Mosaician Tribeswomen

October 27, 2009 at 6:23 AM (Friends, Pretty Things)

Capri Deb has many, many talents in many, many crafty sorts of endeavors. Some of her work can be seen here. Visit all over that site, there is a lot to see! She is an Artist.

She belongs to a lot of tribes. The Capri’s, of course, The Baguette’s, Running With Scissors, and more that I can’t think of! Another one of her tribes is The Mosaicians. Said, Mo-zak-ians. They like to mosaic. And this week, she taught us how!

Early on, Capri Patt decided to make a seahorse for her Florida house. She’s quick like that.

Schmenky started out drawing a rooster. But she had scale problems, and decided to scrap that. Next up? A tree with a sunset sky behind it.

I had no idea what to make. I have no vision. I copy. It’s what I do.

I said maybe a cat? I like cats. Capri Deb so graciously tried to help me. My brain was impossibly stubborn. I could not conceive how to start. I sat there with a pink nose and black cat pupils for an eternity. Then, I switched that horse in the middle of the stream.

We had gone to IKEA earlier in the week, where Deb bought some mirrors with wood around them. I traded my square piece of wood for one of the mirrors. Armed with that, and the mosaic  inspiration of Lisa and Patt’s sister, Laurie, I set to work mosaic-ing some water. Then I put some sand and rocks in. And then, Deb and I created a tree and some sun.

I can’t tell you when I have sat still that long and concentrated that hard! It was intense! Every piece of glass you cut is a decision. Every placement had to be thought about. Every now and then you got lucky and the piece placed itself. Deb makes it look SO easy! Schmenky and I are here to tell you, IT’S NOT! We are not natural tribe members!

Capri Patt did not whine nearly so much. She is fearless like that.

At the end of the first day, I had cuts all over my fingers. I bled on my wood. Our backs and necks were stiff. We were SO tired.

We were spread out every every inch of Deb’s table. That is her project , in the center. Not that she got to work on it much. She was helping us. Or me.

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Until hers was grouted, Schmenky did not like it. It is beautimous. Capri Patt liked hers until it was grouted. It is beautimous. I liked mine before AND after it was grouted. It is beautimous.

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Leafless tree with a sunset sky, by Capri Lis Schmenkman

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The Seahorse without a Name, by Decisive Capri Patt

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Elements, by Capri Kel of The NutHatch.

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Thanks SO much Capri Deb, High Priestess of The Mosaicians!

Those look like professional quality mosaics to me!

4 Comments

What Doing?

October 13, 2009 at 7:23 AM (Honey, Pretty Things, The Ab-Cat)

This is a Honey Question. Usually asked very loudly.

Knitting, is what doing.

I have giant cougar sized yarn balls rolled and waiting to be knit up into Delicious Scarves.

I had some yarn left over from last winter’s knit fest, and I had a major score at the Big Lots in Virginia when I visited Mrs. Schmenkman in May. They were great yarns for $1.99! That’s one American dollar and ninety nine American cents for delicious yarn!!!! As I began rolling up these yarn balls, it became apparent that I needed a few more loaves of yarn.

Now, Honey would ask me why I couldn’t just use the 4756 yarns that I already have. But you know how it is. You need an elusive shade to make your color combo right. Or, you need a more textured or sparkly type. Or you need fun fur. Yeah, that’s usually the problem.

For some reason, the crafty stores have a puny selection of fun fur these days. They used to have a loverly coppery brown and a denim-y blue that I just adored. I used them up, up, up. When I went to replace them, what do I find? I find an electric blue that frightens me with it’s freakish intensity, and a plain dark brown.

This won’t do. I must hunt.

Honey brings me home the sale papers that he thinks I will be interested in from work. He is one of those Guy’s who READS the paper. Every line, jot and tittle. I am really more of a peruser. I can get all the news I care to receive from the Fox News home page when I access our internet. Therefore, he takes the paper to work, and brings me home the circ’s.

He hit the jackpot somewhere, because he brought home TWO Michael’s coo-pins! As I am SURE you are aware, you cannot use two coo-pins in one shopping trip. It is against the law. So I made The Ab-Cat come with me. To use my other coo-pin.

