wow! I am writing this post with my new Bamboo Fun Pen... just writing with a pen and this smartypants thing reads my handwriting and Boom! here it is! How amazing! I can see that this could be addicting! This pen translates my cursive into text!! oh yes! I am loving it!

So, my challenge today is to put this pen away and and get busy! I am trying to finished this major Spring cleaning frenzy that began about 6 wks ago... But this Pen is much more fun! Okay, I am off to work... in just a minute... really... I swear...

yippee!

yippee!, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

I am so excited about my new toy... a Bamboo Fun Tablet.

http://www.wacom.com/bambootablet/bamboofun.cfm?CMP=KNC-google&HBX_PK=bamboo+fun&HBX_OU=50&gclid=CIXXxcOqtpICFQTGsgod3lIXRQ

I can't wait to learn how to use it. And... it came with Corel Painter Essentials 3, Photoshop Elements 5.0 ( a nice upgrade from my 3.0) and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0. FUN! FUN! FUN!

bling

bling, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Yes, I have some necklaces. And I love them. They are cheap (mostly) and sparkly and I adore them so much it is ridiculous. I can live with myself. There are worst obsessions...

just shine!

Here's a bit of sparkle for your Saturday. This is Louise Brooks, Ziegfeld Girl and a founding member of the Glitter Girls Club. I admire her way with accessories! You rock, Lou!

Friday...

So, I am up to my neck in this insane spring cleaning/life overhaul, but I HAD to take a minute to make a little SOMETHING! I used some charming images from the most endearing vintage baby book to make this banner. I loved working with these colors... aged pastels, I suppose.

This is available in my shop (link to your right).
My sis and I nearly worked ourselves to death yesterday. We are always having to move something that weighs more than we do.
And I'm wondering why I have so many shoes... and still want more?? I only have 2 feet. The math is so screwed up... Oh, well...
It is a dreary day, but still springtime, so I will not despair. I am off to McKinney to do my one day a month shift at the shop. I am soooo over-worked ;)...

I am shocked and amazed...

My son Ian's passport arrived a week or so ago (he's traveling to Costa Rica this summer to study in the rainforest) with an error. His middle name is missing a letter. No biggie, right? But it could be. If customs noticed and took a notion to, they could detain him. EEEK!!! Today I called the US Passport office. After a phone maze much less daunting than the one my insurance provider has in place I pushed "0" to speak to a representative. I sat back with my coffee and prepared for a nice long wait. I figured I could do a couple of loads of laundry, maybe rotate my tires. Lo and behold, what did I hear, but a human voice! Yes!!! A very nice lady who helped me (even laughed and not at me) and I was off the phone in record time! Amazing! Efficiency in a government entity. Probably outsourced, but still... wow! I am still reeling!

So hats off to the super-efficient U.S. Passport Office! You rock!Look at 'em go!!!

thrift finds

thrift finds, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

My favorite thrift store was full of treasures today. I found a great vintage wedding cake topper that is embellished with millinery flowers. The large mercury glass vase (?) has a wonderful pinkish tint. The "half-fast" cook plate is perfect for me. I LOVE the yellow swan planter!! It is so swanky! I also found a fabulous pagoda (a vintage aquarium piece), a sprig of silvey stuff, a box of adorable vintage cards, a compote bowl thing-y (or as I like to call it... a pimp cup... perfect for a nice sized afternoon cocktail), a couple of beaded votive holders and a crystal salt shaker (no top, but who cares).
Then... I strolled over to the jewelry case...

Ah, wonders!!! Vintage jewels abounding!!!

Not to mention these two funky old jewelry boxes!!!

What wonderful finds on a most beautiful spring day!!!

ah, delight!!

