Monday, August 22, 2011

Monday's Meow-Mix

via: The Cherry Blossom Girl
Sometimes, you just want to slow down to a walk, instead of trying to keep up with time.

Are we really almost done with August already?  I've only recently started writing "2011."

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Time Intensive, Cost Intensive....

....fun and skills gained: priceless.

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I took a fabrication 1 class through the Revere Academy in San Francisco.  I have this weird thing, that no matter what kind of class or workshop I attend, I get tremendous stage-fright.  Will the teacher like me?  Will the other students be nice?  Will anyone talk to me during breaks?  Will I pass or fail the class?

Obviously, I have some unresolved school-day issues.

I shouldn't have sweated at all!  The teacher was fantastic and the class filled with people who WANTED to be there and who were professional and earnest and wanted to learn.  It was a funny mix of people; some of them even signed up for the class because they needed a "vacation" from their regular day job.  Some people just had free time.  Others, like me, were interested in learning skills that would be applicable to their work.

So, for three days, the class went from 9am to 5pm.  It was INTENSE.  I was so pleased to find out how much I knew and how many things I had been doing incorrectly.  I left the workshop on Sunday night, feeling much more confident and inspired.  This week, I am "remodeling" my studio/workspace to resemble more of what I had been working in at Revere.

I also splurged and picked up some pretty tools...

Knew Concept Saw frame.  Was a pricey item, for a saw frame - but lightweight and easy to use.

Dead-blow mallet.  This little beauty has a hollow space between the two plastic ends and is partially filled with steel shot.  This allows you to exert more force on the item you are hammering, with less energy on your part.

Last but not least; my new Foredom flexshaft handheld rotary tool.  Happiness.  This beautiful piece of American machinery will allow me to drill, buff, polish, etc., et., to my heart's content.  I am looking forward to improving my use of this and to cut down the amount of time it takes me to finish pieces.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011