lovely of the day

on a fun note, i have an artist whose site on etsy i frequent often. i have purchased several pieces from her and truly adore the simplicity and comfort that her images offer. she is my go-to for the ladies on my gift list, and her prices are fabulous.

her customer service is great (she really does check to make sure you are happy with each product) and is sweet as can be from the experiences i have had. do me a favour and check out her collection of kind images. keep them in mind for the lovelies in your life.

her site is http://www.shirae.etsy.com/ and here are some of my favourites of her creations. each are $20.

never alone.

healing.

finally safe.

complete.

adieu, darlings!

~lu

a little somethin'

good evening friends. whew! i'm beat. mississippi's beat. seven...well, seven has a wild hair and has been rolling all over the floor since we got home. it's really cute. he looks like a bath mat. so here i am. beat. thinking about my next move.
i've been working on getting the new etsy shop up and running (i'm really excited about it), i'm also anxiously awaiting the pizza we ordered and am thoroughly enjoying my post-work beer.
i'm in a day-dreamy kind of place tonight. i'm dreaming about having a roach coach and serving my uber-comfort soups and chowders come winter time. i'm dreaming about the fall wardrobe i cannot afford to own. im fantasizing about a successful etsy shop, needle felting, books i want to catch up on, patio furniture i wish i had, and records i want to by.
i'm also trying to figure out what i want to do with this blog. perhaps make it a review blog. i fear some soul would be lost there, but then again my readership hath dwindled significantly throughout these busy months.
perhaps i will switch completely to my tumblr blog which is creative-writing based and at the moment strictly restricted (name and content) to three people. perhaps i will keep it as is. i do love my daily confessionals. it makes me feel like i'm on the real world or something...minus the really gross "reality" t.v. association.
thank you friends, for tuning in even while things have been insane and my mind has been in static-y shambles. there is so much more i want to say and share and express and dammit, i will!
adieu for now lovelies!
~lu
(pictures to come!)

daydreamer

as you know, i'm beside myself with excitement that autumn is around the corner. every morning there is a little bit more of a whisper of cooler temperatures in the air. i'm going mad from anticipation. to nurture this weirdo seasonal fetish i have, i make lists of things i wish i had to wear come that first truly crisp day. it's a long-standing tradition. so here goes...

http://www.destinationhome.etsy.com/ $50 vintage tie sweater to be worn with a camel or chocolate coloured turtleneck.

http://www.zappos.com/ frye dorado boot $498

http://www.freepeople.com/ Fp super skinny cords in rust $68

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/ ecote whipstich cross-body bag $38

http://www.anthropologie.com/ finely feathered cloche $48

roller coaster

good morning, kiddos! 'tis tuesday and i am glad glad glad that monday is over. i was really off my game yesterday. today is a new day and i was fortunate enough to watch a pretty sunrise while me and mississippi made the trek to his new job. that was really nice.
i go back to work today for the last full week of the shop's existence. weird. i can't really dwell on it anymore. the fact of the matter is i'm confronted with the very frightening prospect of unemployment very soon.
that fact in and of itself, which had me quaking in my boots yesterday, has me inspired today. not really sure why i get inspired on the day i don't have a spare second to do anything about it. i'm inspired and overwhelmed simultaneously. this roller coaster is fun, lemme tell ya! a happy more positive post is on the way, friends. i promise! perhaps this afternoon, even. i hope you enjoy your tuesdays, lovies!
adieu for now,
lu

nervous gal

good afternoon, friends. 'tis monday. i'm six hours into my day and about knee-deep in resumes and cover letters. i'm terribly nervous about walking into places today to talk to people about potentially hiring me. where has my confidence gone today? sheeesh. what is it? on my day off that i plan to do nothing but job stuff where i need confidence and a go-get-it attitude, i'm feeling like wearing jammies all day and eating cereal out of the box.
so, i figure the best thing to do is to jump right in. just typing that made me nauseous. how does one just walk in somewhere and ask to speak to someone about hiring a new employee? i don't take rejection well.
i should wear my unemployed & hungry but has a positive attitude and is a hard-worker sandwich board. references on the back. i jest. sort of.
more later friends. i'm going to try to rally. oh the butterflies are swarming in my tummy. what is the deal?
wish me luck, kiddos. later!
~lu

because

because autumn is around the corner, and autumn makes me think of ivy league colleges and co-eds and sweaters and sepia-toned snapshots from the 1920's through the early 1960's. it sets into spin a swirl of romantic images and the desire to acquire lots of fabulous iconic comforty things to surround myself with. thus begins another little list...

