tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57924103634860546622024-02-21T08:21:33.898-05:00A Beader's BlogThoughts and ideas from the mind of a woman who loves beads and making beaded jewelry. It's my daily voyage through the ups and downs, ins and outs of life...past and present.Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.comBlogger451125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-65666668514440918322020-10-28T14:13:00.002-04:002020-10-28T14:28:40.890-04:00Alabama Doug Jones vs Tommy Tuberville<p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Doug Jones vs Tommy Tuberville</span></b></p><p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Usually I am not political when blogging but this time I truly have to make a comment. Alabama is a pure red state but in 2016 it elected Doug Jones, a Democrat to US senate. It was a very close race with Doug Jones just narrowly beating Republican, Roy Moore, who had been accused of picking up underaged girls in his past. Though that had not stopped a large portion of Alabamians from voting for Roy Moore, since many Alabamians are die hard republicans and will only vote for the person with an R next to their name on the ballot. Still the race was an extremely close one with Doug Jones beating Roy Moore by just a hair's breath.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Doug Jones is a very mild mannered man and tends to not lean either too far right or left on the political spectrum, in all truthfulness I would say that Doug reminds me of what Republicans used to be a few decades ago. With his moderate and unbiased attitude he was able to work across the Senate aisle, allowing Doug to co-sponsor 22 bi-partisan bills with his republican counterparts. In today's highly charged and very partisan atmosphere this was and is an outstanding accomplishment. On his own Doug sponsored 7 bills for a total of an impressive 29 bills.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now Doug Jones is up for re-election and his opponent, a republican naturally, is a college football coach by the name of Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville is a fairly recent transplant to the state of Alabama having moved there just 18 months prior, however his newness has not hampered him from gathering a following of Alabamians who proudly proclaim that anyone that's RED has to be much better than anybody that's BLUE. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I find that both confusing and troubling as it is obvious that Doug Jones has more experience and expertise in politics than Tuberville, as their backgrounds are poles apart - one being in athletics and the other having studied law. However I am going to put that aside as there is something so much MORE important and that is the very character, nature and ethics between these two candidates vying to represent the state of Alabama in the US senate.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've visited Doug Jones's Facebook page frequently and was more than aware that it was awash with trolls leaving denigrating remarks and harassing those who expressed support of Doug Jones. That is just the cost of being either a political figure or a celebrity - you accept the comments of your supporters as well as the comments of those who oppose you. THAT is USUALLY !<br /><br />Yesterday I visited Tommy Tuberville's Facebook page, which seemed remarkably absent of dissenters. I did notice a couple of comments where people had asked Tuberville why he declined a debate with Jones. I decided to reply to one such question and mentioned that perhaps Tuberville felt he could not hold a candle to Doug Jones in a debate as Tuberville lacked the experience that Jones has had or the background in law.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Shortly after having left my comment I got a Facebook notice that, lo and behold, Tommy Tuberville had left an emoji on my comment. That in itself was a surprise as most politicians simply post what they've been doing and then allow their followers free reign to leave comments. But it was more surprising to see that Tuberville had left a laughing emoji (which in this sense was a sign of ridicule and was his way of thumbing his nose at me). Granted that action of Tuberville's in itself would be considered immature and completely unprofessional. However when I went back to Tuberville's Facebook page I was shocked to see that my comment was no longer visible nor was I able to click on any of the emoji as apparently Tommy Tuberville, this candidate running for US senate, had BLOCKED me! I also noticed that other comments which had been in the negative had also been BLOCKED. <br /><br />Sorry coach Tuberville, but that is NOT how it is supposed to work. You are now a public figure and you are supposed to take the comments of your fans along with the comments of those who oppose you. ALL other politicians do so and your having blocked people just because they do not praise you shows just how immature, unprofessional and likewise totally unqualified you are to be a member of the United Sates Senate - and Alabama certainly deserves better than an over inflated-egotistic jock to represent its people in the US senate. </span></p>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-82611922069146527602019-08-18T14:53:00.000-04:002019-08-18T15:01:54.404-04:00<br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">Some time ago I ran across this bit of information. Some of the information (such a current stock prices) might have changed since this first came out, but the basics, the bottom line, still remains the same. <em>Also - I delayed publishing this post for a couple of years and now I find that some of the predictions were amazingly accurate, such as the lifting of sanctions against Russia and the abolishment of the Iranian Nuclear Deal -</em> </span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sources: Time Magazine, NY
Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian UK.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Here are some facts :
Decide for yourselves </span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
1) Trump owes Blackstone/ Bayrock group $560 million dollars (one of his
largest debtors and the primary reason he won't reveal his tax returns)</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
2) Blackstone is owned wholly by Russian billionaires, who owe their position
to Putin and have made billions from their work with the Russian government.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
3) Other companies that have borrowed from Blackstone have claimed that owing
money to them is like owing to the Russian mob and while you owe them, they own
you for many favors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
4) The Russian economy is badly faltering under the weight of its
over-dependence on raw materials which as you know have plummeted in the last 2
years leaving the Russian economy scrambling to pay its debts.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
5) Russia has an impetus to influence our election to ensure the per barrel oil
prices are above $65 ( they are currently hovering around $50)</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
6) Russia can't affordably get at 80% of its oil reserves and reduce its per
barrel cost to compete with America at $45 or Saudi Arabia at $39. With Iranian
sanctions being lifted Russia will find another inexpensive competitor
increasing production and pushing Russia further down the list of suppliers. <br />
As for Iranian sanctions, the 6 countries lifting them allowing Iran to collect
on the billions it is owed for pumping oil but not being paid for it. These
billions Iran can only get if the Iranian nuclear deal is signed. Trump spoke
of ending the deals which would cause oil sales sanctions to be reimposed,
which would make Russian oil more competitive.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
7) Rex Tillerson (Trump's pick for Secretary of State) is the head of
ExxonMobil, which is in possession of patented technology that could help Putin
extract 45% more oil at a significant cost savings to Russia, helping Putin put
money in the Russian coffers to help reconstitute its military and finally
afford to mass produce the new and improved systems that it had invented before
the Russian economy had slowed so much.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
8) Putin cannot get access to these new cost saving technologies OR outside oil
field development money, due to US sanctions on Russia, because of its
involvement in Ukrainian civil war.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
9) Look for Trump to end sanctions on Russia and to back out of the Iranian
nuclear deal, to help Russia rebuild its economy, strengthen Putin and make
Tillerson and Trump even richer, thus allowing Trump to satisfy his creditors
at Blackstone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
10) With Trump's fabricated hatred of NATO and the U.N., the Russian military
reconstituted, the threat to the Baltic states is real. Russia retaking their
access to the Baltic Sea from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and threatening the
shipping of millions of cubic feet of natural gas to lower Europe from
Scandinavia, allowing Russia to make a good case for its oil and gas being
piped into eastern Europe.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-37675381811074898442017-04-13T10:00:00.000-04:002017-04-13T10:00:11.603-04:00A SCI-FI JUNKIE <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Okay,
I confess, I'm a Sci-Fi junkie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've
always liked Science Fiction, from books to movies to television shows.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Among
my favorites are the Star Trek series, ranging from the old classic Star Trek,
starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, on through Star Trek The Next
Generation, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
Star Trek Enterprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series always
held up hope for peace and goodwill towards all living beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also often held up a mirror to our foibles
and the flaws of present day humanity. . . foibles and flaws that Star Trek
believed could be overcome.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><em>So
it is no surprise that </em><em>Monday night</em><em> I found myself watching back-to-back episodes of Star
Trek Voyager on my BBC station .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One episode, "Muse", <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>called out to me and left a lasting
impression.</em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The story begins with an ion storm that causes both Harry
Kim's (<em>Garret Wang</em>) shuttlecraft and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">B'Elanna Torres' (<em>Roxann Dawson</em>) shuttlecraft to crash on a planet. Unfortunately
their crafts crash hundreds of kilometers away from each other. Fortunately the
planet is an Earth like planet that happens to be inhabited by a humanoid race,
its people have developed to what would be a stage equal to our Roman Empire. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have enemies<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and they have wars, however they also have
poetry and plays and therefore have hope.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One character, Kelis, is
a young poet and playwright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finds B'Elanna's
wrecked shuttlecraft and comes to the aid of the unconscious and injured B'Elanna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>experience
inspires him to write a play about his rescue and about B'Elanna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In his adaptation he makes B'Elanna an Eternal being, a god. </span>The play is well received by the people of
his village and especially by the rich patron, who seems almost like a high
ranking Roman dignitary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rich patron
demands another play from the poet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Kelis returns to B'Elanna's
shuttlecraft , he had been tending to her and used the ancient medical practice
of bloodletting to try to bring her raging fever down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he approaches her he finds she has
regained consciousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B'Elanna tells
him to bring her a device called a dermal regenerator and has him pass it
across the deep slash wounds<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he had
created across her arm for bloodletting, as he does this he is astonished with
how instantly the wounds heal and disappear, thinking she must definitely be a true
"Eternal". . . a god. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To try to condense the
story as much as possible; Kelis needs to write another play in order to keep
his patron happy and Kelis thinks that the "Eternal" B'Elanna,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can provide him with the stories he needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first Kelis' attempts at writing the play
is awkward and he is not pleased with the characters or their motives, but when
Kelis' patron begins feuding with a longtime enemy, Kelis begins to fear
warfare will result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He begins to
theorize that if he can write the perfect play his play could inspire his
patron to try to make peace and prevent a needless war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he turns to B'Elanna for suggestions,
allowing her to preview the play he has thus far created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B'Elanna is truthful, telling Kelis that the
play is a ridiculous romance with the characters all secretly in love with each
other and she is appalled by all the needless kissing scenes that occur.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">She encourages him to
think differently, to create something that would motivate his patron to want
peace and not war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tells him about
his character, "Seven of Nine", how Seven was a borg and how she had
changed due to Captain Janeway ,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who is
