I think today instead of ending with my thankful thought, I will start with it. Guess what - Kim from Today’s Creative Blog featured me yesterday! Isn’t that cool? I encourage you to go check out Kim’s blog. I’ve had it on my must-read list for some time now. She has a knack for finding some very interesting people working in various media, all of whom are making beautiful things. It makes me wish I had a million hours in the day so that I could keep up with all of the creative blogs I discover through her. I’m thankful to be included in such a nifty “club.” Thanks, Kim!

And to all of you who have wandered over here from Today’s Creative Blog, welcome! Make yourself at home. And come to think of it, maybe some of you creative types would be interested in getting in on the Color Challenge… It’s a monthly event around here, each month based on a color. If you can craft something in brown, upload an image to flickr, and add it to our pool, then you can join us. The more the merrier, all media welcome! You can find out more here.

The pictured images are a few recent challenge submissions that I really like. These particular entries are polymer clay. Interesting how many different hues of brown have been showing up in the pool. I am noticing a really wide variety this time around that I didn’t notice when we did orange, olive, or aqua. Maybe “brown” is just too broad a color name. Perhaps I should have said “chestnut.” Heh. Anyway, my fault for not being specific enough, so I will accept anything from the brownish family. You’ve got a few more weeks to get your submissions in (where did November go already??).

It’s Friday, so you know what that means? Flickr favorites of course. Such a feast for the eyes, that flickr is, wouldn’t you say?

Will you look at what I played along with last night? I, who haven’t exercised in years. I, who have finally decided that I am ready to be serious about losing some weight. I have set a rather lofty goal of 25lbs, but to be honest, if I lose the 15 I gained during the Summer of Comfort Eating and Elastic-Waist Skirts, it will be enough to make me happy. I have to do something. My body is clearly complaining about the extra weight, every time I do anything the least bit active - and sadly, these days I consider moving from a seated position to a standing position to be “active.” Wish me luck in de-pudging. I signed up with SparkPeople.com, who made the video. They have a few tools that might come in handy, and it’s free, so why not?

Anybody have any suggestions for some good family workout videos? I think I’d like to include the kids in this endeavor - particularly the little round one who is entirely too fond of his tv and computer time. (kinda like his mom…)

Happy Weekend!

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As usual, I’m a little late coming to the party, but I read today about NaBloPoMo, which is short for National Blog Posting Month. The idea is to post once a day during the month of November. Well, heck, that’s not really a stretch for me, now is it? So, I’m joining in despite having spent most of the first week of this month in a fog of taking care of other things online and not posting as much as usual.

If you’re up for it, join the party! And be sure to add me as a friend, because right now I look darn lonely sitting there advertising that “Lisa Clarke doesn’t have any friends on this social network yet.” I’m getting flashbacks to grade school - didn’t have any friends in that social network either. *sigh*

Anywho, I have a new tutorial to announce. Yay! My NJPCG buddy Dot has a nifty Scroll Cane tutorial she is sharing with us. I’m thinking of trying this in the Evolution of a Color Scheme colors when I finally get back to working on that. Which will be soon. I promise.

Back to NaBloPoMo for a moment - they have groups you can join there. I don’t for a moment think that I will have any time to really participate in these groups, but one of them struck me as a very simple thing to do as part of my regular post. 30 Days of Thanks is pretty much just what it sounds like. So today I will end my post with one thing I am thankful for:

I’m thankful for many big, important things that I will touch on as the month progresses, but for today, let’s just say that I am thankful for peaceful moments when children are at school and husband is at work, where I can sit and quietly type for a while. Soon one of the boys will be home, followed shortly by the other, and lastly by Neil, and I will be happy to welcome each of them back. But I do appreciate the quiet of this moment.

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See? Told ya my Swamp color scheme and the Bleeker Street fabric belonged together! It practically looks like I custom-mixed those clay colors to match, doesn’t it? I think this combination is just yummy.  And what is interesting to note is that there is no actual aqua in the Swamp scheme.  The light blue and the yellowy green in such close proximity trick the eye into seeing aqua.  It’s that principle I wrote about recently in action.

I’m so glad there’s a nip in the air this morning, so I can wear it around on my errands.  If these colors make you swoon as much as they do to me, fear not. There’s another version of it headed to Etsy one of these days.

