tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194745472024-03-14T04:06:20.776-05:00operation paper cutA blog dedicated to the things I love: Thrifting, Making & Repurposing, Gardening, Entertaining, Projects and Turning Our House into Our Home.Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.comBlogger527125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-2837449225607937052014-06-22T23:39:00.003-05:002014-06-22T23:44:29.099-05:00Fire Pit Planter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few months ago I fell in love with this planter I found over at <a href="http://www.finegardening.com/3-ways-design-containers">Fine Gardening</a>. Like just about everything else that I see and want, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about the thing until I had something just like it. But <i>also</i> just like everything else that I see and want, it would be way out of my price range for at least another 4 or 5 years. Lucky for me, I have a fast moving brain and knew that I could have something really similar for free just by using something I already had laying around....an old, rusted fire pit.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFbwAH4VtAE/U6ekAVOvg_I/AAAAAAAAC9I/5T6Bd6sE8fo/s1600/firebowlfirst.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFbwAH4VtAE/U6ekAVOvg_I/AAAAAAAAC9I/5T6Bd6sE8fo/s1600/firebowlfirst.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFbwAH4VtAE/U6ekAVOvg_I/AAAAAAAAC9I/5T6Bd6sE8fo/s1600/firebowlfirst.png" height="640" width="529" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This plain jane run-of-the-mill fire pit served us well the first year we moved in, and was there for us every step of the way up until we built the real deal the following summer. And then it was quickly retired to the back of the house where it's pretty much sat as an eye-sore ever since. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a few rounds of scrubbing and suds followed by 3 coats of mega expensive metallic colored spray paint ($9 for a can that sputtered and dripped...) I was happy with my new planter bowl. So happy that I didn't even let it cure for the full 48 hours, but whatever- it's fine as long as you're looking at it from like 8 feet away, which works out since it's placed upon a shady slope...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once I got the positioning right, it was time to figure out a way to keep it secure and level. Thankfully I had just been working with a roll of metal grid fencing the day before so I was quick to realize that I could just cut a length of that stuff and wind it into a sturdy circle, shoving the wire stems down into the ground for support. Unthankfully, this only worked until I was finished planting which was when the entire thing kind of fell over and made that cartoon-like droopy falling-over noise. It was around that time that I took a deep breath and a walk and probably opened a beverage of some sort. Eventually I circled back and with a mallet and some dowel rods and kind of just worked with what I had in order to get this thing strong enough to hold up to the elements. Of course, this wasn't before having to un-plant and then re-plant the whole thing, but that's beside the point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When all was said and done, this is what shined in front of me, in all it's splendid glory. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. I had to use plants that I already had on hand, and the most easy-going, transplant-friendly ones I had were a variety of sedum, so that's what I went with. I'm excited to see what it looks like when it flowers and also once I have this area free of vines and other nuisances, but until then I'll just be happy to have a finished project (which is always a big deal for me).</span></div>
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Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-4141827111355148602014-06-16T11:04:00.002-05:002014-06-16T11:21:43.659-05:00Projects, Life, Etc.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's funny to think back on the days when this blog would wrap itself around my life as much as it did, day in and day out, for years upon years. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm not sure if I stopped blogging because I got busy or if I got busy because I stopped blogging, but I think it may have had something to do with a little bit of both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At some point a couple years ago I remember feeling burnt out. Trying to do all these projects on the mega-cheap while other bloggers were creating beautiful homes and projects with ease. And while I'm not really the jealous type, it did get a little frustrating at times to know that I was trying 10 times as hard to create something that was 10 times less exciting. I eventually came to the realization that what I once loved about blogging had become this toxic, looming state of frustration. So I put it aside and moved along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But recently I've been feeling this pool of emptiness and I think it may be that I miss writing. I've been working on all these little projects lately and while it <i>has</i> been nice to not have the constant, hovering thought of <i>"I need to document this....and this....and this....and probably thisss...."</i> I still do really miss this space. And so, I think I'll come back again and give it a try, remembering what my original intent was in the first place: to have somewhere I could post photos of what I was doing along with some words so I'd always have something to look back upon in 1, 2 or even 20 years from now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, here I am. This is one of the projects I've been working on. It's not finished yet- right now I'm building the roof, but eventually it's going to be a drop box for all those little weeds that like to poke their heads out of my garden. I came up with the idea when I was weeding a few weeks ago and realized that when there are only like 10 weeds to pull, I never walk those 10 weeds all the way to the weed pile in the back corner of the yard, because it's like 200' from my main garden. As a result, I would end up with all these little piles of weeds scattered about. So this is my attempt to fix that issue. We'll see how it works...I'm pretty sure it will be a good solution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As far as life projects go, over the past couple years I've managed to stay busy with a few things here and there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I completed my Entry Level, Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications, and I'm officially considered an Interior Firefighter. More on that later....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I received my Nursing Assistant Certification last month and will be finding a job in the field relatively soon. I've learned that I really enjoy caring for people in need and I also learned that scrub pants make the most excellent garden and house project pants....so many pockets! More on all that later as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm in the process of completing all my immunizations to start my EMT class in August. My eventual goal is to become and ER nurse, hopefully by the time I'm in my mid 30s. It will be a long road but I think I'm up for it. I started school for the first time in almost 10 years last fall. It's been a fun challenge and for the most part I enjoy it. (Ha, I say that now....)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I started focusing on art again after a long hiatus, which has been really, really nice. I'm still in the process of moving my studio, but I'm finally making headway on it. More on that as well. It would help if I didn't have an a-hole alpha male cat in the house to deal with. <i>Anyway.</i> Here's one of my works in progress....hoping to finish it shortly:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, I suppose for now I should get outside and carry on with this weed box. I'll be back with photos soon. I've got so many things to post about...I'm really excited. I'm hoping to get a real camera again, too.....phone cameras are convenient and all, but constantly being attached to my phone is a distraction I don't need, and usually I don't even know where it is on my days off (which is good and bad, of course.) Anyway....I hope you are all doing well. See you again soon.</span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-33101263726330909672013-07-19T08:34:00.001-05:002013-07-19T08:34:46.498-05:00Block Print Patterns<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yesterday I made myself stay in my studio for most of the day so I could finally get a few things done. It was mostly sanding and painting...so pretty slow moving...but I did draw 2 new designs and I even managed to get one of them carved and printed which was pretty great. At least it makes me feel like I'm getting somewhere. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is what it ended up looking like. It's one of the most textured, simple designs I've ever done and to be honest, it's probably one of my favorites....it feels much more free than a lot of my patterns and I like how I didn't feel like everything had to line up *perfectly* while printing. No</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> hooks yet, but they're to come. I'm also working on finding some vintage black hooks to give some of the racks more character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've tossed around the idea of making pillows and I think I may eventually end up doing so if all goes to plan. I don't know if I mentioned it but I'm in the midst of moving my studio and I have a huge amount of space...perfect for lots of separate work areas. For now it's nothing glamorous but I am hoping to pull everything out of there for a week this winter and paint the floors and get new lighting. And if things go *really* well, I'll even get a new ceiling and a sweet sliding barn door entry. We'll see. For now I'm off to carve design #2 and then go to work. Hope you're all having a great summer! Take care. :)</span></div>
Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-67034366610889444112013-06-20T07:33:00.001-05:002013-06-20T07:33:10.741-05:00New Mixed Media Piece [Yep. Another Boring Title.]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hey hey, what's happening? Not a lot here. Just your average June-inspired activities. Lots of grilling, lots of gardening...some canoeing, camping and art. In 10 days I am dropping down to 3 days a week at work </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to focus on art and eventually school.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> [that sounds rather daunting when I see it typed out...3 days??? Ugh. It wasn't supposed to be this nerve wracking.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, I finished this piece last week and I'm pretty happy with it. So happy that I am going to make a few more in varying colors. I'm thinking grey, blue and maybe yellow. Right now I'm in the midst of moving my studio, so that takes priority over new pieces, but I'm hoping to have it ready by July 1 [so I can work on stuff right away when I cut back on hours at work.] We'll see how it goes. I know myself well enough to realize that it probably won't be ready in time and I'll probably have to work on some sort of jerry-rigged, temporary work bench that will end up being my primary workspace for like 3 months until I finish all my landscaping things. Right now I'm building a new limestone retaining wall. Photos to come....for now I'm off to stack more rocks. Hope you are all doing well.</span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-12073689159333249752013-05-13T09:05:00.003-05:002013-05-22T06:35:34.785-05:00New Pieces<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been awfully quiet around here lately, hasn't it? </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'd say that it's because I've been really busy doing this or that, but in all honesty I haven't really felt all that busy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I finished up my firefighting class a couple weeks ago and passed my exam, which has been a huge relief. I had been sort of stressed during the months leading up to it, mostly because I'm dealing with health issues so I was really concerned that test day would come and that I wouldn't physically be able to do everything I had to do, which could have potentially caused my group to fail, and that would be terrible. It felt like this looming storm cloud for quite a while but it's over now and I'm good to go! Thankfully test day came and I felt great. I've mostly been feeling pretty good on all the other days too..I've learned that I just have to go about things at a slower pace than I'd prefer, and I think the new pace is finally starting to become normal rather than the huge annoyance it had been at first. Outwardly I look fine; most people have no idea that I have this going on and I think I prefer it that way, to a point. It does suck when I'm having a hard day and people who don't know that I'm usually strong and determined think that I'm just a weak and feeble girl who needs some dude to do everything for her. I do realize that posting this on my blog opens the door to pretty much anyone in my life knowing about this, but I'm hoping that most people are respectful and don't make a big deal out of it. Please and thanks? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Okay, moving onto happier thoughts...I've been working on new art stuff and lots of small landscaping projects now that spring has finally decided to stretch itself across lower Wisconsin. Yay! Here is one of the new pieces I finished last month:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's about 19" x 24", mixed media on wood. One of the larger pieces I've made...I really like it for the most part; making these bigger pieces feels a lot different than the smaller ones do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also been working on moving my studio to part of the house that's bigger and brighter and has a door that walks out to my gardens. I was all set to move everything, and I was really excited about doing so since I worked hard to get it cleaned up and ready to go, but then my dickhead cat Clementine decided he was mad at the world and began to pee on things in there. Ugh. Joe and I are to our wits end with him. On one hand he's super sweet and cuddly, but then he turns into a mega jerk and is mean to Moonshadow and he pees on things [sprays] for reasons unknown. I thought we had everything sorted out when the neighbor's cat stopped roaming around the house, but I guess we didn't. We're trying to figure out what to do with him...finding a new home would be nearly impossible, but like I said- I'm sick of our things being ruined and I'm even more sick of the house smelling like cat pee and not being able to find the source. Come ON dude, I just want to have people over but don't feel like I can with this going on. And now that I've typed that I realized that there's a friggan CAT controlling my life, and that's not okay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, back to happy thoughts again. I'm hoping to have a couple shows late 2013 so I've been working on lots of ideas for that. I might go canoeing today...it will be the first time this year and although I really feel like I should be doing art or working on house projects, it would be great to get out on the water. I'll take pictures if I go. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-9703315962669440372013-03-20T10:06:00.001-05:002013-03-20T10:06:28.553-05:00Gear Closet: Before and After<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A sunshiney Wednesday and I've got the entire day to enjoy. Right now I'm working on moving my studio to a bigger, brighter space in the house but since that trudge isn't even close to being finished, I'll just show you guys what I worked on the other day. My gear closet, before & after.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Before, our sleeping bags were annoyingly slung through wooden hangers so they wouldn't touch the floor and as you can see, everything else was kind of just thrown to the closet stomach last fall. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found myself at the end of my frustration tolerance and bought a few baskets while I was perusing the aisles at Target last week. Of *course* the only baskets I liked were the most expensive ones they had, at $10 each, and while I wanted to buy 4 big ones I just couldn't justify spending $40 on them all at once so I told myself I'd go back for a couple more when the next paycheck came. Well,<i> apparently </i>the rest of Madison gets paid before I do, so when I went back yesterday they were all out. I knew that would happen.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fy2n_Jt7ITg/UUnKDTYzjII/AAAAAAAAC54/sT0QV0tdFOM/s1600/gearbanda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fy2n_Jt7ITg/UUnKDTYzjII/AAAAAAAAC54/sT0QV0tdFOM/s640/gearbanda.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I bought some U shaped hangers at the hardware store so I could hang the paddles and I was pretty excited to find them. I thought I would have to stop at the music store for some guitar hangers but these orange ones look way cooler and were way cheaper. Score! I organized the baskets by the 3 main components of camping: cooking, sleeping, and hanging out. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3-ZhUZSaF8/UUnKGDMAMhI/AAAAAAAAC6A/1gaq3fcUGxo/s1600/gearafter2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3-ZhUZSaF8/UUnKGDMAMhI/AAAAAAAAC6A/1gaq3fcUGxo/s640/gearafter2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I ripped the metal hanging-rod out [which I had to cut out with a hacksaw] and then shortened it to 2 smaller pieces. One to go across the top of the closet to the right so we could hang out PFDs/lifejackets up and out of the way, and another which I rigged up high on the other side so we could hang our sleeping bags without them brushing across the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I also had to rip the long shelf out that previously held the board games and GEEZUS did the previous homeowners like to use LONG nails and screws, and lots of them. I seriously effed the wall up and was going to patch it but ended up forgoing the idea when I realized how long it would take to dry. So I just threw on a quick coat of paint and made all my measurements and cuts while it was drying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So yeah. I'm pretty amped about the fact that I started and finished a project in the SAME DAY. That's a pretty big deal for me....I mean, just <i>finishing </i>a project is a big deal for me so this was huge. Super excited to have an organized camping gear closet. And now, it's onto the next: my big studio move. Hopefully all the batteries are finished charging for the saw. I've got a lot of cutting to go. Off I go, hope you are all doing well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-90897569140121695662013-02-08T07:48:00.000-06:002013-02-08T07:48:24.028-06:00New Mixed Media Pieces<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I don't really know how this turned into an art blog, but it kind of did and I'm just going to roll with it. The fact that I don't like house projects the same way so many other bloggers seem to enjoy them has been a determining factor, I'm sure. Although I do wish I liked house projects....there are so many things I want done, but so many things I'd rather be doing that I just don't do well when it comes to the active task of everything a project entails. