Nebula In A Jar

Superbowl Sunday was kinda boring....well other than the fact that we were battening down the hatches, doing every errand one could think of and waiting for a week of heavy snow.  So I was browsing my Pinterest boards looking for something quick and easy to knock together.  I found the Nebula In A Jar project and since I had everything on hand, I went ahead and checked out the tutorial, found HERE.  

Seemed pretty easy and only took a few minutes to do.  I like how it came out....it's definitely pretty. However, it's just one more thing taking up room in the house!  Sadly this will end up being thrown out and the jar reused.  I just wanted to give it a try.  Bummed that I wasted all that glitter and every cotton ball I had in the house.  

My friends think it looks like cotton candy.

Paint and Clay

Continuing on with my attempts to knock out a bunch of project ideas, I present 'dragon eggs'.  Made with Sculpey clay on a fake egg, with metal chain, findings and rhinestones embedded in the clay.  It had to be set in the oven for 15 minutes and I was worried that the fake egg inside or the rhinestones would melt but they didn't!  Then I coated each one with glitter paint.

Next up I wanted to try the Galaxy Eggs Tutorial, found HERE.  I love the final results, although it's a project that requires fairly long drying times for each layer.  I bought black chalkboard eggs so that I could eliminate the step where you have to paint a white one black.

This egg has been languishing on my craft table nearly 2 years.  I had the ribbon in it and I was going to drill holes in a design.  So there were pencil dots all over it.  Then I decided I didn't want to and tried to erase the pencil but it wouldn't come off.  All those paint dots are covering the pencil marks.

Last summer my friend Sandy and her family visited the Cape.  They are living in Moscow for a few years for her husband's job, and she brought me a paint-your-own Russian nesting dolls kit.  Of course me being me, I spent a ton of time researching them and all the different painted designs.  I was also afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep the wood burned lines from getting covered with paint. But using a tiny brush and tiny bits of paint, I managed to preserve the outlines.

I saw this design on a Paint Night website and decided to try it on my own, but on a mini canvas.  I'm so happy with it!

Here's another Pinterest project that's been sitting on my 'Crafts to Make: Painting' pinboard for 4 years.  Use masking tape on a canvas, paint the sections and remove the tape.  There was some bleeding under the tape edges, esp. on the green.

Last but not least, since the clay was still out, I made some snails with marbles for shells.  They came out cuter than I was expecting.

It's been a very prolific last month or so for me, artistically.  

Finishing January by Finishing Projects

I've just had way too much stuff sitting on the craft table for far too long, so I continue to move things along.  There's been a matchbox on the table for at least 3 years now.  I finally decided to do something with it.  I'm not really sure why the India-theme came to mind, but in an odd twist of fate, as I was covering the box with paper, I noticed in small print it said 'made in India' on the side.

Glass painted mini jar

Not sure where this faux crystal bottle topper came from, but there was no way to use it hanging in a window.  I wasn't going to attempt to drill through that 1/2" thick, rock hard plastic.  The only real solution I could come up with was peyote stitching around it so that I could add a loop at the top. I'm not that good at peyote, but I do it every now and then just to keep in practice.  Then added beaded hanger.

I can see 9 more projects hiding in plain sight, that need to be done...and by the time this publishes, hopefully more will be completed.  But it's nice to have things tidy for a change, although it's oddly unsettling.

Things I've Learned About Winter Storms

When I lived here the first time, almost every big snow event of my life was when I was still living with my parents, except for the years after college when I lived on my own before moving to the west coast where it rarely snowed in WA and never snowed in CA.  Over the course of 2+ decades, I forgot what it was like to have a snowstorm with blizzard conditions and high winds.

My first winter back here, 2012, was extremely mild.  It snowed once and melted fast.  I was delighted.  That's the winter climate I was used to out west.  2013 rolled around and we had a wicked blizzard.  It was exciting at first.  We had thundersnow that storm.  But as day turned to night, the storm was still howling.  Our power went out & the house got very cold.  The dogs were scared to death.  The fun wore off real damn fast, let me tell ya.  Especially since our power was out for four days.  Four miserable, cold, desperate days.  We got a generator the following fall just in case.  

2014 and 2015 were horribly cold and snowy, with 2015 being the absolute worst winter I've ever seen, in terms of nonstop snow and freezing temps.  But the power stayed on both years.  If the power is on, being snowbound doesn't suck.