i love the manly things. tweed blazers and leather mules. whiskey and shaking hands after a job well done. decanters and globes and leather-bound books. guys being guys, leaning against cars and smoking hand-rolled cigarrettes. i love the girly things. tryptich vanity mirrors and something soft to wear. a good pair of heels and any perfume by chanel. sending the boys out to do something so we can have a good chat. cocktail dresses. powders, scrubs, nail polish, glosses, and shine. a hand on the small of your back leading you into a room.

lovely.

*whiskey cologne. http://www.portlandgeneralstore.etsy.com/

*chantilly perfume bottle. www.pattycakesplunder.etsy.com

the wings are wide

good morning kiddos. 'tis sunday. i'm happily ensconced in not-really-anything and am planning a potential brunch at one (if anyone i invited actually ends up coming over). last night after work mississippi and i took it easy. we went to see the new film, get low. it was amazing. very "o brother where art thou", but a drama. beautiful and poignant. it is one of my favourites i have seen in a good long while.
today i haven't moved off of the couch since getting out of bed. even little buddy is getting bored watching me catch up on the week's news and laughing at videos online.
i'm starting to accept that yes, in a matter of days i will be unemployed. but i am also looking forward to the freedoms offered to me after the shop closes. that place has been my life for three and a half years and certain aspects of my life have become almost trained. molded, as it were, to my life at that shop.
i know that sounds kind of crazy but i put my all into that business loved that business, and it dictated a lot of things in my life for a long time. now that it's rapidly disintigrating, i'm left with a sort of frightening peace about that chapter ending. i am sure it will be sad and i know i'll cry...it's what i do. but i also may have to ceremonially burn my business cards or something because i kind of feel as if i am breaking free. and that, dear ones, is always something to celebrate.
stay tuned, friends. it's going to be a page-turner.
adieu for now!
~lu

saturday

good morning friends! i'm at work for my sixth (and final) saturday at the shop. wowsers. the shop is nearly empty. i'm tired from a fun night of wine and visitin with mississippi and an old bud from high school. tonight i'm supposed to go out and celebrate a friend's birthday but i'm really feeling staying home and cleaning, organizing, and constructing the shop policies for our new etsy shop. so exciting! yes, i'm a nerd.
monday morning i'm going to file for unemployment. i'm also going to take twenty resumes out to every single bank and credit union i can find. i'm hoping a "consulting" job for an up and coming business comes through so i can make a little extra scratch on the side.
i'm optimisitic. a nice change from yesterday in which i was a frustrated crying baby. i'm looking forward to four o'clock this afternoon. then my weekend begins. i want to light candles and wash dishes and wear pajamas and have the gilmore girls on in the backgroud while i putter. i need to do some puttering.
well, i guess i should run for now. adieu lovely folks! more to come!
~lu

dos mas mas

rainy tuesday after-work cocktails. it was really really cold in there. seven turned six this week. this picture was taken moments after we sang happy birthday to him (one day late). he is such a sweet little bugger. look at that face!!

adieu friends!

~lu

photographs by n. ortolano

dos mas

sunday at canopy with mississippi. i do so love my routines. goooood pancakes, goooood company. monday at the nest. my narcissism is nicely complimented by mississippi's penchant for photography. heh. more to come, lovies!



photographs by n. ortolano

updateymans.

good morning friends. it's been another long, tough week. still no job on the horizon, but i will soon be applying for unemployment. ish kabibble. things are going well though. mississippi landed a new job and one day in, is enjoying it quite a bit. meanwhile i'm working my bootie off while the shop closes down. because of the deluge, i have been horribly remiss in the updating of my blog. sorry, guys. so here's a couple of pictures as an update.
friday night: dinner with the fishes. yes i'm wearing the princess headband i borrowed from the 2 year old's toy box. saturday at work, putting on makeup.

