27: A Matter of Logic; self photo plus the question of photography, revisited; wherein I repeat myself

27: A Matter of Logic. Now, when they have a sign that says, "$0.20/button or $5 for a cup of buttons," logic dictates that we would go for the cup [a good-sized cup, I might add], right? ... This is what I tell myself, anyways.

So back to the question of tinkering with photographs. After some thought, I realized that the point of the quasi-self-portrait from last time was not to showcase the flower pin, even though that was the original intent of taking the photo, or rather, that series of photos [I deleted most of the initial photos, and actually, its funny how these things evolve. Initially I was just straight-on taking a photo of myself in the mirror and focusing in on the flower pin. But everything kept coming out blurry, so then I tried propping the camera on my head and aiming it downwards, my stab at increased stability. From THAT the idea of using the triple mirrors in the bathroom to play with multiple images came into my mind, and that's how we ended up where we are now.] Really, the idea of the final photograph was the multiple 'selves' and what that says, so here's a revised version of last time's B/W version of 26:

And here it is with film grain. Not quite sure which one I like better, but I definitely like it better than my last B/W focal attempt. In fact, I might almost like them better than the all-color version.

And I know that nobody really cares about the millionth tote bag that I've made, but oh well:

This bag is to try to bribe my mom to use fewer disposable bags while grocery shopping. We're trying the 'reuse paper bags' method, but I thought a new tote might also do the trick.

I've had these two fabrics for awhile, and they're both thrifted finds that make me smile. Thrifted ~> Recycle ~> to Reduce Waste = :-). When I first finished the bag I wasn't nearly as crazy about the fabric combination as I thought I was going to be, but its slowly growing on me. The inside is lined with the same fabric as the handles. Let me tell you, that is a stunning print [you can also see it here but a little 1" strip doesn't really do it justice]. It was one of those TriplyHappy thrifting finds [1) a king-sized comforter with pillow cases = tons of fabric; 2) 100% cotton!; 3) half-priced day at Goodwill, score] ... expect it to show up in lots of places [see 1].

I gotta say, the bag's definitely got its imperfections [why is it that I don't always get better at things as I make more of them?] including the fact that one of the handles is twisted. Now, the old me would have gritted my teeth and picked out the stitches. The new me is learning to accept the imperfections and see them as 'character,' instead. Quirky. Adds to the charm. As a perfectionist who has always had a very specific asthetic that appeals to me, I'm really trying to learn to appreciate the character and quirkiness that comes with handmade. That comes with this blog - like that picture up there, #27? Yeah, the fabric's technically upside-down, but am I going to rotate the picture? Nah. Whatever dude. So yeah. Acceptance. Something to work on in the coming year.