The Laziest of Saturdays

Spent the day playing cat games and sleeping late. It was heavenly.
We went to get something to eat and to see the new skating rink.
We walked. The snowstorm came. Just a few flurries...then huge pinwheeled heptagons came down.
We were wet as rats. Frozen to the bone. Icicles everywhere.
We loved every second. The wine helped :)

Last Day

Merry Christmas!

Day 23

"Morning Conversations" 

 tree light reflection

The only pastel painting that I did, 

that didn't look like a five year old did it.

A Freakish Little Bunch

They don't tell you to store bulbs in a cool dry place for nothing.

emphasis on cool:

which is nowhere 5 flights up from the pavement

 when heat is included 

& the sun shines strong all day.

This is Freesia

the greatest scent on earth.

Guess I'll be getting my fingernails dirty tomorrow :)

Day 21

Spent the day making cat presents. 

10 catnip filled toys: 6 mice 4 fish

Also finished the cat house. 

Every year I make one from extra cardboard found at work. It's recycling!

Every year I spend days working on it & 

every year they find it interesting 

for roughly 2 days. 

Life with cats.

This year will be different.

 Two stories with an Observation Deck. 

Lol.

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Day 20

I love the feeling of this picture

Messy & cozy.

It could almost be a page from an I Spy book.

Ha! My whole house is like that.

A hollogram man, A home for a feathered pet, Paisley & Flowers.

And Awesome snow.

Day 19

Nothing better than a handmade quilt, a pot of tea & some furry babies

This cold doesn't stand a chance!

Day 18

Today my studio looked like this. Madly in love. 

Nature makes for such happy people. 

{p.s. the two on the left are already in my etsy shop, the blue beauty is on its way, but I'm not pushing}

Day 17

Ran out of lights. 

Home alone & eggnog.

All was good.

Day 16

Dark & stormy here.

Cuddle-bugging all day.

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Day 15

First time this beast has bloomed in December, rather than May.

I did my homework and found that in order to bloom around Christmas they need to feel the coolness of autumn. So I stuck them on a windowsill that didn't get full sun all day, and sure enough, buds started to sprout!

I know, I know, it makes complete sense. Sometimes I lack that.

Day 14

Another busy day here. A dear friend is in a play called Parfumerie later today. It's the screenplay that Shop Around the Corner (or You've Got Mail) were based on so I'm quite curious to see how different all three are! The Shop Around the Corner is an awesome movie. You could watch it 30 times and notice something different every time. And Jimmy Stewart!

 I thought this little blue dream fit the bill perfectly! 

Guilty Tail

My little sister just getting to the American Girl phase...yippee! So I thought I would take a chance and order  a Carpatina doll off of eBay.

This is exactly how she came. 

I am so so so glad I took her out of the box to inspect before gifting her.

The tail belongs to Cali. This is about as photogenic as she gets.

The doll itself is absolutely gorgeous, I would recommend them highly.

They also sell patterns that work for both American Girl & Carpatina

Day 12

Meet Jinglebell. He's most likely the distant cousin of your Elf on the Shelf, although he doesn't talk much so I can't be sure. He enjoys long soaks in the Jadeite teacup, pretzel sticks, and sneaking up on the cats to spook them. 

Born in Japan by the company Yuletide of Japan in the late 1950s and 60's, these cute little guys are called "knee-hugger elves". If you could time travel (or if you lived thru the 60's & 70's, you would see these little creepers hanging right alongside the tinsel....and creepy some of them really were!

  

Making the Best of it

I love this time of year; I feel its magic and wonderment...I also feel its stress and its hostility brought on by others. 

The tree has been up since Saturday, but most of our decorations are still in storage. So here we are with these snowflake ornaments I got from the Antique Shop. They aren't old, but gosh are they beautiful!

Tis the season

I love online Christmas shopping.

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Day 9

Loose buttons....like chips everyone has 'em and you can't have just one. These mother of pearl, rhinestone, and glass are my favorites.

The handsome plastic guy is a gem I found while dogging around in my moms garden left by my brother. I don't know what happened to his leg, but I love everything he symbolizes.

Day 8. Tree shopping.

We went to look for a tree today. A rainy, foggy, dark day. Nothing like the perfect photo-opportunity-with-the-fluffy-snow-and-rosy-cheeks that always happens in movies.

But, hey, what can you do but look on the bright side?

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The Right Shot

 It starts when you're a kid. Armed only with an eye for cool things, you begin to hoard. Closets, sock drawers, under the bed. 

One day you realize you're past your knees in stuff. 

