cute as a button...

in which our plucky heroine catches up on a few things...

...  though not everything. Hopefully the next week will see me further ahead on both admin and workroom tasks, as I put everything else on hold for the duration. April is the cruelest month, containing multiple tax payments that all have multiple pages of forms to be acquired and filled out. On the other hand, once that is done, there will also be not one but two different visits from friends next month. Stay tuned for feast and/or famine here at Acorn Cottage!

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Once suitable buttons were selected, this project, intended for part of the future Advent Swap, was fairly simple to create, at least as far as the structure of the book went.  It was a bit more challenging to choose content to fit the "pages" since they were merely ⅝" across. An assortment of mushrooms, with their distinctive details done as ink drawings, was what I finally decided on, and am very pleased with the outcome...

The button books are packaged in origami masu boxes, the same type I use as wrapping paper for my own Advent Swap contributions, but sized to fit the button books. The boxes are 1" square finished size, which is about the size limit I can manage without using things like tweezers.

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My friend Eva gave a really good presentation this morning about the issues around generative AI, with much group discussion afterwards

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 dozen cookies	grey pinafore	art exchange
2	lino block carved	pruned marjoram	many dead weeds
3	tiny faux patchwork quilt	slipper soles	recycle bin
4	quince pie	bicycle derailleur	yard waste bin
5	multiple lino proofs	"a-y-a" replaced	recycle bin
6	6 quince breads	worm bin bedding	recycle bin
7	flooring Caer Cardboard	cleaned hallway air grilles	yard waste bin
8	mocha cake	hem long janes	recycle bin
9	6 button books	points on fibulae	x
10	x	pruned baby persimmon	x
11	x	weeded half the SWP's	x

today's gratitudes -
1. at some point Past Me put some pot stickers in the freezer, which worked out really well when I forgot to eat lunch until after 4pm, when they became an early dinner.
2. the online tutorial for tiny button books was just as easy as it seemed, and gave delightful results
3. Zoom! I never am not astounded at being able to sit in the living room having realtime video chat with folks on other parts of the planet.

Time of Isolation - Day 1715

not entirely woeful Wednesday

in which our plucky heroine is less than pleased...

Today my bike broke. Made a horrible sound and wheels stopped. The rear derailleur body was broken into two pieces and part of it was jammed into the rear wheel!I managed to get it apart from the wheel, otherwise I'd have had to just leave the bike there abandoned by the side of the road, as the rear wheel would not turn at all until I disentangled the metal chunks and chain from the wheel spokes. Instead I walked it home, slowly, as the rear wheel is also damaged. I was about two miles from home when this happened. Now tis necessary to find someone with a truck (or a large van) to get it and myself to the bike mechanic.

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~ paint it red ~

further progress on the spun cotton hearts... Two layers of alizarin crimson gouache, and a coat of matte Mod Podge has made a big difference.

The caption brought to mind the advice given by Neva Hansen, my 2D design professor back in the 70's : "If you can't make it good, make it big; if you can't make it big, make it red..."

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I think it would be fun to make tiny books with button covers... and the artist has a blog with good tutorials. I myself prefer to read and see photos or drawings rather than watch video, but some folks prefer visa versa...

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Made some yamitsuki to have with dinner (meatloaf) again, this time without any garlic. I'd like to try some slow roasted garlic next, as that would probably give the garlic flavor without the bite. Need to try roasting garlic in parchement paper instead of foil...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	"wing it" vest	more broach handles	recycle bin
2	tiny valentines	black keyboard covers	-
3	heart ornament	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. flannel pillowcases are a small constant wintertime comfort 2. the strand of origami butterflies that Ursel sent as part of Advent Swap hang in the south window, and make me smile every time I see them when I draw open the curtains
3. I was able to find some Soothing Touch lip balm locally, and while it wasn't my favorite "vanilla rose" variety, it was, at least the "unscented" one. (better no scent than a dreadful one)

Time of Isolation - Day 1672

and so it begins...

in which our plucky heroine receives a box in the mail ...

and much to my delight, it is the first of the (hopefully) many boxes for this year's Advent of a Better Year swap. Not only is is chock full of charming tiny packages, but Donna included a beautiful wee patchwork pillow just the right size for my tinyfolk, and a bag with some of the micro sized glass "beads" that are used to add weight, for me to try out...

