A Find

Last year, on a very nice day in summer, I went garage saling. I do that sometimes. Usually I look around and notice that there aren't very many "good" items, but I continue browsing to be polite. On occasion I find something that has potential to be interesting, if it isn't  too old, or too warn out, or too broken. But it's a very rare to come across "a find."

So, I was garage saling. When we pulled up to the house just on the side of the road I thought it was probably going to be one of those polite browsing sessions. Lots of smiles and pretending-to-be-interested, but really nothing but some flower pots and unheard-of VHS titles.

I was wrong. In a few minutes I spotted "a find." It was next to the house, behind a table, hidden* in the shadows. Sure, it was covered in fake moss and parts were rusty and broken. But that didn't matter to me at all. It was exactly what I had been looking for, even though I hadn't particularly known that three minutes earlier. It doesn't matter whether or not you know what your looking for, as long as you know it when you see it.

And if you're me, the price also plays an important role in the "exactly what I had been looking for" criteria. But you see, it was perfect in every respect, even price. Although I may, or may not, have gotten it for five dollars less than what the lady asked for it because I asked. It's possible.

But of course, I've left you waiting. It was a dress form! Smile.

Of course the immediate problem was to get rid of the moss. My mom had questioned the wisdom of buying it in the first place, on the objection of the moss. To be fair, I have seen green, mossy dress forms which looked very whimsical and woodsy, and a little bit like Grecian statues that have been overgrown with lichen over time. Unfortunately, that's not what this one looked like. It looked a bit more like someone had drizzled hot glue over the whole thing and dumped a large bag-full of peat moss on top of that. And it smelled like dust.

So that very day we put her (the dress form) in the driveway and proceeded to remove the moss. Easy, right? Not right. We found that we had to use a heat gun and chisels. You know, like what you would use to chisel wood? The really sharp carving-type tools? Those.

Step number two: cover the ugly discolored foam with something else. There were lots of options of methods I could have used; paint, paper-mache, fake flowers, glitter... ok, so maybe glitter would have been a bit excessive. My choice was a layer of batting covered with fabric. Just a plain ivory cotton. Sounds simple.

Until you start to think about it.

Sooo... how do you do that? I looked online for dress-form-covering-directions and found some... but not any helpful ones. It was mostly people who said "...and then I covered the dress form in fabric and this is what it looks like!...) Wait... so how did you do that?

After years I've finally come to the conclusion that if at first the internet doesn't help, wing it!So I wung it. ;)

I actually sewed it to fit the form. And made it up as I went along.  And it only took me about a year from start to finish! Super speedy. ;) I also added some antique-looking upholstery tacks, which remind me of miniature railroad spikes.

So here she is. I've named her Cachette (ka-'shet) which means hiding place* in French. (see first asterisk)

She's made my room that much smaller. But that's ok. She's a very good hat-holder.

Back in the Swing

I had a ton of great ideas for this summer. My book list was a least a yard long. (Ok, you got me. I didn't actually write it out. But if I had, I bet it would have been at least a yard long!) I imagined long, lazy days of hiking, camping, and swimming in lakes in the middle of the woods. I had a pretty long project list too. Some sewing, some beading, some knitting, and of course, lots of painting.

I read, I went hiking, camping, and swimming in lakes in the middle of the woods, I did some sewing, some beading and some knitting. (TWO make-up-the-pattern-as-you-go hats, thankyouverymuch!) So, I didn't exactly get to all of my yard-long book list. And there are still some project pieces, waiting to be finished, hanging around my room. I'm never really finished with those sorts of things. :)

So... painting... Yeah. I listed the last poster on June 21st. Since then, well, I haven't done anything.

What happened?

Life.

Which means that I lost motivation. That geeky Star Wars painting I posted about?  I really tried. I pro'lly tried too hard. So, um, that's not gonna happen. As in, there are other paintings I'm supposed to be doing.

I find it ironic. I had all that free time this summer. And now, on the first day of school for me, I'm telling you that I've got the painting bug again.

So stay tuned! 'Cause I'm back in the Swing of things. :)

Galaxy kind of Geeky

Pretty recently, my family went on a vacation to California. Although I could write a lot about CA, I will abstain. Instead, I want to talk about the drive home. Through Utah.

Yes, Utah.