My first experience with a prolonged power outage after a winter storm was in 2006 in Washington. Power was out for 5 days....in some places it was out 2 weeks.  They had crews flying in from all over the country to help.  And while it was cold and it did suck to have no power, it was also not a bitter cold, snowy region either, and we had a wood stove.  Here? Not so much.  I was so cavalier about that 2013 storm, and it bit me in the ass big time.  2014 and 2015 were freezing cold and snowy, but the power stayed on.  

Over time, with each big storm, I have learned a few things about how to deal with them:

Storm Still Life by artist George Lucas of Maryland

• In the days preceding the storm, do any and all errands you can think of.  Stores will be crazy the day and night before and a lot of stuff will sell out.  Take weather predictions serious enough to be prepared with prescription refills, pet food, flashlight and hearing aid batteries, toilet paper, salt or ice melt, etc.  If the storm doesn't pan out then hey, you got shit done.  The big joke and meme I see online is, 'Big storm is coming! Get milk, bread and TP!'  There's a lot of truth to it too. But if the storm is bad, you're good.
• Keep the shovel..or at last a shovel..and the car brush/scraper inside the house.  Depending which direction your main door faces, you might open the door to let the dogs out and find a 2' drift on the other side.  I have to shovel my way out of this house.  And the car brush/scraper is not much help inside a car that's so covered in snow you can't get the door open to get the damn thing.
• Banking.  Anticipate what you might need.  Get some cash to have on hand. Same for post office.
• Start charging flashlights and electronics early and gather all the candles you can find in one place.  Grab extra blankets.  
• Flip your wiper blades up prior to the storm.  This is something new that I never saw back in the 70s and 80s when I grew up here.  It's a good idea.  Russell's gotten me in the habit of backing into the driveway before a snowstorm because it's easier to pull forward, if for some reason I have to leave. 
• Is your generator working? Battery?  Fuel?  See here's where this post gets ironic cause mine is not working, due to a dead battery.  Get the extension cords and power strips out.  And for the love of god NEVER RUN A GENERATOR INSIDE A BUILDING, OR INSIDE OF AN ADJOINING BUILDING, LIKE A GARAGE.  
• Don't stock up too many things that need to be frozen or kept cold in case the power is out. What I did a few years ago was drag out a big cooler, put it on the snow on the deck, frozen food went next with snow shoveled on top, then the fridge stuff and more snow.   Didn't lose a thing.  Frozen food was still frozen when I unpacked it after 4 days.
• Don't leave stuff to soak in the sink either.  Just do the dishes when you are done eating.   If you have no hot water due to no power, trying to wash stuff in cold water is the pits and unsanitary.
• Fill all vehicle gas tanks.  Do all the laundry.
• Take out the trash.  If you have curbside pick up like I do, drag the barrels out to where they are picked up. You don't want to be trying to drag a heavy barrel through a foot of snow.  Even if they can't pick up on their usual day, it's out there for when they do show up.
• Stay off your phone if the power goes out cause you can't recharge it.  If you are planning on charging your phone in the car, then CLEAR THE SNOW AWAY FROM THE TAILPIPE!
• Check the dryer vent after a storm and make sure it's not blocked with snow.
• Try to line up a plow guy in advance.
• Stay in one room as much as possible and shut the doors to the other rooms to keep the cold as isolated as possible.  Light enough candles and the will slowly warm the room.
• The big thing here is to 'make a packy run', which means stock up on beer, wine, etc. That's not my thing, but a lot of my friends emphasize that alcoholically speaking, they are prepared for the storm. 
• Finally, if you value your sanity, you will avoid storm coverage by the media.  Remember back in the day when it just snowed?  The meteorologists would say there was a snowstorm coming. That was it.  Now they whip everyone into a frenzy with nonstop coverage and predictions of Snowmageddon.
  
• If you have to go outside, like to take your dogs out, make sure your keys are in your jacket pocket.  I live in fear of the door locking behind me.  It's not a bad idea to get in the habit of taking your cell phone too.  If you do lock yourself out, as long as the tailpipe is kept clear of snow, you can take refuge inside the car.  
• Back up your pictures & computer stuff.

I cannot emphasize advance preparation enough.  All that stuff sounds like a lot of work, but does anyone want to be searching around for stuff in the dark by a flashlight with a dying battery?  I know I don't. I have in the past and it sucked.  Power outages and being snowbound can be a real pain in the ass when you realize you need a prescription refill, with authorization, and the doctor's office is closed.  

