The Smelly Projekt
Most creative projects fall into one of two categories: Those that just flow like water, and those that threaten to reduce you to madness.
This one has been a little of both.
The creative side was never lacking. Pru's Box O'Schtank has gone from a flirty "Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Stinky BPAL" to more fascist artwork a la the 1940's and WWII where sexy vixens threatened to give you a 'dose' of schtank. Then every one of the several different types of wooden boxes I had purchased to do the thing ended up warped from the fluctuations in humidity over the winter. I have chosen and discarded perhaps a dozen.
Then, I went back to a wooden cigar box I bought at a cigar shop, thinking its warped lid could have been caused by the smellies inside!. I pulled out the extraneous sides 'inside' that allowed the box to snap shut tightly (albeit warped-ly) and was going to mount perhaps half a dozen different locks and catches all around the lid to 'keep the schtank inside'.
However, the wood wasn't thick enough for the locking hasp tacks. I added to the interior thickness. Then the tacks were repulsed by the wood. I think the fibre of the wood must be very tightly woven together, and I've described the madness with the drill, drill bit, tack hammer, etc.
Over time, the whole theme changed several more times: A gothy box with ghosts and 'vapours', a lacy box that hid screaming faces beneath the lace, and then, finally, what I'm doing NOW as a variant on another idea I had.
I've got the box almost entirely done. It now includes special storage containers, its own book explaining the history of the box, and residual items like vinyl gloves and possibly a few other hazmat items to go alongside the box, its extra goodies, and may or may not include some of the ideas I threw out earlier, since I still have to glue together the interior when the gesso dries. There's a very good chance I'm going to be carving something else to include here, but I don't want to say too much in case I just get fed up and don't do it. *laughs* I'm waiting for a book to arrive by this coming Thursday or Friday to finally answer this question, so my ultimate "Get It Outta Here" due date has been moved back one final week. I WAS going to include a 'stone inscription rubbing' on vellum to compleat the whole picture, but as I forgot to mention it in the book I made, I'm not going to do that. Trust me, it would have been funny as hell to do that, though, if you saw the rest of the box.
Pru will either love it or think I'm insane. She wanted me to send it directly to the first person who wanted to experience the Box O'Schtank, but I almost think I should send it to Pru FIRST, just in case she hates it and doesn't want anyone else to see it.
I still haven't done ANYTHING about getting a better digital camera, and I'm very likely going to heave it into the shipping box and have done with it when I'm through, so I hope SOMEONE takes photos along the way! (Once I finish a project, I usually want nothing to do with it for at least a good six months.)
If I've mentioned to you what I'm doing, please don't mention anything in your comments.
The next project: Get the Cow on her tour!
Love you,
Nechtan :)
This one has been a little of both.
The creative side was never lacking. Pru's Box O'Schtank has gone from a flirty "Friends Don't Let Friends Wear Stinky BPAL" to more fascist artwork a la the 1940's and WWII where sexy vixens threatened to give you a 'dose' of schtank. Then every one of the several different types of wooden boxes I had purchased to do the thing ended up warped from the fluctuations in humidity over the winter. I have chosen and discarded perhaps a dozen.
Then, I went back to a wooden cigar box I bought at a cigar shop, thinking its warped lid could have been caused by the smellies inside!. I pulled out the extraneous sides 'inside' that allowed the box to snap shut tightly (albeit warped-ly) and was going to mount perhaps half a dozen different locks and catches all around the lid to 'keep the schtank inside'.
However, the wood wasn't thick enough for the locking hasp tacks. I added to the interior thickness. Then the tacks were repulsed by the wood. I think the fibre of the wood must be very tightly woven together, and I've described the madness with the drill, drill bit, tack hammer, etc.
Over time, the whole theme changed several more times: A gothy box with ghosts and 'vapours', a lacy box that hid screaming faces beneath the lace, and then, finally, what I'm doing NOW as a variant on another idea I had.
I've got the box almost entirely done. It now includes special storage containers, its own book explaining the history of the box, and residual items like vinyl gloves and possibly a few other hazmat items to go alongside the box, its extra goodies, and may or may not include some of the ideas I threw out earlier, since I still have to glue together the interior when the gesso dries. There's a very good chance I'm going to be carving something else to include here, but I don't want to say too much in case I just get fed up and don't do it. *laughs* I'm waiting for a book to arrive by this coming Thursday or Friday to finally answer this question, so my ultimate "Get It Outta Here" due date has been moved back one final week. I WAS going to include a 'stone inscription rubbing' on vellum to compleat the whole picture, but as I forgot to mention it in the book I made, I'm not going to do that. Trust me, it would have been funny as hell to do that, though, if you saw the rest of the box.
Pru will either love it or think I'm insane. She wanted me to send it directly to the first person who wanted to experience the Box O'Schtank, but I almost think I should send it to Pru FIRST, just in case she hates it and doesn't want anyone else to see it.
I still haven't done ANYTHING about getting a better digital camera, and I'm very likely going to heave it into the shipping box and have done with it when I'm through, so I hope SOMEONE takes photos along the way! (Once I finish a project, I usually want nothing to do with it for at least a good six months.)
If I've mentioned to you what I'm doing, please don't mention anything in your comments.
The next project: Get the Cow on her tour!
Love you,
Nechtan :)