IMAGINARY FRONDS

In Uffish Thought

2008-12-13T21:52:00.002-05:00

Well, it's official....my new blog is up and running. Find me blogging under my new nickname "Brillig" at the 'Twas Brillig blog!

Radical Move!

2008-12-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

Greetings to anyone who still stops by this blog!
Obviously it's been a light-year since I last posted here. I simply got tired. Tired. Of. Life. In. General. But there's a funny thing about "ennui": after awhile you can't stand it anymore and crazy things start happening.

For starters, I quit smoking. Yep, after 25 years of puffing my life away I got some sense and dragged my stinky nicotine smelling self off to a hypnotist and took care of the problem once and for all. It's been 6 months since I quit and I haven't had any urge at all to smoke. Yippeeeeee!!!!
And good riddance to it!!!!!

Then, as my GI cousin so adeptly put it, I gave my job at the bank the "one-fingered salute." Yes indeed, I quit. After 15 years I left a good paying job with great benefits to open my own retail shop!!!!! Wow. Am I nuts? Probably. In this economy? Yep. Go figure! Anyway, I've been wanting to do just that for ages and I finally followed my dream and opened my shop on Nov 22nd. It is called 'Twas Brillig. I make customized floral designs, handcrafted jewelry and many other nifty things. I know I'm biased but my shop is really stinkin' cute!!!!

In the meantime, I am going to deep six "Imaginary Fronds." Look for a new blog very soon showcasing my adventures in small business ownership and all matters handcrafted!

Until then.....beware the Jub-jub bird and the frumious bandersnatch!!!!

Creative Challenge

2008-05-18T09:33:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that I haven't blogged since January. Jeez, what in the world have I been up to for 4 months???? My PyrShep puppy takes up a bunch of my time, that's for sure! We've been going to obedience training with the ultimate goal of participating in agility trials. It's a lot of work but she's worth it!!!

More recently, Lucy over at Sweet Repeats has challenged me to expand my creative horizons and create a collage!! This is well outside my usual artistic pursuits and, truth be told, I'm really enjoying it! I should have taken pictures from the start but I just get so anxious to add more stuff that I forget. Now, it's not anywhere near completed but I did manage to stop for a nano-second to scan my collage so that the world can see my baby-steps :) More pix to come as I figure out what I'm doing!

Presenting "Edge of the Atlantic" for your consideration & critique.......

Almost Famous...

2008-01-12T20:41:00.000-05:00

Lucy's recent post reminded me that I had fiddled with the celebrity look-alike doo-dad over at myheritage.com......

Do I really look like Annette Bening? I looked more like Debra Winger when I was in my early 20s. One thing is for sure~I'm not getting stopped on the street for being a dead ringer for anyone and that's just fine with me!!!

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Welcome 2008!

2007-12-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!

Every sixty seconds you spend upset, is a minute of happiness you'll never get back .

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hark how the bells sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away
Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold
Ding dong ding dong that is their song with joyful ring all caroling.
One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air.
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale.

Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here!
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas, Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!
On on they send, on without end, their joyful tone to every home.
Ding dong ding... dong!

They call the wind Mariah!

2007-12-25T20:05:00.000-05:00

Hello World! My name is Mariah! I'm a Pyrenean
Shepherd.

I'm 7 weeks old! I'm very fresh! I have no manners!

I'm very smart! I've got a lot to learn!

I come when I'm called.

I sit on command for 5 seconds.
I spin left or right on command with hand signals.

I've been in this new home since 4:00am Sunday morning and I know my name already.

I think I'm gonna give my mommy a run for her money!

The Little Things...

2007-12-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

As we hustle and bustle our way through the Christmas season, remember to take time to stop and appreciate all the wondrous little things that are the true gifts of Christmas. Because, when you think about it, truly it IS the little things that make us happy.

A perfect snowflake, a winter dawn, cardinals in the backyard, trimming the Christmas tree, the smells of yummy things baking, yuletide carols, crackling fires.....

But the biggest gift of all is enjoying all these little things with the ones you love!

A Ba(n)ker's Dozen

2007-12-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

And then the banker (that would be me) found a great idea online. While poking around, the following page appeared on my PC: Day Zero, the 101 Things to do in 1001 Days Project.

Hmmm...okay, sounds interesting sez me so off I am to check it out. The gist being that you have to create a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days and the things you do can't be candy-ass things...each thing has to involve some genuine effort by the participant. Okay, no problem. I can come up with tons of things to do that require thought and effort. The site then informs me that 1001 days is 2.75 years. The procrastinator in me thinks this sounds totally do-able. All that time, one little (ha) list. Again, no problem.

My first clue that something was wrong with this idea arrived when I ran out of ideas at #22. Sure, I could probably invest some real time (as if I have any of that) and maybe stretch it to 5o. Still, I was intrigued and thought this idea worth pursuing.

That was until my friend, Lucy, after hearing me out on this grandiose plan, pointed out the obvious: "So 101 things in 1001 days....that's like 1 thing every 9 days."

Aw, hell.
Yep, this banker sucks at math.

What was that I said about it not being a problem? Yeah, right.
NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN.
Completely doomed.

So, in the spirit of 2008 (yeah, I know we haven't made it to Christmas yet and here I'm talking about *gasp* next year) I am annoying you with what I hope to accomplish in the coming year. Since I can count to 13 handily enough, I whittled my list down to the following things:

Participate in Spring Fest Crafts Festival
Finish the bathroom remodeling project (started this one 4 years ago)
Open an Etsy shop
Learn how to knit
Finish all WIPs listed on my blog (uh, well 6 of them anyway)
Learn how to make candles
Clean out the attic
Turn unused basement room into a storeroom (involves major gutting & remodeling)
Visit Newfoundland (where 2 of my grandparents were born, already planned for August)
Expand, remodel & reorganize (again) my craft space
Plant a row of forsythia bushes (at least 6) along the edge of driveway
Build a storage cabinet for the garage
Clean out my storage unit (stuff in there I haven't seen in 16 years...that is SCARY!)

A nice ba(n)ker's dozen. 1 thing every 28 days. I feel like I can relax now!! After all, I don't have to get crackin' for another 26 days. ;)

(Taking bets on exactly how many of these things will actually happen. Be mindful, I am a professional procrastinator.)

Orchids for Christmas

2007-12-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

Orchids for Christmas??? Absolutely!
The client asked for traditional Christmas colors. She didn't specify traditional Christmas flowers!

I just love it when the client gives me leeway and lets me come up with my own vision. It's very confining when the customer dictates the style, flowers, colors and size of the arrangement when I have something completely different in mind. In fact, if I have a pre-conceived idea of what the design should be, the more difficult it is for me to execute the design. I really prefer to just go where the floral muse takes me at any moment in time.

