trick or treat

Halloween is right around the corner. Well, maybe down the block and to the right
but I digress (I've always liked that phrase).
I need a good costume. I haven't really gotten into Halloween for years even though it is one of my favorite holidays.

In the past I have been a ballerina, a cowgirl (more than once), a person who could dance with themself (I was half girl, half boy) I was wearing a suit and half a tie on one side and a pretty pink dress with tights on the otherside, it was awesome! I've been a pixie, a farmer, and a frozen vampire. But this year? I need something good...

I wish I had photos to go with this part, but here are some of the best costumes I've ever seen or heard about:

Glowstick stick person. (you can search youtube for an example.)
Last year I saw a guy wearing a wrapped box with a big tag on it that said "To: Women From: God"
I just read about a guy dressing all in grey with cotton balls glued to himself and carrying a squirt bottle, he was "partly cloudy with a chance of rain"
I saw a woman a few years ago who was dressed in black with numbers all over herself, she was "somebody you could count on"

Who are you going to be?

xo

welcome to giddings

We have arrived.
11:21 pm
A balmy 76 degrees.
Giddings high won their football game tonight.
And we only got lost a couple of times on the way here.

Here's a photo I snapped in Memphis, Tx along the way.
It's a cool little town where you could spend all day taking pictures.


Time to sleep, no more drivey...

xo

on the road again...

xo

denver, oklahoma, texas

Here is the coolest picture I took today. We were stopping at some construction in the middle of the night in the middle of a wind farm and my dad stopped the truck and then backed up about 30 feet so that we could play around with this shot while we waited for traffic to start moving again.



This is the second coolest picture I got today. His name is Dozer and he guards this car.


More tomorrow.
xo

a brief intermission

I don't have much to say today. I packed up all my stuff for Texas and left home. I spent last night at my grandma's house and this morning we'll be hitting the road: destination Dumas, TX
Here are some lovely photos to tide you over until tonight, when I should have something to say.

(my parents live in France and these photos are from my trip last christmas) I think they look very fall-y











xo

rainy morning rambling

I have been tagged
Once you've been tagged, tell 6 things about yourself and then tag 6 more people.

1. I bite my nails. Not constantly and not until there is nothing left, but just as an alternative to using nail clippers.
2. I have small feet and very small fingers.
3. I like to listen to other people's conversations.
4. I feel claustrophobic in line at the grocery store.
5. I never forward these sorts of things.
6. I went to a private school called Rivendell (named after the place in the book the Lord of the Rings).

xo

today is the day

Today is my first workshop with Michael deMeng! I get to make art for 3 days straight!!! eeek!
I will post with some of my results. Right now, I am late and I haven't even eaten breakfast yet..

xo

divine intervention

I was feeling very creative yesterday and I managed to make these two pieces.
The first one I actually started years ago but I was never happy with it. But I think it looks good now.

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for eachother?"
-George Eliot

This other one was just a spur of the moment thing. I really, really like it though.

"All that is left to do is sit and wait..."

xo

tooting my own horn

Take a looksee at some of the kind, kind people that have featured me on their sites!
(You have to scroll down a little on each site to see me)

Modish
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Sew Bettie
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BC Finds

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
You guys are too sweet.

Things are rolling right along here at home. I'm getting ready for my bi-annual migration down to Texas.
For those of you that don't know, me and my mom sell antiques. (You can see that site here www.chineantiques.com)
We drive down to Texas twice a year with my dad to participate in the Marburger Antique Show. Which is a part of that whole huge antique week that happens down there; Round Top, Warrenton, etc..
I'm pretty excited because I am going to take my jewelry and also my cards and I'm taking some antiques to sell that I bought all by myself. We'll see how good my eye is! And of course I get to see the lovely Sharon at Sack Lunch and shop my favorite spot on earth, Clutter. I'll still post from down there so don't worry. But any orders will have to wait until I get back to be shipped.
Here's a little something to get you in the Texas mood...



I bought that pin at Zapp Hall last spring. It makes me giggle every time I read it.
xo

I've got frogs

We have an abundance (ok, maybe like five) frogs that live around our house! I have no idea where they live, because we don't have a pond. But I've seen about 3 small little guys that I always try to catch and then when I do catch them they pee on me. And then yesterday this little guy got into the house. Two other frogs that may or may not have been him (they're so hard to tell apart) also came to visit me in the house yesterday. And finally there is a big ol'e papa frog or toad (I don't know) who is the size of a potato. I've seen him 3 times.
So I did a little research and frogs are symbols of good luck and prosperity. (As well as being a goddess symbol and being connected to the moon.)
That's pretty darn sweet.

xo

redneck camping 101

*Disclaimer: I use the term 'redneck' lovingly and not in a derogatory way.*

I've been camping.
For me, camping has always been about finding a spot far, far away from any roads or any other campers. Parking your car and trucking your gear down/up to the campsite. Setting up tents, finding enough firewood for the night, setting up the food area and then kicking back with a cold beer in your hand. If you're lucky enough, the next day you don't have to go home and you get to explore and hike and play with the dogs.
This weekend I got to go redneck camping for the first time. What makes a camping trip a 'redneck' camping trip you ask?
Well, It starts with beer.
Add four-wheelers, loud dirt bikes and big dualie diesel trucks.
Add to that more beer.
Add steaks, brauts, stews and more beer.
Add hunters. Hundreds of hunters on four-wheelers with guns and bows and arrows.
Then add more beer.

