Michelle's Folly

The Mystery Purse

2011-11-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when you finally find 'the' handbag or purse it is always somehow out of reach??? Case in point I'm flipping through a back issue of People magazine the other day and...wham!! There it is!! The purse I've been looking for but technically didn't realize I'd been looking for! (stick with me - I know I'm confusing - it's a girl/purse thing) Now if it was on the arm of a celebrity all I'd have to do is google it and sure enough I'd have my answer but NO! It's a Pantene ad!!! grrr Google was not my friend and I am at a loss!!!!

Well here it is...if anyone knows please tell me!!! lol Probably obscenely priced but hey! a girl can dream right???!!!

My Last Baby!

2010-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well the day has come and gone. That day that I was longing for for a better part of the summer but ended up dreading when it finally got here - yup I'm talking about the first day of school. As usual when the summer is going full swing it seems like it will never end and the kids mission each day is to come up with new ways to terrorize and maim one another while simultaneously drive me to the loony bin. I had grand plans, really I did! Let's just sum it up with two quotes and spare you all the gory details.
"the road to hell is paved with good intentions" (apparently St. Bernard of Clairvaux gets the credit for that one)
and
"Man plans, God laughs" (that would be a Yiddish proverb)
Well about now you might be asking yourself what does all that have to do with this entry being titled My Last Baby? Well nothing really - that just summarizes my Summer of 2010 or perhaps Lord of the Flies Revisited?I do tend to ramble when I ~~have a captive audience~~ am talking to myself -apologies!.

Well my littlest girl (aka fire-eating-wild-child) started school and while it all went really well (okay except for the small incident at line up where she made the loser symbol on her forehead to educate her grandparents on it's meaning- more on that later) I looked around at a lot of parents with cameras, camcorders and babies. Mine reluctantly posed for a couple of picture and was practically levitating she was so stoked to be there! Suddenly, and all too quickly, I was waving at my last baby who was unceremoniously telling me to go and I realized that I was done! DONE! No more babies! Five years ago I was in the same spot ~~dragging~~ dropping of my number 1/Little Man (actually peeling my 'brave' boy off of me, who was bawling like I was never coming back!) all while toting a 14 month old Angel Girl and 5 months pregnant with said Wild Child. Fast forward back to present and I should have been doing a dance like Terrell Owens in the end zone. Instead I was feeling curiously sad.

As a made my way back to the car I consoled myself with the thought that at least she was grabbing life or at least kindergarten by the tail! That and I was about to run some errands with no unscheduled bathroom breaks and no requests for 'a treat' at every stop I was about to make. Now I would get to give the sympathetic smiles to the other adults with children in lines at the grocery store for a change. Strangely I really wasn't as excited about it as I had thought I would be...

Now about that whole loser symbol thing....I guess I will have time to contemplate that over the 2 1/2 hours every afternoon that Wild Child is tearing up the Kindergarten Room....

Words of Wisdom

2010-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don’t.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy.
They just promised it would be worth it.

Resurrecting Luna Verde (sort of)

2010-07-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Okay - I went through a whole process of starting my own home based jewelry business a while back Luna Verde Jewelry and Design...yup had to do up a business plan and all...however my self promotion sucks and it didn't really go anywhere...(sound of crickets) Now I've decided to start giving up some of my stash and the best way to do that is either Ebay or Etsy - I have a soft spot for Etsy as my buyer feedback shows lol. Also my sister has some goodies to unload as well so I'm getting some help (read kick-in-the-pants) to get going - lol. Anyhow so here it is my our official Etsy shop - currently it is empty however I we will be working diligently to load it up with all kinds of interesting items. Incidentally if you have never been to Etsy you are missing out - take some time and look around...you won't be disappointed!

Fiona and Twig - Giveaway!

2010-05-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Wanna win an awesome new decorating book???!!! Nothing like a little eye candy and inspiration!! Head over to Fiona and Twig and see what I'm talking about! Take some time and browse around - you won't be disappointed! I never am!

To Paint or Not To Paint...That is the question...really

2010-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Okay -here it is...I have a behemoth red brick fireplace - floor to ceiling, approx 8 feet in length and 3 feet deep. Sound lovely?? Well maybe if it didn't account for a 1/3 of my living room. I suppose if I'm doing a shout out for opinions I should include a picture (I will get on that). If this was an open concept room with cathedral ceilings it would be fine - I don't even mind the bricks - the colour isn't bad....(deep breath) I think I'm going to paint it...don't think I should paint it white though as it would still end up standing out unless my wall colour is going to be white too.

