● Curly Haired Girl Sticker

How did I decide on the curly haired girl logo sticker? Let me tell you a short story. Many woodworking and tool events feature sticker swaps. This activity is fun and serves a purpose. It helps people remember you. For some, a board full of stickers serves as a pleasant distraction.

I have a small collection of stickers from art fairs, fashion shows – most everywhere. I’ve seen interesting ones on the backs of laptops and phones.

The thought of introducing myself by passing my own sticker to people I meet is awesome and fearsome. Still, I want to see how the stickers will be received.

I would love to give them away on the camino. The gesture offers a hint of goodwill and opens the door to friendship.

Watch me brainstorm this idea.

Warning: Woman Thinking!

I am not a trained artist, but I do play one in my shop.

I started working on the giveaway sticker for my blog. This visualization was in my files for a while. Here is an initial doodle with a felt tip pen and a bit of cut and paste. After many redrawings, I used watercolor pencils to flesh out the design.

While my official logo – the purple frame saw – retains its rightful place, I wanted an alternate that was more personal.

Here is another visualization with pens and art markers after many tries. Subsequent remakes were snapped and edited on the photos app on my smartphone.

I did a lot of thinking about this. It had to best represent me. In a coincidental way it would also represent the blog. A few things collided with those gray cells of mine. I avoided the usual tool references because I wanted something that stood for me outside the shop.

There had to be a reference to my impishness, my subtly mischievous mindset. Do those words even go together? I love good puns that are packed with a lot of meaning and make you think. So, a wink and wicked grin will certainly work.

What is more personal than my lipstick? Most everyday, I wear it – in the shop, out of the shop, whenever I need a pick me up. It is part of my minimal make-up kit. So I knew I had to feature that. It is something that everyone who really knows me recognizes as my personal signature. They notice when I’m not wearing any… lipstick, that is.

Aahhh! The hair!

Featuring the crown is a no-brainer. It’s funny that this is so important to me. I love my hair. I love my work. It’s magical when I am actually doing something that I love and not have to worry about my hair. Swimming, working out, or working in the wood shop (yes), my hair somehow provokes the world. I certainly won’t take credit for that.**

You know the story. It starts out like this: I was minding my own business… when someone else put it in their head (good pun) that my hair is their business. That brings out the warrior in me!

Ever always a work in progress.

This is my favorite.

I really like the Kilroy*** vibe!

It’s said that there were many places that nobody ever was, but Kilroy was there… that there were many places that nobody should ever be, but Kilroy was there.

Now for me, there are places I thought I’d never be, but I was there…

And if this mythical, elusive figure could imagine the possibilities, I can do the same on the Way.

The Decision

Here is the final version of the sticker for the pilgrimage. Nice! The blank rectangle will be filled with names of towns, people, dates, or events that I walk into along the Way.

And yes, in this case, I’m sacrificing the lipstick for my “close up”.

Would Mr. DeMille agree?

Baadaye and Buen Camino!

Shirley J ♥️

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**Another hair story at Blavity.com by Yolanda Baruch and more detail at ESPN.com by Justin Robertson.

***Read more about Kilroy here.