I hate the phrase “Not your grandma’s …”

These are the doilies I originally made to help me brainstorm tattoo design ideas. On that front: Now I’ve got it into my head that I have to knit a Niebling before I can get that tattoo. Eep!

Kind of pretty, right? But not perfect for what I have in mind.

Since I was anxious to get some actual use out of these, I attached beads to the peaks around the edges to make them bowl covers; to keep out bugs and falling mullberry seeds (a constant danger on my porch) from bowls of delicious summer dinner.

If I ever do this with doilies again, I would use glass beads instead of plastic to give them a little extra weight. As you can see, these bowl-covers sag quite a bit in the middle.

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

I’ve been slowly (oh, ever so slowly) adding to my tattoo fund. The upside of my snail-speed savings approach is that I have just eons of time to decide what I want next.

Not that time is necessarily needed to come up with the perfect tattoo. But, since I’ve got puh-lenty of it before I’ll be able to afford what I want I might as well make the best of it.

Anyway, the idea for this tattoo slapped me in the face one night a couple months ago, and I’ve never doubted its loveliness. It’s like a spider-web elbow tattoo, but a doily. Your granny’s spider web, as it were.

My lovely ladies-craft-night friend Gheybin (who is a magnificent artist and aspiring tattooist) sketched out a quick rough draft of my elbow-doily, to help me determine if the idea would work in practice.

Conclusion? Yes. Hell-damn yes it does.

(Excuse the awkward pictures. I’d attempt at explaining why I didn’t include my face, but these were taken April 11 so I don’t remember why I was such a fool.)

I’d like to use a doily I’ve made as the design (the prototype was just an image found somewhere on the interwebs), but so far neither of the doilies I’ve made with this in mind are perfect. (Oh hey, I should blog about those. Remember how I never remember to blog about my craftiness? I promise I craft every damn day.)

So far, my thoughts about the design are these:

• I like a scalloped edge, with a basic circular design. No hexes or anything.
• I’m considering attempting my first knitted doilies, because I think knitting will translate to tattoo design much much easier and lovelier than crochet.
• I like the detailing of this tattoo, but hate the giant hole in the middle. The opposite goes for this one.
• The size of Gheybin’s prototype is perfect.
• Red, maybe? Perhaps black? I like the way red looks very much, but … I don’t know. I don’t look good in red clothing. Does that translate to elbow tattoos?

In closing, this is awesome.

10 cool random things

I should definitely embroider this phrase, right? And hang it in the bathroom? Found via This isn’t Happiness.

This isn’t something I would want on my body, but man. Everything about this design is mind-blowing. Found via F*** Yeah Tattoos.

Love love love love love. Found via F*** Yeah Tattoos.

I <3 ferns. Found via F*** Yeah Tattoos.

Toilet paper roll monsters, found via Craft. I always dream of little arrangements like these among books on shelves, but my shelf space is constantly 100% occupied by books.

Found via this isn’t happiness.

Luuuuuv. Found via F*** Yeah Tattoos.

… Yup. Found via Le Love.

Don’t you just wanna spoon with him and all of his little sea-buddies? By Candace Jean on flickr.

In love with this. Seriously considering printing it as just a regular old photo, so it can be on my wall. Found via this isn’t happiness.

Written April 22.

Black and white and fancy and final

Adam, a dear new friend from my acting class (which is now over. sob.) asked Grady and me to model for his photography final project, and I jumped at the chance. Because I am self-centered and want everyone to take pictures of me always. Anyway, I think they turned out really beautifully.

(Grady was super grumpy that day. Just getting over a wee sickness. But luckily her angry zombie face is adorable.)

I don’t think I’ve blogged about this tattoo. It’s a line from the song that was playing when Grady was born. I’m not too interested in sharing the exact meaning with all of you, but suffice it to say it means a lot. And no, it does not mean that Grady will be the last child or that that is the last tattoo. Frankly: I almost always hate it when people ask me about this tattoo.

ANYWAY. The point of this post is this. You should subscribe to Adam’s Tumblr. Seriously. If you are a tumblerer, go subscribe to his feed now.

10 cool random things

I want to make this. Except not as a notebook, just as something to frame. Mostly to taunt Winston.

10.11.09.

One of the most beautiful half-sleeves I’ve ever seen. Click through the link so you can see it up close – so pretty.

TROGDOR!

So fantastic. This is the best whale tattoo ever.

Cat in a pile of yarn. Nuff said.

Adorable.

Patchwork Beatle!

Gorgeous way to recycle security envelopes.

I am obsessed with this.

Written Nov. 13.

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

This is my latest tattoo. I’m in love with it, and here’s why:

• It was a reward for reaching a goal in Grady’s savings account. I’ve been planning on it for quite a while, and I love it for that reason. Not to say that I don’t love my more impulsive tattoos.
• I just love tattoos that are clean lines, with no shading or color. As my tastes change, I may add shading or something to this one, but the way my artist did this is perfect.
• It’s a picture of the ship Serenity, from the TV show Firefly (the title of this post is a quote from the show). I love the show like mad, and the next few bullets are about why:
• Cowboys in space.
• The show is about a man who has already lost his big battle. It’s about what happens next. The stubborn perseverance of the entire cast is something that I really admire. Honestly, I have a hard time really explaining why the story is so important to me.
• Also, COWBOYS IN SPACE. Just watch the show.
• Moving on: I felt like my other three tattoos were kind of an under-representation of who I am. Because I’m kind of a huge dork. This balances everything out.
• When I walk, I’m making a spaceship fly through the air. Silly as that sounds, it gives me genuine confidence. I know my family doesn’t like that I get tattoos, but, well, that’s okay. You’ll still love me and I’ll still love you and we can all be who we are without having to worry about disappointment or judgment.
• I think my grandpa would have really loved Firefly.
• This tattoo is a higher level of commitment than my others, since it’s right on my hip. It’s an acceptance that this is my body and I’m sticking to it.
• DID I MENTION COWBOYS IN SPACE?

10 cool random things

Recycled paper flowers from Maya*Made. This would be cute as part of a mobile, made from old newspapers and felt birds or something. I am sleepy.

DIY $10 macro photo studio by Strobist. Every now and then I’ll make a really lazy attempt at this for photographing yarn. I’m trying very hard to be interesting, but so … tired …

Click that if you can’t read it, because it is hi-larious. Three cheers for Married to the Sea.

David Bowie interviewing Alexander McQueen. Um, amazing. You should read the whole thing.

Such a pretty tattoo. This is the first wrist cuff I’ve seen and liked.

Handmade gifts for men roundup from Whip Up. Making a gift for a guy is so difficult. I just finished one and am racked with doubt about it. Wracked? I have no idea.

Tee hee.

And more funny. This reminds me of a Dmitri Martin sketch about girls with cats that made me feel sad. Quick Winston update: He is faaaaaat. Grady is bored with him. And he has had a resurgence of energy in the battle to escape the house.

The Rebel’s Manifesto. Click that link and read the whole thing – I hope Grady reads this eventually. Be like this, baby!

Group weaving! I think this is so beautiful.