The Royal Flush

Here's the before ...

Here she is after stripping that horrible wall paper...

And less than $80 later...

I know I complained about being afraid of colour but I love my black and white bathroom.

The mirror is hung low so that the kiddo can see into it. The poor thing has spent a month and a half strugging to see into mirrors that are too high for him.

ATC's framed above the tub

These are some awesome old dowels we found in the storage space above our garage. Below is an lovely knickknack cupboard that craftewoman from craftster sent me for the 'birds, birds, birds' swap. I'm going to put old bottles and other lovely little things in there.

The big D and I worked on this project yesterday. I took an old broken frame and used scrapbooking paper, faux pearls, rickrack and a crown brad to make this silhouette portrait of the kiddo to hang.

So, there's still a few spaces that need a special touch but I'm loving it so far. Here's a rundown of my costs

$15 white eco friendly paint for the walls

$17 white floor paint

$35.99 mirror

$3.94 2 metres fabric for curtains

$2 supplies for silhouette picture

Everything else was stuff from my stash (frames, atc's, vase, cotton to line curtains).

Crones

I've been a busy bee and managed to finish up two more Crone dollies.

The Fountainhead

I just watched a documentary about Frank Gehry. If you don't know who he is, google his name and you'll see that he's the architect behind some pretty famous (and outrageous) buildings. I'm not a huge fan of crazy looking buildings and have fairly traditional tastes so Gehry's stuff ain't exactly my cup-o-tea, but I like him. He appears to be the best type of artist. He seems to be someone who creates because they can, because they want to, and to see where their making will lead them next. No matter what medium you're creating in, it's the thrill of the adventure of making that makes it worthwhile.

One thing that really struck me was that Gehry's buildings totally remind me of the novel The Fountainhead. (If you haven't read it, don't. I really and truly hated that book and will forever curse the day I opened it.) The main character in the book is an architect who creates buildings that most people find totally hideous, but whom their inhabitants would live no where else. When I see the outside of a Frank Gehry building I wonder what the hell people were thinking to erect such things, when I see the inside I totally understand.

Grumpy old things

There's a minor glitch in my coven plans... it seems I only have 12 dollies set up for embellishment. The 13th member of the coven has a face but the rest of him/her is missing. Looks like they will have to be solitary witch's. There's not a thing wrong with that.

I've been painting the wee things faces today so that I can keep this project moving along.

They are a pretty grumpy bunch but that's ok by me. I like old grumps. When I was younger and worked in retail, my co-workers would groan when resident crotchety old farts would come in the shop. I'd saunter over and share a giggle with the nasty old things.

More progress, less laundry

Alright, I really should be doing the dishes and laundry but my crafty artsy things are progressing nicely and I can't put them down.


Something that I've been working on (for what seems like forever) are a series of 'dolls' inspired by this gorgeous creature made by Ingrid Petersen. I came across the image in a thrifted book (circa 1975) called Handmade Toys and Games which showcases some really fantastic stuff. What I loved about the doll was just how simply it was made... she's basically a cone... but look how all of the embellishments make her come to life.

So, I'm making a coven (as I often do) and here is the first witch of the gaggle using the same idea as the above.

She's made with a stuffed cone of raw silk. Her face is made of paperclay and directly attached to the cone. Her hair is brushed yarn and sewn to the tip of the cone. She has no arms or legs... but I don't think she's suffering without them :)



P.S. She's approx. 8" tall

Slugman

I pulled out some old projects today to dabble with in between painting walls and doing dishes.

Here's the fellow that made the most progress today.





I find taking photos of my work really, really helpful. Looking at a photo helps to point out where more work needs to be done or other flaws that can be corrected. I think I'll darken up sluggy's head and add some detailing to his back.

Here's how he looking this morning before being attacked by a paintbrush.

The Loo

Although there are still packed boxes around the joint I've decided to tackle a room. The upstairs bathroom desperately needs attention.

This is a pic taken when we were looking at the house. The wallpaper was the strangest thing I've ever seen. It was sort of plastic and spongy and was a terrible eyesore. Here's a shot of the stuff with a pretty good idea as to the colour of it...

Ick! Most of the stuff wasn't too bad to get off. One 2 x 3 foot section above the tub proved to be torturous however and took twice as long as the rest of the entire room to remove.

