CrafTACKular! Wine That Glitters.

Last weekend I was invited to a glorious holiday event: an ornament decorating party. My friend 'Bou was the delightful (and brave host) of this event that brought a horde of crafty grownups and their kids into the heavy throes of glitter, glue, wine, pins, sequins, pate, wiggly eyes and an errant jingle bell or two. (I should also mention that there was a gingerbread to die for.) I still find glitter in MY purse, I'm sure she's finding much more in the way of the odd sparkle.

Her home is so original and so lovingly adorned with interesting and wonderful things, it is just an inspiration to step inside.

Smith and I have both been hit with a wave of inspiration. Hopefully it lasts and builds into productive, beautiful projects that will be the future fodder of these pages. In the meantime, I can only share the following:



This was actually made the day AFTER the party when the inspiration was still fresh. It is a shadow box made of toothpicks. adorned with real dried flowers and colored sand.



This beauty is robotesque with a nod to pinhead from Hellraiser.




Ah. the classics. Who doesn't love glitter on a pinecone?

Not pictured (sadly I know I'm totally selfish in pushing MY creations) is Nbears jingle ball. It is suspended from the longest piece of hot pink plastic that you could imagine.


Not at all the level of crafted loveliness that comes from Smith's family holiday ornaments. I think the tree in my foyer will remain the "heart tree" year round.

Beastie.

Since we returned from Thanksgiving, we've been suffering with a beastie. At first we heard the little scritching on the wall behind the sink in the soon-to-be demo'd bathroom. I had to remind dear protectorate that taking a sledge hammer to the wall to try to "chase it out and get it" was not wise when a contractor was not waiting in the wings to do the repairs. Then additional evidence of this guest/pest was discovered and

a sticky trap was set.

we caught a roach.

a snapping trap was set with banana (it's favored treat when venturing forth in the house).

nada.

the trap was set with peanut butter (a trick from my brother.)

the trap itself was nibbled upon.

"it's like he's mocking us!" dear protectorate announces the following morning. And I shook my head with every memory of every movie/joke/foible of man trying to catch a mouse. The mouse is always more clever than the man.

[interlude here where I began calling rodent ridder folks. Those that bothered to call me back where not available until after New Year's. Those that did scared me with prices, rattled off statistics of how many rats were probably REALLY nesting in my wall, set up an appointment and then failed to show up or call me. *Sigh* and here's where I would link to my soon to be written diatribe against plumbers...]


chocolate was added to the mix (thanks dawn.)

And then, dear protectorate, the man at my side who calmly slept through every whimper of night waking for the last FIVE YEARS heard the little imp get itself stuck in the trap and the deed was completed and disposed of in the wee hours of the morning.

ah. This is one of those really happy times when I'm happy for dear protectorate. (even if his hearing has proved to be entirely selective.)

Ditty

As Nbear put on his wrap ("coat" for the rest of the world) on backwards today, he piped up with a poem:

this is the way I wear my wrap
with a glove compartment in the back...

Temperatly Confused

So what is the temperature like outside?




hat weather for sure!

Sometimes I feel like a REAL grown-up

I finally accomplished the major feat of getting slipcovers for our dining room chairs. There was the difficulties with size, pre-made or custom? fabric offerings out the ying yang and then my general level of being overburden with indecision (and spending a wad of moolah.)

Long story short, our chairs are now safe from the spills, wipes and forays of youth and food. I can just throw these hummers in the washer and poof! like new!

Ain't they purty? (I couldn't decide on the picture, so you get to see all of them and a clean dining room to boot.)