I am pretty sure that I don’t need to tell you all  that she would rather ride through the desert on a horse with no name, than voluntarily accompany me on a trip to a craft store. But I had her over a barrel. She needed gasoline. I offered to pump her gas. She hates to pump the gas. I got myself an accomplice.

I am ashamed to say that I omitted the fact that I had plans to stop at 2 craft stores. That probably would have been a deal breaker, so I kept that tidbit to myself. I wanted to check out The Hobby Lobby’s selection. She waited in the car. Her comment was, “I hate that store, it’s all breakables”.

I bought 2. One multi colored fun fur, and one multi colored plain. It would appear that all my Home Yarn was solid colored, hence all the multi.

We then proceeded to Michael’s. Well, I did, she made a detour to PetSmart to buy Katie food. Because the dog enjoys nothing better than breakfast and dinner. And rib bones.

After her side trip, for which SHE had a coo-pin as well!, she met me in the yarn isle. I never did ask her how she found that. Hmmm, curious. I made my selection. The fun fur choices were again harsh and limited. I gave her the regular priced yarn and her coo-pin, and we headed on out.

I pumped the payback gas and we went home. Where I  laid out my choices and happily rolled cougar sized yarn balls for the rest of the evening. Through “House”, through “The Big Bang Theory”, and through the DVR’d episode of “Heroes”.

I have my work cut out for me.

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7 Comments

This and That

October 6, 2009 at 7:32 AM (Around Our House, From the Heart, Pretty Things, This and That)

Well, I’m not sure how to explain the meeting with the city people. It was all very quiet and professional. Honey explained our saga, complete with visual aids, compellingly. The city agreed that something needed to be done. While, of course, not assuming responsibility. But not denying responsibility either.

We left the meeting with the understanding that the City Sewer Guy was going to speak with our Plumber Guy and hear all the gory details and speak sewer talk with him. Then, somehow, the City People would verify all the Plumber Guy’s information, and we would reconvene for another meeting in a week or two. Or more likely, 3 or 4.

So, what I have to tell you is nothing. BUT, they did not say they were not responsible, and don’t let the door hit you as you are leaving, so I choose to take that as a positive. That gives us more time to pray. God knows the perfect solution. Even if we don’t. Or the city doesn’t.

And maybe, the solution is to not worry about the whole kit and caboodle, because the Lord is coming back before we have to sell our house and the whole point is moot.

Thank you all for your prayers and concern. We are, as always, waiting expectantly to see how God is going to work.

Hey, I broke out the knitting again! I have a bunch of delicious scarves to make. For sure 5, and possibly 10. Do you know what I have discovered? It takes me almost as long to prepare all of the yarn and put the colors and patterns together, as it takes me to actually knit  the dad gum things!

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But they are delicious!

7 Comments

Sorry Schmenky, It Only Took Two Months

September 12, 2009 at 10:26 AM (Around Our House, Friends, Pretty Things)

I asked Capri Patt to help me get my house together before the Family Reunion we hosted back in July. Because she is my interior decorator.

She helped me do a TON of work about 6 or 7 years ago. Painting, shopping, pictures, rearranging. You name it, she did it. I was clearly overwhelmed by the ginormous walls in the house we had moved to 3 years before. And when I’m overwhelmed, I tend to not do anything. And I hadn’t.

Plain white walls, uninspired arranging, and no rhyme or reason to my selection of the knick-knacks. None of my junk from the previous house looked right with the new high ceilings. Like my neighbor once said, the wreath looks like a Life Saver over the mantle. Everything needed to be BIG.

When she asked me what I wanted to do, all I could think to say was, “I REALLY like your house”. So it began.

We have painted the entire main floor of our house, all 3500 square feet of it. Except for The Boy and Mousey’s bathroom, which is an abomination and undeserving of attention. We wall papered the dining room, we have shopped for some furniture, logged many hours in the Trifecta of Good Shopping,  Homegoods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx, looking for this and that, and loverly things. All the while, she has patiently taught me many useful skillz and transformed our boring beige house into a vibrant, comfortable home.