So I've been looking at greys/taupes/creams until my eyes are crossed and my head is spinning...I like the idea of going neutral - nice clean palette and just add colour with accessories and small furnishings etc. But I don't want it cold either...

So there it is...to paint or not to paint! And I have googled everything I could find on painting brick and have read all the pros and cons.... Picture to come soon - opinions welcomed! (be nice though! I get told I'm crazy enough by the DH lol)

The Mysteries of Digital Photography....

2010-04-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Love my digital cameras...we have 2 - a Nikon D40 and for Christmas my husband bought me a Nikon CoolPix S70. Truthfully the S70 was a little more camera than I was looking for and I have yet to navigate the mysteries of all the little icons on the touch screen - and there are a lot of them!!!!

I've always admired the dreamy quality to art photographs that are gaining popularity and especially envious of the artist/photographers who have taken it to a whole new level with collage. One such artist that caught my eye a couple years ago is Susan Tuttle - she does amazing work and even better she offers affordable (yes I did say affordable) online courses (yup online - you don't have to take out a loan and fly several hours...lol) that teaches you how she works her magic! Susan's Online Course Series is called Visual Poetry - don't you just LOVE it???!!! I have taken one too so I can actually speak from experience. They aren't offered constantly but you can sign up for her newsletter and she notifies you when the next on is up - and they are popular!!! (read if-you-are-interested-don't-put-it-off-or-you-are-out-of-luck! lol)

Good news though! Susan has made it even easier for us - she has just had a book published Digital Expressions: Making Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements and even better you can enter for a chance to win it here! Personally I'm hoping I win it - however my fall back is the book store! lol Believe me it is worth the visit to her site just for the eye candy!

16 Years! I Cross My Heart!

2010-03-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

Well today is our 16th wedding anniversary! Who knew time would go so fast and life would throw (and sometimes hurtle!) so much at us! Well it sure has been quite a ride so far and I am proud to say I think we have weathered it all quite well!

This was our wedding song - I think it was well chosen - and better than that I think we've lived pretty true to the words too!

Love you Jeff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVgyfyQv7oY

The DIY Dish

2010-03-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Okay - I am not very good at this blogging thing...I'm trying but adding gadgets and buttons is beyond me - so I will just blog about this new site I've come across via Skip to My Lou (also a great site!)

The DIY Dish

They are doing a great giveaway - that you really must check out! PLUS they have the best looking template for some pillows/cushions (now can you ever really have enough pillows or cushions????) that have those cute little flowers made from felt and ribbons that are turning up on everything these days they are so versatile! (hair accessories, jewelry, shoe clips, belt/sash adornments...you name it!) So even if you don't share my appreciation for pillows/cushions it is still worth a look!

Now I did say something about their giveaway before I got sidetracked over the whole cushion and flower thing...anyhow check out this link to their giveaway it will give you all the details on how to enter. Oh and did I mention it's for an Janome Embroidary machine or a Janome Sewing Machine??? Yup not bad eh? I realize I'm lessening my odds here but if you also check out Skip To My Lou she has a pretty sweet giveaway going on too! (and there go my odds on that one too!) Of course I only have 4 readers so how bad can it be? lol

Good Luck to you all in cyber land but even more good luck to me!!! lol

Dream Job!

2010-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

How awesome would that be! I would LOVE to be digging in those boxes! {sigh} We are such a disposable society - thank goodness they didn't consider it 'dead stock' and just dump it! My next trip to NYC, usually with my sister who humors me, I will definitely make it to the Tinsel Trading Co.!

For those who aren't familiar with Kaari Meng, check out her website for her store called The French General, you won't be disappointed! Love all the stuff! I've ordered from her site before and was throughly pleased with my purchases!

The Artistic Mother

2010-02-23T07:49:00.001-08:00

What a perfect concept for a book! Shona Cole from An Artful Life has just had a book published called The Artistic Mother: A Practical Guide to Fitting Creativity into Your Busy Life.

