Day 293.

Oh my god, it's 11o'clock.  1 hour past my bedtime... Today I accomplished 11 great things.

1) I woke up and got out of bed. (It was a real feat)
2) I made it until 4pm without ANY caffeine
3) I worked an 8.5 hour work day
4) I used my time watching over Maureen's phones doing homework
5) I took a quiz for school. Got 1.9 out of 2 points
6) I wrote a 4 page paper on the psychology of dreams
7) I mocked Sigmund Freud's theories of dream symbology to great lengths and got a laugh from my husband about it and yes the words, PENIS ENVY, were included
8) I ate 3 meals and even had desert
9) I took a shower and put away my clean clothes
10) I organized my last minute studying for tomorrow's exam and got instructions to the test site
11) I paid all our bills for July!

Day 292.

macro setting

Smart Contrast filter

Smart Contrast filter

Mona Lisa Frame-very pixelated but funny

Today I spent some time playing around with my new camera phone, trying out different functions, I liked the results from these.

Day 291. I bought a New Car!

Since I was in the dealership for nearly three hours and because I drove around when we left, I didn't have much time for art making, but I did also get a new camera phone today and took these pictures.
I call this series, Nouvelle Auto.

The dealership

Nico rides shotgun

Finally! At the wheel

Our new baby

When we got home, it only had been driven 16 miles

Day 290.

I appliqued the lace around the forth cell and cut the lace out over the fifth cell.  I thought I might be able to do two small cells today, but I am too tired.

Day 289. More work on the cells

Tonight I was able to complete the third cell lace applique (the one in the top left corner) and then I cut the lace free from the forth cell.  The last ones are all much smaller so hopefully I'll be able to complete more than one at a time. We'll see I have mid terms coming up!

Day 288.

Finished appliquing the lace around the 2nd cell and cut the lace around the 3rd cell.

Day 287.

I have this idea, a drawing of my head with cell phones consuming every part of my sense organs. 

For the last few days, I have lived and breathed cell phones. It was nearly four days ago when the top of my flip phone dislodged itself from the lower half.  I asked for a quote for how much it would cost to fix, $95 not including labor and I quickly deduced that it would be a lot more awesome to spend that money buying a new and better, a real latest fashion phone.  I thought, it would be the new iPhone 4. yeah, it wouldn't cost much more than that...Ha! Boy was I totally out of it. Try more like $450-700 (on Ebay).  So I immediately came around to the fact that I was going to need to really shop for this new phone.  And shop I did. And then I shopped some more.  I shopped while I was supposed to be drafting animations and I shopped while I was supposed to be studying and making artwork.  I was utterly consumed by this process of trying to find the right phone.  Oh my golly miss molly, Do you KNOW how many phones are out there and do you know all the stupid bells and whistles they all have?  Where have I been? I think, hanging out with Gilligan on the island with my coconut phone.  So these are the highlights of my search.

1) I actually and thoughtfully consider buying the large button 911 phone. Granny's stay back, I'll out bid you on ebay for one of these bad boys.  If you want simplicity, the Granny phones the way to go. 

2) I stepped back into the time machine, turned the dial to 1984 and fondly remembered my neighbor's split pea colored rotary phone hanging in his kitchen.  And yes, it's true, I actually wished and even more embarassingly considered, getting a landline installed and finding a rotary phone.

3) I opened, read, studied, and compared ratings in the January 2011 Consumer Reports edition on BEST NEW CELL PHONES & PLANS, for 3 days...it's pathetic really.

4) I went to my cool, hip, younger friend and grilled her about what it means to Unlock a phone, how to trust buying from Craigslist and other assundry websites.

And after all of that, I finally find a phone I like.  It is more like a camera that happens to also be a phone, duh! of course. 

Day 286. My feet and legs feel so swollen, they could be balloons in a parade

Day 285.

Today two awesome things happened.  1) We put down a deposit on our first brand new car!  2) Nico taught me about wavelength and how color is seen/perceived.  I decided to commemorate the occasions by making this image, I had some more awesome ideas rolling around in my head, but I think it might be awhile before those ideas can gelatinously mold into a piece.

Day 284. Made this birthday card for my mother-in-law

It says: I wish we could celebrate together! Happy Birthday and Many more. And yes that's a picture of my kitty, Esau. Isn't he so photogenic? 
P.S. I think I have an obsession with speech bubbles lately...hmm got to get off the speech bubbles...

Day 283.

More work today on the cell applique, I couldn't get much work done (not enough to really see) because after studying all weekend, I was really, really, really tired! Oh how there should be more time in the day.
Until tomorrow-

Day 282.

