More tales of Beads

I went to the bead show last weekend off (Jan 5th) in Hillsboro. It was Payday and my weekend off so I was pretty stoked! I had two things I was looking for at the show. Larger pieces to plan a necklace around and crystal beads for a Snowflake project I want to make. I really scored on both and felt pretty good about my time there! It is the most money I have spent to date at the Bead show-$40. Usually it is 1/2 that or less! Like my other creative/DIY projects I feel you don't have to spend a lot to make something cool. I prefer items on sale, free, or trade. It makes it more satisfying to me and I get a "pretty" out of it. The Bead Show does sell Wholesale but for the general public it is less than a retail store. I enjoy going.
Even if I don't buy anything. I get a creative flow at an event like the Bead Show. Looking at the booths full of beads, listening to people talk about projects, and seeing something that sparks an idea on a project I have stalled on. I really came away from this show excited to make jewelry! 



This last year was a tough year for me. Sometimes I had to pay attention to just putting one foot in front of the other. I lost my energy in general but creative motivation especially! Now that I have the apartment looking more the way I want it I am ready to get CreatiBuzy! I need to put away Christmas (Christmas is still up because my Auntie She She was coming to town and wanting to have Christmas with us) then I will have my office where I can leave projects in between working time. I am feeling positive!

Photos of Beads and Space

This is an orange flower to build a necklace around.

 This is the large piece (a crane I think)  I got from the show. I got this strand of coral to go with it. 

 This is a combo I got a couple of shows ago. I was not sure I post it so here it is again. I got the turquoise, pearls and center rock on sale. 

 All the pearls shown together for size. The little white ones I just got and the lavender ones. They are tiny and cute!

 all the sparkly crystals for the snow flake project. By the next bead show in April I need to have the pattern figured out so I can go to town! The smaller size bead strings were $2 each and the larger $3.Retail would be tons more!

 My "old" coffee table turned printer table is now my rolling creative work space. I am soooo excited to have this ready! I spent the evening going through my beads and organized into my awesome storage cubes I got and super sale at Storables. Yes, I am a chronic Bargin Hunter!

This is the heart I got and some of the different pearls mixed. 

Reminds my of home

 The last couple of days we in the Willamette Valley have been stuck in an inversion. The Mountains are sunny and 50 degrees in the day while we in the Valley are in fog some or most of the time and freezing or below! The fog reminds me of childhood growing up along the Coastal Highway that runs the seawall in San Francisco near the Sutro Baths. To be in fog and hear the fog horns, smell salt in the air and eucalyptus is coming home to me. Anyway, the fog is freezing and causing frost on the roads and cars. I cant even see "My Bridge"! I don't like being cold but am really fascinated by the frost and not being able to see very far out. It is a comforting familiar blanket to be wrapped in.

Abby does not like to be cold either. Her problem is she does not like to "get dressed" to be warm. The frozen ground really throws her. She acts like someone is playing a trick on her. She makes me laugh a lot.

This is my weekend off. I did not sign up for working the holiday so I have a three day weekend! I am enjoying the rare long weekend. I have done more to make my "Gal Pad" my own. I am also making it easier for project time! I will try to take photos tomorrow. I am cooking a slightly complicated crock pot recipe for the Geezers including my Auntie She She. I am pretty excited since it is like Chicken Pot Pie with biscuits on top.  I don't remember if I told you about the awesome crock pot my parents gave me for Christmas? The inner crock works on the stove top, oven and the crock. The glass lid is good on crock, stove top, oven and dishwasher. Seriously it rocks my cooking world! 

Umkay, betime 

Photos of Projects in progress and late Christmas

Piece of mind

This winter was fairly dry but cold early on. I was able to bike a good amount. Since mid January it has been exceedingly wet and cold! We had snow in April!  Add to that my many life changes and I have not been on my bike much. I am trying to tweak my daily routine as well as my obligations so I can fit in my rides again. It is extremely important to my all around well being. I have been able to get in a ride at least once a week but I really need more. I have to find a better balance of ride/work/Abby and family. I hope to carve in project time too. Working the mid shift has been a harder adjustment than I thought it would be.

