Dr. Seuss meets Project Runway

Tick-tock the morning clock.

No hat, nor sock. Over here? Under there? Under the bed? A look of dread.

Will she? Won't she?

Have a hat today I pray?

Yes! Yes she will! Have a hat today I say!

Make it new for you?

Yes! Yes, it's true!

I will make a new for you!

Have no fear nor dread!

Grab the glue, no time for thread!

Stand back! The scissors fly. Hot glue - don't ask why! Give it a try!

Too big? Too small? Too short? Too tall? More red you said?

Lose the bow! What do I know? More squish, less squash, It's prefect oh my gosh!

Happy, happy yes I see. You are happy! Yes indeed!

My own little Project Runway challenge this morning. Create a Dr. Seuss hat comparable to last year's carefully crafted paper hat that suddenly went missing. Time 30 minutes. Using only the materials readily available in the craft room - I used white pre-quilted batting and lots of ribbons. While getting 2 children ready for school.

I was channelling Jillian as I was self-inflicting myself with globs of hot glue and working up until the last second. In my mind Tim Gunn gave me a non-committal, "hmmmmm". Heidi Klum asked "Haven't we seen this look before from you?"

Okay, enough fun for one morning. Liv wants to play chess an

d I have a pile of laundry & some St Patty's day tags to finish! Ciao!

my life as a short order cook

I make pancakes EVERY day. On weekdays, C likes her specialty - coconut pancakes, Liv eats 'em plain with syrup & butter. I'm so happy that they're eating a nice hot breakfast that I make what they want. Their big brother was not nearly as spoiled as these gals - McD breakfast on the way to school or cold cereal was the norm.

On the weekends I make DH's favorite pancakes with granola, nuts, dried apricots, cranberries, coconut & raisins. Really, it's almost a dessert, don't ya think? Edited to add - the key is not to mix the goodies in with batter, it's so much better if you sprinkle the good stuff right before you flip 'em. Just give it an extra little press down with the spatula & you're good to go!
This morning we have a 2 hour snow delay so I made Liv some heart shaped panny cakes & set the table extra special. Of course, they wanted to eat in the family room by the TV. And the puppy got a hold of a corner of the tablecloth and nearly sent it all flying.

It was nice while it lasted!

the name has been changed

to protect the innocent

naming a puppy after Darly's crazy poop machine pooch isn't of sound mind. As in a bad omen. If you believe in that stuff.

But I don't so the truth is last night (perhaps while dreaming about a certain sullen fellow) I came up with an even better name!

Drum roll please...

meet Mr. Mark Darcy, aka Mister, Mr. Darcy or Mark Darcy.

I'm certain my fellow Jane-ites will approve!
On a sad note, Mr. Darcy's little sister Paisley was returned to the breeder last night. Mom & dad's 6 y/o male boxer was too aggressive towards her. I would love to keep her too, but the not so dearH would be calling a divorce attorney. He is rather ticked at the new name as Darcy seems a bit feminine, but after his refusal to assist in any puppy maintenance, oh well!

puppy love

Today was the day. We brought home our pup. He is a brindle boxer dog, just like all the dogs my parents ever had. We originally were going to name him Chance as in Homeward Bound (or as my DDs like to say Homework Bound, lol!)

My mom & dad took home a sister - and are naming her Paisley. Isn't that a great choice? (I mentioned it a few times and was able to dissuade them from calling her Angel, Lady or TiaMia!)

Cathrynn is a natural with him. Liv's warming up slowly. And Frank, my DH, is a big fraud. When I met him, he was an animal lover, spending his time walking strays at a no-kill shelter. Now, he's barely tolerating this adorable guy. Whining about the dog smell. I've had to talk to him firmly about his negative vibes affecting the pup. We'll see. He wants the girls to have a dog but he's never had one and is spoiled with how independent our cats are.

So, what did we name him? I stole the name of one of my dear friend's 4-legged companions... our new guy is Dempsey. Don't be mad Darly, okay? Paisley & Dempsey - cool, huh?

The video's from my cell, but you get the idea - he's a cutie!

being a woman in a man's world

Warning - if you're a guy - bug-off.

