{gone fishin'}

happy easter

Wishing you all a very blessed and joy-filled day.

(postcard found at a junk shop a couple weeks ago).

and, friday!

My dad is moving next weekend, so he, my two sisters and I met for breakfast then went to his place to help him out by getting him packed. After living in an apartment for two and a half years he has finally found a condo he wants to buy - obviously I don't take after him as I seem to have the knack of finding houses and buying them in a matter of days, lol! Having done two major moves in two years, I was on a roll - and think I wore them all out! We got alot done and he's in good shape to do the last minute stuff - and most likely ASAP as I didn't leave him much else to occupy his time while home, it's all in boxes!

Stopped at Stamp On It on my way home and signed up to take one class at an art retreat called Creative Inspirations which will be held May 18-21 here in GR. Unfortunately can only squeak in one as that weekend my nephew is having his bachelor party - not a traditional one but a big golf outing (thank goodness says the old fogey, mwah), and my sons are coming to stay with me for the weekend to attend. But I am very excited about the one I chose which is called Fabricganza and will be taught by Lisa Englebrecht - it is going to be so awesome! We'll all have a fun saturday!

It was such a great day here today - hit 80 degrees!! - that I spent some time outside when I got home hanging out on the deck, got my grill set up out there then hung out reading for awhile before Ernie and I took a long walk around the neighborhood. Found there sure are alot of dogs living here, he was in heaven! Then I started looking for something in here I couldn't find which frustrated me enough going through boxes I ended up unpacking a few more and moved some things around. That in turn got me cleaning up (how does it get so out of control so fast?!!), and then got one of the pillows finished which will go on my new chairs - maybe tomorrow can do the other as I am now beat. Going to be an early night, I am ready for a shower and bed already.

it's thursday?!!

I've been tired all day - is it the full moon?! Ernie woke at 3am to go outside - what?!! He went back to sleep but it took me until well after 5 to do so, in turn I then overslept and missed a 10am appointment - I don't sleep and never miss things. Now I just looked out the front window and there was a man juggling with fire across the street - in my new neighborhood! Must say I've never lived somewhere and seen that, for that matter never have randomly seen a man swallow fire either, which he also apparently was practicing.

On a different note, I am going on a little vacation next week and picked up a new book on ribbonwork to take along. Minimal supplies I thought and I certainly have alot of ribbon - well I now have more of both and looking forward to giving this a go. There are some gorgeous examples from the 1920's-30's in the book when this was all the rage.

And on the house front today, my bookshelves arrived from IKEA and I now need to find someone to help assemble them, but that should then take care of all the boxes on the main floor when they are ready to fill - a major accomplishment! Also picked up a ceiling fan which came in and went to pick out a color for my exterior doors as it is spring here, finally, and so painting can be done soon. I think I am going with something called gypsy teal, a scrumptiously rich jewel of a color!

fun mail day

I have met the nicest people through my art, and one of them is Lisa Guerin! She and I emailed a few times last week after I saw her work in the new Somerset publication, Haute Handbags, as I wanted to congratulate her on being published - and not just with one project, but two, the second of which she made some fab bags out of old blue jeans - see cover instructing you to turn to page 108! She is so talented, and the sweetest and coolest girl you'd ever want to meet! I missed seeing her this year as I have the past two when at ArtFest, being that I knew I'd be moving I could not sign up to attend this year. Well, today I received in the mail a huge packet of collage supplies and ephemera from her, Artfest goodies she'd put together as trades. Did I mention she is also one of the kindest, most thoughtful of people I know?! Think I'll be hitting the posts office with a little something for her, too.

getting in the groove

Did a little painting and sewing today, just messing around trying to get back into the groove. The photograph on this piece was in the album I picked up last saturday. That spunky young lady who put it together had it captioned, "some people will do anything to get their picture taken". Again, it makes me wonder who it was, what she was doing, why?? I see it as being a prisoner to body image. Therefore my background piece the colors and swirls of emotion that takes us on each and every day.

happy day

Today was the first ice cream cone of the season day, a celebration of a partly sunny, mild day here in western michigan. Went out a bit, am in search of a chair for my dressing table as the upholstered one I've had does not go with the new look, wanting something old and well-loved. I'll know it when I see it, as of yet I have not but the hunt is fun! Today yielded a few small treasures, an easter postcard, some buttons and a felted purse. This last found at an art gallery, the woman who owns it does fused glass and the building houses her studio as well. Has an open studio on wednesday evenings, no experience required, I think I will give this a try very soon as she had some fun pieces from last night to show me which just had come out of the kiln. Also there is a possiblilty I can take a lampwork bead class the first weekend in May but have to double-check the date as I might have a conflict with it. I've fired up the sewing machine here, making two pillows, half way there. A nice, relaxing day.

sleep, or the lack thereof

Sleep: elusive, frustrating, comforting, much needed - these are all words I have used to describe what for me does not come easy. I don't define myself as an insomniac as I am long past letting it frustrate as it is just not "abnormal", this has been the case for years - and years. I have things I do depending on how I feel when I wake, which is usually around three hours or so after the time I've gone to bed, the maximum time I sleep at one go is usually five. So, if I wake and feel a bit groggy/sleepy I will give it a few and sometimes, just sometimes I fall back asleep. Most of the time I turn on the light and read, I keep alot piled beside the bed. Before moving I'd go upstairs to the art studio and play around on the computer or mess around with a project or two. Since getting here and with the studio in the basement of the house, although a walkout (or maybe especially because of this as there are so many windows and doors), it is cold and I haven't learned yet to pull on all the snugglies I need to keep myself comfortable down here. So far that has resulted in not much time spent here post midnight, but too part of that is I am just now unpacking my supplies and stashes (and stashes and stashes). The pattern since the onset of all this has always been sleep, get up for awhile, go back to bed, start the day again about 7 or 8 o'clock. Do know when I had to get up for work at 5am things were a bit different in I had to maintain some sort of schedule but it certainly curtailed my doing much of anything much of the week, mostly trying to get to bed before the sun even set - pathetic!

The point of all this is I am feeling sort of at loose ends, more tired than I've felt in quite some time yet also too busy getting settled to take the naps I think of incorporating into the day at some point in time when I am starting my mornings. Which, anyway, doesn't do anything whatsoever for sleeping then at night so it is just as well. Life, in most ways, just seems a continuous Catch 22, it's all half a dozen of one, six of the other.

who, what, where, when......

I don't think I will ever get past just how people can discard family photos but I have to say when I come across them I feel I have found treasure. I enjoy so much sitting right down on the floor and going through a box or basket of them. I am always wondering what their stories are and feel quite an intimacy with the people in the pictures as I view a slice of their life from a bygone time. Today I found a photo album from the 1940's which was put together by a girl with quite a sense of humor - I like her! If she is still alive today she would have to be at least 80 years old, and I'd like to think just as spunky as ever! (Note to anyone who doesn't want 'em: send them to me, I'll be more than glad to pay postage)! And by the way, yes, that is a bit of my pj's at the bottom of the picture I took - to know more about my story, it was a damp, dark, and cold day, I've had them on since about 6:30 this evening - I love my pajamas, and fleece is the new silk in my book!