I adore springtime! I always feel like I have endured a battle (aka~ winter) and am jubilant to have survived! Winter is rough on stranded mermaids! So, the world is turning most gloriously green. Flowers are beginning to bloom and the birds are singing! I am trying to complete my major spring cleaning, thus the lackof creative output. I am so eager to get back in my studio. I have a mountain of birds and nests just waiting to be transformed into magical creations. But, I must persevere and get the *&#$@*&!* cleaning completed.
I'm off to a meeting this morning and oh, it seems I might have to pass one of favorite thrift stores. Hmmmm... well I do need to look for trinkets for my nests... Perhaps just a quick dash in to scope out the baubles...
Hope your day is filled with blossoms and birdsong!

Oh joy! Monday!

Aaarg... Monday sfter a holiday weekend in which I took a holiday from housekeeping.

My 2 youngest boys have today off school... a nice little add-on to last week's spring break.

I am plowing through a mountain of laundry and trying to work on my spring cleaning. What fun! Come on over and I'll let you help!

Easter Greetings!

Easter Greetings!, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

It is a glorious spring day here in north Texas... but tomorrow it is supposed to be cold and rainy. UGH!
Ah, well... no worries. There will be plenty of chocolate and Peeps, so we will survive!
Best wishes to all for a lovely Easter!

Glitter Girls field trip

Glitter Girls field trip, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

TGIF!! It is a gorgeous spring day here in suburbia! The Glitter Girls have dashed off to Virgin Gorda to play in The Baths. What fun! I imagine they will be glittering seashells and making seaweed costumes before the day is done.
Me? Oh, how sweet of you to ask. I must finish my Easter bunny duties. As the kids get older their Easter baskets become more difficult and expensive to fill... but I am choosing to look at it as an opportunity to be creative. So, I am off to finish that task and enjoy this lovely day.
Those Glitter Girls had better take me on their next field trip!

