Masterpiece in the making

Like an ancient horde of Tatars (just a lot more peaceful), my craft seems to be breaking the bounds of my own home and spilling out into the yard. This is what I did on Saturday, when I finally plucked up the courage to start working on what is to become a wallhanging quilt for a friend.

Ca o hoarda de tatari (dar mult mai pasnica), lucrul meu de mana pare sa sparga frontierele propriei locuinte si sa se verse in curte. Iata ce am facut sambata, cand in sfarsit mi-am facut curaj sa ma apuc de ceea ce va deveni un quilt-paretar pentru o prietena.

It's 3x1.2m, so, predictably, I had nowhere to spread it out indoors. So with the logistic help of my landlady, and to the tune of the neighbour's incessant questions, I put up my art camp on the concrete.
Are 3m x 1,2, deci, in mod previzibil, n-aveam unde sa-l intind in casa. Deci, cu suportul logistic al gazdei si in ritmul intrebarilor infinite ale vecinei, mi-am aranjat tabara de creatie pe ciment.

Step 1: Spread out fabric onto the concrete, anchoring it down stylishly with bricks:
Pasul 1: Se intinde materialul pe ciment, ancorandu-l in mod stilat cu caramizi:

Step 2: Sketch the entire pattern in heat-erasable pencil, standing up on a chair from time to time to check the proportions.
Pasul 2: Se schiteaza modelul cu creion care se sterge la caldura, stand in picioare pe un scaun din cand in cand pentru a verifica daca proportiile sunt corecte.

Step 3: Realize you drew the tree waaay too far left. Swear. Try to figure out how to erase everything. Swear.
Pasul 3: Se ajunge la revelatia ca am desenat copacul muuult prea la stanga. Se injura. Se gandeste cum sa se stearga totul. Se injura.

Step 4: Run inside, heat iron, unplug iron, come outside and iron the fabric on the concrete (probably the most ridiculous-looking thing I've done in a long time)
Pasul 4: Se alearga inauntru, se incalzeste fierul de calcat, se vine afara si se calca materialul de pe ciment (probabil cel mai ridicol lucru pe care l-am facut in ultima vreme)

Step 5: Re-sketch everything, pull out fabric paints and proceed to colour it in:
Pasul 5: Se schiteaza totul din nou, se scot vopselele pt textile si se purcede la colorat:

Step 6: Run out of paint one hour after the craft shop closes. Swear. Give it up and go do something else.
Pasul 6: Se termina vopselele, cu o ora dupa ora de inchidere a magazinului. Se injura. Se renunta si se trece la alt proiect.

I don't want to imagine where this is going; next thing you know I'll be stipple-quilting the pavement to make it lie flatter!
Nu vreau sa-mi imaginez unde ma va duce asta; inainte sa-mi dau seama, poate ma trezesc quiltuind trotuarul sa-l fac sa stea mai plat!

Follow-up

As I promised, here are full pics of the dolls in the last post. The new owners really liked them; I'm so relieved!
Dupa cum am promis, iata poze complete cu papusile din postul precedent. Noilor proprietari chiar le-au placut; sunt foarte usurata!

Phew!

Finally finished! A challenging custom order: not only were the two dolls to resemble their future human owners, but I also had to make my first bearded doll ever!

In sfarsit, gata! O comanda interesanta: nu numai ca cele doua papusi trebuiau sa le semene posesorilor, dar a si trebuit sa fac prima mea papusha cu barba!
I don't know about the resemblance, but I'm particularly proud of the beard and the cute white dress :>
Nu ma voi pronunta asupra asemanarii, dar sunt mandra de barba si de rochitza alba :>

I reaaally hope they like their mini-them!
Chiar sper ca o sa le placa "portretele".

Green-Eyed Monday

To be honest, today I'm not even envious. I'm just wide-eyed with admiration for an idea I could never even have come up with, let alone do it so well. Check out Dongedy's blog to see all her terribly clever creations.

Sa fiu sincera, azi nu-s invidioasa deloc. Sunt doar plina de admiratie pentru o idee care mie nu mi-ar fi venit niciodata, si pe care nici n-as fi putut sa o realizez. Uitati-va pe blogul lui Dongedy sa vedeti toate creatiile ei super-destepte.

Like a mischevous god, she places little people in all sorts of situations and then sits down to observe them through her lens and see how well they do.

Ca un zeu rautacios, ea pune omuleti in tot felul de situatii si apoi se aseaza sa-i priveasca prin lentila, sa vada cum se descurca.
Seeing the images that result, you can't help becoming playful yourself, and wondering what it would be like to skate on a giant tart, break your leg slipping on the summit of a pudding or, god forbid, have to face the biggest most vicious bunny in the universe!

Vazand imaginile care rezulta, parca iti vine si tie sa te joci, sa te intrebi cum ar fi sa te dai cu patinele pe o tarta imensa, sa-ti rupi piciorul cazand pe varful unei budinci sau, doamne fereste, sa ai de a face cu cel mai mare si cel mai fioros iepurash din univers!
So cute! :>
Ce dulce! :>

Green-Eyed Monday

Alright, back to creepy!
Na bine, sa ne intoarcem la macabru!
Today we shall turn our attention to Lou and her creepy-inspired creations.
Astazi ne vom indrepta atentia spre Lou si creatiile ei de inspiratie macabra.

