I'll pass on the Green Fairy

While I was enjoying a glass of some great French wine, I happened to come across a poster for a different beverage that I have since learned has quite a history to it.
I have to admit that my only knowledge of it was quite limited. The only info I had of it came from a number of years back.
My oldest son, and a friend of his were here cooking for a crowd of people who were going to invade my house. They were sipping on a strange bottle of alcohol, and cracking jokes while they were chopping, dicing and sauteing.
When I questioned them, they only laughed, and mumbled something about "wormwood", "banned" and "it makes people insane". Let me just add that they were legal and over the age of 21, lest you think I was some sort of irresponsible adult.
So being the responsible adult that I was I just buried what they said quickly in my subconscious. I mean I had a houseful of guests coming for dinner. I really couldn't deal with the fact that the cooks were drinking some strange green liquid that might render them psychotic.
The night finished out without any need to call in the medics and I forgot about the mysterious bottle of potion...whatever it was.

Then I came across a few antique posters that all had something in common...absinthe.
Quite the history which would require lots of typing here so rather, should you want to learn more, one of the foremost expert websites out there on the subject is here. Drink up on knowledge of this legendary drink often nicknamed "The Green Fairy".
So this is what those two were up to that day in my kitchen. Think I will stick to my French wine.

But I will share one of the more famous posters from the Victorian era that has a cat lapping up a glass of absinthe.

Having had cats that indulged in catnip, I cannot even begin to figure out what a cat that indulged in absinthe w0uld be like. Cat nipped cats zoom and fly through the house and stare at things that aren't there. So a hopped up Green Fairy cat would probably see flying Tinkerbells all over the place.

Makes me think of a pair of earrings I made with a cat that has the largest glowing eyes. Its a Victorian image I used so could absinthe be whats behind those eyes and that wry little smile?

At A Snails Pace

Todays blog will be short because quite frankly I shouldn't be writing a blog today.
I am backlogged, sidetracked, and not being much of a frontrunner because the load is heavy and the pace to fast. Jewelry orders streaming in, lots of "social" things to run to, and duties to attend and I don't know where to start. So my favorite thing to do is to STOP!
And just daydream for a few.
Today took me to thinking of how awesome it would to be Gary in Sponge Bob right now and just slow down and play (probably shouldn't have shared that). Which made me think of two pieces of jewelry that I have sold a few of.



A snail pendant :

and also a pair of snail earrings.

Maybe people like them because it helps them chill in this busy world. But I don't think it hurts to think like a snail once in awhile. I came across an awesome video today from the French animation series called Miniscule that proves this point. And inspired me to stop the dreaming and get moving!!!

PB & J's, Ham & Peas, are what Retro is to Tuesdays!

So thought I would give this blog hop called Retro Tuesday a whirl because I am all into dredging up things from the past.
And speaking of dredging,the lost art of covering things with flour, sugar etc that in later years became known as "Shake and Bake", this is the time of year that many of us become lost in our kitchens cooking.
Be it that the colder weather has us seeking out comfort foods, or because we tend to congregate in each others kitchens more often, home cooked meals take on a new meaning in ones lives as the days draw darker earlier.
Many seek out to be the best cooks they can, some bask in the glow of some new found recipe that has become a hit.
Some,as yesterdays blog alluded too, try to remain healthy in their consumption of daily meals.
I do think though I have come up with a new goal to my kitchen duties.
I must never, and I repeat NEVER create a meal that will spawn such horrible effects as seen in these vintage ads below.
To do so would would not only freak the ham out of me but could definitely offend my friends and family as I swiftly throw their children out of my house.

For Healths Sake

Always have thought that taking care of ourselves is an important thing. And I have to admit, through the years I have had my share of arguments with family,friends and doctors alike in how I chose to remedy certain ailments when they hit the household.

Can't say that I was always right, but lots of times I was. It just makes so much sense to me to try and let the body take care of itself using natural remedies rather than the " drug for everything" mentality.

Maybe it was growing up on the tail end of the hippie era. Which I guess is sort of a paradox, because where I didn't seem to care what drug I ingested to alter the chemical state of the brain and perhaps do irreversible damage (no lets rephrase that...DO irreversible damage), I felt as long as I ate my healthy granola and kept my fiber intake good, all was well.

But I grew up and left many things behind, but not my quest for the next natural cure.

I can distinctly remember once when my toddler son ( who is now 34) was running a fever due to some virus. No drugs to ward that fever off...no siree! I stuffed his socks with garlic and had him sip on a bottle of pomegranate juice. This was of course before pomegranates were found in everything from martinis to chocolate. He eventually forgave me.

Actually he has turned into somewhat of his own health nut and we both share the love of wheat grass juice. Where he grows and juices his own, I use a dried wheat grass powder.