basically a pacifist and only does battle when there is no other choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Kelis agrees that he
needs a stronger message and so writes that Seven of Nine is in fact also the
Borg Queen and she is in battle with Janeway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Janeway bests Seven of Nine and could easily slay her but instead she
throws down her sword refusing to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seven of Nine responds that if she doesn't kill her then they will just
continue to fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Janeway concurs that could be the outcome;
that Seven of Nine could continually fight Janeway and she in turn could
continually fight Seven<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of Nine, but
what would that accomplish? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn't it
be better to cease fighting and each could then live their own lives in peace and be
happy? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so a truce is forged.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Though Kelis' play now
has bones to it, the ending seems weak and lacking and Kelis is afraid it will be
insufficient enough to change his patron's mind about <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>warring with his enemy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelis then sends a messenger to B'Elanna begging
for her presence at the play <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and requests
her aid in helping him come up with a impressive ending.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, a member
of the play's cast, a young woman, is jealous of B'Elanna and goes to the
shuttlecraft and threatens her, saying that if she comes to the play she will
expose B'Elanna's identity to everyone in the audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B'Elanna
however has by now made repairs to her shuttlecraft transmitter, thanks to Harry
Kim (who had made the 200 kilometer
hike from his crash site to B'Elanna's crash site on foot - and he happens to
have just the device that will allow B'Elanna to make the necessary repairs to
her craft so that they can contact the starship Enterprise and be rescued.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Harry Kim is quite ready
to return to the Enterprise, but B'Elanna is concerned about Kelis and his play
and the impending possibility that his people will soon be engaged in war .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She tells Harry to go ahead and beam aboard Enterprise and to inform
Captain Janeway to beam her aboard when she sends them a signal to do so.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">B'Elanna arrives at the amphitheater
dressed in a hooded long robe to cloak her true identity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelis is relieved to see that she had<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>made it but the young woman who had threaten B'Elanna
was enraged by her presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As Kelis and B'Elanna go
on stage, the young woman runs out into the audience and proclaims that the
hooded stranger is in fact the real B'Elanna and her announcement sends a wave
of confusion and loud whispers among the audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelis' mentor, an old and wizen gentleman
who had once been a poet and playwright himself, rises and calms the audience
saying that the young woman's performance is simply a part of the play, an act
to create excitement and make things more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelis quickly agrees, going along with his mentor's explanation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At this B'Elanna
contacts her ship and gives the signal to be beamed aboard,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She disappears in a sparkling shimmer of
light, most befitting of an "Eternal" and definitely making a unique
and everlasting impression on all in the audience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelis steps forward and says that B'Elanna
has returned to her realm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is here that this Star Trek episode was ever so relevant
and left an indelible impression upon me<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>- </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Kelis ends with
saying<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that the "Eternal" has
returned home . . .<span style="font-size: large;">"Where Peace reigns and Hatred has no home !"</span> </span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><em>How wonderful it would be if we could say the same of our
own planet Earth. . ."</em><em>Where Peace reigns and Hatred has NO home "</em> </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"></span> </span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span> </div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-7894966765367965012017-03-19T10:00:00.000-04:002017-03-19T13:35:36.644-04:00MAKE-UP AND MAKE-UP REMOVERS <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Make-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us
love it some of us hate it, but most of us have used it to some extent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess that I'm not a big make-up aficionado <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I do use it. Sometimes I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wear a lot, like when<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm going out somewhere special, sometimes I
wear just a little and quite often I wear none at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of how often one wears
make-up or even how much make-up they wear, the real chore is in removing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eye make-up tends to be the most difficult to
remove . . . especially that stubborn, hard to remove mascara.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tried a number of things from different soaps and
creams to products actually designed to remove eye make-up, and for the most
part have been only moderately satisfied with the methods of removal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority have been mediocre at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soap is effective but drying to the skin, especially around the eye area, and some
scrubbing is required, creams are messy and many did not dissolve the mascara
sufficiently, also many products left my eyes red and burning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently I discovered a safe, natural product that dissolves
make-up, even mascara, efficiently and doesn't burn my eyes or dry out my
skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is cost efficient and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>easy to find in your local supermarket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is
plain and simple; Coconut Oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I purchase
the Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and find it in the aisle with the
oils and shortening.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coconut Oil is a soft solid at normal room temperature in
much the same way that butter or margarine is and at slightly warmer temps it
becomes a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>slightly cloudy but colorless
liquid, refrigerated it becomes just as hard as a stick of butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also smells just like coconut, which some
may not like but I find very pleasant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I wish to remove my make-up I take about a
teaspoon<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the coconut oil and massage
it gently over my face, paying extra attention to my eyelashes .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After massaging a bit, I gently remove the
coconut oil and the dissolved make up with a soft tissue or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards I cleanse my face as I normally
would . . . in my case I'm fond of " <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neutrogena
Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I find it leaves my skin soft and hydrated .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the Neutrogena webpage the
product description reads:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:</em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rich, cushioning
formula cleanses skin without over-drying and gently washes away dull surface
skin cells. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Infused with antioxidant
white tea and moisturizing vitamin E, the formula boosts three signs of
healthy-looking skin: softness, evenness, and radiance. For skin that looks and
feels healthy every day. </span></span></span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Oil-free </span></span></span></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dermatologist tested </span></span></span></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em>·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></em></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>Won't over-dry skin</em> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course each and every one of us if different and what
works for one does not work for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
I highly recommend <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that if you wish to
try either the Coconut Oil or the Neutrogena<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Facial Cleanser, that you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>should
try just a tiny amount on a small inconspicuous test area of skin to see if you
have any type of reaction such as: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>burning, itching, redness, or rash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My skin tends to be sensitive and there are
many products that I cannot use, however I have not experienced any negative
reactions with either the Cold pressed, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or the " <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you try it please let me know if it works for you and how
you like or dislike it.</span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><em><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By-the-way, this is an unsolicited endorsement,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not a product sponsor <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for Neutrogena nor am I receiving <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>any type of reimbursement<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>either monetary or otherwise for this blog
write-</span>up</span></span></em></span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-13240884603790995542015-08-24T22:00:00.000-04:002017-03-19T13:33:21.792-04:0010 YEARS IN THE MAKING<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SSnxfTVmbIReeSPk1HSR0QZwapyjoVQiQgkdSbqQgf7Z-jGGuIbpU6mnOPA10Lqr3es8AYo0nTs5l7SFAmCc9l5fpxxuEIDF3p-RlKZ9iNAGhIlBhy8St6BXBcgiIzIswiJDPpHrEPI/s1600/DSCN0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SSnxfTVmbIReeSPk1HSR0QZwapyjoVQiQgkdSbqQgf7Z-jGGuIbpU6mnOPA10Lqr3es8AYo0nTs5l7SFAmCc9l5fpxxuEIDF3p-RlKZ9iNAGhIlBhy8St6BXBcgiIzIswiJDPpHrEPI/s320/DSCN0472.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><em></em></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><em>Continued from previous post</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Eagerly I rushed to verify if my revelation was correct
or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Removing the pile of clothes
from the top shelf of the cabinet, I could tell it definitely contained <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some pattern pieces but as I withdrew the
pieces I realized they were pinned to fabric and were not of the pattern that I
had been looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This pattern had
been pinned to a kitschy, cute pineapple print, fabric and had even been
carefully cut out. But then, in the flurry
of getting our home ready to put on the market, I had tossed it in with a bunch
of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>clothing that I was going to repair
"someday", and for the last 10
years or so it had sat around,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>forgotten
and with pins and tissue pattern still attached, waiting for me to
"someday" put it together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR4ilqQXs3wyKJUe2VwskwP6lQrq9IHzuApCiqYlYUxK-2PNhR6jrm2rCA9SVTzlGAm-LtHh_2u5zocPkwDjs_rV8o-od9BUifIGaPgtlnEXaBftC0ILyoghp6Kxl5qLwaRiladwm-cw/s1600/DSCN0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR4ilqQXs3wyKJUe2VwskwP6lQrq9IHzuApCiqYlYUxK-2PNhR6jrm2rCA9SVTzlGAm-LtHh_2u5zocPkwDjs_rV8o-od9BUifIGaPgtlnEXaBftC0ILyoghp6Kxl5qLwaRiladwm-cw/s320/DSCN0471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To my surprise, as I extracted this unfinished garment
from the pile, there, buried with it, was the pattern package that I had spent
hours searching for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCONSn5aPkeB4dijkB2smDwsD0xdx0_OWzVXfpIGFKzZtM5su2Yl3q0kDB-RsX99Ovcf3dMIvnw0fiBycANbrdM_fvHfQOUD6TIHk9fF_iMlIzfTJNtxDIy7X8xcooHm09h22VCOgQPek/s1600/DSCN0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCONSn5aPkeB4dijkB2smDwsD0xdx0_OWzVXfpIGFKzZtM5su2Yl3q0kDB-RsX99Ovcf3dMIvnw0fiBycANbrdM_fvHfQOUD6TIHk9fF_iMlIzfTJNtxDIy7X8xcooHm09h22VCOgQPek/s320/DSCN0495.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Of course now my
priorities had changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, this
unfinished garment had been waiting far longer and deserved to be moved to the
top of my to do list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOsblVuAAnZ0EFjoxpTgteQ-Ir4PUnjOG4qEH88UTQF_lVSm8JzRx4GC5-KAIe08BKktMiLmZk1z3FwAVgYD2DUCAvvKs_psKhcj5c46onPxlIqP0rlK0EeoiFqmd14gmyKHyt1ZY7Dc/s1600/DSCN0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOsblVuAAnZ0EFjoxpTgteQ-Ir4PUnjOG4qEH88UTQF_lVSm8JzRx4GC5-KAIe08BKktMiLmZk1z3FwAVgYD2DUCAvvKs_psKhcj5c46onPxlIqP0rlK0EeoiFqmd14gmyKHyt1ZY7Dc/s320/DSCN0474.JPG" width="290" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDk1GM6vL8MnlMq-jFDo9FSRcdWAM2zmxFpPIjTbkWXWt-A3Mx69AY0w67FPiQSEOuwOSiEfMdLVe0MyqoWH0zCzrqI0wItmgjhbYnSN7sWLqRt3LmLgIse6LQ96w_lM5vJ0x6-l9Xa0/s1600/DSCN0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDk1GM6vL8MnlMq-jFDo9FSRcdWAM2zmxFpPIjTbkWXWt-A3Mx69AY0w67FPiQSEOuwOSiEfMdLVe0MyqoWH0zCzrqI0wItmgjhbYnSN7sWLqRt3LmLgIse6LQ96w_lM5vJ0x6-l9Xa0/s320/DSCN0473.JPG" width="303" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes I finally completed the dress with the sweet