Currently I start work at 11am so it leaves little time in the morning. If I ride I don't spend time with Abby until after work. I have tried to go to bed earlier and get up earlier but it is an adjustment. I really like my Abby morning routine. I get up and go through our 5 minute greeting of petting, jumping, silly noises and kisses after which I grind the beans to start the coffee. Next we go outside for Abby to do her thing. When we get back upstairs is where the silly begins. She likes to dash into the apartment and run down the hall to the bedrooms. She then dashes back by the living room window where her dog bed and toys are kept. She will grab one and will usually run back at me to greet me still taking off my coat and putting away her leash by the door before she dashes back down the hall to Wil's closed bedroom door. She will stop and listen at the door, play with her toy briefly before running back up the hall and onto the couch to meet me or beat me to it. I used to think that she was hoping Wil would magically appear when she ran to his door but now I think it is to make sure he/they are still asleep so she can have me all to herself. After I change from shoes to slippers and grab the coffeepot we settle on the couch for a few cups of coffee and TV. She does not like it when the routine is changed. She used to jump up and greet anyone that finally woke up but now she (who is usually dozing or asleep) will snug in closer to me. Yup, she is my silly girl. I love my bike ride but would really miss that.

2012 New Year in My World

On my first bike ride of the New Year I was thinking about what "this year" would be in My World. I really like the year 2011 and what it represented and not sure I wanted to let it go. ("2011 the Year of the Creative Moo - the Perfect Brainstorm" obsessive oblectation oligomania) Ideas were bouncing around as I pedaled along. I have the basic idea of the 2012 "Year" but it is not complete. Maybe I will throw it out there and get your feed back.

"2012 CreaDiva - Hell on Wheels" Hot ideas burning down the road of creativity.
cranking creating collaborating

I do get ideas and solve project problems (and other problems) while "burning down the road". Sometimes I solve them because I went on a ride. I get out of my head but at the same time zone into my thoughts. Anyone who knows me or reads my thoughts (should) know my bike time (on "BBB") is very important to me for many reasons. That is why I am trying to combine the creative, biking and Diva (Me and my sewing machine "DivaDo")

Brain Storm me!

Here I am!

Okay, I have been crazy busy. I have been working 97 hours or more every 2 weeks. My days off are random and jam packed. As I typed earlier I don't have time in my daily schedule! I get up, drink my coffee and eat a bit of something, change, stretch and hit the road on my bike by 10am at the latest. When I get back I stretch, shower and get to work. When I get home from work at night I plan my biking and work clothes for the next day and lay them out, make lunch, fix my coffee sans ground beans, do laundry and other tasks and get to bed by 11pm. I hate to be tired especially if I am working many days in a row so I make sure I get my sleep. I know this crazy schedule wont last forever and the beefy paychecks are helping me catch up after the months off of work. I have also bought a few Christmas presents as I figured out what I really wanted to get folks. Okay, so I don't have much of a life but I am taking care of business!

I had Monday off so I was going over to sew the awesome coat with my mom. I suspected things might get d-railed when we were starting at Costco. I had no idea. I knew my dad has been anxious about my eyes and my brother Mike. My dad was diagnosed and treated for Macular (wet) eye disorder earlier this year.(it can make your vision dim and eventually you can go blind) My Brother Mike was diagnosed last week. I have not had my eyes checked since the last glasses my mom got me for my birthday 2009. As we walking in my dad looked over at the eye glasses department. I told him I was thinking of looking at glasses and get my eyes checked. He beamed and said "No problem, Kid - take your time" It made for a long Costco visit. The short of it I am a clean bill of eye health but needed a stronger mid and low level prescription to my Progressives (the reading) so I picked out new frames. More later.

We had a snag in the sewing of the awesome coat. My shrinking and a generous pattern slowed our progress. We also had trouble finding the trim that goes all around the edges of the coat since it is not lined. After much asking and several fabric stores we have it. Sunday should finish it and not soon enough! It has got nippy here!

The car accident I had late in the year in 2008 has mostly (finally) been settled. Cant quite talk about it yet but that was most of my Tuesday off. Sunday is the next day off after a double shift Saturday. Good times. So there you go. Back dated posts to come but I don't know when.

update Diva style

How about a quick update?

I have not heard from Martin for well over a week. At first I was giddy when I got new e-mails. It really made me smile. The thing is he wrote with a lot of "..." instead of finishing sentences and thoughts. The subject of the e-mails never got very personal so it was not getting to know each other. There was sweetness but not really any moving forward. I answered him last and have not heard back. I was getting frustrated anyway so . . .