A local drapery & upholstery shop that had been in business so long it was part institution & part landmark - as in "turn at..." recently went out of business. Sad for them but oh so happy for us. If the original owners had been on site it wouldn't have been such a joyous occasion, but the guys who were there were being paid to tear down the warehouse innards and were filling a dumpster with - I swear - down pillow forms, vintage trims and fabric scraps that were almost a yard big!The store front was piled with rolls of high quality fabrics and a handmade sign in the window announced "$3-5 a roll" yep, not a yard - a bolt! Dana's skills at sniffing out a bargain were at their finest as she found this city sale, a whole a county & an hour+ away from her rural mecca thanks to Craiglist. On Wednesday, she'd called me frantically on numerous occasions as I stood in a warehouse waiting for those #@!* Girl Scout cookies. As she was waist deep in free fabric scraps. Imagine my horror!!

She loaded her Suburban with fabric. For a really, really unreal price. Not like when you're at Joann's and even after the coupons and red tag prices, they hand you your fabric and it's a tiny bag for far too much money.

So she picked me and Liv up yesterday with a plan to fill the Suburban again. It was like Christmas morning. We arrived with cold hard cash to the warm welcome of the new building owner who was waiting for a dumpster to be delivered. He just wanted the stuff out of there and to get on with his real estate purchase. He mentioned that anything not sold would be tossed or donated. And he was ready to make some deals. And was happy to see us piling up the fabric. And then as our piles grew, his mood changed and he started to get antsy and even voiced concern that WE may be taking advantage of HIM. WHAT? Seriously, his trash was suddenly invaluable, and maybe he didn't know what he was doing by selling it in volume. Yeah - he was concerned that 2 women might be getting a better deal than he was. Like he was going to sell it by the yard at retail prices and hadn't bought this highly sought after commercial property to make a killing of his own. Greedy bastard. And it was absolutely an ego thing. Have you ever been on the receiving end of this type of thing? It brought back not-so-distant memories of being at the mercy of unscrupulous plumbers, contractors & slum/landlord at my tearoom. And being treated like they were the ones holding the cash and calling the shots. Ugh.

So it was a tad uncomfortable but not so much that I won't be going back for more today. DH was very impressed by my haul and wants me to negotiate even harder. After 2 days there, Dana was much more annoyed by him, and refuses to go back - but she got a few hundred bolts of fabric to my measly 24 bolts. I also got about 30+ fabric sample books for FREE. Less dumpster space for him, and many, many gorgeous swatches to use on my totes and sewing projects.

Wish me luck! And that the snow doesn't interfere with my plans...

UPDATE: Well, it wasn't a great social exchange w/ Sir Surly, the grumpy & greedy old dude, but I got what I wanted - 25 more bolts of pretty fabulous fabric! And my personal favorite - a BIG bolt of this vintage shabby chic polished cotton (Dana - would that make this chintz... I never know my fabrics) It was stuck in a box with some really bad 80s watercolor florals. I think the girls would look adorable in little shift dresses. Or there might even be enough to cover all my outdoor cushions. Oh happy spring - I can't wait to start sewing!

off my to-do list

Cookie anyone?

I spent about an hour today

making a tiny little bit of whimsy for Bling your Birdhouse.

It was silly and I can't even imagine that I had that much time in my schedule! Don't tell the hubby, okay? And did I mention that I already had a Bling'd Birdhouse? Yep, this one had an angel theme and was intended to be a Christmas present last year, but it was never completed, so I redecorated and revamped it a bit.

I'd love to show you it but that would ruin the fun, right?

I just checked and the official date isn't until the end of March. Nah. I can't wait that long. As soon as the glue dries, I'll share a few bits & pieces of the bling.

D is for...

My Dear Friend, Dana

Dependable & Dedicated

Dog Lover

Self-Depreciating

'cause we love nothing more than to poke fun at ourselves!

Daring

She's able to singlehandedly wrestle & rescue large pieces of furniture from trash piles,

talks to strangers on a regular basis,

and has been known to serve bean soup at tea party/cookie exchanges.

Decorator

Every tiny corner of her home is packed with charming vignettes.

So this little D is for Dana, who was last seen cleaning her craft room,

which is the biggest and best I've ever seen.

Heck she even has a spare storage unit to handle the overflow.

I thought this pretty little D might brighten a spot there.

K is for

I just noticed that there aren't a lot of great adjectives that start with K...

• Krazy-glue (well, I used Alene's of course)
• Klepto (an Edith Bunker reference for us middle-agers)
• Kelley (painfully obvious)
• KEEPER

Yes, I know these aren't even adjectives.

