Post 400! And A Guest Blogger!

Sometimes, this blog is so boring. Blah blah blog, 399 boring blog entries!!



It's underwhelming.

So, when I found out that I was going to be a guest blogger, I was shocked!

This was my face:



See what I mean? It was like, I had a different expression, completely!

But once I got used to the idea, I decided to blab my ears off while I had the chance. It's already been over two years and this is the first time I've been asked to guest-host this blog. It's about time, I'd say, because something weird is happening here. This blog appears to be all about making things and then taking pictures of them and then showing them to people and talking about them. HELLO!? There hasn't been one dog treat in the whole place!

It's not like I haven't tried to help. Here I am, helping with some of the crafting.


This, of course, was when I had just moved in. You wouldn't catch me doing this now.

This is more my deal:


Or, this:


Unless one of my homeys comes over, then I'm all jiggy widdit, yo. Here be my homeboy Doc. He's all white and stuff. Sometimes just his breath can blow my ears back.



And this is Mac. He's a very patient listener.



And my homegirl Stella believes in the good life the same as me.



But there IS an occasional doofus that crosses my path. It's not like I look for these jokers! Sometimes I'm just out on a hike, minding my own business, you know, looking for other dogs' poop, and suddenly...



...Big Black Megator will show up.

Before I got here, I had to kick ass a lot, but now when these losers show up, mom just pulls me back before the ass-kicking even starts. Look at that guy. It's a good thing I had a halter on.

Then, there's the days when I have to represent. Like, for instance:

Game day.

'Nuff said.

And then, a girl has to catch some rays...

...which would be perfect, except for the getting-wet part.

I'm not one of those big dumb 'water dogs' who fly off cliffs every chance they get. Sheesh. Have some dignity, fellas.

And don't forget Dog Toy Day! For some reason, the toy always has paper wrapped around it, like 'Oh, isn't it fun watching someone without opposable thumbs tear it the package open!!'

People are weird, but you have to play along sometimes if you want the hedgehog. (You can quote me.)

Obviously, after a few days like this, I'm exhausted. Here I am with my friend Chad. He always lends an arm.

Or, I can wedge myself in somewhere, and take a rest.

And sometimes I try to get comfortable but someone's in my seat.

So I just go to my own bed.

Aaah!!

Well, that's about it for now. It was a lot of fun, but frankly, I don't recommend this blog-writing as a regular thing. Sure, it's nice to get kudos for a job well done...

But life is short. It's best to take a lie down.

Early Christmas Gift

Here's Scout in her new Snuggie.

Family

You know, sometimes it seems that no one is going to really 'get' you the way your family does.

Last night, my brothers and I had a little Christmas celebration over at the local Round Table. This is the pizza joint my brother Raymond loved to visit, before his stroke left him unable to do so any longer. My brothers and I go every year and toast to him and to our mom, who are no longer with us. We also toast to my brother, Ronnie, who lives in Kansas City, and who couldn't be with us for the event.

I thought I'd share a few pictures. I had so much fun with my brothers last night, and I so enjoyed making their annual Christmas cards using family photos, that I wanted to share some pictures I found and digitized to include on the cards.

Here are my brothers Mike and Doug with me out at Doug's home in the desert about four years ago:


And here is a photo from the 60's - my brother Raymond, teaching me how to fly a kite. I was born much later than my brothers were, so Raymond taught me a lot when I was a kid, and was a father figure for me because my father was not around.


And here's a fun picture of my mom, pretending to tackle Mike and Doug in a friendly game of football.


I miss her.

As another year ends, my online presence will go through some changes. I want to thank all of you who have been constant and supportive travelers through my first years as an artist and crafter. You have made a huge difference toward making the journey even more worthwhile.

CARDS CARDS CARDS

The Owl Trainer, by Vanessa Valencia

Happy 397th post, My Lovelies!

Some time earlier, I mentioned that I had some cards made and ready to send out, and that I would share them with you after the recipients recipped them. Well, unlike many of my claims here at Prism Trail!, this was not an empty promise, or even a sick lie. I actually DID finish some cards and I AM going to share them with you.

All in good time, my pretties, all in good time.

FIRST, however, I must share with you something you all undoubtedly already knew but no one called to tell me, which is that just a couple of days ago, Miss Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist, met her birthday with surprise and revelry. Actually, she wasn't reveling, but many in her circle of fans began cheering, confetti-throwing, pom-pom brandishing, and all-around misbehaving, upon the Frabjous Day.

And yours truly missed the whole thing. Because I continue to be remiss in my bloggish visitations and have missed many important events, including yours, which loss I sorely regret.

But, oddly, this isn't about me. This is about WONDERFUL Miss Vanessa, who has built a virtual empire with her magical, whimsical, uplifting and colorful, life-affirming and ever-engaging explorations and excitations into honoring and celebrating life and what and who we love and value and are thankful for.

How she escapes utter exhaustion is a complete mystery.

But enough about her. As for ME, I have only partaken of about a million of Ms. V's creations, as evidenced here:


YOU, TOO, can dip into the Fanciful by traveling many, many miles at the click of a button. Or, simply delve into her near-daily journalings...there's nothing else like it! And, isn't that a refresher, amid the hustle and bustle?

Yes. It is. Especially if you include a chilled lemon drop martini in a sugar-rimmed glass, which I often do.

Now, back to the point of this whole post, which was: me. Here are a few of the cards I completed recently.