We enlisted Capri Deb’s skillz as well. She is a wonderful sew-er, no to be confused with a sewer!  Although, right about now, we would LOVE to have a wonderful sewer. She made beautiful cushion covers for our ratty leather couch, sewed many pillows, and has made many valances to grace our windows. She is really way more than a sew-er. She is an Artisian. Very diversified!

After Capri Patt helped me enormously, I did not do too much else.  I loved it so much and I didn’t want to wreck it. It had remained mostly untouched, except when she would come over and move things around. She likes to do that. It’s like “Where’s Waldo”. I hear she does that at other homes as well. Like a little calling card.

Sometimes, before she and her husband go south for the winter, she gives me little homework assignments. That I rarely do. I need her here, cracking that decorating whip.

She has been suggesting that we needed a couple of chairs for our family room. Or maybe I suggested it and she agreed,  because that big naked space has always bothered her. She looks at the big picture. My concern was providing more seating for our television viewing pleasure. See how our needs dovetailed nicely?

Honey had told me earlier in the summer to go ahead and get those chairs, as we had been planning to get them the year before anyway, but ran out of time.

She took me to a delightful little furniture store, cleverly named “The Furniture Store”, to look at some chairs she had found that she thought would be perfect for the family room. Another great thing about Patt. Not only does she shop for herself, if she loves you, she shops with YOU in mind!

My requirements were that they swivel and rock, to facilitate better TV viewing pleasure. Her requirements were size, they could not be too large, and the look of the fabric. Actually, I was all about the fabric too. Stain resistance was my goal.

I loved  the chairs she had chosen. And I really loved  the fabric! It was an upgrade, and that was a concern. You know, The Ford Fiasco Family Budget and all.  So we called Honey and tried to explain what it looked like.  Matches the existing furniture well (good), Micro fiber (GREAT), looks like alligator skin (pause on the phone). Well, not really alligator skin, but we could not find the right description of the fabric. Finally, he said to do whatever we felt best. Because he is a big old Hunk of Honey, and he has always been happy with End Results by Patt. But I’m sure this one had him worried. And that upgrade? Do they really consider $15.oo per chair an upgrade???

We bought them and they came some weeks later. I promptly locked them up in the dining room until after the cats had their permanent manicures. Because, as I have said before, they like to feel new furniture. With their claws.

I asked her to come over this July and help me stage our house. I wanted to spend as little cash as I could, so she just used things we already had. Really, she moved things around and took down stuff, because I am notorious for buying something that I have no place for. I’m pretty sure I drive her crazy.

As a matter of fact, she has banned me from EVER buying another picture frame or sign with words on it. Banned, FOR LIFE.

Here are the loverly new chairs, that meet both of our needs!

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The “alligator skin”

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The only other thing we bought were the tall things to go in the vases (that I bought last year at Ross Dress for Less for $9.99, while on the Capri Weekend Extravaganza). I don’t remember where we bought the tall things,  OR how much they cost. See yesterday’s post.

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Please pretend that the lid is correctly on the basket that holds our winter down throws. I know I will.

Mrs. Schmenkman has commented several times that she would like to see a picture of the new additions. Here you go Schmenky!

And a big THANK YOU to Capri Patt for her invaluable assistance in getting The NutHatch ready for it’s close up!! I heart you forever!

7 Comments

Things I am Loving

September 4, 2009 at 7:11 AM (Around Our House, Cats and Dog, Friends, Lists, Pretty Things)

I am resorting to the handy dandy list format, because I still feel as dry as a bugs hull. No identifiable juices flowing.

1. I am still loving my confetti lantana. I hope I can find another next year. That’s how much I heart it.

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2. I love, love, love this color of impatiens. And I especially like it paired with this yellow.

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3. Always love this kitty-witty. Halle Berry,  peeking a boo.

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4. Loving “Top Chef”, and ”Project Runway”. I was trying to get Mrs. Schmenkman to get on board and watch. So we could discuss it. She said no, all the drama reminded her of beauty school and the salon. I can see her point, but I’m still watching. Maybe she will join us soon for the biggest loser show. Maybe not.

5. And last, but NOT LEAST! I am loving having 2 new drivers in the house!!!! I love their new found independence, self confidence, AND, less schlepping for me!

