Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Yesterday, Valerie and I went flea marketing for old albums and I scored big time. This is my very favorite Christmas album from my childhood and it’s in pristine condition. The one we had when I was a kid had a ton of skips but we always played it anyway. I was so excited by my find that I went home and played it. Not a single pop, hiss or skip! I also love the cover with the candles. On the back is an outline of the candles and information about each singer. Yep, that’s Bobby Sherman you see there, along with Lena Horne, Carol Burnett, Johnny Mathis, Danny Kaye and more. I’m so excited about my find! This is why I love to flea market. You just never know what treasure you’ll unearth. Oh, and all this nostalgic goodness only cost me $1.

I also have to include a picture of Littles. It’s so cold here that she’s always searching for a warm spot. The other day, I threw my coat on the couch after class and she crawled inside for a snooze. She’s such a cutie!

Tonight in my welding class I learned torch cutting. Man, that is so cool! Imagine wielding a long torch (around a foot) running oxygen and acetylene in a fine flame and cutting through 3/8″ steel. It’s so powerful. I was hogging the area and got to the point where I’d done it enough that the guys were asking me to watch them cut! I even did some circles, but they were really tough because you have to aim the flame where you’re cutting. To make class more exciting, Joe (our instructor) showed us how to use a plasma cutter. You can cut all sorts of lines, circles, shapes and everything with it. I’m so excited because he’s going to let us use it next class period even though he doesn’t teach it until the advanced class.

Welding is cool.

Staci at verypink.com posted a fascinating piece recently about what she’d tell her 15 year-old self about her life today. It got me thinking about what I thought my grown up life would be when I was that age. Can you just imagine telling yourself that one day you’d carry a phone with you, have a computer, search the globe using something called the “Internet”, and play your music on an iPod? What about the person you married or the kids you had (or didn’t)? How about new interests you developed that you thought you never would?

What would you tell your 15 year-old self about your life today that would shock you?

Fashion week is almost over in New York, but it will be a long time before we see any of the styles. Forget about Spring, this is all about Fall ‘07 styles. Here are a few of faves from Elle’s website:

Marc Jacobs - Inspired by 1920s fashions, Marc Jacobs has created a very wearable collection. I have to say I’d wear just about everything I saw.

Behnaz Sarafpour - After wowing us last fall with a terrific collection for Target, this designer again does not disappoint. Her clean lines make almost all the pieces very wearable. I did notice a liberal use of black, but I liked most of her pieces. Besides my wardrobe is mostly black so I could relate.

Oscar de la Renta - Is there anything this designing icon can’t do? I loved all the fur trim and the use of brocade and patterns in this collection. Sure, some of it was a bit over-the-top, but that’s what runway shows are all about!

I haven’t had time to view all of the designers, and the shows don’t end until Friday, but I liked what I saw so far. It’s actually not so weird looking at Fall ‘07 designs while it’s still cold out. At least I can relate to the clothing better now than if it was 90 outside!

My friend Valerie has the most amazing eye for home decorating. First, she managed to decorate a tiny house with all kinds of vintage goodies without making it look cluttered. Then, she and her husband Kevin (our handyman), purchased a new home last year and turned it into a showcase for all thing vintage and cool. Her living room looks like a magazine ad for the 1960s, complete with authentic furnishings and knick-knacks. Last night, they came over to watch the Superbowl and Valerie and I got a bit bored once the second half started. I suggested she help me with my latest wall art project - framing my albums. I did learn not to let Valerie hammer nails into plaster as we had a bit of a mishap, but we covered it with the picture so it was no big deal.

Here’s what the wall looks like now. The theme is “Music for…” I love the one with the ashtray and lit cigarettes!

Here are two of my favorites. One is in the hallway and the other is right outside the den. Since our anniversary is this month, I thought the “Our Anniversary” album was fitting.

I just can’t seem to get my creative mojo working. Blame it on the cold, winter, February, whatever but this must come to an end. Being in school usually means learning new skills and creating cool stuff. However, the first assignment is about inspirations and I don’t feel inspired to do anything! I finally chose the artwork of Mondrian and am creating a bangle bracelet of cloisonne pieces reflecting his work. Sure, I should be excited about it, but I’m not. I don’t really want to do much of anything right now.

Knowing me, and my overachieving ways, I’ll force myself into the studio and get this thing done on time. Good news is that I hired a new student worker who’s starting today. At least her presence in the studio will force me to get some work done. It’s probably the kick in the pants I need to get my mojo back on track.

A couple of weeks ago it was the ice storm of the century. This week it’s snow. Will winter ever end? Guess we’ll find out tomorrow when Puxatawney Phil shows his little head. Meanwhile, we’ll just have to weather the storm, so to speak.

While I don’t mind the snow too much, walking to and from class in the storm yesterday wasn’t fun. Then, in true Springfield fashion, people left work early to get home and started driving like idiots. The news was full of multi-car pile-ups and cars stuck on the side of the road. I swear, Springfield drivers are the worst!

Hope wherever you are you’re warm and comfortable. I was going to walk over to school this morning and draw down some fine silver wire, but I think that can wait. I think I’ll just spend some time inside enjoying the warmth of my house.