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So this is the second block print in a planned set of three. The first was HP Lovecraft’s quote and I can not believe it is already eight months since I finished it. Time flies, baby! I decided I had to like the authors of the quotes I chose, and feel inspired – see some …
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Day before Thanksgiving and my family is gathering, painting the old Halloween pumpkins. Of course I have to put an unrelated cat in my design. He’s grateful for mice. And here are some of the other pumpkins: Happy Thanksgiving, people of the US!
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So I have been thinking about creating a set of three 8×10 block prints based on cat quotes that have a little cat illustration somehow arranged with them. And for a few months I’ve been collecting cat quotes and ordering supplies from Dick Blick and generally pondering what I wanted to do. I chose to start …
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This has been a (mostly) visual blog, so I’m not sure how much y’all will like today’s post, because this is an audio one. But I worked on this project for my own love of audio. I’m one of those people that would rather be blind than deaf. And I’m obsessed with podcasts. Some of …
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Today’s cat was painted during a workshop for my work place. The assignment was to paint 1) one primary color that represents me 2) a second primary color near it that represents my coworkers 3) bring my color into the team color with strokes that represent my influence on them 4) use the third primary …
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So my neighbor (we’ll call her J here) used to have a black kitty she loved named Senko. And when Senko passed on, J had a stuffed animal cat she and her cousin traveled with and took photos of they called Senko and they still do it to this day. So while J was away, …
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Well, there really aren’t enough photos to make a collage. But here are the pictures I took daily of my neighbors’ cats while they were away. Some of Harry’s photos (the darker kitty) are blurry because he’s very shy and I sometimes only got a shot or two before he disappeared. And some of Will’s …
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My neighbors have gone away for a few weeks and I’m taking care of their cats. Since J’s worried about leaving them, I told her I would take pics of their cats and text her daily… and work it somehow into a cat project. But here are a few photos of the cute kitties. Here’s …
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My friend gave me this sticker today and I probably “squeed” like a little fan-grrrl with delight, I adore it so much. Definitely going on the GrubbyGrrrl-mobile (my car) somewhere. Is it not the cutest thing?! Other news, I just finished recording a couple of lines for a podcast novel that I love. If & …
I’m so excited to read y’all a little story today… with a cat in it of course. If you hang in to the end of it, there are silly outtakes. Hope you enjoy!
Blizzard by Joyce Lipman, Narrated by GrubbyGrrrl <– (y’all probably know this,
but just in case, click on the title to play the audio)
My plan is to add music and/or ambient noise and/or some sound effects to it in the future, but for my own personal reasons, wanted to get it out into the universe as a plain solo read now.
Have a great day!
Ok. You get the good, the bad and the ugly. This is the bad and ugly. I consider this project a fail, but I apparently want to make you suffer too since I’m sharing it. Ha ha – just kidding!
Started with some window markers I wanted to use. I brainstormed for a while. Decided I could use them to follow Noah Scalin’s prompt to make “a large version of something usually smaller.” What could you find on glass that is cat related? Footprints. Sometimes on a car. So I could make really big tiger-like footprints on my car. Oh so clever and funny as an idea. But not as easy to accomplish. Ahhh, it’s alright. I can’t be fabulous everyday! ;)
Window marker test – indoors, room temperature.
I put my own cats outside to get their feet dirty… (happy cats chased butterflies!!)
and made Chaos walk on my car (it wasn’t hot)… but didn’t get any footprints.
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So Cat 115 was a poster I made using information about one of my co-workers. And this is the poster another coworker made about me! Now this is a guest artist post, with a cat specifically made with this project in mind. :) I feel I need to explain some of the poster: I love Reese’s, …
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I don’t seem to be able to stop doing cut paper pieces. This “crafting frame” was on sale about a month ago and I purchased it. I like it because it’s small and white-washed. It doesn’t have any glass in it either, which I like. I picked it to work with last night because I …
Most time-intensive project yet. Almost 2 months to make this. Finally my first hooked rug is done!
I am happy and relieved and a little sad.
Voila! Finished rug.
I’m happy it’s finally done because I’ve been pushing myself to finish it “quickly” for weeks. Relieved because it really is done!! And a little sad because working on one project that is simple, manual work without much thought after it’s started is, as Mary put it on her blog, meditative. It also was easy to do during a work meeting, and I watched a lot of anime and TV while doing this, which is an uncommon treat. So I’ll miss the “easy”-ness of this. At the same time, I’ve been chomping at the bit, wishing it was done for weeks.
