Almost There!

This progress bar depicts how far I have come in the making of the costume for the cover of my book. It says that I am at least 70% complete. I’ve been working all weekend, which made this post late.

If you recall, the book takes place in ancient Nubia. The main character, Kandake, is a warrior. The model that represents Kandake will be clad in breastplate and sarong.

The breastplate is being made from calf-skin leather. Here are the stages: It started with my wrapping Makeda in duct tape. Whis resulted in this shell I it covered with a plaster wrap and filled it with plaster to add strength to the form You see it here wrapped in plastic, prepared for the leather.  Here is a picture of the entire calf skin.  In this next photo, it has been cut and stitched to it’s basic shape. It is now soaking in a tub of water, softening It will be stretched, molded, and dried over the form above.

The sarong began as a length of fabric. I altered the color slightly. As you can see, it’s been stitched, stamped, and painted. Here is a close up view of the detail All that’s left is to add a few beads.

See, I’ve not been slackin’, I’ve been very busy.

Fridays R 4 Fun

Today is Friday. That means another installment of the crazy or strange photos I find interesting.

When I was searching for what to show you this week. I came up with the idea of strange and bizarre hairstyles. As I was sorting through the pictures it occurred tome that some of these people were serious about their hair. Because I don’t want to offend anyone, I switched it to animals, dogs mostly.

This one is my favorite. It’s a cat that reminds me of Yoda, “There is no try, there is only do.”  I think of Fabio when I look at this one. I’m not saying it looks like him (legal disclaimer). Oh yeah, bad hair day.   Worse hair day.

Now for our special guests. Lets see if you can guess who or what they are supposed to be. Contestant No. 1 step forward please. That’s right you guessed it, Golden Goldilocks. Johnny Depp has nothing to worry about with this one. This one is just sad. Even he looks like he wants to cry. Flower Power, Psychedelic Dog. This little guy is all set for Halloween Mr. Bones. And can you guess who this is.That’s right! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle…uh Dog.

This concludes today’s excursion into the realm of strange hair. And of course the other legal disclaimer…no animals were harmed or injured during this production.

Anybody have a suggestion for next week?

Where Does the Time Go

Oh my gosh, is it Wednesday already? Seriously, I can’t believe it’s the middle of July and I still have so much to catch up on.

I poured the plaster for the mold, but I have to do it again because I didn’t make enough. I’ve added the first layer of color to the fabric for the kilt/skirt for Kandake (it’s more like a sarong). And now it’s time to make a decision about the type fasteners I will use.

I’m trying to push, but I’m tired and I don’t feel well. I think it was something that I ate. I got up this morning to go for my walk and almost didn’t make it. It took me so long to get out of the house that it was 8 o’clock and already hot.

There is so much left to be done and I’m TIRED. Well if I can get enough accomplished maybe I can take a nap.

Back in the Saddle

There have been too many interruptions. To be honest most of them have been self imposed. Now it’s time to settle down and get to work.

Today I was talking with a friend bemoaning my need for a second critique group and not being able to find one. True to her nature, Diana Guerrero let me have it in spades. She’s an awesome writer and the facilitator of my very first writing group.

She knows me and my writing very well so I can’t get around her at all. She said that I’m holding myself back and many other things that I will not mention here. So here’s what she said.

“Everybody can write, but not everyone has talent. Get out of your own way. It’s time to grow up. Find a writing partner, and get to it.”

When it comes to writing and what I’m doing, or not doing, I can count on Diana for the voice of truth! Since I don’t want another '’put on your big-girl pants’ discussion, this is what I’m doing.

I have contacted a fellow children’s writer and asked her to become my writing partner, revamped my writing schedule, and just doing it. So…officially, I’m back in the saddle.

Fridays R 4 Fun

                 Last week LynNerd asked about pictures of strange shoes. I had no idea how footwear could be so extraordinary. So, let’s begin our tour through the shoe department. I will start with the more mundane.  This one is perfect for the beach. This one’s ideal for your next BYOB party. A novel way to bring a date. But what if you can’t get out?Take your work with you. Never worry again about being mugged. Maybe you’re not the gun type. Worried about leaving the kitty home alone?Or maybe you’d prefer to go shoeless. There are many options
but be sure to get a pedicure  There’s always the barely-there choice. or these Need more support? Try these.    Do you remember the go-go boot? They were cute and you could dance in them. I doubt if these are for dancing..

This concludes our tour. Any ideas for next week?

Frustration!

I have shared with you that I am on the road to turning a manuscript into an e-book. And I have talked about all of the things I need to get done.

Well, frankly I’m ready to break something. I’m behind schedule on just about everything. The only thing that is saving my bacon is that I always allow way more time than I really need, but that’s not helpful at the moment.

Today I had a list of things to do and I got precious few of them completed. The day started out well. I got up early and went for a walk. I came home and put myself to work. Things were going fine. I had everything scheduled.

The first problem happened when the repairmen that were supposed to come at nine and move a gas line didn’t come until ten. I purposely planned tasks that could easily be interrupted for that time slot. I got all of those done before they arrived because there were no interruptions.

