tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54215501487736436832024-03-05T18:24:13.879-08:00Crafterall Handmade WorksM. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-2836905476459204882012-01-16T19:15:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:35:53.939-08:00I've moved!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm not sure what you'll find more surprising, the fact that I'm posting something new here,<br />or the news that I've got a whole new place for my blogging efforts to reside. Either way, I hope you'll follow me over to my new home on the Web: <a href="http://www.crafterall.com/">www.Crafterall.com</a> !<div><a href="http://www.crafterall.com"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></a><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEUjnn-1x36b7RlDUDdNQ2M8gQqpMjLLCyY298RC5ayOjdKZBJkROIqPqErqufDtsFGoLRu78IqkbcyWKLViNVVRhtUpNYmVqixWg4SzMOF78GQFnb-Ll8Rq4konvxnwZKJNaA-nM6P0Y/s320/Screen+shot+2012-01-16+at+9.13.50+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698439245608921442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 189px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's a brand new site with all sorts of fun features, and more on the way. One new facet I'll explain soon is the Lake of the Month voting poll that will allow you and anyone you can convince to join you to vote on the lake, city area, or coastline I cut next for the shop.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mad props to my Cap-G Geek hubby for helping me migrate to the new .com, and in advance for the tech help I'll very likely need as I go along.</div><div><br /></div><div>I appreciate all of you who have ever visited this blog, especially those who may have subscribed and have been patient readers over the last two+ years. Thank you! Now, c'mon over!</div>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-31367689108746990102011-08-26T09:30:00.000-07:002011-08-26T09:30:00.165-07:00Topographic Table<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS2wEeShN0U19Kdk63gsBbWoe1Y8iF6obvhcw6oMXqxZsHr_0MBzfRQ_X4DUFZQc5PA3KWPqJx8B9J0oN-Pb30s_9gdjlP-9wZMdnMQc0no2pOWO99uFsTbT-WI-0wAXm8_ucuHO5iFot/s1600/Topo+Table+1.jpg">
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<br />My studio is... well... it's practical. It's not lovely, airy, sun-soaked, or spartan like all good studios are supposed to be, but it gets the job done. My studio is the messy pony tail of the workspace universe -- It ain't pretty, but it helps me get my work done.
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<br />I work in the basement of our home. Sure, I have to supplement the lighting with lamps. And sure, I have workout equipment, an old t.v., dusty VHS tapes, and a stray sock from the laundry chute as my twisted feng-shui backdrop. Who cares? 75% of the year it's the perfect temp -- if on the cool side, I can crank the stereo without waking the kids, I can write off the "overhead" as a business expense, and most importantly, it's big enough that I can fit all my stuff here and I don't have to share with anyone.
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<br />So, it was a little fun when I actually made some changes to it recently. I occasionally take EVERYTHING off the 8-foot table and give the surface a good scrub. After staring at the wet marks evaporate from the faux-woodgrain tabletop, I was inspired to paint it white. I found some old white paint the former owners had left and laid on two, gooey coats of it in one day. From its age, my misuse, or something, the paint did not spread very nicely. Some parts were wonderfully white, while other parts hinted at a darker layer beneath. I'm an impatient re-decorator, so instead of applying yet another layer of paint on, I uncapped my Sharpie and went to town. Drawing (literally) from all my experience with contour maps over the last 4 years, I topo-fied my tabletop.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS2wEeShN0U19Kdk63gsBbWoe1Y8iF6obvhcw6oMXqxZsHr_0MBzfRQ_X4DUFZQc5PA3KWPqJx8B9J0oN-Pb30s_9gdjlP-9wZMdnMQc0no2pOWO99uFsTbT-WI-0wAXm8_ucuHO5iFot/s1600/Topo+Table+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpS2wEeShN0U19Kdk63gsBbWoe1Y8iF6obvhcw6oMXqxZsHr_0MBzfRQ_X4DUFZQc5PA3KWPqJx8B9J0oN-Pb30s_9gdjlP-9wZMdnMQc0no2pOWO99uFsTbT-WI-0wAXm8_ucuHO5iFot/s320/Topo+Table+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645019913469021362" border="0" /></a>
<br />It still isn't spectacular, but it's brighter, more creative, much less faux-woodgrain, and totally Crafterall. After editing the "stuff" I need on the table and replacing the bare essentials, I can honestly say that it was worth it. Something about it says, "Yup. This is for real, y' know. This is your job. Now go, kick some butt."
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgehfxzPzltYFYHlm1WKILEGHoXy7_BP7w6l5nK01X5D_CEAEnhWKn-0pNg_AkwVklZgkUZ6WUugdKu9jTYFTW13zEPPRjyzIkzFUkncUhcJ7ywD3DHoOq-KJ-v69kfXtynD8J6cnXk3E/s1600/Topo+Table+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgehfxzPzltYFYHlm1WKILEGHoXy7_BP7w6l5nK01X5D_CEAEnhWKn-0pNg_AkwVklZgkUZ6WUugdKu9jTYFTW13zEPPRjyzIkzFUkncUhcJ7ywD3DHoOq-KJ-v69kfXtynD8J6cnXk3E/s320/Topo+Table+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645019921452380690" border="0" /></a>
<br />I am o.k. (for now) with the fact that my studio will never look like Martha's or any of the dreamy spaces I've seen featured online. I do want to work a little more, though, on paring down even further, finding more out-of-the-way places for my less-frequently used tools and materials, and getting the whole place to jive a little more. If I'm going to spend 60 hours a week down here, I better darn well enjoy it! Maybe I'll get around to a complete "before and after" post when that "after" feels complete... say, in a couple years or so. *wink*
<br />M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-41745574404101048842011-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:002011-08-24T09:55:00.081-07:00PapergirlAlthough I've never had a paper route (it doesn't count that my brother hired me a few times to help him with his), I fully accept the moniker "Papergirl" given to me by the kind folks at Midwest Home magazine.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8lEeGfrTklo1s-75useFDDVEy-Q9tBPT8n-b4uqWHYdrT16Gktl6PDhiKwX733pCjXd5fYFbsTGfZt2Mn-L3KNCzLGwPQChC1zqK0enHtsqP1OgXQnfoX-sWO3VtzxPXYHY2R8qvOuP9/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-23+at+12.00.36+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8lEeGfrTklo1s-75useFDDVEy-Q9tBPT8n-b4uqWHYdrT16Gktl6PDhiKwX733pCjXd5fYFbsTGfZt2Mn-L3KNCzLGwPQChC1zqK0enHtsqP1OgXQnfoX-sWO3VtzxPXYHY2R8qvOuP9/s320/Screen+shot+2011-08-23+at+12.00.36+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644097587657605794" border="0" /></a>
<br />They <a href="http://www.midwesthomemag.com/media/Midwest-Home/August-2011/August-2011-InTown/">featured me</a> this month in their In Town section, and I've heard from many lovely folks who've stopped in the shop after reading the article. While I have been fortunate enough to have been featured before on numerous blogs and web sites, there's something extra special about being mentioned in print. I guess it's no surprise as I've always had a love for tangibility and paper. ;) I've got my copy saved and stashed away. Thanks again, Midwest Home!
<br />M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-36573454480034996932011-08-23T09:32:00.000-07:002011-08-23T09:51:48.206-07:00Introducing CrafterAlt!This has really been a long time coming, and, while I'd thought about waiting until we had a really full lineup, I'm so pleased that we've got the first few things ready for you and I just can't hold it back any longer.
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<br />My dear friend, Kendra of <a href="http://www.nomoniker.com/">No Moniker</a> (formerly Green Post), and I have teamed up to create a new offshoot of Crafterall. Call it a branch, a grafting, an offshoot, a hybrid, or just one heckuva clever collaboration, and know it by its name: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Crafterall/search?search_query=crafteralt&search_submit=&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5210170&shopname=Crafterall">CrafterAlt</a>.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2cLDF4NEBoVNPX7v1_wpqEyJlXU-l-QK0YfFP4BCzI2fULtP1xrG7tDjHBl4PuFLu9PvzxnDD6wb2xBgPxcsHP0nlilIUDT6PK2tSfTXEuW0bE-Z5ElbWtkwt8o6WMRSHZuP7NRFmAQs/s1600/MNSilCardWoR6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2cLDF4NEBoVNPX7v1_wpqEyJlXU-l-QK0YfFP4BCzI2fULtP1xrG7tDjHBl4PuFLu9PvzxnDD6wb2xBgPxcsHP0nlilIUDT6PK2tSfTXEuW0bE-Z5ElbWtkwt8o6WMRSHZuP7NRFmAQs/s320/MNSilCardWoR6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644094428955182706" border="0" /></a>
<br />CrafterAlt is a new body of work made completely from my paper scraps. The line will include frameable 8 x 10" art pieces, foldover cards, bookmarks, journals, tags, and loads more. Between Kendra and I, we've jotted down close to 50 different items that we could make and market, all of them entirely recycled, entirely handmade, and entirely gorgeous.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZFGJOF52uiZzkWvYRI4Fu1Wv7WadKBlbLw_B0YfRU26pl9j3wS7tjb6F0ovA8o9hMlz7tnUIcUrVtbG00lz5zRMFmZ5eoPqIyNrLcqny1CknfDu_HqI1Xlb7i9oWKKwsuKXRgqaTVmLi/s1600/MNSil810Framed6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZFGJOF52uiZzkWvYRI4Fu1Wv7WadKBlbLw_B0YfRU26pl9j3wS7tjb6F0ovA8o9hMlz7tnUIcUrVtbG00lz5zRMFmZ5eoPqIyNrLcqny1CknfDu_HqI1Xlb7i9oWKKwsuKXRgqaTVmLi/s320/MNSil810Framed6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644094411303057458" border="0" /></a>
<br />We've started with the simple beauty of the silhouette of my home state, Minnesota, and we will work to produce more themes and images as we go along. Stay tuned for more posts about the process we have to produce these pieces, the other ideas we have floating around in our minds, and updates as we continue to roll out more works.
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<br />I'm thrilled with the quality and beauty of these pieces so far. Everyone I've shown them to remarks that they look even better in person too. The best part? I get to work with an amazing artist and paper wizard to create something new and beautiful out of what I'd otherwise dump in the recycling bin. How many people can claim that?
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZS5gXR8ys4F1BDO20CaRDDh76EhZbBiVrx2w7yaFdZ36FQmEbYSjKK5QSFDxvB3Q56QOxvGij62-9yx4KaEbHAGA5IDa24IM81717W22E3Uij-NekyqE-tisw6tmQ53JoCw1_UngUOXf/s1600/MNSilCardGoW2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZS5gXR8ys4F1BDO20CaRDDh76EhZbBiVrx2w7yaFdZ36FQmEbYSjKK5QSFDxvB3Q56QOxvGij62-9yx4KaEbHAGA5IDa24IM81717W22E3Uij-NekyqE-tisw6tmQ53JoCw1_UngUOXf/s320/MNSilCardGoW2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644094436654090882" border="0" /></a>
<br />M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-12278497063115151622011-04-13T12:01:00.000-07:002011-04-13T12:53:22.178-07:00Shows & Things to Show!Whew! It's been a while!<br /><br />While I'd like to be able to say that my hiatus is due to an extended snorkleing trip in the Fijian islands, I'm even more happy to say that I've been crazy busy with lots of awesome paperwork! I'm not being sarcastic. How can paperwork be awesome? When it's working with paper to churn out some of these pieces:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-7TZ-CXtkdMLdogAyYjxK6HY6SNnKVlQ9Az3z1VBn8L88nW33NHshB8ofLbyPAToXY8PNVoCflg_HnWXBmrDrIEGbMtCuOt3lHjFPcHGHY9HWZHT5lHcWuSfC4HndkjYhoO560UHih4g/s1600/Attersee+Set.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-7TZ-CXtkdMLdogAyYjxK6HY6SNnKVlQ9Az3z1VBn8L88nW33NHshB8ofLbyPAToXY8PNVoCflg_HnWXBmrDrIEGbMtCuOt3lHjFPcHGHY9HWZHT5lHcWuSfC4HndkjYhoO560UHih4g/s320/Attersee+Set.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146304728482562" border="0" /></a><br />Above is a massive 4-piece, segmented work depicting the water of and land surrounding Lake Attersee in northwestern Austria. Each piece is 12 x 12" and at the thickest portions, there are 14 layers of cardstock. I would love to see this after it's matted and framed!<br /><br />I've done quite a few sets lately. Another genius idea was this set of four places that traces four key locations that the buyer and her husband visited or inhabited in their young lives so far, and includes (clockwise from top left): San Francisco, Baja California, Amsterdam, and the Sunderbans of India.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4JxPS-d6u7khxYCOVu5eH1sSzSOMZb2khIblNYLJTAGUIIkdLfsmnJ11qEpskDUHAjADfsf8dB4mO4vpzI7waUnuRUbVx4HH5R1LRenj5bBinHnbEVGWVlbHczlHwCyVT9lB9I9ZIk0x/s1600/Travel+Set.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4JxPS-d6u7khxYCOVu5eH1sSzSOMZb2khIblNYLJTAGUIIkdLfsmnJ11qEpskDUHAjADfsf8dB4mO4vpzI7waUnuRUbVx4HH5R1LRenj5bBinHnbEVGWVlbHczlHwCyVT9lB9I9ZIk0x/s320/Travel+Set.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146540051418706" border="0" /></a><br />Someone else ordered something akin to a "family pack" with different colors of the same lake:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYYL2mqG_BQv4cQy4jgJl5haZ46iVOfzeFDmveedDIBTxIOqrawE15oAV_3WbPWIEQ9QbeH5ZUGR9ICn6jB6Bn4VOxDPmhvBkU02iagpsmUQLRR11rrFIxbsvsiX76CwS-3OBM9c-HrjF/s1600/Family+Pack.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYYL2mqG_BQv4cQy4jgJl5haZ46iVOfzeFDmveedDIBTxIOqrawE15oAV_3WbPWIEQ9QbeH5ZUGR9ICn6jB6Bn4VOxDPmhvBkU02iagpsmUQLRR11rrFIxbsvsiX76CwS-3OBM9c-HrjF/s320/Family+Pack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146307539126482" border="0" /></a><br />Other fun custom pieces include Prince of Wales Island at the bottom of Alaska's "tail":<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhJpsqWtC9cwFlP-4pY8D64piUyFEr_XtRd2BvZPtmP5KFL0aaMEqFnmRExqpvxwzEnVahd3JF-DCRfLOu43UKCyx89qaySixMZswe9_gz6f3XdrTCBPwlxCVt81J68UTYMNXsgthlPDT/s1600/Prince+of+Wales+Island.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhJpsqWtC9cwFlP-4pY8D64piUyFEr_XtRd2BvZPtmP5KFL0aaMEqFnmRExqpvxwzEnVahd3JF-DCRfLOu43UKCyx89qaySixMZswe9_gz6f3XdrTCBPwlxCVt81J68UTYMNXsgthlPDT/s320/Prince+of+Wales+Island.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146313671922194" border="0" /></a><br />Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7M95Jo6f5BMtwRItuwy-MDLRfCcxE7b0Iu1RW2kZay7-F0GC2OFKDjQfcaL6JgOpaOm57BkxZPxqKGFhh4laNg3bi8qFvuLkAwS4bGDVoTzWfnoxev_G1atPpEWxz6JxkC3T2vezP24B/s1600/Table+Rock+Lake.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7M95Jo6f5BMtwRItuwy-MDLRfCcxE7b0Iu1RW2kZay7-F0GC2OFKDjQfcaL6JgOpaOm57BkxZPxqKGFhh4laNg3bi8qFvuLkAwS4bGDVoTzWfnoxev_G1atPpEWxz6JxkC3T2vezP24B/s320/Table+Rock+Lake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146532736167186" border="0" /></a><br />And New York's Long Island done up in rich, harvest golds:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn32Rj8HswemazBTDzvPznzUEpFb1PAHn-1NplOMJtyWOuRV91RB1MeBK6D9IOicggbOZcSB9jRmMy52-nFZMjqTQ21bzYVS2YK7AxhBFZ-knt7TIF-ATYTlkEdm8UueM2Y_FKrXF9UZIf/s1600/New+York.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn32Rj8HswemazBTDzvPznzUEpFb1PAHn-1NplOMJtyWOuRV91RB1MeBK6D9IOicggbOZcSB9jRmMy52-nFZMjqTQ21bzYVS2YK7AxhBFZ-knt7TIF-ATYTlkEdm8UueM2Y_FKrXF9UZIf/s320/New+York.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146313597877602" border="0" /></a><br />I finally worked out my plan for plastic-free packaging for my card sets:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VA3Hkp5nUFBQ2CKw2bpuMnjLiD7a1vI3eQtamh2VoxN2DZSy-xWCZRerl2ZnofSjz40tOvzhGm63pbk37gKCiQmey7JDc-FHpCKgXVgNc3ghwuVmeYy31d36q2G_FcHmyYiDlyIyExPD/s1600/New+Packaging.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VA3Hkp5nUFBQ2CKw2bpuMnjLiD7a1vI3eQtamh2VoxN2DZSy-xWCZRerl2ZnofSjz40tOvzhGm63pbk37gKCiQmey7JDc-FHpCKgXVgNc3ghwuVmeYy31d36q2G_FcHmyYiDlyIyExPD/s320/New+Packaging.