My boss in lab (oh yeah, I have a lab position now; more on that later) is one of those people whose minds seem to run at a rate and capacity an order of magnitude greater than the rest of humanity. This can make following him hypothetically difficult, though I think I've managed well thusfar (as long as he doesn't unknowingly switch languages or start quoting Shakespeare). I lag like dialup on Youtube, but even if I'm buffering about as fast as glass flows I get where I'm going eventually. One day, however, we were discussing my work and my ever-irksome schedule and I totally and completely lost my connection.

Error. Empty dial tone, blank screen. Bzzzzzt. Noticing my confusion, my boss paused.

"I've lost you train of thought, is all." I explained.

"I don't have a train of thought." he replied (and to get the full effect, you'll have to imagine this in an Irish accent). "I have thousands of trains, all running at once, and I'm just trying to keep them from crashing." His image lit up like a lightbulb in my mind, because I'm like that too. It shows in my work and school, in my writing and conversation, in my reading and learning and yes, in my crafting. Now I can put it into words, or even better, into images.

So what trains do I have running which are at all relevant to this blog? I'm still working on the cross-stitch and embroidery, but my progress has not been notable enough to deserve photography. The mittens, however, I can't resist snapping shots of:

Thrums delight me.

My progress has slowed considerably with the end of Spring Break, but I'm determined not to let the project slip off into inactivity. Mittens, particularly thrummed ones, are just too cool a train to let rust in some forgotten junkyard somewhere.

Remember this comb, which I claimed I was keeping for myself? I changed my mind. I want this one more:


Green

I haven't worn the other one yet, so I have no qualms against selling it (probably titled something like "Blackberry Vines"- thanks grrlpup). I'm not real good at doing my hair- for one, it's quite fine, and for another I've never been much of a girly-girl in that way and thus never really learned the art- making a lasting bun remains an arcane and alien idea to me. I'm proud when I can put it up in pigtails which aren't lopsided, much less figure out how to work in decorations like this. I'm always up to learning new things, though, even girly-girl ones... so I'll try new things and I'll keep a comb or two.

Finally, I've been playing with my ancient Sculpey stash.


Skulls

The eventual hope is to use up said Sculpey stash, but that may just take a while. There's a lot of it, and most of my grand ideas require a pasta machine.

One last thought: I'm notoriously bad at finishing things- I can prevent most major collisions in my train-conducting duties, but I'll be damned if I have time to get them all where they're going. This is something I'm working on.

I think I'm going to write a manifesto for this blog, and maybe a few other things. Seems like a good dawn-of-the-year activity, no? A manifesto is defined as a statement, a public declaration, of personal intentions and principles- something I've always thought was important to keep clear and straightforward in my own mind, whether I take the time to write it out or not. It helps to clearly know what you want, what you're doing, what's driving you; how can you accomplish your goals if they're nebulous and unformed even in your own imagination?

Also, Manifesto is a cool word. I like words. I like words a lot.

What little gems do I have to unload upon you today?

So-called

Hey look, knitting! The pattern is My So-Called Scarf, and it's being made as a (very) belated christmas present for a friend. The "very belated" is because knitting such a cool pattern in plain old black is boring, and I am very bad at boring when it comes to my own hobbies. It's a hobby. Its purpose is to be interesting.

Still, even while boring, it's pretty and an easy stitch pattern. I may have to make my own next (in an interesting colorway, of course).


So-called, Redux

I've got a few thoughts on this next project. First off: when a crafting trend appears in Michaels, you know it's been played out. So it was with the centerpiece for this necklace.


Trendy

Second thought: I've never let what was popular or unpopular dictate what I like (is NOT liking something because its trendy really any better than being a trend-whore?), and damnit, I like birds. I mean come on! Extant therapods! And seeing as my wardrobe is largely devoid of these painfully popular icons of craft, I think I'm allowed a single necklace without turning in my "creative and original" card.

I figured while I was riding one trend to its inevitably messy end, I might as well take my first try at another: asymmetry. Never done it in a necklace before. Still not sure how to make it look good.


Don't Need Your Symmetry

Third thought: as I'm sure many of my fellow craft bloggers know, taking a picture with the self-timer is a fine art. I am no fine artist. Witness my many failures to bring you the utterly mediocrre shot below.


Screw it! This works.

Yeah. Some day, when I'm rich, I'll have a personal photographer.

I have today and tomorrow off and then Spring semster begins. I plan to touch on all of the following projects and activities in that time:

-Clean the house. All of it. Include in this further getting-rid-of-stuff. Focus particularly on cleaning up desk and/or project room. Also, clean up blog if there's time.
-Work on sea serpent painting (oils)
-Work on land fish painting which you haven't seen yet (gouache). It's an experiment- I recieved the gouache supplies for christmas, and quite like the medium so far.
-Continue embroidering a shirt of mine, for to make it awesome.
-Go to a movie or two.
-Post all the random stuff I keep tossing up here to the store
-Give the art journal some attention
-More pictures to ye olde picture book, in preparation for the batch I'm going to order from this last trip
-Upload the pictures from this last trip (and any other pictures I may want) to the place from which I order them, which is typically Snapfish.
-Go to the gym today. Monday will be a rest day.
-Finish my Mp3 player's quick thrown-together case, for to wear to the gym. I dropped it a few times too often whilst lifting yesterday.
-Find my !@%$^# DPN so I can knit those #@!$^& gloves. I have a knitting itch, and I need that lost DPN to scratch it
-Finish a letter to a penpal and get it in the freakin' mail already.
-Maybe play a little with black and white and/or color accent photography. It's been on my mind.

Damn, that's a lot. No time to lose!

"How hard can it be?" says I, as I stare at my computer screen. "You made it. Your brain was going before, during, and after you made it. How hard can it be to come up with a few engaging thoughts to put down?"

Meanwhile, the only response from the rest of my poor cerebrum is an empty buzzing, like a disconnected phone line. Doo-doo-beep! We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not available. Bzzzzzzz.

Riiight.

So. I made this thing.

The Necklace

I've been thinking about making something like it for a while; something with that blue-painted porcelain theme which has been floating about my neurons for ages. It seemed like it would integrate quite painlessly into jewelry, particularly once I found this great centerpiece bead.


Heron

And so off I went. Grab some transite, some findings, string a pretty line of beads. Simple. And hey, while I've got all these matching beads flaoating around, why not make a set?


I couldn't stop at the necklace.

Yep. That's a necklace all right, and earrings too. Made it all by myself.

*crickets*

Heck, I've been making all sorts of little things for which I can think of nothing to say -which is sad, because I'm so full of babble for my ideas before they get made that I spend more time flirting with my imagination than actually producing results. I like to make stuff, don't get me wrong, but I really like to think about making stuff.

Maybe the act of creation exorcises all that for me: what I needed to express is right there in my handiwork, and no longer in my head. The words and ideas have found their outlet and drained from my brain into the real world and all I'm left with is this empty, blog-killing buzz.

Well, that's not all I'm left with. I come out with some pretty cool do-dads too.


For me! Maybe.

Picture's worth a thousand words anyway, right?

Thought of the day: online package tracking is the ruin of all happiness. Oh yes.

With finals over and winter break upon me, I have returned to the making-of-stuff. In traditional Tala fashion, I began easing myself back into non-academic creative endeavors with jewelry. First, a huge pile of one of my more popular (and simple) earring designs:

Cherry 'Splosion

One pair is reserved, but the rest will go into the store as soon as I can find some more damn French hooks. Next, a couple of bracelets made to test out an approach for bigger projects in the future. First, in bright yellow and teal:


Something Like Sunshine


Close-up

And then in goldstone and quartz, like this set (which I may just add it to):


Goldstone and Quartz


Woven

The wire is tigertail and the number of strands, variable. Next I think I’m going to try this technique as a tube of some sort. I also think a thick choker made with an insane number of wires and either small sparkling beads or something inherently industrial –something bought at the hardware store, not the bead store- would be quite effective.

More to come! I recently completed a couple of necklaces, and today I’ve got a pair of earrings or two to assemble before I branch out into non-jewelry-related crafts; namely, the creation of a fascinator, knitting, and some embroidery. Also, I must paint, and maybe even go to a movie with some friends. I will fit all of this in between finishing my Christmas shopping (woe and agony!) and packing up so I can drive off to meet family tomorrow.

*gulp*

I suppose I better get started, yeah?

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, people and creatures and credit-card carrying inanimate objects of all ages, watch this spot! Tell your family and tell your friends: the first major Corvus corax update in months is drawing ever nearer! This update will be your first and last chance to get your hands on old friends, dark secrets and long-awaited favorites from the Corvus design family!

Hmm. Clearly, I am not cut out to write advertising copy. I may, however, have a future as a circus sideshow announcer.

Rainy Morning

Today the sun rose and set in rain. I was up before dawn and heard this particular storm start, and walking to and from my first class my jeans and sandals were soaked through.


Soaked

This is due to my unfortunate inability to pass by a rain puddle without jumping in it feet-first, no matter how cold the rain nor how impractical my shoes. It's one of my proudest bad habits.

The Big Fat Store Update (TM) work proceeds apace and eats hours of time I’d rather spend making stuff- that’s okay, though, because I’m low on money for to buy materials to make stuff, and thus it is good that I’m writing up item descriptions, editing photos and calculating shipping rather than crafting (though I should be studying- I’m always putting something or other off). This way, I can afford more materials to make stuff.

Some things you might recognize that’ll be going into the update include a kilt pin from this post, the lovely aventurine set from this post, vintage bottlecap necklaces that have been languishing in boxes forever, all sorts of joy from this post and more. I’m also proud to announce that I’ll be using this update as an opportunity to add international shipping rates to Corvus corax items. These rates will be for USPS no-frills-no-thrills First Class (which makes me wonder- there is no Second or Third or indeed any other class, and while First Class is about as basic as it gets, so why the name something-special?), though I’m willing to get insured/tracked/expedited service if international buyers would please message me first for a corrected shipping rate. Thus far I’m trying to hit some major countries as far as Etsy presence goes –Canada, the UK, Australia- and some which have been requested, like Singapore. I’ll add others as they get requested as well.

Note to self: include that information in shop announcement. Yes. So much to do, so much to do! I’m a little white rabbit with a pocket watch in hand, skittering along with one paw holding my head to my neck.

Onward, then, towards that very important date.

* * * *

People take pictures of me. It's like a little treasure hunt every time I google image search "Colorado Renaissance Festival"- find my friends, find myself. Tis all part of the glory and glamour of being a pirate. For real.

Those are good pictures. I wonder if I could get my my little pirate hands on a print or two?

* * * *

The vintage quickie earrings I sent off to the Sampler garnered quite a lot of (largely positive) comments, so guess what I've been up to?


Pile o' Charms

Ther entirity of my usable "vintage charm" stash is in that picture and once they're gone they're gone, so that's another reason to keep an eye on this whole shop update thing I've been waving about like a white flag at Appatomax. The first ones off the pliers were quite simple:


Red Giant. Get it? Stars, and red and so red giant? *is geek*

I've got four more pairs made as of this instant, and will probably be able to eke out a good handful more before my well runneth dry. I'm also working on a bracelet in a new style that rather fascinates me- if it works out, I see many necklaces and bracelets and such like this in the future. Unfortunately I haven't photographed it, and with the cloudy skies we've got going on right now, won't get good lighting to do so before sunset. Alas, you shall have to wait until tomorrow to see what this newest little diversion is.

What all are you crafting, my friends?