Bettie Page dies at 85

The death of a celebrity never really affects me all that much. I never knew them personally, so it's just sort of a weird surreal feeling more than anything. But the death of Bettie Page deeply saddens me. She was such a revolutionary cultural icon. I feel like a HUGE piece of our recent history has just been lost. I don't know if Bettie ever really understood her immense impact on so many lives and the sexual revolution of her time. I do though, and I'm really going to miss knowing that she was still around, living her secluded life.

She passed away Thursday, December 11 2008.

Miss Page...we will all miss you.





If you want a really really good biography of her, read "The Real Bettie Page:The Truth About the Queen of the Pinups" by Richard Foster. It's a beautiful, raw look at Bettie's life.

Two new hats and stuff...

I mentioned awhile back that my sister was battling cancer. She had her last treatment a few weeks ago and managed to not loose her hair. They have to wait to run tests to
see if it worked because she's had some nasty illness. So...pending on how the tests pan out she may have to have more treatments...where she still could loose her hair...so LONG story short...I made her a hat for Christmas...She's always bitching that I never knit her anything...so hopefully she'll like it.





(ok...i admit i was too lazy to right this pic...)

It has cute little vintage buttons on it...and of course it had to be pink...because that's the only color she believes in.

I made the pattern up as I went along so my first attempt came out to small. This one is going to Pat's niece for Christmas.



Other than these 2 items, I haven't had much time for creative things. Work had gotten in the way quite a bit, and I've been so tired lately that a lot of free time has been eaten up by sleeping. I do have several projects in the works, such as an up-cycled vintage jewelry box and an alarm clock. They're almost done....just need a few last minute touches. Hopefully my next post will have some completed pics of them...*fingers crossed*

'Tis The Season

I'm not really sure what I want to say about my opinions of the Holidays. I don't really care for Christmas. I'm not christian, therefore I do not celebrate the religious aspect of it. And as I've gotten older I really don't see the sense in attempting to buy gifts for everyone you know at one time and for one single day. Somehow the specialness of receiving a gift that you already know is coming to you seems to be diminished somehow. A lot of people even already know what they are receiving, having made a shopping list (cleverly deemed a "Christmas list") which states exactly what they want. I see nothing special in that. There's no surprise.
I find buying or making a gift for someone and giving it to them at a totally random, unexpected time holds so much more meaning. They had no idea it was coming, and the look of total shock on their face is so priceless. It holds so much more meaning to me. That person was singled out among everyone and thought of in a personal way. It's very special.
Mind you, everything I've mentioned so far is my opinion alone. I see nothing wrong with gift giving at the holidays, I just don't understand the whole concept of it all. But what I'm about to speak of, I hope all of you share my opinion...and if you don't then I highly suggest you seek some sort of council, because you are one fucked up individual.
What I speak of is a man making an honest living working retail. A man who had the unfortunate luck to be scheduled to work on Black Friday. A man who was TRAMPLED TO DEATH buy a bunch of so called human beings trying to save a few measly bucks. What is wrong with this picture? I thought the holidays were supposed to be about kindness and the spirit of giving. Not acting like a bunch of jackals on a feeding frenzy. NO toy or dvd is worth killing a man. Those people who literally ran this man over to go shopping have his blood on their hands. And no one has owned up to this horrible act. They get to go home and have their little holiday parties and open their presents while this man's family is left heartbroken.
There was a full on brawl at our Walmart yesterday over a piece of merchandise. I don't get it. Is it REALLY that necessary to assault another person over a gift? What the hell? The holidays have become so ugly and materialistic and warped and it's just getting worse every year. I used to work retail, and you learn way too much about human nature around the holidays. I watched an 80 year old woman snatch a toy out of a kid's hands and run off with it because it was the last one. It's amazing how nasty people can be at a time where kindness is supposed to shine through. It makes me sick. These people who find an inanimate object more important than a human life are seriously fucked up and need some serious help. And to them I give the royal finger.
To all of you who see how wrong this all is and really do give your heart out at the holidays, I wish you a lovely holiday season.

Cheers

So behind....crap...

I hate it when almost a month goes by without me posting anything. I feel so overwhelmed by the time I finally sit down to write. I feel there is so much to cover...I mean..what a month so far. Between juggling my time with my job and craft projects to the most amazing presidential election in perhaps history...

