For Valentine’s Day, Ben bought me a Bamboo tablet. I’ve been having such fun with it. I went ahead and cartooned Ben using Adobe Illustrator and my new tablet.
This isn’t a DS106 assignment, but it totally should be. Cartoon You!
I’ve been drawing Ben as a cartoon for a few years now, but it’s so much better with the tablet. He looks all professional and digital now. If he’s really cool, he’ll use it as one of his avatars somewhere online. That would totally make my day.
Ok, one more cat for the week.
I made a loaf of bread yesterday and was inspired to turn it into a cat.
It reminds me a bit of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.
I used Gif Shop for my iphone to create the gif.
I decided to start my DS106 assignments with this challenge because ever since Ben did it, I wanted to make (a better) one. I’m not sure I succeeded, but it is 4 icons from one of my favorite movies of all time.
I created this in Adobe Illustrator. It was my first time playing with Ai, and I kind of like it. I’m much more used to drawing my ideas with crayons and markers and the extra added challenge of trying to create a graphic completely on the computer was fun and frustrating.
So, what movie is it?
You may have noticed a new look to the site. This week’s DS106 assignment was to mess with your website. I’m sure they put it much more elegantly over there, but to summarize, it was mess with your website. So last night, I sat down and did some messin’ here. A new banner with my own photograph helps a bit. I’ll have to get a few more into the rotation. As much as I love the light show image, I think I’d like some more color here.
I also played with the widgets a bit over on the sidebar. There is some Twitter thing happening over there. I attempted to play with my flickr photos as well with a widget happily titled, “Hey, It’s a Flickr Widget!” However, it’s not playing well with others now, so it may have to be dumped for something more grown up. But really, it makes me sad that HIAFW would have to go, because, dudes, that’s a great name for a widget.
In other news, the latest Daily Create photo assignment was kind of fun. The description was to take a picture of raw materials next to a finished product.
This is a basket of some fun roving from various locations, a spun bobbin of some merino and finished yarn from Pumpkinhaus Fibers and some Funky Carolina tidbits. Those two finished yarns will be knit into a sweater very soon. Maybe I’ll even finish it this winter in time to wear it.
Because its almost Christmas and Ben was making cookies, we decided to have a little fun with our sugar cookies.
Prepare to be amazed!
He he he he!
Only an art teacher and technology geek could come up with this stuff at 9 pm on Wednesday night.
This weekend was Halloween. I don’t mean Sunday was Halloween. I mean this weekend was Halloween.
On Friday, Miss R dressed up at school, had a party, did the parade, the whole bit.
*
Saturday was downtown trick or treat. So we all dressed up to go downtown and grab some candy and ride the carousel. The carousel was AWESOME all decked out in spooky finery. The headless horseman was even riding the UofM horse.
H was riding the horse with a purple pimp hat. Not sure how that happened. The baby tiger on the Benton Harbor Tiger was adorable!
Since we were downtown, a family photo on the cannon was in order.
And of course, we fired the baby out of the cannon.
**
Then, on Sunday night (you’ll note that this was actually October 31st) we all went out to do some trick or treating. This was the first year that Miss R really ventured out for candy. We walked around for about an hour and got 42 pieces of candy (she counted). Which I think is the perfect amount of candy for a 5 year old and her parents.
***
*Original plan was a Munchkin for Donut. The weather declared that he only wear the hat, so he became a sprout. I’m sure he’ll thank us for it when he turns 13. His hat was knit by Nicole of Knerq for Miss R years ago, and then a flower pin added for fun.
**A gray wig was as dressed up as I got on Saturday. It was very last minute when Donut woke up from his nap just in time to go trick or treating with Miss R and Ben. After seeing this picture, I’m not so worried about getting gray hair, it’s not that bad.
***Miss R as Ariel the little mermaid. I made her tail out of the most horrible, no-good, super stretchy, sparkly, tail fabric I could find. She loved it.
While Natalie was here, as a thank you, I took her to the local yarn store, Ivelise’s. She had a great time looking at ALLLLLL the yarn and the books for ideas.