I just scraped the bottom of the witty barrel to come up with these.

Yep, it's all mine for my bedroom. It makes me insanely happy to see all this bling in a tiny little spot for me to gaze at.

I'm working on a few others to share the love & will be listing soon. Stay tuned to see if I've blinged your inital.

so obvious, so simple

Without the pc for that week, I got a lot done. And organizing the craft room was a goal accomplished.

All the battered & tattered hats and millinery goodies - stored in a hat box. I know so obvious, but they'd been stashed in a drawer and I'm an outta sight, outta mind kinda gal.

Fabric scraps that were too small to sew but too good to get rid of... I decided an ugly old picnic basket with a faded and yukky top would be revamped as well - I took a bunch of strips of yummy old barkcloth and some funky buttons and the hot glue gun. Tada! At the moment, it's a favorite - I love to glance over and see the crazy quilt of colors and designs. And functional, that doesn't happen too often around here!

Bling your Birdhouse!

Today's the day to stop by Karla's Cottage to see all her bling'd birdhouses! I already posted this in February 'cause I was so delighted with the whimsy...bear with me... I promise to have a new tote to show later - it's a lovely French Country & Butterfly tote.

Miss Bleu J in her chippy lawn chair and her blinged home are offered for sale for $22.00 + actual cost shipping to your destination. Paypal only please. To the first person to leave a comment. I've been a registered member of ebay forever, let me know if you'd like to view my feedback before purchasing!

I fashioned a tiny Easter bonnet for the tiny Miss Bleu J from a clasp of a broken vintage rosary. She is so happy to have spring arrive that she's perched outside in a chippy painted lawn chair with a beaded cushion. And her house needed some whimsy as well - lots of buttons and tiny shells - from a cheapy necklace at a thrift store - decoupaged birds fill the air and feast on tiny millinery morsels. My exterior is scrapbook paper scraps, some have a light wash of shimmery metallic paint. A vintage spool of silky thread is the pot for a topiary of craft beads, complete w/ a water can charm. And an itty bitty banner - how much more whimsical does it get? Stop by Karlas today to see all her beauties!!

Glitter & Glue! Kelley

isn't that romantic

Bombarded by thoughts of chocolate covered strawberries, love letters tucked under my pillow, and tiny boxes of bling. Suck-er. That's me. I am a total victim of the glossy magazine ads and the TV commercials with the music leading up to the guy presenting a big 'ole bauble. Swoon.

I want it.I read a lot of trashy romance novels at a rather young age - which leads me to ask "what was my mom thinking?!" I've waited for my sullen pirate to ravish me, only to turn out to be the handsome and rich and attentive prince... sigh. You know the rest of that fairy tale!I've had some near-misses with that kind of passion. Heck, I spent a decade chasing it.

My high school boyfriend - and first love - set the standard pretty high - heartfelt letters that are still tied in ribbons along with carefully pressed flowers, candle lit dinners and sincere promises for a remarkable future made with tears and a tiny diamond ring. I was 17 and thought that was the norm. He is the one that got away, only because I sent him away. And, as you may expect he went on to have that life without me. He offered to be the prince without all the agony and hype - surely that wasn't real.

My wedding at 18 years old (what was I thinking?) was complete with a sense of doom and disaster, and many people crying real tears, surely he was my pirate. Actually he was a cad. At the very least. And I'm sure his 4th wife agrees.

I've had candle lit dinners at sunset overlooking spectacular views, a limo drive to a country inn (now that would've been nice, had that guy not got carsick!), many boxes of lingerie with satin bows, dozens & dozens of pink roses and teddy bears delivered to my office, romantic walks under the stars and on beaches, evenings with firelight, candlelight and snow gently falling around me, promises and offers... all made by men whom for whatever reason, were all hype and no substance. You know the ones that fizzle out like they had a 3 month expiration date?

My husband and I have been together for almost 12 years, married for almost 10. He's not a romantic guy. His cards have always been humorous and, more than likely, have some thought of sex in there too, lest I forget about it. He hasn't whisked me away for many romantic dinners, and flowers are usually given with a sheepish apology. He's safely off the hook at buying cards as he can send the girls to the craft room and bribe them to make me something that will melt my heart (and he's right). His gifts for me are rather sensible, and sometimes funny - Lane Bryant "rock star" undies for Christmas.

