See! I really AM working on artwork. I promise!

This is Laudanum, one of the Victorian Vices Fairy Series.

I've been working on making myself a tooled leather bodice. Above you can see the front panel tooled and dyed with the grommets applied and the holes punched on one side for the decorative leather lacing applique stitch.

I've got both sides stitched now (It looks FABULOUS!) and the back two pieces have been cut, tooled, dyed and holes punched for all grommets and lacing stitch lines. Progressing along nicely.

I didn't think the design was showing up well, especially on the back because somehow (uh, yeah, DON'T forget which dye dauber you used for the blue with the one you used for the black. It doesn't help!!!) the blue base dye came out too dark on one side due to contamination with black dye. So I tried going over the design on the front with some thinned down white acrylic. I was planning on running the blue dye again over the white, to get a brighter shade, but that SO didn't work.

I now am figting with oil-based dyes and water-based acrylic incompatability. HOWEVER, the solution came to me last night (alas, far to late to work on it) I need to break out the old oil paints and get that sucker painted up proper. I can't wait. I just hope I have the right paints to mix up the proper shade for this.

Then I can test for size/shape, and assuming it's OK move on to doing the shoulder straps and skirting armor.

It's a fun project, but I have a LOT of bits and pieces I want to add to make it a complete outfit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!



I’ve done the one last thing I wanted to do before this year ended. I finally got to actually light up! I don't have the fire poi yet, but I do have a firestaff (actually the boyfriend's, but he's never used this one). I've finally been able to fire-spin, and I'm letting the year go out in flames! Something about that just seems so right to me.



There's just something awe-inspiring about the feel and sound of the fire all around you...it's just amazing.



See more images here:

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/mparker_photos/Fire/



Thanks to Michael Finn for taking the photos and running safety!

ARTIST GONE RAW
What I'm eating

I've finally nailed down the perfect recipe for:

Raw "Thom Ka Gai" style soup with "Crystal Noodles"

1 1/2 to 2 cups almond milk
1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut cream
1 tsp ground ginger (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp or less Thai green curry paste (this is probably not entirely raw, but you can find recipes for it if you're a stickler)
1 heaping tblsp raw almond butter
1 heaping tblsp chickpea miso
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 handful chopped cilantro
1 small palmful chopped green onion
5 or more mushrooms, sliced (I like baby bellas) marinated in a splash each of Tamari (wheat-free) soysauce and olive oil.
1 LARGE splash fresh lemon juice - probably around 1/4 cup or so - or to taste
--lime juice would also work well
coconut water to desired consistency probably water from one coconut. Plain water will work, or add more almond milk.


Blend all ingredients in the blender until soup-like. Pour into a bowl with Crystal Noodles.

"Crystal" Noodle options:

Spiralize (cut into long, thin strands with a special tool, a spiralizer aka spiral food slicer) and then cut into managable lengths either of the following veggies and add to bowl. Pour soup over and mix.

Jicama - more crunchy, sweet flavor
or
Turnip - adds a slightly sweet and almost vinegary flavor which is probably most appropriate for this soup.

Makes a HUGE blender full of soup, which I've gotten two large meals from.
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I also made (since I've been on an almond kick this week)

Bananna Almond Berry Smoothie

2 banannas
2 heaping spoonfuls of almond butter
handful of frozen blueberries, blackberries, raspberrys or a blend with strawberries
8 oz crushed ice
scoop hemp protein powder
Scoop or two ground flaxseeds (I used Granovita Organic Sprouted Flax Powder With Cranberries)
Almond Milk to proper consistency or coconut water if desired

Makes a large, frosty blenderful, which I drank all of...then realized I'd eaten too much and was SOOOO full! Good, filling stuff!!!
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Also, from last week a really successful experiment!

Red Pepper Sauce for "pasta"

1 tblsp almond butter (there I go again! I spend months never touching the stuff, then go through a ton of it)
1 avacado sliced
1 large red bell pepper chopped
clove garlic
Wedge of red onion to taste
Spoonful stone ground mustard (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper and cayanne pepper
Celtic sea salt
water to thin for blending
(I added some thinly sliced collard greens, since I was craving greens.)

Blend and toss with spiralized zuchinni or beet noodles. Chopped green onion makes a great garnish! Or maybe some sliced or chopped almonds. If you put in in a bowl and don't toss it, it makes a beautiful presentation. It gets kind of ugly when you mix it all together.

STUDIO UPGRADE

So, a couple of weeks ago my computer table had a meltdown and collapsed. We propped it up the best we could for a while, but yesterday we picked up a new table and a badly needed new chair (Early X-mas prezzie from the boyfriend. Yay!).

So the day was spent putting things together and following obscure directions.

And so will follow a period of reorganization, hopefully more in the Organization vein than in the Re part.

With luck I'll be able to get back to doing actual artwork soon.

I have been considering making a tooled leather bodice for myself. Hmmmmmmm...