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146307423189202" border="0" /></a><br />I still have to incorporate them into my listings, and they could endure some more refining, but I like them for their simplicity, practicality, and recycle-ability!<br /><br />Last month marked my second gallery exhibit, this one as part of a super cool show fronted by the brilliant <a href="http://www.trueenough.com/">Mr. Curt Lund</a>. Curt just wrapped up his artist-in-residence term at the charming <a href="http://www.banfill-locke.org/">Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts</a> in Fridley and for his grand finale, invited four other artists to join him in creating <a href="http://fridley.patch.com/articles/slideshow-geographies-exhibit-opens-at-banfill-locke-center-for-arts-2#photo-5231000">Geographies: a multi-media investigation of place</a>. As fun and thrilling as it is to be part of any show, Geographies is so near and dear to my heart and what I do every day, that it is and will always be extra awesome to me. Here are some shots from the show:<br /><br />Three all-white pieces (from left to right or west to east, if you will): San Francisco Bay, Lake Minnetonka, Manhattan<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe_D0yJWbXpkNEP0TdIaPK8H1Mgi-wHDwjSYz2oXPvhEfDRhyxAm7jS0jH2phAkI_Qb7zDcsqqMIeg4Typ29Y_VnzYNgjKyBnYEOzydf1jDXt8RNw6IMl8Yndc1rfhM8CT6UQo6x9k7Hs/s1600/White+Works.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYe_D0yJWbXpkNEP0TdIaPK8H1Mgi-wHDwjSYz2oXPvhEfDRhyxAm7jS0jH2phAkI_Qb7zDcsqqMIeg4Typ29Y_VnzYNgjKyBnYEOzydf1jDXt8RNw6IMl8Yndc1rfhM8CT6UQo6x9k7Hs/s320/White+Works.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146547004709346" border="0" /></a><br />A bright, extra-dimensional piece called "Buoyancy":<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NqnsRn2Rbbm6w5FPRrIECjvQRtfEFC4EnJd76dR1REIO37usr5V3w835l_8Z6WE-OJ0PimDRJEoGiX18KB09I-AlizFarCXz5206OflE_mmigQHRUupazLx0Co2AOJe15drIB3e9KP5c/s1600/Splash.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NqnsRn2Rbbm6w5FPRrIECjvQRtfEFC4EnJd76dR1REIO37usr5V3w835l_8Z6WE-OJ0PimDRJEoGiX18KB09I-AlizFarCXz5206OflE_mmigQHRUupazLx0Co2AOJe15drIB3e9KP5c/s320/Splash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595152314085705618" border="0" /></a><br />This piece, two 6 x 6" layered "halves" of the same stack, I titled, 'Touched."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1_aXKday8lxUOtPIK8tAxGh9HA_GUGMq1OPjkqbfyEMgbkHoLK3KvX2NQ20gzcMz4YKcVW43Qx1wXFzA79tgo4vu-LdlaU8ZJ977KA_KpBjr91aVCpNHIcp7vCpJJDJyYi6EFQ8Fs_eQ/s1600/Touched.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1_aXKday8lxUOtPIK8tAxGh9HA_GUGMq1OPjkqbfyEMgbkHoLK3KvX2NQ20gzcMz4YKcVW43Qx1wXFzA79tgo4vu-LdlaU8ZJ977KA_KpBjr91aVCpNHIcp7vCpJJDJyYi6EFQ8Fs_eQ/s320/Touched.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595146538275004450" border="0" /></a><br />I invite people to touch this piece in the hopes that over time, it will begin to show the dirt and grime of a thousand hands. In a way, this reflects how we both connect to and corrode the land around us.<br /><br />The show is up through the end of April, so if you're in the Twin Cities area, do check it out! There are more of my pieces than what I've shown here, and lots of other amazing pieces by the other artists in the collection.<br /><br />Last Saturday, I joined Curt again, as well as a dozen other artists as an elite group vending our work at the beautiful Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It was a very simple set-up: we were each allotted a single, simply draped 6-foot table, set in a line along a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. The Walker staff treated us to some morning goodies, a lovely lunch, assistance whenever needed, and a free and amazing selling venue in exchange for half of our earnings that day. The turn out and response far exceeded my expectations and I sold out of a few things. You can see how spotty my card display looked below when my hubby and the kids stopped by in the afternoon:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0lH4heDZBs8b5qOpJy1d2noihPmGIPpJ14VX6WBmQDMaVhCzcQh4T7PPX4WD1yZWEBNvfruPMYjgGZ2q-K90PYRN6OAgEPWe7oe4iu60wjN2L52xYmJGc7uceDg5ezW3GufiI0weaCu5/s1600/Walker+MN+Made+Artist+Mart.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0lH4heDZBs8b5qOpJy1d2noihPmGIPpJ14VX6WBmQDMaVhCzcQh4T7PPX4WD1yZWEBNvfruPMYjgGZ2q-K90PYRN6OAgEPWe7oe4iu60wjN2L52xYmJGc7uceDg5ezW3GufiI0weaCu5/s320/Walker+MN+Made+Artist+Mart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595154884380669970" border="0" /></a> I didn't intend to take my zip-up hoodie off, or have my hair pulled up, but it was warm and I was busy! It was a great day! One of the personal highlights for me was when an older gentleman asked me if I was from Bemidji. When I told him I was, he said that he knew my Dad. I pressed him for more information and he said he saw my last name on my info card, had a hunch, and then saw my blue eyes and knew I was my father's daughter. I was so chuffed to think that my eyes were the giveaway clue to my identity. I called my Dad after the show to tell him and he thought it was pretty sweet too. :) It was wonderful, too, to hear all the very nice comments people shared about my work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love what I do!<br /><br />What's next? More custom pieces, each one different, each one with a story behind it. I am so lucky to be able to make pieces for people who find these so special. Who knew it would become so huge since my very first custom piece about two years ago?<br /><br />Also, up next, is the very fun, very crazy, very awesome, <a href="http://www.craftstravaganza.com/">St. Paul Craftstravaganza</a>! This year's event is held in the same place as in recent years, the Fine Arts building of the MN State Fair Grounds. The event takes place one day only, on Saturday, April 30th, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. I'll be in the same place I was last year as well, just off to the right side from the main entrance.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT7OVTDoDtHI9zi0Nn1e-_iuI6SN6MmskiwTFSHv01ZGNZPN1_sBUnfnDEShAVT2GVDH9-ZdTZfqMbqra9haauYIbSqJBkr1VUjneD_Cki7zBz_mpx0GCUJkdZTJMdug9W9_ChbXQj4Cr/s1600/2011_flyer.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmT7OVTDoDtHI9zi0Nn1e-_iuI6SN6MmskiwTFSHv01ZGNZPN1_sBUnfnDEShAVT2GVDH9-ZdTZfqMbqra9haauYIbSqJBkr1VUjneD_Cki7zBz_mpx0GCUJkdZTJMdug9W9_ChbXQj4Cr/s320/2011_flyer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595157859339962834" border="0" /></a>There will be loads of other handmade goodies there from all over the state and region, with some of the most unique and high-quality items you'll find in this area. Please stop by and say "hi!"<br /><br />Until then, I'm busy, busy, busy prepping more fun stuff for the show, as well as crossing off pieces from my custom to-do list. New orders from my shop will be shipped beginning early May, and my turn-around time on all my work should shorten considerably soon thereafter.<br /><br />Thanks for reading through this meaty update! I hope to see you soon!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-46203422867117521942011-01-27T14:51:00.001-08:002011-01-27T15:37:16.430-08:00Twine Holder TutorialI jumped on the trendy and simply decorated cotton baker's twine bandwagon, and finally bought my own spool. I've started to include it in my packaging and really like the nice, little touch it adds. Since I use it so often, I keep it handy, but on its own, it gets knocked over, the twine come unraveled, and it isn't fitting in with the organized flow of everything else in my workspace. Etsy's blog recently ran an article on antique string dispensers and my first problem-solving thoughts jumped to buying some fun, vintage artifact that was made to do just what I needed it to do. I browsed and was quickly discouraged by the selections, the prices, and the fact that many of them were either best mounted on a wall or required the spool to be unwound first.<br />I stared intently at the spool and suddenly, creative inspiration high-fived thriftiness, and I had my solution. I grabbed the materials and headed to the work bench. No more than three minutes later, I had my twine holder. Sweet!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXgX45TuCg4Z3erWNx9_0K73e1hDFiXM7ce1aLRMvitox42bam2LZuLNRM3Wt05jG_w_TDnEXQqefJD4dIA7JEiTDXqtHnXy_U0zXq7OTSvo5yjDWV1KDT6vISShLkeRsFFWUsrDvnvwJ/s1600/TwineHolderFinished.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXgX45TuCg4Z3erWNx9_0K73e1hDFiXM7ce1aLRMvitox42bam2LZuLNRM3Wt05jG_w_TDnEXQqefJD4dIA7JEiTDXqtHnXy_U0zXq7OTSvo5yjDWV1KDT6vISShLkeRsFFWUsrDvnvwJ/s320/TwineHolderFinished.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009096809041890" border="0" /></a><br />Obviously it's not very complicated, and I wouldn't have thought to post a tutorial, but I couldn't find anything like that in my quick Google search, and I thought of a neat little tip on the fly that I think is worth sharing. So here is how you can make one for yourself, you twine-loving crafty person you!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMCD66QGpYKrDEL2ILv9mlHW4XlgTDr6CEfFhbwhW6uzVG3ki6PnQAHjY5N951e5-HZIVC9rvwJwi65JFJd6H1FrLN3psQ6QngCo1cNjqyAX7AnbhzFS_JLLckQV-ZyYcV6_WDwfwBNFP/s1600/TwineHolderTools.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMCD66QGpYKrDEL2ILv9mlHW4XlgTDr6CEfFhbwhW6uzVG3ki6PnQAHjY5N951e5-HZIVC9rvwJwi65JFJd6H1FrLN3psQ6QngCo1cNjqyAX7AnbhzFS_JLLckQV-ZyYcV6_WDwfwBNFP/s320/TwineHolderTools.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009427028703378" border="0" /></a><br />Start with these few simple elements: Your spool of twine (mine is a 240 yd spool of the popular Divine Twine), a jelly jar that the spool fits into (I found this tall, quilted jar fit perfectly, but many medium-sized jars would work too), a hammer and I relatively large gauge/ thick nail.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXuMmJhSYRC4mhAImfNRXBIHyoW364GC8P3yW4QdYDWdPL5SZhTTHX3TES-hjLGME52sbYbp5faIwe1LorDXhJ6dzs7EMC86AUgZ_BA0qLFfphOywZhSf69k_3bhtbaLipFbD828b3lsy/s1600/TwineHolderFit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXuMmJhSYRC4mhAImfNRXBIHyoW364GC8P3yW4QdYDWdPL5SZhTTHX3TES-hjLGME52sbYbp5faIwe1LorDXhJ6dzs7EMC86AUgZ_BA0qLFfphOywZhSf69k_3bhtbaLipFbD828b3lsy/s320/TwineHolderFit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009107560376466" border="0" /></a><br />I imagine this would work with a single piece lid, but it worked very well with a 2-piece. Set the nail into the center of the inside of the flat part of the lid (on the workbench or some other surface that can handle a nail driven into it -- NOT on your dining room table!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2_JbYoz_JAKbVLdf0vw-lgZDXQGlIx4NF8IBQj2Uy3CpU8HNerQ8Oh_nxorMh_EkynuxGjIMaYw8jljyxnVeI2ymtMVoz2nnILfa0GgL94leB0oMw8Jf0kP9r7-lWPK0b8SSEO_xVI6v/s1600/TwineHolderFirstNail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2_JbYoz_JAKbVLdf0vw-lgZDXQGlIx4NF8IBQj2Uy3CpU8HNerQ8Oh_nxorMh_EkynuxGjIMaYw8jljyxnVeI2ymtMVoz2nnILfa0GgL94leB0oMw8Jf0kP9r7-lWPK0b8SSEO_xVI6v/s320/TwineHolderFirstNail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009100732157778" border="0" /></a>Once the nail fit through the opening, I took it out and flipped the lid over. Here's where the genius really kicked in. I put the nail back through the hole in the lid so that that head of the nail rested on the sharp edges of the hole opening. Then I positioned the lid on the workbench so that the nail hung over the edge. A quick rap or two with the hammer on the head of the nail, and I flattened those sharp edges.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43y12-VnVUTBE76xKFgofR4mQtJ4KXLgBgwN0DMe0ubI-JgNIIP0SZxhrNxKHT0gGKoW2iuIpbWV01UV4EAIhlUL80aWfJM4hxqvsOLuEKAQXvclviEbjB7MkaT6kUCTGsoWPZzckYK9A/s1600/TwineHolderSecondNail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43y12-VnVUTBE76xKFgofR4mQtJ4KXLgBgwN0DMe0ubI-JgNIIP0SZxhrNxKHT0gGKoW2iuIpbWV01UV4EAIhlUL80aWfJM4hxqvsOLuEKAQXvclviEbjB7MkaT6kUCTGsoWPZzckYK9A/s320/TwineHolderSecondNail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009422988936738" border="0" /></a><br />So now, I had a smooth, snag-less opening on the inside of the lid:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPbro4D7P-7EYQBXsHhIrgb3Ri-Ja4a-FRxcwDA0UV3-3TQArH9Uii-b8WTZ5jgsTyHU-jxQYaoTAzS2pbR1AKGKWkN42kfTBTfXXvBzLvnBG1gmbBZ-8APNwCHb-9W0lu38wBJSwkAMs/s1600/TwineHolderInsideTop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPbro4D7P-7EYQBXsHhIrgb3Ri-Ja4a-FRxcwDA0UV3-3TQArH9Uii-b8WTZ5jgsTyHU-jxQYaoTAzS2pbR1AKGKWkN42kfTBTfXXvBzLvnBG1gmbBZ-8APNwCHb-9W0lu38wBJSwkAMs/s320/TwineHolderInsideTop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009112357079666" border="0" /></a><br />And a relatively ouch-less opening on the outside of the lid. I patted myself on the back for that one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IbzxwrvKy7Qdw50P-fflkFNA93YmKV0FjzgjSNYbQXhAS77ecg5egf7ZS7JCD77WcaY8xma7PzFnl4xSqFLLCB8yIjsVYW-ksdwomb1-f6bI4Q0f-uuKRQiBHyG_SdjaEGOseRZ-pnif/s1600/TwineHolderOutsideTop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IbzxwrvKy7Qdw50P-fflkFNA93YmKV0FjzgjSNYbQXhAS77ecg5egf7ZS7JCD77WcaY8xma7PzFnl4xSqFLLCB8yIjsVYW-ksdwomb1-f6bI4Q0f-uuKRQiBHyG_SdjaEGOseRZ-pnif/s320/TwineHolderOutsideTop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009115591121922" border="0" /></a><br />Then, I just put the spool in the jar, threaded the twine through the opening and the lid ring, screwed on the lid and Presto! Twine Holder. It fits the spool like they were made together, it's weighty enough to stay in place when I pull on the twine from the top, it's pretty darn cute, it didn't cost me a cent, and it's crafty as all get out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMGZu2MfcHXhg_y2EjS4YoJ5nAqgH-Zp1TY3XVFaFja57sxhUUvKkGekJSbiG0OKoj8_28VtfXl9D_CnxF7XpXfRvkn6wmaFCJx9Ol5qv1CItzQlHdCysrqTv_VKsOPQLgAO8AaXwsW6B/s1600/TwineHolderThreading.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMGZu2MfcHXhg_y2EjS4YoJ5nAqgH-Zp1TY3XVFaFja57sxhUUvKkGekJSbiG0OKoj8_28VtfXl9D_CnxF7XpXfRvkn6wmaFCJx9Ol5qv1CItzQlHdCysrqTv_VKsOPQLgAO8AaXwsW6B/s320/TwineHolderThreading.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009427196213618" border="0" /></a><br />I suppose an uber-crafter could go to town decorating the jar and/or the jar's lid with all sorts of craftiness, but I'm happy with this simple, re-purposed gem, and my hubby is glad that I didn't buy anything else. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAaHtYoYvXAwp8cyDrtX2RIkKt9tgvM-yXnZK-oapYtapu7NUG5QI7NKvmBa1aSZhzJUAzEt5if-PjQz_eN-FfF7sHuSguagJfm0yf7bv2fs3b0cx74Vi25Il23ml1T_wIIJtYSj9-r90/s1600/TwineHolderTop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAaHtYoYvXAwp8cyDrtX2RIkKt9tgvM-yXnZK-oapYtapu7NUG5QI7NKvmBa1aSZhzJUAzEt5if-PjQz_eN-FfF7sHuSguagJfm0yf7bv2fs3b0cx74Vi25Il23ml1T_wIIJtYSj9-r90/s320/TwineHolderTop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567009431198202946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMGZu2MfcHXhg_y2EjS4YoJ5nAqgH-Zp1TY3XVFaFja57sxhUUvKkGekJSbiG0OKoj8_28VtfXl9D_CnxF7XpXfRvkn6wmaFCJx9Ol5qv1CItzQlHdCysrqTv_VKsOPQLgAO8AaXwsW6B/s1600/TwineHolderThreading.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IbzxwrvKy7Qdw50P-fflkFNA93YmKV0FjzgjSNYbQXhAS77ecg5egf7ZS7JCD77WcaY8xma7PzFnl4xSqFLLCB8yIjsVYW-ksdwomb1-f6bI4Q0f-uuKRQiBHyG_SdjaEGOseRZ-pnif/s1600/TwineHolderOutsideTop.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPbro4D7P-7EYQBXsHhIrgb3Ri-Ja4a-FRxcwDA0UV3-3TQArH9Uii-b8WTZ5jgsTyHU-jxQYaoTAzS2pbR1AKGKWkN42kfTBTfXXvBzLvnBG1gmbBZ-8APNwCHb-9W0lu38wBJSwkAMs/s1600/TwineHolderInsideTop.jpg"><br /></a>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-33509639948983465282010-11-09T09:32:00.000-08:002010-11-09T09:32:04.786-08:00East Coast? West Coast? NO COAST!Yo!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAraCTUOfLA8zx4PUG6AnJG1Ej-txAzRXsPXvKR50_-pBLDgluOnDQrhrW33QGx_rta1zVnjeQvgK3WJFf2DG9Ymgwv8zdEz5Ou-Wv4qhxv9u5hwcJ5fnjot7GmWI-AHCkPFun7e-CT_s/s1600/no_coast2010_375x500.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537432947639774418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAraCTUOfLA8zx4PUG6AnJG1Ej-txAzRXsPXvKR50_-pBLDgluOnDQrhrW33QGx_rta1zVnjeQvgK3WJFf2DG9Ymgwv8zdEz5Ou-Wv4qhxv9u5hwcJ5fnjot7GmWI-AHCkPFun7e-CT_s/s320/no_coast2010_375x500.gif" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