Let me tell you I still really enjoy my familiar way of camping but this weekend was a lot of fun. There were seven of us total. We played all-terrain croquet (I highly reccomend this). We blew up a can of beer in the fire and burnt holes in everyone's chairs. We peed in the woods. We tried to heat a glass bottle in the fire and then twist it, but I think we accidentally tempered the glass and it ended up breaking. We ate, and we ate and then we ate some more. We had roasted marshmellows and banana boats. We took the dogs to a nearby moose pond and let them play. We laughed a lot and slept very well (even though it was pretty chilly). We made cowboy coffee and used a dutch oven to make stuffed orange breakfast thingys. We went four wheeling and fishing. We got dirty and forgot to brush our teeth. We slept in and stayed up late. We got rained on and made our way back home.
The battery in my camera died halfway through the trip but here are some of the photos I got.

Our little village.

Our new tent.

My husband.

Our campfire.


And here are some pictures of the moose pond.






And here is my lovely Lucky dog.




xo

easily amused, remember?

If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and no one is around to hear it does a squirrel grab his nuts and run?

giving myself a good talking to

I was on the front page of etsy!!
(and I don't have any way of proving it because the list has already expired.)

'Sure you were'

Yes I was.
Uh Huh, I promise!

'What did they show? your recycled vintage jewelry?'

No, it was my custom silhouette pendants.

'Sure'

No really, my photo was right there. In the upper right hand corner.
Fine, don't believe me, see if I care.

But I really was on there, really.

hehehe
Have I ever told you that I am easily amused?
Well, my 15 seconds of fame did generate alot of interest in my pendants and even a couple orders!

I don't have much to say today. I had a very bizarre dream last night.
I don't remember all of it but here are the highlights:
I was on an island up north with a group of people I didn't know. I had a bulldog puppy and another gruff biker dude had a yellow lab puppy. We were all sitting on a cliff looking at the ocean and the strange brightly colored birds below when I realized that the brightly colored birds were actually punk monkeys. yes, punk monkeys, terrifying I know. Everyone was laughing at the monkeys and just enjoying their day when the monkeys started to sneak up behind people and try to push them off the cliff! I grabbed my puppy and tried to make a run for it but my path was blocked by a very grouchy and very huge gorilla. I turned back and ran into the house where everyone was staying and there were a bunch of people just sitting around talking. I sat on the floor and joined them (after I told them about the killer monkeys) Then a lynx comes slinking into the room and everyone gasps. It's walking right towards me. It stops next to me and the girl to my left reaches down and pets it and says 'oh what a cute kitty' then I say 'that's not a kitty, that's a lynx' Meanwhile it starts to get friendly with me and is licking my hand and my arm and nuzzling my neck, then it licks my neck and then it BITES ME! right on the throat. Everyone is giggling and pointing and they think it is so cute but I can't breath and the cat keeps clenching tighter and tighter until I feel like I'm going to pass out.

Then, I don't remember what happens.

The next thing I remember is that I am now in charge of my puppy bulldog and the yellow lab puppy. I find an empty room and try to get some sleep. I put the puppies in little, weird, bed things and we all go to sleep. I wake up (in the dream) and freak out because I think I've killed the puppies. I pull them out of their 'beds' and they are just fine. Then I go out to the kitchen and this random guy tells me that the biker dude who owns the yellow lab is missing and I say 'ok, I'll take care of his dog' And then I woke up.

weird.

I read a great excerpt from a book yesterday. In a round about way. I got some Erraticus zines from my friend the other day and this part was about an artist named Annie Yu and this excerpt is on her profile page (but was printed in the zine)
Anyways the book is called 'born confused' by tanuja desai hidier

"Those studded slippers that tilted the feet to be nearly vertical. The deluge continued as I admired the heels - now that I was up close, I saw that they were embedded with coins in different currencies, bits of scrap metal and plastic, pricked balloon and beer bottle glass. Like she'd stepped into life and it stuck."

