SNORING

I've been thinking a lot about something a number of my bloggy friends do, Wordless Wednesday. I love seeing the pictures they put up. Me, I'm too wordy for that!

My friend Mokihana does a Word Wednesday, always a scripture or otherwise uplifting post.

I'm not sure I could come up with something deep every week, though, or even most weeks, but I do love words. I love the taste of them in my mouth, the feel of them in my ears, the friction of my pen on paper when I write them. I love finding new ones, stringing old ones together, playing with them, taking them apart and putting them together again in my mind. Word Wednesday. Yeah. I like it.

This is my first Word Wednesday post. This time it's a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. Next time? Hmmm...

SNORING

The man lying beside me is snoring away--
What a racket!
He's sawing logs with a chain saw today,
It's a fact. It's
The roaringest clamor that ever lulled me to slumber,
A whole forest of grizzles, a whole sawmill of lumber.
It's a snort in the dark, a jarring surprise.
It's appalling! I love it! It means he's alive!
It's a terrible, horrible, wonderful noise,
And a small price to pay for sleeping with boys!

*~*~*~*

PS The picture's just for pretty.

PRODUCTION-STYLE WIRE WRAP

Are we in full scurry mode yet? I know I am, gatherings to attend, and Arts & Crafts shows to prepare for. Honestly, there are times when I have so much to do, I just come to a full stop, not knowing what task to do next.

Efficiency becomes more important at this time of year than at any other, and I look for shortcuts.

I'd like to share a speed wire wrap hint: Do as much as you can assembly line style.

For instance, a simple wrapped loop has a number of steps. Fully described, they are:

1. Pick up spool of wire and wire cutters.
   
2. Measure out the length you need, and cut.
   
3. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the round nose pliers, and make a wrapped loop.
   
4. Put down the round nose pliers, pick up the wire cutters, and cut off the excess.
   
5. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the flat nose pliers, and squish the end of the wrap flat.
   
6. String on a bead.
   

That's six steps, with six tool changes, per bead. Multiply that by the number of beads you need, say seven, and that's 42 steps, with 42 tool changes.

Now, instead of that, try this:

1. Pick up spool of wire and wire cutters.

2. Measure out the length you need, and cut as many pieces of wire as you'll need. (Say, seven.)

3. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the round nose pliers, and make all the wrapped loops.

4. Put down the round nose pliers, pick up the wire cutters, and cut off the excess on each of the seven pieces.

5. Put down the wire cutters, pick up the flat nose pliers, and squish all the ends flat.

6. String a bead on each of the wrapped loop eye pins you've created.

That's still six steps, and six tool changes, but you've done all the beads. You just saved yourself 36, count 'em, thirty-six, tool changes. That's a time saver, even if you're making just one thing. If you've got multiple items to make, it really does add up. It also has the advantage of being something you can do ahead of time, even when you don't have the time or inclination to attempt an entire jewelry piece.

You can continue similarly with the rest of the piece you're creating.

If you're making a bracelet, or other item that ends with a clasp, you'll need to leave both loops unfinished on the end bead, one to attach to the chain of beads you've created, and the other to accept the clasp.

YOU TOO CAN BE A TRAMPOLINE!

Just a bit of the fun Meggie and I had yesterday. (No, I'm not sore, and we did this again and again and again and....) I told you the child was fearsome!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

FRIDAY FENCE POST #40

My granddaughter and I had a lovely day today, doing whatever we pleased, which included watching an old Scooby Doo episode on YouTube, painting gesso on some pages we never got around to decorating, some serious wrestling (the child is fearsome and funny), a bit of doll dress-up (I just know that one day I won't think of them as Barfies anymore), a browse through a rummage sale, which scored us a virtually brand-new Hello Kitty sleeping bag, all pink and white fake fur and satin, and lunch with her Mama. We also did a bit of a meander through town, looking for interesting fences. We found a couple, which I photographed from my seat in the car, since it was cold, and pouring rain.

Here they are:






As usual, I've played with my filters on several of these; clicking on them will give you the full effect. The last one, I just cropped down. I don't know what it is about that one; I find it oddly satisfying, with its subtle colors and strata.

On a completely different note, I decided Wednesday that I was just not ever going to have the time to paint my kitchen floor all at one time, and also that there was no good reason it couldn't be polka dotted. I like polka dots, and the vinyl floor I have now is clearly going to outlast Planet Earth, since its black-and-gray-splattered-on-white self has been in that room at least forty years now. So I'm painting a dot or two a day, in an assortment of colors and sizes. Film at 11, as they say.

POP QUIZ: WHO'S WHO ANSWERS

One last photo of my daughter and her kids and step-kids, one that at least makes clear which of the kids is a boy--the one at far right.

Nobody got all of the kids sorted out, although several put two siblings together. It's no wonder, though. The two youngest girls look so much alike that I used to do a real double-take, knowing they couldn't both be Michaela, and most people meeting the family think they're all blood kin.

Here are the answers: In this photo, the girl at far left and the girl and boy at far right are siblings, my son-in-law's kids. The girl my daughter has her arm around and the one playing with the dog are her own daughters.

So, looking at the original photo,

We have, starting at far left, my daughter December's older girl, with her stepsister's arm draped around her shoulder. In blue, in front of them, my son-in-law Jeff's younger girl, and then his son in stripes. At the right is December's younger daughter.

