Free Time? March 31, 2009

Saw this over at WhatKnot, I did not heed her warning and clicked on this site anyway.  And a wonderful time suck it is.

I think this has potential to move beyond twiddling one’s virtual thumbs and into the realm of helpfulness.  Need to pick colors for your kitchen?  Pick fabrics for your quilt?  Need to paint a chair and desk for auction fast fast fast?  This might be the right tool for the job!

Your search colours

You pick your palette and it generates these cool mosaics. Beware though, when you copy it to your blog it will do strange things like not let you make a perfect rectangle and no dice when you try to hit return and loose the color strips.  Be prepared that your text will be inside your last color – like SO.  Click on the individual photos to see them on Flickr.

Still worth a peek.

Gift March 30, 2009

I want to thank all of you who take the time to visit my little blog and an extra special hug around your neck to those who take the time to leave a comment.  You’ve often given me a boost, made me laugh out loud, given sound advice and you usually leave a bread crumb trail back to your lovely blogs and it is all received as a gift!

Thank you.

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I broke down and went with the random number generator and the winner turned out to be my mom so I asked her “Before or After” and she replied, “Before” and so it comes that Kelly is the winner of my 1 year blog anniversary giveaway!  Her joke, for the record, was:

Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Pencil.
Pencil who?
Never mind. There’s no point.

Kelly is a very funny woman, it is said and it is true, but lucky for her the winner was not picked by the funniest joke!  🙂  Email me your address and I will get this out to you before Jack starts college!

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For your visual pleasure I thought I would share something that came in the mail for me!

My beautiful (and I’m talking outside, not just inside), funny, and thoughtful friend from college saw this, thought of me and sent it on.  I love it for so many reasons.  Primarily because it always feels good when people “get” you and understand what will float your boat.  She hit the nail on head with this one (Thanks dad).   You can’t really tell but the G has a little bit of cellophane, creating a “window” – love that and I can’t believe it’s still intact.   Take a close look at the little bird perched on the T, such a graphically cool card.  And Sharon also knows that my father, who I have the utmost respect for, served in the military and this appeals to my army brat upbringing.  It’s perfect on so many levels.

So thank you Sharon and thank you Facebook for reuniting us!

Alphabet Sunday :: U March 29, 2009

Lauren says, U is for Uh-Oh:

Tracey says, U is for Uncle Danno (my brother):

Just Calling It In This Week March 27, 2009

Funny but I have been defeated by the thought of tearing little strips of paper and writing everyone’s name down, sometimes twice (who thought of the stupid joke thing anyway?!), and pulling a winner out of the hat.  Not to mention documenting the dazzling moment on camera for the big reveal, that everyone has forgotten about by now anyhow.  This also means I have been crap at responding to your lovely comments about my altered thrift hangings – bear with me peps.

bleh

I present to you, Vintage Photo Friday taken from an internet joke site I do not remember but will try to find the link for later.  He took them from who knows where…

I feel like the lion this week.

I will refrain from making a self deprecating joke here because I am learning that they are not that attractive.

Also playing:

Green Jello

Knot Sew Crafty

Sheep on a Spring

Pineapples & Artichokes

Pamdora

Through the Looking Glass

Handy Crafts

My Own Crafty Wonderland

Woolanthropy

Los Angeles is My Beat

Altered Thrift March 23, 2009

My favorite thrift store folks, Charlie and Pat, gave me two ceramic wall hangings when they were closing up their shop for the winter months.  I mostly took them because my granny taught me it was polite to take what is offered to you.  I have since found this to be a cultural/regional thing.  Southerners generally think you rude if you don’t take what is offered and Northerners think you rude if you do.  Just my take on it, feel free to share if you have a different opinion (I’ll let you decide if I mean that in a Southern or Northern way!).

Before:

Anyhoo, the hangings were ugly not to my liking so I painted them.  My original plan was to paint them one color but I couldn’t decide between the green or the blue and my craft group said go for it with both colors.  I hope to do one more coat of a high gloss finish but for now I hung them up.  I might have to take them down later as my husband diplomatically said last night, “I like what you have done with those, I’m just not sure if I like them enough to hang them in the living room.”

After:

I think I might need to move my hippo and green man if they stay but more than likely they are headed to the craft room.  No worries.  It really was about the process for me on this one.  It was fun to paint and see them transform from fugly to less fugly (says me).

I had to stop myself from painting more things blue.

Alphabet Sunday :: T March 22, 2009

Lauren said T was for “Tapped Out” but then she rallied and now says, T is for Toes:

Tracey says, T is for Thrift Store.  Could there have been any other choice?

Vintage Photo Friday March 20, 2009

I am excited so many folks are playing along with Vintage Photo Friday.  Be sure to visit and leave a kind (or winningly snarky) comment.

If you would like to join, let me know and I will add you to the growing list.

Today’s vintage photo is an altered one from the portfolio of Brock Davis.  He is participating in the Flickr group, Make Something Cool Everyday He’s created some really interesting images and this photo is my favorite.  (He has given me permission to share and he thinks I’m pretty – I made one of those statements up)

This photo is entitled, “Can you spot the ghost?”

I cracked up.

Vintage + Pac Man = GOLDEN.

Oh my, I just figured out that by some standards Pac Man = Vintage.  Does not compute, that math is beyond me!

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Green Jello

Knot Sew Crafty

Sheep on a Spring

Pineapples & Artichokes

Pamdora

Through the Looking Glass

Handy Crafts

My Own Crafty Wonderland

Woolanthropy

Ellen Bloom

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This is what I wish I had thought to write, Ellen Bloom says,

“I think that Pac Man was living in a remote cabin in Georgia before he became a gaming star. He was just waiting for higher powered electricity to be invented!”

More Than Words March 18, 2009

Last night I was reading to my big guy, my “first baby” as he reminds me, and I was overcome with emotions and memories and a longing to press pause in real life.  I did scoop him up and hold him like I did when he was a baby, veiled in a joke because that is the only way holding him like that would fly these days!  After all he is almost 7, don’t you know!  There was a second last night when I could see a shadow of his future mustache, right there under his teenage nose.  I think that’s what triggered my mommy tears, all “happy tears” I assured him. “Uh, ok after you tell me about me when I was a baby, will you read more Captain Underpants to me?”

And my baby baby, my “last baby” is soon to be 3 and despite the diapers and the pacifiers, he is NO baby.  He is full of questions these days, my current favorite is, “Momma, who made me?”.   Which brings me back to my happy mommy tears, “We did, Honey.  Mommy and Daddy made you!”  which leads to, “Who made daddy?”  and on and on…

And then there is the stuff captured in this photo – my boys creating together, working peacefully side by side and growing into a solid team, that stuff (the important stuff) is melting my heart.

I wonder if I am getting all reflecty because I am going to be 40 this summer?

Pause March 17, 2009

Will announce the winner of my 1 year anniversary soon.  Just as soon as I scribble out everyone’s name and find a hat.  Could be a few days.

In the mean time I am taking a pause.  A pause to sleep, a pause to focus, & a pause to hold the hands of my sweet ones.  Sorry I have been terribly bad about responding to comments and following your blogs.  Will be back into the swing of things in a couple of days.

Doesn’t everyone get the post-party blues?  I think I’m having the post-bloggaversary version.

Pause & Peace

Tracey

Alphabet Sunday :: S March 14, 2009

Lauren says, S is for Street:

Tracey says, S is for Scales (served 2 ways):