This reminds me of that other quote I wrote about. The one about bumping into things because you don't know where you end and the world begins. I like ideas like this.
What would your shoes be covered in if they had kept a little piece of everywhere you've been?

xo

I'd like you to meet the band

Elton John

Van Morrison

Paul Simon

The Blues Brothers

Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)

I can't stop! I told my husband that if he sat still for too long I'd bind him into one of my journals (that way I could take him everywhere)...

xo

story time

Today is the first cold day of the season and in honor of this frosty morning, I would like to reprint a short story I wrote in college. This story was part of a book titled "My Shoes Are Size 6" (I know it's kind of long, but it's worth it. I promise.)

I Am Much More a Winter Person.

      My life makes sense on snowy days. I wake up in flannel pajamas and pull on my biggest sweater, the one that feels like my mom's arms are wrapped around me. I pick out the gray socks that are so thick my feet barely fit in my shoes. I use words like 'cuddle' and 'snuggle'. Wrapped in a thick blanket, I sit by the window and watch the snow fall. My breath clouds the pane of glass, and when I can no longer see, I wipe it away with my hand. The glass is cold and I shiver just thinking about going outside. Under the streetlight the snowflakes dance around each other, twirling and leaping, slowly making their way to the ground. I feel at peace. With the snow comes silence and a strange warmth I struggle to explain. When it snows I feel like time slows to a crawl. The sky and my surroundings push in towards me and hold me gently in space. The beauty and tranquility of it all creates a warmth deep inside me, which protects me from the cold. The flakes continue to fall, and my thoughts turn back to my bed. Six inches taller now that the down comforter is on it. I thank my flannel sheets because if they were not so cold when I first lay in them I would not appreciate the warmth they soon give. I hear the heater click on and I can soon smell the dust burning off of the dormant coils. That is the essence of winter.
     Stepping outside, the icy air tickles my nose and stings my eyes. This is my first breath of winter. Words escape my mouth in clouds of steam. Snow and ice cling to the trees where leaves once did, and some boughs bend under the weight. I walk along a shoveled path past a sleepy house and over a silent stream. I lose myself in the beauty snow creates. Everything looks innocent and new. The mountains, now blanketed in white, beckon me. I turn back and promise to return another day. Back inside, the aroma of hot chocolate and burning logs greets me. I remove my gloves and shake the snow off of my hat. Sitting by the fire, I pull the blanket tight around my shoulders and eagerly await tomorrow.
     As April nears the snow starts to melt, and with the first blade of grass spring announces her return. The skeletal trees have been bare for so long, their first leaves reintroduce me to the color green. A flower blooms and then another. I see purple, yellow and pink. Spring brings rebirth and a feeling of freshness to the world. These days make me feel like a mother and a child all at once. I tend and I fuss. The word 'clean' is added to my vocabulary and used frequently. The sweaters are packed away neatly while the entire house is reorganized. Spring essentials like fresh cut flowers and young vegetables now have priority. When I'm finished the house is aglow. Sunshine pours in through the window, spilling over the sill onto the floor. Then reaching for my toes it beckons me to step outside. My pale face welcomes the sunlight. Warm and bright, I see things with a new eye. Activity abounds and my inner child begs me to explore. I poke my nose in flowers, going from one to another, smelling everything I can. I lay in the grass and watch the trees sway back and forth. I watch the clouds change shape and move on. A contagious energy fills my world.
     The days grow longer as the temperatures rise, and the last day of school signals the unofficial start of summer. Shorts and tank tops conquer the shelves in my closet. I find my swimsuit hiding in the back of the third drawer from the top. Slipping into my blue bikini, I quiet the voice in the back of my head and reintroduce my legs to the sun. I dedicate the first days of summer to achieving a healthy golden glow. Lying on the lawn with my walkman and a bottle of water, sweat drips off my nose into the spine of my book. Ani DiFranco singing in my head, "The heat is so great it plays tricks with the eye, it turns the road into water, then from water to sky..." The smell of chlorine and Hawaiian Tropics permeates the air. A quick dip in the pool reveals what I forgot a cold month ago. I feel at home in the water. Spinning and diving, I jump from the board. Gliding across the bottom of the pool, I test myself to see how long I can hold my breath. Every way I turn, hot, smiling faces greet me. During the summer the days never really end. Lying in the sun becomes reading in the shade. Reading in the shade leads to napping through the afternoon. Evenings start with the smell of burgers and the taste of cold beer then change to campfire smoke and uncontrolled laughter. At the end of the night they slow to full moons and long talks. Ultimately fading to black. Then a burst of gold and the cycle continues. That afternoon, while watching the heat rise off of the hood of my car, my mind relives the past two months, and I realize summer is almost over.
     The morning that fall arrives, I can see a new crispness in the light that shines through my blinds. Fall is that subtle bite that calls for a long sleeved shirt. It's the pleasure of feeling a cool breeze caress your cheek as you drift to sleep. It's the excitement I feel watching a thunderstorm. An indecisive season, fall teases me with days of sunshine and then rain. In the background, the trees explode with color as if not to let me forget them in the coming months. They leave me with a spectacular show of yellow, red and gold. Every tree and bush joins in creating this masterpiece and once again I am in awe over the simple beauty of nature. My excitement grows when the leaves start to fall. A chorus of crackling plays wherever I go. The days are cooler and I am delighted to wear jackets again. Ghouls and goblins are followed by family and fowl. I pause to give thanks for all I have. There is a very cold wind from the north tonight and I can't help but feel anxious. I find my mind wandering to snow capped peaks, as I impatiently await the first snow. After all I am much more a winter person.

