Jaker's Jack-O-Lanters

Happy Halloween. Here's a pic of the family's pumpkins. And don't ask me how I got the picture to look like we're actually sending out the bat signal. Sometimes things just work out the way they're supposed to.

Can you guess which one is Brian's?

Blueprint Discount

Just in case any of you were thinking about subscribing to Blueprint Magazine, Hostest with the Mostest is having a promotion where you can subscribe for just $10.00 a year. Not too shabby...
Check it out here.

Window Shopping

Abby was talking about liking things because she felt like she should, and she got me thinking. Sometimes I like things that I would never own, not because of they're necessarily out of my price range, but because they just aren't something I would own. Does that make sense? Anyway, here's a list of some things I like. Some of them I do own, some of them I would own, some of them I would not own, and some of them are not really things anyone would "own".

These measuring cups, because they're clever.
This mirror, even though I do not have a vanity.
This and That to go in my red kitchen.
This shirt, because you know you've all thought it.
This chandelier, because who wouldn't want to spend $90,000 on a light fixture?
This Mecca of deliciousness, because they're opening one in the U.T. tomorrow!
This album, because it's what's playing non-stop on my ipod/computer/car stereo, and if you're unfamiliar with him, this is a good one too.
These glasses, because painted tumblers always remind me of my grandpa's house.
This desk calendar, because it's lovely.
The guitarist in this band, because he's got mad skills.

I Have a Family Tree..

So I was surfin' (Well, yes, I am at work, but that is completely irrelevant!) trying to find a how-to on reupholstering furniture (the "why?" is another post) and I found this website. Cheesy name, but I can look past that. In my perusing I came across this project.

What a great idea! I had actually been contemplating doing something like this, but with a drawn or painted tree, instead of wire. Of course this appeals to me because, clearly, I like to work with wire. I think this could look really cool in a shadow box. The only thing I would change is to include the names of the individuals. I actually made something similar to this in high school (yes, I was a crafty nerd in high school, really, I was always a crafty nerd!). I don't still have it (unless it somehow made it's way to Mom and Dad's Lindon house), but it was a terra cotta pot that I painted. I filled the pot with floral foam, then covered that with moss. I then used some heavy gauge, but pliable, silver wire and bent them into tall curly-ques and stuck them in the floral foam to use as a picture holder. It was similar to this...but the wire wasn't wrapped around a pet rock.

So, Madre, I might be coming by to get ancester pictures...

Kashmir*

Hey folks! Sorry it's been a few days since I've bloged, considering I left those semi-disturbing soaps up as my post for several days. But now I'm giving you much better pictures to look at. Tuesday was my last day of photography class. I'm a little sad it's over. I need to take community classes more often! It was a lot of fun, and I had a great teacher. Here's a picture I took of him when we were learning some tricks with motion shots. I felt a little like a paparazzo when I took this one.
We learned a few other tricks on the last day. This one was taken in a room with the lights off (but the door to the hallway was open) and no flash. Amazing, no?

And indulge me with a little detail shot of this necklace. I love it when you can see the twisted wire in the picture. The lights were on for this one, but again, no flash. Oh, and this necklace, including the pendant bead, are made of a stone called mookite. Say it with me, people, "Moooooo-kite".

And one of the other women in the class brought a vase of roses to take pictures of, and we found a dead fly in one of them. Random, but I thought this picture turned out pretty cool.

And on the recent projects front, I've been making some baby braceletts lately. They're fun, quick, and easy. Here's some I made for new baby Allie.

And a few more I made for Brian's cousin's baby, Jaylee. She's not a newborn, so these ones are a little bigger than the one's for Allie. I put in the shot with the quarter to show you how tiny they are. I also made some recently for forth-coming baby Maughn, but I had a brain lapse and failed to take any pictures before I sent them to mother-to-be.

*The song I was listening to when I wrote the post.

Odd Etsy Item of the Week

Dirty Hands? Wash them with some hot dog soap!

or shrimp soap

or pickles soap

I wonder if they're scented? And if so, what do the dentures smell like?

Check out more of Kellerama's work here. These soaps actually remind me of this, because conceptually they're both quite similar. Call me an art nerd.

Gems and Jewels

Madre and I went to a bead show in Salt Lake about two weekends ago. I even took some pictures of the beads I bought, but I failed to post them. I'm such a failure! So here they are, in their raw state:

apple turquoise pendant

aquamarine

garnet

coral

carnelian

These last two beads are topaz and citrine. I used them in my latest project:

I had never used citrine before, but I decided I really like it. It has an interesting luster with almost a bluish cast, a lot like labradorite or moonstone. I think I'll start using it more often. In case you're curious the other two beads used in this necklace are amazonite (which Brian pronounces "amazin-ite!") and pearl. It's a two strand necklace that sits just past the base of my neck when it's on. Let me know what you think!

Fall Leaves and Crazy Man

Brian and I went for our yearly fall drive up Payson Canyon on Sunday evening. It was a little late in the year to see all the color, but it was still beautiful. And I got a chance to practice some of my sweet photographing skills.

Some of the few red leaves still hanging on.

Golden aspens reflected in a puddle.

Along the shoreline of Payson Lake.

Quaking Aspen.

A cricket on the path around the lake.

This last picture is to show you the snow on the ground. It was really cold, and I wanted you to know how I suffer for my art. But that's nothing compared to this guy:

That, my friends, is a dude, fishing in a float tube. Yeah, the water was probably about 35-40 degrees. Now that is dedication. Insaine? Yes.

For Austin

just in case your dreams become reality...

Halloween Glitz

Since I own a total of three Halloween decorations (maybe someday I'll catch up with Nancy), I decided to spruce up my collection a little and make glittered pumpkins a la Martha.


The "mini pumpkins" are some dyed seed pods I got here last year, and I'm taking the day off work on Thursday to go with my mom and some sisters. I can't think of a better reason to take a day off work! And who knows, maybe I'll find something else to add to my Halloween Decor repertoire. I'll keep you posted.

Oh so pretty

My favorite article in the October Martha Stewart was only two pages long, but this has to be the most beautiful flower arrangement I've ever seen. First, it has a plethora of my favorite flower.

Second, it has a link to art history (which is what I studied in college). This is an effort to recreate 17th century Dutch vanitas paintings, such as the still life below by Rachel Ruysch.

Odd Etsy Item of the Week

For any of you who have perused all that Etsy has to offer, you may have noticed that every now and then, there's something rather odd for sale. Well crafted, but odd. And, hey, to each his own. I just wanted to share my odd finds here. The seller of this weeks odd items is Melabo, and you can check out all she has to offer here.

I am Jealous of...

Gwyneth Paltrow's Kitchen

and the rest of her house too, but mostly the kitchen.

In My World...

So I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while. Some of you may even know I created this page months ago, set it up the way I liked, linked to all the cool stuff I could, and then I did a whole lot of nothing with it.

See, I wanted it to be a good blog. You know, with pictures and such, but it turns out my picture taking skills were no bueno. "How can one possibly pay attention to a book with no pictures in it?" Oh, the pressure!

There I sat on the sidelines, passively watching all my friends have fun with their blogs. Until one day when one of those friends told me she had signed up for a photography class, and so did I. Today we learned how to take "product shots", so I decided to test it out on the necklace I was wearing. It's one I made a while ago (thanks, Nancy, for the pendant). Here are the results:

Yeah, I'm pretty stoaked about those. A vast improvement from previous efforts. I was so excited that I came home a took some more. Of course, the sun light was best for the jewelry pictures, but I took some of my Halloween wreath that just went up yesterday. I made it last year.

Folks, my world has been forever revolutionized!