We have Bondage!

"Jensen, that's not right!"

"I'm pretty sure that's what Mom said."

"No, you big goofball! Use those ears for something other than food! She said we are BONDED.  That means we like to snuggle (not that that is any of her business). Bondage is when she holds us tight to clip our nails. Not the same thing at all. That turns us 50 shades of disapproving!"

"You can say that again, Buttercup!"

"As you wish, Jensen."

 

*****************************************

 

So, the last time we talked, Jensen and Buttercup were still seeing life from opposing viewpoints. 

 



Now, however, they have decided to go through life side-by-side. (See Buttercups ears? She often holds them like this. Remind you of anybun?)

Buttercup has even started to push Jensen away from his food, which is not an easy thing to do!

 



 Jensen isn't quite sure what to make of this development.

 



Now that they are bonded, life has gotten much easier around here. Almost makes you want to take a nap....

 



But Jensen doesn't like things to be too easy. He prefers to keep us on our toes and guessing about what the heck he is doing. Still haven't figured this one out. What do you think he is thinking?

 

 

And by the way, I'm sending out  a big THANK YOU to all our friends who kept encouraging us during this bonding adventure. I might have given up a month ago if not for all of you. Thanks to you, these two buns are now very happy together!

 





Tiny Quilts

How are you on follow through? I'm pretty bad at it, which makes me wonder why I started this new project. Starting with my birthday last June, I decided to make one tiny quilt each week for the next year. Not sure what the heck I was thinking, but I'm hoping for once to make it to the end of a project!

So this is the deal. These quilts are mounted on 6 inch canvases. I'm trying to use a lot of the mixed-media techniques that I've been learning (see my sideboard for the LifeBook class info.), so they all have collage, paint, some incorporate paper, and of course a wide variety of fabric. I'm also doing a lot of reading on Symbology, so I've been exploring personal symbols with these little bits, too.

This was the third TQ. There is a vague tarot reference with the diamonds here, and the acute triangles which are masquerading as swords. The rest is obvious.

 The latest finished TQ is below. It includes part of a handkerchief that I doodled on, and some fused bits of scrap thread.
 Here's a detail shot where you can see the threads.

 

 

 

This is an almost finished Work-In-Progress. That reddish square has some writing that I did on other piece of hankie. The writing is cryptic, as it goes in two different directions, one over the top of the other. Did not intend the blotchy effect, but the red marker bled, and I kept it because I liked it. I also did not intend the unibrow. I guess I need to plan ahead on the thread sketching if I'm doing people! It's all a learning process....

 

And finally, the very beginnings of a new piece. The next step is some paint, but I haven't made any decisions yet.

 

It looks like this is going to be a fun journey. I hope I make it all the way through to my 52nd birthday. Have you ever tried a year-long project? Or are you doing one now? What are you learning from it?

***************************************

 

 

I enjoyed your comments on my last post. Brandi, I'm sheepishly admitting that you are right. I tried to hurry Jensen and Buttercup along too fast. Jade, he doesn't just take the greens off her plate. He rips them out of her mouth! Bit of a bully, my Jensen. And if you are on FB, you know he is having a bit of a stasis issue. We are not out of the woods yet, but he did "produce" a little. Poop is a wonderful thing!

Break Down of Negotiations

Thanks for all the Jensen/Buttercup encouragement. I shot this picture early today.

 

Unfortunately, things broke down during the bonding session. I tried giving them their greens together. Let's just say, Jensen is a pig, and Buttercup is not putting up with it! Any advice? 

She Likes Him!

During Tuesday morning's bonding session, Buttercup groomed Jensen for the very first time! She repeated that yesterday, and then again today. Today's bonding session was inside, so that's a big step. We are getting there....