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Tutorial: Perpetual Journal

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I Hello friends! I finally finished my family's Christmas presents this afternoon and decided to share the how-to with all of you. You'll remember that I said in an earlier post that I'd tried to do this project but kept running into trouble. I used this tutorial ( with really beautiful pictures) from Design Sponge . It. requires. a. lot. of. steps. And that didn't work for me. So... here's my take on it! Easier! Not as much cutting! Tutorial for a Perpetual Calendar Supplies : plastic basket from the Dollar Store (they came in a 3-pack) 2 100-count packs of 3x5" index cards (you will need 365) 1 card of a different color (this is for your birthday. If you choose, you can use the regular card and fuss it up a bit to make it special. You *need* to make it special, cos, chances are, no one else will!) 12 larger sized index cards (for dividers) magazines to cut up for the pretty pictures ribbons and decorations to embellish (I hate

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

This past week I have been trying to make two new types of Christmas crafts - one for my family's Christmas presents (no link in case they are reading) and one a new type of paper ornament . The booger about it all is that I couldn't find all the supplies for the gifts that the tutorial suggested, so I tried substituting. Normally, I am extremely resourceful and can make most things look good. Not so here. My gifts looked horrible from the first step. Ugh. Three nights I worked on different (substitutive) versions. Three nights of going to bed feeling like I had accomplished nothing of value. Then the prototype paper ornament I made at work with computer paper worked beautifully! I went home to try it with colored paper. Cardstock cracked. Okay. I bought scrapbook paper from WalMart for a good price. It still is heavier than computer paper, so it doesn't quite look right either. Ugh. More going to bed dissatisfied. Yesterday, I went to the Dollar Tree and found a perfec

More Paper Roses

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If you take: 1 barrette 1 piece of ribbon the same length as your barrette 3 paper roses And then: Hot glue the length of ribbon on top of your barrette and then hot glue the three paper roses on top of that you get a lover-ly hair barrette. And it hides many hair sins. Like messy pieces.

Shhh!

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Shhh! I'm working on stuff. Back later.

Paper Rose Wreath

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It didn't seem like six days, but it WAS six looooooong days since I made paper roses. (Go to Crafting With Intention for directions . Sameh is verrah funneh and maketh me to laugh.) They are really beautiful. Plain, but beautiful. I made a million and they sat on my dining room table for all that time. I was trying to figure out how to seal them because my project was going to be in the bathroom and might (if I am lucky) feel the effects of long, hot showers. Disgusting, no? So, I dipped a couple in PVA. Bad move. Don't do it. They be really ugly-lookin'. See here: Ugly, huh? Moldy-looking with boogers to boot. Not really, but it doesn't look pleasant and I am a pleasant person. Most of the time. So, I decided, just make the darn wreath - you know how to use a glue gun . I glued a bunch of paper roses to a 12" rattan-type wreath. Then I took them outside (in the cold) and sprayed them with clear sealant. ( Mmmm... smells good! There go a few more brain

Paper Roses

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Yesterday I made tons of paper roses out of an old atlas. I'm hoping to use them on a wreath and something special for my bathroom! More later. After this burn on my finger heals...

Update on Tutorial

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This post is mostly for Nancy (thank goodness for you!) who reminds me often of my responsibility to share my knowledge of the book arts with the world in general. :) *ahem* I have conquered the basic organization of the tutorial. It will be based on four basic patterns from which most of my sculptures are made. I will be making examples of the basic patterns in three stages of progress (the pattern, half done and fully done). Of the nine examples I need to do up, two are finished and a third is in progress. (I'll be working on more during church tomorrow - I swear I think better and concentrate on the talks better with my hands doing *something*) Something I have to decide is how to write patterns. First you fold here and then you fold here. How do I name the folds? How do I describe the directions in the patterns? Do I take a picture and then draw arrows with directions? (NO!) What I really want to avoid is pretentiousness and preciousness. Ugh. In other news, I finishe

Avoiding Real Work

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I have two custom orders in the hopper right now. The first (and simplest) one is finished, but the big one (where I have to make up 40 beads) is half finished. I'm avoiding doing it by reading blogs. I love this blog . I love her stuff . I want to make it all. Forget the custom orders! I'm off to cut up books and make stuff! Oh wait. I already cut up books. Vandal!

