Uhh.... Duh!

I have come to the obvious conclusion that, as an artist, Summer is a frighteningly busy time here in our (not so) little valley.

Ya think I would know that. I haven't worked much in my shop at all this Summer, and--with all due respect to my clients--I have been much, much busier and much, much happier.

Spent about four hours today making paper for the book binding class I will teach at the end of the month and a couple more on top of that teaching a friend of mine how to do so. OK, we visited more than worked, but there must be room for that always.

I found four picture frames last week that make a sheet of paper the same size as one of my favorite screens, so I stretched screem over them and used them. It all goes so much faster if I have 4, 5 screens of the same size, and now I have one set of 4 and another of 5. I pull one set , let them drain while I pull the other, couch the first set while the second set drains and so on and so on and so on.

I ordered some more lye and a defoaming agent per Gin's suggestion (thanks, Gin! You can find her link by following the link on the side-the one that says paper links. I had to move it there and cannot link her from here because I think it was her link that had a logo in the address bar that was causing a Japanese character prompt-and subsequent crashing- on some pc's. Whew! Talkk about digressing!). She says that will take care of my suds problem and, well, if anyonbe would know, it will be Gin!

While I am doling out thanks, thanks to all that left such lovely comments about my work in progress. I'll have a new photo of it soon.

Yesterday's farmer's market was poopy for the first time yet, but business is like that sometimes. Happily, we are moving from this parking lot to a park less than a block from my house. It should be so much cooler, and hopefully, so much more inviting.The heat in the parking lot where we were set up has been blistering! There is already a produce stand and a bar-b-que stand there. It is across from a convenience store and there is so much more room to park. All told, there is a great deal more traffic there!

Yard sales were fun and a bit more productive. I bought a couple more molds, more fabric ( It's always more fabric...), more little storage bins, and some chalk for my sandwhich chalkboard sign of a hundred uses. I picked up several embroidered blouses that I promptly cut up for embossing paper.

My favorite find was also my very best bargain! I had no idea they were so expensive, but I got 10, 36" interlocking floor mats for 8.00! The woman who sold them to me was closing her daycare. They are in excellent shape and 4 are allready in residence in my paper studio. I will probably take the other 6 to my studio at the college though I rarely work there anymore. I am too easily distracted there and my students found me out last semester.

I am giving a talk next week on art and Social Justice at the college and I just found out that I get a couple hundred dollars honorarium! Yay! In addition, I am also being paid to judge the arts/ crafts categories at the SLV Fair in about 3 weeks. It;s nice when things that I agreed to do voluntarily turn out this way--though, yes, I would do some of them anyway just for the experiences--and frequently do!

It is WAY past my bedtime... Good night :)