The week started with me looking at the sticker in the windshield and realizing that it said 6--and the month was now definitely 7. Crap. I tried three inspection stations with no luck (machine on the fritz, on vacation, full up) before realizing I probably wouldn't pass anyway--there was that pesky "position bulb failure" message I'd been ignoring for, oh, about 5 months. 2 full days and $860 later (new brakes? bye, bye, stimulus money!), I'm finally legal again.

It's amazing how one little thing--that stupid sticker--can lead to a crescendo of crapola.


.....and then I remembered today's tag sales. Thank god for cheap thrills. I came away with tons of vintage costume chains, some antique skeleton keys, and a lovely antique milk jug.


Now I just have to decide if I'm going to use it all for parts or keep some for me.

Hey, I've been featured on a blog!


from that blog, I found an article on the time movement, and I have to say I'm all for it. I'd rather work less and consume less than work more to get stuff that's going to hang in the back of my closet.

these bears are totally on sale check them out
from <a from julscrafts


littlesunny's shop

fromLittlesunny's shop


all American mickey mouse from apagefromthepast

I could here and see the firework's tonite, first I thought "And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air..."
then my thought as I heard the sound and smelled the sulfur
was there are people who hear these sounds but it means war
in our country it's the sound of Independence and Freedom.
Over the years many stories of people away from our country and their joy when they finally through what ever struggle first catch sight of our flag what a wonderful secure thing "Red,White and Blue"
Happy 4th people!!
LostRiverRags




go shop, stimulate the economy LOL
LittleSun

ArT2ThEeXtReMe In ThE PrEsS

Little Lilly Lemonade loves lemons. Especially when they are sprinkled with sugar. The tart citrus is perfect for a bright summer's day, and if things don't go her way... well Lilly can just make Lemonade! This vibrant picture is sunny and sweet and perfect for a cheerful room.

Here is my contribution for Illustration Friday. I'm ahead of my game this week, as I usually don't have anything to contribute until about Thursday... and then I only have half a day before the new topic is announced! But I was able to raid Tootsie and Grace to get little Lilly, and I think this illustration is perfect for the topic of Sour. Though, she is a little more sweet than sour, isn't she?

This 8 x 8 print is of a colored pencil and permanent marker illustration on Strathmore drawing paper. The design belongs to my three year old... and illustrated by me.

Here is Gracie hard at work. I love how she smiles when she draws! The sign of a true artist, finding joy in her work as she creates!

Although, I have to tell you a little secret... moments after Gracie drew this adorable little girl, she handed it to me and said, "Here Mom. I drew a pair of scissors."

I looked down at the paper and said, "Um... Gracie, this looks like a little girl." to which Gracie replied, "No, that is a pair of scissors with a happy face."

I used my artistic license to turn this pair of scissors with a happy face into little Lilly and her lemon. Gracie didn't mind. She loves this picture!

For the 4th of July today, I experienced Columbus, Ohio's annual Doo Dah parade. The parade celebrates Liberty & Lunacy by exercising First Amendment rights through fun and humor. Even though it was raining and crappy weather, there was a good crowd and it is definately something to see!




glitter-graphics.com

Wishing you a blessed day with family and friends!

Well... the Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and while everyone's thinking Red White and Blue, I'm sitting here thinking about Pink. I guess that's because its one of my favorite colors. I also love its girly look and have fun wearing pink on the beach when the weather is great. So I figure, what better weekend to share my love of Pink with you than this one? All week, I've been shopping around for some pretty pink floral jewelry to wear to some upcoming summer pool parties and picnics this month, and here are some of my favorites:

Hibiscus Pink Scrabble Tile Pendant
HomeStudio

I've noticed that Scrabble Tile Pendants have beeen popping up everywhere the last few years, and I thought this reused game tile pendant had such a fresh-for-summer look! It features a decoupaged image of a Hibiscus flower -- a perfect pink for a summer's day lounge on the beach! It comes on a small sterling silver bail and is sealed with a non-waterproof glass like finish. The Scrabble Tile Pendant in Hibiscus (Pink) is available from HomeStudio in Palm Desert, CA.