At ten I move to writing, working on my WIP. I can’t count the number of times I had to leave the computer and move something, turn something off, turn it back on again. And every time I got up I had a heck of a time remembering what was supposed to be said in the dialogue. I’m trying to set up the climax, for crying out loud. I love writing action scenes, but they have to be set up meticulously.

So I decided to leave that and work on the breastplate. I’m  in the craft room setting up the mold, taping everything in place so that the bloomin’ thing won’t shift when I pour the plaster in it. The duct tape is sticking to the plastic drop cloths. The braces shift because I’m removing the tape from the plastic.

Finally I get it all set up. So now I’m mixing the plaster. The dog runs by. I still don’t know how he got caught in the plastic sheeting, but the mold starts sliding off of the table. Now remember I’m mixing plaster and have a short window of time to get it poured.

I grab at the plastic to keep the mold from hitting the floor. The piece of board I’m using to stir falls on the floor. Now I have to mop up the spill before the dog gets into it. I get it all cleaned up and I’m ready to finish mixing the plaster, but it’s hardened in the bucket. SCREAM!!

Okay, it’s time to call the husband and have him break the plaster out of the bucket. I get in the car to go for more plaster, but the city inspector just arrived to check the new gas line. I have to stay because my husband has an appointment.

I gave up! I am now sitting in front of the TV watching old episodes of Mission Impossible on Netflix. I feel like they understand my day.

My Confession

This is my confession. This week my grandchildren came to visit me. We played a few games, read stories, went on outings, and watched several movies.

Work? Well…that’s the confession part. I didn’t get very much work done. I did what any grandmother would do. I spoiled them rotten! The most healthy thing they ate this week was their vitamins. We ate pizza, pop corn, pudding, sandwiches, and drank soda. Their mother limited them to one can of soda per day, so we drank punch and juice.

I did get some writing done but that was after they had gone to bed. Oh yeah, bedtime comes much later at Nana’s house. We’d stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning.

During their stay I introduced them to cartoons from my childhood like Felix the Cat  They watched episode after episode and laughed hysterically.
They loved Popeye  My grandson asked if we could buy some spinach so he could get stronger. And what grandmother would deny their babes anything. I bought it, but we never got around to eating it. 
My granddaughter particularly enjoyed the Pink Panther and the Incredible Mister Limpet . My grandson thought Inspector Gadget was cool and exciting Later they alternated watching episodes of Gumby and speed Racer .

So that’s my confession. I played with them instead of getting things done that were on my schedule. Oh well…

Fridays R 4 Fun

How we feel about life has a lot to do with perspective. The way we view an encounter often determines our next decision. Well, here’s something that messes with what we think we see.

Living life on the edge. Is this what we think will happen in California when ‘the big one’ hits?

                                Oops! Somebody left the water running. I’m sure the neighbors aren’t all that happy about it.

The great escape of today and yesterday.    

And now it’s time for me to get back to work.
                                            

I’m having so much fun finding these photos. What topics would you like to see in the photos of the strange and weird?

An Interview Starring...Me

I’ve been interviewed! A fellow writer, Angelina C. Hansen, was kind enough to request an interview. I had to think about it for a long time before I consented to do it…all of .0001 seconds.

She posted it yesterday. It was a lot of fun and gave me a chance to think about why I write.  The short answer is ‘I love story,’ but if you want the details go over to her blog. It’s all there.

Angelina is a fellow writer of YA fiction. We connected on She Writes, a community of women who write and support each other.

If you would be willing to allow me to interview you, it would be my pleasure. Send me a message and I’ll get right back to you. You can find my email address on my profile of this blog.

Happy Independence Day!

This is the document that started it all. Thirteen colonies wanted to have a say in the country it was supporting. They refused to be ignored. After the loss of many lives and the sacrifices of many people, this great nation began.
                             Our first president, George Washington, worked long hours with a tireless group to put together a country that represented its people.
This is the document that resulted.

A difference of opinion divided this nation and brought it to a place of civil war, a war that devastated and nearly destroyed it.
                                 This president, Abraham Lincoln, addressed an ailing nation that lost more sons than it could afford, a nearly countless number. This speech, the Gettysburg Address, was delivered at the memorial of those men who lost their lives fighting for their ideals.
           This is believed to be one of the many copies of those word delivered on that day. Having survived that terrible loss, this nation worked to heal many of its wounds and overcome its weaknesses.

More than a century late, this nation elected its first president of African decent, President Barack Obama.

Regardless of the politics involved this country can celebrate its great accomplishment. This nation began as a group of upstarts and radicals and developed into a nation that serves its people. It struggled over differing ideologies that divided and nearly destroyed all that it had accomplished.

What is laudable is that we not only overcame this division, but the very people that were a significant part of the reason for that war are now represented in the White House.

The United States of America is a great nation. Is it perfect? Not at all, but its greatness stands in spite of its imperfections. I am proud to be called one of its citizens.

Please join me in wishing this great nation a very happy birthday as we, once again, celebrate our Independence Day.