Christmas Bits & Peace(s)

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

I'm throwing this post together. It's a mish-mash of some Christmas-y things: Past, Present and (hope for the) Future.

First, the Past. Here's a collage image I created one night during college. I think it was productive procrastination before I knew that was a thing tons of other people do, too. I used a good ol' craft knife, construction paper, and magazines. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Next, the Present. My Christmas cards went out with this obvious error on them. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed about this mistake and not even sure how it happened. Lesson learned: order earlier!

Oh, well. Done is better than perfect!

Finally, a hope for a Christmas Future from my 6-year old. I swear, he found this and did it all on his own. It definitely brought a tear to my eye.

This holiday season has certainly been different than years past. But the meaning of Christmas is always the same; it's a time for peace on earth and hope for all. God bless!!  

Ain't Zine Nothin' Yet

    Here's a zine I made sometime earlier this year while testing out some vegetable printing, thanks to Austin Kleon's post and recommended reading. (Seriously! Sometimes, I think I  buy every book he suggests!) Anyway, I also drew on a couple of cute cactuses ("cacti?") before my 3-year-old added some random letters. Then I took the doodled-on sheet of paper and, almost instinctively, folded it up into a zine. I flipped through it a few times, trying to decide in what order the pictures should appear, but gave up, stuffed it into a drawer and forgot about it.

    During some recent tidying I came across it again. Even though I sorta stalled on the project and left it unfinished, I've decided to turn it into a zine template for whoever might be interested in a creative prompt!

    I invite you to print out a copy of my unfinished zine and fill it in however you like. This zine template is missing the captions. The story is open to interpretation. (Maybe that cactus has a conversation with those tumbleweeds?) Order the images however you like. Folding and cutting is easy. Or, for even more fun, go make your own zine if you haven't tried doing it already! 

    Download and print the PDF.

Walking Solo

I don't get to walk alone much anymore. It was nice to get to do that this evening. Lately, I haven't had time to think. I like to sit down and have a good think now and then-- quite often, actually. But I just haven't been making time for it; I've been avoiding thinking. So, after my walk I did some stream-of-consciousness typing. Here's what I came up with.

 

Tonight's machine of choice:

Smith Corona Galaxie II from 1964. Made in USA.

My Companion Types

 I know it says "Royal" and "Companion" but it doesn't look anything like the other Royal Companions on The Typewriter Database. Is it a Royal (Silver-Seiko)? I do not see "Companion" listed in the drop down menu bar. Can I add that when I input this machine to my typewriter gallery? It looks identical to a Royal Mercury that I have. The date of manufacture is difficult for me to pinpoint since it seems on the cusp of a decade. Is is 1960's or 1970's?

    Over the long weekend, I made a rough draft version inventory of my typewriters. Why? Why not?

    Actually, there are two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see what I'd spent so far, but would rather not say. Just know that I don't go searching eBay anymore. This keeps the cost down and allows a more natural pace of growth.

    Secondly, and more importantly, I want to fulfill my apparent destiny and become a Typewriter Hunter! I hope that making this list will help me stay organized as I go through the process of uploading typewriters to my digital collection.

    Admittedly, I'm in over my head with the current number of machines. It could be a slow process uploading every one. The advice of Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird  applies to writing and, I think, also to this process. I plan to take it slow and just go one typewriter at a time.

Ouch! Strangled by her own drawband!

From the front--yeeeesh!

    Also, I helped a troubled typer by playing amateur repair woman. This Smith Corona Silent wasn't advancing properly when I found her at an estate sale last fall for $8. The old inflexible drawband slipped off the spool and got itself wound around underneath. Ouch! I managed to untangle the drawband and get it advancing again, but will need to seek professional help in the future to really make her sing once again.

Label Me!

Here's a tutorial on how to use a sticky note to aid the process of making a typed label.

 I maybe had a little too much fun making this!!

Hold back less

Sometimes one just needs someone with whom to talk.

Just saying...

crayon on notebook paper

Sometimes one just needs to make something. I made this sign. I like exploring the concept of text as art. It's not fine art, more of a doodle, a nod to the sketchbooks of Michael McGuire a Chicago based artist whose finer works I have been ogling recently after discovering his blog. Several years ago, when I first came across his artwork in Midwest Living his watercolor paintings of Lake Michigan and sky above caught my attention delightfully. I'm glad to see he is still making art. I keep trying to overcome the self-doubt that so often follows alongside creative work by sticking it to the inner critic and doing it anyway, one day at a time even if it's something small and doodly. Sometimes one just needs to get something done and move on, much like this blog post!

If you're not wearing green...

Here's a tiny look at what I've been working on lately, a word collage inspired by the art teachings of Corita Kent, who said, "We have no art; we do everything as well as we can." I think about that when I'm doing everyday tasks like caring for my children, tidying up my home or pulling old dead leaves out of the landscaping. "Do everything as well as we can," means life is art which makes everything so much more beautiful... for a moment.