Had a job interview yesterday. It was with a fancy spa-like retail/Pharmacy. I don't have any retail Pharmacy experience which includes 3rd party insurance billing and compounding. I was hoping that my lack of experience would be over looked because of my shining customer service skills and current licenses in Pharmacy. I think there were 8-12 of us interviewing for 2 openings. I should have already heard back from them if I was in the running. They said they wanted to move quickly and hire by today. Since it is 4:30 I am not so hopeful. Honestly the only reason I got into the career is I was supposed to always easily have a job. It is interesting but not very creative. Which brings me into my next subject.

Anyone that knows me knows I love to watch HGTV. I love the design shows but equally enjoy the real estate shows. A couple times in my life I wanted to (or did) work in design and (almost) real estate. I met with a realtor in my neighborhood this morning. I wrote to her last week stating I was interested in learning more about being a realtor. I got a lot of information and things to think about. When I got home on CL there was an ad from the Company she was talking about (not hers) that is a great "group style" selling atmosphere - good for newbies. The ad is about how the company will cover the up front costs of the classes and license fees. I called the number and made an appointment to get more information on Friday. Don't get all worried people! I am not rushing into anything but getting information. I wrote her and sent her a link to the ad and she thinks it's a great opportunity. Her dad works at that branch.

I have a new re-purpose idea that would be storage too. I want to find a "free" kitchen cabinet that is free (so not an upper) standing so I can add locking wheels and possibly a counter space and "park" it next to the end of the kitchen. I can hide all the clutter that is behind the screen and not visible in the "Living room" but it sure is when you are in the kitchen! I think it will be useful when I move but for now I can put the micro on top and hide some of the small appliances that are currently on the limited counter space. It may take some time hunting in the free section on CL but it is part of the fun.

Not really having any luck selling my items on CL so far. After I posted my table 4 others popped up using a lot of my ad verbage and priced less - bitches! The only bites (but no follow thru) I have had is on the cabinet and the chandelier. I will re-post them Friday and hope to get new interest.

So you have been Diva'ed for the day!

I love a good re-purpose!

I went to a Green home improvement show last Friday. My mom read about it in the paper and it was free - perfect. I was excited after reading the website that I could not only see some cool home improvement stuff (HGTV I heart you!) but I could maybe win stuff - and I did! As the doors opened I bee-lined to the booth that was giving away a $10. Home Depot gift card and got one! There are quite a few things this DIY gal needs so I am thrilled! I want to finish my bulletin board project. I think I have figured out how to work with a new metal! I am trying to make this BB look like aged silver. Anyway, after my interview there is a Home D very close so I will go! I need silver spray paint and the corner brackets to hold the board into the frame.

I saw some great stuff at the show that made me wish I could have a home of my own to improve. The recycled glass counter tops, reclaimed wood for building and floors and cork floors made from recycled (or as I like to say - re-purposed) wine corks. Yes, I said they make a lot of products from recycled wine corks. It cant be the plastic ones but the actual made from cork ones. I thought the recycled class counter tops I have drooled about for awhile were cool but that is over the top awesome! They have a bin at Whole Foods among other places to drop off your used wine corks. If you save them up and give them to me I will recycle them for you. (Awesome, will you have Evil Dave save his corks?) Less in the land fill is cool and making good looking flooring is great! I have been excited about the use of bamboo in home improvement but I have really wanted to work with cork. It is great in a kitchen for flooring. It has spring in it but wears like hardwood. It does not stain easy and they look great! *sigh*

So I have my 2nd interview Wednesday afternoon. Please send good thoughts my way!

It's raining projects - hallelujah!

I feel like I am on a creative roll myself. I have a bulletin board project, purses I want to sew, not one but two chandeliers to re-create, re-vamping my garden, maybe sewing new curtains for the living room and putting the existing ones in Wil's room, staining projects, re-organizing my kitchen and other sewing projects from my 99 cent sewing patterns - hallelujah.

