Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!

Ah yes, a day at home with absolutely gorgeous weather and so many things to do!  Of course we never accomplish everything we want to, but what does that really matter in the long run.  It'll all get done, or it won't.  The plan today was to continue with my bureau and table projects (I finally got the long-awaited burst of inspiration for the table), measure out the space for Sparky's patio that we decided we need to construct, and then split the wood that's taking up space in the garden.  So I put on my Sunday pants, which are colorfully adorned with various shades of paint, grass stains, hair dye and motor oil, and started out.

This is the back of the bureau; as you can maybe see, it's pretty bad.  The luan on the back is beyond repair but I can replace that easily enough. The rest of it is made from thicker pine and other than a few digs that I repaired with wood putty, is in good shape. 

The table, which I've also had for a couple of years, was a real find; it's maple with a butcher block top, and while it's not expensively made, it's sturdy and it's MAPLE.  Very pretty top, and I paid a whole dollar for it.  After turning over several different ideas in my mind for what I wanted it to look like, I finally decided to paint the legs and support bracket and stain the top.  Not an original idea, but what comes after that will set it apart.

I don't know if the thing originally had wheels on it or what, but the bottoms of the legs had these metal      insets with threaded holes.  They had to go, I'll just use some of those non-scratchy felt-bottomed furniture feet  I've got stashed somewhere.

So next, we started measuring out the space for Sparky's patio.  She and my dad had talked about it, but never got around to doing it.  So Preston and I are going to tackle it, and give her a nice spot to sit outside and entertain.  Preston, who I thought had built at least one of everything in his lifetime, has never done a paver patio before, so this will be a learning experience for both of us.  It seems pretty straightforward, but then everything does until you actually try to do it.  I said I was going to do the digging myself, but on seeing what a 12x12 space actually looks like, I took Sparky's advice and called our neighbor, Captain Bobcat. True to form, he said "I'll be right up".  And sure enough, 1/2 hour later we had a large hole in the yard.

Preston says if he had a Bobcat, he'd never leave the yard.

This week, as long as the weather holds, will see a bunch of stone and sand, and oh yeah...I guess we'll have to go get pavers at some point.  Of course this means I will have to repaint that ugly-ass table.  I guess at some point my dad must have hit a sale on obnoxious green paint.

We never did get around to splitting the wood, but there's time before I need to call the rototiller dude.  That's one thing Captain Bobcat doesn't have, a rototiller.  Surprisingly enough.  But that's ok,  that's why we have Thomas Reilly, #749-5296.  I went on and on about him after he tilled our garden last year, so I'm not going to do it again; just trust me, if you live in RI and need your garden tilled, he's your guy.

Next!

 So now that I finished the chair and stool (yay!!) I finally started on the bureau I bought, what, two years ago?  I think it was two years.  I have been waiting for inspiration as to what I wanted it to look like, but it's not coming to me, or at least it's not coming to me all at once.  I have a general idea, but no specific details.  But since it's got to have a few small repairs and be primed first anyway, I was hoping a little hands-on would break the ice and maybe something specific would present itself.  So yesterday I broke out the primer and got going.  Unlike the chair and stool, which probably came from IKEA or some unfinished furniture place, the little bureau was quite obviously handmade by someone who had a need for a little bureau.  It's a sturdy little thing, but it's got some quirks that made me pause to reconsider whether I really wanted to proceed.  But ya know, those little quirks are what drew me to it in the first place so I got out the brads and wood glue and it will be just fine.  All I know for sure at this point is that I want the insides of the drawers to be green, and the outside (probably) to be white.  The rest is up in the air. And since yard sale season is almost upon us, with its promise of new projects, I'd better get to it.

I finished the pink dress!  I'm happy with the way it came out, black drawers and all.  And it's attracting quite a bit of attention at the shop, probably because of its in-your-face pinkness which is actually MUCH more intense than this pic shows.  And the next project in the clothing department has been started; it's a sundress set with the color combination of turquoise and mustard, which made Sparky go "ugh" and make the corresponding ugh face.  While I can't claim the idea, as I started with a seersucker plaid in those colors, I think it's going to work. 

Spring has brought a very welcome transformation here at the compound, where the daffodils are in full glorious bloom and everything else is waking up and showing signs of life, including me and Sparky.  We've been talking a lot about what we're going to plant this year and where to plant it, although the soil around here is terrible and a lot of things just won't tolerate it.  But we have the ugliness of many tree stumps in the front yard this year, and short of hiring a backhoe to dig them up ($$$$$) there's really not much we can do but plant some ground cover and hope we can hide them.

