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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Mah Bling!...or how to repurpose a hubcap

The other day on Facebook this guy posted his pics of artwork using hubcaps.  He said he had some extras and I could have one or a billion if I wanted.  I told him one would be fine.  I already knew what I would do with it. 



During the creative process I usually do things from ending to beginning..i.e...all wrong.  You can look in my craft hallway and see the half dead projects strewn about like a once loved stuffed animal, now relegated to the back of the closet. 

I have learned that I do best with short projects, i.e. instant gratification, and I must start them and work till I finish.  It's not uncommon for me to have 5-10 projects swirling in my head, all waiting to take the number one place.  By the way, my laundry is swirling in the dryer and way past done.  Blog, laundry, blog, laundry?  You see the kind of pressure I'm under.

Today I went to Hobby Lobby and got my supplies.  Two bags of glass beads/pebbles/gems and a tube of glue.  Is it the right glue?  Probably not.  It says it will work on glass and plastic and the surface of Mars but it generally means that I have the wrong kind and will forge ahead anyway.  Total cost for my project:  $10 and one donated hubcap.



I got to work right away, after I played with the other things I got at Hobby Lobby.  It was easy, not necessarily fast, but I was done in under 2 hours.  I managed not to glue most of myself together and the pebbles seem to be securely attached. 

I now have a new bling hubcap.  I almost wish I had four of them and could really put them on my car and pimp out my ride.  But Jace says he won't ride with me in the gangsta van.  But Rowan would...if I painted the van Barbie pink. 

Anyway, here's my original vision of how to repurpose a hubcap.  Glue glass pebbles to it, seat it like a paver stone and voila! a new stepping stone in the garden.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Sharks are the new...


Sharks are the new...
Originally uploaded by valkyrieh116

Monday, September 27, 2010

Summary

Summer is out.  It's so last season.  Fall is in.

This week I’m working more on hats because there’s a show on Wednesday and another in 3 weeks.


I’m thinking a lot about our vacation. It’s still a long way away (5 ½ months) but it gives my brain something to think about (obsess).

Today I thought I should look for my skis to make sure I still had them and some unnamed husband hadn’t given them to Goodwill. I can’t tell you the number of times he told me I should get rid of them. I have an emotional attachment to them I suppose. They represent happy times and it’s one of those sports that haven’t killed me nor makes me want to kill myself after doing it.

I have found the skis and poles and I know where the boots are at. I’m pretty sure I know where they are.

Bo, the puppy, is still a puppy if not twice the size he was. And I think he’s one of those dogs with….gas. There’s been some nose wrinkling smells and I’m not sure where they are coming from, but Bo always seems to be around. Onslo is not a stinky dog in that way. That’s because he’s wound so tight nothing could escape from his behind. They are getting along great except for the bed and they both want the same bed. Also, Bo has this thing about biting Onslo’s collar and Onslo doesn’t think this is a fun game. So there’s some yapping and I think Onslo would really like to punch Bo in the face sometimes. For the most part they happily coexist and play. But isn’t that what we all aspire to?

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Museum Day..aka UT Parking: Fail

Today we found out it was Free Museum Day!  There were 30 museums participating so there were lots of choices.  We were very choosy because a) we would have to drive into The City  b) The City has lots of people.  There's a reason we live in the country.  But I decided we should visit one of these museums..today..when everyone else was going to visit them.  We immediately decided not to go to the children's museum because of all the children that would be there.  If you've taken your kid to any McD's playground, you know what I'm talkin bout.  There were lots of great choices but we chose the one with dinosaur and other dead animal bones.

We had a really terrible time trying to find parking.  In fact we gave up and went to eat lunch.  Apparently UT decided to have a broken gate into the parking garage.  All the surrounding parking was reserved for permit F20, whatever that means.  Some brave folks had thought that since it was Sunday and an event OPEN TO THE PUBLIC on a SUNDAY  that it would be ok to park there.  Well, I'm sure they'll be happy when they get back to their car and find that $50 ticket on their windshield (scam for increased revenue).

After eating we decided to make one last go round and we found the only spot available for 2 miles.  Rowan charged up the steps in her purple, pink, orange outfit with matching purple, pink, orange shoes and started barking orders like "line up here.  Blah blah blah."  
 
Inside we proceeded to look...in the gift shop where all the best fossils are.  We moseyed around, Rowan bounced off the walls looking at all these dinosaurs, and I took pics of all the bones of things.

I liked this one..
Me with the parking situation mentioned above...

I found these dead butterflies pinned to a board very pretty.
Here's Rowan sitting in a boat watching a video about fish but I think she was saying something like, "hi, you come here often?"  She was not watching the fish video...
After this Mom had to be driven to the nearest place of calm and quiet..for icecream.  Here is where Rowan showed her fashion sense by choosing icecream that matches her outfit...she's a weirdo. 

Join us for our next thrilling family day when we...stay at home and watch the grass grow!

Friday, September 17, 2010

And Lame-O Was Her Name-O...

