"Relic-ing" A Guitar

Dear Friends,

I am tired this evening. I hate to start a post with a complaint, but there you have it. I have missed some sleep lately and I am certainly the kind of girl who needs 8 hours a night. If I don't get it, I feel it. As I have gotten older I find that I am sometimes okay with 7 hours but under 7 and I turn into Evil-lyn.

About the post title, maybe some of you will remember when I got the Fender two years ago and started playing. Well, that Fender is a very introductory not-expensive guitar and it had been damaged and repaired at some point. I love the guitar and won't part with it, but it does not sound as good as something a little nicer. These days I play only my (Jason's) Martin. I love that guitar. Yes. It was with wild abandon that I set about this afternoon distressing the Fender.

Peeps, I would NEVER do this to a new guitar. The fact that the Fender has some structural issues made me feel very comfortable with messing around with it. I am not done yet but maybe you can see a bit of the pink vibe I am going for. Speaking of guitar, I need to do my two year progress video soon. Has it really been two years! I cannot figure out how to embed a video with the iPad but here is the link to the one-year mark.

year 1 progress video

I need to practice more! I feel I should be so much further along than I am but I am not going to stop. I guess I will figure out something to play and do the two-year video soon.

In other news, I wanted to share a picture of Greyson watching Sponge Bob Square Pants. (Love that show!)

He reminds me so much of his dad and yet Joe was not this stocky at this age. He was maybe taller but definitely thinner. It could be that Greyson is just as tall as Joesph was at this age. It is hard to tell due to the weight. Anyway, Joseph is the biggest of my three boys, er uh, men. It will be interesting to see how Greyson grows.

Now, my other boy, Vlad, is pretty big too. He weighed in at 16 pounds last week. Goodness. I call this shot of Vlad "Put Me Down." Vlad's sister Lucy weighed in at 12.2, so she is no featherweight.

She is a pretty girl.

Finally, I wanted to share another recently scanned photo. Look at her collar and the cross and the flower pinned onto her blouse. I would love to see the whole outfit. Again, I wish I had more info.

I am off to practice a bit and then to bed.

Enjoy this day.

Lynn

What Were Their Names?

Dear Peeps,

Today (Saturday) was a nice day at the shop, even if it was slower today than I'd like. But that is the way of retail, peeps. Anyway, it is my own little personal railroad caboose tiny cottage-like structure! So no worries. I just sew and create and scan.

I scanned a lot more old photos today. These photos are just amazing to me. In this day of constant selfies, there is something very poignant about these photos where the subject and photographer basically had one shot to get it right. No checking and deleting. No filters to change things up instantly on a monitor. I mean, I am learning that skill was a huge factor with old photos, so it is not like there was nothing planned or technical involved, but there is just so much life packed in these photos. It is like the person's life carried him slam up against a photo op and then he had to hurry up and get on with real life.

I surely wish there was something written on the back of these two photos, but alas there was not. Makes me want to write on all my own photos so when we are long gone someone will know the names of me and my babies. I wonder. Are they all siblings? Cousins together on a Sunday? Friends?

And then...

this picture I just instantly fell in love with. It was so faint, I could hardly make out the faces. Then I scanned it. Then I used a filter to enhance the colors and contrast, etc. Suddenly, there were faces.

Look at the smiles, the clothes, the friendship. And they are gone. Silent, somewhere. And we don't know their names. But God knows.

I must get to sleep. Enjoy this day.

Lynn

The Wait Is Still On For Baby

Baby, oh baby, I am tired. We had another "false alarm" last night but it was not really false. The baby is engaged. There are real contractions doing real work. But not quite to the point where they keep you. You know, not like 4 or 5 cm yet. So everyone is waiting it out at home again. But it cannot be long!

My little sweetie Greyson woke up to an empty house except for me. I think he was confused. He started crying. He loves the movie Frozen. So guess what we were doing at midnight?

Yep. I did what I had to do. Not gonna let that baby cry And cry. No no. Grandma is gonna watch Frozen.

I figured he'd get used to the fact that he was with me, accept it and fall asleep. That is exactly what he did. Sweet baby. He loves the music in Frozen. He will watch and watch and watch.

So I am just really beat today. Slept in Greyson's room on the small bed next to his crib but I woke up at every sound. Got extra close to make sure he was okay at times he was sound asleep. Stood there staring at him. He is like a replica of his dad.

In other news wanted to share some shop photos.

Felted purse. Old papers. Bracelet.

Party dresses.

And I wanted to show you too the most recent bag I made. It is from some coffee fabric curtains!! I love it!!