more pictures to come, and i will have actual things of substance to say. i just need it to calm down a little on the workfront first. from the way it's looking, i will have nothing but time in the near future.
adieu for now,
lu

photographs by n. ortolano

teeny weeny post

good morning. 'tis tuesday and i've been remiss in my daily posts. sorry friends! well, i worked all day saturday, the babysitting gig was cancelled (thank goodness, i was nervous about it). mississippi and i had some wine and chilled out. sunday we ran errands, monday i had a job interview with a maintenance company. aaand i'm still looking for a job.
it was a really long, really intense week last week. this week will be no different, i gather. i will take some time tonight to find my pictures from saturday-today and post them. so, don't go anywhere, folks.
adieu for now,
lu

stuff

good morning campers! 'tis saturday. i just awoke from a fitful night of slightly frightening dreams and am trying to get my head back in the right space before i go to work, then the babysitting gig. i'm actually nervous about the babysitting job because i haven't done it in so long and i know i'm going to be exhausted. i love kids, but i've never met these kids before. i hope it goes alright and that they don't pitch any fits or anything.
anyway, i am very much looking forward to sunday. i don't want to do anything or talk to anyone. i want to hang out at the nest and relax. maybe take an early morning walk around lake ella. i had been hoping to do that every day this week, but only made it once because of the hectic schedule and how wiped out i feel every day.
well, i have kind of been in a disappeary mood as of late. i think i'm over-stimulated. too much noise and light and did i mention noise? i've got a lot of stuff on my mind too. problem-solving kinds of things that i cannot ignore. finances, grown-up stuff. i'm handling it, i just need some quiet time.
i am half-sad that the shop will be gone soon. it's been my life for almost four years. that's probably not healthy anyway. but i really can't wait until this roller coaster is over and the new life chapter can begin.
off i run to work, friends. i hope you enjoy your beautiful weekends.
adieu for now,
lu
(pictures to come)

friday morning catch-up

good morning friends! 'tis friday. it has been a long week, i'm sorry i haven't been able to post with much substance or in a timely manner. with the shop closing, job interviews, job applications, doctor's appointments, bread-baking, and other plans (including a babysitting gig tomorrow night...after work) i've been down-right exhausted.
i did however, land one job and though it isn't the one i really wanted (still waiting to hear back from them), it is a job and come next thursday i will be working in a new place right around the corner from my current job. i really do need to practice being grateful for that. if i don't get the other job, then it simply wasn't meant to be (though it would be really cool to do). le sigh.

speaking of le sigh... i have really been in the mood to learn french lately. i believe i have mentioned before that i've wanted to learn french for about two years now. well, after reading Paris Vogue, and a Foto, a french photography magazine at the bookstore the other day, the french bug has bitten me once again. too bad those rosetta stone kits are like $350! yeah, money is tight around the nest, but it's okay. the new york savings has dwindled down to nearly nothing and thanks to a gigantic utility bill (connection fee after connection fee), my pockets hath been wringed out.

it's alright though, i may have a small yard sale at the nest before tennessee and i do the big one in september. just to make ends meet, y'know? plus, i may have a consulting gig for a new shop opening up and as i mentioned earlier, i am babysitting saturday night after work for a customer from the shop. it's been a long time since i've done that and i think i may have to google "what to do when babysitting two boys under the age of 8". breezing past the options that have me huddled in a corner, eating my hair by the end of the evening. heh.

well, the needle felting obsession is still going strong. i mentioned the other day that i found a website that features eco-sound wool and i'm tickled about it. it's called http://www.weirdollsandcrafts.com/ and features new zealand wool which i love. have i mentioned that i have a slight obsession with all things new zealand? um yeah, i love the quirk and that country is just quirk and a half. love it!
well, i reckon it's time for me to get ready for work. the last days of the shop. weeeeeird. it used to be such a magical place. a really beautiful time. it's sad to see it go like this. but every chapter must end eventually, right? i am going to try to remember only the good stuff. the happy magic stuff. the sparkly, ethereal, sweet-smelling memories. that's all one can do, i think.
adieu for now friends! i hope your fridays and weekends are just wonderful! much love!
~lu
pictures:
top: tuesday at a red light on my way to the doctor.
middle: wednesday on my way to a job interview. she's sassy, i'll give her that.
bottom: thursday night's chicken pot pie casserole. comfort food for trying times.

foto

monday's picture: by n. ortolano. i was cleaning and organizing (and feng shui-ing) the house all night last night and found my favourite bird whistle. ahem. i love that whistle.