I've got a few projects lined up and will hopefully have them done within the next week or so. One completed I'll have pics up and get them into the shop. And speaking of the shop...I had my first official sale today!!!! I know it's such a small feat. Especially when I see some amazing individuals who have thousands of sales on Etsy. But I feel really really accomplished nonetheless. This chronic back pain I suffer from, along with the depression makes even little tasks seem very daunting and difficult to complete. So to have actually gotten the ball rolling on my Etsy shop and now starting to make some sales...I feel so good about it.

Pat and I just spent a lovely 2 days in Mystic CT. What a quaint, darling little town. We did some shopping and ate some awesome seafood and took pictures of lots of boats and the water. The aquarium was so much fun too. I got to hold a star fish and pet the sting rays. Anything to do with animals and I'm the happiest kid in the world. Pat and I have been together for 2 years next month and this was our first get away together...so it was special for us. Just time to ourselves with no interruptions.

All and all...it's been a good few weeks. And I'm going to make a hardest effort to post a few times a week here at least. I swear my fingers are not crossed.

Workspace taken over by angry butterflies!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been a bit busy the past week with work. One of our gals was away for 2 weeks to Hawaii...grrrrr....so the schedule was a bit wonky. I spent any of my precious free time working on a few projects and doing a little thrifting for myself and for the Shop. I found some pretty good stuff this week. I kept most of it, of course...but there are a few good things I just updated to Etsy. I also added the completed work that resulted from this disaster....





Can we say...Federal Disaster Area. I was up late last night putting the room back together before Pat's head exploded. I think some of my stuff was creeping onto his half of the room. But anyway...this is what I was making...

ANGRY BUTTERFLY PINCUSHIONS!!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!






They're up in the shop now for sale...they need a new home...because, to be rather frank...i can't control them. They're so temperamental...

Other than that..it's just work work and more work...but I see I have 3 days off next week from the diner so I'm going to definitely utilize that time for some more projects I have bouncing around in my noggin. I just collected a beautiful pile of autumn leaves this morning and I must find something to do with them.

Shop Update

I've added a few things up in the shop a couple days ago and realized I forgot to announce that here....DOH!!! It's been a long week and a half at work with one of our girls on vacation and my brain is shot. But anyhew...some vintage pieces are up and a few original hand knits...so go take a peek-a-boo if you like.

Nite nite....

BOOM!!!

Um...yeah...I keep hearing really loud booming off in the distance...either they're having random fire works in the rain at the fair grounds...or the British are coming...

on a completely unrelated note...here's a new cap i knitted...WOOT

This was a classic newsboy cap pattern with a few tweeks here and there. I used Sensations Angel Hair Stripes yarn which is a bit bulkier than the preferred worsted weight. Perfect for tucking up thick hair or dreds...WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I love the Salvation Army

So I just spent a wonderful 5 days with my best friend, Karly. She flew in from Seattle to spend a some time with me. It's been a year since we've seen each other. Her wedding actually...where she married a guy I used to date...GAH!!! I always knew they'd be perfect for each other. I love being right.

The week went by WAY too fast. It didn't help that I woke up Monday morning (the day we were picking her up at the airport) sick. I've been fighting this damn cold for almost 2 weeks now. But there was a lot of thrifting throughout the week.

We went to the Salvation Army in Oneonta and I found the most adorable ukulele with little roses painted on it. It rattled a bit when I picked it up, but I figured it was just a bit of broken off wood inside. Upon further inspection, however, Pat and I discovered that it was NOT a bit of broken wood...but rather a half-eaten, somewhat petrified donut hole....

*sigh*

Karly's words of optimism....

"At least it wasn't a dead bird.."

Family Infostructure

I've been rather preoccupied lately. My sister has been diagnosed with cervical cancer and I've been thinking of her a lot. My relationship with my family is distant at best. My parents divorced when I was 10 and my mom took me from Florida to upstate NY. Since I graduated high school 10 years ago, I've only returned to Florida a handful of times to visit. I don't feel very close to any of my family, partially because of the distance, but also I never felt close to them when I was little either. I've always felt like the black sheep of the bunch.

Since my sister has been diagnosed, however, I've been reevaluating my relationship with my family. Time suddenly feels very fleeting and precious. I feel I should make more of an effort to be closer to them. But that natural instinct just isn't within me. I only find myself able to bond with others who share similar interests with me (which I've found very few) and my family and me are like night and day. My father is probably the most similar in disposition to myself, but the years apart have still left this awkward gap between us.

