LOST... The Retro Baseball Card Set

The new blog header was making me feel groovy, so I wanted to make a groovy new card. I have done the 3D cards before, but not the 1980 set...

PRP LOST - #54 Pierre Chang

I kinda dig my "Kel-LOST" logo. It will zoom if you click on it (Bip-Free.)

Design Based on: 1980 Kellogg's #9 George Brett

LOST... The Retro Baseball Card Set

With less than a week until the final season premiere, I am easing back into the LOST Baseball Card Set. While his 1970s alter ego, Jim LaFleur, is card #1 in the set, Sawyer did not yet have a card of his own. Check another one off of your lists.

PRP LOST - #53 James "Sawyer" Ford

This design was pretty easy to copy. I cheaped out on this one...

Design Based On: 2007 Bowman Draft Future's Game Prospects #BDPP70 - Emiliano Fruto

One More Reason to Look Forward...

Every year before the XXXXXXXXX (name of big football contest removed), I start getting antsy for spring training. Full disclosure: I start getting antsy right after the World Series ends. This spring could be one of the best yet!

For years, my dad and I would make the eight hour drive out to Peoria, AZ to see the Padres train. We would sometimes take their motorhome (and my mom) and make it a family vacation. (Stopping in Yuma to pay homage to the former Padres spring training site and for Mexican food at El Charro or Chretin's should be required by law.)  Unfortunately, my parents moved to Seattle a couple years back, and I haven't convinced my girlfriend that she should continue the tradition.

I doubt that we will go this year. But there is a silver lining! I will be able to park myself on the couch and read Josh Wilker's new book! Voice of the Collector got an advanced copy. Rob is holding off on his review until a little closer to the release date, but the cover alone has me salivating.

For those of you familiar with Josh's work, the anticipation is likely killing you. For those of you who aren't... Check out some of his writing on his blog. After that, you will know why I am so excited!

It is a little known fact that I did the cover art for one of Mr. Wilker's lesser known books. The concept came from one of my favorite blog posts. If you haven't already, please read the story of Joe Strain and Giant Prospects.

(Okay, this book never existed, but Cardboard Gods is for real. Get your pre-order now!)

Prophecy...

Here's hoping the Mayans don't screw me out of this one...

LOST... The Retro Baseball Card Set

It is getting close to the beginning of the final season of LOST... I figured It was time to shake a little of the old MS Paint rust off and make some new cards for my set. As I scrolled through the previous cards, I realized that I had mistakenly neglected the love of Desmond's life. Penelope Hume nee Widmore certainly deserves a card. When I began my selection process for selecting the card template I was at a loss.

It had been a few months since the last LOST card, and I wanted Penny's to shine. (Pun intended... just not funny.) Using my huge brain, I spent an hour or so connecting the dots. Penny is Desmond's long-lost love... Desmond was lost on an island... Islands often have buried treasure... Treasure can be valuable... Value is equal to what someone will pay for something... Something is what I am trying to think of... Thinking hurts my brain... My brain is big... Big things are... OOOH! HEY LOOK!!! Something shiny!!! Where was I??? Oh yeah, shiny... Pennies are shiny! I should make a LOST card for Penny! Oh, wait. I already started that...

So I took a nap.

Starting over... Pennies are coins...

PRP LOST - #52 Penny

Damn, I have a big brain!

A New Leaf: Day #? ("F" the New Leaf)...

I started this one during the Chargers' playoff bye week... In retrospect, I am glad I didn't finish.

Say what you will about my Padres. At least they never break my heart...

Cut Signature Hell...

I pulled my first cut "autograph" today. When I opened the pack, the back of the card was facing me. I held my breath and slowly turned it over. Hoping for a hall of famer or big-time celebrity, but fearing I would end up with one of the awful Frankencards. Not Al Franken, but rather an autographed card cut up to fit inside the window of another card. In retrospect, I'd rather have the Al Franken card...

Click scan for larger image

This whole stealing autographs from other manufacturers' cards has reached a new low.

A New Leaf: Day #9 (Early Morning Postings)...

It is five in the morning, and I have been at work for over an hour. Considering that I work an hour away from my home, I have been awake for a while now. Yet, even after two cups of coffee, I am still a little sleepy. It could be because I normally roll into the office around seven.

Why am I here so early? I have blogging to do!!! (Not really.) I did want to catch up, but I was actually "volunteered" to play delivery boy. Our company's truck driver is on vacation in Hawaii (Damn, I wish I got paid as much as our driver.) I was out of the office yesterday, so I was chosen to fill in for him this morning. I was asked if I would mind (read: told that I would be) driving a load of (product deleted to protect anonymity) to Northridge (2-1/2 hours away) for a 7am delivery. Despite the fact that it would require me to get up at three in the morning, I said, "Sure!"

My response was taken as an affirmative. My subtle defiance was the knowledge that my response of "Sure!" was a direct response to the question, "Would you mind?"

Hell yes I mind!!!

Well, the powers that be assumed I meant that I would gladly do my part to help the company. I was given a brief description of who I was meeting in Northridge and a reaffirmation that the delivery needed to be there by seven. The truck was to be loaded, gassed up, and ready to roll for my bleary-eyed arrival. A map would be placed on my desk, along with paperwork to accompany the load.

