Random camera pictures

I finally downloaded the pictures from my phone after 9 months of owning it.
In the last post I talked about how I never take my camera out at all. But, since I always have my phone with me, I do sometimes take pictures with it.
so, here are some random photos.....


Wyatt, Shelby and Annie in the back seat of the pickup on the way to California. This was taken on the 2nd day of the trip just east of Las Vegas.

Evie in the feather boas at Joannes craft store.

Annie getting her Converse signed by Christian comedian Tim Hawkins. The kids and I saw him in Denver. If you don't know him look him up on YouTube. funny stuff.

Clay getting ready to take his first bite of corn on the cob after getting his braces off. He was very excited.

Mom's memorial rock at the pit. The quote is by Whittier: "The steps of faith fall on the seeming void but find the rock beneath." Fitting.

All this makes me think I really need to be better about taking my camera; but I am happy that my phone was there :)

I discover I like taking pictures

One of the things I have learned about myself is that I like to take pictures!
I am notorious for not having pictures of my kids, family, or any event I have practically ever been too.
But I have found I like taking pictures when I have complete and total control, everything stays where I put it, and I have a nice and quiet place to do it. Control freak? Me? whatever :)

I discovered that my basement is too dark for pictures so I moved my base of Operation Photos to the dining room table. I had a white sheet but it would stubbornly wrinkle or cause shadows I didn't want. Then I had 2 pieces of white foam board but you could see where the back and front did not quite meet up in the corner. So I bought a white tri-fold project board and use it for the base and the backdrop.

I like the way the measuring spoons are sparkly,

and the way my little bird is looking at his shadow,

and how the light is thrown by these spoon handles. Ok, the fact they are not PERFECTLY lined up bothers me, just a little bit, but I still like it overall.

Maybe someday I will actually take my camera out of the house :)

The post in which I want to cry and/or hit something

I apologize ahead of time.
This post is going to be a 'whine' moment.
Remember when this blog was only going to be about happy things, my favorite things; great finds, crafts, etc??
well, forget that for a moment or just ignore this entry.

I am tired, grouchy, emotional, and in an overall bad mood.
The dogs are hiding in the kitchen, Annie is hiding in her bedroom, Ken is hiding in his office, Clay is hiding at a friends house, and Wyatt is blissfully unaware of the black cloud and silence that has descended over mi casa. I am in the kind of mood where I don't even say anything, everyone just knows to lay low for the evening. I want to cry or hit something but I don't have the energy for either one.

First thing this morning I was missing my debit card, then there was a problem with an Etsy sale (which I had a feeling was going to go bad and it did, don't ask), then I feel like I can't do anything right at new job (which is my own fault since I expect perfection out of myself and then crumble when it turns out I am human and make mistakes), then dinner out which by that time I was a mess so it wasn't fun and they sat us in a back corner next to a stack of empty chairs, an enormous stack of plastic cowboy hats full of peanuts and a guy who sang really loud along with the Johnny Cash song playing in the background, then a movie (Megamind) which either wasn't funny AT ALL or I may have not heard any laughter from within my fort of self pity (((insert violins here))) then JUST NOW I can't find my wallet and throw the pants I had on this morning at the wall while saying "why is everything so damn hard??!!??"

Ken and I did go to a couple estate sales this morning and I found a couple good things. An entire storage box full of all sorts of ribbon for $5. For some reason I love ribbon so that made me happy. And I drove home without crashing, so considering how everything else today went we will count that as a win too.

now, I am going to open a diet Dr Pepper, turn off the computer and go read more in a book called The Bells. It is SO good and deserves it's own happy post.

promising happier posts to come,
Tanya

screeching halt

After going into garge sale overdrive last weekend I feel like I've come to a screeching halt.
I started my new part-time job as a court clerk on Monday, and have not been very productive.
I have not been to the thrift store or sewn a stitch at all this week. yuck.
On the good side I have sold some things I already had and put more pieces for sale on both eBay and etsy, so all is not lost.

I had to sneak this picture of a pumpkin Annie carved. She had a sticky stencil you put on the pumpkin for a guide. The funny part is that she only had this huge knife to use and I told her that she wouldn't be able to do it since the knife was too big. So, being her little crazy self, she found a very large safety pin and used that. Yes, she carved this with a safety pin!! It took her about an hour but she got it done.

Nobody should ever tell her that she can't do something!

Garage Sale overload

I am on garage sale overload! I went to a estate sale on Friday that was so cool that I spent 2 hours there (and had to call Ken for backup and additional cash) and then I went back today for half price day and found even more fun things!

Here is a small sampling:

A really cool art deco pair of orange glass candlesticks. These are heavy and sleek. So very cool and I LOVE the color!

A diminutive bird to hold recipes or place cards. She is just over an inch tall and so cute! I found 2 of these.

A neat old moonstone and brass set of screw-back earrings. I love that these are so detailed, they have intricate filigree on the backs. So pretty!

This is a very small peek at what I found at that great sale. If that is what estate sales are always like I am going to make sure that I attend many more.

but then, the garage sale find of the year..