Every time I sat down to work on this, Chaos climbed up on the rug. What a helpful boy.
I bought it as a kit on e-bay and began hooking it 15 February 2012. I did take a week off to do the cut paper project. Finally finished it tonight, 5 April 2012. So, 7 and 1/2 weeks to finish.
This is where I ran out of black wool and worked on cut paper Cat 115 for about a week.
The e-bay vendor was great and sent me more black wool to complete the project.
When I finished all the hooking and took it out of the hoop, I had to resist the urge to call it finished and move on to the next project… but I know myself. I would never get back to it and it would bug me being half done. Better to finish it all up now.
Fresh out of the quilting hoop without a binding yet.
So I found this great tutorial on binding rugs and followed her technique. I started binding on 30 March and it took 7 days to bind it. Apparently I am much slower than the woman who wrote that great blog post!
A rare event: a real lunch break! I made it down to the Hudson River on a beautiful day and started binding the rug.
Binding in process (didn't have pins with me for the corners & used extra needles instead).
Finally the twill is all whipstitched and the rug is complete!
View from the back. Binding is finished.
White was a poor choice. I may rip this out and just stitch "GG April 2012" right onto the black twill with some upholstery thread.. or not.
Hooked rug... or new cat bed? Chaos makes his opinion known as I take photos for the blog.
Thanks to folks who “voted” and gave me feedback on the last post! Asante sana. I had my own preference before I posted, but I really was curious what y’all thought. My preference? Final projects. But if everyone voted the opposite, I would take that into consideration and ponder why I’m making my choices. I haven’t closed the voting, but at the moment there are 4 votes for “final projects only,” 3 votes for “process info along the way,” and 3 votes for “other”: 1) post finished projects with accompanying process photos, 2) post about other activities (Thanks for the suggestion. I do post little random life events on Twitter so you can check that out if you’re interested. The bulk of the rest of my life is spent working which I really can’t blog about), and 3) do whatever I want… which I planned to do anyway! :) So it kind ends up 6 votes for “final projects only.” We have a winner. And it’s a winner I like. Thank you again for your input!
(Even if you don’t read this post but could answer the poll question at the end, I’d be grateful. Thanks! – GG)
Just a quick post to let everybody know that I have obviously slowed down the making of cats as compared to last fall, but I am not going away. I found my previous cat production schedule was so intense that I wasn’t exercising, cooking, seeing friends, watching movies or anime, updating my budget, keeping up on mail, reading email, looking at blogs or FB, sleeping much or showering (ok, just kidding about the last one). Just not sustainable for me. And I’d really like to keep creating for a long time while staying healthy. And I’d like to do so while keeping my paying job that often requires long hours.
So, after debating many alternative names for the project, I decided to simply go from “365 Days of Cats” to “365 Cats.” They’ll all be created eventually and you’ll get to see them if you stick around. And this gives me freedom from feeling like I’m failing when I don’t produce one a day, which is my own problem. And I will feel better about spending many days on a single project when I want to tackle something time-consuming.
So there you have it.
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This is one of those projects that I am glad to see finished! Both because I like the final results and because it was very time-consuming. (My back will be happy, too!) This was actually part of a team building exercise at work. I interviewed one of my co-workers and then used the answers to …
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Still working away on the rug. I would probably have picked different colors if it didn’t come as a kit, but I’m really liking this project! (And it’s been fun to catch up on some anime while I’ve been working on the rug.) New photo app used to take the photo and apply a frame …
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I’m blaming my cat, Chaos. If I sit down to work on this project, he’s either in my lap or on the project (not helpful)….. But he’s so super cute, who could really get mad at him?! (Heartless people only, that’s who!) I have only gotten 3 cats finished in the month of February so …
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How many days do you want to see similar photos? I’m rug hooking along as fast as I can go… which it turns out is pretty slow. At least I’m leaving in most of the loops I put in, unlike when I first started and pulled out lots! Ha ha!