I see how Pat is so close to his relatives and it boggles my mind. In turn the lack of bonding with my own family produces the same sort of confusion with him. Pat calls his mom, or vise versa several times a day. His dad, several times a week. His mom only lives a few blocks away and the thought of moving to a different town is out of the question to him.

I guess it's partly the product of different upbringings that have produced such different family dynamics for us both. Whatever it is, I'm striving to improve mine, but it's hard. I just hope my sister is going to be okay.

ORDER UP!!!

Okay..I haven't really written for a few days...but that's because there's nothing to really write about. I've been stuck at work so much that there's no time for even a little weekend adventure in my life. Like today...this should be my day off...but I'll be going to work AGAIN because they we seem to ALWAYS be short staffed. Buhhhh

I've noticed I'm becoming quite the bitter individual too. The conclusion to why this is happening is simple...people suck. I don't know what goes on in someone's head when they go out out eat but evidently abusing their server is priority in their mind. I don't know when it became socially acceptable to take out all daily frustrations on someone bringing you a burger...but it must have..because it happens to to me and all the girls I work with...A LOT.

And if they're not mean then they're simply stupid. I mean...how do you really forget what you've ordered in the 15 minutes it's taken to cook it. But this happens so often that a research team should be assembled immediately to explore this phenomenon. It never ceases to amaze me...

EXAMPLE: there's 3 people at the table...2 have ordered burgers...one a waffle...I stand there holding the waffle (because I've got so much crammed in my head at this point that I'm not going to remember who's ordered what) and call out "Waffle with strawberries"

.......(insert crickets chirping if you wish)

(slightly more irritated now) "Waffle with strawberries..." The tards glance around in a state of utter confusion and then look at me with complete bafflement for a good 10 seconds until something clicks into place in one of their pea brains and I can see the light go DING....

"oh dude, that's mine"

No shit dumbass....and don't call me dude...

And then there's the fucks that MUST just take enjoyment in watching you run around like a jackrabbit on crack...because why else would they order their water and then a sandwich, and then a side of mayo, and some mustard, oh...and can i have a Pepsi...oh and some extra napkins...oh...this doesn't come with fries???? can i have some??? (bimbo now batting eyelashes as if that's going to make me forgive her fucking annoying bimbo voice) Coincidently enough, these are the one's that ALWAYS leave you a dollar (mostly in pennies)

And never mind the Gimmie Gimmies. (all of you who know me would laugh at my polite voice i'm using right here...it's about an octave above my normal one) "Hi guys...how are you today?"
"um yeah...gimmie a grilled cheese with fries" never even making eye contact with me. I'm sure in that gimmie there was a hello in there somewhere. pfft...

And the all around miserable cunts...I mean..if you're reallllly that miserable...STAY THE FUCK HOME...don't bring it out in public and subject everyone to it. Same goes for the miserable BITCHY cunts. If you're going to be that bitchy to me then you sure as hell better be good looking because all you fat ugly miserable cunts that look at me in disdain can really kiss my ass. Just because you're fat and ugly isn't my fault. I'm just bringing you a plate of disgusting fried food that, incidentally i've probably spit in...BON APPETITE you hag.

There's the white trash families with their nine white trash kids that come and annihilate my booth with flung fried food and broken crayons and the perpetual smell of cow shit...you know..you can really keep that dollar you left me and put it towards a maid..because I certainly am not one.

And I will never understand the ones that come to a sit down restaurant and bitch about the speed of the food preparation...If you're in that much of a hurry then go to fucking Mc Donalds...there's on on every corner.

There are the few sweet regulars that come in and truly make the day bearable. Unfortunately most of then are rather elderly and several have already passed away this year, which makes me sad. They...and the wad of cash I walk out with every day keep me going. Otherwise I think I'd go stick my head in the fryer and end it all.

Cheers

I think he was my dad....

So...the death of George Carlin has gotten me really bummed. I usually don't get sad over celebrity deaths, but this one I did. He was just such an amazing, witty, and genuinely intelligent man. Once you got past the crudeness (which I loved) what He had to say was so true.

I really do think I was adopted and George was really my dad.

And on a completely random tangent, I've recently made an observation and upon making this observation I've come to a definite conclusion....

Tube Tops should be BANNED from the planet. They are the most unflattering, ugly piece of attire, trumped only by mommy jeans. STOP WEARING THEM! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD...do your tits a favor and swap to a halter.

that is all....