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But anyway, I've been on this art kick since last summer when I was in mega-make-mode for my art show, and the feeling hasn't really diminished. Which is a good thing....prior to that I had taken a long, long time off from my art, mainly to do those damn house things I talked about. The art has given me some form of balance and I really enjoy coming up with new pieces.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgkH4f2rAVE/URT-eF7js8I/AAAAAAAAC5U/ELjwHWq-qhg/s1600/chevrontree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgkH4f2rAVE/URT-eF7js8I/AAAAAAAAC5U/ELjwHWq-qhg/s640/chevrontree.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This chevron tree piece is hanging in that coffee shop I talked about last week and I like the way it turned out. I pulled myself to use yellow and red and I'm glad I did. It feels a lot different than the majority of my other stuff since I usually fall into the comfort of various shades of blue. Having something that's warm is nice. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-72013766639595117722013-01-30T15:30:00.002-06:002013-01-30T15:33:46.807-06:00It's Winter Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I took this photo 24 hours ago, wishing so badly for winter to come back. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do love spring....but it's January and January means winter. But our yard was a soggy, icky mess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Little did I know, we were in the direct line of a winter snowstorm and my wish came true! Now we have snow again which I'm very excited about. The only bad thing is that I tried leaving my house today to head into Madison for an appt that I really needed to go to, but I got out in the road and realized that what I was trying to do was worth a pretty good eyeroll, so I was back inside my house in less than a minute calling to reschedule. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aj2fR3pkV54/UQmRRFRmIHI/AAAAAAAAC4s/B8L5Cpu0BZc/s1600/winter2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Aj2fR3pkV54/UQmRRFRmIHI/AAAAAAAAC4s/B8L5Cpu0BZc/s640/winter2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I spent most of my day doing art stuff and getting all my pieces ready to hang in the coffee shop. I finished my most dreaded task, applying the matte finish and mounting hardware, and now I'm onto titles and pricing. Ugh, pricing....you never used to be so damn hard. Ah well, I'll get it one day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K1WQmZkKqYs/UQmQ24yi0JI/AAAAAAAAC4k/8VK3Ab0d3_0/s1600/autumn.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="562" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K1WQmZkKqYs/UQmQ24yi0JI/AAAAAAAAC4k/8VK3Ab0d3_0/s640/autumn.JPG" width="640" /></a> </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-85268050028843890332013-01-26T15:33:00.000-06:002013-01-26T15:33:00.537-06:00Yola's in Madison<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been trying to connect with a few coffee shop owners over the past week or so and as it turns out, one of them is looking for somebody to hang art in their shop for the month of February...which is in like, 6 days. I've got enough stuff ready but I felt like I should probably make a few more things just because otherwise it seemed too easy. ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These ones are all about the same size, 8" x 12". I need to buy a new reddish orange prisma color pencil [i think they call that <i>rust.</i> what a novel concept...] because mine got dropped one too many times and won't sharpen without crumbling into a million pieces. Once I get a new one, I'm going to color a couple of the leaves on this blue piece.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XrXGmYdZstY/UQLitAyMdPI/AAAAAAAAC3w/JZqGC8o1-Gs/s1600/yola2.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XrXGmYdZstY/UQLitAyMdPI/AAAAAAAAC3w/JZqGC8o1-Gs/s640/yola2.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I'll probably end up hanging about 12-15 pieces or so and I think most of them will be pretty simple, mostly in the $45 - $150 range. I'm excited about the exposure more than anything, really....any sales will just be a nice surprise. So if you're on the West Side of Madison, you should run over and get a latte from <a href="http://www.yolascafe.com/">Yola's</a> and take a quick browse. They have a fireplace so make sure you bring a good book too. :) </span></div>
Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-81379559043608065572013-01-23T07:33:00.001-06:002013-01-23T07:43:21.128-06:00Mixed Media: Progression Clips<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I put together this short series of clips highlighting the progression of layers in the last piece I made. It's far from anything spectacular and I need to focus on better image quality next time, but for now I'm pretty happy with it. It's nice for me to be able to see how things came together, because I usually manage to erase that part from my head by the time I'm finished with it. I'm hoping to make a bunch of these to stream during my next art opening. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm pushing for 4 art shows over the next year. One solo, one with a friend who recently started printmaking, one group and one in....gulp...Minneapolis|St. Paul. Of course, more would be fun, but I think 4 is a decent number considering I'll still be working and doing the firefighting thing and hopefully going to school during that time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you happen to be an artist in Madison or Minneapolis and you somehow strolled across this post, feel free to shoot me an email. I haven't researched my group show too much and I'd love to hear from groups looking for more people, and I'm also looking for a good venue in Minnesota. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Okay, well that's all. Talk soon. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-49212149382022279862013-01-20T22:34:00.001-06:002013-01-21T08:23:31.925-06:00Latest Mixed Media Collage: Drifter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here's the latest piece- I finally felt that it was finished sometime yesterday afternoon. It's about 12" x 18", on wood that I cut and sanded a couple weeks ago. I don't know how it happens or why it happens, but I almost always end up gravitating towards cool colors, unless I really drag myself to the reds and yellows and oranges. I have been trying to lean toward the sunny-day hues, but in all honesty...I think I'm just a rainy-day girl at heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I thought about making a strikingly similar piece with sunnier tones [an idea I came up with about 3 seconds ago after mentioning that I'm a rainy-day gal and realizing that, coincidentally, there are raindrops all over this one...]</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">so I might work on that sometime this week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've got the next 2 or 3 weeks off [fuckshitYEAH!!!] and I'm going to focus on my art stuff pretty heavily during my break. I'm between seasons with my jobs and every year I have the luxury of enjoying my birthday week and then some away from the workplace. Yeah...it's pretty much perfect. </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q639DmfJra8/UPzFE9NFIeI/AAAAAAAAC3M/m4MLcP6_nBU/s1600/show.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q639DmfJra8/UPzFE9NFIeI/AAAAAAAAC3M/m4MLcP6_nBU/s640/show.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been feeling pretty good lately but there's definitely something that's not right. It's kind of frustrating, but I'm getting through it. I've got another MRI and more tests tomorrow; we'll see how it goes. One thing I know for sure is that I'm not going to request Moby when they ask which internet radio station I want to listen to during the MRI...because that station is a bit nuts when teeter-tottered with the DitDitDitDitDitDitDit RRRRRRRR neeeeee.neeeee.neeee *CLANG*CLANG*CLANG* noise emitting from that damn magnetic-cylinder bed. It was 25 minutes of insane non-stop crazy electronic noize! I couldn't hear the music over the machine and it was kind of funny because as soon as the machine shut it's mouth for a minute, there was the music again, blazing into my ears. Less than comforting. Although I did kind of laugh about it when I realized what I'd gotten myself into. The night before that I had told Joe that I was a bit humored by this recurring image I had of being fed into a big machine with googly eyes and a mouth with sharp teeth and a crooked jaw and that Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" was playing anytime I started to think about this goofy cartoon-like thing. Yeah...I almost requested Pink Floyd for my tunes but I thought it might have been cliche [like they would have known what was going on...] So anyway, I don't know what music I should ask for tomorrow. I'll let you know if my experience is as good as the last. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-31618756050877322402013-01-09T08:06:00.000-06:002013-01-09T08:07:31.601-06:00Cheers to 2013!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey hey! It's 2013! Did you all have a wonderful holiday season? Are you all glad that it's over? Yeah, me too. Although I've gotta say- this was the first year in <i>forever </i>that I wasn't running around touting my shiny bah-humbug horn. Not really sure what was different, but I had fun getting ready for Christmas this time which was really a nice change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We cut our tree down a few weeks before the holiday and the weather ended up being perfect.