Let the countdown to mass craziness begin, baby. Here's all you need to know:<br />
<br />
What: No Coast Craft-o-Rama<br />
When: De-cem-ber 3rd & 4th<br />
Where: Midtown Global Exchange building in Minn-e-apolis<br />
Who: Craft-er-all and a boat load of some of this region's coolest artists and handmade geniuses<br />
How Much: How much you got? ;)<br />
<br />
Seriously, I'm psyched and totally inventory deficient. Going to stock up first on some bulk "Midnight Oil" so I can burn the heck out of it.M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-2239855126712278272010-11-02T07:10:00.000-07:002010-11-02T07:47:06.431-07:00Locally HarvestedYesterday, I dropped off some work to be included in my first, official, fine art show. I've been slow to adopt the title "Artist" and have come a long way from making greeting cards to what I do now. This show marks my foray into gallery shows, and I'm pretty excited about it.<br /><br />The Show: Locally Harvested "small art - big beauty". Held within the Capstone Gallery at 4325 Nicollet Ave S. in Minneapolis, November 12 - December 28. Opening Party will be November 19, from 6 - 9 p.m.<br /><br />The Works:<br /><br />"Reincarnations No.1" & "Reincarnations No.2"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1hSm2fAHTCzaaTDk3OfIcPRAkJiBXf3FPa1wqPH-OC-m4mB-K_fOfC1DWvkB6ydDkXtaSdhWnBGKEgumjozHMXFJuY4DTwqwAfHsMB5AmvtCKcuGJbwQ2N_Ru7kBhT2yDq54LZ42875J/s1600/Reincarnations1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1hSm2fAHTCzaaTDk3OfIcPRAkJiBXf3FPa1wqPH-OC-m4mB-K_fOfC1DWvkB6ydDkXtaSdhWnBGKEgumjozHMXFJuY4DTwqwAfHsMB5AmvtCKcuGJbwQ2N_Ru7kBhT2yDq54LZ42875J/s320/Reincarnations1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534956447327030066" border="0" /></a><br />These pieces represent an idea I've had rumbling around in my head and in my sketchbook for at least a year. I wanted to play with the silhouette trend that's been hot lately, and yet do something new and maybe meaningful with it. For this work, I've tried to capture the sense that we go through a series of different selves as we age, and that somewhere inside us, there are traces of ourselves as younger and younger "reincarnations."<br /><br />These are some of the first pieces I've designed digitally for the Silhouette cutter. The newer software application is so much easier to use and has opened up a new world of cutting possibilities for me. So far, I'm quite pleased with the results.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIo6ZBVkdVHZTF0w8g6dBRXVybkQngZKnKMD0feKXGGWAPGJQTiUXsuhVLeKFseXAb_vRePrf3BaPXGa_r6w5RR7aP1rLE4BcwOe8rECSG4xrgHDQrSEt8mFRL0mxbEh9INmI7T6Cxoqp/s1600/Reincarnations2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIo6ZBVkdVHZTF0w8g6dBRXVybkQngZKnKMD0feKXGGWAPGJQTiUXsuhVLeKFseXAb_vRePrf3BaPXGa_r6w5RR7aP1rLE4BcwOe8rECSG4xrgHDQrSEt8mFRL0mxbEh9INmI7T6Cxoqp/s320/Reincarnations2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534956454604945010" border="0" /></a><br />"Flow"<br /><br />This is another idea I've had for a long time: to create a topography-type piece in sections for a puzzle-like look. The result turned out better than I expected. I am digging the "friction" caused by seeing the flow of the water subject interrupted by the separation. Perhaps it's a comment about how we've disrupted the land around us. Or perhaps it's just neat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix767ATNNl0JZNFjRzcDWt95RT7QeyP1V6uvK73KGJQiLadcP6wB3bblUI6sf3-R6icY_ov_JkFtcvCeRTj7YV9P7JOVzxBoMtyblfItDR-3tT0c79sP1zkH96dYXI650lWIQJyhR-kvI0/s1600/Flow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix767ATNNl0JZNFjRzcDWt95RT7QeyP1V6uvK73KGJQiLadcP6wB3bblUI6sf3-R6icY_ov_JkFtcvCeRTj7YV9P7JOVzxBoMtyblfItDR-3tT0c79sP1zkH96dYXI650lWIQJyhR-kvI0/s320/Flow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534956444286293554" border="0" /></a><br />"Elevated"<br /><br />This piece is similar to "Flow" in that the subject has been sliced apart, but here, I've mounted them on a single piece of cardstock, and then elevated two of the pieces for more depth. I'm playing with the idea of topography, the height of the land, and the disruption of the status quo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZVRQYjZQS7UQ72KLeXREBw40VnH7k9bmrDuKDxsQcd5N8t2qpvD2jNleTxkRnTI5OFapWArG9og169pA1s5EANqX5MPur8IjRjkNQzYtZ9rUQcyMQ5MfTjWJnlEX1_I46HWg6zviYRRC/s1600/Elevated.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZVRQYjZQS7UQ72KLeXREBw40VnH7k9bmrDuKDxsQcd5N8t2qpvD2jNleTxkRnTI5OFapWArG9og169pA1s5EANqX5MPur8IjRjkNQzYtZ9rUQcyMQ5MfTjWJnlEX1_I46HWg6zviYRRC/s320/Elevated.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534956440132770258" border="0" /></a><br />"Harvest"<br /><br />Cut from 14 layers of brown and cream cardstock, this work has both the mountain and the quarry from which it was "mined" as equal halves of the same material.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWXCM3kYGZ5xjKt3lRzxi7fDkulPA7FDMoovdENLeWb4IFM-qc5IvrHpfPPTCnu8i7XqK1W9wmnqOh4gYW7PJKkDaZ9rV82I7l2AP0TftalLqnSr3V99Lfe9l2BsuYQxQ19y7GFDbznXO/s1600/Harvest.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWXCM3kYGZ5xjKt3lRzxi7fDkulPA7FDMoovdENLeWb4IFM-qc5IvrHpfPPTCnu8i7XqK1W9wmnqOh4gYW7PJKkDaZ9rV82I7l2AP0TftalLqnSr3V99Lfe9l2BsuYQxQ19y7GFDbznXO/s320/Harvest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534956437292794130" border="0" /></a><br />"Clary Lake"<br /><br />My last piece is an homage to <a href="http://percusiveart.blogspot.com/">Mr. Charles Clary</a>, a contemporary paper artist to whom I've been nicely compared by some. I tried to mimic Clary's technique of layering with space in between the layers, while still maintaining my flair for topography, land and water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05mBWJ5CfMaf3Msvv8JVumr5f_qs517G6I7xbxvtOvGf6so2S-oE5GYCPwWi_Va_fbUIrSNlGgn2p92uAqDjIfzP-oBrS7J2ru9p5yRGG1N9Rd-OFyogRD1yqDj9yyrvHVYOQ2R_tRCQb/s1600/Clary+Lake+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05mBWJ5CfMaf3Msvv8JVumr5f_qs517G6I7xbxvtOvGf6so2S-oE5GYCPwWi_Va_fbUIrSNlGgn2p92uAqDjIfzP-oBrS7J2ru9p5yRGG1N9Rd-OFyogRD1yqDj9yyrvHVYOQ2R_tRCQb/s320/Clary+Lake+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534961300320237538" border="0" /></a><br />This was my first experiment with this and I have to admit that my respect for the precision and complexity of Clary's work rose immensely throughout this process.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KPdwSvvylQ_D9F1vuNSwdT9k2wDTfuprrvYJgs1KQ0gpjpSCG3Vq4jY1Fz5vaplOfAQsRdb5wtbr7AWlCD1A_HaYev470sRv4kI5Ta_q7vTEYoj0SExz8oKofe51QXuSJw-mmYYNNoyG/s1600/Clary+Lake+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KPdwSvvylQ_D9F1vuNSwdT9k2wDTfuprrvYJgs1KQ0gpjpSCG3Vq4jY1Fz5vaplOfAQsRdb5wtbr7AWlCD1A_HaYev470sRv4kI5Ta_q7vTEYoj0SExz8oKofe51QXuSJw-mmYYNNoyG/s320/Clary+Lake+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534961305383967586" border="0" /></a><br />While working on these delayed my production of some custom requests and general shop stocking, the show is exactly the motivation I needed to work out some of these ideas, and feel a little more worthy of the title, "artist."<br /><br />I'd love to hear what you think of these. And I'd really love to see you at the show!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-18760654568879947722010-10-20T12:33:00.000-07:002010-10-20T12:54:09.226-07:00My Right HandThis is my right hand.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9cQDvMFBrLUCRS8LNwUUIR8jTKaFQ8vQKy6J-XWSFe9ZliBVdTvwRcPB3OEYnqsaOHno7Gn28aN3SrCPMJmMdOs6mQd84segyw6wqPuYtiqfgmDyyl0J7XVsZYHEDDe6RsK0rQXEeUBH/s1600/righthand1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9cQDvMFBrLUCRS8LNwUUIR8jTKaFQ8vQKy6J-XWSFe9ZliBVdTvwRcPB3OEYnqsaOHno7Gn28aN3SrCPMJmMdOs6mQd84segyw6wqPuYtiqfgmDyyl0J7XVsZYHEDDe6RsK0rQXEeUBH/s320/righthand1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530214525261099106" border="0" /></a><br />This is the hand that does most of the work. This is the hand that holds the blade and wiggles it through the cardstock on every piece I make. This is the hand that brings down the arm of the paper trimmer, that pulls the fresh sheet of paper from the drawer, that lines up the ruler with the edge, that drags the adhesive dispenser across the surface, that writes the note, that presses the sticker on the package, that takes over more than its half of the keyboard when I type, that runs a stiff fingertip along a fold, that aligns this piece with that, that hits "enter" and pauses while I reread, that grabs, shuffles, pinches, smooths, and stretches. This is the hand that I pull away from my work to rest, to let dangle at my side until the feeling returns, the pain subsides, and the cramp eases.<br /><br />It's a little hand, with little dimply knuckles, a tiny scab here and there, hangnails, my mother's ring that never sits right, clipped nails, and a freckle or two. It also shows the wear of my work. On a knuckle on my pinky, there's a yellowy callous from where my hand has slid across thousands (millions?) of sheets of paper over that last three years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uKI4z3PgDkK-Jfb4TTgwC-FfTFb4i09VN2jeaHAF0va8ACcrkUkEvgAFV8Mb_xBSSK2Fz181cnm3hQNTTQXsALePSU0zaijAuWvQepDA-BdY9lzFhZqsxQuFPOz476ugJCpY97r9yITK/s1600/righthand2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uKI4z3PgDkK-Jfb4TTgwC-FfTFb4i09VN2jeaHAF0va8ACcrkUkEvgAFV8Mb_xBSSK2Fz181cnm3hQNTTQXsALePSU0zaijAuWvQepDA-BdY9lzFhZqsxQuFPOz476ugJCpY97r9yITK/s320/righthand2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530214530081197042" border="0" /></a><br />And on my middle finger, a larger, but not as hardened callous between the top two knuckles, from the pressure of the blade against it day after day and day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCcLgNqm_vreReD9FZ853IRbiLHqqI5-R3bxHVfQQfBmuNwRA38KksCjNcSkdtfel62WbKCxxaTSR05SlY9v-d5dn6Vci8IAENoTnoy9T0_6KM9TxWeSbevU79bVAXBwEPC5uPFCOvVA6/s1600/righthand3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCcLgNqm_vreReD9FZ853IRbiLHqqI5-R3bxHVfQQfBmuNwRA38KksCjNcSkdtfel62WbKCxxaTSR05SlY9v-d5dn6Vci8IAENoTnoy9T0_6KM9TxWeSbevU79bVAXBwEPC5uPFCOvVA6/s320/righthand3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530214532457508466" border="0" /></a><br />These are my "battle scars," my decoration from hours of odd and repetitive use, and my body's way of adapting to what I do for a living. Small, inconspicuous, but there, hardening, and thickening over time. They remind me of the choices I've made to get me here, and the time I've committed to this work. On my disheveled right hand, I wear them like badges of honor.<br /><br />I'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous. (let that one sink in a bit...)M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-22727095139450056312010-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:002010-09-17T14:50:25.574-07:00Ninety-nine... One hundred!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The very first piece, back when it was "NEW"</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxodeeD5QnYXore8zoAgQgViT4ATRn5G0FcqvgfdfXFiAHz0_2jX2Y5r6kkih47X-KrEG7a3UXjQ00hpk0dvDMIMNujqOewvUze5eL3BdFwgK3zlAYq-Ec_qNKI6yoSSJeE-P01e5JQ0Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-17+at+3.37.38+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxodeeD5QnYXore8zoAgQgViT4ATRn5G0FcqvgfdfXFiAHz0_2jX2Y5r6kkih47X-KrEG7a3UXjQ00hpk0dvDMIMNujqOewvUze5eL3BdFwgK3zlAYq-Ec_qNKI6yoSSJeE-P01e5JQ0Y/s320/Screen+shot+2010-09-17+at+3.37.38+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517986035222004946" border="0" /></a>In November of 2008, I sold my first 8 x 10" Topography in Aqua piece. I was bolstered to create the larger, frame-able sized pieces based on the small and growing success of my new topography cards, and was just as surprised as anyone when these did well too.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Number 100 (detail)</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlgvkX9dI0-3-5DH5rcSVnQK-QibhiqJoYuKuztCCsjM4XCD4C1VpAR02RKA49VSGCwntXWHAPGfNMgkHm0jYND3aE8oiMXr3fVMw0sva_zhyphenhyphenUC3K5mjZ92X9ZnELxftsCnPCr-by9yeE/s1600/WTA+100+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlgvkX9dI0-3-5DH5rcSVnQK-QibhiqJoYuKuztCCsjM4XCD4C1VpAR02RKA49VSGCwntXWHAPGfNMgkHm0jYND3aE8oiMXr3fVMw0sva_zhyphenhyphenUC3K5mjZ92X9ZnELxftsCnPCr-by9yeE/s320/WTA+100+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517986016779057698" border="0" /></a><br />Just under two years later, I've cut my 100th version of these. There have been other aqua topographies in different sizes, and differently colored pieces as well. Each of these are numbered in their own sets. Looking at the older photos, it's fun to see the evolution of my work. The cardstock is different, my cutting is a bit more complex, and the descriptions are a bit more fleshed out, but the basic concept is still pretty much the same.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Number 100</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJm1uQoBWEx4p3QzpGc_Q-L3uVVThycIKq5zUPmcCKlwYkG7RwL_sq8b_TJj5sDbGYh-vE549wD0bUPxFI0QxP6jnqWj-d4LwRy4r0fhOo0tHSwU8yY5n3JcFKqsthMmfb89-ndLZbaJL6/s1600/WTA+100+5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJm1uQoBWEx4p3QzpGc_Q-L3uVVThycIKq5zUPmcCKlwYkG7RwL_sq8b_TJj5sDbGYh-vE549wD0bUPxFI0QxP6jnqWj-d4LwRy4r0fhOo0tHSwU8yY5n3JcFKqsthMmfb89-ndLZbaJL6/s320/WTA+100+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517986022162451730" border="0" /></a>Thank you, dear readers and fans of the shop. Your encouragement and support has truly helped me reach this milestone. I can only image what all 100 of those pieces would look like stacked one atop another, or in a gallery, framed and hung in a line on a long, long wall. How cool would that be?! Here's to the next 100!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-23600886596448280012010-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:002010-09-13T13:23:13.273-07:00Alaska, Forida, New York, Oh My!More custom requests have been filing in, with miraculously workable timing. Do you all get together behind my back and sort yourselves out, or am I just this lucky to maintain a lovely, nearly constant stream of requests? Either way, I'll take it!<br /><br />Here's a look at what I've been up to lately.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Auke Bay, near Juneau, Alaska</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdffYXriVok1w53gjoIjIVAwe93SMWVODMzGnKzFoyyi697arWm_0i0SuiSs6zJLKbz04PePI7QU4xDA7o8WFV_XBf9IxF6vUuOYtirpA3VnYRY_UOI0cl1ahZKzZrhHZGhHCN43jjD3M/s1600/AukeBay1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdffYXriVok1w53gjoIjIVAwe93SMWVODMzGnKzFoyyi697arWm_0i0SuiSs6zJLKbz04PePI7QU4xDA7o8WFV_XBf9IxF6vUuOYtirpA3VnYRY_UOI0cl1ahZKzZrhHZGhHCN43jjD3M/s320/AukeBay1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490120555455650" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Auke Bay (detail)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdt2oBFaRFbTTWWyMH6rx3Tq_wzAtQ4r6hHfLn2jf7rOqiPRGkiPm8rlAiTwe1rw9R1whdU2gKmo_uXC_L4amj8EP6jE48nn5h-zvev-UiCl7wg6sCl3w6Txvc2xW-voLqQy6wU7xzoSWE/s1600/AukeBay3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdt2oBFaRFbTTWWyMH6rx3Tq_wzAtQ4r6hHfLn2jf7rOqiPRGkiPm8rlAiTwe1rw9R1whdU2gKmo_uXC_L4amj8EP6jE48nn5h-zvev-UiCl7wg6sCl3w6Txvc2xW-voLqQy6wU7xzoSWE/s320/AukeBay3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490133563883986" border="0" /></a><br />This piece shows one of the few times that I used the darkest color for the land as the base layer, instead of working the four shades the other way. I think the effect works really well since the land closest to the ocean here is rich with giant evergreens, and just up the steep sides of these mountains are glaciers and snow caps. I also really like the greater contrast between the light blue of the water and the dark green of the land. Might have to try this with my next few Islands pieces.