xo

there are those who understand

Good morning my magnificent eight.
I've started keeping a notebook by the bed so that I can write down my ideas as I get them (which is always as I fall asleep). It's great except now I never fall asleep. It takes me an extra 2 hours at least to doze off.
I get all comfy and drowsy and then BAM I roll over scribble something and hope I can read it in the morning.
Here's proof.




last night I fell asleep thinking about these 'ready to alter' books I'm making. They are so cool. I couldn't stop thinking about different types of paper to put in them and where to try and sell them and who I should give one to...





They're full of all sorts of different papers and images and photographs and dividers and pockets and more!
I might keep 'Tupelo Honey' for myself... I've always loved that title.

My darling husband lovingly called me scatterbrained yesterday.
I took it as a compliment.
We were discussing the magical lampshade machine. (I went and looked at it yesterday and saw how it works and all the lovely pieces that come with it. It is a very good price for what all it includes.) And he was just saying that I seem to have a short attention span for my art projects. I come up with an idea and make that 'thing' until I'm sick of it or until I get a new idea and then I move on. (What can I say, that works for me.)
But a magic lampshade machine requires a large space and lots of attention and large supplies. I'd hate to be sick of it in a month...
I'm having a hard time deciding (I think because it costs a good chunk of change) It seems like it is the sort of thing you just have to plug your nose and jump right in. But maybe I should go buy a couple pre-made lampshades or a lamphshade kit and try it out first. That's just so boring and anti-climactic.

xo

some call me "MacGyver"

Craft Challenge:
6 toothpicks
1 twig
4 coffee filters
and a matchbox

Go!

Just kidding, but it would be cool to start one of those 'challenge' websites. I'm thinking about participating in the new Green Pepper Press Street Team one. And maybe Illustration Fridays too. Who knows, I have very good intentions. That's what my tombstone will read: "Whitney Phippen ~ She had really good intentions."

I have a ton of etsy orders to fill this morning and I am procratinating. A subtext on my tombstone:
"Whitney Phippen ~ She had really good intentions.
We're surprised she actually got around to dying"

hehe

I have the opportunity to buy a lampshade machine.
I went into my favorite local used furniture store yesterday to inquire about a butt load of lampshade wires that they have hanging in the back room. I wanted to buy a couple just to play around with and the nice woman told me that they don't sell them individually because they are part of a LAMPSHADE MACHINE, with fabric and everything, she told me.
Well, I left, disappointed that I couldn't have just a couple lampshade frames. Driving home I started thinking about this magical lampshade machine and I started to get ideas.

Tons of ideas.

Ideas from every corner of the globe.

I could make really, really cool lampshades with my art on them and out of old photographs and maps, the sky's the limit.
I imagined our small 900 sq ft house filled to the brim with lamps. One for every room. Nay, one for every chair!

So I did what any wise person would do in this day and age, I googled it.
'lampshade machine' = nothing
'lamp shade machine' = nothing
'fabric lampshade machine' = nothing
'lampshade ring machine' = AHA!


(photo politely borrowed from beccascustomshades.com)

I think this is it. I believe this invention glues the fabric or whatever to the rings. Instead of doing it by hand and thereby saving a lot of time. I am going to go talk to my furniture lady about purchasing this contraption after I ship my Etsy orders. So I had better go do that.

I will leave you with this:
"If you always do what interests you, then at least one person is pleased."
-Katherine Hepburn

xo

eight

eight. 8. ocho. huite. ocht. otte.

that's the largest amount of people that have read my blog on a given day.

EIGHT!

people. I am worth listening to. tune in. tell your friends.

I have a lot to say.

xo


(your moment of zen)

there are no do-overs...

but there are always try-agains!
I just finished having a heart to heart with my dear brother and this little gem of knowledge popped out while we were chatting. It's so true. You can't do anything over completely the same way, but why would you want to? If you feel you need to redo something it's because you need to change and by simply trying again the outcome will be different!
I feel like a motivational speaker or something. But oh well.

xo

Thoreau'n it right at cha

“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts.” Henry David Thoreau

This made my day good. A brand new teacup from my favorite company, Vietri, in Italy.



And this made it even better. Look at how lovely this tea is. The details. The bags are muslin and the tags are stitched on and the box is gorgeous. What a great color palette. The tea itself is delicious too.





xo