Now that the paper is off and I've puttied the holes it's time to paint. I'm trying some recycled/eco paint on the walls which was fairly inexpensive but I'm a tad worried about because it seems a little thin. I'm also going to give painting the floor a go. I'm a bit worried about painting floors but I bought the proper paint and the room doesn't exactly have heavy traffic so hopefully it turns out well.

The colours? White. I'm terrified to be adventurous with paint.

If it ain't Scottish...

Yesterday was spent exploring the sights around our new hometown. We visited the Belleville market in the morning. Smallish but fantastic! Tomatoes were really expensive though (Does $20 a bushel seem like a lot?).

Then it was off to the Trenton Scottish and Irish Festival. Lots of great sights and sounds for everyone with a bit of green in their blood. My fave was the 'Heavy Games' where the big men in kilts compete in crazy feats of strength. Like tossing a 20 lb rock 60ft.

Or the 'Sheep Toss' where a bag is thrown with a pitchfork high into the air.

That post is set to 31' 2", the Canadian amateur record is 31'. If only he'd managed to toss it over the post, rather than beside it. Ah well, I'm sure he'll be breaking records in no time at all.

Still working on my gals as well as my coven of witch's... for now I'm stripping hideous wall paper in my bathroom and trying to prep myself for days and days of painting.

WIP's

When I was in school I never understood the hub bub about process. My art and design instructors went on and on about it, and I just never got it.

Pftt. When you're a 'young adult' who cares about process? I sure as heck didn't. Then again, I'm fairly certain that their idea of 'process' was just proof that I'd done the required amount of homework, or a deliberate creative routine I was supposed to follow.

Now I see it as a celebration of the act of creation. It's embracing the joy of making.

I love the process of creating. I love seeing how other people create. For me the actual making can be as rewarding as the resulting works.

Anywho, here are my seasonal gals in the process of being made...

Fertility Magic Freebie

A friend from high school was asking me about fertility magic and I remembered an old document I made up a few years ago. It's a sort of jumble of folk and other magical information I came across when I was looking for help with my own fertility issues.

I'm providing it for your own personal use... which basically means please don't turn around and sell it.

Fertility Magic PDF

Here's to making baby bumps!

Season's Greetings

Despite the fact that I have a zillion other things to finish I started a new project today. I'm thinking of turning these fine ladies into greeting cards. Yuletide Fairy goodness? Halloweeny Curse Cards? Who knows... I just love these old gals.

Healthy eating = Bad parenting

This is my awesome kidlet. Seriously, he's the best kiddo in the whole wide world. I do my best to do right by him and to give him a good life. Going into work and leaving him with sitters was pretty damned hard. Being given the opportunity to work from home and be here when he gets home from school is a dream come true.

Being home also means good cooking. We're cutting out the junk (most of it anyway) and eating lovely home cooked meals. I'm all about keeping my fellas well fed and healthy.

Today, I decided to run into town, take care of a few errands and buy some veggies and salad for dinner. Gotta eat your vegetables after all. When I got home there was a message on the phone saying that D had been stung... twice! Dear lord! Thank the heavens that the Mr. picked him up.

I called them up right away and the kiddo was fine and dandy (though a bit grumpy) with his daddy at work. Phew. Then I find out that my dear husband had to buy the wee fella lunch because the pear and jam wrap I made for him turned to mush and tasted like poop. *Mental note: do not attempt the inventive food combinations from a 6 year old mind*

So today I'm feeling like a fairly crappy mom and I'm blaming it all on healthy eating. I'm never leaving the house during school hours again. If I didn't go out to buy that damned salad I'm sure that none of this would have happened.

A productive day

It's strange to be alone. I'm used to going to an office, being with my kiddo, walking around my old, large hometown city, seeing and speaking with people every day. Now that I'm working from home and D is off to school for a full day, I have the house to myself for the first time in eons. I seriously don't remember when I've had so much time alone. It's a much different life, but it's awfully nice. If I didn't like shopping so much, it would be easy to become one of those people who never leave the house.


All this alone time means that between work and laundry I can actually craft during daylight hours! Today was a fairly productive crafting day. I've managed to get my 'Birds, birds, birds' Swap package done. Here's some of the pretties in the package...

I'm pretty pleased with the stuff I've made. I'm actually feeling rather inspired after all this making... I very well may stay up into the wee hours of the morning making more :)

The last days of summer...

I've always thought of the Labour Day weekend as the end of summer. I know the end really isn't until the equinox but there is something final about Labour Day.