Anyone who has children and any desire to be creative, artist or just plain crafty can't help but feel right at home with this title! So often in the day I am literally craving an opportunity for even an hour of time on my own to try ANYTHING!!! lol Very frustrating as opportunity rarely presents itself and of course if it does I end up with helpers! Then it works out that 'My Wishes' get their craft on instead of me! I know, I know in a few years I will be complaining and blubbering and begging the said 'Wishes' to spend even a few minutes of time interested in what I'm doing {sigh} - it is a Catch 22! So I spend a lot of time lurking on blogs late at night admiring all that others are doing and trying to file away all the great ideas for when opportunity does finally present itself! lol Mean while I may just have to order a copy of this book...(if I don't win the giveaway!!!) lol

Sounds interesting doesn't it??? Anyhow there are a couple of things you can do...

Head to Amazon and buy yourself a copy...
Check out Shona's blog An Artful Life (she has a giveaway going on!!! ;) )
and number 3....ummmm well check out Shona's blog anyhow get some inspiration and some eye candy all at once (great photos and tutorials)

Anyhow happy looking (you won't be sorry!)

btw I'm new to blogging and have no idea how to get rid of this phantom 1. as seen below...lol

Back in the Saddle....figuratively

2010-01-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

Well here I am again - finally. I've been putting off posting because I haven't had any interesting photos to add to my posts. After riding that scooter in circles I decided that was my procrastination rearing it's ugly head once again....lol.

What's new...well I have been bitten by the crafting bug badly - stamps are the soup de jour. So far my talent lies in searching them out and buying them lol. Perhaps I will start using them soon sigh. I have to say there are infinite possibilities out there. My tastes run to the vintage/old fashion type illustrations (big surprise!).

My best friend, M., is getting married in New Hope, PA on Easter weekend. Yup Easter weekend - and it is a 7 hour drive too. With kids, who by then will be, 9, 4, and 5. I will be buying one of those dual screen DVD players for certain!!! I do have the honor of being one of her 2 attendants. This will be a second marriage for her. She has 3 beautiful children from her first. The wonderful man she is marrying is her college sweetheart and this is also his second marriage. They are very much in love and although he has no children from his marriage he has whole hearted thrown himself into the role of dad. I have to say he has impressed me, and that is no easy feat. I come from a blended family and life has taught me a surprising amount in my 39 years - I'm pretty much (pardon the expression) bull shit proof. He is definitely doing well - they both are. The kids I have never seen more happy and well adjusted - don't get me wrong there are still hiccups but they finally have the stability they have been missing their whole lives.

Got a call from my doctor - bless her heart - she is amazing! Dr. B. was just checking in with me after receiving an update from my endocrinologist. Aside from some inaccuracies on the report that I rectified - it seems that the blood work suggests that I'm pregnant!!!! Yes folks I didn't stutter - pregnant! Go figure...I will have to wait until Monday to sort it all out. Wooooops doesn't even begin to cover it. Plus dates and numbers etc don't even make sense...however without boring you all with my 11 years of fertility issues - to say I'm not "normal", in that sense at least, doesn't even begin to cut it. So here I am maybe pregnant maybe not.....After my poor husband finished blanching (we had decided that our brood was fine at 3) he got all teary eyed - he is an emotional guy. I guess the thing that surprised me the most, aside from this whole "you're (possibly) pregnant" is that my kids totally ignored our conversation...normally I can't go to the bathroom without an audience of at least one and here they were all within 2 feet of us and didn't jump all over the words "baby", "pregnant", "one more" etc. However knowing them they are saving it for their next visit to my in-laws where the little bugg...err angels will regurgitate it word for word...as they have been known to do from time to time...much to my in-laws delight and my weellllll lets just leave it at annoyance! lol {Update - NOT PREGNANT}

Where has the summer gone????

2009-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well when I look at the calandar I really can't believe August is just looming around the corner! I would think most people with school age kids feel they have to hit the floor running after the August long weekend. I cheated and headed stateside to do a little preliminary school supply shopping or Target therapy - lol. Truthfully though they get killer sales on school supplies that we just don't see on this side. (Crayola Crayons 24 pk. $.25/ea, 10 ct. marker $1, Elmer glue sticks 6/$1 etc.) If you haven't figured it out yet my kids are in elementary school and one is still home terrorizing the pets and her mom :) .

My son, Connor, started playing football this year and really loves it. I tend to hold my breath when he is on the field but his smaller size seems to be in his favour.

