Hot off the Press

Just finished and pics sent, these two will be available at Glitter and Grunge starting tomorrow. This is a hand made papier mache Cat and Fiddle, and even the little fiddle is handmade. The other is a trinket box, and tucked inside is a banner which reads, "Winter Wonderland". Check out the other items I'm offering there too.

[Updated: Gift tags I'm offering at The Primitive Gathering--they're handmade with a handcast paper pulp emblem, gingerbread men and Christmas trees.)

My girls and I are off to a harvest festival at our church. :-)

Candy Swap

I have just a minute or two to post some pics of the swap I received from Amy of Crafting by Candlelight. The box included a cute little book box to hide all my special treats, a fun little "cracker" filled with trinkets, a night light, and a headband with funny antennae. (And of course CANDY). Thanks so much Amy.

Deadlines Revisited.

Finally finished my Liberty Uncle Sam, and here's a sneak peek. He's available at The Primitive Gathering starting November 1. I just can't believe it's almost November. (Website updates are coming soon as well.) The birthday cake card was made by my 13 year old daughter for a friend, and I loved it so much that I had to snap a picture before she sent it.

And deadlines are still looming. . . I think my oldest daughter, who is a new college student, recently said it best. She was also agonizing over her own busy schedule of classes, papers due, upcoming tests, etc. which all seemed to be converging at once. I did my best to encourage her over the phone. Later that night, I sent her a text message (which is an accomplishment for me, in and of itself! I'm just now mastering the art of posting messages on blogs).

Anyway, I asked her if she was okay, and tried to offer some final, reassuring sage words of motherly wisdom: "Everyone feels overwhelmed sometimes, darling. It's called 'L-I-F-E'" To which she promptly messaged in return: "Life is like a box of chocolates. If you have too much at once you'll throw up." I'm feeling a bit queasy myself. Back to work.

Coffee Break

Just a minute or two to catch up on my virtual reality. Here's one of my new gourd guys--other things coming soon. And a pic of my "outside" cat who doesn't know he's not supposed to be in the house. My kids named him Friendly, and no, he's not.

And last, here's a pic of some meringue ghosts I made for a party I attended recently. They're so easy to make, just egg whites and sugar, and soooooo good.

Probably Not Being Used Much Anyway

Apart from the obvious impact to the victim, this article made me laugh out loud when I read it in our local paper:

Golf carts stolen from local cemetery:
Thieves stole two golf carts and their battery chargers with a total value
of $8,600 from the Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery, Atlanta Highway, between
4:45 p.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Athens-Clarke police said.

Hmmmm. . .perhaps a late tee time for Casper and friends?

Deadlines. . .

. . .always creep up on me and I never seem to learn. It's as if someday I'll suddenly discover an extra couple of hours in a day, or a couple of extra days in a month. Hasn't panned out for me yet, though. Where is leap year when I need it? But I have been busy trying to finish some new papier mache guys, and I've also been putting the finishing touches on a candy container for a Halloween swap with Amy at Crafting by Candlelight. Hopefully I'll have pics to share next week.
I did find time for a fun distraction: last night I went to an open house for an exhibition called "Hauntings" at the Blue Bell Gallery in Comer, Georgia. Over 30 local artists were represented and it was a wonderful, fun night. Here's a grouping of some of my papier mache sculptures. (Wish my other pics had turned out better.) Uh oh, I just looked at the clock, and now I'm off to check my calendar to see if October has 32 days.

Leaving the Nest

I just sent out my contribution for the Primitive Gathering Give Away this week. It's a limited edition print (signed and numbered) of one of my watercolor miniature paintings, and now it's on its way to Pennsylvania. Enjoy, Sam! Check out some of my other works at the PG too. The Primitive Gathering is a co-op of many talented artists, so while you're there, stop in and see some of the other wonderful things offered.

Tip of a Hat

Here are some pics of the wonderful things that my swap partner, Michelle of Faerie Dust Dreams sent to me for the Halloween Hat Swap hosted by Speckled Egg. The box arrived today and in it was a colorful, full-sized hat with so many interesting and fun trinkets sewn all around the brim. Ribbons and a hand sewn vintage image on a paper rosette complete the look. Such attention to detail! And if that wasn't enough, Michelle added a little box filled with Halloween ribbons, bottle caps, tiny pinecones, buttons, and other holiday trinkets. Even the outside of the box was special. She's such a talented lady! Visit her online store to see more of her beautiful creations. Thanks Michelle!

Busy Week

It's been a busy week, and I haven't gotten anything done. I've just enjoyed having my girls home from school for fall break-- we have the best time just hanging out. My youngest daughter also turned 13 this week, and it feels like we've had a celebration for 4 solid days. She had a pedicure, had her ears pierced, and then bought mascara. What a way to usher in her teens, although, I must admit, I was just not really ready for mascara yet. But I'm still holding out on getting her a cell phone, even though she's the "ONLY one" [insert deep sigh and rolling eyes] in the whole world who doesn't have one.

And I"ve also enjoyed some of our fall flowers. The pink one was a plant that someone gave me a couple of years ago. She called it a Confederate Rose, and it just never looked well after my "brown thumb" had its way with it. We thought it was dead, given that it was also run over by my kids in a golf cart, and I think it was "trimmed" by the tractor once or twice. And then there's my over-zealous husband and his plant fertilizer, and this extreme drought that Georgia is experiencing. (I did put one of my tomato baskets around it, just in case.)

But here it is--we were so excited this week to see its first bloom. And the same friend also gave us these yellow flowers. I have no idea what they're called, but they don't seem to mind tractors, droughts, golf carts, husbands, or brown thumbs.

Is That a 9 or a g?

Am I the only one who gets just a bit nervous when posting a message or filling out some online form, and then at the end, you have to try to figure out those funky letters which are supposed to weed out "robots." I'm sure I spend waaaay too much time studying those odd looking letters or numbers, and hesitate just a bit too long when it's time to click the "next" button. What if I'm wrong---is that a "t" or a really tall "r"? And if I can't quite figure out if it's a 9 or a lower case "g," will I be sent directly to robot purgatory or added to some robot watch list?! When I do get it wrong, I feel just a little chastised as an entire set of NEW characters appears. Maybe some Big Brother robot is snickering, "Here, dummy, try these." I know it's not rocket science, but as I move my mouse to click "next," I can't help imagining the old robot from Lost in Space warning, "Danger Will Robinson. . . I think that was a 9!!"

One More

Here's a peek at an item I've been working on which will be available later this month at Ye Old Hags Haunt. My daughter is home from college this weekend, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of laundry to keep me entertained.