<br /><br />Next up, warm and sunny, Sanibel Island in southwest Florida:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sanibel Island</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElo7gJIy4jinSuct1XV9EEj7Oks8mBEiMITKqCaZtndhW9W_gOde6Ne2UafwLf8vj-FUW4qrX0UrufPory_DVUsrMj5W_-ZIAR7_gJSC5AE5OcxYCnng1NRtxom1ArYlfEQc_fAJEzOEZ/s1600/dblfingers1.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnFFWW5K3Cdc4obXluB78Peqa88u9SWHP5bBhPr73xp6bWgSBckloxyCED0GYwNtx7SxcyLu2_1Q21aL0GJ3xiXox84CNn42913H_rdTOYo0S-UUOQlhu2OIAbJMAD3O_C9RmxJvSPEiO/s1600/Sanibel2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnFFWW5K3Cdc4obXluB78Peqa88u9SWHP5bBhPr73xp6bWgSBckloxyCED0GYwNtx7SxcyLu2_1Q21aL0GJ3xiXox84CNn42913H_rdTOYo0S-UUOQlhu2OIAbJMAD3O_C9RmxJvSPEiO/s320/Sanibel2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490276303083362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sanibel Island (detail)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEQYa9ylyh0y2kFOsRErBg3P89PH7KLthRGGXIfG-frdogUxTdZAteX1abpN5_N8uqG8G6DGEk4bQRBQD1NTurlxakAixf2rhj0C2ZlDvHGONGYPcTFX5m4Fdpqgcts4IvlVEiF3qJNEv/s1600/Sanibel1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEQYa9ylyh0y2kFOsRErBg3P89PH7KLthRGGXIfG-frdogUxTdZAteX1abpN5_N8uqG8G6DGEk4bQRBQD1NTurlxakAixf2rhj0C2ZlDvHGONGYPcTFX5m4Fdpqgcts4IvlVEiF3qJNEv/s320/Sanibel1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490154792001730" border="0" /></a><br />Because the topography is very subtle here and much of the island is marshy wetland, the buyer and I agreed that just two layers of green would suffice to represent the land in this area. I chose the middle of the Grass Green set for a nice, true-green tone with good contrast to those gulf coast waters. With all the little islands and lakes, I don't think we missed the other two layers.<br /><br />Back up north, this time on the eastern side of the country, I had another request for the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. This time, I was asked to recreate the land's topography as well as the lake depths. It was fairly crucial to be as accurate as I could be as the buyer and her friend participated in a thigh-busting, 300-mile bike ride up and down this terrain, and these pieces were to be souvenirs of that event. It took a few tries, and quite a bit of back-and-forth communication, but I think we did O.K. in the end, and I'm very grateful for the patience and flexibility of this buyer. These pieces aren't the winners, but they'll give you a good idea of the project and all those lovely hills.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tCf8p81ubwW8ChhK5qr9kKz46ynV-2s06OSAGUVK1-XuvgMgnO7gfz6fAYtos3uuVEc_qmX6iqOnuLXyyEjldDLAnFAm6g9NhvcsaPXpRsvgXpVKxDWtr1WjCAqEwVa8ynP13UaIGu-D/s1600/UWSH1.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Finger Lakes</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqUYm9fj0IBia2hbFoYRySwKJuYSZX7VbyapKP5wZ7yokKSrXEqMDbksb7Wtf1BK39VDzo4ne_jcrkrvROVhB_Q4HIhBjqQEX7mnm49_frEuZ8xQLgMIbtVN4vzhRYh6wFD7-eDCof8GG/s1600/dblfingers2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqUYm9fj0IBia2hbFoYRySwKJuYSZX7VbyapKP5wZ7yokKSrXEqMDbksb7Wtf1BK39VDzo4ne_jcrkrvROVhB_Q4HIhBjqQEX7mnm49_frEuZ8xQLgMIbtVN4vzhRYh6wFD7-eDCof8GG/s320/dblfingers2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490147354549602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Finger Lakes (detail)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElo7gJIy4jinSuct1XV9EEj7Oks8mBEiMITKqCaZtndhW9W_gOde6Ne2UafwLf8vj-FUW4qrX0UrufPory_DVUsrMj5W_-ZIAR7_gJSC5AE5OcxYCnng1NRtxom1ArYlfEQc_fAJEzOEZ/s1600/dblfingers1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElo7gJIy4jinSuct1XV9EEj7Oks8mBEiMITKqCaZtndhW9W_gOde6Ne2UafwLf8vj-FUW4qrX0UrufPory_DVUsrMj5W_-ZIAR7_gJSC5AE5OcxYCnng1NRtxom1ArYlfEQc_fAJEzOEZ/s320/dblfingers1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490137964196274" border="0" /></a><br />Staying in New York, but moving to the big city, I recreated a section of Manhattan's Upper West Side, along the Hudson River, and across from the Fairview area.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Upper West Side</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tCf8p81ubwW8ChhK5qr9kKz46ynV-2s06OSAGUVK1-XuvgMgnO7gfz6fAYtos3uuVEc_qmX6iqOnuLXyyEjldDLAnFAm6g9NhvcsaPXpRsvgXpVKxDWtr1WjCAqEwVa8ynP13UaIGu-D/s1600/UWSH1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tCf8p81ubwW8ChhK5qr9kKz46ynV-2s06OSAGUVK1-XuvgMgnO7gfz6fAYtos3uuVEc_qmX6iqOnuLXyyEjldDLAnFAm6g9NhvcsaPXpRsvgXpVKxDWtr1WjCAqEwVa8ynP13UaIGu-D/s320/UWSH1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490743219915346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Upper West Side (detail)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qFG6qk1-LVeRsDGS7ZZokWdKEmYymh6nfM_TBlunouS4XgxYRPKRgDAZwlP6aa559kkTmu5FJRADJB2Nd5o8nVM2DQA1uk28PaxiLiwgRiVaGuDEIHDNTH1oIop_j2dzVq_dKPchxQ33/s1600/UWSH3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qFG6qk1-LVeRsDGS7ZZokWdKEmYymh6nfM_TBlunouS4XgxYRPKRgDAZwlP6aa559kkTmu5FJRADJB2Nd5o8nVM2DQA1uk28PaxiLiwgRiVaGuDEIHDNTH1oIop_j2dzVq_dKPchxQ33/s320/UWSH3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516490747301196066" border="0" /></a>It's a wonderfully simple piece with quiet sophistication, done up in creamy browns. I like how the river, at a distance, could almost be mistaken for a piece of bark, then the fabricated piers on the west bank reveal that it is something else entirely, and perhaps, to a keen observer, give away its true location identity.<br /><br />What fun stuff you guys throw at me, and what a great way to "travel" the world. Thank you!<br /></div>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-81254979141039465832010-08-20T09:01:00.000-07:002010-08-20T09:05:25.677-07:00Packaging TidbitsMy post on basic packaging tips is up on the <a href="http://etsymn.blogspot.com/2010/08/packaging-101.html">Handmade Minnesota team blog</a>. I invite you to scoot over there, have a read, and please share a bit of your packaging and shipping acumen. Thanks!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD60tbweMXcJNVrsFRpCVmMkEzXD8AAVACPjA35b9mHI6Pq3gb_ip-1WaCQ_eBwVeTo_5nI5qFAyHcXMRaNpJP-LBuplTGPRzwA7_0IppsSGEfSJbNCq9wjtwxkFExdRvFimuA80hNxjZ/s1600/Pkg2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUD60tbweMXcJNVrsFRpCVmMkEzXD8AAVACPjA35b9mHI6Pq3gb_ip-1WaCQ_eBwVeTo_5nI5qFAyHcXMRaNpJP-LBuplTGPRzwA7_0IppsSGEfSJbNCq9wjtwxkFExdRvFimuA80hNxjZ/s320/Pkg2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507523677064442610" border="0" /></a>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-86971608201371928932010-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:002010-08-17T21:04:10.112-07:00Eight Hundred CardsWhat does 800 cards from Crafterall look like?<br /><br />Something like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVmaNuSReYpHLjpIt85vQetjBcVGnBQBfSRZLu_gV6T-8LY5DoKJ8cFuF7tkryORDgfCDMCYkgVs1YRpbOyjfBlU4upDakNMzHNZtnW0HKT6mTfYXNgGb1PpKx2zuq-j0QceE9UleBpq8/s1600/800+cards+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVmaNuSReYpHLjpIt85vQetjBcVGnBQBfSRZLu_gV6T-8LY5DoKJ8cFuF7tkryORDgfCDMCYkgVs1YRpbOyjfBlU4upDakNMzHNZtnW0HKT6mTfYXNgGb1PpKx2zuq-j0QceE9UleBpq8/s320/800+cards+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506593232499110130" border="0" /></a>Sorted, counted, ready to package:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwikblf4ZBjbqTU148EjFP34sAHFxX-3pxGoW3OCP-iZ0LpWdvpcRNwyjw7NCHUzXphF0_2MBSgcW1EWfM_FjMYkr0zxFHG_D6qNmQVU92tyhhplWDQVCYJuYjJLXsE14D-1FDSVaTL_Oe/s1600/800+cards+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwikblf4ZBjbqTU148EjFP34sAHFxX-3pxGoW3OCP-iZ0LpWdvpcRNwyjw7NCHUzXphF0_2MBSgcW1EWfM_FjMYkr0zxFHG_D6qNmQVU92tyhhplWDQVCYJuYjJLXsE14D-1FDSVaTL_Oe/s320/800+cards+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506593229410815586" border="0" /></a><br />Making the cards is the biggest part, but by no means the only part of filling such a large order. There's packaging the individual cards and/or sets with envelopes and inserts, completing and printing necessary packing and billing paperwork, packing the entire order to be shipped, and obtaining postage for the whole deal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrxcjSCKN6byN1rflmpVivEKctLZsxouwxZTKfjtYzPar7Zc6I-wnw-7TKXrblbSgDKhaKf7UMUYAYv29-WH03VB39yJef3zs1vlSlGFGHO6i5HEy0pd4iT9OJ3uhEtWmTToBEZSUL1Ns/s1600/800+cards+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrxcjSCKN6byN1rflmpVivEKctLZsxouwxZTKfjtYzPar7Zc6I-wnw-7TKXrblbSgDKhaKf7UMUYAYv29-WH03VB39yJef3zs1vlSlGFGHO6i5HEy0pd4iT9OJ3uhEtWmTToBEZSUL1Ns/s320/800+cards+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506593222584896770" border="0" /></a><br />I really like this part. It's relatively mindless and it lets me do something I love: play with packaging!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP6xk5y2SCx7s5-_4Gw8YMETTLduHgBYqbfji9ux5Qloiihbhx6iB5o84_FRF-53B4-qEApzaVNjVYa1xpdnRZZidGyB5GPeA4HWoo4E-TKRIStUaKx_XZRm3nGJKB-PSaiNa9OlHHUa2/s1600/800+cards+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP6xk5y2SCx7s5-_4Gw8YMETTLduHgBYqbfji9ux5Qloiihbhx6iB5o84_FRF-53B4-qEApzaVNjVYa1xpdnRZZidGyB5GPeA4HWoo4E-TKRIStUaKx_XZRm3nGJKB-PSaiNa9OlHHUa2/s320/800+cards+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506593214358858274" border="0" /></a><br />This is starting to feel kinda "big time." I'm exhausted, proud, and thrilled all at once. Phew!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*edited to add: Did you know that there is a wiki page for the number "800"? At first, I thought it was a bit ridiculous as I read, "</span><b style="font-style: italic;">800</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> (</span><b style="font-style: italic;">eight hundred</b><span style="font-style: italic;">) is the natural number following 799 and preceding 801." Um... duh. We need a wiki for this? Then, I read this: "It is the sum of four consecutive primes (193 + 197 + 199 + 211), " and proceeded to geek out. This is actually pretty darn cool. See </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/800_%28number%29">here for more on 800</a> or choose your own number.<span style="font-style: italic;">*</span>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-36089816868584039462010-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:002010-07-21T16:44:57.520-07:00Welcome to dee islands, mon!I finally got around to creating more fictional island pieces for <a href="http://www.crafterall.com">the shop</a>, after making (and selling) the first two back when there was still snow on the ground. As ever, I continue to be inspired by cutting actual locations for custom requests, and it's so fun to be able to do "whatever" with these imagined places. Each piece is, at its most diverse points, eight layers thick, and the pieces <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Crafterall?section_id=6746863">are available</a> in three different sizes:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">8 x 10"</span><br /></div><br />No. 5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcoHllV4tB1JOWIpXCmxeycGh9Ns1gWcsuooZV4-QtM9x2ZL11kb039OsDcULWSYs9ongG2rHXqHUx5JC42erSSm2_-UwCnyCiHZDcpuEOFGq7H8yqLjkhySEfRYbuMUtnvWoZOBHd9YP/s1600/I+5+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcoHllV4tB1JOWIpXCmxeycGh9Ns1gWcsuooZV4-QtM9x2ZL11kb039OsDcULWSYs9ongG2rHXqHUx5JC42erSSm2_-UwCnyCiHZDcpuEOFGq7H8yqLjkhySEfRYbuMUtnvWoZOBHd9YP/s320/I+5+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505019393555346" border="0" /></a><br />No. 5 (detail)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePxnt96EEJqfhVvsciX8byFdLI2nIMax33ULJQ5cS8ywRIia8WAZjRz41FE8-4JtpEAh7l0ymD_9YaG1SvuPXy6OWtZbVXaF3Autz_fqcoL2Y6qqmlJnQuxtqf_7YP40AB0Zs7dJoUs1M/s1600/I+5+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePxnt96EEJqfhVvsciX8byFdLI2nIMax33ULJQ5cS8ywRIia8WAZjRz41FE8-4JtpEAh7l0ymD_9YaG1SvuPXy6OWtZbVXaF3Autz_fqcoL2Y6qqmlJnQuxtqf_7YP40AB0Zs7dJoUs1M/s320/I+5+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496503238396136354" border="0" /></a><br />No. 6<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtydP-o2J_OO7DoSHaJWbyANMNZ1hQbAKyn9fxmi2OTGqM7Eu4BQEFWwQWaj40fZTUU_84kIKNTaog83fZw4pR_9MDYG_6cRhMLICLC4qgsYPB4mZrxVYQLx8RU5tjy0nGNF_-84hmmc/s1600/I+6+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtydP-o2J_OO7DoSHaJWbyANMNZ1hQbAKyn9fxmi2OTGqM7Eu4BQEFWwQWaj40fZTUU_84kIKNTaog83fZw4pR_9MDYG_6cRhMLICLC4qgsYPB4mZrxVYQLx8RU5tjy0nGNF_-84hmmc/s320/I+6+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505033355135570" border="0" /></a><br />No. 6 (detail)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4rJhXsi5wpN3XV-uCX5QwYhIOFwQ9I8FKN7QGI5SvXgcTq4tP-MKz0-XTAw_7iN4V0GXq3T65xrX_3-d9TIv1yqyH-PBB9RSyUeODXHpIU5-EUJ5om0n8ExRHYBKKkQiEfppaRmvTFa_/s1600/I+6+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4rJhXsi5wpN3XV-uCX5QwYhIOFwQ9I8FKN7QGI5SvXgcTq4tP-MKz0-XTAw_7iN4V0GXq3T65xrX_3-d9TIv1yqyH-PBB9RSyUeODXHpIU5-EUJ5om0n8ExRHYBKKkQiEfppaRmvTFa_/s320/I+6+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505026078082818" border="0" /></a><br />No. 7<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCWOCn70l-kYVYbRjrKXlO_n1XdBkT550mKVInoNj-4cZaRStRAe8-jyjD2k-mYSCpsvlrkdF62raAToN_SwP-WFtYJWnCeO27_siWxMe2oDH4n8_GXOHyZ9oOFHg01S8X_oIrH_nG59y/s1600/I+7+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCWOCn70l-kYVYbRjrKXlO_n1XdBkT550mKVInoNj-4cZaRStRAe8-jyjD2k-mYSCpsvlrkdF62raAToN_SwP-WFtYJWnCeO27_siWxMe2oDH4n8_GXOHyZ9oOFHg01S8X_oIrH_nG59y/s320/I+7+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505043143599330" border="0" /></a><br />No. 7 (detail)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx1LErfSDmw_l5nCpllOhajFnPBWUREs_5giL4I1wN_-XXtgOZnLd1UOheWMlDeuuGkvCnTDS-1mOHYr9TdqpBXKMQkgABsSo9wciu3HX8Ua7e8_L2VDVCrX7x2TYGGUgi7jAtf9TVQ3K/s1600/I+7+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIx1LErfSDmw_l5nCpllOhajFnPBWUREs_5giL4I1wN_-XXtgOZnLd1UOheWMlDeuuGkvCnTDS-1mOHYr9TdqpBXKMQkgABsSo9wciu3HX8Ua7e8_L2VDVCrX7x2TYGGUgi7jAtf9TVQ3K/s320/I+7+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505038596023906" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">10 x 12"</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />No. 3<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeAYntRbEFpctFFwmVplWqZSlAw4ySTakf-fnLLQjgSA1psVqGwFjgTSnKOsb1rTikzxghqkrkp0OXepP6b0hkBKQB3-lB4iZYZwU8LNsph9Kcd3VNf5ylCjXNy4TDnQjd1kgZg-920zW/s1600/I+3+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeAYntRbEFpctFFwmVplWqZSlAw4ySTakf-fnLLQjgSA1psVqGwFjgTSnKOsb1rTikzxghqkrkp0OXepP6b0hkBKQB3-lB4iZYZwU8LNsph9Kcd3VNf5ylCjXNy4TDnQjd1kgZg-920zW/s320/I+3+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496503212248004914" border="0" /></a><br />No. 3 (detail)<br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdVyHrhd9774ApONwbjjU-9lpxbd-wf9QF-iA2rTYOn1xMHZBHbaN4AsEJ34BcUG3ji_GnnanmcAQQJ2r5cTKj6x8yDMQUaMnQpyZFU2bGVq-0m9-Xke0e_fzbF77R-3BxvO8aGOKFGxm/s1600/I+3+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdVyHrhd9774ApONwbjjU-9lpxbd-wf9QF-iA2rTYOn1xMHZBHbaN4AsEJ34BcUG3ji_GnnanmcAQQJ2r5cTKj6x8yDMQUaMnQpyZFU2bGVq-0m9-Xke0e_fzbF77R-3BxvO8aGOKFGxm/s320/I+3+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496503219521420226" border="0" /></a><br />No. 