The husband has the good camera with him at the moment, can you tell?  Blogging has turned me into a photo snob.  I’m no longer happy with the 2.1 megapixel old standby, darn it.  If he’s going to make off with his decent camera all the time, then I think I need one of my own.  Any suggestions for a nice point-and-shoot that I can add to my Wists (another name for “list of things I’d like but will probably never get, but that’s ok, I can live without them if I must or find some way to turn them into a business expense and just buy them myself”)?

My flickr favorites this week. As you can see, I haven’t spent much time “flicking” this week. Where does the time go?

Speaking of time, I have roughly 2 hours left of child-free time this morning, and I need to spend it getting some orders the rest of the way out the door, and catching up on any number of other business tasks that fell by the wayside while I was experiencing technical difficulties this week.

Oh! Guess what. I bought yellow clay. That means the last few installments of Evolution of a Color Scheme can’t be far behind…  As long as Neil leaves me the better camera.

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We made a different kind of cookie yesterday and were waaaaay more successful than we were with the ill-fated Pumpkin Biscotti. This time I had the “help” of a little person, which is always nice, and we slaved away all afternoon getting that sugar cookie dough perfect. Yes, it takes the ultimate concentration to combine melted butter, an egg, and a pouch of cookie mix just right

It also takes the proper attire. During the early summer, when I was on my big apron kick, I had made one for Eamonn using some Curious George fabric and a thrifted sheet. He’d never used it since then, and wouldn’t you know it, I had no idea where to find the darn thing. So, he wore my Susan Branch apron - the pocket ended up in the back, and the ties could have wrapped around him twice before tying, but he was happy, and I think he’s just cute as a button like that.

A few hours later, I did find George. I had never put a polymer clay button on it, so I found one that I’d made in navy blue & white stripes and sewed it on with orange embroidery floss - I figured I’d be consistent with the theme of none of the elements of this apron matching each other. Now I just have to remember where I put the apron the next time we bake…

Pants. Made ‘em. Love ‘em. These look even more like pj’s than the other ones, though. What I really need to do is make a pair in a plaid flannel or a solid brown, or something like that - something that doesn’t scream “I rolled out of bed this morning and didn’t bother to get dressed all day.” As much as I love my Heather Bailey Freshcut Painted Mums, they really do look more like a lazy morning than a conscious fashion choice.

This week’s flickr favorites. Check out the Sharpies! Did you know there’s an entire flickr group devoted to photos of Sharpies? Two, in fact! Guess I’m not the only one who needs to have every color…

The boys have been asking us all week if we can go to a hotel this weekend. Being very much not made of money at this point in our lives, I think a spontaneous weekend away at a hotel is not in the cards for us. However, I have had them think about what their favorite parts of previous hotel stays have been. They’re making a list, and we’re going to try to recreate those experiences as much as we can. So far their list has things like

• Buy jellybeans (like we did at Ocean City in April)
• Go shopping (not sure how this got on the list, but I’m not going to complain about it, LOL!)
• Go to the boardwalk (Ocean City again)
• Have hot chocolate (like we did when they came to Philadelphia with me for the Donna Kato class in September)
• Stay up late playing Rummikub (Philadelphia again)

I think we can do these things with a game night followed by a day trip to a shore town about an hour away from here. I just hope the weather cooperates and that having to sleep in their own beds is not too much of a disappointment!

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It was a rainy day today. I got a bit wet waiting for the bus to drop of Aidan this afternoon. It would have been perfect Fall weather, if the temperature had been 10-15 degrees cooler. At the moment, I’ve got the windows open and the attic fan on to help cool me off, and I’m starting to think I may need my head examined because I’m contemplating turning on the air conditioner. I’ve resisted because it’s only 72 degrees. But the moisture in the air is just plain gross. I am sticking to the floors when I walk, to the banister on the way down the stairs, and to Eamonn when we sit on my bed shoulder-to-shoulder playing A B C D Watermelon at the Between the Lions website. The breeze being pulled into the room by the attic fan would be lovely if it weren’t dripping with moisture.

Still, life goes on and plans continue, muggy or not. Eamonn’s Special Night culminated, as it always does, in the much-anticipated cuddle time, and when I finally left the room, he was snoring quietly, limbs spread out as far as they could be, in an effort to keep cool. I’m having to remind myself that it is not mid-August, but rather mid-October.

