This Friday and Saturday I am going to be in Riverside. It is my first craft/art show of the season and it will be held at the Grove Community Church off Trautwein. Friday the show is from 3:30 to 9:30 and Saturday it is from 8:00 to 3:30. I will be selling plates, pendant, earrings and a few other assorted items.
So all you friends, neighbors and stalkers, come on by! There are going to be two large rooms of crafters selling all kinds of items. It should be a great weekend. Come say hi! Click on the picture for a larger view.
29 October 2007
First craft/art sale of the season
28 October 2007
Halloween table
I found these great ravens when I went to the pumpkin farm. Each of them had been dropped and their necks were cracked. I asked the lady if she was willing to deal in them and she said sure. I asked her what she thought would be a fair price and she said how about $10 for the both of them? Wow. they were $15 each and so to be able to buy them for $10 I was really happy! I took them home and put a bit of fimo around the cracks and now they look good as new!
I've paired them up with my halloween mugs and filled the mugs with m&ms. Fun centerpiece for Halloween.
26 October 2007
Sunset on the fires
As the sun was setting this evening I had to go outside and shoot these photos. It is evidence that all is still not well in the neighborhood. Many news reports tell of evacuees returning to their neighborhoods. Well, not all are. Some still have to wait a bit longer. The firefighters are doing their level best, yet the winds and fires still rage on.
The smoke seen above is from the Mt. Palomar fire burning still out of control. I keep thinking of all the wildlife running to and fro, trying to outrun a madman. It is terrible indeed.
Now for my rant. I have seen a bit of criticism of the way these fires were responded to and how they've been fought. Until you've been on the fireline, I suggest you step back a bit and realize what these guys do. The temps in SoCal have been in the high 80s and 90s. Add that to severe winds and heat from flames and a hundred pound protective suit worn while trying to save a strangers property. Sure they signed up for it, but they didn't sign up for the heckling and second guessing. Stop it.
I especially would like to underscore the need to evacuate when told to do so. Many people think it is okay to stay behind and "save" their property. Think again. When you do have to leave in a hurry, you will impede forward progress of firefighters. They'll be having to worry about your safety, pulling them off task of fighting a fire storm to protect you. And then the worst happens. You die. Some poor firefighter has to come upon your charred remains and deal with them. Firefighters are human, they do what they do, put themselves in harms way to save lives. It is emotionally scarring to have to deal with the death of any person. Dead bodies are not fun. They take their toll on the human psyche. Don't ever think that the work these people do is shrugged off as all in a days work. It is not that easy. Stress is a constant companion. Next time you are asked to evacuate, do so. It may actually be the best way to help these guys out.
25 October 2007
By now if you haven't heard...
Southern Cal is under a firestorm, you've been under a rock! The mountain pictured above is an example of the type of fuel we've grown in SoCal for two years without rain. It is ripe for a spark. This mountain separates us from Banning/Beaumont and the road that leads up it was closed for three days because of high winds and no visibility.
Yet, our valley is a little hamlet of no fire in the midst of the storm. We did suffer some damage in the valley from the Santa Anas on Sunday night. Monday, I drove around and found trees felled everywhere. (still looking for the four feet of dirt and soot some have alluded to) Here are some of the pictures:
My first memory of a Santa Ana wind was when I was about six or seven. The entire back fence of our yard blew down during one such storm. This fence was found in the same condition Monday.
Then there was the smoke. The first pic is from yesterday afternoon as the fires in Southern Temecula, Rainbow areas continued to burn. These fires are a good 40 miles from us yet loom ominously overhead reminding all of us it is only a heartbeat away.
This morning:
23 October 2007
It's finished!!!!
And oh so beautiful! I have been following Nicolette's blog for a while now. She has decided to really take the pink theme of Breast Cancer Awareness month to heart.
Nicolette announced on September 30th that her blog had turned pink! She was helping celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month and would be pink throughout the month. But she didn't stop there. She began piecing a quilt and she asked for people to tell her about friends or relatives who were battling the terrible disease. Not only did she want to hear about them, but at the end of the month she would be drawing the name of one of those women. They would receive the quilt!
I have watched the progress of her design. It is beautiful. Nicolette is a graphic designer and has sketched out some beautiful artwork to put on the quilt. Well, yesterday she revealed the finished quilt! Oh my. It is gorgeous!!!!! The little illustrations she made turned out so cute. The quilt is filled with love! Go take a look at it.
(Please note, this post is all about Nicolette and her kind gesture, please ignore the fact that i sent her some fabric to finish it. I am not looking for accolades here at all.)
22 October 2007
Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
I was reading my AdAge email this morning and found a great story. One that should be viral by the end of the day.
