Impressions: My Funny Valentines

Last Sunday I took one final stab at making Valentine's Day cards. My heart just wasn't in it (pun intended). An entire day spent slaving over a hot woodstove, breathing in paraffin fumes and blending perfectly good paper into mush. This is "my work".

 I took my Valentine "impression" theme from the impressions left in the snow by the wee beasties prowling around my house at night. A fresh fall of snow finds them out - the night foragers and freeloaders circling us in search of a crust of bread and such or a compost bin amuse bouche.

So. I set about to create my own impression casts, using paper pulp in handmade wax casts. In my imagination these were to be lovely roughly-textured paper hearts that I intended to call "Rough Hearts". Unfortunately, there is sometimes a disconnect from head to hand. Sunday I just could not translate my idea from head to hand....to heart. 

Here is an exciting photojournalistic recap of the day's creative adventure: 

I cast a fragile little paraffin mold of an ammonite from one that I had on hand. I have ammonites on hand at my house. 

 Here it is cast in kozo paper pulp. A very successful cast.
















I tried the same thing with a net bait bag, starfish, and some cheap silver plate serving platters from Valu Village.

I also "dug up" a couple of my fern fossils from Donkin to cast in paper. The detail on these casts were quite breathtaking.

By about 3 pm it was evident that I might be able to produce 3 or 4 Rough Hearts if I worked quickly. Hardly a bounty. I decided to dry the paper pulp more quickly by placing them on

 the woodstove door.

Note to self: wax forms on woodstoves do not a good idea make.

I was left with only one other option - solar heat. It being a nice sunny day I propped them up on the windowsill to air and sun dry. They're still there. They might be ready for Valentine's Day 2014.

I did get 3. And frankly, they suck. 2 of them look like toilet paper confections. One of them (the bait bag net textured heart) looks awfully like a paper sanitary item belonging to women....or a used chunk of Charmin. Nothing says "I love you" like a used toilet paper card.

Valentine Fail.

My heart just wasn't in it.

Oh well.

I don't care anyway because I have a special hate-on for the occassion this year as it's the first anniversary of the passing of my beloved Clover, a.k.a. "The Big Bitch".

So Happy Stupid Valentine's Day. From the Big Bitch.

Just throw the darn ball.