Daily Awesome - Painting a Water Color

Here's a painting of a Bunfish. 

Pencil Drawing with initial orange water color on the belly.

Added in the yellow and orange fins.

Blues and greens on the body and ears.

Blended the body colors and finished the back fin.

Added in the background water. 

Finishing details applied with markers. 

In Which Polyurethane is Applied.

Here's a look at the original drawer front and the refinished drawer with the first layer of polyurethane.I need to sand it and apply the second coat before I replace the handle. This was what I completed a few days ago, before the job search binge.

Pretty Awesome
Great news on the Awesome Front - one of  my friends just got a job using a resume which I formatted for her. Obviously, it was her great history and work ethic that actually landed her the job, but it's very satisfying to know I'm providing something valuable.

Fitness
I ran 45 minutes on a treadmill yesterday. I think the longest I've tried before was 25. As usual, the day after working out, I gained 4 pounds which stuck around most of the week. (No, you do not gain four pounds of muscle in one workout.) The Internet says I'm either eating more OR retaining water due to not drinking enough as a rule. I have a calorie tracker that assures me I'm not eating more calories than prior to the I was prior toning class and elliptical running. So, retention it is. I've started drinking a big bottle of water each day. This should convince my body to stop retaining water after work outs. Today, I'm down 2 pounds. Maybe next week, I'll manage a pound less. This time, I won't freak out and quit before the exercise and diet has a chance to work.

I don't really feel like doing much more than cleaning my house today. Maybe I'll put something on the television and finish my pattern today. That would be Awesome.

The Serious Topic of Internet Hygiene

I'm happy to be judged by the content of this blog. I have an intense work ethic, and believe in using idle time to create beautiful and useful things. I want to inspire others and motivate myself. I feel it my duty to remain outwardly positive, even while facing challenges in my life. These are the qualities that I bring to work; any employer should be happy to have such qualities in an employee.

I bring this up because the past few days have been taken up by job searching instead of making. Part of looking for work is making sure one has a positive web-presence. Therefore, I'm conducting the arduous task of scrubbing my timeline on Facebook.

Recently, Facebook started the practice of linking "likes" on pages to articles that the person may not have read, then posting them to friends' pages with the "liker's" name above it. The site is also generating likes for mentions in comments. Potentially, I could end up seeming to "like" something that goes completely against my principles or those of a company that might hire me.

Here's the full story.

Facebook also removed the ability to disallow sharing of photos by friends from my account, a measure I used to prevent photos of me from being seen by others outside my personal network. While I'm not the kind of person who indulges in beer bongs or naked bike rides, I do feel that people should not be judged on what they share with people who know them in context; nor should people be judged by their profile picture, as it reveals your relative age, race, gender and attractiveness. Employers who "check up" on potential job candidates on such sites need a lesson in ethics and law.

So why do I still use it? I enjoy connecting with my far-flung friends and family. I appreciate the ability to create and be invited to events. I like seeing the news of the world in aggregated form. I have troves of wedding pictures that I would otherwise have missed but for my friends sharing on the site. (I download them and remove the tags.) I love following George Takei. It's nice to "crowd source" when I need help on a project. In other words, Facebook is a tool, and it still has some use when used properly.

I'm happy to share the automated techniques I use with anyone who wants to keep their personal life private while not losing the ability to connect. My advice if you use Facebook mainly as a way to connect with your work network; make sure you take precautions. Always be positive. Never complain about work openly. Keep your politics and religion to yourself. Don't assume that "Groups" or limited posts will always be that way. Be professional, because that is the face you are required to put forward.

Back to work.




 

A Watchmaker's Desk

My new acquisition! It's a watchmaker's desk, and it is beautiful! It needs a gentle refinish and some work on the drawers, but is otherwise in great shape. I've passed by this piece many times, and was surprised with an email asking if I'd like to have it to refinish and sell. What luck!

Other than that, I've installed AutoCAD on the freshly partitioned MacBook and all is well. Now to learn how to draw earrings with it. There is a skill worth mastering. Not bad for a day of doing pretty much nothing.

Progress on the Nightstand and Costumes.

Nightstand
Today, we started applying the stain and fixing the bumps in the paint on the nightstand. I'm sanding out the drips, then applying the paint one layer at a time, one side at a time. It's slow progress, but the end should be a laquer-like finish.

This is what the walnut stain looks like. It really brought out the grain of the wood. I got some of the stain on the new drawer side, but it won't be visible so I'll probably leave it.

I'd just started the staining of the bottom while waiting for the inside to dry. This was not a good idea, as stain takes a long time to dry and the white paint dust from sanding kept getting on my hands and its legs.

