Roses and coffee with sprinkles -- Happy Birthday to Me, and Happy New Year to All!

Every day is a holiday with gingerbread cookies!

Dakota and I made these last week while I was in Fresno getting my eyes fixed. What we lack in any inate skill is compensated by heartfelt enthusiasm.

Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday and more Prosperous New Year.
-Linda

Finally home again. We went to Kansas for a week for an early Christmas with Creighton's family. I dropped him off in Spokane and spent the rest of the month in California getting eye surgery and a pre-Christmas visit with my family. I had limited Internet access, so it was too big a hassle to post anything along the way.

The Story of the Christmas Ornaments...
I bought some old tea infusers off CraigsList. I thought that making them into ornaments would be a fun project with the boys, so I hauled them down to Fresno. Here's one of Dakota's....


But the really funny part was that when we opened one of the ornaments, we found a very old, stale bud wrapped in a cigarette celophane wrapper. This isn't a very good picture, but we had to document the event. LOL I'm just glad that airport security didn't spot it. THAT would have been a nasty surprise.


-Linda

Why we rarely watch TV or movies with animals.....Cosmos and the movie "UP"...

He also has issues with horses, the Cadbury rabbit, the dancing M&M's, Nazis and the Sopranos.

Still no Finland pics, but I did locate these of early progress in the livingroom redecoration. The pellet stove is working lovely. There's a lot to be said for a thermostat, heat blower, and push-button power. Can't say that I miss all that choppin' and a-haulin' of fiewood. The stove even has a bit of flame for that romantic ambiance LOL

Installing the floor has been a longer ordeal. The crew just wan't up to their usual enthusiam.


Yes, Cosmo was back in his not-so-stylish Elizebethan Collar. He'd taken a bit of a slider on his bum, and simply wouldn't leave it alone....but he's fine now.

I wanted to post some dog and floor pics today. Couldn't find them, but came across this video that I think is worth sharing, so I figure that Thanksgiving Day is a perfect time for a cat joke, so here ya'll go....

Dear Printer Repair-Man: Please come to my house and check my printer. Every time I use the printer - and I am away while it prints - my papers are wrinkled, even shredded. Sometimes the ink is blurred. I hope that you can find the problem!! Sincerely, Concerned Computer Owner

Dear Concerned Computer Owner: While you were gone today, I checked your printer, and I found your problem. Please click on the attachment for the answer. Sincerely, Your Printer Repair-Man

Happy Turkey Day from Linda, Creighton, and the Critters

I'm at the Madison, WI airport on my winding way home from the last show of the year. Everyone I know is either asleep or on a plane, so I have some quiet moments to catch up on blogging. Fog delays, and I'm missing my connection, so today I'll be eventually visiting Denver and Seattle in route to Spokane. I made United's 1K tier last week, so at least I'll be able to walk down the red carpet three times. LOL
I'm glad to be going home, but it was sad to be saying "see you next year" and "Happy Holidays" to all my BFFs. I'll miss you all greatly.
I'd been holding off on a post until I had some funny luggage pics taken in Helsinki but they're on Mary Kay's camera. I thought they really represented our lives, so they'll be here as soon soon as she gets them downloaded. Meanwhile here's a pic from my collection of Surprise Photos -- the ones you didn't know you took.

By now, the Albuquerque show two weeks ago is just a pleasant memory, but I wanted to post some pics of students and projects for a class I taught at China Phoenix 2.


Since then, Mary Kay and I pioneered a huge Arts and Crafts Festival in Helsinki, Finland. Pics to follow when I get them from Mary Kay. I'm back briefly to repack and do laundry, and leave tomorrow for the Carson show. I'm stuck out in the Garden area, so please come look for me.
And for those of you that have had difficulty posting comments, I made some changes to the permissions, so it shouldn't be a problem anymore.

-Linda

I'm having love/hate relationship with my iPhone. Most functions work, but the phone part (hey, isn't that the main function of the device??) locks up and won't run without a reset, and the volume keeps going to "vibrate only" so I always miss calls. And now it has deleted most of my photos, so I've uploaded a old pic from the Netherlands Keukenhof (Tulip Park) we visited last April after the show in Zeist. The gift shop has an exhibit of hats, including this one that wouldn't inconspicuously slip into my backpack.

