Do Good Things.

This morning I told Nicholas I needed to paint the hallway today, like Brian asked. He said don't do that, do good things. So I started the day off with a Hershey bar for breakfast, and then checked Etsy to find that my Pink Diamond Merit Badge made it to the front page last night! So after adding a little award ribbon to the listing, I decided to catch up on my Vimeo feed. I've been trying to watch more videos lately, in hopes of getting in the right mindset for finishing a screenplay and maybe even starting to storyboard my short film that I'm sure I'll be working on for awhile. So I watched this one. Because the title sounded interesting, and the thumbnail was beautiful. And the piece turned out to be wonderful. So click full screen, because it makes it that much better, and watch.

Places Other People Have Lived from Laura Yilmaz on Vimeo.

I love the use of so many different techniques in this piece. I love the muffled voices and crumpled paper. I love the honesty. And I think the idea is something universal. The only part I was a bit disappointed with was the voice of the narrator. The writing didn't bother me, but the way it was read was so bland, that the honesty wasn't as obvious. It reminded me of English classes and reading short stories aloud. Maybe if the narrator just talked instead of reading, it would have been different. Oh well. I still think it's a beautiful piece.

So for the good things to be done today, I think I'll embroider some merit badges, listen to Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes (everyday), watch the Flatt & Scruggs Grand Ole Opry show, and make a dope sheet for a short little animation featuring owls and my favorite little artist (that, with any luck, will motivate Nicholas to build a copystand for me to photograph the frames and put it on Vimeo sooner rather than later). And maybe, after lunch and watching some Dawson's Creek (I love the 90s), I'll paint the hallway.

Tumbling

I started blogging on Tumblr again. If you want plenty more photos of handmade items, studio messes, and even more awesome things, follow Golden Cat Studios on Tumblr. Did I mention coupon codes and sale announcements?

Etsy Awards

Ok, ok, we all get it: I love awards. Mostly making them, and giving them. So after having a few of my items appear on Etsy's front page recently, I decided they deserved awards. You may notice, while browsing some awesome items on Etsy, that occasionally sellers will celebrate their front page achievements by uploading this little button. It's a small circle with a bit of text. All you really need. But why be content with just that?

Now, despite Googling to my heart's content, I could not find where the image originated. Maybe it came from the company, or some independent designer. Either way, this is it, just as small, and it is uploaded along with images of the product being sold. There's nothing wrong with it, except that it looks rather puny when the other images are scaled to 570 pixels wide, and this one is, oh, maybe 100. So I decided I would make my own! So when my items make it to the front page, they get an award! How fun is that?

 

I made two variations, in case one font isn't your style. Oh, didn't I mention? They're free for you to use! If your item makes it to the front page, feel free to tell the world with these award ribbons! If you click the one you want, it will open to its full size, at 570 pixels--exactly the width Etsy scales images to. I did add a watermark with my shop in it, only because awards are kinda my thing; I drew it and designed it, and would like to be credited with that. PLUS, I'm working on a few awards-theme items to add to my own shop soon! So enjoy! And congratulations!

Scouting Inspiration, Part 4

Here are a few more treasures I just had to share with you. Because one day, I'll own most of them. Or at least some. Anyway, click the images for the source!

Scouting Inspiration, Part 3

Of course, the holy grail of scouting: merit badges. Ok, ok, ok, it's not all about the awards. But it's hard not to be excited over these little embroidered tokens. Why do you think I started making my own? Enjoy, and click images for the source!