Costume Pattern
In between coats, I started creating the pattern for my catsuit. The 2 costumes I am making will be modifications of the basic pattern. Hopefully, I'll want to head downstairs to the workshop again tomorrow.

Sort of Awesome
Yesterday, I partitioned the hard drive on a MacBook Pro. I don't recommend trying this if you want to keep your sanity. I pulled it off eventually, but the entire project was horribly complex - not just partitioning, but downloading Windows from the school store, moving things to discs, backing things up, creating the partition and finally installing CAD. This is actually the tail-end of a months long project intended to make our lives easier. It was a total headache. I wish I could feel accomplished, but really, I just feel relieved.

Fitness
I found an app for my phone that tracks calories for the day and tells me how many I have left. It even gives me more if I exercise. It's called MyFitnessPal, and I like it so far. My goal is to have my costumes be too big by the time I wear them. We'll see if it works.

That's all for today. I'm off to eat some injera.

The Daily Awesome - The Store Exists and Contains Items

My cold seems to be almost gone.

The Store
Behold! Konkolova Etsy Store! 

Since the pricing is all done on the cardboard versions, I've posted them to the Etsy store. If you are interested in the acrylic or wood versions, they will be up as soon as we make a batch and I photograph the results. I already have the prices for these if my fair readers are interested.

Health
Jon and I signed up for "Total Toning" classes today and will start next week. Goals, we have them.

Costumes/Sewing
I sent a panel request to a local convention to force a deadline for a costume. I've wanted to make this for awhile:

I believe I could take the same pattern and make some nice work shirts, one of the goals I've made for the year. I've been looking for some inspiration that I could turn into a concept. I believe I'll try this. Pattern for this and the bunny suit to follow. 

That's all for today. 

The Daily Awesome - Yesterday, a Cat Suit.

Yesterday, I helped a friend convert a standard body suit pattern into a great imitation of Black Widow's (Avengers). The project will be completed by the friend. Still, the test fit made it clear the pattern was successfully altered, so I call that an awesome. I didn't take a progress photo, but will post the finished costume once it's done.

Still sick. Still awesome.

Last night, we finished the pricing guide for the earrings. Once I pop the msrp into the catalog, we can send it to potential buyers.

I've also started French lessons on Duolingo. Its part of one of my big goals. Feel free to follow me.

I'm pretty satisfied with what I've accomplished while ill. The house is still fairly clean and the pets are all cared for. We put up a lamp that we've wanted for a while over the dining table and tried to register for a fitness class. (More on that later.)  I am now going to use the down time to finish reading Walden.  Hopefully, I will be well enough to work on the bunny suit pattern later this week. Thanks for bearing with me!

Sudafed is Awesome

I have a nasty head cold. Even the world's most awesome cold medication in the entire universe doesn't seem to be cutting it.

I am working on the wholesale catalog in bed. It looks pretty good, but I have no idea how long I'll want to keep at it tonight. I'll post more when I have it.

As a consolation, here's a picture of my rabbit when she was 6 weeks old.

That was totally worth the visit, wasn't it?

The Daily Awesome - Smartphone Repair

In what is probably my most awesome Daily Awesome so far, I have successfully replaced the broken glass in my phone! I decided that I wanted to fix it even if I got a new phone. I've never had any trouble with this phone that warranted complaint, and I hate the idea of something going to a landfill when a simple repair will do.

I used this guide to repair my LG MyTouch Q.

http://www.repairsuniverse.com/htc-mytouch-4g-slide-take-apart-repair-guide.html

This isn't the greatest phone in the world, but I was able to get it for free and it has a big advantage for a blogger - a slide-out Qwerty keyboard. The backup if I couldn't do the fix was a new Galaxy Relay, also a slider.

Anyway, here are the awesome pictures.

Right after I started to pull the phone apart. You can see the damage on the left.

Popped out the motherboard. This was the scariest part, but not the hardest.

Another part of the sandwich. 

That metal bit is the actual sliding mechanism. The LCD is below this level. 

There's the LCD and the exposed glass. The hardest part was removing the glass bits from the plastic frame. I ended up using a screwdriver, and blow dryer to heat the glue. 

Once I got all of the bits of glass out, cleaned the table and placed the new glass, this was the result. I strayed from the tutorial by applying the adhesive strips to the plastic instead of the glass.

Keyboard back in.

It was SO HARD to not power it up at this point. I had to finish replacing the screws. 

Powering...

It's on...

and the new screen works!

If you attempt this project, make sure you order the digitizer and GLASS. My first order only had the digitizer. I'm not even sure how that would work, as the glass was so difficult to get out of the frame. Also, that plastic tool (safe pry tool in the tutorial) is really important. I used it for most of the work and a screwdriver would not do. In the end, the only hang up was that I put the SIM card in upside down. Once I flipped it over, it was good as new!