This arrangement went to a repeat customer who has been super supportive not only in commissioning pieces from me (...and she wants another piece after the holiday bustle is over!!) but also in promoting me to her friends in the area. Ah, yes...the joy of word of mouth advertising!

On a different note....if you enjoy completely irreverant humor, check out the Lego Advent escapades over at No Appropriate Behavior. It's "Lego City Advent Calendar" vs. "Lego Belville Advent Calendar." Very funny stuff! I've been waiting all year for this!!! :)

Elf Yourself!

2007-12-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

I've been elfed...along with the 3 divine felines!!! Entirely too funny...
Check it out at Elf Yourself.

Also, notice that my elf is the one that can't dance. How did they know??? LOL

Just nod if you can hear me....

2007-11-17T20:08:00.000-05:00

"Hello (hello, hello) Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me...Is anyone home?"

Sheesh.....have I been away for a while, or WHAT? Bet you thought I gave up on this bloggy thingy!!!

Truth is, I've been partly lazy and mostly busy. But I'm still around, still creating and gearing up to get back into the blogosphere. Just thought I'd check in and say hello!

A Fool for Orchids

2007-08-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

It's been another productive weekend all around...even if I only did half of the "housekeeping" items on my list. At least the big jobs are done. We've got company coming to visit in a week and a half so I'm just scurrying all around the house in preparation.

That's not to say that I haven't taken a few moments to be creative! I sat down to play with my very favorite flowers...orchids! I never paid much attention to orchids until about a year or so ago. Didn't care about them. Heard they were a pain to grow. Blew them off. Totally. And then my Mom bought me one. And I can't get enough of them. I now have nine. And they're fussy. And fantastic!

Obviously, it was a real hardship for me to work with silk orchids today. Here's my wee little orchid arrangement in a thrifted lotus bowl. Okay, maybe it's not so little. It stands about a foot tall!

Serpentine & Silver

2007-08-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

Yep, I'm still in bead heaven...neglecting my floral endeavors completely which is not a good thing when you have floral work to do! But...it's a faster process to create jewelry than to create a floral arrangement. Or at least it is when you're a novice jewelry maker. I'm sure it will become more time consuming as I attempt more "inventive" designs. I've been assembling these last few items simply to learn the basic skills. All in all, it's a relaxing hobby!

I really do favor sterling silver and Swarovski crystals which work together very well. This set is made with corrugated round sterling silver beads, sterling squash beads, pale green Swarovski crystals, African bloodstone and "new jade" serpentine. All the findings are sterling silver as well with the exception of the crimp tubes which are silver plate.

Bead Mania

2007-08-11T21:54:00.000-04:00

Beads, beads and more beads! That's what I've been up to lately. Just wanted to share the bracelet and earring sets I made today...

I'm enamored of copper beads and findings at the moment. For this set I used Light Colorado Topaz Swarovski crystals, Celtic design copper beads, brecciated jasper, river stone and African bloodstone.

This second set also contains brecciated jasper, African bloodstone and river stone. I then added coiled copper beads and copper acorn and oak leaf charms.

I also finished the turquoise necklace from a few posts back so I can cross that off my WIPs :)

Lucy-thanks for the tip about using my scanner instead of a camera to get great images of my jewelry. It worked really well, as you can see!

Perhaps some of these jewelry creations will find their way onto Etsy???? Hmmmm.......perhaps! Guess I need to get busy making more!

A Hint of Autumn

2007-08-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

Is it me or is time zooming by this summer? Autumn is just around the bend...and already my floral designs are learning toward harvest colors. I just can't believe how quickly the summer has passed...or how long it's been since my last post. Where have I been? LOL

I did manage to take a long break from work and during the week & a half I was out, I only managed this one creation. I did, however, clear out and reorganize the disaster area known as the garage so that yours truly, Mizfixit, could actually find a tool or two in order to fix something... anything!!! The upside to the Great Garage Clean-up of 2007 is that I discovered I did not own a working jigsaw or router. This, of course, necessitated a trip to buy a new jigsaw. I can't exist without a jigsaw...they are SOOOOO useful! And yes, I was gleeful (in the store) because I was buying a power tool. I'm such a dweeb. Soon, I'll be going back to buy a new router and a compound miter saw. On the same day. OMG. I promise I won't drool! Much. Once all those toys are in place, the woodcrafting will begin! :) Yep, I'm all over the crafty map, aren't I?

And..................I got another commission!!!!! I'll be doing 2 matching pieces--a tall container arrangement for an entry porch corner with a matching piece for the door. Yippee!!! Word is slowly getting out!

Happy Birthday, America!

2007-07-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

A point to ponder on America's 231st birthday....

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~Abraham Lincoln

"I lift my lamp beside the golden door." ~Emma Lazarus

Did you know???

The official name of the Statue of Liberty is "Liberty Enlightening the World."

God Bless Our Troops

God Bless the USA

May you all have a safe & happy Fourth of July!

Summertime...and a New Creative Obsession!

2007-06-30T19:34:00.000-04:00

Hmmmm....orange & yellow. Now where might I have found the inspiration for this color scheme in a floral arrangement? The wise swap mavens over at Sweet Goodness Swaps had the right idea...seems that orange & yellow ARE the hot colors for this summer. Although I'm sitting out this time during their Summer swap, I'll be eagerly watching from the sidelines to see all the lovely creations and goodies!

And...I had another sale!!! Yippee!!!! You might remember the Morning Glory Madness arrangement that I made during my floral classes in February. All these sales...well, all 3 of them anyway... are encouraging. I'm thrilled that people like my arrangements enough to buy them. At the very least, it helps motivate me to create and keeps the dream of my own little shop, "Imaginary Fronds", alive and well. I've been looking around for other things to create, other than florals, to add to the appeal and allure of that future shop. Which brings me to my next creative obsession..............

Jewelry making! My Mom pointed out a beading magazine in the store a few weeks back and the next thing you know, I am HOOKED. Lucy even caught me red-handed at Michael's stuffing my shopping basket with beads and all kinds of supplies to start myself down the path of jewelry making. Here's a picture of my first creation which is not entirely finished. I wasn't smart enough to buy 2 of the same toggle (and it was sold out when I went back) so the necklace remains unfinished until the store restocks the toggle.

So far, I have learned 4 things about making jewelry. First off, don't string your beads too tight. I wound up having to re-string the bracelet.

Secondly, Michael's charges way too much for their beading supplies (duh!) and I now have several catalogs with far more economical prices on their way to me.

Third...as I mentioned earlier....make sure you buy enough stuff to finish a project unless you want to be disappointed.

And last, but not least, be sure to lay out your jewelry perfectly before photographing it! You can't see all the danglies in this picture but you get the idea :)

It is my own design, crafted from turquoise beads, 2 different colors of Swarovski bicone crystals and sterling silver beads and findings. Please, please, please give me feedback on this set!

