How It Is

So says Hugh, and so say I.

Objet du Jour. . . With Gratitude

Ok, this is an odd one, I'll admit, but one from the heart. This is an Object of the Day that also serves as a Gratitude of the Day for me. Yes, that's right: a scissors. More specifically, the Softouch Micro-Tip Scissors, from Fiskars.

Most crafters know that Fiskars tools are of good quality: reliable, sturdy, user-friendly, and so on. But this little scissors above goes beyond that. It's a lifesaver. At least, it has been in my case, of late.

You see, for the past six or eight weeks I have had the worst case of tendonitis in my right arm that I have ever had. I can't just call it "tennis elbow" any more, because it has spread. (I know nothing of anatomy; I can only say that the pain has more locations and is brought on by SO many more types of movements.) If it's getting better, it's doing so at a rate so slow that I can't detect improvement at all. My doctor's advice: wear this arm thingy, take three ibuprofen three times a day, and don't use your right arm for the next two to six weeks.

Great. I am, of course, right-handed.

I do a lot of detailed paper-cutting in my craft work, and it brings me great pleasure. But it's one of the activities that brings the pain on. (Typing, somehow, does not.) I was in despair until I brought home the scissors in question.

I thought it might allow me to cut with my right hand. It didn't accomplish this. But here's what has totally blown me away: I can use it to do detail cutting with my left hand. With my left hand! Have you ever tried this? Try it now. Rip a picture of a person out of a magazine. Now, take a regular pair of small scissors and use your non-dominant hand (left, for us righties, and right, for you lefties) to cut around the person's outline, as though making a paper doll.

Are we having fun yet? Have you lopped off the person's arm? Or your own finger? For most of us, using our "other" hand for anything that requires fine-motor coordination is a disaster. Take a pencil and write this sentence with your left hand.

How's it going? Here's mine:

Mine is probably a little better than most as I've had more practice: I had a broken right wrist in 2001.

Ok, I know this is a goofy post and that I've gone on and on about something kinda trivial. But let me tell you. With the pain and discouragement I've had over this tendonitis thing, today's Objet has made a non-trivial difference in my life.

And for that I am grateful.

tags:
scissors
crafts
tendonitis
Fiskars

Coveted Design Objects (du Jour)

If you're like me (people who read designy blogs), there are probably some objects from the world of design--not just products from the world of retail--after which you have lusted in your heart. Here are some of mine.

Above is the Bubble Chair, designed by Eero Aarnio in 1968. Like a window seat, but with 360 degree visibility--what a great place to sit and read! Hanging in space, I'd be sitting like the younger girl, only my feet would be higher--I like to be almost upside-down sometimes. (Is that weird?)

On my "LEAVE ME THE %$!# ALONE!" days, (and I seem to be having more than my share of them lately), I long for the earlier version, the Ball Chair.
















Sometimes called a "room within a room," this would feel to me like a cave within a room, in a good way. I was the type of kid who would make a "fort" for myself in a closet and love the small, enclosed feeling of it. I guess I'm not claustrophobic!

At our current house, there is a cubby-loft off of the spare bedroom, above the basement stairs. It's mine. That's where I go when I have that "leave me alone" feeling--to hide, to read, to meditate, to pray. I do it even when I'm alone in the house!

Two things about this post. First, I thought I'd have time to do a roundup of my Coveted Design Objects, but I was dreaming. I'll have to return to this theme in later posts. And second, it turned out to be more self-revealing than I'd planned!

I'd love to know your Coveted Design Objects. Please do share by leaving a comment!

tags:
Bubble Chair
Ball Chair
Aarnio Eero

Objet du Jour: Funky Fabric

This "Heavy Equipment" fabric from equilter.com cracks me up--it rocks! And if beefcake's not your style, here's some cheesecake--"Heels on Wheels":
























tags:
fabric
prints

Objet du Jour

This one is mine. It's probably the most fun I've had making something "crafty," and it's not quite done but I've sort of reached a "now what" stage with it.

You can click the photo to make it bigger, but also here are some detail views.



I have wanted to do some assemblage pieces for quite some time, but have trouble working with a "theme." Ever since I've tried doing it by working within a color scheme it's gone much better for me.