When I got to the office a little over an hour ago, there was no map on my desk. Hmm, maybe it is in the truck? Nope, the truck was empty. Empty. No paperwork, no map, no (product deleted to protect anonymity). Well, that sucks. Being the polite chap that I am, I felt that it would be rude to call at four in the morning to complain. So I sat at my desk and did what any good employee would do about it... I started blogging.

I'll let you know how this all turns out, but in the meantime here's a photo of my desk (sans map and delivery paperwork):

As you can see, I like an uncluttered workspace. Here is a close-up of my trophy:

It actually has interchangable plaques. My next favorite is:

Yes, that is dust on top. Don't worry, I dusted it off shortly after the photo... Well, not really. I did consider dusting it. That has to be worth something...

A New Leaf: Day #8 (Almost Caught Up)...

Then there was the time when I figured out the "Guess the Autograph" contest. A lazy Clay Bucholz was pretty obvious.

 I have probably posted this before, but seeing this again made me feel especially lazy.

A New Leaf: Day #7 (Catching Up Again)...

How some of you post every day (or multiple times a day) I will never know. I decided since I am lagging on this "new leaf" thing, I should delve into the "file of things unfinished". At one point before last season, Bad Wax was running a series of baseball rookie prognostications. His Ridiculous Rookies segment was always insightful and well researched (except for the total lack of Padres). At one point, there was a contest to design a logo for the RR segment... Of course, I ran with it... Of course, I never finished it... Here would have been my submittal:

I don't recall where the idea for this logo came from, I probably just made it up. It does look familiar... Hmm. I can't place it.

A New Leaf: Day #6 (Sometimes I Just Want To Snuggle)...

PunkRockPaint is a non-profit organization that supports worthy causes around the world. When noticing the plight of an innocent creature, a local San Diego musician decided that something needed to be done. While travelling on the 805 freeway south towards Mexico, singer-songwriter Kenny Eng noticed a large, blue bear on the edge of the fast lane. The poor creature had been hit several times, and its innards were strewn about traffic. Kenny wondered aloud about the life this poor creature had led. Was it a drug mule? Had fluffy, non-flammable guts been replaced with black tar death? Did a teenager give up on a childhood friend? Why was this once beautiful bear discarded like a fast food wrapper?

Mr. Eng decided to do something about it. He founded an organization devoted to the care and safety of our fluffy friends. People for the Ethical Treatment of Stuffed Animals (PeTSA) is now a driving force for change in the world of our forgotten friends. Click here to help.

The least I could do was help with a logo. (And I always strive to do the very least that I can.)

A New Leaf: Day #5 (All Caught Up)...

Here's a little something I did for one of my favorite bloggers. Rod over at Padrographs has one of the most amazing collections of Padres autographs in the world. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you check it out.

He collects autographed cards of Padres players and coaches. The thing is, they have to be shown in a Padres uniform. Aiming for a complete collection is especially difficult because, as we team collectors know, sometimes a player breezes through town so quickly they don't get a card made... and coaches rarely get cards of their own.

Another of my New Year's resolutions is to help Rod any way I can. This is a card from last year that I made and sent to Rod:

Hayhurst is a very interesting guy, and this card made for some great posts over at Padrographs. I couldn't have been more surprised when I received an autographed copy of the card in the mail from Rod! I wish I had a functional scanner, because it looks beautiful! Thanks again, Rod!

A New Leaf: Day #4 (Procrastinified)...

I don't know what I am going to find in the PunkRockPaint vault today. Let's go on a "treasure" hunt, shall we?

Ooh! How about an old-timey card:

Hard to believe, but these musical pantomime robots are turning 114 years young soon. I like to check in in the antics of Colonel P.A. Walter's creations every now and then on the interwebs. I am a huge fan of their manager/minion Mr. Reed. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to see them live - I think my better half is afraid that I will become a cyborg roadie and run away with them... She may be right.

A New Leaf: Day #3 (delayed)...

Here is another mixed media presentation from the good folks at PunkRockPaint. The media consisted of a pumpkin, a knife, and a candle.

This is a pumpkinized representation of Isaac Cheong from the legendary band, She Blonde Swede. Here is a photo for comparison purposes:

Yeah, I am pretty much the greatest punk-kin maker, EVAR!!!

A New Leaf: Day #2...

A mixed media project for today. (With apologies to GCRL and Night Owl in advance.)

Sometimes supporting the home team is more fun when you can poke a little fun at the other guys. They may point at the scoreboard, but I can point right back at them with this bad-boy.

A New Leaf: Day #1...

Part of my New Year's resolution is to post a new picture every day (more likely something old, but have not posted here before.) I am starting a little late, so I think I can pull it off for at least a week. I'll try to post a custom card at least every other day. Here goes:

- Show Flyer -

The Wrong Trousers

The Smart Brothers

Janu and the Whalesharks

9-14-08 at The Casbah, San Diego

Creating and then hand drawing the mirror imaged names in MS Paint was a bit of a pain, but I like the results. The show was amazing! Sorry you missed it. Perhaps I should have posted this earlier. ;)