Determination

2007-06-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

It is entirely possible that my bout of "crafter's block" is over. I've had every excuse in the book as to why I haven't created a single thing in over a month...you know, the usual litany of too tired, too stressed, too busy, too whatever ad nauseum! Well, I took a 5 day weekend and was determined to have something to show for it. I wound up with 6 somethings!!!

The first 5 are actually hanging basket houseplants that I whipped up for our sunroom (3 more to go but need to get more pots first). You see, Mom & I have potted up live plants for that sunroom about 20 times, no exaggeration! We only walk right past the sunroom umpteen times a day and do you think we could manage to water the poor plants? Nope. I hate to think about how many plants we've killed this way. Anyway, a while back I suggested to Mom that silks might be the answer and she finally said "do it." Well, let me tell you they look great and there's no watering and therefore, no guilt. :)

Then I managed to make this green & burgundy creation which is a bit wild. It will be off to the salon in the near future where I hope someone will like it enough to give it a good home. I'm pleased to report that two of my previously posted creations were sold...the Bird Cage & Then there were Fronds.

I've just got to keep the momentum going....

New York State of Mind

2007-05-29T21:24:00.000-04:00

Wow, can't believe it's been a month since I posted anything...just file me under "L" for lame. Does anyone else go through spells where you just can't relate to a computer? Usually I check my email at least once a day, read through my favorite blogs, google something, etc. Lately, I can barely find the power switch on this thing. Anyway, maybe this post will get me back in the swing of things. I wish I could say that at least I've been off being crafty but nope, barely a crafty thing has appeared around here. Well, new supplies have arrived but I haven't made anything since the Spring Fling Swap last month. One creative thing I did was some twiddling around on Photoshop. I have a few photos of NYC from my cruise in 2005 that weren't the best. So...I played with them and tried out some effects.

On the left is the somewhat retouched original shot which I like but didn't find visually interesting. After several rounds of color editing and using cool lighting effects and filters, the result on the right emerged. What do you think of the finished image?

Also, does anyone know what buildings are shown here and what street we are looking at? I took this at dawn with Manhattan to the east of the ship and was trying to catch the light coming across the island on one of the streets. Not being from NYC, I am clueless as to what we're looking at here!!!

I do absolutely LOVE New York and have been dying to visit for ages. Of course, life gets in the way of my travels but I always feel so alive when I'm there. In 2005, it just about killed me that we went straight from the airport to the port, boarded the ship and promptly sailed out of town. One of these days..............yep, I'm in a New York State of Mind :) I would just die for a hard roll, a good Jewish deli (pastrami on rye with a kosher dill pickle--a nice green one that's barely pickled!), GOOD Chinese food (not available in North Carolina in case you were wondering), a Broadway show and some killer shopping! Oh, the torment.................

Tweet Things

2007-04-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

If you have not visited Mrs. Kwitty's blog and Etsy shop, run on over and have a peek! Karen is delightfully creative and has the cutest things for sale. I purchased this adorable little birdy business card wallet from her shop. I needed to have something nice to carry my cards in because I kept losing them in my purse, only to find them a little mangled when I needed to give one out (yeah, that's embarrasing!) Now I'm organized AND fashionable! Yes, it matches the felted purse Heidi made for me! :)

Spring Fling Goodness

2007-04-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I received my Pink & Green Spring Fling Swap goodies from my swap partner, Heidi! As you can see, she made me one of her felted sweater bags and it is SWEET!

S: Stitched table runner (& a paper tablecloth)
P: Purse (handmade from thrifted/felted sweater)
R: Ribbon (with cute spring motif)
I: Interesting apron made from a towel
N: Nice storage containers
G: Gum ( in pink & green, no less)

Thank you for all my wonderful goodies, Heidi! I cannot wait to use my new purse...it is way too cute!

Nancy Needs...

2007-04-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

I laughed so hard at Lucy's post that I had to try this for myself. If you want to play, Google your name and the word needs in quotes to see what pops up!

Nancy needs some vino. (That goes without saying!!!)
Nancy needs to wake up. (Call me when the coffee's ready, but not before 9 a.m.)
Nancy needs a boob job. (uh...no thanks.)
Nancy's dreams of a courthouse turning into an ATM machine tells me she needs professional help. (what the.... my bank job must be making me bonkers.)
Nancy needs protection from Liberals. (Don't get me started...you really don't want me to get on my soapbox.)
All Nancy needs is a peanut butter sandwich, a box of crayons, and some paper to be happy. (Right on!)
Nancy needs your help, you can donate by check or credit card. (Cash or PayPal also accepted!)
All Nancy needs is to wolf down a three-thousand calorie dessert and bring the silver spoon back to Miles. (Did someone say cheesecake?)
Nancy needs more of those Howard Stern prank calls to get her some good exposure. (As if I'm on American Idol or something...)
Queen Nancy needs her own personal Boeing 757 kept on standby with 16 dedicated Air Force personnel to cater to her every whim. (It's good to be the Queen!)
Nancy needs saving by George Clooney and wants to listen to Schubert. (Now we're talkin'!!!)
Nancy needs to file a squadron commander’s report. (Wait, I thought that's what the Air Force personnel were for.)
Nancy needs to be in national office and we need to help put her in the US Congress. (Yep, but I don't know that the country is quite ready yet for me!!! I'd straighten out their PC butts in a New York minute :)

We are Siamese, if you please...

2007-04-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

Although I consider myself thrift & vintage challenged, I have to admit that if I saw these 2 lovelies in a store they would definitely have to come home with me!

This Shafford salt & pepper shaker set (guessing circa mid-1950s) belonged to my grandmother at one point in time. She gave them to my mother who had stashed them away in her hope chest. I received them when Mom gave me her hope chest and all its contents about 17 years ago.

Aren't they just too cute for words?

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T15:58:00.000-04:00

Peace Be With You...

Happy Easter!

The Bird Cage

2007-04-01T15:12:00.000-04:00

I really need to post more often...I've been meaning to share this creation from my last floral design class for almost 2 weeks. The class is over now :( It was an enormous amount of fun and more inspiring than I imagined it would be!

I have had this birdcage hanging about for over a year and figured if I was going to make an arrangement in it that I'd better do it while I still had an instructor to pester should it all go horribly wrong! And yes, it's a crazy mish-mash of many elements. Again, I wish my pictures were better.

In other news, I delivered 2 commissioned arrangements this week which was very exciting for me! Both customers seemed very pleased and one asked for business cards to give to her friends who she was sure would want new arrangements of their own!!!

I probably worry too much when making commissioned pieces...there's always the fear that the customer will hate the arrangement. It hasn't happened yet, thankfully, probably because I ask A LOT of questions up front to make sure I understand what they are looking for. Still, you never know....

