Normally, I am very persistent when facing challenges, but I am on the brink of surrendering to, what is clearly, an inability to take decent pictures. In spite of my cute, new camera and the discovery of the Photobucket editing program, the pictures that land up on my computer monitor do not come close to those I've captured in my mind's eye. I will, for at least a bit longer, plug along and hope that I have one of those "AHA!" moments when everything "clicks". In the meantime, I trust that your wonderfully creative imaginations somehow transform my awkward attempts into something lovely. I was pouring through older pictures of my children and decided, perhaps, they (the pictures, not my beautiful kids) would look better in a collage. Worth a try!
***Lest it appear that I favor my daughter over my son, I offer this disclaimer: he has made it perfectly clear that he wants no part in my blog and has "forbidden" me from mentioning him. Does he forget that I brought him into this world..... My daughter, on the other hand, would happily star in each and every posting!
I will, undoubtedly, be inundating my blog with posts that refer to...or are primarily featuring...all of the amazing goodies from my friend, Monica. The plethora of treasures she sent me is overwhelming and I am still discovering hidden surprises! Everything she sent me is still sitting on my dresser, en masse. I can't make myself put things away just yet. It's a bit like Christmas morning: when you start the clean-up process, it's an indicator that the gift giving has reached an end.
I wanted to share my absolute favorite thing she sent me, a handpainted china bell. Ever since I fell in love with the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", I have a sweet soft spot for bells ("Teacher says 'every time a bell rings', Daddy, 'an angel is getting his wings'."). Again, this is something Monica did not know about me, yet she gifted me something I shall treasure always! Monica painted the most beautiful, intricate peach & lavender flowers on this particular bell. Since I have not an ounce of traditional artistic talent (painting, drawing, etc.), I am perpetually astounded by people who are talented in this arena. Monica is absolutely one of those fortunate people.
The bell is sitting right next to my computer, so I can gaze at it often. Every so often, I pick it up and give it a tiny shake...just in case Zuzu was right about ringing bells!
Just when I thought my day couldn't get any happier...
I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of my package from Monica (from the swap we did). The transit time between Connecticut and Italy does not suit my impatient nature, but I have been held over by daily emails, from Monica, sharing the projects she has been working on with some of the vintage baubles I sent to her. It snowed (AGAIN) today, which meant that my mail carrier was running late. I kept looking out the window, for telltale signs of the mail truck's tracks in my driveway. Finally, shortly after 5:00 p.m., I saw that the mail had been delivered and there appeared to be a sizable parcel, somehow, attached to the front of my mailbox. I grabbed my coat, skated down my icy driveway and lo & behold, there was a package affixed to the box with a bundle of rubber bands. Suddenly, my impatience quieted down a bit and I wanted to savor every part of the unveiling....thus the pictures, beginning with one of the snow covered parcel. I emailed Monica immediately, to let her know her goodies had arrived. Of course, the 8 hour time difference means that she won't know that until tomorrow.
Inside of the box was a lovely Pannetone tin that, once opened, overflowed with the most wonderful treasures from my sweet Italian friend! There was a rainbow of assorted ribbons, in so many different colors & materials, which I had mentioned I was sorely lacking in my crafting supplies. Monica added bunches & bunches of beautiful silk flowers...of which I had none. In fact, I was wishing I had some pretty flowers to add to the tutus I was working on yesterday. I will surely be using them on the next tutu I make.
I will save the sharing for another post, as I need to get my daughter settled for the evening. Suffice it to say, I am thrilled beyond words at Monica's thoughtfulness and generosity. It is positively uncanny that everything she chose suits me to perfection. You are absolutely remarkable, Monica, and such an amazing blessing in my life!
