The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year.
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well. We all can make stuff!

I had been meaning to post this for awhile, but I kept forgetting to snap a picture.  verymelmsent me three knitted samples for a scarf and, since she didn't need them back and I felt bad just tossing them, I stitched two together to make an iPhone cozy and the third to make a little bag for the earpiece and charger.  


Soon, I'll proclaim my geekiness even more loudly... and I will coordinate!

Small bits of hope and joy...

A belated happy birthday to goldfrog! Huzzah for cookies, Scotch, and birthday cake!

Some friends brought a beautiful daughter into the world tonight - congrats to rustmon, ladybirdkiller, and Lily!

Another friend announced a graduation - congrats to ego_id_non_feci!

I totaled up the results from the food drive I did at work. (As I was sending out the challenge to my coworkers, I realized that there was a flaw in my plan - I did not want to and was not particularly able to carry dozens of bags of food up and down stairs and out to my car in the cold. So, I offered the option to donate cash as well.) The results? 255 items of nonperishable food to Second Harvest and $350 to St Vincent De Paul's food pantry. Happiness!

I sometimes forget exactly how much I love Anna Quinlen, one of the writers for Newsweek's "Last Word" column... But then I read one of her truly inspired pieces and fall in love with her again, simply because she awakes in me a feeling of light, of power. The topic varies, but now and again I go away from her column believing I can save the world.

Not that that is a new feeling, mind you. I often suffer from the grand delusion that I could (and WILL) fix all the ills of the world, as soon as I am made Queen Empress of the Universe. Sadly, the committee on that appears to be working somewhat slowly... and there are things wrong with the world NOW. I do some things to make the world a better place and have developed several charitable habits, but it still seems as if I might do more.

Therefore, I have a challenge to myself, and to you, should you choose to accept it: Save the world, or at least your corner of it. Whatever your usual habit, do just a little more. Maybe just this once, maybe monthly, maybe on important days in your family's calendar... Myself, I think I'll aim for something small on a monthly basis, but I have an idea or two for some "big" items to tackle too. I need to get up and go to work in about an hour - I need to see if it is too late to organize a holiday food drive...

So, as part of my ongoing attempt to turn LJ into an online A&S display, I bring you the story of my latest project - a banner based on an extant 16th century ship's banner. This is loooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg, so is mostly hidden beneath cuts. 

I decided to make a painted banner as a present and after about a year, had both the necessary documentation and motivation... I've done illuminated scrolls - how hard can a banner be? ;)

 

 

                       Original                                      Reconstruction                                        

Here I am, up stoopid late, working on a project. That's both good and bad, I suppose. 

Prolly 3-4 hours to go.

*sigh*

OK, since some people have asked about the scale of the project, the final scroll painted area was ~6"x11"
For those of you who do better with a visual, here is Cam before I added the fine detail and my splendid 20/0 brush, both with a quarter for scale!   :)

 

I don't usually do C&I, but had been thinking of taking on a big project as part of Hrodir's "Coming Storm" challenge, and the opportunity presented itself somewhat unexpectedly. The Tuesday before Gulf Wars I was offered the commission of the Court Barony scroll for Don Mateo. I was able to find a perfect exemplar scroll - a 1563 grant of nobility from King Phillip of Spain. Cwynthryth did the calligraphy on short notice and I had hoped to do the illumination on site. However, after some delays and near disasters. I decided I'd rather do it right than quickly. So, after weeks of intermittent work, Saturday I finally delivered the finished scroll.

See behind the cut for the exemplar and a C&I diary of the project...

One of my many projects is done and, gods willing, will be part of the A&S display at crown. I'll post details and pictures when I get back!