Premio Meme Awards

Now, I got this cool award from Cindi at clayitagain over there>>>>>>>. I accept and mahalo nui loa! To be worthy a recipient must tell 7 things about themselves. Hah. This will be fun. :D And We have to pass on the award to 7 more people. Cindi says she doesn't know where the name of the award came from. She dutifully Googled all the words. Heh, heh. *I* think it means.... Premio= premium. Meme= ME, ME! :D So, without further ado, here are the 7 things. And 7 terrific people whose blogs you should go peruse, ok?
1) I have the best Hunnibunni in the universe. And 2 kitties who are pretty good, too.
2) I once kicked over a Hell's Angle's motorcycle (more on this one fine blog day)
3) I came to Hawaii 31 years ago on a whim.
4) I have WAY more friends than I deserve.
5) Besides claying I love to quill, read and sew, occasionally.
6) I think the major food groups are wine, vegetables, Quorn and wine.
7) I once yelled at a sniper who was shooting at me (more on this one fine blog day).

And now...taaah daaaah! Supe dooper pals, great artists and just...the coolest people!
1) Ginger A VERY cool pal who makes grand clay goodies AND organic soaps and candles.
gingerbellsgifts.blogspot.com
2) Kathi Another very cool pal who makes outrageously fun stuff from clay, metal and glass.
dragonsglass.com
3) Col My exceedingly cool niece ( I am NOT prejudiced!) well, ok, I am, but she is Talented!!! ...
colscreations.blogspot.com
4) Karin WHY do I know all these grand people? Karin makes miniatures. I have NO idea how she does it... go look!
Kaysminiatures.wordpress.com
5) Dawn A super duper person who makes beautiful beaded goodies and doggie snacks... not necessarily in the same project, tho.
calysdayatthebeach.blogspot.com
6) Chris my wee Scottish pal who made...THE BRUCE! She does marvelous things with copper and clay and makes the world's most adorable wee cows!
theweehighlandcows.co.uk
7) Tonja Yep, this is our very own Tonja of THE Basement. Tonja has this exceedingly large supply of every single thing on the planet in her basement. Really.
tonjastreasures.com/wordpress.
So, please go visit everyone's blogs. These are grand folks with more talent than you can imagine. Go on... go look! xoxo, :D

Natural Jasper and Wire Wrapping

Oh boy... I just got some cool jasper from Fire Mountain. So, I have been wire wrapping and having way too much fun. Getting a jump on Fall jewelry, don'tcha know. So,, take a look, Take a Lookers! What do you think? The donut is picture jasper and the rectangle is jungle jasper.

Vegetarian Dragons

I made this guy a while ago and I absolutely love him. He is the world's only vegetarian dragon. Really. :D

Pens and Chokers

Lucky girl that I am, I had some commissions. This is what I made. I am loving these pens! :) Me, who was never going to make a pen. The Universe is having a good laugh at my expense. :D

Chocolate Truffles and Meteors

Now, as many of you know, I am retiring from being a massage therapist on July 31st. So, yesterday I had a client come for his last massage. He brought me a box of Godiva dark chocolate truffles. Oh yum. Wasn't that sweet of him? I couldn't decide if I should give him a hug or give him the Vulcan Death Grip because now I'll have to go on a really strict diet. Again. Sigh.....

So, after he left, I dived right in. I dispensed with the "directions" on which truffle is what flavor. As long as it isn't puce or tastes like avocado or coconut, I'll eat it. So, I bite in and... WHO decided that chocolate truffles should be divided into 2 parts? I mean, there is a line of chocolate right down the middle of the inside. Ok, WHO eats a half a truffle? Nobody, right? So, why is there this line? In case I wanna share? You are all familiar with the expression, 'Fat Chance!', right? Ok, I MIGHT share with my Hunnibunni but the rest of you guys are on your own! Get your own truffles, she shouts belligerently! Naturally, I had to try a couple more to see if this same aberration is in all of them.

Then I decide I will string up these cool meteor beads that Kathi sent me. Kathi is over there>>>>>>. And another cool Picarillo style pendant Kathi gave me. Kathi is over there>>>>>>>>>. Dragonsglass. >>>>>>>>> Ok, go look. Now, these meteor beads are very cool. The blue pendant is, too. Except for it being blue. Ick on blue. When Kathi gave me the meteors, they were bright orange. I was working with alcohol inks one day and got a splash on one bead. Serendipity! I loved how it looked so I inked them all. Kathi and me, me and Kathi. A good team, methinks!