Ahhh,nothing like sipping down what tastes like a bucket of rain water that grass clippings have been sitting in for a week. Yum!

I am not sure what enthuses me more, the oxidation of my blood by this wonder sludge or the fact that I regularly buy it and will soon be receiving my very own free tee shirt that says I am a Grass head!

You know its not that I am totally against the conventional methods of medical care. Its just hard to trust the "Big pharma"

I mean these are the same people that in the 1950's were running ads like the one below.

I'm sure you can't read the small print so let me do the honors.
"Why is this woman tired
She may be tired for either of two reasons:
~ because she is physically overworked. If this is the case, you prescribe rest, because rest is the only cure for this kind of physical problem.
~ because she is mentally "done in." Many of your patients -- particularly housewives -- are crushed under a load of dull, routine duties that leave them in a state of mental and emotional fatigue. For these patients, you may find 'Dexedrine' an ideal prescription.
'Dexedrine' will give them a feeling of energy and well-being, renewing their interest in life and living.
Dexedrine* (dextro-amphetamine sulfate, S.K.F.) is available as tablets, elixir, and Spansule* capsules (sustained release capsules, S.K.F.) and is manufactured by Smith, Kline & French Laboratories, Philadelphia
*T.M. Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Patent "

Rolling Stones didn't sing "Mothers little helper" for nothing. And of course there are so many other examples why I just find it a little hard to trust every drug band wagon that comes rolling along. Like the H1N1 shot. Sorry....I will take my chances with the swine flu rather than inject myself with a mix of ingredients that could be more harmful than the disease.
But for those of you who don't know where you stand here is a handy video of how to make your own flu shot.



You might also want to invest this informative little pin I made that shows how the swine flu is really spread. It could save lives.

When Fish Fly

Its funny how in my childhood days I loved fishing. My aunt and uncle would often take us fishing and I have many great memories.
Whether it was the time my aunt tied a little string around a crayfish's neck (do they have a neck come to think of it?) and I walked it like a little dog, or the great picnic lunches we would have, or cooking the freshly caught fish, I am not sure, but it was great.
And there were the trips up north with my parents, renting a cottage off the lake and getting up at the crack of dawn to go see what bounties we could reel in.

Somewhere down the line though, something clicked or snapped, depending how you look at it.
I suddenly found the whole fishing thing a little disconcerting.
Still love spending time with family, still love great picnic lunches, still love nature.
But hooking and reeling in the things...ewwww...can't do it....just can't do it.
I remember my Dad always told me that they didn't feel anything. Well I bought it then, but sorry I can't buy it now.

I realize fish may not have the most magnetic personalities, and its not exactly a creature you would want to cuddle. But just try watching one lay there on the boat gasping its last breathe and look at those glass like eyes and tell me you don't see something of a personality?
Sure they are different. I think the French novelist Andre Gide put it best, "Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. Its their way of falling." So is that any reason to persecute them?

I often come across many vintage images where fish are depicted in many strange ways, from serving martinis, bowling, to romancing their significant other. One of my favorite is from an 1800's image that I use in a popular pin I sell that I like to call "Thick Lipped Smoked Fish" for short.

This recent discovery below is a bit strange. Can't quite make out the meaning behind it but its interesting, to me at least.
The woman is holding a fish that seems to blend in with her dress all neatly wrapped in a bow. Fashion accessory? Maybe to attract the menfolk? Or is it simply supper on its way home?
Whatever the case sweetie, I would watch out for the fish flying above you. May be a hostile family member ready to drop some bait that might just catch you.

And finally there is the awesome animated short on BoingBoing I came across. One from the PSST!3 series where three teams of collaborators combine their work.
Its the first in this series,called "Omar" by Doug Purver I was especially fond of although all 3 are great. I have added the full version below called "Omar and his Skyhook" but if you would like to see it combined with 2 other short animated clips that merge into one,heres the link for that. http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/17/bb-video-omar-hot-pu.html

So hope you enjoy it. I may just sign out with the name "Hypocrite". Because where you won't find me fishing again till fish fly, I have to admit that you will be able to find me chowing down on sauteed trout, baked salmon, or a nice slab of seared ahi tuna whenever possible. My bad.

Being all grown up can bring you down

The other day I was visiting at a friends house who was watching her 18 month old grandson.
The other adults in the room seemed to disappear into the back ground as I got drawn in by watching the little guy. It suddenly struck me how badly I wanted to be a child again and find the greatest joy in the simplest of things.

He was entertaining himself by simply going round and round a chair. He would do it several times and then just burst into laughter.
It was infectious laughter that made me want to strip myself of my adulthood, and dive into the simple joy of young childhood.
Think how much easier life if we would deal with our problems by looking at everything through a child's eye.

