Tuesday, May 31, 2011

sneezy, goofy, and spock.


our entire family got walloped by a nasty cold this last week and my computer also battled a virus or infection of its own. i seem to have lost a lot of my hard drive. i'm bummed about the photos of early duckies, but what was i going to do with those photos anyhow?

i've been battling through it to finish a bibelot order. the kittens aren't making it easy on me. they love to 'inspect' my work and offer their assistance with the thread, scissors, etc. i'm surprised i haven't snipped off one of their tails let alone a whisker or two.....i hope they grow out of their kitten curiosity...but not too quickly. it's fun to see their crazy antics as i sew beaks onto birdies, talons on to owls, and yes, whiskers onto kittens. can you see how long their whiskers are in these photos? it's absurd. i'm going to enter them in the twin cities beard and mustache competition next year. fer reals.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

workin' on the night moves....

having a dayjob in addition to helping folks with wedding flowers, doing the duckie thing, and teaching means that my day runs from about 7 AM to 11 PM or even midnight. my kittens are modeling good evening productivity followed by intense periods of sleep. their nighttime mania is even more entertaining than their daytime antics.
i am putting out the feelers on finally buying a house. 3 years ago (before i lost my awesome gig at the college) i had been pre-approved for a loan and started even touring homes...but i'm SO thankful that didn't work out because i'd have long defaulted on the mortgage. i feel like the timing is much better now.
but in order to make it happen i need to squeeze extra time to make extra $$ out of my days.
maybe i'll teach kirk and spock how to sew for me while i'm off earning their kitten chow......

Sunday, May 08, 2011

ask...and ye shall find it at a garage sale.....(or fleet farm)

it's a constant struggle to store and display my art supplies in a useful yet pleasing manner. during our road trip, i bought the latest 'where women create' magazine, which my mom calls 'where women store stuff'. it's true, they offer great storage solutions to artist's tendency to hoard. n-e-way....

my boss asked my co-worker if we wanted to hit a neighborhood garage sale to raise funds for some girls to join a traveling soccer team-and lo and behold, i found this spice rack for just a dollar! hollar!!!!

this project would have been impossible without the help of a dishwasher-these jars were NASTY greasy. i should have soaked the caps in something because the rubber gaskets on some still smell a bit 'spicy'. but overall i am quite happy with how this turned out.

i'm also excited about my new gardening boots, found at the 'man's mall' AKA fleet farm. they carry *almost* everything a person or farm animal could ever need, including things NO one needs like circus peanuts. if they carried craft materials, there'd be no reason to shop anywhere else.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

growing boys


holy week was amazing, exhausting, powerful, and wonderful. a marathon of ministry. my boss and 4 of the pastors told me to get out of town for a week. left the cleanup to my co-workers. HA!

went to missouri after easter to spend some time with my nephews. julie had ankle surgery 5 weeks ago and is SUPPOSED to be taking it easy. as a physical therapist she knows what she can and can't do, and i swear she can hop faster than i can walk. anyway....the boys are 5, almost 3, and almost 1 i can't believe the funny things they do and say. obsessed with 'STAR WARS', 'The Lion King', and Mickey Mouse, they love to hear my Yoda, Puumba, and Mickey voices.

the other boys in my life, spock and kirk, are growing fast too!



they no longer look kitten-y they are very much teenagers. i have been spending very little time with them due to work and i think they are taking it out on me by chewing where they shouldn't be chewing, getting into boxes and containers that are NOT for kittens, and just generally being silly.


here's spock demonstrating what he thinks is the proper place for scraps and kittens.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

where i've been....

where have i been the past month? i'm taking on more responsibilities in more departments of the church-and that's a good things-but it also means less time for outside activities like; doing interesting things, photographing those things, and writing about them.

i have been wracking my brain to come up with a suitable item for the japan auction, and i think i have settled on one, now just to find the time to make it. this week at church (which started today with Palm Sunday) i am going to work about 80 hours, give or take. maundy thursday and good friday we're expecting over 1800 people to come to the three services we hold...

here's a quick little video that i not only helped to edit, but that gives you an idea of what kind of stuff i'm working on. this is last year's Palm Sunday- we had about 250 kids participate today over the two services.

Monday, February 28, 2011

what's been keeping me busy....



brought these guys home last week. loving *almost* every minute ;)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's for you!


hey sorry it's been quiet lately-i have been beset by a series of horrible colds. this probably means i won't get to spend valentine's day with the ultimate valentine, my grandma. it's her birthday today and she was delivered 92 years ago today by dr. valentine. fer reals!
it's a little late to the party but here are some absolutely amazing free valentines for you by some of my favorite artists.
amy rice
ann wood
and an oldie but goodie from me, a quick tute on winged hearts.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Summer wardrobe...

i hope this round with watchin' the weight is successful enough that i just haveta haveta HAVE TO buy a whole new summer wardrobe. been polyvore-ing some ideas.
n-joy!

Pink Citrus Dress
$55 - modcloth.com
Pleated dresses »

Filigree Cardi
$118 - anthropologie.com
Tops »

Eureka
$169 - fluevog.com
Wedge heel shoes »

Dutch Wax Collage Cuff
$38 - anthropologie.com
Chain jewelry »

Bedouin Scarf
$115 - allsaints.com
Striped shawl »

Sunday, January 23, 2011

nagging...

had a headache the last few days. nothing like a migraine, another one of which i had a few days back. this is more like a nagging ache-like someone scratching the inside of my head right behind my eyes. i suspect it's a sign i need new glasses. in which case, i'm gonna get some craaaaazy frames this time to encourage me to wear my contacts more often.

i know i'm a little late to the party but i am looooving me some polyvore.

the possibilities are literally endless. i'm not a big online or catalog shopper, i feel the need to try things on and see how the fit, quality, and cut looks before i buy and i can't be bothered to return something via the mail or UPS. so i prefer to pre-shop online and go in person to the store to see for myself. and it's kept me from making many, MANY a bad purchase.

anyway-polyvore is a fun way to dream and put together outfits without stepping foot into a store!

CHIFFON VICTORIANA BLOUSE
14 GBP - selectfashion.co.uk
Chiffon blouses »

Sportmax code skirts DENIM
138 GBP - matchesfashion.com
High waist skirt »

Enamel Coffee Pot.
jpeterman.com