I am really lucky in my re-purposing projects since I always have at least one more idea stewing in my brain. Right now I have lots going at once! I am not sure where to go first?!? I wanted an adjustable wooden hanger to hold purses on my wall next to my vanity in my bedroom. I found a cool one at Ace that is made out of bamboo but shiny and expensive. I wanted the piece to be more the color of my bedroom furniture and causal looking. I want the cool art of the purses to be the eye catcher. Ends up I am staining it myself after I found one at Goodwill for 1.99 (unfinished) as well as the cork board of my bulletin board. (gel stain) The bulletin board frame (an art picture frame) is going to be painted in a silver patina to match the silver photograph frames on my vanity and the bigger of the two chandeliers will be the same silver for my bedroom. I have it almost like a shadow box. I am going to put trinkets and artwork from the boys in grade school. I am thrilled to have so many ideas in my head and the fact that I can see the finished project in my minds eye but I feel pulled in different directions. I am stuck on most projects since I cant spray paint until the weather warms (doing the opposite this week here - it is February) and have to invade my parents garage to work on a project. I can do the prep work there but doing it in the cold is not a big draw for me plus not much work space. I so wish I had a work area where I live! The time and productivity would be mind blowing! Are the gods of creativity listening? Save me from myself in my high rise apartment dwelling!

I will say with all the changes to my place the last several months I really like coming home it is so comfy and me. It is my creative all around me and like a hug. The best part is that it is not the space but the decorating that makes it "mine". The space I am in is not ideal but I have made the best of it while I am here.

Do as I say

I have been trying to do the same as I ask of Wil - no procrastinating. When I have a project or task I try follow through to the finish. I usually do but with the swinging hormones and all that brings and work schedule . . . . I will say the lack of room to do some projects here has slowed or stopped some of my projects. Winter puts a stop to spray painting and stripping too. By the time I gather, get to my parents, chat, set up with some stop time looking for what I need to get going a lot of time I had to work is gone. I need a outside area or work space where I can grab and go. Even sewing here is an adventure. I had to borrow a card table to use as my cutting table. I have a folding cardboard that is cutting board (has measurements and lines so you cut evenly) that goes over the surface so works okay. It would be better to use the long tables of the community room but that is not an option. The kids of the building would not follow the rules of the room and so the room is locked. The only time you can use it is during office hours - Monday through Friday 10-4. Not really helpful for me. I have gotten very inventive on work space but that means I have to factor in clean-up- put-away-time if I am working at home.

All in all I have been feeling good about little things I have gotten done the last couple weeks. Some small frames I had art to put into them - done. The privacy curtain for my bedroom doorway - rod bought, curtain sewed and hung - done. Re-arranging vanity top and cleaning jewels from high school - done! Hanging some junk store finds - buying the plate holder and attaching to the find, hanging it up - done.

I am planning on laying out and possibly cutting out my first purse. It is fairly clear to me what I am doing but once you cut there is no going back. I talked through some concerns yesterday with my mom. (She is still in rehab but springing out any day) After we talked about it all I asked her if this was a good first project for me to do on my own. She did not hesitate in saying yes. She said to take my time and stop when I feel I am not sure about what I am about to do. I can refer back to pattern. She also said you can read the pattern for so long but once you start some of the steps will make sense. I am pleased with her confidence in me and hope I live up to it. I think I will start with a walk about to clear my head, hit my fav junk stores and let Wil clear out (going to work)

I need to catch you up

I have had a lot going on this year already. I am helping my mom/parents get ready for my dad's 80th birthday/party, my mom's last replacement surgery (two days after) and my Auntie She She coming to visit for two months. She is going to help my mom after surgery. My mom is being pretty sensible but at the same time she is trying to get everything clean and organized for my dad and She She. That means I am helping every day after work or all day on days off for the last couple weeks. We have cleaned, sorted, framed and re-framed art, re-decorated and generally changed what my mom wanted to do. She could not do a lot of that with my dad because he does not have that artistic/creative side. It gets the other person to see things in a different light - refreshing. I'm glad I could be there for her and help. It is not fun to feel helpless and frustrated when you are injured.

In all the helping mom some decoration changed in my place. The couch my parents had in their family room is nice but it was too low for my mom to get up from. My parents decided to find a couch my mom is more comfortable with since she is having surgery. They found one they both liked so they asked if I wanted theirs. I said yes so that set in motion a day of moving couches. Once they replaced the couch that triggered a chain of decorating events. My mom got eight or so paintings back so we were re-arranging art until we ran out of room! That means I got some new paintings at my place! It has been lots of new looks at both places including fabric shopping, sewing, moving things and getting new. As the dust settles I have a new-to-me couch, a new coffee table/ottoman, art work, the pillows I re-covered in red, and a few treasures got from my mom and junking.

