A Little of Everything

I came across this stack of Martha Stewart Living Magazines today while browsing the book shelves at a local Salvation Army. Of course I had to have them all, regardless of how heavy and unwieldy they were going to be to carry home, in the rain, that had just started in the early afternoon rather than tonight like the forecast said. Good thing I had a couple of extra tote bags in my bag. They're back issues from '03 and '04 and they were asking $1.99 each. Even the Salvation Armies are pricey in Brooklyn. But the real nice manager lady marked them down to 99 cents each for me, since I was buying the whole stack.



Now I'm looking forward to sitting on the floor with them and a big cup of coffee or tea and scouring through them for pictures that bring me tinglies and make my heart leap. I'm going to be making me some Dreamboards! I want to make sure to make one in time for Jamie Ridler's next Full Moon Dreamboards on December 2nd.


On December 2nd the full moon will be in Gemini. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the messenger of the gods. (a.k.a. Hermes, Thoth, and Lugh)


I pulled a card from my deck of Wisdom Cards last night.




This is what I got:



And on the back, it says...



Yes. Wise words. The simple truth, really. I'm just going leave this card out where I can see it for awhile. Make it my focus for the week.



Notice my "Rock My World" Rocks from The Queen of Arts and Rock Fairy, Kim Mailhot scattered around there?


I scored this deck of Wisdom Cards for only $1 from a stoop sale a couple of months ago! That and several other really juicy items that I'll show you another time. This deck is from Louise L. Hay, author of the famous books: You Can Heal Your Body and You Can Heal Your Life. I LOVE this deck. I've been reading her books since I was about 18.

Just look at these cards...



Look at all these luscious cards!

"I am good enough" (Do you see it over there? How pretty.)



"I have unlimited potential" and "I am my own Unique Self"



Ahhhhh, I absolutely ADORE this one... "I am Pure Spirit." Just look at those colors! MMmmmmmm!


Tomorrow is November 20th. Do you know what that means? It means New Moon opens! I am definitely going, even if I have to go all by myself.



I listed even more stuff on Etsy tonight. It's coming along. I'm finally putting together a real shop. For now it's just these cards, but I WILL be putting up alot more of a variety. I just hope it's not too overwhelming to keep track of it all.


I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful.



Hope, Love, Joy



A Cat



To Serve is Divine

I want to give a shout out to Sandy at Layered Elements and thank her again for buying one of my cards yesterday. Thank you, Sandy! You're the best!!

I must go now. I can't believe I've been preparing this post for almost 2 hours. How DOES one get a handle on time??? I'm exhausted and don't have it in me to do anything else but veg out right now. So I promise to make my rounds tomorrow and visit you all then. Love!

P.S. To all who haven't already, please check out the Artella ARTSgiving Moving Sale for huge 50% off savings on all their vintage stock! Check out my last couple of posts for details on the bonuses and freebies you get if you spend $15 or more!

And More Stuff Listed on My Etsy Shop Tonight

These cards are all (except one loner at the bottom, middle) very glittery and sparkly!

I got a bunch of stuff listed on Etsy last night, and then some more tonight. I'm fighting it all the way because it is sooooooo freaking TEDIOUS AND ANNOYING ! All the small details involved! But, I really need to get past the resistance and find my groove with it, because I need to make some money. And I've got alot of stuff to list! Not so much my artwork, which I do hope to have more and more of ready in the near future. But alot of crafty materials and supplies and goodies that I want to get rid of. I have way too much stuff and I'm never going to use it all. I have to "de-stash"! So I intend to put together lots of fun little packages and grab bags of stuff to sell - for very good prices - very soon!


Look...I even did the backs on these, reinforcing them with cardboard and covering them with pretty decorative papers. I really need to get better pens and markers. I made a list of the stuff Teesha Moore uses. She knows the good stuff! And, as soon as I get some extra money, I'm going to splurge on the good stuff for myself!

If you haven't already, or if you didn't get to see my post from last night, go check out that ARTELLA "ARTSgiving" Clearance Sale! Like I was saying yesterday, I ordered myself a bunch of goodies - lots of old photos and vintage postcards, and squares and circles of fun-patterned vintage fabrics... I can't wait to get this box of stuff! But, in the meantime, I get to play with my free gifts which comes with all purchases over $15 - The ARTSgiving 2009 Holiday eBasket. It's a bunch of downloadable goodies, and I received the file within 24 hours of my having placed my order. Here's what's included:

(1) Artella's Step-by-Step Vintage Holiday Cards booklet (24-pg booklet),
(2) a 16-page booklet called 10 Christmas Crafts in 10 Minutes,
(3) the Let Your Inner Elf Out: Brainstorming Handmade Christmas Gifts for the Holidays 17-page booklet, plus audio recording, and
(4) a zip file of beautiful Christmas background papers.