I had to run to my local thrift shop, this afternoon, to drop off several bags of clothes. While I was there, I, naturally, had to take a quick peek around. As the ladies were gratefully beginning to sort through my donations, I spotted a gorgeous dressing table and bench by the door. Since I really didn't have room, in my house, for one more piece of furniture (not to mention the fact, that I need to be mindful of my budget, until I find a job), I wasn't even going to take a close look or ask the price. I looked around a bit and found a pretty topiary and a cute lamp and was ready to pay for my finds....curiosity got the better of me and I had to inquire about the dressing table. With a perplexing sigh of exasperation, the woman who runs the shop explained that it had just been dropped off and they had nowhere to put it. Hopefully, I asked what she was going to ask for it. She looked around, at the already crowded shop, and told me....since I was such a "generous patron of the shop"...I could have both pieces. "Have"...as in free, no charge, zero damage to my bank account!!! As quickly as possible, before she came to her senses, I snatched up the dressing table and bench and loaded them into the back of my car. The fabric on the bench is a little torn at the seam, which is an easy mend, but I may just make a new cover for the cushion. Although I love the fabric, I'm not a big fan of the "matchy-matchy" look. When I got home, I realized it should work beautifully as a computer table: it has storage drawers under the skirt, as well as room for my printer! I will give it a try and, I'm sure, will be posting an update shortly :-)
Here is the second tutu I made. This one has a touch of Hawaiian flair, don't you think?
What to do with leftover tulle (yards upon yards) from the baby shower...make tutus, of course! These were, perhaps, the easiest projects I have made to date and, if I do say so myself, they came out rather nicely. Now, if only I had a daughter who was a girly-girl, they might be put to good use. Instead, I will be putting them in my Etsy shop....if I ever get it up and running. Once again, I have found another use for Deb's fabulous, double ruffle ribbons! Please stop by her Etsy shop, Just Because Ribbons. She has the most wonderful assortment of colors, is wonderful to do business with and the ribbons are such fun to play with! An aside: I was placing yet another order with Deb, this weekend, and she was busily trying to figure out which colors I might like/ need, giving me such warm, personal attention via email. Meanwhile, her baby girl is healing from a finger-slammed-in-the-door episode. That is the kind of commitment and professionalism Deb exhibits with her small business! She also wins the "Mom of the Year" award for being such a fantastic nurse to her little one.
The baby shower is, at last, a fait accompli! I'm exhausted after all of the prep work, hostessing, and clean-up. The outcome, however, made it all worth it.
~The mommy-to-be was elated.
~The Grandma-to-be was thrilled.
~Most of the guests showed up.
~The gifts were abundant.
~The weather was beautiful.
~The food was yummy...and I won't have to cook for a week...or until my kids start complaining about eating left-overs.
I didn't have time to take pictures during the shower, but I did snap a few shots of the remaining flower arrangements. There were originally six, but the others were given as prizes for the games we played. Normally, and I have written about this before, cut flowers make me a little sad. For some reason, though, these seem to brighten the whole house and are lifting my tired, but content spirits!
Time to curl up, in front of the fire, with my book.
I'm sure many of you have experienced the feeling of being "the new kid on the block"....or blog, in this case, as you began your journey into this vast, oftentimes overwhelming, world of blogging. Although I was instantly "hooked", I wondered, during my first few weeks: "Is anyone (aside from my sister, my mom & my best friend) ever going to read this stuff?" That question was usually followed by an immediate afterthought: "Do I really want anyone else to read this stuff?" Afterall, the things I share here range from my daily frustrations with being a single mom...to my dating horror stories....to exposing myself by putting my attempts at creativity "out there". It was with some hesitancy that I even dared to leave a comment on other blogs. I distinctly remember, the first time I got brave enough to add my two cents, I carefully chose a posting that had a slew of comments already posted, counting on the fact that mine would get swallowed up somewhere in the middle. As I wrote the comment, acutely aware that I was choosing words that weren't too flowery or familiar, I felt as if I'd sidled up to the "popular girls" in high school, and attempted to join a conversation that was well underway. Anyone who knows me well would laugh at this uncharacteristic show of insecurity. I am a "bloom where I'm planted" person and rarely is there a social situation which makes me feel the slightest bit uneasy. With some lingering trepidation, I realized that, in order for me to get connected to the ladies within this community, I was going to need to get over myself.
