Big Changes

The last week or so has been one of monumental decisions and the beginning of what I'm counting on being one of the most stressful years of my life.

We always knew that eventually we would be moving to the States. But what was going to be 3 years down the road suddenly got pushed to 12 months. Then, in a day or so, it was further pushed to 10 months! Moving 1/2 way around the world is stressful enough. Taking on the task with less than a year for all of the planning and preparations is like jumping off a cliff without being able to see where you're landing and just hoping there is going to be water.

And praying that water is deep enough to cushion your landing.

And that you miss the sharp pointy rocks.

And that the sharks are currently asleep or feeding elsewhere.

Anyway! We're heading off soon to visit my parents in the States, and while we're there we're planning to drive around a little and find a few areas that we feel we could enjoy living in. Hopefully that will give us some sort of idea about where we want to look for a new house.

For crafters, moving has a whole additional set of problems that have to be dealt with several months in advanced. For example, I have several projects in varying states of doneness. Do I push had to finish them? Do I relax and plan on finishing them whenever- potentially packing them away in a box? And what about the things that are done and up for sale but not yet sold? Do I have a sale? Leave them and pray? Take them off the market, pack them away, and put them back up after we're settled? And when's the best time to do all of that?

Possibly it's just me because I'm neurotic. Steve doesn't seem in the least bit stressed about any of this. Either that or my paranoia gives his fears a big enough place to hide.

Cleaning out the cobwebs

Standing in a huge empty warehouse. It's dark. There's a few dirty windows up too high to reach letting in a thin bit of light that only serves to show how much dirt covers everything. Every once in a while there's a scratching noise coming from the corner that I'm pretty sure is some sort of rodent about the size of an elephant. And I'm too terrified to move because I just know that as soon as I do I'm going to walk into a spider's web. There's nothing worse than walking into a spider's web!

That's what it's been like inside my head lately. Add in a few echoes saying how far short I come. Now before you say how untrue it all is, that doesn't really come into play here. That's the worst part of depression- there's no logic involved!

So, that's why I haven't been on here for a while. I have been busy. Too busy actually. So I have some upcoming posts about what I've been doing.

Thank you for bearing with me!

Design

Some mornings I wake up with no real brain function.

Ok, every morning. I'm NOT a morning person.

Anyway, this absence of thought can sometimes lead into interesting areas of observation. For instance, in my bedroom we have a wall that is covered in wallpaper that is a picture of a beach scene. Very nice. However, Saturday morning I found myself enthralled by one very small aspect of the picture:

 This knobby bit.

I'm not sure what you call this exactly, but I'm pretty sure most people will understand what I mean by knobby bit.


Mainly looking at that top portion, I suddenly realized that it resembles other elements that we see everyday!












Hmmmm.....

 That's a bright idea!

Or turn it on it's side.....

 Much easier to see you with.

Right.


You get the idea.


My point is, design elements can come from anywhere. So never overlook the everyday objects. You never know where your next flash of inspiration will come from.

Friday Favorites

I've never been what you would call a "girly" girl. I showed up for my first ballet lesson (around 5 years old) in head to toe black. I never dotted my i's with hearts or drew smiley faces in my o's. I didn't have a picture of that boy in class with flowers and hearts with our names doodled all over them. I was much more likely to draw daggers and dark clouds in the margins of my note paper rather than bunnies and butterflies. And my favorite color was NOT pink!

But I did make allowances. Dolls were always a big part of my childhood, along with stuffed animals and dress-ups- Mom's shoes were always a big hit! One of my treasured collections was (and still is) about as girly as they come- My Little Pony.

My little pony!

My little pony!

Yes, I am a child of the 80's. I watched the cartoon. I had imaginary adventures. And I loved every minute of it. So much so that I still have some of my favorite ponies. 

Found here

 I know I'm not the only one.

Yes, there is a part of me that wants to... recreate a Pony. But it'll have to be one I buy for the purpose as I have way too many cherished childhood memories from the few I saved.

But how cool is this!

Found here

 Steve found this one while looking for good pictures of Rocky Horror makeup.




I love the fishnets!

And the rips in the gloves!

And the tattoo!

Found here

 Rorschach! Now if there was a way that those spots could move around.

Found here

 These are not the ponies you are looking for.



Imagine an episode of My Little Pony where the ponies have their adventure in the Death Star.

Hmmm... I wonder....

Found here along with a few others

Didn't have to wonder long!

Found here

 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA BAT HORSE!

And Robin!

Holy smokes Bat Horse!

Can't find it again! Can you help?

 The beautiful ponies! The beautiful ponies! It's all relative to the size of your...something that rhymes with ponies.

Found here

 I've no idea what this is from. I know I should, but I don't. I'm a bad geek.

But look how cute! And can you say mind boggling impressively amazing!

More pictures here

 Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and My Little Ponies? Pinch me I'm dreaming.


Could we get a Cap't Jack Sparrow?

Found here

Thank you!

More pictures here!