martes madness

good morning friends! 'tis tuesday, and i'm already ready for another day off. the shop closing is rather stressful and insane and each day i have off is so productive and fun. it's easy to see why i lean toward the day off. but, if i'm not careful i will surely have my wish because i cannot seem to find a new job.
yesterday mississippi and i ran errands. the bank, the nursery (a new pot and a new plant!), the hippie store for an amethyst (my birthstone and helpful in feng shui); and we drove around looking for places to apply. i applied at publix (that's a grocery store chain in the southeast to anyone reading this who isn't from the southeast). hmm.
now i'm going to get ready for work and go apply at another place before i go in. i need to print my resume and get to gettin'. i really do have more to say, just not enough time to say it this morning! i'll post again tonight for safe measure.
adieu for now!
~lu
p.s. i found a great eco site for my felting supplies and i'm super excited about it. will share tonight. xo

magpie monday

good morning friends. 'tis monday. i had a very long saturday and after work stayed in bed from 5pm until late the next morning. sheesh. today i am off work and about to start looking for jobs again.
honestly, i'm starting to try to come up with ways to make money on the side just in case i can't find something right away (all the while trying not to panic).
anyway, not much is going on at the nest today. mississippi and i plan on stopping by the nursery to buy a couple pots for our plants because they are getting to big for their britches, literally. i'm thinking i may try to get a salad garden together. i don't know. i'm easily distracted today and that is driving me bonkers. well, it is until something sparkly catches my eye. heh.
i'm going to be looking for more needle felting accoutrements today (when i'm not trying to find a new job or cleaning the house or running errands). wish me luck! i swear i will be more focused in a later post.

top picture: sunday, little man keeping me company.

bottome picture: by n. ortolano. saturday at the end of the work day.

adieu kiddies!

~lu

saturday round-up

picture time! good morning friends, 'tis saturday. the shop announced officially yesterday that it is indeed closing. i am indeed looking for a new job still. the interview was terrifying. well, not the interview itself but the job itself.

so here i am waiting for my breakfast to cook and then mississippi and i are both heading to work. i'm not really looking forward to it today. my patience keeps getting tested. i won't go into how or how often but it's going to be a long saturday. i'm really excited about coming home after work and relaxing.

aaanyway, here are thursday and friday's pictures. now, i took my own pictures those two days but when beginning to post them, realized that i liked mississippi's pictures better. here are the reasons.

#1. thursday's picture. only mississippi could make my thursday night injury look pretty. don't look if you can't stand blood. it's not a lot but i know how i can be about it. woooooooozy.

#2. friday's picture. i was going to post one of my friend's baby who i haven't seen since february. now he's big, and fat and sweet as pie. but then mississippi took one of my new felting project and...well, i'm keen on my new felting project. so there. is that bad? hope not. because i like the little gnomey house i'm working on.

well, i better hit the bricks. gotta work while i still have a job.

adieu for now friends! enjoy your beautiful saturdays!

~lu

mood.

good afternoon, friends. 'tis thursday and i'm a little out of it today. i realized this morning that i've been a little depressed lately. money and job stuff on my mind. ick. it has had me thinking a lot of what i would like to do for a living; and while the immediate satisfaction of a paycheck doing some mindless office work sounds nice. a paycheck in general sounds amazing actually; i still keep fantasizing about working from home and one day have property somewhere beautiful with a big honkin' art studio in a barn. then i get a call from my dad about a friend that works as a stylist for a magazine in reno, nv and i begin to wish i could have her job. i feel like i have a bit of talent but not quite enough to do anything i want to do. all signs point to a situational depression. ew. get it off get it off! i don't like that kind of bug.
tomorrow morning i have my second job interview. i really want to be excited but i'm not. the hours are insane and i'd have to work something like 3 saturdays a month, 9 hour shifts. i should just be excited i got a call-back and not be worried about how exhausting a schedule like that can be. i should just be happy. my optimism tank is running a little low today because of some inconsiderate comments i have recieved this morning which is making that tank run even lower. yuck!
what i would really like to be doing right now? taking art classes, welding classes, learning carpentry skills, making felt projects, and planting my container garden. that's all i really want today. *sigh*
i promise i will cheer up. sorry for the venting. picture to come later. there will be an upswing i promise...i hope! wish me luck friends. i hope your thursdays are quite lovely and calm and nothing like my thursday. heh.
adieu for now,
lu

my first needle felting project

the steps it took to complete my little felted watermelon slice! yay! i think it's cute.

