Bragging Rights: Cathy Benton

Months before going on a trip, I tend to get inspired by the artwork of the country I plan on visiting. This November, Cathy, Ron and I will travel to Peru and to the Galapagos Islands. I am hoping that we will have time to take a flight over the Nazca Lines. I have always wanted to see that as much as I have always wanted to see Machu Picchu. I have always wondered if there might just be some connection between ET's and some religious beliefs. But that is a whole different topic I won't start now.

This bracelet pattern is inspired by the Nazca Lines which are in the high desert of Peru. Cathy took the basic pattern I designed and added some interesting touches. I think she really brought out the feel of the ancient mystery of this wondrous place.

Nazca Lines

Pattern: $5.00  This is for the basic pattern only. No finishing or embellishment instructions.

Pattern will be emailed after order is received. (allow me time as I am not always at the computer!)

Another Shopping Experience

Today, on my way home from work, I stopped at the local fabric/craft store. I needed to pick up a couple things for the bracelet kits I have been wanting to put together. Namely, what I wanted was some backing material to be used with the bracelet blanks.

The material I wanted to buy is on huge bolts weighing over 10 pounds each. I needed two different colors.

I worked my way over to the cutting counter, struggling with the two big bolts. They were more awkward to carry than they were heavy. I had to grab a number from the ticket machine. As I got within a couple of feet, one woman bolted in front of me to grab a number.

Geez....couldn't she see I was heading that way with my arms full? She just HAD to butt in front of me, didn't she.

Now I am at arm's length. I switched one bolt to the other arm so that I could free my hand. I am standing right in front of the damned ticket machine and guess what happens? Another so and so reaches right in front of me and grabs the ticket.

The Machine that turns people into Evil beings

I muttered obscenities. Really. Did she have to do that. Was I standing there waiting for the machine to tell my fortune? How rude. I would have loved to swat her aside the head with one of my mega bolts. I just settled for my muttered obscenities.

I am number 57. I should have been number 55 if it weren't for those two biddies nearly knocking me over to get in front of me like they were trying to get the last two tickets into nirvana.

The clerk calls number 53. A lady comes running waving that little stub of paper as if they called out B-12 and she had won $1000 in the Bingo game. A paper waving fool she was.

Finally it was my turn. I got what I needed and left.

Happy that it is finally MY turn

Dare I go into the neighboring store to look for something else I needed?

Why not. I am feeling like a dare devil.

I went into Marshalls. I needed a new suitcase for the trip I am going on with my dear friends Ron and Cathy in November. My old trusty suitcase  died in India last November.

They had a great suitcase. Very light for its size and at a decent price. I decided to get it. And a jar of dried shallots they had in their cooking area. I know...an odd combination to be sure.

My new suitcase

So with one hand clutching my shallots, the other rolling my new suitcase I head towards the cash register. I see a lady I noticed earlier. You might know the type. Grim. Unhappy. A room full of comedians would not crack a smile on her face.

I noticed her out of the corner of my eye about 20 feet behind me, going at top speed. You would think that she was saddled up at the Kentucky Derby.

"Yes folks, it's Grim Lady coming up the outside of the Home Stretch! . Looks like she is going to catch up with Bead Lady down aisle one. It is an exciting race!! Grim lady is pushing her cart, it looks like she is going to use it as a battering ram! Bead Lady better get out of the way if she knows what is good for her...."

Well Grim Lady did pass me like I was lying down. As she headed towards the cashier line, she took a wrong turn. She went up the wrong arm of the U shape of the check out area. She was heading into the out direction.

I calmly took the correct arm of the U. Grim lady notices her mistake, turns around and tries to catch up. But too late...she can't pass me. I made sure my ample size blocked her and her battering ram and cued up behind someone else waiting in line..

Grim Lady became grimmer (as if that were possible).

I smiled at my insignificant victory thankful that Grim Lady was not also at the fabric store.

Well....Tie Me Up and Gag Me!!!!

Today, on my way home from work, I had to stop at the porn store....er.....bookstore.


But I felt a guilty, self conscious feeling as if I were in an adult toy store. (At least I would imagine that's how I would feel if I were ever to find myself in one).

I slinked over to where I knew they had the book I wanted.

Good!! No one around.

I snagged the book. Ran off to another aisle to make sure I did pick #2 in the trilogy.

I did.

If you have not read Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James you may not know what I am talking about. It is porn. Porn geared for the female mind. Men need the visual. Women as a whole prefer to read and form their own visuals. A few weeks ago, I picked up the first of the trilogy to see what everyone was talking about. Curiosity got to me. They say it also killed a cat somewhere. I can see why.

Fifty Shades of Grey may not be that well written. The "plot" is weak (as are porn films). The main characters are annoying (I want to slap both of them....no wait!! They might just enjoy that too much). But the book had me glued to the pages.


Perhaps I was wondering if there would be a more developing plot, but I found myself wondering what I might "learn" from it, since I am so "vanilla" in this subject. 


Learn I did.


Do I want to practice what I learned?


Not really.

It did make me think of a "friend" I had long ago...for a short time...but that is another story...

I slinked over to the cash register, with book in hand. I placed it face down on the counter for the cashier to ring up (do I really want her ...and thank goodness it was a "her", to know what kind of smut I was reading?).