Both sides of one card:




Both sides of another card:




Both sides of another card:



I've never plastered dried leaves to cards before, and I have no idea how they will fare in the post, but I'm hoping that the magic fairy dust I put on them will alter natural laws and allow them to get to their people in one piece, after which it's no longer my problem! They began as postcards, and they ended as postcards (which in itself was fabulous because often my cards end up as recycling or my tiles end up as wobbly coasters or my boxes end up as bowls or... well, it's kind of embarrassing...), but unlike my other altered or conceived postcards, I didn't include any verbiage on these. Because, frankly, I am so tired of just talking talking talking all day, day in and day out, never a moment's PEACE!!!

(Also, I wanted the recipients to be able to use the postcards for their own devices, such as, to send them with their own messages, or to add their own photographs or bits and pieces, or to put them in valuable hand-carved frames with appropriate museum lighting.)

Okay. So, there you have it. Thank goodness we got to the whole point of this interminable post, and I didn't have to talk a lot.

Continue to love and lavish your valued sistren and brethren, and kiss thy tiny animal companions on their noses at every opportunity (unless you happen to have a camel, in which case, please stay as far from either of the ends as possible).

Happy Birthday, VanessaPie!


Next up: After reading this, Vanessa calls Chris and asks for all her stuff back.

Special Day Ahead...

... The day when this blog hits 400 posts!

Yes, people! Just 4 more irreverent, mildly annoying, superbly unprofessional blog posts until the big day!!! There will be a giveaway, as well as a medium announcement!

(Sometimes when you hear about a BIG announcement, you get let down in the end, so I'm trying not to get your hopes up.)

Yes, a medium announcement.

Oh, but for now, here's a big announcement:

I finished a card. Yes, I did. Oh, it's not much. It's an ATC for a little trade with a virtual friend. Aren't virtual friends wonderful? For one thing, they never leave the milk sitting out.

front of card

not front of card

There are more cards to show, but I want to give the swap recipients time to get theirs before sharing pictures here. Not that they actually read my blog, but sometimes the tabloids get hold of the big haps.

So, for the betterment of tabloid-land, I WILL share the biggest announcement yet....

I'm going here, to take this.



Yes, I know. I promised I'd go last year and I didn't. Well. That tells you a bit about my promises, doesn't it? We don't stand on ceremony here at Prism Trail! No. We go as the wind takes us. And believe me, there's plenty of...

wind.

I'm so looking forward to seeing this legendary studio and meeting the fabulous owners and walking the ruralside (rural+countryside) taking photos and meeting birds. (Well, I meet them and they fly away. But it's good for one of us.)

There.
I managed to share some info finally.

Don't tell anyone.


Next Up: Chris forgets to make the medium announcement.

Learning From the Masters

Hey! Check out Valley Ridge Art Studio for next season's opening-day registration today. They have a great video showing their studio and the warmth of the events they hold there. One glance at the workshop schedule and you'll swoon. And the director, Kathy, is one of the nicest people ever to come to earth.

In other news, I've had to put comment moderation back on my blog. Getting a lot of weird stuff. I had to delete a couple of comments on my previous post, and blogger keeps a notice of deletions, so it just makes the comments section look icky. I would rather the comments not get through and have to be deleted.

Oh, the challenges of blogging. The Valley Ridge workshops would recharge your batteries!

Bakson

Hey, my lovely readers. I hope you are all feeling inspired and free to create your magic for the season. I'm loving the goals I've set for myself and the steps I'm taking to achieve them! The leaves are beautiful, the weather is mild here in L.A. and we have our health and our families and friends. I am feeling very thankful and very lucky.

You probably think you've stepped into the wrong blog. I'm usually all snarked out! Sarcasm often flows from this page! But you're, indeed, in the right place. Sometimes I'm just more in love with life than irked by circumstances. And I'm going to try to make it last!

While I've been busy and have not been able to post very much, and have had to take my blog-visiting moments where I can (I love seeing what you're all up to), I have to say that one of the things I'm thankful for is the interwebs and how, with a touch of a few buttons, I can see gorgeous images, visit generous artists, and read interesting stories.

Rock on, my peeps! As Pooh might say, I'm bizzy, but I'll be bakson!

Relatively Speaking

The International Year of Astronomy is drawing to a close, and I have loved it. There have been cool podcasts and amazing web features. I just love our solar system. If I could hug it, I would. Sure, I'd be a charred, smoking cinder afterward, but just call me Cinderella!

As cyber Monday begins, I thought I'd share a reminder to go visit your favorite planet or dwarf planet or galaxy or observatory, and reflect on just how big everything can be.

Especially our hearts and minds.

Happy Holiday!

Artists' Secrets

Don't forget to visit the first in a weekly series of post on The Altered Page! I learned some new things today!

Fulfillment

Happy Sunday to my peeps! I found this leaf the other day while taking my walk, and it was so pretty I brought it home and put gel medium on it to preserve it. Then I went to work and unfortunately, the medium stuck it to the waxed paper and when I pulled it off, there were spots. But it doesn't matter, it's still beautiful. I like the back of it, too.




If I preserved every leaf I saw on my walks, I would have 3,471* just since autumn began.

I wanted to fulfill my promise to show you my finished baked goods. As you know, I started them here. Don't they look fabulous?!


Well, they don't look like that any more. We had a guest yesterday and now they look like wild beasts got to them before the oven cooled down. I added chopped walnuts to the pumpkin bread mix and added chocolate chips to half of that. It was like being on Top Chef.



This is one of the cutest little guys I've ever seen. You can get the tutorial for it here.

Not only does Pam Harris craft and paint, she also bakes. I'm not saying she goes so far as to bake from Trader Joe's baking mixes, because that takes a really special hand. But look at these tips for holiday baking. It's enough to make me go out and buy cream of tartar.

My sketchbook is coming along fabulously. I've only torn three pages out of it so far!


*conservative estimate