Scrap Paper Mosaics

.

More work and instructions from Jeffery Rudell, who made the Torn Paper Flowers I wrote about the other day.

This is the type of paper mosaic work I've seen before, that I always wanted to try. I believe these pieces are by Vivian Peritts, from the old Carol Duvall show. I found it on my hard drive when filing the top picture.

I just Googled paper mosaic and got lots of hits. But I must get to work so I'll check them out another time.

.

Tower of Power

.

This new office I'm in really holds the heat, as they say. It's on the opposite side of the building from where I used to sit, but there must be another factor at work here because even though I keep the blinds closed all the time, it's remarkably warm in there. A) The building air conditioning is always a bit cranky so everybody is warm, not just me. B) I'm overweight and middle-aged.

So in the throes of sweatiness a few weeks ago I hopped online and ordered me one of them wind towers from Walmart.com. Forty bucks, no shipping to the local store. Naturally, the climate immediately cooled off. But lucky for me, last week it got warm again.

That thing you see pictured above, is a beauty, I tell ya! It's a full body fan, as opposed to the face-only micro fan I had been using previously. It has 3 speeds but low is perfect. (High sent papers flying around my office like a ticker-tape parade.) It oscillates but I like it on me, because, as with all of life, it's all about me, all the time.

The best part. Are you ready? It has a remote control! Seriously. A remote control that *I* get to hold and use and caress. I'm drunk with power.

I was telling Steve how strong the fan is and he told me not to get any ideas about getting one for our bedroom because we'd have to tether Reggi & Verona to the bed, lest they get blown away. Even though we have central air, I often have a small fan going at night. I've noticed on the nights when I don't turn it on, sometimes Steve does. Either we're both overweight and middle-aged or we're both used to the "white noise" it produces. Might come in handy when Simon moves home since he comes and goes at all hours.

Yep, got me one of them "Category 5" wind towers. Life is good.

.

Torn Paper Flowers

.

Instructions for Crumpled Paper Flowers by Jeffery Rudell are here. Aren't these sweet?



Must get off the computer and get to work assembling Sticky Notes for this show. Yesterday was quite productive. Time to kick it into overdrive today!
.

Brenda Dean & Leslie Hanna

.

Shame on me! Brenda Dean was nice enough to feature my work on Sept 3 blog entry and I forgot to link to it. (Thanks again, Brenda!)

Check out some of Brenda's other work - she's very talented.

And today I received a nice email from another very creative Stampin' Up distributor, Leslie Hanna. You can click on her blog profile and find links to her other blogs. She's hilarious!

Just a couple of talented stampers that have introduced themselves to me in the last couple of months that I wanted to share with you.

Otherwise, it will be a busy weekend for me, cranking out the inventory for this upcoming show. Steve and I took Reggi for a walk this morning but otherwise, it's All Pine Tree Designs, All the Time.

.

High Society

.


.

Adrian Grenier

.Every once in a while I'll buzz through the HBO online guide and Tivo a few movies I think we'd like to see, for those slow times between Netflix and regular TV. Some are stinkers, some are not. We watched The Notorious Bettie Page over the weekend. As I told Steve, that was the weirdest movie I've seen that held my attention. And it didn't even have a plot! Most weird movies are stupid and irritating, for example, Magnolia. The only decent thing about that movie was Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I don't just say that because he's from Fairport. I think he's an outstanding actor. (And just for the record, my movies don't have to be neat & orderly with clean, happy endings, but that is my preference, I admit.)

That's how I found Shot in the Dark, a film documenting Adrian Grenier's search for his father, whom he has not seen in 18 years. I'd read about it a few years ago but forgot about it, I guess. So it's been in our Tivo queue for weeks now. Every time Steve opens the listing to see what it is, he groans and closes it. I think he hates documentaries as much as I love them. Last night Steve worked late so I settled in with my dinner of popcorn and Crystal Light and watched it.

I really loved it. I'm still thinking about it this morning.