Pretty vs. Practical: The Overload of Kitch in Crafts

I love craft blogs, but I am starting to wonder about them. Have you ever noticed how stupid most of the stuff people make is? (please note the TERRIFIC grammar there folks!) I mean, who honestly needs most of this stuff? I'm trying to simplify my life and while cute stuff is ... uh, cute, do I really want to have eight bazillion little things in my home? Obviously, the answer is no. Does it hurt my head/spirit to look at kitch, too? Just wondering. I'm adding this later: And also stuff that is badly made (pattern-wise, construction-wise, inappropriate material-wise) and yet people spend a long time EMBELLISHING it. I hate the word 'embellish'. 

Peaks and Troughs

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The past couple of weeks have been ... quiet. Emotionally quiet. I guess there are peaks and troughs in creative life and I am in a trough right now. I always think, when I'm really busy, oh I can't wait until I have time to just sit and be still. I never think that when I am in that trough period, I want nothing more than to DO something, but I'm just not in the mood. And then I feel guilty. All this time is being wasted. But I will just be still for a while and see what happens.

Paper Art is Amazing

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Lately I have been featured in several treasuries on Etsy. Not every one of these is chosen to go on Etsy's front page, but this one was! I just loved the selection of items that show you paper isn't just ... papery. Wow!

Up to No Good

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As I pulled up to the babysitter's house (my sis-in-law's) on Friday morning, Kenneth threw up. Spectacularly. (I was very glad that Brian had asked to switch cars that day!) So I drove home. Arranged for coverage at my branch. And settled down at home to take care of a feeling happy, but throwing up every so often boy. I made bread dough three times in my machine and used it to make personal pizza crusts (10), loaves of cream cheese/fruit rolls (2- one apricot and one raspberry) (I ate most of the apricot one and will give the raspberry one to my visiting teachee), and bread sticks (one large pizza's worth). I listed a billion items in my Etsy shop. I had a beautiful day (in spite of the throw up). Then I had a weird Saturday. Maybe it is always like that the day after you are productive, like the crest of the wave that reaches higher and higher and then simply tips over and crashes. I didn't feel like I accomplished anything... It's Sunday now. A day of rest. And

Word Nerd

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I first made these earrings a long time ago and just brought them back to my shop. I think I need a pair that says "Paper Nerd" too because I'm that. And a Book Nerd. I suppose I could just wear my Nerd earrings and people will figure that covers just about everything. *sigh* In other news, my fast this past weekend went well. For those of you who don't know, I am Mormon (LDS). On the first Sunday of the month, members (who are able) are supposed to go without food and drink for 24 hours and donate the cost of those meals as a fast offering which goes to support the poor and needy. We also fast at times when we need extra help or assistance. Because of the problem I have with my husband's situation I decided that I needed extra help. So I fasted. My sister fasted with me. Solidarity. And my fast went well. I hardly bothered about the hunger. I kept prayers in my heart so much of the time. I don't know what, if anything, will come of it, but I know that I did w

A Great Task - FINISHED!

Last year I decided that it was high time I read several books that I've heard about for years, but had never read myself. Just children's books, mind you. I decided to go to the children's section in my little library and pick two authors from each letter of the alphabet from A-L who had books I'd heard about over and over and JUST READ THEM. Here's my list. It was a bit overwhelming. I gave myself a whole year because I was absolutely dreading some of the books. Here is my list and my comments about them. The numbers in red at the end of the title are the month/year I read the book. Alexander - The Book of Three 1/10 I hated this book. Perhaps it was really cool in the '60's when it was written, but when you compare it to The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, it's really stupid. For me. Banks - The Indian in the Cupboard 1/10 I thought the stereotypes about Native Americans were going to bring the wrath of the Politically Correct God

Knowing Myself

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Beware - philosophy post. For the past several days I have been so angry at my husband. Brian has children from a previous marriage and the relationship Brian and I have with his ex is fraught with tension. I've always tried to see the best in others and blah blah blah. I'm such a wonderful person. See how righteously I act so it's obvious the other person is horrible. Whatever. It's not so much how the ex acts as how Brian acts with her. I disagree with his actions and decisions. Strongly. I want certain things to happen. But they never do. And Brian will never address those concerns. So there is always this tug of war going on. I couldn't tell you who it is between: me and Brian, me and the ex? I have no idea how to act in this situation. I don't know what expectations I am allowed to have - by allowed, I mean What Heavenly Father Wants Me to Do. My sister asked me if I've fasted about it. Confession: I've lost my testimony of fasting. Actually, I'

And He's Not Even Drunk!

