Mea Culpa

Image Copyright The Little Prince by Antoine du Saint-Exupery 1943

Well now, really. I truly did not mean to insinuate that people only read my blog for the free stuff. Do forgive. I don't have much free stuff other than projects and advice. I was commenting on the blogosphere in general and I didn't mean to insult you, dear reader. If I post a free project, it is free without strings, though it is under copyright and you therefore can't make it and sell it, but you can (and I encourage you to) make it for yourself or your friends or family! That's the point of posting projects, to inspire you to be creative!

Sometimes I can become a little world weary and sometimes I feel a little isolated and alone here in the middle of nowhere far from family and friends.

I blog, mostly, because like everyone on the planet I want to feel connected. I long to reaffirm and to confirm that I am not alone. I long to know that I am not the only square peg, I am not the only stranger in a strange land. To be certain that I am not thinking and creating and feeling all of the things I think, create and feel here in my little studio in vain.

So I do know why I blog.

I just, as an admittedly vain Leo, wonder sometimes if there isn't a healthy dose of ego involved in assuming that anyone cares what I think, create or feel.

I don't even have to wonder that, it's true. Ah, but that healthy dose of ego is what fuels my moxie and my chutzpah and most of all my unmitigated gall.

We all have an ego. We all love a little applause now and again. It is the human condition to want to reach out and touch someone literally or figuratively across these electronic ethers.

I am blessed to have made so many amazing friends simply because I took the chance, I risked the possible humiliation...I turned this thing on and I trusted that somewhere out there someone would read my little messages in a bottle and it might just make them feel a little less alone. And you know what? They did.

And you know what else? It made us all feel a little less alone.

"I just want to be loved, is that so wrong?" Harvey Fierstien

And on that note... I must check on the lasagna I whipped up for dinner (mostly from packages and cans so try not to be too impressed) and start loading up the Uhaul to begin the epic journey (okay it's really around the corner and up a steep mountain but I'm taking artistic license...)

But I digress...to begin the epic journey of our move to our little cabin in the mountains.

Thank you for helping me to feel just a little less alone. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me.

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." Le Petit Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Words are the source of all misunderstanding." Le Petit Prince

xoxo
Madge

Of windstorms and egos.

Image from Dover Books Art Deco Motifs

Hello?

Is this thing on?

Yes, I'm still buried in the move. I wish we were moved already. I'm tired of living out of boxes, putting stuff back into boxes, digging around in boxes for that thing I need that I can not find... I like having roots. Even if I have moved over 32 times in 47 years, I don't like living out of a suitcase. Our new home is just lovely and I'd like to wiggle my nose and have it all unpacked and pretty and be there, settled. Alas and alack...there must be packing and unpacking and placing of furniture and accessories before that delicious moment arrives.

I simply don't have enough time to do that and my full time job and carve out time for Madge's Musings.

Blogging is silly, really. It's an act of pure narcissism to think that anyone else gives three farts in a windstorm what you think and what you're doing every day. You post and you post, free stuff, good ideas, musings and revelations...and then at some point you look at it all and wonder...what was the point, exactly?

Some people post a lot. They post a lot and they give away a lot of good ideas. Some people post sporadically in clusters of posts followed by weeks of silence. Some people post about their personal lives and some people don't reveal much at all. Some people get tons of comments and some none at all. It helps to get comments if you regularly give away a lot of free stuff. Free prizes, free ideas, pictures of your work which other people are mostly just downloading so they can copy it. I think a lot of the internet is about people wanting free stuff, which starts to frustrate folks who make a living from their ideas and their creativity.

We can't give it all away, after all.

When I first started blogging, I posted every single day for almost two years. I barely even promoted the blog, I didn't even know how to promote a blog. I think the reason I did it at first was because by doing it publicly, I became accountable. It wasn't a dog eared diary sitting on a shelf. People were waiting for me to post. There was a reason.

Though perhaps even that assessment was mostly ego driven.

Does anyone really wait for me to post?

Is my blog sitting here pouting in a corner if I neglect it? Are people sitting at the other side of their computer screens waiting breathlessly for whatever drivel manages to spill out of my brain at any given moment?

If I stopped blogging, tweeting and Facebook sharing, would anyone give three farts in a windstorm?

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Love
Madge

This, that...and the other.

