so Surreal

Inspired by the Surrealism unit of my Art History class...

BLOSSOM Original Drawing with free Vintage Upcycled Frame 5x7

NOT the show featuring Mayim Bialik and all her funky hats... (I know, I just gave away my "eighties baby" status!!)


But something kinda nice I had drawn that finally found a niche in a vintage frame...

PHOENIX FLOWER necklace of Recycled Paper and Staple with beads

PHOENIX FLOWER necklace is of recycled paper and staple with beads.

I used a brass or copper heavy-duty staple I took out of a box, bent it with a cool little tool I have, mounted it with beads (the green one is made of paper), and topped it with a vintage flower button. It is accented with wooden and vintage plastic beads. All rough edges are safely and tightly turned in for happy wearing!It is on a silver box chain, 20 inches long.

It is shipped Free of Charge via First class in the US and for a small fee elsewhere via Priority Mail with a tracking number provided. "Phoenix Flower" rises from the ashes of a landfill and flies safely to you in a pretty aqua giftbox :) .

annjillabaillio inlcuded me in a Treasury on Etsy!

Thanks, annjillabaillio on Etsy for including myself and the other artists here in the "Cuckoo for Chrysanthemum" treasury! ~ My feather and Mum barrette is center in the second row :) ~

Michael Jackson finally has peace - RIP

Michael Jackson finally has his peace. He died a little while ago after being rushed to a hospital.

I have loved/hated/adored/abhorred him in many different ways throughout my life.

I felt a bond with him when he and I were kids. I'm 40 now, but used to watch his show when I got home after school. I even met people who knew his family in the 70's when I was a little Jehovah's Witness kid and felt almost famous because of it. He was also raised Jehovah's Witness, and it seems that I also felt a bond for him because we both had very hotheaded violent fathers. When I saw him dance and sing, it made me feel like everything was going to be allright; that if he could still sing after living with a family life like that, that I could, too, and in a strange way, he gave me strength.

When I was teen, he was the "King of Pop" and the king of almost any girl's heart. The first video I ever remember on TV was "Billie Jean".

I started to wonder about him as his face started to feminize, his eyebrows thin out, and his nose seemingly whittle itself away. Could he be that unhappy that he would actually try to be someone else, an androgynous white man/lady? All this as I tried desperately to be something I wasn't, desperately trying to empower myself and trying to find my way during my parents' split-up.

When I went to college, he was "Bad" and still a "Thriller" and kickin' ass and taking names... I dropped out of school and met a nice aspiring rock star and had babies.... and Michael was trying to decide if he was "Black or White".

In 1993 he was alleged to be a child molester and turned my stomach. How could he, a victim of abuse, do the same? After long charges and big messes (his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley and subsequent divorce two years later included, ), Jun 16, 2004 .."Michael Jackson agreed to pay $15.3 million to settle child molestation charges leveled against him in 1993 by a California boy."

Then in 2005, acquitted of MORE.

He managed to have three children throughout these years... I know, I KNOW!!!

Prince Michael Jackson

Paris Michael Katherine Jackson

Prince Michael Jackson II a.k.a. "Blanket" and I feel so bad for these babies... I hope they finally get some privacy. They have had to wear masks all their lives and there have only been a few times when they could go out exposed.

I send them all the positive energy I can, they are going to need it.... Where do they go now?

I hope people appreciate that these kids never asked to be a part of this. Please, let's all wish them a normal life, and also let them remember all the good that their father was, and be better people for it.

Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson.

~ Blu Electronic Cigarettes ~

A New Walking Goal for the next 30 days

As some of you may know, I am an avid walker and use http//:www.mapmywalk.com to track my walking mileage, my weight, and also to help challenge me to do more.

I have a friend on there that I met on the site that is pregnant (with her 3rd child) and walks about 75-100 miles a month! She's in Canada but that doesn't stop her from inspiring me here. Well, she has to slow down now, is due in a little over a month with her new son, and has dropped her walking goal from 100 miles to 75 this month. How could I NOT try harder?

I did 50 miles in the last 31 days, and have just signed up to do 75 in the next. I will be tracking my miles on mapmywalk.com, but you can also see my walks on the right of my blog, in the little "My Workouts" widget, if you're interested.

It's also fun to keep a camera on hand. This rose is actually a picture from one of my walks where I knocked on a door and asked a pleased lady if I could snap a shot of her gorgeous rose :).

I hope maybe I can pay my Northern friend's inspiration forward and get someone else moving. Once you develop a routine, it really is addictive! It's also fun to challenge yourself to do more.

Another nice perk... if you put your phone on "silent"... it's a nice way to get a mini-vacation from the daily grind/obligations/stressors ... if not for a few miles, at least for a few minutes :) .

Fabric Bangle of 100% Recycled Materials

Ok, so I will be creating and publishing a tutorial on these this week... this was just too cool.

I made this out of a nice sturdy hair dye box, two plastic shopping bags, and old curtain, a dress shirt, and a ribbon :)

It's available on Etsy, click any of the pics to visit the listing.

Something beautiful, that's all...

A picture I took up at Lake Ticonderoga last week....
That's all :) . Be good to yourselves.

Daisy Chain Headband or Fabric Necklace with Peace Sign button

Daisy Chain Head band can also be a fabric necklace or even a pretty Flower belt for a medium to small person. With it's little pearly Peace Sign button, it conveys a serene message while keeping you in sweet style.

It is made from a vintage daisy trim affixed to an ethereal sheer white ribbon and is adorned with a vintage pearl button that I added a bit of decoupage to.

It measures 34 inches or 86.36 centimeters from one end of the ribbon to the other. The peace sign is glazed in iridescent pixie dust and tops a 5 inch dangle of pretty flowers.

Being that this is totally adjustable, this could also be used as a fabric necklace, a belt, a hatband, armband, or wrapped to form a cuff bracelet.

The ribbon makes it sturdy enough to be tied snugly without damage to your "Daisy Chain".

It comes prettily presented in a silver Ravena Relics gift box. :)

WhatHerFly Surreal Original Watercolor

"WhatHerFly" is a pretty purple girlie butterfly in the colorful summer atmosphere...This painting is in watercolor and measures 7.75 x 11 inches.




This is shipped ready for your frame and comes to your door in sturdy packaging via Priority Mail with a tracking number.

Finished Garden Fence Picture