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~ finished books ~

"Textile Livestock" (an edition of nine) is complete, the book blocks are now attached to their covers and they are ready to be distributed. I chose an origami paper that has printed what appears to be "a resist dyed indigo pattern on woven cloth" for the cover... The hem measuring tool, which I have owned for years but never use in my sewing, is rather quite useful in repeatedly marking paper and card for book arts (as well as giving a sense of the small scale of these miniature books)

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I have put out queries in hopes of getting recommendations for the professional services I will be needing in this time of transition. I also made it over to the Office of Aging and Disability this afternoon, where I found out that while they do not have any appointments sooner than late next month, they do allot a few "this day" appointments every day, which one can attempt to get by phoning in first thing each workday. And that I could request a phone appointment, which would save me hours of transit time. (since an "in person" appointment consists of sitting in an empty office room talking to someone on the phone anyway, why not do phone talking at home?!?)

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Today I printed out some singular tinyprints using the "enjoy the small things" rubber stamp from the Japanese matchbox stamp set. My intent is to round out my own Advent items , maybe as either ornaments or magnets, or just as tiny artwork. The ink will have cured in a few days, and I will back them on some black matboard.

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time for me to get on with both making another prize for the Spooky Season challenge, and gathering what I want to use for my own photo. Leslie suggested I set up a scene with my tinyfolk sitting on their sofa, with snacks and popcorn and watching Over The Garden Wall on my viewmaster, which for them would be rather like a Very Big Screen indeed. I forgot to get some quinoa from the bulk aisle at the store, as I have read one can pop it like miniature popcorn, which would be perfect!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	Textile Livestock	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	x	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the first Advent swap box arrived today
2. it is becoming slightly less difficult to do admin tasks
3. Internet Archive, for so many reasons...

Time of Isolation - Day 1565

when did that happen?!?

in which our plucky heroine is feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle...

Biokleen Free and Clear laundry powder is completely gone! As in I went to the store and there was none on the shelf. And there was basically no dry powder laundry detergent any more. Not at New Seasons, not at Freddies, not at Safeway...  From what I have been able to glean online, using powder laundry detergent is no longer popular in the US?!  (re Biokleen, which I have been using for well over twenty years, the company had been bought out several years ago; the new owners decided to discontinue that product, which has been gradually hence disappearing from retail shops.)

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~ just needs a cover... ~

My latest miniature book is almost ready, the block is done and the spine reinforcement is attached. All that yet remains is to create and attach the cover, and this "edition" of nine copies is complete. Most will be part of the Advent Swap, with a few going to special individuals. Wondering if I ought to make a second edition...

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in the park yesterday, as I was riding past, I saw a woman calling crows, standing under the big trees with a pan full of food...

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~ the Brian Duncan Memorial Tree ~

Not raining today, and the fragrance was perceptable when walking past the Quinceling, so it was time to harvest. I filled the Japanese tote bag three times over, each time weighing self + fruit and subtracting selfweight to get the final total of 39.2# of fruit! That will make a lot of quince jelly and membrillo, and possibly other preserves...

Just harvested 39+ pounds of quince from the little tree in my side yard. Tree was planted in 2018, and in six years has grown from a wee little knee high thing to about a (pruned) height of six feet, and a robust producer of delicious fruit

an assortment of quince recipes:
easy peeling and cutting tips
Pliny's quinces preserved in honey
Quince-o-rama part 3 The quest for Membrillo
Membrillo and quince squares
Tartine's panforte with candied quince
Quincemeat

~ when the Quinceling was new... ~
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I am being tempted by Last Homely House Kate to make a rainbow colorwash pin board for the Emporium door. While she makes some amazing patchwork including English paper pieced hexagon quilts, I know myself too well to go down that particular rabbit hole. I might, though, be willing to piece squares into a cover for one of the reconfigured pin boards...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	recycle bin
6	pumpkin overalls	black winter slip	yard waste bin
7	x	harvested quince	recycle bin
8	x	pruned apple	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the Quinceling has had a fantastic crop this year
2. for some reason, the cool weather made yard work feel good today, and there was much pruning...
3. Ursel shared a really fun way to make a dragon ornament

Time of Isolation - Day 1564

Tinyprint Tuesday and other tidbits

in which our plucky heroine didn't remember...