I plugged along, pouring through your blogs, with growing admiration for your artistry and imaginations and began to feel slightly more comfortable each time I left a comment for one of you. One of the biggest blessings about this experience has been "meeting" my friend, Monica (The White Bench). Monica was, I believe, the first non-family member/ existing friend to leave a comment on my blog. When I decided to do my vintage jewelry swap, it was Monica who contacted me directly...and that is how our friendship was birthed. Since our first exchange of emails, scarcely a day goes by where she and I aren't in touch. I do my best to keep track of the 8 hour time difference between Connecticut and Italy and try to get my "Have a wonderful morning/ day/ evening" straight :-) Most of what I have shared, in this posting, is old news to Monica as she has become a cheerleading squad of one, ever ready with kind words of praise and encouragement. I was more excited than she (although she might argue that point) when she finally received my swap package in the mail. Although she emailed me as soon as it was delivered, she kept me waiting while she brewed some tea and sat down to open her goodies. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to find out that she was pleased with what I had sent her. Monica wrote me the most wonderful email and was so descriptive that I could imagine her face as she tore into the package. The gorgeous flowers are pictures Monica took, and sent to me, of a bouquet she gathered from her garden. By the way, Monica, peonies are my absolute favorites as well...with lupines also at the top of the list! My parents live in Maine, so lupines hold a very nostalgic place in my heart.
Aside from taking a few moments to publicly acknowledge what Monica's support has meant to me, I want to encourage anyone who is new to blogging not to get discouraged if it takes a bit of time to get/ feel acclimated. Because this is such a large community, you may have to spend some time navigating and reaching out before you find your niche.
Perhaps I will, a little later, write about the grueling 24 hours I have spent with my ex-husband, following surgery he had to rebuild his shoulder...and the insanity I face in trying to now prepare for the baby shower I'm throwing on Sunday. Perhaps I won't. Suffice it to say, I am emotionally & physically exhausted and, somehow, have to find the energy to do what needs to be done. C'mon God, some divinely-inspired endurance would be greatly appreciated right now!
Focusing on the task at hand: Pansies! Well, technically it is a single pansy I am referring to, but one is enough to remind me that: hope springs eternal. Following a night devoid of slumber, my children and I came home this morning and, as I was shuffling up my walkway, in a semi-comatose state, I saw...out of the corner of my eye...a purple pansy. Visual hallucinations wouldn't be out of the question at this point, so I asked my kids to confirm the sighting. They affirmed that there was, indeed, a flower in the garden...albeit with a lot less enthusiasm than that which filled my spring-loving heart. "Big deal, Mom. ONE flower in the garden and it'll die tonight when it gets cold again", says my eldest (very adolescent) child. Big deal, indeed! Clearly the metaphorical significance of this single bloom was lost on his jaded sense of hope and the blessings of things to come. Thankfully, my daughter was indulgent enough to stand outside with me while I snapped picture after picture of this glorious flower.
***an aside: I got a new camera from my best (guy) friend, for Valentine's Day! It has all kinds of bells and whistles, which I still need to figure out, but I am feeling certain that my fuzzy, too dark/ light picture dilemmas are going to be a thing of the past! To make my gift all the sweeter, my new camera is pale pink...I'm such a girly-girl!
Thank you, God, for putting that sweet pansy in my path today. Thank you, Glenn, for such a wonderful gift. As for the other blessings in my day, I'm sure they, too, will become apparent if I can keep my eyes open long enough to see them :-)
Last weekend I picked up a really cute, rustic decorative plate rack at T J Maxx...on the clearance rack for $2. It hung, empty, for a few days because I didn't have any plates that matched the current colors in my kitchen. Today, I ran into a T J Maxx, in a neighboring tow,n and found 3 plates that I thought might work. The black plate and the floral plate were $1/ each. The BIG floral plate (on top) was.....$.70!!! It has a fairly conspicuous chip in it, but, as luck would have it, that chip fits snugly on top of the metal bar. If not for the chip, the plate would topple right off the rack. It's no wonder "Serendipity" is my favorite word in the English language!