Pretty in Peeps Necklace by Margot Potter for ILovetoCreate
Follow this Link for Instructions

Okay so look, I sometimes feel as if my straw pile keeps me so busy I start to drift away and the rest of the things in my life, like my friends and this blog and my stray eyebrow hairs and even my ever growing pile of magazines start to feel like they're just out of reach.

I'm still here, plugging away at it all with the new job and our move into our new home and the buying of gee gaws and hoozits to decorate the new home which was initially going to be decorated in Cabin Chic but after the purchase of two giant reclaimed tin roosters from Mexico at our local Home Goods...is now veering into folk art kitsch...

Inhale.

Exhale.

So in lieu of a new project or a thought provoking blog post about the deeper meaning of string...

I wanted to reshare one of my all time favorite of favorite projects...ever.

If you like this one you may also love my Peeps Bouquet along with the tale of misfortune that accompanies that post.

I think Peeps are so cute I could just eat them up.

Well I could.

So could you.

I mean, they're edible. Duh.

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

Avalon Potter for ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Pink Sparkles Easter Bunny Ears

(Av and I were at a local store and saw these ears and we both got a pair for Easter. She decided to trick hers out and they turned out to be extra super cute! Here's her Teen Craft project for ILoveToCreate! I'm a proud momma in rabbit ears!)



Pink Sparkles Easter Bunny Ears
Avalon Potter for ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts
“Teen Crafted, Mom Approved”

I was walking through a store when I saw this adorable Easter bunny ear headband! I took it home and after I tried it on I felt it was lacking...something. So what did I do next? I headed straight to my Tulip® bins to dig up some pink glitter and Tacky Glue! Next I looked through my ribbons gathering up some that matched the sparkles, and then I grabbed some tiny pink chicks. Finally I was ready to make some super cute pink Easter bunny ears!

Materials
Tulip® Fashion Glitter Bond™
Crafty Chica® Chunky Glitters™ (Frida's Fuchsia)
Aleene’s® Quick Dry Tacky Glue™
Pink ribbon
Pink tiny chick
Newspaper
White fuzzy bunny ears with satin fabric inside the ear

Tools
Scissors

Instructions



1. Gather your materials and place newspapers around your workspace. Take Tulip® Fashion Glitter Bond™ and apply a thin layer inside of the ears.

2. Take your Frida's Fuchsia Crafty Chica® Chunky Glitters™ (if pink isn’t your color just use a different one from the various assortment) and sprinkle over the glue then shake it around making sure everything is covered. Shake off excess glitter and put back in container.

3. Let the glitter/glue dry for two hours. While you are waiting start on your bow.

4. Decide how big you want the bow loops to be and cut a piece of ribbon in the desired length. Place a small amount of Aleene’s® Quick Dry Tacky Glue™ in the center and fold in the ribbon ends.

5. Add another dab of glue in the center of the bow. Cut a small piece of ribbon just long enough to go around the middle of the bow.

6. Fasten the small ribbon around width of your first ribbon forming a bow and secure with a small dab of glue.

7. Use the Tacky Glue to attach the ribbon in the middle of the two ears directly in front and let dry.



8. Take the little chick and glue it on top of the headband positioned in the very middle. Allow to dry before wearing, even though you know you’ll want to wear it them right away!

Farewell, Friend

We got Mrs. Gladiola P. Fellerbee as a puppy. She looked like a little fox. Avalon had told me emphatically at the age of three that if we ever got a dog we should name it Mr. Fellerbee, since Felb was a girl we named her Mrs. Fellerbee. I added the Gladiola P. part, as it seemed fitting. I was the one who wanted a dog. I was obsessed. I'm a little obsessive compulsive sometimes and it was a very long and difficult year. I had this vision of a furry little friend spramping across the floor to greet me every morning.

Spramp...spramp. Pant. Snuffle.

We had a few false starts, but finally it all worked out and we had our new little dog. She picked up fetch so quickly we were certain we had a canine prodigy on our hands. She was hoppity and bouncity and sprampity and adorable, as all puppies are.