pictchas

monday afternoon after piddling around the bookstore for a while. mississippi turned my picture black & white. i think it looks nice.

tuesday. iiii don't really know what else to say.

sniffle & waller

hello there friends. 'tis wednesday and i am unfortunately at home under the weather. yucky sinusy cold. there isn't too much going on in these parts right now. still looking for a job, still organizing the house yadda yadda yadda.
for the past few days though i've been couchin' it and wallerin' in bed watching reruns of burn notice and sleeping. isn't that a lovely image? i smell as good as i sound too, lemme tell ya.
aaaanyway, i did recieve my needle felting kit yesterday and spent some time this morning felting a 2-D watermelon slice. heh. that's a funny sentence to write.
so, for now i will go. i will be posting monday through wednesday's photographs shortly.
adieu for now kiddos!
~lu

sunday on monday

so i took this picture with me cell phone which is why it is so fuzzy. the point of it is though, to depict a fraction of the amount of jewelry-making accoutrements i have at one time. insanity. there's a whole other box of stuff that's not even in the picture. ish kabibble. i'm going to start googling jewelry ideas posthaste. adios!

saturday on monday

on saturday mississippi and i went over to apalachicola for a fabulous birthday party for a friend of the family. it rained the ENTIRE way. i'm not talking sprinkles folks, i'm talking cats & friggin' dogs. the kind of rain where you're tense the whole drive and can't see more than a few feet in front of the car. well, as we pulled up to eastpoint, it miraculously stopped and we had ten minutes of clearish skies as we drove to the island. it made for moody photographs, of which i am always quite fond of.
photograph by n. ortolano

i'm giving this a title

good morning friends. 'tis monday and i'm not feeling 100% but i'm hanging in. i have had a very busy weekend hence no posts since friday morning. but all is well. i'm still looking for a new job. getting a little concerned entering my second week of applying to no avail. but i'm trying to remain optimistic.
the nest is becoming ground zero for budget-crunch time. the place where bread-baking, crafting, hopefully canning and maybe even a container garden will be helping to keep our heads above water if nothing pans out on the job front. that's both frightening and super duper exciting.
on a basically unrelated note, i took several hours yesterday and organized my jewelry-making kit (picture to follow in later post). i knew i had a lot of stuff but, wowsa! this was ridiculous. lots and lots and lots of beads. oh the beads i have!
so, i now have decided that i must use every piece that is in that kit and make something to sell on my old etsy shop to bring home a little extra scratch. that means i probably have to get to gettin'. wish me luck kiddos!
adieu for now,
lu

felt & optimism & resumes & silly moods & french films

good morning, campers! 'tis friday and just completed four more applications. or was it five? i can't remember anymore. anyway, so i didn't get the job i interviewed for on wednesday but i'm cool with that. the energy was rather stifled i felt. plus they looked at me like i was ru paul when i walked in the joint. *sigh* something will turn out. i'm really trying to stay optimistic and not freak out. at least i know i can get a paycheck for the minimum of another week, hopefully longer than that.

on a fun note, i ordered my needle felting starter kit from amazon yesterday. it was $11, otherwise i wouldn't have spent any money on it. i figure if i invest $11 into something i could have fun doing in my downtime then i won't get so down about the job market.

last night i organized the nest for hours! it is beginning to look really great. the bedroom is cozy and dark as a cave come early morning light. the art room is half art, 1/8 yard sale storage, 1/4 my art stuff, and 1/8 stuff i have to yet to unpack. soooo, progress!

i have two more days of work this week. having thursday off really helped my psyche. i got several more resumes and applications filled out. i still have to finish setting up my monster.com profile because it's one of those things that's terribly daunting to me and as soon as i sit down to do it i want to just cry or nap or run away and join a band of gypsies.

it's not always easy being a free-spirit that needs a steady paycheck. it's a comedy of errors actually. ha!

well, kiddies. i'm in a truly fabulous (and silly) mood today as i'm sure you noticed. i'm going to make some breakfast, wrastle with the little buddy, and me and mississippi are heading off to work (while we still got it!).

adieu for now, beautiful people!

