No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on September 13, 2013

I think only the Pogo aficionados are going to get that one.

I have found that superstitions tend to be self-fulfilling prophecy. I think it is because one pays more attention to what they have been told is good or bad luck if they do this or that.

Theater folks have their own sets of rules and superstitions to offset those that we ignore like ladders although we do tend to look up before going under so nothing is coming at our head.

I have never had a problem with Friday the 13th. I got my acceptance to the Yale School of Drama on a Friday the 13th. OK maybe it was a mixed bag but overall I am glad that I went to the YSD. But overall I can’t say that Friday the 13th has been bad to me.

For my Jewish friends, sunset today begins Yom Kipper, the Day of Atonement. Peter is going to observe the holiday like he does every year.

As for me, I have a kitchen floor that needs a serious fall cleaning and some bathrooms that need to be tidied and laundry. I am feeling the call of the house to be attended to and I will answer its dulcet tones.

I am grateful for things that make cleaning easier.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 12, 2013

Or as we call it around here, Thursday.

They use to be much more flowery with the dates back in the day.

I have a metal list as long as my arm that needs to be done. I am scared to put it down on paper since I might cry. I know it is just temporary and I need to start with one task and move onto the other like a responsible adult but my interior child is pouting at the no fun in the list. I might put one fun thing to do at the end of the day.

Caroline finally got her messenger bag for school. She is very happy with it. It is leopard print with pink hearts. She is adjusting to being back at school. She is doing her homework in a timely fashion.

Might be going to the Ren Faire in Tuxedo NY this weekend. Still sorting that out. If we do go, we will be seeing the Ded Bob show.

Today looks like it is turning into a rainy day which makes the first thing on my list the cat boxes since I do those outside and can’t do that in the rain. Then onto the next thing on the list and so forth.

I am grateful for lists getting shorter.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 11, 2013

I spent a lovely evening with friends and family at the Long Island Ducks game. I met Bud Harrelson and Quakerjack. Mr. Harrelson gave me an autograph game used ball. It is really cool. The kids like meeting Quakerjack that Long Island Ducks mascot. The Ducks got 5 in the first and then nada but they lost because the other team got 8 over 9 innings. That was probably the only damper on the evening.

There is a group that encourages people to remember 9-11 by doing good deeds. I make my pledge every year. You can find more information at 9-11 Day of Remembrance. I encourage you to do so. That is all I am going to really say on the matter this year. I plan to keep the TV off for the day since I live in New York and the memorial shows are going to be on. I will remember those I knew in my own way.

Today is all about putting things away. That and the larder needs to be restocked. I want to get the puppets out of their bag and let them breath especially Lockheed who might need some extra help with a fan inside. I also want to get started on next years Art Show. May be if I have a little less than a year I can get everything done.

So apparently they have a wardrobe department in Face-Off to help with the costumes. That answers a question I have had for about 2 years now. Also they have outside people who help buy the props that they don’t construct. Haven’t seen Heroes of Cosplay yet. Project Runway seems to be getting away from what it was. I feel sorry for the contestants this year.

Looking forward to the next TV season, which should be starting soon. I am trying to stay pretty spoiler free but that can be hard in some fandoms.

I am grateful for the fun time I had last night.

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Posted By Kathleen David on September 10, 2013

Ok it didn’t really go away but it did go quiet for a while.

Since I talked about it at Dragon Con this year, I thought I would do an entry on what Crafty Tuesday is and why I do it.

The why is simple. I had been talking about how I put things up on my web log at various conventions. Someone asked what day I did that. At the time it was kind of all over the place. I said rather glibly, “Tuesday” and Crafty Tuesday was born. I am not saying that Tuesday is the only day I talk about my artistic endeavors, it is just the most consistent.

So for the new readers, hi I am Kath the Puppeteer. I make puppets, costumes, masks, dolls, plushies and whatever else strikes my fancy. I have been doing this for more years than I will admit but the number is over 30.

