Stealth Mode

This is the time of year when I'm working furiously on Top Secret Xmas Projects that CANNOT BE REVEALED until after delivery. Sometimes delivery happens in February. Or June. So it's gonna be quiet around here for a while.

But as usual I have a couple of things leftover. My neighbor keeps making delicious desserts and bringing them to my house. She is awesome. I told her that when I'm on my deathbed, all I will need is her oreo truffles. (A morphine drip would be rad too.) The last thing she brought over was four very delicious pumpkin cupcakes. My husband is lucky he even got to eat one of them. I made my neighbor this gift to encourage her to keep the desserts coming:

Dragon*Con this year was particularly successful for N.U.T.S.A.C. My brother and I decided that our greatest Con achievements should be commemorated in patch form. We documented said achievements, and I have been busily working on embroidering these patches. Xmas is a huge hurdle so I had to put them on hold, but I sent over the patches that I had finished so that he may begin learning how to sew them on to whatever he's going to sew them on. I have purchased a denim jacket, removed the sleeves, and studded it up in preparation for N.U.T.S.A.C. Achievement Glory. Here's the ones I've finished so far: (They are taking FOREVER.)

Here's something I'm kind of proud of. I bought that metal stamping kit and started making keychains, such as this one for the BFF:

This has been good practice for the Grand Plan. You see, thrift stores are full of old trophies. Most have a football player or golfer or something mounted on top, making them fairly specified. But I found a couple that I decided had real potential and I picked them up for later. My plan was to have new plates engraved, until I found out how much engraving costs. Eff that. So then I found out you could engrave with a dremel! I love my dremel! But my handwriting is abysmal. Strike Two. Then I bought this stamping set. So I've been practicing with these keyrings to get better and neater with the lettering. I decided I was ready to try it for real.

This award was for Brittany or Taylor getting straight As or something. She was so excited to get the award that I picked it up at Goodwill for $2. It turns out that those fancy brass plates are held on the awards with regular old double stick tape. No shit. So I peeled it off, dremeled the same size plate out of a blank metal sheet, and rechristened it:

Hammering the metal letters causes the metal sheet to pucker a bit and the ensuing reflection on the letters makes them hard to read. So I decided to rub some black acrylic paint into the letters and wipe away the surface paint to make it easier to read.

The BFF's son has really earned his keep this year. But I'd rather not put his name out on the interwebs, so I blurred it. Congratulations, PBBPBPBMMMBM!! (PS - If there's anyone out there that knows PBBPBPBMMMBM, this is a secret until Xmas. I just feel like bragging now. So keep it quiet.)

I am excited at the result because I have at least two more awards at home that are getting rechristened. And I am going back on the hunt for more. YAY for metal stamping!!