for the weekend

I feel like I've been horribly busy these past few weeks...
I have been working part-time since Christmas; and it is good to be earning some money... especially as I thoroughly enjoy who I am working with/for. That said... I feel like my "off" hours I have squandered away... with little to show for it. Today I wanted to change that.

And so... we all went out for a (wonderful) meal at a local diner (this place is awesome)...
and then we went for a ride in the woods. I have often been to these woods... hiking, wandering, taking photos... and it is lovely. It can have a bit of the "Blair Witch Project" look to it when the fog is just right... like today... but mostly, it is just stunning. Awe-inspiring. Drop-dead gorgeous.

With the recent melting of some of the snow and ice; travel on the roads was quite easy... and we stopped at several places to walk and to take photos. It rather reminded me of this article... which my daughter found for me the other day.

I've joined in for another few months on an art project. The last few months the theme was "Winter".... but now the theme is "Light"... and I'm itching to get to work on some contributions.
I also recently participated in a "flooding" of Facebook with poetry... reveling in the glorious works of E.E. Cummings, Browning, Keats and more... often people I had never heard of. In researching the poems of these artists... I found this site to be really helpful and full of interesting bits.

And then I came across this blog post... which I thought was wonderful.
And this article... which was awesome!

And then I stumbled upon THIS... and this..... and this... all about the same place.
How cool is that?!

It is so easy to feel unsuccessful. I myself; fall into this trap quite easily.
This article really hit home for me...

And then I came across this... which was just too cool to not share.
And THIS... which was just full of neat ideas.... which reminds me that I was gifted this magazine this week... and it was chock full of great ideas for crafts and re-purposing items around the house.


So. Enjoy the weekend, my friends. Be safe, be happy. Get some rest. Make something cool.

1-10-14

It's Friday! And that alone is worthy of a post on gratefulness... but still... here's more:

Things I am grateful for today:

-museums. Online or in-person... they are awesome.
-libraries. Another wonderful resource for all kinds of goodness.
-Google.com. I look things up every single day here.
-Wikipedia. Another site that is my "go-to" for information.
-Amazon.com. Living here in "the sticks"... it's a great place to get books from.... and other stuff too!
-Online learning sites like: MIT, Academic Earth, Carnegie Mellon, Open Culture, and Project Gutenberg
-blogging sites. Last year I shared links to over 250 different blogging sites.
-books. I know. I have "too many"... but I always find room for more.
-tv. I know alot of people who think there is "nothing good on"... but there are several shows that are very much worth watching. Personally, I still love Antique Roadshow, CSI, American Pickers... and more.
-movies. This weekend... the local theatre is showing Hobbit 2!

1-9-14

Things I am grateful for today:

-work. Although it's only part-time... it is our major source of income. Plus... it really helps that I love the folks I am working for.
-Project Runway All-Stars (tv show). Not happy about the ending of tonight's season.... but love the show.
-groomers who really care about their clients. Nice "shout-out" to Deb's Dog Grooming here in town.
-already cooked chicken. Tonight I  bought a "wonder roast" chicken at our local grocery shop... delish.
-markers. In every color. They just make me happy.
-Pandora (internet radio). No commercials.
-bells. I have several on my curtain rods. They (also) make me happy.
-oranges. We have some fresh naval oranges sitting in a bowl on our kitchen table.... and they smell wonderful.
-microwave popcorn. Yah, I know it's not the healthiest of treats... but I do love that "Theater Butter" flavor.

1-8-14

Today we took down the Christmas tree and all the decorations (we only have 1 large plastic tote full).

I know that alot of people tend to put up their tree the day after Thanksgiving... but it seems to vary greatly when people take their decor down. I have a friend who lives in Paris... and she had posted the other day on Facebook that the french tend to keep their decor up well into January. Here in the US; things seem to move faster. I even know people who take everything down the day after Christmas.

"Traditionally, Catholics did not take down their Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations until January 7, the day after Epiphany. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day; the period before that is Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas. The twelve days of Christmas end on Epiphany, the day that the Three Wise Men came to pay homage to the Child Jesus." -- from google

I thought this was an interesting blog about it...
Anyway.