It's been a beautiful weekend (and quiet too... ) and we've hosted our fist house guest. My mother came up for a few days and despite the boxes still littering the hallways and other moving leftovers, it was a pretty nice time for all. Quiet and relaxing... ah, just as things should be.

With all the peace and quiet I've managed to squeeze in some proper baking and cooking.

Quiche with broccoli and panchetta...

Nectarine crumble cake...

And today... the MUCH anticipated gnocchi

I can't eat store bought gnocchi but these home made goodies are a different story. There is simply no comparison.

Setting off fire alarms and other good things.

I set off the fire alarm in the new house. It's sort of good because I was beginning to wonder if they actually worked. In the old house a steamy shower or toast for breakfast would set the buggers off. This time it was a smoky cauldron of incense. The previous owners had a security system installed so besides the piercing alarm sound a voice says "Fire, fire! There is smoke in the house!" It scared the hell out of me :)

Besides setting off alarms I've been stripping wall paper, unpacking, cleaning and doing dishes and laundry. It's still slow going but at least it's going...

I have been crafting too. I just can't show most of what I've been doing just yet. Here is something I can show though... just finished it this morning.



Totally inspired by Phizzy's Altered Jigsaw Puzzle.

It was a lot a lot harder than I expected. Those curves and funny spaces make for a difficult canvas. It was also a pain to trim the excess paper in those curves and bumps. So happy I chose a puzzle with larger pieces. I'm glad I did it though and might even do another one with a theme.

Interested in making your own? Here's the link to the craftster Altered Puzzle-along

WWE and crafting madness

We're heading back to the big city for a quick visit. D has one last soccer game and a pizza party tomorrow so we're making the drive and doing some visiting before school starts up (is summer over already?).

This morning the kiddo and I made an entry way for his wrestlers. He's mental for wrestling... it's non-stop wrestling all day every day so I figured I'd lure him to the crafty darkside with a little wwe. It was also a nice way to use up one of the many, many moving boxes that is littering my house. We're also going to try to make them a backstage gym area once this baby is complete.



That's my action figure entering the ring. My dear son bought me Triple H for my b-day this year. I asked for a book.

Pay it forward brother...

People are different out here. Don't get me wrong, one of the things I liked about the big city we moved from was the people. For the most part people in our old home town were pretty nice... out here it's a whole different ball game.

Last week it took the Mr. three evenings to mow our lawn. We quickly realized that we'd need to get ourselves a lawn tractor. Off to town we went and bought a shiny red chopper... that wouldn't fit in the trailer. Ug! After only a minute or two a fella in a pick-up truck kindly offered his assistance. His kiddo sat in the truck and didn't complain about the wait. He made small talk and was kind as can be. When we said our thanks he said "Pay it forward brother..." and drove off.



Today we got a huge box of fresh veggies from the Thai workers who work in the vineyard. Lettuce, eggplants, onions, corn, melon, cucumbers. Just look at the beautiful veggies they gave us...







They've also been kind enough to give us some fresh eggs from the chickens they keep. Every time the Mr. tries to give them a few bucks for the goodies they refuse it.

I've had iced tea at my neighbours house, been to a pig roast hosted by near strangers and met many lovely, genuinely friendly people all over the county. It's sort of sad that all this goodwill is kinda difficult to get used to.

Ah well.

In other news...

- we saw a woodpecker eating the termites in one of our apple trees
- a ground hog was snooping around our back lawn this evening
- I've actually done a fair bit of crafting today
- made a batch of peanut butter cookies
- I checked the pork, spinach and fennel terrine I made 2 days ago and it didn't cook! What a pisser!

I found my brushes!

I was getting a little worried. Two weeks and no sign of my paint brushes or glue. I hit the jackpot last night however, and found a box marked "Art Supplies" hiding in our guest room. I managed to get a tiny little start on two projects before bed.

The office is starting to come together but it's taking ages and I have no idea where everything should go. Hey, at least I can see the floor (or parts of it) now.



Went to check out Big D's new school today. They are terribly nice there and it seems like a nice place to learn. One fairly cool thing is that they have a courtyard in the centre of the school. How neat is that?

One last newsworthy tidbit... D has not one, but two loose teeth! The tooth fairy should be making her way to our house pretty soon. I'm planning on capturing her and keeping her in a jar until she tells me what she does with all those damned teeth.