A Sad Day at Our House

Sir Bubo Wilson

2007-2008

Beloved Pet and Furry Friend

R.I.P.

Today our beloved pet rat died. It may sound strange to be so heartbroken over a rat but he was like a member of our family. He was out of his cage most of the time and since we brought him home at 6 weeks old his feet seldom touched the floor. He was even scared of it in the beginning. He would only be on me or Jacob or in his box. He got much braver and would stalk around a bit but never got into much mischief. He was the most loving little critter. Jacob named him Bubo--like Bubonic--and the silliness of the name seemed to suit him. He became ill right before he turned a year old and we went to the vet. He was diagnosed with rat lice (from the wood chips) and chronic respitory problems. He took several rounds of antibiotics but would always get sick again. I started with homeopathic remedies and he has some better days and weeks then others. He got lots and lots of loving but we could tell he was not quite himself anymore. He rarely ventured off the couch or our laps. He was having difficulty breathing--quite a bit the last couple of days and even had difficulty moving around at all. I was feeling like we were in "rat hospice" mode. Last night he was particularly weak and would not take water from me. Today, more of the same. We went out and left him with a heat bag on the sofa. We came home and he was stretched out in a sun beam. I laid down to take a nap with him and he was restless. He couldn't settle and his breathing seemed to slow and he reared his head up a couple of times and then got real still. I was holding him and felt him pass away. We shed a lot of tears tonight. He will be creamated at the humane society where I know they will take good care of him. They were very sweet when we stood in the lobby sobbing saying good bye to our favorite little furry critter. It is very empty in the living room tonight. I keep coming in and looking for Bubo so he can curl up in my lap while I type. Who would have known a family could have grown so attached to a rat! He was by far the coolest pet we have ever had!

Gearing up for the Holidays!

Well is has all been made official and I am a participant in this years Bizare Bizaar in Lawrence, Kansas. Here is a link with all the cool artist and details of the show...

http://www.bizbazart.com

It is always well attended and LOTS of fun. This will be my first time as a seller and I am nervous and excited. I am sharing space with a talented potter--Sharon Moreland. I am sure our table will be fabulous! I am finishing up some very cute cat toys, Sample Book Scarves, recycled felt products, glass marble necklaces, orginal collage jewelery and the ever popular nose warmers! (Plus whatever else I can get done by then! ) Don't forget the DysFUNctional Family Christmas Cards for those whose holiday memories were not alway Merry! I had a lot of fun with those last year.

Here is a Sample Book Scarf I made for myself. There will be another red one but may have different color lining. These are turning out really pretty.

I put one of my temari balls in the Unity Gallery art show. It helps to be on the gallery team but I think it look quite nice hang there. I will have a few of those at the Biz Baz as well. I am starting one called "Here Comes the Sun" that is made from a recycled core of grocery sacks and is wrapped in vintage thread from old wooden spools. Quite lovely!

This is a 16 division and was inspired by the Eckert Tolle book A New Earth, hence the title. I was finishing this up while we were having a study group with the book. This ball is called: "Flowers: The First Recognition of Beauty"

Here is a detail shot of it. It reminds me of a lotus flower seen here at my orthodontist office...

These are so beautiful!

This is the reason I was at the orthodontist office although one of us has graduated...can you guess who it is...

I better get busy...I surely must be stitching something!

More from Sparks...

Well, the time finally came when my overflowing crafting room had to be cleaned. (Thanks mom and Cathy!). I had a GIANT bunk bed in there and someone at work needed a bunk bed for a family so I gladly offered it up but it was barricaded in my craft room by all the treasures I hunted down this summer--including my recent Sparks excursion! Well now everything is stacked neatly. I am a little afraid I will not be able to find things but glad to have it more stacked then piled--a gatherer would understand the difference!

Here are more from our time in Sparks. I saw Cheryl today and she is trying to convince her husband to sell his wonderful, hand-made porch swings at Sparks next time around. She is thinking that her and I can sell some things too! We tend to gather so much that it would be nice to sift through it and sell some so we can get some more!

Here is Cheryl looking at some western stuff.








