Don't wake me from my NIGHTMARE!!!

'cause I'm kinda loving it at the moment....

This is how my new office wall - the wall behind where my desk will be - was about a week or so ago.

Last weekend, many more elements and details were added.

Something tells me I'll be adding to this new space for a long time...

Currently, my space has one entry door off the main hallway and no window - inside or out. That is a little bit of a change from my other offices.

So, that will have to be remedied soon. I love being in my own little nightmare, but I don't like to be in a dungeon...

A window facing out to our lobby will go here...

...under this really cool saw blade, within the blue tape lines.

The saw will be stenciled with something creative...

Tina's office?

Accounts Payable?

Bone Daddy?

Halloween Land?

Christmas Town?

What's This? What's This?

Still thinking on this.. I'll keep you posted...

I've added a large pumpkin above the little pumpkin. Still need to scenically treat the bright white plug plate. Kind of looks outta place, don't you agree? LOL

The stone pillars to the cemetary entrance were embellished with this wonderful scroll work arbor. And the light from the moon was cast over the entire landscape.

Love it!

Jack's house was completed.

and now Mr. Skellington will forever be keeping his eye on things around here...Thanks, Jack!

Zero's abode is now a ghostly-white. He is very  happy, I'm sure.

Above his little plot, we've hung up some garland, complete with some skulls - each with their own personality.

I say we've, because I had a bit of help from this guy.

He's really NOT mean. That's just the way he looks. Not every wreath is born of a pink feather boa or sweet sheet music. And those teeth? They are clean as a whistle! No yellow or green gunk there!

He's singing "Deck the Halls!" Ever looked in the mirror when you're singing at the top of your lungs?

With three arms, he's really quite helpful in the decorating department.

Here's a bit of perspective.

Those little blue tape pieces are marking the area for Jack's chalkboard. You know? The one where he's plotting on how to replace Santa this year. He's SO "tired of the same old thing" being the Pumpkin King of Halloween Land.

Part art. Part real chalkboard. That's on the to-do list. Mr. Wreath's third arm will hold my piece of chalk.

Above the chalkboard will be a shelf. These little baskets and buckets will be the backdrop for my collection of NBC figures.

Bones in honor of Halloween Land. Snowman face in honor of Christmas Town.

The snowman was actually a happy accident. The knob on the side of the bucket looked like a snowman to me, so when I wasn't looking, Alan added the orange carrot nose. Love it!!!

As the 8 balls were stacking up in this wooden basket, I barely mentioned how I like the number 13. No sooner were the words out of my mouth and poof! I had a #13 pool ball in there!

*** off topic moment....when we moved to Grants Pass, I went to the post office to get two PO Boxes. One for personal use and one for E.B.

The guy behind the counter told me they only had TWO boxes left to rent. He had two 3x5 note cards in his hand. #173 was bright white and new.

 However, #13 was yellowed and dingy.

"Guess, this one has been vacant for a while..", he said.

So #13 has been our mailing address since 2004.

Introducing my new chandelier. Kinda. VERY. COOOOL!!!

I have a vintage, high back parlor chair that I plan to re-cover in purple velvet for the corner, under this guy. Now, in hindsight, I'd love to create him in 3-D, with real flicker light bulbs....maybe....sooner than I think.....it's only paint, right?

Another shot, since my last post, of Lock, Shock and Barrel. They are little creeps and deserve to be behind the door, in the corner....

I told them, they'd had enough sugar!!! but in true character, someone snuck an orange and black lolly!!!

So, there you have it.

So far. So good.

A few more details to go. Getting Jack and the skeleton reindeer flying up in the big 'ol yellow moon with Zero leading the way, of course. Hanging some dimensional art pieces. The chalk board. The shelf. Flooring. Crown molding.

Moving in...uugggh!!!

But, I'm Happy. Happy. Happy!

Many thanks go out to...

Phillip, for supporting my creepy side and knowing I'm NOT REALLY CREEPY, I just LOVE NBC.

Alan, for your talent of creating my NBC world, putting up with my art direction (even as things were changing), and for allowing me to wield a paint brush beside you.

To my family, friends and employees, for all the support, compliments and "sniggers" about my decision to create my DREAM office...

Cheers!