"The gap between what girls want and what the marketing community is giving
them has grown so vast that we are now facing a relevancy crisis. Culture is
changing and if the marketing industry is to remain effective we have to
change the methods by which we go about understanding and speaking to
young female customers.
3iying is an all-girl strategic and creative think tank that helps mass-scale brands
become more relevant to girls. 3iying offers one contribution to ending this
gap, but we cannot eliminate the gap alone. New millennium girls reflect a
consumer shift that will lead generations to come. Their mindset cannot be
ignored if we wish to keep our client's brands alive and powerful.
a call for deeper relevance."
These paragraphs are from the Relevancy Report by 3iYing a new marketing firm concerned about how products are being marketed to girls. They are asking for the girls help to get the message to advertisers and corporations on how badly some miss the mark on selling to girls. And they mean girls. Not women. Click on the tv tab and watch a few of the videos girls are making.
They have their own You Tube ~ 3iYing channel and are asking girls to "flip" the ads that are insulting to them into the dustbin and on camera. You then submit your "ad" to 3iYing and they'll let the company and the world know why it is a bad ad.
This is not your mother's er, father's marketing firm. It is run by Heidi Dangelmaier. She hires girls ages 16-23 to work at her firm. Girls that have a talent for the business. Journalism, photography, design, etc. Ms. Dangelmaier has hit the nail on the head with this campaign. Go take a look. You probably have a girl in your life that just might benefit from the campaign. I know I wish that Ms. Dangelmaier had started this firm 20 years ago.
11 October 2007
Splurge vs Save Meme
Last meme for a bit!
S'mee has tagged me for the splurge vs save meme. I will try to see if there are ten things of either I do.
Splurge, hmmmm. Splurge. That's a tough one. I don't splurge a lot. Being the oldest daughter in a poor family, compromise was the word of the day. If I splurge it is usually for the family rather than for me. The only splurge that directly affect me is chocolate. I am a sucker for good chocolate. And yes, I do splurge on it. I have a couple of neat sons-in-law that enjoy the chocolate bug and help me indulge as needed. One specifically goes out of his way to introduce me to the newest and best varieties.
My husband and daughters are better at indulging me than I am. They are the people who "splurge" for me. Such as books I want, my camera and software I use are all courtesy of loving people around me.
If there are other splurges, they would come in the "save" kind of splurge. I splurge on time when looking for savings. It is goofy, but I spend more time looking for "best buys" than I save I am sure.
I saved money when I purchased my car. In California you pay a 2.5 to 5% premium for the pleasure of purchasing my car from a dealer here. I found a dealer in another state, specifically Mini of Manhattan that would sell me the car of my choice without a premium. I researched and found out that shipping it by train to CA would still save me about $1800. Guess who I bought the car from? Mini of Manhattan.
I shop sales, in fact for years I have always said I don't want a lot of money, just enough to take advantage of a sale. That way I feel much better about spending money. So if I see something I know I'll use over time, I'll buy multiples.
I use the internet for most shopping of large ticket items. The internet gives you leverage when negotiating for price. I never shop auction sites, as I believe the prices can be falsely driven up by unscrupulous vendors by way of shills working for them or shipping charges.
Another thing I do is shop shipping rates. It is very important to me to save money on common items. If I can save money online I factor in shipping rates, and then make the decision to buy. Just because it is cheaper in price doesn't always mean you're saving money. You need to factor in shipping, maintenance and overall satisfaction prior to leaving a local vendor in the dust. Price is not always the defining factor is what I am trying to say.
Value. I love value. If I can find something used, in good repair, that is as good as new sometimes. New isn't always better. A good used pre-1986 kitchen-aid mixer is a find! Why? Because in 1986 Whirlpool bought Kitchen-Aid and built in obsolescence. They changed the inside of the mixer to fail sooner. Aaaack!
Those are some of the ways I save. I love to make my own everything. Scrubs from sugar and kosher salts. Grow my own lavender for scented linen sprays and sachets. Detail my own car. And all sorts of other stuff like that!
06 October 2007
6 habits Meme
I almost forgot that Jessica of Lost Button Studio fame tagged me for the 6 habits meme First off, I must share the rules with you.Then I will share 3 habits and 3 facts about me.
The rules:
A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
1. I am never without a camera. I carry one with me most all the time. My only regret is when I see something that would be a perfect photo, and cannot stop driving to take the photo.
2. I have a habit of making small talk with business owners. Before the end of the chat I will have given them several ways to improve their business. It drives my husband crazy and he says I need to talk to myself on occasion and remind myself how to be successful.
3. I am continually multi-tasking. I have a difficult time doing just one thing at a time. If I am working on a project I will continually stop to make notes for other things or ideas.
