| Minicon Dealer's Room notes |
[17 Apr 2006|10:14am] |
This is the first time I've attempted having a table in the dealer's room. ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) skylarker offered to share a table with me, and that seemed to work out well. I sold quite a bit which is encouraging. I didn't make a lot of money, because as numerous individuals have pointed out to me, I price my pieces way too low. I've always thought that if I priced things taking into consideration how much time has gone into creating them, that no one would consider purchasing them. I guess I'm going to have to change my mindset.
On Saturday, Harlan Ellison stopped by my table. If you haven't had enough of his banter already, read more( Read more... )
|
|
| BSH |
[30 Mar 2006|06:59am] |
|
Yesterday I was asked if I have any experience working in papier-mache on large projects.
|
|
| Retired again |
[29 Mar 2006|05:25am] |
Hi everybody!
I'm back. Yesterday was my last day in the world of giant bunnies and dancing silverware. It's going to be nice to once again have time for the more important things in life. I sure have missed all my grandkids! I was surprised by how exhausted I was each evening after spending the day on my feet. I'd really gotten spoiled being retired for four years.
|
|
| a perfect day for a bonz |
[24 Feb 2006|03:35am] |
Couldn't sleep, took a long soak in the tub and still can't sleep. I've been imagining my ideal day, and thought I'd share it.
( Read more... )How about you? What would be your ideal day?
|
|
| It's all about giant critters |
[07 Feb 2006|09:29pm] |
|
Work is tiring, but fun. So far I've been working for seven days and have designed giant forks, knives and spoons. Have assisted in the construction of giant cracked teacups, candelabras, clocks and animated wardrobes. Today I created a giant lion head in clay. Creating heads is my favorite part of the job, I'd offered to come back and do it for free when they laid me off four years ago. They paid me for playing today! Tomorrow we start work on 40 giant bunnies. You wouldn't expect me to get a normal job would you?
|
|
| Holiday! |
[30 Jan 2006|08:16pm] |
|
Happy National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!
|
|
| back to work |
[25 Jan 2006|08:10pm] |
|
It looks like I'll be giving up retirement, at least for a little while. My old job has called me back to work on a couple of projects. I'm going to be making giant bunnies. This is a good thing. We've been trying to spend down our credit cards, and I've been thinking of getting a part time job. This way, I don't need to go through any interviews or training. It's going to be interesting being the assistant instead of the boss. I think it will be a good thing.
|
|
| Playing with clay |
[19 Jan 2006|09:52am] |
|
Fun! I've been playing with different forms of polymer clays and I can now make little critters that bounce when dropped instead of shattering. I may be able to market my "Christmas Critters" now, as people have been advising me to for years. I don't know if there would actually be a market out there for little critters, but I think I'll try. As many of you on my friends list know, I send out little polymer ornaments instead of cards for the holidays. I'll send one to anyone who sends me a card. Some years I've made over 400! So, obviously it's something I love to do. The one time I tried selling them at a craft fair, they couldn't stand up to the customers handling them. Since they're only an inch or so tall, people need to pick them up to see them well.
|
|
| New year frustrations |
[04 Jan 2006|09:33am] |
This year isn't starting off as well as I'd hoped. Chas is sick with a horrid cough again. He was just getting to the place where he was able to start going to open mics again, and now this. I just hope that he doesn't re-injure his vocal chords too badly. If I'm feeling frustrated, I can just imagine how bad he must feel.
On the family front we've also had a backslide and it feels like our family will remain broken forever. All my dreams of our grandkids growing up as close cousins have been dashed. The families just can't seem to get together without feuding. The parents that is, the kids adore each other and have a ball when their together. Sigh.
|
|
| It's only a dream |
[22 Oct 2005|08:11am] |
|
I had a great dream. I dreamed that "they" were allowing me to redesign the alphabet, in order to make it graphically easier to design with. On awakening, I couldn't remember all the letters, but I remember that I took the line out of the "A" so it would look like an upside-down "V", the "N" was curvy, looking like a sideways, backwards "S", the "B" (I've never liked the looks of capital "B", and I have to use it all the time as my name starts with it), anyway, it now looked like a backwards "K" and both were balanced evenly with the legs intersecting in the middle of the upright. The "G" was a nice spiral. In my dream I was describing all of this to minnehahaK, who was perplexed on why anyone would want to do this, and amazed that "they" would let me. I excitedly informed her that not only were they letting me do this, that they were actually going to pay me $60.00! Someone asked me if I was going to change the "O". I exclaimed "Oh no! The "O" is perfect just the way it is!