As a puppy, Mrs. Fellerbee was hit by a truck. Terriers are hard wired to chase things, they were bred to chase vermin into holes (cairns are rock piles where the vermin live). That bright, shiny truck was simply too tempting and she took off like a lightening bolt to get it. Nothing could have stopped her pursuit. Felb loved to chase trucks, which is why after this incident she was never allowed near a road without a leash or a lead. Henceforth she became known as 'dog on a string.' She would have died, but my sister in law, who is a small animal vet, was there at the scene and performed emergency surgery. After that accident, Mrs. Fellerbee was never quite the same. It took several weeks until she could walk again.

As is the way of life sometimes, Mrs. Fellerbee became my husband's dog. Terriers tend to bond strongly to one family member and he was her human. That was that.

Fellerbee was a giant pain in the ass. She peed freely on any tiny square of carpet she could find. I could not even keep a small bathroom or kitchen rug for more than a week before she christened it. She barked incessantly, and nothing could deter her. She licked our entire house and every square inch of our furniture obsessively. She ate her way through a huge swath of my daughter's stuffed animals followed by pillows, bedspreads, sweaters, dog beds and anything that looked remotely chew worthy. Yet, when we twice had mice infest our little country schoolhouse, she could not be bothered to even acknowledge their existence. Who wants to bother chasing a mouse when there are soft and fluffy comforters that need attacking?

When we moved to East Tennessee earlier this year, we had to find homes for our livestock. The mountains are filled with predators that would find chickens and pigs tasty treats. My sister in law took the chickens to her forty acre farm and a good friend of Avalon's family had been wanting some exotic pets, so they were happy to take the pot bellies. It was hard saying goodbye to our feathered and hooved friends, but we were confident they'd be well cared for. Fortunately we were able to bring our two guinea pigs and Mrs. Fellerbee with us.

Our rental property has carpeted bedrooms, and if a door was left open, Felb took full advantage of the cushy soft carpeting upon which to freely relieve herself. She was never particularly fond of wet grass on her private parts, and I can hardly blame her.

Mrs. Fellerbee had been changing over the past year. We believe that the damage to her brain caught up to her. While we were out of town, something happened that sent up some major red flags. Then this past Friday, it became apparent that she had turned a corner and we were not going to be able to bring her back. So this past Saturday we took her to a most compassionate local vet and made the impossible decision to have her put to sleep. Both the vet and my sister in law assured us that this was the right thing to do. My husband and I considered running away several times before digging deeper to find the resolve we needed to let her go. It was best for her and for those around her, but the right thing is rarely the easy thing.

The three of us have been sitting around since Friday night crying big, fat, sobbing tears. Mrs. Fellerbee was part of our family and we had envisioned her living to annoy us endlessly for many more years to come. We were making plans for her to take over the porch at our new home as her domain. We were so close that it feels surreal...all of it...why now? Why here? Why has it all been so bloody difficult since we decided to move here?

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Then I remind myself that things could be far worse. I think about the people in Japan, and all that they have lost this week. I think of these things, count my blessings and I know that Mrs. Fellerbee is okay now. We buried her in the side garden in our new yard. When Avalon was small, Mrs. Fellerbee ate her favorite little stuffed dog toy from Old Navy...three times. I had to buy them on eBay to replace them. We placed an earless little Old Navy dog into her cardboard coffin along with a chew bone. She always loved a good chew bone. Last week we found a giant frog sculpture for our new garden, and it became obvious on Saturday that this was meant to be Fellerbee's guardian on her journey. So the giant frog stands guard on top of her grave and we wish Fellerbee safe travels.

Life goes on. We will heal. The scars will fade, the tears will dry. It won't feel quite so quiet here after a while. Yet that small space in our hearts where that snarky, barky, infuriating and lovable little terrier took up space, well that will stay broken.

Fare thee well, Mrs. Fellerbee.

Love
Madge

ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts: Edible Easter Centerpiece and Party Favor

ILovetoCreate Teen Crafts
Edible Easter Centerpiece and Party Favor
By Avalon Potter
“Teen Crafted, Mom Approved”

I love flowers, and especially Pink gerbera daises! I also happen to love jelly beans, parties, and crafts. I have always wanted to combine them all and with Easter on the way I thought of a perfect way to do it! This week’s project is an edible Easter center piece, with the delicious element of jelly beans and the adorable design of a pink daisy in a rick rack embellished pot!

