This Wednesday, my workdesk looks like:
Yup, it's not my workdesk at all!
It's actually the dining room table, but we call it the game room table on account of the fact that the only time we eat here is when guests or over or when we have desert while playing a game. My family is addicted to board games. This morning we are setting up for a tournament of Catan and Ticket to Ride with some of my brothers' friends.
Last night I got the itch to do some design work, so today's workdesk consists of my laptop!
(And by last night I mean that I sat down at eleven o'clock to check my email, got sidetracked with ideas, and didn't go to bed until one-thirty.)
I haven't updated the graphics and code on my blog since... well, I made the graphics in 2010 and did some fiddling with the code early last year to make it a bit cleaner. You'd think that someone who is starting her Graphic Design studies this semester would have kept her blog design better updated. My problem is that I have wild ideas that I never have time to implement, and that I don't want to change the graphics all the time because it's best when people actually recognize my blog if they come back.
Last night, though, I decided that enough is enough and I wanted a cleaner, more professional look. A few hours later and we have...
I'm a little sad to get rid of the fairytale swirlies on the side of the blog, but the background image I used to get the swirlies there wouldn't load on all computers (and on one friend's computer, the swirlies covered up the text because her monitor is a strange resolution). Plain colors are safer.
My idea was to create a more modern, streamlined, and brighter look, without going all-out minimalist. Plain white backgrounds work really well on some blogs, my my blog has always needed a little more flair and color than that.
Keeping the Faerie logo as-is was a tough decision. I made it the same year I got my graphics software, the same year we moved to our wonderful house, and the same year I started my sophomore year of high school. FOUR YEARS AGO. Gosh, I'm old.
The way that the Faerie is sitting is just... awkward to me. However I couldn't bring myself to redo it since I like to think that my little Faerie has got a little big of brand recognition. Instead, I created new swirlies and flourishes for the Fearie to sit on.
Hopefully by the end of the day I can reflect the design changes in my Shoppe and start getting it together on my artist's website.
Also, this Wednesday, I made my "workdesk" so much better.
I FOUND A COMPUTER MOUSE.
This little unused wireless USB mouse was floating around in my Dad's office. Guys, for the past four years I've been using the trackpad on my computer exclusively. (Except for when I pull out the tablet pen). I wear my hands out pretty quickly every day, what with art, jewelry, and typing stuff for school, so using the trackpad can get tiring-- especially when doing design or photography work.
Using an actual mouse yesterday and this morning has been so nice. And my midi sketchbook is perfect as a mousepad.
My actual workdesk is a HUGE FREAKIN' MESS.
But, hey, a clean desk is the sign of an empty mind.
There aren't any big projects on the desk because I've just finished everything up, and I'm waiting for more sheet metal to arrive to work on my next round of custom orders. But I think that the variety of tools and supplies here show you that I've been busy making jewelry using about twenty million different techniques.
Last Wednesday, I shared my experiences with electroforming copper jewelry. I haven't perfected the technique or anything (3/4 of the leaves I've made so far are ugly wrinkly little things) but I did make ONE solid copper leaf and turned it into a necklace.
Below is the leaf I just finished yesterday. I ran it through Liver of Sulfur to oxidize it and then sanded it down to create the brownish look. I can't make jewelry with this one, though, because I hadn't treated the leaf properly before electroforming it and the piece is really weak.
Now I just need to go find some baby maple leaves that are a little prettier as stand-alone pendants.
There's no better way to start the morning than with tea!
Especially when you get to use your mom's china. I love my giant mugs but sometimes cute little teacups add just enough flair to your day to make it wonderful. (Particularly when you've just finished reading two retellings of Beauty and the Beast and "Be Our Guest" is firmly lodged in your brain).
Now that my blog is (mostly) updated, I've moved on to editing photos. A few of my friends were gracious enough to model for me, despite the fact that I kept sticking the lens in their faces or at their necks and constantly having to apologize for the awkwardness!
Yup, this is the only picture I've fully edited just yet. I promise that not all the pictures have truncated heads... lol!
I'll probably spend the rest of the work day inside or on the porch, editing photos and glancing over my old calculus book (I've forgotten so much and have to get up to scratch for next semester). I hurt my foot (again), this time during Taekwando, so walking around doesn't sound much fun.
It's such a RELIEF to have my summer classes over. Here's to a glorious two weeks of real summer vacation. I've already devoured two books, played six or seven board games with my parents and brothers, watched movies with my little siblings, and hung out with friends. Next semester will be great but I'm soaking in the rest of summer. :)
Well, this turned out to be much more than "What's on Your Workdesk" (it's more like "What's on Your Workdesk Plus Lots of Ramblings) but oh well. :D