Any suggestions?

In For a Penny....

 ...in for a pound, isn't that what they say?  I seem to be having some sort of existential crisis regarding my latest project but in the end I decided to just go with my gut and see what results.  I'll explain:  I had this hot pink fabric left over from another order, and for some reason it screamed "baby dress" at me.  The little black swirls dictated that the dress should have black details, which was ok with me although kind of edgy for a baby. (I actually went on Etsy to see if anybody else had hot pink-and-black baby dresses, totally out of character for me.  I usually don't care.  There were a few, not many).  But then the crisis began.  Black bloomers? On a baby?  I just didn't know. Maybe a lighter shade of pink? You just CAN'T put black undies on a baby, can you?  I waited until the dress was almost done before I came to the conclusion that no other color would do, so I've committed to the pink and black.  It'll be fine.  Plus it seems like the weirdest things I come up with are the ones that find a home first.  We'll see.

Meet Pat!  In case you've never seen the Saturday Night Live sketch, Pat is a person of indeterminate gender.  Since my other dummies have names,  of course the new kid on the block had to have one.  I like Pat because s/he has no face.  When I went mannequin shopping on Ebay, I found a whole lot of child mannequins have faces that are supposed to be cute, I guess, but are just really scary and if I had to look at one every day I would have nightmares.  So I was very happy to find Pat.  Really needed a model for my stuff!

So prom and powwow seasons hit me every spring at roughly the same time, and this year is shaping up to be no exception.  While I cannot prepare for prom season, I do try to have some ready-made regalia pieces available for sale even though most of the pieces  I make are custom orders.  These foxes were something I made for a set of men's fancy last year, but they didn't really work with the rest of the colors so we went in another direction.  They were a lot of work and I was pretty proud of them since I'm not an "artist" and so if I can make something realistic that comes out this good, it's a happy accident.  So I am designing a set of men's pieces around the fox faces, and hopefully they will strike someone's fancy. 

And now, friends and neighbors, it's time to go refuel with some spaghetti and meatballs!! Not as good as Sparky's, but they'll do.

No Regrets

Forgive me a moment's motherly pride, but most mothers never get to say these words:  "My son's first album was released this month".  Ok, there'll be more than just a moment of motherly pride.  You can check it out at www.velvetgoldminerock.com if you like.

Not only was it released, but it is dedicated to my Dad.  I quote:  "This record is especially dedicated to the memory of Charles Bachelder for being the punkest Grandfather ever and showing me what it means to live with no regrets".

Papa was the poster child for thinking outside the box.  If you told him it couldn't be done, he would make it his life's mission to GET it done, just because you told him it wasn't possible.  He was forever coming up with new and better ways to do stuff in ways that were unconventional but effective.  Just because nobody had ever done it that way meant nothing to him; he saw no reason why it wouldn't work, and he would keep at it like a dog with a bone until it DID work.

I'd like to think I inherited some of that from him.  While I do procrastinate from time to time (okay, a lot of the time), I can also be singleminded and relentless when I need to be.  I certainly inherited the tendency toward the unconventional. When all the other girls in band were playing flutes and clarinets, I was hauling my electric bass onto the school bus. There are lots of female bass players now, but back then it was pretty rare.  I didn't do it to be different (well maybe a little), it just called to me.  Still does.  On a local level, it's still kind of unusual for a woman to play bass, and I admit I enjoy being a novelty.  That's the Papa in me, for sure.

When our son announced that he was moving to LA to pursue his career, because that was where he felt he needed to be, nobody was a bigger fan of the idea than my Dad.  He always was in full favor of a grand adventure.  He had lots and lots and LOTS of stories, and of course you can't have lots of stories if you stay stuck in one place forever, especially this place. He also lived by the principle that if you want to get anywhere in life, you have to put yourself out there.  Nothing good ever happened to anybody who hung back and waited. 

Papa has been gone for two years now.  I miss him a lot, but like him, I have no regrets.  There was nothing left unsaid, no unfinished business, no harsh words that can never be taken back.  I can't begin to tell you how important that is.  I only wish he could have been around for his grandson's album release.  I know he would have been so proud!

Of Ladybugs and Snowshovels

 Greetings, my little snowbirds!  It's been a long time.  So what happened was, in December my laptop decided to take early retirement.  As some of you can relate, that threw my little world into a complete uproar.  And even though I got a new laptop, I could not locate my photo editing software.  I feel like if I publish a blog post without photos, it's just me going blah blah blah, and nobody wants that.  I did find my disk, but it won't install so I'm using my phone photos just as they came off the phone.  I'm sure I could edit them, but I'd have to actually take the time to learn how.

