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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