Fresh fruits and vegetables everyday in and out of season.  If you have to grow them yourself.   you will first have a famine waiting for the stuff to grow…then an overwhelming tidal wave of tomatoes!  Which, judging from the small tomatoes and buds on the plants,  I’m in for. 

It’s ok,   I’m not my Mom ( thankfully!) and I will have no problem giving away or leaving tomatoes to go to seed next year.  I will not try to harness  every drop of the sun’s energy to MAXIMIZE the tomato output like my Grandfather.  I will take what I can and leave what ever else to nature.  However,  we are preparing to have those tomato snacks of yester year.   Cheryl already has a few ideas ready for experimentation.  I’ll have to see what we can do with all of these things once the storm hits and we are drowning in ripened red fruit.  Perhaps we can turn them into some alternative fuel source and save money at the pump!   Iowa is famous for that kind of Stuff!  We shall see.

ACT Project Finished!

Well that was quick!  It was a little bit of a surprise when they asked us to join up for several weeks, and it ended up being about a eek and a half total!  Well, it was fun.  And not to difficult to wrap your head around.  But now we have to figure out what to do next.   The short answer for me is to fold paper.   I need to get that shop of mine filled up with more items. I’m not sure what Cheryl will be up to, but I guess there are always stockings to sew up…..and then there are wristlets.  What ever we choose,  I’m sure we will get on the next project and hopefully that will  last until the Christmas rush begins.   We shall see.

An Origami Weekend!

Not much to do in Wellman Iowa…except fold paper.  And now that our project is going to end faster than anticipated, we find ourselves gripping our hard earned money bills more  tenaciously than usual.  Actually,  money is like water to us.   The harder you squeeze, the faster it slips out of your hand.  Anyway,  to fight the urge to spend our last dime on a trip to Iowa City, I have been folding.  Not to mention, my shop seems a little sparse at the moment, and I have to keep the stock up if I want to continue to get sales. 

With that in mind,  I wanted to post a quick entry before I hit the sack and dream about scoring papers tomorrow.  So here they are…Enjoy!

Origami Weekend VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

ACT Qualification Dare Complete!

We qualified!  YEAH!

Every time we have a new project, we have to pass the test to be able to score the project.  It is nerve wracking!  No matter how many times you do it, you just want to get it right the first time.   And, even if there are no consequences, there still is a matter of pride!  Perhaps it is something unique to academics,   we have spent most of our informative years in some type of learning establishment where we are tested on a regular basis.  Anyway, you might think that we “love to be tested” but that is not true for all of us.  I for one, never really like taking tests.  I would rather “learn by doing.”

But I must say, it is a relief to get the qual set out of the way.  Now, all we have to do is hope the project lasts long enough for us to make some gains financially.  We shall see!

Can’t get enough Pegasus!

Ok!  There are some designs out there that are just not suited to wet folded cardstock.  And, unfortunately, the only way I can figure out which ones, is by folding them all!  It’s not all that bad.  I actually like folding, especially when the design/model turns out.  However,  nothing is more demoralizing, than having invested two or three hours into something and literally wrestling with the paper to make it somewhat look like what the original design picture. 

With that in mind, I present several versions of the same sculpture.  The origami Pegasus.  I must say, I was impressed with the Montroll version.   Even with thick cardstock, I was able to get it to turn out pretty good.   However,  I think I like my version the best.  It’s true, I break the origami rules a bit, but who cares?  As long as the paper and model achieve “zen” together,  the rest of the world can just back off.    I have always been fond of “forbidden love” anyway. 

So here are the versions so far.  I have not bothered to list he versions I ‘m not proud of.  I mean, Who would, right? Now I have to figure out what to fold next.  I still want to fold a brown one, just to break the rules even further.  I think it has potential! 

Golden Mane Pegasus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Oh!  And we start back up at ACT tomorrow.  A different project, but one we have done before.  I’m hoping it will be as easy as before…and longer than the 10th grade!  We shall see…In the mean time,  enjoy my latest Golden Mane Pegasus.

Totally Giraffie!

I’m not sure what that means, but it’s a fitting word for my latest creation.  A couple of giraffes!  I guess you could say a mom and kid, but that doesn’t have to be true.  Perhaps it is a dwarf giraffe picking a fight with a larger one.  Anyway,  I thought they turned out pretty good.   and best of all, I was able to fold them all in one day!   That is to say, I was not distracted my any trips to Iowa City.  Anyway,  Enjoy the pics!  And if you like them,   click on the shop to the right and buy them…what great gifts for Mothers Day!   Enjoy!

Origami Giraffe VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Here there be Whales!

Sperm Whale Vs. Giant Squid VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I got a “request” the other day for some whales in my shop.  I have done whales before, so I though I would give it a go.   However, what really excited me was the sperm whale design I would a few weeks ago.  And better yet, I added a giant squid to give it a little drama!  I am so happy with the way they turned out.   The humpback whales with baby was simple to do,  But the sperm wale fighting the Kraken takes it to a whole new level!  Anyway,  I hope someone buys them both! 

Humpback whale VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Other than that, not much has been happening

here in Iowa.  With ACT cutting back the hours we were planning on,  we have now had to recalculate our spending procedures.  That doesn’t stop us from trekking out to Iowa City every day,  ( because there is nothing to do here in Wellman!)  But we have seriously cut back out spending per trip.  My only complaint is that I don’t have as much time to fold as I would like.   But I still manage to fold up a few things each day….mostly.  Hope everyone had a great holiday and will enjoy the remainder of the weekend.  Enjoy! 

Happy 4th of July! With Origami Pegasus.

First, happy 4th!  It has been three years since we moved here on July 4th 2010.  I would like to think we have made a little progress.  Sometimes it is difficult to tell though.  Anyway,  Cheryl and I got to enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of our home  once again.  One of the FEW perks of living is such a small town. 

Other than that, the day and pretty much the year so far have been rather uneventful.  I guess that is a good thing.  I would rather it stay a cool summer with no “special events” happening.  I mean,  every time an event happens around here, it is usually bad.  ( see the “fire” post previously.)  Although I must admit that with fewer events, comes fewer blog postings. I guess I did get stung by a bee today.  I was minding my own business and he stung my ear!   And to make matters worse,  I “brained” myself on the porch trying to get away from him!  See!  Those are the types of things that I would probably be posting.   

Which brings me to my next point.  I can and do post my latest origami.  I could post them more often I suppose.  But today I folded up a Black Pegasus.  This one is my own design.  I should take a picture of the “reject” Pegasus’s that I folded up leading to this one.  It is rather entertaining, although a little embarrassing.   Still, It could prove educational for me in the future.  Anyway,  Enjoy the pics and I hope everyone's summer is going swimmingly so far. 

Black Origami Pegasus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

That was fast! ACT project complete…

So, the entire project that was to last about 6 weeks, ended in less than two!   Either they miscalculated how much time it was going to take, or we are the FASTEST BESTEST SCORERS IN THE WORLD!   I would like to think that last one is the reason, but I know better.  I for one, start slow and pick up the pace as the project moves on and I get a feel for the papers.  It’s all good, as I now have more origami time on my hands.  Speaking of Origami….Here are some of the things I have been working on.   My shop seems to be selling the new stuff rather quickly, making it difficult to keep it stocked up.  Hopefully, I will have more items by the end of the week.

Origami Elephant and Pegasus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL