More Adventures in Crafting

The latest Laura Grant original:




Yes...it's a squid pillow. So there you have it.

Impreza, Comin' at Ya

Please give a hearty welcome to my new car.


I'm gonna put my bike in it.





Doing my part to keep the economy rollin'. Debt is the American way!

Skullduggery

I don't know where this particular craft is going, but I love it already.

Hallmark, Laura Style

Hey, all. It's been a while, so I thought I would put up a quick little note to say that I'm looking forward to the changing of the seasons, and all the crafting fun that comes along with foul weather. Huzzah! Recently, I've spent my most antisocial hours in blissful card-making glory...





Keep an eye on the mail lest ye be a recipient of some Laura papercrafts. Happy autumn!

Vivisection via Watermelon

Is it me, or does this look like you are disemboweling a happy turtle?

Literary Reference, Anyone?

Ceci N'Est Pas Magritte

This blog post is more for my own benefit than anything else - I just finished thumbing through The Portable Magritte (the book is actually on wheels), and there were a few pieces that struck me as particularly amusing. One of the things I love about Magritte is that he's probably better at being funny and shocking than he is at painting, which gives me hope that my art may one day be successful.

The Cicerone, 1948
The Human Condition (La Condition humaine), 1933
This is a Piece of Cheese (Ceci est un morceau de fromage) 1963-1964
The Hesitation Waltz (La Valse hesitation), 1950
Lyricism (Le Lyrisme), 1941
The Seducer (Le Seducteur), 1951
The Dominion of Light (L'Empire des lumieres), 1961
The Conqueror (Le Conquerant),1926
Helmeted Sausage (Saucisse casquee), 1929
The Lovers (Les Amants), 1928
The Red Model (Le Modele rouge) 1936
The Blank Signature (Le Blanc-seing) 1965
The Treachery of Images (La Trahison des images), 1926
Golconde, 1953

What if Hitler had been a manatee?

It's been a while since I picked up my brushes, but my dear friend Mo was so keen on getting a Laura Original, preferably depicting his favorite animal, that I temporarily diverged from my appliance theme and created the above piece (with a little research and help from images.google.com). Added inspiration came from work as I was filling out the paperwork to bring on a contractor named Manning Man. Although most likely hated by his parents, he has a very memorable name, and one that I would definitely assign to a manatee, had I the opportunity to do so.

By the way, when doing this painting, I had to fight the almost uncontrollable urge to paint a little Hitler mustache on him. Wouldn't that be cute and horrible all at once?

Sew What

During a visit to sunny/snowy/sunny/snowy Colorado, I was happy that Claire offered to give me a few pointers in sewing. We bought some supplies in order to replicate the below Hable Construction felt appliqué pillow, which retails online for a measly $178. Chump change, and a steal at half the price!


After spending some time gathering supplies, we unearthed my second-hand (or perhaps fourth- or fifth-hand, who knows where that whore of a sewing machine has been) machine, only to find that it was a circa 1977 Kenmore with missing pieces and a rotten cord. So.....back to the craft store to pick out this magnificent machine:


That's right - nobody makes 'em like Singer. Anyway, after quite a bit of measuring, cutting, ironing, and eventually sewing, I have created the below pillow

which, unlike the original, only retails for $146.95. Huzzah!

Virtual Tour

Welcome to my humble abode, nestled amongst the Front Range in snowy Denver. We begin with the lovely living room, furnished out for Xmas in all its glory. The fireplace is definitely a plus when you're snowed in and want nothing more than to curl up in front of it with a book, a cat, and a cup of cocoa. I'm renting the cat for the winter, too.

I have a reading nook, because I am just that cool. The book collection has continued to grow, and there are several other bookcases hidden throughout the apartment. Let's see if you can find them, boys and girls!
My office is currently the home of my artworks - soon they will migrate to the walls along with all my other 2-dimensional decorations. That's pretty much the last piece of the puzzle as of this moment - getting things up on the walls (or ceilings, YOWZA!).
The CREATION STATION is a dream come true - I can leave all my crafting and art stuff out all the time, and no one can yell at me. I can even paint in the nude, because the cat doesn't mind. I love apartment life!
My porch is feeling neglected, because it's winter. Some swanky zero-gravity loungers let my neighbors know I mean business.
The kitchen. I'm not sure what it's for, but it sure is big enough. I'm thinking of using some of those cabinets for more books.
The kitchen opens up into the living room, giving the whole place a delightfully open feel.
Breakfast bar - because it's 5:00 somewhere.
Where the magic happens. Notice the snow outside the window - this is pretty much what it looks like all the time here. Except the apartment isn't nearly this clean, of course.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour - you know you're always welcome (that couch is a bed, baby) and I'd love to have you visit. Sleepover!

The SPAM Saga Continues

What some of you may not know about me is that, every year, I get up on Santa's lap and ask him for a can of spam. I love it! I must have been good this year, because the chimney rumbled (much like your colon after eating spam) and Good Old Saint Nick left me a big tin of joy under the tree.

As a result, my mother was able to follow a time-honored tradition: The Eating of the Spam.

I think I have truly found

the reason for the season.

First Commissioned Piece

This was my first painting done on request - and I really like the way it came out. Plus, it reminds me of summer, even though I'm still enjoying the snowy Colorado tundra. Does this mean I've sold out? Minus the "sold" part, of course...

Domokun of Mystery

Who sent me this? It's completely awesome!