I'm at a show Albuquerque Fairgrounds this weekend. For everyone else that needs an immediate "convention fix", check out the Virtual Convention at www.rubberstampchat.net. I don't remember how many vendors are participating, but it's a LOT. It's easy to join if you're not a member. Then click on the RSC Virtual Convention link to see a list each booth's convention special. It'll run until Monday night.

-Linda

L: "I have no passport"
MK: "And I have no ticket"
It's frigging 4am in Manchester England, we've already been up for 20 hours, and the "hard part" of the journey home is still ahead of us.
And on a positive note...we DID get home, and I'm happy to say that the blog is back!
I'm headed for Albuquerque tomorrow. There's a show this weekend, and I'm teaching a class Thursday. I'll post some class samples when I get back.

Something's screwed up the dating of my posts (and yes, I did check that my Time/Date setting in Windows is correct). Beats me where this entry will show up, but the pics of the plants that are BELOW the donuts post, should be above it. Let's see what happens here. I've been hugely enjoying being home this week. After 11 shows in a row, the joys of traveling were losing their attraction. I haven't actually debased myself to cleaning, but the sock monkey I dragged home from that dreadful ZNE show last month is now in her permanent home on the wall (the funky stuff at the bottom of the pic is my shadow),
and I've completed, yes, completed, two pairs of socks.
Several more are at that awkward, unphotogenic interim stage so will appear in the distant future.

Just say No to Donuts.
Ummmm, donuts, I love them all.
As the sun was rising on our recent marathon run from California to Spokane, I stopped at a 7-11 for a dose of caffeine. They were unloading the morning's donut delivery, including apple fritters -- warm, soft in the middle, deep-fried-crunchy on the outside -- yummy. I know that donuts and I do not do well, but I thought that under the extreme conditions of driving, the sugar/caffeine combo might just do the trick, and I was just going to eat half. Yeah, right. Well, next time I want a donut, tell me NO, and when I say that I want to give them just one more chance, tell me NO, NO. As the morning progressed, I finished my half, and as Creighton opted to pass, I eventually ate his half, too. No surprise there....but the lack of sleep, sugar, fat, caffeine had a bad effect such as I have never experienced without the fun of alcohol. So please, next time I'm about to stray, please tell me NO. Although I would forgive them in an instant, they are not my friends.
LOL

While I've been jet-setting between both coasts to the Syracuse and West Sprngfield conventions, Creighton has been busy moving us up the evolutionary ladder from hunters and gathers to sedentary farmers.Tomatos, Cucumbers and Cosmos
Blueberries, Gooseberries and Batman

Next we'll start working with metals, building temples and developing a system of writing LOL

You'd think that I'd have something more enlightening to share after two weeks of no posts, but, alas no, I might regress later and come up with something interesting, but tonight I am digging in the the bank vault of Funny Pics for this most amusing, super life-size(and bizarre IMHO) photo from the wall of the hotel where I stayed durng the the show in Holland last month....

I guess their faces just didn't rate inclusion???
OK, it WAS a Sports Hall, but still...... :-)

Tatoo at the Sacramento show, and a banana slug from the Santa Cruz mountains.
California road trip was finished with a Grateful Dead concert in the Bay Area, and a Back-to-Bataan marathon drive home to press rubber for an urgent order. Heading out again in the morning for the Puyallup show.
If you can't make the Puyallup do-dah, check out the many vendors participating in the Rubber Stamp Chat Virtual Convention this weekend. This link should get you there....or at least close
http://rubberstampchat.net/

Linda

The journey continues...We've been down to the Bay Area for the ZNE conference last week (high booth fees and very poorly attended. I know that the northern Bay Area has a huge stamping population and those stampers should be eager for a show, as San Mateo was cancelled in Feb, but I saw only a few people from previous shows. Never did meet the coordinator, but I could hear her hawking 50% sales at her booth on Sunday :-( ). Then we were off to Fresno for a few days with my family, and this afternoon, back up to Sacramento for the Stamp In the Hand show tomorrow. I'm backed up to Teresa (Paula Best), and across from Kate and Robert (Invoke Arts), so it should be a fun time.

Home Sweet Home for the next two days at the Sacramento Expo RV Park. Not much on ambiance (aside from the tree), but we have a strong Internet connection for uploading pics, electricity, water, and very nice showers.....and the asphalt will keep dirt off the dogs' feet, so NO complaints. I'll be tucked in bed tonight with my knitting and a DVD. I found the complete first season of HBO's Carnivale in a discount bin shortly before this trip started, and I plan to watch it all this week.

Sign in a public restroom....