 I'm not a fan of the green, but I love love LOVE the bony leg, the brain, and the eyeball hanging out of the socket! I would love to see this one done with a better paint job, though. 

Yes, I'm quite aware that some people will look at these and think, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" But I think they're cool. 

And it's my blog.

So there. 

Short Circuit

My brain has stopped working. Last night I had several instances when a simple word or phrase stayed just outside the reaches of my intellect. And yes, it's that  time of the month, so my theory is my body is putting all it's energy into BABIES*, and if high school taught us anything, the less a girl thinks, the more likely she is to get pregnant.

In my daily online wanderings, however, I found this amazing website.

Basically, the idea behind it is that we constantly berate ourselves for not being as perfect as the rest of the planet. You browse through Etsy, read about other people's creations, or watch your husband create amazing jewelry, and it's easy to see your own stuff as not good enough.

Now, the simple answer is a definite possibility: your stuff isn't good enough. It doesn't come without it's share of pain. Trust me. Because when I say your I actually mean mine. I am the queen of mediocrity. I don't want to be mediocre, I want to be great. But I'm beginning to accept that great may not be in my reality. Why not be happy with mediocre?

The real question here is: do you enjoy creating? If the answer is no, you're doing something wrong. If the answer is yes, who else really matters? I've never been popular, I've never been the prettiest, or the smartest, or the best at anything. But I enjoy myself nonetheless. So who cares if there's someone better out there? The point is enjoy.

 So, here's the challenge (and this comes directly from the website), make something ugly. Set out with the intention to make the most hideous thing you can think of.








Then, try to make it even uglier.





 
Now, I had a quick flick through some of the photos people had posted of their ugly creations, and there was one thing in particular that stood out to me: nearly all of them were creatures and not things.

Is it because people see an ugly inside of themselves and have a desire to purge that bit of themselves out? Or is it simply that it's much easier to create an ugly someone instead of a something.



Or maybe I'm getting way too deep for this early in the morning.

Happy (ugly) crafting!

Steve's Stuff

While I've been keeping myself occupied and mostly out of trouble, Steve has found ways to do the same. With much better results, I might add.

He's got back to his bone carving, which is truly a delight. Sure, the smell in the garage is deathly, and I have to rewash the clothes that were hanging out to dry there because they're now covered in bone dust, but.... well, see for yourself:

This was actually his second project. It can be worn as a brooch, or as a pendant. I love jewelry that comes with choices!

That impeccable calla lily is hand carved from bone. And he carved the leaf from a bit of wood. Stunning!

This was his first attempt at wire wrapping. So, of course, he's not happy with it, but everyone else who sees it drools over it for a while.

Once again, that skull is hand carved bone.

Check out the tribal detail!

My man is certainly talented!


If you are interested in purchasing either of these pieces, please visit our Etsy shop.






Happy crafting!

Birds of a feather

When my son requested a Spiderman themed birthday party, I had to order stuff from the States in order to make that happen.

When he wanted Ben 10 as the theme, shipping prices had sky rocketed, and no one in the country had any Ben 10 supplies. Of course, the patchwork Ben 10 party I created from scratch was quite a hit with the kids!

Now, of course, every store around that carries party supplies is over run with Spiderman and Ben 10. So great that they got on the ball after I needed that stuff!

So this year, when he requested Rio as his theme, well, I died a little inside.

If you haven't seen the movie, it's really cute! I loved it. Possibly more than he did, but not by much. When I took him to the theatre to see the movie, he sat through the end credits stating that he was going to stay there and watch it again! It was only the fact that we went to the last show of the day that finally convinced him to leave.

And of course, McDonald's had all the happy meal toys at the ready before the movie was even released.

So why? Why why why WHY are there no party supplies?

I checked local shops. No. (I didn't actually expect them to due to my previous experiences.)

I checked online. No.

I checked online in the States! No.

I've now set my Mom to work to see if she can find anything, but the majority of the party will be patchwork.

I'm not really complaining too bitterly, though. I kind of enjoy finding the creative solutions to life's little conundrums. And I'm not trying to make this party the talk of the year. I don't think this is going to gain my son any friends he doesn't already have (most of whom are girls with huge crushes on him! Ugh.), or influence people in lofty positions on the playground. Simple=good. Stress free=FUN!

And this year, the party is NOT at the house! BOOYA! Little to no clean up. Why didn't I think of this before?

Oh right. It's expensive to rent places. Nothing to stop us just showing up for a bar-b-que, though. And who doesn't bring tropical decorations to a mid-winter bar-b-que?

Yeah, tropical decorations are actually pretty easy to find. I stumbled across plates, napkins, cups, and ceiling danglies all with a tropical theme this morning. Half my work is done already!

As for the invitation, take a look:

Google picture from the movie + Microsoft Publisher = FABULOUS!

The back of the invitation has all the details about the when, where, what the party is.

Next step: set up a playlist on my ipod with music from artists such as Carlos Santana, and probably download the Rio Soundtrack and include it on the playlist as well.

Then, plan out goodie bags.

After that, plan a cake.

And finally, enjoy the party!