Having the power out in the cold is very uncomfortable as it is, without stupid things sending the frustration level off the charts.

Vintage Ornaments in Shadow Box

I have been dying to do this project with vintage ornaments inside of a large shadow box.  I first saw it on Pinterest a few years ago and it's languished in my 'to do' file till now.

Over the holidays, I won a couple of ebay auctions of antique Shiny Brites and other 1940s-50s era glass balls. Shadow boxes are very expensive, especially the size I wanted.  However, I had a 40% coupon for Michael's Crafts and got a wicked deal on the perfect one.  There was no way I was waiting till next fall to assemble it and I am so pleased with how perfectly it worked, and showcases the best ones.

I literally have no where to hang this, but I have till next December to figure that out.

Altered Books

I finally got around to doing the collage work on my newest gratitude/positive thoughts journal since my other one is almost full.  I am so ticked about the bottom phrase...the contact paper stuck to the edge and pulled it over, covering the word 'start'.  I tried to fix it but the magazine paper was hopelessly adhered and was not coming off.  And of course I had to leave the number off the year that this will be finished.  

Inside front cover.  The pages have fortune cookie fortunes on them, or pics I've cut out from jewelry and other catalogs.

And the back of the journal.  My friend Angie made that pic for me as part of a set of scenics from Mt. Desert Island in Maine.  The others are hanging on some twine in my craft room.  

I bought this little book a few summers ago in Hyannis.  I'm such a sucker for Guatemalan textiles. The pages are handmade paper too.  I added that gold crescent to the cover.

I wanted to use those double sided frame/glass things, so I cut a hole in the pages and slipped the frame into the hole, gluing it in place the best I could then adding ribbon and rhinestones to hide the rough edges.  This project took quite a few days.

Not that I'm crazy about France or anything, but I did like that pic of Sacre Coeur from my ephemera book.  That was the only place in Paris that I truly thought was pretty when I visited in 1982. 

"One of These Days..."

I think we all have the tendency to say, 'one of these days, I'm going to [fill in the blank].'  For me, it's with craft projects that I was going to finish, fix or scrap.  So many projects were skillfully hidden in plain site on my craft table.  So today was finally 'one of these days'.  

Pink agate slice that I tried, unsuccessfully, to drill through last year and ended up scratching badly.  I grabbed my glass engraver and used the stencils that came with it to carve this on one side.

The carousel horse was done with etching cream last year but as I said, I scratched the surface badly with the drill, so I attempted to freehand that scalloped border around the horse.  Oh well...I tried. Should've used the stencil and made it more even.

I also broke out the little metal frames with glass squares and tried some alcohol ink on it.  I love how it looks, but I know now that the sun will fade this right out if I put it in a sunny window.

There was also an old 70s era bangle bracelet buried in the pile so I wrapped it with variegated floss. It's still too big for me though.  

I had baggies of projects to fix and finish.  The 2 necklaces had to be repaired and I just had to put the crystal back on the silver & amber hanger.  I got those silver earrings and the ring next to it in a grab bag, so I added beads to the earrings, and clapper bells to the ring.  It jingles when you move your hand around.  That other set of earrings needed something on the bottom so I added rings.  The green bead is held by a clothespin spring.  Then I added silver chain to it to make a necklace.  

All of them went in to my craft show box to try and sell next year!  Glad they are done though.  

Lost & Found Blog Hop

I'm taking part in the Lost & Found Love blog hop today, because you know, any excuse to tell our love story!

My husband and I met in high school, although we weren't a couple in those days.  He sat behind me in study hall one year when I was in 9th grade and he in 11th grade (1978-79).  I was always a 'chatty cathy' in school so of course I would turn around in my seat and try to talk to and joke with the boy behind me. Russell, however, was generally very gruff and kind of scared me.  He was always telling me to turn around, quit looking at him and mind my own business.  I did my best to honour his wishes but eventually he became friendlier, calling me 'Blondie' and 'Shorty'.  I didn't see him much after that year, and he graduated in 1980.

Flash forward to January 7, 2011.  I came home from work that day to a friend request on Facebook from him.  I was stunned....I couldn't believe that he remembered me, much less reached out to be my FB friend.  He also sent a message that said that I probably didn't remember him, but we'd gone to high school together.  I took a screen grab of that moment.