Yet another long work week...

So this week is almost over for me finally...just have tomorrow to work and then I can have a day off....I did at least have a nice welcome home a couple nights ago...


WWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I love online shopping...it makes every day feel like christmas. Expecially because my Cluck Coo Clock was in one of those boxes...along with the ceramic knobs I ordered to redo my nightstand and desk that I bought second hand.

I haven't had much time for knitting or painting lately, but I did manage to finish these little cuties. I wanted to put them on my foot so bad for the pic but I plan on selling them on Etsy eventually and didn't want to funk them up with smelly hikers foot.




I forgot to bring my camara up the mountain today...I could have gotten some amazing shots of vultures circling about 10 feet away along the cliff side...next time i promise.

I did manage a little baking time as well...


mmmmmmmmmmmmm cinnamon rolls...these lasted all of a day with Pat and I around.

Home Sweet Home

So the apartment is finally in order. I unpacked my last box 2 days ago. We made our first dinner in the new place last Monday. I whipped up a spicy southwest chicken soup, corn muffins and cinnamon rolls.

I found these little shakers at an antique shop up the road...they were pretty faded and beat up so i added a fresh coat of paint....


and tada!!!! all shiny and new...and so cute!




This is just a shot of my little work area...it's nice to actually have room now to stretch out and not have to climb all over things in a closet to find what i'm looking for. Pat is going to get me a cloth bust for my birthday I think...which will help out with the sewing immensely...it sucks trying to pin things on myself :P




We found this AWESOME table at a shop up the road...it was pretty beat up. Pat put in a few hours getting it back on its feet again...but it was so worth it. The chairs need to be reupholstered eventually, but they're fine for now. I love sitting at it and looking at the apple trees in bloom out back on the hill.




the curtains needed some tie backs which i whipped up with strips of ribbon and some sticky Velcro squares...probably the easiest thing in the world to make.





This place didn't come with any blinds in it so we needed window coverings pronto. I was going to get some fabric and make some but I managed to find a wonderful pair at Target for my retro style kitchen. They have these adorable little apples all over them.


Pat's mom gave us a pair for the bedroom. The living room recieved a pair of wooden blinds to go with our Japanese theme and the work room just got a simple pair of blinds for now....I'll make some curtains for it when i get some more free time. Things are a big nutty at work right now.

Oh well...off to eat lunch then the post office to mail a dear friend in Denmark her package...

Ciao

Holy Cow!!

Had it been almost a month already since I last did a post. Man moving sure eats up a lot of time. Well the move is now complete, and we've finally finished unpacking and my little creative space is back in order. So I should be back to painting soon. It's been hard between the move and working extra shifts to cover one of our workers who was in a motorcycle accident. She's ok...some broken bones and minor surgery but it could have been a lot worse. But free time has been sadly lacking lately. I think this coming week should be a little more normal because they just hired a new girl to pick up the slack.

I've got another tomato dragon painting that i have been working on on and off for awhile now that I want to complete. And i really really want to try some stationary sets. Not to mention I actually have a place for my sewing machine now so i can start planning out some projects there. And there's a few knitting ideas I have bouncing around in my noggin that I need to get sketched out on paper. (this is starting to sound like a checklist)

The cats are loving the new place. It's bigger and they survived the 5 minute car ride from the old apartment. Squeaker managed to puke 2 minutes into the ride and Calvin pissed all over himself....sooo pathetic.

Oh well...off to acupuncture.

Poor little blog...

Yes...this poooor little blog...I suppose the one way NOT to get a blog off the air is neglect it for so long...I've just been so busy with work lately...excuses excuses...I know...

Work has been crazy though...we had to fire a cook last week...Partially my fault for speaking up about things that had gone on for far too long...and we're down a waitress because she had back surgery, plus a string of nasty colds (which I've managed to avoid so far) All this equals out to be is a lot of doubles and early morning shifts.

That in turn flairs up my chronic muscle pain I have in my back. I've begun going to acupuncture once a week and I have to say that I'm in love with it. It's the only thing that has ever given me any relief. Unfortunately my savior is out this week so I have to wait another whole week before I can get in and the pain has just left me rather drained this week. I've napped quite a bit during the day.

Pat and I are also in the process of moving. The landlords have decided to sell the house and we figured it's time to upgrade to a bigger apartment. We found a wonderful one rather quickly which has just been renovated with all new ceramic tile and carpet. They allow cats which is the main problem with finding a place that isn't a total dump. So my kittie kids with have some more room to play soon.