Ice Resin Inspiration.....

Hello all my dearest friends and family...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so let the grocery shopping commence....

yay!

I love the cooking, the eating, the gathering...but I'm NOT a huge fan of the grocery shopping.

There. I said it. Maybe it's because grocery shopping is the same 'ol, same 'ol. Maybe it's because I've been grocery shopping since...forever! There are NO treasures to be found..unless you consider the latest, greatest, not-so-good for you chemical concoction "they" market as a snack..

I'll stick with plain.

Old.

Boring.

Yummy.

Delicious.

Basic.

MILK CHOCOLATE!!!!

Yeah, baby...now that's a snack worth going to the store for. Especially this time of year. Those BIG. HONKIN. HERSHEY. MILK CHOCOLATE. CANDY BARS....ON SALE!!!! FOR CHEAP!!!

So, now that I'm craving CHOCOLATE...before I run out to get myself a mocha and go to the grocery store...I wanted to share a little ICE Resin Inspiration piece I made a while back to submit to the ICE Resin Creative Team powers-that-be, selection team.

After having remodeled the Coca-Cola building, there was a variety of hardware-fixings from the electrician lying about. These little silver gear-looking pieces made perfect bezels for filling with glass beads and resin.

The cast resin leaf added just a bit of "soft" to the mechanical pieces.

One of my good-best-friends had just recently passed away - Rest in Peace Ms. JUDY...we all miss you! (there's that lump in my throat!) - and so this leaf quote seemed so perfect for my state of mind at the time.

Enjoy the holiday with your friends and family...and if you LOVE yourself some grocery shopping, lend me your secret to making it so....I'm all ears!

Cheers!

Finders Keepers! Forever....

Once upon a time...

there was a woman who loved to go treasure hunting. She would stop the car in an instant, to pick up curbside cast-offs ... a crusty old picture frame, a mis-matched set of broken chairs, a rogue set of table legs.

She could barely pass up a yard sale sign on any given Friday...

or Saturday...

or Sunday.

When running weekday errands to the bank or store or post office, the local thrift stores called to her.

On occasion, she would patronize the corner collectors mall or antique stores.

One day, while out on a play date with friends at one such collectors market, she happened across this little heap of black fur with yellow boots sitting on an end cap shelf, surrounded by all sorts.

He was a little a lot worse for wear. His tiny plastic hands were stained and yellowed with time. His once fluffy black coat was thread-bare. His face was scarred and scuffed. His bright red corduroy overalls were now faded and worn smooth in places. His boots, well, his boots were tired.

There he sat. All frumpled over with his internal stuffing broken down and a bit dishevelled, causing his head to flop down towards his chest. Time had taken its toll upon him. He had all but given up. He no longer had the confidence to hold his head up high.

His time to comfort, entertain, love and be loved had come to an end.

There he sat.

A discard.

A second-hand Monkey.

But he caught her eye, sitting there on the end cap all forlorn.

She walked over to his perch; reached out to him. Said a few quiet words and gently touched his tiny hand.

His heart jumped. 

Could it be?

He felt it. She felt it.

There was an instant bond.

She lifted his head. He looked up to her and his face was full of joy! He had found a new friend to give his little life meaning once again.



Today, he spends his days lazing about watching over the goings-on at the Rusty Monkey.

Some days, he sits in his basket swing.

Some days, he sits on a shelf, warm in the sun.

Some days, he wears a hat ... he can't decide whether his favorite is the little blue and white striped engineer hat or the bright white sailor cap or the silly little sunbonnet that makes him look like a girl!!!

BUT, he doesn't mind, because regardless of what he is wearing or where he spends his days,

HE IS LOVED!!!

linking up today to Donna up at

301st POST.

I just noticed this morning that I've posted to my blog 300 times.

Wow! I would have guessed it was more than that.

I mean, I've been blogging since October 8, 2007.

We had just brought home our kitten, Dude. All my boys were still living at home. Kyle was still in High School and A.J. was in Middle. We had only lived in our house just over 3 years.

Man, time has flown and a lot has happened since then.

Blogs are a great way to reflect and reminisce.

There have been days, weeks, months that I post more than others.

Heck, if I had blogged everyday, there would be over 1000 posts by now. But who's keeping track? Clearly not me, since today was the first time I really noticed the number of posts....