For instance I just spent about 20 minutes trying to get a blanket to be balanced on the spin cycle. Every time it would hit full speed, boom, off it would go because it wasn't balanced right. So I would open up the washer and readjust. Over and over again. All the time watching the clothes through the front load window.
Frustrated beyond compare. Ready to blow the thing up.
But how different it would have been had I had a child's mind.
Spin a little..boom... I let out a loud laugh. Spin a little...boom... I run in circles and fall down.
I become mesmerized by the blanket turning and spinning and tumbling.
I could have probably carried it on for twice as long and walked away with a smile on my face.

Probably even the scenario I had today of trying to help another who was depressed would have been so much easier. Instead as an adult I had to rationalize,empathize,and vocalize just so.
It left me feeling drained and in a lousy mood.

But had I been looking through a childs eye, I would have probably just made funny faces to make the poor depressed soul feel better, or offered them my cookie and we probably both would have walked off hand in hand singing a little song together.
I wouldn't have had to think so much about what to say. I would have only felt what it was I needed to do to make them feel better.

Oh well. Such is life. And I guess there is always the exception.
Came across this antique postcard the other day and it only goes to show, that even a childs mind can have a dark side. At least I didn't kill anyone today.

Of Replicating Pods and Slugs

The whole summer has been extremely strange.
Weather that never let us know that it really was summer. Just sort of this confusion as to had it arrived, and was it staying.
Add to that the fact that my time was totally not my own and I ran from this to this to that, and it just never really felt like "Summertime and the living is easy."

As I finally had some time to actually weed today, I had time to gaze at what was/is my garden.
Yes,it has been an object of neglect, but most neglected gardens seem to at least produce, but just in amongst a mess of weeds.
My vegetable garden this year was not only hidden in weeds, but what it did produce seemed to be spawned from some distant planet. Little watermelons that morphed into baseball size sludge. Tomatoes that sometimes decided to grow round but many that looked like a horrible tumour growth, mojito mint that changed color on me and several species of plants that just seemed to disappear, perhaps being eaten by something.
And that something could have been slugs. There seem to be slugs everywhere.
The other day my daughter put a blanket on the ground to enjoy a "picnic" lunch with my granddaughter, and soon they were infiltrating the blanket and moving in for the kill.
Hundreds of them.
Made me think of the following 1900's postcard. This guy has a serious problem in more ways then one and much milder than mine. His grubs seem exceptionally dangerous and his veggies are downright freaks.

So its with a sense of sadness but also relief that I watch the darkness fall earlier every night. Not quite the summer that we will be able to relive in pictures looked at over and over again, or one where we can reminisce over the bounty of garden goodies we grew. But a relief also because many good things were accomplished too. Maybe looking forward to the fall will bring even greater adventures in living.

At least I didn't have replicating pods in my life. Got 11:00 minutes? Enjoy 11:00 minutes Space Ghost, Stephen Wright and replicating pods. Insanity...but I love it.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast
by NPIcartoons

Life's a circus full of cheap fun

Times are tough, and we hear about it everyday. People are spending less on lots of things, especially non essentials. Like eating out, the newest fashions and entertainment.
Wanted to share with you some of the many ways one can be entertained at home with out breaking out your wallet.
All one has to do is look to the past, and see how much fun they had in the good old days.
For instance,the circus! Who doesn't love a circus? Well those who are afraid of clowns, and those who hate seeing animals abused, and those who have a morbid fear of a tent collapsing on them like the scene in Dumbo.
But asides from those people, there is alot of fun to be had by going to a circus.
But whats so great is that many of these acts can be duplicated right in your very own home!! Yes,you and your family can gather around and have your own circus!
Just take a look at some of these fine circus acts that can bring the house down in an uplifting way.
The first act I came across from around 1910 was labeled in French as "La Femme Insensible".


Which translates to ...you guessed it... The Insensible Woman.
Its such a shame that we have forgotten to value this lost art. What could be grander than sitting around watching a woman be insensible?? Priceless! And to think I could have gotten paid back then for being hormonal.

Once you become bored with that how about an act called the French Kangaroo. Sure to fool all your friends and family and bring you hours of fun.

How did they pull off those realistic ears?? Lots of practice I am sure!

And finally something to have your little pooch involved in too! Some family fun and keep your family pet active at the same time.
Grab your tennis rackets and give that pup the ride of his life!! Sports juggling! Something we can probably all give a try.

So let me know how it goes. Fill me in on how your family enjoys these activities and any others you might dream up to stay afloat in this hard economic times.

