Koto

Koto is a Geisha in training.  Koto means harp in Japanese.  She was named Koto, because even as an infant she could make beautiful music on the harp.  Koto can't explain why he is so gifted at the harp, it just comes very naturally to her.  Sometimes she wonders, however, if her harp playing abilities sucked up some of her other abilities.  For example, she finds it very difficult to dance.  When she tried to move around gracefully to music, her feet don't cooperate.  They start to feel heavy like an elephant's would and then she usually ends up stomping around and feeling foolish.  She has a pet goldfish, though, named Hisa, who is very encouraging and never snickers when she tries out her moves in front of her.  

Koto is here.

Joseph and I saw Young at Heart.  Sooooooooooooooo  great.  Please go see it.  I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love it.

Here is a snippit of it.  I think he has a voice like Johnny Cash and that his rendition of Fix You by Coldplay is so beautiful.  They also do a couple of Talking Heads songs, and they are my fave-fave-favorite.  

I also developed a minor crush on the Young at Heart choir director.  He's so cool.  

Amaya and Hank

Amaya is training to be a Geisha.  Amaya means "night rain" which are two of Amaya's favorite things.  She loves to drink tea and stare at the moon at night before bed.  She has a teeny, tiny sketch book and in it she draws portraits of the moon with her very sharp pencils.  She also loves the feeling of rain on her nose.  She never uses an umbrella, and gets very excited when she sees the clouds darkening because then she knows the rain will come.  When no one is watching she jumps in the puddles.

In Hank's graduating class he was voted "Best Looking".  Hank used his good looks to pursue an acting career.  He was in a short sitcom about the wild, wild west.  He played a cowboy.  Unfortunately, the show never took off after the pilot episode.  Hank thinks the failure of the show maybe due to its low-budget production.  The director couldn't afford horses, so Hank had to ride around on a toy horse, the kind that is just a hose head on a stick.  Since then, he has been doing commercials about cereal.  His favorite kind is Peanut Butter Crunch.  He loves a good crunch, yes sir.

I got my order from Bee Square Fabrics yesterday, and in it was all this Joel Dewberry fabric.  It's called the Aviary and Paperweight Chocolate selection (I got the fat quarter bundle).  I couldn't get it out of its plastic fast enough!  I knew that part of its destiny would be a side-burned pillow monster.  It has been my plan to start being a little more organized, so I cut out 2 Hank shapes out of the fabric and I will make another one to send to the magazine, since Hank the original is over here.  If anyone else wants to send some softies in to STUFFED, they have this open call going on.  It took some digging, but I found the rules and info and things here, but you have to scroll down to the bit where it says "Call for Softie Artwork".  

A Sunny Sunday equals

An unfinished pillow monster.  For shame!  But, it was a beautiful day.  There was a lot of frisbee throwing, ice cream eating and porch sitting going on in Bloomington.  Albert was in hog heaven, because we went on about 500 walks.  This was the first beautiful day we had amongst a lot, a lot of rainy ones.  So, here is another Geisha that I plan on finishing today and posting in my shop probably by noon:

I did have a chance to work on Photoshop more.  I am reading a book that has really been helping--and thanks Mary for your advice--I really can't wait to scan in fabric and play around with that.  So, Jeremiah the paper pirate boy is complete.  It's nice to have him back, he sits by my machine and motivates me to keep sewing or he'll make me walk the plank.  He also sits over here waiting for someone to adopt him.  

And here are some blurry drawings of a group of monsters that I want to send into a magazine, to maybe be featured in, called STUFFED, that will be coming out in January.  The top three will be repeats, but the bottom two will be new.  I am really looking forward to making one with sideburns (bottom left). 

Buster Brown was featured on the front page of Etsy yesterday.  This is big news in the Etsy world, and I have to thank my lovely, silly Belgium friend for letting me know.  You need to see her flickr here and her blog here--her clay work makes my heart beat very fast.  Mister Buster Brown looked really funny because he was surrounded by all these beautiful, colorful, happy objects and he was just snarling and looking mad at things.  

On a non-pillow-monster-related-note, Joseph and I and a couple of friends have FINALLY started season 3 of Battlestar Gallactica---we had a mini-marathon last night and watched 3 in a row.  I needed to write it because it is the greatest show ever.  I'm not really into futuristic Star Trek-esque stuff, but this show has the greatest characters and it is just very interesting.  I give it 2 thumbs up.

Johnny Boy and a Geisha

Johnny Boy's grandma sewed him up a this Super Hero costume to romp around in.  Johnny Boy really wants to wear it to school, but his dad doesn't think it is a good idea.  His dad says, "Well, that may distract you from your studies, Johnny Boy."

But, Johnny Boy disagrees, and he thinks it's rude if Super Heroes don't wear their Super Costumes because then people can't recognize who to call out to for help when something horrible happens.  Like, for instance, when Sally McSue dropped her contact lens in calss and couldn't find it, Johnny Boy could spot it from across the room, but because he was wearing his denim overalls and not his Super Costume, she asked Billy Bob to help her instead.

This is a custom order Geisha, I haven't thought of her story yet, but I know her name will be Hoshi and that she cut these flowers for Judy, whom she is a birthday present for.

The photoshop trial did not go well.  Because I "blog" now and because I have an "online shop" I have forgotten what a doofus I am, and have mistakingly considered myself computer savvy.   What I want to do is so simple in my head, but when I pop in Photo Shop, three windows appear with tiny little icons of mysterious tools: some which make sense, like the paint brush, others which belong to cowboys, like the lasso.  And, the tool I essentially paid for when I bought Photoshop has vanished.  Where is the paint bucket?   Where could it be?  Did someone drop it on their toe, get really mad and take out their anger on PhotoShop by replacing it with a band aid?  This tool is there--the band aid!?   *$%#(@)!! 

The whole experience took me back to my college days where people tossed around the phrase "Photo Shop" all the time.  "Just Photo Shop it!"  they'd say.  "Just Photo Shop YOU!"  I'd say.   Joseph promised to help me.  I don't know where he has been learning the secret ways of Photo Shop, but he apparently knows some.  

Sorry to be so grumpy this morning!  Have a great day--maybe I'll be able to show you a pirate paper doll tomorrow.  Cross your fingers for me please!