October brings, among other things, my grandmother’s birthday, which we will be celebrating on Sunday. I’m thinking of making her something, and the first thing that came to mind is a patchwork scarf. I’ve never made one before, but there’s a nice one in Denyse Schmidt Quilts. Apparently I think Granny is always cold - my usual birthday gift for her is a sweater, and now I’m going the scarf route. I’ve been experimenting with a technique to appliqué polymer clay onto fabric, and I think the ends of a scarf would be a perfect place for some nifty doo-dads. If I manage to play with this, I’ll be sure to share.

Those are my flickr favorites for the week up there.  I just love the softness of the coloring in the first few rows, and the fiery oranges lower in the mosaic.  And speaking of orange…

The Color Challenge is heating up for this month!  I’m so excited to see new people joining every day, and inspiring creations being submitted.  I’ll probably be ready to pull the plug on this month’s contest within the week, so if you haven’t gotten your orange items photographed, better hurry!

I’ve blogged three times today - maybe I ought to take the weekend off to make up for it.  I’d hate to wear out my welcome in anybody’s feed aggregator

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The boys and I are on our own today. When I asked them what they wanted to do, the answer was “go to Panera.” Really? Really. Sure you don’t want to go to the bagel place (read: Mommy is addicted to their fat free tuna on a very light everything bagel, please get bagels, please, please, pretty please)? Nope. Ok, then. So we went to Panera for lunch. I tried a Sierra Turkey Sandwich (well, half of one, really. I’m saving the other half for supper) which wasn’t as good as the now-defunct Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, but it’ll do.

From there we walked to Path Mark, a supermarket I don’t particularly care for, which is redeemed only by the DVD vending machine they have. For $1 you can rent a movie until noon the next day, which I think is a bargain and very handy for those weekends when all of the Netflix are in transit and you’re dying for a little mindless entertainment.

After we safely had our movie in-hand, we walked over to Starbucks for a Decaf Tall Pumpkin Spice Latte for me and a couple of big cookies for the boys.  (Aidan lost his second tooth while eating his cookie.) This is going to be a very fattening day, I can tell. At least the boys ran around and burned off some energy when we got home. I promptly plopped myself down in a chair with my latte and my laptop. And my camera. But not the good camera - Neil’s got that with him, darnit.

Lots of pretties on flickr this week, eh? I can see the seasonal “warmth” creeping into my selections at this point. All that’s missing is images of crock pots and comfort food.  These colors make me want to curl up next to the fireplace with a quilt on my lap, some choral music on the DVD player, and a good mystery in hand.  Not quite chilly enough for that yet.  And that’s ok, I can wait.  Today’s weather really has been perfect.  It’s 60 degrees and sunny right now.

I started a project this morning that I hope to finish sometime today.   I’m making lounge pants!  I’ve got Eamonn’s done, and the pattern cut out for Aidan’s.  I want to make myself a pair, too, and if there is still material left, Neil is getting one.  We’ll all be sickeningly cute in our matching Halloween pants, I’m sure, but it’s not like we’ll be leaving the house in them. Well,  the guys won’t, but I might.  Heh.

How about you?  Having a pleasant Saturday?

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So many gorgeous things on Flickr this week…

I needed two mosaics! I’m not particularly in an analytical mood, so take some time and just drink in the loveliness Click on the photos to see the credits for each mosaic.

I’m so excited by the submissions to the color challenge this month! Who knew orange was such a popular color? There is a plethora of beautiful polymer clay in the pool - someof it positively drool-worthy - but very little in other media. I hope some more knitters, stampers, painters, photographers & needleworkers pop their heads in over the next few weeks. I love variety, dontchaknow

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My creepy, larger-than-life podcasting pose, at that. No, I haven’t started a podcast. I love to listen to them, but I can’t imagine my place being at the helm of one. So what’s with the headset, then? This was me two weeks ago, when I was chatting with Ilysa Bierer and Kira Slye of Polymer Clay Productions. It was an honor to be interviewed, and if you are reading this, Ilysa & Kira, I thank you! (And I promise to get that headset back to you as soon as I can find three minutes to dig up a box!)

If you’re interested in listening to the interview, you can check it out here.