I joined the Spring Fling Swap hosted by Rebecca & Lucy at Sweet Goodness Swaps and just found out that my swap friend is Heidi. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should!
I confess that I have lurked on her blog many times in the past and am delighted she is my swap buddy! Lucy has a sense of humor to pair a knitiot (that would be me) with the Spiritual Knitter herself...oh, the irony! Heidi, rest assured that I won't knit anything for you...at this juncture whatever I attempt to make turns out looking like mangled kitty toys :) But, I'm learning!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2007-03-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

May your blessings outnumber

the shamrocks that grow,

And may trouble avoid you

wherever you go!

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!

Ah, St. Paddy's Day....I look forward to it every year because my Mom corns her own brisket and it is delish!!!

Anyway...I've been avoiding posting my latest floral class creation because I was missing one flower and it wasn't complete without it. I even managed to go into Michael's and buy just one stem in order to finish it up. (Okay, I fibbed-2 stems-I couldn't decide which one would match, so I bought them both.) So, here you have it...my grapevine wreath, now gracing our front door! Mostly I'm proud of myself for using pink stems. Pink and I do not get along very well. I find it hard to incorporate into my creations.

And finally I can share with you the commissioned piece I mentioned in a post way back in early February. I finally managed to find a block of time to just sit down and create it. At one point, about 3 weeks ago, I had started working on it from a sketch I had made of what I thought it should look like. Bad idea. I hated it so much that I ripped it apart. Today, I just went with the creative muse that was wafting around the room and created the design shown here. The future owner had asked for a new Spring centerpiece for her dining room table, done in blues & mauves, with oriental accents. I used mauve & blue hydrangeas, deep mauve flowers (no idea what those are but the color was perfect), lotus blossoms, willow twigs, white cherry blossoms and bamboo leaves. I wish the picture had turned out better because you can't see the depth and dimension in this piece at all. :(

In other crafty news, I'm working on a painted pillar candle holder that is made from a 6-inch terra cotta rose pot and a 4-inch matching saucer. I saw the design on the cover of Quick & Easy Painting magazine and of course said, "I can make that!" Stay tuned for the finished product.... I'm about half way finished already!

Coca-Cola: Symbol of Free West!

2007-03-07T19:22:00.000-05:00

Realizing that recently there has been a distinct lack of gratuitous "fur baby" photos of the Divine Felines, I present you with Hercules during his latest modeling gig for Coca-Cola! (as if....LOL)

My handsome Snowshoe baby is 11 months old now and a completely delightful companion... he is such a silly boy! Whenever I open a new Coke 12-pack, he paces around & meows until I cut out both ends. Then he dives right in and stays there...he'll even let me pick the box up in that center finger slot and carry him around. He never budges. I don't know what the big attraction is. His other favorite game is batting ping pong or whiffle balls around in the bathtub. Of course, the other 2 cats show up to watch and eventually we wind up with 3 cats whizzing around the bathtub! Quite a sight, let me tell ya!

Well, I'm off to work on my knitting skills...I finally got around to learning how to purl. Next up is making ribbing and let me tell ya, it ain't gonna be pretty! At least not for a few more days :) This is an awful lot of craft agony to endure just to make a pretty pillow I found in a book... Is this what they meant by "no pain, no gain??" Sheesh!

And then there were FRONDS!

2007-03-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Tuesdays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week! Unfortunately, there are only 2 more of my floral design classes left to go....waaaaaaaaaah!!!! Going forward, I guess I'll just have to set aside Tuesday nights strictly for frondy fun. Hey! That's not a bad idea at all!

Tonight was foliage night and I came up with this kooky arrangement. It's hard to tell what's going on from the picture, but I used 3 kinds of ferns (I adore ferns!), poppy pods, grape leaves and some marvelous bendy grapevine (if you look closely, you'll see the dark coils meandering around). Since my approach last week worked so well, I went zipping through my craft room quickly again and made quick stem selections. I mentioned this approach to the teacher and he said it's really the best way to do it because the designs flow better and are not so cookie cutter-ish or constructed. The trick is to make it all look like it grew that way naturally! Did I mention that I'm having entirely too much fun??? Is it next Tuesday yet?? LOL

Pink & Brown Goodness

2007-03-04T10:31:00.000-05:00

Oh stop, wait a minute Mr. Postman......

My pink & brown goodie box arrived Friday, full of swappy goodness! My buddy was Claire over at Little Lovelies and she took good care of me :) I love, Love, LOVE the thrifted pink vase! Ever so cute! On the right is a "Twelve Days of Christmas" quilling kit she thrifted and although it's not pink or brown, I had told Claire I wanted to try quilling. She must be clairvoyant (no pun intended LOL) to send me that kit now... it will take me all year to make the ornaments for next Christmas! She also sent a huge pink & brown coffee mug...perfect as I'm a java junkie...lots of ribbon, chocolate, hair clips, scrapbooking embellishments, crafty cupcakes, a Valentine's heart garland, notecards and 2 of her adorable heart button ornaments! And she snuck some blue stuff in too...fabric with a star print and lots of buttons and other embellishments. Claire, I love my stuff! Thank you!!!!!!!!

On the left is a snap of what I sent to Claire. Beads, embroidery floss, hot chocolate, dark chocolate, balsam fir scented mug mats & hot pads, rubber duckies for her 2 sweet munchkins, a bookmark, a notepad, and a thrifted ceramic watering can.

This was my very first swap and I have to admit that I was nervous about it...wondering if I found and made the right stuff. In the end, I really enjoyed participating in this swap and seeing all the great things that everyone sent over at the Pink & Brown Flickr site! We are all marvelously talented!!!!!!

Morning Glory Madness

2007-02-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had entirely too much fun putting together this arrangement in my floral class! Last week, I had pre-selected the flowers and had a good idea what it would look like before I even started. Today, I was running behind and had nothing picked out ahead of time. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow! And sometimes the flow leads to really cool, kooky things like this Morning Glory Madness! I ran through my craft room 15 minutes before I left for class, grabbing stuff left and right. I must try that method again....I'm way happier with this arrangement than the one I did last week :)

I'm a Knitiot :(

2007-02-26T19:12:00.000-05:00

I don't mean a knitiot in the happy "hey look at what I made" sorta way. Just try saying "I'm a knitiot" a few times fast and you'll find the true self-evaluation of my latest crafty undertaking. Silly me decided to learn how to knit and I know it's not something to be mastered overnight but...JEEZ LOUISE! I AM an idiot at knitting. I'm sure a kindergartener could do better than what I've been churning out! And I haven't even begun to purl yet. OMG, I can't even think about purl yet!! My head might explode.

Fortunately, my Mom is an excellent knitter and she is offering her knitty wit and wisdom to me. Okay, maybe not so much wit, more like sarcasm as she watches her daughter massacre a skein of yarn. Or, in my own words...in the case of an emergency I'd be able to make something to keep me warm but it sure would be FUGLY!

Please tell me that this gets easier!!!!!!! I'm going to need a ton of encouragement to keep on knitting.

