Yeah, a little mojo back...

Looks like my funk is lifting. I went off the new meds, back on the old and I'm mostly bad to my old self again. I even got motivated to take on a little bigger project; the desk and chair. "Before" desk above, pretty bad condition; needed hammer, nails, sandpaper, and soap.

"Before" chair above. Needed paint (had been black), lots o' glue, I'm getting ready to get after it with my saws-all on just a couple of small places, and, of course, a seat.

Voila! Above and below the "after" chair; mo paint, remnant fabric, and wide wired ribbon I've had forever. I thought it was kinda cute.

And...

...voila! All dressed up and in the shop. It was only there one day, well, not even a day. I took it in Friday night and it sold Saturday morning. Now if that happened all the time I wouldn't have the time to have a funk. I should say that the price was quite reasonable but still did well. The folks liked the vignette so much they even went for the lamp too. Time to do mo searching...

Jewels of the Sea Swap

Wayyyyyyyyy overdue are the photos from the Jewels of the Sea swap. I received the box the day before we left for Oregon. I didn't even have time to open it, totally extreme for me, before we left. I opened it as soon as I got home but have still forgotten all this time to post the pics of the beautiful gifts. There are a couple missing as they are in my work room where I'm also searching for a full sized elephant. As soon as they surface I'll include them. In the meantime...

Wow, from Julie of Area 51, even the box was decorated inside and out.

From Margo Phillips, a beautiful message in a bottle, the back of her card is a beautiful as the front.

Soldering, ahhhhh, I'll be taking the Soldering for Virgins class from Sally Jean at Silver Bella and I can't wait to be making beautiful designs like this one, sweet and whimsical.

This is from Heather from Speckled Egg who hosted the swap. Fab, classy bling that adds wonderful sparkle hanging out in a special place; not just on my craggy-getting neck!

I love the bottles on these including this one. I'm going to add a little of Dad to this one so I have a wonderful way of taking him with me along with the company of this beautiful mermaid. Sorry gals whose are hanging out in the work room. There was a big start in finding that elephant a few days ago and it's on the calender to find most everything tomorrow so I'll be adding then...

Mammas don't let your babies...

This is so random...how random is it...? Okay, I'm not doing the Johnny Carson/Ed McMann thing again...it's just random. I was sitting on my porch today pondering...perhaps I need a new hobby or a JOB-Border's, will you call me already?...pondering my love life. That might seem strange for someone my age who's been married 13 years on the second go-round but, as I said, it's random. Actually I've been experiencing a little "bored housewife syndrome" of late. It's not just that; I have my great friends and art and decorating in addition to the family, cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. It's the last part, the labor, that's getting to me. You'd think after 28 years it would have gotten to me sooner but, hell, I'm so restless I feel like it's February in Casper, Wyoming. So, while my navel was being studied, for some reason I looked back over my love life. It occurred to me that here I am a Texas cowgirl through and through and there's never been a cowboy that didn't break my heart or at least leave a little dent or disappointment. I guess that's why this cradle Texas Episcopalian is married to a cradle New York City Jew. Not to mention that he's a scientist and I'm an artist; he's down and I'm up; I'm pretty fearless and he's got that Woody Allen neurotic thing going on. I scare the shit out of him with my quick decisions and thinking and wild ways. It takes him six months to buy a t-shirt when I could buy an island in a day. His Cosmo vs. my six pack of beer; his Diet Coke vs. my Red Bull mixed with Coke. I'm the one with the pickup and power tools. But I digress after all it was my PAST love life I was pondering. There's a pretty impressive list of cowboys to choose from. Don't get me wrong, I did some heartbreaking myself but I don't think they were cowboys. I believe that Randy was the worst and best. He was a professional bull rider sponsored by several big companies such as Winston-Reynolds. Oh my gawd; so handsome, such a gentleman, such a stud, treated me like a princess, and the boy was the best kisser I've ever know. I'm talking weak-kneed. We dated for quite a while then he said he had to go back out on the circuit and he'd be back in about two months. I counted the minutes...this was way before cell phones and he was in some remote places. Well he finally called me...two YEARS later...the week before I married my first husband and said if I'd call the wedding off he'd come straight over and marry me that day. Sooooooo, pondering all this today, after mowing the lawn, thinking I was in a "bored housewife" mood, I was inspired to get my pouty butt up and back in my studio and make the above little piece. Poor unsuspecting, naive Darla is gleefully talking to her cowboy boyfriend on her chaise lounge from the confines of her room-the bubble (glass lantern) she thinks keeps her protected but actually keeps her prisoner while Festis is free to come and go and string her along and play with his cows and horses and cowgirls whenever he freaking feels like it. Hence the advise tag title, "Mammas Don't Let Your Daughters Grow Up to Love Cowboys". If I wanted to cover all the bases, which I thought would ruin the artistic integrity, shit, I woulda added, "date, greet, meet, get anywhere near a cowboy". Getting jaded, I like to think that pioneer woman and her Marlboro man is all just fiction...what do y'all think? I was raised with unrealistic expectations of cowboys. My daddy was a cowboy and he was a very fine, honest, decent, ethical man through and through; he said what he meant and meant what he said, rare these days, been rare for a while, I guess. Brave and strong and true, and handsome to boot (puns are always intended) and impossible to fill. But, as I said, all these were just random thoughts... ...from my Japanese pickup.