If I didn't know better, I would say there was nothing in Utah. Nothing except rock and an occasional scrub bush. I'll be honest, I slept through a lot of it. I probably missed a lot of action. Maybe there was something amazingly exciting and dangerous. It's possible that I would never encounter something so incredible again. Or maybe not.

No offense to people who live in Utah. It's not that I don't like them. I just don't particularly like Utah.

Ok, so maybe that isn't true. There was one thing in Utah worthy of note that made me laugh really hard. (note: that isn't hard to do, but it felt good after being in the car all morning.) What was it? A sign. An advertisement. Is this normal for me? Yes. And it still cracks me up.

My mom was looking at me and my brothers like we were crazy.

But that's not really important to the story. I just had to put the picture up. 'Cause I like it.

Anyway, somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere, Utah,  my brother wanted to watch a movie with me. We had borrowed some movies for the drive, so we flipped through them to see what our options were. Batman, Evan Almighty, Bolt, Superman Returns, Star Wars.

Now here is the kicker. The big climax... I had never seen Star Wars.

I know, I know, I live under a rock. In fact, if you ever have any doubt as to whether or not I've seen a certain movie, the answer is a 94% chance of "No." and a 93% of "No. I've never heard of it." I'm not kidding. Really.

So anyway, we watched Star Wars. The second episode, but we can overlook the fact that I don't do things in the right order, because at least I watched it. Right? You're probably wondering where in the universe I'm going with this. What does this have to do with anything? Do you have a POINT???!!! Yes, but patience you must have.

I'm doing a geeky poster. Yes. You guessed it. Galaxy kind of geeky. I'm sketching it out now, but it seems like it's taking light years. That's right. Pun intended.

Don't worry, I'm still doing a Bible verse. And I hope that the finished product will be really pretty. But I KNOW that it will be awesomely geeky. For inspiration, I just watched Episode 5. Incidentally, I also watched it while riding in a car. Again, we will overlook the fact that I don't do things in order.

Also, considering the fact that my brother's name is Luke, I may need to take advantage of the "Luke, I am your father!" quote and make something geeky for my dad. *giggle!*

Love of Grace

The second event in two weekends!

I sold my posters at the second annual Love of Grace Art Exhibition this past Saturday. There were other artists from around the Denver area and it was really cool. 20% of all the proceeds went to Love of Grace- a non-profit organization which helps families with children in Children's Hospital.

The art gallery where we had the exhibition was in the art district. Hmmm, if I had more time...

I just really liked the gallery's skylight. Ultra industrial. Super cool.

Who can resist an art gallery... WITH twinklie lights??? Nobody.

So it was a really neat idea for an organization fundraiser. The problem was... not very many people came. Oh well. That just means that next year, you will all have to come. :)

Super Conference

This past weekend was amazing craziness at the CHEC Super Conference in Denver, Colorado- one of the largest homeschool conference in the nation. I was one of the youth entrepreneur vendors. Even after all the frenzied preparation- wrapping posters, printing last minute, business cards, order forms, coupon codes, frame stands- after all that, combined with a total of 22 hours spent behind my table, well, I was tired. But it was a total success and a great experience!

Back stock. Color coded, of course.

My brother helped man the table. When he wasn't having foam rocket wars with other vendors...

Blue sparkles are the best!

I'm really excited now about what Blue Nutmeg is going to do next! At the conference I had a couple offers for selling at other venues, was inspired for how I could expand, and got so much great feedback from the customers. I made new friends and had a blast. So thanks to everyone who made the Super Conference a success. It was super. :D

Today's Adventure

It’s a beautiful morning.

The little green spikes of tulips are peeking up in the front garden and it’s pretty warm, although I still need a sweater to fend off the mountain breeze. I really don’t think I would be doing this otherwise, but it’s the last week of school and I don’t have as much to do. I’m quite boring and non-spontaneous when there’s schoolwork to do. The wind messes with my hair. Dad grabs one of the boy’s longboards and rides down the road… a rousing demonstration.

I swing my leg over the seat and take off down the road, along with mom and the boys, all riding bikes and longboards, respectively.  My skirt and sweater and hair flutter behind me. I imagine that looks rather funny, me flying haphazardly down the path. Jonathan grabs my handlebars and has me pull him along while he does absolutely nothing. Figures. There are little, white-capped waves dancing over the lake today.

