What I really need is...

A camping trip! That's right! I need a big tent, a big campfire, some big meals cooked on the big campfire and a big, warm sleeping bag. A big sky full of stars would be nice, too.

Meet Chazz!

I was asked to show someone what needle felting was. While I was pulling my supplies out he saw a picture of a carrot someone else had made and asked me to make him one. So, I did. He's about 3 inches long, and cute as can be, if I do say so myself!

First swap of the year.

Signed up for an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap. I was to use one sticker and create a beautiful card. I chose many stickers, and made 2 cards. A little decorated paper, colored pencil, black pen and some jewels. Cut, glue, press and tah-dah! Fun things to send to my assigned swap partner.

apartment update

So, this is what my living/dining room/craft are looks like now that I have the cabinet in and filled with my goodies.

This is my kitchen light fixture. It looked so rich in the low light, so I thought I'd try my mad camera skills and snap a shot. It turned out really fabulous!
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Short documentary.

I decided to take pictures of what I see when driving into work on a typical morning in the winter. This is nothing spectacular; just a piece of my everyday life. Besides, it gave me a reason to use my new camera in the dark and test its picture taking powers.

This one is about 3/4th of the way into work. The big bright billboard displays the current power ball lottery amount you could win. I like seeing the numbers change and thinking some lucky bastard just had a dream come true for them.

This is Buttercup from the Power Puff Girls cartoon. She is my constant car companion, and my car angel.

My dashboard and all it's pretty colors.

What I see after I park at work and get out of the car. Note the coffee travel mug. I never leave home without it. I get one blissful cup of good coffee on my hour drive in.

Most fabulous weekend!

Spent the weekend taking a few small walks, listening to football games and music, making and apple pie and cleaning up the HUGE pile of papers that have been collecting since December 1st. I found a few bills and letters I had missed, and unfortunately it is going to take some time and phone calls to fix the problems that has caused. It will get done, but it will sucketh in the process. That will teach me to pay closer attention to my mail.

It has been windier than a horns sections eating chili out here! I feel like Dorthy with the way the wind is blowing. Pug has enjoyed his indoor time out of the wind and cold. So has Smudge. She spent the night inside with me a few nights ago, sleeping on the bed. She's a pretty good snuggler. A little timid, but we will work on that.

Work is tough. I was hoping it would have slowed up, but it really hasn't. Trying to recover from this holiday is harder than I thought it would be. Everything is messy and out of place. We have a lot of merchandise that could come out of overstock and get out on the shelves, but no man power to do it. It's frustrating.

I am now going to play dominos with my dear friend and win win WIN! But first, I will get a glass of water a do a little stretching so I don't hurt myself. :)

Promised post, with pictures!

So, I had a fabulous visit with my family this Christmas. It was the only thing that made Christmas worth it this year. I don't think I have ever felt so 'done' with this holiday as I did this year. Well, it is over, gone, and thank heavens! So, now I will put up waaaaaay to many pictures taken with my fabulous new Canon Power Shot camera. It is this fun fall orange color (great choice Bro!) and fits in my coat pocket with my wallet and keys. I have been playing around with it, and really need to sit down and scan the manual that came with it. I can take short videos, but need to figure out how.

Anyhow...here are some picture I took at mom and dads' after I got the camera.

This is a little house they have in the kitchen window. I am really impressed with the clarity, quality and color of the pictures I get from this camera.

Moms cookies taste as great as they look, as always!

I love how the reflection of the table clothe looks in this pewter wine cup.

One of the many beautiful ornaments on the Christmas tree.

This particular little candle was simply so pretty! It is one of the first pictures I took, and I am again amazed with how wonderful it turned out. I see lots of picture taking in my future!

Early mornings.

