Indulge Your Shelf

Dennis has been at his new job for about a month, and seems happy so far.  I'm getting back to feeling normal, despite missing Paul Simon, and we are even thinking about adopting a little friend for Art Garfunkel sometime.  Maybe. For the most part, I'm staying away from thrift shops and estate sales, but every now and then I "treat" myself to trip.  One Sunday there was a great-looking estate sale near our gym, so after we worked out I convinced my husband to stop by.  That was where I found this fabulous horse poster! From an annual festival in Spain, this is a commemorative poster from 1974.  There is one created and sold each year, and they are collectible.  I just could not get over the horses!  And the colors! And this beautiful work of art is an original hand stitched tapestry from around the same era.  Hard to see in the photo, but it is carefully framed in these beautiful pieces of walnut.  I wish it was signed!  I just...

I made this banner so many years ago, using cards created by artist Julia Syndor (sadly, she no longer has a shop.)  I decorated it with some flimsy things like dictionary book page rosettes and crepe paper, which have deteriorated, so I needed to revamp it. It was a long project!  I didn't realize how long it would take me to create more rosettes, etc.  But now it's finished, and it's hanging up in my office: I don't think I will ever get tired of it!  Above it, I hung a rag wreath I made a couple of years ago, to which I pinned tags I'd made or received in a valentine swap!  Here's the rest of my work decor: I know I've shown you this before, but the large fabric collage is "inchies" from a swap from 2014, where we each made a heart-themed patch.  It's one of my favorite things! I love my office right now, all full of color and sweetness!

So, here I am at my new job.  I work inside the back area of a library, and it's a really sunny, spacious office.  As you can see, they told me to "make the space my own" so I brought in some of my art and a family photo (behind me.)  I'll probably decorate more later, too. I think I'm going to be happy there.  I work every morning and get to leave at noon.  At my last job at the call center, I didn't go in to work until mid-afternoon and I really liked that schedule.  The last couple of weeks I find I'm having a hard time adjusting back to early morning wakings.  Especially since just this week, there was snow on Pikes Peak and, after Labor Day, a chill in the air in the mornings which makes me very sad; it also make me want to roll over and hide under the blankets when my alarm goes off. But --  once I'm at work I do enjoy how quickly the morning goes and then I'm off the rest of the day!  Look at this friendly group of ladies I work...

We are enjoying a wonderfully warm, Indian summer here in Colorado -- most days, at least.  Today we went on a 4 mile hike; it was 77 degrees out, with sunshine and blue, blue skies!  Nevertheless -- I'm spending time making snowmen!  They are ornaments from "paper clay" and the technique is one I learned from a class I took online, by Dawn .  I haven't made them for years, but am getting ready to actually sell at a craft fair ( unheard of for me!) so I'm making a new batch for that! After the little heads dried, I painted their cheeks and noses; now they are ready to be "dressed". When finished, they will be similar to this guy I made before (above, on a previous year's Christmas tree.)  I hope people love them, and buy them!  I'm also going to make some different ornaments, and put together some packages of Christmas ephemera to sell.  My buddy Rebecca will be doing it with me, and is going to make some stuff, too. When I was...

I remember the 80’s -- the days when good jobs were as plentiful as a young woman’s hopes and dreams.  When I was 19 I was working as an Assistant Manager of a commercial office building -- a job that sounds like much more than it paid.  It was fun; I had friends in all 18 offices in the building. They were usually the people I’d come to know when they called my office to complain about something: the price of the rent, the temperature in their offices, something the janitor had or hadn’t done, etc.  After a while, I grew tired of being the complaint department.  So, when one of those friends was lured away from her job to a higher-paying one by an employment agent, I decided to give that a try myself.  And that was how a woman named Joanne got me a new, better job as a secretary for Borden Foods. The one job my mother had before becoming a stay-at-home mom was as a bookkeeper at Borden Foods in San Francisco. When I was small and looked throu...

Finally -- finally -- I am going to be back with a group of women to learn and create.  I have missed this activity so much.  I signed up to attend Wendy Brightbill's   abstract painting workshop at Jeanne Oliver's studio at the end of October: Playing Big. I've been a follower of Jeanne Oliver's for some years now, and, because she lives in nearby Castle Rock, have gotten to meet and greet her here and there over the years -- at markets, and once even at her home when she had a girl-get-together for her friends.  We have many mutual friends in the art world, and one of them is Wendy Brightbill .  Wendy holds a special place in my heart because she was Ben's kindergarten teacher all those years ago.  She is also a mom and an artist, and someone whose work I so admire.  I am so excited to have this chance to learn from her, and create with her! Since it has been so long now since I held a paintbrush in my hand, Rebecca and I got together this we...

I feel awful for not blogging more these last few weeks.  I'm fine, still alive, just a bit uninspired.  And worn out.  And sad about how things are in our world.  I hope that will all change after our vacation.  I crave refreshment, for my heart. Here's a little bit of what I've been up to (besides the ever-present WORK): Ben turned 19 and we had a nice dinner out at The Broadmoor; here we are by the lake.  It was an incredibly gorgeous night!   Summer sure took a long time to get here, but now that it's here, it was worth the wait. On a different night, I took this selfie on my way back from my boss's "best wishes" (going away) party at work. They really do throw the best parties -- here's a sampling of the wonderful cheese and savory snacks we got to munch on.  It was lovely to be there to wish him well and to celebrate his legacy after 20 years at the company.   That's something I'll never have, and I feel a bit of regret whe...

I know it's almost September already, but I was still surprised to all the Christmas items in the store at Hobby Lobby today!  It really got me in the holiday crafting mood. I didn't buy any, but have enjoyed seeing the burlap every thing in the store -- these rolls of  "ribbon" were on sale today. My trip to Hobby Lobby was part of a day out with my husband: first a trip to the indoor pool to swim laps, then a late breakfast, then a thrift store, then the craft store, and lastly a stop at Dairy Queen before heading home to sit on the patio for a while.  The house still feels quiet and empty, but I'm feeling better than I was last week.   Thank you for all the kind comments and sympathy. Change can be hard. I had a little fun at work this past week when I volunteered to help with our company's talent show, Broadmoor Night Live.  It was done as a take-off on Saturday Night Live, with similar skits between the various acts.  I have many talente...