So, here is # 301.

Well, today I'm here to share a couple more shots of my NBC office...

It's getting closer.

My ZERO wall.

It's a little, narrow wall inside my door.

Isn't his little abode just the cutest place ever?

...and here are the little "terrors" known as Lock, Shock and Barrel...

They are in TIME-OUT proper...

In the corner...

BEHIND the door!!!

Soon they will be standing atop a crooked-y stack of pumpkins.

Stay tuned...there's still SO MUCH to do...

This. Rusty Monkey. ICE Resin. MY DAY JOB!!! Oh, yeah, let's not forget THAT!!!

Oh, and CHA in Anaheim in January was just officially added to my list today...and Art Camp in April and ...and....and...

Cheers!

Playing with ICE Resin....

Wow! I've been having SO much fun experimenting with my inspiration package from ICE Resin.
I think it's almost time to fill up the FRIDGE again...

All my packets, but one, are empty.


I have to be honest here.

If I can't be honest on my OWN blog, then where can I? Right?

I had a few bummer pours last night. Yep. I did.

At first I was dissapointed.

I am supposed to be inspiring others, by coming up with new and exciting, outside-the-box uses for ICE Resin, not showing them how to waste product and fail.

BUT, instead of throwing them away or hiding them in a drawer somewhere for my kids to find after I'm long gone, I let my creative, NON-WASTEFUL, muse show me another way to go....

Sure, they aren't exactly what I ORIGINALLY had in mind, but that's how Post-It Notes & Silly Putty were invented, right? RIGHT!!!

If those creators had thrown their mess-ups in the garbage, where would we be today?

After we read the funnies, as kids, they would have ended up in the wood stove (me, the country mouse) or the recycle bin (for you city mice) instead of "pinkie" contorted comic faces that made us giggle for hours?

I'm embracing this experimenting for what it is... FUN.  CREATIVE.  EXPERIMENTING.

...and while I can't show you my flubs or successes, just yet, I will share these two outside-the-box couplings...

Really cool Mica sheet material in a wonderful amber color.

Perfect for FALL or Steampunk or Vintage designs ... Or ???

.. and the INSERT of a baby shoe?

I see you making a face or raising an eyebrow or just plain bewildered on how that idea came about...

But, just wait and see what this became. It really was fun...

Do you know how hard it is NOT to be able to share???

HARD, I tell you.

But, stay tuned to the ICE Resin website for INSPIRATION WEDNESDAY to see creations from all the Creative Team members every week.

Our CREATIVE TEAM LEADER, Kristen Robinson, is featured today...

This is EXCITING!!!

My NIGHTMARE continues....

confound it all, I love it though....

 

The focal wall behind my desk continues to get the TREATMENT!

I took a little artistic license when
directing Alan on creating the main mountain.

The original graphic had a neighborhood of houses as an outline
on TOP of the mountain fanned out like a deck of cards.

So, now they are staggered up the side and there is a pathway,
a fence and a stairway leading up to the main house
with A LOT more detail!

...and now kitty has a graveyard landscape as his view.

Mr. Pumpkin, on a fence post, will have company soon, but in the meantime,

Ginger thought he was up for a HIGH-FIVE!

I'm SO happy with my office so far.

I could say it's turning out better than I ever thought it would,

but Alan is VERY good at what he does.

THANKS, ALAN!!!!

Eleven-Two....

A while back, I announced on my blog that I was chosen to be part of the 2011-2012 ICE Resin Creative Team.

Well, since then, I've received my inspiration kit...

Where better to keep the inspiration on "ICE" than in my miniature, vintage, Wolverine Refrigerator?

I just LOVE how nicley my little fridge
coordinates with the Creative Team Logo. Hmmm....

I've been busy designing and creating.

Mica sheets + silk ribbon + wire + bezels + ICE Resin EQUALS a whole LOT of experimental fun...

Using ICE Resin in my mixed media creations is opening up a whole new dimension of creativity.

I may even need to move up to my bigger, full-size, vintage refrigerator!!!

Stay tuned here to join me on this journey; AND be sure to watch the magic of the entire Creative Team unfold on upcoming posts over at

Creative Team Wednesday.

Cheers!