Yesterday was "Columbus Day", one of those "holidays" that really isn't one, except for the few folks who get a certain number of paid days off from work every year. I'd not realised it was a postal holiday, so after carefully packing a large box with jars of lemon fig port jam, and some other treats for the Mud Bay crew, and figuring out how to balance it on my bike rack, I headed out to mail it off... only to find the building locked and empty! I wasn't the only one. In the short time it took to lock up my bicycle and head for the doors, there were at least 3 other folks equally confounded.

Fortunately, today there was a sunbreak, and I was able to pedal as quickly as possible back to the post office and mail out the package. Fingers crossed it arrives safely, I did mark it "fragile" on several sides, and all the jars are well wrapped up padded with bubble wrap.

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~ incremental progress ~

With it being halfway through October, it was time to get busy finishing up the Textile Livestock miniature book...Yesterday I started printing the page strips, which are hanging up on the drying rack to cure (oil based ink cures by oxidising, which takes several days at least). Once the ink is cured the book will be glued up and bound, some for the Advent Swap, some for friends, and one for the Tansu Terrace Library.

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There are now two jars living on top of the fridge, one with ginger garlic carrot sticks, and one with cubes of beet, both covered in salt brine. The carrots appear to have begun to ferment, as there are small bubbles forming that I can see underneath the glass weight. The beet jar is not obviously doing much yet, but it is only the second day. By next Monday I am hoping for active fermentation, we shall see...

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My very first pair of "long janes" are getting rather worn, which isn't surprising since I've no memory of how long ago I acquired them in some resale shop. Hopefully they can make it one more winter, despite some incipient tatters along some of the seams. The waist elastic had stretched to the point of not quite functional, and since replacing it didn't make sense at this point, instead a quartet of snips deeply through the waistband and overlapping to create "darts" that could be sewn down with zigzag stitch tightened it all up just enough. Time to make a few new pairs of this cold weather basic...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	ScribeTober 1	removed frost	yard waste bin
2	blue wolf enamel	prune persimmon	old light crap
3	shibori scarf	tidy walking onions	recycle bin
4	robin and holly acorn cap ornaments	string trim parking strip	yard waste bin
5	Kenya skirt	long jane waistband	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. getting the package to Mud Bay mailed out today
2. the tiny jars of veggies seem to start fermenting
3. I had an inquiry about making another enamel brooch

Time of Isolation - Day 1555

my "two cents worth"...

in which our plucky heroine has a very small weekend indeed...

while I did manage to get out of the house for part of each day for walking and biking (trying to pick the least rainy times), I mostly spent the weekend making miniatures, and chatting online with various friends. Tomorrow morning it is back to my regularly scheduled work and chores

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~ an embroidered footstool ~

When I saw the Ann Wood tutorial for a tiny footstool, I knew I wanted to include it in the items being made for next months Summer Solstice miniature swap. It was a fairly straightforward project, and I had everything necessary here already. The new-to-me thing I really liked was her suggestion to put a penny inside along with the stuffing, to give the little piece some substance. I figured if one penny was good, two would be even better! I really like the added weight, it makes the footstool feel more like a real piece of furniture. Embroidery is optional, but it adds whimsy...

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~ an art gallery excursion in May ~

Between the rainstorms, I rode my bike over to check out the new exhibit for May over at Tiny Art in St Johns. Kenya Ogidni wanted to tag along, so I tucked her into my pinafore pocket for safe travel. She is thinking that it would be an awesome thing if we had our own neighborhood "little art gallery" and wishes I would get with the program already. But then she already runs her own gallery on Tansu Terrace, (or at least she will once I build it for her)

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Lately I've been watching "The Great Pottery Throwdown", for while I am not now and have never been a ceramic artist, I love watching skilled folks do creative things, and there are not that many art challenges on the streaming platforms currently available for my access. Apparently more folks want to see cooking than any other creative activity, but then more folks do cook, so it is probably more relatable. I do like the pace and "kindness" of the British shows in general (at one point I managed to find YouTube access to The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge about making dollhouse miniatures, which was, of course, great fun for me to watch, but alas no longer available.)

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  ...

I rarely buy miniature kits, but couldn't resist a set to make 14 Beatrix Potter books. They're only about ½" x ¾", with text and illustrations inside. I'm keeping these four, and sharing the rest with the swap folks and with dear Young Kestrel for her dollies library...

