we're junkin' a punkin'

Kenzie's Nana brought two pumpkins today, which Kenzie's been itching to decorate ever since. It was good timing because we're both itching to enter the Pumpkin Junkin' Contest entry. The contest is hosted by one of my favorite bloggers: Holli . In typical Kenzie fashion, we started with sparkle paints. Phase one of the junkin' of the punkin's has begun....



We're going camping this weekend, so these will be finished up next week.

Our inspiration for one of the pumpkin's will be Kenzie's halloween costume, which just arrived today:



(a dragon, which Mama scoured the internet in order to find a "girlie" sort of dragon!) I'm going to let Kenzie embellish the second pumpkin as she chooses.

overkill?

As cooler temperatures are upon us, I find myself feeling sad about these flowers. Mind you..these are the same flowers that I've complained about all summer long. We went a bit overboard with the impatiens and they've just overtaken the front flower beds. There are actually other plants - and even landscape lights - buried underneath them. They are so thick that the glow of the light is barely visible at night!



We are known as the "house with the flowers" to much of the 'hood. Next year - we'll do impatiens again, but probably only red, or maybe red and white....and about HALF the amount of flowers. I've been trimming these guys back all summer long.



I really love them from inside the house when it's nice enough to leave the door and windows ajar. I can see them from many different spots in the house. Their sudden burst of color is a really nice view. Especially the red, as red plays a pretty big part in my household decor.



I'm eager for fall...but that most certainly marks the end to my lovely view....

P.S. Thanks for the interest in the skirts. I'm a bit hard to photograph these days, but if I have an exceptionally good hair day - I may just give it a shot...

choking hazard

I've been playing with the Picnik website like a good beta tester and am just loving some of the new toys. This is one of the only non-project photos I have posted at flickr (and therefore is quite easy to find) so I used it to test drive some of Picnik's new tools:

I converted the color photo into a Polaroid and then I "painted" it into black and white... everywhere except for the colorful buttons.

This photo of Kenzie playing with buttons, gets a lot of interest at flickr. People take the time to comment (and even flickr mail me) very detailed stories about the memories that this picture elicits for them. I, too, remember sifting through my mothers buttons as a young gal. (Sadly, my Mom mailed her entire vintage button and sewing goods stash to me while we lived in San Diego .but. IT NEVER ARRIVED!!! I still cannot fathom where that ended up).

The photo above was also taken in San Diego. Kenzie is sitting on the floor in our office, which leads me to assume I gave her these buttons to sort while I did a bit 'o work. On days where our nanny did not come - I had to rely on choking hazards for entertainment!

Things I am working on now:
1. skirts. I've found that handmade skirts are easy to manipulate around my new bulge(s). And, people keep telling me that they are cute. So, I'm on a skirt making binge. :)

2. nesting. Actually, it's my husband who seems to be nesting, but I'm happy to go along for the ride. But, it continues to be a tangential thing for us. We accomplish a project which causes us to envision another, and on..and on...and on... As result we also have some major spare furniture and I need to get organized for a garage sale soon or contribute to Freecycle. Hmmnn. Anyone in my area using Freecycle? I love it, but I'm always 2.5 minutes too late on the good junk!

3. art. That basket I mentioned a couple posts ago... is really cool as a spiral. I'm going to make it enormous and turn it into wall art. I'm actually thinking about polka dotting an entry way wall (that's probably 25' tall!) with a trail of several different sized dots. But, man....those suckers take a long while to make.

4. guest blogging. For our local paper. If it actually happens & I write anything clever, I'll be sure to link to it.

5. tutus. yup, I still make them. Would you believe that those of us who voted for the black one... were right? Black tutus are selling like cRaZy!! I desperately want to make something OTHER than tutus. I need to make that happen soon...

Of course all these little projects seem to be moving at a snail's pace as I also tackle work, motherhood, babymaking, household chores, reading, etc. Life is full and busy. We're going camping with a handful of other couples this Fri-Sunday. I can't wait to escape into a primitive campsite by the lake... The only thing I might complain about is having to leave the tent to empty my seemingly pea sized bladder a zillion times each night!!

Tootin' our horn

As distraction, from the negativity from my last post.. I swiped this meme from Mayfly.

1. Do you promote your blog?

No I don’t. I'm very shy about my blogging habit. Some of my friends "get it." Most of the others, however give the distinct impression that it is a very self-indulgent activity. It kind of goes along with that "Ah, she's a housewife who sits at home all day, eating bonbons ...and blogging" kind of assumption.

Oddly, I'm a fairly self confident person in most regards. But, I do feel less self-assured about my creativity & skills. When I do tell folks about my blog - I feel like I'm claiming to be a better artist than I am. So, I kind of keep it to myself. I think this self-doubt was born in my undergraduate BFA program. Critiques HURT!

2. How often do you check hits?

Embarrassingly frequently. At least once a day. I try to remain aware of who's visiting my Kenzie's doodles site and how they got there. I'm always on the ready to make that blog "private" and for that reason - I'm watchful of the stats. A bit on the neurotic side of watchful, that is...

