The Six Things

6 wierd and/or surprising things??

Hmm.. already revealed my brief foray into nudism and communal living...

So what is left? What would be a surprise?

1) Most of the accomplishments I have attained are a direct result of sibling rivalry. Had I been an only child I would probably be a bum. I learned to cook, clean, dress better, and be friends with actual people because my little sister was already kicking my butt at these things.

2) I have been told by several people who purport some knowledge of the unknowable, or deep knowledge of me, that I have a respectable level of psychic ability. This includes Tony of the now defunct line of "Tony and Tina" cosmetics, and my loving and stable mother, as well as a couple of palm readers.
I have had a few instances when this could have been an explanation of displays of coincedence/intuition. However, it sounds strictly wacky, so I generally rely on other methods for getting ahead in life. It hasn't helped me win the lottery. However, I am considering learning the Tarot as a fall back career.

3) My bio-dad is no picnic.
He doesn't know my birthdate and had dissappeared for up to 8 years in a row while I was a kid. No Christmas cards.. Nothing. At the time, it turns out, he was a kind of "stand in" dad for a guy named Yousef. Not married to his mom.. more like the "bad role model" version of the big brother program, only like a dad. When I re-met him, when I turned 21, he tried to set me up with Yousef. If I had actually gone for it, my dad would have been like a quasi-step-father-in-law-biological dad.
That's pretty weird. Or maybe it's just creepy.

4) I watch The Lord of The Rings trilogy and all the bonus materials far too much. Star Wars too. Like a strange teenage fan-boy. I tell myself it is for the craft. Who am I kidding?

5) I think my step-dad's mom (my Grandma Hines) sends me gifts from beyond the grave. Just little" Hi, how are ya?" gifts. Like, when we moved in here, the phone book that was delivered was from Mt. Shasta City. That is where she lived. And it is about an 8 hour drive from Brookdale. I also dug up some World's Fair pottery shard in the back yard. That is where she went on her honeymoon.
Just a little shout out from Helen... "Hey, Helen!"

6) I know all the words to Hold On Loosely by .38 Special and Working for the Weekend by Loverboy...And most of the words to most of the songs in Xanadu too.. That definitely gets filed under "creepy". Have you watched that movie again as an adult. It is painful.

Weird? Surprising?
I don't know... I tried!!

I tag anyone who hasn't already done this..

Bueller? Anyone?

The Search for Inspirado.

A girl can't wallow in puppy self- pity forever.
Our rescue dog project is still on.. but, on hold for a bit. I think it might be a bigger or younger dog we are looking for and that will take some prep time.

So.. Needing immediate relief from wallowing, I snuggled Michelle's baby, Carlo. Then I took the blog advise of Alice and replaced my sad old sewing machine with one just like hers. It is amazing the difference in the new machine. It is quieter. faster. much more fool proof... and because I am largely self-taught, I am quite the fool to test this on.



But what to sew?

I made replacement pillow cases for my bedroom. Recycled sweater and prequilted satin...



I made pink swaddling blankets for my newest niece and a butterfly garland for her sister's window.



And I got some cool books with ideas for good sewing projects..



and I pulled out an old thrifted "poodle kit". ( Burilla circa 1950-60's)
And I made some friends..



The poodle's pre-printed fabrics were basically dissolving with age, so I used them as a pattern to cut new pieces from felt and the scraps of my previous kitchen curtains. It is a very weird dog, but kind of kitschy, so I guess that makes it okay.

The demon-like fellow is based on the instructions from the stuffed animal book I got.
I recognized the name Amy Proff Lyons from her APLcreations blog and flickr. Her design is called Batty Cat Bubbles. It was a fun fast-craft project. Very satifying. Mine is named Elvis. The poodle is named David, after Audrey Hepburn's poodle in Sabrina.

I made plans to get out in the fresh air...


because it was pretty , even if it was cold.

I went with my friend Lindy, to a place in Hayward, that has amazing upholstery fabrics.

and, then we went to Berkeley.


We went to Lacis and I was astounded at all they have there. Jules Kliot even came in early and gave a us a tour of their special "white work" exhibit. It was very humbling. It made me ashamed to call myself a crafter. I would Never Ever have finshed. I am on year 5 of a needlepoint project. I declare: If it can't be finished in a couple of weeks I will Totally Give Up. Hmm.. craft wimp? Instant craft gratification junkie? Guilty, as charged.