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1J1TuL8miX_S2zVaD2Us5J22s-w3aSxyHLBKatuvWaaJgfrPXOpk1sCV90yo25sJNxDgFyjbn3IiC67T2rjcgad44G6FIIwOAaor6EKz4JCZ4SXVj9GFW3Om1_pmYIDiDImuSPvo-YYff/s1600/I+8+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1J1TuL8miX_S2zVaD2Us5J22s-w3aSxyHLBKatuvWaaJgfrPXOpk1sCV90yo25sJNxDgFyjbn3IiC67T2rjcgad44G6FIIwOAaor6EKz4JCZ4SXVj9GFW3Om1_pmYIDiDImuSPvo-YYff/s320/I+8+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505362973051330" border="0" /></a><br />No. 8 (detail)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf35zVIM_SgIGYOBilqLSzLvjug82hdmMeNpD3fHgp8b_vV7Mw_s84n1t4iwrYy5pWD-EfdYx6xyd_kecjpBWzV1WwiQWPqb-J9yKj7Oz2K58KscCCARC38044fygNV3M0GVsrH52tE5E/s1600/I+8+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf35zVIM_SgIGYOBilqLSzLvjug82hdmMeNpD3fHgp8b_vV7Mw_s84n1t4iwrYy5pWD-EfdYx6xyd_kecjpBWzV1WwiQWPqb-J9yKj7Oz2K58KscCCARC38044fygNV3M0GVsrH52tE5E/s320/I+8+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496505355916077922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">and 12 x 12" (The Big Kahuna!)</span><br /></div><br />No. 4<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_U5Ft5WNVmo9R2tiY6EfHVQJul8YTRhk-DfJu6ETH6yK1lKnV3QDxj47Z0Z0m9JXpym4doAjALlwYchIcYSWRw9rlnc8_oqmlWYxTtFY849_qaB4YCXb4x8WuXcGHKdLogQ0BSjZ_sib/s1600/I+4+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_U5Ft5WNVmo9R2tiY6EfHVQJul8YTRhk-DfJu6ETH6yK1lKnV3QDxj47Z0Z0m9JXpym4doAjALlwYchIcYSWRw9rlnc8_oqmlWYxTtFY849_qaB4YCXb4x8WuXcGHKdLogQ0BSjZ_sib/s320/I+4+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496503231439730722" border="0" /></a><br />No. 4 (detail)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLpLJjupzMSyr5y8Xuvjsyzpn8sgnvbv0JXmfoHyzvvl4bfxV4avbQmI3vXQ7IUP9PKJ2vJH1YId8i6zgFYERjGwI_0hGM9MBgFZ3yfWqfVuAy2VMe4ZlrhJWvUEirP9zz15_N988QvK_/s1600/I+4+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLpLJjupzMSyr5y8Xuvjsyzpn8sgnvbv0JXmfoHyzvvl4bfxV4avbQmI3vXQ7IUP9PKJ2vJH1YId8i6zgFYERjGwI_0hGM9MBgFZ3yfWqfVuAy2VMe4ZlrhJWvUEirP9zz15_N988QvK_/s320/I+4+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496503226068271746" border="0" /></a><br />I'm pondering new colorways too. Tan to brown land surrendering its ore to rusty orange waters? Monochromatic whites, greys, into black? All white? What do you think?<br /><br />Until I work up the budget to spend time on a real tropical island, I will be happy to pretend, as my blade cuts land and volcanic peaks from cerulean waters, that I am there, sipping something chilled and mildly intoxicating, swinging lazily in a canvas hammock, the lullaby of waves hush-hushing me to sleep.<br /><br />Thanks for having a look.M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-80069786862098698772010-07-13T19:53:00.001-07:002010-07-13T20:52:30.417-07:00Working the Land<span style="font-weight: bold;">uffta</span> (OOF-tah): interjection: Exclamation of Norwegian origin, popular in strongly Scandinavian settlements in the upper Midwest, used to express surprise, bewilderment, astonishment, pity, pain, and fatigue. <span style="font-style: italic;">Syn. yikes, oh boy, whoa nelly, hoo-wee, good gravy.</span><br /><br />I'm happy to report that the custom requests continue to pour into my shop at a nicely steady pace. While many of them remain in the style of my original lake-style bathymetries, the most recent requests have begun to grow legs and climb onto land for a look at the good life. Starting from the simplest, though not necessarily easiest, to the most complex, here's a look at what me and my trusty lil' blade have been up to lately.<br /><br />The first piece is basically a reverse of my typical pieces. Instead of the land being a single, solid white layer with the water represented in layers of deepening color, the water here is a base layer of white, and the land is layered on top in the shades from light to dark. Abstract veining, or a chunk of Mobjack Bay, near Gloucester, Virgina?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilld8FQp8_8ixJLQmM0uEMLVayTZIOX_FWa3DNY9AtB2T0fkUp8HUjaPQzkL3vfdjMNpgBR3imnGakbAczFszpgj5BXxCACcNwZdsr8lPsz1jCNjbrn6lXDDLcP1IaPWadu4Rlj-mB-tsn/s1600/burghw2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilld8FQp8_8ixJLQmM0uEMLVayTZIOX_FWa3DNY9AtB2T0fkUp8HUjaPQzkL3vfdjMNpgBR3imnGakbAczFszpgj5BXxCACcNwZdsr8lPsz1jCNjbrn6lXDDLcP1IaPWadu4Rlj-mB-tsn/s320/burghw2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493590899408193714" border="0" /></a><br />Going with more land-like coloration, another patron requested a 12-layer representation of Little Switzerland, North Carolina. If you notice, there's a handful of little lakes scattered throughout this area as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wUYEjZoQQTE2LLYImOBl9DAClkHBaltb0ZWlpPchV5oDuO89xp4YFnlsHVnYFSqlx0APlg8hmZW44wCSoG-lLrL49ZqgR_xyQ8jyk4UMohIBxoyXLOWDrFINv-PXCS4BPuPdjsc4UvtU/s1600/lilswiss4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wUYEjZoQQTE2LLYImOBl9DAClkHBaltb0ZWlpPchV5oDuO89xp4YFnlsHVnYFSqlx0APlg8hmZW44wCSoG-lLrL49ZqgR_xyQ8jyk4UMohIBxoyXLOWDrFINv-PXCS4BPuPdjsc4UvtU/s320/lilswiss4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493590931894594258" border="0" /></a><br />Incorporating the water into the land-based topographies took off from there. Starting small, here is the stunning Plage du Pyla on the southwestern coast of France.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-s2VB-ULbivfWIZWEoPDcvZOQa9iHDduxYI-f9dg8KbqUohr6OdGmpLkbZiYcgZchomXk2lJ9xoNyBaM_QOTgX1VqoUJdvpB-U-U01kcQtdWt3Qsohyphenhyphenj2_JzH0TGIJJ5dIuUnE3uORii/s1600/pyla+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-s2VB-ULbivfWIZWEoPDcvZOQa9iHDduxYI-f9dg8KbqUohr6OdGmpLkbZiYcgZchomXk2lJ9xoNyBaM_QOTgX1VqoUJdvpB-U-U01kcQtdWt3Qsohyphenhyphenj2_JzH0TGIJJ5dIuUnE3uORii/s320/pyla+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493590888827145570" border="0" /></a><br />From here, it was an all-out war against my brains and hands to work both the land's topography and the water's depth into a single piece. Here is an artistically isolated Marrowstone Island, from the great state of Washington.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(detail)</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsTSFEYO4LwCCTs7INOh3U4VgwHnqkaw-3RIh9Wtb0Z9w9gI5t7JXFdEvNZikGZZaVRLkrEzYazFknvpOhmkXwq0IIKz3BoDrAFsCP1jlnt4KSM5c0KwhW57taD-g1NXbvHwIneFP4k2e/s1600/Marrowstone3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsTSFEYO4LwCCTs7INOh3U4VgwHnqkaw-3RIh9Wtb0Z9w9gI5t7JXFdEvNZikGZZaVRLkrEzYazFknvpOhmkXwq0IIKz3BoDrAFsCP1jlnt4KSM5c0KwhW57taD-g1NXbvHwIneFP4k2e/s320/Marrowstone3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493590897472759522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(entire piece)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincDhRdbOCAu_bXaW9abhyphenhyphenHVxnwUl02N5_c9pbHUciPHhq800par6Tjk8IGsC1TK1ToPSxE2bhy7uz778IwIFTqTmfLa6KizkK5wT8khkecn3zmY5oXyxobJyxEwbyti-77iyoPVJlNEwS/s1600/Marrowstone2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincDhRdbOCAu_bXaW9abhyphenhyphenHVxnwUl02N5_c9pbHUciPHhq800par6Tjk8IGsC1TK1ToPSxE2bhy7uz778IwIFTqTmfLa6KizkK5wT8khkecn3zmY5oXyxobJyxEwbyti-77iyoPVJlNEwS/s320/Marrowstone2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493595045204024626" border="0" /></a><br />And it didn't get any easier from there. A request for the Rhode Island coastline near Westerly:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(detail)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgaJ-XD-kYuy_l0MaUu5Z63fWd5EhI1Ry76jy9Tz3-GkrzC0GZUhvsdWBcftCwoSm0rVtKHmxgaexMF07n1iznSDXA-ISBmr1Mh-a35IWgP_p6Ls_qQnFJ-V5iiawpprCuMXWMKgNjB2C/s1600/westerly5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgaJ-XD-kYuy_l0MaUu5Z63fWd5EhI1Ry76jy9Tz3-GkrzC0GZUhvsdWBcftCwoSm0rVtKHmxgaexMF07n1iznSDXA-ISBmr1Mh-a35IWgP_p6Ls_qQnFJ-V5iiawpprCuMXWMKgNjB2C/s320/westerly5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493591885981911762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />(entire piece)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-GV_hlNz4GsP7YlfF2pNGS5c376tGI11QII_zx08AeGg3VmUo0P52J-oz6MdI0wgGaikInkddi8jwz2sIPvQCmG71L4uZ0pchCn_iK1uavZ-2weoKEd0nAGu_9FYpFAD0gw841hpRiQ8/s1600/westerly2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-GV_hlNz4GsP7YlfF2pNGS5c376tGI11QII_zx08AeGg3VmUo0P52J-oz6MdI0wgGaikInkddi8jwz2sIPvQCmG71L4uZ0pchCn_iK1uavZ-2weoKEd0nAGu_9FYpFAD0gw841hpRiQ8/s320/westerly2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493591880463095522" border="0" /></a><br />And then onto the largest lake in New Hampshire: Lake Winnipesaukee. I counted at least 53 islands here, not including the little hills of land that were islands of another sort.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(detail)</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkRuMDtR-vnlXiEFWGc6feRSKgg-5OYz7FNf0U9v_91pVKuCZfvz-H7kR-IvmYe6NHHbWAhz2Dr5qrDNY29ZHHLeGFrz-YCyvV8SNbYswEIBPI9hOAmWs6OxVHK2pegvQI7gZw1GcAVs9/s1600/winnipesaukeewoods3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkRuMDtR-vnlXiEFWGc6feRSKgg-5OYz7FNf0U9v_91pVKuCZfvz-H7kR-IvmYe6NHHbWAhz2Dr5qrDNY29ZHHLeGFrz-YCyvV8SNbYswEIBPI9hOAmWs6OxVHK2pegvQI7gZw1GcAVs9/s320/winnipesaukeewoods3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493591888045081906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(entire piece)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYokc50-nIOMJloVPCUkbiHU9-bzVpayGkimOOuyQmRExPepOwhbliyAUlcYiTdF3oEGaoUNoMdZYFhHIT_RFLEPTcflPf0DwcDPhdERNCIt3_lbz-Y1y6eYFy5f63AEmFpuIphEu3Erxh/s1600/winnipesaukeewoods2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYokc50-nIOMJloVPCUkbiHU9-bzVpayGkimOOuyQmRExPepOwhbliyAUlcYiTdF3oEGaoUNoMdZYFhHIT_RFLEPTcflPf0DwcDPhdERNCIt3_lbz-Y1y6eYFy5f63AEmFpuIphEu3Erxh/s320/winnipesaukeewoods2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493592034993022546" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, the biggest, most time-taxing, brain-busting piece to date was actually a set of pieces. Two pairs of pieces of two different areas of Quebec -- Rouyn-Noranda and Montreal.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(detail)</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG34ZQw90_Pqq2dWcYxXKe8VnLjBg4zn2tUH48FiZNNOmhqeo4WGupWbYOS2XYmYknpvRvVV0tXHAdTC1IeSL8mh4F_zbOYBGKpKpp6qxTtz1LYb2f8CksV8sF0tfrc1PsakDvTeTyCUHG/s1600/Quebec+set+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG34ZQw90_Pqq2dWcYxXKe8VnLjBg4zn2tUH48FiZNNOmhqeo4WGupWbYOS2XYmYknpvRvVV0tXHAdTC1IeSL8mh4F_zbOYBGKpKpp6qxTtz1LYb2f8CksV8sF0tfrc1PsakDvTeTyCUHG/s320/Quebec+set+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493590939998471426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(both sets)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh_tYBJlrQ-JKBiR1VuZzfLkbgHMc4nshY6T13O7mGI2mQR9Xp4-UQiI1F-h6umet0ORRVRxz3zbt5Tg8IRmhOuS-HmjHlbk5uV8mxW0_ZH-D-9kTJzxLpz9ipzXoMayDVCzflvbxEaw7/s1600/Quebec+set+4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh_tYBJlrQ-JKBiR1VuZzfLkbgHMc4nshY6T13O7mGI2mQR9Xp4-UQiI1F-h6umet0ORRVRxz3zbt5Tg8IRmhOuS-HmjHlbk5uV8mxW0_ZH-D-9kTJzxLpz9ipzXoMayDVCzflvbxEaw7/s320/Quebec+set+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493591862310498562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(detail)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnb2JMVfuA4td9TTqaWZWDIgS6pb6Hf9U6QY2oAXUrQNtWS3odSdf-TJ3EeXEBl3iVv-SWQOE_3FfANj8SBUmdxG9BOZERs67yCujp0Y5KhvevxlTkErH91OY5sXsAmMrmEcHy8Q4CP4Y/s1600/Quebec+set+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnb2JMVfuA4td9TTqaWZWDIgS6pb6Hf9U6QY2oAXUrQNtWS3odSdf-TJ3EeXEBl3iVv-SWQOE_3FfANj8SBUmdxG9BOZERs67yCujp0Y5KhvevxlTkErH91OY5sXsAmMrmEcHy8Q4CP4Y/s320/Quebec+set+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493591871860846354" border="0" /></a><br />To answer a question that I'm sure many of you have in mind at this point, YES, these take a good, many hours to complete, and cutting the pieces is only a small portion of the process. For many of these, especially those attempting to capture a big area in a much smaller space, it's difficult to find easy-to-read topographic maps that generalize the land's topography enough to be of use. Most of the time, I need to zoom in to see the lines, choose which ones to follow, and then zoom out to work the lines into the piece itself. I feel like I add more wrinkles in my brain by doing this. It is mentally exhausting, and it is totally worth it. The results look way cool to me, and I'm excited to tackle some more. Not all areas seem to translate as well as others, but they all have an artful final look, and, best of all, the recipients get to own an original art map of the place they love.<br /><br />You can say it with me: Uffta!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-85255552917972440482010-06-23T18:19:00.000-07:002010-07-08T20:11:08.430-07:00Collecting Topography & its KinAs an artist who's been chest deep in topographies for about two years now, I keep an eye open for other forms of artful topography or topography-like art. I've started a collection and I'm happy to share some of what I've found so far. Today's selections showcase the variety of substances in which artists have worked in some very tasty topographies, intentionally or implied.Paper and wood are children of the same source, more or less, as plant pulp, and so it's equally gratifying for me to find awesome pieces made of either material. Starting close to home, the very talented <a href="http://www.society6.com/Clary" target="new">Charles Clary</a> crafted this beauty and others like it using the same paper I use:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Microbial Triple Diddle Infestation</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MH5UQNVeMyKJSxAgpEae3HBJiZHJfLWipvw5NY7uLegzcqHMdfpfA_O5XTFg3FLs2DG7bLAMxhtDqgeIyspORCFwnNsVSZx9Gpu-cbttDpl07Vps7oPJk5m_JKZ-HeH3ND_NAj-ipGmj/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-07+at+10.46.06+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MH5UQNVeMyKJSxAgpEae3HBJiZHJfLWipvw5NY7uLegzcqHMdfpfA_O5XTFg3FLs2DG7bLAMxhtDqgeIyspORCFwnNsVSZx9Gpu-cbttDpl07Vps7oPJk5m_JKZ-HeH3ND_NAj-ipGmj/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-07+at+10.46.06+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491376892060581250" border="0" /></a>A closer look reveals these achingly awesome details, curves, lines, and depth. LOVE this stuff.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Microbial Triple Diddle Infestation (detail)</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA6Ywqg69__OJOopYKvH1ylrE4-N-_V1spwM4VBryNa25X_hkRq9yYph-w8b2_BQzgF6ZFeXBQmmr7I5Fi00XiW9_iTzti1zFaipI47XhznlvnYomREbMIvbzAGFsS5xX5iXdJOIEJbp9/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-07+at+10.46.19+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA6Ywqg69__OJOopYKvH1ylrE4-N-_V1spwM4VBryNa25X_hkRq9yYph-w8b2_BQzgF6ZFeXBQmmr7I5Fi00XiW9_iTzti1zFaipI47XhznlvnYomREbMIvbzAGFsS5xX5iXdJOIEJbp9/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-07+at+10.46.19+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491376904977921730" border="0" /></a>I've come across these lovely wooden pieces at a nearby mall kiosk and had to stop, ogle, and smile. I'm fairly certain that the brains and skill behind <a href="http://www.lakesofwood.com/index.html" target="new">Lakes of Wood</a> and I could have a nice chat with one another about technique and trials.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPISQZB8WiYM4QWT6bzj1pbGBgTzcEyx3nJmXdAIJixNnlWBAby2z8z1zYQo6hrrfkMf3lD1kOpgMjDh2OpH7xtwhr3mz1BVzzef-Bmkv51ilM73t2T28zoOMdQAkLero_d8tsuNf15Oxg/s1600/Topo+in+wood.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPISQZB8WiYM4QWT6bzj1pbGBgTzcEyx3nJmXdAIJixNnlWBAby2z8z1zYQo6hrrfkMf3lD1kOpgMjDh2OpH7xtwhr3mz1BVzzef-Bmkv51ilM73t2T28zoOMdQAkLero_d8tsuNf15Oxg/s320/Topo+in+wood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486149107236350770" border="0" /></a>A while back, a visitor to my shop referred me to this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30135689@N05/sets/72157607121626363/" target="new">impressive gallery</a> of work done by <a href="http://www.chrisyates.net/" target="new">Chris Yates</a>. My head spins just looking at all those layers!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Eagle-Vail, Colorado</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAsM4GjIauplcFjVR1ACFYLwGyKHZH3IwYVXGQAAY7GNtm2c4JvsYnjKzV6dM9Le_oNa-Ni4m4baE8VOPHesptonn9s8OoBBEjdxEVDCBqr7u3rPk0czDf4GwbNmUjrURniuDiQUzsLn-/s1600/Topo+Colorado.