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Never fall asleep with an awake three-year old in the house. He will gather up his toys and pile them on top of you. And his mother will not stop him. She will, instead, get the camera and take pictures. Then she will post them for the world to see. Don't be jealous cos my hubsand's so handsome. He's mine mine mine mine MINE!!! Of course, I have to move the toys to get close to him...

One Step Forward and 50 BAZILLION Steps Back

You know how you have plans: I am going to update my shop with all the pictures I've taken of my products! Yee ha! I've taken pictures of everything I've made so far. Three weeks ago. They are in several different folders now on my desktop because I've been taking some of them on a flash drive to work to edit on my breaks. And I don't remember what name I gave them the first time I edited them and saved them and then end up editing a second (or even third) set of pictures of the SAME THING and it looks like I change my mind what size I want to make the pictures and then I look and realize that I don't have enough pictures of that one particular piece and that other picture is a bit fuzzy, but should I list it anyways? And now I just looked at all my folded book pictures and realized that I made them a different way than I did before, so my descriptions/prices are no longer accurate. So, do I make a new listing for the new (cheaper) version and then do another sc

How I Learned Not to be Bored

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When I was little, I was often bored. It was a horrible feeling strangely accompanied by guilt. Why guilt? I must have heard enough older people lament that they didn't have enough time that I realized that the time I had right THEN was worth something, only I didn't know enough how to use it. As I was able to, I developed skills and interests. I am not good at thinking these ideas up on my own - they are always opportunities that arise that I take advantage of learning. Here's the problem: I now know too many things to do and have too many interests. Weird how the pendulum swings.

Shapes in Book Art

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Look what I learned to do! I knew it was possible in theory, but it's my first time trying shapes. I hope you can tell it's an airplane. A Cessna, to be exact!

Sneak Peeks

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Just experimenting with circles. It's called "It Was Just a Phase". I think I'm going to try going from full to empty in the middle next time instead of this way! I don't want the inner circles getting so squished. The "open" circles are stronger and can be in the middle of the book without losing their shape.

Thunder and Lightning Very Very Frightning

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Gallileo! Gallileo! Gallileo! Figaro-o-o- !!! Saturday we had a 20% chance of rain, which, naturally, meant that it DID rain! We had thunder and lightning and rain for about two hours. Of course, we all sat outside. When I looked out the front windows of the house, I saw other neighbors sitting on THEIR front porches, watching the weather. Only in Bakersfield do people come *out* of the houses when it does rain. And that is why I am the way I am. This picture shows a large flock of birds (crows?) gliding on the air currents as the storm approached. I love watching them wheel around.

Just a Bit o' Nuthin'

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One of my current favorite patterns...

Help! Need advice!

I have now taken pictures of all my folded books and have them just about ready to post on Etsy. Here's the problem I'm facing: Do I set up a separate shop on Etsy with JUST my folded books? I ask because I now have such a repetoire of folded books. It seems justifiable. I already have a couple of other Etsy shops that are empty and ready to go. I could do it, but I don't know that I should! I'm looking for comments on this. **later, to clarify** I am concerned about my shop having a lack of cohesion. Are the two things I do sufficiently alike to merit keeping them in the same shop? Do I *have* to have two shops to showcase completely different items? If I want to start selling book purses and book ornaments is that too many types of things? If all my items have to do with recycled books, is that okay even with the jewelry? I don't want a garage sale. Thanks for the help so far...

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

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It had been my hope to have all of my paper beads and jewelry made up for my Etsy shop by the time school started. Then came that big commission and I haven't been able to really catch up! And I've never thought that pictures of my in-progress work for the beads is in any way interesting! Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that I'm alive and well. And working madly on beads. The left container has ones that are already photographed (relistings for Etsy), but the right one... well you probably can guess. And, of course, that's the one that is the fullest. *sigh* So, I spend my evenings grading papers, doing the Wii (I'm still doing it nearly every day since July 7th!!!), reading scriptures with Brian and Kiff and doing beads. I'm hoping that I can get a solid core of stock - one that I will have pictures of and can simply make replenishing stock for... you know, streamline my business so it's not so labor-intensive. Then I can spend more time with my husba

Being Righteous in the Dark

Yesterday I was listening to a talk by Neal A. Maxwell about meekness. Normally I don't care for that topic, but there is something about the depth of this man's intelligence that makes me want to listen to everything he wrote/spoke so I can glean something from it, regardless of topic. I was listening as I played a game on the computer, but some part of my consciousness was paying attention enough to be floored by something that was said: I turn now to an excerpt from President Brigham Young's secretary's journal for a choice insight brought to my attention by Professor Ronald Esplin. When asked in conversation, "Why are men left alone and often sad? Why is not God always at man's side promoting universal happiness at least for His Saints? Why does not God do everything for man?" President Young responded concerning how man's divine destiny requires individual experience and practice in learning "to act as an independent being"--to s

The Herd of Turtles on my Table

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In case you are wondering where I've been, this picture shows what I've been up to. Thirty books. Folded. Jacketed. Wired. Packaged. Soon to be sent. Aaah... it feels good to be done.

