Peg Kerr's Blog, page 7

52 Week Collage: Week 4 Elsa

Week 4: Elsa
It's time to see what I can do.



Yes, Yes, Yes, we're all sick of That Song From Frozen. Tough. The lyrics struck that exact balance I've been thinking about this week: 'What can I do? What am I capable of doing? Why, I could do anything!' and 'It's awful cold and lonely out here.' So I determined to make a card about it. Sticking to my initial intention to name the cards with just one word, I resorted to 'Elsa,' rather than the more obvious option, 'Let It Go.' In keeping with my new determination to try media and methods I've never used before, I resorted to cannibalizing a coloring book and used crayons, metallic markers, and glitter markers, too. Great fun.

For the one person out there who isn't familiar with the song (poor you), here are the lyrics.

"Let It Go"

"Let It Go"

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I'm the queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!

Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know!

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!

I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all!

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry!

Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on!

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back,
The past is in the past!

Let it go, let it go
When I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone!

Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!
Anyway, it was great fun, and the lyrics captured this week's preoccumations spot on.
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A new collage project

I've been talking with minnehaha K. since the events of two weeks ago, and she suggested a new collage project. We've been getting together periodically as we're both interested in it, although she works a little differently than I do, with different media and techniques.

She's been going to workshops, too, and she forwarded me a notice to one that had an intriguing idea: you do miniature collages, using the individual cards of a deck of cards for your card base. Since there are fifty-two cards in a deck, this might be easily adopted as a collage-a-week project for a year.

So although we're not taking the course, we've decided to try it. This rather drastic change in my circumstances seems like a reasonable starting point. I bought a pack of cards and prepped several with a couple of coats of black gesso, and went to her house tonight, where I made my first three. I am going to name each card with a single word, and try to pin down sort of the theme of the week in the card. This will be a rather different project, because the medium is so much smaller than my usual card size. I've also decided that if I like, I'll add phrases, which I've avoided doing with my soul collage cards (with the Jane Austen card being the sole exception). I am also going to experiment with some things I've never tried before: different fixatives, tissue, paint, stamps, etc.

I'm quite pleased how the first three have turned out, although the second and third were almost cheating: I found images that were the perfect size. The second card added one more, smaller image, but otherewise, these are almost exactly as found. The first card I embellished with paint and glittery stuff.

Week One: Smithereens
(My life has been blown apart.)



Week Two: Rue
(Shock, fear, and a bit of grief setting in.)



Week Three: Embark
(Who knows where I'll end up next? Anyway, I'm on my way.)



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New Kiva loan

This one, my 19th loan, is in Guatemala, and it's a group loan. I like to prioritize loans to women, raising children, who are doing artistic pursuits.

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Alternity...

now has its own fanfiction respository on A03. Here.

The players will be putting fic into it (I don't have any myself), but I understand others will be, too.

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LIfe goes on, somehow (Renaissance Faire)

One thing I want to be really intentional about as I go through this new period of self-examination, after the layoff, is self-care.

Going to the Renaissance Faire is self-care. Really. Fiona and I have adored going for years.

We took along one of Fiona's roommates, Becca. I didn't pull out my camera very much because I was enjoying myself so hugely, but here are the pictures I took.

The first thing I did when we arrived was to head straight for Felix Needleworthy's shop to buy a new bodice. I had donned my old one, but oh my goodness, I have gained enough weight since I purchased it that I could barely breath. I felt SO much better with the new one on.

Still, it was a very hot and humid day. I hovered on the edge of heat stroke on a couple of occasions and had to really push water. I bought a Battenburg lace parasol, too, which is a lovely confection which turned out to be very useful, and which I will enjoy owning.

I have been looking for a hat to wear with my costume for several years. There is a new shop called Blond Swan with absolutely ravishing hats, and I tried one on that was (for the first time) absolutely lovely, and oh, I wanted it. The price tag was ghastly, however, and after buying the bodice (and with Fiona's wise advice) I decided to forgo it. I found the cap I wear in the picture for a MUCH more reasonable price, $20. I wanted a feather to trim it with, however. Fiona found the blue and white feathers she used to trim her beloved pirate hat at the Blond Swan. I went back there and considered a pin with a frivolous bunch of feathers, but again, the price was higher than I'd liked, and the size a little big in proportion for the cap. Later, I found a perfect feather with a pin at another booth for a mere $5, so I could feel smug about saving money--rather ridiculous, I suppose, after buying the bodice and the parasol!








These three pictures are a little repetitive, but I don't care; I include them all because I adore Fiona's gamine looks in all of them.







Here was a lovely moment when Becca and Fiona stopped to admire a booth selling hand-drawn maps of various fantasy worlds.



Oh, it was fun. Fiona and Becca were lovely about spending the day with me, despite the fact that I was drooping quite a bit at the end of the day from the heat and had to take Fiona's arm as we walked around.

I came home tired, sunburnt, and extremely happy. Also newly determined to lose weight. The new bodice is beautiful, but dammit, I should be fitting into the old one. I went on a 3.75 mile walk today, and intend to do something to exercise every day.

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A lovely gift waiting for me

Today was a hard day, but someone kind did something which helped.

On Monday, I went in to the office and packed up my desk. The most difficult point was when I carefully wrapped the lovely Holy Tree print that I had commissioned Delia to make for me, a piece of art that would make me happy at the office every time I looked at it. To take it down just felt wrong.

Today, I went in again to drop off the last paperwork and leave my parking card. I was crying by the time I came back downstairs.

And when I got home, I found a package that an anonymous friend had left on my front porch, with an exquisite tree pendant in it.

Thank you, anonymous friend. I think it's absolutely beautiful. Whoever you are, you apparently read my journal and know how trees are a totem for me in my ongoing battle against the darkness of dementors. I wore it today for the rest of the day, and it helped.



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Alternity!

Today, we posted the 63 codas for the characters on Alternity, and they are really well done, I must say!

And now that the game is over, the cast list is up!

Now it can be said:

The characters I played included the following (the ones asterisked are the ones I played from the beginning throughout the game. No asterisk means someone else initiated play of that character, but I held it at the end of the game):

Hannah Abbott, Terry Boot*, Amycus Carrow, Neville Longbottom*, Luna Lovegood*, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley*, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Molly Weasley*, Percy Weasley*

So! Are you surprised?

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OMG

Alternity is OVER.

There will be further content in the days to come and soon we'll be opening the amazing wiki. Also, once the list is posted over at alt-fen, I will reveal the characters I've been playing here.

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A performance by my Mom in church yesterday

She's been playing cello for over seventy-five years. And hey! Tomorrow is her birthday! Happy birthday, Mom.




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Seen on one of Fiona's friends' Tumblr today

"That’s where my comb went,"

said Fiona as she dug through The Unfinished Tales of Numenor.

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