Tomorrow is my 29th birthday, so it feels like today’s Tiny Essay ought to be something about how I’m going to get all I can out of the Last Year Before 30, but (a) I am well aware that this is my 30th year, birthday counting is weird (b) I just realized that writing it out, though, so aaaaaaaaahhh (c) I have too much else to tell you about!
The Rubber Stamp Project
On February 1st, 2022, I wanted probably three things:
I wanted to not live in a yurt, actually
I wanted a dog
I wanted to get a tattoo
The first was solved in a roundabout way and the second two were nixed by the discovery of being pregnant.
But anyway. About the tattoo. I had never wanted a tattoo as much as I wanted this one. I had never thought I had a design that I wanted on my skin forever. But I had finally found one — and well, it’s sappy. It’s E’s favorite constellation, the Pleiades.
This is what I got printed on a temporary tattoo that I wore for a couple weeks in 2022. But by the time pregnancy and breastfeeding had wrapped up, it was October 2023 and I had gotten wish-washier and I couldn’t see myself spending the time and money to find an artist to make it what I really wanted it to be — I thought it would be cool to make it out of dogwood flowers.1
Also, I think I don’t really want a tattoo.2
But I had an epiphany! My skin is far from the only canvas available! So I decided that I would make it a wall hanging for our home and I would do it by carving my own rubber stamps.
I bought all the supplies but still froze; I didn’t know if I could draw an adequate dogwood flower. Then I found a notebook with block printed dogwood flowers on it! I took a picture of the cover, turned it into black and white, and reprinted the flowers in different sizes.
I shaded the flower with a pencil and then pressed it against a rubber block. I carved out everywhere on the block that wasn’t shaded to create the stamp.
Now, I’m not sure how I thought this would go but carving this one flower took me about an hour, and I want three or four sizes and I haven’t decided if I want each flower to be unique, plus leaves or branches… so this project might take a while. But I’m very excited that I’ve got started.
Yesterday I:
Woke up and decided my goal for the day was to move as little as possible
Carved the dogwood stamp above
Worked on knitting a cardigan and watched four episodes of Sanditon
E took me out to lunch (he was off work because he didn’t have anything to do at work and was working on our boat trailer)
Today I:
Did the laundry and by this I mean the clothes have been through the washer & dryer and are now getting wrinkly on my couch
Meal planned for this weekend:
Chicken piccata with roasted potatoes for Birthday Dinner
Birthday cake! I’m making a fun one this year
Hot dogs etc etc for the family crew coming out on Saturday to do river house yard clean up
Charcuterie and snacks
Shrimp tacos because it’s not the river without a seafood meal
Did all the errands: Auto parts store for boat trailer parts, liquor store for baking liqueur, farm to drop off trailer parts, another liquor store because the first one didn’t have what I wanted, Penzeys for spices, Trader Joes for groceries, Food Lion for things I couldn’t get at TJ’s, Walmart for things I couldn’t get at Food Lion. I picked up Charlie and we tried the Neighborhood Walmart for something I didn’t find at the big Walmart, and finally we ended up at a Wegmans where we did find what I was looking for3 before going to dinner with friends.
Now it’s nearly 10PM which is way past my bedtime but I’ve got the last layer of my birthday cake in the oven, and I’ll, you know, sleep in tomorrow or something since it’s my birthday.
Tomorrow:
Nothing too special tomorrow as there’s lots to do to prepare for the long weekend at the river. I have my cake to assemble, meals to prep, clothes and boating gear to pack (it’s looking like our sailboat trailer won’t be ready for this weekend, but we’ll take a canoe — the weather looks amazing for being out on the water), laundry to fold, and we will leave for the river (about a 90 minute drive) whenever we are ready.
The state tree & flower of Virginia and my favorite
I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. Obviously.
It’s a surprise for someone so I can’t tell you