Waiting for Fall

I finally finished this fella'.

He went through a couple of incarnations.

My Halloween Eccentrics

have had a good run this summer.

Still have a couple in progress from early July.

When I run out of ideas,

and they have personality issues,

I leave them alone until they 

decide who they want to be.

My Goblin and Frank-N-Stein

have been stalled for a while.

And the witch that I abandoned 

along with them also needs attention.

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I just finished Tana French's

latest book:  The Secret Place!

Is there anyone better 

at creating atmosphere?

I loved it and will review it soon.

I do love NetGalley.

I'm still adding to my R.I.P. challenge list, 

and eagerly awaiting the date I can begin reading.

Have you thought of good choices 

for Carl's challenge?

I'm eager to add to my list.

Thursday Thoughts

More books in the mail and back to the library--lots to choose from.      :)

Impossible to catch up on reviews because I'd much rather read and play with my little Eccentrics.

Finished Theo and working on a couple more of my Eccentrics.  Theo is a Steampunk Victorian Adventurer.  She must have traveled by boat on her last journey and is waiting for her steamer trunk to be unloaded.  I've recorded her progress for the last 2 weeks or so on Bayou Quilts & Dolls.

Must get to the post office to mail a birthday gift and to the grocery store, but with temperatures predicted to reach 100 degrees today, I will be back to indoor activities this afternoon.  I just looked at Weather at a Glance, and it is already 92.5 with a heat index of 103!  Not good.

Studio Overload

The last few days have been busy ones in the studio.  A rush of ideas and possibilities, and I will stop whatever I'm working on and begin something new.

  Sometimes that only means hunting and gathering items that come to mind to use on the project.  I'll rummage through fabric scraps and abandoned fabric pieces, through old jewelry parts and beads, through the various junk vintage items I've collected, through ephemera and embellishments-- and sometimes find items that might work.

At other times, it means beginning a new Eccentricity right then, in fabric or clay, using a new shape or with a new idea in mind for a particular item.  A phrase, a quote, a lyric from a song, seeing a camel made of spoons, whatever....  Sometimes, I'll just jot down notes that get lost or buried and then find them again.

And then I have to begin something with that idea in mind.  Occasionally, this means that in spite of having so many other works in various stages of completion, I'm compelled to put them aside and start several new projects at once.  The enthusiasm for a new project is often transient, so I have to make an immediate effort.

This is what happens:

Chaos.  At which point, I have to stop and clean up, place things in little boxes or baskets for assorted ideas, and clear some space to work again. 

This is where I am now.  Preparing to create a clean workspace here and at the sewing machine.  If I don't get distracted....

Steam Punk Novels and Inspirations

 I've been reading steam punk novels....some are very good, some less so, but they have inspired ideas for my little eccentricities.

The Courier

The Time-Keeper

More on my other blog.

My favorite steam punk novel so far is Soulless by Gail Carriger, which I reviewed a few posts back.  I've finished Changeless and Blameless, too, but haven't reviewed them yet.  Almost finished with The Affinity Bridge and have begun The Court of Air. Also have a copy of Boneshaker in the TBR pile.  Hoping for some more interesting ideas.

Steam punk probably originated with Jules Verne.  I loved Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth when I was a kid.  The steam punk concept is a mixture of Victorian and Industrial Advance during the Victorian Age. 

Have you read any of these?   Do you have recommendations?

Eccentricities

Four eccentric figures in progress, a bit steam-punkish, a lot odd.  Appropriate.

I have gotten some of the books I ordered, but not all of them.  Still waiting on several.  Eagerly.  I love anticipating mail, and I've ordered a couple of things from Etsy, too, so it should be a good mail week!

Some of the books I've ordered are for me, but several are for the grandkids.  Maybe I should  begin reviewing children's books...I read enough of them.  Most of them, however, are the same ones over and over.  :)

 Have several  of Jon Muth's books on order, including Zen Ghosts, Zen Shorts, Zen Ties, and Three Questions (Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy).  My husband heard an NPR interview  with Jon Muth and called to tell me; he was so impressed, I ordered them immediately.

Aside from Ariel, the mermaid, and Richard Scarry books and Olivia, Bryce Eleanor loves A Dignity of Dragons: Collective Nouns for Magical Beasts.  Who can resist collective nouns like a dignity of dragons, a splash of mermaids, a grace of unicorns, a vengeance of harpies, a chord of sirens?  The illustrations are beautiful; it is an altogether charming book for children and adults.

I really am going to review some books later today.  Need to do that before I go to the library!

Halloween Figures

I'm still playing with my little figures...

Luna Moon-Candle is set on a little wooden trinket box.

Finally, got Fred  A-Stare mounted so that he can stand without leaning on the shelf (which he has been doing for months completely ignored).  I painted a wooden round, drilled some holes, and now he's ready to join Luna on the dance floor.

click to enlarge