porch party

this is the metal homemade bookcase/cabinet that i picked up yesterday. it looks like its always been here. i thought i'd take some other pictures of my back porch for you to enjoy. there is a hook over the cabinet, so i'll pick up a hanging basket of flowers, which i think will look really nice.

this is a pair of shutters i picked up yesterday for $20.

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and here is the potting bench i also got yesterday. the guy who makes them is retiring. he said this is the last one. he and his wife are really cool. they live down south in a town called, "Tuckerton". he is selling off his wood pieces, so me and jeff (jane wants to go too!) are going to go see what he has.

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close up on potting bench. i put some of my precious sea balls in the enamel bowl on top there. (it's sunk in). because we get so much rain, we are going to try and find something to cover it with during rain and winter.
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the dress form i got yesterday

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a paper mache bust also found yesterday. i have some vintage metal flower curtain tie back pin that i will poke into the bust and then hang my necklaces from there.

* a couple of you wanted to know how i got all these items back home: we live quite close to this flea market, so jeff and dillon drove over and picked up one load. then jeff came back later and picked us girls up. then jane and i returned with the truck to get the tin shed. it was light weight and easily slid into the back of jeff's truck.

i just got invited to participate in a porch party. stop by Rose Colored Glasses to see all the participants.

Ocean Grove flea market

I love to go to this flea market. it is held twice a year. unfortunately the last two times they had it, it rained, so it wasn't all that good. but today was beautiful and the place was crazy! i went with Jane and her daughter, Claudia. they drove here yesterday and spent the night. we stayed in the trailer and it was great fun. we had a lovely dinner in Asbury Park.

this morning, we got to the flea market about 8:00am and right off the bat, i spied this home made cupboard. SOLD - to me! the guy told me he could have sold it 10 times over with all the expressed interest in it. i've already got it on the back porch and accessorized, so tomorrow, i'll snap a photo of it - in it's new home. i also bought a cool bust to hang necklaces on, a tattered dress form, 2 black shutters with moon cutouts, a home made potting bench and 2 bird houses. it was great fun. we got lots of sun, walked around forever and spent too much money.

feeling better

i'm starting to feel a little better. tucker went back to school today and although, i was a nervous wreck about it, it was good for jeff and i to have a break. i had to work today. i am working one day a week at this shoppe nearby that is carrying some of my art. i pay her some rent and work one day a week. my sales there have been really good with the summer crowd.

i have news for you though - i am not meant to be cooped up in a little shop and dealing with the public! i felt like a caged bird, just dying to get out! it means putting on a happy, friendly face and answering beign questions that drive me batty! i'd rather be home creating art than trying to sell it! and today was really cold and rainy, which meant, very little business. so i decide to do some drawing. here is one of the pictures i drew today:

at first, the girl didn't have those tears. i added them at the end just to represent how i was feeling this week. i'm going to draw a little bird sitting on the branch over her head. the bird will be watching over her in comfort, like my friends and family. so that's the report!

also, i'm thinking of driving to Boston in a few weeks to take a Michael deMeng class. might be just what the doctor ordered - some art therapy!

yard work

yesterday i tried to get a little sunshine which is always beneficial especially when you are feeling down and have been cooped up in the house with a sick kid and bad weather. did some weeding, leaf removal, raking. just enough to tidy up, but not too much to make me tired. Gracie was very helpful as you can see cleaning up the sticks.

and this is why you should never let your black cat help out in the garden- because they like to roll in the dirt. gross, huh?