~lu

top picture: yesterday as mississippi and i went to see micmacs a tire-larigot. a wonderful french comedy caper. check it out at miracle!

bottom picture: the early morning clouds through one of the windows at the top of the vaulted ceilings at the nest. i love my morning time!

our happy loaves

wednesdays successful bread-baking. yaaay!

make that bread...and that dough

good morning, friends. 'tis thursday. i took a personal day from the shop to work on applying for more jobs. i'm going to be honest and say it is incredibly intimidating, daunting, frustrating, and well...scary. the optimist that has control of me the majority of the time also finds it exciting. a little adventure. something akin to being dangled barefoot above a pond full of pirhanas. heh.
i am trying not to be freaked out that i may not find a job by mid-august or even by the end of august. i had that interview yesterday and i can't say that either of us got the best vibe about one another. i was really hoping for at least SOMETHING to pop up from the work i've been putting into this. but i've put in many many resumes and am in the dull process of adding my resume to monster.com. ish kabibble.
what i dream for is working from home. i know...doesn't everyone? but seriously. i dream about writing and making art and running a successful etsy store. of course, i can't say i think that would feasibly happen by mid-august seeing as it's the 5th already; but in theory it could one day happen. at least i hope so.
money is on my mind. a new apartment, a student loan, a credit card, a storage unit. bills to pay. yadda yadda.
on a positive note, because i simply HAVE to have one, i'm very inspired to live more simply. have been for a while. tennessee and i are planning our second yard sale. i don't expect to make as much as i did last time, but i have high hopes nonetheless. i'm going to cut a lot more out of my storage unit for it this time. that's inspiring.
tennessee and i also have been inspired to be more domestic to save money. we have our southern matriarch influences that we never have taken advantage of in our adult states. that is until we began to mutally commiserate about the economy, money, budgets etc. so yesterday she decided we should bake bread to save money. great idea! we made an amish white bread and heavens it's delicious! it cost hardly nothing to make (especially if you happen to have the basic ingredients at your house) and it tastes deeeelicious. just had a big honking slice for breakfast.
we are going to try a new recipe every week. i get to pick next week's recipe and i'm tickled about it. well, i reckon that's all for now. pictures are coming! stay tuned!
i hope your day is beautiful!
adieu,
lu

just stuff mostly

happy wednesday campers! i am in a good place today. a little wonky, like i slept too hard. i had some wildly strange dreams last night. in fact, i have been having wildly strange dreams for about a week or so now. it makes me feel more like myself after not having many or any for quite some time. now my brain is back in problem-solving & creativity mode and my dreams totally reflect that.
anyway, i did more resume stuff yesterday. i've applied to about ten places so far. i got a call back for an interview yesterday at a pest control place for a front desk office managery-type position. i go in today at lunch. i'm actually nervous about it; but i look cute today, and at least i got one call back right? that makes me feel a teeny bit better even if i don't get the job. plus i'm totally rusty on my interview skills because i usually just sweet talk my way into a job...so this will be good practice.
other than that my mind has been in that cozy creativity space in my head. meanwhile, the nest is in need of some MAJOR organization. i think i will set the timer tonight and try to get at it for at least 15-30 minutes so i feel like i did something, at least. baby steps. baby steps.
well, i'll let y'all know how the interview went. i feel silly that i'm nervous. ish kabibble.
much love, friends. enjoy this beatufiul day.
adieu,
lu

needle in a felt stack

and in case you were wondering a little about what could possibly be made by needle felting... well, here's some links from etsy.com.

http://www.roommate.etsy.com/
*birdies

http://www.janicecordeiro.etsy.com/
*pumpkins!

http://www.pammydawn.etsy.com/
*hydrangea hair pins

crafttastic.