We had a delicious lunch at an Indian buffet and then off to Juniper Tree , Kiss My Ring, and, my perennial favorite: Tail of The Yak. I wish I had endless purchases to share but inspirado is free and I only got the " Plush-o- rama" Book and some party decorations for the "Year of The Pig" party.

I guess I am getting my feet back under me. Thank you, Inspirado.

Oh.. and "6 Weird Things"? That is coming.

Broken Hearted.and a finished project. maybe.

I had to take my puppy back to her loving and capable rescue foster home.
She wanted to eat my cats. She was 9 lbs and my big cat is 18 lbs. The small cat is 9 lbs but very capable of defending itself. The wee mongrel was already 5 months old and according to my research well passed the age when her prey drive could be "reprogrammed". It was like living in a blender.

After just a week of having her, not having her, feels like someone parked a car on my chest.

Okay, what is really weird about this is, I am not a big huge animal fan.
I am not a maniacal nuturer. I don't believe that I am the kind of person who would sign their Christmas cards (which I don't send anyway) with the names of their pets.. or refer to myself as the pup's "mommy". ( and if you do these things please know I am not judging.. I am just not that way.) I don't like all dogs. In fact I like only a few. It took me forever to decide that I might be interested in doing this. When I brought her home I woke up in the middle of the night thinking "Oh my God! I will have a dog until I am 55 years old."

So when it became clear that keeping her would be unsafe for her and the cats.. why did I cry and mope and generally get completely depressed?

Is it my version of a biological clock? Anticipation of the empty nest? Is it because when I was 6 my single mom had to give away my dog because she got nippy with my younger sister after she had been hit by a car? Is it because when I got the dog, I went to see my semi-estranged father who has been battling thyroid cancer and still selfishly smokes unfiltered Camels like a chimney even though he has a young daughter?

Having the dog took me off auto pilot. I looked more critically and more awarely at all the creatures in my care; the cats, the goldfish, my son. It brought the undercurrents of responsibilty back to the surface. It made me realize that there is part of me that wants to make a commitment like that again.

Now, to make matters more complicated, my husband feels, after having a dog for a week, differently about the issue. I have always felt that there are some things that require everyone in the family to be on the same page. Moving, additional offspring, and accrual of pets are all on that list. What makes me worry is for the first time I have a stronger feeling of longing that seems un-natural in my basic personality. I resent his "taking back" of his enthusiasm for the commitment and it brings up baggage. I don't think it is appropriate to share it all but suffice it to say: our family has one kid, aloof (but charming) cats and goldfish. We are light on the commitment list and I have often been the one who gives in, because of the conviction that we are all on board or we don't move forward. Baggage. A flippin' complete set of Louis Vitton with steamer trunk Luggage... emblazoned with my family crest. And my dear husband called me "insane" for being upset at the current situation.

Okay. I will give you Neurotic.


But anyway...

I did manage to finish the kitchen window treatment.
Anybody have any opinions on the fringey bottom of the redwork?
It was a vintage dresser scarf that I reused and I kept what was there.
but it might need something...

Bitter Betty? How Bout Busy Betty?

In typical "me" fashion I celebrated the New Year by trying hard to bite off as much as I can chew.. and maybe a little bit more.

I get so excited about New Year's and Birthdays and anytime I think I can have a starting line to try to do new things.. or set the bar a bit higher.. Silly stuff.. like trying to have more dinner parties.. (next Month.. Chinese new Year Party.. Invites and favors in progress.)



or take better care of my skin. ( No photo.. thank your lucky stars)

Serious stuff like trying to grow my business,

and getting a puppy

(We got the tiny mutt Saturday from a rescue group. She is a miniature dingo as far a we can tell..
and my son named her Opal.)

and making sure the easy going fun of childhood isn't over for my 11 year old (who in an over dramatic adolescent way seems to be practicing for jaded teenage-dom with reckless abandon.)

And getting to know my cute 9 year old half sister better..




I also just want to see some change around my abode. Some malingering projects need to get off the 'to do' list.

