Bunny Old Skool block print

I've been working on block printing for a while and decided to go for something a little bigger than I had before, and with multiple blocks and colors. 

I also wanted to do something where I could vary the main print a bit by having different add-ons.  In this case, I have the rabbit as the main image, and the walkman can easily be exchanged for a cookie or a cross or a flower or whatever, and the text can be changed as well, making a totally different type of image.

I started out by carving a large (10") bunny in a different style than I am used to (usually, I do outlines, but this was filled).  I carved some alphabet blocks too, in a typewriter font, and then decided to add to it by making a walkman-style image to stick in the bunny's hand, and some earphones for his rabbity ears.  Here's the result:

 

So I made a giant patch with it and put it on sale in my etsy shop, figuring people could stick it on the back of their hoodies or jackets, or on a tote bag or something.  Clearly, the patch would need to be trimmed and sewn on, but I think it would make a cute design.   You can get it here in my etsy store!

I also used it as the basis for a zazzle design.

And you can buy the whole series of Old Skool walkman-wearing bunny stuff here in my zazzle store.

Not sure if anyone else will think it's as funny as I do, but just me thinking it's funny is a start, no?

New Hoodie and Doggie Update

Sooooo..... here's my latest hoodie, a pink, kawaii-style upcycled Old Navy hoodie, with cupcakes and hearts and everything.  It's in my etsy DaisyDreams shop.  It took me several hours to make, but it was worth it.  It's extra-super soft and awesome.  I keep thinking I should keep these for myself, but again, my hoodie collection is far too large as it is.

Puppy hurt his paw last Thursday, no idea how.  I came home from work and he was limping and did not get an answer from dog-walking friend as to whether something had happened when they went out.  Took pup to the vet and they said paw infection, antibiotics, and rest.  I dunno about an infection, since he's not licking his paw, but whatever.

The vet and the tech, however, did wax poetic about Riley's white teeth, saying they'd seen white teeth before, but these were ridiculously white.  I told them it was a healthy raw-based diet, and for the first time ever, they did not chastise me.  They apparently now have a holistic vet working there, so they can't say much anymore. :0)

So, I'm taking it easy with Riley and we're walking in our local park instead of at the hunting training grounds. I don't think I'm going to the training grounds anymore till tick season is over.  Staying in our sprayed park from now on.  It's worth having a slightly hyper doggie if it means no ticks!

Tomorrow is my 34th birthday!  My students are all up to something.  I think they just want an excuse to bring food and not do class.  I told them we could eat cake and do class at the same time. :0P

More to come...  two days till the weekend!

More penguins

I made yet another penguin stamp in the last two nights.  No pictures as of yet, so will have to upload one later.  I'm on quite a penguin kick lately, and as I got a nice big sheet of pink SpeedyStamp, I can carve to my heart's delight for at least a while.  I also made a small bow stamp that I can use as a penguin hair bow (do penguins need hair bows?) or bow ties.  I am on a total carving kick.

It helps that I am making sales again (amazing what actually putting effort into something will do!).  I sold a penguin shirt I made from a screen made on a piece of curtain fabric and using an embroidery hoop as the frame.  I used screen drawing fluid and filler, but because the screen is held in such a crappy frame, it's starting to crack.  It's okay; I'm trying to move from screens to stamps because I like the variety of designs I can get from three stamps together, as opposed to a screen with a set pattern.  Strangely, a sheet of stamp material is cheaper than a blank screen.  Screens do get clearer results, though.

I also have a potential sale for a customized item from a block as well.  Hurray!  If only I didn't have such "hobby A.D.D.," as my little brother calls it.  He has it, too, btw.   Oooooh, sewing, ooooh carving, oooooh, shoe painting, ooooh, writing!  Never follow through with much.

My dog-sittee, a puggle, was playing tonight with my hyperhund while I was carving and watching t.v.  All of a sudden, there were blood spots on the couch, and they were not from me or my carving utensils (thankfully, I suppose).  Turns out the puggle's ear was bleeding from the rough-housing he and my pup were doing.  He dribbled blood all five doors back down to his place, but I think I staunched it fairly well with Wal-mart Neosporin when we got back to his place.  Left a note for his "daddy."

Speaking of the Hyperhund, now that he has his zap collar, I have had no need to use it, thank goodness.  He has been responding just fine to the vibe option, which is nice.  He had stopped responding to it on his vibe-only collar, but I think it was because the strap was loosening.  This one has a better strap, so we'll see what happens.

That's all for now.  More later.  Must go to bed (at 10:15 on a Friday night!?); I'm so boring!

Penguin!

I spent a short few hours tonight watching random tv shows (Old Christine, Glee, Ghost Whisperer), and while I did, I carved out this stamp:

It's actually a pretty big stamp at almost 3" or so.  It's the first stamp / block I've managed to make that actually has some semi-fine lines on it!  Hurray! :0) 

It actually turned out well, considering I free-handed the original picture in under 30 seconds, on an index card, during my lunch break at school.  If only carving took such a short time.  But it's actually kinda therapeutic in a way.

On a completely random note, I'm feeling kinda like a bad doggie owner right now.  I had to get the hyperhund an electric collar, which I swore I'd never do.  But he runs off-leash at the doggie forest preserve every day (probably about 12 miles a pop), or he's hyper for the rest of the evening.  He needs a whole lot of running.  However, once he gets on a coyote or deer scent, he's off and he runs so far and fast that I'm scared to death that he's not gonna come back, not because he wants to, but because he gets lost.  Another dog at the forest preserve got killed last month when he ran off on a scent and ran into a highway quite far away.  Got hit by a semi.  These dogs go insane on deer and coyote scents.  I don't know if there's any training that would keep them by their owners in this case.  My dog is well-trained, even with squirrels and rabbits and ducks, which he would love to  chase.  Deer and coyotes, forget it.  Hmmm. 

Well, the collar is a pager collar by Unleashed Technology.  It vibrates first and you can go to stim if you want.  I had a vibe only collar for him, but he quickly learned to ignore that.  At any rate, I figure I'll only use it when he does go nuts on a scent, to break his focus.  He's part pointer, part weim, part GSD, so he's extremely nose-oriented.

Well, that's that.  I'm so in need of vacation.  It's nice being a teacher; I get a lot of time off, I get time to make a bunch of stuff, and I do have a  good time while I'm teaching.  I have parent-teacher conferences on Monday and Tuesday, then the rest of the week off.  Can't wait....