T-A-D #28 A Tad Sad

I made it! Goodness, I never thought I would keep it up for 28 days! Woohoo and yay yippee yay & all that. Today, for my last thing, I made a little doll from leftover scraps of felt.

She looks a little Sad. (Because it is the end of Tad.)

Hmmm, I notice I've forgotten to sew on her one little red lace-up boot.

T-A-D #27 Heart of stone

I heart blogging.

I am going to use these as paper weights, to try and keep control of the growing stacks of paper and images on my desk.

I am also thinking they would have been great for my herb garden, spelling out BASIL and CHIVES and so forth, that is, before the snails ate them all up. Well, something ate them and it wasn't me.

(The stones are small leftover ones from a bag I purchased from the nursery a while ago to make a stone spiral on my lawn. I stencilled the letters on with a permanent marker.)

Have a great weekend! I will be working on my last tad, and I sincerely hope to have a prond idea before tomorrow morning.

T-A-D #26 An Outer Cover for an Inner Landscape

At last month's car boot sale I got this lovely old vintage ledger - straight from the 60s! It still has all its blank pages inside and I eventually want to use it as a journal.
This inside cover has a cute little handle which you take out and insert into an opening in the side. By cranking it, the cord binding the paper together stretches, and you can remove and/or add pages.

As the cover looked a bit dodgy, I decided to collage it with three separate pictures. These images speak to me - I've been keeping them for ages, waiting for just the right project to use them on!

I bound the edges with white tape, but I should possibly have used a darker colour ...

T-A-D #25 Card-A-Day

To complement Thing-A-Day I have designed and created Card-A-Day:

Materials: A bunch of unused visiting cards (mine date from the 1980s, scary thought) and an old magazine.
Method: Cut out words from magazine (verbs work best) and paste one on each card.

It is meant for people like me, who like some direction, or focus, to their daily drudgery. For example, today I shuffled them, cut the deck, and drew the card “BUY”. Ha! So today I focused on the concept of “BUYing”! (No, actually I focused on proofreading, but that is another story.) After some deep reflection and philosophising on commercialism, consumerism and the effects of globalisation, I decided to interpret the concept more literally. So I am off to BUY some wine. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully not a headache.

T-A-D #24 The Paper Doll

Sarah (of Circles of Rain) has been so inspiring with her beautiful paper dolls (see here and here) - I have three of her little beauties - lucky me! I've really wanted to try my hand at one, and here she is:

As soon as I put the last paper fastener in, she took a deep breath and then tootled off to the desert (it seems) ...

to take the dog for a walk ...

and then she took her balloons for a walk as well ...

2 am

Yay!! It is 2 am and I've finally caught up with replying to all comments on my previous posts (from T-A-D #17, which I think is where I last replied). I am wondering, do people actually come back to look at a reply to their comments? I so like to reply, but perhaps this is not the best way, especially when I fall behind a few days. I see some people do it through email, how does that work? Anyway, I'm off to bed now ...

T-A-D #23 Sand Box Paintings (or Postmodernism is Dead)

The Muse's Broken Heart

The Emperor's Three-buttoned Coat

The Altermodern Garden Gnome

Sisyphus' Reading Glasses

I think that poor Pollock must have been high on paint fumes most of the time, which is probably why he lived the tortured life he lived. I prefer to do mine with water, in a small wooden tray that I got as a gift (with some bath stuff in it). Filled with sea sand. (The tray, not the bath stuff.)
Okay, I confess, it is not an entirely original idea (is any idea ever?) I saw Strijdom van der Merwe's latest exhibition last week, and watched a video where he runs around a dirt road with a watering can making beautiful curlique patterns in the dust. The only difference between my performance and his is that mine was not videotaped, and was watched only by two sad and rather bemused starlings. Anyway, thank you, Strijdom. And Jackson.
(PS Altermodern is not a mistake. No, it is a new word.)

T-A-D #22 Crowning Glory

Dear friends, thank you for all your kind and supportive comments about my TADs. As soon as I've got more time I will answer each and every one ... I must say that I'll be quite glad when this challenge is over - only 6 days to go! - as I'm starting to find it quite a drain to think of new things to make!

Today I made a crown out of cardboard, left-over gift wrap, ribbon and glass marbly bits. Now I can understand a 9-year-old girl wanting to wear a crown, or a 19-year-old, and at a loooooooooooong stretch perhaps even a 29-year-old. But should a woman of my age even be thinking of it? And when can I wear it? I've thought about this long and hard and I think I will wear it tomorrow morning while I do the vacuuming ... what do you think?

T-A-D #21 The Proofreader's Battle Cry

I made this wallet using two Batman comic pages and lots of clear packaging tape. (Idea from Keri Smith - see here.)

I love the cover page, but the one I used to fashion the inside pockets for cards is pretty good as well (click on pictures to enlarge).

"We just survive." Indeed.

T-A-D #20 Mini Magazine Journals

I have now finally thrown out the two magazines that I used to make all those papery valentine projects - but before I did, I used them to make mini journals. I tore the mag apart at the binding (to keep a thickness of about 20-24 pages) and then I cut small booklets, about 6-and-a-half by 8-and-a-half cms.

I made them quite small because I wanted to get a background for each page, without being able to see what the picture/advert that is on the page, is actually about. Does that make sense?