Pondering my groove...

When I'm making art at home alone I have more time than usual to ponder life. Lately I've been pondering and questioning my life more than usual. I'm sure I should be worrying about the state of the economy but since I can't control that, I'm not. As I was pondering today it came to me that I've lost my edge of late. I used to get a lot of comments (lest you think I've imagined the small group of very disturbed but loyal fans, a lot of them email comments to me as they are still weary of the computer, like Mom, all porn and identity theft) that I made so and so hoot and holler and laugh to tears. But those types of comments seem to have tapered off and rightfully so. I've lost my edge, my groove. Because of some serious trouble I got into recently from some inappropriate statements and joking, I have been careful and serious about what I say. But that's not me and I miss me. It's one of the things I like about me and polls say that's something that my friends really like about me too. It's part of me being from Texas and a Scorpio and bitter and a little crazy and it's a way to let off some steam from living with all men, most of them misogynists. I mean just check out my first sign on my side bar; that's so me, the old me, the one I want back.

Especially since 9/11, I realized that life is just too short to take too seriously. That's when I really stopped holding back, let it rip, and tried to laugh at anything I possibly could. It shook me realizing that life can change in such a short time and made me want to be silly and light as often as possible. I was known to say one of my favorite mantras, "It's not a brain tumor.", before then but since and even more recently when "we" did have a brain tumor to deal with plus breast cancer...well, you get the idea without me bringing anyone down, "ours" turned out okay. Soooooooooo, I'm going to try to find that groove 'cause this is the longest I've gone without it. I think my recent history then the ensuing trip to the shrink then the ensuing meds have put a damper on my true personality which might be obnoxious to others at times but always tickle ME. And if I'm tickled, well, then I'm happy and, well, what else matters? Another counselor (not a real one but plays one in real life) suggested another med option which I'm seriously considering so that I can come back out of hiding without having panic attacks. Wish me luck. I'll try to notice something funny soon and regale you with it, I promise-I'll try real hard.

No rest for the sweaty swap hog...

Okay, so you'd think that with the show house up and running I'd be able to take a little breather but NOOOOOOOOOOO. Last year I was new to Silver Bella and didn't catch on to the group digests or swaps until the last minute. Remember, I was planning my big birthday party and hosting my whole family right up until the day before leaving to drive to Omaha. Anyhoo, I got in on only one swap and I felt a little like Timmy on Christmas day when everyone ended up in the bar after the swaps with arms loads of amazing FREE artwork.

This year I was ON IT. Maybe a little too on it. As soon as the swaps started showing up on the group site I started typing my name on everything that posted. So I'm in NINE swaps-yikes! I am lucky enough to have had some things handy for the first three but there are a couple of swaps that involve "work" that I've never done before which in Zen means "stretching my creative muscles". There are three that have to be done and out in the mail soon, one of which I finally got to today. And when I get through with these I need to be making artwork for the vendor night. Now you see why I'm not lounging around.

Above is not going to be a spoiler, just the packaging for the one on one Cup Cake Swap; no showing the cup cake inside for now.

And the packaging for the Cup Cake Charm Swap, same here, no showing of the charms here yet. Hostesses, I'm going as fast as I can!