I'm here

this is one of teesha moore's collage pages that i used to create a journal cover with. i was working today and the journal caught my eye. the girl and what is says (or doesn't say) about "life" made me think, this girl is how i've been feeling the last few days. see the hands over her heart? that's me: protecting my broken heart, or maybe keeping out the pain. i'll have to be honest, i've been having a tough few days. i expected it though; as these depressed moods seem to follow tucker's bouts of being sick. i know i put on the brave face and am often told how "strong" i am. but in truth, i often suffer in silence. the reality of viewing life fragilities, particularily if that life belongs to your own child, is to say the least, difficult. how does one face such circumstances? each illness, i find, harder to handle. in the moment of crisis, i am your go to guy. i am level headed and know what needs to be done. it is instinctive to me. but when it is over, the reality sets in. i feel i go into some sort of post traumatic stress syndrome. i feel sad, i feel helpless, i feel lonely, i feel hopeless,i feel exhausted, i feel afraid, i feel angry, i feel futile. this is not me, this is not who i want to be. what is one to do in such a case? i revert back to all i know; day by day; one day at a time. it's all i have, it's all i can handle.

Self-portrait Wednesday

here's what you get from me today. tired and resting from not feeling well. i am feeling better today; although my abs and back are killing me from coughing so hard. tucker is on the mend too; still coughing alot. i feel bad that all his caregivers got it too. nasty stuff.

*update: tucker's doc called and said he tested positive for influenza type A, so now we are all on Tamflu (or whatever it is called. dillon wasn't feeling well earlier and all the caregivers for tuck who watched him last weekend are sick. i have to go have a swab done tomorrow as the case was reported to the local health department. i'm feeling a little better today. our pharmacy was very low on the tamflu product and said that many people are sick. i'm guessing tuck picked it up at school, which is where is always seems to get this stuff.

i really appreciate all the nice thoughts and prayers for me and tucker. you guys really know how to help relieve some this inner anxiety i carry around with me with all your support. i thank you. you'll never know how much it means to me.

so far today, tuck's fever is staying down, so cross fingers. he's still coughing alot, so i'll continue with his respiratory treatments including the use of a nebulizer and The Vest, which is the coolest machine ever. a velcro vest is put on him and then these plastic tubes hook into the vest and into the machine. when you turn it on, it fills up with air and start to rattle tucker's chest. you can turn it up really high to focus deep within his lungs or go lower to focus on more shallow areas. he likes to fall asleep when it is going.

i had a horrible night of sleep last night, coughing my fool head off, non stop. ever since i was little i would get these horrible coughs that just wouldn't quit. the only thing that really helps is coedine. so i just called my neighbor/doc to call in a script for me. you'll like this story though- around 2am i was so desperate to stop coughing, that i was rummaging through my medicine cabinet and found an old bottle of coedine. well, it had gelled at the bottom, that's how old it was. did i let that stop me? No! i took a spoon and started scraping it off the bottom and then took it that way. nice, right? (kind of gross!)but it worked, i managed to get some sleep starting around 3am.

on a more positive note, JoAnna emailed me that she had gotten the cards that i had sent her. thank you everyone who sent cards to me to send onto them. She's taking them to the hospital today to show Ron. She was very touched.

i wish i could say that tucker was feeling better today, but he's not. when i got up this morning, he had a high temperature, which i found alarming. he usually runs a low grade temp when not feeling well. i had to work at the co-op today, so i told jeff, take him to the doc. i don't want to say the "S-word, flu" out loud, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once, being that we live so close to NY and they are having so many outbreaks. and tucker is always getting things from his school. He also has a weakened immune system; so you do the math..... The doc seems to think it is a virus, but put him on a 3 day z-pak (antibotic). i also insisted on the nasal swabs for lab testing (which is how they diagnosis the "s-word flu"). i'd rather be over reacting than feeling regretful later. now i'm going to lay down myself, as unfortunately, now i'm not feeling well either. jeff thinks it's my worry bringing on an illness, but in my defense i was complaining on a scratchy/sore throat on thurs. and fri. (i thought it was allergies as my eyes felt like they had glass in them!) thank you for your kind comments. you know me and how i worry so for tuck - so i appreciate it.