It snowed for the first time this year and the temp was in the upper
30s. The tree farm we picked was really cool...just a ton of random
pines poking out of the ground in a jagged pattern, across acres and
acres of snowy white fields. Most tree farms tend to be planted in
perfectly straight lines, row after row, with all of the pines separated
by type and size. This felt more like we were in the woods, which was awesome.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was also really thrilled about the day because it was the first time in what felt like ages that I had felt really <i>good. </i>I had enough strength to help Joe carry our tree, which I know sounds like nothing, but it was such a feeling of victory. I felt like a kid who just learned how to tie their shoes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've been mostly fine lately but still not 100%. I'm dealing with some health stuff that's been everything from scary to frustrating to hopeful and back again. I'm still waiting on a diagnosis, and it could possibly take years to diagnose if it turns out to be what I am fearing most, which I'm near certain it is. I won't go into full details just yet, but I'm sure my next post will have more. For now I'm happy that I woke up feeling good this morning and I have mostly just been embracing these kind of days. Today is the first time in 23 days that I have the day off and the house to myself. I'm planning on doing some art stuff and I hope to finish this piece that I started a month ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fingers crossed that I can get it finished! We'll see. I just noticed that my hands aren't shaking for the first time in 6 weeks. I should get drawing while things are good. :) See you guys soon! I hope you've had a great start to the new year.</span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-84963060930965599422012-12-10T20:25:00.001-06:002012-12-10T20:25:30.862-06:00Moonshadow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Np84uHaI0F0/UMaXakHIMhI/AAAAAAAAC0c/aZ_xTIsLckw/s1600/moon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Np84uHaI0F0/UMaXakHIMhI/AAAAAAAAC0c/aZ_xTIsLckw/s640/moon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My sweet girl has been helping me take it easy over the past couple weeks while I haven't been feeling all that great. It's pretty amazing how much our pets can help us avoid slipping into a mood of doom and gloom...and even if we *do* find ourselves in a deep dark rut, they're always quick to pull us back to level ground. At least for a little while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-42245475867771862482012-12-07T16:47:00.000-06:002012-12-07T16:47:06.077-06:00It's December!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X_tdKzHD2E/UMJvSm0HSOI/AAAAAAAACz8/f-y0b_n-bA0/s1600/wanderlust.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X_tdKzHD2E/UMJvSm0HSOI/AAAAAAAACz8/f-y0b_n-bA0/s640/wanderlust.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey it's December! 2012 is almost over...which is kind of a bummer because '2012' looks and sounds way cooler than '2013', doesn't it? I think it does. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So how's everybody's last month of the year going? Basking in your glory of completed resolutions? I didn't do a 2012 resolution thing, but I did write my list of goals for my 27th birthday and I'm pretty close to crossing everything off. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyway. I don't know when this turned into an art blog again....I guess probably when I realized that house projects are really just not my thing, as much as I looked forward to them before we bought the house. I am so damn thankful we didn't get that fixer-upper we talked about. Yeesh. That would have been a mess. I'm not much of what you'd call a "weekend warrior." Mostly because I work on the weekends, but partly because I like to move at a more leisurely pace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But back to what I was saying...art stuff. I finished <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/117449722/just-before-sunset">this piece</a> earlier today and now I'm working on a new one that's a little bit different than my usual style. Maybe I'll post photos in a few days. Okay, well I've gotta run. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-77677440393610385912012-11-28T16:45:00.000-06:002012-11-28T16:45:25.371-06:00Autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJNgKoohw2k/ULaRr4--40I/AAAAAAAACzc/iAjseoN84Z0/s1600/fall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJNgKoohw2k/ULaRr4--40I/AAAAAAAACzc/iAjseoN84Z0/s640/fall.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">The leaves surrendered </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">to the sharp breeze,</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">and stuttered across the field.<br /> Next they're swept up </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">by a metal pronged rake, </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">and into a pile they're reeled.</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/104538460">sold.</a></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">This was the first one I've done with leaves in quite a long time...I think another one is due. I'm hoping to cruise over to Home Depot after work tomorrow so I can get some more wood and get it cut before the temps drop. We'll see. I'm going to go make quesadillas now. Check ya later. :) Thanks for visiting. </span></span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span></i>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-88614070955344408922012-11-25T16:59:00.003-06:002012-11-25T16:59:36.416-06:00Etsy Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pql9tkZvUh0/ULKidm8QmCI/AAAAAAAACyI/UVifpyio8Oo/s1600/fifteen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="585" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pql9tkZvUh0/ULKidm8QmCI/AAAAAAAACyI/UVifpyio8Oo/s640/fifteen.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Everything in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/yellowcanoe" target="_blank">shop</a> is 15% off. Enter code "fifteen" upon checkout.</span> Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-26354897208669190012012-11-25T13:34:00.001-06:002012-11-25T13:36:27.125-06:00At the Edge of the Field<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-392Nc3myce8/ULJwHejgq_I/AAAAAAAACxs/g8Gbgb0LN6s/s1600/edgeoffield.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="563" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-392Nc3myce8/ULJwHejgq_I/AAAAAAAACxs/g8Gbgb0LN6s/s640/edgeoffield.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">Across the windswept golden field<br /> stood a pine, so tall and frail.<br /> Beneath the branches and needles and sap<br /> fast asleep, a tired snail.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/115471115/at-the-edge-of-the-field." target="_blank"><i>available</i></a>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">I've been hammering out some new tree pieces over the past couple weeks and I'm hoping to keep going. They're usually about 6" x 10" or so, but I've been meaning to pick up some wood that I can cut to about 12" x 24" and make them horizontal. They'd be the same style with the 2 blocks of color, but just horizontal with more trees.</span></span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-35058496295017281312012-11-05T12:11:00.002-06:002012-11-05T12:11:25.034-06:00New Pieces for Yellow Canoe<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hey everybody! How are things? I don't really know where I've been...I suppose work and class and doing things around the house have probably been occupying most of my time. I've also been writing for a new website, so that pulls a couple hours away too I guess. Oh...and I started running last week after a 4 year hiatus, so I'm pretty excited about that! I've also had more weekends off than I'm used to...it's been kind of weird spending my days with people rather than by myself. <i> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>But!</i> I do have most of today off, by myself, and just finished six new pieces, which I'm pretty amped about. Well, I'm probably just overly excited about having the day off by myself without having to be anywhere [until 6:30 tonight, anyway] or share it with anyone. To be honest, I'm feeling a bit of a social-overload right now so I'm just going to sit here and suck on my grape-flavored blow pop...I hate grape but the only other snack in the house is cool whip. I think that means I should *probably* go grocery shopping. But before I do that [I probably won't do that.....] I'm going to continue listening to silence and then catch up on cleaning. Maybe even read some of my book. Package a few things that need to be shipped. You know, typical weekday-off type stuff. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrKs6R8mDRc/UJf8XEOomOI/AAAAAAAACww/BICyPCIVnug/s1600/6newpieces.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrKs6R8mDRc/UJf8XEOomOI/AAAAAAAACww/BICyPCIVnug/s640/6newpieces.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyway, the pieces. I'm really digging how the red one and grey one in the middle came out. Not quite sure how I feel about the others yet, but that's okay. I've been thinking about branching out and trying a new tree design [do these puns just set themselves up or what...] but I haven't decided what I want to do yet. I've been thinking about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/yellowcanoe" target="_blank">my art</a> a lot lately and what I can come up with that feels fresh and new without diverting too far from my style. I've got a couple ideas, but I still haven't found exactly what I'm looking for. I've been kind of tossing around the idea of having another show soon, but with the holidays and class and work, I'll probably end up wanting to run away. I don't know...an art show/birthday hoorah would be kind of fun if I could find the right venue. But that would mean that I'd only have...let me count......84 days...and that sounds like an awful lot of work. We'll see.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyway. I'm done with my grape blow pop so I should probably go do something now. Have a great week!</span><br />
<br />Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-80386051834745650922012-09-26T08:51:00.000-05:002012-10-23T08:50:57.150-05:00Life Has Been Good<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was lying in bed this morning under an oversized down blanket and plaid woolen throw when I decided to finally look over at the time- 5:20 a.m. I went to bed kind of late last night and I only grabbed a few hours of sleep the night before, so I was still a bit tired. After trying to fall back asleep and realizing that I was getting nowhere with it, I decided that I'd rather enjoy the morning on the east side of the house while the sun crept up rather than from the back of the house buried beneath my heap of blankets. And so I got up, filled a cup of coffee and crawled beneath another woolen blanket on the couch. Of course, the sun doesn't rise until about 6:30, but I was okay with waiting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This past week has been really great. Joe and I spent 5 leisurely days off together and celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We went camping and canoeing, did a couple house projects and planted a crabapple tree. We've decided that we are going to plant a new tree every year for our anniversary and call it our anniversatree. This year we chose a Donald Wyman crabapple and a Velvet Pillar crab as well. I thought the deep cranberry-plum colored leaves would look good in front of the paint we chose for the exterior of the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was pretty excited that the weekend was cool enough for long sleeves and a knit hat. And I was even more excited when I realized that my hair is actually long enough now to where I don't look like I'm bald when I wear a knit hat. Always a plus. We really like the tree and after a visit to the UW Arboretum, we're pretty giddy in anticipation of it getting bigger. The birch that was tiny when we moved in has grown to be taller than the house, so I figure it's just around the corner that this tree gets big too. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmjtHNxuMFM/UGL9JUq9ptI/AAAAAAAACs8/NJR993ob838/s1600/camp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmjtHNxuMFM/UGL9JUq9ptI/AAAAAAAACs8/NJR993ob838/s640/camp.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A couple days before we got the tree we</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
went to Mirror Lake State Park which is one of my favorite places in the area. We invited our friends who have never gone
kayaking before and we ventured off to the water after we made dinner in our dutch oven.</span> I didn't get any photos of the canoe/kayak excursion because by the time we got down there it was already past dusk. Canoeing in the dark is always fun...the bats swing down and glide just above the water before darting back into the sky and the coyote ramblings carry out from within the bluffs. It's so so cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The weekend before last was really great too. Our friends Mike and Jodi who came kayaking with us were burning down their old farm house. Mike is a firefighter and he donated the house for fire training. He invited my department which is just the next town over, so it was a lot fun for me to go to a fire. There was a bunch of interior fire training which was awesome since I hadn't been in a house on fire before that. And then after like 15 different interior drills it was time to burn down the entire house. I'm standing on the left in the yellow helmet. Most of the other firefighters were hanging out up on the hill behind the house. I went up there for a bit but decided to come back down because it was a lot cooler on the side I was on. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iea-TpE_W0U/UGMC-joRy8I/AAAAAAAACt0/Nq9kj9ClgDY/s1600/fire07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iea-TpE_W0U/UGMC-joRy8I/AAAAAAAACt0/Nq9kj9ClgDY/s640/fire07.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was a good time and I learned a few things too. I wasn't able to be on any of the teams that were putting out the interior fires since I haven't finished my classes yet, but I did get to hang out inside while Mike lit the fire and then we waited for awhile and watched it build until it took over the whole room. It was a nice opportunity for me to get more familiar to the SCBA mask-- I had a hard time with the mask at first and will probably still have a hard time for a little while. It's a psychological thing I suppose, but I can get past it if I can distract myself with other things that are going on. Plus I'm a little better off now that I am more acquainted with the way it works. It was fun to wait as the fire and smoke and heat built. I started fire classes last week so I'm looking forward to see what's next. I think this fire thing is going to be a good fit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today I'm painting the house a bit more and cutting a bunch of wood for some new art pieces. Hopefully I have enough sand paper to get everything ready to paint, but we'll see. Cutting the wood is my least favorite part. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But anyway...what's new with you? </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-61012855767219886852012-09-14T08:43:00.001-05:002012-09-14T08:45:08.679-05:00Art Show Recap<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A crimson red line has been pulled across the note that reads "have my first art show" on my 2012 goals list. Yesterday I went to the gallery and tucked all the pieces back into their boxes for a safe trip home. The show was pretty incredible and I'm still a little awe-stricken over it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joe took the day off to help me set up which was a huge time saver. We got to the gallery around 11:15 a.m. and finished setting up at about 6:10, which included our quick trip over to Trader Joe's. The gallery is on the third floor of a really cool industrial building in Madison.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The space was pretty expansive but the huge gridded windows helped a lot since they ate up such a long stretch of wall. Earlier this summer when I looked at the floor plan and noticed that the gallery was over 70 feet long with walls and rooms all over the place, I had a bit of a small freak out...but then when I saw that there were these gigantic windows strung across the wall it helped ease those crickets crawling all over my stomach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I didn't have much of a plan for where I was going to hang things, so I started the process by laying everything out on the floor. It actually came together pretty well and I didn't find myself teeter-tottering much about things like I usually do. One thing I learned over the course of this art show process is to just pick something and go with it. It usually always turns out fine and I hardly ever end up regretting or questioning the decision I went with. I try to live my life without any regrets so I think that's part of the reason why I'm always so bad at decision making. I am getting a lot better, though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Another train of pieces. The first one in line ended up selling to our friends who just built a new house. They're going to put it in their guest bathroom. I'll be excited to see it in their new place; they're having a house warming party on Saturday, and by house warming I mean house WARMING. They are burning down the old farm house they lived in that's on the same property, so it's a burning down the house party. It should be really cool. It's going to be used as training for the fire department so that will be a lot of fun. I'll try to take photos.