Handmade Polymer Clay Itty Bitty Heart Puffy Pendant
Bedazzle Me: Polymer Clay Beads & Pendants

I sometimes find it incredibly hard to believe that some of these talented Polymer Clay crafters out there aren't really working with glass. For example, can you believe that the high-polished finish on this shiny pendant is really created from Fimo Clay? I certainly can't! I love this pendant's luscious shades of hot and bubblegum pink, orange, peach, lemon, lime that has been interspersed with black and white accents. Perfect for summer fun! This Itty Bitty Heart Puffy Pendant is available for Bedazzle Me in Bradenton, FL.

The Cady Necklace
RachelleD

Vintage pieces are always charming, eye-catching and fun. And, I adore this playful statement necklace which features a hot-pink and black vintage enamel flower pendant with a sophisticated black Czech crystal center. It's linked by hand to elegant black Czech crystal beads on a 16 1/2 inch antiqued silver chain and closes with a silver-plated clasp. The Cady Necklace is available from RachelleD in Harlingen, TX.

Cherry Blossom Dangle Earrings
Button Boutique: Adorable Button Goodies

Fun fabrics are super cute and I thought these light weight dangle earrings would be perfect for you mom's who want to wear something feminine, but light enough to ensure your ears are protected from the curious grabbing hands of your little ones. These earrings feature a colorful Japanese Sakura crimson colored Japanese Sakura fabric with delicate pink blossoms. The Cherry Blossom Dangle Earrings are attached to surgical steel fish hooks, or on special request they can be attached to surgical steel posts by Button Boutique in Montgomery, IL.

Before I go, be sure to congratulate Posh Mama Bunny, who is the winner of these Minimalist Omega Hoop earrings from our giveaway last week which was sponsored by LisasLovlies in New Hampshire. Congratulations Bunny, I'll be contacting you via Posh Mail to find out how we can get your fabulous new earrings to you.

Enter our weekly giveaway: This week, one lucky Posh Mama member will be selected using www.random.org to win the Hibiscus Pendant featured in today's article from our sponsor, HomeStudio in Palm Desert, CA. As a special gift, the HomeStudio shop will also be sending you a silver ball chain to go with it! To enter:

1. Go to my original blog post on the Posh Mama web site.

2. Leave a comment about your favorite pink piece in the Comments section of the original blog post.

The winner will be announced in next week's Friday Findings post.

Until next week, this is Capitola Girl wishing you a Happy Fourth of July weekend!

I love twitter.

My family is about to leave for vacation, and all my son will talk about are roller coasters. We have spent hours watching YouTube videos of roller coaster footage and he is pumped!
This has got everything I look for in a roller coaster-riding day! Buy the print from the aptly named screamingphotography.

Thank you to all who have entered my little giveaway. It was so much fun to read all the different things each of you love about summer, thanks for playing along. I used the Random Number Generator and if you have not checked out this website please do the whole theory is interesting. The only thing is I couldnt figure out how to make a copy of the page that showed the number picked; the usual way didnt work. So without further delay the winner is ............

Happy Fourth of July. St. Thomas must be very happy you are celebrating his feastday. Please don't blow your fingers off.
--Sister Mary Martha

This week I'm sticking with the clothing trend and featuring good old-fashioned, comfy t-shirts!

What I've always found fascinating about t-shirts is that there is really only one way to sew one up, but infinite ways of designing them so that they always have the potential to be completely unique!

Today's shop is Look For Fiddleheads, offering many unique designs for the traditional t-shirt! The shop name comes from childhood memories of searching for coiled baby ferns and the shirt designs are inspired by images in grandmother's old books. The result is fun, classic t-shirts hand-printed for men and women, often in hand-dyed colors.

Here are a few of my favorites...

Type B:



Inventing Toast:



Butterfly:



Well Dressed Men:



Always mindful of avoiding waste, Look For Fiddleheads uses all the "mistake" prints to created some very cool laptop bags...





Find your unique Look For Fiddleheads t-shirt at http://lookforfiddleheads.etsy.com.