I guess I need to find a way to mount it and frame it. Oh, and first spray it with some sort of fixative. I guess those are the "now whats" that come next.

tags:
assemblage
collage
crafts

Objet du Jour

Now that's clever!

10.00 Euro at Atypyk.

Via someone, bless them, but I can't remember who. Apologies.

Bunnies on Etsy

Carrot Bunny Bead by margolampwork.

























Felt Pirate Bunny by miomio.























Joe's Day by Fourcrows Art.

























Bunny Rabbit Hat by glitzconcepts.




















Li'l Peepeye Critters by the peepeyes.

tags:
bunnies
Etsy
handmade

Objets du Jour

Just in time for Easter! (Can you sense my false enthusiasm here? I mean, it's a cute bunny whatnot holder, but my heart's just not in it. I'll just keep going through the motions for now, and we'll all hope my posts get back to normal soon.)

The Robin Hook is certainly not a robin, only a play on words. This fun, functional bunny has a variety of uses. The floppy ear and kicking legs provide great resting places for jewelry everyday or while you're in the shower. Lay pens and pencils across its legs. Available in Gold, Pink, Blue, Green, and Clear.

It would be cute to have a row of them lined up at the bottom of the bathroom mirror, all in different colors, holding toothbrushes and razors and such (*yawn*).

$2.95 at Modern Motive. By Orca. (Wait! Before you click the Orca link, turn your sound down! They have stupid music playing on their site!)

Oh, look--Orca has an actually very cool fly swatter. Who knew?


tags:
Robin Hook
Jing
fly swatter
Orca

Having Orca in my Technorati tags should get me lots of hits from people looking for killer whales. Or a database editor. Or a free online web desktop. Or open source assistive technology for people with visual impairments. Or the Old Reel Collectors Association. Or Triathalon Wetsuits. Or the Texas Office of Rural Community Affairs. (I had a bit of difficulty finding the Orca site I was looking for. Or did you pick up on that?)

Objet du Jour

Just in time for Easter (except not really, as they're on back order), A Dozen Eggs Vases. I'd fill each with some of that green plastic grass and top it off with jellybeans.

$29.95 at Signals.Com.

via this next.

tags:
Easter
vases

Objet du Jour

I am amazed and delighted by this mixed media collage by flickr user manvs.nature. You simply must view it in a larger size--just click on the image and, voila! Extraordinaire!

The user manvs.nature is illustrator Colin Johnson, and you can see more of his work not only on flickr but here. Very, very good stuff.

tags:
mixed media
flickr
Colin Johnson

Objets du Jour - What's French for Twofer?

These shoes from The String Republic are called "Anger," but I think they're, well, pretty. Available at Karmaloop for $60.00.









The Gunfighter, the Bandit and the Saloon Girl. Before you go looking for these great t-shirts, do what I didn't do: read the fine print. They're not available yet. A collaboration between :phunk studio and Levi's Europe, for the Spring/Summer '08 collection.

If I start saving my pennies now . . .

t-shirts via highsnobriety.

tags:
shoes
karmaloop
String Republic
t-shirts
:phunk studio
Levi's Europe

We've Got a Winner!

The winning logo design, seen above, was submitted by Tawnya of Flutterbot. The delay in posting this had to do with licensing issues regarding the font, but that's all taken care of and it's all good!

Tawnya submitted a total of four logo designs, any one of which would have worked nicely, but this one is my favorite.

I thought it might be fun for you to see the books Tawnya chose:




















Frankly, I'm as impressed with her choices as I am with her design skills!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to add the logo as the header of my blog and put a permanent "Logo Design by . . . " note in the template. I don't really do HTML . . . what I really need is a web designer. . . can't afford one. . . maybe a contest?

Many thanks to Tawnya, and to all who submitted logos!

tags:
Logo Contest
Flutterbot
web+design

From the Steals & Deals Files

Now that I have your attention . . .

Just a quick post to let you know that YOOX.COM is offering an exclusive deal to all of its affiliate sites, of which I am one: free shipping on all items until April 3rd!

Just enter coupon code "shop@yoox" at checkout. Have fun!

Objet du Jour: ShapeSkapeS

First, an apology: I know I've missed quite a number of jours lately. Busy, busy, busy. In any case. Today we have ShapeSkapeS - Sculpture in a Box.

