Purplecat's Blog

purpletabby @ 2009-11-06T18:40:00

2009-11-06T23:47:58Z

My friend was euthenized today. Andromeda was my talky kitty. We got her not long after i miscarried our first child. She's been sick a long while. I knew it was only a matter of time. For awhile now we've had two sick cats, Lydia and Andromeda. There really wasnt anything we could do for Andromeda...most of her issues came with age. It never makes it easier though. My friend...my cat...who's been a part of my life longer than most people I know....who's comforted me through rough times...is gone. I was shocked when her eyes never closed. They simply went dull as I stroked her...

I still have the adoption certificate from the shelter from near 10 years ago for her.

I miss her.

purpletabby @ 2009-11-04T13:35:00

2009-11-04T18:52:52Z

I have to admit...here lately I havent been doing as much art.

The last week and a half I've really tapered off. Lack of motivation I suppose. A break isnt necessarily a bad thing. It wont really affect my income either, considering I've barely had sales in the past 3-4 months. It's bound to get discouraging after awhile. I was really down when the new dragonsnails, roseguardian, and clockwork sparrow were a flop. The only thing I've sold more than 1 of is the new twittergriffin (a grand total of 3). Sooooo...for the most part I'm focusing on homeschooling, and doing some organizing, rather than stressin about gettin stuff to sell, when it just doesnt right now. I'm tired of tryin to figure out what I'm doin wrong, so i'm takin a short break before comin back to it with a fresh perspective..hopefully.

I'm hoping to get some work on the website done, sometime soon. When I get back into gear, I'll probably put more in the Etsy shop in hopes some will sell. Stuff is just really really slow right now.

There's a gallery that has juried viewings when they consider new artists...I'm considering picking up an application for it, and putting together a selection of my better pieces. I need to find out the dates though..as I heard they only do this once or twice a year. I'm not sure yet whether I'm ready for that though.

Lydia's new liquid diet seems to be doing really well. She's eating consistently, two small meals a day.

purpletabby @ 2009-11-03T18:52:00

2009-11-03T23:53:57Z

Beware:

Life Advice of the Day --- Always use extreme caution when allowing children beneath the age of 5 to eat fruit. of any kind.

diaper duty times ten

purpletabby @ 2009-11-01T19:14:00

2009-11-02T00:20:43Z

Lydia couldnt handle soft food.

It still seems to hurt her badly to handle any sort of solids. Even something as soft as cooked white rice, or pureed chicken. The vet didnt have any suggestions either. My father did though. We're trying a liquid diet on her now. There's some liquid cat stuff for exactly this purpose I need to get some of, when I find it. For now she's eating cream of chicken soup made with halfnhalf. I give it to her at room temperature, cause something too hot would be horribly painful for her. So far it's workin pretty well, she's eating it at least. Hopefully she'll gain some weight back. I know it doesnt have all the things cats need in there, but for now she's in desperate need of calories, and I'll take any sort of eating I can get outta her.

(and yes...I checked to make sure there are no garlic, onions or other poisonous substances to cats in the soup. :)

fingers crossed.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-29T13:22:00

2009-10-29T17:26:32Z

What do people have against fall leaves? they are not evil.

The older lady across the street cant stand a SINGLE leaf on her grass...and is pitching a fit cause the garbage trucks wont take her garbage bags of leaves anymore. So she doesnt know what to do with them. I told the lady that cares for her to just bring them over to me and I'll make them into mulch for my flower beds.

Probably after making a monster pile for the kids to jump in. :)

How can you pass that up? lol...they rake, we jump!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-28T15:03:00

2009-10-28T19:05:28Z

I mean...seriously.....WHO put the magnets in the my little pony feet? The logo in the foot is actually a magnet. When and why did they do this?

Though I did not notice this on my own.....my children never miss fun details like that. Although i admit it'll freak you out to walk into your kitchen to this....

my first thought was OMG WTH HOW did they get SUPERGLUE?

thank goodness it was just magnets.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-28T12:01:00

2009-10-28T16:09:59Z

I'm feeling alot better.

thank goodness, I was tired of being sick. :P

In the past few days I've been trying to educate myself more on different computer stuff. How to use certain programs, and utilize others so I can be more versatile when doing website and forum design. THere may be some changes throughout the site, and forum as I play with the new things I've learned.

