Hello?

Okay, Dennis is mad at me 'cause I won't get on-line and let my friends know that I am, indeed, alive, blah, blah, blah.  I just checked in and saw 19 comments on my last post, including one from a guy named Bernard, that I definitely would like to respond to, but, alas, couldn't find his real address.   Hmmmm...... I am so sorry.  If I could explain, I would.  Well, if you've got enuf time, I suppose I could.  Oh, nothing serious.  Just...me.  Dennis tells me to forget about the crafting perfection and just tell you guys about all of my self-doubt, crazy-flakiness, I-don't-want-to-do-this-anymore, wah, wah, wah...maybe I will.  Could be fun.  And, I am pretty convinced that I am not the only whack-job in the craft community.  In fact, the more I write, the more I think that I may have something to offer here.  Frankly, we're all nuts to some degree or another, so let's get real about who we are when we're not creating masterpieces.  I speak for myself, of course.  I DO think about you all, and appreciate your affection and friendship.  By the way, I'm still breaking glass (when the heat allows me to go out to the garage), and I'm also working on my novel, which I started about 12 years ago after I had a dream about a quaint seaside village that harbored (get it?) a serious mystery...any of the rest of you hiding YOUR novels-short stories-acrylic paintings-symphonic compositions-interpretive dance choreographies-three-act plays starring someone a bit like yourself, etc., etc., etc.???  Love you all, Cheryl

Getting Stuff Done

Finally made the snowman my friend ordered.  I haven't made a doll in ages, so I kept putting him off.  Once I got to it, it only took a couple hours.  I asked her specifically what he should look like, and she wanted a very traditional looking snowman, three body sections, the hat, the stick arms, everything.  When I used to make dolls all the time, they looked more like people, though they might have a snowball head with a face, or a pumpkin head, or whatever.  Lots of animals that were "people," too.  This guy isn't as wild.  I need to photograph some of my old collection of "critters," just for posterity.  I promised to show the Wizard of Oz set once upon a time, but I obviously haven't kept that pledge.  Note to self:  follow through on what you say you will do, or just don't ever say you'll do anything again.  That way, everybody will know they can't depend on you, so there will be no pressure.  I think I like that idea the best.

My husband came out this afternoon with my camera, saying I never have any "in process" pictures, so he started snapping away.  Here's the ultra-messy part of mosaic.  Smearing the grout with a tile float, in my lovely yellow glove.  I don't like wearing gloves--usually I just use my fingers, but they're so sliced up right now that I decided to wear ONE glove, on the wounded hand.  I'm constantly wearing band-aids these days.  My fingers will probably get all infected and fall off.  Then I'll start grouting with my toes.
Here's Jack, my "adorable" little helper, who parades back and forth through the broken glass, lays down at my feet to hack his brains out because he has unwisely chosen to eat a pine cone or an old horse chestnut, and wrestles with his big brother, Biscuit, stirring up clouds of dust to drift into my wet grout.  Look.  He blends in with the dirty gravel.  Little pill...
Ta Da!  The finished product.  This took me about 3 or 4 days, with painting, gluing the pieces, then grouting, then endless touching up and scraping away the grout, buffing, etc.  Let it cure overnight, and then I'll use grout sealer on it tomorrow.
Kinda fun, huh?  I was going to use it on our front porch, but my husband reminded me that the cats will no doubt "inaugurate" it, because they think the front porch belongs to them.  That will never do.  Now I have to find a place for it in the house.  I will, because I love it.  Somewhere.  Maybe right in the middle of the living room floor.  That's where I store everything else.  How do you girls keep such beautifully organized and spic 'n' span houses??  I think there's something wrong with me...
Thank you, to all you dears who have left such fun comments!  (You know who you are!!)  I love you all, even if I haven't been responding as quickly as I should.  But I won't promise to do better, because then you might think you can depend on me! (See above treatise on the secret joys of irresponsibility)...

Now get back to work.  Go make something!!

I've Gone Insane

That's the only explanation I have for my latest crazy obsession.  Of course, I've liked mosaic for a long time, but I have only just recently gone bonkers over it, having a smashing good time in the garage, and cranking out all sorts of fun things.  Koo Koo Bird....so far I'm being selfish, and hanging on to my creations, but soon I will have so many that I'll become bored with the first creations, and I'll be ready to sell them.  You know how it is.  When the cute new baby comes along, the old ones get put back on the shelf...

Sorry for this blurry picture.  My first mosaic mirror!

And the garage looks dreadful.  Razor-sharp chips of glass everywhere.  I can't be bothered with sweeping up yet.  Gotta keep smashing, keep smashing, keep smashing.......
This is my latest project.  I bought this crappy old coffee table at the GW for $2.99.  Tightened up the screws and gave it a couple coats of white paint.  Then comes the fun part, as you can see. It makes me crazy with joy!  So pretty.  Today I actually finished the gluing down of the whole top--I'm tired.  Tomorrow I'll grout.  Woo Hoo!  I'll take a pic of the finished project.
Daughter and husband had their last day of school today.  Now my girl is a high-schooler!  Amazing.  Tomorrow our oldest son goes through community college commencement.  That's pretty amazing, too.  All kinds of celebrations!! 

