Still No Armadillo

Remember Gourdy?

I got a friend for him today.

His mustache reminds me of Snoopy’s brother, so I named him Spike.

He is Gourdy’s Uncle Spike.

He makes me laugh.

♥

I also picked up a few children’s books (big surprise).

I found two small Wilton cake pans too.

The pans are oval – perfect for making Easter egg cakes next spring – and they were a steal at two for a dollar.

The price was extended to me because the vendor was an acquaintance of my brother’s.

It pays to hang with a sibling who knows the sellers by their first names.  🙂

♥

My favorite find of the day is this chippy yellow bundt pan.

It was dirty and neglected when I found it.

It astounds me that people can’t be bothered to scrub a bit before tossing things into the donate pile.  Gross.  Sad.

I’m not sure how well it will actually bake, given the abuse it suffered from its previous owner, but I love it up there on the wall above my spice rack!

I will try it out over the holidays, for sure.

A few months ago, I bought a small red bundt pan that hangs on the opposite wall.

It’s chippy too.

I love them both.

♥

That’s all.

Happy Sunday!

♥

P.S. Look at this:

I tossed some leftover ground cover into a planter pot a few weeks ago.

I actually thought it was dead.

I guess I was wrong.

Happy Surprise.

♥♥

Thrift Store Redo

A few weeks ago, I bought a plastic burro at a thrift store.  😐

If you’re a regular reader, then you may remember that I have a weakness for little plastic farm animals.

I wasn’t going to buy this one, but he was perched on a ledge about six feet off the ground and he caught my eye.

I held him for a moment, then I put him back and tried to chuckle off my impulse to purchase.  He had lived a rough life and it showed.  I didn’t need him, so I left him on the ledge and walked away.

I wandered through the rest of the store, trying in futility to look for other treasures.  I was distracted all the while and almost certain that I heard him braying my name.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it.  I had to go and get him.  I rushed back, overcome with anxiety, and was relieved to see that no one else had scooped him up in my moment of parental neglect.  He was meant to be my baby and I had left him alone.  😳  I wouldn’t do it again.

I paid twenty-five cents and brought him home.  Twenty-five cents!

And this week?

This week, I named him Donkey Xote.

And I painted him a house – a colorful, cheery house with a night sky, so he can rest and dream…

♥

Before:

After:

♥

Happy Friday!

♥♥

Being Frank

It’s late in the day and the house is dark.

I wish it would rain some more.

I have not been motivated to write this week month and the rain makes me feel less guilty about it.  More cozy, less guilty.

We’ve had a lot going on, but I think the writing slump is because I feel anxious and off my game.

And repetitive.

Did I tell you this already?

I feel the holidays rolling in really fast and I’m nervous that I’m going to miss them.

I always feel like my house won’t be clean in time, you know?

And I definitely feel like there isn’t enough money to do the holidays right.

Of course, these are well worn anxieties, so I’m not sure why I haven’t learned coping skills for them yet.

But I haven’t.

Well, unless you count online Scrabble.  😀

♥

Anyhoo…

in other news, I started making a friend for Sergio.

This is what he looks like so far:

I’m calling him Frank, because his seedy underbelly is held together by thick, crazy hand stitches.

He looks a little like a monster at this point.

To be truthful, I must admit that this is a pretty normal construction method for me.

I squish and stretch, then ugly-stitch and fiber fill the body until it feels right and holds together.

Since the final clothing is stitched on too, no one sees this patchwork of sewing underneath.

Well, until now.  Why did I post these pictures?

Welcome to Frankenstein’s sewing secrets. 

But I gotta do what I gotta do.

It’s not a science.  (Maybe a mad science – heh heh.)

It’s probably not an art either.

I’ll let you be the judge of that, but if you share your critique, I might ignore it.

The entire body is wired and can be posed (like Sergio).

Ultimately, I will cut the twist of wire at the top and use it to attach a styrofoam/papier mache head.

I have no idea how I will paint his face.

I also don’t know what fabrics I will choose for his clothing.

The only thing I know for sure about my creatures, is that they amuse me.

I would probably make more if I thought someone would buy them.

But I don’t think that.

I surf etsy and ebay enough to know that my crap wouldn’t smell sell any better than the next girl’s.

It’s all about luck and timing.  Oh, and probably aggressive marketing.

I can’t really control those first two and I’m not so good at sales.

So, there you have it, my not-a-plan.

Truly, I should have started Halloween creatures several months ago.

Whatever.

♥

What else?

Wanna buy a patch of Kansas grassland?

Seriously, my family and I have a few for sale.

No, really, we do.

Send me a note if you’re interested.

♥

Okay, see what I mean about being off my game?

My brain is jumping around.  A lot.

As is frequently the case, when I tell you in an e-mail or on facebook that I’ve updated the blog again, I will feel a brief moment of shame for assuming you give a rat’s behind about this awkward ramble.

Why ever would you?

Except that it’s me, and I am convinced that none among you are strangers.

All eight of you are friends.  Or family.  Right?

Right.

Maybe a few more than eight.

Something better in the next few days.

I swear.

Happy Friday.

♥

P.S.  I’m serious about that Kansas land.

You interested?

♥♥

#12 – Things I sorta already knew…

but learned again this month:

1. Undercooked onion rings are a huge disappointment.
2. Even if you buy the Mother’s Day cards a week early, you won’t get them out on time.
3. My son won’t eat the second pop-tart in the pack.  Doesn’t matter when he opened it.  The second one is no good.
4. I can leave my house, get to See’s Candies, hand pick selections for an entire one pound box, get out of the store and be home again in less than thirty minutes.  And only two minutes of that is for candy decisions.
5. Whenever I buy new sheets, I have to pay full price.  No matter what size, what color, fitted, flat, cases or shams, what I want is NEVER on the clearance rack.
6. I feel calmer when there are at least four avocados and ten tomatoes in the house.
7. Clothing designers do not know how to dress full figured women.
8. The rarely encountered super sweet watermelon is well worth the cash you waste on all the ones you hoped were good, but found were not.
9. My son is really tall and there are no pants in the world that fit his tiny waist and still go all the way to his feet.  (Insert chuckle for Mom’s story about altering my older brother’s pants to fit my middle brother’s smaller waist.  By the time she was through taking them in, the pants’ pockets met in the back.)
10. If you really want to post something, you will find a few minutes in your day.  😀
11. Some people have nothing better to do than criticize their neighbors.
12. There is not enough blank wall space in our house.  We need a big family photo gallery somewhere.
13. Just when you think you have recovered from the disappointment of accidentally breaking something in your kitchen, you will break something else.  Seriously.  Two utensil crocks.  Ten minutes apart.  Smashed ’em both.
14. It’s not a good idea to buy any of those cold salads at the deli counter in the grocery store.
15. I kinda love chickens.  And weird wooden shelf things.  And blue paint.

Happy Saturday.  🙂

♥

P.S. Got all the little chickies a few years ago in a shop on Olvera Street.  So fun.  You should go there.

♥♥