Showing posts with label crack house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crack house. Show all posts

Thursday, August 12, 2010

"MY NAME IS JAN AND I'M A HOARDER"

My sweet and precious fellow hoarder, Shell, of Bungalow Bling, is hosting this Hoarder's Event.
There's a second part to this party (party??) for
Crafts Gone Bad.
Yeppers, she covered just about everything.

She and I are recent blog buddies.
She's the sweetest thing and we hit it off right away.
Though a bit skeptical at first,
I believe she was sincere when she told me that,
no, this event was not created to mortify me
in front of my fellow bloggers and dear friends.

*Anyone know different??*

So, it is with a wee bit of trepidation that I show you the photos of my studio, aka "the crack house".
Won't it be nice to finally understand why I would nickname my studio "the crack house"??

The photos tell the story.
I just have to tell you first that none of this is any of my fault.

The main area of my work space where I work.
This is to the right of my work area. I try really hard to keep things
out of the front of my sewing machine so I'll actually use it.
 Darlene on the floor. Horrors.
And, she's under foot. My foot; feet.
Right where my chair is
supposed to slide under the table.
Dar' thinks she's pretty hot and can land where ever.
Ahhh, yes, everyone needs an orderly jewelry making area.
See the stamps?? I have about 750 more.
NO, I'm not kidding.
Look at the good use I make of my second work table.
Makes you wanna come and take a class doesn't it?
The Sizzix area on the left and the soldering station on the right.
It's great to have all this room to spread out.
The corner to the left of the second work table.
The paper??
Oh, it's okay, don't feel sorry for me.
I have at least 700 more sheets of printed paper 
and I'd guess about 150 pieces of card stock.
I have a bit of a weakness for Paper Whimsy collage sheets.
I have hundreds of them and her newer digi sheets.
The overflow into the "workroom" of our house.
I like tall paper and messes a lot.
I have tons of the best fabric and lace.
You're seeing about a third of my stash.
OMG, this is so cool.
So I was at this estate sale and I bought a king size
chenille bedspread for 25.00 - a steal in itself.
I cut all of the really large poms off of the edges
and I still have all of that fabulous chenille fabric.
I adore trims.
One could say I collect it,
but that would be snippy.
And though I have a really lot of trims,
it's the fancy, elegant ones that I treasure the most.
If I was sitting at my work table and looked to my right,
this is what I would see.
Oh, hush. I'm talking about Baxter,
dumbest dog on the planet.
If you came for a visit tomorrow
when you walked through the door into my studio
and looked to your right, this is what would greet you....
an amazing dressmaker form that I just bought at a flea market.
If I'm busy or sick and can't work
I make piles.
Lots and lots of piles.
Walking into the studio from the garage
you would look to your left and see treasures.
Bottles.
I've been sick and haven't been able to work.
I'm doing so much better now that
I'm going to get these bottles
and the rest in another big box,
all fixed up so beautifully that you're going to
buy at least two.
That's what I told the Tank would happen.
Blah, blah, blah....but look at those vintage clocks.
The rest of them are scattered throughout the house.
I love, love, love collections of vintage clocks.
More crap.
Oh, come on!
 It's crap.
I'm way past the "stuff" phase.
I have three isles in the studio.
This is the one that runs in front of the built-ins.
We haven't been using this isle; just Maytag.
I still buy Scrabble games at garage sales for the pieces.
I want more.
The neatly stacked ribbon is a lie.
The rest of my ribbon is.....here somewhere.....
Oh, yeah, my sister reminded me that I have
boxes full of ribbon in the built-ins. *sigh*
After being forced to photograph and validate my hoarding
I have come up with some wonderful ideas how to
make groupings of supplies that you haven't even seen
and vintage pieces for you to purchase in my Etsy shop.
Except, I am going to have to give some real thought
about sharing my vintage jewelry.
I'm just sayin'.
We're working our way up to the best vintage jewelry box;
my favorite pieces.
My best vintage rhinestone pieces...
They're even more spectacular in person
and I love each one of them
as much as I love my children.
Oh, good grief, wipe that look of horror off of your face.
I'm just sorta kidding.
Mmmmm, pearl wanna bee's and vintage pearls
living in harmony in the crack house.
The garage takes care of the overflow.
Keep scrolling.
Oops. Turn your computer or your head sideways
to check out this pile.
Junking, the art of it, is what drives me.
......and drives me.