Check out my shop--I put three slips in there (one sold already).  There will be lots more stuff very soon.  Time for that shop update I keep promising!  Stay tuned....

"I'm Just a Simple Country Doctor, Jim!"

Remember that oft-quoted line from Dr. McCoy in Star Trek??  That was his disclaimer, expressing his frustration at being expected to do more than he could handle.  Well, nobody is expecting me to do more than I can handle, except maybe myself.  Actually, that's a bunch of baloney, because I'm not doing much at all.  Just taking a little break from the blog world because I get lost in it and can't think about anything else.  Poor, one-dimensional Cheryl.  So sad, so sad...

See this lovely meal that the hubby made for me the other night?  I'm spoiled rotten, I tell ya.  He's absolutely incredible.  All I have to do is whine, and he pours me a glass and makes me dinner.  What a guy.

That same evening, we moved out to the front yard after dinner for a little r & r... this is Smudge, our beloved cat (well, one of many) who is sort of a "dog-cat."  He's so relational, he's more like a dog than a cat.  If anyone arrives with a glass of wine, Smudge is immediately on your lap for "happy hour."  He likes to lick it off your finger.  (I know, I know, not good for kitties--but he doesn't get much--he's old, you guys--let him enjoy his golden years).
You may have seen these plastic Adirondack chairs around the stores this year.  I loved the color, and I've always wanted Adirondack chairs, so we bought these cheapies.  Warning:  one of them was apparently weaker than the other.  It had a flaw in it, and as the evening wore on, I got lower and lower and lower.  I managed to snap this pic at the last second, just before I found my head on the ground, and my feet...well...you can see...  I want the wooden chairs.
When I'm not drinking with the cat, I've been having fun with mosaic stuff.  These hearts will go on my wall (somewhere!)  I have seven of them.  And that other thing is a tissue box cover.  I'm a little obsessive, as you well know.  When I go off on a toot, it's a doozy for as long as it lasts.  When I'm done, I'm DONE.  So unreliable, unpredictable, undisciplined.  Whatever, I say.
Not that you wanted to see all these lame pics, but I promised a shot of my periwinkle door out back.  We still have a ton of "cute-ing up" to do out here--a porch, an expansion (I wish...), a window, some flowers in the pots, ivy growing up the trellis and around the door, oh, so many dreams...
Inside, it's frightening.  I brought all my stuff home from the Boutique and crammed it in my shop.  Now I need to get it organized, photographed and posted on Etsy.  I won't be putting everything up for sale.  I have to sort through it first.  Some things I've made just because I wanted to try it, and I don't want to steal anyone else's thunder.  Need to be original, ya know...
I've also used this space for temporary storage, so you see a lot of seasonal goodies, waiting to be stashed for future sales.

Oh, my...this is just the tip...I'm a little overwhelmed.  Now you can see why I've been stalling, and spending my time smashing glass and drinking with the cat.  

Gotta get a grip, here, Cheryl.  Time to get back to work.  Nice to talk to y'all!

Oh Blogger, Where Art Thou??

Sorry for being absent for so long!  And I don't even have any pictures today.  What a pitiful excuse for a blogger.  I'm alive and well, and so is my family.  I've just been off on a toot, thinking about other things, not taking any good pics, and not spending much time on the computer.  I have a heck of a time concentrating on more than one thing at a time, and when something new comes along, I always have to figure out how to incorporate that into my life without abandoning the other things I'm interested in.

My husband and I are musicians, and we are getting back into leading the contemporary worship in our church, which we-left-three-years-ago-but-now-we're-back-and-it's-too-long-a-story-to-go-into, so I'm working on getting my head wrapped around that job again.  Looking forward to it, but I need to get back up to speed with the songs, etc., so I'm working on my "worship leader mojo" these days, and not doing much crafty stuff.

However, I have been out in my garage, happily breaking glass with a hammer and doing mosaic stuff, just because I want to.  It's something different, and it is nice to completely lose myself in the process of selecting tiny fragments of broken china and fitting them together, like a puzzle.  Plus, I have to create/decorate a little flower girl's basket for an upcoming wedding, which won't take any time at all, but I just need to get to it.  AND, I have a friend who loved my dolls way back when (when I used to make fabric folk art creations), and she is waiting for me to create a snowman for her.  I keep putting it on the back burner, (which is NOT a good place for a snowman, is it???) so I need to get my rear in gear this week and stop procrastinating!  

That's my current status, in a nutshell.  I'll go take some pics of the utter mess I've made in the garage (bits of glass EVERYWHERE-- my husband will be so pleased....) and I'll come back soon!

A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That

This would have made such a lovely Mothers' Day tribute picture, had I thought of it before Tuesday.  But I didn't.  I had this cute little vase, so I cut some lilacs from our backyard and brought them inside.  Love the scent...

This book, copyright 1907, is such a kick.  It's filled with info (the latest!) on child development, child-rearing, what to teach them, and when, etc.  One of the more entertaining sections is on, "What is the earliest age, would you say, that a child should be 'told'?"  It took me a minute to figure out--'told' what?  Ohhhhh, I get it.  It never ever calls 'it' anything but 'the mystery of life.'

