Absence of an Authoritative No

With the absence of an authoritative "NO"

she stomped that puddle dry

I may have found the  answer to "hide the wires on the bottom" problem.  I woke up with the idea of using cigar boxes as a way to solve this.  Over the years I have picked up a few of these in different sizes and makes with no particular plans for their use so I was able to have an assortment to choose from.  I used textured car paint (my son had bought this for his rims) thinking this would help to hide some of the imperfections on the box, which it did nicely.  This has been the most feasible solution that I have come up with and it seems to work well.  My next project with it will be the heavy car light fixture that I mentioned in an earlier post. It should be strong enough to support it, unlike the book board which sank under the weight.

My men have been out all weekend, one camping and the other visiting friends, so the house has been very quiet.  I noticed, not only do I not graze in the kitchen between meals, I do not turn on the TV.  I have gotten quite a bit accomplished, or should I say our dog, Luke, and I have been busy.  He has separation anxiety so he has stuck to me like glue. When I get up he is right beside me to help with the laundry, go get the paper, go to the bathroom, get art supplies, put up art supplies...you get the picture.

On a side note:  If you have a chance check out the cover of Art Doll Quarterly (Feb, March, April) .  It is not a magazine that I normally look at but this stopped me in my tracks...beautiful.  The cover pic can be seen online.

Well, one of mine has made his way home so I need to finish up my laundry so he can have the machines.  And, now the dog has someone else to follow around.

Peace,

Hilari

Dressing Accordingly

She knew the board members were

out for blood

so she dressed accordingly

This is the second of the razor blade pieces I have been working on. I am sending this one to my friend who works in the corporate world.  She has to deal with board members on a daily bases and sometimes they are not the easiest to please.  I know she will appreciate the humor.

Last night I worked on my xylophone player whose arms and head swing while he is jamming and a very long colorful crocheted scarf to be from an admirer to a sweetheart.  I am an avid crocheter but working on such a small scale takes a lot of attention.  Normally, I make large granny square blankets to donate to Project Linus which is how I de-stress but working on the scarf has been a fun change of pace.

We are having a dreary day so we are being productive inside today.  My husband took everything out of the fridge and gave it a detailed cleaning...yep, he's a keeper, while I did paper work for our business. Now it is back to the laundry and eventually something warm and tasty for dinner.

Good night all,

Hilari

Mosh Pit Girl

She saw the dress hanging in the window

and she knew that she would be the 

sharpest dressed girl in the mosh pit

Rusty razor blades...we use razor blades for our business so I started keeping the worn out ones, without any plans for their use, but then this idea popped into my head.  I thought who would need to wear a dress like this and Mosh Pit Girl came to life. While I have enjoyed a rowdy concert or two I have never taken part in the mosh pit but a dress like this would sure help others to keep their distance. I know this is not the point of the pit but is the only way I could take part.  I am more of a balcony girl these days.  I have another razor blade girl in the works but she is from a corporate background...

Today is another beautiful day in our part of Tennessee.  I tried my hand at a sidewalk chalk sunrise this morning but it looked more like a rainbow ice cream cone floating in the waves.  Some ideas look a lot better in my head than they do on pavement. 

Thanks to my husband for a wonderful anniversary brunch of pancakes and chopped ham and eggs.  They were delicious. Happy 23rd!

Peace, 

Hilari

                                         

                               

Hello Sunshine

HELLO

Wow, what a beautiful day we are having today!  My first flowers to pop are just as sunny and bright as the weather.  What a joy to see them up and saying Hello.  We had to work yesterday and today was so pleasant that much of the day was spent outside. 

I gathered my sidewalk chalk (thanks Samantha!) and created this masterpiece.  We live on a very quiet street so I am lucky to be able to play in the road.  I like the ability to draw on a large scale and this is a great way to do it.  No planning, no prep, very little cost...perfect.  Now I just have to wait for it to rain so I can have a clean slate.

My wire work has been null this week due to a stomach bug and dentist consult turning into "We are slow today.  Why don't we just go ahead and pull those two teeth..." but I hear my Mosh Pit girl calling.  I think she needs a little attention after some yummy pizza...smells good.

Hilari

Skinny Dipper Designs on ETSY

Monday

MONDAY

Monday can feel like you are a fly trapped in a jar and one of those Mondays must have been the inspiration for this piece. With that said, I plan to have a great Monday this week.  Nothing special happening, just not going to let the rainy days or Mondays get me down.

My plans to have pictures of my newest project did not come to fruition due to the weight of the focal piece which made the book board sink in the middle.  I am going to have to use a wooden base for support and hopefully this may lead to a cleaner looking finished product.  I was advised to find a way to hide the wires underneath the book board and this may push me to find that answer.

We have been frozen here lately but today we reached 55 degrees!  I looked out the window this afternoon to see between 20 and 30 Robins (and 2 Cedar Waxwings) drinking out of our pond.  Our cat, Twyla, and I enjoyed watching them for "quiet" a while.

It is time to get dinner started.  Tonight is one of our favorites:  Ham and Potato Casserole. It is so easy to make and definitely falls into the feel good food category. 

2lb bag frozen hash browns

1 cup diced ham chunks

1/4 c melted butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup crushed potato chips, for topping

Break up frozen hash browns into 9x13 baking dish. Top with ham chunks; mix butter, soup, and 1 cup cheese together; pour over ham and potatoes; top with the rest of the cheese.  Sprinkle chips on top and bake for 50 minutes in 350 degree oven.  Yummy!

Til next time,

Hilari

Hex Bolts, Wire and Ink

 I am not sure why men have to change out their car lights to better and brighter when the originals are just fine.  With that said, I am glad that my son did that this weekend because I was able to snag the assembly and have been working away.  As I said last week, some projects just scream to be given life and this was one of them.  I should have pics to follow in the next post.

KBAG book swap 2013

Knoxville Book Arts Guild

 I have been collecting rusty metal bits and such for a while because I like the look, and the idea of giving life to something that may not be seen as useable by others.  I picked up a box of bolts, washers, pluming pieces, etc. at an estate sale, not knowing what treasures would be inside.  Lucky of me, there were some hex bolts that worked perfectly as the spine for this little industrial book. Repurposed book pages, wrapped in screen and wired to the hex bolts created the end product for our annual KBAG book swap.  

KBAG has been meeting each month for over 5 years. I feel very lucky to be in a group with individuals who are happy to share their ideas and techniques with others.  I will be teaching (use term loosely) this book in our February meeting.  It is always interesting to see the final product created by each person and how they differ from each other.  Can't wait!

I seem to be distracted by the NFL playoffs...Go Broncos!...off to a large plate of spaghetti and garlic toast.

Peace, 

Hilari

Weight of the World

As she carried the weight of the world 

on her shoulders she became

completely deflated and then simply defeated

This one came to me over the holidays...go figure.  I am sure that we have all felt this way at one time or another but as time passes the weights lifts and we become whole again.  Her weight is getting lighter as we speak so she will be back to normal any day now. Although, with tax time approaching...

 I have a new project on my work table which I have had to manhandle into submission.  At this point the wire seems to be staying in position but I have not put it through any stress tests to see how it will hold up under normal wear.  Some go smoothly while others have their own plans on how they want to be created and these can be the most annoying and even the most rewarding.

I have a wonderful husband who has a large pot of chilli simmering and a hot cup of tea for me to enjoy.

Have a peaceful night,

Hilari