Mars is in the house of ..well something....

Why am I up? So my husband wakes me with "hey come see this!" what?? It's one am!!! "you gotta come see this! Mars is in the sky!" what? "Mars, it's here, and it won't be here for another 200 blah blah blah something years" grumbles ok show me... "there look!" where? "there!" That? "no that's a star" that??? "no that's another star!" well that then? "NO, that's a plane!!!" fine where is it??? "there see, right there, that little light!!!!!" What the hell, that? You woke me for that? I was more excited to see the plane! Jeeze wake me when there's coffee! grumble grumble grumble... Night everyone.....zzzzz.....

Treasure Hunting at the Thrift Store

Ok, I have to admit it.  I am a Thrift Store junkie!  I love to dig through Goodwill or the Salvation Army for gently used treasures.  I have made several fun discoveries like brand-new Ferragamo shoes for 5$, A Tommy Hilfiger dress for $4, and Eddie Bauer and Abercrombie & Fitch sweaters for $4 each (with new tags still on it).  No one would realize I didn't pay top dollar for these things unless I confessed.  I also admit to having some gorgeous pieces of Spode, Enesco and Bradford Exchange sitting on my shelves.    I have been happily surprised to find teenagers roaming the racks looking for name brands in the jeans and dresses.  Everyone is this economy should at least consider checking out their local thrift stores these days.  If you see me there, say HI don't be shy!

My Enesco Bunny

How do you find your inspiration?

I thought I would share my little pink book with everyone today.  I am always looking for inspiration in the things around me, and sometimes that just doesn't seem to help.  So one day I started my little pink book.  I took a blank journal and some old magazines and started cutting out pictures that caught my eye.  Some pages I arranged by color, some by type (like flowers).  But, mostly I just splashed things on in random order.  Later I take my book and right down a few words in the blank spaces about what each picture makes my feel or think about.  Maybe even jot down some beading ideas in the margins.  Now I find that when the artistic magic just isn't flowing, I sit down and look over my little pink book and get my spark back.
Here you will see just a couple of the pages inside:

Digital Camera Play

I decided it was time I figure out what my digital camera can actually do. You know, all those gazillion of settings that always overwhelm a person. I took a hard look at the pictures I had been taking of my beads and crafts and realized that I could really improve on the quality. After reading a lot, and messing around with settings, I realized that I actually enjoy taking pictures. I practiced and I have to say that my camera is a lot more impressive than I thought it was. Sorry little camera, guess it was pilot error after all.



On another note: This week the kids will be starting school, which means I have 2 weeks until I start my last year of college. I think I will spend the next weeks organizing my craft areas. Take alook at my glass making area, what a mess. Messy areas make for a messy mind, right? I feel overwhelmed at the prospect of cleaning, but I think I can do it. Have a great week all, enjoy the quiet house while the kids are at school everyone!