Sparks can be full of extremes from junk piles:

To gorgeous glass. I am not a collector of glass. I tend to be quite clumsy and break a lot of things so collectible glass ware is not something I seek out but thought this display was stunning:

Cheryl's friend Sally found this really awesome game board. It has metal tubes in the sides to store the marble for the Chinese Checkers board. Sally found some extra marbles to so now it is a complete set. There is another board on the other side but I am not sure what game it is. I thought this was very unique and I had never seen anything like it.

This vendor has some neat stuff but it is stored in a structure that has tarps for sides and it piled so high that you feel like you need to take a shower when you come out. I have found some interesting stuff in there but it tends to need a lot of TLC.

I love old patterns and thought this was a nice display. I did not purchase these but have some similar ones in my stash. This are has some really nice restored furniture.

Here is a typical street scene...

More stuff and things...




and finally...

My best treasure of the day!

I have wanted one of these step stool/seats for a long time. My grandma had something similar but with out the very cool steps that come out. I found one for $17 and was going to go back and get it but Cheryl spotted this for $10! It has just been marked down so I snatched it up. Fortunately, I had another awesome garage sale find with me...

My little red wagon! (plus several bungee cords!) This is a must have for any serious junker! It was so nice not to have to carry everything on our backs and in our hands. OR to leave it for pick up later and try to remember everything place we had to go!

This wagon was like my chariot! I was very pleased with it! ($5 at a local garage sale!)

So now the season of gathering is over and the fun begins. I have a table at a local event entitled Bizarre Bazaar the Saturday after Thanksgiving so have to get down to creating masterpieces that folks think will make great holiday gifts!

Cheryl and I are gearing up for the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City, http://www.mapleleaffestival.com/about.htm

It is a really fun crafters show, along with other events in the town. They have a great little quilt shop that I enjoy visiting. Fall is coming and time to curl up with warm fuzzy things! I love fall, that and spring are my favorite seasons. It seems that we may have a nice one this year--not too short!

Spark-a-licious!

Well, yesterday was my semi-annual trip to the Sparks Flea Market in Sparks, Kansas http://www.sparksfleamarket.com/ . 500ish vendors of fine, quality junk, antiques, fair food, and anything a true junker would desire! My friend Cheryl and her friend Sally decended on Sparks about 10:00. There is tons of free parking and we have found that the August show is a better place for deals. I found many $1 tables and got to stuff a bag with VINTAGE fabric and linens for $2.00!!!! Let me tell you, I can stuff a bag. I came away with a vintage apron, 2 linen table cloths, a multitude of Irish and English linen kitchen towels and silk galore!

The displays run the full range from neatly arranged, air-conditioned trailers to dusty, dirty piles to dig through! The one thing that everyone has in common is the pursuit for the treasured item of the day. See Cheryl's saddle below...

At the first $1 table I encountered, I found a zinc lid mason jar filled with colorful rocks. I thought the rocks would make great charms. I cleaned it out this morning only to discover the rocks were actually antique candy! EEEWWWW! I got a lovely a Mason jar for a buck but no pretty rocks. Here is a pic of one similar to mine...perfect condition and no chips. Mine is not quite a blue but has the zinc lid.

Here is Cheryl with her prize saddle! She is decorating her living room in a western theme. She found this adorable child's saddle in great shape for $50! The other saddles were running about $150 and were not in as great of shape as this one.

Stay tuned for more images and stories from Sparks...And my treasured item of the trip! It is always such a good weekend and Cheryl and I look forward to it every May and August. Now Sally is on board and we are a trio of junkers in pursuit of the awesome deal, the diamond in the rough, the potential of old, broken and rusty things!

Bizarre Bazaar and ravelry.com

The registration form just came for Bizarre Bazaar! This will be my first "official" show to sell things...I am going to be very busy this summer! The show is on November 29th. I am very exctied about it and nervous too. I am still tossing around ideas of things to make so have to get those creative juices flowing.