Mini Awesome - Knitting

I'm at the end of this ball! Time to decide if I want to work in the next one or call this one done. :-)

Also, the owls are not what they seem. ;-)

The Daily Awesome - In Which a Dremel is Employed

More on the nightstand for today. We knocked out the new side piece to give it a bit more shape. In the photo, I'm matching the roundness of the original side using a Dremel tool. If you want a tool that is completely approachable, a Dremel is a good place to start. Hit some scrap wood to get a feel, and go to on any custom shaping job you've got. I once carved a little wooden dog using a carving knife and Dremel. It's really fun!

I had to knock a bit off the teeth on the dove tail to get the piece to fit a bit more flush with the back and front pieces. I'll hit it with a bit of wood filler after the glue dries to close the gaps. This isn't exactly pro, but it's way better than foam core and duct tape!

The interior now has a second coat of paint. I need to sand a couple spots and do a third coat. Word to the wise, if you paint wood use a foam brush. In retrospect, I believe spray enamel would have been far better for the desired effect. It still looks great, but didn't achieve the smoothness we wanted. 

That's all for today. I'll see if we can start the exterior stain tomorrow.

The Daily Awesome - More on the catalog.

Not much to show today, but here is the finished background.
 

The catalog background.

Yesterday's Daily Awesome and a Preview of What's Coming

Yesterday's Awesome account was delayed due to my nearly taking off the end of my finger with a sushi knife. I'm fine, but word to the wise; if you are left-handed use a left-handed Japanese knife, not a right-handed one.

I used this opportunity to teach my husband how to make sushi rolls. I told him step by step what to do, and made some amazing California Rolls and miso soup!

So delicious! 

Here's a little update on some of the upcoming Awesome. 

1. I bought a mask to turn into a proper sleep mask. The store bought ones are either really flat or really spendy. I need one that warps around my nose to close off the light around my cheeks. 
2. I bought foam and chip brushes to finish off the nightstand paint and stain. 
3. The book is my guide to making a great background for the catalog. I've training in digital print making for fabrics, and forgot how to do some of the basics since the class. Glad I didn't sell this one back! 

Here's another picture of the cardboard blanks for the earring store. I've got all of the photos done like this. We want to take pictures of them in my ear with the hooks on as well. I've nearly completed the price sheet and the background for the catalog to send to stores. It's really beautiful, and will be today's awesome once I complete it.

The Daily Awesome - Fitness

So, my friends, I have fibromyalgia. My awesome today was to walk 3 miles to the waterfront and purchase fresh fish to make my own homemade sushi. I walked the 3 miles back as well, instead of opting for the bus. I could have driven, but I didn't. I chose to do something that is very hard for me - walk! My ankle, knee and hip are killing me, but I made it.

Here's a pic so you know it happened.

Cheers, everyone. Keep up the good work.

The Daily Awesome - Store Logo

This is the next step in making our store. We have an Etsy.com site and two retailers who are interested in selling the finished products. The logo is for the catalog and the store. Next,we'll create the catalog from our illustrator images and photos of the earrings. I'll post a link to the store once we have content up for sale.

One of our many earring designs, cut from cardboard.  Finished versions will be available in basswood and acrylic as well. 

The Logo! Konkol means "Cornflower", Konkolowa being the feminine form. I changed the 'w' to a 'v' for the store name, as that is how it's pronounced in the U.S. 

Here's a look at another project. I went to Bunnarchy, the rabbit-themed bar hop, last year. I decided that I'd like to make a custom costume for this event. We want the costume to look somewhere between a Playboy Bunny suit and a Pabst Blue Ribbon can. Hipster Bunny.

The Daily Awesome

Today, Jon and I are working on a piece of furniture. I found it on the side of the road and didn't want to see it go into a landfill. The piece is made of solid wood and particle board with veneer. The point is not to restore an expensive piece of furniture, rather to take a functional piece and make it attractive once more. I have no space in my home for it, so we'll be selling it once the work is done.

The original nightstand. The top is water damaged, the veneer on is missing on two edges. Still, it's an adorable piece of vintage mid-century.

The original drawer. One side is missing. The handle is corroded.

The stand with the finish removed and the veneer replaced. We did not sand the interior, as we plan to paint it white.

We created a template from the existing drawer side, then cut a blank. The holes were not a true dovetail, as they were round with a flanged front. Eventually, we were able to whittle the shape properly.

First coat of paint on the interior. The drawer now has a new side. Once the glue is dry, the drawer side will be sanded and bevelled with a Dremel.