Answer?  About age 6 or 7, before this topic has a chance to be discussed and "perverted."  And the general effect on a young boy?  Their studies show that, "told the truth, the young boy felt a new love and a higher reverence for his mother."  That was not my experience with my first-born son--he was totally grossed out and said he wished I'd never told him.

Here's another gem:  "Is there a danger in physical books? Take a young boy of sixteen:  don't you think that to give him a book about his physical self might awaken evil thoughts as likely as it might prove a warning?  In no respect.  No boy or young man, it is safe to say, was ever led into immorality by reading a good book on its dangers.  One might as well argue that he would drink more freely from a typhoid-infected water-supply when told of its dangers.  The truth is never dangerous."

Oh, my.  Sometimes I really wish I lived back then.  Such an innocent time.

Hey, has everybody seen the newest issue of Romantic HOMES?  This one is great.  Full of cottage-y stuff.  I think I'll keep the whole thing, instead of tearing out pics here and there.
Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to show & tell with thrift store purchases.  Truly.  I keep unloading bags, and just looking at all the wonderful junk.  Kind of a big "Oh, oh," though, because Dennis added up our purchases from April and May (which is not over yet!) and we could have sent food to a small African nation several times over.  He's just as bad as I am, however.  It's our favorite thing to do together, so I guess we're doomed.
Pretty, vintage purses to embellish:  some were thrifted, some were from the Antique Mall.  That patent leather one if front is a total Barbie purse.
Some yummy stuff--an old tablecloth, a tin for my collection, pretty cloth napkins with violets on them, a lovely old flower picture, pretty china, embroidered doo-dads, and so on.  You should have heard the sales clerk's response when I said I was just going to break that little plate (for mosaic)---she gasped, and clutched it to her breast--okay, maybe I won't.  It's prettier than most of the plates I have on my walls, so maybe I'll switch it out with some of them.  There.  That will please Rose, the clerk from Ellensburg Goodwill.
On another recent trip, Dennis glommed on to these two pictures--very 50's, wouldn't you say?  They reminded him of his family's yearly trek to Seaside, Oregon.  They remind me of some of my faintest memories of family, when I was a tiny tot.  I think they're cool.  But I've got so many different decorating styles and eras going in my house, I don't know which way is up.  Wish I could settle on one common thread, but what fun would that be?  So, I can't describe my decorating style, I can't describe my business, I probably can't even describe my life...but I love it, and I'm having tons of fun.  So whatever.

A Busy, Fun Weekend!

Wow!  The last couple of days were great fun at the Miller household.  On Mothers' Day, I woke up to the most elaborate spread ever, thanks to the machinations of our dear daughter.  Some of this she and her girlfriend did after I had gone to bed the night before, and the rest, obviously, in the morning before I got up.

Let's see, there was a huge banner proclaiming her love for me, which didn't get in the picture.  There were flowers, a card, a papier mache "cat hat," ( I'm not quite sure.....) and food galore.

Really, you must click on the above pic to get the full sense of what I was expected to consume.  An omelet filled with peppers, tomato, onion, (they forgot the cheese), and topped with two slices of turkey lunch meat, sprinkled with an unknown spice or herb...  followed by toast with butter, sausage links, an artfully arranged orange, cottage cheese and a container of yogurt.  They filled the wine glass with milk.
Hmmmm......where do I begin??
Not enough to eat??  Well, bring on the cake, topped with my favorite candy bar.  Can you think of anything nicer?  I don't have to eat again for a month.  I just love my girl.....
On a different note, Darly gave me this delicious Arte Y Pico award for artists that she values.  Go to her site to read about it.  I went to the original site for the award and it was all in Spanish.  Let Darly's post explain it to you (unless you speak Spanish!)  Darly, I treasure your bloggy friendship.  You are such an inspiration to me, and a most kind and encouraging friend.  Thank you, Girl!                                                               

Yesterday was one of those delightful days antiqueing and junking with best friends.  We drove to Ellensburg and hit the thrift stores first.  There were only two, so that didn't take long.  After lunch at McD's, we headed out to one of our favorite spots, a huge fruit stand/antique store situated along I-90, just north of Ellensburg.  What a great place.  You can find anything your little heart desires.  Here's my dear friend, Cindy, with some of her loot.
And my other dear friend, Janet, (who owns the gift shop), with the 2 purchases she finally made.  She's very self-controlled.  A gorgeous Christmas tablecloth for 10.00, and a Mickey Mouse chalkboard.  I guess when you own a gift store, you don't go quite as crazy buying stuff because you see it every day in your own store!
Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, jams and jellies, candied-this and canned-that, you name it.  It's all there.

I guess it's possible to squeeze an apple, but I've never thought to try...
Pretty spaces and crazy things, even a wagon hanging from the ceiling...
Ahh, days with good friends.  It doesn't get any better than that, does it?  Cindy bought a little wall placque that says, "The best antiques are old friends."  Isn't that cool?  I've definitely got some great antiques.  Let's do it again soon, eh, girls???