I'll leave you with one other idea, that unlike the previous makes lots of sense, involves real life, and causes no harm to others! They had it right back then,and its still a great idea today. Get out and enjoy nature. This vintage image inspired a necklace of a woman getting it just right. Dirt cheap, inspiring and full of wonder.

I love to dance,and any reasonable semblance of it

I just love to dance!! Now bear in mind, I don't even watch "Dancing with the Stars" because it will only zap my joy in the fact that I can't really dance. The kind of dancing I do is "for the sheer joy of it" dance. The kind that just sorts of oozes out of you. The kind I feel when I have a rush of endorphins on the treadmill and suddenly wish I was on a dance floor so I could be dancing to the tune on my ipod rather than running.

I recently made the piece below as a pin or desk art, not so much because I thought it would be the best looking brooch I ever made, but because it is just to fun of an image to not look at.
From the early 1900's this chick is moving to her own unique beat and I just gotta love it! Only goes to show that some things never change. Dancing is here to stay, no matter what your style is.

The joy of dancing takes on all sorts of forms. From the barest stripped down of just merely jumping up and down to the beat, to the most intricate of well thought out steps.

Came across the following antique postcard and have to wonder however, where does one draw the line?? Maybe if I could talk to this woman and find out just what she was feeling. Is this interpretive dance of a spear of asparagus?

I think what makes me want to dance even more is the fact that we are not alone in this world in us wanting to groove to the beat. Please click on the link below napoleon and snowball to read an interesting article on this fact and even better yet check out the video at the top,watch and then smile. And when you are done, you tell me who dances better? And tell me too, could you watch it and sit still in your seat??

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103629651

A spin on real time

So only a mere two months since I have logged into my blog. Not bad for being comatose.

Have no idea where the time went except that it seems as if there is no time these days.

"Summertime and the living AINT easy" is my tune.

Seems like things always speed up a notch or two as soon as we can start opening the windows around here.

Wonder if it would be great if we could somehow control time. Speed it up when things are boring and slow it down when we really want to savor it longer. Put it into warp speed those bad days so we cannot even absorb them. And then bring it to a crawl when the days are so good we never want it to end.

Put just a little spin to life?

Take for instance this antique postcard. These frogs seem to be in a hurry. But then why don't they just get off the snails? But on the other hand maybe they really just want to experience life at a snails pace. What ever the case thought it was a cute enough to share,besides the fact that it was the only I could come up with that would somewhat congeal with the time theme.

Also wanted to share with you this awesome video called Spin which got me thinking about the whole time thing. And somehow inspired me to get myself a little more in the right gear.
You may have seen it already as it seems to have been up on the net for some time. However, I just came across it. And thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you do too. If only to have the luxury of this little spin on time.

A Leap of Love

I am excited!! I am going to be in a wedding in the UK in July!! Yep,that's right.
Going to be walking down the aisle. Right smack dab in the middle of the brides bouquet. You read right. In the middle of the bouquet.
Had a lovely customer named Emily purchase "My tiny leap for houndkind" pin which is pictured here.

She is getting married in July, and she had this to say,

"I deliberately went for your pin because I have been searching high and low for a whippy item that I could incorporate into our big day & to be honest so many of the other whippy bits and pieces I've seen the dogs are really ugly! I then saw your pin and it reminded me so much of my beautiful boy Bailey that I knew it would be perfect to add to my bouquet so that I could have him close to me on the day.

I got Bailey from whippet rescue and had him for 8 years, he was my pride and joy and the absolute love of my life, he was without a doubt my soul mate. Tragically whilst my mum was looking after him for me for a few days he was hit by a car and killed instantly.

Although this has been the cruelest of blows for me I am slowly learning to remember him and smile and that is exactly what I will be doing on the 4th July this year as I walk up the aisle!I have also named all of our tables after our pets and the top table is called Bailey after my little man."



I really love being a "part" of peoples lives in ways I never would have imagined.
The image of that pin actually is a bit of digitally altered art from, would you believe it, the 14th century! To me its such a timeless piece of art that seems to have such a modern look to it and captures the joy of a hound freely leaping through the wide open spaces. It has such a happy feel to it and I am glad that Emily chose it to remember her Bailey on her special day.

Seems like no matter where we are in the stream of time, that bond we have with our pooches will always be there, as will true love of the human kind.
So while we are on the subject of romantic love, thought I would share a postcard from the late 1800's.
We often hear comments these days of "Where are our youth headed" these days.
Well if this image is depicting anything of life back then, think this pair got quite an early start down the road called "TROUBLE"!

Be afraid, very afraid....

I for one, have never understand the morbid fear of dentists. Whats the big deal?? Not that I have really enjoyed my trips through the years to keep up the pearly whites, but really nothing to stress about. I guess you could compare my attitude to be similar to the woman in the early 1900's toothpaste postcard.

