Bernard

I'm currently in the process of turning the studio apartment on the side of my mum's house into a cozy little dwelling. What could make it feel more warm and welcoming than by adding a classic Ch-ch-ch-Chia? This isn't a rhetorical question. Seriously. Let me know.

Note: James had a bunch of his friend-girls over tonight. The one and only Shelby provided the respectable name "Bernard" for this sophisticated young pet. He's already off to a good start.

Another Note: I got him at Goodwill, of course.

Quotationish Excerpt

"Most of the people went quietly, but three children in the front row of the grandstand put up quite a fuss, saying that they had to find their sister Katharine, who'd done something terrible, but a sister was a sister and they'd stick up for her, anyway."

From Half Magic

By Edward Eager

Tra-La-La

Have you ever read this guy?

He's pretty great. James likes him. I like him. Naturally, there needed to be made a decorative pillow. So that's exactly what I did. All you need to do is print off a coloring page and trace the pattern on fabric. Stitch it up and whah-lah.

Here's the front:

Here's the back:

Yes. They are. Those are real underpants on the back of the pillow.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Really wish I would have bought one of these when they were available. I waited too long. Dang it. Double dang it.

Here's the shop of the chick that sells them HERE.

Conference Weekend

Aunt Yvonne and Benjo. Miss you already. I feel like I hardly saw you! Ben, maybe next time we'll find the Pop shop that was shut down. It has to be reopened somewhere. Remember when we stopped at the gas station and asked if the shop was nearby and then that clerk tried to sell you HIS pop instead? What was he thinking? There's no way he had a sarsaparilla behind the counter. Maybe we couldn't find the shop since we didn't invite Bushaw. Next time let's invite her?

Remember that time we watched conference and we were so excited?

I miss you Aunt Yvonne and Ben!

Masterpiece Made

So remember this gem and how it was a total of $6.50 at Goodwill?

It was a beautiful landscape in and of itself. It definitely sparked my imagination (I'm being serious with no sarcasm). But there was a beckoning for more. I answered that call by adding a few touches. Transfers from another masterpiece. It cost me a total of $0.50 and the addition was rescued from D.I.

With a few clips and some detailed snipping, I extracted the specimen. I'll confess that I felt terrible cutting apart a book but there was no way around it. It had to be done. And now, here's the beyond unbelievable final product:

I wish you could see it in real life. It's pretty legit. Here are some close up details...

The white stream/streak in the above picture is the gleam from the lamp above (I know you were dying to know what the slight disturbance was).

Overall, the project made my dreams come true. I love it. It hangs above my bed. I love it. And it only cost $7.00. What a deal. What a deal.

Afterward: When I bought the painting, I knew I wanted to add something but I wasn't quite sure what. Full credit for the Wild idea must go to my genius mother. She's so smart.

BLASPHEMY

Thrifty-Nifty

"Erica, why haven't you posted any sweet thrift store finds lately?"

I know the question has been on your mind. I've been very busy. But here, let me indulge your insatiable interest and inquiry...

This here is my regal lion statue. Location of purchase, Deseret Industries. She's good lookin, I know. If you look slightly to the left, you might spot my prized manual typewriter which is in perfect working condition. Where did I purchase it? Goodwill. It was $7.99 and not even half-off day.

I hate to reveal too much too soon but I can't resist. For awhile now an idea has been turning over in my head. I saw on some blog that a lady bought a vintage seascape featuring a ship sailing a stormy in the night. She added her own artwork to it, an enormous octopus cleaving to the whole of the ship as if fighting to drag it under. It was rad. I can't find her webpage anymore I sorely wish I would have bookmarked it. Anyway, I started keeping my eyes out for a cool opportunity. It came last week at Goodwill with the price tag of $12.99 (before the half off). Here's a peek at the upcoming masterpiece...

It really is a shame that you have to behold it's fine character from the view of a cellphone camera. Until the car and student loan are payed off, this will have to do just fine. For the final product, I'll borrow someones camera so you can get the full effect of the awe-inspiring piece. What am I going to add to it? Oh, I bet you want to know. It's a surprise. Knowing me though, I'd probably gather it has something to do with children's literature and if you did gather that much, you'd be right.