Now, if you ask me, I'm not there yet....but if you ask my friends or family....yeeahh

As it turns out, I have a lot of jewelry. & jewelry really sucks to photograph. Especially with a phone. Tips and tricks are welcome.

This was the first picture I took. It's rough, but I really like it. I didn't clean it yet, and the angle & shadows make the picture feel as real as it was. 

Day 6

I've never been able to keep a journal. I just can't cut it. I obsess over misspelled words and the way the words look. 

 Then there's content. Anything I write always seems too boring...even though I love reading other people's "boring". It just seems dull when I write it.

Good thing I'm marrying a journaller, huh? That way our kids will know how mundane we were before they came ;) 

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Photo Day 5

Favorite mirror & a cameo of my bookcase. Happiness, adventure, hope & endless possibilities fill those six shelves.

Day 4

I spent the day in an unpleasant place dredging up old memories. I came home & recharged with a bottle of Three Buck Chuck. Which, coincidentally, didn't do anything to keep my mind still, but reminded me of one of my favorite quotes.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." -Mary Anne Radmacher

Life rebuilds our spirits. I love seeing roots forming.

What rebuilds you?

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Day 3

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but I love the patterning on the leaves, it reminds me of snakeskin. 

Every Autumn, my mother in law scoops up good looking leaves and Mod Podges them. It's so cool, they dry as they are, & the colors never fade. I meant to do this with these, but most of them crumbled to little patterned bits of dust within my backpack.

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Foggy Day

Check out those freckles

We woke today thinking it was a second snowstorm...turns out it was just really really foggy.
Fifth floor problems?

It turned put to be a glorious day, I set my mind up to make some Christmas gifts. Succeeded in making about 30 teeny tiny blossoms out of clay, then turned around and threw them into the inferno burning in the fireplace. Go me. Lol, oh well.

And here's my oldest girl, Cali. She's pretty camera shy, so this is a freak occurrence on Elm

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Day 1

My first Saturday off & the first day of the December Photo Project. I woke up to a cat thinking my toes were a toy & morning snowstorm. Awesome (One, not so much; the other so so so much)

I love early snowstorms



A Challenge

 

 

 

 

So, I've never before done a photo challenge. But this seems like so much fun, I couldn't help sign up! Anyone can join, or just look, at all the creative gems that happen in the next 25 days, so head on over and check it out!

neglected

Not at all innocent, but Cute

Dirt & Mica

Texture

Love the color



Autumn garden rescue



From the same grocery store beast

So first of all, I'll apologize for the poor quality photos, let's call it a phone experiment. My apartment has wonderful lighting- when visiting in person- yet for photography after dark? Let's just call it a work in process.

 

As for the pictures, here's some Ivy that I plan on propagating. How? Easy!

 Cut a healthy stalk (around 3 inches in length works well)

Remove the leaves from the bottom making a sort of tail

Place the cutting in water (using any clear container works best)

Make sure no leaves are in the water

Leave in a bright spot out of direct sunlight

Make sure the water level stays the same

(If water starts to get green or cloudy, just change the water)

 

This methood is also called "rooting". In about a week, you will notice the ivy start to sprout roots. Wait until the roots are about half the size of the cutting, then plant in soil! A quick and cheap way to fill your house with plants. Or, share with friends and family.

 

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Autumn sun

The air is cooling off and the birthday season has begun! And since birthdays are celebrated on Football day...I just slip outside to fill my heart with nature & hang out with myself. We've been getting along well so far!

Now, I'm clearly not the sort of person who has any sort of willpower when it comes to collecting. Ha! I'm addicted, it fills me up, stresses me out and fills my thoughts. And I love every minute!
So when I came across a cigar box filled with Sunday school donation envelopes from the 1920's, I was in heaven! The cutest little envelopes with the greatest "tea stain" patina. When I took a peak inside, I nearly died. Every envelope has a different set of stamps, some as far back as 1864, all neatly preserved. All I could think of was Charade.

Falling into someone's stamp collection. That's what movies are made of..kinda.

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A Tub Full of Silverware

A plastic tub that is, but still, full of old, disgustingly dingy, silverware.

My uncle found it below the stairs in the basement (at Grandmas) & had no idea who'd owned any of the mismatched pieces. (Seriously Grandma?) I doubt any are family pieces, and considering for sabout 40 years she took in exchange Students, Boarders & troubled kids, I think they must just be a mix of some of the secrets that house has to tell.

I know I don't have to tell you how my head has been reeling with sinarios and situations....I guess I'll get out the silver polish and load up google :)

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Lemons into Lemonade...Or Something Similar

 

Just perfect.

<3