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAsM4GjIauplcFjVR1ACFYLwGyKHZH3IwYVXGQAAY7GNtm2c4JvsYnjKzV6dM9Le_oNa-Ni4m4baE8VOPHesptonn9s8OoBBEjdxEVDCBqr7u3rPk0czDf4GwbNmUjrURniuDiQUzsLn-/s320/Topo+Colorado.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486149079731139250" border="0" /></a>And then there is the medium of fabric. I toyed a bit with this already, having made topography pillows a while ago, but I'm just not good enough yet to make it economical. Instead, I'll drool over these yummies.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Purl (detail) by <a href="http://amyhonchell.com/home.html" target="new">Amy Honchell</a></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvsDkv3CX_5QIkgBkygq4XqWhKv1N9Vb5hcMXcIajSbvQR7uTUPfoLdSaS165NazICLNWm7d7FQ1QNYkm57xgddt_LNqSvJiIPxOJ4zH62FHohCfxsUceYSsn0PZ3LhRupctYP_iZunXE/s1600/Topo+fabric.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvsDkv3CX_5QIkgBkygq4XqWhKv1N9Vb5hcMXcIajSbvQR7uTUPfoLdSaS165NazICLNWm7d7FQ1QNYkm57xgddt_LNqSvJiIPxOJ4zH62FHohCfxsUceYSsn0PZ3LhRupctYP_iZunXE/s320/Topo+fabric.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486149092220578978" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.bravotv.com/project-runway/bio/leanne-marshall" target="new">Project Runway alum</a> , <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Leanimal" target="new">Etsy shop</a> owner, and fabric layering guru, <a href="http://www.leanimal.com/" target="new">Leanne Marshall</a> designed a lovely collection of topography inspired dresses. If I get mega rich and famous for my art, I'm calling Leanne for my red carpet dress.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuMCOOQkYwMgc3MZu_l32DYwKLCRaZFufl2VeVNeCNzIFjWiEF4DLRu_RYBDl3A04j_A5TDjBbZE09O13dh5aDmDtUnE_4R4YUpNVsPPmflANBgx5t9xcxWLe6xPiOZeIGt97k7qKlWgf/s1600/Topo+Dress.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuMCOOQkYwMgc3MZu_l32DYwKLCRaZFufl2VeVNeCNzIFjWiEF4DLRu_RYBDl3A04j_A5TDjBbZE09O13dh5aDmDtUnE_4R4YUpNVsPPmflANBgx5t9xcxWLe6xPiOZeIGt97k7qKlWgf/s320/Topo+Dress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486149086104917138" border="0" /></a><br />Perhaps my most favorite find is this A.MA.ZING concrete sink, created by the fine people of <a href="http://goredesignco.com/" target="new">Gore Design Co</a>. Their "erosion" sink is clever as all get out concept, and brilliant design. For the record, I have never so nearly swooned for a sink as I have for this. In the rich and famous daydream I mentioned above, I'm walking down that red carpet wielding this sink under one arm. It's that cool.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvt4HQqP4Ti0FHMqniZTamtSm2j7yLyVFf1-l8s4r80t-rm0Mxrhx6MHCuutbSlLf_asH4vjT9MDNrKJ2HGwa89YURTIYNXQNwOMcgT7k9dKQsU6Fh3uEcVwBLTXKw7jaYFeobd1KGaCMT/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.34.37+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvt4HQqP4Ti0FHMqniZTamtSm2j7yLyVFf1-l8s4r80t-rm0Mxrhx6MHCuutbSlLf_asH4vjT9MDNrKJ2HGwa89YURTIYNXQNwOMcgT7k9dKQsU6Fh3uEcVwBLTXKw7jaYFeobd1KGaCMT/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.34.37+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491730198864453714" border="0" /></a>And while I'm swooning and daydreaming, I'll wrap myself in one of <a href="http://www.leahevanstextiles.com/" target="new">Leah Evan</a>'s impossibly gorgeous quilts, like this one:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shoreline</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI5VOa7ieGtpn0v-CUFWnlYFOsV5w4_eVfo_TpNxRpt0-WwIYkj3fGd9ZK5kIS7SrHTfzftxGpGS-ukyYEG9b6pPsMmLpRf6fHqnsdGsnR8DeHkVQ0mjQ9ClKZSebPuDH-fEa2i5MiY6B/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.42.02+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI5VOa7ieGtpn0v-CUFWnlYFOsV5w4_eVfo_TpNxRpt0-WwIYkj3fGd9ZK5kIS7SrHTfzftxGpGS-ukyYEG9b6pPsMmLpRf6fHqnsdGsnR8DeHkVQ0mjQ9ClKZSebPuDH-fEa2i5MiY6B/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.42.02+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491731722440537090" border="0" /></a><br />or this one: <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dark Estuary</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyBd36zVwydGlzGUdQsRz7oaM9CVxH-TxRwETzC0RdKIeBLtOBux_CLcDMvQiohgZS5ka-8oq2r7FI2Yv57lfq5K9jo4aoJlpMRp_lImHeySVs_d-FQr-qrAkpO6RdVGFkboF7tikJFwQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.45.21+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyBd36zVwydGlzGUdQsRz7oaM9CVxH-TxRwETzC0RdKIeBLtOBux_CLcDMvQiohgZS5ka-8oq2r7FI2Yv57lfq5K9jo4aoJlpMRp_lImHeySVs_d-FQr-qrAkpO6RdVGFkboF7tikJFwQ/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-08+at+9.45.21+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491732239092533074" border="0" /></a>Eee Gads, they're amazing. I think I would cry if I ever saw one in person. Or laugh joyfully. Or both, like the now infamous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Hungrybear9562#p/u/14/OQSNhk5ICTI" target="new">Double Rainbow Guy</a>.<br /><br />I'm fairly certain that I'll compile another list of kick-ass topographic and map-inspired work again, but for now I'll close with a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gustavog/2228277424/" target="new">fun flickr find</a>. I hope you enjoyed this little tour as much as I have.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The deranged topography of ice</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpt0RT3VDpwIfEtsOuOB4UpQdm2MDTcpmQ5yzW8aOAs-zFmYD-UN-32uoda88e1LpPIFfrYLxY_r3MEZMtVzA99MY1Xb0T5Y-6Bs2g2y7warLl99BygqwRuvfMKDat61Jh6lwGwcbk-Py/s1600/Topo+Frost.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpt0RT3VDpwIfEtsOuOB4UpQdm2MDTcpmQ5yzW8aOAs-zFmYD-UN-32uoda88e1LpPIFfrYLxY_r3MEZMtVzA99MY1Xb0T5Y-6Bs2g2y7warLl99BygqwRuvfMKDat61Jh6lwGwcbk-Py/s320/Topo+Frost.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486149102906946002" border="0" /></a>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-34998951340212038822010-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:002010-05-18T15:18:53.125-07:00Done! For a short while anyway.Yay! Back to back Saturday Craft fairs are done! The HandmadeMN Spring Market was fun! Everyone's tables looked great and there was a fairly steady stream of shoppers all day. It was neat to have awesome music throughout the day thanks to Kelly of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/kellybot">Kellybot</a> and her love of <a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_current/">The Current's</a> playlist. A couple of times throughout the show, Kelly and I made eye contact from across the room and exchanged "rock horns" and head bobs in appreciation of the tunes. It was so cool to be there with other team members to represent our talent-filled state. I have to say that we represent very well indeed!<br /><br />Closest to me were the lovely and genius Regan of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/regansbrain">Regan's Brain</a>, and the very sweet Lindsay of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SkylarkDawn">Skylark Dawn</a> who was kind enough to donate some of her bendy wire and paper hearts for Leah to craft into wearable art.<br /><br />A special shout out to the gorgeous and wonderful Andrea of <a href="http://www.sacredsuds.com/">Sacred Suds</a> who took this photo of me at my table. Andrea makes delicious smelling soaps with a keen awareness and use of natural ingredients.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMDtp2LEdUPfngh9AwLzG7e5ApNI7FZZfvb2SzwdKhW2CetC2rD2spsPb8KrBfG6zVEECiah7clHgFG2kbhSu7evMMh3uPXYN_py1aGgPT4DMN86vNCUFwwX9M5D9L0dMOXoEJK_UkWv6/s1600/HMNshow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMDtp2LEdUPfngh9AwLzG7e5ApNI7FZZfvb2SzwdKhW2CetC2rD2spsPb8KrBfG6zVEECiah7clHgFG2kbhSu7evMMh3uPXYN_py1aGgPT4DMN86vNCUFwwX9M5D9L0dMOXoEJK_UkWv6/s320/HMNshow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472730676923887298" border="0" /></a>If you look carefully at the photo, you can see Leah's head peeking out of the right side of the farthest card display. Once again, she was a good companion, although this time she focused a bit too much on what she might get as a "treat" for working with me rather that be a good sport for the heck of it. She ended up with a smashing little ring from Toni at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildDogStudio">Wild Dog Studio</a>. Still, it was great to have her company and conversation throughout the show and she was a superb helper as we set up and took down.<br /><br />What's next? Not sure. Nothing on the horizon for the immediate future, though not for lack of opportunity. I've been invited to some fab events and have my eyes on a few of them for a bit later in the summer. In the meantime, I'll continue to update the shop with some new pieces and hope to add even more custom pieces to my repertoire. So stay tuned, and relax. :)M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-61043472270395023502010-05-07T08:10:00.001-07:002010-05-07T08:16:04.771-07:00Next up, Marvelous Minnesotans!Tomorrow -- YIKES! TOMORROW ALREADY! -- is the first annual HandmadeMN Team Spring Market!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://etsymn.blogspot.com/p/spring-market.html"><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Fkn8ASJX9U9TDgIOMTyW7PTuZAm5jtwfvUO2Q5CWtX4t0j3C94xBVcRkPy0nqnQADvWLE_-NeIb9K-Y9ndlvvo6vdO42ZAvDyRqm9nxu7xp5vz0_nPIDCZoRwQxzG67vyTeK2NOuR0lE/s320/HMNmarket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468546553813709458" border="0" /></a><br />It's going to be awesome. Our very talented and productive Etsy team has been working very hard to make this one kick-ass craft show. There will be forty vendors selling all sorts of cool things as well as some hands-on demos and a fun contest to enter as well. See a list of all the vendors and read all about the event here, by clicking <a href="http://etsymn.blogspot.com/p/spring-market.html">here</a>, or on our poster!<br /><br />Again, if you're in the area, please stop by -- it's going to be too cold for anything but shopping!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-31497207611960690672010-05-07T07:47:00.000-07:002010-05-07T08:17:06.745-07:00One down, one to go!The St. Paul Craftstravaganza was a blast! It was my best show so far and everything went very well. There was a steady stream of shoppers all day, and for every sale I had, I received about 4 or 5 "Wow"s or "Beautiful"s or something sweet along those lines -- how cool!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7HArQHerkXfkeb5iyZOn1SExAgGnIlPGVT5TF62dvuPfDVNZdmzohQqY8YMH1ZKRpkU1e19rnvrlsu0AsvZ0tXxE489y-_WuiSdKHwQtMs4gvT69RLK_n9Gcg4OaTQw6DZUeqm7S-nxW/s1600/IMG_6680.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7HArQHerkXfkeb5iyZOn1SExAgGnIlPGVT5TF62dvuPfDVNZdmzohQqY8YMH1ZKRpkU1e19rnvrlsu0AsvZ0tXxE489y-_WuiSdKHwQtMs4gvT69RLK_n9Gcg4OaTQw6DZUeqm7S-nxW/s320/IMG_6680.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468540871461118994" border="0" /></a><br />See that little framed piece lying flat toward to the front of the table? This is a framed piece without the glass, and with a little note that says, "Touch Me!" My second favorite part of the day was watching the expression on people's faces when they read the note and followed the instructions. So many "Oh!"s and "Ooooo"s and smiles too! Too many people easily mistake my colorful work for two-dimensional prints, and it's important for me to show them that each piece is hand cut and layered. I think this small, framed piece does the trick pretty well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhSPKRIDFkCSnVyQFP6rdyHfGIWejl5w5-z7CU0t8oNQJwW90phjPPliImfsWodb_k8qxvs-C-LouhGcEFXQ31Z8zCzSdLW9dXmF0-FMMCAyklhDTMSBUsbuyDD3uj0fPCV_PmvGTaUQq/s1600/IMG_6677.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhSPKRIDFkCSnVyQFP6rdyHfGIWejl5w5-z7CU0t8oNQJwW90phjPPliImfsWodb_k8qxvs-C-LouhGcEFXQ31Z8zCzSdLW9dXmF0-FMMCAyklhDTMSBUsbuyDD3uj0fPCV_PmvGTaUQq/s320/IMG_6677.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468540861147990418" border="0" /></a><br />I had other pieces framed (with glass) for sale and to show off how good they look when matted and framed nicely. The indoor show allowed me to hang these pieces without worrying about the wind blowing them around or other weather effects. My banner (hand stenciled and sewn from a window blind remnant) looked far less impressive and has since sparked all sorts of bigger and better ideas in my head for next year or perhaps later this summer. There were so many outstanding booths there this year -- many craft show veterans who really know what they're doing and how to put together a shopper-stopper display. They really put mine to shame, but I'm o.k. with that. I can only get better, right? I have to say that I love my little felt banner hung on the front of my table -- such a happy pop of color. It was made and given to me by the lovely <a href="http://www.laurabrownart.com/">Laura Brown</a> who is an amazing artist here in Minneapolis. Thanks again, Laura!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickHklF1aRxkLBAzuqgfONUJNN2Qma7DWwy0VxoH_4K-NyN3KG5hl0TyXK_X2X1OtXBdie4CKVR5fQtK-6lx5QcINWUT4RIeu4cRbijd5jl89Ji9rpbMQnYTO7wpLu2cus0-5ZaJMIgA7z/s1600/IMG_6676.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickHklF1aRxkLBAzuqgfONUJNN2Qma7DWwy0VxoH_4K-NyN3KG5hl0TyXK_X2X1OtXBdie4CKVR5fQtK-6lx5QcINWUT4RIeu4cRbijd5jl89Ji9rpbMQnYTO7wpLu2cus0-5ZaJMIgA7z/s320/IMG_6676.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468540849469174594" border="0" /></a><br />My favorite part of the day is all about that little monkey standing next to my table in the photo above. My Leah Bear hung out with me for the entire day, keeping me company, entertaining me with stories from school or pointing out interesting photos from her animal encyclopedia she brought along. She refilled sold items before their spot got cold, and kept a steady supply of business cards displayed on the table. She never complained once and fared very well considering we hardly ate anything and it was a very long day. I think she was even more excited than me every time I had a sale. I couldn't imagine a better booth buddy. :)<br /><br />Next Saturday, The HandmadeMN Spring Market! Yes!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-13855433480098763732010-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:002010-04-26T19:11:53.503-07:00When you say, "Craftstravaganza," you've said it all!Last year, I took in my first <a href="http://www.craftstravaganza.com">St. Paul Craftstravaganza</a> as a shopper, in awe of the awesomeness at every single booth (yes! None disappointed!), and taking mental notes for what I might do were I to tackle my own craft fair booth someday.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSV_LEJvItYq7zo9sTegNI0XGTErCqIAc_4eD_u-WkKONG-yU1KygELBIhuoyVUcH0dq1IK164IOJ41mebQiylBgm12lexdEcHyhy59BRAcaqq9xfHuZwbOOyuYMQzAoNqlAkY95CIARQ/s1600/2010-poster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSV_LEJvItYq7zo9sTegNI0XGTErCqIAc_4eD_u-WkKONG-yU1KygELBIhuoyVUcH0dq1IK164IOJ41mebQiylBgm12lexdEcHyhy59BRAcaqq9xfHuZwbOOyuYMQzAoNqlAkY95CIARQ/s320/2010-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464633512293701762" border="0" /></a>This year, with a couple of shows under my apron, I will be on the <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> side of the booth as a vendor, hoping to meet lots of cool folks, hug lots of new friends, and sell lots of my neat-o work! If any of you are in the area, please, please come and check it out. You will not leave empty handed. In addition to all the tempting goodies crafted and otherwise, there will be make & take demos, and I'm giving out free hugs! It's going to rock!