Oh, for heaven's sake!
I am exhausted after taking all of these pictures
and I have to admit that you really haven't gotten a realistic
look at the Crack House.
I have much more that I'm too worn out to share with you....
my creepy baby doll head collection, all of my trims, vintage flowers,
millinery pieces, ephemera, embellishments;
oh, the stacks of boxes full of my jewelry makings
............I'm sure I know there's more.

So, here's what I'm going to do.
In between helping my son set up his classroom for his first teaching job,
and helping Brat set up hers,
and Craig's wedding *rehearsal dinner* invitations, place cards, center pieces
and gifts I'm making for everyone that attends,
and spending two days at the Round Top Antique show,
and out of town company,
I'm going to get organized, take pictures of all that will be listed in my Etsy shop,
get it listed *gagging*
and I'll post pictures of that process and show you what a
decent Crack House should look like.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!
I appreciate my readers so much - please let me know you were here
by leaving a comment (don't be mean).

XXXOOO, Jan
Baxter - spook

Saturday, March 27, 2010

I'M DEVASTATED & MY HEART IS BREAKING - I HOPE HAVING A GIVEAWAY WILL HELP

Just when I think I'm going to get a break
God throws me another life test.
I wonder how many I'll have to experience
before He thinks I'm all that I should be.
Actually, I know the answer to that.
It will be until the day I die and join him in Glory.

March of this year has been an adventure.
An adventure on top of five years of medical adventures.
(Don't age. It's not worth it.)
I long for April and tulips blooming.
April will be better even with a cast and
no weight on a leg instructions.
I long for April.


March. . . . .
I passed out and fractured several bones in my right foot and tibia.
That's adventure no. 1.


My studio has a mind of it's own
and is determined to keep that crack house persona.
That's adventure no. 2.


I checked a give-away today that I participated in;
it was so involved and so very time consuming.
I thought I would win something.
I didn't win squat.
That's adventure no. 3

Adventure no. 4??
We must have our most precious
 Ben put down in just a few days.
*Now I'm crying
and I didn't even cry in the hospital when
I found out that I couldn't be discharged until
I pooped.
And that took three delightful days.*
I digress. Back on point. . . 

You know Ben.
My studio dog.
Always by my side.
He never did learn that if he laid that close
to my chair that he'd be told to
"jump up" when I had to roll down my work table.
Up and down, up and down, all day.
Remembering that makes me smile.


He came to us from the Humane Society Animal Shelter.
When I adopted him, he had had heart worms twice.
He was adopted and returned twice
because his new owners thought he was too aggressive.
He was older, no longer a puppy.
He was a yellow lab mix.

I adopted him.
He isn't too aggresive.
The UPS man is afraid of him,
but I like that.
When he doesn't think I'm home
he'll throw my packages onto the
office porch if Ben's outside.
He doesn't know I've seen him do that.
That makes me smile as I cry.

Ben is very protective of me.
He loves me unconditionally.
He never judges me.
He always wants to be with me.
He's a dog, not a person, and that's why.
I wonder if
that make sense to anyone but me.

That's why I rescue shelter/abandoned/mistreated/etc. dogs.
And my beautiful master bedroom smells like a kennel.
I don't care because
they love me every day
all day
and all through the next day.

Ben is my dog.
He's always been "my" dog.
And early this week we have to have him put down.
I'm crying again.

He has been sick for a while now.
We knew something was wrong,
just not what.
He's going downhill so quickly now
that I constantly look at him
to see if he's breathing.


