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Showing posts from August, 2011

Up To No Good... Well, Not Really

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Guess what! I did some administrative housekeeping in my Etsy shop and found that I have a huge albatross of stock that I do not need. In looking over my sales over the past 18 months, I've discovered that I have a standard core of best-sellers (word jewelry-wise) and a shift in focus from jewelry to book folding. I have decided to keep a core of word jewelry stock in my shop for book- and library-lovers (and myself). It's about 40-odd items' worth. The rest? Well, for $5-8 a pop, they are yours. After they are gone, they are gone. I went through all of my extra beads (printed, not rolled) last night and dumped everything that isn't part of my core stock. Now I have to go through my existing stock and list what I have so I can free up my mind for other, more important things. Those important things? Mostly folded books and patterns. I want to try to have free ones on my blog and more in the shop to sell for 99 ¢ -$4.99.

Wheat Sheaves

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Hey look! Woo hoo!

Granny Looting Explained

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I heard about the rioting and looting going on around the world. If *I* were to do those things, I'd at least have a bit of style. I might even have to throw it twice if it just bounced off a window.  And, this one? It's just pretty. I'd leave it in place of the TV.

If It Holds Still, I Crochet It

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Bones that I found in the desert. Little did this animal know it would bring me so much joy after it died.

Book Origami is BACK!

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I have been thanking God in my prayers so much lately that my brain has come back. I have seriously missed it. Depression is like death inside. I envy those people who can pour out their grief into art and doing. Me, I barely exist... Bleh. Anyway, I took pictures of all my books which are finished. It was weird to go through the house and find all the half-folded books I've squirreled away on random shelves and dresser tops. My hubsand is very patient. Here are a couple of pictures of what I've put in the shop. Just to prove I'm living again.  

Books Books Everywhere and Not a Word to Read

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This is what my patio table looked like last night as I was getting ready to use the last bits of daylight to take pictures of my eight million folded books to list... Please note the cat under the table. He's the photobomber. As I look at this picture, I notice the bits of debris under the table and on the table and around the patio. How do people keep their homes immaculate? I suppose I need to budget for someone to come in and do it for me. That wasn't how it was growing up, though. My parents had seven kids. It was our job to keep stuff clean. There were only a few times my parents paid for some work to be done and then it was a Really Big Deal. Other than that, we were do-it-ourselfers. Perhaps I need to look at my childhood more closely and see where so many of my customs and assumptions come from and reevaluate them for MY life. And while I'm at it, I'll wish the patio was clean.

Crocheted Curiosities

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I'm getting the hang of this crochet thing. I found this pretty sand dollar in my collection o' stuff and decided to work some magic on it. It's feeling like I'm beginning to wake up. This afternoon I actually deep cleaned my kitchen. I'm feeling more like my old self again. I was even able to get my act together enough to take pictures of all my finished folded books so I can start listing them in my etsy shop. And look who photobombed me... Hello Ron!

Crocheted Stones

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Although this might be considered one of those crafts that has no real purpose, I find that crocheting on stones is very soothing. In my next life, I am going to study geology because I like rocks so much. It's another reason I'm so glad I live in Bakersfield. We have fabulous rocks and rock formations so near to us. Anyway, if you search Google for crocheted stones, you'll see beautiful examples. These are the first I've tried. The little one is with a sample of fine paper twine I received in my order from Paperphine. Being as it was my first attempt, it has NO discernible crochet pattern - just a bunch of loops. I think I'll call it Fine Art. Fancy-schmancy-if-you-can't-understand-it-you-aren't-cool kinda art. Oh yeah. Art. Fine FINE Art. The next ones were made after several attempts to read a pattern - which I finally did! Yay me! I still have no idea what a picot stitch is (yet), but I believe in being resourceful and soldiering on and that&#

Nargles Make My Brain Go Fuzzy

I've got a couple of things going on in life that are weird right now. My dad was put into an assisted living home last week and I am concerned about him. It's caused a bit of a division in the family and, as eldest child, have had the burden of uniting the siblings (there are seven of us) and trying to soothe everyone. ( edit - I've received emails from friends concerned that my siblings might be being difficult - NOT SO!!! My siblings and I have been working together to figure out a solution to a situational problem with something else - please pardon the vague-osity- and THEY ARE WONDERFUL! Love them! Love them!)  It's not working. I find that my emotional burdens make creativity stall. I sit and stare into space, ruing that I'm wasting time, but not having any ability to do anything. I have nargles in my brain. I swear that's why I can 't ( yet another edit that I didn't catch at first...) think or act coherently right now. A friend of mine in