pineapple print . . .</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u7P8hqY3ARFaZ5HzzZZa2RJ2n4vakW2FlbA9ECz477sqJPjcSn1_hwniUnp9XAnlfPR5P3Pt70eTG-DcAVAb1tZuUizIQkK7ersMN4GxgUaf-EKgl2vm2D0vzqbK7IHtaX6zX6t9nio/s1600/DSCN0503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u7P8hqY3ARFaZ5HzzZZa2RJ2n4vakW2FlbA9ECz477sqJPjcSn1_hwniUnp9XAnlfPR5P3Pt70eTG-DcAVAb1tZuUizIQkK7ersMN4GxgUaf-EKgl2vm2D0vzqbK7IHtaX6zX6t9nio/s320/DSCN0503.JPG" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and the first time I wore it, my daughter asked if it was new
and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> if I </span>had made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I replied; "Yes. Yes I did make it and
it only took me 10 years."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-48843486874850660592015-08-23T10:00:00.000-04:002015-08-23T10:00:01.604-04:00Misplaced in the Move<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Searching for a lost pattern</em></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In my last post I explained how had I ruined a favorite
dress, so it was only natural for me to decide to make another<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dress like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhere there was a pattern but exactly
where?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Back in 2005 we had put our home up for sale and, trying
to make my home real estate perfect, I gathered up all clutter and anything I
felt was extraneous; furniture, books, cookbooks, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>brick-a-brack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This included all <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(yes ALL) of my
craft supplies, even my sewing and sewing machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Our home sold quickly, too quickly really, we
had to rent a tiny villa while we searched for a place to live full time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up buying close to 3 acres of land
and building a modest ranch style house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This took about 18 months, more or less. Meanwhile most of our belongs
remained in storage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We finally moved into our new home in July of 2007.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though that was 8 years ago much of my
craft supplies are still stashed in
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">miscellaneous</span> </span>boxes that are scattered about in various closets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like an Easter Egg Hunt, trying to
locate this particular pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked
in box after box, searched through drawers, plowed through every cabinet that I
knew I had stashed crafting supplies within and . . . Nothing !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pattern could not be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I remembered that in my personal closet,
within a cabinet that I use to store hats and sweaters, I had seen a piece of
pattern tissue sticking out from under a pile of clothes that needed
repair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could this be my missing pattern
?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To Be Continued . . .</span> </o:p></span></div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-25036839154882045762015-08-19T10:00:00.000-04:002015-08-20T13:55:54.564-04:00A Skirt Tail <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjrXkZ-bCri0t4kHGKG8xyOPZXZKXKVyt492zELuj19Umx9YAMdFzAxc6Z75bgLAXQb0dfD0BpoipmG3FF8hIGA6ivP4Nsoq7iuf7OuihqEKgk96WoONd6iKGzfjbC5g0cYTV1CGKDIs/s1600/DSCN0492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjrXkZ-bCri0t4kHGKG8xyOPZXZKXKVyt492zELuj19Umx9YAMdFzAxc6Z75bgLAXQb0dfD0BpoipmG3FF8hIGA6ivP4Nsoq7iuf7OuihqEKgk96WoONd6iKGzfjbC5g0cYTV1CGKDIs/s400/DSCN0492.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My favorite skirt - no the ruffle doesn't really hang lopsided, it is just the way I attached it to the hanger.</span></em></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In my zeal to finish some long standing projects, I deviated frequently from
jewelry revamps to revamping my wardrobe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We all have favorite garments, something we tend to wear over and over
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me it's a mid-calf length, blue
denim skirt that I truly adore because it looks good on me and is very
comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately a greasy
stain marred the front of the skirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before laundering <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to
remove the stain with a stain stick and a great deal of scrubbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the garment had gone through the wash
and dry cycle, I was dismayed to see the stain was gone but in its place was a
very light, almost white patch of fabric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps the stain would have been better?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The skirt was put aside as I decided to "someday" try dying it
with Rit fabric dye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally that
"Day" actually came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having bought
a package of Rit, powder dye, in a dark denim blue, I proceeded to follow the
instructions very carefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally,
like the idiot that I can often be, I failed to don an apron or change into the
grubbiest of my grubby, "Never to be worn outside of the house"
clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead I was wearing a
comfortably old, yet relatively nice, A-line dress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one that I had made from a Simplicity
pattern, using a soft, comfy, cotton interlock knit, in a pastel, apple green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dress, much like the skirt, was a
favorite of mine and was worn often.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51utihp2Tu8_pMgH4iIvEUb6c2QGch7eakUx0ftYDEFrKcH3M3kUs-YIRG9QGXIjqVtYUVmdIHsxegl0HGbb0tPRCS3vUHwmTfr6asPfqFNUwVTt6YpliMmqiD-P-fZiGhqvzQkpYs8A/s1600/DSCN0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51utihp2Tu8_pMgH4iIvEUb6c2QGch7eakUx0ftYDEFrKcH3M3kUs-YIRG9QGXIjqVtYUVmdIHsxegl0HGbb0tPRCS3vUHwmTfr6asPfqFNUwVTt6YpliMmqiD-P-fZiGhqvzQkpYs8A/s320/DSCN0495.JPG" width="230" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<em>I had made the sleeveless, short version (shown in white on pattern).</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Honestly I was trying to be very cautious but as I lifted the wet, freshly
dyed skirt from its steaming hot, dye bath, it slipped and flopped back into
the basin with a mighty splash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Naturally the splash of indigo dyed water targeted my apple green
dress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the moment there was little I
could do except remove the dress and toss it into the basin along with the
skirt. Anyway, the skirt turned out beautifully . . . the apple-green, A-line dress
however looked like c_ _ p !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since I
hadn't <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>time to prewash it (as the dye
bath was still nice and hot and would be cold had I taken time to properly launder
the dress) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the dye took unevenly, also my dress
came out a shade of drab, charcoal gray rather than a clean denim blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> :(</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay, so now I had yet another project on my list . . .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>make a new A-line dress like the one I had
just ruined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some days it just doesn't
pay to get out of bed !</span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-55980018556362164212015-08-17T09:10:00.002-04:002015-08-17T14:16:39.022-04:00A Cornucopia of Not-Quite-Right Pieces<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbS-1ASM8wn0YJtgxIInDDI5STVIAh79JxnJhtswzz7WtBQ5iH-hc5WdKg_X3fAVjkqQtfqSYjudETwWfLOkgKndlSlgqMWBhuFP9ttdOmkPYQ4R2PkZ4xHuEzKez_dHs2aP-UJ_mmek/s1600/DSCN0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbS-1ASM8wn0YJtgxIInDDI5STVIAh79JxnJhtswzz7WtBQ5iH-hc5WdKg_X3fAVjkqQtfqSYjudETwWfLOkgKndlSlgqMWBhuFP9ttdOmkPYQ4R2PkZ4xHuEzKez_dHs2aP-UJ_mmek/s320/DSCN0192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>My stash of Superduo mixed mettalics purchased many months ago for a project that I have yet to make . . . perhaps <span class="hps"><span lang="ES">mañana !</span></span></em></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As mentioned in my last post,
I've been busy catching up on many projects, most of which have been long
overdue for my attention.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A drawer, filled with
necklaces, bracelets and earrings all begging to be revamped, fixed or totally
disassembled and re-fabricated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the
years I had stashed these pieces away with good intentions and the promise of </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: ES;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="hps"><span lang="ES">mañana</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">, but as that old song goes;
"Tomorrow<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>never comes".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quite often the problem with the piece of jewelry was that the clasp was difficult to close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Difficult enough that a customer would prefer not to purchase it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were the first pieces I decided to tackle, replacing obstinate <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>clasps with something more user friendly.</span></span></span></o:p> </span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5fStXV5nu35AuCWuFlAUvP_pTntgHbWhjXCFnSwDDKGoxfzlBl5XBTRveqYacs5rXzpuT93aAdftaWEp66AM-Eopf0aasqIWVF6r7-XyKSEvRZFSd9C23E0auk8BXhqDTA0Vz8YDUVk/s1600/DSCN0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5fStXV5nu35AuCWuFlAUvP_pTntgHbWhjXCFnSwDDKGoxfzlBl5XBTRveqYacs5rXzpuT93aAdftaWEp66AM-Eopf0aasqIWVF6r7-XyKSEvRZFSd9C23E0auk8BXhqDTA0Vz8YDUVk/s320/DSCN0420.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pretty toggle clasp on beaded rope necklace - pretty but a pain to close and to open.</span></em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvd5c_LERZjfrzi0R4ZGMrpEtvJ1J6Q7lgmXxQ25uSDvSbaMLgNPefg8os9spUzpzy8UbyyP4Xm2b5NzUlGLq8fJNQJdGnFJByfiCfyjaB1rfEF-2d8XdTaV-XYBid9_detb5Bz8n9lQ/s1600/DSCN0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvd5c_LERZjfrzi0R4ZGMrpEtvJ1J6Q7lgmXxQ25uSDvSbaMLgNPefg8os9spUzpzy8UbyyP4Xm2b5NzUlGLq8fJNQJdGnFJByfiCfyjaB1rfEF-2d8XdTaV-XYBid9_detb5Bz8n9lQ/s320/DSCN0489.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've removed the difficult clasp and made a sweet, beaded button clasp to replace it. Now it is much easier to put the necklace on and take it off.</span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2-YyglgKxoSunGxl5-t19MpJztwL4AgLrp53GJnZ-dKuLH49TU0nSrkU1oY7FgLiDp-n1s0OVQMLq-eugKE6ySNzAMfmQidGK8ABk0NbgeijwWgOSZu0LR4chmYqmp936cegsvu8Yfs/s1600/DSCN0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2-YyglgKxoSunGxl5-t19MpJztwL4AgLrp53GJnZ-dKuLH49TU0nSrkU1oY7FgLiDp-n1s0OVQMLq-eugKE6ySNzAMfmQidGK8ABk0NbgeijwWgOSZu0LR4chmYqmp936cegsvu8Yfs/s320/DSCN0491.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there were those pieces
that were okay but just not note-worthy. They were the pieces that when <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>completed I hadn't felt that flush of joy at
how they turned out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the back of my
mind they were okay and sometimes "okay" just isn't good enough . . . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if you know what I mean?</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlnp-ZTXvw60u8WwHbMighRooiJDmSzdIWfOC_BYXghvgWXmOAbqNnIJ74INx2q5B-6h3XmfahoAME00Sf8-vK6m2XfOcHU2BJh2aEKffkm9hf9hDpnePkPDgMjYfVAYKshTxYP_vHPI/s1600/DSCN0452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlnp-ZTXvw60u8WwHbMighRooiJDmSzdIWfOC_BYXghvgWXmOAbqNnIJ74INx2q5B-6h3XmfahoAME00Sf8-vK6m2XfOcHU2BJh2aEKffkm9hf9hDpnePkPDgMjYfVAYKshTxYP_vHPI/s320/DSCN0452.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>This choker started out as a pair of hoop earrings. The earrings were "okay" but not much <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">else. Granted I had to make up and add a whole lot more of those pearl embellished, turquoise blue, glass beads, but I think it was worth it.</span></em></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Matter-of-fact, I liked the choker design so much that I took a plain necklace of Unakite teardrops and remade it into a similar choker using different colored accent beads (below).</span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkyIlXBOMaaAz9b8zvU58QT_QEmTcWOW2Jr2u79zHFgUFF37xraW5VvuwhSpE7z8eOtQsO0UDFoD7CzNDugv17YDqJxtFAabTSqlbPXfE-YXb1ifSApK6vCOR4KaP7xLM3s_XWXVgTkg/s1600/DSCN0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkyIlXBOMaaAz9b8zvU58QT_QEmTcWOW2Jr2u79zHFgUFF37xraW5VvuwhSpE7z8eOtQsO0UDFoD7CzNDugv17YDqJxtFAabTSqlbPXfE-YXb1ifSApK6vCOR4KaP7xLM3s_XWXVgTkg/s320/DSCN0447.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhLktM04OU7Gp9UWZgl3dwm_UxyDGKq48A27_V-0EReE2a-BtTqfcDX2O8_45IaT0xnGcasihIAQEC8OEol4uZEH2KfCgBD-3oOccZw6IUhEB25QtYaKDQO173WBtexIFatwv2p0kz7E/s1600/DSCN0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhLktM04OU7Gp9UWZgl3dwm_UxyDGKq48A27_V-0EReE2a-BtTqfcDX2O8_45IaT0xnGcasihIAQEC8OEol4uZEH2KfCgBD-3oOccZw6IUhEB25QtYaKDQO173WBtexIFatwv2p0kz7E/s320/DSCN0442.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This piece was a simple
beaded rope with a drab, silver glass, disc bead at its center.