I was really tired last night after I finally got home around 8pm. (I got up at 5:30am and worked until 1pm.) I was up cleaning some new treasures from my junking and general mess before I gave up and went to bed. I slept for almost 12 hours but was tired when I got up! After coffee I started puttering, blogging, straightening, organizing and waiting to hear what my mom needed help with today. She called and said they were fine today but she wanted me to sew my pillows with the fabric that we got on our shopping trip after couch changing. My place was messy and I really wanted to be creative so it was great! I got them cut out, sewed and stuffed just need to hand sew them shut. I will finish that in the morning when it is light and I am fresh.

Before we go to the airport tomorrow to get She She we are going to IKEA to look at art lights but before that my parents are coming here to look at art placement. I think some need adjusted or moved or . . . ? It has been a busy but satisfying week. We will have some fun this next week before mummzy has surgery. The Geezers are on the move!

Do I have enough creativity to around?

I seem to be on a very creative path the last couple weeks. I started sewing, decorated an apartment (other than mine), came up with and followed through with my first couple sewing projects and now . . . . . .

My mom has enjoyed walking my visiting auntie (She She) through her first painting she decided I would learn too. What? Can I just remind everyone I don't draw? I have not attempted oil painting since I was 8 years old and sucked! Really, I still have the evidence to prove it. There was too much pressure with all the awesome creative women of the family I was surrounded by. My Grandmother (pops ma) , my mom and my aunt by marriage to my pops brother. They were all awesome artists, teachers and had shows that were well attended and sold. I am the only left handed person in the family ever. I was never quite allowed to forget that. It has always made me do the simplest things differently. When I was a kid I was always moving and doing - not much for sitting still.

Last Tuesday (my day off) my mom sat me down in front of a blank canvas and a picture on a greeting card. She said this (as a painting) would go well with something she was painting for me. At first I'm all like I don't know how to draw and really I don't know how to draw . . . how do you even start? My mom told me I did know how and explained to me how you look at the canvas and the piece you are drawing from. You turn it into four equal sections and start. After starting and erasing four times I got the hang of it. I surprised myself. Mom had me trace the image from the canvas and on Tuesday we are going to start on the background colors! I was excited and wanted to start right away but mom said we need to talk about technique and color mixing, texture and some other stuff. I will take pictures and post them if my phone camera takes good ones.

I figure that since I'm not performing at Comedy Sportz anymore or being a "Diva" for derby I must be channeling all that creativity through my DIY craftiness. I am enjoying all the diversity of the crafty. It makes a Diva smile.

OMG I can sew!

I have had so much fun with my first sewing project! I must have soaked in a lot of sewing smarts from watching and listening to my mom all those years. From the moment I chose to buy a machine through the first project it has just made sense! I must say it is like second nature! I want to do some straight forward projects this summer and have fun getting to know my machine. I hope this fall to take a sewing class. Then I can really get into it.

the inner decorator is peeking out!

I am very excited about a side project. A friend of Wil's got an apartment and wants me to decorate it! He has some furniture but needs some shelving/storage and art. Anyone that knows me knows I am all over this. I have had fun looking at paint chips, old Better Homes and Garden magazines, watching HGTV (wait, I always do that), browsing CraigsList for cool stuff and a trip to IKEA to get a sense of likes of the "client". I am enjoying the possibilities I'm thinking up!

Since it's a small space I want any furniture I pick to have more than one function. As an example the "desk" I'm wanting to use is a stainless table on wheels. He can study wherever he wants but it can double up with his exisiting dining table as needed. The legs are adjustable for his height as well. (he is 6'5'') If he is preparing a meal and needs extra counter space he can roll the (emtpy) table over to the kitchen and "bam" instant work space! I knew all that HGTV viewing time would come in handy!

Brian's mom is so excited about me decorating his space she wants me to do her place next. She has great rugs in muted earth tones but no color on the walls. I think the only piece of art (above the fireplace) belongs to Brian and he is taking it with him. I have some wonderful colors in mind but want to hear what Mary likes and get a color inspiration from things in her house/wardrobe.

