Shabby Apple Overboard Dress Giveaway

>Shabby Apple Overboard Dress Giveaway

Hello

My name is Ferris. I like to climb on things. Can I have a banana?

giveaway from Poorly Drawn Things

Poorly Drawn Things is having an awesome giveaway:

* Four large Limited Edition giclee prints of the newest paintings: The Scavengers, Masked Mauraders, The Path to Righteousness and The Contortionist
* The Beginning and The End postcard set
* Two sticker sets: The Scavengers sticker set, and retro themed sticker set
* Two surprise gifts from the shop

To Enter: Just reblog this picture, or tweet about it on twitter with the hash tag #poorlydrawnthings. Winner will be announced next Wednesday via tumblr, facebook and twitter.

Check out the blog,too: http://poorlydrawnthings.com/

Such an amazing, talented artist...making me develop a painting inadequacy complex!

Bear Arms

So, this is the only artwork I've done in a while. I haven 't had much time to spend on artistic endeavors but I'm fairly pleased with this one. I was able to work on it while Ferris napped, which is a rare thing to get to do. It's a woodburning with watercolor tinting on a piece of poplar left over from a project. I'm really starting to enjoy making woodburnings with watercolor over the traditional paintings. It started out as a safety thing, less fumes and toxic things around for Ferris to find/consume/breathe, and now it's kind of growing on me.

Insomnia

I get a lot of the insomnia. Ambient light is a problem for me, which is funny since I used to regularly fall asleep with the light on, but that just doesn't happen nowadays. At my rescue is this tutorial:
Goodnight Owl
I love it. Here is my version:



So I made mine with fabric instead of felt only because the meowing creatures in the house will find a way to vomit on everything. It was still easy and simple, though, I was able to put it together during a fairly short Ferris nap. I've already used it and found it so helpful. Ferris also thinks it's hilarious to see it on my face so that's another plus!

Also, I've changed the name of the blog again. Like anybody's watching!

Pretty up your switch plates and outlet covers

Ferris took a long nap this morning so I decided to something I've been meaning to do for ages - make the switch plates and outlet covers pretty. I've done this before with paper from magazines, but the ink just doesn't hold up to sunlight and the fading becomes really obvious...something I wouldn't mind except that it happens more with some colors than others, and it just looks all blotchy. This is much neater and easier to do with fabric anyway.

What you need:
switch plate or outlet cover
piece of fabric at least 4" x 5.5" (or larger if you have a double or triple or whatever)
scissors
Xacto knife
tacky glue (or your other favorite glue...I like tacky, oh yes)
Small paint brush for applying glue

How to:
Take your brush and apply glue fairly liberally to the front of your switch plate or outlet cover.
Place switch plate or outlet cover on your piece of fabric.Like my sketch? I thought so.
Next, clip the corners of your fabric diagonally close to the corners of your switch plate or outlet cover. This will help avoid bulk in the behind of it all.Next, apply glue to the back edges of the switch plate or outlet cover and fold the fabric over and around.
Then use the Xacto to cut some neat lines in your fabric where the switch or outlet would be. Apply glue to the edges around the holes, and pull the fabric over and around.

Let dry. When it's all set, use the Xacto to stab the holes where the screw holds the switch plate or outlet cover into the wall, install and enjoy!Fancy, eh?

Let's See

Many things...

Ferris had his first birthday.


It is amazing to experience the growth of this little being from barely conscious newborn to the little person that he is. I can't think of anything that compares to it. The only thing that could make it better would be a change of scenery. Our apartment just isn't a good fit for our family now, and not just because it's an apartment, but it being in the "city" doesn't help. Manchester is just not really a city anyway as it lacks whatever advantages would usually be found in that type of location and yet has all the disadvantages of living in a suburb to boot. We've hit our saturation point of dealing with all the compromises of living here and just really need to get out.

I've hardly had a chance to draw but I have done some things...


This I came up with for a contest on Spoonflower with the theme of Civil Rights Toile. The civil rights part I have, women's suffrage, the toile not so much. But I like it and have already adapted it for t shirts. It's the closest thing I've done to art recently, anyway, and I'm pleased. Eventually I hope to get the paints out but I fear that once we put up the easel we'll be told to take it down by whoever is trying to sell our apartment. We will see, I can't depend on having the time or inspiration for it anyway.

We've been watching too much tv. It is unfortunately one of the things that calms Ferris. He doesn't watch much but likes the noise. He used to like music more, but I think he likes the sounds of people talking and the things going on. I think I've now seen Toy Story more times than I can count, and what's fun about having stopped my postpartum medication is that I'm a blubbering mess at all the sad parts. In a kids movie! Things are just oh so sad when you're a toy I guess.