paradox :: soft guns

soft guns. in light of police shootings and folks murdering one another daily with guns in the united states, what could be more paradoxical than a set of cuddly guns? especially ones with happy, cheerful, bright flags extending from them, cartoon gun style? these were my contribution to our spring exhibition in creagive, our local group of creative souls.

paradox :: a whole bouquet of soft guns

i think i also made them as a way of working through how i felt about mom's bowling ball bags full of handguns and ammunition that we found in her car last december. i still can't breathe when i think of what she might have done with those guns in a fit of alzheimer's-induced paranoia while she was still alone out in her house. and a state that renews a permit to carry a concealed weapon for an elderly woman with dementia, when they've just ruled her unfit to drive. unfit to drive, but fine to go around with four loaded handguns. now that's a paradox.

i find myself thinking about that obsession my mother has with guns. especially one old, wonky 22 rifle that belonged to her uncle adam. a memory of him wanting her to have it has imprinted on her otherwise swiss cheese brain. interestingly, her sister, whose memory is just fine, tells a different tale of how mom got that gun - rushing to sergeant bluff to get it before a cousin could snatch it up after uncle adam died. it wasn't presented to her in solemn ceremony after all. and for some reason, it's the one thing she can remember these days. she's constantly asking my sister when she will bring it to her so she can go hunting. as if one hunts pheasants in the middle of the summer with an old 22 that doesn't shoot straight. as she stamps her foot and hisses in frustration, she doesn't seem to understand that she won't be going hunting again. maybe i should send her a soft gun to comfort her.

and you can have one too, if you're interested -  you can find them in my shop on big cartel - price is €70, including shipping. they are one of a kind and i will not be making any duplicates, tho' i may make more eventually. it was quite therapeutic to sew these up.

new stitched-up photos now available!

just listed in MPC - the shop - a batch of stitched-up photos - get them while they're hot!

and now you can even "like" MPC - the Shop on Facebook

(yes, i finally broke down and made a page.)

oh, and if you're looking to secure a christmas present, i just put my whirlygig snuggle quilt on sale.
just making room for more fun stuff in the near future.

now available (round 1)

new stitched-up photos - now available on big cartel

two new quilts - now available already sold on big cartel

old norse series: a new set of feather touchstones with the names of nordic mythological goddesses
for the goddess in you.  on etsy.

i took photos for over an hour yesterday and i'm still nowhere near finished with editing, resizing and writing listings! it's a process that takes a long time! but i will be adding items to the shops all week.  still to come...fish, clarity birds and feather scarves (as soon as i figure out how to best photograph those) and a few other surprises.  i'd better go get some more photos while the light is good!

stitched up photos

a limited selection of stitched up photos are now available in my big cartel shop! they are one-of-a-kind, totally unique and there will never be another one like them (can i say it any other way?). they're a professional photo, not just one i printed myself and feature fun stitching and fabrics. the titles are done on cute woodgrain on my dymo junior, which adds a very whimsical touch (as if aliens weren't whimsical enough).  they're signed and dated and mounted with archival tape on high quality passepartout - ready for you to frame (size 5x7"/13cm x18cm)! so get them while they last!

i will be doing more batches of these as well as cards in the very near future.

sorry for all the exclamation points, but i'm rather excited about these. they're just so much fun!

just listed - a limited number of feather stones

i've just listed a few feather stones in my big cartel shop. don't worry, i've also saved a few to put back on the beach the next time we go. and remember, you can also win what is quite possibly the best one by leaving a comment on this post over at se'lah's place.

finding balance

trinsch is right, it's totally therapeutic drawing feathers. during about a week without internet (ok, five and a half days, but still), i found myself painting a lot of them. the problem is that these little feathers just leap out onto the stone and i'm done with them so quickly, so i have to paint another one.  soon we'll have to return to the beach for more stones.

something just appeals about this juxtaposition - light and heavy, delicate and solid, cool and warmth. i think somehow it's about balance, finding harmony. i have one that i haven't photographed yet. i did it in teal and black on a rather dark stone, modeled on a feather we found in singapore last summer. and i've been carrying that one in my pocket. feeling the cool smoothness and the reassuring weight of it in my pocket when it all gets to be too much. i think the stones remind me of the weightier things...of what's important and the feathers remind me to take things more lightly, to float above it all. and the two together help me remember to try to keep it in balance. good reminders and exactly what i'm needing at the moment.

interesting how you find your way to these things exactly when you need them.

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i've done up quite a few of these and tho' i thought about putting them back on the beach,

i will be putting a few of them in my big cartel shop later this week.

as soon as the sun returns and i can get proper pictures.

little reminders about balance.

to carry in your pocket.

clarity birds - the spice line - now available

i spent a lot of time this weekend making up a big batch of clarity birds. i call them the spice line and they have names like sage, sassafras, parsley and cinnamon. there are four that are a bit more posh (think "diamond" necklaces) they're available individually in my big cartel shop. i've also put up a listing for a whole flock of 7 clarity birds and the shipping is free on those, plus, you get to pick the colors.

 posh - chili

 basil

sassafras

these, along with fourteen others, are in the shop. note that it's my big cartel shop, not my etsy. i decided they would stand out a bit more on big cartel. it seems so noisy on etsy at times.

i wasn't the only one sewing this weekend, husband's oldest announced that she wanted to make a quilt and after rooting around a bit in the stash, she started to make one with bright, plain fabrics in 15cm squares. it's gonna be so cool when it's finished! i may have to make one myself!

checking the layout late last night in bad lighting. still looks totally cool, doesn't it?

i even succumbed and used flash (gasp!)

and a view of the colors in daylight.

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thanks everyone who left their thoughts on my post about being discovered by people from high school on facebook. you helped me a great deal in my thinking about the whole thing and i appreciate that.

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here's wishing everyone a productive week!