The Best Valentine Gift Ever….

 

I know what you’re thinking; that a grandchild would be the best Valentines gift ever but…no you would be wrong. Living long enough to see the child grow up to be a lovely young woman now THAT would be the best gift.

I want everyone of you to look long at this picture above. Imagine that is is your mother and your child (sister and niece, friend or any variation you wish), sweet picture, makes you feel warm and cozy, right?  NOW imagine that your mom (sister, cousin) was not in the picture any longer, not so nice now is it?

So how does all of this relate to Valentine’s Day? What better gift could you give someone than the gift of life and love? Buy your sweetie (whomever that may be) a nice card and inside make a note that you donated to The Christine Senger-Bryan Gamma Knife Fund. Many of you have seen my repeated postings on face book and many of you know Christine personally. Christine has brain tumors that are not able to be operated on in a conventional manner, but a laser procedure would be able to be done. However, even the co-pay is so expensive that she will need help with expenses.  Her friends have rallied around her and are doing all they can but it is still far from the mark. That is when they decided to set up the GiveForward Fund to help. It is an excellent on line fundraiser and to learn more just click on the link above. To read more about Christine and her fund just click here or on her name above.

It doesn’t matter if you know her personally or not, you can still use this as a great opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ or just say this year instead of candy that will make you fat or flowers that will die “I am donating this, in your name so that one more grandmother has a chance to see her grandchild grow up.”

If you would like to know more about this courageous woman and her friends – even if you are not able to donate go to the site and see the generous outpouring she has already received. For additional information you can visit the website of Andie Meeks, a friend of Christine and an artist who is donating her work to the cause.

 

 

 

Time For A Change…

A time has come to make a change; in fact it is long overdue. I have neglected this site for quite awhile…somehow I just couldn’t find it fun any longer. It has served it’s purpose but now I am absorbing it into my other site.  Please stop by and see what I have been up to there. I am still doing a blog but it is centered more around the creativity that keeps me engaged in life and all its possibilities.  I have a gallery that showcases some of the jewelry I’ve made as well as one for dolls and mixed media. You can even access my Etsy site there as well.

A sincere thank you to all who took the time to stop and look around; I’m not deserting you all simply downsizing. So grab a cup of coffee and come visit. I think you’ll like it.  ~ Kathy

Playing Around With Poetry

 

A Walk On The Shore

 
A tiny figure full of fright,                                                                                                         Crosses the moors in the pale moonlight.

Across the stones, through heather and gorse,                                                                          She carries a heart so full of remorse.

She loved a man, a weak one -it’s true,                                                                                            And he loved her, but she never knew.

Through the rocks and to the sand,                                                                                           And on the shore; all night to stand.

Watching and waiting with lamp held high,                                                                          Searching the shore for ships gone by.

All in the village have spied this lass,                                                                                                    And all hold their breath when near she does pass.

The tale has been told, many times before,                                                                                       Of why she walks nightly down to the shore.

The story is one of fortune and fame,                                                                                             And the man she loved but could not claim.

His was the family that kept them apart,                                                                                         Tore him in two and broke his heart.

The lovers never could marry his parents declared,                                                                       So he sailed on the “Sovereign” to see how he fared.

But the ship was cursed with sickness one day,                                                                            And all on board did pass away.

So on sailed the “Sovereign” night after night,                                                                             And no one knew of their terrible plight.

Years went by and his family mourned,                                                                                           The tiny lass, still they scorned.

She kept her vigil week after week,                                                                                              Down at the shore, her lover to seek.

They looked for him always; the lass and his child,                                                                              As they lived alone, on the moors so wild.

Then one day they gave up the ghost,                                                                                                 And both went home to the Heavenly Host.

And though it’s been ages (and perhaps even more),                                                                     She still walks nightly down to the shore.

Still she searches the waves and the reef,                                                                                         And shines her lamp to hide her grief.

The tale is told of that fateful day,                                                                                                 When the “Sovereign” finally comes to bay.

Three ghosts will walk in the moonlight mild,                                                                                       A man, his maid, and their little child.

~~K.L.Richardson

Just Another Manic Monday…

Hello there from my other life…the fun world of polymer clay! I have been so busy with that lately that I have severely neglected this world.  So if you want to see what I have been up to lately follow these links to my other life!

