Tag Archives: Calvin & Hobbes mailbox decoration

Happy 2024!

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“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.” ~ Neil Gaiman, British author

Gathered

I spent some time in my art room yesterday experimenting with my new wood burning tool. I WISH I could do what you see above. So far, MY stuff compares reasonably well with a 4-year-old with crayons, but the images wouldn’t make it to the fridge door, even if you loved me. :0)

Happily, I found a wonderful source of help. A wonderful lady name Jannie Lisonbee has recorded YouTube videos on pyrography that I’m just starting to watch. I watched one yesterday of the 7 things she wished she had known before she started. She also has a website called Burn Savvy.com that shows various nibs and what they’re used for – just what I was looking for! I just signed up for her newsletter and emails. I feel like I won the lottery – well, ALMOST….

Our backyard neighbors didn’t feel obligated to put on a fireworks show to entertain the Lewises at midnight, so we just hugged each other, said “Happy New Year” and went to bed around 12:30.

Today is cool and crisp, nice and sunny.

My husband’s Christmas present was a MIG wire welder. He’s enjoying playing with it, buying stuff to use with it, reading about it in the manual that came with it, and online. He wants to set it up for gas AND electric. He’s found some videos on people making things with it, and so is in “Hog Heaven.”

MY present was my wood-burning tool, and then I ordered some replacement kitchen knives. They are ceramic and called, “Kyocera.” I truly love them and use what I have every day. I’ve had the set for several years, but, sadly, I chipped two. I’m still using them, but I decided that I would really enjoy having ones that weren’t chipped.

My only New Year’s Resolution is to try to give myself a break. One thing in particular is my new ‘habit’ of hitting the backs of my hands on things, causing large bruises. (I’ve TRIED telling my friends that my husband is abusing me, but they don’t believe it. They know I’m just a clutz.) I don’t know I’ve done it until AFTER I’ve clobbered one hand (or both) again. It would be nice to be bruise-free at least every once in a while. :0)

This Calvin & Hobbes piece we made will go up on our mailbox today or tomorrow.

I wish us all the happiest of New Years!

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Filed under holidays, Thoughts on a ________

Mailbox Decoration

We haven’t bothered to change our mailbox decoration for several months due to several factors. We had put up my husband’s favorite of the decorations we have made –

Sonic, The Hedgehog, Wyle E. Coyote, and Roadrunner. He likes this one especially because it was the first time we had a real 3-D-ness, with the Roadrunner’s legs.

Yesterday we were getting the mail really late in the afternoon. I asked if my husband minded changing the mailbox decoration. He agreed, so we put up MY favorite, Calvin & Hobbes. This one makes me smile, and I think that with all we are all going through these days, it’s good to get even a virtual hug.

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Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, Lewis projects

Calvin & Hobbes

On the way to the grocery store this morning, we changed our mailbox decoration. This one is about 1-1/2 feet tall and about 2 feet wide. We loved the comic strip by Bill Watterson, his wonderful sense of humor and surprising touches of warmth, like this design of his.

We captured the design from the Internet. My husband then converted the design to G-code (a language computers can understand.) We took the thumb drive out to the shop and put it into the computer than guides the torch on our CNC set up. This allows the torch to follow the directions in the G-code, cutting out the design for us. My husband then makes and welds on the attachment piece that we can mount on the mailbox.

I then use the overhead projector to mark the salient lines on the metal on both sides and then paint both sides with exterior paint. We then spray the piece with polyurethane to protect the paint from the sun and weather as much as possible.

This decoration will stay up until we replace it later this month with an Easter decoration.

 

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Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art

Calvin and Hobbes Mailbox Decoration

I think this is my favorite of the many mailbox decorations we’ve made. It makes me feel good when I see it. This is the back of the piece. you can see where I’ve tried to incorporate the mounting bar into the design.

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip by American cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995.

 

This is the front. The piece is about 2-1/2 feet tall and about the same wide – 3 feet + with the mounting bar and tail. We grabbed the design from the net. My husband translated the picture into code that the computer-guided torch on our CNC table can understand and cut out. We used a transparency and overhead projector to mark the bare metal for painting. I then painted both sides and then sprayed a clear protective spray on it. I hope this decoration gives people a warm feeling as they drive by our home.

 

Calvin and Hobbes by Sarah, Quotesgram.com

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Filed under Hobbies, Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art