Ken, Annie and I pulled up to a garage sale not expecting much. It was the last one that we were going to before heading home. Their advertisement just mentioned 'household goods and a washer and dryer set'.

I looked around and was happy to see two pieces of Frankoma pottery in the Ranch pattern. I picked them up for cheap, found a neat fall leaf table runner and went to pay.

There was a table with 4 brightly colored bowls, slightly dusty and marked from 7-15 dollars each. I looked at them, and then decided to pass since I had spent too much money at the estate sale.

As we drove away I told Ken I should have bought them, even though I didn't really know what they were. I decided to pull out my phone and Google what I remembered of the largest bowl. I knew I had seen the style before but couldn't remember anything about it until my Google query pulled up "carnival glass". A quick, more detailed Google later and I knew I had to get back to that sale.

We were almost home so dropped Ken off and then Annie and I went back.

The bowls were still there (thank God)

The lady explained they were her husband's grandmas bowls. The grandma had died and they didn't like the bowls so they decided to sell them. I couldn't pull my money out fast enough and 40 dollars later I held myself back from running to the car with them in my arms.

Here is one of them.

This is the largest, and ironically, the least valuable. I bought a carnival glass book and have spent about 2 hours on the internet researching this find. This one is a Grapes and Cable pattern by Northwood.

Just look at the purple glow when you hold it up to sunlight!

I am hoping to get about $80-$100 out of this one. It is the only one that I have listed on eBay. The other 3 I am trying to decide if I should list and hope for the best, or contact an auction house specializing in carnival glass. One of the bowls, ironically the $7 one, is worth at least $300 and maybe more depending on the color classification.
This new hobby/money making adventure of mine is just like a full-time job but I am enjoying it way more!

Speaking of job, I start a part-time job doing court clerk work on Monday! Nervous about it but hoping for the best :)

Finds of the weekend

While searching for items to sell, I am discovering that I have 'theme' weeks. One week a bunch of nice sweaters with price tags still on them. Another week books, yet another old kitchen items.
This week it is glass.
When I started I DID NOT want to sell glass. I was terrified of shipping something breakable but then I gravitated towards glass, pottery, and china pieces . And, after the cats knocked over a couple not pieces (luckily not too valuable) I decided it's not the end of the world if something does happen. I don't want unhappy customers, and I don't want to damage anything, but I also don't want to not do something because I am scared. I enjoy the smoothness of glass, the weight of a blown glass piece, the delicateness of it.

This week I found glass pieces that I love, here are a few of them.

A blown glass bowl. The center is a sapphire blue shading to a clearer blue and then fading into a emerald green at the edges. Its about 11" across and 4" tall, not overly large.
It reminds me of a morning glory.

A Swedish blown glass mouse.
I used to have a collection of Swedish blown glass birds that I loved, but over the years they were misplaced or broken. This little lilac guy reminded me of how I used to hold my glass birds in my hand and feel the round little plump glass tummies.

A squat little mushroom, not glass but (I think) alabaster. It is smooth and heavy, about 3" tall and just fun to hold.

A blown glass mushroom. I like the transparent, delicate blue.

A set of two miniature pink depression glass sherbert cups. I believe that these are the Cameo design. There is a shield with a faint dancing figure inside, swags and garlands. From the research I've done these are probably modern production and are the appropriate size for the American Girl line. I just love how tiny they are!

I also found an Irice pink glass perfume bottle and a vintage cup, saucer, and plate with a pinecone pattern.
I did pick up a few non-glass items this week too; vintage Strawberry Shortcake napkins, new cross-stitch kits, and Veggie Tales movies (tempted to keep these for myself, I LOVE Veggie Tales)

So now I am going to busy the next couple days getting all my goodies listed on my eBay and Etsy stores!

We also went to see Clay and Annie march in the Marching Band state championships. Their band got 3rd in their division. Good job guys!

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Placemat Purse

When Ken and I out at garage sales the other day I found a really cool set of placemats. I loved the gingko pattern and the fact that it was a brown and light blue print, currently my favorite color combination. I knew right away I was buying them and I was gonna take them home and attack them with scissors and a sewing machine.
I am SLOWLY teaching myself to sew. I bought a book (The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam) about making purses and bags about a week ago. I am mainly interested in how to make pockets, attach zippers, and lining. I didn't use any of those skills with this project :) but now I know what a gusset is, and I used a technique to help me make the bottom of this purse square.

After a phone call to Tami to receive some motivating words, I started.

The placemat was already lined, which was great, until I had to attach the magnet snap closure. I had to rip a seam to attach it. But no big deal, with my mad Green Bottom Bag making skills I managed to create a shape that passes for a purse!


Then I fabricated handles and the flap closure piece.

Then I got all kinds of crazy and made a bottom for the inside of the bag. I took a scrap of fabric and wrapped a piece of plastic canvas, then stitched through all the layers to secure.

It turned out pretty cute and I learned some lessons to apply on the next one. I still have a few more bags to create from this fabric, stay tuned!