This first link is for the general site and I would love feed back if you have any. Does it ‘read’ easily? Are the pictures clear? Would you be more inclined to buy from a site like that or from etsy where you have to register in order to ‘browse’?”

http://www.outoftimedesigns.com/index.html

This second link is for the blog section where the focus is mostly jewelry, some craft and food. I need to make my hobby pay for itself, consequently I’m doing more with that than I am with this blog.  I’m hoping that social networking will pay off in the end.

http://www.outoftimedesigns.com/blog.html

So follow me over to my other hang-out and make some new friends and find some fun stuff to browse!

**April 20*** Panama Red Special*****Today Only!********

I’m listing this cool cuff on etsy with a special price FOR TODAY ONLY!  The regular price is $35.00 but today only-until midnight-the price will be $4.20 (plus postage). So if you get it, you’ll get it!

This knock-out cuff is made from polymer clay on an aluminum base for stability. Each one is unique, definitely OOAK. I have tried to capture the ‘peeling paint’ look of urban grunge. Each cuff is formed, baked, painted and distressed with many layers of color to give it that worn look. I finish it with a sealing spray to keep the color true.
If you like the BOHO, funky look this is absolutely for you.

The width of this cuff is just over 2 1/2″, since it is a cuff style it will fit nearly every size.
This listing is for the red cuff shown in the main photo; last photo shows different color combinations. If you have questions or a special request please email me.

A Refuge From The Storm

                        “The night was growing colder, it had started to rain and the wind whipped Filippa and her tiny mare, chilling them to the bone.  As much as she wanted to press on she knew that to do so would only weaken her and cause her to falter.  As she cleared a thick stand of birch trees she spied a faint light in the distance. Her mare must have understood and headed straight toward it; Filippa’s energy flagging, she allowed the horse free rein.

She was exhausted and near to falling off her mare when she saw a sign announcing the “Cavallo Bianco” Inn. Several coarse men were milling about the door, shouting and cursing.  Filippa nearly passed by but she was so drained that she took her chances; tying her horse to a post she stumbled inside. “Ho! What have we here? Come girl, give us a kiss!”, shouted one of the men as she passed by.  That started a great uproar and shouting from all the men, causing quite a din to arise.  Poor Filippa was at her wit’s end and near to fainting when a short, fierce whirlwind blew through the men, boxing their ears and banging random heads with a pot.  Surprised and startled into silence by the innkeeper’s wife the men settled back to the benches and resumed drinking.

“Come child, what is it you need?” Near tears Filippa poured out her sorrow as she sank to a table. Bustling about the stout little woman brought the young girl food and drink, all the while keeping a stern eye on the rougher patrons. After she had supped Filippa was led to a small bed in the room where the innkeepers children slept, there the kindly wife tucked her in for the night.

In the morning after a healthy breakfast Filippa was ready to resume her journey once again. After profusely thanking the innkeeper and his wife she pressed one of her treasures into their hands.  The tiny wife of the innkeeper had never seen such a lovely thing and was at first reluctant to take it, saying it was far too much. “I pray you accept this, and if you feel it is too much then perhaps when I return you would be good enough to take me in again”, replied Filippa.

Weave your own fantasies while wearing this one of a kind necklace featuring an amethyst pendant.  This and other romantic jewelry on my etsy shop.

A Dark Journey…

“The moon was full and bright, but a swirling mist slowed Filippa’s progress.  As she let her mare pick its way through the thick forest thoughts of her family filled her head.  She knew her brothers would be worried at her absence, but she also knew they would stop her from going if she had consulted them.  Her oldest brother, Pietro, was the most protective of her. He had fashioned a special necklace for her with an amulet in which he had placed a special prayer for her.   The chain he fashioned link by link interrupted only by glass beads her father, Ulisse, had brought home one evening. When Pietro found it gone as well as his sister,  Fillipa knew he would panic…”

Weave your own fantasies while wearing this OOAK hand-crafted necklace.  Length of chain is 25″, length of pendant-drop is 4 1/2 “. Chain is completely hand made with spacer beads of rose colored lamp work beads.  Pendant is made of a hollow polymer bead, a rose lamp worked bead and copper spacers.  It goes up for sale on my etsy site tomorrow.