I guess all of my work mornings are early mornings. I have started setting my alarm 1/2 hour earlier to accommodate Pug and his need for snuggle time. I guess it is my need as well. Nothing like waking up with a kitty that has been keeping you warm all night by being wrapped around your head.
I spent the morning yesterday running errands. Was successful on that front. I arrived home and ripped my kitchen apart. I emptied a bunch of cupboards and put supports under the shelves. They are long and have been sagging in the middle. It hampers my ability to store things, so I finally fixed it, thanks to Dad and his handy stash of extra wood! Also thanks to my Honey for cutting me a few pieces with his baby skill saw!

So, I have much better organized kitchen cupboards. Sounds lame, but since they are also a major part of my storage, I need to get them set up in a way where I didn't have to empty them to get at things I needed from time to time. I also was able to rearrange a couple of drawers and my closet, so that was a bonus. Trash is out, goodwill drop off is loaded into the car and my horribly messy floor has been swept. I will now spend an evening at my sweeties house, hopefully watching a movie and snuggling by a fire. Then Wednesday I will spend the evening at home, tackling another couple of projects. None of them as big, thank goodness.

Look! It's a new year!

Well, started out the new year with waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage and good company. Pug started the year sleeping his butt off, and has continued to do so all day. Last I looked, he had one back leg propped up on his water bowl while the rest of him was stretched out on my drafting table. Very cute indeed!

Here is a picture of the trestle I drive under every day when heading for work. The snow we just had made it very pretty indeed! I love my new camera!

Possible last post for 2009

Still don't feel much like posting. I am getting ready for work after a good night sleep. Pug stayed on my pillow, snuggled up to my head all night. Scared the bad dreams away, he did! I slept with my Christmas lights plugged in. It was nice to fall asleep to the pretty colors, and wake up to them. once in a while, the joy doing that brings me is worth the few extra pennies.
I'll be at home for New years eve and day. I'll be hanging with a friend, crafting, sipping margaritas, and going for walks. Nice and relaxing. I have felt like I have spent no time at home the last few months, and when I do it is all rush rush rush. I know that isn't true, but I am ready to dig in here and get a few things done as well as just spend time here NOT doing anything.

Happy New years everyone. May 2010 be better than 2009. If not, maybe we can jump it in the school parking lot and teach it to fear us and behave!

I don't feel much like posting about Christmas, or any other thing for that matter. I need some sleep and I will be fine. I do promise to tell you all about it and post pictures from my new camera when I get home and have time to settle back in. Now I am going to eat a big burrito dinner and make every one around me sorry that they fed me burritos.

let it snow!

I am in town, staying with a friend because it started snowing. My friend felt I shouldn't go home, even though the weather report said there wouldn't be more than a smattering of snow. Well, 2 1/2 inches later it's still coming down and I will be staying in town tonight. I guess I'll get chains for my car tomorrow if the store still has them.

I am fat and happy this Christmas night!

Christmas madness followed by a Belated Birthday dinner

Spent from 8am until 1:30pm doing the Christmas shopping thing. As much as I wanted to make gifts this year, I simply must face the reality that I do not have the time. So, I had a sweet and wonderful friend join me so he could be my GPS system and keep me company. He was a great help. I am getting the last few bits done tomorrow so I have time to wrap the presents all pretty!

Went out to that Macaroni Grill for a belated Birthday celebration. I was taken out by a handsome man that I have started seeing. I dressed up all pretty and showed off my lovely legs to any who would peek. Might as well, while I still have cute legs to show! I dined on bread fresh from the oven, calamari, twice baked lasagna and a salad. Washed it all down with a pomegranate martini and some water. To stuffed to try their dessert, so maybe that will have to be a follow-up Belated Birthday Celebration. Yeah! I like that idea!

I am a delight, so HA!