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFxr7C0oBGw/UFMrkp8uapI/AAAAAAAACrM/GEiVxKSSSH4/s1600/4.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFxr7C0oBGw/UFMrkp8uapI/AAAAAAAACrM/GEiVxKSSSH4/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> This photo was taken after the show because I wanted to get it in the natural light rather than under the track lighting. Around the corner there is another room where I had a bunch of stuff as well, but somehow I didn't find myself in that room as much as I had thought I would. I guess everybody just tended to hang out in this area.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kChjdxJe9og/UFMgcgsy26I/AAAAAAAACqM/B03WL98EYO0/s1600/98.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kChjdxJe9og/UFMgcgsy26I/AAAAAAAACqM/B03WL98EYO0/s640/98.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was so focused on making big pieces for the show that I almost forgot about making small ones. With less than 72 hours to go, I spent an entire day making these pieces. I'm so glad I did- they all sold within the first hour! I had people telling me that they wished I had more...I'll have to get on that. They are my favorite ones to make because they come together so much faster than the big ones do and I don't have to *think* as much. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpLO7Kp8bpY/UFMgW0ptX0I/AAAAAAAACp8/woNk75YZcvs/s1600/92.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpLO7Kp8bpY/UFMgW0ptX0I/AAAAAAAACp8/woNk75YZcvs/s640/92.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here's what that one piece that seemed to keep showing up on the blog ended up looking like. A lot busier than I had originally intended....that seems to keep happening to me, haha. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p9FOQTP8hLQ/UFMgZ_kDfVI/AAAAAAAACqE/YF6vgBcfFqI/s1600/94.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p9FOQTP8hLQ/UFMgZ_kDfVI/AAAAAAAACqE/YF6vgBcfFqI/s640/94.JPG" width="640" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So about 10 minutes to 6:00, somebody walked through the gallery doors and I just figured it was somebody using the conference room. I glanced up and saw that it was my greatest friend Kait who had just driven 2 hours to come! It was so good to see her. Definitely calmed the residual tension of a pre-show freak out that I had about my severely infected eye. And when I say freak out, I don't mean like kicking and screaming or anything like that...more just freaking out that my eye had really gotten as bad as it did and that I could potentially be on the brink of losing my vision and that my eye doctor told me that if it got worse to call him and it was Friday night and he wouldn't be around till MONDAY. I almost thought that Joe was going to have to run the show because it was so terrible. Ugh. But I am happy to say that I can still see and that, although still infected, it's not nearly as terrible. So yes- anyway, Kait came up and it was awesome. I hadn't seen her since my birthday in January so it was really nice.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpMdjWnkT3c/UFMrnVkSC7I/AAAAAAAACrU/Ewlumqg7sM8/s1600/7.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpMdjWnkT3c/UFMrnVkSC7I/AAAAAAAACrU/Ewlumqg7sM8/s640/7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joe was on picture taking duty during the show.........but he was really busy so I have hardly any pictures. Dang it. Next time I'll have to either hand my camera to a friend or set it up on a timer or something. Especially since you can't even tell that we're at an art show here! Haha, it's okay though. I remember the night pretty well so it's all good.</span> <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xogxcUU5evA/UFMdHMj_yII/AAAAAAAACpY/pwtvaqDwTjY/s1600/9.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xogxcUU5evA/UFMdHMj_yII/AAAAAAAACpY/pwtvaqDwTjY/s640/9.JPG" width="640" /></a> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I haven't read my comment/email address book yet but I'm going to after I'm finished typing this up. I wanted to do it while I had coffee in hand. My favorite time to sit and take things in is in the morning.</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PkuUezlAfh8/UFMrrA2mh8I/AAAAAAAACrk/qFGamyc0gg8/s1600/9993.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="626" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PkuUezlAfh8/UFMrrA2mh8I/AAAAAAAACrk/qFGamyc0gg8/s640/9993.JPG" width="640" /></a> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After the show I realized that Joe and I didn't have any photos together, so I took this one when we went to the gallery a couple days ago. I like how it turned out AND it's one of the only photos I have from the other room that had stuff in in.</span> <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACTjyAvwrdk/UFMrpWmAHwI/AAAAAAAACrc/H0M7Hpe7EtA/s1600/99.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACTjyAvwrdk/UFMrpWmAHwI/AAAAAAAACrc/H0M7Hpe7EtA/s640/99.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And that pretty much covers it! I had a really great time and I'm already looking forward to the next one. I'm hoping for early spring, although maybe I'll find a place for mid winter that lets me have a good, heavy beer [this gallery had a no-alcohol policy] and of course some hot chocolate. One thing I learned after this show is that I never want to have one in the beginning of Sept again unless I'm working less because it seriously sucked the last month of summer right from me and I didn't even realize it until yesterday. We have a half painted house and it's looking like it may stay that way throughout winter, unless we can find ourselves a few more days in the 70s and nights in the 50s. We'll see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Oh, and another thing I realized after the show- I can finally buy some Frye boots that I've been wanting to buy for years and years and years without feeling bad about it. I was really hoping this would be the case, but I didn't think I'd be able to without pulling from my bank account as well. I'm excited to report that this is not the case. I'll let you know which ones I end up going with. :) </span><br />
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Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-76576984943560704222012-09-02T08:45:00.000-05:002012-09-02T18:20:56.218-05:00Aaannnd....It's September.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Oh hey it's September! My show is in less than a week and I've been spending lots of time out in the garage. The art thing has gotten to be more and more fun over the past couple weeks...it's helpful that I've had more free time since I haven't been spending quite as many hours at work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The hardest part for me lately has been that I've had to tell so many friends "no." Usually it's not a huge deal...but when "no" falls out of my mouth for the fourth or fifth time to the same person, it starts to eat at me a bit. It's difficult because I really enjoy being alone so I start to get in this cycle where it's all I look forward to. It's not that I'm avoiding them...it's just that I really need to be at home getting ready for things and it's easy to do when I don't mind doing them alone. BUT- enjoying time with friends is the first thing on my list once I take my show down on the 13th. I put my notice in at my summer job and am leaving a couple weeks earlier than I usually do so I can have some extra squares on the calendar for being with Joe and my friends.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_PwWmh8xUMs/UENeuxGZiEI/AAAAAAAACok/jxDQvi7oP-A/s1600/midday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_PwWmh8xUMs/UENeuxGZiEI/AAAAAAAACok/jxDQvi7oP-A/s640/midday.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is a piece I started on a few days ago and I think it's quickly become one of my favorites. I just like the punchy blues next to the muted greys. I'm still working on the tree...I need to add a few branches but I think it's just about finished. Joe is camping this weekend so after work I've been gluing myself the garage with music and some kind of hoppy beer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Right now I'm listening to music and getting my playlist together. I kept fretting about how I was going to stream music since I don't have a good medium sized music machine, so I've decided that I'm just going to drag my stereo with the floor speakers along with me. Shouldn't be a big deal. The gallery is on the third floor of the Madison Enterprise Center but there's an elevator so it won't be too bad since I can take the whole stereo up at once rather than 3 extra trips up and down 3 flights of stairs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But anyway...I should finish this playlist thang and do a few other things before heading to work today. I've been applying a matte finish to all the pieces since the weather has been good for it so I might go check the wind factor and do some more of that. Off I go. I hope you're all enjoying your holiday weekend if you get time off. :) </span><br />
