Awesome Things

I have something I know you don't have:



Among the fabulous omiyage Kelly First and Kevin brought back from Paris for me and Dave were these awesome things, metal heel and toe shoe protectors. I did a quick Google on them and found that, really, they're not so available in the US anymore except via online vintage shops and eBay.

I actually like these almost as much as the amazing Maison du Chocolate chocolates we also received. They're non-fattening and I can do this with them:



That's still in the planning stage, obviously. I envision using them not on my shoes, of course, but as jewelry components, as the pin backing from which to hang this pendant I made from polymer clay, bits of fallen leaves, watch gears, and resin. The two main parts will be attached perhaps with velvet ribbon.

Thanks, Kelly! (I'm still waiting for my handmade shoes, Kevin. If anyone can do it, I know you can.)

Oh, and here's another awesome thing that came today:



The Sephora travel brush set that I bought using my mom's Amazon gift certificate. (Thanks, Mom!) These are awesome little brushes, though a bit pricey. (I rationalized that by telling myself that they were a gift.) There's a big powder brush and four eyeshadow brushes. I think they're amazing little things.

And I have been doing some work, despite the fact that my work/space looks like this:



Sigh. And I'm not even going to show you the floor, which is piled with stuff, paints, old books and magazines, storage bins, wire, paper...

Anyway, I did this tonight:



Made some stenciled shirts for Dave to wear to the studio. (That is, to keep him from turning his work shirts into studio shirts which get stained by the clay or bleached out, I took a handful of shirts that are already stained and/or bleached and stenciled "Dirty Boy" on the pockets.)

I also made this pendant (or maybe it will be a pin?) from polymer clay, a photograph I took of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, some watch gears, and text from a novel.



I wanted it to feel like a strange snowfall in Sydney. (The glazing medium is not entirely dry, which is why it's cloudy, but it will clear up.)

Oh, and I made these from photographs that are also from my Australian sojourn:



These were blurry exposures of trees from back in my film camera days and rather than throw out the prints, I made earrings.

So it's been a pretty good day, all in all.