This is week 13 of the de-clutter project, but though I had a project in mind, and really must get at it, this apparently wasn't the week to do such things.
I've been busy doing everyone's income tax. I'm old fashioned enough to still want to mail the darn things in, as I feel I have to print them anyway. I find errors much easier on a printed copy. I just do. The postage is about to take another leap upwards, so I wanted to get ours done in time to mail this weekend, before the increase. I wanted to get my oldest son's done and printed off for him to sign when I see him this weekend also. That just leaves another two to do.
Meanwhile the booklet for the karate club needed to be retyped. I had been using the same software for 30 years, and the old files don't open on my new computer. The old software won't load, and apparently they aren't making it anymore, so I can't even upgrade. After a lot of trial and error, with a couple of programs, trying many different fonts and sizes that still seemed to want to make what used to fit on one page spill over onto two, I finally found a way to make it work. I had to get that done this week as several people need various pages from that book by tonight, and I had promised they would have them.
I had also taken on a one week art course for this week. Not great timing, but it was one I had been looking forward to, and this is when it was being offered. True, I could have done it on my own time, but it's always more fun to do something like this when others are involved in a class, so you can compare your work with what they are doing.
It was Carla Sonheim's Watercolor Transfer Painting class. I got to paint on a surface I would never have thought of on my own, and then transferred the results onto watercolour paper afterwards. I could just as easily have transferred it onto t-shirts, and I expect I'll try that one of these days.
On day one we got to discover what watercolour, does when you apply it to transfer paper.
On day two we added water soluble markers, pastels, charcoal, ballpoint pen or any other media we had handy to the coloured papers we had created. That's more fun than it sounds like. The dullest, most uninteresting piece from the day before became quite beautiful.
On day three, we learned how to iron them onto another surface, which quickly reminded me that things reverse when you do that.
Day four, we really got to work cutting up the papers into random shapes, and then rearranging them on our surface to create something interesting. You really need to let go of any preconceived notions during all this, and just let things happen. When I was laying out some pieces thinking of combining some of them to make some silly kind of animal, I ended up with a Dancing Duo.
Today we'll finish off the course by basically printing plates. That's a multi-layered transfer project that has a look of encaustics when it's done. First I have to figure out what I want to produce and then I have to create the various levels. Later I'll iron one after another onto a piece of watercolour paper and hope things line up.
So, like Nelly, who is also on this de-cluttering journey, I guess I've taken the week off from cleaning out cluttered spots. It certainly didn't feel like a week off here though. I even got a little stressed out for a while yesterday. I'm still not quite over my latest flu, and I did have to go for some unpleasant, but non-related medical tests earlier this week, so I'm sure that didn't help either. I finally stopped coughing long enough to actually wash the floors, at least. As I said, I do have a new de-clutter spot all picked out, and it's definitely time to get to it. I have another deadline looming, but it's a week and a half off yet, so hopefully I'll clean out that spot in time for next week's check in time.
Meanwhile, the only thing I've de-cluttered this week is the tax file and my cluttered mind. A bit of fun now is good for all of us.
I've been busy doing everyone's income tax. I'm old fashioned enough to still want to mail the darn things in, as I feel I have to print them anyway. I find errors much easier on a printed copy. I just do. The postage is about to take another leap upwards, so I wanted to get ours done in time to mail this weekend, before the increase. I wanted to get my oldest son's done and printed off for him to sign when I see him this weekend also. That just leaves another two to do.
Meanwhile the booklet for the karate club needed to be retyped. I had been using the same software for 30 years, and the old files don't open on my new computer. The old software won't load, and apparently they aren't making it anymore, so I can't even upgrade. After a lot of trial and error, with a couple of programs, trying many different fonts and sizes that still seemed to want to make what used to fit on one page spill over onto two, I finally found a way to make it work. I had to get that done this week as several people need various pages from that book by tonight, and I had promised they would have them.
I had also taken on a one week art course for this week. Not great timing, but it was one I had been looking forward to, and this is when it was being offered. True, I could have done it on my own time, but it's always more fun to do something like this when others are involved in a class, so you can compare your work with what they are doing.
It was Carla Sonheim's Watercolor Transfer Painting class. I got to paint on a surface I would never have thought of on my own, and then transferred the results onto watercolour paper afterwards. I could just as easily have transferred it onto t-shirts, and I expect I'll try that one of these days.
On day two we added water soluble markers, pastels, charcoal, ballpoint pen or any other media we had handy to the coloured papers we had created. That's more fun than it sounds like. The dullest, most uninteresting piece from the day before became quite beautiful.
Day four, we really got to work cutting up the papers into random shapes, and then rearranging them on our surface to create something interesting. You really need to let go of any preconceived notions during all this, and just let things happen. When I was laying out some pieces thinking of combining some of them to make some silly kind of animal, I ended up with a Dancing Duo.
Today we'll finish off the course by basically printing plates. That's a multi-layered transfer project that has a look of encaustics when it's done. First I have to figure out what I want to produce and then I have to create the various levels. Later I'll iron one after another onto a piece of watercolour paper and hope things line up.
So, like Nelly, who is also on this de-cluttering journey, I guess I've taken the week off from cleaning out cluttered spots. It certainly didn't feel like a week off here though. I even got a little stressed out for a while yesterday. I'm still not quite over my latest flu, and I did have to go for some unpleasant, but non-related medical tests earlier this week, so I'm sure that didn't help either. I finally stopped coughing long enough to actually wash the floors, at least. As I said, I do have a new de-clutter spot all picked out, and it's definitely time to get to it. I have another deadline looming, but it's a week and a half off yet, so hopefully I'll clean out that spot in time for next week's check in time.
Meanwhile, the only thing I've de-cluttered this week is the tax file and my cluttered mind. A bit of fun now is good for all of us.
I love the sound of the class you've been taking. So great to learn new techniques. For me, decluttering is going to be on hold for another two weeks until after our week at the beach. More claying needs to be done!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun class! Definitely worth a decluttering break I would say. I did do some decluttering last week, but I didn't get an opportunity to take pics. This week I'm in N.O. so no decluttering this week. I have several more projects to do when I get home again though.
ReplyDelete