Well, OK probably not that sedate and contemplative. Who knew brushing the teeth could be such a deep moving experience?
I guess being the blind optimist that I am, I figured all of our dental encounters would leave us with fresher breath, whiter whites and stronger healthier teeth. We might even come away with such a positive experience that we would be much like this young woman who went in to have dental surgery and came out smiling even though they stitched her finger to her gums.

But this week has changed everything. All my growling at my husband, who has a phobia about anything medical, "Quit being such a baby, its just the dentist". Or telling friends who faced extractions, "Aw, you'll be fine. That's what they make vicodin for".
Having had all three of my older children as well as myself have wisdom teeth pulled, I was not at all worried about my 18 year old son having his pulled out on Monday. Worst was I was going to have to kill about 2 hours waiting and getting him situated back home. After all, the oral surgeon said they were very easy teeth and it was going to be a piece of cake.

So when they finally called me back ,I waltzed leisurely into the discharge area. There he sat still barely able to open his eyes. I turned my attention to the nurse who began to spill out all the instructions. Along with the tidbit,"Oh,and he swallowed some gauze" without missing a beat. I looked back at my son and observed what to me appeared to be an impression of a drunken pelican trying to swallow a whole fish. I interrupted the nurse and asked "Did the gauze go down? Why is he swallowing like that?".
"Oh, he is just probably really dry" and went on to more instructions, like gauze of all things, and salt water rinses. As she rose to open the exit door, my steady peer at my son fighting to swallow became more apparent. I told her I was not comfortable leaving as it appeared something was wrong.
So she proceeds to try and get him to drink some water which leaves him choking and gasping for air. They take him back to a room,send me back to waiting room and an hour later come back and tell me he is fine now. So I gather up his things and we head home. Granted,he didn't seem to be gulping anymore.

That night at home when we tried to have him eat or drink, it always ended up the same way. After a few sips, he coughed everything up. I did some research on google and seemed to come away that swallowing can be a difficulty after oral surgery and just figured this was what he was dealing with. Stupid me.
In the morning on Tuesday I checked on him very early to find out that it was still happening. Few sips and he would feel it all build up in his chest and he would cough everything out.
Now a frantic call to oral surgeon was placed. Next thing I know we are whisking him to hospital to have an endoscopy. And lo and behold...gauze. Because I am just plain weird I am posting the actual picture of the endoscopy and the offending gauze.

On the upside,the oral surgery went great. No swelling,bruising,and hardly any pain.
Just a near choking death incident. What more could you ask for??

This Blogs for you...or Its a Family affair

I am going to take a step back from the imaginary world I love to live in when I write my blogs or even create my jewelry. Oh,well ok...its just the world I live in all the time. There! I admitted it.

Anyway, my humour always has a way of getting me through things. But I guess I just felt like sharing things from a different angle today.

Have been busy taking care of somethings in relation to one of my grown sons who is schizophrenic. I will spare the details as anyone who is not familiar with mental illness will think that I am back in my imaginary world writing about it.

So let me start out by saying, if you know anyone, I mean anyone, who suffers with mental illness themselves, or has it in their family or group of friends, go hug them. They deserve it and need it. And then go learn all you can about it so you can be a support.

I think its because of all this, I was deeply moved by a little note that a customer wrote on her jewelry order the other day.


She bought the necklace below



And wrote the following little note on her order:

"I love and collect vintage mohair teddy bears~ am expecting my first child, and want this as a celebratory token~"

I can't even tell you how poignant I find that. I often get emails or little notes from my customers about their purchase and they all mean so much to me. But this one...I just feel honored to be a part of this woman's wonderful journey of a new life that will bring her so much joy and happiness.
Maybe I am really giving this silly little necklace that has the tag "believe" on it too much credit, but that's the way it made me feel.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say "Thank you for making my day" to this wonderful customer, and thanks to those of you who are my family. You know who you are. Thanks so much for your support and for helping me to above all things to keep "believing".

Creative cooking of the past

So I have been reading a few cooking blogs lately.

Amazing how hungry you can get reading the web. So many interesting foods to try that weren't readily available years ago. Not to mention the tools and gadgets we have to make our job easier.
Years ago, those who had a passion for cooking truly threw themselves into their work.
Their whole mind, heart and even their body oozed creativity in their cooking.

Take for example Smella and Olga Johansen. Their passion was creating pastry and tasty sweets.
Their speciality was the fruit fillings and frostings they often used in their desserts.

Not only did they spend much time dreaming up the flavors, but when it was time to fill or frost, they put on their special filler frosting suits.

Then they would fill them up to the point of almost bursting, and just throw themselves into their creativity,writhing and rolling on the floor using the tops of the hat like cone to fill the delectable treats. And to think we have it so easy these days. True artists they were in their own time.