DIY projects are calling me

I have some crafty things I really want to try. Stained glass, mosaic work, wood furniture re-finishing, decoupage welding and sewing. Some in the unrealistic category because of price are welding art/metal art. I realize that is quite a list but I got the creative need! I have furniture pieces that I want to work on to refinish. I probably don't need a class to do my pieces but I would like to learn how to repair as well as re-finish. I guess I need a Sugar Person to keep me so I can have more time for the crafty DIY!

As far as decoupage goes I have already seen in my minds eye some projects I want to do finished - several actually. I am strapped for room to do projects in our place. I would love to have a garage or spare room to dedicate to DIY fun. The possibilities are endless . . . . . I am looking for a new place to dwell so if you know of a house that costs "not so much" let me know

DIY is so cheery

Now that my second job is winding down (and by winding down I mean ending) I have days off again. I used one of those days to my advantage yesterday. I had some life errands to do but was excited to work on my screen. I started this project last summer! I got all the spray painting done in August but then life got too busy. My screen has been in my parents garage gathering dust. I hoped to finish it and bring it home yesterday but we did not have all the details worked out. We made great progress and it looks fabulous! It is going to look soooo good in my place.

We cut, hemmed and stapled the fabric on. I even shocked my Mom by saying I want to learn how to sew one day. Sure I can do some basic sewing stuff but I always have these great ideas that she doesn't always have time for. I'm really excited to add the the copper slightly sparkly narrow ribbon. It is going to edge the fabric to cover the staples. We had not really figured out how we were going attach the ribbon. We were going to use minimal glue dots but I was concerned it would show. I had several ideas I was mulling over but Mom came up with a great idea. She is looking into it today. Small velcro dots. Stay tuned.

Quick update

This will be quick update so hang on. Anyone who has gotten an update from me can easily get lost if you aren't focused. Sorry, just trying to get out on a bike ride before work.

My mom and I went shopping again on Friday (my day off) in between spray paint coats on the screen. We found amazing bargains at Macy's 60-85% off racks. $35 dollar shirts for $6.12. Anyway, I have five new shirts, three pants/Capri's and we even found a cute pair of shoes that are orthodedic friendly that don't make the pain come back when I wear them. They are better than the running shoes I have to wear constantly and look good with skirts. I will wear the running to work and most of the time but after two years it's nice to have something "cute".

Still no matches that click on the dating site. I have tried to communicate with four guys. They have not closed communication with me nor have they responded. If you aren't going to answer back why are you paying for a site? Beats me. I'm ready with some cute clothes thanks to my mommy. I guess my parents want me married off or at least paired off since one paid for the site and the other the clothes.

Finally had my one year eval at work. It went much better than I thought it would. The TB's put their heads together and say shit about anyone that is not one of them. The new Manager and side kick see through most of it and question the rest. Nice. I even got a raise and a promise that they are trying to get me a perm position and benefits. Whew! Now if they could kick out the TB's it would be awesome!

Happy Sunday!

Happy 4th on the 5th!

I hope all of you had a great 4th of July. Mine turned out different than I planned/expected but all in all a satisfying day. I started out with coffee and HGTV. After breakfast I got dressed, gathered my project items and headed for my parents. I headed out about 12 noon. I had talked briefly to my mom about the screen. The only thing I had not thought through was how the bamboo was going to be secured on the screen. I wanted leather strips but did not know where to get them. Michael's Craft store was open so we bombed over there after I arrived at my parents. We also stopped at Goodwill after Michael's. My mom has some photographs of her with each of her sisters taken recently. She wanted them all framed but did not see any she really liked at Michael's so to Goodwill we went. In helping her look for frames I found an awesome cow print made by a local artist 3x5 size. It was in a okay frame but I figured I could spray it the color I was going to use the screen. A sweet deal for $1.99 and the frame turned out great.

The next step on the screen was to sand and use a Dremel tool to get all the paper out of the insert. I thought it would go much quicker but it took me the better part of two hours! Really, I was surprised it took that long but the part of using the Dremel was very slow precise work. While I was vacuuming the whole thing I found a crack that needed to be repaired. A bit of wood glue and a clamp called a halt to painting for the day. I would rather do it right than have it broken later.