Hard to believe, huh?

POP QUIZ: WHO'S WHO?

I can't resist this. My son-in-law took this shot of his and my daughter's kids. It's a second marriage for both of them, and they both had kids when they married. Take a look at this photo. Which three kids "belong" to my son-in-law, and which two are my daughter's? Which one is a boy? (Click on the photo to get a better look if you need to.)

I do believe there'll be a prize for anyone who can figure it out correctly!

*~*~*~*~*~*

After I went to bed last night I realized I'd made this even more difficult, maybe Too difficult, by not putting in pictures of my daughter and son-in-law. So here's the same kids, same day, same outfits, but with the parental units. If you've already made a guess, you're free to try again! (If you decide you guessed wrong. I'm not tellin' yet.) Again, clicking on the photo should give you a closer look.

COFFEE POT PEOPLE: Magnetic Personalities

Thanks to my eldest daughter, Melody, I've been very busy the last few days, putting together something brand-new: Sets of Coffee Pot People refrigerator magnets!

She brought up the idea of putting their faces in bottle caps several months ago, and the idea squiggled its way into my brain and took up residence. It didn't hurt at all that Melody said she'd do the "putting their faces in bottle caps" part! I got to work and put together a largish group of my peeps faces, scaled to 1" (2.4 cm), and sent them to Melody, who printed them, cut them, put them into the caps, and added a layer of resin, and then sent them back to me by way of her next younger sister.

Once I had them in my hot little hands, I put them into sets, and into tins, and added one more magnet.

Now it's time for Show and Tell! Presenting.....

Coffee Pot People
"Magnetic Personalities"

As you can see, the bottle cap magnets come in a little tin with a decorated lid. And on the lid is another magnet, but that one is a sheet magnet just a little smaller than the lid itself.

I'm excited and pleased with the new sets, as I'm sure you can tell. Should I be? I don't always know....

FRIDAY FENCE POST #39

These fences live on the Wilsonville Highway, between Wilsonville and Newberg, Oregon. I loved the layers.




Click on the photos to see them full-size, something I especially recommend for the second and last ones.

SIX YEARS, JUST LIKE THAT!

How can time go so fast? It seems like such a short time ago our long-awaited, much yearned-for, little granddaughter was born. And all of a sudden, here it is, St Patrick' Day, and our little leprechaun is six years old!

Happy Birthday, Miss Meggie!

RACHEL, GARDENING FIEND

I'd like to introduce Rachel!

Rachel’s ready for a trip to the mall. Or will be as soon as she changes out of her gardening clothes. She has her hair and makeup done, though. She’ll just be a minute—there are a few weeds over there to pull, and the roses have got aphids, and….How about a cup of tea, and we’ll go after dark?

COPPER MAGNOLIA

The process of moving continues for Mama, and for those of us who are helping her. The size of the job is sometimes overwhelming. A person can accumulate a lot of stuff, living in a great, big, house for twenty-five years, especially if that house has served as a B&B, and family gathering place, and especially if the lady of the house is an inveterate thrifter and bargain hunter. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, can top my Mom in the bargain department. The woman has been known to pick up great furniture on the curb, free for the taking, and done it more than once, too.

Part of moving has been, of necessity, a paring down. She let us kids know right away that a lot of what we were expecting to inherit "someday" we were going to inherit right now, and we've begun to take things home. My youngest brother has taken a couple of paintings, my next younger some of Dad's books, and I have brought home a couple of boxes of depression glass.

Yesterday, an embossed copper foil picture rode with me in my car.

I've always loved it, partly because it's so beautiful, but a lot because my Dad, Marvin Pegg, was the person who created it. It's hanging where I'll see it often now, to remind me of him.

UNGARDEN SHOW, PT 3

I have more photos from last weekend's Cracked Pots show, and then I'm done. I know three entries on it might seem like a lot, but I loved the art, and want to spread the pleasure I got from seeing it.


I loved the fused glass business card holders by Brenda Calvert of Half Moon Farm, and this fused glass window, one of her larger pieces.


These found-object shrines by Kathy McConnell delighted me.


Missy Lambert does stained glass in old frames she picks up in thrift stores. I'm reasonably certain the colored glass she uses is also reclaimed. (The link will take you to her Etsy shop.)

And Dorothy Lewis, who is, like me, also a member of Trillium Artisans, has added these bags from recycled vinyl and old Cd's. I think they're great, and love that she's found a way to use those old disks we all have lying around.


For pure fun, you can't beat the fabric collages Bonny Gorsuch, of My Bonny.




That's it! I hope this somewhat conveys the fun, whimsy, quirkiness and beauty of the Cracked Pots Ungarden Show.

THE UNGARDEN SHOW, Pt 2

Well, this was going to be a two part photo blog on the Cracked Pots Ungarden Show, but I took so many pictures it's going to be at least three.

There were about 50 artists at the show, many of whom humble me as I look at their art. Here are photos of some:

These pieces are by Artsy Rubbish, who used tiny squares cut from magazine illustrations under equally small glass tiles to create her art.




And these are by Cathy Tippin, also a mosaic artist, but using broken china. Sadly, my camera batteries died before I could get any photos of her beautiful broken china earrings. If you click on the first photo, you'll see some fairly blurry pairs on the rack at upper right.





Last for this entry, and definitely not least, the art of Chris Giffin, which absolutely delighted me:




More to come later!