3. Do you stick to one topic?

I'm primarily a project blogger on Mama's Doodles and a mommy blogger on Kenzie's doodles. Every once in awhile I cross the boundaries on both sites. I wanted to keep Kenzie's stuff separate since I suck at scrapbooking, and consider the blog her only lifebook. For that reason alone - I run the two sites. I tend to have other non-project oriented thoughts that I'd like to post here on mama's doodles, but time doesn't afford me the ability to do it.

What the hell do I do for the second kiddo? Does this mean I have to start a third blog??

4. Who knows that you have a blog?

All of my family knows, because while we lived in California - it was an excellent vehicle for keeping them involved in our lives. Ahem, it does seem that they quickly lost interest though. A select few of my friends know, as I don't openly admit it. My husband actually tells more people about the blog than I do. And, it embarrasses the hell out of me when he does.

5. How many blogs do you read?

It astounded me to learn that I subscribe to 127 blogs through bloglines. However, I don't do well at eliminating links as they die or change, so a significant number of those are bogus. There are two timeframes per day that I can read blogs. Which means - I'm terrible at commenting, unless there is something I really want to say.

6. Are you a fast reader?

Yes. Very. However, I only "read" posts at blogs that I find consistently interesting. Of the vast majority - I just glance at the pretty pictures and move on.

7. Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?

Yes, I also like to run headfirst straight into brick walls. I find that both are equally fun and give me great headaches. I'm not very good or sophisticated with my Html though (as you can see).

8. Do you blog anonymously?

No, but I wish I had thought about doing so when I started. I use our first names only and try not to overtly announce our actual location.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

Since my family could visit at any moment, I can’t really rant or even be honest sometimes. I also don't want to spew negativity on my daughter's blog.

Ultimately, I think this keeps my blog a generally friendly & happy place to be. My life is good though, so it's not all a terrible lie. :)

10. The best thing about blogging?

Connecting. I have a very large core group of long-time friends, (some of which belong to me and some were acquired through my husband. But, because we run in so many social circles, I feel like we don't know the majority of those people intimately. Nor will we ever - if we keep up our current social calendar.

My blog has created a new and unique support network of like-minded people. I’m inspired daily - to create, to think. Thank you, to each of you. The experience is very valuable to me!


Kenzie tootin' our horn(s)

A Bowl

...am using Little Hut's inspiration on how to make a bowl out of magazine pages. I hope to make this a big bowl(ish)-basket to sit on a new bench in my foyer. I wish I'd gotten more done during my daughter's nap today - because my husband is gonna think I'm nuts when he gets home and sees the WIP.

***

This mindless little activity has also given me pause to think. I know this discussion has been had many times, and I don't wish to re-ignite the debate.. really. But, I'm pretty vocal and I'm not going to ignore what I just saw.

Dear Copycat:
Today I visited your blog - that I don't often visit. I found it many moons ago via my statcounter which reflected that you shared my link on your site. You also "favorited" a few things of mine on flickr, but left no comments. So, you may not have known it - but I noticed you were watching me, & taking notes. I also noticed you'd removed my link from your site today. Hmnn. That's interesting given the fact that you've pretty blatantly just copied a product that so far is pretty unique to me, ME, Me!

So, assuming you still come by this space - I'd like to offer you the following about copying:
1. give credit where it's due. People are flattered when you do this (usually), not pissed at the shadiness of your misleading presentation.
2. Don't imply that it's your own idea.. a "product of your imagination" as you called it. I mean, what if the real imagination sees it and throws you under the bus?
3. Don't ever sell anything that is a blatant copy. You haven't yet. But, just don't (as your words implied you might).
4. And, really, did you have to make it so obvious? There is a rainbow of colors, a zillion means of embellishment. Um..or I don't know - maybe using a different animal that's not been done before?

Yes, I am miffed by what I saw. But, if you'd just follow the advice above - I may be thinking you're super cool rather than... the really ugly thoughts I'm trying not to type out loud right now.

I plan to leave you a comment on your site - when I can get my act together and not be so mad. I'd be thrilled to see that you've changed your song...

Give me s'more nice weather...

I'm really digging nights out on our decks. It's heaven on a chilled fall(ish) night. Especially with s'mores.



I ate extra s'mores to keep myself from fixating on that wine.

Picnik

Have you heard of Picnik, the free online photo editor? I've used it sporadically in the past. I signed up to be a beta tester a long time ago and was just notified that I'm "in."




These photos didn't really need much editing, but it's fun to just play around with all the tools that I don't have in other programs (like a Holga or Lomo Lens as seen here). The site also reads your flickr and Picasa web albums, which is totally handy.


Anyway - it appears that they are looking for more beta testers. To request being added to the list - leave them "feedback" from within Picnik.

Surprise

A surprise for Sam . She's soon to be a mama of a new girl babe, who'll have twin big sisters. And, following is another surprise for someone I'm thrilled for, who's not yet gone public with her fab news. My pregnant brain convinced me that this was unisex....although I think I'll be rooting for a gal, as boys don't do flowers, huh? I kind of just noticed that...well after the surprise was mailed and received. Hmnn.



Congratulations Girls! I love hoarding mailing addresses and sending things when unexpected. It's such a fun feeling.

Now, I need to make some of this gear for myself, eh?

P.S. Amy (the newly pregnant Amy..not the about-to-pop-Amy , thanks for your comment a few posts back. Leave me another comment with your email.. I ~won't~ publish the comment with your address. But, I want to compare notes. :)