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I have no idea what I’m doing, so this little bit took hours. But I’m starting to get the hang of it. :)
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Puzzle cat. Need I say more? Okay, I need to say my index fingertips are numb from using an Exacto knife to cut the puzzle pieces. That is all. Okay, maybe I’ll chatter a little to say the design was inspired by primitive rug hooking patterns I’ve seen in a library book and on-line. I …
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“Make something that seems like it came from another era in history.” – Noah Scalin, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal Before starting… If it was nice out, I would have repeated the painting on a different rock – I’m happy with the horse, but not the lion. He’s too chubby and not quite positioned right. …
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Today’s cat was based on a suggestion from Noah Scalin’s “365: A Daily Creativity Journal” to make something using only numbers. I had several other number ideas sketched out. I was thinking of getting those plastic number magnets kids put on refrigerators from a thrift store, but I didn’t have the time today. I also planned …
I strapped my kitty armature to a flexible light to get its feet off the ground…
Being careful not to get epoxy in the center of the nuts on the threads.
And with the epoxy dried, here’s what the feet look like with the bolts in the armature’s feet.
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Good to be back creating! Working on today’s project, I had bolt cutters, pliers, wire-cutters all out. It felt more like I should be starting a home improvement project than creating a cat! I used 18 gauge aluminum wire, folded in half. I anchored one end in a vice and the other in a drill …
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Just back from a conference in Orlando, learned lots… (hmmm, doesn’t look like I followed directions well, huh? tee hee hee) brief cruise out of Tampa… to Cozumel, Mexico… which had CATS! that I felt the need to photograph. Catching up on some things at home, working many hours… and feeling really ready to start …
I am so touched! A friend of a friend who doesn’t know me, but follows this blog sent me a present over the holidays! I feel famous! And very grateful. And humble. So, I didn’t create it, but it definitely deserves a post. Complete with cute card and cat related goodness, I got a “Crazy Cat Lady” booklet, complete with solid information like, if you have an orange cat (my cat Chaos is buff orange), “Garfield comics still crack you up. Your ancestors are likely Irish.” [I am of Irish descent!]. And if you have short hair cats (both of mine are), “You could actually see how Michael Bolton could be handsome now that he’s cut his hair.” [Uh, not really.] If you have a long-haired cat, “As a kid, you loved brushing out the tangles in your Barbie’s hair.” [Must be why I don’t have one – I was a destroyer of dolls! Mwahahaha!] There is also a magnetized crazy cat lady with nine metal cats to stick to her. I can see my future now! Ha ha! I am so touched by the gift and the gesture. Thank you B!!!
And my dear friend gave me some earrings which I wore the other day and got compliments on. They are so cute, I wish I could say I made them! Thanks C!!!!
House renovations, crazy work hours and other life events are rolling along well. The cat creations will be back in February! :)
PS If you too want to send GrubbyGrrrl presents or just plain ol’ hard cash, email me for my address! LOL! Just kidding!! I entertain myself!
Hope you have a great day! Smooch a kitty!
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I want to explain: 1) Work is very busy – what’s new? 2) I’ve been a little under the weather, nothing big 3) We have some floors being redone in the house, disrupting life here quite a bit 4) And the fun part, I’ve been working on completing my new office/studio 5) Plus, I’m still trying to …
The suggestion I took today from Noah Scalin’s “365: A Daily Creativity Journal” was to write a 10 word sci-fi story. A quickie due to another long day, it is sadly not illustrated. I’m also including alternatives…. which more than doubled in number as I wrote this.
My fave first:
(This references a quote from the movie Blade Runner. Batty (Rutger Hauer): “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die.”)
(Yea, this one doesn’t quite work with only 10 words.)
(This also doesn’t quite work… the next explains a little better what I was thinking.)
(“Initiates” – such a sciencey word.)
(Is “lizard-like” really a single word?)
(Hmmm, doesn’t really convey that the cats eat it all.)
(This is what I think our cats would do…. well, they kinda do it already.)
(Another desire our cats have.)
(Some cats would love this. Probably not ours.)
OMG, I must stop & get to bed. That is too much fun! G’night all!