You know how you always can come up with better ways to say things after a conversation is over? Well, maybe you don’t, but I am intimately familiar with that feeling. After playing the podcast and hearing myself speak, I realized that I didn’t say too much to embarrass myself, which is a really nice realization to have But I do think that maybe I trivialized my book store a bit. It really is a lot more than just a way to “pay for my clay so I can play.” Like many polymer clay enthusiasts, I have a serious affliction when it comes to new books, videos, and anything that gives me the opportunity to see what people are making. It’s an exciting feeling to see the UPS truck pulling in the driveway when I know some new book is on the way. I’ve been known to squeal and jump up and down in the living room, which may not be dignified behavior, but who cares?! Besides my obvious love for the products I sell, I really enjoy the connections I’ve made in the community as a result of having this business. Given how much I love seeing new books & videos come in, is it any surprise that I get excited to share them? I know I have complained long and hard about packing orders around here, but if there is one bright spot, one shining beacon of enjoyableness in that task, it is that I know I am sending a little package of inspiration someone’s way.

I was asked what my business plans are for the future, and my feeling is that I will continue for as long as

• I have an interest in polymer clay and a need to create things with it
• The business can sustain itself financially (we could never survive on this, but so far it’s not costing us anything)
• I can run the business without negatively impacting my family life
• I am happy running it

So there’s my little addendum to the interview. Other than that, I am happy to let it stand as-is. Neil commented to me (in jest. I think…) that I made it sound like I neglect our children in the course of being crafty and having a business. Anyone who reads this blog knows, though, that once in a while I do dust the little darlings off, take them out and play with them No, if anything is getting neglected, it is the kitchen. And maybe the husband.

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I sent of my contribution to the Sweet & Sinister Swap yesterday and got this box in return. It was stuffed to the gills with neat things - things that I enjoyed opening and looking at, and decorating my house with. Handmade things. The aesthetic is so different than that of the box I sent in, that I really hope my partner likes it. I didn’t get to make as many things as I had hoped to, and I’m afraid my contribution looks a little skimpy in comparison to what I received. What is that they say? Less is more?

Ginny, if you’re reading this, thank you so much - I love everything!  And I hope you enjoy what I sent you.

We went on a class trip this morning.  Pumpkin picking and a hay ride.  Somebody got a little dirty…  I’d love to chat all about it, and tell you about my trip to Super Suppers last night, but I need a nap.  I haven’t been sleeping well the last two nights, and I may doze off right here right now.    All I need to do is find something to occupy the Little Cherub. Right now he’s leaning his chin on my arm trying out different ways to say the word “pickle” and that just won’t do

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It’s swappin’ time, and there’s nothing like leaving it to the  last minute, eh?  You may recall me mentioning the Sweet & Sinister Swap?  Well, the box is due to be mailed tomorrow.  Want to see what I’m putting in the box to my partner, Ginny?

• I’ve had the BOO! banner for some time now - bought it from Nikki of WhiMSyLove, who custom-made it for me.
• The pumpkins I bought at the farmers’ market one recent Thursday, and I painted the stems with black nail polish to make them look a bit creepier.
• The licorice I’ve had in mind since the beginning (it’s considered “sinister” because there are 13 pieces - yeah, I know it’s a stretch).
• I made a pin from polymer clay - three white pumpkins with black stems, and each pumpkin has a “patch” from the Grayscale color scheme.  I then antiqued, sanded & buffed it.  It really didn’t come out like I envisioned, but it’s still ok.
• The card and tags I made in Paint Shop Pro, fiddling around with patterns, textures, fonts & effects. That’s always fun.

Now all that remains is to box it all up and put it in the mail.  I hope my partner likes it.  I’ve never done a swap like this, and frankly the more things I see in the flickr group, the more it drives home the point that my crafting style is very different than many of the people in this swap.

Lacking an appropriate segue, I’m going to just jump into showing you my husband’s pants.  This are very soft, very nicely-worn-in Wranglers that just happen to have a gaping hole in the knee.  Or, at least, they were.  This morning, after mulling over Eren’s skirt at This Vintage Chica, I took a seam ripper and a pair of scissors to Neil’s pants and repurposed them into this:

Because everybody knows I need another homemade skirt. It looks crooked, but that’s just the way I am standing.  This is quite possibly the softest skirt I have ever worn.  Neil broke it in for me over several years, and I think tonight after he dozes off, I may sneak into his closet and look for more pants I can steal recycle.  Heh.