The heat drove my parents into their air conditioning. I don't have that at home so I'm used to the heat. It did not really get to me. I had planned to finish prepping the bamboo but my hands were vibrating from all the power tool usage. I snipped off about half the nubs left from unwanted branches. The garden snips were no match for tough bamboo. I need to get out a knife and whittle but felt that would be a task for another day. I don't want an ER visit anytime soon. That also meant I would not be varnishing the branches. So be it. I knew this was going to be a multi step project. I'm just so excited to see the finished product I want to speed it up! I really need a place closer to or at home so I can do my projects!

My mom's sewing machine was put away for company (Aunt Kaki) so I could not do that phase of the project so I washed my car. Random choice but needed. It was almost dinner time and I was stinky and dusty from the sanding so it seemed the thing to do . My poor car had not been washed since the spring so it deserved it! It actually took two go rounds and four buckets of soapy water. I did not finish before dinner so I went out to finish after. I finally got done around 7:30.


Dinner was BBQ'ed rib eye steak, sauteed mushrooms, garlic bread and an awesome salad. My mom can make a salad! We had a splash of red wine with it all. Quite tasty. After I finished the car we had ice cream with fresh Oregon strawberries. Yum. My mom is a good cook. Wil is too but not the seasoned pro like my ma.


The folks were supposed to come over to my place after dinner to watch fireworks but they pooped out. I was a bit disappointed but understood. I have not actually been home on the Fourth for the last 8 years. I have been at DJ and Renee's for fireworks, food and fun. DJ said that he was not having the 4th this year but what he meant was not at a new house. I am not a mind reader so . . . Wil had a wedding so he was off.

I did not realize all the fireworks I could see from my place! After I took a much needed shower I sat by my garden and watching in awe. I could have watched the PGE Park, Water Front Blues Festival and Oaks Park displays from the Rec room but I did not want to get dressed. I'm not disappointed. I enjoyed.

I'm here! (Where else would I be?)

I have had a busy crazy summer so far. I don't really have time or choose to be on the computer. I'm too busy biking, doing projects, going out and about before or after work and yes, even more bizarre dating experiences.

I'm a re-purpose queen these days! My latest project I got a three paneled screen I got at a garage sale for $10. bucks. It is black wood with a paper insert that reminds me of a furnace filter. Not the most attractive but good bones for my needs. It is 5'10" tall so it will be perfect for a privacy screen. Our place is small and in the summer (especially late summer) can get warm if the cross ventilation is cut off from closing my bedroom door. I can put the screen up so I have privacy laying in bed and Wil and his friends don't have to look at me when they come down the hall. I'm using fabric so the breeze will go through the screen but privacy abounds. I bought the same color paint that Carly used on the Basically Fucking Awesome screen. I got the fabric on a flat fold sale and instead of using traditional trim that is expensive ($1.29 and up) I found a copper cloth ribbon for 29 cents a yard. Since I needed 18 yards (to cover the staples) much better deal and ties in with the copper in the room! So I spent an additional $20. and will get a finished product worth much more! The other neat thing that has me excited about this project is the use of black bamboo. My parents neighbor trimmed her bamboo and saved the cuts and two big stalks for me. I had to let it dry for three weeks but now I need to varnish it to help it keep it's color. If not the black will fade. I'm not sure what I will use the big pieces for yet but I will use the smaller ones to cover the decorative cross pieces in each panel. I like the bamboo because it is speckled green/brown/black picking up the color of the paint and fabric. The back of the fabric looks like raw silk while the front is Fleur De lee (sp?). I can turn the screen either way and it will be like having two! The bamboo will be in front of the "raw silk" side and the copper ribbon with the Fleur side. It is a project of many steps but I'm excited to get going! I'm going to start removing the old paper in about five minutes then sand and paint on the fourth (my day off) at my parents. I will also trim off any parts on the bamboo then paint on the varnish.

Things at work are more uncomfortable than ever. The PBS's (Punk Ass Bitches) are behaving very catty, gossipy and bitchy at the prospect of the new manager coming in on Monday. The small rebel core of "team players" are sticking together and trying to weather out the storm. Unfortunately there are way more of them than us. We have a few code names and hand symbols that unify us in our war against drama. They are also called Tricky Bitches. Silly but it helps us feel we are not alone. The work environment should be very professional but instead it is soooo Junior High! Enough of the TB's!

Enjoy the sun and holiday!