baby, its cold outside!

Brrrr! It got so cold yesterday afternoon and has continued to be! I bundled up for my class yesterday evening, but the wind was so fierce... my poor fingers (though gloved) were quite purple with cold when I got inside the classroom. :p Its still frightfully, delightfully cold this morning; but somehow I’m really enjoying the more seasonal weather today. And being able to lounge around in my pjs, sipping warm tea, reading blogs and listening to my Björk station on pandora.com. *grin*

I’ve been busy-busy with creating things the last few days! I’m working on getting the Christmas cards ready for handing out to friends. I really like how the paper insert turned out; minimalist like the outside design. I’ve lately been a little discouraged that so many of my designs tend to be minimalist and “clean”; its not that I can’t do more complicated things, its that they don’t feel in tune with my ideas of semetry and visual organization (something I’ve become somewhat obsessive about in the last few months). Even my typography teacher commented on my “clean” designs I’ve handed in all semester. I just hate doing things that look like Illustrator (or whatever) threw up all over the page. That being said, some of my favorite artists and designers have just that aesthetic. lol. The contradiction of life, I suppose! Anyway, enough of that; here are the Christmas cards:

I need to make a few more just so I have enough to go ‘round. I really had wanted to offer to send cards to my online friends this year, but alas, I just won’t be able to make enough to do so. :p Maybe next year... *is hopeful*

I also came up with the idea of doing an embellished children’s “library” tote bag the other evening and started stitching it up while watching episodes of Top Chef (yes, I’m addicted, simply because now that Project Runway is over, I have nothing to watch...). The inspiration was an oversized bag I made years ago when Mom was teaching me how to use the sewing machine. It was huge; I liked to call it the bottomless bag because I could literally fill it up and still have room! We were voracious library-users in those days; making weekly visits to the local branch where I always stocked up on stacks of crafty books. That bag I made myself served me well as a means of transporting my large stash of books. Of course, a tote this big (roughly 15”x16” plus 3” depth/width along the sides and bottom) is great for kids to throw all manners of things in: stuffed toys, dress up clothes, the cat who happens to be unlucky enough to be around for transporting... *grin* I still need to construct it, but I wanted to find a fun cotton lining first. Who knows what I shall do with this, as I have no children in my aquatance right now... :p But that isn’t the point, is it? ;) lol!!



Oh, and a few updates that you all might be interested in. Firstly, I updated my massive blog links list over at my other blog; lots and lots of new stuff here! I also updated the website with some 1920s images (I plan on scanning and uploading more during winter break) and some new website links. Enjoy!!

{ click on images for larger views!! }