Connor is in the black and white jersey facing the camera - see my size concern....? He has really taken to the sport though and I have to confess I prefer it to hockey...

My last post said I would work my way through Stephanie Lee's book - well in true Michelle fashion I have procrastinated to the point that I have only located the linen thread but have yet to do anything with it...sad I know. I've actually bought Wayne Dyer's new book called "Excuses Begone" can you guess what it is about???? lol I did start another piece of jewelry, a necklace, but I haven't taken any photos of it. I sort of got stuck on finishing the locket portion. I will try to post some pictures soon.

Playoffs for football are beginning - I hope the lad makes it with minimal bumps and bangs!

My First Piece from Stephanie Lee's Book

2009-05-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well here it is my first completed piece! I kept getting hung up on trying to "make it my own" and end up making nothing so I made the decision to work through the projects and if my muse decides to get off her duff and help me out then great - if not - at least I am learning some new techniques in the process! lol

My end result was a little bigger and slightly different (I etched the metal) and didn't use sterling wire but for the most part rings very true to the example in the book.

I used an antique French book with illustration. The example used a brass screw to attach the mini book to the metal backing (in addition to gel medium). I think I will either use copper wire or waxed linen to sort of parcel tie the book.

Sea Glass...well lake glass actually....

2009-04-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Went over to Lake Ontario with the kids to see how Spring is coming along - we all affectionately refer to our 2 spots as the "Rocky Beach". The shore is full of smooth stones and the odd broken shells and offers up hours of hunting fun! The kids know I love beach glass (aka sea glass, mermaid tears...) so they enjoy helping me hunt. There is always plenty of white, but if you are really lucky you will find the old tinted light blue glass you often see in the early 1900's Ball Canning Jars. Sometimes the odd piece of light amethyst and cobalt blue. Brown (more than likely all are from beer bottles) glass I suppose we could imagine they are from old syrup bottles or household products from long ago - I think I once saw a vintage Javex bottle that was brown...I really think chances are we have Molson's and Labatt's to thank though. Lol. My daughter, Victoria, (4) found a piece of old transfer ware (you can see it in the first picture). Occasionally you will find bits of dishes or tiles too. Some may find it boring but I can spend hours looks at the rocks - unfortunately I don't know enough about geology to identify anything more than granite for certain. I might hazard a guess that some of the green stones are serpentine and the almost glass like ones are quartz but that is as far as I can go. Anyone?

Books, books, books!!!

2009-03-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been burning up the book shops and buying 'how to...' books like crazy. Unfortunately living in Canada inhibits my ability to attend the many workshops and retreats held Stateside. I tell myself the books are my answer and substantially less expensive than the airfare...lol...at least that is how I justify my purchases to my long suffering husband! Somerset Publications are my new weakness...The only 2 I have managed to avoid are Stamping and Dolls...

I have 3 more books on my hit list plus a DVD.

Stephanie Lee's Semi Precious Salvage: Creating Found Art Jewelry
Michael de Meng's Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art
Linda and Opie O'Brien's Metal Craft Discovery Workshop
Susan Lenart Kazmer's Making Connections: A Handbook of Cold Joints for Jewelers and Mixed Media Artists
DVD by Susan Lenart Kazmer: Making Connections: Making Cold Connections with Rivets

I know...I said 3 books didn't I?? See my problem...??? Sometimes I think I get hung up on having the books and all the "right" supplies just to avoid making something. 'sigh' Will have to get a grip on that!

More finds....

2009-02-15T05:46:00.001-08:00

Okay - anyone have any idea what these would be used for??? I was thinking of making a little book pendant with them but of course it would mean the initials will be upside down...this will take a little bit of thinking....

Baby Doll

2009-02-15T05:23:00.000-08:00

Found the most amazing porcelain doll - I don't know if she would qualify as a "Frozen Charlotte" but she looks deliciously old! I have been tromping down to the only flea market in my area and have found 2 vendors that have some pretty neat stuff. I should mention the little dollie is only 1 3/4" long from head to toe and it looks as though she has "Ger" printed on her lower back but I'd have to rip her dress to get at her whole back to she if it is actually Germany. Her arms and legs move freely - the gold on her dress is actually paint someone added and a little got on her left arm. I can't get over how delicate she is...