I admit, I was all aflutter when I got his request although I didn't know why.  Other male high school friends had sent friend requests too and it was more like, 'hey how's it going'.  This time, I was like, 'OMG OMG he remembers me!  Maybe he didn't hate me after all!'  That grin face at the end of my sentence there was not something I usually did.

We spent a week catching up by private message.  I would come home each day from work to up to 99 notifications....all from him liking or commenting on my pictures.  Not just pictures of high school and our hometown, but ALL my pictures.  My life.  I was a little scared at first.  Did he like me? He knew I was married.  We were being flirty in our messages.  

On January 14, I came home to find a notification of a comment on this picture of the soccer team, where in 2009, I'd been discussing with other friends that I'd had a crush on the team.  You could have knocked me over with a feather to see, 'joanne u had a crush on them and I had one on u lol  I couldn't even talk 2 u.'  Holy crap.  He was mean to me because he liked me!  

I was floored.  I didn't think I was on anyone's radar back in school.  I sent him a private message telling him that I would have dated him then....and if I was single I'd date him now.  I knew I was taking a huge chance saying that, but I was having feelings for him already.  We talked.  And talked and talked via message.  I took the dangerous next step of starting to call him.  What was I doing?  I was married for nearly 22 years at that point, though not happily.  I started to call him on my way to and from work.  

He told me that he'd fallen in love with me in school and reconnecting on FB brought all the feelings back.  That he'd always hoped he'd run into me in town but it was like I'd disappeared off the face of the planet.....he never thought to look on the west coast.  He couldn't believe that the Joanne Mendonza that popped up in Washington State could possibly be me, till he saw that person was a fellow Sandwich High alum.  He told me that he'd told his best friend Robin that all the feelings were back but I was married and he didn't know what to do.  Robin encouraged him to tell me about his crush, just to see what would happen.

By January 21st I was head over heels.  I couldn't stop thinking about him.  But what was I going to do?  I was married and 3,200 miles away, living in a place I really loved.  He told me if I came back, he'd spend the rest of his life making me happy.  I wouldn't have to work.  I should mention that he'd also sworn off marriage.  I told him that if I was going to come back here, there was absolutely no way I was going to be a terminal girlfriend.  I would insist on eventual marriage and he told me that I was the only woman he would even consider marrying.

Told my husband it was over in February, filed for divorce in March, and flew back east to see Russell in person for his birthday.  He was waiting for me at the airport in baggage claim.  I remember coming down the escalator and seeing him, we both grinned, I literally ran to his arms for the longest hug and kisses.  It was absolutely 100% right.  We spent those precious days together and then I flew back to the west coast to wrap up my life.  House went on the market, started packing and setting up a rental house back here.  

It was the longest 3 months - April, May and June - till my divorce was finalized, PODS came and picked up the shipping container full of my stuff, and Pepper & I moved into a hotel near SeaTac Airport.  Russell flew in from Boston on June 24th and drove us across the country back to Massachusetts.  (I flew Sagan east 7 months later when my now ex-husband became terminally ill and couldn't care for him anymore).  

We got engaged August 2, 2012.

And married on August 17, 2014. 

I love this man more than anything....more than I've ever loved anyone.  I am so grateful, every day, that he found me. 

Winter Storm Jonas

I have no idea why winter storms are given names now, like hurricanes, but they are.  All week long the weather people could not get a handle on this storm.  The big joke going around that we were getting anywhere from 2" to 24".  For awhile the Cape was told we were getting slammed.  The day before the storm, it got downgraded but we would get high winds, then it started to snow around 1:00 on Saturday and we got immediately upgraded to blizzard conditions.  

I took this one around 5.  I was soooo glad that Val's wedding was last weekend.  If this had happened, it would have had to have been postponed.

Then I went out around 11:30 when it was just starting to slow down.  Yep...we got buried.  Didn't lose power though, although it flickered a few times.  The plows went by with regularity.

Yesterday dawned cold and cloudy but overall, I didn't think it was near as bad as it could've been, or as bad as the first blizzard we had last year.

It eventually got very sunny and nice out, and the snow already started to melt.  I stayed in and did a couple of crafts and cooked a big lunch for Russell.  I didn't go out to take any pics till about 4 pm.

I should probably knock that snow off so the tree doesn't break.

Looking down my street.

Also on my street (other direction)

And sunset through the snowy trees.

I am hopeful that this will melt off a bit before we get hit with the next storm.  Better yet, I hope this is the only storm we have!