Revamping entailed taking it completely apart as I decided upon an asymmetrical
design. The drab, silver focal bead was replaced with a Swarovski
Crystal Pearl in a soft Jade blue-green, and sits in my hand beaded
bezel (above). Opposite the bezeled pearl are multi-strands of teal,
seed beads held in cute, tulip shaped bead cones (below).</span></em></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexD6q1Txd54FXdM5jKhsJoH3RlQchs3tW1LUOOb75HLpGAfpg1qpKqQHTSLLjC30t_n9BBsfduKp5atG8G02tyoP8po2if5nXf8ppYEZW0k7orz_VxR6mcj2O3qYWnbPuyIjdPIP49_I/s1600/DSCN0439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexD6q1Txd54FXdM5jKhsJoH3RlQchs3tW1LUOOb75HLpGAfpg1qpKqQHTSLLjC30t_n9BBsfduKp5atG8G02tyoP8po2if5nXf8ppYEZW0k7orz_VxR6mcj2O3qYWnbPuyIjdPIP49_I/s320/DSCN0439.JPG" width="249" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are just a tiny portion of the remakes that I've been preoccupied with, and no, I haven't cleaned out that "Fix-it or Remake it" drawer. Probably I will never see the bottom of that drawer, but at least I've managed to make a dent in it . . . albeit a small dent. Have you experienced that
sensation where you're not really disappointed in something that you've made
but you're not ecstatic about it either ?<o:p></o:p></span></span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-16832256792320226362015-08-15T11:38:00.003-04:002015-08-15T14:16:02.302-04:00In 800 Words or Less<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_R-F8KDAnymvPI4r5YT22E4LA7Cq1HdzXHwODMBaoo4hBGPk07r5ZbvwMXbOUJyklKiiT0L14_B6kXEit5Ch8wF4CAya5hp6aAycYXXf7HS_d9W4EWPFNPoPjX5PHTXeRoz-bcl-Hmd4/s1600/DSCN0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_R-F8KDAnymvPI4r5YT22E4LA7Cq1HdzXHwODMBaoo4hBGPk07r5ZbvwMXbOUJyklKiiT0L14_B6kXEit5Ch8wF4CAya5hp6aAycYXXf7HS_d9W4EWPFNPoPjX5PHTXeRoz-bcl-Hmd4/s320/DSCN0471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August is just about over and
Autumn is just around the corner. Soon children will be returning
to school, but before school actually begins there will be that
yearly, mad rush to purchase a mile long list of "needed" school
supplies, along with new shoes and new school clothes. It's a cycle that
starts when a child enters kindergarten and doesn't cease until they either
graduate from college or get married. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thinking about the start of the school year brings back memories. Perhaps it was just a coincidence but it appeared to me that it was more like a tradition, the first thing that everyone of my elementary school teachers would request of her students was for us to write about "What You Did During Summer Vacation". Does that sound familiar to any of you ?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well my summer vacations were usually boring as we seldom went anywhere and I spent most of my days playing various outdoor games, such as hopscotch or jump-rope or, quite often, just goofing off with my friends. This never made for interesting literature, unlike the kids who had been lucky enough to journey to other cities, states or far-away-places.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this leads me to the question of "Just What the Heck HAVE I Done This Summer?"<br />
<br />
I know that I've been away
from blogging for quite some time and must confess it wasn't due to taking
long trips to exciting or exotic places. For
me it was a summer of staying close to home and catching up on a lot of projects.<br />
<br />
Over the course of 15 plus years, I've accumulated <strong>a lot</strong> of unfinished projects. Pieces of jewelry that I had stashed away to remake and things I wanted to make but never began. Unfortunately I plowed into these projects and never thought to take before or after photos. Of course had I taken time to photograph the before and after of all the projects that I managed to tackle I would not have completed nearly as many as I did and I would probably still be editing photos.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully in my next post I can provide more details. Meanwhile, in 800 words or less, let me know what you've all been up to this summer. :)</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-18348858671974630542015-04-25T10:00:00.000-04:002015-04-25T10:00:03.829-04:00Update on POP-UP RETAIL <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJwpd1pCNNI6EEqMTb_HWnj4VwKddVX3S1MNWmw_GoEj-sATxEpnkyEAghfJXSIZhs1PE-qIWkFRjjG5dE-iN2B9FEA8nCUutTqWo-nWiWOlnnPd2HOSmfM8eceNU-I3MHK2rsfzOxcw/s1600/pop-up-shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJwpd1pCNNI6EEqMTb_HWnj4VwKddVX3S1MNWmw_GoEj-sATxEpnkyEAghfJXSIZhs1PE-qIWkFRjjG5dE-iN2B9FEA8nCUutTqWo-nWiWOlnnPd2HOSmfM8eceNU-I3MHK2rsfzOxcw/s1600/pop-up-shop.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">We've all seen those empty
storefronts in shopping centers and malls, perhaps we've even toyed with a
dream of opening our own little shop. Unfortunately all the
technicalities, legalities, and uncertainties prevented our dream from going
from fantasy to reality. Recently I searched online to find more
information regarding pop-up retail and came across this interesting website:</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.govacant.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> http://www.govacant.com/</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">A crafter who is able to
mass produce their products could probably fill an typical sized mall
storefront with little problem, on the other hand a small time, cottage
business would find it difficult to fill a few shelves.<span style="color: #e69138;"> </span><a href="http://www.govacant.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;">GoVacant</span></a><span style="color: #e69138;">
</span>seems to have the answer and can accommodate both the big time entrepreneurs
that require a spacious storefront, or the little mom and pop
visionaries who need little more than a small kiosk.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I could also see how something
like this could benefit a group of artists and crafters, working together
to fill the shelves of retail business.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Patty <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gasparino</span></a></strong> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was lovely to drop by and give me additional information
about Pop-Ups that's happening in her area. The idea of a shop within a shop
sounds both promising and exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's
definitely something worthy of consideration.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Hey Anna Thanks
so much for the shout out! Well as I have been seeing it the "new"
Pop-Up shop is INSIDE another current retail location OR a purposeful set up in
an ongoing location. IE There is a bakery that on the first Thursday of the
month sets up a "Pop-up Shop night" and stays open late with
cupcakes, drinks and music for a little extra shopping. I love these type of
pop-ups as I think it could be a win-win for all concerned. The second I've
seen is the "Once a month pp up" in a specific location. Think
Farmers Market for crafts! I like this idea too - if you have the right venue
people will come to seek you out. I actually haven't come across any around
here of the vacant shop variety and I might be less enthusiastic about that
unless it were a regular thing that would build a clientele. So maybe what is
old has a new life again? XO"</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Patty's facebook page can be reached HERE.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Below are a few of the comments I've received regarding my post on Pop-Up Shops.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="http://kokopellidesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Kokopelli Design</span></b></span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Sounds interesting! Following......"</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://tahomabeadworks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">JoJo</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"That's pretty cool! We have quite a
bit of empty store front around here that'd do well with a pop up shop, but the
landlords around here are too greedy I think.<u1:p></u1:p>"<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://sewcrazed.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Annette</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"Well, I'm intrigued! I haven't
heard of them, but after doing some research, it sounds like a big thing. I
don't think it would work where I live, but I'm in a kind of rural area. Would
love to hear if anyone else has done this.<u1:p></u1:p>"</span></i><br />
</div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><a href="http://plowingthroughlife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Plowing Through Life (Martha)</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"This is a great idea!<u1:p></u1:p>"<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<a href="http://hopeandjoyhome.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">HopeAndJoyHome</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">"We've been pondering this for our
vintage..to do an "occasional sale" maybe bi monthly, quarterly or
even once a month. I had a retail store for 10 years and do not want to go back
to being that tied down. I think it would be cool to get a few other antiquers
to "go in with" but I KNOW you have to be really careful about that.