They were fortunate enough to have others to encourage them on in their craft. Those who shared their love and passion for creating works of edible art. Their best friend, Smirna who lived down the street was one such person. When she baked a cake, she threw herself in it...literally.

Here she is after having used her body as a beater for blending some cake batter. Notice the precise way she held her fingers for hours at a time. This allowed her to get excellent mixing of ingredients while at the same time looking very exotic.

Truly inspiring woman they were. So much so that they left their mark on their little town, and did much to help those younger then them to realize that indeed, you could follow your dreams and accomplish much.

I often think of these great woman of the past. These woman who used every fiber of their being to throw themselves, mind,body,and heart into their creations. Could they be my distant relatives??

Very often I get a strange feeling come over me. Usually after I have super glued my fingers together while making jewelry. Really makes you wonder.

Ooh,ooh,**waves hand*** pick me pick me

So a short little blurb, and I gotta make it quick. Loads of work on my desk, jewelry to ship out, yada yada. Biggest reason to be fast is I am a great indie procrastinator. Thats right. I proudly independently procrastinate all by myself.
And for that very reason, I almost am not going to make the deadline to write a blog about a great little indie radio station. You know the one I am talking about. Come on. Sure you do.
http://www.blockheadradiolive.com/ Yeah thats the one.

Winning a commercial would be a trip. It says it would be right here.
http://blockheadradio.blogspot.com/2009/01/need-some-free-advertising-you-bet-you.html


And it would also be a trip to wear a jammin frog playing a flute pin while dreamin of jammin while winning the commercial.

So I did it. Made it before the deadline came falling down on me. Now I can go back to being an indie procrastinator. All I have to figure out is what task I want to put off next.

Can you grow a bird planting birdseed?

I deviate a bit from my vintage image mania in honor of our fine feathered friends.
Ah,birds. They add so much to our lives. So much wonder, so much joy. Its hard to imagine life without them,isn't it? I often use birds as inspiration for my jewelry. Sometimes bringing out the humorous side of birds.

One popular pair are my lady crow just out of rehab earrings. They look like this:

And the story behind them goes like this:"I know this little lady crow looks so very sweet in her little bonnet hat. But no one knows she just got out of rehab. Its another case of those darn berries. The berries have a hold on her. I remember when I was little the evergreens around my house always got these red berries on them late fall into winter.They looked so yummy but my Mom always said, "Oh,no! People can't eat those. You could get very,very sick."And then she would always go on to tell me how the birds would get drunk off those berries. For some reason it just made me want to try those berries even more.I think this crow has issues and just can't lay off the berries. Maybe a change of environment would do her good."

Funny thing is I sell alot of those earrings. People seem to relate to them. Shows the strong bound that we humans have with birds. But then again maybe they are relating to rehab.

But the truth of the matter is that sometimes you really have to keep an eye on birds. They do have some strange habits. I know this to be a fact. I myself own a couple. One of them, my red lory Cinta, seems to have a fetish for wearing empty toilet paper tubes. No lie. His own little private means of escape I believe. Shutting out the rest of the world. Probably on to something . I've even uncovered the cage some mornings to find him sound asleep on the bottom of the cage with the tube on his head. Guess he has his own way of tying one on.

Still you have to admit it takes intelligence to figure out how to put the thing on his head, don't you think. I had to look up how to spell intelligence by the way.
Their little brains can be mind boggling at times. I think that being called a "bird brain" could actually be a compliment. But then again, after my repeated attempts to squeeze my head in the toilet paper tube, I could have done some permanent damage.

However I do want to offer you some proof positive about the intelligence of birds. Should you care to explore the subject here are a few links for you to enjoy.

1. Caledonian crow who makes tools. Be sure to watch video on link.

2. Bird stealing money from car wash.

3. Bird uses bait to fish.

I really could go on and on, but it just goes to show that birds are to be not only watched, but admired. Probably why I have so many pieces of jewelry that have birds in my shop. So people can look at them everywhere they go. And learn from them.

Of course, I guess they have their moments like most of us. Even though owls, and the word wise seem to go hand in hand, sometimes life gets the best of them too. Here's a final little amusing French clip of an owl who has probably seen better days...or nights.

Crazed Women and Monday Mornings

I decided to cancel my appointment with my trainer at the gym this morning as I woke up very dizzy. I mean like crash back down to the pillow dizzy.
Been sneezing up a storm so I think its allergies or something.

So while taking it easy this morning, I decided to take some time drinking my coffee and do some leisurely reading on the Internet.
Stumbled upon a very nice, interesting blog called Vintage Indie
Had a great post about keeping your kids room clean.