Tonight I appliqued the lace around the cell (pictured in the back) and cut the lace around the cell (pictured in the front).  If anyone is interested in appliqueing lace, my suggestion is have the patience of gold and get ready to grow a few callouses.

Day 281. It's been a full day

Day 280. Progress on Phase III

Esau checks out the purple lace covering

With one cell's worth removed

The close-up

Day 279. Phase III of Pathology Quilt Goes into Effect

Tonight I begin attaching the "plasma" of the HPV pathology quilt.  Phase III is underway.  I plan to do this while simultaneous chilling with the boob tube or booby tube as my husband calls it. Twin Peaks makes for a good pathology reproduction accompaniment.

Day 278. Earth Speaks

Day 277.

I'm about to sit down and watch some telly while sewing the last half of my cell applique.  Finally, I will be finished with the sewing-on of cells!  I can't wait.  Then I'll get to start (but not tonight) the application of the plasma to the cells.

Sorry my posts have been so short as of late, but well I started school again so I'm a little booked by working full time, studying and then of course my commitment to making art 365 days in a row..not to mention all those other fun things like cooking, cleaning, laundry (Ha! Yeah right- what's cleaning???)

Day 276.

This applique process never seems to end.  I have a half of one cell left!  Here's a picture of the work I got done today, see the blue stiching around the edge.

Day 275.

Well having a cold and staying home most of the day to watch movies makes for a great day of applique.  I finished one cell and have one left to sew.  These last ones are the largest ones and are taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

Day 274.

Today I spent the day feeling sick, watching movies and yes appliquing the cells piece.  After all this applique, I have 1.5 cells left to applique.

Day 273.

Well, I just finished my school work for today. Hmm, it's 9:41pm and my usual bedtime is 10pm...I think I might be in a little over my head when it comes to working full time, taking classes part time AND doing artwork EVERY Day...But it's ok, I can work with that.
Since I need to get a little relaxing in, I think I'll work on some applique while watching the boob tube.

Why do you think it got that name, boob tube? Is it because the media insists on filling every screen and second with sexy ladies with big boosoms wearing skimpy clothes?  Or do you think it's because dummies are often called boobs and watching tv turns you into a dummy?  But then, why do they call dummies boobs?  These are the questions PRESSING on my mind!

Day 272. Worked on editing some photos from last summer

awe. these clouds are about to kiss

Three old deteriorating pillars in the Chicago river

Bridge under construction

Day 271. More needlework

Today I got some needlework done on my cell applique, yes I managed to sew in this insufferable heat.  But I was too hot to take a photo and spend anymore time than necessary on this computer!

Until tomorrow-

Day 270.

Spent the evening cutting strips for the new quilt and I also managed to sew 4 more blocks, only 16 more blocks to go!

Day 269. no post on Sunday

health reasons kept me from making a post on Sunday, yesterday. Sorry    ):

Day 268. Quilting retreat day 2

Well, I decided it would be totaly awesome if I could stay on this retreat for a week because, man I can get so much done.  Today I managed to make 16 blocks out of 38 needed for this new quilt I started, today, which believe me is no easy task.  I began my day by ironing and ironing and ironing, then I cut slits in some fabrics 2" apart and ripped strips then I cut those strips down half the size and sewed them all togther in batches as is shown below.  Then I cut those strips into 4 blocks a piece and voila! like magic, a large portion of my quilt appeared...okay, okay there is still a lot of more cutting and sewing to go...I know, but I'm kind of proud of how much I really got accomplished. And I managed to go for a run in the morning, antiquing and went out to a steak dinner! Ha!

one block

16 blocks placed together

Day 267. Quilting Retreat Day 1

We got here 3 hours south of Chicago at 9:30 tonight and I jumped right in to applique this cell, too bad I was a little sleepy and forgot to turn under the fabric edge before sewing it down. Only three more cells to go.

Day 266.

I'm still working on appliqueing those cells.  I think I'll manage to finish one small one tonight.  I won't bore you with repetitive pictures.

I am also getting ready for a weekend quilting retreat.  It's a little intense packing for all my quilting materials, my food & drinks, plus some for others, my clothes and my computer/camera to record all the work I'm going to make...I feel a little woozy with stuff, feel like I'm moving out of my apartment....

but oops there goes the timer - got to go pick my quilting fabric from the dryer.  Hasta Mañana

Day 265. only 100 more days to go and about a million stitches

Today I was able to applique on a large cell, took ALL night! But wow, today marks that there is only 100 days of my 365 artmaking left!