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-22020010933606762052010-04-01T19:28:00.001-07:002010-04-02T07:24:28.000-07:00Foot (well, half a foot) in the DoorThanks to my local Twitter contacts and some artsy friends, I heard about "Foot in the Door 4" with enough time to create and submit a piece for the event. The exhibit is produced and managed by the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program as a subset of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You can read all about it on <a href="http://www.artsmia.org/foot-in-the-door-4/index.html">their Web site</a>, but basically the once-a-decade exhibit displays any and all submissions so long as each one fits within one square foot. It took me a while to get the play on words.<br /><br />The whole family joined me on the day I submitted my work and we had to wait in line for about twenty minutes before passing my piece, a 5 x 7 topography in teal, to the capable hands of a curator. While we were waiting in line, a man was interviewing other artists about their work and why they thought this might be their big break. He didn't interview me, but I'm in the background a few times <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZINQfGc8Wk&playnext_from=TL&videos=46eh3grnYCk">in this video!</a><br /><br />We returned a few weeks later after the exhibit had opened and searched among the thousands of pieces for my work. I was bit disappointed that we weren't all entitled a full square or cubic foot, but rather that we were bunched to fit as efficiently on the wall as possible. It would have been nice to make use of that white space, but truthfully, had the curators arranged the pieces that way, the exhibit would have eaten up an entire wing of the institute.<br /><br />Here are a few photos of our visit.<br /><br />Entering the second floor of the new wing and being welcomed by the overflowing art!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mZrWJbAFvyExhTrYA7maHCxUkGLEx-bnNCZ_VeIv6n_cbF244spVzZm_PYI9mw8kT-JW9XVSco98QldVBpc9Ws6HewvCdl1Vn45uYkxpcajuSKQeDzI9EI6CC4XaWQAd87AZiuhwr0wg/s1600/fid1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mZrWJbAFvyExhTrYA7maHCxUkGLEx-bnNCZ_VeIv6n_cbF244spVzZm_PYI9mw8kT-JW9XVSco98QldVBpc9Ws6HewvCdl1Vn45uYkxpcajuSKQeDzI9EI6CC4XaWQAd87AZiuhwr0wg/s320/fid1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455367067977779650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finding the wall with my piece on it -- no easy task.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9znlxamu5AI6j7lbprvYe_sP2V_0BFJhdIfNqKgnu6F08E49Nlq9jbxV6QM9cgT0qoo-B-1VMh4QUxfAhFdi6oCQ4w4XwvfZANKREtKMAr0fAI793wdMG8v6R_x0OSLSjqir4_RP_Hcx/s1600/fid3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9znlxamu5AI6j7lbprvYe_sP2V_0BFJhdIfNqKgnu6F08E49Nlq9jbxV6QM9cgT0qoo-B-1VMh4QUxfAhFdi6oCQ4w4XwvfZANKREtKMAr0fAI793wdMG8v6R_x0OSLSjqir4_RP_Hcx/s320/fid3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455367081696009266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A closer look finds my work just above a photo of "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale at the Grey Gardens estate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwU4p83V01EK1Re5Unyk78TksecyUsTG3HxcmGcXWh_6TcHFDu4LM36PaHcUQzTWk5bWQsawURGRrxhrBS2IIYikD3IoT16kNr9kaJeM3_Pkrabk3pEitV_5D_VnxiA_KFSWMTjg7Uss2y/s1600/fid2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwU4p83V01EK1Re5Unyk78TksecyUsTG3HxcmGcXWh_6TcHFDu4LM36PaHcUQzTWk5bWQsawURGRrxhrBS2IIYikD3IoT16kNr9kaJeM3_Pkrabk3pEitV_5D_VnxiA_KFSWMTjg7Uss2y/s320/fid2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455367076241027074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was quite impressed with the caliber of talent and the variety of media used throughout the exhibit. Perhaps I expected more paint-by-number pieces or attempts at "anti-art" with pages torn from a notebook with the word "art" written on it. Instead, there were loads of fascinating, poignant, and downright beautiful works. I really should go back and take more time to take it all in.<br /><br />Before leaving, my daughter requested I snap a photo of the gorgeous Chihuly piece hanging in the main lobby. She has affectionately dubbed it, the "flaming mac & cheese ball." It works for me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaipnXAon7Fn4LPsPw3dsWdjN9V2nK7RJjXgwSpQ_UbyTBSedU0vfU0W4T7ixizB1ATNzr1lLXaG5PcWdT__1AUKQY4EhrDCZBWhqmm1pT4bu5NxoBgco2LI0rx_52b5Zg97RGeqKfc9O/s1600/fid4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaipnXAon7Fn4LPsPw3dsWdjN9V2nK7RJjXgwSpQ_UbyTBSedU0vfU0W4T7ixizB1ATNzr1lLXaG5PcWdT__1AUKQY4EhrDCZBWhqmm1pT4bu5NxoBgco2LI0rx_52b5Zg97RGeqKfc9O/s320/fid4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455367087638602370" border="0" /></a>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-7403624466960926052010-03-15T11:34:00.000-07:002010-03-15T11:41:28.734-07:00Topography Card Sets @ MoMA Store Online!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWrQANUPBTslJuK239JE7PasxXygw2mB6LXWX17Y5SgN5OBiQLTooNrF9mzLiDTJb0gAaoipFwWupEh306yb6lVS3S_AsjJ42SOYg2w_h9_R-mWl6jnRXuYw2zdxtLDwxgGNz7hgDMB1B/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-03-15+at+1.34.29+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWrQANUPBTslJuK239JE7PasxXygw2mB6LXWX17Y5SgN5OBiQLTooNrF9mzLiDTJb0gAaoipFwWupEh306yb6lVS3S_AsjJ42SOYg2w_h9_R-mWl6jnRXuYw2zdxtLDwxgGNz7hgDMB1B/s320/Screen+shot+2010-03-15+at+1.34.29+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448932479580237682" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you live outside New York and want your own set of the custom-colored, 4-card set of these topography cards, you're in luck! They are now available online at <a href="http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Topography%20Note%20Cards_10451_10001_65077">the MoMA Store site</a>.<br /><br />And to answer your question before you ask it, no, I haven't wrapped my brain around the fact that the listing for my cards exist in the same sales category as the Tim Burton, Andy Warhol, or Frank Lloyd Wright notecards. That's just a bit bigger than this noodle can handle. ;)M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-55248632863590169232010-03-12T20:26:00.000-08:002010-03-12T21:18:10.389-08:00Custom Pieces for Awesome PeopleThe requests for custom pieces continue to roll in and have been my "bread and butter" lately. Each one is a new challenge that helps me to learn about places on the map as well as new techniques to render those places. Here's a look at some of the latest custom pieces I've created.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrklQCBoyHpAM1C6FMCHMKzb6IgXEuuKFMSsjV02iul72n_q4hInx-ycD1P5ycBEPCazh2ExtEDJ3bfSj1FxfuIU94kB7suSkRUeHnuuVfVZzLxuUqCfEJ35T9u2P3jr_wdQMnD3J4XpO/s1600-h/Madison+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrklQCBoyHpAM1C6FMCHMKzb6IgXEuuKFMSsjV02iul72n_q4hInx-ycD1P5ycBEPCazh2ExtEDJ3bfSj1FxfuIU94kB7suSkRUeHnuuVfVZzLxuUqCfEJ35T9u2P3jr_wdQMnD3J4XpO/s320/Madison+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966726324381970" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was thrilled to recreate the lakes I lived nearly for nearly 9 years: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra in Madison, Wisconsin. The heart of the city of Madison, the state's capital, sits in the middle of the isthmus between these two sister lakes. Just before we moved back to Minnesota, Madison adopted the tag line "Madison: Lake, City, Lake." Clever, huh?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWEhlPdhO-vXyqmJnzoXeEEuj-L6faLWze_IBf68uf0BTtJg_T8E517TbTGla1v6PypeH3vdsyPkzNnS44YwPyxM63Dz2JTGonqXW0O33qDO6Pb6yoD8Z6zhMjML8NR6wXssd6BmmkWLN/s1600-h/lob1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWEhlPdhO-vXyqmJnzoXeEEuj-L6faLWze_IBf68uf0BTtJg_T8E517TbTGla1v6PypeH3vdsyPkzNnS44YwPyxM63Dz2JTGonqXW0O33qDO6Pb6yoD8Z6zhMjML8NR6wXssd6BmmkWLN/s320/lob1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966713768878882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSY0zdf7WDnTYckQ_OgwpfyTTxBwJdOLG1KtmqzOZtMjLbvRt0PwB2OSPXo01zWCuRkp4G5SJ1SlEYmCexUzDLjoL2FrA7OsF7fKKPFhcvuaO85zHkaOdeti6Ss8G4gGvEvurvszxKT6gp/s1600-h/lob2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSY0zdf7WDnTYckQ_OgwpfyTTxBwJdOLG1KtmqzOZtMjLbvRt0PwB2OSPXo01zWCuRkp4G5SJ1SlEYmCexUzDLjoL2FrA7OsF7fKKPFhcvuaO85zHkaOdeti6Ss8G4gGvEvurvszxKT6gp/s320/lob2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966717111906306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Two big trends have emerged in my latest batch of custom requests: islands & Canada! The close up above and the piece beside it is my version of the Lake of Bays in Ontario, not too far from where my hubby I honeymooned. What a gorgeous area!<br /><br />Only an hour and half away lies the equally "Swiss-cheese" like body of water known as Lake Joseph<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShimaEeM2XQmpfe2gQafeHPz1oORe_Nqdat6JnXwPPNSlZXGGEvXY7tsOkCz92vH7HE99SeaciEep6xLgLV3P2L_OqNYTYd4YW0fvZMxJCeHfZNfkek0mbcGCiBofCG7zgj16FAmw-LZu/s1600-h/Joseph+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShimaEeM2XQmpfe2gQafeHPz1oORe_Nqdat6JnXwPPNSlZXGGEvXY7tsOkCz92vH7HE99SeaciEep6xLgLV3P2L_OqNYTYd4YW0fvZMxJCeHfZNfkek0mbcGCiBofCG7zgj16FAmw-LZu/s320/Joseph+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966704220661298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc58YAwTzSZraGlp73AL9yjT9qsjrEzJcsIlSIbcYiV_k_hi4528B6ZfMkseKM-hFCHOsz-9cJCsdhjNskJlmtPhUzqh6x66WKw8QNTLnT8eRYFheEohO66BBLflusG8A-ksP513W9FCcS/s1600-h/Joseph+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc58YAwTzSZraGlp73AL9yjT9qsjrEzJcsIlSIbcYiV_k_hi4528B6ZfMkseKM-hFCHOsz-9cJCsdhjNskJlmtPhUzqh6x66WKw8QNTLnT8eRYFheEohO66BBLflusG8A-ksP513W9FCcS/s320/Joseph+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966697086515058" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Man, do those prehistoric glaciers know how to tear it up, or what? :)<br /><br />Taking the cake for "most timely" request is one of the Vancouver area. It was neat to work on this piece while the Olympics were taking place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTzYRRXhzisaKoGyhs1T7Vju81aCXgKDNAhYzmOYpUA4mBD8R0JdTu6w8lJLJ5zW91_KQ9nfFzc3Wl014tpDFY8OzCTc3h1ewqreDX9X3ZtRL4CHdzclUSWBzD1NpKGzMZUApOw7DoQFs/s1600-h/van2+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTzYRRXhzisaKoGyhs1T7Vju81aCXgKDNAhYzmOYpUA4mBD8R0JdTu6w8lJLJ5zW91_KQ9nfFzc3Wl014tpDFY8OzCTc3h1ewqreDX9X3ZtRL4CHdzclUSWBzD1NpKGzMZUApOw7DoQFs/s320/van2+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447971502256826226" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not quite into Canada, but following a similar shape pattern is the lovely and historic Lake Champlain that sits between eastern New York and western Vermont.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_b6wcdSNTEo8DQS1LNtFG_CP3YDbkW4FwPEQG42JN5dnSDUY1veoXE3CBOdpqPvqVEdLudz445YZJ9fK60Dd4Y0DQswCjA9mWym1fMvHmwewd1V7N-dyWbmFj0YMeopwiwABiWOusBr9/s1600-h/champlain2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_b6wcdSNTEo8DQS1LNtFG_CP3YDbkW4FwPEQG42JN5dnSDUY1veoXE3CBOdpqPvqVEdLudz445YZJ9fK60Dd4Y0DQswCjA9mWym1fMvHmwewd1V7N-dyWbmFj0YMeopwiwABiWOusBr9/s320/champlain2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447965687470913586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG_UBdVLzBkZ1L8oeAZKji7AbyDTk0RLKL2cMnS2_QZWbfEybI1KILYA42qSeXi_5oPYquiYj3KbN1GPMqtl3EY8NaA4Savwl5-wGCK4x5JPBDkz2dPT97tsDTk3MGNHsBUwxwg5Gl4mx/s1600-h/champlain1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMG_UBdVLzBkZ1L8oeAZKji7AbyDTk0RLKL2cMnS2_QZWbfEybI1KILYA42qSeXi_5oPYquiYj3KbN1GPMqtl3EY8NaA4Savwl5-wGCK4x5JPBDkz2dPT97tsDTk3MGNHsBUwxwg5Gl4mx/s320/champlain1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447965679783442562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This request came with a color set I haven't used in my own topographies but looks stunning none the less. Yes, you can order a topography to match your walls, or get close anyway.<br /><br />I made another piece in this color set about a week prior and the colors were specifically chosen to pay homage to the vineyards on Martha's Vineyard:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADpk8PuYlnHN4DVBTOK8PvRGJ6QZ99wVA0zo5MZUJjCJILLN9YiSuBc-_iqhhbMTADY-4BmNB3ylK9qEJi4N43eoXdHV2tK0A5BBEM7QPzx9RHwiLwNJGJMYjDxqEjjYX_89cm2mgWP-Q/s1600-h/mv1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADpk8PuYlnHN4DVBTOK8PvRGJ6QZ99wVA0zo5MZUJjCJILLN9YiSuBc-_iqhhbMTADY-4BmNB3ylK9qEJi4N43eoXdHV2tK0A5BBEM7QPzx9RHwiLwNJGJMYjDxqEjjYX_89cm2mgWP-Q/s320/mv1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447972055509254818" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I worked on my first couple of 8-layer custom requests. One for the very real and beautiful island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQk1LnNmqfNcVr0ZNGGH1B4WUNWO4n4YgPVuuccqvYIMN-7EEC8JunvFNm21sywmri_XTUsvL_gn_SdAewB8vjsnMYMI0kCnUqSUnMEp_0SL2QTyZ73cWBjXscrOlL1iRkidzNi891z1q/s1600-h/stthomas1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQk1LnNmqfNcVr0ZNGGH1B4WUNWO4n4YgPVuuccqvYIMN-7EEC8JunvFNm21sywmri_XTUsvL_gn_SdAewB8vjsnMYMI0kCnUqSUnMEp_0SL2QTyZ73cWBjXscrOlL1iRkidzNi891z1q/s320/stthomas1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447971508598251074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub4JSzdt_EHH6LQNSqZxNRdK6fI_3V_NAxYjEeSFbgSy6FJrUfAnJv0Jk218TCsowXA4kl2RTNUzXmBHN0qK14KhtHQbTBUUesARqsx41dK569ShAv-EVIyYbpb5GKLF91k0EevR-beH9/s1600-h/stthomas2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgub4JSzdt_EHH6LQNSqZxNRdK6fI_3V_NAxYjEeSFbgSy6FJrUfAnJv0Jk218TCsowXA4kl2RTNUzXmBHN0qK14KhtHQbTBUUesARqsx41dK569ShAv-EVIyYbpb5GKLF91k0EevR-beH9/s320/stthomas2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447971509007345794" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And one for the very surreal and lovely Never Neverland from Peter Pan!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-aCqb9-zfo-dO1Qnep3TiElOiOnfXl4tnhCZiP85-YALYiXp8CTar2Y5EMBtxmG-4r0NDpiYjAHYj7M_VoYvS03sgSTP1whSHOnGO-GX7UPa52QC91UiQ3dAjSRQViBBSjzxpNdffuU-/s1600-h/nl1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-aCqb9-zfo-dO1Qnep3TiElOiOnfXl4tnhCZiP85-YALYiXp8CTar2Y5EMBtxmG-4r0NDpiYjAHYj7M_VoYvS03sgSTP1whSHOnGO-GX7UPa52QC91UiQ3dAjSRQViBBSjzxpNdffuU-/s320/nl1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447971520249334418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLeIpNGRm1NTEo37_Vd8g4Hc-xGNqGGx3mP2bqkT-npSJNMnw_-wI1YvKYUYPWKnJwrHxCWYF59HXObcpkkOExDdWFp3KgFLPR-IBtWuThFswpRg5uTr66Oy92vI0kiwv1mFiqpxyAlcW/s1600-h/nl2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLeIpNGRm1NTEo37_Vd8g4Hc-xGNqGGx3mP2bqkT-npSJNMnw_-wI1YvKYUYPWKnJwrHxCWYF59HXObcpkkOExDdWFp3KgFLPR-IBtWuThFswpRg5uTr66Oy92vI0kiwv1mFiqpxyAlcW/s320/nl2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447971525962691010" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another island I conquered is that of Mumbai, India. I had no idea it was an island as it's barely cut off from the mainland by a river. Per the patron's request, I didn't feature any of the nearby land to accent the specific island region, and I added a star next to her hometown.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh4I0CyQSghYeDqBFSiW9E9_keXQUXDT9koswjeiCKdWqod_VJv7Q0nQtryY_LXeQV6hwPl454H2BJ0M4KO5ODmZoKf8whQ2mE69chXFudbur49Yol7jbWlS-iQGizUJiGz1oNy-8NPlC/s1600-h/Mumbai+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh4I0CyQSghYeDqBFSiW9E9_keXQUXDT9koswjeiCKdWqod_VJv7Q0nQtryY_LXeQV6hwPl454H2BJ0M4KO5ODmZoKf8whQ2mE69chXFudbur49Yol7jbWlS-iQGizUJiGz1oNy-8NPlC/s320/Mumbai+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447972049476386146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4wg3Ktgjk6TaRm729wStCW9MDGywqzTR4oym3Wj-dhiLckxomA5sDVUoK7klk5Ha3NyUGf4AndX1Sh5sJJPwOEcK4disiowVBQOHrp0ZllkqDj-XX1Nav7SCsJ9eg5EJ9CqZIFF-OUMy/s1600-h/Mumbai+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4wg3Ktgjk6TaRm729wStCW9MDGywqzTR4oym3Wj-dhiLckxomA5sDVUoK7klk5Ha3NyUGf4AndX1Sh5sJJPwOEcK4disiowVBQOHrp0ZllkqDj-XX1Nav7SCsJ9eg5EJ9CqZIFF-OUMy/s320/Mumbai+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447972052308896674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Below is a piece representing Samish Island in northwestern Washington. This island <span style="font-style: italic;">used</span> to be an actual island, but after dikes were erected the land bridge emerged turning the island into more of a peninsula. The buyer of this piece described the area's lush flora and fauna to me in her request and it made my lust to visit Washington even greater.