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	tiny footstools	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	acorn bowls	clean large paper lantern	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. managed to catch bicycle time between downpours
2. three friends came to Crafternoon in the Pixel World
3. I can have early bedtime tonight

Time of Isolation - Day 1400

Monday musings -

in which our plucky heroine started the day with a vile infestation of brain weasels, and is in need extra anti-weasel serum. Fortunately the day seemed to provide some, and I also kept determinedly shoving my brain in the opposite direction, doing my best to pay attention to the good in the now, rather than the litany of everything I have done poorly or not at all.

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>

The .5 mm carving gouge that was ordered on the 18th, from a tool supply company in Japan is out for delivery to arrived at Acorn Cottage today! It really is half the size of the smallest gouge I had up until now, and has a lovely wooden handle. This will make adding finer details to my miniature linocut blocks possible. Was this an small extravagence... why yes it was, but it is a tool that will be used often to create artworks

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It may be a simple fix, but I improved the kitchen soap holder* by adding a raised internal grid of ½" galvanised hardware cloth. Bar soap, which tends to slip down into the upper compartment in a most annoying and hard to grasp way, will be both easier to grasp and stay drier, and thereby last longer.  While this fix won't be "permanent", since I have quite a quantity of scrap hardware cloth it will be easy to make a new one when rust takes its eventual toll...

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In order to not waste the last of the blood oranges, I'm turning them into a batch of marmalade. They were disappointingly not very red inside, though they still tasted wonderful. Then my eye fell on the leftover beetroot in the fridge... hmmm...

It was an experiment, to simmer it in the pan for better color. Now I have some deeper orange proto marmalade (and a half beet that is infused with orange, which will be very nice indeed sliced onto a green salad with some goat cheese tomorrow)

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Yay me! I went to GrossOut, because the fridge was out of veggies, and they are the best place to get the big box of mixed baby organic greens, and and instead of also buying a pint of ice cream, I bought a tomato start. (they had organic veggie starts, and to my surprise I saw they had "Juliet", which is one of my very favorites (they are like half size Roma tomatoes)

Now all I need to do is manage to keep it alive and safe from squirrels. I'm glad I didn't put it outside right away. After I came indoors and was putting things away and prepping the greens for cooking, I heard a strange pinging noise... it wasn't a surprise roof leak, but rather it was the sound of hail hitting the lid of my milk delivery box!

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	persimmon prunings
2	5th God bag	blog template	forsythia prunings
3	scroll calligraphy	grey turtleneck collar	yard waste bin
4	Pelican scroll	indigo bunny art	recycle bin
5	grey rose brooch	taxes done	front plum pruning
6	3 pyramid bags	redone bag ties	x
7	x	kitchen soapdish	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the Beatrix Potter miniature book kit arrived. It is really tiny, does indeed have content on the interior pages, as well as covers, and the instructions for assembly are good. I do wish that the print resolution was a higher DPI, as everything is just a bit more fuzzy than I would prefer, but for the price and given the scale, I will call it good.
2. the world is full of all kinds of colorful things, and I have eyes to see them with. I may be old and creaky, but I can still ride my bicycle safely around the neighborhood and to the grocery store
3. I needed some more Peltex for the brim on the Cathy Hat Project, and instead of needing to take a big chunk out of my day to shop, I was able to just walk a few blocks up to The Sewlarium... Truly I am wealthy in access to resources to have an art store and a little fabric storefront I can walk to!

Time of Isolation - Day 1394

* I think the soap holder is originally intended to hold kitchen sponges, but since I don't use sponges for washing dishes, it has a different calling to hold a bar of hand soap instead

the sky so blue

in which our plucky heroine enjoys the day...

In dreamland last night, apparently the activity of the evening was a creme bruleé cook-off between various friends. I was just getting to taste test the Earl Grey flavored one that Marya had created when I woke up. Sadly, it was only a dream...

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~ out and about in my neighborhood ~

My neighbor Carla built this artistic sitting spot in her front yard garden a few years ago, between the sidewalk and this impressive edgeworthia. A bit behind and closer to her front door is a wonderfully fragrant daphne, and on a sunny day the scent is just delightful. The seat is embossed with the words "be the kind of person your dog things you are...", and the border between the seat and the sidewalk with the words "be the change you wish to see - practice patience - tolerance - kindness - love -  ☮ " which tells you a bit about my good neighbor Carla...