So, I'm left with my own romantic thoughts - of my husband who lets me sleep while he leaves for work, and to awaken to the waiting pot of coffee. A man who goes to work everyday, without fail or excuse. It doesn't seem like much, but back in the day, I dated a few men who had too much money handed to them and not enough ambition to get their own real lives. My husband is not my pirate, nor my prince. Ours isn't a story they'll write books about, but there's something to be said for a comfortable & secure life. I bought him Sarris' chocolate and the four of us will be having a nice dinner in the dining room, maybe candlelight because the DDs will be thrilled and amazed. He's bringing them flowers. Now that melts my heart.

winner announced!

I posted this on the original post linked to the official site, but decided I'd better put it here too! Congrats to Banna! And thank you all for the kind words about my site & creations. It was lovely and I can't wait to take more time and spend more time at all of your blogs. Glitter & glue, Kelley

The Box

I can remember how much fun it was to decorate my Valentine's Day boxes. Kids these days (I sound as middle aged as I am, huh?) don't know how easy it all is for them. There are stickers... in just about any obscure hobby or interest now. I can remember a bit of ribbon and lots of glue and cut out hearts.

So, to keep up with the rest of the mom's, here's what I helped Cathrynn with last night. I love the cupid paper - a thrift store score - packs of pretty Valentine papers for .39 a pack. I may need to go purchase more, dont'cha think?

tag you're it...

These tags capture my thoughts for the day - the small one says "chin up, my dear, and smile" and has a tiny kitten in a silver frame.

And "love is then a tender melancholy" with a tiny beaded heart strung with fiber and a heart encrusted with German glass glitter.

In my favorite color of the season - pink & brown. Isn't that the ultimate chocolate/Valentine's Day combo?

stuck in the house

without a computer for a week, I decided to tackle the craft room. No small feat I tell you. It was cramped, messy and frustrating. The DH thought perhaps the door needed to go back on b/c the view from the hallway was overwhelming. That would've made it a cave!

There was no feng shui that's for sure. I would be trapped in a small corner and the kids would be climbing all over my stuff. So I moved EVERY thing around. And took the fabric out and put it neatly into totes - there were 6 totes when I finished. The room is like a breath of fresh air now. I can reach all my tools, trinkets and junque and we all like to be in there again!

Inspired, I made some of these mosaic suncatchers, altered tags and a love book.

One World - One Heart Event

Here's my contribution to the One World - One Heart Give-away Event. To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post and you'll be entered. I will pick the winner on the morning of February 14. And this heart-shaped, suncatcher - made by yours truly - will be on it's way to your home! I used a pink heart cookie cutter, glass prisms, discs and beautiful old and new translucent buttons and rhinestones. The goodies all appear to suspended in glass, dance in the sunlight beautifully. Handmade, one of a kind!

If you haven't already - be sure to stop by One World One Heart
And sign up for a ton of blog give-aways!

If you are interested in purchasing one of my creations - I'll be listing some other goodies like this mosaic, altered art books on ebay and one of a kind totes in my shop on Etsy soon.

Stop back again, I love visitors!

Kelley

Updated February 14th at 9:00am est - The contest is officially closed at a whooping 101 comments! I'm thrilled to have had so many kind responses! I'll list a winner shortly! Thanks, Kelley

And the winner is: #95 - banna! Congrats! I'll be in touch for your address!

where oh where did my baby go?

A LONG day home with two sick kiddos, they aren't sick enough not to fight, kwim? I must reflect on my now seven year old. This darling princess baby is now running her sister over with her new 2 wheeler. In the middle of the family room. I'll spare you those photos...

"she wears a rose in her hair,

at the twighlight's dreamy close.

Her face is fair...under the rose"

-R.H. Stoddard

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart!

Cathrynn Rose is officially SEVEN. It just doesn't seem possible. But she assured me that when she blew out the candles, she became 7. Cool, huh? She may be a little Hannah Montana fanatic, notice the temporary tattoos leftover from last nights trip the movie theater to see the 3D concert, but, she couldn't wait to put on her matching American Girl robes this morning.


We're playing hookie from school. Hopefully, all the strep and flu bugs will be gone in time for the dance party this weekend. Until then I'll continue my regime of Lysol, Clorox Wipes, Zpacks, Amoxicillan, tissues, and cough meds...

Hoping you all are faring better this cold & flu season!