Three years ago when we bought this little house in the woods, I was thrilled to finally get to paint and decorate my rooms with the freedom a rental lifestyle generally won't allow. Some things I did were great. For instance, I love the golden yellow we put in our living room.

Some things were terrible. My bedroom is on it's 3rd color.. on both the walls and the floor. I am stuck. It is like that room is cursed.That will have to stay on the "to do" list a while longer.

Some things just weren't meant to last. I put up black toille curtains, in the kitchen. It looked sophisticated and unusual to me at the time. Maybe a little Edgar Allen Poe.. but in a good way.
The hub hated it. Too girly for him. He's not inclined toward fluff of any type. He is a real mid century modern type. I told him ..

"Tough Beans. It's toille baby and you're gonna love it. I am a stylist.. I Know What I am Doing!"

Umm, I suffer from trendy short sightedness, now I need a change.

Yes partially it has to do with my husband being right.. I think it has to do with blogging too. It makes me rethink my "style stance" all the time. The stuff that makes me envious is often modern. It looks so sophisticated. Not "black toille" sophisticated like "Really Stylish and Sophisticated". Great color, line, form, photography.. If you get around 'blogland' you know what I am talking about.

So anyway.. It's Tuesday but it is getting dark and all I have is this weeks WIP photo.




I have to get sewing tonight because the pup training is no cake walk, and I have to call in as a back up jury duty person at 5:30. ("Errr.. I am sorry, your honor.. I have a new pup and a ton of crafts to do. Can't do the old civic duty.. sorry. Besides 'evidence' makes me squeamish.") Also I am hoping for a couple of necklace orders from some shops I just started working with/ talking to...( finger crossed.. toes crossed.)

I will be putting up a few new necklaces on Etsy as I have finally made a sale and am down to 3 on there.
Here they are for a preview. They will be in the shop by Wednesday night, unless Etsy is broken..








Please feel free to get 'em while they're hot.

Back from Never Never Land...

First, I wanted to say thanks for all the great comments on my post about not posting..
How heartwarming to hear from all of you!!! I have missed blogging and reading blogs for the last couple of weeks but have had such fun spending time with my family and slowing down a little bit, to sit back and enjoy my son's vacation. It is a treat for me, as this was still a very busy time for me while I was working at the "large departent store" for the last couple years. What a truly luxurious pace we have been keeping. We had a great time going to San Francisco, spending Christmas on the Mendocino coast..( where I picked up my lipstick wearing gnome friend from the last post.)..
And the skiing was GREAT!



But alas, I did not find any further gnomes... ( But thanks for asking, Blaize.)

Which reminds me that am grateful for having a blog at all.. and would never have tried if Michelle from Green Kitchen hadn't told me what a great community of crafters, writers and moms there were sharing projects inspiration etc on the web.. It was her Blog-i-versary last weekend.. so "Happy One Year" to Green Kitchen!

Also I never got a minute to post the ornaments I received and thank again the ladies who did this swap and Michelle (again!) for putting it together!

Here they all are!



Pixie Genne's button wreath and gnome lady from Kleas.. ( forgive the lack of links in the post.. I am having a blogger issue or a brain function issue..I have as of yet, failed to determine which.. But all blogs are in my blogroll on the right hand side!)



These two are from Green Kitchen and Bella Dia..



My Ski Bear from Fizzelstix.



My suede deer from Ruby Crowned Kinglet!



And Octophrost "Santa of the Sea" from Futuregirl!!

Thanks so much to all 7 talented ladies!! . I love them so much, I refuse to put them away with the tree ornaments.


Looking forward, I am thinking a lot about my personal creative manifesto like I read about on Futuregirl's blog, and about resolutions and ideas I want to pursue next year, but I am trying to finish a few things that are left over from 2006.. 3 t-shirts, a mystery package, and an unfinished Christmas present. I hope to be finished by tomorrow at noon.

Oooh. I better get busy.

I am still alive.. Just finishing up the hoopla..

Howdy..

Anybody still checking in on little ol' me anymore??
I have been really busy celebrating and spending time with all my family and LOVING it..

Today we are off to the slopes..

I'll be back for some serious blogging show and tell next week.. but for now..

happy belated new year to all..