It is Damn Hard to Get A Picture of Your Foot

Honestly, no pictures of feet are very attractive, but this is the best I could do. My apologies.

I made myself an ankle bracelet today. Well, actually I made it the other day, and since I am math and pattern impaired, the charms were all over the place. My mom took one look at it, counted it out and told me how many chains between each charm, and where to start. That's why I love her. So, I did it and now I have some pretty body jewelry. I don't think I've ever had an ankle bracelet, so now's the time!

I have to get working on something for my sister. I can't think of what to make. The current item I tried to make is making me feel like a retarded giraffe. I can't get it to work out, no matter how hard I try. Ah well, I like to keep busy, so something will hit me eventually.

And, after multiple tries at things, I went for these earrings. Pretty and delicate, but with a little black onyx bead to make 'em more tough. Hope my sister likes them!

It was a rainy night last night, so I decided to tear apart some old jewelry and make something new out of it. The necklace was an old piece of junk filled with those leaf charms. I removed most of them, and made the chain 1/2 as long. To embellish it a little, I added a heart charm. The long silver earrings had an ugly old pearl bead dangle on them that most of the pearl paint had worn off, so I snipped those off and added some silver beads I had in my stash. The other earrings were part of a kit that I used, and added some silver jump rings and tiny green beads to each ring. It all turned out pretty good, and gave me something to do on a rainy night! I love taking junk I already have laying around the house and refurbing it into something new!a rainy night last night, so I decided to tear apart some old jewelry and make something new out of it. The necklace was an old piece of junk filled with those leaf charms. I removed most of them, and made the chain 1/2 as long. To embellish it a little, I added a heart charm. The long silver earrings had an ugly old pearl bead dangle on them that most of the pearl paint had worn off, so I snipped those off and added some silver beads I had in my stash. The other earrings were part of a kit that I used, and added some silver jump rings and tiny green beads to each ring. It all turned out pretty good, and gave me something to do on a rainy night! I love taking junk I already have laying around the house and refurbing it into something new!

Crafting While Riding A Roller Coaster

Ups and downs- that's what it is all about. Damn the roller coaster, but thankfully today, I got some good news about my daughter, and it's helping bring on a really happy mood! Even though it is shitty outside, I am jumping for joy and feeling crafty again!

Hello, mania- my favorite friend!

And so, in the spirit, and so happy for my daughter, I made a necklace out of a chain decoration thingy. It used to hang on a dress. I took it apart, re-put it together, and now Em is wearing it and smiling. Success!

The Happily Ever After (for now)

Nothing Like An Impulse Buy!

There is nothing like an impulse buy of new shoes to make you feel like a girl again. No matter how you are feeling, having a new pair of pretty shoes makes you happy. So, a new pedicure and some pretty lavender shoes have improved my mood on this gray day! Now, if only the weather would cooperate so I could wear them without freezing!

With every high, comes a low

With every mania, comes a resulting low. Today's low is a result of brain chemistry, rain, doctor appointments and female hormones. What a combination......

Mania Has Its' High Points

I can feel a mania coming on. It begins in my belly, right below my breastbone, where my ribs come together. I breathe faster, my heart beats faster, and I can get a LOT of stuff done. I've been somewhat manic today. It's evident in the fact that I've been busy until my body is exhausted, but my mind won't turn off. I like manias much better than their alternative. The house is cleaner, I feel thinner, happier, more energetic, I get crafty, etc. But, I also hate that I can't turn it off when I want to.

Thank the universe for smart doctors and their vast expanse of drugs that help me control these manias, and bring them down from their big roller coaster highs, to small dips. Luckily, my bipolar II is on the manic side, and NOT the depressive (although I have those periods, too). Not sure what kicked this one in, but I had fun playing dress up with my clothes (and fitting into/trying on things I haven't fit into in a while!). I am going to think of my mania as a visitor. It's awesome when it comes, but I'm somewhat grateful when it leaves, although I look forward to its' next visit. :)

So, I'll ride this mania tonight, until my meds kick in and I can chill out. Trying to be a calm, relaxed person is not my normal, natural state- but it is sort of a goal right now. However, I can't see chill from here right now.