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0DIhOpnyp0VoClkSiVE0MhZbqCJihxakcnRV56WTYIkfGDZpJqQfkpp4zWjVvRSpvK5AeOAuMxplpiDz2rd50Jyj81l4BSejtu7BhDmaxSF1bM0NQfL6ZI-T5IYjzkghceUd4KgLyHUz/s1600-h/samish2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0DIhOpnyp0VoClkSiVE0MhZbqCJihxakcnRV56WTYIkfGDZpJqQfkpp4zWjVvRSpvK5AeOAuMxplpiDz2rd50Jyj81l4BSejtu7BhDmaxSF1bM0NQfL6ZI-T5IYjzkghceUd4KgLyHUz/s320/samish2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447965669047012562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The most complicated custom piece I've created so far is the piece I made of the Savannah, Georgia delta area, as part of a three-piece, custom-color set. Once I wrapped my mind around the idea that I was cutting out islands rather than trying to cut out the inlets, the process somehow became easier. Well, a little bit. It was a labor of love and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pE-U8_EuNlq8l8866zwIi9oNZ9RKxj-XhQs88pHKJhZp-IdLL8nk40pV80N646gNPgmQ_yO_oXl4P-s5ltY3RhTC1FjqeoXDxc1eXtSfNsul6evcXFqqjKGuXgvAf8t2efwPN8mEliAi/s1600-h/triosvannah.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pE-U8_EuNlq8l8866zwIi9oNZ9RKxj-XhQs88pHKJhZp-IdLL8nk40pV80N646gNPgmQ_yO_oXl4P-s5ltY3RhTC1FjqeoXDxc1eXtSfNsul6evcXFqqjKGuXgvAf8t2efwPN8mEliAi/s320/triosvannah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447965697491090066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The other two pieces in the set were one of Chicago, seated at the southwestern corner of Lake Michigan, and Manhattan, with it's famed bridges connecting everyone to "where it's at." I'm not certain, but I think the Manhattan piece might be the first piece I've made where I've included bridges.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-fyvHazqrw5IhZNIEPrzk2AWBadEaTr0QUHK35d5FzAztYsO7ceFbg6vWzmMd4hX13KXDj6O5Oqge2yre9r8CJjKc2FSi_EcCgiwLsIOvBobM9nDpusjdg36TKjnQJxqd17vXgCLGt_G/s1600-h/triogroup.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-fyvHazqrw5IhZNIEPrzk2AWBadEaTr0QUHK35d5FzAztYsO7ceFbg6vWzmMd4hX13KXDj6O5Oqge2yre9r8CJjKc2FSi_EcCgiwLsIOvBobM9nDpusjdg36TKjnQJxqd17vXgCLGt_G/s320/triogroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447965693198999474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgI1aQ0N22HtnsNl0ap1_3O3eiVSmCszXV_e2v061wr0_2Z619bslUYV-XFY0VdSLksYrWzfiIHRPlC75TCeGDkwn7NFxBeiJNO8MLuMuXcYTvy5Nd_Nn_JWJGdJ2VbJYc__CZt-GjI_j/s1600-h/triomanhatten.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgI1aQ0N22HtnsNl0ap1_3O3eiVSmCszXV_e2v061wr0_2Z619bslUYV-XFY0VdSLksYrWzfiIHRPlC75TCeGDkwn7NFxBeiJNO8MLuMuXcYTvy5Nd_Nn_JWJGdJ2VbJYc__CZt-GjI_j/s320/triomanhatten.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966163888964658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There's a three-way tie for my favorite custom pieces of the last two months. In no particular order the first one is this 12 x 12" piece of the chain of lakes near Fairmont in southern Minnesota.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtA0NhGGL7RA35-_4XSKJgDzAP97JciWP45hzwpiSVUh4ucw64C9fErKLfjFGIfBzPjCYzQJNLPdh6ubbwVCeNgo1dYYIRYXevxHimSJOtj92thpxCg_z9Z0f_n-xgDtWgElKkNQA8bbH8/s1600-h/fair2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtA0NhGGL7RA35-_4XSKJgDzAP97JciWP45hzwpiSVUh4ucw64C9fErKLfjFGIfBzPjCYzQJNLPdh6ubbwVCeNgo1dYYIRYXevxHimSJOtj92thpxCg_z9Z0f_n-xgDtWgElKkNQA8bbH8/s320/fair2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966193190991186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio68YMz5sM3UADtzhRwfCGINYnin_B0KHO2vOWRUWbAUCgFiXQyyy4x8TwPo9rG-c5opDJgfmKSfUlGHL21-5R02OTC5ACc3KKZQkNoSiSKlNujm3pLKlbUGEmgNclU06AIDgu8opbktjH/s1600-h/fair1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio68YMz5sM3UADtzhRwfCGINYnin_B0KHO2vOWRUWbAUCgFiXQyyy4x8TwPo9rG-c5opDJgfmKSfUlGHL21-5R02OTC5ACc3KKZQkNoSiSKlNujm3pLKlbUGEmgNclU06AIDgu8opbktjH/s320/fair1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966187866034578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Because I was taking in such a good chunk of land as my subject, the scale of the lakes was quite small and it was tricky moving the blade in such tight little curves. Overall, I really like the abstract look of it. It's the sort of piece that, when framed and on display, someone might say, "My, what a unique piece of art," whereupon the owner of this piece proudly exclaims,"It's a hand cut recreation of the chain of lakes near where I grew up." And to this the first person gasps excitedly and is left speechless at the wonder of it all. *cheese* ;) In short, I like it because, to me, it is both cool art and cool geography.<br /><br />Second is this piece of Cape Neddick in southeastern Maine. This may be the first coastal-centered piece I've made and I really like the overall composition of this piece and the high contrast between the stark white on the left and the deep aqua on the right. And the cut of the ocean into the land is killer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgew97GonulMT48cQZijS5K1QdnKthIhbzU8aZGmJ7FPfhlPAE63n7ZPwz6666W9d3MxbxnPMX3aJRZEvBeBo0CWTMU5HgXi4ZTU5ft5KDeCeZpEyujfPsWqLp5k4hhRTXZWfzmQh0Lbutr/s1600-h/Neddick+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgew97GonulMT48cQZijS5K1QdnKthIhbzU8aZGmJ7FPfhlPAE63n7ZPwz6666W9d3MxbxnPMX3aJRZEvBeBo0CWTMU5HgXi4ZTU5ft5KDeCeZpEyujfPsWqLp5k4hhRTXZWfzmQh0Lbutr/s320/Neddick+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447972044654537074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-haLInaqRJphFPQYMEoMAsfrqU-HLeQsnUemNxWJYTkouBRZrmM8neG6pbjIQ8UsQdIVSeKPcfy-2OFsIz48P8Y1Ffn5wqIDuOG-vKF4mcFbiHc0TV5h8koWBEmg8BggGEAO3bR6iyVvS/s1600-h/Neddick+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-haLInaqRJphFPQYMEoMAsfrqU-HLeQsnUemNxWJYTkouBRZrmM8neG6pbjIQ8UsQdIVSeKPcfy-2OFsIz48P8Y1Ffn5wqIDuOG-vKF4mcFbiHc0TV5h8koWBEmg8BggGEAO3bR6iyVvS/s320/Neddick+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447972039418586274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, there's this piece. A piece made of custom colors chosen to represent striations of land as from erosion. I don't think I would have thought of this on my own, and the colors together seem to brighter and stronger than the sum of their parts. Yet another reason why I love making custom pieces.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rrIEkfO1lZ8S5QyPUhIVqNFwDMNThn-OmLfaf7EXWZELgwu0w4P2amAq_kK4PqOOOuYQLVMkmk-WocUH74QzRlNjFtMI7az9eT0GvvcQCChP_qtl8S0cZTrlY8qyOvFMF1X_03m8uRyk/s1600-h/erosion1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rrIEkfO1lZ8S5QyPUhIVqNFwDMNThn-OmLfaf7EXWZELgwu0w4P2amAq_kK4PqOOOuYQLVMkmk-WocUH74QzRlNjFtMI7az9eT0GvvcQCChP_qtl8S0cZTrlY8qyOvFMF1X_03m8uRyk/s320/erosion1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966168416465778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqb3R2cWBH-dwpUaMVHHtN8g2rdldX3MdwOPXoB1jUED5VV5QV83XzJc2Af_UzHPDhvWoWzSym7kjgTHBqkkbADeGkAjXxJ8XsR2_Igl4vw3PUMg3wFLpF44Qcz1eU5o9s38TsfhQTakL/s1600-h/erosion2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqb3R2cWBH-dwpUaMVHHtN8g2rdldX3MdwOPXoB1jUED5VV5QV83XzJc2Af_UzHPDhvWoWzSym7kjgTHBqkkbADeGkAjXxJ8XsR2_Igl4vw3PUMg3wFLpF44Qcz1eU5o9s38TsfhQTakL/s320/erosion2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447966179631261170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As my work and techniques continue to evolve, I hope you'll see some of the details in these custom pieces in my non-custom work as well. I love my job!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-68095842156924326362010-03-08T16:37:00.000-08:002010-03-08T20:05:11.516-08:00The Big MeltOur massive piles of snow are retreating and there are buds on all the twiggy things. Despite the fact that the temps stay above freezing even overnight these days, I am still hesitant to break out the shorts and sandals and welcome Spring.<br /><br />This is Minnesota. Here, it can snow in July and freeze in August. Spring is often more a battle between Winter and Summer than a slow and forward progression from cold to warm. Still, in honor of the changes we've seen in these glorious last two weeks, here is my latest treasury featuring stunning pieces from members of the HandmadeMN team. Enjoy the little bits of color!<br /><br />Winter's End<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD4XVZcVt_tHKej6-4vHDJG-WB3s526OdZhuCKxi-maGAgdulD8_spt9_h80ReCgifD4xIa3E6uQFgZPZv-DVp7tSTa-PQQsbcevq1csWhFMB0K0Yh7sS39hqCbzrhD4zAdCpuJaMz3vX/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-03-08+at+6.36.42+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD4XVZcVt_tHKej6-4vHDJG-WB3s526OdZhuCKxi-maGAgdulD8_spt9_h80ReCgifD4xIa3E6uQFgZPZv-DVp7tSTa-PQQsbcevq1csWhFMB0K0Yh7sS39hqCbzrhD4zAdCpuJaMz3vX/s320/Screen+shot+2010-03-08+at+6.36.42+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446428346690068210" border="0" /></a><br />row 1: <a href="http://steampunkvintage.etsy.com/">SteampunkVintage</a>, <a href="http://adornjewelry.etsy.com/">AdornJewelry</a>, <a href="http://cholulajewelry.etsy.com/">cholulajewelry</a>, <a href="http://alineofherown.etsy.com/">ALineofHerOwn</a><br />row 2: <a href="http://westernartglass.etsy.com/">westernartglass</a>, <a href="http://shaggybaggy.etsy.com/">ShaggyBaggy</a>, <a href="http://laurabrownart.etsy.com/">laurabrownart</a>, <a href="http://athenaslittleowl.etsy.com/">athenaslittleowl</a><br />row 3: <a href="http://jennybunny.etsy.com/">JennyBunny</a>, <a href="http://tcwitchcraftfactory.etsy.com/">TCWitchcraftFactory</a>, <a href="http://fennelstudio.etsy.com/">FennelStudio</a>, <a href="http://fromoutofthecracks.etsy.com/">fromoutofthecracks</a><br />row 4: <a href="http://glorioushats.etsy.com/">glorioushats</a>, <a href="http://byrdandbelle.etsy.com/">byrdandbelle</a>, <a href="http://connectedelements.etsy.com/">connectedelements</a>, <a href="http://xohandworks.etsy.com/">XOHandworks</a>M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421550148773643683.post-36730768457839155412010-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:002010-01-22T12:25:24.276-08:00This Mama's at the MoMA!I cannot contain my super top secret any longer!<br /><br />To set the scene:<br /><br />Imagine me, leaping around the house, pigtails flying, singing "tra-la-laaaaa" a la <a href="http://www.pilkey.com/">Captain Underpants</a>, bumping into doorways, with small children and a giant dog excitedly chasing after me.<br /><br />Got it?<br /><br />That's how thrilled I am .<br /><br />Crafterall has landed at the <a href="http://moma.org/visit/plan/stores">Museum of Modern Art retail store</a> in New York!<br /><br />Currently, they're selling these lovely "Layered Love" cards in time for the mushy stuff to come next month.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NuKAZdz3rlJ65oh6_ArNoKnamO1LG1FA2SxD3qovsviRkNXorPjpnXrNGCW0S-n970egxGYxUASB0uRP5dja9hShna2_PM39frXOlpjtnsWuDlx9uT-8e2ZYbMzwSdw72fbDkAn-AxSB/s1600-h/LL+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NuKAZdz3rlJ65oh6_ArNoKnamO1LG1FA2SxD3qovsviRkNXorPjpnXrNGCW0S-n970egxGYxUASB0uRP5dja9hShna2_PM39frXOlpjtnsWuDlx9uT-8e2ZYbMzwSdw72fbDkAn-AxSB/s320/LL+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429638932515946642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Coming in February, these custom colored topography card sets in Sea Foam, Royal, Poppy and Violet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJp4dZL8GgWQuJjPigaipmNOPJd8Prwel-h9CNi2la4YRAdgQw3wEZYU5vXYf9lKoMcOmK7m7a8Ep5zaESD_yEFR9EcQ5Zp6-y2koyX_3R899Eu9Did9mprzkZWt2pIFIkJJ9jTnSJEpUw/s1600-h/MoMA+Topos.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJp4dZL8GgWQuJjPigaipmNOPJd8Prwel-h9CNi2la4YRAdgQw3wEZYU5vXYf9lKoMcOmK7m7a8Ep5zaESD_yEFR9EcQ5Zp6-y2koyX_3R899Eu9Did9mprzkZWt2pIFIkJJ9jTnSJEpUw/s320/MoMA+Topos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429638937870583890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's been rough keeping this news under wraps until I knew the cards were physically in the store. I had told a few people after I was first contacted by a MoMA rep, but I made them swear to secrecy and threatened them with dollar store greeting cards for the rest of all their birthdays if they leaked the news.<br /><br />While I was prepared to undertake the size of the order, I did climb a pretty steep learning curve related to the paperwork and shipping procedures necessary to conduct business with a bigger retail outlet. For instance, I now know what a bill of lading is and have created my own version of one to use again, as well as my own custom packing slip and invoice. I feel so... official.<br /><br />So, many of you are probably wondering how this all happened. I suppose I can say that great product photos, original designs, and a swing toward to the modern side of styles was all it took, but I think luck played a very nice hand in this instance.<br /><br />Back in late August, I was contacted via Etsy by a Paper Products Manager for MoMA Retail who was browsing the stationary on the site and was drawn to my topography cards. Luck. She requested some samples, I sent her a few topography cards in a variety of colors as well as a couple of other cards I was making at the time.<br /><br />Around that time, I was transitioning from a discontinued line of cardstock to a newer one with more color options (luck), so a few weeks later, I sent more samples and a color swatch sheet for reference. The rep conferred with her people and got back to my people (well, just me, really), with four color choices for a custom set, and also mentioned interest in buying the heart cards for Valentine's day. Luck. She was also able to give me a heads up on the item count before the actual purchase order giving me ample time to complete everything. She has been a dream to work with since our very first correspondence and continues to cheerfully lead me through the big business processes. Major Luck.<br /><br />So that's that! I've googled "Etsy" and "MoMA" together a bunch of times and have not yet read anything from anybody else like me who's been hand plucked like this. Has this or something like it happened to anyone else out there? I feel very strange, honored, and I'll say it again, LUCKY to be where I am.<br /><br />And I'm happy as can be.<br /><br />Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch, but it sort of feels like I've won a big award. So, in that light, I'll close this post with my acceptance speech full of thanks and dedications:<br /><br />Thank you so much! Seriously, thank YOU! Yes YOU, reading this blog post right now. Because I know you care enough to come to my blog and read through this, I grow more confident and continue to create pieces that may catch the eyes of highfalutin retail shop managers. Thanks, too, to my friends and family who offer good criticism and support of what I do. Specifically, I thank my dear friend Kendra Zvonik who has held my hand through this whole process, who pulls my feet back down to earth when I float away in uncertainty, and who lifts me up when I wallow in frustration. I dedicate these happy vibes to my patient and supportive hubby and to my two crafty girls who've quietly watched me cut paper in my studio when they would have rather been playing hide and seek or wild cat rescue.<br /><br />It feels so great to let this kitty out of the bag. Let's hope it enjoys a wild adventure out there!M. B. Kargerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129445114375237188noreply@blogger.com31