So, my attorney and I have been sending emails back and forth, clarifying some details so he can make a demand and we can get this damn car claim settled. The last few emails have mostly been about mileage. He started by wanting a general estimate of miles accumulated from doctor appointments.I gave him an exact number, because I was anal and made a nifty little mileage chart to kept track. I even offered to send him my chart and the key I had made for it so he could read it correctly. He declined the chart, saying he knew he had a copy, but didn't want to find it (long story here, but not his fault).I think he was a little astounded by the number (almost 5000 miles), so he asked me to simply give him a few estimates of how far some of the doctors were. I gave him specifics, and offered to send him my chart and the key I had made for it so they could read it correctly. Again. He again declined.Later he recanted, so I excitedly sent him my chart and the key, and told him he'd love it because, really, it was a cool chart!Then I sent him a picture of Pug in the bubble wrap and told him about the neighbor lady and all the strays she was helping. I told him I knew this had nothing to do with the accident, but thought he might enjoy a cute kitty picture and something non-work related.
This is the comment I received from him in his latest email;"Thanks so much Sylvia you are a delight as a client in the often vast and desolate wilderness."
I love being able to make people 'delight' during their day!

Christmas bits.

I arrived home to a little package from my friend Sandra. She mailed me some Hickory Farms cheeses!I threw the box it arrive in onto the floor like the clean little swiss girl I am and Pug got his toy stuck in it. He had a blast trying to get it out. So, it's like a 2-for-1 deal. Love that!

This Christmas is wearing me out. I thought about my Christmas in Switzerland for about the billion-ith time today. I definitely want to do that again. It felt like Christmas, where as this year doesn't because of the retail craziness. I am thankful, thankful thankful for a job. However, I wish there was some way to make this holiday feel the way it should. Crabby customers and the crazy, busy pace really drain me and suck any Christmas spirit right out. However, I have come up with some very creative lyrics for the cheesy Christmas songs we are playing over the sound system at work. I guess Michaels IS where creativity happens!

Oh, I made a pretty little candle holder for a tea light. Then I scented the house with a little cedar by doing something my mom used to do. I heated a few cedar sprigs over the flames. It was a nice relaxing way to end the work day.

Pug is laying on my computer desk intently watching the cursor zip across the page and make word. Hahaha!

The river is frozen!

Pug thinks he is a dog!

Pug followed me on a walk today. It was the cutest damn thing I have ever seen! Like a dog, he followed me across the street and down the trail, He hung out while I collected an armful of fallen pine boughs to decorate my front doorway. He was careful about crossing the street. He stayed alert for things that could pounce on him from the bushes. However, he wasn't anxious. He ran around close to me and played, flopped down on the trail for pets, and never strayed far. He's now warming his toes up and holding the tablecloth on my drafting table down.
What a strange little guy he is.

Must be getting better

My tummy rumbled a little bit this afternoon, so I bundled up and wandered to the grocery store for sprite and yogurt. I feel a little better with food in me that doesn't try and come back out.

Being sick has it's perks.

Yes, I am sleeping quite a bit, but I am also using what energy and time I have to make Christmas cards and gifts. Not really moving at a fast pace, but at least I am getting something accomplished. Finally.

I decorated my home last week. I was able to put out a few things that otherwise would have had to stay packed if I were still in Mist. It feels good to have a few Christmas decorations up.

My snowflakes

My candles

My lights

My vase of ornaments

My manger that mom made and the cinnamon sticks I made.

Cheap insulation

One of the benifits of working at Michaels is all the free packing stuff. Boxes, styrofoam, and bubble wrap. We get huge sheets of bubble wrap in our framing freight. Keeps the glass from breaking. I took a bunch home recently and Richard helped put it on my windows. Just in time for this cold snap. I think I'll bring home a bunch more for the neighbors. They have the same cheap windows I have, and it really cuts the amount of cold that comes in.

Of course, it is also Pug approved!

Cold Kitties

I worry a bit about the cats around here. In particular, the three cats that have befriended me. I tightened up the blankets around Smudge and Misty's little covered house last night, and added to them. Pug stayed in all night with me. This morning while I was replacing the block of ice in the water dish outside with drinkable water, I put Smudge in my apartment and made her stay an hour to warm up. She is walking so stiffly from the cold. I think I might force her and Misty to sleep inside tonight. Should be easy enough. I'll simply bring their entire house inside. They get along well enough with Pug that it shouldn't cause to much cat drama.