All Work and No Play

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Since I got that order for thirty (COUNT 'EM!) books, I've been a bit busy. I fold during my breaks and lunches, in the drive-thru line at Taco Bell and during scripture study while Brian reads to me. So far, I think I've gotten 27 done. I need to recount... In the good news, I'm getting faster and better. I still have no idea how to explain how I do these to people! Where's a technical writer when you need them? Anyone have any ideas how to explain the folding process and make patterns?

I'm Not a Librarian. I'm an ARTIST!

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Today was one of those days at work where I thought God made a mistake making mankind. People are just too stupid to live, you know? But then one good thing happened. Then another. And tonight, an interior designer called me and asked to purchase thirty of my folded books for a display in a building in LA. Oh, wow. Validation!!!!! In the picture above is one of the pieces NOT going to the LA thing, but staying in my Etsy shop. Yay for librarians!

The Last Mad Rush

I've been rather quiet on the blog front because I've been spending all my free time making beads. School starts next week (the 23rd) and I know I'll have almost NO free time with taking care of 70 students in my two classes. Sometimes I hate doing it and I wish I didn't need the extra money ($100/week - it adds up). And then I feel proud that I'm able to teach a college course - it makes my mom proud of me and that is very important to me. And I feel that I've achieved something in life worthwhile. That's probably because my family wasn't very high in the social standing of anything in our lives - church, neighborhood, extended family or anything. I'm trying to achieve a status of greatness with no baseline. Ouch. Anyway, I've nearly finished cutting out and rolling all of my beads for the Christmas season. After that, it's dipping and making into jewelry. Speaking of that, I need to go order findings so I'm ready to buckle down thi

Baseball and other sports I ignore

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Last week Brian had tickets to go see the Blaze game (local AA? team). Trying to do stuff with the family, I agreed to go. It was lovely. The weather was great and I was able to fold. I don't really care about baseball (I like hockey), so I just sat and folded and wrangled Kiff when he kept going up into the Patio Party boxes to play. Our starting pitcher gave up 9 runs in the first inning. Our team never recovered - we went down 15-6. I finished a book that said "Librarian."

Summer Lovin'

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Our trip to Utah was wonderful. Perhaps because we were visiting MY family, I didn't get very much down time with all the duty visits to every family member ( why didn't you come to see ME?) . We did have the opportunity to take family pictures of all the kids with their respective children and spouses. It was weird with one thing. There are six girls and one boy in my family. Of the seven kids, only one sister was not there. This sister has always been a little different than the rest of us and has made very different choices her whole life - even though she'd been brought up the same as the rest of us. (I hadn't been aware of some of the choices until I became an adult) Her choices have made it so she has lost so much in life - her husband/marriage, her children, jobs (multiple), her TEETH and, now, I guess, us - the rest of her family. Although invited several times, by different family members (including the MOMMA!), she decided not to show up for family pictures ev

Folding and Vacationing

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folding a book while waiting at Denny's... My family and I have been in the wilds of Utah this past weekend. I brought all of my beads and three books to fold. I finished folding all three books by the middle of the second day of traveling. Weird. I surprised even myself. It's been a busy week, visiting several different family members and juggling emotions and temperaments. Part of me says vacations would be better if I were rich and could afford to stay in hotels. That way I could avoid a lot of the hurt feelings that come from spending more time with the person you are staying with than the others. *sigh* Anyway, more traveling tomorrow... Yay.