Finally, finally, finally...I figured out how to change my blog "wallpaper". I'm thrilled to have gotten rid of the original template. The only problem, now, is: I have no idea how I got it to switch! I followed the steps they outline on "The Cutest Blog on the Block" just as I have 100 times previously. This time, however, it worked. Lo and behold, I have a sassy and fun background to go with my...ummm....rather mundane, silly blog ramblings. Ah well, who am I to question how it worked? It did and I'm a happy blogging camper :-)
Oh, the fun I am having playing with my new shipment of ribbons! I can't say enough about Deb, the owner of Just Because Ribbons
I gave Deb carte blanche to choose the specific colors, although I did give her an idea of what I was looking for. Her choices were perfect! I wanted to take a picture of the whole lot, before I send some off to my friend, Monica: The White Bench
Serendipity: a fortunate accident. Just last night, I was lamenting about my camera/ photo editing program being highly uncooperative. In the midst of trying to take pictures of my projects, I switched to the sepia effect, on my digital camera, and happened to catch my daughter looking very pensive and sweet. There was no posing for this picture and it required no alterations whatsoever. Suddenly, my angst over the other silly pictures has vanished. I have this one...and it more than makes up for the rest!
I took advantage of my "free" weekend and spent quite a bit of time working on finishing up several projects (in between updating my resume, applying for jobs, getting ready for an interview tomorrow morning & cleaning for a baby shower I am hostessing next weekend). I proudly took pictures of all of the completed masterpieces, in anticipation of sharing them with all of you, and my camera/ Picassa just are not cooperating. I'm afraid I have switched the setting on my camera so many times that it doesn't know whether to snap a picture or scrub my bathroom floor! Although the pictures, clearly, did not come out as I'd hope (as evidenced through the viewer), I thought, surely, I could make them more presentable with Picassa. Not so much, I'm afraid! As I type this posting, I'm holding out hope that the pictures will magically transform between now and the time I hit "publish post".
:::crossing fingers:::
The basket was an ugly red and brown, heart that I glued silk rose petals to. I added my favorite, double ruffle ribbon to the top and made a pretty light blue/ green fabric lining. A bit of sparkle was added to the rose petals with some silver mica. An adorable cherub pin sits angelically on the front of the basket.
The collages are prizes I made for baby shower games. I think they turned out rather well, considering I was assembling them at 1:30 this morning!
I was trying to find some quick (and ridiculously) easy ways to use some of the vintage jewelry I have. I wasn't feeling like digging into a major project, though. Here are some of the short-cut pieces I made, which I'm going to put in my etsy shop. Speaking of which...here I go, off on another tangent...I've decided to wait until I have a fairly sizable number of items with which to stock my store. Rather than doing it piecemeal, and having visitors asking: "Is that all?" Any thoughts on doing it the way I'm suggesting?
Back to the jewelry: I bought a batch of vintage, goldtone chains (necklaces & bracelets) at a thrift store ages ago. I thought maybe I could jazz them up a bit with some of my singleton earrings or a pin. Et voila! The turquoise necklace was a screw-back earring. I removed the screw part and bent the remaining wire down, to form a loop. Now I can put it on any chain. The other two necklaces are simply vintage pins. I discovered, the hard way, that it's a good idea to file down the pointed end before you try to wear it. OUCH! For the bracelet, I took apart a pair of rhinestone earrings and a single clip-on, removed the backs and glued them to a goldtone bracelet. Fast, fun & easy...just the kind of projects I had in mind.
I wanted to add some pictures of specific treasures I came across, during my excursion to my basement today. There are two old bicycles, propped in a dark corner, which I swear I've never seen. I found the coffee pot (which wasn't quite as vintage as I'd hoped), as well as a lantern that has, clearly, become the residence of the local arachnids. Think I'll clean this one before the creepy crawlies wake up. I also found a set of wonderful, antique bookends: with illustrations from "Moby Dick". The find of all finds, which were hidden in the recesses of the canning room, a set of yellow dishes with red poppies. There were 6 dinner plates, a large serving platter, a serving bowl, creamer/ sugar bowl & a few saucers. The pattern is lovely and are in amazingly good shape, considering they were shoved behind dozens of mason jars! Oh, I also wanted to share the vintage "machine" that haunts a space next to my washer & dryer. I'm not certain if it's a dishwasher or a washing machine and I don't dare open the lid, for fear of coming face to face with whatever might have claimed it as a residence.