You may recall my delight upon receiving a Zolo-a-Go-Go for my birthday:

I continue to be delighted by this wonderful toy. But does it curb my object lust? Oh my, no. Not when I find there is something that looks to be just as much fun.




















From their website:

Designed by Los Angeles based sculptor Peter Mayor, and influenced by the dynamic sculptures of modern 20th Century artists, ShapeScapeS inspires anyone from 6-96 to create an endless array of fantastic structures.

With over 90 organic shapes in seven different colors, budding artists get to dreamscape and shapescape any which way they want. Thoroughly versatile, easy to pull apart and reassemble, ShapeScapeS allows one to create anew, again and again. The sculptures can be easily recognizable – a person, an animal, for example - or some unique, abstract construction. In any case, all ShapeScapeS sculptures can be proudly displayed on tables, walls, or even hung as mobiles.

This last one looks particularly poetical, don't it?

ShapeSkapeS are available at Zipper for $35.00. With both Christmas and my birthday long since past, together with the "no money in, no money out" rule, together with the "no money in" fact of my current life, this must remain, for now, on my wish list.

tags:
ShapeSkapeS
creative toys

Logo Contest

Just a quick post to let you know that submissions for the logo contest are now closed. I will post the winner as soon as one is chosen--within the next few days.

Objet du Jour

"Glamour Girl" hand tufted rug. $167.00 at Twinkle Living.

Adorable.

tags:
Twinkle Living
rug
Glamour Girl

Mark Michaelson: America's Least Wanted

The mugshot as art. I can see it, can't you? The arresting eyes, the reflection in the mirror--certainly not done at the time for an artistic effect, but accomplishing one nonetheless. The photo is captivating, especially out of context, which is how graphic designer Mark Michaelson found and published the mugshot, and the others in his 2006 book, Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots.

Michaelson's book is the subject of a recent article in Smithsonian Magazine. From the article by Katy June-Friesen:

Why, exactly, were the pair of Fresno cross-dressers—clad like modest housewives—arrested on successive Tuesdays in 1963? What sort of upbringing, if that's the word, befell a Pennsylvania boy known as Mouse, who was arrested in the 1940s at ages 13, 14 and 18? We can only wonder. If the pictures are short on detail, they still add up to a vivid, impressionistic archive of American metamorphosis: bowler hats and beehives; Depression-era vagrancy and a 1970s narcotics bust; the arrival of Irish, German and Italian immigrants; the first wave of anti-Communism, in the 1930s, with the accused Communists' mugs mounted on pink cards; and the racism, as in the description of a Missouri man (a "close mouthed Negro who is probably committing burglaries"), who was arrested in 1938 for stealing "several pairs of stockings."

On the whole, the article makes a good case for these photographs as a subject of our interest and attention. Why, then, does June-Friesen describe Michaelson's publication as "a book slicker than an L.A. loan shark"?

















The question nags at me. I may have to email her and ask.

tags:
Mark Michaelson
mugshots
Smithsonian Magazine

Fridge Magnets: A Work In Progress

Remember the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players?" These are my "Not Ready For Etsy Yet" fridge magnets. I need to figure out how to clean up the glue that's still showing without de-taching the objects. Crafters? Help?

Objet du Jour

Beth Williams is a glass bead maker, metalsmith and jewelry designer. I'd be ecstatic to be any one of those things, each of which can take a lifetime to master. I particularly love this necklace: the shape and iridescence of the glass beads makes them unique and beautiful, and they work nicely with the pearls. The overall composition of the piece is lovely: a simple pattern works best with those extraordinary beads.

tags:
Beth Williams
art jewelry
glass beadwork

Last Call for Logos

Just a reminder that the submission deadline for the Eclectic Detective Logo Contest is tomorrow at midnight. Ok, any time before I wake up on Saturday. (I'm on Eastern Standard Time, and I sleep in on Saturdays).

I have received some wonderful entries, and would like to receive some wonderful more. Just in case you haven't been following this in the play-by-play manner that I would wish for, you can click here for previous posts, which include official rules, prizes, and so on. The printed list of books is finally complete, and can be found here. It really is an impressive list, and I'd be surprised if a person couldn't find five books they'd love to have among them.

Again, any submit logos in jpeg format (and/or any questions) to lisaj32@yahoo.com.

I look forward to seeing a full mailbox!

tags:
logo contest