Now that I'm no longer sick, I should be getting lots done! Pull out the coffeeeeeee!!!!!!!! I've got painting, moldmaking, sculpting....a ton to do.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-26T11:31:00

2009-10-26T15:34:02Z

Whatever i have is persistent...I'll give it that. I'm still really tired and coughing alot. I cant seem to shake the last of it. My posting will probably be somewhat scattered til I feel better...just because i loathe reading entries of cold symptoms and pain gripes. So I'll spare you the unpleasantness of reading mine, lol.

In the meantime I hope all of you out there are doing well.

Done anything interesting lately?

purpletabby @ 2009-10-23T13:47:00

2009-10-23T17:49:47Z

I finally feel somewhat human again....rather than a zombie flegm monster. I dont really have a whole lot to talk about yet, unless you wanna hear the gripes about being sick, lol. I do finally have pictures of the completed Dragonotter Prototype though. Enjoy!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-21T09:50:00

2009-10-21T13:51:02Z

Still sick.

Bleh, i hate being sick.

I feel awful.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-18T15:23:00

2009-10-18T19:30:09Z

Chris let me sleep in this morning.

Where we're both sick...we try to look out for each other in between carin for kids, so we both might recoup quicker. Apparently I had a ring of sentries this morning as I slept in, and chris snuck a snapshot of me curled up in my sleeping bag...which I always sleep with, cause it's that toasty. I believe his true reason for takin the shot is I truly wouldnt have believed him if he'd told me....cause I tend to launch cats OFF the bed if they get too close. I'm......not very friendly when I first wake up.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-17T11:03:00

2009-10-17T15:05:08Z

bleh. Yeah...whatever Donovan had is contagious. Yay. Everyone has it now, and I'm just praying it's a flu or bug..and not something more serious like strep.

Dealing with some other.....stuff, too.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-15T09:34:00

2009-10-15T13:51:58Z

I've been workin on the website, and prepping the house for winter this week. Took all the window air conditioners out, and moved the last one downstairs this morning. (OMG the larger air conditioners are HEAVY! and a *(&%$ to get down stairs by yourself) Going through all the fall and winter clothes saved from last year, and tossing out the ones the kids have outgrown. Donovan was complaining of his throat hurting yesterday, and today he's full blown sick. I'm hoping it doesnt spread throughout the rest of us. it's really a major deal when something contagious hits a family of this size.

The bruise I picked up on Sunday has bloomed into it's full technicolor glory. Blues blacks and dark purples stretching from my shin to the back of my calf on my left leg. We took the kids to a party at a park out of town. You know those toy horsies and stuff on a thick spring, made so that theyre supposed to rock for the kids? The spring on most of them is so stiff and unmovable it really takes some major force to get them to rock for the babies. Vacia, for some reason...LOVES those things. Usually Chris or I simply push down on the back end over and over, causing some light movement for whoever is riding. This park had one that looked sorta like a train engine, with a long seat for two or three kids. Vacia immediately pointed to it and goes, "bush me bush meeeee mom!!!" (she cant pronounce the letter "p" very well).

So...I put Vacia on, then Aurora..and then myself. BAD IDEA. I dunno where they got the springs for the riding toys at this park, but they actually MOVE for the kids. So when my butt hits it...the entire toy flings backward superfast. We find ourselves staring at the sky. My leg twisted awkwardly and pinned underneath the back end of the toy, with all of our weight holding the hard piece of playground equipment on top of it, mashing it into hard rocks and mulch. I cant move however...cause I've watched enough cartoons to know removing my weight is NOT gonna end well for the two babies still on the toy. I couldnt simply stand up anyway, with my leg twisted and pinned. Once I remove Aurora, and get her to take a few steps towards safety, I ease off the back of the toy and hold it to make it straightn slowly for Vacia, who is refusing to get off till she's been "bushed".

Thankfully the park was pretty empty, so no other adults saw my embarrassing moment.

Isnt it great I have amazing awesomesocks to cover such blemishes!!!!!!!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-14T12:56:00

2009-10-14T16:58:55Z

I am convinced that I did not give birth to children....I gave birth to three miniature human shaped garbage disposal units.