Weird Inks and Cool Pendants

A few weeks ago all of us on Polymer Clay Central were messing about with Adirondack inks and heat guns. It seems that if you put Pitch Black on clay then heat gun it after spritzing with alcohol, the black separates into all these colors. The first try, you may remember, resulted in the evil puce. So, the other day I decided to try it again using Pitch Black instead of the wretched Eggplant. This is what I got. PINK! The pink didn't show up until I thought...well, this isn't very pretty unless you're Dracula. Howz about I sand it a bit? What did I get? Girly Dracula. Sigh............ One day when I'm really bored I might try this again.

Then, the ever popular Kathi (she's dragonsglass over there>>>>>) sent me some cool pendants in the Julie Picarillo style. So, I strung it after making some cool little discs. I learned how from sweetie Carolyn (also over there>>>>>>>). The necklace came out really cool, methinks. :D

Traffic Court and Other Fun Things

I was just reading a post from my clay pal Ms. Pete, whom I affectionately call "Pee". She is Pee because one day she forgot a T. I jumped on it and she's been "Pee" ever since. What a honey. I love Pee. Anyway, Pee was saying that she had to go to traffic court. I wanted to know what dire thing she'd done so I asked. That reminded me of a very funny thing that happened to me once many years ago.

My friend Tom went to Brazil for an extended vacation. He left his car with me while he was gone. He had renewed his insurance but didn't have the card yet but he did have a letter from the company saying he was covered and the card would be arriving soon. He also had the car safety checked and the decal was in the glove compartment. I was supposed to remember to put it on the bumper. Key word here is "supposed". Ok.....

My friend was moving so I was driving Tom's car and helping her move. We had moved all day and we were beat. So, we went to dinner and had a couple of mai tais. I was driving back to her new apartment in Waikiki when I see the blue lights in the rear view mirror. Oh shit. I gobble a handful of mints and put on my best cute face.

The local cop saunters up to the window and wants my driver's license. Oh shit. Mine is about 17 years expired. Oops. I tell him it's expired. He looks at it then bends down to look in the window. I am valiantly trying not to breathe on him. Mo is hyperventilating in the seat next to me trying not to laugh. Now, two things need explaining here. One is that I have never owned a car and didn't at that point. I really didn't need a current license as I never used it. :D And it was decades ago when we were both young and beautiful.

Now, the local cop is trying his best to find some way for me to get around driving with no license. He was doing great until his sergeant stomps up. He is a mean haole guy who takes one look at me and hates me on sight. Can you imagine that? :D I must have looked like his ex wife or something. I try not to breath on him, either.

He has no mercy. He wants the registration and implies I stole the car. Moron. Then he reams me about the license thing. I sit meekly and take it because he is right and I have been drinking mai tais. I give him all the stuff he wants but he starts writing tickets. The local cop is trying to dissuade him but that makes him even madder so I get more tickets. Then he makes the local cop do a left hand turn into Mo's parking lot... from being parked at the far right hand curb. I had to tell the guy to turn on the headlights. Jeez. I think I got a ticket for that, too.

By the time the cop is done I have a ticket for no no fault, Tom has a ticket for no no fault, no driver's license, no registration (yes, it was there and current) and one last ticket for no safety check (I handed the haole guy the sticker but still got the ticket.

Then, to make matters worse... he makes me walk away and leave the car at Mo's. This is fine except I lived about 6 miles away and it was 11:30PM on a Saturday night in Waikiki. NOT a good idea for a woman to be out walking by herself. I asked the cop to give me a ride but he wouldn't. They drive off and leave me.

Mo had to fly the next night so she went to bed (she was a flight attendant at the time). I am SOOO pissed I stomp down the beach to a bar where an off duty cop I know is playing music. I tell Mike the whole story. He is really mad and tells me what to do... the main thing is to be sure to show up at traffic court. Ok, I can do that. Mike drives me home.

So, traffic court ensues and I dutifully show up. Now, ALL the tickets are written in the name of my friend Tom. So, I sit there waiting to be called. Finally the bailiff calls out, Thomas A Nelson! I stand up. He calls again. I wave at him. He calls a third time. I wave harder and point my finger at the top of my head. I mean... I am 5'9. He can't possible not see me!

Of course, by now the entire court is dead quiet and all think there is this tall insane person loose in the court room. The bailiff is talking to the judge who peers over his glasses at me. I smile and wave.

I guess the judge thinks that if HE calls "Thomas A Nelson!" that I somehow will disappear and a male personage will appear. He tries it. It doesn't work. I am still there. The bailiff finally tells me to approach. The judge again says... Thomas A Nelson? This guy is really having a hard time. :)

About halfway down the aisle I say, "Judge, I'm actually NOT Thomas A Nelson". The judge says, 'Oooohhh, thank God!" and the court room breaks up. Now he has realized his mistake. He has an entire courtroom full of laughing miscreants. This can't be good. The back doors are opening while various assorted men with guns look in to see what is going on. Who laughs at traffic court much less the entire roomful?