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Tomorrow I will start on the Stromgard enamels, but first I want to give my enamel workbench a really good clear out. It always astonishes me how quickly the tops of workbenches gather random frelch, detritus, and bits of former projects. Also, I found another lazy susan hidden atop the filing cabinet, and want to make space under the benchtop shelf for it; they are just the right thing when using multiple colors of enamel, as each of the little dishes can be accessed as needed.

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~ C is for creative ~

I've been making six tiny books for the Countdown to Summer Solstice miniature swap and I needed a way to press them while the glue dried (books are about 1" x 1⅛" x 3/16")

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red enamel samples	bathroom undersink access	recycle bin
2	turn buttons	-	yard waste bin
3	6 tiny books	-	recycle bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The light coming back on in the kitchen meant I could confirm which fusebox switch controlled that circut, so eventually I can deal with replacing the light. Once I figure out how to remove the fixture from the ceiling.

2. the paddy cake cats always lift my spirits at least a little bit. It was a rough day yesterday, like most Wednesdays are these days, and I really needed a grin and a giggle...

3. my friend Ursel is coming for a porch visit on Friday afternoon. I am going to bake her a Very Small birthday cake first thing tomorrow. Which will be a nice way to start the day.

4. the rotary blade paper cutter I ordered online Wednesday night arrived on my doorstep this morning. Granted it only needed to travel from the next town on the other side of the West Hills, but UPS can be peculiar, so I am glad. It is indeed just about brand new, and came with some fancy cutters in addition to the basic one.

5. There was enough black cotton velour on the resource shelf for me to cut out 3 sport-style bras, and enough non-roll elastic to make up two of them. I think I bought that velour at least fifteen years ago, maybe more. Over the years it has made leggings, knit tops, and assorted lingerie. It will be hard to find fabric of an equal quality, to eventually replace it as a staple

6. I was able to get outside and do a bit of pruning and cutting back today in the yard. There are a bit less watersprouts on the apple tree, I trimmed some of the overgrowth on the japanese maple that keeps trying to invade the porch, I removed the rest of the nandina berries, and started to cut away the large fern that is far too close to the heat pump. I even managed a bit of progress on removing the moss from the driveway, which is a very very slow process with the metal push broom.

7. I am feeling somewhat less dreadful than I did yesterday. I put in specific effort to pay attention to what is good. And it was amusing to me when I was all focused on pruning the rosemary in the front yard; I heard a gentle thump and looked down to see that The Baby Down The Street had toddled onto the lawn and fallen over into the prunings in my burden cloth. The baby's granny was right behind, and picked them up and dusted them off. We both agreed that the weather today was just about perfect.

Time of Isolation - Day 1342

tinybook Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine is feeling baffled...

so, random house weirdness, this morning the overhead light in the kitchen is on again, after not working at all yesterday. I am tempted to just not turn it off.... at least until I can arrange for replacing the fixture. Which would entail figuring out just how the current fixture is attached to the ceiling. Usually I can suss out how to remove lights, in order to replace them with something more aesthetic and more functional, and have done so almost everywhere else in Acorn Cottage. Ah well, that is a task for some other time, someday in the future, as I have enamel samples to focus on today.

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~ well begun ~

about halfway done with the current tinybook project. The paper strips have been folded and glued into book pages, the end papers cut, folded and added to the blocks, and a gauze reinforcement strip has been glued to the spines. In the back is a single almost completed book, that also has the covers added, the title on the spine, and the decorative stamps on the recto side of the pages. All it needs is whatever "text" I decide to add on the verso side of the pages...

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I very much enjoyed being able to borrow the rotary paper cutter from the Aunties this last weekend. It made cutting the pages for my tiny book project eversomuch easier, compared to laying out all the strips by hand and cutting them with scissors. So... I've ordered one on the FB Market Place, "used" but actually new in box, and it should arrive here sometime next week. My "tool girl" heart is tickled!

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~ more than half done ~

The undersink access panel in the bathroom is completed. I have added two painted wooden turn buttons, to hold the panel securely in place. If access is needed, they can be loosened with a phillips head screwdriver and turned sideways. The hinged panel next to the tub surround can be folded out of the way, and then the handle near the bottom allows the whole panel assembly to be tilted and removed. With luck, I will never again need to do so, but Just In Case, it will be both simple and obvious how to access the undersink plumbing in the wall. Why houses are not built to allow this sort of access in the first place will never not baffle me.