HOW DO THEY EAT SO MUCH!??? OMG, they eat more in one meal than I can consume in an ENTIRE DAY. O_O They are entirely capable of eating an ENTIRE BOX of macaroni and cheese APIECE. HOW?????????

purpletabby @ 2009-10-13T18:52:00

2009-10-13T22:53:27Z

Be afraid........be VERY afraid.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-12T13:28:00

2009-10-12T17:36:19Z

I mushed down the clockwork scarab I had been working on. I may start it up again later, but I really feel I need a live specimen to get the leg positioning and posing correct.

I could tell there were some major issues with him, but alot of photographic shots are only from certain angles, making it very difficult to sculpt it correctly. I like collecting bugs anyway, so it'll eventually happen. I've got a lovely butterfly display hung in the livingroom, and a mounted cicada collection I've had my eye on for a while that I plan to get at some point.

In the meantime I started up a clockwork snail. So far I'm really pleased, and snails are easy enough to find if I truly need somethin to look at in person. snails are so much fun. Their cute factor is undeniable too. Invertebrates are awesome.

Ah, the last clue for the free Clockwork Sparrow giveaway has been posted at Lamplight Woods, in the "Clockwork Sparrow" thread. the person who answers the question correctly gets a free clockwork sparrow! Must be a forum member to enter or win. There hasnt been a winner yet!

I take that back!!! We do have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS Pegasi!!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-10T23:10:00

2009-10-11T03:11:25Z

OMG....I had read about equadorian hermit crabs "chirping" but had never heard it myself, til tonight. I can heeeeeeaaar them, little tinny peep sounds mixed in with the scratching and clacking of them moving about the tank.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-09T12:50:00

2009-10-09T16:51:43Z

Relaxed.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-08T09:30:00

2009-10-08T15:00:44Z

Life Lesson #17635

Never EVER place your coffee cup right next to your paintbrush water cup while working.

Oh yes. Totally learned this one yesterday morning. I was in the kitchen, putting some of the handbrushed touches on a batch of Clockwork Sparrows when I reached to take a drink of my coffee. Just to have the handle of a paintbrush stab me in the nose. I'm sure the bottom dregs of my coffee cup had some gunmetal silver swirling around in it. Yum.

We're trying a new thing to help my cat Lydia. I dont know why the vet never suggested it. the lady who runs a small family owned petstore where I buy hermit crab supplies gave me this suggestion. Homemade soft cat food. The canned stuff isnt really good for cats at all, and gives Lydia the runs anyway, which will in the end cause more weight loss, so this was a nice alternative. Plain white rice and boiled, pureed chicken breast. It was really nice to see Lydia eat a meal last night. Even though it was a small portion. Maybe as she puts on some weight again, she'll get so she can eat more.

Finished the Clockwork Sparrows this morning!

oh, there is a forum quiz question regarding this piece, correct answer gets a free clockwork sparrow. Post answers on Lamplight Woods forum in the "Clockwork Sparrow" thread. Must be a forum member to enter or win.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-07T09:12:00

2009-10-07T13:18:53Z

Pretty chipper this morning. It's freezing inside, we leave all the windows open and it got really chilled last night. I love it. I treated myself to a crazy lookin pair of new socks last night, they've got teal and grey stripes, with canary yellow toes, heel and top strip. They are sooo cool! They come all the way up to my knees. I love crazy lookin socks, especially stripey ones.

I'm bouncing around doing a few different projects this mornin. The biggest is painting the first batch of clockwork sparrows. I'm excited about them because they're different from anything else I've ever done, and I'd truly like to see them do well.

In the meantime, here's some completed work. I tried out the Blackfoot color on the new version of the twittergriffin.

Edit:

There's also a new fairy color available in the store! TechnoFairy! She has brightly colored wings and red tipped black hair. After examining the fairy sales page...I really need to re photograph all the fairy colors...the older photos are really terrible! It's no wonder they dont sell often!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-06T11:39:00

2009-10-06T15:43:24Z

Sigh....I've had better days. Worked half the night on a project, reworking it for like the 4th or 5th time....only to get a, "it's not finished" response. So....I went back to artwork, which is what I'd probably be best off sticking with. I seem to fumble with everything else. I'll go back to the other project later, at some point when I'm not feeling like tossing it in the garbage.

So, artwork!

purpletabby @ 2009-10-05T10:29:00

2009-10-05T14:36:47Z

Sometimes I feel sorry for the misfits of fantasy art.... You see dragons, griffins and fairies about everywhere. Granted, there's very good reason they're so prevalent. They're what people want to buy. You dont hear about people decorating their home with cockatrices or manticore.