Perfectly nice people can turn out to be closet crazies. There are a couple
cool empty (expensive to rent) store fronts sitting in my town , but I don't
know if they would be keen on turning on the power for a pop up..and being
liable for insurance etc..hmmm..a thought though. You'd think some rental
income would be better than none.<u1:p></u1:p>"</span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><strong><a href="http://www.beadinggem.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Pearl of The BeadingGem'sJournal</span></a></strong><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><em>"I haven't seen any pop- ups into area yet. But they are a great alternative to long term rent."<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 14pt;">So
all-in-all, dear readers, this is an exciting prospect and another avenue in
which to consider exploring. With my very best wishes that good
luck and a good life may always be yours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-62860111981527180412015-04-13T10:00:00.000-04:002015-04-13T10:00:01.376-04:00Searching for Venues<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoE21VolN6UvInpr9sx9WU0ZVHSlX9py816EjcJ5gXRGuuk-SsMPE3Vgaf_5FlVDjmOa2yWUSW13h-zy49iWwX7EMbFt06t7gxXBvtHioKl_y8Ocx7grjxrB75SpokGmvYRznSH16XZo/s1600/416-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoE21VolN6UvInpr9sx9WU0ZVHSlX9py816EjcJ5gXRGuuk-SsMPE3Vgaf_5FlVDjmOa2yWUSW13h-zy49iWwX7EMbFt06t7gxXBvtHioKl_y8Ocx7grjxrB75SpokGmvYRznSH16XZo/s1600/416-001.JPG" height="320" width="190" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently I visited <strong><a href="http://mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/my-life-under-the-bus/" target="_blank">My Life Under the Bus</a></strong>, a lively, fun blog by
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyLifeUndertheBus" target="_blank"><strong>PatriciaGasparino</strong></a></span><strong>.</strong> </span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She asked if any of her readers
had experience with "Pop-Up Shops".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Truthfully I had never heard of them but decided to check it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems it was a big trend several years ago
and is still going, though perhaps not quite as strongly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The premise
is that there are a number of vacant storefronts and rather than have them
remain empty and losing money, people can rent these vacant shops short term
and sell their products directly to their customers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Rent is supposed to be below market pricing and one isn't locked into a lease. </span>Sounds great but I'm sure that back a few
years ago, during the depths of our last recession, there were a lot of
storefronts that were unoccupied and leasing firms were probably desperate to
have these places rented and bringing in a flow of cash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today they may not be so eager and their rent
could be considerably higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still it
is an interesting premise. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If any of you have had experience with pop-up shops or pop-up stores or
pop-up retail (they really are all the same animal) , or if you know of someone who
has had experience in renting a pop-up space, would you please share your
thoughts and opinions on this subject ?</span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-39817198163904476682015-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:002015-04-08T09:00:04.930-04:00All My Eggs In One Basket . . . conclusion ...<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you've probably noticed I've broken up my story into 3 segments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having it all in one post would have been
much too long and, understanding how valuable one's time is, I didn't want to
make my blogging friends feel trapped reading a mile long post.</span><br />
<br />
<em>Anyway to continue onwards ...</em><br />
<em></em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGg1QiPbQXqE-yol2UD6H_B8r3lATrCPtrtAiNbulRucyvpz4lpLKqXNvC9Zd_S8d9g7vwobcOaax99ylaXAp04Anpbbm2OXO3nIgEzhGAeBJMl4iVfFxebCYHy32wdpoq0-JpD86sB4/s1600/DSCN0366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGg1QiPbQXqE-yol2UD6H_B8r3lATrCPtrtAiNbulRucyvpz4lpLKqXNvC9Zd_S8d9g7vwobcOaax99ylaXAp04Anpbbm2OXO3nIgEzhGAeBJMl4iVfFxebCYHy32wdpoq0-JpD86sB4/s1600/DSCN0366.JPG" height="400" width="245" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em> <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo of my beadwork lariat necklace. Super long at 72" and embellished with tassels of beadwork fuchsia flowers and leaves, this necklace sold in less than 3 weeks at the ArtCenter Manatee.</span></em></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With reservations the ArtCenter Manatee agreed to give my beadwork jewelry a
chance, so from September through November I was on trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they were surprised to find that my
jewelry was actually selling and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when
the curator of the art center's Artisans' Market, printed out an invoice for
all the items of mine that had sold during that time frame, she was pleasantly awed to see a grand total of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>over
$1,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needless to say there is no longer a question of whether or not they will
be</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> accepting my beadwork jewelry into their market. Of course the
ArtCenter receives 40% of my sales but since they're the ones collecting the
sales tax and paying the fees that credit card processing incurs and, most
importantly, since they are a nonprofit organization, I have no qualms with
their cut of the pie. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in the end I still have all my eggs in one basket but I will continue to keep my eyes open for any new venues that may look promising.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkTB5__OvpzvxHRl86c_NSPq8kmHM1D6M9LVhHKkjTNV3TuAahV1k6XCx_AVE6DguIhkO5okKjk_a6ExvmcnsL-8wQXVjiTnqB1-bAWB5EIljXzhasnpp9jmi1a-Qj4ydUiVkNImuVDA/s1600/DSCN0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkTB5__OvpzvxHRl86c_NSPq8kmHM1D6M9LVhHKkjTNV3TuAahV1k6XCx_AVE6DguIhkO5okKjk_a6ExvmcnsL-8wQXVjiTnqB1-bAWB5EIljXzhasnpp9jmi1a-Qj4ydUiVkNImuVDA/s1600/DSCN0371.JPG" height="400" width="291" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Close-up of the beaded fuchsia flower tassles.</em></span></div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-70150337267333892202015-04-06T09:00:00.000-04:002015-04-07T17:22:24.297-04:00All My Eggs In One Basket - continued...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofLnY1PLcXp_ZTgvMFilSpat3q9wfEbXXsDa0n-91Fxqlg3w_kcSsgAj3IbxzcfCIraddBoFAtcpuaM_p6nTZW94jm8pBOTwm9fzbKw7MmG3bze4kukWwlTjQqedzUgGCta-_Zq-hxos/s1600/DSCN0411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofLnY1PLcXp_ZTgvMFilSpat3q9wfEbXXsDa0n-91Fxqlg3w_kcSsgAj3IbxzcfCIraddBoFAtcpuaM_p6nTZW94jm8pBOTwm9fzbKw7MmG3bze4kukWwlTjQqedzUgGCta-_Zq-hxos/s1600/DSCN0411.JPG" height="360" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Know it's not a basket full of eggs but I was out of eggs and my sea shells makes for a prettier picture. </em> :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>All my eggs in one basket . . . continuation ....</em></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In years past I had belonged to a local art club and decided to rejoin this group, it had originally been open to all local artists and crafters, bar none. However times had changed and the president of the club told me that they had passed a new bylaw stating that membership would be denied to anyone whose media represented an over saturated field as they were attempting to curtail "over representation" of any one media . . . namely "Jewelry Makers". Of course this had been voted on unanimously by all the current jewelers in the club. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps it was all of this constant rejection that put me down in the dumps and I lost interest in just about everything (including blogging). I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything and found myself moping around and feeling sorry for myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally a friend encouraged me to try the local art center, ArtCenter Manatee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope had been renewed and I called to set up an appointed with the curator of the art center's Artisans Market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the beginning of our meeting, things didn't start off well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First I was told that the art center had accepted beadwork jewelry in the past and it just did not sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That's when I began to beg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just give me a chance, my jewelry used to be a hot seller at all of the fairs and exhibitions and had been the top selling item at the last gallery that featured my work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reluctantly they agreed to give it a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would be on a probationary period and if nothing sold in those first 3 months then I would have to come in and pick up all of my products.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>To be continued ......</em></div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-10815963047610348742015-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:002015-04-05T08:00:00.313-04:00WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAD7ZT6Qm3nD8sf7VOYN5iTK3xWOn4fxbqYmS5l87FB65GVYOztt2ygkkG4Vlk2hRWytFBV1dQ5dOIZqEXJl3yP0_0xPPrHFhVeoRT8tVxdcGZNkbxmgAW31WFnUAx3mvTZeDaVJ3F0rw/s1600/EasterOrchid1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAD7ZT6Qm3nD8sf7VOYN5iTK3xWOn4fxbqYmS5l87FB65GVYOztt2ygkkG4Vlk2hRWytFBV1dQ5dOIZqEXJl3yP0_0xPPrHFhVeoRT8tVxdcGZNkbxmgAW31WFnUAx3mvTZeDaVJ3F0rw/s1600/EasterOrchid1.jpg" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
<br />Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-90991413780851310472015-04-04T10:00:00.000-04:002015-04-04T10:00:01.308-04:00All My Eggs In One Basket<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAVLKtn8PMQJ9C1yq2Wiel0RQYg-zj9rgTRy7tayWUfdM26tffK3Q9UGpeUfwj-xpOadvjPkz_8UyeUxzjH3G5veQIuh0DRB3mbPMvEX_E805XozC9WQLeusiY5udAShRMKZ8Dvzk9Qc/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAVLKtn8PMQJ9C1yq2Wiel0RQYg-zj9rgTRy7tayWUfdM26tffK3Q9UGpeUfwj-xpOadvjPkz_8UyeUxzjH3G5veQIuh0DRB3mbPMvEX_E805XozC9WQLeusiY5udAShRMKZ8Dvzk9Qc/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The world of Arts and Crafts is super-saturated with jewelry
designers/makers. I've known this for years but it never became more
apparent than after I lost my one and only source of selling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Years ago I used to do the art shows and fairs, granted it was a lot of work
to haul everything from my vehicle over to my assigned booth location and
then hassle with getting the tent set up, the tables in place and then
arranging an assortment of displays and all the various pieces of my
work. It was easy to envy those who didn't have all those little bits and
pieces to fuss over, seemed as though they were able to get in at the last
moment, set up and were ready for business in a matter of minutes; likewise
they packed up at the end of the event and were long gone whereas I was still
packing up boxes of jewelry and displays and still had to face hauling tables
to my car and taking my tent down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having my jewelry in a shop or gallery was a lot less work, a lot less
hassle, but not totally hassle-free. Occasionally a jewelry tag went
missing and the jewelry was sold with the wrong ID number. Then it required
detective work to figure out what piece was actually sold and at what price.
That's when I decided I did not wish to have my jewelry spread out all
over the county. Yes I know that having all my eggs in the one proverbial
basket was not a good idea but the thought of trying to keep tabs on a number
of items placed in several different shops overwhelmed me. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my one and only resource had to relocate her shop and decided to discontinue
having an Artisans Gallery, I was forced to look around for other venues.