4. Fact - I am the oldest living sister and sibling in my family. I have been the "mom" since I was five and took my role seriously. However, as I have aged, I see where I could have done a better job and saved my younger sisters some heartaches. Alas, that is the fate of a child being a parent.
5. The longest I have ever lived anywhere is in the home I live in now. We moved quite a bit in our marriage, but not nearly as much as when I was growing up.
6. All the moving of houses and locations in my childhood served to debilitate me socially. I am better with crowds than one on one. I count my sisters as my dearest friends and my daughters too. When I was 12 I was told that as an adult I would be able to count my true friends on one hand. I thought that was a terrible statistic. It has turned out to be true. I think it is why I am well suited for blogging, as blogging friends have opened my world and helped me with conversations.
I am tagging Nicolette, Jewel, Bean, Bri, and The Pea
Birthday time in our house
The big guy caught up with me again! Yay. Every year for a month and 5 days the husband gets to call me his older woman. Yes, I married a younger man. He's a whole 35 days younger than myself. ;-)
So I went shopping Friday morning in secret. Here are some of the windows I looked in while waiting for the right store to open.
Just before the right store opened, I shot this one and then went inside. I bought the perfect present for the perfect guy! Now his music library will all be in one place.
Ornaments
About ten last night the kiln was still at 500 degrees. I was not happy with what I saw at that point. The glass colors just weren't right. I closed the kiln and thought they better look good in the morning or it's back to the cutting table.
Oooooo. what a difference a few hours make to glass. They have now cooled down and look great. I know which one is this year's ornament. The other will be tweaked a bit and probably be next year's.
Yay! Now the real fun begins. My kiln is such that I can only make 4 at a time. There will be probably 60 ornaments made in all with the time frame and other jobs to do. Get yours early!
05 October 2007
I couldn't sleep at all last night...
I was tossing and turning ( go ahead sing along) I love old rock and roll. Back to the title. I couldn't sleep so I got out of bed and first went to the garage. I check on a plate in the kiln and see it is ready to "slump". Neat.
Slumping is the technique by which the fused glass sheet turns into a plate, bowl, spoon rest or just about anything you want it to be. Maybe even a sink. Yes, I'm thinking one day I'll have a kiln big enough to make a sink. So I got the mold, carefully balanced the glass at the corners of the mold and set the kiln to fire at a slumping temperature. That way the glass slowly bends to fit the mold form, and voila! here's the end result I found this morning:
Once the kiln started up I went to my table and started working on ideas for this year's ornament. I've got two prototypes right now and we'll see how they turn out later today. They're ready to fire in this picture. I just have to wait for the kiln to cool from the plate slumping. It is currently at 475 degrees. It'll be a couple of hours before I can remove the plate (it needs to temper). Then we'll place these ornaments in the kiln get them to 1480 degrees and see what happens. I'll take a pic later. When they come out. I already know they won't be exactly what I want, but it's a process. Wish me luck!
03 October 2007
Now on the lighter side...
This is why I don't use video on my phone. If I ever tried this, it is exactly what would happen.
Oh My Heck! Where have all the commenters gone?
From Webster's
com·ment (kŏm'ěnt) n.
1.
1. A written note intended as an explanation, illustration, or criticism of a passage in a book or other writing; an annotation.
2. A series of annotations or explanations.
3. A statement of fact or opinion, especially a remark that expresses a personal reaction or attitude.
4. An implied conclusion or judgment: a novel that is a comment on contemporary lawlessness.
2.
1. A statement of fact or opinion, especially a remark that expresses a personal reaction or attitude.
2. An implied conclusion or judgment: a novel that is a comment on contemporary lawlessness.
3. Talk; gossip: a divorce that caused much comment.
4. Computer Science A string of text in a program that does not function in the program itself but is used by the programmer to explain instructions.
5. Linguistics The part of a sentence that provides new information about the topic. Also called rheme.
v. com·ment·ed, com·ment·ing, com·ments v. intr.
1. To make a comment; remark.
2. To serve as a judgmental commentary: "Her demise comments on [the Upper East Side's] entire way of life" (Mark Muro).
v. tr.
To make comments on; annotate.
[Middle English, from Late Latin commentum, interpretation, from Latin, contrivance, from neuter past participle of comminīscī, to devise; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Alrighty now. Some people have not made a comment here in a while. Well, let me tell you something about that. I need comments people! Behind the mastermind of this project sits an oldest sister. I learned how to tell y'all to do stuff years ago, assert authority and look like I know everything, but that's all for show. I need feedback people.
So next time you think I don't need the comments, remember I am not the Great and Powerful OZ! You can pay attention the person behind the curtain, approach the holy of holies, click on the comment button and leave a note. I need to feed the beast people. Let me know you're out there, soaking up my every phrase. Or not. But at least say hi. It gets lonely out here in slobovia, uh I mean, the IE!
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