Things I am grateful for today:
-the very cute/kitchy Christmas tree that I ordered off of Amazon this year for only $35.
Although it looked scary coming out of the box... it shaped up quite nicely.

-my collection of bottle brush trees. Love them.
-our toy Bumble. He's cool.  Oh, and check this out...
-ornaments. My husband has a wonderful collection of Star Trek Hallmark ornaments. Every year, his mother would get him that year's newest addition... and every time we see them... we think of her.

-Christmas tree lights. All white, mixed colors, all blue... they all look awesome. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to drive around town and see what lights people have put up.
-our tree topper. To go with our super kitchy tree... I found a vintage 1950's star tree topper on Ebay. It's perfect.

-cards on the windows. This year, we put all the holiday cards on the kitchen windows. Every time I came into the kitchen it reminded me of friends and family.
-poinsettias. We were gifted 3 red toned poinsettias by a friend who owns a restaurant and had them in the dining areas. They were not going to be open after the holidays for a few weeks... and didn't want them to die... so we "inherited" them. They are lovely. We have them sitting on our fireplace hearth.
-bells. I have bells hanging from my curtain rods year round.... but I have a few extra ones that I get out during the holidays.

-and...Brina. Off the subject of Christmas, I suppose... but she had her yearly physical today; and I am so happy that she is not only a happy girl... but in excellent health as well. 

1-7-14

such an odd day... -20 degrees this am (yes, that's 20 degrees BELOW zero)...and I didn't sleep well... although I am not sure why. But... I got up (after a fashion) and went straight to work this afternoon. I burned alot of paper/trash, took out some compost for the compost pile, spread birdseed all over in the yard as the bird-feeder had been broken during the night.  My thought was to provide some warmth and food for the wild critters. Then I got the mail... cleaned up a bit in the studio... did 3 loads of laundry... washed dishes.... made dinner (beef roast with sauteed apples and onions, fingerling potatoes, corn)...took photos of items to sell online... called a few people...sat down to eat supper... then I got a migraine... and >>>poof<<... I am down for the count.

Now... that said... I am very grateful:
-that I got as much done today as I did
-for hot packs
-for motrin ( I usually take Advil Migraine for my headaches... but I am out)
-for earl grey tea
-for quilts. I love them.
-for telephones (I even got to talk to my son and granddaughter way out in NM)
-for books (the stack above is in my current reading bundle)
-popcorn (pretty much the perfect snack)
-and I am equally grateful for things that didn't happen... like frozen pipes, non-working furnace or water heaters... leaking windows or doors...
-we have a wonderful little house and I am so grateful that it is well made.... and so comfortable.

1-6-14

It's freakishly cold out... and I'm told... will only be colder tomorrow.
>>eeps<<
However, there is no sense worrying about it.... or fixating on it...
Instead... I may take this wonderful opportunity to stay in and read... do some work online... have a fire in the fireplace....and drink lots of tea.

Things I am grateful for today:

-my rice cooker. Most every day, we cook a big batch of basmati rice.... and it's so good.
-wine. Tonight I am finishing the last of a great bottle of chardonnay.
-wood fires in the fireplace
-good friends who put up with me-- even though I am having an "off" day. Who make me sandwiches and give me a good "pep talk"... you know who you are.
-Etsy. There are so many creatives out there making exciting stuff.... and Etsy has alot of it.
-books
-socks
-flannel pj bottoms
-snowflakes
-lady bugs (right now we have a jar full of ladybugs. They were hibernating in a friends house, and I thought they were dead... so I brought them home in a bag to keep in my cabinet of curiosities... but then they came around... and well... now we have a jar of ladybugs that we are feeding apple bits to).

1-5-14

"The next time someone says something wonderful to you, I want you to pause what you are doing and bring your hands to your heart and soak it in. We can so quickly forget this kind of beautiful goodness and we need to inhale it into our cells."---- I saw this on the internet. No credit given.