Materials
Jelly beans
Cardboard
Styrofoam
Three colorful little buckets (we got these at Target in the dollar section)
Fake pink gerbera daises
Rick rack or colorful ribbon
Aleene’s Liquid Fusion Glue
Aleene's Foamtastic Glue

Tools
Scissors
Pen

Instructions

1. Gather all of your materials.

2. Wrap your ribbon around the base of the bucket to measure it and cut leaving a little bit of excess ribbon.


3. Apply a thin strip of Aleene’s Liquid Fusion glue to the backside of the ribbon and rewrap around the base of the bucket.

4. Repeat steps two and three for the top and bottom of all three buckets.

5. Measure the bucket width by drawing a circle on the cardboard with the bottom of the bucket. Then cut out the cardboard circle.


6. Take a chunk of Styrofoam and put it in the bottom of the bucket, then make a hole big enough for the flower stem in the cardboard. Add some Aleene’s Foam glue and slide the cardboard to the top of your foam.

7. Cut the flowers so that they fit in the pot making two the same size and the third taller.


8. Put the flower in the pot giving it a bend so you can see the flower face. Make sure the face is facing you.


9. Fill the pot to the top with jelly beans.

10. If you want to let your guests take these home, add a name on a card to the pot handle or the flower stem.

Blog Tour and Book Giveaway! Kathy Cano Murillo's Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing

Kathy Cano-Murillo is of my favorite people on the planet. Anyone who knows her can attest to the fact that she's crafty, she's funny, she's talented, she's hard working and she's kind. No one is more inspired or inspirational. I'm not sure how she did it, but somehow she's defied the time space continuum to find time to create craft projects, blog posts, social networking posts, a product line, finished goods for sale AND write novels! Her latest absolutely delightful 'crafty lit' offering features a plucky heroine and a host of fascinating characters with whom you'll instantly fall in love. Every page of the book is so fun filled and fantastic, you simply will not put it down. You'll want to savor every moment, stitch by stitch, as Scarlet Santana takes control of her life and in the process inspires others to do the same. I'm part of Chica blog tour today. Read more below about this MUST READ book for any woman or man who has ever dreamed of reinventing themselves...and if you'd like a copy of Chica's book, leave a comment here and I'll contact and announce a winner on Thursday!

Title: Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing
Author: Kathy Cano-Murillo
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Hardcover: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-0446509237
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

Sometimes to find your life’s true path, you have to stray outside the lines . .

Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.

But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.

About the Author:

With a life motto of “Crafts! Drama! Glitter!” Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo is a creative force of nature. A former syndicated columnist for The Arizona Republic, she is the founder of the award-winning Web site, CraftyChica.com and the author of seven nonfiction craft books and a Web series on LifetimeTV.com. Kathy has a Crafty Chica line of art supplies that are sold nationwide. She also has been featured in numerous media outlets such as The New York Times Magazine, NPR’s Weekend Edition, USA Today, Bust, and Latina magazine. She has shared her crafty ideas on local television, as well as on Sí TV, HGTV, and DIY network. She has been writing stories longer than she has been crafting. Inspired by Judy Blume and Erma Bombeck, she caught the literary bug in grade school, where she used to draw a picture and then write a colorful story to go with it. It’s a creativity exercise she still practices to this day! Kathy lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, two kids, and five Chihuahuas.

Reading Group Guide
@CraftyChica
Facebook Page
Craftychica.com
Crafty Chica’s photostream on Flickr
Crafty Chica YouTube Channel

I received a complimentary copy of Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo from Hachette Book Groups to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Anchors Away, Dahlings!

Sailing, Sailing Jewelry Set Copyright Margot Potter for Jewelry Television's Jewel School

Christian Dior Spring 2011

Many of you know that I have a long standing affection for nautical themed fashions. I can't say what it is about stripes and sailor pants that makes me so endlessly happy, but perhaps it is tied to my love of the ocean.

Nautical looks are hotter than ever this season and I made this swingy little necklace using QuickLinks, Artistic Wire, freshwater pearls and faceted blue goldstone beads all from Jewel School at Jewelry Television.

You can get the step by step instructions here at the JTV Blog!

Anchors away, dahlings.

(Click on the button to see the FAB projects from a bevy of talented crafters in this month's Fave Crafts Blog Hop!)

xoxo
Madge