Oliver in box in the middle of an office-cleaning extravanganza. As you might imagine, he was not in any way helpful.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am not a religious person. In fact, I'm pretty much the antithesis of that. But I swear that there is one thing on Earth that can make me question my lack of a belief system.

On Monday, El Jefe and I went to see Alison Krauss and Robert Plant live at Humphrey's. (San Diegans, if you have the opportuntiy to see an artist you enjoy at this great venue, GO!) They collaborated in 2007 on an album called Raising Sand. Produced by T Bone Burnett (a legend on his own), it is a compilation of mostly lesser-known material from some of the great writers of blues, country, folk, gospel, and R&B, including Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, Milt Campbell, the Everly Brothers, Sam Phillips, and A.D. and Rosa Lee Watson. The album is amazing, the pairing, moreso. (Side note. When I reach 60, I hope to look as good as Robert Plant. Damn.)






It was an amazing show, but the two best moments were Black Dog - slowed WAY down and haunting; and Down to the River. If you have never heard Alison Krauss sing live, you are missing out. There are tons of You Tube videos, Here is Down to the River and Black Dog OMG banjo. I won't embed them, you have to watch them without distractions. Alison Krauss has simply the most beautiful voice. Ever, anywhere. I'm not a fan of Country music, but I'm a fan of her. Wow.





So it was a nice birthday gift for El Jefe, who turned another year older on Wednesday. Wow, I'm still gushing!

As we begin the holiday weekend... let's not forget the reason for the holiday! Freedom isn't free... So with that in mind let me wish everyone a HAPPY 4th OF JULY! Celebrate and enjoy!

Now... It's no secret... I love treasuries. It's just too much fun curating them and the search for perfect elements is like an old fashioned savenger hunt! My next treasury is ready to go... now if that infamous "blue box" would pop up for me - all would be right in treasuryland!

First I have to share this wonderful treasury my beige wristlet was included in. Thanks, StoryBeader from EtsyBloggers for putting together this treasury.

Now, a confession. I actually thought about making this month a stash busting month, one in which I bought little or no new yarn or other supplies. I thought about it for a whole (almost) two days...and then I went to my LYS because I had to check to see if they were going to carry my pattern (Yay, they are!) and I learned they would have 40% off their yarn tomorrow for their one year anniversary. So, my stash busting efforts are totally busted. Instead of staying home and working on my stash, I'll be stocking up at the LYS on Saturday morning. Tonight I'm thinking about projects I want to make and yarn I want to buy.

Custom packing tape… Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek Custom packing tape… Almost a year ago I was trying to find a way to use up my inked gocco screen in a practical way… Eureka! Custom packing tape… Ok, it’s not tape- it’s that fiberglass thread reinforced brown papery stuff, but it works like a charm and makes all of the [...]

Bushel of Boxes…. Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek Wonderful utility baskets by Reisenthel in two sizes… Scored a slew of these from GarnetHill.com They are on sale (and not just a couple of dollars off, I’m talking *really* on sale) now for $14…They are a polyblend canvas (I’m guessing they wipe down fairly easily) with a brushed aluminum rim…They collapse [...]

Best invention ever… Originally uploaded by CleverGirlBek I never thought of myself as the sort to wear earplugs. I am the sentry of our home… I am the one who is always on alert, ears cocked for the slightest sound because the boys are pretty oblivious for the most part… A couple of months ago we started [...]

Seriously guys, thanks for all your kind comments back on my last, rather downer-ish post. I wish I could repay your kindness by saying "Hey, I'm feeling great now!" but, alas, I still have a little ways to go before that happens.
So, in the meantime, let me share with you THE COOLEST THING EVER!
I received an original work of art in the mail featuring one of my all time favorite subjects...Chickenpants! It was created by one very talented six year old named Matilda. I have a hard time putting into words just how awesome I find this, so maybe you should just take a look:

The girl Chickenpants on tambourine! The plugged in guitar! Is that a tattoo I spy on the drummer Chickenpants' arm? (I also uploaded this to Flickr, so you can see it larger to appreciate the awesomeness.)
Thank you, Matilda!