I went to Wichita last weekend to see my baby cousin and her baby. He is so adorable! There is a new yarn store there called Twist. It was adorable and I scored some awesome yarn! They also introducted me to www.ravelry.com I had a log-in but had not checked out the site much. It is very cool! If you have some yarn and are not sure what to do with it, you can type in the name and see what other people are making! Also, if you have a pattern from a popular book you can see how other people have made it. That was a great feature as I did not have the book with me and wanted to check out the yarn for it. The demand for log-ins is so great that there is a waiting list but it is definately worth the wait. You can also find local yarnaholics and Stitch and Bitch type group. There are groups for everything on there. It is a great community!

Toooooo Muuuuuchhhhhh Snoooooowwww!

Well, it has been a while since I posted. I have been recovering from the Christmas rush and hibernating from the snow. We have had more snow this year then any year I have lived in Kansas. I am a native Californian and it took me 5 years of living her to learn how to dress for going out in the winter! I still cannot do the cold one day, warm the next dance! Ugh! I wore sandals today in 67 degree weather but just saw a winter weather advisory! Doesn't anyone know that spring starts this month! It is March 1st! No more snow! I do hear that the wet winter will make for lovely spring growth but still it is too much. I have been buying seed like crazy just anticipating the time I can get outside and play in the dirt!

As for wintertime creativity, I have created a couple rag quilts--one as a baby gift and one for Jacob. I enjoyed it so much I am gathering fabric to make myself one in my new bedroom color--medium lavender and chocolate brown! mmmmm yummy!

I have also recently, been exploring the world of freeform knitting and crocheting. I learned about it by listening to a book on MP3 called Chicks with Sticks. There are two books and they are in the young adult genre--mindless, mostly and attention getting--exactly what I need for my 40 minute commute in which I cannot knit (or otherwise occupy myself) and drive. There was a girl with a learning disability who had limited reading and counting skills--of course this goes straight to the heart of a school social worker! Anyway, she has quite a fashion sense and gets frustrated with the whole pattern scene and meets "freeformers". I did not really think much of it until I plugged it into Google for kicks and was AMAZED at the beauty I beheld! Try it! Type in "freeform Knitting" and see what you get. There are some galleries on flicker as well as some artists out there that are amazing. I am working on a piece for fun and am not sure what it is but I am having a blast imaging a shape in my head and actually being able to knit the curve and shapes! There is some crochet too. I have never considered myself a designer and any attempt to alter a pattern or just pick up and knit something has failed miserably so being able to just knit whatever and hook it together is pretty cool. I am not sure what my creation will be--maybe a purse???

I went to a local knitting group and there was only one other gal and myself! We were both first timers at the group and the only ones who showed up! (I have since learned that they meet at the Merc on the 2nd and 4th Satrudays at 3:30 and NOT at Mirth!) but Shelby is an amazing knitter whose mom teaches classes at our LYS. She was making the most amazing Fair Isle sweater from the cover of Interweave Knits! I was blown away and have since been inspired to consider making a vest! I know, I have never considered making myself clothes because, well frankly, it would cost a fortune in yarn! I have begun contemplating unraveling thrift store wool sweaters for this purpose because I figure if it fits well then there is enough yarn to re-knit into a sweater! I am working on a ugly shade of pink cashmere/silk twin set. I never wanted to get rid of it because it is cashmere (puuurrrrr) but it is a ghastly shade of pale pink--really it does ex hist. I figured with some unraveling and some dye--maybe even koolaid that I could have some pretty yarn! Oh and I also finished a pair of cashmere, wool, cotton, angora (Cashcotton) 1/2 gloves with a mit flap. They are so cozy! Looks like I will need them tomorrow!

Check back for pics soon...Keep thinking spring!

Still Available and Special Orders

By the way....I still have items available and can take special orders some special orders that can be ready by Christmas. If you are interested, e-mail me at rocketmom67@yahoo.com.

Unity Arts and Crafts Sale

Well I survived my first intentional craft sale! I say intentional because this was the only year that I purposefully set out to make things for the Unity sale. It was pretty good considering our minister announced that she was leaving Lawrence and moving to Maui! Folks were pretty upset. I was downstairs and missed the announcement. People were very sad and selfishly, I wish she would have announced that on another day!