Crappy Day Becomes Happy Day

2007-02-20T22:34:00.000-05:00

There are days when I really wonder about myself. Today, of course, was one of them. I'll spare you the details but I did not cope very well with how my work day developed at the office. It started when I got a LOT of ink all over the sleeve of one of my best sweaters. One of my co-workers came to the rescue...hairspray removes ink. I never would have guessed that. Anyway, it got worse from there......

(leaving this part to your imagination, mostly because I don't want to revisit it)

.....until I left for the day and headed off to my floral design class at the local community college. I have the privilege of learning from a well-known local freelance floral designer named Carl Klabbatz who has worked with a whole slew of designers over his 34 year career. His work stands out and is fantastic! Every so often he teaches this class. In the past, I've not been able to enroll due to time issues. But finally, I'm there and I've already learned a TON of things from him. The photo in this post is from the arrangement I created tonight. Carl said I did "very, very well." I'm thrilled!!! There's hope for me yet!

This arrangement is a little more formal than I intended and it won't work in my house, so this one is off to the salon where I sell my stuff this Saturday!

Penny Rug...

2007-02-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

A while back, some of us were musing over the term "Penny Rug." This morning I stumbled over this while visiting a craft-zine I subscribe to...

"What is a Penny Rug? It is a name given to a folk-art style of appliqué dating back to the mid 1800’s. The rugs were traditionally made from felted wool. This technique was used to make table runners, pillows, and rugs that were not placed on the floor. The “penny” comes from the coins that were used as templates for the circle motif that was often used in the designs."

Now we know!!!

Winter Reverie

2007-02-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

I've been given a nudge to update my blog...and to snap out of my winter reverie! I haven't been completely idle...been plugging away at my Pink & Brown crafty items for Claire :) I have to confess that the materials I chose also include blue and a little orange. The pink is not as prevalent as I had hoped when I started the project but there's no turning back now!

Lucy tagged me to go blog-surfing and find 5 blogs of interest by starting with the 5th blog on my list, going to the 5th blog on her list and so on.....I had to bend the rules a teensy bit and start with the 4th blog on my list. Here are all the fun places I visited!!!

Bitter Betty
Mommy Mosh Pit
Punk Rawk Purl
A Fistful of Stitches
Fresh Peth

I've also been out & about gathering up a variety of silk flowers for the commissioned piece I am making. Blues, mauves, creams, bamboo, orchids....I can't wait to get started on this one!

Orange Snow?

2007-01-17T22:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, orange snow! I took this photo January 1982 in Hudson, Ohio for a photography class during my senior year in high school. Originally, it was a somewhat ordinary black & white shot. I printed it on color paper and randomly spun the color settings on the enlarger just for giggles. I couldn't have done this on purpose! But I really like the effect, it's kinda wild! I nearly lost this print...I have no idea where the original negative is and the one print I had was damaged. I had to run it through the scanner & then make some repairs in Photoshop.

Really, I'm not a freak!

2007-01-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

Oh Lord, I've been tagged by Shirlee at Big Blue Sky to reveal 6 weird things about myself....uh, um, er....okay!

1) At the dinner table, nothing can be pointing at me or crowding me or out of balance. I will rearrange things on the table until the perfect balance is found. This drives my family crazy. For some reason, I don't have this problem in restaurants, only at home.

2) For the last 10 years, I have made it a point not to step aside when walking down a store aisle if the person walking toward me is younger than me. I got tired of stepping out of the way for rude clueless teeny-boppers. Also, if I'm walking next to someone else in a store aisle and I decide to step out of the way for someone older, I cannot be on the left side and behind the person I'm shopping with. It's got to be the right side. I wound up on the left not to long ago and it weirded me out.

3) I sometimes catch myself counting things...number of steps taken from the car to the store, number of stairs climbed, number of cracks in the sidewalk, etc. This is probably an occupational side effect. I count money for a living, one bill at a time.

4) I rescue spiders every chance I get. There are only 2 exceptions to this rule: Black widows & brown recluses.

5) Speaking of bugs....I am fascinated by most bugs with the exception of ticks, fleas, gnats & mosquitos. Those little suckers deserve whatever I do to them. I used to pop into the local Waldenbooks to look up interesting new bugs in a bug reference book. It got to the point where it was embarrassing. The employees all knew why I was there. I broke down and bought the bug book.

6) I am terrified of tornadoes. I have never seen one and hope I never do. Bring on the hurricanes, nasty thunderstorms, hail, blizzards, whatever! Just please no tornadoes. I've had a number of nightmares about being in the path of a tornado. Shadows from a former life maybe????

I'm supposed to tag 6 people now...most everyone I visit in bloggyville has done this meme, so if you're reading this, TAG!!! How weird are you?? LOL

Time to get a Wiggle on!

2007-01-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

It's high time I snapped out of my post-holiday daze....or as Mom used to tell me when I was a wee bairn, "Time's a-wastin', time to get a wiggle on!" (that still makes me giggle to myself when I think of it)

The Pink & Brown Swap is on! I've been out hunting goodies & visiting my swap partner's blog--Claire at Little Lovelies. What a cute blog! She describes herself as an equal opportunity crafter! Love it...sounds like me, I will try any craft if I think it looks interesting :)

This swap is exactly the kind of nudge I needed to get back to crafting. I have far too many WIPs and planned projects that I have yet to start! (and I know I'm not alone in that area...thanks to all of you confessed procrastinators for assuaging my guilt!) And it also looks like I have a floral arrangement customer as a result of the 2 Christmas floral raffles I did for my Mom's club! One of the ladies has asked that I come to her home to talk about a large Spring arrangement for her dining room! YAY! I've really been looking forward to creating Spring arrangements.

Okay, enough blogging...I must go get a wiggle on!

Creative Hiatus

2006-12-29T23:05:00.000-05:00

The holidays have thrust me into a temporary creative hiatus......it MUST end soon!
Maybe the 3-day holiday weekend will get me back on track?

In the meantime, thought I'd share another one of my photographs...the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge taken from the deck of a cruise ship as we left New York City, September 2005. The late afternoon light couldn't have been more perfect for this shot!

Watch for a link to a website of my photography to appear in the "Creative Obsessions" section of this blog in late January/early February!

Merry Christmas to All!

2006-12-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

FA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!!!!!!!

To my new friends and old, both far and near, I wish for you the Merriest Christmas ever and all the best in the New Year! Be happy, stay healthy and safe...and don't forget to follow your dreams wherever they may take you!!

Too Much Time on my Hands

2006-12-24T14:06:00.000-05:00

Uh, oh....

I think I've created a monster LOL! Found myself sitting around with nothing to do (just waiting for my cousin to arrive for Christmas) and here's what happened! Didn't you know my kitties were world travelers???? And for the scientific types, I am aware that the blue-footed booby is only found in the Galapagos, but I thought they would look great in this collage!

Kitties...In...Space!!