He has lymphoma.
"Oh, God", I cry
"my heart is breaking and I hurt so badly."
And, I wonder if Ben
hurts as much as I do.
Is he in pain?
His lymph nodes are enlarged.
He never whines.
But, he's not eating or drinking
much so I wonder
in my heart of hearts
if putting him down isn't the
best gift I can give him.

So, pray for me, won't you?


Okay. Deep breath.
So. I thought I'd have a giveaway
to take my mind off of things. *happy face*
I love to have giveaways and
I haven't had one in quite a while.
And, I'm going to make this really easy
so that lots of people will enter
without having to spend hours
jumping through hoops
in an effort to win my giveaway.


Claudine Hellmuth.
One of my artist queens.
I'm going to gift one special
reader of my blog, her amazing book,
Collage Discovery Workshop,
along with lots of treasures. Lots!


I ordered it 'specially for this giveaway.
I love this book and wasn't
willing to gift mine to anyone, so,
you're getting a new one.
It's a virgin and you don't find
many of those anymore.


All you have to do to enter is
to, well, enter. *smiley face*
If you want to start following my blog
because you read a couple of posts
and think it would be a good idea,
then I can't wait to get to know you.
If you want to be a fan of my blog
on facebook, I thank you.
If you want to sign up for
the newsletter that I have yet to start,
thanks.
If you say something about it
on your blog, let me know and
I'll throw in another entry for you.
If you buy something in my Etsy shop
then it will help me afford
to go junking when I'm allowed to walk
again.
See? it's all good.

Life is good and I am so blessed.
You have until April 1st to enter.
That's when the tulips will be blooming.

xoxo,
Jan

Thursday, July 23, 2009

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE - IT'S A PARTY

IT'S A PARTY AND I'M SO GLAD YOU COULD COME!

This is a chance for me, a blogger, to show you where I create.....show you in my own creative way because, seriously, Where Women Create magazine is never going to ask to do a spot on me!

You'll see what I mean in a minute...

When you're finished enjoying my studio, go to Karen's blog and in the right side column you'll be able to pick your next spot to drop in on - everyone has their party dresses on and is waiting for your arrival!

And, be sure and leave a comment that you had been there - makes us all feel special *popular* to know that lots of people came to our party!
Oh, I'm so excited!!! Here everyone comes!
This is why I am being creative in showing you my studio - it looks like a crack house, it's such a mess.
I could have cleaned it all up for you, but then it wouldn't be MY studio. Get it?
This door is the door that goes from my studio into our garage where the "rest" of my studio is stacked!
I have a fabulous pink disco ball hanging from the ceiling in my studio.
THIS is what my studio looks like on any given day.
Thus, the nickname, The Crack House.
Glue on my fingers. . .a common sight!
A row of my wooden stamps...
I have hundreds and hundreds of stamps - lots of wooden and lots of unmounted.
My row of Barbie dresses!
I smile every time I look at them!
I LOVE Barbie!!
A bird caught in a snowstorm...the closest I could get to a snow storm in Texas!
I have this thing for old *and ratty* dolls and doll heads.
I think they're so cool - most people think they're strange and scary!
Cracks me up.
Gesso, molding paste...fun and vitally important items when working with paints!
And, of course, Gorilla glue!
I love to buy big sheets of fabulous papers and I roll them up and store them in this really big glass cylinder.
It looks cool and serves a really important roll in my studio.
*Get it??? "roll" in my studio? That was a joke. LOL*
Paint brushes and bling. Who could want anything more? Heehee
I utilize every space in my studio. . .this vintage lamp shade and bird cage are hanging from my ceiling.
A vintage typewriter, vintage silhouette tray and a couple of vintage dance cards.
Every mixed media artist has lots of vintage papers!
A stack of finished tags just waiting to be uploaded into my Lollishop and Etsy shop.
Oh, would you look at the time???
You best hurry on to your next party!
I'm so, so glad that you took the time to visit my studio and come to my party!
I hope you had a good time - tell me what you thought in your comment!

And, to my faithful, bestest readers in the world, a special THANK YOU for coming!

XOXO, Jan

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