You may also have noticed that I got sucked in by the new Old Navy sweater commercial.  Two nights ago, I was sitting on the couch with Neil watching TV and saying, “I like that sweater with the big pom-poms on it.”  One evening later, I’m out renting The Ant Bully for Movie Night, and somehow I end up trying on sweaters and buying my first ever cup of $3.75 coffee (Oh, Decaf Tall Pumpkin Spice Latte. I think I love you.  Call me.)  The newly-crisp Fall air does something weird to me, but in a good, happy kind of way

I’m going to be so busy this week, it isn’t even funny.  A little bird has told me that the long-awaited Millefiori Story is going to be in my hot little hands very very soon.  And that means I am going to be very very busy packing up those suckers and sending them on their way to eager clayheads everywhere.

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Is it flickr favorites time again, already? Where did that week go? I know I was insanely busy, but I really can’t pinpoint where I spent my time. I can see some autumn influences working their way into my favorites - a couple of photos featuring pumpkins, and a few more warm, orange tones are showing up. And yet again, I’ve managed to favorite two practically identical images from totally different places: the bagels and the yarn. Apparently I had a thing for stacked irregular ovals this week

I took a walk this morning, just me and my trusty mp3 player. It’s the kind of fall day I absolutely love - chilly enough for the air to feel “crisp” but not so cold that I can’t get away with leaving the jacket home. The leaves are just beginning to turn in the yard, and a mile or two down the road, at the entrance to the Great Swamp, the colors are already heading into brilliant territory. The leaves at the Swamp always turn faster than they do at the top of the hill where I live. I plan to take the boys over to have a look at the leaves and the critters shortly, and of course, we’ll be sure to bring the camera.

While I was walking, I listened to Sister Diane of the CraftyPod chat with Anna Torborg, author/editor of The Crafter’s Companion. I have had a copy of that book since June, and it was something I enjoyed reading in the backyard while the children splashed in the pool. Each chapter in the book is written by a different well-known crafty blogger whose task is to answer the questions: Why do you create? What inspires you? How do you work?  There are photographs of the blogger’s workspace and creations, and each blogger has also contributed a project.  The people featured in the book are at the helm of some very popular blogs, mostly sewing-related.  It seems to me, though, that discussions of creativity are relevant to all artsy types regardless of medium.

I haven’t done any of the projects in the book, but I have enjoyed reading the stories.  I love reading about what makes an artist “tick.”  This book reminds me in a lot of ways of Lindly Haunani & Pierette Brown-Ashcroft’s excellent Artists at Work: Polymer Clay Comes of Age.  There are no projects in that book, but loads of pictures of the artists’ work, interviews about their work habits, favorite tools & inspirations.  And it’s all done within the realm of polymer clay.  It’s a 10-year-old book, so you’re not going to hear from some of the “new” talent in the clay world, but the pioneers in the medium are well-represented.  I may need to dig my copy out and keep it handy so I can read through it again in my oodles of spare time

Ok, time to get away from the computer and go find some leaves to crunch underfoot!

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I was going to call this post “Fun With Flickr,” and that reminded me of my sister. When she was in preschool, she would come home from class every week with a little age-appropriate worksheet about somethingorother in the world. One day it was “The Joy of Seeds,” only she, not being able to read at the time, remembered it as “Fun With Pits” - a title that entertained 8-year-old me to no end. So, Fun With Pits, it is.

Only we’re actually talking about flickr. Not pits. Shall we get on with it?

I like to share my favorites for the week every Friday, and this is no exception. I found most of these by looking at what has been submitted to some of my favorite flickr groups recently, or by looking at the photos from my contacts. Check out Erin’s giraffe in the lower left corner - isn’t he great? I love this guy’s quirky expression. My living room has an unofficial giraffe theme, and we have a small empty spot on one wall where an African mask used to reside (it plunged to its death on the tile below when an overzealous child knocked into it). I’m considering asking Erin if she minds me using her image in that little spot.

Aside from the spotted creature, and a few other wild animals, this week’s favorites are almost a step backwards into my summer of aqua love. It must be indian summer

Have any of you looked at the calendar lately? When did it get to be the end of September?? [Note to self: Dad’s birthday is sooner than you think, and you might want to get him a card.] What the end of September means around here in Polka Dot Creations Land is that the current Color Challenge is about to end! I’m aiming for September 25th as a last day, but it really is subject to my ever-fluctuating schedule, not to mention my unpredictable whims .  If you plan to submit an olive green lovely, then it’s best to do it sooner than later, lest a whim strikes this very weekend…