Filippa’s Gift

                 “As she drew it gently from its velvet-lined casket Filippa noticed the gleaming links; knowing that Sforza had made this especially for her caused a pang in her heart.  Sforza was a poet, an artist with a soaring soul that only Fillipa could possess. Sadly she had just learned that he had been captured by agents of the Borgia’s and was fearful of his safety. As she slipped it around her neck and fastened her cloak tightly there was a determined set to her chin. she would sell all the jewelry her family had given her to ransom her lover but she would not sell the necklace that he fashioned for her slender throat. In the dark of night she slipped away, mounted her bay mare and rode quickly through the mist; she would reach Milan in time if it took her last breath…”

If you long for a bit of fantasy in your life start with this delicate necklace-who know where is might lead?

Necklace is 23 inches long (can be adjusted) with filligree connector and hand crafted glass bead. Entire necklace has been distressed and patinaed, then sealed. It will be in my etsy store tomorrow.

Brain Freeze!

THIS IS A SNOWFLAKE—

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS IS A SNOWFLAKE ON DRUGS—

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! And Save The ‘Bishops Hat’ For Me…

We all love Thanksgiving; the abundance of food, having the family and friends get together, the food, the football game, all that turkey! Damn! What am I going to do with the leftover turkey THIS year. Well folks, I have an idea that might get rid of all those darn bones you were going to make soup with but never got around to actually doing.

This might not be for those who don’t really want to know much about our food-those who just prefer to eat it and then fall into food coma nirvana. But chances are if you cooked the beast you wouldn’t mind making some money from it also.  I found this site by  surfing to find dancing turkey skeletons; I didn’t find that but did find a place that sold turkey skeletons. Curious I checked it out and found a picked clean set of bones will set you back $349-just about what I usually put out for the meal itself. This site is really interesting but not for those easily grossed out.  I noticed that they will also buy skulls if you have some to sell, not just turkey skulls but all kinds. I imagine they do a brisk business with the mob underworld.

                                                         After reading up on all the different bones I could buy I then found this site that gives you tips on how to clean the bones and arrange the skeleton.

When I was a little kid I never thought about what mom and grandma had to do with all that left-over carcass.  It was just fun to have an excuse to stuff myself silly.  But as an adult in hard economic times if I could turn this into a money-maker, well hey, why not? However, this year for once I will not be doing the cooking, my granddaughter has taken over hosting Turkey Day, so perhaps I will have to resort to thievery and steal the bones on the pretext of soup making…

*Bishops Hat-the fatty turkey tail that some people (my late grandfather) considered a delicacy

Help! Bring Food And A Crossbow!

OK here is the scene…I am down stairs at my L-shaped work table very engrossed in jewelry design….mind is not functioning for normal things and not aware of my surroundings. Peeps (my cat) has been visiting up and down the steps and exploring the basement where I am. So….I need a tool from the back shelf, roll my chair back to get it and all of a sudden am transported to a ‘slasher movie’ where the main antagonist is a killer, maniac cat. Peeps suddenly screeches, jumps my leg clawing madly and howling louder than a tomcat on the make!  She doesn’t stop but advances on me more, eyes wild and black as coal. It becomes obvious to me that I have hurt her terribly by rolling over some part of her (tail, paw, leg) and I am torn between sorrow at hurting my dear pet and terror for my life as she won’t quit howling. We are both trapped in the little space and every move I make seems to upset her more. I try calling my granddaughter (she has a key can get in and rescue me) but no answer, try another friend and he is tied up. By this time I am able to move slightly away and see that blood is streaming down my leg.  I go toward the stairs but the cat follows looking like a killer zombie cat hell bent on my destruction…so I move slowly up the steps as quick movements seem to upset her.  When I reach the top of the steps I am able to make a hasty retreat to my bathroom to wash the blood off my leg. I have peered out the door once and she is still stationed there, still glaring at me and still in a bad frame of mind. I want to check on her to see that nothing is broken although she was walking slowly she didn’t appear to be limping, so hopefully it was just her tail. Still…I want to comfort her but as I am the person who caused her pain it will probably be a long while before I can approach her.

Yep, I just glanced out and she is still outside my door….I wish I had thought to bring something to eat; it looks like it is going to be a long night….

LOL! OMG! WTF! The Death Of Subtlety And Nuance

Sadly I have not posted for some time now; it wasn’t really a writers block or even simple depression. Just a generalized funk at the state of affairs circa 2012.  More specifically writing in this era of internet and texting.