We arrive at the library, a little out of breath, and scatter- each to our own devices. I, for one, make a beeline for the fireplace and the overstuffed chair. There’s a big window right there that overlooks the main street. The season hasn’t hit yet, otherwise I would be looking out on a sea of shopping tourists, all looking for the perfect souvenir t-shirt. But all I see now are a few people moseying around and cars drive by at intervals.

Reading Chance to Die by Elizabeth Eliot. Sorry, for a while there I was in India, I guess! The story of Amy Carmichael is really amazing. I think anyone who is willing to live what they believe will make history. I also think people are really interesting, and it’s fun to watch them while you pretend to be reading. Note to self: I really should get a Starbucks and some yummy pastry for breakfast sometime and come here to read and sip.

Ok, gotta go.

I just love springtime. That bush there has cute, little, white flowers on it! Luke’s the one to hitch a ride this time. It’s a lot easier to ride a bike without an extra eighty lbs. holding on to your handlebars. The mountains look rather imposing because some dark clouds are sweeping up from behind and around their sides. But the sun is still shining brightly on the snow in the glacier fields and blinding my eyes. It’s almost like it’s a painting that someone propped up behind the little, pine covered hills; it doesn’t look real. If I hadn’t been on top of that peak last summer I guess there would be no way for me to prove that it wasn’t just a movie prop. But I have.

The grey clouds are gathering. I know that a storm is coming because of that sharp, icy wind cutting through the warm air. The willows stand stock still and then bend over in writhing contortions with each fresh gust. A herd of elk raise their heads and scramble out of the way as I pedal up a hill. The hooves echo on the concrete sidewalk. We beat the rain home. Well, I guess there’s no reason why it has to be rain. It could be snow. It snowed last Thursday. A lot.

Ah, but this time it’s rain. I love rain! Lightning just hit the mountain. We’re all in the living room and look out the window. We have to bring my dog inside because he doesn’t like the thunder. He barks at it and looks at the sky with concern.  When he’s in the house he runs back and forth and jumps up on the windowsill to look outside.

Rainy days like this make me happy. I’m not sure why. Most people like sunny days, and I do too, but nothing is quite like a rainstorm, when the water splashes the ground in a million places a second, and water-trails run down the windows. The worms all come out. The leaves tremble as they get hit with little water missals. The colors of the world look darker, and deeper, and all the dust is washed away. I like to take walks in it.

So anyway, I guess the point of all this is “Welcome to my little town in the mountains”

Lady of Shallot

Anyone who's read Anne of Green Gables, or seen the movie, will recall the memorable scene of one of Anne's many scrapes. She reenacts the poem by Alfred Tennyson called "Lady of Shallot." Of course, since she's Anne, it goes terribly.

If I had to choose a favorite Anne moment, that would probably be it. I mean, it's so Anne; she heedlessly takes the opportunity to be as dramatic as possible, waxing the death and despair and the sorrow. Then everything falls apart when the death part becomes a possibility, and the melodrama is suddenly overcome by panic. Oh, then there's Ruby in hysterics, the gallant hero who comes to the rescue, and the timeless quote "What are you doing?"

"fishing for lake trout."

Then I read the original poem by Tennyson. Epic. Quite literally.

I'm a sucker for tragic poems.

The Lady of Shalott started showing up everywhere. There's a country song called "If I Die Young." I don't usually like country, but it's such a tragic song. (maybe "tragic" isn't a word that usually refers to something being likable, but I think it applies in this situation.)

Then I was recently reading a murder mystery book by Agatha Christie called "The Mirror Crack'd" which referenced the line "the mirror crack'd from side to side, "the Curse is come upon me!" cried, the Lady of Shalott." I highly recommend that book.

Oh, and Loreena McKennitt recorded the poem beautifully in song form.

So I finally decided to memorize the poem. I just had to! Six stanzas down, thirteen to go. How cool would it be if someone asked if I'd heard of it, and I could just say "Oh, yes. I have it memorized. I can sing it too, and I have the collectible figurines."

I'm such a geek.

In case you were wondering, not everything I do is related to murder mysteries, Arthurian death legends, and depressing songs. I also like ice cream. :)

Oh, and there are no collectibles figurines. I made that up.