fun, fun

just cruising etsy and various blogs and websites for fresh inspiration. check out the new guy blog in my following section. he has fab ideas for halloween decorating! if everyone tried one of his virtually free projects and mailed it to me, i'd be all set. there might be a lovely bar of all-natural, hand-made soap in it for you!!!

ginger, white tea, ginger/white tea, mango/mandarin, fresh grass, mango/mandarin/ginger

let me know what you like!

i've become that mom

4th grade means state project.

i remember doing my florida report in the 4th grade. back in those days, my teacher had to copy large amounts of text on the blackboard and we had to copy it on notebook paper to insert into our folders. if you didn't copy it down in the time allotted: incomplete.

then, a beka books introduced these florida project books. you just fill in writing, insert pictures... easy way out if you ask me. i remember writing letters to chambers of commerce all over the state to get brochures. i had to draw a chickee hut and a sabal palm. this was all back in the day when you addressed your envelope 'Pompano Beach, Fla. 33064'. yeah, not this 2 letter state abbreviation. it was Fla. and we memorized all 50 state abbreviations that way. which is probably why it is still hard for me to distinguish between MA, ME, MN, MS, MO and MI.

now dot has to do her state report. which means i have to do the state report. i got wal-mart photo to print out pics of all the state symbols. who knew we had so many? state insect?? i nicely adhered the pics to the papers (she is to fill out) with scrapbooking brads instead of glue. i didn't do it perfectly, however, it has to look like a 9 year-old did it, right? i used the avery template to print out the labels for the chapter dividers. cute font! then i made a lovely layout for the cover with the appropriate information and a great picture of dot at the medieval faire.

chapter 1 is due in less than 2 weeks, i think we'll be fine, since i'm going to have her work on it this weekend. we didn't have the luxury of a home computer and the infinite information of the internet when i was 9.

so i've become that mom. the mom that really works on the school project with input from dot, asking her 'which one of these?' or 'how do you want this?'. then i do most of the manual work. i made the pioneer wagon out of a shoebox and popsicle sticks, the top hat with life size eagle head made of styrofoam, felt, and polymer clay, etc.

the thing is, the school always pounds it into our heads as parents to be strongly involved in our kids' work. finding the balance of how involved in this project should i be? teachers don't want the kids turning in crappy projects, but they know when a parent has done the entire project and the child turns it in. so dot will be handwriting all entries in her notebook, even if her handwriting is atrocious. i will refrain from printing everything out after tirelessly formatting it so the text perfectly lines up on the lines on the paper. nope, not me. presentation is what i will focus on, and she will focus on information. my mom worked at a stationery store when i was growing up, so i had the best folders and binders and lamination (and atrocious handwriting). thanks, mom.

doppelganger

so this looks exactly like my brother (except for the ear). but this came out of the ikea catalog. weird!

a little more vampire humor

tax evasion? hide in forks.

just getting another few projects out of the way

this is the cullen wristband that i made for my husband who will be emmett cullen for my vampire halloween party. this and amber contacts are the key pieces of his costume. i printed out the crest, cut it out and placed it on this setting, covering it with a paper mosaic medium to seal it in.

i borrowed this idea from my friend, tink. i thought it was so cute, and a more compact way to store my pins.

love potion #13, made from mandrakes. and an a-1 bottle.

homemade blood is just elmer's and red and purple soap dye and food coloring. when the glue dries, it won't be so milky - more like the drips on the outside.

getting tired of your boring wardrobe?

dye it!

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i have a brown dress that had a white, leafy design. i wanted a new dress, but spent my money on other things. i bought some pink dye for $2, and now my dress is brown and pink. cute!

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i got a salmon-colored jean jacket at target on clearance for $7. not my favorite color. a box of wine dye and viola! great jean jacket in a rich claret color.

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got some items from goodwill? dye them. they're all yours, now.

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don't be afraid of dyeing. it just takes a washer and 1 cup of salt. results are very consistent, unless you're going from 1 light color to another. remember your color wheel. colors across from each other will not combine well. light green to light pink equals a muddy brownish color. go for something much darker. it's fun to peek in the washer and see your 'new' items in a fun color.

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and buying those clearance items that look good on you, but aren't necessarily the right color is no longer an issue.

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dye it!

and now for other news...

okay, so my last post was, well, whatever. i was just starting to get better.
i finished dot's halloween costume. sherlock holmes. i will take a pic of her when she gets home and post it. post haste. i got the idea from the martha stewart halloween issue.
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any ideas for my hair? remember: victorian vampire.

a look into the life of...

i watched a 5 year-old movie today. alfie. when it came out, i thought, 'a movie about an irresistible british guy romping through all the beds in new york. somehow portrayed as a light-hearted movie about what is so wrong with our culture. illustrating how sex affects women and not men at all.'
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then i watched it today. yes, i came in about 45 minutes into it and missed 2 key relationships of the story. but you know what? he was actually the most miserable person in the whole movie. that in conjunction with what we know has happened in jude law's real life since this movie...

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alfie is always looking for the next best thing that will walk into his life. when things seem to be getting too committal - he bolts. when he finally realizes that the one he wants is - wait for it - old susan sarandon, he finds her with another.

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'what does he have that i don't!?!?' alfie screams.

'he's younger.' she replies. this destroys him.

in the end he is alone and unhappy. and i think, 'what a depressing movie.'

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finally someone lets us in on what might actually be going on in the head of the confirmed bachelor. he eventually finds fault in all the women he's been with, yet finds himself alone and unfulfilled.

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i've seen him in this sort of character before. in a.i., he was gigolo joe. in the holiday, he's the swinging bachelor with the secret life of single, widower dad who doesn't bring anyone home to meet his daughters. in real life, his marriage gets broken up by his inability to resist the dowdy nanny. his wife was sienna miller! if she can't keep him, no one can. what is his problem? he's been led to believe that his looks, fame, looks, money, and his looks make it okay to do whatever (or whomever) he wants. he deserves it. why should he be held to the standards of ordinary mortals? he's bigger than that. he's a superstar.
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looks aren't everything. alfie even says this in the movie. if i were married to a guy with movie star good looks, i would be nervous that he knew it, and might feel he could do better than me.

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a man's ego and a woman's insecurity. it's a deadly cocktail that tastes of bitter regret.

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this claritin really clarifies the brain.

sickness and disappointment

we are all sick. dot has it the worst today, but the three of us are sinus-miserable. dot and i are supposed to go to night of joy this weekend. we were supposed to get to meet jars of clay because i bought the 'special, limited edition' cd. and now i find out that they aren't doing a meet & greet at night of joy. which means i will be going to another concert of theirs in 2010, so i can use my pass.

on the up side of things, i did win a trip to boise, idaho. another concert. and i ordered my costume elements for my halloween party, figured out what to do for my kids' costumes, and my hubby's. he always gets the last minute planning with his non-costumes.

my party theme this year is vampyrs through the ages. any and all forms of vampires are welcome.

on monday, i started a somewhat extreme 'diet' and i've lost 3 pounds already. that's cool.

my rose-coloured view of new york

gives some color to the flesh.

wind-blown

this is my absolute favorite. i think i'll get a large print of this.

those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer.