...What good IS sitting alone in your room??

It seems I'm always 'Late coming to the party', and I've just heard this CABARET song for the First time - Just.Wow.  Hope you enjoy.

...PUNK and ART MUSIC

Does an image like this bring back SERIOUSLY good memories to YOU?  Then you can probably relate to the 'bopping around' that I was doing the other day, as one of my fav-thrifts was cranking a little COMBAT ROCK / The Clash...
**DISCLAIMER: I give myself permission here... it was a dreary, dreary day ~ the thrift was completely abandonded except me and the one employee who is used to me and my 'quirks' ;-) !!

'LOST ART of CASSETTE DESIGN' by Steve Vistaunet

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!

(now, just try to get this one out of your head today...)

"Now the king told the boogie men

You have to let that raga drop

The oil down the desert way

Has been shakin' to the top

The sheik he drove his Cadillac

He went a' cruisnin' down the ville

The muezzin was a' standing

On the radiator grille

The shareef don't like it

Rockin' the Casbah

Rock the Casbah

The shareef don't like it

Rockin' the Casbah

Rock the Casbah

By order of the prophet

We ban that boogie sound

Degenerate the faithful

With that crazy Casbah sound

But the Bedouin they brought out

The electric camel drum

The local guitar picker

Got his guitar picking thumb

As soon as the shareef

Had cleared the square

They began to wail

Now over at the temple

Oh! They really pack 'em in

The in crowd say it's cool

To dig this chanting thing

But as the wind changed direction

The temple band took five

The crowd caught a wiff

Of that crazy Casbah jive

The king called up his jet fighters

He said you better earn your pay

Drop your bombs between the minarets

Down the Casbah way

As soon as the shareef was

Chauffeured outta there

The jet pilots tuned to

The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was

Outta their hair

The jet pilots wailed

He thinks it's not kosher

Fundamentally he can't take it.

You know he really hates it.

...catch you on the flipped side!

Is this better?

I guess I was truly showing just how

'out of my realm of comfort' I was

by straying to the 'Linen Section' of

Thrift...

...hmmm...
I think I liked the flipped-side (wrong?) up better.

...taking a moment.

 

 I had a L-O-N-G (ER) post, full of 'treasures'! and journeys! and garden adventures! from this past weekend all ready to share, but in light of what has happened in Oklahoma... I guess that it all kind of puts things into perspective ~ sorry if this post is a little 'lack-luster'.

LOTs of weekend treasures (for a change!) - ranging from the USEFUL (a few small wallets/change purses - including a Fossil .25¢  and a selection of Hallmark/BlueRidge NEW Greeting Cards selected from a HUGE assortment - 4/$1.00) 

Some 'crafty supplies' - probably headed for an ETSY store near you - aren't the mini dominoes adorable? (The larger ones are regular size, and they are all made of some sort of old glass-type material?!)

Of Course. Some 'Bling' for me.

and some 'Bling' purchased just for the chains/cords to use on my wire wrapped pendants!

and what would saling be without ~

VERA 2013 #13 $1.00

VERA 2013#14 .50¢

and,

 but what's this 'BUTT UGLY bouquet of flowers?' you ask?
J found it at a sale.
VERY proud of himself.
I was kinda smitten too. B-)

 

ROYAL HAEGER 2013 #2 $2
Knowing that we had her little sister sitting home on the Dining Room buffet!

...then the rest of the weekend was spent
taming the wildness that has become our gardens!
(GOOD-BYE Old Tree Stump!!)

...now I just reflect on how 'silly' all of this 'stuff/junk' is in comparison to what is truly important in this life.

The Christmas Season has come to a close.

 

SWEATER CLIP 2012 #37 (Xmas)
...My side of the family (Parents, siblings, nieces/nephews...) had their 'Holiday' yesterday, on a day that we could all get together, relax & enjoy.  ALL that prep, we may as well draaaggg things out, right? Okay, enough!

VERA 2012 #23 .25¢
So, goodbye 2012. We have ridden a rollercoaster together. Personally it has not been a year to go down in the history books - neither positive nor negative.  Much sadness and pain around me.  I didn't find myself directly jumping into the 27 Random Acts of Kindness, but I did find that I have been taking things a little bit slower lately. Appreciating what I have and the people in my life a little bit more. Hugging a  little more freely, smiling (and crying...) a lot more often.  I gave a plates of cookies to say 'Thank You' to the girls at the Post Office Counter, The Dr. Office Receptionist (the one who called with the VERA package!!), My Pharmacist at the little local drugstore who goes out of his way for me every month (he came out from behind the counter and gave me a big hug!).  I think EVERYONE has been impacted as to just.how.fragile this life of our is. 

VERA 2012 #22 .25¢

 Bring it on 2013, The year of 'EMERALD' (or so PANTONE says.)  I'm not sure that I'm really jumping on that 'bandwagon', but I guess nobody asked MY opinion!

  Every year I have goals for myself.  In 2012, I turned 45, it was a TOUGH one.  I keep thinking... hoping... planning... dreaming... that I am going to find FOCUS!  I think that age has made me wise.  This new found wisdom has enlightened me to the fact that I am ALWAYS going to be scattered!  I am more than likely NEVER going to have direction in my life.  This blog is never going to be anything other than what it was created as - a dumping grounds for whatever happens to possess me at the moment!
  

ROYAL HAEGER by ROYAL HICKMAN 2012 # 8 (XMAS from J)
GREEN BRIAR glaze 1946 - 1950's

I have toyed around with different ideas for this blog from time to time.  I look at other blogs - they have massive FOLLOWERS, and I ask myself 'Why do you only have 59?'. It's because they have FOCUS to a particular NICHE!!   then I ask myself, do I want to get tied down to a particular 'focus'? What is the purpose of svelteSTUFF - 'you'? or 'others'? 'Why do you even have 59 FOLLOWERS?? WHAT do they possibly find interesting in your jibber jabber?' .

ROYAL HAEGER vase 2012 #9 (Xmas from J)
AQUA CRYSTAL glaze 1967-68

 This topic often comes up when I get a request from a retailer to purchase advertising space on my blog.  J (and others) think that I am CRAZY refuse.  Maybe I am.  This blog is for me.  It is not a job.  Just something I still enjoy and don't want to feel 'obligated' to. 

ROYAL HAEGER vase 2012 #10 (Xmas from J)
BLUE LAVA glaze 1979-80

 I guess the same goes for my 'saleing'...  I was 'chatting' via text with this sweet lady that owns Dazzled By Vintage  Etsy shop.  She had given me the 'heads-up' on a sweater-clip lot that was selling on Ebay.  We started talking about 'buying for resale'.  I realized that J&I still don't 'really' go out buying just.for.resale.  Saleing is therapy for me, and it is still the love of the journey that fuels this junking passion!   If in our travels we stumble upon 'treasures to good to pass up' we will buy them, and then if there is no way to possibly work them into our limited space, we 'release' them.
As a general rule:  We sell because we buy.  We don't buy to sell.

Just something I still enjoy and don't want to feel 'obligated' to.

 

So, in conclusion, for 2013... What you see is what you get... 

cause it's...about me

and who I am
... about loving and living...

 

Here are some parting shots of Tweed.

TWEED 2012



TWEED 2012

TWEED 2012

TWEED saying 'FAREWELL' amidst his namesake GOLD~TWEED~GLAZE Haeger Pottery 8-)
HAPPY 2013!!

...Tiffany, Lucky and MINARDI??

Friday, a friend offered me the rare chance visit a local factory that produces high-end hair care products.  Since they are an employee, they were able to get me into their 'seconds' area, where a tote-FULL can be purchased for $5.



Let me give you some background info here so that you can fully appreciate this whole scenario...  (I'm NOT bragging, mind you, I'm just REALLY LUCKY!! and it's a good thing, because I'm REALLY LAZY when it comes to my hair!) *My hair tends to be on the long side (around shoulder to mid-back length) - short hair would require more than an annual or semi-annual trim to maintain a 'style', plus I wouldn't be able to just pull it back into a pony-tail or braid it on mornings when I was running late!  *Being almost 45 and of natural light-streaked hair I have never colored (okay, in the 80's I did do a neon orange thing with my rat tail, but we don't have to go there!) or highlighted my hair - and have only found (and promptly pulled!) one Grey.  *Through friends I found this Great Lady who cuts hair out of a salon in her house for.....  $5 !!!
Getting the picture??
LOW MAINTENANCE... NO FRILLS, What-so-Ever!!

So, that is me.  J is 'hair-challenged'... need I say more?  Yet, he is pickier (sp? word?) about his shampoo than I am!  My main splurge is on 'Leave in conditioners'.  SO - I filled a bag with each 8-) !!  There were names there that I had never heard of (Ion? Joico? Kpak?), but an aisle over was a Factory Sales Rep doing their thing for a 'potential customer', so I eavesdropped, and learned more about hair products than I EVER needed to know!!!
I DID make sure to go find some of these MINARDI line that they were talking about ;-)

The next morning after I got out of the shower, with all of the NEW hair care smells in the air, I put on my LUCKY jeans that I got this summer at the Maine outlets, and the TIFFANY bracelets that I have been picking up while saleing.  I took a look in the mirror, and I almost wasn't sure who that girl was looking back at me.  Time for reflections and housekeeping of a different sort - maybe time for a little 'soul keeping'... perhaps.  All I know is that  one song kept going through my head...

You may find yourself in another part of the world
You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
You may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife
You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?

Can any of you name or relate to that song?



...STUDIO envy

Glitterfarm - Organic Glamour

"So...more aqua than turquoise, but visually rich, isn't it? Fishing floats (did you see these? http://on.fb.me/MQBxGp) vintage cabinets, and bright colors. Oh, and an alligator which I don't typically decorate with, but hey : ) Think that bright door opens on to a beach? Hope so!"

I follow Glitterfarm on FB... such inspiration!  How I would love to have this for a studio space... dream... dream... dream...

... the verdict is IN!

There is NO OTHER conclusion that can possibly be reached.

It is as clear as the 'Writing on the Wall' (or in this case 'in the dust')...

While 'dusting' our treadmill Friday morning I heard a subtle, yet definitive 'Rip'. Yep. Another pair of my o-l-d faithful jeans was one step closer to demise...

I think that we can ALL AGREE that this is a SURE SIGN!!!...

...Friday mornings were meant for SALING - NOT - CLEANING !!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE 8-)

...it's in the air!

I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but here in the NorthEast, there has been an 'unofficial' shift of seasons! Dipping into the 50s at night and then barely into the 80s during the day. It's not marked on any calendar, but 'pre-Autumn' is upon us. As I drove to work this morning I noticed a certain 'stillness', a serenety and calmness. Yes, the chaos and light-heartedness of SUMMAH had come to an abrupt end. A 'wee-bit' early? Maybe. But, this is my most favoritest time of the year!!
This isn't the 'True-Calendar-Autumn', when the trees are all naked, winds are sub-zero and Old Man Winter is knocking at your door. This is 'pre-Autumn'... when the first shades of gold and amber are appearing in the trees, brisk evenings make a light cardigan a necessity with your capris and all the Farm Market stands are brimming with goodness.SOON those Fall Festivals and Church Bazaars will be popping up all over the place!!

Time to start planning and preparing, hunting and gathering, crafting and divesting...

But first,

today DOES mark a SIGNIFICANT calendar day....

The first day of...

THE NEW YORK STATE FAIR

(a True sign of 'pre Fall'!!)

**NO, THESE ARE NOT VERA, JUST ME 'PLAYING' WITH MY CAMERA... AND USING SOME SHOTS AS FILLER...*

...OH Happy Day!

Does it bother me...? that I drove this many miles today (with gas @ $3.59) running errands and hitting F.I.V.E. Thrifts...

~OR~ that all I found of interest that I wanted to buy at those F.I.V.E. Thrifts were gifties for others...

~OR~ that the only other thing that came home with me was a bag of colored 'bags' that my hairdresser had been saving for me for my 'plarn' creations...

NO

None of this bothered me in the slightest, because...
.
.
.
.



The car heat was turned off for the first time in 6 months!
I didn't have to wear a jacket.
I wasn't wearing a turtleneck.
I had the car windows rolled down.
and
I had the music cranked!

...to everything there is a season...

VERA (2010 #24)

Poor, neglected blog.

Not sure if it is the change in seasons, or the recent electrical short in the attic studio/storage (resulting in the relocating of MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF "STUFF") that has caused me great reflection of late...

...someday projects... ...future hopes... ...dreams... ...boxes... ...waiting... ...waiting...

for what?

...stuff... ...boxes... ...and boxes... ...Ebay/Etsy warehouse-O-stuff... ...stuff... ...stuff...

Too. Much. Stuff.

(Did 'I' just type those words????)

Time to put the 'stuff' to use or else clear it out.

A very wise women once told me "We have time in our lives for what we want to do."

I'm not exactly sure what 'that time' is for, but I do know that time is NOW! (During the "STUFF RELOCATION" I found I hadn't touched my sketchbooks since 1993 - why?? OH, the right side of my brain was screaming for release!!)

For a while, my 'stuffing' time, will be taking back seat to free up time (and space) for whatever the moment may bring... 'Tree-Hugging', 'Martha-Moments', 'Right-Brain-Release', 'Creative-Cooking-Chaos', 'Clearing-Clutter'... Now, don't hold me to this... I have no idea how long this will last, and I have no idea as to where this little blog will go from here. You KNOW I won't COMPLETELY give up my STUFF SEARCHING, and if anybody feels like hanging out for my journey~ You are more than welcome to tag along... just don't expect too much!

With that said...

Fall was in the air this past weekend and I started to play.

We stumbled upon our first Harvest Festival Saturday morning, and it put me in the 'Martha'-mode... When we came home and I pulled out the spray paint and hot glue gun - DH just stepped back and got a scared look on his face!!!

**NO LIVE BIRDS WERE HARMED IN ANY WAY WITH THE MAKING OF THIS POST!!**

...and when he saw me taking a photo of this, he got REALLY scared!! "You AREN'T going to put THAT on your blog, are you?!!"

(some people spray paint feather trees... I prefer to Black- spray paint old beat-up Christmas feather birds!)


My attempt at Heidi's paper bag wreath



Fall arrangement with fresh Artemesia from the garden (and YES 'Vintage C' that IS a piece of Weller - just to prove I DO own things other than HAEGER!!)


...and a little Plarn PUMPKIN! 10 Kinney's Drugstore bags, a twig from the yard, and two scraps of yarn - doesn't get much 'greener' or simpler than that!!

Is there a FULL MOON tonight?? There must be some logic behind me quoting 'that' book and announcing a 'stuff sabbatical' all in the same blog entry!!

...LOUNGING 101

The past week has really started to feel like Fall here in the Finger Lakes of Central New York... waking up to brisk mornings in the low 60°... pulling on a sweatshirt until the sunshine warms the daytime temp up into the upper 70's ! Oh, I love the HOT weather, don't get me wrong. But, my true love is AUTUMN!! So, when my garden started looking like this, it was a GOOD thing! I 'may' have jumped the gun a 'wee~bit' with my early thoughts of Fall though, as the temps climbed back into the upper 80-90 this weekend!! HOT! All I wanted to do was lounge around in that new chair I got a couple of weeks ago, and really haven't had a good chance to properly test out. But alas, I felt W.a.y. t.o. g.u.i.l.t.y. knowing that this is the time of the year when I should be busy-busy-busy!

BUT WAIT!

~Put the Lounge chair in a nice sunny spot (in upright position...)
~Gather a heap of Japanese Lanterns and trimmers within arms reach on one side...
~Waste/compost bucket at side
~Nice cool drink on the rocks - easy arms length, yet out of harms way...

TA DA!

In no time you have soaked in some sunny rays - COMPLETELY Guilt Free - Gotta Love It!!

...when all else fails

No motivation?

No inspiration?

...decorate a gumdrop tree!

A 'slight' redemption... I did hit a thrift on Friday, and picked up this little treasure. (Wouldn't you love to know 'why' certain things just call to us from across thrift shops?!!)No date that I could find, so I started doing a little research and found this great site on dating globes- REPLOGLE. The closest I can pinpoint my globe is between 1945 - 1949 - KOREA is on the globe (post 1945); FRENCH INDO-CHINA is on the globe (pre 1949); GERMANY is on the globe (pre 1949)... FUN!