monday night photos...

here's some random images I've taken over the past couple of days...

A vintage sign bracelet that I made from my photos...


This is actually my friend Chris' photo, but I am in it and darkened it up and made it more creepified...it was taken on a Halloween flickr walk in a downtown Lexington parking garage...


My Pix...


Oh, and a few more from the flickr walk I took with my friend Retta's camera (color-corrected, of course)...









The last one was outside the Dame. They look like Meth users, don't they?

it's the little things...

I try to go online when I can and promote myself. Whether it be a blog on here, a project uploaded to Craftster or a photo added to a pool on flickr. I make the rounds...so I had a nice little surprise a few minutes ago when I happed upon my work on Adorn's web site. A few months back, I got totally enthralled by their button issue. I never realized i had such a passion for them. Anyway, they have a section on their site for sharing their Adorn-inspired projects, and 2 of my photos were chosen from the flickr pool. My projects are the hand with the button rings and striped rug in the background and the colorful button bracelet on the white starburst paper. It's nice to know that someone notices my work. I swear, you really try hard to promote your stuff in the hopes that someone notices. It seems that sooo many people are on the web these days posting their crafty wares, so sticking out in any way is a good thing.

I worked on a cool bangle bracelet tonight. I had several projects in mind that I wanted to do, but atleast I accomplished one crafty thing. Did the finishing touches while I watched "I LOVE NEW YORK 2". Geez...those shows are so trashy and good.

I went to Hobby Lobby tonight and managed to get out of there spending only $2.94...I bought the bangle bracelet with charm holes, some T wooden letters to make a crafty necklace for my neice, and a bag of random ribbon for 99¢. Score! I forgot how much fun bags o' ribbon were. I used to snatch them up in my hairbow makin' days.

I am excited for this weekend, cause my crafty 6-year old neice, Taylor, is going to spend the night with me...so I plan on organizing some fun projects for her. Also, going to take her to her favorite restaurant, Fazoli's (she loves the breadsticks). Hey, I credit her for not saying McDonald's like all the other kids.

Well, off to bed. I was actually on time at work today, but getting back into my burning the wick at both ends routine. It's bad, but I'm just more creative at night, what can I say?

house and costume prep

Last Friday night and tonight, my friend Jessica came over and helped me clean and decorate. I just want to say this: She is the best! Organizing and cleaning are two of the hardest things for me to do and she whips me in gear and makes me focus on what is at hand. She must just have a brain for such things, while I do not. Whatever it is, it makes her totally awesome. I actually asked her to help me clean as a b-day present and she was more than happy to do so, so she gets definite kudos in my book. I don't know what I would have done without her! I'm actually getting ready for a party on Thursday night with me and my flickr/blog friends...(side note: Aw man, I just realized that I will miss the Office. Where is DVR when I need it?). OK, maybe I can get my friend Carey to tape it for me. I will be going to Atlanta with a group of people on Friday. Actually 3 other guys. Whoa. I just now realized that. I just hope I don't get picked on. Not surprisingly, this sometimes happens to me when I'm around a group of guys.

I am going to a Halloween party this weekend and I'm not sure what I should be. I may just be a classic witch with a fun update...thinking of wearing my kick-butt boots and short skirt. I never usually go this route with my costumes, but why not? Actually, the other guys and gals are going as demented characters from the Wizard of Oz, so I would be the wicked witch. I just don't know if I really want to do the green face paint. Maybe I can just get Carey to do me with green eye shadow and green hair fixed cute under my hat. Who says it has to be the traditional green- skinned witch? Too bad I can't take Pixie with me to be my sidekick. I don't think she would have much fun with that one.

my favorites

my favorites
Originally uploaded by swelldesigner

I love flickr and everything you can do with it. Actually, flickr and www.bighugelabs.com partner up and you can create little mosaics like this one. These are various photos prob. over the past 2-3 months that I have found of particular interest. As you can probably tell, I love color and that is what is most appealing to me and the things I favorite the most...I think the funny thing is that a lot of the things I favorite are a true reflection of me (well, duh!), but really! For example, I love and seek out the following in life:

1. Pumpkins, of course
2. Neon Signage
3. Bright, colorful jewelry and charms
4. Carnivals and carnival graphics
5. Candy
6. Colored glass
7. Baked goods
8. Human emotion

Anyway, that's me. If I had to pick from these you see to be my absolute favorite, it would probably the green swirtshirt and heart that my friend Chris took (titled Chris: Day 210 of 365 in the line up below) and the carnival game players (Play Great Big) taken, I think at the KY State Fair.
Click on the links below to see the photos in full detail.

1. Untitled, 2. Lampalicious, 3. Big Bright Door, 4. The Flaming Lips, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Phone Sessions, 8. Balls, 9. Batter, 10. Pumpkin Harvest, 11. Don't Put the Cart before the Horse, 12. (Heart), 13. Mini Pumpkin, 14. Pom Pom Chaos, 15. Tour Eiffel Rose, 16. A Farewell to Tupperware, 17. Neglect, 18. pumpkin*time, 19. Shoes, 20. Rainbow Collection, 21. Lime Squiggle, 22. Untitled, 23. Chiromantic Landscape, 24. pink+orange, 25. Queer Beer, 26. Play Great Big, 27. Wheeee!, 28. "Now where is Pappy?", 29. Pumpkin Lanterns, 30. emma, 31. my*pretties, 32. What May Likely Be The Most Depressing Picture I've Ever Taken, 33. need i say more -final stage, 34. Chris: Day 210 of 365, 35. Loneliness Loves Company, 36. this is me... 18/31

3 words

I found this questioneer on Kristin's blog. It kinda goes along with this feature report on ABC that "Bob and Sheri", the morning show I listen to on the way to work had been talking about. They were talking about summing up your current state of mind in 3 words. This I guess, is an extension of that, of course in list form, but hey, lists are fun (even though I desperately need to go to bed).