Finally, something that I am NOT loving. Once, several years ago, on the first Capri Weekend Extravaganza that I was invited to attend, Capri Lis (aka, Mrs.Schmenkman) made a comment that I didn’t quite understand. She said she loved all God’s creatures, except the Japanese beetle. She thought that perhaps God had made a mistake. I had no comment about the subject, since I didn’t know anything about Japanese beetles. When I saw these scourges, I had the thought that they may just be a little beetle-ish. I asked Capri Patt, and she confirmed that yes, they were the dread breed. They done wrecked my sweet potato vine! Chewing and mating all over the place. Nasty bugs.

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How about you all? Loving anything? Or NOT loving anything?

7 Comments

Loverly Locks

June 11, 2009 at 3:02 AM (Friends, Pretty Things)

This is Steph. She is Capri Deb’s daughter. She is especially good at growing her hair out.

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She came on Tuesday to get her haircut. She is donating it to a Pantene,  Locks of Love, type program that makes wigs for people who need them.

The hair needed to be at least 8 inches long to be donated. Longer actually, because we weren’t going to cut it off at her scalp! She had an inch to spare, so we cut it jaw length.

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 Her lock of love.

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 She looked SO cute when she left, all short and sassy.

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She hadn’t mentioned to anyone that she was going to do it that day. She was going back to work too!

Having spent a lot of time at the U of M Pediatric Hematology/Oncology  Clinic with The Boy, and seeing all those  bald little kids, we know she did a wonderful thing!

3 Comments

Bargains of the Month

June 5, 2009 at 4:17 AM (Bargains of the Month, Cats and Dog, Honey, Pretty Things, The Ab-Cat)

LMNOP reminded me the other day that I used  to have a category called Bargains of the Month. Then she told me about her fantabulous bargain!

I have neglected this category for a while. Firstly, because of The Ford Fiasco Family Budget and all, and secondly, because it probably just slipped my mind. Mucho slippage going on here.

I told you all about Honey’s terrible, horrible, very bad , last  haircut in this post. He did not think he would live to tell the tale. After all, he was 52 years old and it was the worst haircut he has ever experienced!!!!!

After pricing new blades  ($20.00) and new clippers ($49.99), we decided to just get the new clippers. Having experienced this sort of conundrum before, we knew that the possibility of the problem NOT being the blade was high. And the blades were not returnable. But, if we bought the clippers, and they didn’t have the gumption to clip Honey’s abundance of hair sufficiently, we could take them back to the beauty supply store for a refund. That is just the kind of country we live in. God bless America. Home of the brave and the free, and the great return policy.

Honey and I talked to the sales girl, and explained that I needed some heavy duty clippers to cut his hair. And I had another one at home with even MORE  hair. She felt confident that these would do the job.

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They were $49, on sale for $42, and because I am a valued customer at Sally’s Beauty Supply and have a little plastic card that tells them I am a licensed cosmetologist, I received a discount that brought the price to $34.88! Not too shabby!

I am here to tell you those babies slid through his hair like buttah!  Honey proclaimed them AWESOME. We chose wisely. The whole haircut took an ungrueling 5 minutes.

My old clippers will be bumped down to dog clippers. Katie will be very happy, as my old dog clippers did not have good guards, so she was usually cut shorter than we liked. This pair has 1-4 guards, she will be sporting a variety of lengths now!

Speaking of Miss Katie Katherine, if you could keep her and Abby in your prayers Friday morning, we surely would appreciate it. She is going in to have surgery to remove a bladder stone, that looks like a giant spike ball on the x-ray. And while they are in there, they will do a hysterectomy. And cut her toenails. Because anytime she is under anesthesia, I take full advantage of the situation. She is a she-beast about the pedicure.

 Abby is understandably nervous for her “baby” to be undergoing surgical procedures. Honey and I understand that completely. It never gets any easier either.

When she returns, we are hoping it is the end of Diaper Doggie.

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My other bargain was this big old hunk of gorgamous!