What I am grateful for today:

warm showers
soft pillows
ham and cheese stromboli (made by someone else)
that heady aroma when you first open a new bag of coffee beans
apples (my favorites are Macintosh)
deer prints in the snow
Beats Antique (music)
rosemary incense
the smell of puppy tummies
snow plows... and everyone who drives them

1-4-14

Things I am grateful for Today:

slightly warmer temps (today's high was about 24 degrees--- which made the roads much easier to drive on)
bright, happy sunshine
flannel sheets
Walker's shortbread cookies
slouchy leg warmers
coffee (this is really on my list .every.single.day.)
Advil
a lovely necklace (gifted to me by a dear friend)
cable tv (cuz I'm lounging on the couch tonight)
heat (so very grateful for the warmth of this house. So many I know have frozen pipes or broken systems...and it's cold out there).

*

Today was busy... but I feel like I got alot done.

so--- Things I am grateful for today:

my Jeep (4-wheel drive in snow... is a GOOD thing)
snow blowers (used one at my mom's house... and it cut the work down considerably)
cowboy boots with tread
handmade scarves
mittens

---and in case you don't have any mittens... here is a cool link that shows how to make them from old sweaters.

*

It's a New Year!
 ... and I am wishing and hoping.... and manifesting us all in a much better place.
And I'm not talking simply about location; although if that fits... I wish you that as well.
I believe that it is SO very important for us to not only know what we want...
but to be brave enough to put it out there so that the "powers that be" can make it into fruition.

It's hard to believe that I have been writing on this blog for 5 full years.
When I started on December 26th, 2008... I never dreamed I would be writing most every day...
and getting read by so many folks all over the world.
It's been a wonderful dream come true for me.

Over the years, I've taken you along on trips all over the US...
I've featured some of my free-form poems... my haiku poems...
thrown in photos from my on-going daily photo shoots...
Featured many local artists and galleries in places I lived or visited...
showcased recycled and upcycled goods...
even featured other blog sites that I have discovered along the way.
But this year, I want to try something a little different.

I've been thinking alot about themes for the blog...
and what direction I wanted to take the blog in this year...
and I've decided to take us all on a journey of gratefulness.

A week or so ago.. I stumbled upon this article.
I initially went to read it because it was about photography... and you all know how much I  love photography. I also went on to look at this article about the author/photographer... and then to her blogsite.
Now; as much as I love the photography aspect of it ... and I do... it's also about the intention of it all.

---and so I got to thinking about gratefulness.
What it truly means to me.
What it means in the sense of how I live my everyday life.
How I look at things... appreciate things...

and so. This is going to be my theme for the blog this year.
In photos.
In poetry.
In what I make.... eat.... see.... do.... live.

________________________________________________

And what am I grateful for today?

trees

snow

fresh air

warm clothes

hot tea

.

midwinter; January winds
blow wildly round the pond
ice on the edges
sharp as glass
smooth as silk
and as clear as your eyes this morning
waking from slumber
too soon away from these flannel sheets
the warmth where you rested softly coaxing me back to sleep
dreaming
hoping
waiting
for spring

in honor of 2013

So here it is... the end of another year.

I apologize for missing a couple posts this past week. It happens.
But I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for reading... THANK YOU.

I started this blog on December 26th, 2008... and have posted most every day since then.
Hard to believe... but there it is.

This year I posted about alot of changes... health, finances, moving...
issues with the kids... with extended family... with friends.. and foes...
with jobs... and art... lots of photography...
---and so much more.

I thank you for reading along.

It makes my day to read comments through Facebook about these posts;
and to know that you enjoy my words... my thoughts... my Haiku... my photographs and art.

In closing out this fabulous year; I thought I would enclose some links I found that I thought you might enjoy.

This is the blogsite to which I have been contributing these past couple of months.
... a book I want to get...
This is a "hub" for lots of wonderful street art photography... with tons of links on it
And another awesome photography site... and another!
and then I found THIS.

Some great DIY ideas for your home this coming year...
and some inspiration for crafting
plus some cool ways to tie a scarf--- here and HERE.
and to play
and then this was discovered! (and also posted about here).

And because I love photography so...
I want to include this great article
and this one (so awesome!)
and this one. (makes you want to go, huh)

So, my dear ones, I wish you all the best for the remainder of 2013...
(here's a look back)
and all such wonderfulness for the coming year!

MondayUPs

Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 

I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books

...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..

hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

Well... it's my final MondayUPs post for the year...

and it's been fun.