First off, I don’t always agree that television causes violent crime or video games made junior go out and kill ten of his neighbors. I think those things have caused our society as a whole to cheapen and degrade, but I feel that we still have free will to choose our course. Simply because a reality show has cheating spouses doesn’t mean you need to “fix” your marriage by the same method.  Neither does ‘Jersey Shore’ make you talk funny and wear 3 lbs of eye shadow.

However, even though I use them, I feel that internet and texting has worn away two things (among others) that make for good writing/reading.  Subtlety and nuance are all but absent today; in the age of ‘Fifty Shades‘ there is no appreciation for ‘Lady Chatterly’s Lover”.  I believe in the truth wholeheartedly, but that does not mean that we do away with nuance.  Perhaps I was spoiled growing up with only books and very little t.v.; I had to actually use my imagination. When I did watch anything it was usually old black and white movies-now there was nuance and subtlety!

I have always enjoyed writing simply for writings own sake. I never tried to make a living at it; it was my way of connecting with all the wonderful authors I admired over the years.  But somewhere along the way it no longer became fun; people started to tell me they liked my writing and foolishly I listened…just like those ‘singers’ who insist their friends love for them to sing.  So slowly I tried to change my writing to please others, ironically it was subtle and I didn’t even notice at first.  But then all of a sudden there it was; no one liked it unless it was of the “hit you over the head with it” style. Gone was the subtlety, gone was the need for the reader to interact with the author.  I don’t believe reading is a passive exercise; it is a collaboration between the reader and the writer.  If the writer has something to say he writes it. I as the reader am obligated to join in the exercise or close the book and find something easier.

So I suppose in a way this is an excuse (for not writing more often) but not an apology.  And in the future I will stick to writing what (and how) I like; if you choose to take the path less followed rather than the obvious, I invite you to join me.

More Monday Madness…

Guildeforde wasn’t sure what to pack for her honeymoon; but felt she should definitely take some protection.

Monday Madness

Suddenly Bartholomew knew that this massage was NOT going to have a              happy ending….

Oh Crap, It’s Monday – Part Two

Yes, it’s that most hated day of the week again, so I brought you a little silliness to start the week off with a smile.

Mattel’s latest entry into the toy market didn’t live up to the hopes of the Marketing Department. 

The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same

If we don’t remember history we are doomed to repeat it.  

Oh Crap, It’s Monday Again, Maudie!

Here Mr. Turnblatt is coaching his secretary, Judy, in the proper  form used in “Pickle Punting.” Mr. Turnblatt hopes that this year at the company picnic his accounting department will win first prize.

You’ve Come A Long Way Baby…

Thursday Throwback…

Yes, I am one of those Boomers who doesn’t want to grow up, get old, feeble and all those horrid adjectives. And I love “my” music as much as the next septuagenarian but PBS has got to stop doing these fund raising retrospectives!  Let us listen to our music but don’t make us face up to how old we really are, for heavens sake! Good Gawd, people find some other way to make money, but stop putting on these aging rockers that made our hearts flutter when we were young and now make us totally cringe.

Perhaps I am being unkind but when I see guys in their 60’s, 70’s singing songs that are clearly meant for teens or at best young 20 somethings it makes me remember why mom said not to do drugs (..wish I had listened).  We boomers have done ourselves a disservice by insisting on products to prolong our youthfulness; when I hear “Can’t get no satisfaction” I don’t think of disenfranchised youth; I think of Viagra commercials. “We gotta get out of this place” evokes a mass jailbreak from the nursing home our kids have (rightly in some cases) consigned us to. “Oh lord please don’t let me be misunderstood” could simply be a plea to our doctors about figuring out the right dosage of our heart meds.  Gerry and the Pacemakers, for cryin’ out loud!  At least their name has kept up with the times. Unfortunately, as the years have passed these Brit rockers haven’t got better dental care;  yet we are treated to close-ups of British teeth that the years  have (horrors!) made worse.

Then there are the cuts to the audience “rockin away” and I am reminded why I listen to this music in my car or in my home, and not in public places-so I won’t be tempted to dance  along with it. It looks like the “exercises” that the social director in the local home makes the residents join in so they can keep those arthritic joints mobile for just a bit longer. Now I know this makes me sound bitter but I am not, honestly! I am content with my life, I have had my moment in the sun and I still am involved with life. But there is a place and time and now it is time for a different set of youth to take over. I do wonder what it will be like for them when they reach this age…

If they are smart, they won’t subject themselves to 70 somethings with multiple piercings singing about someones bootylicious ass…