In years past, I have made things at the last minute and decided to do it but this year I have been working since summer to put things together to see what people think, what they would buy and really what I can do well. Here is my table. I shared it with Jacob who made Konfetti Kaos bottles.








Fabric Bowls:









I was happy the Dysfunctional Family Christmas cards went over very well and I actually sold out of the "I hope your family is as happy as ours..." card! The dancing goddesses were well received buy I do not think their fronts were defined enough. People looked confused. Here is Red Hot Mama and her friends:

I did not sell alot of memory wire bracelets and that surprised me because I thought they were really cool and well priced.



















Also, the fingerless mits I made did not sell either and again cute and well priced. Oh well, I have inventory for Biz Baz next November and I still think that some of the things that did not sell will do well in other venues. I will post pics when I get a free moment. Mom helped with the set up and it was very cute--somewhat crowded but cute.

"Spirits of the Woods" This was a last minute inspiration--it is fibers, beeswax, fabric and Fimo clay. I love it and am not terribly sad that it did not sell! I will probably try some more of these as it was really fun to make!

Crazy Quilt Fabric Bowls and Glass Marble Necklaces

Cards for holiday sale

I have been having a blast making cards for the holiday sale at Unity Church of Lawrence. During the summer, I got 3 disks of vintage photos from e-bay. They are copyright free and came from Canada. I only paid .99 each and the photos are awesome! I got Christmas, tattoos and wild west. I used some of my own photos as well as the Christmas photos and made "Dysfunctional Family Christmas" cards! It was really fun to think of snarky comments for them and I hope people like them! Here they are:

I used my program that is similiar to Photoshop called Micorsoft Picture It. I am not sure how it got on my computer--maybe it came with it but I like it. You can manipulate photos in several different ways. I then printed the pictures on speckled card stock, cut them out and glued them on blank cards. I make labels for the back that said Dysfunctional Family Christmas with this blog, in case anyone would ever want to contact me!

I think they turned out cute and hopefully others will understand my sense of humor!

Art or Craft????

I have been contemplating this question lately. I realize that the term "artist" does not feel right. I thought it was because I just was not comfortable with it but in exploring books and blogs and craft fairs, I have come to realize that "crafter" feels more like home to me. I am not sure is that is good or not. Maybe I should stretch to become an artist???? I have realized that I am really good at following directions. I can create things because I can follow directions. I am not very successful at creating my own patterns--the exception is creating collages--but like with sewing, I have something to start with--printed papers or fabrics. I can do freestyle stuff like this fabric collage/art quilt, "Ode to Diabetes"

It turned out to be a tribute to my son Jacob and his struggle with type 1 diabetes. That was not my intention--it was a diabetes piece but not Jacob--however that is what it turned into.

I like these because I can free hand the pieces. I don't have to mix colors only pick colors I like. It is fun but takes a lot of mental energy. I do not spend enough time doing this but more following directions, patterns etc. I just joined a yahoo group for fabric postcard exchanges. I thought that would give me an opportunity to do some of these on a small scale and practice more.

So art or craft? What really is the difference except how much you pay for it! Really there has to be more of a difference then that!

Lily??? but sounds like me...

I am a Lily What Flower Are You?

"Your artistic expression tends to show up in flamboyant bursts. When you are feeling creative, it consumes your every thought and action. But just as quickly as the muse shows up, it leaves you and you are back to your relatively normal self."...Yep that's me!

Holiday Sale

I did not get a spot in the local Bizarre Bazaar which if fine because I do not think I have the inventory for such a big show--being that it would be my first time. I am however, going to sell items at the Unity Church Craft Sale in early December. I check their web page but it is not listed. I have the following items that will be ready:

Memory wire bracelets

Fabric bowls

Glass marble pendants and bracelets

Knitted nose warmers

Knitted socks

Felted purses

Note Cards

Dancing Goddesses

Possibly some Fimo clay jewelery

I tried a lot of different stuff to see what people like, what sells easily, what I am good at and what is fun to make. I will post photos soon.