Oh, and I also got a $20 gift certificate for my order of $24. I'm kicking myself now because I didn't see that if I'd spent just $1, I'd have gotten a $35 gift certificate! Damn, I want a do-over!

Cleansing and Clearing with Suzie Ridler

(THIS SECTION ABOVE LINE added tonight, after having posted all the stuff below the line earlier this afternoon, but having noticed a big boo boo tonight) OOOOOOPS! As you can see by the title of this post, I MEANT to write about my participation with Suzie Ridler in her Cleansing Ritual Day. I had written an entire couple of paragraphs on it, with a bunch of links and all, and SOMEHOW??? it got deleted? Or I wrote over it with the rest of the post? Aaaargh! So sorry, dear Suzie! Sigh. I don't even remember all that I'd written before. Here's a link to all Suzie's posts on Cleansing. She has some great information on how to go about clearing negative energy, and she makes some really beautiful pieces of jewelry, too!

---

Hi all! I've let more days than I'd like pass since last posting. I've been wrapped up in trying to complete some projects so that I can list them on Etsy. And also, I've been feeling that awful headache still lingering faintly in the background of my head and sinuses, and so I'm avoiding too much computer time as that only intensifies it. I just wanted to pop in and say hello and let it be known that I haven't gone AWOL again.


Here are a bunch of those cards that I've been working on, packaged up and ready to be uploaded to Etsy!

Also, I wanted to let you all know about Artella' HUGE MOVING SALE. They're moving their entire vintage storeroom, so they're clearing out the current inventory. They're offering all the items in their vintage shops at a WHOPPING 50% off! This is their BIGGEST SALE EVER!

I already ordered a bunch of goodies for myself last night. Their prices are great to begin with, so I couldn't let this opportunity pass. And at 50% off, I didn't have to. Go check it out! You can get there by clicking on the coupon above, or the one on my sidebar, all the way up top. And don't forget to use coupon code ARTSGIVING09 when you place your order (there's a place to enter the coupon code when you're checking out) and you'll instantly get your 50% off on all the vintage items.

In addition to offering EVERY vintage item in the Vintage General Store at 50% off, with each purchase you'll also receive a Gift eCertificate good on ALL Artella eProducts:

$20 gift eCertificate with any $15 purchase
$35 gift eCertificate with any $25 purchase
$50 gift eCertificate with any $35 purchase


Plus! EVERY purchase over $15 receives the fun ARTsgiving 2009 Holiday eBasket, which includes:

The NEW Artella eBook, "Artella's Step-by-Step Vintage Holiday Cards"
The fun and useful eBooklet on making "10 Christmas Crafts in 10 Minutes"
The beautiful collection of downloadable "Christmas Carol Background Papers"
An audio recording of Artella's Inspiring Live seminar "Let Your Inner Elf Out!" & companion "Let Your Inner Elf Out!" Workbook

Make sure to take advantage of this awesome sale before it ends on November 30th!

Feeling Like Myself Again

Can you believe it? It took until late yesterday evening for that horrible, evil migraine to finally go away completely. 4 days! I was ecstatic to wake up headache-free this morning. It's just not right that there seems to be no remedy for migraines. Nothing you can do once it's set in already. Though my sister-in-law swears by Excedrin Migraine. I had taken it once, a long time ago, and it had worked! But then the next time I got one and I took it, it did not kick in. And that's a big problem because on the box it says "Do not take more than 2 tablets in a 24 hour period." And the dosage amount is 2 tablets!! And the ingredients are acetaminophen 200 mg, aspirin 250 mg, caffeine 65 mg. So that means, what?... I can't even take anything else after that? What the heck am I supposed to do when it doesn't work???

So the thing to do is to try to avoid getting a migraine in the first place. Well, from past experience I know that whenever I've cut certain things out of my diet, I did not get any headaches at all. So that's step number 1: Cut out sugar, processed foods, white bread. Cut down on dairy products. I very rarely drink soda so that's not a problem, otherwise I'd be listed that in the "cut out" section, as well. I've already started all this as of this past Monday. So we'll see how that goes.