Anyway...rofl. Here's a sculpture concept I'd like to have a working prototype of for sometime next year.

Cockatrice Sculpture Concept

purpletabby @ 2009-10-04T11:28:00

2009-10-04T15:42:05Z

Sushi dogs?

Our family went out to eat the other night. I was sooooo excited, cause we were eating at my all time favorite restraunt. Miyako's. OMG the sushi goodness. The babies were chanting, "susee sussee susseee" in their lisping version of the word "sushi". They get miso soup and fried chicken rice...but the word sushi is admittedly fun to say. Darn cute too. So, I get this brilliant idea that I'll have Vivacia tell the maitre'de which side of the restraunt we'll be eating on. There's a hibachi side of the restraunt, and a sushi side with tables and booths. So, all Vacia had to do when they asked which side we were here for was say, "sushi". We walk in, and they ask, "which side will you be eating on tonight?" and I nod at Vacia, whispering, "what are we here to eat Vacie?" At this point, Vacia shouts out in her most excited voice, "DOG-DOGS!!!!! DOG-DOGS!!!" Wha? where did that come from? When were hot dogs mentioned? oy.

*smacks forehead* >_< ok...that went well.

"We'll be eating on the sushi side tonight, thank you."

purpletabby @ 2009-10-03T14:01:00

2009-10-03T18:20:03Z

There is a wine vineyard visible from I-75 south on the way from Lexington to Berea.

The rows of grape arbors are a beautiful sight.

It makes me happy to see the grape arbors which have become more common here lately around the local areas. They're a welcome sight, much preferable to tobacco fields. For a long time Ky has been known for a couple things, tobacco and horses....and chickens. The rolling fields dotted with content horses is one of my favorite views. I've never cared for the tobacco fields though. I had to work with the awful stuff during the fall tobacco stripping season, where leaves are pulled from the stalks and baled for selling. My mother often took me to odd jobs she'd picked up, so she could get pay for two people. The sticky brown tar from the plants slowly sticks to your hands, until they're gummy and brownish black. I always pictured that nasty brown stuff in my lungs, and therefore never had the slightest temptation to touch a cigarette. I could tell you stories about the chicken houses too, but that's another journal entry.

Back to the grape arbors.

Every time I see that vineyard, I think of the movie "French Kiss" where he's showing her how different things in the air contribute to the grape, and therefore the wine. He has her smell a box of bottled herbs, and then taste the wine, pointing out that if it's in the air, in the nearby land, it permeates the wine. I think of that and then look at the long broad ribbon of highway, nestled up near this grape arbor.... A picture of Meg Ryan tasting the wine and saying, "mmm, car exhaust". I think I understand why people say older wine is better...it must be the lower levels of crap in the air...and therefore the wine.

Course..this is all coming from someone who doesnt even care for wine. haha...I enjoy cooking with it, and I make a darn fine chicken marsala. Drinking it though...I've never cared for. I prefer Bailey's Irish Cream myself.

purpletabby @ 2009-10-02T14:10:00

2009-10-02T18:21:27Z

Some days my job is easier than others.

Yesterday morning I woke up earlier than usual. I'm not sure why. I dont wake up very quickly, and am not a morning person. At least not til after my coffee. I stumble up the stairs, eyes half shut, see Donovan sitting near the kitchen door, watching cartoons. I blink in surprise when he exclaims loudly, "I KNOW, I know, I'm grounded." then stomps off to his room. I stand there blinking, having a wtf moment......watching cartoons on low volume is fine....wha? My need to pee is temporarily forgotten, taken over by early morning confusion. I continue to stand there, blinking like a doofus, staring at where he was sitting til I realize what I'm lookin at. There...in the floor, sits the half full container of lime sherbert, with a spoon sticking straight out of it. Oh. I pick up the sherbert, put the lid back on and return it to the freezer. As I wander off to pee, I think, "haha..he's right. Grounded. That was easy, I didnt even have to think of how to punish him." Like I said.....some days my job is easier than others.

Today, I finished the mold for the Clockwork Sparrow, and have just demolded the first pours of the little fellow. They look pretty good! I'm also casting more of the Twittergriffins, as I've already used up the initial batch, and need more.