Aren’t these some pretty entries?  I love the colors in the ATC, which really coordinate nicely with the Kato-esque pendant.  These pretty earrings feature some lovely green pearls(one of my favorite colors to use, back when I was heavy into freshwater pearls), and the fabric coasters are appealing to me.  They are made with Freshcut fabric, which you probably know is one of my favorite collections.
Ah, Friday.  Aidan has asked to spend the night with his grandparents, so he’ll be gone this evening.  This morning at the bus stop he declared his intention to stay at their house until Sunday, so if Grandma is having it, it’ll be  an Aidan-free weekend.  I tell you, when I am down to only one boy around here (no matter which one it is), it’s almost like being alone - it’s so quiet.  When both of them are here, they are either playing (loudly) or fighting (loudly).  Of course we miss him when he’s not here, but there’s something to  be said for having a weekend free of pandemonium   It’s Eamonn’s Special Night tonight and last I heard he was looking forward to doing more “how to draw” pages from Captain Underpants like last time.  Not my first choice, but I’ll take one for the team

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Well, would you look at that?  It’s Friday already!   I’m not sure how that happened, but it did, and as a result, I have traded in my trusty spot on the family room couch for a soft, fluffy bed in the Hampton Inn.  We drove south tonight, my family and I, so that tomorrow I may broaden my artistic horizons in a Donna Kato workshop, while the children learn all about the hotel-provided Cartoon Network, and the husband takes advantage of the complementary Internet access.  I don’t usually have an entourage when I take a class, but I hemmed and hawed about coming here in the first place - I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend Saturday alone in a hotel room, but I also wasn’t sure I would be up for the 2 hour trip home tomorrow night only to come right back to Philadelphia Sunday morning.  And so, Neil, who is either incredibly sweet or incredibly crazy said “we’ll come with you, hang out in the hotel all day, and keep you company when you’re not in class.”  Awwww.

Now, I’ve said it before, the boys’ idea of a good vacation is getting to sit in a hotel room watching cable tv (which we don’t subscribe to at home).  So, presuming they don’t get a burst of monkey energy at any time during the day, this is going to be pure heaven for them.  And if they do get the urge to climb the walls?  Well, let’s just say I’ll come back Saturday night to one very frazzled husband who I will owe big time.  I may have to break down and actually give him that backrub he’s always asking for

So, as I sit in this dark room, Neil to my left with his fingers clicking away on his own keyboard, the boys in their bed to my right, snoring quietly, I am thinking about my flickr favorites for the week.  And I am also thinking that I should have stopped dipping into the goldfish once my 7UP was gone because now I am really thirsty.  Perhaps I’ll seek out the hotel soda machine shortly, but for now, I must tell you that I need a pair of those polka dot shoes (second image in the mosaic).  They are so much like the pair of shoes that started it all.  Before blogging, I hadn’t thought about those old shoes in ages, but now I’m thinking I either need to find a pair somewhere, or make myself another pair…  Ooh!  Ohh!  I’m getting ideas now… instead of fabric markers (which, let’s face it, look like you just colored your own shoes) I can apply fabric dots somehow - that would be neat-looking!  I could cut out dots from several coordinating fabrics.  The Freshcut shoes!  Or the Lotus shoes!  Or the Aviary shoes!  Now I’m inspired.  I just have to figure out the best way to apply the dots… food for thought.

I probably won’t be around here tomorrow or Sunday.  Tomorrow night I might like to actually spend some time with the people who dragged themselves down here to be with me, and Sunday night I may just want to flop down somewhere and be entertained by Farscape and Stargate:SG1 reruns before dragging myself to bed.  Have a great weekend!

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I don’t remember if I posted about this before, but last Thursday was Aidan’s first day of school, and I decided it was also my first day of the new Fall routine. And I did great. I got up, took a shower, started a load of laundry, got the kids fed, walked Aidan to the bus stop, came back and moved the laundry to the dryer, cleaned the kitchen, put away the laundry in my bedroom that had been stacked on my dresser the entire summer, and folded & put away the newest load of laundry. All before lunch. I spent the afternoon doing business-related tasks, planning the week’s menu, and creating my food shopping list.

Friday was Eamonn’s first day, and it was really just an open house, drop in and play for an hour kind of thing. I got the laundry started that day, but pretty much did nothing else I was supposed to do, I was that derailed from having to spend the morning out.

The weekend was useless routine-wise, as it always is.

Today, Monday, was orientation at Eamonn’s school (they really seem to go a little overboard in easing the kids into it there…) so it was another morning out of the house. I had started the laundry before we left, but again found myself completely out of the whole routine mindset. I’m happy to report that I did gain back a smidge of my momentum after lunch. I managed to do the food shopping for which I had made that list back on Thursday, and that’s something.