And speaking of diets, let me just say that I have GOT to lose some weight. Since I quit smoking I've gained over 25 lbs! JeSUS!! I can't even believe that. It's a damn good thing I started out a couple of pounds underweight. I had bought myself a whole bunch of brand new jeans at Express during the after Christmas sale at the beginning of the year. I put them away for when it warmed up because I wear longjohns underneath my pants in the winter and they didn't fit under these new jeans. Well, by the time it warmed up, I already couldn't button them up. Then, a few months later, I couldn't even get them past my hips. I held on to them because I swore I was going to fit into them again any week now. But instead I just kept gaining more damn weight! And it's not like I'm eating that much more than I used to. I'd stopped eating cookies and junk months and months ago. Anyway, the other day I just bit the bullet and brought all those beautiful new jeans, still with tags, over to the local used clothing exchange store and got a measly $30 in store credit for them. Drats!

Look at how happy he is with his big belly and manboobs. Look at that smile! Doesn't it make you smile just looking at him?



I finished the entire Twilight Saga and now I feel so sad and lonely like my good friends have gone away. After 4 books in a row, one gets attached to the characters. At least I find that I do.

Only 9 more days until New Moon the movie comes out!

I have pUH-lenty of other books lined up to read. This morning I started on one called The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos.

It looks really good and, from just the first couple of pages, it's already drawing me in. A very good sign, indeed.

What else is new?... Oh yes. Today I worked all afternoon on trying to finish up those ATCs I showed you last week. I put cardboard backings on them and painted the backs and went over some with pastels, outlined some with markers...

just trying to make them into something someone would want to buy. I'm going to take your advice, Gloria, and put them up on Etsy when they're done. I need to really make a concerted effort to make many things I can sell. It sucks to go about it like that, but I NEED to. I mean, this is what I want to be doing and I keep on putting it off and putting it off, further into the future that never comes. And Christmas is right around the corner, the temp job I've been working at is coming to a close, I have no winter clothes, I cannot go without even 1 week's pay as I can't fall behind on paying off debts, aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh!!! That's what I mean about feeling overwhelmed. I neeeeed a M-I-R-A-C-L-E!

Oh yes! I wanted to mention that I watched all of Teesha Moore's videos on her Youtube channel. You can also watch them from her blog: http://teeshascircus.blogspot.com/. Just make sure to catch them where they begin so you don't miss any. She uploaded the first one back on October 31st. Thanks a million, Kim, for the head's up on those! What a treasure!! This is the kind of thing I need lots of and I LOVE that Teesha took the time to do these and make them available to all of us - and FOR FREE!!! God bless her! After watching these videos I feel like "Yeah! I can do that!" You MUST go and watch these awesome tutorials for yourself. (Wowee, that's alot of exclamation points. But they're well deserved.)

Now I'd like to spend a little time visiting with you and responding to some comments before going to watch some shows I like to catch on Wednesday nights: Modern Family, Cougar Town, and - my favorite - Witches of Eastwick.

The other two I can do without, but I don't want to miss any Witches of Eastwick!

I'm now going to hit "Publish" without proofing too carefully, because I've already been working on this too long and I want some time to go visiting. So forgive me any typos, mistakes, and any other errors. Merci!

Better Tonight.

Thank you for your warm and caring comments and for your well wishes. They're working because I do feel better tonight. And thank you for your sweet comments about my family! I'm just taking it easy right now, trying not to do anything that strains my eyes too much. I wouldn't don't want to set off any more pain 'cause I couldn't take it. I just had to slip in here for a moment and say thanks and send you my love and hugs! I promise to respond to your comments as soon as I'm able.

XOXO

Just Waiting for This Debilitating Pain To Pass

I've been incapacitated with a migraine since Friday night. Friday night, Saturday, and most of Sunday was non-stop pain. As usual with these headaches, no matter what I take it has no effect whatsoever and I feel like I'm going to go out of my mind with the pain. Not a moment of relief unless I'm asleep, which is what I did through most of the weekend, with the exception of a little outing on Saturday afternoon. A gorgeous weekend, weather-wise, and I get to miss most of it!

Last night the pain finally started to slacken a teeny, tiny bit and I tried to get online and visit some blogs, but I didn't get too far at all because I still felt too awful. This morning I felt a little better, but still pretty awful, so I stayed home from work. And now, at about 1:30 on Monday afternoon, I feel like I can do a few things again. I've still got pain in my face, head, neck, teeth, shoulders, and upper back, but it's definitely much better than it was over the weekend. I hope that it's on its way out now.