The weather has been horrible in the sense of how cold it has been. However, the sunshine, the clear blue sky and all the pretty white frost has made it a joy! I am enjoying all this crisp cold air. I am sure I will get tired of it all, but for now...

What time is it anyways?

I am finishing my first cup of coffee before I start my day. I will head into work at 8:45 tonight and get off at 6am. I have 3 people that I am picking up and dropping off. hat a boss will do to make sure she has a good crew working graveyard with her! At least I have slept hard the last 2 nights. I am well rested and ready to work. Hope my crew is as well.

I made my first sweet potato pie. It was easy, but this recipe makes the pie to sweet. Tastes like a huge pie crust full of sugar to me. However, other people like it, so it wasn't a complete loss. I'll try it again after I have had more time looking for a recipe.

I am hanging out at Richard's today, eating New York Steak, BBQ veggies and sweet potatoe pie.
Washing it all down with coffee, wine and laughter.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My parents are home!

Yeah! I had dinner with them Saturday on their way through Portland. Man, it was good to see them. I'll see them in a few weeks when I go home for a visit. I need family time.

I think I have been adopted.

This is Pug. He was one of the first cats we took to the spay/neuter clinic. He now spends a lot of time with me in my apartment. He loves snuggling and is becoming comfortable sleeping on my bed with me for naps. I expect to see him at my door one day with all his little kitty suitcases packed, waiting to move in! He is a soft spoken little guy, but makes up for his quite voice with persistance.

cats

Ruth and I have fixed 7 cats so far. 5 girls and 2 boys. Our next clinic is the 15th. I hope to take in another 4, but we will see what the traps catch for us.

updatie-ness

I finished the last 3 of my swaps; all which I failed to get pictures of, so you will simply have to believe me when I tell you they were fabulous and cute! The last one I sent was a rubber duck I decorated. I painted it a pale sky blue, put a thin dusting of fine opalescent glitter on it so it looked all frosty, and then I needle felted a scarf and hat (one with the ear flaps) for it. Very happy with how it turned out.
Now I will concentrate on Christmas.
I took a management position at work. Rumor has it the position I held would be eliminated in the spring. So, I stepped into the space my dear friend Emily made when she moved to Tacoma. I am starting to remember all the reasons I hated being in management for Michaels the first time. However, many things have changed since I last held keys, including me. Maybe I will deal with the stress better this time around. I do like being in charge of the stocking crew. They are a good bunch of people, and it won't take much to tighten up a few things there and make them run better.
I am off to the beach this weekend. A friend invited me to the coast, and I am not passing up the opportunity. I am paying for the gas, the friend is covering everything else. We will head out Friday and be back Sunday evening at some unknown time.
Is it Friday yet?

This is Muffin, one of the cats that we fixed yesterday. She slept with me last night. I miss kitty snuggles.

Ruth and I let 3 of the 4 cats out this morning. Muffin went right into Ruths house and curled up for a nap. The other 2 took off running. The fourth cat is still at my place. He is a little slow recovering, so I am keeping him in until he eats a little and gets some of his strength back.

Well, I am off to get my laundry. Then I will start crafting Christmas gifts! I will be going into town tonight to spend time with a friend and sleep over. Tomorrow we will play, either at the Zoo or the beach, depending on the weather.

Two great things happened today!