This one is called "a book of scribbles" ...

and I wrote and made drawings on each page (or pasted bits of paper), sometimes using the background ...

... to guide me.

I didn't intend to make a story, just went along and scribbled & drew & scribbled & drew ....

but somehow ...

a kind of story started emerging ... Oh dear, I wonder how it will all end?

(PS How do you like my tattoo ?- I drew it myself, and it says BLOG!)

T-A-D #19 The Scrappy Necklace

Time is quite limited - the third proofs arrived yesterday (two-and-a-half months late) and the entire ball-game has changed. Let's just say that my handy handbag %^&$ dispenser is empty. So for TAD I quickly made this necklace by tying together all the leftover scraps from one of my other fabric projects ...

Shall I actually wear it? Hmmmm, maybe not - it needs some refining, I think. I do not want to look as though I've dunked my head into the rubbish bin and not realized that the contents are still hanging around my neck, do I?

T-A-D #18 Clothes pegs

This is my thing of the day. It is not an original idea, but I like it - it makes my new notice board a little more elegant ...

(Clothes pegs, interesting paper, glue).

T-A-D #17 The Reindeer and the Palmtree

I made these two snow globes (another result of decluttering my kitchen cupboards). I used some old plastic animals I got at the car boot sale, water and left-over glitter from Christmas.

Reindeer under a Palm tree (above) and The Circus Pony (below).

I also made The Pig and His Pot Plant, but as I gave it a vigorous shake the pig came loose, and started drifting above the pot plant, like a sad pink cloud. I could have called it Pink Pig Cloud Above a Pot Plant, but I do not wish to be laughed at ... I am very serious about my artistic endeavours ...

T-A-D #16 The Handy Handbag Hug/$%^# Dispenser

Aren’t you sometimes in need of a hug? Just when that special person that you normally turn to for such comfort, is unavailable? Well, I have designed the perfect replacement for you - carrying as many hugs as you wish, easily replaceable, convenient to carry with you. And the good news is: you can make your own!
Take one miniature 4″ plastic salt canister (mine is from my kitchen decluttering exercise)…

Cut a slit where the little holes are …

Tape together a long strip of paper and write on your hugs …

Cover canister with nice paper, place strip inside canister and feed out …

And voila - a handy handbag hug dispenser. For those really mean days when you need to utter some hefty swear words (like when the neighbour's grader rips up your telephone and ADSL line, the neighbour buys a new conduit, and then gives YOU the bill!!) replace the hugs as below … nifty, hey!

T-A-D #15 Love in Translation

I did the collage above (magazine images and pen and ink drawing) to illustrate my translation of the beautiful Dutch poem by Paul Snoek. (So I did two things today!)

Als ik geen rood meer heb

Als ik geen rood meer heb

maak ik de bomen groen, de struiken,

het hele landschap wat ik schilder.

Dus ook het onkruid en het gras,

waarin je languit ligt te wachten roerloos

maar toch diep ontroerd, wanneer je later

het doek mag zien waar ik je rooie jurk

vervangen heb door zachte naaktheid,

waarvoor ik net als voor je glimlach

vooralsnog niet de kleur vond die je past.

Als ik geen rood meer heb,

heb ik nog altijd je lippen.

Paul Snoek (1933-1981)

My translation:
When I’ve run out of red
When I’ve run out of red

I colour the trees green, the shrubs,

the entire landscape I paint

Therefore also the weeds and grass

in which you lie stretched out, waiting, motionless,

yet deeply moved when later

I allow you to see the canvas

where I have replaced your red dress

with soft nakedness

for which, as with your smile,

I yet have to find

the shade that suits you best

When I’ve run out of red

I still will have your lips.

T-A-D #14 Hanging Hearts (and a party ...)

Dear friends, Welcome!!

Enter through my garden gate (I finished this bigger version of the Heart that Hurts last night.)

And if you've forgotten to wear something red or pink, you can borrow one of the scarves I've draped over a chair ...

I've decorated the house with hearts and love (I am sure you will recognise some of them ...)

These were cut out from an old telephone directory, painted, and stuck on the door.

My found Love in the living room ..

.

I've put out the two mosaic tables (I made them years ago) especially for the occasion..

and my painting - temporarily relocated ...

This lovely rose painting was done by my friend Louise, a very gifted artist who specialises in rose portraits.

This is actually my Thing-Of-The-Day - heart mobiles positioned over the tea table.

Oh, please do have something to eat!

Cupcakes? Scones with sour cherry jam?

These apricot shortbread biscuits are delish ...

But the berry tartlets (from The Sweetest Thing in Simon's Town) are the absolute best!

Do have a glass of bubbly (or two) before you leave! That beautiful object inside is a wild hibiscus flower. Kendalee sent me a bottle of these in the fantastic sensory package she created for me. They open up in the champagne bubbles - and are edible. We finished the bottle!

It was so great to have you here and spread some love! Get back safely, sleep in tomorrow, and enjoy the rest of the lovely weekend ...

T-A-D #13 Sheep May Safely Graze

I made not only one, but 48 things today. Yes, I counted.

Miniature pasteis de nata for the Valentines party tomorrow...

and vanilla biscuits (check out my cool skinny laminx tea towel - and she has a giveaway!) ...

which I decorated.

No, wait. Make that 77 things:

Remember you are all invited to virtually attend my party! Come dressed up and wear your hearts on your sleeves ...

Have a LOVEly weekend!!