Greetings!

 

My brother visited on his exact birthday, a merry, now rare, treat.

Skyline Lemon Cheesecake, design haphazardly generated using what I could find about two hours before baking it. Based on his city. Engulfed in lemon butter-mint dough and brush painted with gel food coloring and charcoal powder. Used an X-acto to cut out the window lights and filled them with yellow. Two hours decorating time, but I feel like the colorful clouds resemble a toxic explosion a little more than a sunset. And the cream cheese frosting blob border...oh well.

I wonder how he likes living in the clouds? Hard to believe he’s thirty-three floors up and hundreds of miles away. It’s easy to pretend people are still around, when one can mercilessly GIF text-spam them so they feel loved.

 

Also created a butterfly Koi shirt, because there was his one Japan trip and I’m grasping for themes. It’s a struggle to concoct gift ideas, as his interests are so focused. Dear INTP people, what things do you fancy (besides Chess, coffee, computers and cats)? Is using MBTI as a gift-guide a flawed plan? Especially if one hasn't adequately studied it...and mostly likes the type character pictures?

 

In light of barely completing the cheertime gifts last (…and each past) year, I decided to start in August and attempt to abandon all the other projects until they were finished. Timed the hours, a first for the gifties. I should be making cards instead of typing this right now. Might make some small neighb-ornaments and maybe dog-gifts if possible. I should be a good mush’ and wait until the end of the season, but my family doesn’t inhabit these regions…Bro, if you’re a silent sleuth in these lands, look away! 

 

Hand painted AquaKoi shirt for my boy. I’d never made him any jersey knit/tee shirts before...Akin to neglect.

4.5 hrs to paint + 3.5 hrs to cut/sew = 8 hrs.

Another one, a Pagoda for Christmas.

9.5 hrs to paint + 3.5 hrs to sew =13 hrs.

Done with diluted acrylics, french seams and new pattern draft. Drew the designs on parchment paper first, then outlined and pressure  indented on the fabric using red thing. Painted on front panels prior to assembly, heat set with iron, then prewashed to prevent paint bleeds. French seams throughout and done with a lightning-bolt stitch to accommodate the stretch.

Apparently forgot to crop that one collage photo. Oops.

 

Yep, wrinkles. XD

 

Belt-attachable leather phone case for my dad. Contact-glue parts and wet-lasted/hammered the front while clamping it onto a phone-sized block of wood. Sewed what I could with the Needle-Launching-Monster, cracked some needles, then awl punched the dampened veg tan seams and saddle stitched with dental floss-threaders. Velcro pads.

8 hrs on this one.

*Unsuccessful attempts to hide my callus art-hands from societal scrutiny while including for size reference*

 

“What shall I make for Granny? What can be a new gift at 93(I think?)?

To ask, or go with masks..?

5 hours to cut/sew both. 

Pencil plus diluted acrylics on the bunny, so extra 30 minutes for that.

 

A messenger boho bag for my mom. Her linen ones made before are getting a tad threadbare and she’s too nice to say it. 

First time using proper bag interfacing, last one was underlined with a trusty “sham-wow” towel.

Used outer fabric from my dad’s old khakis, leather scrap lower reinforcements, and six-strand straps braided from suede cord. Designs done prior to assembly with washable marker, diluted acrylic, then heat set +prewashed.

7 hrs to paint, 16.5 total with assembly. 

 

And lastly, leetle lighthouses! 

My lighthouse-loving grandma once mentioned unsuccessfully searching for some mini ornaments of them.

A few years lagging, *lightbulb*, a set could perhaps be done in felt?

Seed beads, blanket stitch and sequins. 

21.5 hrs total. 

 

Newly learned that a plastic shower curtain placed over a white cotton sheet makes for a less linty large backdrop?

Guess that chips out 64.5 assembly hours. Slow, but I get there...?

 

Off to sprinkle some oldish stuff on top.

My mom informed me that someone on Nextdoor needed Halloween fairy wings and couldn’t find any at the store. And it's somehow thrilling to heedlessly drop everything, when you really shouldn't , and try to create for people if the chance arises? This has gotten me into a lot of trouble, yet, again, off we go!? Someone please stop me Yay! Tried to make a quick pair from jewelry wire braided around rope string, spray adhesive, a cellophane roll, clear plastic fabric, ribbon, elastic lace straps and jewels.

Too bad there’s no “It’s three in the morning and we’re out of garage glue” hotline. The pink tint is from the drywall spray adhesive, it was the only can in the store. 

The fairy who initially needed the wings had already found some, so they ended up going to a nice Nextdoor grandma instead. She had a teddy bear buckled up and riding in the back of her car. Like a boss. 

Being a temporary fairy was far funner than I expected. Hard not to frolic.

 

Junkbot 

A tad ago a kind member of the BZPower discord (TuragaNuva) related the origins of the server’s :trashbot: emoji (https://en.brickimedia.org/wiki/Junkbot#:~:text=Junkbot%20is%20a%20LEGO%20robot,descend%20to%20a%20different%20area ) 

Unbridled adoration for the creature spawned a trash-quality photo collage of making him. + [unofficial] baby sister Bowbot. 

 

 

I wish he were an official emoticon here. 

 

Dalu, oldish, but might as well invite her too, for organization. Also forgot to pose her with size-ref-friends. Tutorial

She turned out taller than the reference Dalu set, because I forgot and sewed the head without torso overhang.

Guess I’m retrying LEGO projects done poorly in prior years?

Quote

“I might make some more, if I get some more stiffened felt.”

-Me, Gluey, Sharpie-stained stiff felt Jala topic *Places a rose on unmarked grave and retakes photos*

spamdom stuff

When you’re gifted an ornament but no quickthankscard ideas erupt:

When you have a delightful dream that your dear old bear plush, Mum, is “More than just a bear ( and is exceedingly special)” and that prospect stays in mind the entire afternoon.

When the ‘Scov’es get a grain-cut and ferociously bite the feet whilst one is swinging. (I’ve unintentionally stubbed the poor boys, yet they tarry on with those tiny fictitious teeth.)

My mom esteems the birds unsightly.

I think their cherry-red-caruncle masks look mighty. 

What are your opinions on the Muscovy complexion? 

[tensely-waiting-an-hour-for-Dr.-to-join-Zoom-visit moth, hoped she’d munch the wait away]]

 

 

May your winterdays be far from gray, happy holidays!