a girl can dream...

~~~~S*P*R*I*N*G~~~~

Oh, thank God... SPRING IS HERE at last!! As you can see, my sis and I are celebrating in our usual way!! We are so happy tohave survived yet another grey Texas winter!! Now we are all about buds and butterflies, bunnies and beer, baubles and beautifully sunny days!!!!! JOY!!!

The arrival of Spring has energized me. I will shuck off my lethargy and make this day one filled with accomplishment... and festive dancing with my sis!!!

whew!

Jubilation! The sun is out! Yesterday was sooooo dark and dreary! But today the birds are singing and the sun is beaming... it feels like a Disney movie! YIPPEE!!

Laurie and I are taking our youngest boys to see Horton Hears a Who. We are going to the matinee, so in theory I will still be able to get a few things done today.

Hope your day is sunny, too!

What a long, dreary day... and not a picturesque one as above. It has rained all day, a hard, driving rain with grey skies and a cold wind. I went out twice, both times for Will. I had promised him orange chicken from Panda Express yesterday and a promise to Will is a promise that will be kept come rain, snow, gloom of night... you know the drill. And then a little while ago we dashed up to Blockbuster between downpours. I think he will be content for the evening.
I have had a decidedly unproductive day. I did work on a few nest assemblages, but the gloom left me rather uninspired. My friend Laurie called to tell me her bedroom is flooded. She must have a leak in her ceiling. How dreadful!
So, here I am with my mantra... rain, rain, go away... hoping for sunny skies in the morning.

Monday night...

Just contemplating every little thing here in suburbia... So, here it is the beginning of my kids' spring break. Of course the rains are rolling in.

What ev... They are just glad to be home for a week. My 2 youngest may go down to Corsicana for a few days to hang with the grandparents. They live on (well, actually right beside) a lake so it is boy heaven with mud, rocks, the potential to get wet and maybe find a snake.
My sis and I FINISHED reorganizing my kitchen today in our on-going quest to free ourselves (well, me so far... her place is next) of all of the extra crap that conspires to make life a chore. I am feeling very zen-like... happier and freer with each sack-o-stuff that we haul away. I racked up at Half Price Books today, selling them a TON of books and videos. I LOVE my books and it was hard to part with so many of them, but it felt empowering to let a lot of them go. Now I am down to a mere million or so.
Tomorrow we conquer the hall closet and head around the bend to the master bedroom. My house feels lighter and lighter all the time!
I am so glad that spring is almost here!

sweet babies

It is a lovely Saturday. I took a little while this morning to make some sweet scalloped ovals from images in a vintage baby book. They turned out nicely. The illustrations are so adorable... babies, butterflies, fairies, roses, birds and sweet lettering. If you are interested that are available in my shop...
http://seadreamstudio.net/
Now I am off to clean out my laundry room. You are all welcome to come over and help!!

bolt your doors!

We will not be thwarted! Sis and I are off to El Cheapo Jewels Shoppe! Do you think I've over-dressed? It is supposed to be 82 marvelous degrees here today, so I am feeling quite festive!!!
95 cent baubles here we come!!!

my kitchen rocks!!

Well, here I am frying up a raven's egg for dinner in my spic-n-span, super deluxe, clean and ultra-organized kitchen! I'd post a photo of my pantry, but you'd be so jealous it would make you cry! After a dash over to Bed, bath & Beyond for some wire shelves, my sis (she rocks!) and I transformed my packed pantry into a vision of suburban bliss! It is so tidy I could kiss it!

Now, on to the laundry room where I have stashed some weird things... Carly Patterson signed Wheaties boxes, a "projecto-scope", aprrox. 132 cookie cutters, dog trimmers and so forth. Let the dumpster be filled to over-flowing!!

Don't you envy this amazing life of mine????

Oh, Sissy...

So, my sis is coming over today and we will certainly be up to our usual shenanigans. I plan to beat her with a stick and make her clean my house and then I might reward her with a cheap bauble from one of our favorite super-top-secret junque jewelry shoppes... but only if she does a good job!!
Okay, okay... I won't really beat her, but she is going to help me with some re-organization in my most unloved room... the kitchen! I really wanted to build this house without a kitchen, because in my opinion it simply raises expectations. I got no support on that idea, so I, alas, do have a kitchen... a poorly appointed one, neglected and not cherished. But in my quest to have a better attitude toward those things I do not care for (cooking), I am cleaning, rearranging and generally trying to make my kitchen more endearing. My sis is the Queen of Organization, so she is a great help, not to mention we have a lot of fun and frivolity when we are together.
And we may indeed make a run to the Junque Jewelry Emporium after our chores. After all, a girl need a bangle or bauble after a hard day of scooting Tupperware and tidying the dishtowels.

Is this great, or what??? Sweet Sarah (GypsyMermaid) http://gypsymermaidlife.blogspot.com/

made this marvelous sign for me! What a delightful surprise in my mailbox!!! This is just so perfect for me!!! I love everything about it! It will be so cool to hang in my newly made-over studio space!

Big, huge, salt-water infused hugs to you, Sarah!!!!!

Welcome to America...

Did you know that this is a US state park? It is located in the US Virgin Islands. Beautiful Caneel Bay consists of 7 gorgeous beaches. This area is home to some of the best sailing in the world. I cannot wait until I return to this slice of paradise. I am always sea dreaming...