|
|
| Fun date night |
[19 Oct 2005|10:52am] |
|
Yesterday was great! Beautiful Indian Summer weather! Adorable granddaughter, Thea, for afternoon. Good communications from all daughters via the phone lines. Then being informed that McDonald's happy meal toys were little Madam Alexander dolls. They are my very favorite Happy Meal toys ever! They have (some) cloth clothing, the girls have comb-able hair, they're fully jointed and best of all, their eyes close when they lay down! I hadn't started dinner, because in last minute changes in babysitting times. So dinner and toys at McDuck's worked out great. We have one in walking distance, even better. It turns out that I found out late about the toys, and had missed out on the Cruella De Vil doll!!! So, when we got home, the ever thoughtful chasophonic went on line and ended up ordering me a whole set of the dolls I'd missed out on last year. It said it came with two bonus dolls, and wonder of wonders, they were the exact two dolls missing from my previous set acquired back in '03! The fates meant it to happen. Then to make the evening even better, chasophonic took me out to see "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". It was wonderful!!! I want to see it again and again and again! There are so many hilarious details that you just can't catch them all in one viewing!
|
|
| What is that blobbie stuff in lava lamps? |
[12 Oct 2005|12:54pm] |
|
We have a little lava lamp night light in our dining room. When Cecilia, our 4-year-old granddaughter, asked me what it was, I said l didn't know, but thought it might be wax. She looked pleased and said "From here?" pointing to her ear.
|
|
| Wet celebrations |
[05 Oct 2005|10:54am] |
|
We had a fun anniversary evening, in spite of the weather. ( Read more... )
|
|
| Hi all! |
[04 Oct 2005|10:45am] |
|
I haven't been on lj much lately, as I was scrambling to get all my quilled pieces done, matted and framed. They went up for a month long showing at the Riverview Cafe last Thursday. Cool to see them all up together like that! Since then, I've been trying to catch up with chores I let slide. Today, in spite of the rainy dreary weather, promises to be fun. It's chasophonic's and my 36th anniversary. Wow, we've been married longer than some of our friends have been alive! I've been dealing with dumb pets today. Our pup, Banjo, needs to go out, but refuses to go through the door without his stuffed "kissie beaver" who I worry would be ruined if played with in the rain. And then there's our 17-year-old cat, Sam, hid and refused to come in last night, so he spent it outside in the storm. Now today, he's wet and miserable, and blames me.
|
|
| I must be suffering from Alzhimer's myself |
[09 Sep 2005|12:18pm] |
Oh dear! In reminiscing about Chas' aunt, I realize that I was thinking of Aunt Marion, not her twin Aunt Mary. His Aunt Mary was living on a farm with his mean Uncle Leo when I first met her.
She was a very sweet woman! And figures in one of the sweetest love stories I know. She was married to Leo for probably 40 some years. He was a coarse, bigoted, selfish man. After he died, Manfred, who had worked as a hired man for them through the years, and lived on a farm down the road, confessed his love for Mary. He'd had too much respect for her to proclaim his devotion while she was a married woman. He'd never married, and had taken the neighboring farm in order to be close to her. She'd always liked him as well, and enjoyed his company. They started dating, and were married. They spent their latter years together, retiring to Florida. They lived a fairytale life together until his death a number of years ago.
It was my daughter, Guin, clued me in on my mistake. I talked to her a little while ago, as she was getting things ready to head out to Ren Fest this weekend. Her little Cecilia, at 3, is belly dancing out there. Guin told me how that last weekend she and another of her little friends took over the unoccupied Bear Stage and started performing. Cecilia dancing while her friend banged on a drum. They attracted some patrons, who gave them some money. They procured a basket and were actively hustling the crowd. They earned over $20 in tips.
Guin confessed that she was a bit saddened by this. Before, Cecilia danced for the sheer joy of it, but now she only wants to do it for money. I told Guin that it probably isn't about the money. Cecilia doesn't realize that money is to buy things with, she wants it just because it's a token that people are appreciating her. She'd be just as happy with a penny as a dollar. That probably will change soon though. They grow up so fast!
|
|
| Cool days=nice Chai |
[09 Sep 2005|11:14am] |
I've been trying different types of Chai for a while now, looking for something that's as good at what they serve at the Riverview Cafe. chasophonic picked me up a liquid form made by Tazo, and it's almost as nice, and very convenient. The cloudy cool weather and some sad news makes me feel I need the comfort of sweet hot Chai.
We received a phone call from chasophonic's cousin last night informing us that his Aunt Mary, his mother's only remaining sibling, had died Wednesday. She was quite ill, and suffering from dimentia, so it wasn't unexpected, and she died in her sleep, so she went peacefully. She was one of his mother's younger twin sisters. We don't plan on letting Cleora know. Her own dimentia would cause her a lot of confusion over the information, and we see no reason to cause her any additional sadness.