So needless to say my crafting has been a bit on hold lately. I am working on a new Tomato Dragon painting. And I've begun to knit a new pair of mary jane slippers...I'm hoping to get several pairs finished and up in my Etsy shop soon...but with all the packing and what not that's around the corner who knows...*sigh*

Latest Project

I've been pretty busy with work the past few days....for some reason the entire town except for a tiny chunk (including my work) didn't have power on Wednesday...so Everyone decided they needed to come to the diner to eat...I was called out of bed early and had to rush in to the rescue...so Wednesday equaled out to be an 11 hour shift...my feet are still swollen...

But amongst all this work I've managed to finish a little project I was working on...I woke up last weekend and felt that for some reason I needed to make a batch of felt toadstools...so I did...

This was the first stage...they look a little naked here


So then I added the tell tale spots....and TADA!!! A wonderful little batch of adorable felt toadstools....


I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet...My brain tends so work in reverse some days...

R&R

I've had the last 2 days off work and it's been wonderful. I really needed the break from waiting tables. So far I've managed to catch up on a lot of projects I was working on...as well as managed to shell out $1600 on my car...OUCH...oh well...it was a bunch of work that needed to get done. And now she handles like a dream. And the passenger door no longer flies open at random moments. I've almost lost a few passengers because of that.

I finished a painting I've been working on...

"Under the Apple Tree"



This is part of a series that is going to feature my beloved Tomato Dragon and Spirit Badger. Our little ghostly mammal seems to only like to come out when Tomato Dragon is napping. It's hard to capture an image of them together...but i do my best.

Thrifty finds

I didn't post anything over the weekend...I figured everyone was off hunting eggs or something. I spent a nice quiet day alone...well after I got home from work anyway, and just worked on some sketches for some possible upcoming stationary sets.

I just wanted to take a few moments to share some of my most recent thrift store finds...I was really tickled when I found this shelf...it was just a plain, unfinished wood and rather dirty. But it was only $3 so I took it home. It's been sitting on my bedroom floor for about 3 months now. I finally went and bought a can of red spray paint today and gave it a coat. It's not quite done yet.


I went a local shop this afternoon after dropping my car off to get some work and i found these 3 awesome frames and this cute little bear. The guy sold it all to me for $1! I couldn't believe it. I almost felt bad and wanted to give him more but he said he was clearing house for spring. So...YAY for me! Lynus decided he wanted to inspect the new additions as well...


The top one here was actually just a greeting card that I really liked so I cut out some fabric and placed it behind and found a frame in my closet that was taking up space. The bottom pic I found at yet another thrift store across the street from the one with the bear. I couldn't leave it sitting there...it even still has the original writing on the back "To Billy, With Love December 22, 1957" Someone's old christmas gift long forgotten until now. I also got a swell green checkered apron and an old Norman Rockwell tin that day.


I found this little picture at another place just up the road. It was laying in a pile of junk and covered in dust and i thought it was just adorable.




All and all some really awesome finds.

(on a side note...i just had a bite of the fried chicken Pat is cooking on the stove at the moment....Oh dear....wish you could have some too...it's SO GOOD!)

Positively Pooped

It's been a really long day. Work just kicked my ass today. But i managed to finish a little project i was working on. I found a nifty sweater on clearance and decided it needed a little spoofing up. So i figured a little visit from Angry Butterfly couldn't hurt...and here's what I came up with...







I got the idea for the tree of another blog spot, and unfortunately I can't for the life of me remember who's it was...so...great tree idea person...if you see this..i give you credit.

Relocation

So...I've been on Myspace for several years now..and I write blogs on there occasionally, but I've decided that I'm feeling a wee bit too confined within the walls there...I feel i needed to branch out and start somewhere with a clean slate.

So here I am...residing in the den of one Mr. Tomato Dragon. I've decided to dedicate this blog spot to my crafting, be it knitting, painting...whatever. Punching a clock every day as been progressively
eating away at my soul for the past 10 years. I want to make a living at doing what a love (who doesn't) I figure this is my first step. Getting myself out there. I'll be posting new pieces on here as well as other artist's work that inspires me. I've opened at Etsy account as well so I'll hopefully have items up for sale there very soon.

It's hard trying to create when i have so little time. But eventually I hope to phase out my mundane job and replace it with this.

Fingers crossed to the point of breaking...