swans and doves

swans and doves

Aren't these sweet birds? You can find them in my shop...
http://www.seadreamstudio.net/
I'm off to cook DH's birthday feast. I am even making smelly old Brussel sprouts! ICK! I got him a cake that looks like a yelow ladybug. Yes, it's random, but so cute!!

Princess Lucie's Mermaid Grotto

I enjoyed making a few collage/assemblage pieces yesterday. They are listed in my shop now. http://seadreamstudio.net/
It is a chilly, very foggy morning here in north Texas. I took Will to the bus stop in the dark (due to the time change) and it was so foggy it was almost scary!
Today is DH's birthday so I must concoct a special feast for him tonight. This is the start of our birthday season for our family. It seems they are all sort of clumped together and we will be celebrating one every few weeks for the next several months. Let the festivities ensue!!

ballerina nest

ballerina nest http://seadreamstudio.net/

I am trying to conjure springtime here in my studio today. Wednesday it is supposed to be in the 70s!! YESSS!!
That thought (and a worktable covered in glitter and flowers) is making this blah Monday a bit more tolerable.
Well, I'm off to attend to real life... laundry, dinner...
Hope you have a lovely evening.

vintage ledger

I've just added some lovely vintage ledger pages to my shop.
http://seadreamstudio.net/
It is a dreary Monday... grey and rainy, but my studio is cozy and warm. I am making some ballerina nests and dreaming of sunny, spring days.

dreamtime...

Ah, tonight I think I'll dream about Marie Antoinette's shoes...

March angel

March angel, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

I've added some vintage items to my shop http://seadreamstudio.net/ today... including this sweet Napco March angel figurine. There are also some adorable vintage egg cups.

It has been a lovely day. I made a few more bird assemblages. Glitter and feathers were flying, the sun was shining and all was well.

back to work

back to work, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Ah, it feels great to carve out an afternoon to get back in the studio and create! As you can see, I am in a spring-ish mood! It is very cold here today, but the snow is gone and the sun is shining brightly. I am up to my elbows in birds, glitter, millinery flowers, rhinestones, eggs, nests... well, all my favorite things to work with!
Hope you are having a beautiful, creative weekend, too!

goodnight...

I am off to bed on a cold, snowy night with visions of pastel beaches dancing in my head. What a perfect night for sea dreams...

more snow!

Well, after yesterday's temps of near 70, it is sleeting and snowing here! EEEK! It is supposed to snow all night! They are predicting from 4 to 6 inches! That would be the most snow I have seen since I moved to Texas (24 yrs ago)!! My Will is going to lose his mind with joy!!! Finally we might be able to use the cool sleds the kids' grandma gave them like 6 or 7 years ago!

Right now it is so calm and quiet, but Will gets home in 15 minutes and Ian in 45... then the madness and frivolity will ensue!

a treasure in the mail...

Oh, what is this? So beautifully wrapped... Oh, my! What a delight!!

The world can be a very magical place at times... like when a new blogger friend sends you a most marvelous gift! JoAnna from An Altered FairyTale http://analteredfairytale.blogspot.com/ is an amazingly talented artist. Her creations are full of whimsy and beauty. She pays such attention to detail that her pieces are truly works of depth and meaning. Out of the blue she sent me this absolutely gorgeous piece. It is so ME! I adore every little thing about it! It will have an honored place in my Mermaid WonderLand... not only because it is so incredibly fabulous, but also because it is a reminder that friends are one of life's most precious treasures!!!

You can find JoAnna's enchanting work here...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5179976

and here...

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZanalteredfairytale

Super Tuesday

Okay, so my vote is in...
While I was out I had to drop lunch money off for Will, so I took another thousand snow photos. There is a huge farm adjacent to the school and it is so beautiful. These pretty birds were kind enough to not fly away until after I snapped their picture.

It is a bright, gorgeous day filled with the sound of dripping, melting snow

and the clicks of voting machines all across Texas.

Something is wrong with this picture...

snow day, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

My tiki bar is shivering! Too cold for the blender! Just think... it is 85 in St. Thomas today... just like every other day. But a little snow is not so bad when spring is just around the corner.

snow day

snow day , originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Well, well... what have we here? SNOW! Geeze! It will all be gone soon as the temps are predicted to be in the 50s today. The roads are totally clear, so no day off school. Poor kids! Poor teachers with all those distracted pupils!
But, it is so pretty. I spotted this cardinal as I was driving Will to the bus stop.
Well, off to vote.

no weather for mermaids!

Good grief!, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

So, a few hours later and this stuff is sticking. It is so pretty!!!

snow on my palm trees!

snow on my palm trees!, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Good grief! What is this?? It is March! I live in the suburbs of Dallas, TEXAS! Snow does not make a mermaid so happy! DH has the palms winterized, so they'll be fine. My tiki bar looks so shivery!! Poor thing! We have not had any snow all winter and now this. Too funny!! Better late than never. Lots of trees are already budded here. Crazy Texas weather!

Thank God tomorrow it we be 50 degrees so I can go vote! It is Super Tuesday! Gotta' go Ba-Rock the vote!!