I will hopefully post new baby pictures soon.

Enjoy this day!

Lynn

Please Help

I have had a couple of readers now tell me that they see small columns of text next to the photos in my posts. This would make it awfully hard to read! Just so you know, I did not do this on purpose! It does not show up that way in my browser. I have checked it on a Windows based laptop and on a Mac desktop. It looks good on these. Would you please let me know if you are having issues with my blog layout and what it is doing. I am sorry! Thank you! Lynnn

The Cats in my Life

Good Morning.

I am ready for spring. I remember how excited I used to get over my garden at the old house, seeing tiny amounts of green and longing for spring. Now my garden is in front of Sidetracked. Small though it is, I am looking forward to lots of rosemary and other herbs and flowers. Butterflies and bees. Be still my heart. I can't wait. But I guess I will have to!

In the meantime I found out about some of the kitties that hang around Sidetracked. They are pretty feral but they are cared for and fed by a couple of generous folks who provide food and get them medical care. They are all spayed and neutered. That is awesome. The pretty gray cat on the rooftop is Marietta. There is another gray girl named Mollie June. Then there are two black males named Dave and Toots. Those are the cats that will make appearances.

The cats up close in my life these days are of course Vlad and Lucy, my snuggle buddies, and Jason's two cats. They all provide quite the show at their respective homes.

This is Mars. Red boy. He has a few different names depending on his career choice for the day.

His new sidekick is Amelia, recently rescued from the shelter. She has turned out to be the perfect companion for Mars. Mars' old companion was Spice. Spice nearly made it to 20 years. You can imagine the loss to Jason. Twenty years. That's a long time.

Of course they play and keep each other company and sometimes they have a power struggle over the window seat.

But mostly they groom each other and sleep side by side and plot how they will take over the world.

I took a few pictures of th snow around Sidetracked.

The children who visit the shop just love the frog.

So that is enough for now. This was a nice break.

Enjoy this day!

Lynn

Food. Food. Food.

Dear Peeps,

Happy Sunday!

I am still iced/snowed in. I suspect the main roads would be clear but I won't attempt the drive to get to a major road. In the meantime, I am most thankful for good food, electricity and Internet.

These are red potatoes. They come in a ready-to-cook bag. I microwave and then fry slices in olive oil. Can anyone say YUM? I love foods that don't go through the microwave but this method turns out a delicious side dish!

Then there was steak...

and salad.

Again, I am so thankful for food. I have tried not to over eat during this snowy ice storm! I made more cornbread muffins, only this time I crumbled cooked bacon into the mix. This morning I had one of those muffins with cream cheese. Oh my!

In cat news, I asked my dear friend Jason if I could share some recent pictures of his Amelia. He said to ask Amelia. She said yes. In fact, she was thrilled.

She is quite the show-off in front of the camera. She says she is going into meowdeling. We will see about that! I don't think she has asked Jason.

I feel a bit stir crazy so I am going to try my hand at the craft desk. Will be sure and share pictures if there is anything to show.

Enjoy this day.

Lynn

Snowed In With My Thoughts

Dear Friends,

Today I am happy and content. I love the bright whiteness of the light off the snow. When I am truly in God's presence, that's the brightness of His light into my soul, shining on everything hidden to the world but that I know very well. I love God's kindness and forgiveness and patience.

I know certain things don't belong on blogs. I have made myself be quiet many a time when I wanted to vent to the world. To tell my side. Once again, I will generalize. I have very dark days. Days when my heart aches beyond description for the good and pure things I wanted for my home and my children. In the end, jumping ship was the only way to stay alive. I could not breathe. Literally. I was self-destructively sad. I cried every day for 10 tears. I was lost. I was in a place of thinking I was getting what I deserved (apparently) because decades of intense hope and longing and prayer did not change things.

In the light now, I still struggle with times of wondering ”why me." I especially struggle with "why my children." I struggle with what I deserve and don't deserve. But those thoughts are becoming less and less prominent. I am happy. I love God. I pray. I take only one day at a time. I love and appreciate every single day!!

That's all about that.

I wanted something baked yesterday, but I have become strictly gluten free again after starting to develop eczema again following a couple of months of ruthless cheating.

Cornbread muffins hit the spot!! With real butter. I ate three right away and one this morning. I know. I need to gain some control!!

In other news I wanted to show you some lovely fabric from the 1920s. One of my fellow shop-owners walked over to Sidetracked recently with this pillow in hand. Could I sew up the edge for her where the seam had been undone to wash the inside case? Of course! She wanted to pay me but I said absolutely not! She always lets me borrow her ladder. And she traded me a great rug for a children's print. Peeps, I love having my little store.

Isn't that fabric great?

Now for something off the scale on the adorable meter!! My mom (hennypennylane.blogspot.com) has a new baby goat! Look how tiny! She is currently trying to think of names.

Finally, I wanted to share just a portion of a page that came from a true 1900s scrap book. Oh my! Be still my heart. I have about six pages in all of 1900s ads that someone cut out and pasted into scrapbooks. This page is currently in my Etsy shop for download. It would be awesome for art projects. I am not telling you to go buy it, and I don't mind if people use the graphics I post on my blog. I love to share. I just knew that these scanned pages would be great for serious artists and scrapbookers.

With that, I say good day. The book of James has always helped me so much. I think I will read from there today. May you all have joy today!

Enjoy this day!

Lynn

Just Another Day and a Hat with Great Shape

Dear Peeps,

Another heavy duty bag went into the shop this evening. I really like the way it turned out.

Made from pieces from the fabric stockpile.

The strap ends in a heavy metal ring on one side. Love it. Great for hanging keys.

Pink pocket on one side has a metal snap closure.

This to me is a great flea market bag or Saturday bag.

Now. Hats!! I have added 6 hats to my inventory this week. As of today, this is my favorite.

Its shape is just perfect. It has a steampunk flair that I love!

That is all for now, except that we are supposed to get some serious precipitation tonight and into early morning. I had planned to be off work tomorrow anyway to get a crown. Not on my head mind you, though that is a nice thought, but on a tooth! So I am ready to be snowed in.

Enjoy this day.

Lynn

Textile Wall Hanging Finished Tonight

Dear Friends,

I am heading out the door soon so I will keep this brief but I wanted to share pictures of a wall hanging that I finished tonight. It is so beautiful. Even though the colors are mostly soft, the overall effect is very vibrant and bright. 40 x 28 inches. I love it! It is currently in my shop in the little caboose and in my Etsy shop.

When I make something like this,there is a part of me in it. That is the way art is.

Enjoy this day.

Lynn

New Items and More

Dear Peeps,

Happy Monday! It is very cold here today but I have my coffee. Love my coffee! I might as well say first that I am going to start adding items to my blog that are for sale. Yay!

I scanned more old photos over the weekend. They are awesome. I am trying to scan everything and record any personal messages from each old photo before I sell it. I think it is important for people who are researching their family history.

Notice the striped pants. I don't think this photo needs any explanation.

And this lovely girl!! I think summer outfits looked so much prettier when they had some modesty about them. This is definitely classy but pretty sizzling, don't you think?

This lady is adorable! I love her eyebrows. Notice the New Jersey maps behind her.

And this sassy girl has some tights that I would like to have.

In other news, I now have one of the seashell lamps in the shop. It is very pretty. Just a clear glass base filled with wonderful seashells and an older but clean white lampshade. The lamp is about 18 inches tall, 28 inches tall with the shade.

I might as well include my daily outfit post today.

Lace skirt, two long T-shirts layered, and a short sweater that ties in front. Leather boots Steve madden.

Enjoy this day!

Lynn

The Coolest Rain Boots Ever and Painting A Mirror

Dear Peeps,

Today's post is partly a daily outfit post and partly a tutorial.

Recently purchased this plaid dress -- new, the fuzzy vest -- new, and some gently used boots that are absolutely awesome!

I love that there are so many wonderful stores for clothes shopping around here! The dress, from Rue 21, was 5 dollars on clearance. We have an outlet mall close to where I live, and they have some great sales. I don't get there frequently, but every once in a while I go and always find something cool.

The boots? Be still my heart! Rain boots shaped like cowboy boots. They are covered in sugar skulls. Brand is Blazin' Roxx.

Guess I look more hippie today than gypsy.

Now, about that tutorial. I love to fix up mirrors and give them an antique look. It is very easy to do.

Use painter's tape to keep the mirror part safe from paint. Spray paint the frame with paint plus primer in a black color.

Once that layer of paint is dry, take a bar of soap and rub the frame in some high points where the frame would get natural wear. You can look at my pictures for example.

Spray paint next with antique white spray paint plus primer, all in one can. After the frame is completely dry, take a utility cloth or paper towels and rub hard enough to take the white paint off where you placed the soap. It should come off fairly easily in those places and leave the black paint showing underneath.

I love it!

Dinner out this evening so gotta run. I am glad it is Friday!!

Enjoy this day!

Lynn