My store is overrun with ladybugs!!  While other people are complaining of stink bug infestations, I have these little guys (and girls) busily investigating everything in my shop.  So that's fun.

K.G. Ranch Road two days after the blizzard.  Treacherous driving, not a great plow job.  OUR street was pretty clear by Saturday afternoon; the perks of living on the same street where there's a state garage.

 What's not fun is our weather.  Snow does not make me happy, unlike some of my friends.  "So why do you live in New England"? I can hear you asking.  Well, I was born here.  I didn't choose it.  Believe me, it wouldn't take much to make me move to a warmer climate.  While my friends are thinking snow angels and beautiful white winter wonderland and snow days, I'm thinking bone-chilling cold, power outages, and lost wages.  Wah, wah, wah.  Ok, I'm done bitching. For now.

 To cheer myself up and keep my mind off the situation outside, I have been throwing myself wholeheartedly into my craft.  Valentines Day, St. Patricks' Day, Fourth of July, even Christmas stuff that didn't get finished last year is all fair game.  So productive.

Loren Spears comes in and makes my store beautiful!  She does such a good job.  If I had a payroll, she'd be on it.

Also, I've been poring over my bead stash and coming up with some pretty cool jewelry.  This necklace and earring set was actually inspired by the blizzard we had a week ago; I found these clear glass beads which have no particular shape, and since some of them have tiny bubbles inside resulting from the manufacturing process, they reminded me of ice chunks.  And the midnight blue would represent the way my house looked when the power went out and I could no longer see the beads.  THAT was tragic.  But we were only without power for a few days, and while I'm grateful for that and realize that other people fared way worse than we did, that was more than long enough. 

And finally, you know you've had enough winter when you start taking pictures of the local news stations' mistakes and posting them on their facebook page with snarky comments.  Yeah, that happened.  I need spring, I need to have weather warm enough for me to clear the fallen branches out of my yard without my hands and feet going numb.  I need to see the buds growing on the trees, I need to hear the insects singing in the evening, I need to get out in my garden and play in the dirt.

Oh yeah, I said I was done bitching, didn't I?  Sorry. Kathy and I spotted the first robin of the year outside my store the other day, though, so that was encouraging.  That sight might get me through till spring.  That, and visiting the hardware store and fondling the seed packets.

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

It's not over till the tree is down!  This year, for the first time in several years, we had a real tree.  And by sheer luck, it ended up being a balsam!  I don't know if anybody else even cares what kind of tree they have, but my mini-vacation here has been four days of balsam-scented heaven.  I don't plan to throw this tree out until nothing remains but a stick.

It's been a great Christmas for me, spent with my two favorite men.  Other than spending Christmas Eve with Sparky, we didn't do anything special, in fact we didn't do anything at all, but getting to see our son is a rare and precious thing.  We never know when we'll get to see him again, and tomorrow he flies back to that wild and foreign land known as California.  This time we got a bonus, and actually got to spend a little time with Kaela as well so that was pretty awesome.

So now the Christmassing is over, except for the tree of course, and I'm looking forward to 2013.  The reason I never get post-holiday depression is that I have already started planning my projects for the spring.  I have lots of plans for this year for the shop and the Etsy shop, and I have already started on some of them. 

By the way, I am disabling the Anonymous comments feature from this blog; if you want to leave a comment you will have to leave your name.  I am hoping that this will result in fewer porn posts in my mailbox.

End Of The World Suite In G Major

   Well, we're still here.  Can't say I'm surprised really, after all every couple of years the end of the world comes and goes pretty much without notice by most people except those who read the tabloids.  Wicked weather this morning DID almost spell the end of the world for Preston's truck; the top half of a huge pine tree snapped off and fell, missing the side of the truck by literally three inches. It could have been totaled. So I'd say this was a pretty lucky day at our house.

     Anyway, here I sit watching The Santa Clause once again, if only because everytime I watch it I have the same thought, which is that I would really like to move in to Santa's place.  The sets for Santa's workshop are so beautiful and detailed and cheerful!
     So in between watching TV I was finishing up some Christmas presents and hemming some pants that I'd promised for tomorrow.   Also I was commissioned to put some wording on a big Jolly Roger flag that some lucky pirate is getting for Christmas.  Never a dull moment in my world, seriously.