2006-12-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Be careful what you ask for!

For Christmas, Mom asked for a customized mousepad featuring the Divine Felines...well, after much fiddling in Print Shop & Photoshop Elements, Kitties In Space!!! was born :)

I found a really neat customizable micro-thin mousepad at Staples that accomodates a 4x6 photo. The best part is that you simply slip the photo into it and you can change it whenever you want! I suspect that more random mousepad silliness lurks on the horizon... Perhaps the photo will change with the season?

Christmas is Coming!

2006-12-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

Whipped up these Sculpey Christmas ornaments this afternoon... well, it took ALL afternoon because Sculpey is not my friend! They came in kits with most of the clay colors and instructions to make all the ornaments. While they turned out better than I thought they would, they don't look anything like the packaging showed. I had to take some liberties with the directions. Oh, wait! That's right, I have artistic license! COOL. In that case, they're perfect, oui? LOL

Anyway, they're finished & about to get gift bagged for the gals at work. (Lucy, if you see this tonight, act surprised tomorrow, okay? LOL) Other than wrapping gifts, this was my last project to complete for the holidays. Boy, am I relieved :)

More importantly, my cousin, Christopher, will be arriving on Christmas Eve and will be here for Christmas Day. He's a Staff Sergeant (Army) and has been a drill instructor for the last 2 years. He's also the little brother I never had. We're 4 years apart in age and got to know each other during vacations that we spent at our grandparents' house in Florida each summer when we were kids. Usually he only stops in for a few hours, so an overnight stay is a "real" visit and a chance to trade "war stories!" And we've got plenty of stories, that's for sure! It's been years since he's been here for Christmas...I can hardly stand the wait!

Hercules, in his Christmas finery, wants to take you on a tour to see some of the Christmas decorations! (I still can't believe he actually wears this collar and doesn't object. The other 2 kitties freak out.)

This wreath is one of my designs from about 6 years ago. It was based off of a floral centerpiece that Mom bought and which is displayed inside our living room fireplace (non-working) each year. I also made up some garland for the mantle which matches both the wreath & the floral centerpiece. For some reasons, all the pictures I took of the garland & centerpiece came out blurry & unusable. Sorry!

Our Christmas tree is a big mixture of handmade ornaments & Hallmark collectible ornaments. We favor anything that depicts animals! (Go figure!) The only problem we have with the tree is decorating the bottom set of branches...a definite no-no with the Divine Felines. We've learned to put some soft "sacrificial" ornaments on the bottom branches for them to pull off & play with. I think you can see a heart-shaped one in the picture. It really does save the tree from certain disaster!

Our stocking are hung (patriotically!) by the chimney with care... I saw these a few years back at a local old-timey hardware store and couldn't pass them up.

And our carved carolers have been with us for years. We found them in a "country primitives" shop in Hudson, Ohio at least 20 years ago. They are my favorite pieces to put out each year. Even the dog and cat are caroling! How cute is that?? :)

Well, it's off to fight with the Divine Felines over the wrapping paper...I'll let you know who wins!

Christmas Whimsy

2006-12-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

I acquired a new Christmas decoration this year....the Christmas alligator! Isn't she darling in her red high heels and pink bows? I couldn't resist this bit of whimsy to add to the traditional decorations around the house! She's up on the mantle in the family room by herself because she simply doesn't coordinate with anything else we have. Next year I'll have to work out an Alligator Winter Wonderland for her! :)

Photographic Phumble

2006-12-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

There are some things I shouldn't do at 6:00 in the morning.

Brilliant me, who procrastinated making Christmas centerpiece #2 until 10:00 last night, decided to take its picture this morning...before my required cuppa Joe, before my shower and before feeding the Divine Felines. Result? Lousy pictures.

No amount of photo editing or cropping could save these two images. Lousy angle, lousy background, lousy light. Also please note the kitten in the lower left who insisted she was starving and continued to insert herself into just about every photo I took, only to turn her nose up at kitty banquet offered mere minutes later.

At any rate, Mom took the centerpiece to her luncheon meeting and raffled it off. More success! More people made positive comments and more people took my card!

As for me, as they say around here, I am wore slap out! Happens to me every year just before Christmas... too many things to do, not enough hours in the day. Anyone else who feels the way I do, raise your hand and say "Dagnabbit, I need SLEEP!"

Luckily, I am counting the hours until my vacation begins....only about 18 hours or so until I can relax! Well, at least a little bit! I still have some Christmas shopping to do but all next week to finish it. Oh, and the tree isn't up... and all the decorations aren't out....and I haven't started my Christmas cards...and....and....uh, oh.....I think I'm in trouble already! :)

4 Things...

2006-12-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

Having just visited Lucy's blog-Sweet Repeats- it looks like I can consider myself "tagged" for Four Things.....

4 Jobs I've Had...

worked in a pizza restaurant at Sea World of Ohio, 3 summers in a row
car salesperson
French teacher
a variety of positions at the bank where I've worked for the last 13 years!

4 Movies I'd Watch Again...

The Man Who Would Be King
Last of the Mohicans
Lawrence of Arabia
You've Got Mail (I've seen it a dozen times and can't help myself!)

4 Places I've Lived...

Millington, NJ
Hudson, OH
Toulon, France
Phoenix, AZ

4 Places I've Vacationed...

Alaska!!!! (by far, my favorite!)
Italy
San Francisco
The French Alps (skiing)

4 of my Favorite Dishes...

my Mom's spaghetti :)
roast pork loin with mashed potatoes and gravy
green beans with spaetzle
cioppino

4 Sites I Visit Daily...

Google
Sweet Repeats
Newfoundland's Grand Banks (genealogy website)
Fox News

4 TV Shows I Love...

24 (can't get enough of Jack Bauer!)
House
What Not to Wear
Whose Line is It Anyway?

4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now...

asleep in my bed with the Divine Felines snuggled up with me
driving to Raleigh to claim my Powerball millions (hahahahahaha!!!)
on another Alaskan cruise (better wait until Spring for that though LOL)
anywhere in the South of France

If you're reading this, feel free to join in!!!

Christmas Centerpiece

2006-12-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share a picture of my latest creation, a Christmas arrangement that was raffled off last night. Mom commissioned me to make it for the Christmas party for her ladies' social club. I was sad to see this one go because I really liked it! However, the arrangement attracted a bunch of attention and very positive comments from the 50 folks at the party. Quite a few took my business card! Mom's club is also having their annual Christmas luncheon next week and there will be another arrangement raffled off then. Hopefully, I'll get some calls in the near future!

Kitty Alarm Clocks

2006-12-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

"The best laid plans of mice & men, often go awry."
(Adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men , Gang aft a-gley.”)

So much for sleeping in this weekend. The Kitty Alarm Clocks went off at 6:45 on Saturday, and 7:00 today. Yesterday, I would have ignored them but I did need to drop Katie (my dog) off at the groomer by 8:00. For making sure I didn't oversleep, they were warmly praised! What good kitties they were!