That's when I was truly struck by how saturated the market was with handmade
jewelry. Shop after shop, boutique after boutique, gallery after gallery
met with me and shook their heads saying they already had far too much
inventory from local jewelry makers and just could not take
on any more</span>.<br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To be continued ....</span></em></div>
<br />Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-42545346858069360402015-03-31T10:39:00.001-04:002015-03-31T12:05:06.940-04:00A Little Bit of Nothing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFZDQ0dPRF5dlHSWaN1-ErsDJrazeLvRZ6nAQjeQgdxYen9msmM-eVObt7rBKkMfi42-Nr_bO5U21atia72YyJsOEOYuoi9SFmEdTOLf7QCGVhkM0PNBGvyrkDjmuU9n9e6QUPPFERd4/s1600/20141005_133320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFZDQ0dPRF5dlHSWaN1-ErsDJrazeLvRZ6nAQjeQgdxYen9msmM-eVObt7rBKkMfi42-Nr_bO5U21atia72YyJsOEOYuoi9SFmEdTOLf7QCGVhkM0PNBGvyrkDjmuU9n9e6QUPPFERd4/s1600/20141005_133320.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></em></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Photo taken in Tucson Arizona of my great-granddaughter, my grandson and me and my fantastic hubby (we've been married now for 45 wonderful years).</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So what
have I been doing ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's been months and
months since my last post and all I have to show for that lost time is . . .
well very, very little. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Over the past few months I've been trying to find resources in which to sell my handcrafted jewelry. My primary source, a studio/gallery in Bradenton's Village of the Arts, has moved and the owner is no longer maintaining a gallery featuring items made by local artists. Keeping all of one's eggs in one basket is never a good idea but I really didn't want to have to keep track of inventory scattered about in several different boutiques and galleries, it was hard enough keeping an account of pieces at just one venue. Perhaps I'll post more about those trials and tribulations at another time.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Recently I had a heart stopping experience. One of those moments when that little voice inside my head screams out; "OMG ! What have I done ?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">A couple
of days ago I decided to delete an old email account that I never use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat up the account with Gmail because , at
that time, I wanted to open another Etsy shop and needed a second email address
in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>order to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was several years ago and the GMail<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>account was never used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it
was occupying space on my computer desktop it seem logical to delete it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A couple of days later I tried to access my blog and got a white page informing me that ABeadersBlog did not exist and did I wish to use that domain ? That's when my heart went crashing down to my stomach. Good grief what in blazes had I done ? </span>Unfortunately when I thought I was deleting
my GMail account I was inadvertently deleting my whole Google account instead
. . . including Blogger!</span></span></div>
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my blog vanished from the Internet for several days before I discovered what I
had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to restore one's Google
account is doable but believe me it is one big, freakin' hassle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went around in perpetual circles, like a
dog chasing its tail, and was getting nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time and time again I went through their procedure to restore my Google
account and spent hours accomplishing nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">To make
an extremely long story shorter, let me just say that through some bit of
Google website magic the mysterious "verification page", that I had so
vainly sought, finally appeared and allowed me to submit my request to restore
my account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this required my
changing my password a couple of times, filling out a form, getting an
automated phone call with a "magic" code and then inserting said <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"magic" code into its proper
box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards my blog reappeared as
did several new gray hairs and a couple of wrinkles that I didn't have before
all of this rigmarole !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But an invaluable lesson was learned; Look, not once but twice or even thrice, before hitting the delete button !!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-69650138346265747832014-11-01T10:00:00.000-04:002014-11-01T10:00:02.662-04:00Demolishing History -<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGHfVbcvjgmaJLrZ9c2fNlBzkiDJmXc2c95nMPyFTSRBBgbK8CEYsnI49uuNg6RMaHYbG6ksxccVZ1XtFCNJTUIYLzbSZsRDKT_ZjpYaboH1SYFxMPR4lppco6UiJUMa1J88cJpH1gPo/s1600/DSCN0315-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGHfVbcvjgmaJLrZ9c2fNlBzkiDJmXc2c95nMPyFTSRBBgbK8CEYsnI49uuNg6RMaHYbG6ksxccVZ1XtFCNJTUIYLzbSZsRDKT_ZjpYaboH1SYFxMPR4lppco6UiJUMa1J88cJpH1gPo/s1600/DSCN0315-001.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's an old house dating back to the 1880's and it belonged to an historic family and has historic designation. Yet all of that is not enough to save it from demolition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly this grand old lady of a house will be torn down to make way for . . . are you ready for this ? . . . a <strong>Racetrack gas station ! </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I took these photos and thought of what was being lost, I found tears forming and cascading down my cheeks. Such a loss . . . a page gone from the history of Manatee County . . . a grand house that no future child will ever see or have knowledge of. How can nobody care ? The truth is that Manatee County is eyeing the taxes that they'll be getting from Racetrack and our politicians feel that money trumps history any day any time !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bhMvC6e5UpCysmeZ9y7VuJZhNbZ3X8-t7ELK_ZlH_ZSSVfweNBYWPYHyf6TCFNPvMXcQyHDW26uLzwuYc0Njc1D0RYhtKUqog-VTLy_l9yK87f1WSlbVekno0oxWg1vtth7SH1Mh3wQ/s1600/DSCN0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bhMvC6e5UpCysmeZ9y7VuJZhNbZ3X8-t7ELK_ZlH_ZSSVfweNBYWPYHyf6TCFNPvMXcQyHDW26uLzwuYc0Njc1D0RYhtKUqog-VTLy_l9yK87f1WSlbVekno0oxWg1vtth7SH1Mh3wQ/s1600/DSCN0319.JPG" height="375" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Photos above and below show the historic information plaques and stand proudly outside of the Historic Reasoner Homestead.</em></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi076q7WgWMZRdpMwKr8sUJfY_IUvBbj7Y2HAFNEGDf1QkZS-vGMOre6flWfr6-U8T0eHqwJEDwrtrgjsvUa_A_GdXNb8-bGih57-VbCjvY-VwUXZvu_xDRYKGhvDfNFLPTNvZsq2QsrrU/s1600/DSCN0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi076q7WgWMZRdpMwKr8sUJfY_IUvBbj7Y2HAFNEGDf1QkZS-vGMOre6flWfr6-U8T0eHqwJEDwrtrgjsvUa_A_GdXNb8-bGih57-VbCjvY-VwUXZvu_xDRYKGhvDfNFLPTNvZsq2QsrrU/s1600/DSCN0317.JPG" height="330" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Reasoner brothers were pioneer nurserymen, started one of the first mail order plant catalogs and introduced many new plant species into the country.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIoB-4MKslRSxljjXdfXSp9CvfbRS3yYgvnemeJWallzBi4pc0fE1E6NmEyquUGZ8cMTw-HTucs1KSzvx3mLpLoZ8sdLFxMub6tqqh2UtNnMALXhDj3dRfeKEdgfyDH7AN9-mVfS55C4/s1600/DSCN0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIoB-4MKslRSxljjXdfXSp9CvfbRS3yYgvnemeJWallzBi4pc0fE1E6NmEyquUGZ8cMTw-HTucs1KSzvx3mLpLoZ8sdLFxMub6tqqh2UtNnMALXhDj3dRfeKEdgfyDH7AN9-mVfS55C4/s1600/DSCN0313.JPG" height="383" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The property abounds with palm trees and gigantic ancient oaks, dripping with Spanish moss. A yard that was once immaculate is now neglected and overgrown with brush and weeds. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdNzjM-9Sir7jR6Fi5SDr9z1dshh4KREPGbEuGC4xR634_RDwF9AUtQ6ySdzMX-wwfgWGIdOIbcyKV1RUsdCFMK9OBeZi359ThGHxrcJ3m0tcx0C8s6AobXwegU_3XSN4XXzlOberBeM/s1600/DSCN0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdNzjM-9Sir7jR6Fi5SDr9z1dshh4KREPGbEuGC4xR634_RDwF9AUtQ6ySdzMX-wwfgWGIdOIbcyKV1RUsdCFMK9OBeZi359ThGHxrcJ3m0tcx0C8s6AobXwegU_3XSN4XXzlOberBeM/s1600/DSCN0329.JPG" height="341" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose these enormous old oaks will be sacrificed to make way for another concrete paved gas station. We already have 3 other gas stations all within half a block from this historic house.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv2ppoB3r1dTS5pHD3i-pZ9Dhgtn6KM2INm5flxWIhvVg3509sCV3iKgb0u59KC5wRsSkKFqVY4EOHskbm0DBIVf4BJoQ9sg6BtzLZsi0oEeGYc5MTeeeu09HIScEJHY-1c9lRMAeUHQ/s1600/DSCN0328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv2ppoB3r1dTS5pHD3i-pZ9Dhgtn6KM2INm5flxWIhvVg3509sCV3iKgb0u59KC5wRsSkKFqVY4EOHskbm0DBIVf4BJoQ9sg6BtzLZsi0oEeGYc5MTeeeu09HIScEJHY-1c9lRMAeUHQ/s1600/DSCN0328.JPG" height="400" width="338" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The grand old house has been boarded up and is falling into disrepair.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbD30dya_zU_g-GTQ9VQrcSSRAiRGvOYMFZsT7Oshe7wGUshgbGse7FjpbQ5mgLp1S5vu9-3VCq3gOYbfipKQFCu1BtTZ-lyUyqooUp2W6v2bTEOg6TnvGN-usEgOHDW7ROS4m5ivQ-U/s1600/DSCN0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbD30dya_zU_g-GTQ9VQrcSSRAiRGvOYMFZsT7Oshe7wGUshgbGse7FjpbQ5mgLp1S5vu9-3VCq3gOYbfipKQFCu1BtTZ-lyUyqooUp2W6v2bTEOg6TnvGN-usEgOHDW7ROS4m5ivQ-U/s1600/DSCN0320.JPG" height="400" width="378" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I always dreamt that, had I the money, I would have purchased this beauty, restored her to her former glory and turned her into either a B & B or perhaps a tea room. But it was only a fantasy. The property sits within a prime commercial area and Racetrack paid 1.2 million for the property.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXfbCq2UiPhRyh0xYH_EF5t134FwiAoHnCRPYAerE3V3EMmC9LWMwr1xLBptkC-rEkY6R1slDCI9Zg1xgpPokUqYzomPu9I3GAioKUO3l0brwkuODzUkWsCUC-tjlEjnGuaW_FOdvAtc/s1600/DSCN0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXfbCq2UiPhRyh0xYH_EF5t134FwiAoHnCRPYAerE3V3EMmC9LWMwr1xLBptkC-rEkY6R1slDCI9Zg1xgpPokUqYzomPu9I3GAioKUO3l0brwkuODzUkWsCUC-tjlEjnGuaW_FOdvAtc/s1600/DSCN0314.JPG" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Grand old Lady was built she was out in the country and was the pride of Manatee county. She was Manatee's finest, largest, grandest residence. But time plows its way through history, the city built up around the grand Lady and the present owners found they could no longer afford to pay the property taxes. Unfortunately the county sat back and didn't lift a finger to try to preserve this bit of history.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Bye old house, so long to your past and the very history that helped to make Manatee County, Florida what it is today.</span> </div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-53678282457783348162014-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:002014-10-29T10:00:03.677-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%;">THE DEMON TREE</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs_Q4COF2ZLabvCOUWw4O4XNdZ0qEoyTKxd3ktjahHIYsfFeBmTHI9GpO9fFonzv2qyjjg_CJ1mxJBZ0zhcHyxWNBrTcQf6oyB7OYlGqBXFTYRRjhmzbP_zqLEethqEKmGHmsN0WJRr0/s1600/DSCN0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs_Q4COF2ZLabvCOUWw4O4XNdZ0qEoyTKxd3ktjahHIYsfFeBmTHI9GpO9fFonzv2qyjjg_CJ1mxJBZ0zhcHyxWNBrTcQf6oyB7OYlGqBXFTYRRjhmzbP_zqLEethqEKmGHmsN0WJRr0/s1600/DSCN0254.JPG" height="400" width="338" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">So now you see, dear readers, the old skeleton pine that once stood against a crystal blue sky has
become a Demon Tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Informal;"></span> <span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">In
the evil darkness of moonless nights the Demon Tree, though dry and dead, captures
the souls of any being that might foolishly wander a bit too close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its limbs, like snakes, reach down to ensnare
its unsuspecting victim, while its roots
suddenly emerge from the pliant earth like tentacles, grasping their prey and
pulling them down, down, down into the earth around it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any scream is quickly silenced by the soft
sandy soil that lies beneath its roots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Then