Aunt Mary was quite a character in her younger days! In her 50's when I first met her, she wanted to give us gifts to start housekeeping. Having no money at the time, she rummaged through her kitchen cupboards and counters and filled a large box with all kinds of baking tins and depression glass plates. It seemed a bit odd to me, and gave me a chuckle to find that most of the dishes hadn't been washed first.
The gifts were much appreciated! I still use most everything, as they are wonderful antiques. I did give one lovely depression glass platter to one of Mary's own daughters, when she exclaimed over it and told me she collected that type of glass. I gave another to a dear friend who also collected depression glass. Then later morned the loss of it when I needed a plate to serve a birthday cake on. So my darling husband went out to an antique store and bought me another just like it. I still use that one, and have promised not to gift it away.
This is the second death in the family this year. It's so sad to loose the older members. Losses make me want to gather the rest of the family in closer to myself. Unfortunately, Jason and his family will not visit, and Guin and her family are out at Ren Fest this weekend. I do get to have Dan's family over for dinner tonight, so I'll get in some grand-mothering. That should bring lots of smiles.
|
|
| Cute grandkids |
[30 Aug 2005|09:06am] |
While at a family picnic this weekend, my cousin told me about taking my granddaughter, Cecilia, to look at some cows. Cecilia thought the cows were grumpy, since they kept backing away. Sue told her that they were just scarred because they didn't know who she was. So Cecilia walks up to them and says "Hello, my name is Cecilia." It cracked Sue up to watch this little 3-year-old introducing herself to the cows.
I was carrying 8-month-old Avery at the picnic. ( Who looked adorable with her hair in pigtails!) We went up to a even younger baby, and she was fascinated. Then she reached out for the infant, took her face in her hands and planted a big wet kiss on her forehead.
My grandson Zak is 5. He's taking tae kwon do lessons. He didn't want to at first because he wants to grow up to be a Jedi knight, and he didn't think they fought that way. We tried to convinced him otherwise, but it took a threat of taking his Legos away that got him to agree to try. Now he loves it. Though he's still going to be a Jedi when he grows up, I think it's the whole light saber thing.
Chas feels we have an influence on our grandson Ian, who is also 5. In his Sunday school last Thanksgiving, the kids were suppose to make a painting of what they were thankful for. Most kids were thankful for siblings, parents or friends. Ian was thankful for dragons.
|
|
| Oh to be brave |
[27 Aug 2005|08:45am] |
After a pleasant day yesterday visiting with our Canadian friend who's here on break from teaching in China I realize just how timid I am. Ruth doesn't consider herself brave to leave friends and home and break out for a new career in such a foreign country all on her own. I could never have attempted it! I don't dare venturing as far as St. Paul on my own. Sigh.
I did have a lovely day quilling and cooking while Ruth talked and serenaded me. Then after dinner chasophonic drove us over to thewayofeeyor's party for an evening of games and music. I really don't have any complaints about my life.
|
|
| Lazy days of Summer |
[25 Aug 2005|01:03pm] |
|
I've actually found myself with a day to myself. No visitors expected. It gives me a chance to clean the place up a bit, and make menu and shopping lists for upcoming visitors and parties. Ruth is planning on spending the day with me tomorrow, and then accompanying us to Peggie's in the evening. Saturday is set aside for yard work, and to help Chas with automotive repairs. I don't know the first thing about repairing a car, but I make myself available for fetching and following simple instructions. I'm thinking of trying a beer-can-chicken on the grill. I've got a recipe from a magazine, and it looks good, and simple enough. Sunday is a family picnic. For this I'll stick to the old standby of a fruit salad. This is with a branch of my family. My maternal grandma had 13 children. One of them, my Aunt Grace, had 6 daughters. They are all grandmas now, so we've grown into quite a large bunch! Our Daughter-in-law, Katie and her three kids are planning on going with us. I can't wait to show them off!
|
|
| I'm back |
[24 Aug 2005|05:42pm] |
It's been months since I've logged on, and I haven't written since last May. Time gets away from me. I am going to make an effort to at least log in and read what my friends have to say every day, from now on.
The main reason I don't write much, is that I don't do much that would sound new and interesting to others. This has been a great week for me so far, as I've seen all 9 of my grandchildren! When not involved with family, I've been working on quilling. I'm going to have a showing of my quilled pieces at the Riverview Cafe this October, and I'm scrambling to finish a number of them, in order to take up lots of wall space. We haven't been getting out much, as chasophonic has been sick with bronchitis for over a month now.
So anyway, what's new with you? Since I haven't been reading your journals, I have no idea. I really plan to try and stay closer in touch! I need more in my life than just home and family!
|
|
