Making

It was a Halloween sort of weekend. With the holiday on a Thursday, we used this past weekend to do those things which must wait until closer to the holiday, like pumpkin carving. I didn't do one this year, since I had already done the artificial ones and the pumpkin the youngest got on our outing to the pumpkin patch last week had already gone south. I gave her mine and helped her a bit. The one in the center there is a fake one...I just thought we need something else out there. I'll put the ones I carved out later, so you'll see them when the whole display is complete.

I did do some tatting on and off as I had a custom mask order over the weekend. Honestly, I'm still a little worried that the customer is expecting it in time for Halloween. As soon as I got the order I sent a message making sure they were aware that the mask needed to be made, wouldn't arrive in time for Halloween and I gave them an approximate ship date. So either they got the message and everything is fine or they didn't and I'll get an annoyed response in a few days. Or worse yet, I'll ship it and they'll cancel the order and I'll have to deal with all that drama. I am definitely hoping for outcome number one here.

The rest of the weekend that wasn't usual errands was used making sugar skulls. Well, made is probably not the right word, decorated would be more appropriate. I made one late year, but left it black and white. This year I made two and experimented with a little color. Of course these really have little to do with the Halloween decorations. It's just that this time of the year is the only time to buy the paper mache bases. These will be on display year round.

Then I had found some foam skull shapes on sale and girls and I decided to decorate them as sugar skulls as well. Currently they are in my front window for the holiday, but I have a feeling they might relocate somewhere in the house for another everyday decoration. We actually made and added a whole bunch more after I took this picture. Also taking pictures of windows is incredibly pointless, but I suppose you get the idea. We spent the weekend making things, now it's back to finishing up mask orders and schooling and errands and I miss the weekend already.

Stalling Again

I stayed on task like a good girl most of the day. For my troubles, I got a cuff bracelet made up and one mask finished. Okay, I did stall a bit in the afternoon and I doodled on this paper mache skull I got from Michael's with a paint pen. I've decided that I adore sharpie paint pens now. What else is a bit of a kick is searching for sugar skulls on etsy. It brings up quite a few things made with this same base...and generally not very well. Not that mine's a work of art mind you, but then again I'm not trying to sell mine. I know there's no shame in using supplies found at the local craft store to make things to sell, but it's always a bit of a trip to recognize somethings humble origin when online.

So today, it's a field trip to a pumpkin patch where they get all educational and teach the kids about farming and the water cycle and then the kids refuse to go in the maze because it's too dark, it's a covered hay maze. Yeah, we've been to this one before, but it should be fun and a nice break. I still have one more mask that needs to be remade so I will at least get started on that. I have been trying to make something new the last few days, but everything I have started failed. I'll keep at that too since I think I really need to make new things on a regular basis to keep my brain...you know working. Oh & now I'm thinking about making one of these skulls and tatting all the decorations to put on it...that's the stalling talking again. I'll get to work.

Dia de los Muertos

What a productive day for finishing things. First I wrapped up the sequins mask and presented it to the customer for approval. I was asked to make a small adjustment and once that was done, it was packed up and will be off this morning to its new owner. Once that was done I made the decision to go ahead and list the mask as a custom order after changing some of the listing language to reflect that.

The listing is back up, but look at the original photo, there are more in the listing of course and tell me how I did on the reconstruction from photos. I know it seems a bit taller than wide, but I swear it's the same shape on my face. I just wanted it to stand up on its own so I shaped it a bit for the photo. That's one of the fun parts about the wire base. Either way, the customer did like it so I am relieved and am moving on.

I also finished up the sugar skull mask. I did add a few sequins dotted along the edge with beads. I also decided on a string of extremely tiny seed beads lining the outside. These beads are so small, I have no needle small enough except the collapsible eye one I use for stringing beads. So I made a string and tacked it down every few beads. There were also more embroidered swirls as well as embroidery around the eyes and bottom edge. Even when I thought I was done, I went back and added another embroidered swirl. I know they are pretty subtle in the photos, but I think the details make all the difference when you're holding the piece in your hands.

I did also get out the good camera to get pictures of it. In fact I had the goofy thought that it might look good on my skull cookie jar. Yes, I have a skull cookie jar, this should not surprise you. What was surprising is that it lined up with the skull on the jar almost perfectly which was completely unplanned. In fact the only big difference is the shape of the eyes. In retrospect I should have gone for rounder eye wires, but I'm just so used to the cat eye shape. Maybe if the mask is well received I'll make another with different colored embellishments and the eye shape change, but there's no sense in getting ahead of myself. I almost like the cookie jar pictures enough to use them as the listing photos instead of modeled ones. I might try some out today and just see which look better, or perhaps both as I imagine people do like to see how it looks on a person before they drop that kind of dough on a piece.

So today I have a little remaking to do and maybe the afore mentioned photos. I have a lovely weekend planned with too much to do. There's the Captain America movie, a kids clinic at Lowe's and a get together at a friends house for some much needed grown up social interaction. Then I suppose Sunday is for resting so I probably won't have much to share on Monday. I hope you have a lovely weekend as well.

Masks, Masks, And More Masks

Ah, the other side of the weekend. It was a a fairly quiet few days aside from the huge, I must clean the house for no good reason, that came over me on Friday. Okay, so I do know what came over me...I was hitting rock bottom in a rut. These happen periodically, first I get tired of the routine and I start avoiding any extra cleaning beyond the necessary maintenance. Then annoyance at nothing cleaning itself wells up until I snap and spend two or three days cleaning carpets and floors and generally behaving is a mildly crazy way that frankly scares my husband a bit. This usually ends in a rant regarding all the things that annoy me and finally a realization and acceptance that most of these things won't change, but I will still be fine. I shrug my shoulders and get back to work.

So about that work. I spent much of Friday, when I wasn't cleaning, remaking the small things that had sold recently. Saturday I got to work a little bit on the new mask. I've reached the embellishment phase of the piece. Once the wires are covered these masks always take their form so quickly.  They go from a pile of loose lace to a nearly perfect mask form. For this one I've added black and red crystals as well as these silver filigree bits. I've only begun on the embroidery now. I'm using a black thread with a silver filament for this one. It pulls and separates a bit more than the silver I used for the other masks, but I wanted the black to pull the piece together a bit more. I do, however, have to put this one on the back burner again as I have a commission to work on.

Starting Saturday afternoon, there was a discussion with a customer the possible remaking of my first Masquerade mask. I explained that it was a one of a kind creation and that I could never remake it exactly and I pointed them to the newer one. Honestly, I didn't really think the customer was making a serious inquiry as the cost of the mask is so high it makes me immediately skeptical. The conversation went on after that when I further suggested that I could make something similar, but it would not be exact. To my surprise the customer returned Sunday with a thorough explanation of the elements they loved from the first mask and an obvious intent to purchase. So, I now have a commission with half paid up front to create a twin to the first mask. It will be a fraternal twin, but with the information the customer provided, I feel confident that I can create one that will please them. Hell, I wish all custom work came with such details.

I was a little uncomfortable with the idea of invalidating the first mask as a one of a kind creation though. Most of my pieces are easily recreated, but the ones I make with the intent to not remake...well, they are like a piece of art to me. I feel like part of their value is that there is not another one like it anywhere. So my intent with this commission is to create a piece similar enough to please the customer that is still one of a kind. It should be quite the challenge and of course all I will be doing until it is done. That reminds me, I need to buy more sequins.