This morning........I could have killed them. At 7:00 precisely, I was awakened by the sound of Hercules & Isis knocking over my bedroom lamp and breaking the light bulb inside of it. Ugh. Glass everywhere. Of course, they looked at me with big, round, innocent eyes when I loudly announced, "I am NOT amused." What bad kitties they are!

At least I made use of the extra time so lovingly granted to me by the Divine Felines. After I dropped off Katie yesterday, I indulged myself with a bit of photography. The morning light was too perfect to ignore! Here's a sampling of what I saw:

The Southern Pines train station.....renovated by the town about a year ago. Lovely to look at, hard to photograph! The train track runs right through the middle of town. Broad Street, the main thoroughfare and home to many eclectic boutiques, runs parallel to the tracks (on both sides - one way in each direction).

The Christmas display in the window of A Wild Hare, one of my favorite gift shops in the downtown area.

Our new Christmas wreaths that decorate the lamp posts up & down Broad Street. The lamp posts, also new this year, have an old-timey gaslight look to them and really complement the atmosphere of downtown Southern Pines. And the new wreaths are a HUGE improvement over the old ones which were too ugly to describe!

I liked the way the light played on the branches of this towering old sycamore tree. I'm always fascinated by how quickly the light changes when taking photographs. I took 9 or 10 pictures of this tree, mostly from this very same angle, over a period of 2 to 3 minutes and no two of them are exactly alike. This was the very last one I shot and it turned out to be the best. Also, this scaled down image does not do this picture justice....it really looks much better as an 8x10!

Two more shots of Broad Street....it is so peaceful downtown when no one else is around!

This morning, after the great broken light bulb caper, I decided to put together 2 floral creations. I had a special dispensation from Lucy to purchase silk poinsettias and other sundries to make Christmas arrangements for work. I even came in under budget, although not by much! ;)

I hope everyone at work likes our 2 new reindeer friends....

It's hard to see but the baskets are grapevines twisted into the shape of reindeer, spray painted gold and then given a dusting of snowy glitter. The antlers are really the best part...all those twigs jutting up. Very cute effect!

Escape from the Project from Hell!

2006-11-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago, I promised pictures of the Project from Hell when it was completed. I estimated it would take me a week. So much for my estimating capabilities!!! Anyway, it's as finished as it's ever going to be (unless I win the lotto in which case I will have a custom built studio added on to the house and a hired helper to keep it all neat and clean!! ) Since there's always a project (or 4) in process, it will never stay 100% organized.

Let's take a tour of the "studio!"

Starting on the left is the rolling organizer which contains all my scrapbooking supplies. I have buckets mounted on 2 walls to hold floral stems...2 buckets on this wall, 4 on the other with additional containers below them on a chest (see "Project from Hell, Part Deux"). My etagere and shelves are overflowing with a variety of floral containers. I am not allowed to buy any more containers until I use some of the others! Please be sure to remind my evil other self of that rule if you see her anywhere near container retailers ;)

The rolling cart in the photo on the right stores all my painting supplies.

And here's a shot of the gigantic craft table which doesn't look nearly as gigantic with stuff stacked on it. It's bigger than it looks and I have plenty of space for my 90 gazillion projects. Maybe now I will get something done once in awhile??? LOL

(Lucy, I know you're laughing with me, not at me, right? :)

Let Freedom Ring...

2006-11-23T20:39:00.000-05:00

It is Thanksgiving Day and I am unable to count my blessings......I am truly fortunate that they are many. And I am grateful for all of them. But there is one that stands out, one that means a great deal to me...

FREEDOM.

It is freedom that allows me to have most of my other blessings. It is freedom that brought my grandparents to this country and gave them the opportunity to build and live their lives the way that they wanted. It is freedom that greets me every morning and escorts me through the day.

I am an American. I can choose. I can speak out without fear. And I can hold my head high and be proud of my country...a country that aids anyone in need anywhere in the world, usually on short notice; a country that isn't afraid to stand alone because it is the right thing to do; a country that makes the hard choices that no one else will make.

God Bless America & God Bless Our Troops

Chez Mizfixit

2006-11-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last Monday, I did the unthinkable...I actually cooked! And people ate the meal...and lived to see another dawn...and even said it was good!

Why is this worthy of a post? Well...I don't cook. I hate to cook. The mere thought of cooking renders me into a quivering mass of Jello. If it can't be popped in the microwave, forget it! My family jokes that in order for me to claim that I cooked, I must apply heat to a pan. The only reason this event transpired is because my aunt & uncle came for a visit. Someone mentioned pork chops and Mom volunteered me to cook them.

Here's how it went.......
I shopped for my ingredients:
Boneless pork loin chops, fresh garlic, fresh ginger & reduced sodium soy sauce.
I prepared the marinade:
Peel & thinly slice the fresh garlic & fresh ginger, placing slices on top of the chops, pour soy sauce over chops and fill the marinade dish until just below the top of the chops. Wait 5-6 hours.
I cooked the chops:
Broil the chops until done, scrape the garlic & ginger off, serve!

We had fresh asparagus, rolls and Turning Leaf Reserve Riesling with the chops. YUM!

A variation on this recipe (for those who like a little zing) is to add thinly sliced jalapenos to the top of the chops when preparing the marinade. Also yummy!

This unnamed recipe is what's left of an ex-boyfriend I had many moons ago while at grad school in Phoenix. My uncle was very amused when I told him I kept the recipe and ditched the boyfriend. Hey, maybe after 18 years I should name the recipe? Hmmmmmmm....whaddya think? Better than the Boyfriend Chops? Kicked him to the Curb Chops? Who's Sorry Now Chops?

Runs with Scissors

2006-11-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

(stay inside the lines...the lines are our friends...yeah, right! MU-WA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

After being recently admonished about any further forays into Michaels, my evil other self set out to find a way to get more stuff without visiting my usual haunts!

Result? Having chewed through my restraints, I ventured into a local quilting store (The Whole Nine Yards) and came home with a new project. Mind you, I don't quilt. I barely sew. Well, I can sew...but can I sew well? Yes, but only when the sewing machine cooperates and doesn't jam up after the first 4 inches or so. I am famous for jamming the machine and haven't a clue how it happens.

Anyway....look at the ADORABLE kitty fabric I found and a pattern for a zippered tote-style handbag!!! The fabric in the upper right (which is actually a burnt orange color) is the base fabric for the bag...the beige fabric with kitty motif is the liner...the blue stripey stuff will be the handles...and the big kitties will end up pieced on the outside of the bag as the pockets. (am I a loony, or what?? as if i'll ever find time to make this...)

In other news, the crafting area is almost completely tidied and ready for use. I rechristened it "the Studio" in the hope that it might inspire me to use it more often. I've been so wrapped up in my organizational projects that I have ignored the fun stuff. One step at a time I guess...we have to walk before we can run....and I wanna run WITH scissors!