Poke Hole Art and a T-Shirt Recon

I am cheap. Let's face it. Lately, I have been interested in making things out the vast collection of odds and ends that I already have laying around the house. I have always been a collector. My mother recalls me being a garbage picker all the way back from first grade. So, instead of buying things to make, I am diving in to the piles already in my house to fulfill my craving to make things. I find it is most fulfilling to make things and then give them away, but this time, only one of these will make it to a new owner.

Yesterday, I finished up an art project that my youngest daughter and I made together. I found on old, glass-less brown frame in the basement. That, plus glossy black spray paint made the frame look brand new. I printed a pretty botanical coloring page, and laid it over a sheet of printer paper, and began poking holes along the coloring lines, when my youngest daughter came over and took the project away. She completed all the holes in the lines, and when you peel it away and flip it over, it looks like a pretty, lacy print. I put it on foamcore to back it, and while it may be hard to see in the picture, it is very pretty. Next time, perhaps we will use colored paper. The fact that she made this herself, makes this an extra-special project. I love it more for that reason.




And, I attempted my very first t-shirt recon! I had a man's 2X gigantic Violent Femmes concert t-shirt that I used to sleep in. I laid it out with a form-fitting t-shirt over it, and drew a chalk line where I wanted it taken in. I also took up the sleeves (with my mom's help!) about 2 and 1/2 inches. The whole thing still looked pretty plain, so I cut a V-neck into it, and pasted it down with heat-n-bond. Now, while the shirt itself is faded and still sort of junky, IT FITS LIKE A GLOVE (pardon my pathetic attempt at a photo).

This was my first test for a shirt recon, so that I can do this on some of my other shirts. Saving money, and getting new clothes out of the deal sounds good to me. 2 art projects in 1 day out of things laying around the house. I call that a successful day!

Collages of Emilee

As part of the 8th grade culminating project, my daughter has been asked to have me provide a letter to her. In addition to doing a letter, I made these collages to go with it. I'm very proud of them, and she is so gorgeous, I couldn't bear to have them only on display in her autobiography book, so here they are. It feels so much better to have something creative to do EVERY DAY!

Sun, Sun, Sun-----Here It Comes

I cannot believe how much the sun has made an impact on my mood! I have to remember this during the dark days of winter, and maybe invest in one of those special sun lamps. As I was thinking about this, I was noticing sun motifs around me. I have a sun tattooed on my back, it's my badge of honor, and based on a telling dream I had a few years ago. I love to lay out in the sun for hours, and I have a large book wreath (made of old book pages) in the shape of a sun hanging in my dining area.

I have a small silver sun 3D sculpture hanging in my kitchen and a large iron sun decorative wall hanging outside my house by the pool. Maybe subconsciously, this is the theme I am looking for. A new day, a new SUNNY day.

I am going to continue to add suns to my home (and my body?). The sun idea makes me want to think about painting my kitchen some sort of sunny, golden color. The color it is now- a horrible olive green. I need more sunshine in my life, and I like to keep busy. I'll have to look for a kitchen color now that makes me smile.

Leopard Attack!

Today we have been sitting around, while my middle daughter has the flu. While she napped, I took a 2X leopard print sweater that I couldn't wear without it looking like a giant block, and made it smaller. This was a total freehand job, so it isn't perfect. Then, with some of the cut off fabric from the sides, so I ruffled up the neck! I am pretty proud of it, even though it isn't perfect. Not bad for a $4 dollar sweater from Walmart!

*photo courtesy of my "please don't make me do this" 7 year old son.

My First Post

This is my first personal blog, and I'm not even sure where to begin. It seems I am entering a new chapter in life, or life is "unfolding" as it were, and so I have decided to throw it all on a blog, rather than allow it roll around in my head. I have had gigantic changes in my life, all in the space of a few months, and so this blog is going to become the external hard drive of my mind, in order to save space for some of the bigger thoughts, such as "what will life hold next?"

It seems I am continuing to develop and change, and as part of this, I am going to begin by "playing" with my clothing, partly because it truly delights my friend, Julie, and I could use some delight in my life. Quite often, I run around in my typical "uniform" of jeans, t-shirt and sneakers, so I am interested in the process of shopping my closet.

Part 1 is to put my closet in order, so that Julie can come over and go through it and show me what to wear. Becoming stylish in a way that suits me is part of the change that I have decided to go through, in order to discover who, and what I am all about.

What on earth can be made of the clothes in this closet?