I particularly like the "call me creepy" t-shirts, but the idea of walking around with Jane Austen quotes printed on your shirt is also quite appealing :>
Imi plac in mod deosebit tricourile cu "call me creepy", da si ideea de a purta citate din Jane Austen pe tricou mi se pare foarte tentanta :>

Come on, call me creepy! I dare you!

Raphaella, the ragged angel

This is Raphaella. Poor thing, she's in such a state.

Aceasta este Raphaella. Saraca de ea, in ce hal e.
She's obviously an angel, but most people in Falushtain believe in no such things, and naturally assume she is just a common fairy. Oh, but she is so much more than that!
Evident, e un inger. Dar majoritatea oamenilor din Falushtain nu cred in asa ceva, asa ca presupun ca ea e doar o zana obisnuita. O, dar e cu mult mai mult decat atat!
She has no recollection of how she got to roam the streets of Falushtain, but it must have been a terrible event. However, it has been a long time since she first found herself here, and she has given up trying to convince people that what she says is true.
Nu-si aminteste cum a ajuns sa bantuie strazile Falushtainului, dar trebuie sa fi fost o intamplare groaznica. Totusi, a trecut mult timp de cand s-a trezit aici pentru prima data, si de atunci a renuntat sa mai incerce sa convinga oamenii de adevarul spuselor sale.
Deserted and misunderstood , she has taken to drinking absinthe. She has even been spotted smoking on occasions, and her language has been reported to be rather scandalous at times. Not that she would ever admit to that, she is an angel after all!
Parasita si neinteleasa, a inceput sa bea absint. A fost vazuta chiar fumand, si se spune ca limbajul ei e scandalos cateodata. Nu ca ar recunoaste asta vreodata, doar e un inger, nu?
Sometimes she catches mere glimpses of her past and her home world, but try as she might, she cannot figure out how to go back there, or even where "there" is. So she sits alone, lost in her yearning thoughts.
Uneori prinde cate o imagine din trecutul sau si din lumea ei de bastina, dar oricat ar incerca, nu-si poate da seama cum sa se intoarca acolo, sau macar unde e acel "acolo". Asa ca sta singura, pierduta in ganduri.
When she does socialise, she prefers the company of vampires, as they are the only ones who know what it's like to roam the world forever, immortal, tormented and misunderstood.
Cand totusi socializeaza, prefera compania vampirilor, pentru ca sunt singurii care inteleg ce inseamna sa mergi prin lume pentru totdeauna, nemuritor, chinuit si neinteles.
If only she had a friend, someone to believe her, she might recover her past whiteness...and maybe even dare to work a miracle or two!
Macar daca ar avea un prieten, cineva care s-o creada, poate si-ar recapata albeata de odinioara si poate ar indrazni chiar sa faca o minune-doua!

News update

What do you know, my road to stardom is getting wider by the minute! Last Friday my friend Anda, who has a show on the local radio station, took my interview, focusing on my blogs and my craft. I'll be at work this afternoon unfortunately (not that I'm so keen on hearing my own voice recorded anyway), but those of you who are curious can listen to Anda's show every Wednesday afternoon at 6:30 Romanian time, here. There's a little green "in direct" button on the right of the page.

My interview is aired today. The time of the autograph session is to be advised :D

Ca sa vezi, drumul meu spre celebritate devine tot mai larg! Vinerea trecuta, prietena mea Anda, care are o emisiune pe postul local de radio, mi-a luat un interviu, centrat pe craft si pe blogurile mele. Voi fi la lucru in dupa-masa asta (nu ca ma dau in vant sa-mi aud propria voce inregistrata), dar aceia dintre voi care sunt curiosi pot asculta emisiunea Andei in fiecare miercuri dupa-masa la 6:30, aici. Este un butonas verde "in direct" in dreapta paginii.
Interviul meu e azi. Ora sesiunii de autografe va fi comunicata mai tarziu :D

And because I don't have a link to Anda's blog, I'll send you to her really cool photographs, here.
Si pentru ca n-am un link catre blogul Andei, o sa va trimit catre foarte fainele ei poze, aici.
In other news today... I have a "proper" job. Yes, it implies having to go to a place other than my home, stay there for a previously established number of hours and be nice to people I don't know and who want to buy books. How peculiar, isn't it? :D Oh, it also implies not so much time left for crafting and blogging. Just so you know.

Alte stiri pentru azi... am o slujba "ca lumea". Da, inseamna a merge intr-un loc ce nu e casa mea, a sta acolo pentru un numar de ore dinainte stabilit, si a fi dragutza cu oameni pe care nu-i cunosc si care vor sa cumpere carti. Ce ciudat, asa-i? :D A, si mai inseamna si mai putin timp pt craftuit si blogerit.Ca sa stiti.

P.S. The picture is a preview of something very soon to come!
P.S. Poza e o avampremiera la ceva ce va aparea foarte curand!