if this fuzzy picture of this fuzzy buddy isn't proof enough of my mental state, then the fact that my baby boy is sitting in front of the laptop searching craigslist for jobs for mommy should be. i spent the entire day yesterday doing the resume thing. i feel good about it, but i also feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to send out as many as i would like to. i also haven't heard from anyone yet. that's frustrating too.
i shouldn't be surprised though. the economy is what it is. i just wish i had something concrete to grasp as my next step. *breathe* i'm an optimist. i can do it.
an interesting effect of this unbelievably stressful venture is that my creativity has been kicked into high gear. all i can think about are projects i want to do and try and make and sell on my etsy store. oh yes, that ole etsy store that i have had on hiatus for nearly the entire year. it still exists. i spent about an hour or so yesterday looking through all my how-to's at the nest. i've found a craft (a what?! that's right, a craft) that i'm interested in learning. as creative as i am, i've never really been crafty. i paint folky art sometimes, make odd jewelry on occassion, write poetry and short stories and decorate like a fiend; but i'm not crafty per se. lately, though i've been really intrigued to learn how to needle felt.
okay so here's something weird about me. i love beautiful things. i admire crafty people. knitters, potters, quilters, stain-glass makers etc. my mind often wanders down very crafty roads. i, however have never found anything crafty that hearkens to my pragmatic side enough to inspire me to try it. my mom makes beautiful brightly-coloured quilts. quilts are practical! i love that. but i'll be damned if i can sit still long enough to plan out and make a quilt.
i have several gal pals that knit and crochet. practical as well. i get hats and scarves as gifts. again, that's something, come the apocolypse that will benefit people. just like the quilts.
okay, then there's me. i write. i sometimes paint. i take broken jewelry and piece it together in weird ways. and while yes, a written documentation of the apocolypse could come in handy for future generations... in theory, it isn't really something that can keep you warm at night.
all of this to say, needle felting has recently begun to greatly appeal to me. i don't know why because it isn't practical. it's just kind of neato. there is something comforting about felt to me and all the funny things you can make with it are interesting. oh but i digress.
back to my practical side. i do want to relearn how to can fresh fruits and veggies again. i haven't done it in about 15 years since i was in an unbelievably hot kitchen in north carolina with my mee-maw standing over a giant pot of scalding water and mason jars filled with homegrown green beans. sounds awful, but it was wonderful. i have chutneys and jams and tomatos and beans and all kinds of delicious recipes to enjoy this winter buzzing around in my head. it's the perfect combination of creative and pragmatic. something that will benefit someone but is also aesthetically pleasing and/or an epicurean delight.
so there. those are the two things that are swirling in my mind in creative ways since being inundated with the outrageously stressful task of finding a new job.
heh. it's a long one today, eh? enjoy your tuesday, lovies!
adieu for now,
~lu

caught up

monday: wearin' my favourite hat while i update the photos for the bloggimans. sorry i was so tardy, readers!

sunday: en route to the chateau for final sweeps and bobbin' with mississippi and tennessee.

a little bit mo

saturday night outside the bookstore. ole abandoned hornet's nest.

picture tsunami

friday: working away at the shop. sale week. ergh.

thursday: b & ricardo learning facebook at family dinner. heh. so cute.

july picture catch-up

tuesday picture: someone painted my toenails for me. heh.

wednesday: early morning at the nest with little buddy.

teeny static post

good morning friends. 'tis monday. i'm a little on edge, considering i have been emailing resumes for almost an hour and not feeling the most awesome vibes about it. the job search has me stressed out and a little frightened. i need something soon. especially with the new lease signed for the nest. but i'm an optimist and i will keep my head up. send me some positive thoughts and energies, on that front, friends. heck, send me some potential job info while you're at it! ha!
today i am off from work from the shop. it's a good thing because i'm still exhausted from last week. i have a long list of stuff to get done at the nest. organizing, cleaning,hanging artwork, laundry, dishes, yadda yadda yadda. it's kind of nice to delve into it to give my poor mind a break.
more to come, lovies.
adieu for now,
lu

ssssunday

good morning sunday. good grief! yesterday was a long day. sale at the store. successful but tiring. after work mississippi and i grabbed 2 for 1 margaritas, cruised the bookstore, visited my friend in the hospital, then watched movies at the nest. today is my first day of my weekend. the little buddy let us sleep in late and mississippi and i are now planning a trip over to our favourite diner for our favourite sunday funday tradition. fooooooooooooooooood.
the art room at the nest is filled with miscellaney from the chateau and will be tackled at some point in the next 48 hours because clutter drives me mad. even when it's in another room entirely.
well, i am still waiting for some pictures from last week. tuesday through today, actually. but they will be up here. i don't like being behind in my photo project. *sigh*
alrighty then, more to come when my mind settles down a bit. it's a swirley crooked room lined in those warbled funhouse mirrors right now.
adieu for now,
lu