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red enamel samples	bathroom undersink access	-
2	turn buttons	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Had online video chats with three different folks today. This technology is one of my favorite things about living in the future, something that I never imagined would become anything other than a scifi trope.
2. The sun was shining today, and I went out for a good long walk in the middle of the afternoon
3. I cleverly saved some of the paint when I painted the bathroom walls (back in 2012), and continue to use it when either touching up wall dings, or as was the case earlier today, when I needed to improve my original less than ideal cutting in of the paint along the baseboard trim. Assorted very minor improvements yield a surprisingly strong effect on appearance.

Time of Isolation - Day 1341

Monday music and miscellany

in which our plucky heroine begins various things...

After a weekend marred by two visual migraines, today I am feeling much improved, and able to start working on samples for the next enameling project. I am collaborating again with Mr Dawson, who has asked me to do champlevé enamel on the two small shield shaped pieces he engraved in amazingly fine detail. Imagine this design on a shield only an inch tall total:

The blue waves and green Laurel wreaths will be done in transparent enamel, but as there is no I've not found any really good heraldic red transparent enamel (for use on silver), those portions will be opaque red. So, today was all about making assorted samples on very tiny discs to try all the options in my shelves of enamel colors, and also to start experimenting with how to achieve the additional details needed. I'm inclined to use opaque white 325 enamel for that. I'll be doing a bit more sampling tomorrow, to see if using lavender oil instead of water for the medium gives me cleaner lines on the sea beast's "mane". If we are satisfied with those results, I will be working on the actual pieces later this week.

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Steady progress on making a set of tiny books for the solstice miniature swap, using an assortment of low denomination USPS postage stamps, that all have really pretty fruit artwork. My intention is to also create a tutorial, so as to encourage other folks who may want to make miniature books. It is fun, not impossibly difficult, and unlike enameling, uses ordinary household supplies!

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Additional incremental progress on the refurbish the bathroom project - I realised that wooden turn buttons to hold the under sink access panel in place would be fairly simple to make. The first one has been carved and painted, to hold the edge near the tub closed, and one more under the center of the sink should be all that is needed. I'll do that one tomorrow, then attach them..

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"Halley Came To Jackson"

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bah! my overhead kitchen light isn't working; it had been very occasionally intermittent once or twice in the last several months. I can't tell if it is the switch or the fixture. It isn't the fuse box, since everything else in the kitchen has power and is still working (thankfully!)

I'm in the middle of actually working on enamel sampling for the upcoming job, and not very keen on instead researching how to diagnose electrical problems (which will require tools I don't own or know how to use) Plucky heroine is grumpy, and simply moved a table lamp into the kitchen temporarily. It is all rather soft focus and atmospheric there now, which is less than ideal for any activity that requires using sharp objects. I shall have to plan any actual food preparation to occurr during daylight hours.

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Month SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	red enamel samples	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Yesterday we had a 90th birthday zoom for my mom. My siblings were there in person, with their spouses and my youngest nephew, while I and the older nephews zoomed in from the west coast. It was bittersweet. I guess I am grateful that I had mom for as long as I did, and 90 is a venerable age to achieve, even though dementia marrs her elder years. I hope she enjoyed the balloons, and the cupcake, and the visit.

2. Instead of walking just around the blocks, I detoured through the alley, and was delighted to see flowering quince tumbling over the fence from someone's yard, the orangey-pink flowers always make me happy. There are various spring bulbs here and there, and this morning a tree just chock full of robins. It is still cold and raw and wet most of the time, but spring is on the way.

3. I have a moveable table lamp, which normally sits on the dining table, so I was able to put it in the kitchen when the kitchen light stopped working. Not ideal, but better than nothing. I have it pointed towards the ceiling, to bounce the light and get as much general illumination as possible. Might try and get a brighter LED bulb as an additional temporary improvement until I can solve the problem.

Time of Isolation - Day 1340

don't blink

in which our plucky heroine feels time passing swiftly...

My current focus is towards completing various projects, and on activities that prepare for winter. Some things have been completed, others are well underway, and some are patiently waiting their turn.