When I get to the front he asks, "Just WHO are you and why are you answering for Thomas A Nelson? I tell him the entire sordid story. He is NOT amused at the cop who, by the way, fails to show up for the hearing. The judge breaks up the whole court again by asking..."Your license expired WHEN?!!!" I hang my head as I am supposed to and mumble.. about 17 years ago. Yikes. I can see dungeons in my future. Chains nailed to the wall. Bread and water. Shackles. I am afraid.

Anyway, the judge makes me promise, on pain of all of the above, that I will go get my license on Monday morning. I promise I will. He says, "You have promised this court, Mr. Nelson! I expect you to fulfill your promise!" The court is again roaring with laughter. He throws out every ticket and fines me $25.00 for driving with no license.

And I dutifully showed up on Monday morning and got a valid license. :D

Happy Birthday!

Today is my Hunnibunni's birthday. He wants to go eat pancakes. I have NO idea where to find pancakes. This will be fun. Maybe I can make him a clay pancakes and fake him out? (WEG)

Pens and Moose Poop

Hi! Well, everyone knows I was never going to make pens. That was until I started selling them. :D So, here are my 2 latest ones. I think they are already sold, too. Yippee!

And this silly bracelet is because my friend Melissa, in Alaska, threatened to make me moose poop earrings. Really. Girl was gonna go out and collect moose poop. :D I politely declined so the clever girl *stole* my avatar and made this dandy cane that exactly matches it! I don't know how people make these intricate canes. I'm lucky if I can make a bull's eye. I love my bracelet! And I just happened to have some of that cool orange clay left so I made some earrings and used a brass goody from www.brassbouquet.com. They have tons of cool stuff on that site! And the owner Jill is a sweetheart.

So, without further ado....

Snuggies and Marble

The other day we went shopping. There is a new Target here so we went there looking for... I can't remember what. Anyway, as we were strolling around I spotted Snuggies on a shelf. Hah! I wanted a Snuggie as I get cold easily. So, my darling hunnibunni says... go ahead, get one. I did just that. When we got it gone, I tried it on. Instant Druid! Now, I am 5'9. I put on the Snuggie and had about 7 inches of it dragging on the floor while there wasn't that much of it to go around me. The sleeves are about 4 feet long. Looks like the Middle Ages. All I need now is one of those 3 foot pointy hats with a gauzy veil hanging from it. And I can run around getting the Vapors and calling, Forsooth! And pearls. Gotta have pearls if you are going to be a vaporish, forsoothing princess.

I think if I were on my couch and put the Snuggie on the way it shows in pictures, I wouldn't need it to wrap around me. But did I do that? No. I put it on like a coat. Don't do this. They are made with this extra fabric around the shoulders. Very weird.

So, yesterday it was hot and humid so I turned on our air conditioner while I waited for my client to arrive. Then I sat down to read. My chair is right under the a/c vent and I was freezing so I thinks... Self... go get your new Druid Drape! I does and I puts it on. Very Snuggieable. It was warm and soft and both kitties came to see what new weirdness I was up to. Ipo followed me around the house wondering what this thing was dragging on the floor. I as tempted to use my new Druid powers to turn her into a toad. :D

But, I digress. After we left Target, we decided to go to Stone World to look at stone for counter tops. We are getting ready to renovate our master bath. Stone World has this big yard in the back of their store with about 13 zillion tons of various stones from around the world. It is all out in the blazing sun and naturally, everything is covered in dust from the fabrication they do.

So, we wander around looking at various pieces of granite and marble. I spot one piece of gorgeous stone. It is this apricot colored marbleized onyx. It is just beautiful but I can only see a corner of it as 20 tons of other stones sit up against it. I ask if we can see it. Sure. The guy scurries off to get his fork lift with a thingy hanging from it. He maneuvers this up to the onyx, hooks the dangling thingy to the onyx and lifts it out and swings it around so we can see it. I love it! As I am expounding on how much I love it, a huge crack appears, runs through the onyx and a huge chunk breaks off. Oh NO! :( So much for my onyx counter tops. I is sad. :(

So, we walk around looking some more. Brian finds another corner piece of something that looks great. This time it's marble with distinct apricot coloring. Again we ask Mr Thingy Machine to pull it out. He does. It does NOT break and it's just lovely. Italian marble. Of course it's sturdy! Just think how long all those Roman buildings and statures have been sitting there! Our new counter top will last for millenia! We are all excited and are promised an estimate.

We toddle home all happy. The estimate is still not here. Cross your fingers, ok? I will put on my Druid Drape and sit down before we open it. :D