Quiet despair

I'm feeling a little sad tonight. Tucker's not feeling well and you know how much that bothers me. It's a helpless, anxious and horrible worry feeling. I hate it when he's ill, it makes sad and angry at the same time. I took this photo of a water fountain in San Diego at a garden nursery. The way the water splashed onto her face, made it looked like she was crying. Thought is was a good visual to describe my feelings.

rock art

website jewelry, originally uploaded by keeshagirl4.

how cool is this? dillon made it for me, by gathering up all th rocks and then writing, "Lemoncholy's Studio" on them. then i took the picture. i'm saving the rocks to use in website photos showing off merchandise or i was thinking it would look cool in a shadow box or old frame and glue them down.

peeing cactus boy

Before Suzi Blu's class one day, my partner in crime, Veronica and i decided to hit the botanical garden that she had come across. we had a great time there - taking loads of photos. as i looked across a canyon area at the viewing platform, i spied this catus that i thought looked like a little kid going pee!

self portrait wed (SP wed) & new listings to website

"self portrait wednesdays": take a pic of yourself every wed and post to blog. check out the comments for this post (by katie kendrick) to see how "SP wed" got started. I keep meaning to do it , but always forget! so in case you want to join in, all you do is take some sort of self portrait every wed and then post it to your blog. some participants are Judy Wise (gotta get a class in with her) and katie kendrick (gotta get a class in with her too!) is playing as well. katie's SP's are cool. so here is my first SP. not super great or anything creative, as i am tired and just remembered it was wed! it shows me sitting at the computer working on my website. it's showing me in the moment, working hard. i figured that was appropriate for today! (note glass of wine by my side.)

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here are some things i added into the website this evening. wow, sitting at the computer loading in all the stats, descriptions, pictures, etc. has made me exhausted! but my goal is to do a little bit every day until all my jewelry has been listed. then i give myself permission to start making new things! i will take a break in the morning and enjoy the nice weather by going to one of our favorite flea markets, "Columbus"

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this is a picture of my little section in a store that is carrying my stuff (well, it's really a co-op). the owner and a few artists have come together to run this little shoppe in downtown Pt. Pleasant, NJ. the store is called "Sea and Green" and it's based on recycling and handmade. The owner, Rebecca, had seen me at an art festival (i refused to call them "craft shows") and ask me if i was interested.

Emily's Day Out - SOLD!

Yay, i added my first item to my website today!

Meet Emily -

At one time, Emily was a lonely little doll, found abandoned in a thrift store. After rescuing her, Emily was brought home and given a makeover. Her new look consists of new hair, new makeup and beautiful new skirt made of vintage lace and an antique button. Her torso was beaded with lovely teal colored amazonite rondelle beads. From clasp to the bottom of Emily's faux torquoise dangle bead, she measures 14". Her chain consists of various deconstructed sterling chain, vintage pearl links and one handmade cacoon bead, layered with vintage ribbon, blue tone seed beads and wrapped in sterling silver wire. Emily is a one of a kind necklace. She has been signed and dated on the back. Emily will be carefully wrapped and shipped first class in a padded envelope. check her out at http://www.lemoncholys.com/

Emily is SOLD!

women, if you value your health, please read.....

Important Women's Health Issue:

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

Do you suffer from shyness? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

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Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.. Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include: Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, Erotic lustfulness, Loss of motor control, Loss of clothing, Loss of money, Loss of virginity, Table dancing ,Headache, Dehydration, Dry mouth and a desire to sing Karaoke.

WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting. Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.

Thank you.

(hehe)

paper mache bird in cage

i found this birdcage at Michael's and decided it needed a little birdie to live inside of it. the bird is paper mache and she is sitting on a wire nest i wove. the nest is sitting on a kid's wooden block, "B" for bird! her feathers are real feathers found in my very own back yard. i learned how to make the bird while in Hampton, from Jan Harris. my goal is to make them smaller and smaller and eventually have some little ones to use in jewelry.

Happy Mother's Day

mobile blogging

Test post for mobile blogging. Just not sure how to add pics

Suzi Blu's mermaid's by the sea class, San Diego, California