No more sticky nicotine fingers

Yesterday, I went to class determined to finish at least the tobacco
portion of my project. I packed some snacks, which proved beneficial.
I ended up stating in class until 7:30 pm. That’s twice as long as our
normal class time. But my teacher was helping a student, the Christmas
carols were blaring, and I couldn’t bear to think of having to spend
more time in Studio East, aka my steamy guest bath.

On Wednesday night, I wanted to gag as I packed up the tobacco for
class. Some of the leaves still had their sweet smell. They were
typically still supple and sticky. I could easily twist and weave them
into the hardware frame. But others were quickly drying up. And some
smelled plain awful. I don’t care if I ever handle any form of tobacco
again. I’m not sure why I felt so compelled to make this project over
the last year, but I am glad I did it. Even if it doesn’t sound like
it right this minute.

So I still plan to add text by weaving in strips of craft paper. This
piece is based on the scar on the palm of my right hand, which I cut
on a Dr. Pepper bottle in kindergarten. I considered dying the paper
with my favorite soft drink, but I think I’ll try to match the color
instead. Otherwise, it would be a major bug magnet, leaving it more
vulnerable than it already is.

At this point, I feel pretty confident that I’ll finish the project on
time. I’ve eeked out a few Christmas gifts from Amazon. Now I just
have a few more handmade goods to complete. And I’m still not certain
about putting up our little tree at this point. Maybe I should just
have a giant picture made at Kinkos and hang it in its place.