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~ ten tiny books ~

my first edition of "F is for fun" is finished: ten hand block printed books, just over 1" square, with floral origami paper covers

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Soon it will be time to pick the quinces, and turn them into quince paste and quince jelly. Now that I have tried the hack of partially roasting them first, preparing them is much less of a trial. The 20 to 30 minutes in the oven softens them just enough that they can be cut to gobbets without using a mallet and a cleaver. And baking the quince paste in the oven is genius!

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Apparently my webcam has stopped working. Percussive maintenance is no longer helping. Fortunately they are quite inexpensive, which means that replacing it won't be difficult but which also may be why it stopped working, though it did work for three years.

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Other things accomplished were -
1. filling the greenwaste bin with yet more arborvitae;
2. chatting with Karen about painting the walls*, which gave me the idea that it could be done "wrong" (as in simply mask and paint around the large bookcase, instead of moving it away from the wall, which would necessitate removing all the books!),
3. I finished and mailed off the xp3 version of the hat for Cathy, hopefully this one will be "baby bears" version and be just right as far as head size
4. about halfway done with the yarn ties on the Moody Blues patchwork coverlet, I am now doing the interstitial ties between the first set. Then all that will remain is stitching the edge binding in place, once I decide what to use. This might be the longest undone project, since I started it at least sixteen years ago. I am not a quilter...
5. The new air cleaner kit that arrived on Wednesday turned out to be less difficult to assemble than it appeared at first. And it is amazingly quiet!

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	my favorite hat :(
2	leather work gloves	-	yard waste bin
3	10 tiny books	-	some grapes
4	-	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. today there was no rain, and so it was easy to fill the greenwaste bin with more arborvitae.
2. Very quiet air cleaner with MERV 13+ filtration.
3. Enough different decorative "fancy" origami paper that I was able to find some suitable for tiny book covers.

Time of Isolation - Day 1198

(I am so very tired of most the walls in Acorn Cottage being white)

tinyprint Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine observes incremental improvement...

F is also for finally... as I begin printing the first edition of "F is for fun". Now the ink needs to cure for at least a few days before I can assemble the books. A few of these will be included in the tiny Advent treat assortment, as we are getting close to the deadline to begin collecting and collating the swap.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 jars applesauce	AC taken in for winter	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. encouraging creativity zoom with Leslie this morning
2. a zoom conversation with Karen this afternoon clarified what I need to do about the gorram arborvitaes. They are too big to take down other than by professionals, but I can remove the brushy lower growth as far as I can reach. Indeed, I can do this every week. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but can't start it any sooner than right now
3. Nicole picked up seven gallons of free Metro paint for me last week!

Time of Isolation - Day 1191

tinyprint Tuesday and other tidbits

in which our plucky heroine appreciates cleaner air...

The weather remains damp and cool, and our AQI has returned to the green zone, which makes going outside pleasant. Now and again, I have heard raindrops on the window awnings...

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Today I printed on a sample strip to fold up and take a look at how my "F is for fun" book is coming along. Haven't made a cover for it yet, but I'm right pleased! Gluing the lino block to wooden backing cubes made them eversomuch easier to handle, and I didn't get any ink on my fingertips. Next step will be to prepare multiple strips for printing, and to cut out some card stock for covers... Some of these will be for the "Advent of a Better Year swap challenge, and some for my miniature loving friends. Finished book will be just over 1" square.

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On the importance of labeling food in the freezer... I took out what I thought was a small package of bacon strips. I wanted to set off the lovely homegrown tomatoes from my neighbors by turning them into a BLT salad. Oops! when I opened the package, instead of three (raw) bacon strips, there were three strips of cooked corned beef!! Making the best of an odd situation, I hacked them up and added them to the salad. Didn't taste like bacon, but was very tasty nonetheless...

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	bed socks	driveway window cleaned	recycle bin
2	more bed socks	eye flannels edged	recycle bin
3	feather linocut	bathroom scale pad	yard waste bin
4	sunhat toile	some apple pruned	Ailanthus
5	fungi linocut	hemmed rainbow gauze veil	yard waste bin
6	fire linocut	epoxy blocks to wood backs	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

todays gratitudes -
1. corned beef is nice as a salad topping
2. the sound of drizzling rain on the window awnings
3. The blue silk jacquard woven silk shirt the Aunties found at the bins is perfect for cutting up into decorative bias binding. There will be more than enough for the rainbow panova I am currently finishing, and the rest can go into my box of "leftover bias" (which always makes me laugh when I see those words on my sewing shelves)

Time of Isolation - Day 1160

the light is wrong

in which our plucky heroine has all the windows closed...

