February 22, 2010
Drawer of Inappropriate Starches
Admit it, you have one. In all the desk jobs I’ve held, I’ve always had a drawer filled with emergency supplies, like Advil, bandaids, Equal packets and coffee stirrers, napkins, instant soup, crackers, dried fruit, some chocolate, and whatever else I might need in case I accidentally got locked in the building. More often than not, though, the drawer would just get filled with a bunch of snacks so I wouldn’t accidentally bite someone’s head off because of low blood sugar.
Hot off my Psych embroidery, I decided I wanted to stitch something from the much-loved yet much-criticized Dollhouse. I both love and hate the show (although more on the love side – I even through it a farewell party when it ended). I knew I had to use a Topher quote (because he was by far the best character on the show), and the line “You haven’t seen my drawer of inappropriate starches?” from the episode Echoes (when everyone basically walked around acting stoned) jumped out at me. I used a font that looked like something a guy like Topher would use (I have some friends who write almost like this), and of course, needed to add the little bag of chips.
I’ve decided that this is going to always hang by my desk…
Earworms and embroidery
Last summer, my parents were away (I live with them in all my wonderful unemployment-ness), and I had set up camp on the family room couch. The family room is bright and airy and has huge French doors that can be opened to let in the air (did I mention the giant tv too?). I had just bought a cheap embroidery kit from Michaels, hoping I could get a grasp on something that seemed so difficult and delicate.
Although the resulting rose pattern was nothing to write home about and my stitches were an uneven mess, I loved it. The work was peaceful, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment having finished those ugly roses. I scoured the needlework aisle at Michaels and only found more hideous flower patterns, mostly printed on pillow cases. Sweet, but not exactly my cup of tea.
Around the same time, I was watching a lot of Psych, and as I was watching one particular episode, I was hit by a massive earworm – boom boom boom muffins! I started sketching (something I never do) and ended up with something that looked like an ad that would go along with jingle.
Immediately, I realized how much fun pop culture-inspired embroidery could be (plus, it got the earworm out of my head).
Making islands… and other things
I’m Pam – librarian/archivist, would-be archaeologist, foodie, and crafter. I’ve been blogging about food for almost three years at Cave Cibum, and I figured it was time to blog about crafts as well.
I’ve always been crafty, but I’ve never done all that much with it. Last year, I picked up embroidery on a whim and totally fell in love with it. I quickly discovered a few blogs and Flickr groups that have been nothing but encouraging. Let me know what you think!
Making Islands Where No Island Should Go 