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Regularly priced at $35 or $39 (sorry, that mind slippage again) marked down to $15!!!!  It is just stuffed with loverliness! The other one I had for the chair will be re-potted in a hanging planter and will live a happy life on the back porch.

I’d love to hear about your bargain of the month! Tell them about yours LMNOP!!! It’s a good one!

1 Comment

Scenic Sassy

June 2, 2009 at 4:34 AM (Friends, Pretty Things, Trips)

Mrs. Schmenkman is an accomplished gardener.  Not just her yard,  she works at an estate that used to be owned by a world reknowned sculpter and his wife. She has quite a free reign on what she  can do.

But, this is her yard. Every little thing is loverly and inspiring to look at. After my visit there, I mostly feel like I need to come home and get to work. I just loved the colors this year. Plus, who doesn’t just adore a pansy?

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 She has a lot of peonies and irises. Did you know that some peonies smell delicious, and some smell horrid? Pink, good. White, don’t do it.

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 LOVED these.

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 And these.

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 These were delicious as well.

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So there you have it, our Memorial Weekend Hootenanny Extravaganza ‘09. Thanks for having me Schmenkman’s! I loved my time on The Hill!

2 Comments

The Delicious Scarf

January 29, 2009 at 12:37 AM (Friends, Pretty Things)

Capri Deb helped me finish the “delicious” scarf. Because I had completely forgotten how to cast off. I haven’t knitted in over a year.

She also showed me how to do fringe, as I had never before attempted that sort of frippery. Hey, that’s a good word! I looked it up. It means “showy but useless ornamentation“. Exactly like fringe!

Here I am wearing it with the coat that Honey and Mousey co-gave me for Christmas.

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I have plans to make another, it was so easy! Thanks Capri Deb, it’s very warm and delicious!

10 Comments

Delicious!

January 20, 2009 at 6:42 PM (Friends, In's and Ism's, Pretty Things, Television)

Capri Deb is a very talented Gal. She makes things. Many, many kinds of things. The last time she was over, she had on a scarf that I just loved. So, I wanted to do what I do best. Copy it. She then posted on her blog other scarves that she had been making here. They were beautimous.

Yesterday I went over to her house, so she could give me some pointers on beautimous scarvery. I think I just made up a word. Scarve-ery. Scarf-ery? What do you think?   Beautimous is not my word. I stole that from Mrs. Schmenkman.

Speaking of Mrs. Schmenkman, she was in a car accident yesterday ! A head on collision on one of those twisty-turning Virginia roads. A gal came careening around a curve, all out of control, and smashed into Schmenky. Schmenk is fine, sore and dinged, but thank the Lord, she is fine. She actually said she was glad the gal and her baby hit her car, because there was nothing but a really bad ditch beyond her, and they would have been airborne. She is gracious like that, just one of the many reasons I love her.

Back to the scarve-ery/scarf-ery. Capri Deb says this scarf is a great way to use up “dibs and dabs” of leftover yarn. I didn’t think I had any leftover yarn. I was surprised to discover that I did ! I also bought a few for WOW factor. When Deb especially liked a yarn, she  would say  ” that’s delicious!”. I think I am going to steal that line as well.

We put 3 yarns in a bag, 1 plain, 1 textured and 1 fun, and measured off 17 lengths, and started rolling it into what will become the biggest ball of yarn you have probably ever seen. OK, the biggest I have ever seen. Cut one more length and set aside for fringe. Very important. Also very important, don’t let it hang off the counter too much so your bottom catches it and they all fall on the floor.

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I think we did that 10 times, I could be wrong. I think I wrote it down. That ball of yarn was a cougar sized plaything. You then cast on 100-125 stitches onto size 17 circular knitting needles. Why isn’t that kneedles ?

Then you knit, knit, knit. I knitted, loosely, through “House” and partially through “24″. Only partially through “24″, because that Jack Bauer? He requires some undivided attention at times.

I can easily knit through “American Idol” and “Biggest Loser” tonight. I could be finished before I know it! Or not!

And GUESS WHAT??? Capri Deb and Capri Patt scored me some chai in Florida! Thank you Girls!!! Four bottles of liquid gold in the pantry. Life is Good.

I had a cup this morning, it was delicious!

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