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Home from work late. Miss the practice of a daily cat. Even silly ones. And what to my wondering eyes does appear? A bowl of candy and nuts we got for Christmas… and a cat was born. (I have to admit the swirls in the candy made me think of the Cheshire cat, hence the …
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I really hate it when birds fly into our storm door and knock themselves out. A month ago we had two goldfinches (probably chasing each other) smack into the window – really hard. One was stunned enough to let me scoop him up and the second was actually unresponsive and laying on his side, he …
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Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a wonderful day, even if you don’t celebrate a holiday today. Today’s cat is our Christmas card for the year. Hubby and I agreed on an image & I cut the block (that alone took about 6 hours). Then I ordered the cards and envelopes (lesson learned: if you …
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Spent 12 hours today prepping and painting my new office/studio. I have missed working in quick cats while longer projects are underway in the background. So, speedy cats made out of primer and paint today. Silly and light and fun. And now they are gone and the walls solid color. And between layers of drying …
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Working on Christmas cards still. Perhaps bit off more than I can chew time-wise. Printed more of the lino cut block print cards with oil based ink today. They’ll take 36 hours to dry before I can add watercolors to them and then I have to fill them out. And yes, Christmas is in just …
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I feel like a superstar! Managed to get my stop motion tests to play on my computer, set up a YouTube account for this blog, and uploaded some videos. I love learning stuff. Makes me feel more competent. And speaking of learning things, I haven’t fully figured out copyright/trademark/creative commons license differences. I want to …
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Worked a bit on Christmas cards. Don’t want to spoil the design for those receiving one (although they’re not all that, really), but here are some teaser photos.
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We bought a desk for me from Ikea for an early Christmas gift, which I am excited about. I can totally use the space it will give me. But it has become a project to assemble it because I want the legs closer together then they were manufactured for. So, being no awesome construction worker, …
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Today I monkeyed around a little with photos of the bag and the cat. I also made a couple of wires that might be armatures or frames for a cat? First the wires: the thick I think might be too thick unless it’s a big cat of felt. The thin is too thin and won’t …
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My first guest artist for my blog: my stepfather! We spent the weekend visiting family for the holidays. And I post this in his honor. Though he honestly made this a week ago or so. Enjoy! This cat’s legs and feet are at the bottom of the photo coming at you, his tail in the …
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Drooled over this book for an hour after work in a book store. Amazing! And almost overwhelming.
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I’m a huge fan of animation. At the moment, anime (Japanese cartoons) is my love. Look at the historical beauty of the Edo period in the quiet “House of Five Leaves,” the gorgeous animation and slightly odd retelling of the classic, “The Count of Monte Cristo: Gankutsuou“. And my own beloved favorite, the fun “Samurai Champloo,” with wicked sword fights …
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Today’s lesson: I am not good at creating Tangrams! Ha ha! The assignment I followed from Noah Scalin’s “365: A Daily Creativity Journal” was to make a Tangram. I’ve been sick, had headaches, been busy (i.e. normal life). So I worked on these a few minutes each day for the last 3 days. I’m happy …
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Tonight’s cat is inspired by Noah Scalin’s challenge to make something from unrelated objects. Inspired by some really messy but sweet hand drawings I saw online tonight, I made tonight’s cat. I am, for whatever reason, the most charmed by its ears. I added a button body, but I’m not particularly fond of it. Warning: …
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I saw felting needles in my local craft store and became obsessed with finding out how they work. What do needles and loose stands of wool have to do with felt? So I bumbled around on You Tube for a while and came upon this video about how to make a felted dog, and modified …
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So… today’s cat was going to be part of an upcoming more elaborate project. Alas, it was not to be so. This is definitely a year of learning lots. (This apparently does not include grammar :) ). For instance, I learned if you want to have a polymer clay figure that can stand and you want …
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The challenge from Noah Scalin’s book that I took today, was to make something heavy seem light. Chaos the cat is actually on a diet (so he’s heavy – ha ha!), so I brain stormed with John Holser ideas to make Chaos seem light and we came up with the idea of having him jump …
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I played around on Vista Print’s website today designing business cards for fun. I couldn’t figure out how to color the white background where there wasn’t a photo, so I think I like the orange one best. Also most of my photos are full of whichever cat and so too “busy” to have a lot …
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John Holser of Digital Film Farm workshops is helping me with an upcoming project. We didn’t finish today, but here are some behind the scene photos of what we worked on. More to come!
I have a few time-consuming projects which are currently in the works. Some are just in my brain and I’m gathering supplies. A couple are almost finished, but I need some more parts for completion. So… you get another rather simple cat today. The prompt from Noah Scalin’s book that I followed was to make a cat out of my dinner. I think I laughed out loud when I pulled this corn chip out of the bag – it came pre-shaped! I just added some of my (ever-present) sprout seeds to make eyes.
Yum, tasty with salsa!
GrubbyGrrrl's 365 Cats 