While reading it I suddenly thought about my code red earrings.
These earrings were created on a day when I probably wouldn't be able to be rational about cleaning a kids room. You know the days,please tell me you do.
When the hormones are just a bit out of kilter. Setting fire to the house seems like a great alternative to organizing.

It was on a day like that I created the code red earrings to be worn as a warning signal to those you love to back off. Either back off or deal with a tongue lashing. I used as a basis for these earrings a postcard from the early 1900's featuring a woman dressed as a snake. Or was that a snake dressed as woman.
Its amazing how this hormonal disruption of the universe has influenced several postcards I came across.
Here is one where an actual snake stupidly decided to try and take on a very hormonal woman.


Think this womans hormonal problem is too much tetosterone. Whew,take a trip to the day spa honey. It may do you some good.


The next postcard is, I have to admit a bit disturbing. What animal would do such a thing to a woman?? And what kind of a woman would allow such a thing??



In this case this woman seems a bit to sedate. I suspect foul play is at hand here.
After all would you sit quietly if your lips had just been clamped closed? The poor woman has either been ged or given a lobotomy of some sort. So I think its OK to take the clamp off now.

I offer one final proof that if the woman with the clamp was still a threat due to hormonal imbalance, she would be acting more like the woman below.


Hmmm..woman has hard boots,heavy iron poker,raging hormones.
Man has one bare foot,one socked foot,soft leather belt,seems to be smiling.
Cat seems to be looking at man like " You are a fool,get out while you can still breathe."

So you see,on some days, its just best to wear some code red earrings, hole up in a your own private area, and read blogs about how to be a productive human being.
This will make for a much safer environment for all.

Tea for Two?

I have always wanted to boast that I am dedicated tea drinker. I don't know why. It just seems such a proper civilized thing to do. Have an afternoon tea.
All those visions of proper people sipping away float in my mind. Pinky held high. And tea always seems to sound so much better for you.
I have gone on my spurts of drinking tea. Usually when I am trying to fight off illness,or just can't seem to warm myself from frigid weather.
But I much prefer the thickness of coffee,the intensity of it.
The smell,richness,ah,yes,the fact that you can properly drive through a Starbucks stressed to the max, and seem civilized to order yet another cup of water brewed intensity.
And I recently came across a few images that back my thinking up of why I for one, will not fall for the deception that proper people drink tea.

For example this woman. What on earth is she so happy about?



This is just not natural. Look at the way she is staring at her cake or whatever she has on her plate. Whatever it is, it seems to be dripping in some sort of chunky frosty which should be enough to wipe that silly grin off her face right then and there.
And the way everything if properly arranged and the pressed clothing. No,no,no.
This is just not right. But wait a minute. That might be a coffee pot on her table and not a tea pot.
I knew it!!! Poser, nothing but a poser. The worst kind of tea drinkers. Not willing to stand up for the watery brew but hide behind the strength of coffee.

Exhibit #2



Whoever created this postcard should have stopped and did us all a favor the minute he whipped out his canvas. This woman just looks evil. I mean who looks like this when they are drinking tea? An evil tea drinker. Who would've thought they would go hand in hand. Tea....evil....nope,never would have thought.

And speaking of hands, there is just something strange about her hands. They are so small. Or is it really that her head is so big?
Could be the effects of drinking to much tea. Its called tea brain bloat which also causes atrophied hands. I knew all that cup and saucer raising and pinking pointing would have its serious side effects.

I will take the liberty to deviate slightly here to add one other hot beverage comment. Hot chocolate. I am not sure where I stand on this. I think that perhaps I haven't really had anyone make me a really good cup of hot chocolate.
But then again,maybe I would rather actually eat my chocolate. Bite it and not sip it. But until I totally decide here is a vintage food poster that makes me lead towards not. No, definetely not going to drink hot chocolate with this clown. Literally.




Need I say more?????

And finally,proof positive that tea drinkers are actually supporting the very uncivilized pratice of tea picking. How anyone could support such an uncivilized practice is beyond me. Yep,its coffee for me. I am sure you will agree after watching this pitiful consequence of the tea drinking industry. Far more serious than tea brain bloat.

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Parlez-vous francais???

After a bit of hibernation due to Arctic cold weather and than from a head cold that got its grip on me, I am back to feeling myself again,which isn't always a good thing.
For one the appetite is back. And just what is it about cold winter weather that just makes you want to eat food that hits you deep in your very core? Something warm and lush. Comfort food. And maybe something French thrown in now and then too.

I remember growing up how exotic French cooking seemed. I had a crush on Jacque Pepin at a very young age. Not sure if it was for him or the food.
So not surprising that when I came across some old French food advertisement posters I was intrigued to say the least. But can't say they did anything to set my digestive juices into a frenzy. But the mind...now that's another thing.

