random.on purpose.

The "Day Job" Doesn't Always Suck

While the majority of my days are filled with things that "have" to be done, rather than things I "want" to be doing, sometimes the project(s) I work on have an element or two that make it kinda sorta fun.  I've made the pillows for Hannah's room, and it was fun to figure out how to use the scraps from her "memo wall" to make decent-sized pillows:

Hannah is mostly into giraffes (as opposed to the other animal skins), so I used bigger pieces on the wall, which meant smaller scraps to use for the pillows.  One answer was to use a strip of it with two smaller strips of the cheetah for a neckroll (made from a strip of batting left over from another job rolled into a "tootsie roll" and whip-stitched together), with taffeta cording and buttons.  A 17" strip of the iridescent taffeta was fashioned into a shirred, round pillow with button tufting.  I had a big piece of the tiger left over, so it became one side of a 24" square  pillow.  The other side is pieced together with a giraffe square surrounded by mitered cheetah strips, with taffeta cording between:

I used larger welt cord to make the cording for the outside edge of the pillow.  Hannah's comforter is solid brown, so these pillows should look pretty good against it.

In other news, I finished my coffee-table-turned-patio-bench:

It's hard to see because of the lighting (or lack thereof), but the bench itself has several coats of black spray paint, followed by a couple of coats of "hammered black" spray paint.  Here's a better look at the top of the cushion:

And, since it 's reversible, I'll show you the other side, too:

Not bad for FREE, eh?  (Well, almost - I did have to buy the webbing to support the cushion and the spray paint)  Next up: staining the Adirondack chairs.  They're going to be RED - the stain color is called "Sangria" - I'm pretty excited about it...

And that's pretty much all I have to share with you today!  Something a bit different from the paper creations you're used to seeing, but I'm trying to share more of all of the different things I do, not just cards and such...

I'm delivering Hannah's pillows today and faux-finishing the walls of the sunroom at the same house, so I doubt I'll be back around later.  Have a fabulous weekend!

One More Thought on Futility

I live in an older home with double-hung windows.  In order to accomodate a window air-conditioning unit in my studio, it was necessary to raise the front (lower) window, which leaves a gap between the two windows.  Normally, there is a screen in place to keep bugs out but it had to be removed, obviously.

In order to seal the gap, I've put a strip across, taped in place, from the top edge of the front window to the glass of the one behind.  Bugs (moths, most especially) get between the two windows and can't figure out how to get out.  They invariably go up, hit the strip, flutter down just a bit, crawl back up, hit the strip, flutter down just a bit, crawl back up...you get the idea...

Freedom is as simple as going down, since that's where the exit is.  It must seem counterintuitive to them to do so but, judging by the growing collection on the lower window frame, release from this cycle of futility comes only with death.

Where are you killing yourself?  Maybe you should look around for another direction...

On Flogging Dead Horses

...banging your head against walls, and other equally futile acts:

Comes a time when you realize that your head hurts, or that the horse won't revive, and you must collect your scattered energies and move calmly on.

Joy on your journey...

It's All About the Attitude

Funny how we always learn the most in uncomfortable situations, isn't it?  Well, maybe it would be more accurate to say from uncomfortable situations than in them.  After we pass through whatever the event or circumstance might be, we usually have 20/20 hindsight from which to view and learn...

The past month - and, more especially, the past week - have taught me much.  I have had multiple paradigm shifts, and have now arrived at a place of relative peace and calm.  Along the way, I've had anger, frustration, despair, resentment, grief - you name it, it came a-callin'!

What I've now realized is that I was giving my power away.  NOBODY has the power to "make" me feel ANYTHING, unless I give that power to them.  I am the master of my emotions - I get to choose how/what I feel in any given situation!

I was choosing to come from a rational, logical, "this-is-the-way-the-world-should-work" place, which only led to frustration and anger, since I was dealing with circumstances that defy logic.  When I chose to shift to a stance that allowed for empathy, perhaps even pity, my emotional charges diffused and I could move into calm.

Will I still have many, many chances to test my theory and my resolve?  I'm quite sure the answer is yes.  Do I plan to circle back around to calm as quickly as possible?  Absolutely! 

Keep calm, and carry on...