Just the Kick in the Pants I Needed...

Good Morning - Queen of Procrastination here!
I thought I wasn't going to the doll conference next year - until a friend reminded me that it's not so much about the classes but about the friendships! (THANK YOU, JULES!)
Printed off my forms and will have them in the mail today. You have never lived until you have been at a conference with a bunch of folks that are just as NUTS as you are!

THEN I looked at the pile of yarn staring at me. The Loopy Ewe (a yarn shop in Ft. Collins, Colorado that does amazing mail order) decided to have a challenge. Not just any challenge but back to school! We have 3 projects to finish by the end of the "semester" (meaning December 31st). That was 3 days ago. This morning, I have a new chapeau!

This was a FUN knit and it took me 2 days and 1 evening. I would guess there's about 14 hours in that hat (but I'm a pokey knitter).

Next project: A beaded cowl! I'm a sucker for bling. Just like a little friend of mine that used to carry off all things shiny! Tessa was a tortie kitty that we had rescued many years ago. We lost her to kidney failure in January of 2012. When we went to remove a pocket door between our kitchen and dining room, we found one of her hiding places. See what she saved for us to find:

It was a wonderful reminder of a loving pet that touched our hearts for almost 15 years. WE MISS YOU, TESSA!

That Was the Week That Was...

As a birthday gift to myself, I decided to take a week off work and do NOTHING. Not a darn thing. Mostly because Im feeling quite overwhelmed by work right now and unable to create anything.
With that thought also in mind, I decided that this "pit" known as my sewing room/studio (I'm not really an artist, so I feel funny calling it a studio) needed an overhaul. I did not take before pictures as I was too embarrassed. Let's just say I needed a dumpster and shovel to even clear a path to the sewing machine!
I've recently started playing with clay thanks to classes from two amazing artists. Dee Schiller and Kathryn Walmsley both gave me the desire/impetus to start sculpting. However working in any type of clay near fibers and fabrics is a recipe for disaster. I ended up with specs, lumps and lines in the clay from the fiber.
A trip to IKEA this summer yielded the corner desk and the shelving unit. I've now got everything (sort of) organized except for the pile of fabric still to be folded on the cutting table. I haven't been able to get to that since I have a squatter taking up residence in the fabric.

And I wonder why there's always cat hair on my things!
Anyway, here is the clay sculpting area:

I can now see the top of my sewing machine AND I added a small pad for ironing. Came in handy yesterday!

And last (but certainly not least) the wonderful cubby cabinet from IKEA:

Let's hope this is the kick in the pants I need to get creative again!

Happy Bloody Birthday

I suppose I should be grateful that I have survived as long as I have. But as someone who has been told that my recent health issues are "to be expected at your age" by not one, not two but THREE physicians, I am NOT looking forward to advancing any more in age. Since I now pass into the "Senior" years starting tomorrow morning at 9:25am, I am really, really struggling with this birthday. Usually when I feel blue, I resort to watching one of my favorite "feel good" movies. I was trying to come up with a list of the top 10 and thought I would start by sharing five of mine (in alphabetical order because I'm anal like that):

Blues Brothers

C'mon - it's Chicago, it's got penguins, Danny Akroyd, John Candy AND the late, great John Belushi. What's not to love?

Down Periscope

Any movie whose title song is sung by the Village People is OK in my book!

Real Genius

When Val Kilmer was HOT!

Running Scared

Again - it's CHICAGO (my hometown that I am VERY proud of), has some of the BEST one liners "why do they call you Snake - you gotta long wee wee or somethin?" and "Hablo Smith and Wesson?"! AND in my opinion, Jimmy Smits is a MUCH better baddie than he is a hero. Besides it's got BILLY CRYSTAL and the late, great Gregory Hines. Best team EVER!

Waking Ned Devine

Talk about life dealing you a crap hand! The friendship between Michael and Jackie is priceless. I love the scenes of Michael O'Sullivan driving down the Irish country roads on a motor bike NAKED!! And the MUSIC!! I LOVE Celtic music.

I'm going to have to chew on the next movies. There are many more than I thought!