Project from Hell, Part Deux

2006-10-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

I am mostly embarrassed to post this photo. But here it is...Exhibit A...in which you can see what an awful mess I have for a crafting space. The bad part is that this is a 50% improvement from a few weeks ago.

On the left, you can sort of pick out my shelves for my floral containers. In the corner is my gigantic new craft table which is currently buried in stuff I am trying to organize. On the right is approximately 60% of my floral stems, all neatly organized! (At last!!!!)
In the foreground, well.... let's not discuss the foreground. I should have the mess sorted out in the next week or so and will post a picture of the completed craft area!

I am sad to report that the couch has disappeared from view again. I am assured (by the voices in my head) that it is only temporary and that the couch will rematerialize once it finishes its vacation on Jupiter.

Ghoulies & Ghosties & Long-Leggedy Beasties

2006-10-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today I completed my annual pumpkin carving ritual....2 days before Halloween...that must be a record of some sort for me. Usually, I'm cussing at myself because it's the night before Halloween and my Jack-o-Lantern is still faceless. But, no matter what, pumpkin carving is a required event at my house!

The big question is usually what to carve. This year I opted for my old standby, the cat! I've tried using the Pumpkins Masters kit and patterns but find that good old-fashioned free-style carving almost always turns out better. The Pumpkin Masters designs are cool but are a bit too intricate for my taste and take waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long to complete.

Here is picture of my pumpkin helper----->
This is my sweet little baby, Hercules (aka Herkie or the Herk-Monster). He is a 7 month old Snowshoe kitten that loves to "help" me with whatever I'm doing. He was a little disgruntled when I took this picture because I wouldn't let him outside to help light the pumpkin.

I have 2 other kitties in residence....Zeus (the Abyssinian) is my Mom's cat and Isis (the Lynx Point Siamese rescue kitty) is half mine, half Mom's. She says that whichever part of Isis is being bad then that's my half! She swears that all 3 of the cats are perfectly behaved until I arrive home and turn on the "you can be bad now" sign when I walk in the door. Actually, they spend a good part of the day sleeping and my arrival is the signal that it's time to get up and play!

Project from Hell

2006-10-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

We've all had those "projects from Hell." Well, I'm embroiled in one right now...creating my new crafting space. For normal people, this would involve setting up a work table, organizing some craft caddies or drawer space and, after a few hours, those normal people would be able to sit down and start creating wonderful things. I, being the ultimate procrastinator, have let crap pile up for eons, to the point where I couldn't find anything, let alone find a space to work. Thus, I find myself in Hell.

I am lucky enough to have a huge refinished basement rec room, half of which is supposed to be my home theater (surround sound, large couch, big pillow) to relax in. Needless to say, I haven't seen the couch in at least a year because it has been covered with craft supplies. The other half is my craft area which has been so messy that I cart my supplies upstairs to the kitchen or family room to work on whatever I'm creating. Of course, that means I have to cart them back downstairs again when done for the day. Otherwise the whole house would be one big messy craft area and we can't have that! It's been a big hassle to do anything.

Today I found the couch and confirmed its existence. Now the couch probably doesn't care but I was terribly excited that I made that much progress. I still have a way to go but at least I have forward motion and a small sense of accomplishment. Perhaps I'm only half in Hell now! And maybe in a week (or two) I'll be able to start working on my crafts on a regular basis :)

Inner Child at Play!

2006-10-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

Paint fascinates me. And it's cheap therapy! The best part is that it lets my inner child come out to play..... something that I should let happen more often!

At right is a Halloween bird house that I made for my Mom several years ago. She likes it so much that it is on permanent display year round on top of a bookcase in the family room!

It's hard to see in this photo but the yellow background is actually crackled and the roof is a dark teal stipple on a black background. This project was truly created from the ground up... I had to make the bird house myself in order to get the lop-sided roof effect. Luckily, I'm not shy about breaking out the power tools!

On the left is a picture of my current work in progress, the Farmer's Market Harvest Plate. Much remains to be done, but at least it is starting to look like something! The light gray areas will be 3 ears of corn and a gray tabby cat.

I'm about to get started on contouring the pumpkins. Lucy will understand when I say I hope they don't turn out looking like tomatoes!

Shutterbug

2006-10-08T23:46:00.000-04:00

My creative side, although always evident to others, really came to light for me when I was 16 (in a galaxy long ago and far, far away) when I took photography classes in high school. I've been a shutterbug ever since. My real dream job was to be a National Geographic photographer. Unfortunately, this was entirely unrealistic because I don't "rough it" well at all. If there isn't hot running water or an electrical outlet for my hair dryer, then you can count me out!

At right is a photo of Bridal Veil Falls in British Columbia, taken in June 2002. This is one of my favorites because of the misty ethereal feel.

Imaginary Fronds?

2006-10-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

Imaginary Fronds is my dream of opening a Silk Floral/Gift store in my current hometown in North Carolina. I am very much in the planning stage at the moment as my day job (which pays the bills) interferes with the time I need to create items for sale. Also, the price to lease retail space in this town is a bit high. Okay, so I want to be downtown...window shoppers and tourists need to be able to see me from the main thoroughfare! Obviously, that costs more. In the meantime, my basement rec room is jammed full of silk stems and sundry other craft materials to the point of being ridiculous. The item to the left is just one sample of my floral design & is probably my favorite one I've created so far. On the right is my cornucopeia...for some reason, I enjoy making the Autumn pieces the most. It's almost painful to me to switch over to Christmas creations because my favorite season is Fall. I love October, falling leaves, harvest themes and just about anything to do with Halloween!

For now, my hair stylist lets me display and sell my wares in his salon at no cost. I've sold a half dozen pieces this year and am starting to get calls for custom pieces from women who have seen and like my work. Yippee!

I also enjoy painting decorative woodcrafts. My current work in progress is a 14" Harvest Plate (actually 2... 1 to keep & 1 to sell). The design is not my own but is still very cute...harvest fruits & veggies with a gray tabby cat in the middle. I'll put up pictures soon!

I, Blogger

2006-10-04T21:56:00.000-04:00

So...I never thought I would start a blog. Too trendy for me. No, I'm not any sort of Luddite but I remember the "saying" when I was a kid in the 70s..."never trust anyone over 30." Well, I'm over 30 (plus some!) and I tend to not trust anyone under the age of 30. Blogs are associated with those whipper-snappers that I apparently don't trust...ergo, they are suspect!

So, how did I wind up with one? A co-worker & friend who has similar aspirations (no, she is not under 30 either!) told me to check out her blog and pointed out how useful it is to showcase our handiwork for all to see. Thanks to Lucy I am here at blogspot.

And to all who read these words....welcome to Imaginary Fronds!

Let the journey begin...