I have high hopes for tomorrow. Eamonn doesn’t have school on Tuesdays, and I don’t have anyplace to be in the morning. It sure would be nice to have another day like Thursday…

YAWN!

Nothing more thrilling than talking about housework, eh? Maybe if I actually do some housework tomorrow, I will reward myself with some crafty time and can post the fruits of my labor. I read somewhere that this was supposed to be a crafty blog

Oh!  I keep forgetting to mention this! Do you Twitter?  I do now and then.  Feel free to follow me.  The mundane fascinating little bits of my life that are too small for a blog post sometimes end up there.   When I think of it.  If I feel like it.  It’s pretty casual.

And lastly, someone I’ve known for several years online is facing a cancer diagnosis.  If you are the praying type and would like to keep her in your thoughts I’m sure it would be appreciated.

Now, off to catch  up on my email.  It has this nasty habit of multiplying when I’m not looking…

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Originally published at Polka Dot Creations. Please leave any comments there.

We spent this afternoon at our neighborhood’s annual block party. It was a nice time, but it was hot & sticky. We wimped out and left a little early so we could come home, eat a junk finger food supper, watch an episode of Due South and play Rummikub.

Dancin Jules tagged me the other day!  I’ve been wondering if anyone ever would - it was starting to feel like grade school gym class where I was always the last one to be picked.  (sniffle.)  But now Julie picked me for her team, yay!  I’ll try not to drop the ball, LOL!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

• My feet get claustrophobic in shoes.  Sometimes I get all panicky, if my toes don’t have room to stretch.
• I used to spend my summers riding my bike to the  library, checking out Agatha Christie books, and reading the day away outside in the patio. I usually only took one or two days to finish each book.
• Before Agatha Christie, my favorite author was Judy Blume, and before that was Beverly Cleary.  I used to love those Ramona books!
• I only remember three projects clearly from my Girl Scout Days: a t-shirt we tie-dyed and then silk screened, finger knitting, and interviewing my grandmother about her childhood.
• If I go for more than a few days without a Dr. Pepper, I get cranky.
• One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning is go for a long drive through the countryside, with the windows open, singing along to a CD I made specifically for that purpose.  I often find it to be a more spiritual experience than going to church would have been.
• Neil and I used to stay up late on the weekends and often caught episodes of Due South at 1:00 in the morning.  We’re having fun watching them on DVD now and sharing them with the kids.  Eamonn loves the theme song.  And that Benton Fraser is not hard on the eyes at all.  Gotta love a man in uniform - even a mountie
• I am a mosquito magnet and am usually the one who gets eaten alive when I’m out with a group.

Ok, now who do I tag?  I have to figure out if there is anyone who hasn’t already done this thing, LOL! How about Neil, Tina, Heather, Lisa ,Jen, Angela, Tamara, and ZudaGay?

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Originally published at Polka Dot Creations. Please leave any comments there.

Oh, green, how I love thee. Green makes me happy You know what else apparently makes me happy this week? Pictures of feet on busy-patterned tiled flooring. It’s funny I should have two images like that in my favorites.

Speaking of my favorites, I found a nifty screen saver today at Wackylabs.net. You can configure it to cycle randomly through your own Flickr photos, images from a group pool, or the photos you have favorited. I’ve got it showing my favorites today, but I’m sure I’ll get tired of that soon and change it to something else. Maybe the Color Challenge pool? The only drawback I’m seeing so far to this screen saver is that it appears to be a memory hog. Every time I try to use my laptop after the ss has kicked in, I have to wait for it to chug along for a few minutes before I can get down to business. I have to see if it’s any better when I don’t use the full screen mode.

Ok, now here is something that I found very cool. If you saw last month’s Color Challenge results, you may recognize these plates & bowls as the work of Orly Rabinowitz. And, if you’ve ever checked out my tutorials, you may also recognize that this batch was made in part using my School Spirit cane! I am so jazzed about seeing one of my designs re-interpreted and used in someone else’s work. She did something with it that I never could, and I love that!

This heart was made by Robin Milne at the same Dan Cormier class that I took back in June. The veneer she used was made with my Weave Cane tutorial. Isn’t it great? Once again, somebody took something I came up with, and used it to create an object fairly different than I  w