Two wonderful things happened today. First, Milo (my last foster cat from MEOW cat rescue) was adopted today! I am so happy I could cry, dance and sing!!!! Secondly, my neighbor Ruth (85 years old) and I took our first round of local ferals cats into Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon to get them fixed. There are about 20 she has been feeding and taking care of. The local vets want about $90 per cat to spay or neuter, and she can't afford that very often. I told her about FCCO and that it is a donation of $30 a cat. She was thrilled to learn about this service, and told me she'd do it if she had someone to drive her. So, I am her official sidekick now, and we took 4 in this morning. They are now all resting quietly in my bathroom, and will be released to morrow morning. Next week we will take in another 8. Then I will make appointments from there, probably every other Sunday until we catch and fix every last one. It will be a while. There are 2 that are pregnant and going to have babies any day. If the babies survive, we will have those to trap and fix as well. There are also the 9 other kittens. 5 are in her kitchen at the moment being treated for colds, and 4 are with their mom on the front porch. I will be trying to pitch in a little money to help, and what we can't pay for now, we will keep track of and continue to make donations until all of them are paid for. It feels good to be involved in improving the welfare of cats again. I have missed that so much.Besides, Ruth and I had a fabulous time talking over a yummy breakfast. We drove around afterwards and looked at the different houses in the area to see how people had decorated for Halloween. The fall leaves were gorgeous, and we had a splendid time together! I am looking forward to our other clinic days. I am sure they will be just as fun as this one

Felt Inchie

I recently went to a large Craft Fair in Seattle called 'Urban Craft Uprising'. Around 100 independent crafters were there, selling their goods. They also had some free demos you could attend if you were fast enough to get a chair. I put my waning youth to the test, and was able to get a seat at the 'Needle Felting' demo. I fell in love with the process of creating something from a chunk of wool by repeatedly stabbing it with a needle. When I arrived home, I wandered off to Fabric depot and bought the basic supplies. Finally this weekend I had a chance to use them, and I love what I made!

I created a Felt Inchie. Now, an inchie is a 1 inch by 1 inch piece of artwork. It can be made from anything. The swap partner I created this tiny piece of art for loves cats, and loves bad horror movies; especially the ones with zombies in them. Since we are coming up on Halloween, I decided to make her a tiny little zombie cat. I then framed it int a tiny shadow box frame, and I will be mailing it off Wednesday. The pictures did not turn out very well because the piece is so small. The word I stitched above the cat says "brain', since zombies love to eat brains. I painted a little glitter on the frame to make it festive and fun, and wha-lah! One cute zombie kitty felt inchie!

Earth ATC card

So, I finished and mailed the last of the 4 Element ATC card series. Each card was better than the last, and over all I am thrilled knowing they are out there in various people's collections. Like the others, I tried to think up things associated with the earth. I also arranged the images so you would have a right-side-up either way you held the card.

So, with no further ado; my earth ATC card.

Party in my medicine cabinet!

So, for $1.97, I purchased this lovely Dico ball and spot light from Michaels. If I had known that was all the money I needed to have a discotheque of my very own, I would have done it long ago!

The real reason I bought a toy armadillo.

So I could post this:

Armadillo before trying to cross the road.

Armadillo after trying (unsuccessfully) to cross the road.

Hahahahaha! Only I would accessorize a stuffed animal with a coaster I bought in Texas. Oh goodness, sometimes I worry about me!

Farm Girl ATC

I signed up for this one at the last second, and found out at the last second that my ink cartridge for my computer is dry. I rescued my idea best I could, and next week I will solve the ink issue.

The goal was to create a farm girl themed ATC. I immediately thought of doing a spin-off of Botecelli's 'Venus on the Half Shell' and replacing the oyster with and egg. Because all my images came out blue/purple, I broke out he acrylic paints and scumbled color on the images. The Venus of my picture is my American Grandmother, who I loved! I think she would have liked what I did.
Here's how it ended up.

To keep it safe from bending during mailing, I made a cardboard sleeve and tied it together with one of those big ties you get around the head of a lettuce from the store. It says 'Fresh Garden Vegetables' on it, and I felt that was very appropriate.

Fabulous weekend!

My fabulous friend Sandra drove down and hung out with me for -*counts fingers*- 3 days!
It was great to see her and have some quality catch-up time.

Friday we went to Powells Book Store because, well, you HAVE to go to Powells when you visit Portland or you will be smite-ed by the God of Books. I am sure of it! Then we wandered down town a little, ate nachos at a great little Mexican dive and washed it down with beer. Then it was off for home and time for dinner, drinking, and chatting.