Sometimes My Life Doesn't Have a Title

Busy, hot weekend. Brian's and my first weekend together was spent apart. He had to go help his great aunt pack up and move to Northern California. His "I might be home by 3 or earlier" ended up being 5:30. I spent my day printing out the rest of my beads, gardening a bit before it became too darn hot (my garden has been completely inundated with 2-ft high grasses), taking Kiff to McDonalds (or is it McDonald's?) -- where, incidentally, I had the best QUIET time ever - Kiff played on the toys and I simply cut out beads. IT WAS GREAT! I made pizza sauce in my blazing hot kitchen and offered Brian to make dinner. He wanted to go out to eat because he was very very very hungry. The line was so long for Hometown Buffet that we went next door to Rusty's pizza. I received a terrific compliment from Brian that he was so used to my pizza (artisan crust, varied and abundant toppings, garlicky sauce, ooer!) that this one (thin, limp crust, abundant bland tomato-ey sauce, I-

Eye Spy

The other day my eye started itching. I thought I had an ingrown eyelash. Turns out it was a cold sore. Yep, underneath my eye. I had one back in college (stress?) and the doctors at the health center all came in to look at me cos they'd never seen one there before. I decided to make an appointment with my doctor to see if medicine had improved in the past 20 years to the point where doctors don't think my disease is something so awe-inspiring. It isn't awe-inspiring. It's medicateable now (is that a word?). But it itches like the devil. I went home early yesterday from work. This morning I woke up to grossness and I'm leaving work as soon as my replacement gets here. I look like I've been punched in the face. I thought about wearing a patch, but the dumb eye is leaking. Double gross.

Thinking Thoughtful Thoughts

The longer I work on this monthly meal-planning thing, the more I'm getting accustomed to working within boundaries and frameworks. For instance, yesterday I figured out exactly what things I need to have in my refrigerator. The list is relatively short. I also weeded the fridge of all the excess (haven't used in nearly a year and was only keeping cos I *might* need it someday) stuff. It wasn't really a lot - mostly odd bottles of salad dressing and other weird condiments that had been hanging around since we moved last year). It was weird to see the fridge clean and organized. I showed Brian and he agreed that it was much easier to find things. I'm going to print the inventory and put it up in the refrigerator so we always know what goes where (that will help the kids know where to put things) and also what we need if we use something up. Now I'm looking with an eye to simplifying my food cupboards. We have a billion cans of vegetables that we don't eat. I got

Oh What a Week!

While I drive to work, my mind is always full of what I want to record about life to my blog. When I get time to write on the blog, I go blank. Ah life! I have been making a point of doing something important every day for the past week. I will get up in the morning and work on a batch of beads for my Etsy shop - I've made a list of all the regular sellers and am in the process of printing pages of beads of each one. Then, assembly-line-like, I will cut each one up, then roll them all, then make all of them into jewelry. I have a quota I'm doing for each one. Hopefully, I will have enough to last me through the Christmas season as I will not have time to make anything due to teaching classes again. Oh what we do for money... (which reminds me of something horrible I found out yesterday of what someone I know does for money - but horrible things have no place in this blog today!) My efforts to exercise have restarted and I HAVE EXERCISED FOR 15-20 MINUTES EVERY DAY FOR SEVEN DAY

Nothing Much

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The weekend is at an end now and I'm starting the beginning of my new work schedule. This week I need to remember where I am at three different locations over the course of five days. Here's hoping I can keep it all straight! In other news: Kiff is exploring the feeling of being sick. I don't know how he really feels, but I have shown him how to go to the toilet if he thinks he's going to throw up. It's now his go-to place for every kind of negative feeling. Last night he insisted on sitting in front of the toilet so he "could feel better". I was doing something else and suddenly realized it was quiet. Here's why: Good thing I cleaned it the day before.

Beginnings and Endings

We had the most wonderful ending this past Monday. Brian finished his last class for his bachelor's degree!!! I'm so proud of him. It's weird now because I actually have Brian in the evening. For the last four years he's been doing schoolwork nearly every day/night. Since he started school only a year after we were married, this is going to take some getting used to. Also, I realize now that we haven't had as much time to get to know each other (I don't mean that as a double entendre either!). We haven't been strangers, but we just haven't had TIME together. We've always had to consider his school schedule and deadlines. Now we don't. Hmm. Wonder what will happen? In other news, my new work schedule begins next week. For the first time in a year - I DON'T HAVE TO WORK ON SATURDAYS! Again, there is now time for Brian and me. And our kids! I get to see them, too! And I can go to the temple again! Hurray! I've told Brian that he gets to help

Small Successes

As I have mentioned before, I am a librarian. Ours is a poor system with little public support other than cries of outrage when library services get cut. These cuts have meant that fewer of us are doing more work. I say more work because people have been coming out of the woodwork to use the library. We are bustling ALL THE TIME. Most of the full-timers work at multiple locations to get in our 40 hours. Until the 3rd of July, I work at two locations. After the 3rd, I will work at three. Today I was working at the main library downtown. After less than an hour of our doors opening, I'd already handled two certifiably crazy people. By 11am, I was tired of presenting a compassionate and understanding face to the public. I wanted them to all go away. Unfortunately, that blah-ness lasted all day. And then Brian called me at work just before closing and asked if I wanted to go out to dinner. The kids had been stolen for the night by their aunt and we had free time! We decided that we wan