savagely . . . </strong><strong>it</strong><strong> devours them.</strong></span><strong><span style="font-family: Franciscan; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> Human flesh and blood and bones and
the very essence of living spirit, gone within a few torturous seconds.</span><span style="font-family: Franciscan; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">
Only the soul remains, forever trapped within the Demon Tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unable to see the light of day or tell their
loved ones what befell them, they languish within the old, dead skeleton of a
tree. In the evil darkness of moonless nights one can hear the low moans and
groans of those lost souls whispering in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But beware ! Should you hear these whispers dare
not venture too close to see from whence they came, lest you should become the
next lost soul of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . . The Demon Tree. </span></strong> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%;">Happy Halloween Everyone</span></b>
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%;">and </span></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%;">watch out for . . . </span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%;">The Demon Tree </span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cezanne; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%;">Bwaa-haa-haa-haa !<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Informal","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span> </span>
</span>Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-33915034104462366482014-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-27T09:00:11.123-04:00The Start of a Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMr0d6pSc4-Es6eBgmmyNlisGFKYXotulLxmseuOlpOBHZxyBYe2KQfEB53WmixPPkAs4jnzRv6oc6e2C_KqpXz0Zz37JEzhca8g4q9xrwsVXXvhXoK5fR0kCoYru5KzubG_0u2bW0qg/s1600/DSCN0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMr0d6pSc4-Es6eBgmmyNlisGFKYXotulLxmseuOlpOBHZxyBYe2KQfEB53WmixPPkAs4jnzRv6oc6e2C_KqpXz0Zz37JEzhca8g4q9xrwsVXXvhXoK5fR0kCoYru5KzubG_0u2bW0qg/s1600/DSCN0251.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Back on October 16th I posted this photo of a dead Florida Slash Pine. For 7 years I passed this ghost of a tree and promised that someday I would bring my camera and brave traffic to capture a shot of it. I had a plan, an ultimate image in mind, but sadly the years went by and each time I drove past the corpse of this ancient tree I found myself without camera. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Finally one day I actually drove home, got my camera, returned to where the tree was, braved crossing a very busy street and started to take photos. Drat it All! I had left home with my camera but failed to retrieve the photo memory card that was still embedded in my computer! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So back home I drove. Unlocked the door to the house, rushed into my office-den-studio-hobby-workroom, removed the memory card from my computer, inserted it into my camera and then rushed back to where the tree, unconcerned about my trials and tribulations, was patiently waiting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Eventually I took several different photos from several different angles and locations, even crossed the busy street yet again in order to get photos from the backside of the tree. That last part was not such a good idea as the vacant lot was overgrown with brush and weeds and full of sand burs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9R2Ct_fmpOULkKtIFkV5aeaET3xCz-00xXYJN5fgZu_5VZeuM1BC0Dg7dPdV9sH64Rcr-Qf4tbF0h-kRvOEX3rOc5cK6QUs-goJDwZQrszdCutwCIwxkRqmIxlTqNpU7MsPOV1DCDiY/s1600/sandbur2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH9R2Ct_fmpOULkKtIFkV5aeaET3xCz-00xXYJN5fgZu_5VZeuM1BC0Dg7dPdV9sH64Rcr-Qf4tbF0h-kRvOEX3rOc5cK6QUs-goJDwZQrszdCutwCIwxkRqmIxlTqNpU7MsPOV1DCDiY/s1600/sandbur2.jpg" height="330" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I ended up with those thorny stickers on my tennis shoes, my socks, the hem of my skirt and even on the underside of my skirt . . . which I discovered uncomfortably later, when I went to sit down in the seat of my car and felt pin like jabs at the back of my knees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But it was worth it. I at last had the photos that for 7 long years I had yearned to capture. I chose the one with the best angle and did some cropping and editing but I think you can see where I'm going with this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFdaMPFLxQTIbfotmewbcMPtqfE7q_-EgmvOpiIKY5afNEfEogAScAFhqDR4GB1ulg9AYvHwzGnfBmQS_1eM-RrTW4CdZ_xcOsjLXgitI2xC4YDjQaCfSbAEK0sA-4nBFHgg8PbNnsTk/s1600/Crop-Old+Tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFdaMPFLxQTIbfotmewbcMPtqfE7q_-EgmvOpiIKY5afNEfEogAScAFhqDR4GB1ulg9AYvHwzGnfBmQS_1eM-RrTW4CdZ_xcOsjLXgitI2xC4YDjQaCfSbAEK0sA-4nBFHgg8PbNnsTk/s1600/Crop-Old+Tree.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Please stay tuned to see the vision I've held so dearly for over 7 years . . .</span></div>
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-50004063358517759872014-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-24T09:00:12.228-04:00The Matilija Poppy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsvRVVlU-RdtyRLLoieEYmpKR_wtwSCkVGu-nn-Juu95rkDW1SRU_xiOhRQVD80tjcYQve2kc_OZbsBozy8X4H4NSrLqfeFWT4bUzR5sqxa0ihZWcypglag13dxL4VfFh7gD0rf_Mwio/s1600/IMG_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsvRVVlU-RdtyRLLoieEYmpKR_wtwSCkVGu-nn-Juu95rkDW1SRU_xiOhRQVD80tjcYQve2kc_OZbsBozy8X4H4NSrLqfeFWT4bUzR5sqxa0ihZWcypglag13dxL4VfFh7gD0rf_Mwio/s1600/IMG_0128.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These are the last of the photos that my sister took for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I saved the lovely white Matilija Poppies for last as they are one of my favorite wildflowers. When I was in high school one of my teachers said they were Mariposa Poppies but I have learned (from both my sister Camille and my sister Norma) that these poppies are unique to the Matilija area <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>and are named after the area of their origin; Matilija (pronounced ma-til’li-ha). The plants can reach up to 8 feet tall and boast large snow white blooms with vivid yellow centers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They have become a lucrative plant for local nurserymen to propagate and ship to other municipalities that wish to include these lovely, papery white blooms into their landscape.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktsK4EGGvNqfcIWZrgdzLGr9sXHTUx3RS9O98jLQNXjHziaqt3ebZvvDQiTKI-HZnzvpnoOsGf3fKkvVc8LVGpiADJKgqaZyu9v9_Ux4XzDy9XeKqG4UWm7K_adETrH50MLdm-YaBdWc/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktsK4EGGvNqfcIWZrgdzLGr9sXHTUx3RS9O98jLQNXjHziaqt3ebZvvDQiTKI-HZnzvpnoOsGf3fKkvVc8LVGpiADJKgqaZyu9v9_Ux4XzDy9XeKqG4UWm7K_adETrH50MLdm-YaBdWc/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" height="320" width="286" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bcKa1jnWf08udpd4WIBoSsDoez-mA8VPqjSjpJ2I5vjPazmmqmi1_d5jUoGzD_fsXMQJYhDelmhPD3-t1mdOfA2Tc3YVncoC3wpgvau-JXTclQKCCKtFgqQmInK_sapbR2toHZhvIhg/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bcKa1jnWf08udpd4WIBoSsDoez-mA8VPqjSjpJ2I5vjPazmmqmi1_d5jUoGzD_fsXMQJYhDelmhPD3-t1mdOfA2Tc3YVncoC3wpgvau-JXTclQKCCKtFgqQmInK_sapbR2toHZhvIhg/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" height="280" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgHaNlLaK6BuWtt7UFBGSIGFyT-OX6HsVTDWAnQLaa-hUcmV0KKJcaMcPKKyuxF1TbBH-JqejiV3KrWCe9SZsDxJji1PlOnTWOhqJ-5lNZkHzRIw9o0NAhiuyTZwLrZe9JahrSNpDiHE/s1600/IMG_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgHaNlLaK6BuWtt7UFBGSIGFyT-OX6HsVTDWAnQLaa-hUcmV0KKJcaMcPKKyuxF1TbBH-JqejiV3KrWCe9SZsDxJji1PlOnTWOhqJ-5lNZkHzRIw9o0NAhiuyTZwLrZe9JahrSNpDiHE/s1600/IMG_0126.JPG" height="280" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Notice the large seed pods of the Matilija poppy plant?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpehggTsSVrY6uuIeWnjjQXZ600IJ1N6T5fpUIbi7XFZy1sUFNduZc4m3ecnIM-iUnIfi57faCW6yOveKFhgiTv7HKLnqnGAat-AyGMaXFLo27KJ0HLb1xQRr3o3xmzKgyvqE6r_siR0/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpehggTsSVrY6uuIeWnjjQXZ600IJ1N6T5fpUIbi7XFZy1sUFNduZc4m3ecnIM-iUnIfi57faCW6yOveKFhgiTv7HKLnqnGAat-AyGMaXFLo27KJ0HLb1xQRr3o3xmzKgyvqE6r_siR0/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG" height="320" width="270" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The large blossoms range from 6 to 9 inches across and are not only impressive in size but command attention with their ruffled white petals and sunshine yellow center.</span></div>
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-62836634495183981612014-10-22T09:00:00.001-04:002014-10-22T09:59:38.129-04:00Still Up In the Air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>Photo above - Though Scotch Brooms stand out in the background a soft, purple flowered shrub dominates the left, lower corner of the above photo.</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We're still winding our way along the curving Maricopa highway, making our way up the Topa Topa mountains above Ojai, California. My last post featured the bright yellow to yellow orange, Scotch Brooms, this post will feature purple and blue/purple wildflowers. Unfortunately I'm not knowledgeable about their names and even though my sister told me what many were called, I confess that I quickly forgot their names. So if you know any of their names please feel free to let me know in a comment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Photos below are of the one purple plant that I'm familiar with: the Lupine.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The photos that follow are of some sweet little purple wildflowers and some flowers that are more of a blue color. Both are very pretty and I've no idea what they are called, I should have written their names down when Camille told me but just like spare batteries for my camera, I did not have pen, pencil or paper on hand.</span><br />
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-20994711405833413462014-10-20T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-20T09:00:01.161-04:00Twists and Turns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>photo above - the two lane Maricopa highway leading up through the mountains from Ojai California to Taft. It was a crystal clear day and the yellow blossoms of the Scotch Brooms looked sharp and brilliant against the green mountains and bright blue sky - a perfect day for a drive.</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As I mentioned in the last post, the batteries in my camera died, we were a good 30 miles away from town and I hadn't brought spare batteries with me. However my sister, Camille, volunteered to take some photos with her smartphone and then email me the pictures. So following are some of the pictures she so graciously took for me. Thank you Cami. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Maricopa highway twists and turns through beautiful, rugged mountains. Scotch Brooms bloomed along side of the paved road, making me feel like we were a bridal procession cruising down a flower bedecked isle. The Scotch Broom is considered a weed and seems to prefer the disturbed soil near the edge of the roadsides.</span></div>
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Photo above - Managed to find a blooming yucca that was close enough to the road to get a good shot of.</div>
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Photo below - Saw this unusually flat boulder and had to get a photo of it.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo below - Had to get a shot of the looming mountains and the valley below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To fully appreciate this vista I encourage you to click on the photo to view it more closely.</span></div>