While we were waiting, we had some yarny fun of our own.
That’s my mystery knit* with Ducky on the big round table. Can you see all the yarny goodness hiding in the background? To the left are wound up scarves in a cute little crochet pattern. When wound up they look like little heads of broccoli or something.
Miss R and Ducky show off a bright pink flowered headband that she would like me to make for her. Only skinnier. And with rainbow yarn. And a bigger flower. And stretchier. So really, it won’t look anything like that at all.
A stealth shot of Natalie picking out some yarn. She took FOREVER to pick out yarn 
But she got some really great stuff that made her happy. Plus a new book, 60 Quick Knits for Cascade 220. I’d like to get a copy of that book. Lots of fun little projects in there!
I can’t wait to see what Natalie is up to with all her yarn and new patterns, but since she was doing some stealthy holiday knitting, I think I’ll just have to wait.
More updates coming!
In other news, Ben is still in Switzerland. But he’s sick. Say a quick prayer, light a candle, cross your fingers, slaughter a pig** or whatever it is you do to pass on the good luck he needs to finish his class, graduate on Friday, and make it home without the flu.
*More on the mystery knit later. It was finally released, so I’ll show it off to you later.
** Ok, don’t really do this unless you are a trained professional who will later eat the pig, please.
Ducky helped Miss R and Natalie make Pirate Jello this week. It was Pirate Jello because of the marshmallows and blueberries they added-you know, hidden treasure.
Arrrr! Ducky is worried he may have to walk the plank!
Donut got some jello too! I don’t think he really cared for it too much-a little too sweet. But he did enjoy playing with it.
We needed a bath after this. Surprisingly, the red dye number4 that was all over his hands and elbows came right off in the bathtub. No long lasting red baby!
Ducky also went back to ceramics class.
I designed a bowl to be used with yarn while knitting. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put the yarn in the bowl, run the string through the loop and be able to knit while the yarn stays put in the bowl. We’ll see how that turns out!
Then, Ducky went to visit the girls at knit night.
Here’s Ducky with everyone! There was lots of coffee and ice cream around this table along with the wools, alpacas, cottons, and acrylics. I left Natalie with the group last night because Ducky was so tired (and so were the kids). They had a great time, and now Natalie is looking for her own knitting group.
In other news, my super crazy busy week is now coming to a close, and I only have to do eleventy seven things this weekend instead of eleventy eight.
While Piggy was in Geneva, his cousin Wapiggy came to visit us. He’s not exactly the friendliest little pig, but he’s cute. He went with Miss R and Donut to a birthday party this weekend.
It’s a little blurry, because little girls don’t hold still for long. But you see that little girl who is not Miss R? She asked to hold Wapiggy. Little did she know what a scheming little pig he is. After a few minutes, he convinced her to run away with him and take him far far away.
There they go! And that was the last we saw of Wapiggy. Sorry Piggy, but your cousin is on the run. I don’t know when we will see him again.
However, our friend Ducky stepped up and promised to help us out.
He went to the library with us.
Ducky likes to read Elephant and Piggy books with Miss R.
He also likes to read Scooby Doo.
But unfortunately it was nap time.
Then, Ducky went with me to my clay class.
Ducky helped Nettie throw a bowl. It was a very big bowl.
Here’s Ducky modeling some of my finished bowls and a pony. The pony goes on the boat.
Here’s Ducky sailing the boat. There is a series of three boats that go along with the idea of Lake Michigan’s Invasive Species.
Ducky is looking forward to more news from Switzerland soon!
Easter Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, the daffodils were blooming. Miss R had a new dress (and new socks too!)
Speaking of which, the March socks are complete. And boy do I feel clever. I designed that little heart on the back of her heels all by my onesies.
Miss R looking all adorable.
Using the daffodils as an umbrella?
Uncle Jon hanging with the Donut. He was worried the Donut was going to drool all over his cool skater shirt.
It was a very nice little Easter weekend. Chocolate bunnies, potato salad, a puzzle, a nap, some yarn, and a very exciting church service (we even got to use little fire crackers to send confetti all around the sanctuary).