I looked at the date of my last post and wondered where the time went.  It seems like I have been very busy and yet not really doing anything.  Folks, this basically does sum it up.  Busy doing nothing. 

I've been busy with trying to keep a clean shirt on everyone's back, cleaning house, bills, shopping, dogs, and school stuff.  And allergies.  Lots of allergies right now.  Allergies are bad in that they make you throw things like brownies and icecream into your grocery cart.  They make you want to just sit around and read magazines or sit and watch Facebook and bet on who will post something next. 

I'm also glad because there's no drama going on.  It's peaceful.  Not that there's ever drama going on.  I just tend to like things to be very lame and quiet. 

I did decide to start planning a vacation.  I want to go back to Yosemite in the spring.  We'd like to move there.  I asked Jace if he had been looking for a house for us.  He said he found a real nice Gremlin that sleeps 3...

Monday, September 6, 2010

Exorcism at the Mall


Yesterday we went to the mall.  This was a bad idea after all.  We didn't choose to go to the mall.  It's where the Apple store is located.  We didn't want to go to the Apple store but someone who's name starts with Rowan messed up Daddy's gigi (iTouch) and we had to get the doohickey that plugs into the thingamajig fixed. 

At first we thought this would be a fun day out.  We have an outlet mall in our town but not a mall.  We drove to the mall without incidence except for that car from New York who was driving 55 (obviously lost).  Then we walked into the mall and transformed the rest of our day.

It was big.  It was shiny and twinkly.  It was loud.  Things had changed since the last time we were in a mall.  It felt like a big circus was going on.  There was entertaining things everywhere for kids.  Candy machines, bungy corded trampolines, choo choo trains. 

We had to find the restroom by the food court, also.  A must with a little kid.  I think all the restaurants were handing out free samples.  We could have not paid for any food that day because of all the free samples they were giving.  And those kids didn't care if they gave one sample or 10.  But after you take your kid to the same bathroom three different times you kind of get tired of the same guy trying to push the Chinese food. 

We did get the gigi fixed and that was worth the trip but the meltdown by Rowan was not.  Let me tell you, she came home a hot mess.  All that attention grabbing glitz was too much for her.  She was overstimulated.  She was crying at the drop of a hat.  Her nerves were so raw she threw up all over herself.  Daddy hosed her down, wrapped her up, and told her sweet things.  And then she was fine.  And then she was crying.  And then she went to bed. 

Suffice to say it will be a long time before we take her back there.  A note about the pic above.  Rowan has reached an age, which I had heard about, where she no longer wishes to have her picture taken except in a few instances.  Apparently she feels more like the paparazzi is after her.  She is starting to feel a need for her privacy.  Even though she doesn't understand this whole blog thing and the internet, I'm going to work hard to respect her feelings. 

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Pets...

I think I can safely say that most of us have been ridiculously busy this summer.  I started my new business with my friends and it is still something I can have a passion for even after 107 degrees and a tornado warning.  It is fun to watch it grow and shape into something more than I ever thought it could be. 

Some of us were mad scientists creating horrors too scary to look at.  Rowan found out that she loves to craft something, anything right next to mom and dad.  All t.v. watching has become pretty much non existent.  She also has some gymnastic talent I'm contemplating.  Most 4 year olds aren't doing back flips off the bed, right?  She is.  All she needs is a balance beam.

This one of those rare, I can't believe the pic came out this good, moments.  I used a lot of zoom and stood far, far away.  No one wants to kill it because it's a momma spider.  We've also seen her in action and she is a professional killer.  One false move and it's all over.  Mostly, she's very pretty big huge and we're too chicken to squish her.  She keeps out all the big insects, so she can stay put in my book.

This is the momma spider's 13 trillion eggs in there. 
She will probably release them as I'm trying to leave for work in the dark. 
 This way I can get to work looking like I have
 lice or will be practicing for my role in a B horror movie.                                                                                          
I understand their part but I still get the heebie jeebies.  Moving on...

Out in the Garden there are lots of rocks and little nooks and corners to gather in or ponder big questions.  We let strange cats come on over, too.  They don't stick around for too long.  It gets too hot, there's no food.  Nag      
Now, we're approaching the pets that belong to us.  Here are the goldfish.  Happy as a fish can be.  There isn't a butterfly swimming with them.  Rowan got a hold of some butterfly stickers and decorated the tank.



Mostly this post is about Him.  Him is named Onslo.  Onslo is a chiweenie.  When you google pics of chiweenies they are varied as night and day.  I like to think he has a forever baby look on his face.

He had been getting a little more gamey lately.  He seemed depressed.  There's not a lot of White Fang gangs he could run with. 

So Jace said, "I'll allow that we need another dog to keep Onslo company."  I heard, "Julie you can go get another dog any kind you want."


So unbeknownst to us all:  He can train fast, loves to sleep, only wants to pee on paper, and takes his important business outside.  He's also showing his manlyness in getting to keep all his toys.  I'll be posting lots of pics here and on Facebook.