Where is your cell phone?: in my purse
Husband?: single for life?
Hair?: trim desperately needed
Your mother?: real or step?
Your father?: talks a lot
Your favorite item?: can't pick one
Your dream last night?: I don't remember
Your favorite drink?: I'm a Pepper
The room you are in?: My messy office
Your fear?: dying of cancer
What do you want to be in 10 years? happy with passion
Who did you hang out with last night?: Chit chatty co-workers
What are you not?: prim and proper
One of your wish list items?: new digital camera
What time is it?: late, as usual
The last thing you did?: uploaded flickr photos
What are you wearing?: cotton shorts, shirt
The last thing you ate?: yummy caramel corn
Your life?: slowly making progress
Your mood?: tired and contemplative
Your friends?: mean a lot
What are you thinking about right now?: bra bothering me
Your dream car?: could care less
What are you doing at this moment?: thinking too hard
Your relationship status?: Single and available
What is on your TV screen?: nothing at moment
Last time you cried?: after Doctor's visit
School?: Out, thank goodness.

YOUR TURN ...
Either post a link to your blog with your answers or copy and paste this into a comment. Come on, be creative ... just for a few minutes. Then you can get back to important things.

Feelin' nostalgic

In the various research I do, I came upon this really cool blog...Branded in the '80's. I'm a sucker for cool 80's stuff. It's my generation. I love looking back at the stuff we thought was so cool...the posts that I appreciate most on this guy's blog are probably the Lisa Frank shirts as seen here...

Man, I lived for some Lisa Frank back in the day...actually, I still kinda live for it...Ebay, here I come!



and these Gremlin's stickers that seem very familiar to me...I think I had them. Actually as a kid (I was 6), I was so scared to watch "Gremlin's" in the theatre that I went over to the next theatre to watch "Red Dawn" with my dad (the most violent film of the time according to the Guiness book of World Records).



And who could forget the classic Scratch-n-sniff?



Oh, and here's some eye candy...Johnny Depp 21 Jumpstreet Trading cards.




OK, enough nostalgia for now. Hope you enjoyed!

photography fool

Today I took lots of pictures...at work, on the way home from work, shopping, etc.

I was in some weird creative zone. Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to blogging, so all you get is the pics. Enjoy :)

Gourds at the roadside stand on HWY 27


Faux fall florals


Crafts: It doesn't do a body good.


And all topped off with a cute outdoor kitty.

Self-Portrait Challenge week 2: Food

I am so exhausted, but I pulled this one out. I actually took this last night and didn't like any of my cap'n crunch pictures. But after I got home, I decided that there were some interesting ones that I was, I guess, too tired to judge positively.

I enjoy Cap'n Crunch. I don't eat it all the time...I jump between cereals, but I always come back to it. As a kid, it was always my favorite.

That is all she wrote

Sometimes writing is painful for me. If I'm on a roll, like posting a blog, it is ok, but just like writing a paper or article in school, writing something simple like a friendly e-mail or telling someone what I've been up to can be really hard for me to do. I just had a friend write me today and ask me what I've been up to. It's so hard for me to sum that up in two paragraphs. I can give them the basic - work and crafting, new TV, etc. but that's so impersonable and I am a personable person. I guess what's so hard is just getting over the mild dread of having to do it. In fact, I'm feeling this dread at the moment concerning two articles for a magazine that are due in two weeks. I know that I should get started and be proactive, but finding that energy to do it is just so hard. If I'm under stress, I tend to push it out. I'm not one of those people; however, that can pull out great masterpieces under stress. I totally wing it. I get by (according to my standards). I've always done this...did it in school and have never really changed that behavior pattern. I guess if I want to be successful, it's something I'm going to have to overcome at some point, cause to be efficient and on top of things, you just can't be that way (only unless you half a staff - and I don't think that's going to happen).

OK, I'm tired and I don't feeling like writing anymore. It's not painful, I'm just pooped.

Will you accept this rose?

I just found myself actually enjoying watching "The Bachelor" on ABC. How can this happen??? Maybe it is me having withdrawal from "Rock of Love" or maybe it is that this bachelor actually seems somewhat appealing. The one thing that drives me bonkers about this show; however, is that every commercial break ends up with the host saying..."Right after this, find out who is going to be chosen to go on to possibly become the bachelor's wife". Gag.me.with.a.spoon. I don't know how many woman actually can take this show seriously (I just view it as pure entertainment) after time and time again the relationships from this show dissolve the minute the tape stops rolling. Geez. I swear, tonight I heard the phrase "I'm falling love with him" atleast 5 times. Why oh why do I watch this crap and why oh why do I care to even watch this artificial drama? I need some medication and quick!