I have recently been inspired by an awesome artist I met at the Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival-- http://baldwin-city.com/mapleleaf/

The artist is Jane Hosey-Stern and she has Junque Drawer Studio she had amazing found object art and the stuff I love. It was like she took all the stuff in my room and put it together. I got some amazing ideas to bring my things together--like what sorts of findings to use. She offers workshops and I am hoping to be able to participate in one. It is funny how you found people when you are ready. I met her, then right next door is an artist I met in Lawrence who is friends with Jane, then come to find out the new secretary at church is friends with her as well and is creating a studio of sorts in her home! I feel like I suddenly made all these connections to help me along my artistic path!

The Maple Leaf Festival is a great arts and crafts festival. Several years ago, it was a very Americana style event but it is really grown and there is a larger variety of vendors. I went to a great quilt store there http://www.quiltingfabricsupply.com/ and found some very cool Huckleberry Finn fabrics. My friend Cheryl bought some too. Here is a pic. of them. I am going to make a rag quilt for Jacob.

This is hard to find! I hope I have enough! The fabric I have has a blue background and I also bought a complimentary fabric that has words from the book printed on it. Jacob received the nickname "Huck Finn" in 7th grade so will be quite surprised by this quilt!

I love my new sewing machine and have been spending a lot of time with it since my 40th birthday. It is a Kenmore and does an amazing job. I am discovering a love for sewing that I guess I never realized I had. I made a 2nd art quilt--An "Ode to Diabetes" that I will post and it was a blast. I have two more planned and a new neighbor who quilts and is going to show me how to do the binding on the sides!

So it has been a busy and productive fall with tons of inspiration and connections! I am happy for the time change as it aways puts me in a better moood!

It has been so long...

Well with the start of school in mid-August it has been a while since I have posted. This is what I have been up to...

Making fabric bowls (McCalls Pattern, very cute)

Getting to know my new sewing machine (Kenmore 90 stitch model--the coolest thing around!)

Having a yard sale (I only made $10! Jacob made $70! apparently his stuff was cooler!)

Going to the MOST awesome flea market around (http://www.sparksfleamarket.com/) in tiny Sparks, KS. Scored a painting by Margaret Mcdonald Phillips. I am researching it because it is unique and signed.

Completed my first art quilt (obviously sewing a lot)

Planning for crafts fairs during the holidays--still no inventory! (narrowing down to fabric bowls, note cards with prints of collages and art quilts, and possibly purses, knitted baby socks, altered altoid boxes and some jewelery of some sort--I am very scattered!)

visited a sunflower field (if you have never been close to one and have the chance--don't miss it--it is breathtaking!)

Farewell Harry Potter...

Since Saturday at about 1:30 a.m. I have been deeply engrossed with the new Harry Potter book. We have been HUGE fans since the first book. Jacob was in 1st grade and I got it for him. He had no interest in reading it so I read it and LOVED it! I got him to sit through the first chapter and he was HOOKED! We have eagerly anticipated every book release and movie since. Jacob spent 3 or 4 Halloweens dressed as HP and strongly resembled him for most of his elementary years. He even had HP brand glasses from Target! So it was with excitement and sadness that we entered the Border's party at 9:30 Friday night. There were costumes, potion lessons and wizard duels. It was fun to see the kids, now it jr. high that I have watched grow up through the series, much like Harry. Just a few years ago they were chasing each other around with toy wands shouting hexes and spells at each other. Now they are busy chasing girls and embarrassed by these stories!

So I dived into the book and stayed up the past 3 nights until about 3 a.m. reading. It is the best volume that J.K. has turned out. It is very engrossing and tense from the first chapter. There are a couple of chapters that drag a little but the story line is fairly cohesive. I cried as a I read the final chapter last night. I won't give it a way for anyone that sees this and does not want the ending spoiled but it is the close of nearly a decade of living with these words and characters. I know the buzz is that J.K. will not be writing any more HP books but I still have several questions about how things end up.

There has never been a book that has created this much buzz among kids and it is amazing to see kids reading near 800 page books! not just 1 but 7 of them! wow! that is amazing! I don't know if another series will so intrigue and captivate our kids any time soon. It has been a good run and it is a truly a bittersweet ending--sad that the series has come to an end and we will never again hear of the exploits in the wizarding world and happy that there was one more chance to share the journey of the "boy who lived".