<br />Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-82875416006209310232012-08-24T07:45:00.001-05:002012-08-27T08:08:16.405-05:00Invitation <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Please excuse the new color choices. I'm working on finding something new, but I'm not quite there yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I just finished my event invite...it was one of those things that I would have probably spent way longer on for no good reason if I let myself. But I made it a mission to finish it in like 10 minutes, and I think I clocked in at 13 minutes. Not bad.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zQ_FdFklZ4/UDd1nrQmdiI/AAAAAAAACng/R69inFlRPTQ/s1600/patternrecognition.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1zQ_FdFklZ4/UDd1nrQmdiI/AAAAAAAACng/R69inFlRPTQ/s640/patternrecognition.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I've gotten pretty far with things over the last 2 days. I spent most of yesterday in bed, however...But I guess it was a good day to feel like hell-- it hit 96 degrees, which proved to be too mega hot to be out in the garage for more than 15 minutes at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Anyway, just wanted to stop in and say hello. If you find yourself in the Madison area on September 7, I'd love to see you. I know my reader base is like 99% non-Wisconsin, but I did meet a couple new Wisconsinites online over the past couple days so I thought I'd throw it out there. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-53106857221780389592012-08-23T13:48:00.002-05:002012-08-23T13:51:18.426-05:00More Art Stuff. Surprise! <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The minutes are slipping by and I've got something like 17 short days to go. I just took inventory for the first time and I'm feeling pretty okay about where I'm at [ha, yeah right....no I'm not.] My goal was to have 27 pieces [for my 27th year, of course] and I have 25ish right now; 5ish of which are still being worked on. I have ideas for about 7-12 more, although I don't know if even 7 are obtainable. We'll see. Chug chug, puff puff. Maybe I can just chill out for a sec and scale back to smaller sizes. This medium to large business is so much different than what I'm used to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm kind of behind on promoting because of that dumb thing called work. At least that dumb thing will let me get the boots I've been swooning over. I think they will be my gift to myself at the end of the year for reaching all my goals. I'd feel good about a purchase like that rather than a purchase just because. Then every time I wear them I'll proudly think back to this year. Yeah, I should probably get them. And then I'll have to buy some leggings and cute tunics. *Sigh.* Anyway...I was hoping to have flyers up by now but I don't even have them ordered, let alone designed. Maybe tonight. Probably not. I have no idea when I'll be able to pin them up around Madison. Some random hour in the night I guess...I'll have to find a buddy for that one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's 8:33 a.m. and I will start getting ready for work in about an hour. I work the late shift tonight but I finally have 2 days off after today. I'm sitting on the chaise lounge section of my couch and I can hear some terribly awful music. I was wondering where it was coming from...I don't think any of my neighbors listen to music, or at least they don't listen to it at the same levels I choose to enjoy <i>my</i> music at, so I was starting to wonder where it was coming from. For half a second I thought it was garbage day and that I'd lost track of what day it was...our recycling service struts a tan colored truck that pulls a long, dented up horse trailer that's been faded to a light red. A guy climbs down from the driver's seat at each house to sort the recyclables on site. Sounds like hell to me. I don't know how he gets through the days, sorting all those cat food cans and pickle jars. Too repetitive for me. He usually listens to Shania Twain or Z104, the area's main pop station. And so I thought that maybe that awful music was coming from his truck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And then I realized that it's coming from my garage. Welp, too late to fix that problem...the song ended about 5 minutes ago now. But, I should go out and check on my paint to be sure that it's drying okay. It's kind of chilly this morning- 46 degrees. Not ideal for printmaking, but super ideal for hoodie wearing. Maybe it's gone up a few degrees....off to find out. Talk to you all soon. Have a good couple of days. [PS: I wrote this 2 days ago and never hit "publish"...damn.]</span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-75135227457216989912012-08-14T13:37:00.001-05:002012-08-15T07:28:39.230-05:00Moving Along at Glacial Speed<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's been a frustrating couple of days. Lots and lots of hours in my project lodge of a garage. At least I prepped my mood with the expectation that the jigsaw thing wasn't going to go so well. Made it a little easier when it, predictably, did not go so well. Didn't really anticipate spilling half a quart of watermelon-pink latex paint on the garage floor. Maybe it was less. I don't know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wasn't too terribly excited when I realized that I had to gouge out a loose knot of wood and fill it and sand it, three separate times, even after I had already painted, with wood filler. We won't talk about that. And of course there was the touch-up job with the paint that was somehow half a shade off from the original color. I noticed that part a couple hours after I jotted a few strokes on the surface. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Burnt out light bulbs at 9:00 p.m. always suck, but not as much as the light bulb that burns out 3 seconds after you screw it in. What a charmer. And to think I was all proud of myself for taking all the appropriate measures...in their proper order...to change the light bulb <i>before</i> I went and rifled through the cabinets for it. You know- just little stuff. Moved a few cinder blocks so I could move a couple tables. Had to unplug some things from the outlet that's behind some other things. Walked into the jigsaw blade that I had just taken off the table and set on the ground when I was going to move everything. I was wearing sandals. Went the the backyard in the dark to get the ladder. Fortunately, nothing bad happened during my blind jaunt around to the back of the house. Set the ladder up and trekked to the top [okay, so it's like 4 rungs] and opened the light fixture only to have half a pound of dead bugs scatter all across the fresh paint. It was the piece with the gouge I had to fill 3 times. That thing is cursed by now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Screwed in the new bulb, smiled that SOMETHING finally worked, began to crawl down the ladder and jumped half a mile high because of the loud pop of the new bulb dying. Ugh. UGH. <b>UGH.</b> I'm surprised that none of my knuckles are broken or bleeding yet. Punching something crossed my mind half a dozen times. It's not frequent that it does...but seriously. The last couple days have sucked, mega style.</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nuFa-IkfKP4/UCpWnXDJA2I/AAAAAAAAClw/iOz1ImG2hFU/s1600/progress.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nuFa-IkfKP4/UCpWnXDJA2I/AAAAAAAAClw/iOz1ImG2hFU/s640/progress.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joe came out at some point and asked how it was going. It took a lot of energy for me to keep myself from turning into the sister of Incredible Hulk and not seem like I was entirely fed up. And it took even more energy to erase the thought that I had just wasted so. much. time. when I'm only 25 days out and I don't have many hours away from other commitments during that period. It's okay, though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm happy to say that I have finally made some headway [it's the next morning now...] and I think I may be able to crank out 3 pieces today. It's that whole cut/sand/prime/paint thing that takes so dang long. Especially when I mess things up. But, like I said- I did move forward last night by a small amount. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And that small amount was that I got my beetle carved and printed! It was the first thing that went right all day yesterday...at like 6:30 p.m. And to think that I started my day at 6:30 <i>a.m. </i>The entire time I was carving I kept thinking that it was going to turn out horribly, but when I peeled the inked block away from the paper during the first test print, I pretty much jumped with glee. If I could do cartwheels I would have. And then I went inside to eat chicken apple curry for dinner and try to gather some more electricity for round 3. I went back out an hour later and printed with my new beetle. This morning I went out and got a few more things ready for printing and then cut and glued some scraps. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So I made a deal with myself- if I can finish 3 pieces today, I might drive to Madison to buy a new camera and some red printing ink. Well, I made that deal 5 hours ago and I think only 2 pieces are going to happen, but that's because I am kind of taking it easy. Tomorrow starts a new chain of work days and I'm really, really not ready for it. But I'm not going to think about that because then the pinchy claws come out and I turn into a crab. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Whew. Okay. End of...whatever you want to consider that. Anyway, what have you been up to lately? Any fun plans for the end of summer/beginning of fall? I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to boots and scarfs and sweaters and cider and donut holes and hockey. Not football. Hockey. Fall = Hockey. </span>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19474547.post-74820844312859274812012-08-06T22:38:00.002-05:002012-08-06T22:40:30.388-05:00House Painting: Exterior<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The sun is strong this morning and the ground is still under a dewy web. It's 8:45 and I'm sitting in the living room, enjoying coffee that can hardly pass for lukewarm and some yogurt that may or may not be expired. I tossed a handful of Grape Nuts in just in case. I figured I could just focus on the bite of the cereal rather than the bite of aged dairy. It seems to be working. In all honesty, I'm pretty sure it's not expired. But it <i>is</i> the yogurt that I kept stacking new ones on top of after each trip to the grocery store, so I can't be too careful. And I think it says something about July on the container. Moving on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have today off and then I work half a billion hours again. Working a lot always confirms my decision that a) I don't really want to be a mom and b) I'm usually more productive at home when I'm stacked with hours at work. This week's fun? We started painting the exterior of our house. As of August 15 we will have been in this house for 3 years...I think it's a good way to round out the third year. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-8Xpg3OO-c/UB_OVbH0IzI/AAAAAAAACkM/U3kT9AP-jfg/s1600/frontbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-8Xpg3OO-c/UB_OVbH0IzI/AAAAAAAACkM/U3kT9AP-jfg/s640/frontbefore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is pretty much what the house looked like when we bought it. Dusty Grandma Blue. Not like a dusty grandma but more like dusty AND grandma. Busy railings and too many giddy bushes to keep tamed. Stupid river rocks that ended up taking us hours and hours and a mountain of buckets to remove. There was also blue carpet on the porch, but I ripped it out before the photo was taken.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KBON70ytq54/UB_OZFWEU1I/AAAAAAAACkk/paBfsn1lQ34/s1600/frontyardduring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KBON70ytq54/UB_OZFWEU1I/AAAAAAAACkk/paBfsn1lQ34/s640/frontyardduring.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">You may recall when I posted about removing the bushes a while back. Those things were pretty gnarly...the roots were incredibly smitten where they were and put up a damn good fight. I was so happy to have them gone. Ugh. We removed the railings on the same day. And by "we" I mean my mom and I. She's a bit more gung-ho than I am when it comes to house stuff, so it's nice to have her around when I need to get shit done. She's coming over in about an hour, actually....and I have a lot to do before then. Blogging isn't supposed to be one of them. Whatever, who wants to spend 45 minutes sweeping, mopping and vacuuming when you can try your luck with 17. Funny how fast we move under pressure, isn't it?</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8yx3l_oBGiM/UB_OWqnpxbI/AAAAAAAACkU/olu2MAMEGos/s1600/frontblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8yx3l_oBGiM/UB_OWqnpxbI/AAAAAAAACkU/olu2MAMEGos/s640/frontblue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Anyway, here you can see what the porch looked like after the shrubs were yanked. You know that interview question on interior design websites that goes something like "what's your biggest embarrassment?" Well, my answer would be "The entire front of the house." Yeah, it has looked like this for some time now. I won't say how long, but some time. We are finally moving forward. It's about damn time...I don't know how much longer I could keep parking the car with my eyes closed. That blue was really getting to me.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_L7KxHddZI/UB_Ofraph6I/AAAAAAAACks/Rcvv6Pavk4k/s1600/housegreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_L7KxHddZI/UB_Ofraph6I/AAAAAAAACks/Rcvv6Pavk4k/s640/housegreen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And so, as of yesterday the dusty grandma blue is finally on it's way out. After about 12 trips to various hardware stores and Sherwin WIlliams and 30 swatches later, I ended up with 7 samples [mostly all on different days, of course.] And then, after almost pulling my hair out, I finally [FINALLY] found the right one. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find a good green. But alas, I did find it after much perseverance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And here's the craziest part- I picked it from a swatch. Yeah. After spending lots of time and money on all those different samples, I was at my wit's end. The paint store is 21 miles away-- not really what I consider to be convenient. What was convenient was that they were having a 40% off sale. The problem was that I became short on time and had to just PICK something already. So, after shuffling a million swatches that I marked "too gold"..."too blue"..."too brown"...and "too green" I took the plunge and asked Joe to get 5 gallons of <a href="https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7737-meadow-trail/">Sherwin Williams "Meadow Trail"</a> while I was at work. I looked at the swatch for the 50th time and just knew it had to be the one. I felt kind of bad sending him on a Sunday, which I thought was the last day of the sale and was sure to be crazy. Turns out it actually ended on Monday. Oh well. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llwvQfqeTP4/UCCLLGEeyZI/AAAAAAAAClQ/QA681lTi-a4/s1600/housegreen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llwvQfqeTP4/UCCLLGEeyZI/AAAAAAAAClQ/QA681lTi-a4/s640/housegreen2.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So yesterday we painted
for 6.5 hours. The beer helped. I didn't intentionally include it in the photo but I guess it just happened to be there. <a href="http://www.centralwaters.com/beer/">Central Waters Ouisconsing Red</a> in case you're curious. Anyway, we are really excited to be able to paint- the heat here
has been keeping us at bay for weeks now! I'm extremely happy with the results...if
you are looking for a good rustic green, you should really try this
Meadow Trail color. I can finally look at the house without cringing-- it fits in much, much better than that blue. Next up is new exterior lights, some chairs and paint for the porch. A walkway is in the works as well. I can't wait to decorate for the holidays now! Before I never wanted to because frankly, I didn't want people looking at the house. I know- it wasn't THAT bad....but it wasn't that great either. Definitely not something to be proud of. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So a question for you: have you painted the exterior of your house before? What color did you go with? What do you think of it?</span><br />
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</div>Erin Lang Norrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00165970181094400170noreply@blogger.com3