Check This Out

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Hello friends, I'm an avid follower of certain blogs, one of which is Lil Fish Studios . (That's a picture of her stuff above) Several blogs have done interviews with her (not me - I'm not an interviewer or an interviewee - I fly under the radar!) and there is a neat one of her today on The Rikrak Studio . Go check it out! And enter the giveaway. I'm trying to win, too, because I love Lisa's stuff. *slobber*

The Need for Change

I need to do something new with my life. I want to throw all of my stuff out and start over, fresh, new, clean! I want to change my personality, too. I think I will speak with a French accent. (Say it with me "Fronch Ok-SONT.") bien I want all the projects lingering in my closets and on my table (and in the million boxes in the garage) to be finished so I can begin something new... And while I'm at it, I want a pony.

Hello My Name is Heather

When it has been a while between posts, I sometimes feel that I have to re-introduce myself. Hi, my name is Heather and this is my blog. It's been quite a week. Last Friday afternoon, my husband called me at work to tell me he feared he was being laid off at the end of the day. It turned out to simply be a disciplinary thing and he was suspended for three days. This is the third time this has happened to him. There is a person at the work who is behind this problem and I'm feeling very uncharitable and hoping this person gets laid off himself. He has caused me and my family a lot of grief. The family schedule this week has made it so that I've been gone every evening since last Monday. When I'm out that often, I get really cranky. And that's being kind to myself. I am a bad lady. Mean. I was looking forward to this weekend with two days off to myself (with Kiff, of course). Brian didn't tell me he had the kids for extra time and was taking the day off to be with

Keeping Heart

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Trying to keep my chin up during a bit of a trial. My car died on the road coming home last Friday. On Monday, we found out that the engine was beyond repair. That was after we'd spent $200 getting it towed (twice) and looked at. Now I have to figure out how to get to work during the week without borrowing my in-laws' cars all the time. Keep your fingers crossed that my upper lip doesn't get unstiffened...

Work in Progress on the Window

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I really like designing new patterns for folded books. It's surprising to me how one set of marks can have so many different possibilities. Nearly all the books you see (except for the one closest) have the same set of marks. The order in which you fold them or the place where you stop or start folding makes the pattern. I can make a half circle type of pattern that I want to see if I can make look like scales within a fish shape. Or maybe it looks enough like a crescent moon that I can pair it with stars in an alternating pattern. And my son likes to wear baskets on his head. For no good reason. And he keeps it there all the while he's doing something else... My husband's genes. I'm sure of it.

Down the Rabbit Hole

I am reading Julie & Julia right now and am having a guilty pleasure. It's amazing, this gift of writing that some people have. I don't know that I would like the author as a friend, but her way of writing is just so... so SOMETHING! I must continue reading to the end. There is a quote I just read that has stopped me in my tracks: "It just makes you happy, thinking about the possibilities out there." He [ the author's husband] meant that sometimes you get a glimpse into a life that you never thought of before. There are hidden trap doors all over the place, and suddenly you see one, and the next thing you know you're flogging grateful businessmen or chopping lobsters in half, and the world's just so much bigger than you thought it was. So that night I made my New Year's resolution... If I was going...down this rabbit hole, I was going to enjoy it, by Go* -- exhaustion, crustacean murder, and all. Because not everybody gets a rabbit hole. I was

Ambush

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The backdrop was up. The book was centered. The light was perfect. The shot was all lined up. And Kiff decided to put the car in the picture. Kid for sale. Cheap. Will throw in purple Hot Wheels car for free.

Oh My Stars and Moons

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To quote Mr. Collins: When I'm feeling blue All I have to do Is take a look at you Then I'm not so blue Kiff has taken to mooning me. We're keeping him nekkid to promote good potty skills. He takes advantage of the nekkidness by pointing his backside at me. Suddenly. I get ambushed by the booty. I've been taking pictures of my treasures... This is another A Capella pattern. I wish I had a picture of my window next to my bed. I've been taking my basic patterns and trying to see how many variations I can make from one set of marks. I set them on my sill after I get the pattern down a bit, then I go on to another one. They're all lined up prettily...