Saturday we went garage sale shopping, wandered the beautiful town of Vernonia, had a rootbeer flaot, walked the neighbors' dog, did a little crafting, a little reading, a little sleeping, and a LOT of eating and fair amount of wine consumming.

Sunday we had a lazy morning and then packed up the jeep and pointed it back toward Seattle. Sandra left me with a refridgerator full of meals and an smile on my face. Thanks Friend!

I am all tuckered out from my most fabulous weekend with my most fabulous friend. After I saw her off this morning I accidentally fell into bed and took a short nap. It was very sad, but I got over it. *Hehehe* Then, true to form, I got up and started in on the things I needed to get done. Walked the neighbor’s dog again and cleaned his place up a little for him, since he is in the hospital. Finished my ATC swap, cleaned up, did bills, called various peoples, fixed the manger my mom made me for Christmas a few years back, and so on. I am wrapping my fabulous weekend up with some posties, and then heading off to bed. Tomorrow starts at 3:45am, and I feel it looming.

Oh, did I mention I met Ruth, the Cat Lady across the street? I have wanted to meet her, since she takes care of so many of the local strays and feral cats. I am going to see if I can help her out by getting the food she needs in town where it is cheaper. She will still pay for it, I will simply be the grunt with the car. Since she is feeding 14 cats at the moment and is 90 years old, I figure I can help out a little. She also wants to get them fixed, and has the money to do so, but no way to get them to a vet or to the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. I, however, can provide the ride for that endevor, and would with a happy heart!

Together we shall lower the cat population in Vernonia. I am very excited!

Three of Four

No, I do not mean the long lost brother of Seven of Nine. (It's a Star Trek thing, people!)

I finished the third ATC for the 4 Element swap I am doing. I will send it out tomorrow, and then I need to get busy creating the Farmgirl ATC I mail on Thursday.

This is the back of my 'Wind' ATC. A have been doing all the cards in this set in the same style, and I have really liked how they have turned out.

This is the front, and as you can see, I doodled and water colored it like I did the last two. I tried to come up with things that are either moved by the wind, or create wind. I played with the composition for a while. I wanted to create a card that could be held either way and still look right side up. I like how this one turned out.

Eggs!

These are the first few dozen eggs from the new chickens. There are some from one of the older girls here, but not many. Love the copper colored ones, and the tiny little ones from the Bantams!

I do not thing all the new chickens are laying yet. One of the reasons is this green colored egg. This is the first of that color, and it only appeared a few days ago.

more swaps

Both of these are for private swaps. The first is a series of ATC cards on the four seasons. The second is the front and back of a simple book mark. The gigantic hounds tooth pattern reminded me of bats, so I punch some eye holes into a few of them and inked in some pupils.

My first bookmarks

I made these for a swap. The one on the left has cat paw prints punched into it with 2 different sized hole punches. I made a window using the window plastic from a bill I received, and put the feather behind it. On the back I wrote 'cat' here and there. The ribbon has a cat head bead on the end.

The other bookmark has a hole punched through the center of every fruit slice that had its center showing. I cut the margarita glass shape by hand and put the colored paper behind it. I put a round sticker in the glass to represent a cherry. On the back I stamped some of the different flavors of margaritas. The ribbon is hand stitched on the edges so it won't come off the card.

Fronts;

Backs;

Home goodness

So, I finally decided I needed something to put my crafts in. No matter how organized I kept them, it looked like a small, well organized explosion was constantly going off in 1/3 of my apartment. I found a cabinet at Home Depot that worked just perfectly. I had an employee there cut some wood to make extra shelves (which was much cheaper than buying the premade shelves for it), and wha-la! Problem solved! It feels so much nicer in here now. So, I am off to TSP my bathroom one more time. I hope to paint it this week so I can move my bathroom stuff back in.