So, I did get out for a little while on Saturday afternoon, even though my head was splitting with pain. I'd already made plans to go with my mom, aunt and grandmother to the "Chinese Festival" at the church, and it had been all my idea, so I didn't want to disappoint them and make them to go without me.


The little one is my grandmother (mom's mom). My mom is on her left (right side of the pic) and my aunt is on her right (left side of pic). The "tall" one in the back is moi (Heehee - I'm only 5'2" so they're Lilliputian.)

Like I said, it had been my idea to go to this thing because I'd thought it would be real nice for us to get out and do something fun together for once. My grandmother is 89 and rarely gets out anymore. And my mom and aunt, too, are always too busy to do anything fun. So I got us tickets to this church event. It's an annual fundraiser event with a Chinese buffet-style lunch and the raffling off of lots of prizes.

It was a nice afternoon for them and I'm glad we went. My grandmother cleaned off her whole plate of food. And that's something, because at home she says she can barely eat anything at all anymore. And I actually won something in one of the raffles! A total surprise because I NEVER win anything.


It's a demitasse set. 6 cups and saucers with a butterfly motif. Isn't it pretty?


Even the box is pretty. And it's going to make a nice little crafty storage bin!

Okay, I have to get off of the computer now because the pain is starting to increase again. I'll be back as soon as this has gone away completely.

And Still More ATCs...

I haven't gotten around to making anything else these last couple of days, but I've still got plenty of stuff that's already started and waiting to be completed. Here are the last of the ATCs. They all need more work - some more than others, as you can see.



















I'm just trying to keep myself focused on creating, even if, on some days, it's only sorting through stuff I'd started and put aside. And to keep from falling into depression again. I know I've said it before, but it's true. This was a really, really tough year. And since I started feeling things lift a couple of weeks ago, I've been holding my breath, hoping it's not just a fluke. So far, so good. (Oh please, God, don't make me sorry I just uttered those words!). I'm always leary about these things, lest I jinx myself. But I AM really feeling better and better every day (knock, knock, knocking on wood). Still, if I'm going to prevent myself from downward spiraling again, I HAVE TO keep myself from thinking about the state of my life. I know they say escapism isn't healthy, but really, it's an absolute necessity for me right now. Just so I can level out and allow hope and joy to build up within me again before trying to face the mountain of seemingly hopeless crap to be dealt with sitting in the middle of my life.

It's not like I'm just ignoring it in the meantime. No way. I've been doing what I can, in as consistent a manner as I can, to chip away at it. But, whenever I stop to get an overview of where I'm at with it, it seems like I haven't even made a dent in it, regardless of how long I've been chipping away at it. I am so incredibly overwhelmed when I think about all the things I need - normal, simple things, that normal people normally have, as a normal part of normal life. But that, since I am so in debt and all my money just goes to bills, bills, and more bills every week as soon as I get paid, I am so far behind in acquiring these said normal, simple things that it has piled up into a mountain of necessities. I don't know how to decide what necessity to splurge on first, or why I'm even bothering as it seems quite impossible that I'll ever be able to catch up to where I should be in life. And, at the rate things have been going for as long as I can remember, it seems highly unlikely that it will ever happen. At least not without some major intervention. Barring some miracle, I will probably never know what it's like to live like normal people do.

Sometimes I feel like, if I can just talk these things out, maybe I can hit upon a solution. Or maybe someone will see some way for me that I did not see. Who knows? I don't know. Oh, I really must stop saying that..."I don't know" has been my mantra this whole year and I need to cut it out, because I'm just reinforcing it in my brain. I DO know, dammit! I just need to shut up and listen within. Right?

I don't consciously know what the best thing for me to do, or the best direction for me to go is in order to get out of these troubles of mine. My mind is too boggled by the immensity of the situation and I can't seem to find a clear space within which to figure things out. All I know is that, someway, somehow, I have GOT TO make it happen, and very soon, too! Otherwise I'm just going to either lose my mind or find I've used up my last iota of hope.

Thank you so much for listening to all this. And, not to end this on such a heavy note, let me say that I feel a bit less burdened by it all just from having poured it out on here. It feels pretty good just to have gotten it off my chest. Que sera, sera. Right?