Thursday, November 22, 2018

Frustration over Christmas / thankful at Thanksgiving


Later this year than ever in the past, I have started grappling with the specifics of my Christmas ornaments.  I've had the general idea for the ornaments for several weeks, but in the flurry of activity of teaching, getting a solo show launched, and being sick for a week, I haven't actually sat down to work on them until Tuesday.  And it was a frustrating day.

First off, I couldn't buy mat board in any of the colors I had in mind, such as pale sage green, pale gray or pale yellow.  Settled for a gold, which is perfectly lovely, but not what I had in mind.  Couldn't decide which kind of glue to use -- YES! paste or glue stick.  Neither of them called out "Use me!!" Made a bunch of each one and waited to let them dry properly.

The last time I made ornaments using mat board I had a terrible time getting a hole punched through for the hanging cord.  I think I ended up using my industrial-strength hole punch and really leaning on it, which worked but gave me holes a lot bigger than I had wanted.  After that experience I purchased a set of heavy-duty paper punches which are supposed to drill neat little holes in three different sizes.  I forgot all about them, until miraculously a couple of days ago I came across them in a drawer while looking for something else.  Wow!  Serendipity!  Synchronicity!

So Tuesday I whipped out my new punches, found the right size, followed the directions and whapped them two or three times with hammer blows -- and the punch went through about half of the mat board.  Whapped some more with very little result.  Rooted around in a drawer and found a hole punch about the same size, which got me through the remaining layers, but "about the same size" also means "messy around the edges."  Futzed around with the punch for a while and got it a bit neater.























Wednesday was a slightly better day.  I figured out how to make the punch work better -- the very low-tech solution of positioning the board directly over the table leg so the table doesn't bend away from the blade when hit.  On the other hand, Wednesday was when I spilled a glass of water over my large uncut mat board.  Two steps forward, one step back.

I worked for a while on Wednesday while thinking about the issues yet to be resolved.  What size?  I had cut some two-inch squares and they seemed too small.  Then I cut some three-inch squares and they seemed too big.  Maybe two-and-a-half inches?  Maybe I need to incorporate paint into this process.  Beads?  Wire?  Linoleum printing?  If I didn't have to produce Thanksgiving dinner for nine people I could sit down and make a lot of progress today.

But let's be positive.  I am thankful that I have eight wonderful people to produce Thanksgiving dinner for.  I am thankful that I have 48 dear friends and family to make Christmas ornaments for.  I am thankful that my greatest worry this week has to do with paper punches instead of anything more serious.

As I do every year, I'd love to add one or two of my blog readers to the ornament list.  Leave a comment before Monday midnight and you might be the winner this year.  Trust me, by the time you get your ornament in the mail I will have figured out how to do it.

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a very frustrating week, but I am sure you will conquer all the obstacles and produce lovely cards!

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  2. And I'm thinking "what in the world is Kathleen MAKING? I'll be interested to see them.
    Happy Thanksgiving.
    xx, Carol

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  3. As a book binder I have found that using the punch and hammer work best when pounding into a piece of thick leather on a piece of wood, not cutting mat. I have also turned the mat board over and cut the remaining half with the punch set, giving a neat and tidy same size hole. I have also used a drill with a very small drill bit, but the hole, while easy to make, does need some sand paper and a bit of sanding to make neat and tidy. Good luck.

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  4. I visited your show while staying with family. I loved that one of your larger orange people followed me home. Since he is missing his creative mother, he is hoping that his natural mother will gift him with his very own ornament for his first Christmas away from home. At any rate, he and I wish you a happy holiday season full of creative blessings and harmony.

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  5. You are definitely blessed that your only frustration (real as it is!!) is getting holes in mat board!! Jan seems to have the answer for you! Amazing how we can put our bumps in the road out there and someone has a solution for us!! Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to seeing your Christmas ornaments!!

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  6. Always intrigued by your artistic process.

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  7. I had to smile a little, because this Week I was thinking: what will Katleen do this Year?You’ve send me an ornament a few Years ago and Yesterday I hang it on the little statue of my lucky Angel

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  8. Life is good. Problem solving is part of life. Problem solving is good😁

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  9. I'd love an ornament! Thanks for thinking of us. :) Can't wait to see what you make. Don't those seemingly small design issues make you crazy? How hard could it be to put a hole through to hang the thing? More to it than one would think.

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  10. Happiest Christmas Kathy - may your days of creativity bloom into joy and may your art be a wonderful retreat into the warmth of the season... be happy that those 48 friends are with you again this year. Have a great Holiday season with family and friends - you are my idol! Bethany

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  11. Good luck with the rest of the process - what a great annual project! I used to make little books to send out for New Year; perhaps it's time to revive that...

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