Number one, can I get an amen from my women friends that he is so dang good looking? I've hardly seen two photos where he looks the same - but I chose my favorite for above.

Number two, it was very real. I read a few of the comments on imdb.com about the movie and people were dissing Adrian's mom for her free-love lifestyle. That's how it was in the mid-70s, just coming off the 60s. (His dad was dissed too. Seems to me there's enough blame to go around for the dad not being in his life. I don't get that at all.)

His stepmom initially comes off as pretty cruel to a little kid, hanging up on him when he called his dad. But she was the only one we heard apologize to Adrian's face. "I was wrong. I'm really sorry."

I also liked that it was never mentioned that he's a TV star now. Oh wait! I didn't realize until I researched it for this entry, that this documentary was filmed in 2002 , two years before Entourage. (Don't you love that show? It's one of our very favorites.)

I found this photo of him with his mom and dad at the premiere. I'm glad the step mom came around and all this worked out. I'm sure she went to the premier too. (I Googled her but there are too many Debbie Dunbars to go through.)

Entourage - Season 5 begins this Sunday!

.

Home Again

.

Sticky Notes, $4.50

Simon is definitely moving back home by October 1 when his lease is up. He's been waffling for months. I totally understand. I told him a year ago, once a kid moves out, it's really hard to come back. And he's under the wacky delusion that I want him to move home. This is apparently a common misconception on the part of lots of young adults, from talking to some of my co-workers.

"Mom, I know you're really happy that I'm moving home."

"Simon. Not that happy, really. I've gotten as used to you not being here as you have. I'm happy for the right reasons, the same reasons as you have, financial & educational reasons."

He plans on going to school for auto mechanics and eventually opening his own shop. I could not be more pleased because these are two things I've been telling him for years he would excel at. I've never met someone with such innate mechanical skills.

But.

His room in the basement is in the exact condition he left it - a total mess. I told him he's not bringing one thing into this house until that room is ship-shape. I've yet to see any action, but it's only September 3.

I told him that he & I will have an agreement and so far these are my points:

1. He doesn't have to make life for Steve and me easier - but he can't make it harder: physically, financially, etc.

2. He must turn off lights and TV when not in use. He made me crazy with this when he lived here before.

3. He must recycle. Non-negotiable.

Pretty easy, huh?

He may be procrastinating cleaning up his room, but I'm definitely not procrastinating stressing over it. If he spent just a couple of hours and made the tiniest bit of progress, he has no idea how much better that would make me feel. It will all get done, I know it will. He always comes through - just rarely on my timetable.

In rereading this, it sounds like I'm not at all happy about Simon moving home. But really, I am. I'm glad he finally has a plan. I've seen him grow and mature over the past year. I know it will be stressful in some ways but the ends definitely justifies whatever means it takes to get there.

Deep breaths.


.

Pam Slim & Luann Udell

.

Hi Helen! Your dozen cards and dozen Sticky Notes are on their way to you. (Thanks again!)

~ ~ ~


Love, love, love Pam Slim's Escape from Cubicle Nation.

I am a coach and writer who helps frustrated employees in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. I have been self-employed for 12 years and have enjoyed every bit of it.

I am writing a book (Escape from Cubicle Nation, due from Penguin/Portfolio in Spring, 2009) and write for Martha Beck's blog on a bi-monthly basis.

I tend to hold off reading her posts until I have time to savor every word. She often provides links that I want to follow.

I've blogged about Luann Udell before.

I make wall hangings, sculptures and jewelry inspired by prehistoric, tribal and world art. I find it just as important to write about my art as to make it. I write about how being an artist has made me a better person.

I have learned so much about craft shows from her blog entries. She writes about other stuff too, which I like.

I can barely get through a blog entry by either one of these women without wanting to be a better me. They both offer subscriptions via Feedblitz so their latest entries arrived in my mailbox together this morning. I'm on feel-good overload! (Timing is everything. I'm holding down the accounting fort alone for the next 2 days.)


.

Autumn Craft Show

.
.