I have made just about ever form of puppet that there can be but enjoy making hand and rod and hand puppets the most. I learned the form of doll making I like best from Wendy Froud so if you find a tip or technique that you love, she is the one who taught me. I learned about building puppets from working at the Center for Puppetry Arts and from my fellow puppet artisans. The costumes came out of the puppet clothing. The mask making from working with a number of artists who had learned from other artists and they passed on what they learned to me.

Because so many people over the years have been so giving with how they do things, I feel like it is my responsibility to pass on what knowledge I have onto others. I don’t have a “secret methods” on how to do things. (OK I do know a couple of magic tricks that I can’t tell you how they were done since I signed an NDA a long time ago but I don’t use them in my puppets and art.) I have what works for me. And people have taken what I have shown them and made it their own. No two people are going to do the exact same thing unless they are copying on purpose. I can teach you exactly how I make a Phluzzie (my signature puppet) and you could do what I did but your puppet is going to look different from mine. I take my role as teacher very seriously. I do consider myself as a student as well. I love learning how people do things.

I am working on figuring out how to create a website so I can show what I do. I have been saying this for a number of years (try over 10) but I think this year might finally be the year I get it together. I have enough photos to put into something like that. It would also be a good place to sell puppets to the public. If anyone had any ideas on the matter, I could use some help.

Next week, I hope, how I do arm rods for puppets.

Do you have a topic or trick you have seen in my art you want me to talk about? Please tell me.

I am grateful for all the people who have taught me over the years.

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Tags: Art, costuming, crafts, crafty tuesday, mask making, puppets

Posted By Kathleen David on September 9, 2013

Today is my 50th Birthday. I have lived half a century and am looking forward to the next half and beyond.

I started my birthday in a car on the way back from my stepdaughter Gwen’s wedding. It was a lovely ceremony and reception. I am very happy for her and her husband.

This morning I got up with Caroline, as it is the first day of school. We finished the school paperwork and made sure she had everything on the list. I took her to the bus stop and met the new kids and parents for this year along with catching up with last year’s bus stoppers.

I am going to lunch at my favorite local pub and my ladies bowling league starts tonight so that’s my day in a nutshell. Tomorrow I have my birthday party at the Ducks Baseball game. Should be fun.

I did read my letters this morning. The one I wrote 10 years ago spoke a lot about Caroline and how I was enjoying being mother. I didn’t get most of the other tasks I set myself done but I am not beating myself up about it since life took some other turns. It is all good. It is interesting to see what was important to me then and how much is important to me now. Priorities, I have them.

Here is this years letter that I will open next year. I also get to write the letter I will open up when I turn 60.

Dear Kath,

The past year was a bit of a roller coaster with some wonderful high point and spectacular low points. You had to face mortality rather sharply. Things are getting back to an even keel but still life has changed drastically in a year.

So I am hoping that I took that heart to heart talk I had with myself about taking better care of myself. I need to be around for Peter and Caroline and I need to be able to move with minimum discomfort. We know what we need to do. I just hoped we executed it.

I have been getting a lot of compliments on my web log and writing style since I picked up a bunch of readers after Peter’s stroke. I need to work on finding a way to take that and see if I can really get some stuff published. Did you follow through and check with friends and editors to see if there were any anthologies you can be part of or get the novel to a point that you sent it to an agent who has already agreed to look at it based on the concept? You can write now I hope you have figured out how to get some additional income by writing.

This past year has not been your most creative by far but there were extenuating circumstances that just couldn’t be helped. I am hoping that you did more this past year and found some more venues to show/sell your work. And that you finally got the web site up and the business cards revamped/done would be nice too.

How many cats do we have left? We lost Treat and Vanillie. Stalin and Millie are getting up there. Figgy is bouncing around like the youngest she is.

So enjoy the first year in your 50s. I hoped to remember to stop and take time to smell the roses.

Best-
Kath on her first day at 50

I am grateful for the first 50 years of my life. It has been a great ride so far.

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