For this post; I wanted to do something a little "closer to home",

and so I am going to show you a project that I did myself for gifts this year.

Because we had a (very) limited budget; and alot of people to find gifts for; 

we decided on making snowglobes/glitterglobes... just like those you probably made when you were a kid.

Total cost of this craft; was $1.78 per globe

---which didn't take into account the little Lego toys I put inside the globes. 

I have a ton of Legos... as we are all a bit "Lego-crazy" here; 

and so I just re-purposed ones I had that I thought the receiver of the globe would like.

Materials:

Plastic or ceramic figurines: I used LEGOs.
Glass jar- I used small baby food jars
1 can of silver spray paint
Sandpaper
Clear-drying epoxy
Glitter
Glycerin


Directions:

I cleaned out all my baby food jars (small ones are 77 cents each at my local grocery store), and sterilized them in the dishwasher to make sure they were clean and dry. Then I sanded the lids; and spray-painted them... and set them aside to dry. To help remove the adhesive from the labels on the jars, I used Goo Gone.

Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With clear-drying epoxy, adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry. I used 5 minute epoxy. I tried a "practice" lid with E-6000 glue... but it took forever to dry. I am told you can also use a glue gun; but I don't have one. The main point here; is to make sure you use a waterproof glue... and allow the toy to thoroughly dry to the lid before moving on to the next step.

Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water. I have read many different directions for this craft; and most all say to use distilled water; as tap water can discolor with age. Add a pinch of glitter --some directions on the web want you to use as much as 1/2 tsp of glitter per globe. I used 1/4 tsp.... and it was still probably too much. I also noted on several sites; that it was best to use only silver glitter; as the colored glitters can change the water over time... who knows... but I prefer silver anyway :)
Then, add several drops of glycerin to the water/glitter. This helps the glitter to not clump; or get stuck on the bottom. Screw the lid on tightly; being careful to not dislodge the figurine.

Then shake to make it SNOW.

((on an aside. Some directions will tell you to glue the lid on shut... others will not.
I chose to not glue them shut so that we could refill the water if needed sometime down the road))

Friday Finds

I read... alot.

I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.

I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).

If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

The last week of the year...
This year, when I started Friday Finds... I wasn't sure if I would have enough links to
feature 10-15 each week... and here we are finishing up the list.
It's been fun; and I hope you have enjoyed it.

So here are this week's blog links off my "favorites list":

El Dia de Los Muertos
Cas Holmes
Pixie Campbell
Work Hard and Starve (photography blog)
Local Milk
Amy Palko
I shoot Like a Girl
Reading My Tea Leaves
Clear North
Boom

and as a BONUS;
here are some websites that you may like ...

Street Art News
Pyragraph
Remodelista Source Book
Mind Fit Move

.

sparkling in the sun

gorgeous lace frozen in time

visual poetry

((not sure why Blogger is loading this photo so grey... it's not in person))

wishing you all the merriest of holidays... and a joyous Christmas

.

in the center square

crowned with lights of sparkling white

pines of evergreen

.

stockings were hanging

in preparation for toys

...here comes Santa Claus...

for the weekend

I am in a horrible funk.
I thought I was ok... and then... not so much.
At least... not today.

Anyway... I shall focus on other things; like...
books
some very cool snowflakes
trying to be optimistic
... and learning to choose your words wisely
... and this declaration...

Plus there is always:
art
science
poetry
music

... and then I came across this guy's photos... also here... and here...

--- and then I read a story on this awesome place...(also here)

... and then there was THIS... which was just awesome.


Hope your days are going ok... see you on Monday.

Friday Finds

I read... alot.

I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.

I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).

If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

It's hard to believe that the year is winding down already.
This year, when I started Friday Finds... I wasn't sure if I would have enough links to
feature 10-15 each week... but now I am not sure I can get them all in
by the end of the year :)
It's been fun though...

So here are this week's blog links off my "favorites list":

Amanda Louise Spayd
Snap It/ See It
Dispatch from LA
Roben-Marie Smith
Small Measure
Still in the Stream
The Altered Page
Wabi Sabi Wannabe
Joyously Becoming
About New York

and as a BONUS:
Tim Gunn