A couple deserve a quick honorable mention. The first up is one for a French wine.



Nothing like a nice a glass of wine to relax with and make a meal more enjoyable. Being a big fan of French wine, I would be happy to be offered a great big fragrant glass anytime.
Except if it was brought to me by some grinning lunatic riding a very large red crustacean that just happens to be pointing his claws at me. Not to mention the fact that the thing looks downright evil. No matter how much of the stuff you drank, it seems it would be just a little bit hard to unwind with those two on the loose.

Next in line is for a product that may or may not make your mouth water.

Duck Pate. What goes better with Duck Pate than wine?? Oh forgot! Skipping on the wine today. Actually I can't say that I have ever tried duck pate and don't know that I ever will. The thought of it actually makes me a bit ill.
And seeing this ad just solidifies my reasons for not eating paste made out of duck organs.
ITS REVENGE OF THE DUCKS!! This guy is so utterly bloated in his indulgence of the finer things in life, that he doesn't even notice two ducks plotting his demise. Probably the last meal of pate de foie gras that will ever cross his lips.

And now for the Pièce de résistance!

Ok, does anyone else have a problem with a baby smoking a pipe on what seems to be a transparent chair floating in the sky. HELLO??? What is in the pipe????
The French in the ad translates to say that the joy in his life is the baby cornmeal cereal. Seems to me that the joy in his life is whatever this sprout is smoking.
And just where are this kids parents??? Is that even a safe seat to be traveling in?
The other thing that dawned on me is that this kid strikes a uncanny resemblance to,ok at the risk of revealing my age, this kid looks just like Ed Asner.

And come to think of it it didn't Ed smoke a pipe when he was on the Mary Tyler Show??
Did he?? Anyone know??? Because if he did, I think that something much bigger is at play in this ad. Much bigger than all of us.
Somethings in life just can't be explained. Take for instance this final submission of something French and something on a whole different plane. Bon appetit!

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The Conehead kids experiment as Mushroom heads

I could probably do a whole blog dedicated to the strange mushroom images I find. But instead I am sure I will just be sprinkling it with a good dose of them.

Now I realize that this one here really doesn't appear to be so bizarre, but you just don't realize the history of what is happening here.

You would be quite surprised to find that this was actually an image that was captured of Dan Akroyd and Jan Curtain as young children.

Here we see them doing one of their first skits together,"The Mushroom heads". This was the precursor to the wildly famous "The Coneheads" skits.

However,the only audience they had at the time were their dolls. This caused the two to become discouraged at times being that the dolls didn't laugh very much. Actually, they didn't laugh at all.

What you see here, is one of their lowest points in their practicing. So discouraged in fact that they have turned their backs on each other. Their dolls aren't laughing, they can't agree on their costumes, (big Mushroom cone shape hat, small mushroom hat,why even the dolls are at odds). Not to mention that they are starting to feel very uncomfortable, probably due to the large patch of poison ivy they are sitting in.

Well, they continued to pursue their dreams and the Mushroom heads mutated into the Coneheads. We can see that the large cap won out, and even their little cape like collar stayed. And their hard work really did pay off.

If you have 5 minutes here they are at their finest with the best sidekicks Saturday Night Live ever saw. And by the way, believe it or not, I did make this image into a one of a kind brooch which is now living happily in New Jersey.

Ready to jump in?

I really can't think of a better way to start this than with this happy little dude.

But then being that I can't read the language of this 1913 postcard, I really can't be sure that this man is truly happy or insane.

So I can only jump into this entertaining rectangle of the past,and see where it will take me.

I take a look at those shoes he is wearing and ooh, I am sorry they are quite frightening.

Mary Jane's I believe, which leads me to the question, "Why are most women's shoes that have a strap across them called Mary Jane's?" Who is this Mary Jane that holds the right to shoes that are suppose to somehow make us all look childlike? Although the effect on this man is sort of disquieting.

Anyway, a man in white tights and Mary Jane's holding on to a chair in the background ( its there, really, look hard) can only have one thing on his mind.

"Let me plant this cute little tush of mine down, and have my honey bring me a cold one."

And look, he even has his hand waving to her, and a come hither look in his eye.

"Yes my dear, bring me a cold one."
But you know, I am just sorry. He put enough effort into gelling his hair up in little spikes at a time when gel wasn't even an option. Amazing how his little cone hat is staying on there too. Some amazing gel I would say. Wish we had that stuff now. I could probably fix a few household items around here. Seems to have gotten some on his clothing, because he has all sorts of strange shaped objects sticking to him.

So the point of all this, he can get his own jolly cold one. I am sure his woman has a lot of scrubbing to do around the house getting his rotten hair gel off of everything.