This morning the sky was not blue. It was a yellowish color, as fire smoke is being pushed westward by the currents of air pressure. Our AQI has been rising all day, from yellow to orange, from orange to red. It is, of course, much worse closer to where the fires are actually burning. My heart goes out to the folks in Hawaii, to the folks in Yellowknife, and to all the folks in places small enough to not be mentioned in the news...

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~ creative handcraft ~

I last did any carving on my "F is for fun" series of tinyprints back in June, and thought to myself, some more tiny blocks would be a just the right size to ease back in to printmaking... They don't take more than an hour or two to carve. Though printing them is more of a challenge; I am considering just gluing wood backing and using them like rubber stamps.

Here I am partially done with "feather" - the first proof showed me where I needed to do more carving. I have also drawn the images for fire and for fungi, which will get carved later on. These are made from scraps of lino, and are about ¾" square. Eventually there will be a Very Tiny book, or more likely a set of tiny books made, with fan, feather, fire, fox, and fungi as content.

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I've been choosing one small thing to do my best to accomplish each day...

First, I used the serger to overstitch the edges on all the flannel squares (that I was using for warm eye compresses) that I cut out with pinking shears. I found out that pinked edges on flannel do not hold up at all well in the washing machine. I already know that serged edges do. The little flannel squares will go live in the medicine cupboard, to be handy in case they are ever needed again. I am glad I had some undedicated flannel, when my eyes became infected, as otherwise I would have needed to sacrifice one of my pillowcases!

The next day, I decided to cut down the bathmat I have been using under the bathroom scale for the last several years to the size of the scale, instead of continuing with the edges all rucked up. I used some herringbone linen to bind the raw edges, and now the whole thing looks a lot more tidy. Keeping the scale on a mat means it is easy to slide it away from the corner when it is used, and easy to slide it back again.

Today, as I mentioned above, I put in a bit of time doing some creative linocut carving...

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	bed socks	driveway window cleaned	recycle bin
2	more bed socks	eye flannels edged	recycle bin
3	-	bathroom scale pad	yard waste bin
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. cool clean air Saturday morning, a real (if very short-lived) treat.
2. dried mushrooms to add to supper
3. made it through the day without napping, for the first time in weeks

Time of Isolation - Day 1151

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine sneezes a lot...

This afternoon I managed to gird my loins and go string trim the front yard, which was dreadfully shaggy. Unfortunately I forgot to wear my mask, which in addition to protection from other humans, is very good at protecting me from botanical irritants and allergens. Including fresh cut grass and assorted detritus, which was the bane of my youth and remains so to this day. But, at least I no longer have the yard of shame, I have exchanged it for the extremely shaky hands and arms in aftermath...

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~ 100 days of printmaking ~

Day 1 - This seemed like an easy start to my new 100 day challenge... picked back up a project long on hold and partially completed... These are 2" square lino blocks, mostly motifs based on concrete block, that are intended for an overall textile pattern. I spent my 15 minutes finishing up the carving on the block with all the small circles.

I originally saw the appealing surface design on some OOP quilting cotton several years ago, and since I couldn't purchase the fabric, decided I would carve some blocks instead. I plan on using them to print a summery headscarf, once I finish carving the final block.

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I've been trying to track down the kinds of wonderful small nylon gizmos notions that were so easy to acquire at the late lamented Rose City Textiles. In part since I now have a backup pair of shoes, which need backup elastic laces with cord locks and tabs, and in part since Maeva asked if I could make her a hat like the nifty one they found for Kestrel, which has all sorts of clever hardware.

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Fruit tree flowers in my yard:  quince and plum and apple, oh my!...
. .

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Today I learned how to make this nifty twist top folding box... the first step towards one of my goals, which is learning how to make a Chinese Thread Box aka Zhen Xian Bao

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	front yard mowed	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. New extension cord works well for front yard weed whacking
2. The University of YouTube let me learn new papercraft
3. There was just enough of the grey canvas leftover from my chore coat to cut out the pieces to make a new grey hat!

Time of Isolation - Day 1048