It seems to me that if you don't already know this, you probably don't know how to read, either LOL. OK, that's the end of my bathroom humor...unless I see something else that must be shared :-)

Creighton, I, Cosmos and the Batman are starting a two-week road trip with the Scotty tomorrow. We'll be at the ZNE stamp show at the Alameda Fairground in Pleasanton next weekend, and the Sacramento show the following weekend. Hope to see some of you there. Don't know how often I'll have Internet access in the camgrounds, so may not post until our return.

Window shopping in Akron.

A rather travel-worn feminine hygine disposal bag that I hauled all the way home from a gas-station potty-stop on the way to Kuekenhof...

....but what got our attention, and sparked blog-worthy interest, is why the gun is pictured on it LOL

Every year, Angela, the show coordinator, rounds up all the American and English vendors for a Tourist Day after the show. Last year we all painted wooden shoes. This year we went to the Keuhenhof -- a flower/sculpture park outside Amsterday. Their web site is www.keukenhof.com.

I've been in Germany and Holland this week for the Art Specially show. My camera died last week, so I just have my iPhone. Others in the group have better cameras, so my intention is to gradually upload some of their photos as they become available to me. So for now, here are some of mine. This is Eddy, Wolfgang's cat.

He's been enjoyng his Schnuckie a bit too much :-)


Linda

A Public Service Notice - If you're planning to fly out of the Indianapolis airport, allow a little extra time to get there.


Linda

My Life....Socks, Batman, and some untrimmed rubber.

I've been sick for the last week, giving me time to finish Creighton's second sock (one is a bit shorter than the other, but he says that his feet don't match, either VBG), and the first of the orange pair. Adrien's camo sock is in the middle.
I'm headed for Indianapolis in the morning, and will be teaching a bookboard class Friday afternoon @2:30 at the Heirloom stamp show. The show is Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-4.

Hope to see you there!

Linda

As any Dallasite or Texasian will tell you, any Good Time in the Lone Star State starts with a stop at the Buck & Ruck -- your all-purpose beverage-and-more merchant -- beer, wine, lottery, ATM, and check cashing....AND a gracious Thank You on the way in.
Yup, that about covers most needs LOL

The MacKenzie-Childs catalog arrived. Aren't these the most wonderful drawerpulls? But at twenty-two bucks each, they should be outstanding.


I want them ALL. If I ever win the Lottery, I'm getting one of everything they carry....THEN I'll be philanthropic LOL

Linda
BTW, I'm leaving for the San Jose show in the morning. For anyone that's attending, the show venue has moved to Rosewater Hall, 1180 Murphy Avenue, San Jose. That's only one exit away from the original address. Hours are 9:30 - 4pm.

Poor, neglected blog. I've been doing lots of stuff, mostly shows, but nothing very interesting. Today I ignored the stacks of untrimmed rubber, and painted the ceiling fan.


Linda

New Stuff and a Class
Most of the mag plates for my new designs arrived today, and are posted on my website, www.lost-coast-designs.com. A few are on the New! pages, and a completely new series, Die-Cut Divas, has a link at the top of the New! page. They'll all be at the Grapevine show next weekend.
Also at Grapevine, I'll be teaching a 2- hour class on some simple techniques for assembling shrines/tryptics/ accordian books. Here are some examples of what we'll be doing...





It's Friday afternoon at the show venue. I can't get the hot link to work, but if you go to www.heirloompro.com and click on the Grapvine show, the next page has the list of classes and links to register.

Linda

The Search for the Best Black Varigated Sock Yarn in the World.
I wanted to make a pair of socks for Mary Kay, and she only wears black, so for several months, I'm been on the lookout for a nice black varitaged yarn. Who would'a thought this would become a major issue, but it did, so I was delighted when I found The Perfect Yarn.



I loved the dark teal colors, but boy was I surprised when I'd done about 4" of the leg. The wretched yarn is CAMOFLAGE. Down inside the skein, under the beautiful teals/blacks is BROWN! :-( And the lacy, delicate pattern I'd selected was really at odds with the camo colors. Couldn't think of any man who would wear such a sock, and I'm sure MK is not going to appreciate camo (although she did say she was going to a gun show last week -- not good enough reason to continue), so I just smiled at my silliness and ripped it all out. I do wish I'd taken a pic, but it was one of the moments when you take a big breath, shut your eyes, and RIP. Thus continues the Black Yarn Search Saga....

Linda