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-41388107322549873122014-10-18T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-18T09:00:02.202-04:00Hidden Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">photo above - Mountain ravine with waterfall.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remember that trip my hubby and I took back in July ? I must confess that I still have pictures from that trip. You see when John and I were driving down from Albany California to Ojai, we took the Maricopa Highway and California was fresh and alive from summer rains. The mountains were covered in green foliage and flowers bloomed everywhere, it was a veritable Eden. Oh how I longed to tell my hubby to stop the car so I could whip out my camera and take pictures. John on the other hand was in no mood to stop the car on that curving, 2 lane mountain road, so I sat in silence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Later, while visiting my sister Camille, she asked if there was anything we wanted to do or any place we wanted to go. I mentioned the flowers that I saw along the Maricopa highway and how I would have loved to have taken some photos. Now I should mention that Camille loves to drive so she happily volunteered to drive us up through the local mountains in order for me to take some photos. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It must have been some 20 miles or so before we got into the proper elevation where the flora was thick and colorful. Camille stopped the car at a lovely little waterfall and I took out my little, old point and click camera . . . the one held together with a stripe of blue painter's tape. As I pressed the on button the camera lens extended with a soft whine and then whined again as it retracted. . . and then nothing. The<strong> batteries were dead ,</strong> and I didn't bring spare batteries and it was at least 30 miles back to the town of Ojai. Fortunately Camille had her phone with her so she kindly snapped all of the photos of the Maricopa highway flowers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>photos above and below - little waterfall</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span> </div>
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-75417554653805677372014-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-18T11:44:23.985-04:00Catching Up on Catching Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvLsP_5eT6Rg5NPWtQnbbRmPYNRVM6X_FGn4yxzXm9v1bap3_i3tYVTnqaEzkv8A4d36_FcGYt99sCmmUt9UO2eR5pId7O02NhfyoZgs8nsPg4z3_kHErwU0QS8VUGwIslHuicY0pzzo/s1600/Dead+Pine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvLsP_5eT6Rg5NPWtQnbbRmPYNRVM6X_FGn4yxzXm9v1bap3_i3tYVTnqaEzkv8A4d36_FcGYt99sCmmUt9UO2eR5pId7O02NhfyoZgs8nsPg4z3_kHErwU0QS8VUGwIslHuicY0pzzo/s1600/Dead+Pine.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It had been standing there for many years and each time I passed its way I would tell myself; "I have got to get a picture of that before it falls down or is taken down with a chainsaw."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It is the skeletal remains of an old, Florida Slash Pine which rests on a vacant lot overgrown with weeds and brush. Lately I've noticed the wooden skeleton listing slightly to one side. How long would it be before someone declares it a hazard and has it taken down?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Fortunately I did, finally, get around to taking a few photos of the old dead pine. Unfortunately I have been too preoccupied to do any editing of this photo or, for that matter, any photo that I've downloaded in the past month or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The past few weeks I've been busy trying to find venues in which to sell my handcrafted jewelry. I had several leads and went to check them out only to find that there are soooo many jewelry makers doing the same that every place is booked solid and to the point of bursting at the seams with jewelry. Many venues have instigated limits as to the ratio of jewelers that they'll accept in a show or fair in order to prevent "over representation" of the craft. Though disheartened I don't intend to dwell on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I've also been away for the past couple of weeks. My hubby and I decided we wanted to visit some friends that we've not seen in ages and . . . well if we see these friends why not go a little farther and visit so-and-so, and things just sort of snowballed from there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In the end we went through some 12 states and put over 4,600 miles on the little rental car. We rented a Toyota Camry, it averaged about 36 miles per gallon, even at highway speeds of close to 80 mph (other than the stretch in Texas where the posted speed was 80 mph - there we were driving at about 88 and getting passed like we were sitting on a log) .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hopefully I can get caught up on things, such as sending out thank you cards and emails and taking care of things that had to slide for the last few weeks,. But I especially want to get around to visiting some of your wonderful blogs and try to keep my own blog fresher and more up to date. Wish me luck on that last bit. :)</span><br />
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Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5792410363486054662.post-30549610600366849492014-09-12T14:14:00.000-04:002014-09-12T14:14:54.059-04:00Truths About the Everyday Housewife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOA7uIL18ppJWaLbDt5BNExwqwbbplOLTV_TlL-l4W3Up4CadaMOM1oTGElz0z8cUm52ByeUiwNSMthn02H60XLdcm_WXzWoAI4uX_ErWClBu0QcC3ilE0f3nNs7QrNgyzCiW3FsWuI/s1600/Tired-Mom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOA7uIL18ppJWaLbDt5BNExwqwbbplOLTV_TlL-l4W3Up4CadaMOM1oTGElz0z8cUm52ByeUiwNSMthn02H60XLdcm_WXzWoAI4uX_ErWClBu0QcC3ilE0f3nNs7QrNgyzCiW3FsWuI/s1600/Tired-Mom2.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hey !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You with the kids running around the house
teasing one another, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shrieking and
screaming:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Mommy make Ashley <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>give me
back my Superhero Golly-Bog Transformer."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Mommy Billie just hit
me."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"But Mommy, Ashley hit me
first!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yeah I'm talking to you, the one sweeping up Fruit Loops from under the kitchen table.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is the life of most moms and especially the
stay-at-home mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A stay-at-home-mom
isn't lounging on the sofa watching daytime soaps and nibbling on chocolate bonbons.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She's lugging a 30 pound basket filled
with dirty laundry to the washing machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead of wearing opera length satin gloves she 's wearing elbow length
rubber gloves and is scouring out toilets, scrubbing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bathtubs and mopping floors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Most of all she's tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tired of the cyclic routine that seems endless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fix breakfast , wash breakfast dishes,
clean-up kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fix lunch, wash lunch
dishes, clean-up kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fix dinner,
wash dishes, clean-up kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow do the same thing and the day after
that and the day after that and the day after that . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the mornings it's make up the beds . . . in the evening
she crashes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>into bed, exhausted ... the next
morning it's make up the beds again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once a week she strips the beads , then makes up the beds with fresh
clean sheets and launders <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the used
sheets,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>folds them neatly and puts them
in the linen closet so they'll be ready for the next time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is repeated weekly; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>week after week, month after month, year after
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The repetitiveness is numbingly monotonous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are moments when she'd like to scream
or even run away, but she doesn't.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
bears the drudgery out of love and devotion for her family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She's not one of
those gorgeous, 20 or 30 something <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>models
on TV, posing seductively in a form-fitting, low cut, little black dress
telling us that if we used this or that facial cream we too will look years younger,
be more radiant and just as beautiful as she is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Ms. Beautiful Model <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is touting a sixty or seventy dollar bottle of
potion that's just one part of a multi-hundred dollar beauty routine, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay-at-Home-Mom is worrying about how they're<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>going to afford their monthly <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>mortgage payments and also pay for little
Timmy or Beth's much needed braces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's
tough living on <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes she could go out and get a paying job but
she knows most of her income would go to pay for child care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As Ms. Beautiful Model 's perfectly manicured hands caress a
sensuous <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bottle of Firming Lotion, Stay-at-Home-Mom
nonchalantly sits on her own hands to hide her chipped nails and ragged
cuticles and tries to think of ways to live from one paycheck to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Do we really need meat this week?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about a big pot of beans and some
cornbread?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in the week <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could cook up some rice and add the leftover
beans to them, maybe splurge on a head of lettuce and make a salad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or I could fix a huge tuna and elbow macaroni
casserole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Always struggling to stretch that paycheck far enough to
cover expenses and then, just when she thinks she's <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>got it made . . . Why the blazes does the car
need a set of new tires now ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do
you mean the washing machine is broken ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is it just me or does the refrigerator feel a bit warm inside? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHPeLedOn7h516BXnp4tuLexTNyN5Iy_dCGuR4gS-zdS_KmGdqeSanq-LEUKFaeZyeFvzyuUw0RZBeuySklYoLz0EQg9bQ8et5D6w2keisBDSeDkaOeHvvbE6sODztaYuvXYYvo3VNvA/s1600/DSCN0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHPeLedOn7h516BXnp4tuLexTNyN5Iy_dCGuR4gS-zdS_KmGdqeSanq-LEUKFaeZyeFvzyuUw0RZBeuySklYoLz0EQg9bQ8et5D6w2keisBDSeDkaOeHvvbE6sODztaYuvXYYvo3VNvA/s1600/DSCN0246.JPG" height="320" width="248" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sure, I've been there, I know what I'm talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used
to laugh with Phyllis Diller (notice I said with and not at) when she told a
joke about how she had 5 children and had her milkman deliver <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nine quarts of milk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Six quarts to drink and three to spill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don't think there was a single day that one
of my kids did not tip a glass of milk over<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and I had to run to get something to sop up the flood of milk with before it ran off
the table and onto the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems I
was never quite fast enough so there was always at least one meal that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>required my having <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to mop the floor around our kitchen table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And living on one income, paycheck to paycheck?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been there too and know just where
you're at. You get that monthly credit card statement and think; "Just a
couple of more payments and we'll have all of last Christmas's gifts paid
off."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then it strikes you,
"Oh Dear Lord !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In just a few short
months it will be Christmas AGAIN !" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's like being on a
never-ending merry-go-round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Round and
round we go, like a dog cashing its tail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is it any wonder that we have those annoying <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>little lines at the corner of our eyes or
those furrowed creases across our forehead?</span></div>
</div>
Almost Precioushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349435936032378395noreply@blogger.com16