She promptly turned it right side up. I covered the title with my credit card, which of course she picked right up.

She rang me up.

"Do you want a bag?"

"Yes, brown paper bag please....make sure it is very opaque!"

She gave me a condesending look.

I bet she was thinking "If you were reading something decent, like Charles Dickens, you wouldn't have to conceal your purchase."

I left with my book under my arm. I will start reading it tonight just before I go to sleep.

Pleasant dreams!!

Guacamole Plus Mayan =???

This I could not ignore as I found it hilarious .

I am not the world's best speller (thank all that is good for spell check).

I know I am not perfect, I make mistakes. So who am I to laugh, scoff, or otherwise criticize someone else for a misspelling, or a wrong name.

But these things that the seller is trying to sell usually do come with a tag on it such as "MADE IN......" So the seller should know by virtue of the tag, or from where the person originally bought it from to resell. I am sure spell check lit up like a Christmas tree.

And if you are selling something and want to report from whence it came, wouldn't you check it out if for no reason than to give yourself credibility as a seller??

So I am still laughing at what I found below at a popular website that sells crafts made by the likes of us (myself included).

It was too good to pass up without my usual comment and dubious humor.

So....

What do you get when you add

Guacamole

PLUS

A Mayan

YOU DON'T KNOW?????

REALLY????

GIVE UP????

OK....

THE 

ANSWER

IS

GUACAMAYA!!! OF COURSE!!!

Did you really think it was Guatemalan??

My Crazy, FUN Weekend (and could YOU help??)

I have been a Biggest Loser fan for several seasons. I find the show inspiring, even if their schedules are not something we can do in real life. They do however teach healthy eating habits and good exercise routines. We could all use that.

I found myself wishing I could have the opportunity to be on the show, even if just for a few weeks. I particularly watched those in my age group thinking I could do better!! I would have more personality than they did (most of the ones in my age group were so dull!!). Why can't I be on the show.

The casting call for last season came and went. I thought of going, but I had my dumb excuses not to go.

When I found out about 2 weeks ago that they were having a casting session on June 16 in Venice Beach, I wanted to go REALLY BAD. Because I want to go to "The Ranch" and work my ass off with the support and guidance they provide REALLY BAD.

I asked a friend to go with me. She had expressed an enthusiastic interest when I asked her a few months ago if she would go to the next casting call with me. She had her excuses...and she said no.

I made a flyer to put up at Planet Fitness asking for up to 3 passengers to go with me to the casting call and we could share gas and hotel. No one called.

So I asked my daughter to go with me to keep me company. As always, she was right there to experience my adventure. I can always count on her.

I took Friday off from work, so Thursday night I headed down to Visalia where Jasmine lives. It cuts about 2 hours off the trip to the LA area. Friday morning, we headed down to Venice.

Heading towards the beach!

After checking into the hotel, we went to the beach to enjoy the crazy, fun, lively beach. I love Venice Beach. Jasmine made me smile when she said that the atmosphere of Venice Beach makes her think of her "amazing childhood"! (Her words). She thought of all the art shows we did and just all the unique experiences she had living a very artsy life. How wonderful for me to know that she looks back on her childhood with joy.

Local Color

More local color

Getting advice

Jasmine

The casting call began at 10am. We were on line around 6:30 am. Some had been there since 2 am. I was number 69 in the cue.

By 9am, the line up was several blocks long.

The line goes on forever!

The casting crew was punctual. They started herding us in right at 10. Then 3 groups of 10 at a time went in to meet with their casting teams.

This was the casting director I met with

The first question asked was basic. Name, where are you from, how much do you want to lose. We answered that one by one. The second question was a free for all (an attempt at a discussion? A test to see how aggressive you are at jumping in on a conversation??) And the last question was again to be answered one by one.

I made sure I got into the "conversation". I did get them to laugh, and even applaud at one point. But with the whole meeting lasting about 5- 10 minutes, it really did not leave a lot of time to make an impression. Oh how I wish they would give me a "call back".

They strongly suggested making a video of our "typical day" and cover the topics listed on the casting page. So I will be working on that and sending it in.

And, if you can, if I have been in ANY WAY helpful and/or inspirational to you, could you help??
This is on the casting website:

Can I nominate someone who I think would be great for the show?

Yes! Please send nominations to BL14nominations@gmail.com.

Please include your name, age and place you reside and the 

nominee’s name (Sig Wynne-Evans), age (56), current city/state (Modesto CA) 

and why they deserve the chance to be on The Biggest Loser.

I COULD USE ALL THE HELP I CAN GET!!!  :)

Crazy road trip

Road trip Taking a crazy mission road trip this weekend I will tell details when I get back Posting from iPhone sucks

Fooled by a pretty face

In regards to my last post, having spent 2 days with the new bag, I think I will go back to my old faithful bag

I was lured by the pretty fresh looks of the new bag. But she just is not up to the job as my old one.

If you can notice, the new bag has a small flap. It shuts with a magnet. This leaves big open spaces on either side of the flap which opens a bit too easily. I fear losing the contents ( especially wallet and keys And cell phone) the way I toss my bag around. It also would be easy pickings for pickpockets

Do you think my old bag will have me back??? Am I deserving of her? Will she forgive me for being unfaithful?

Good Bye Old Friend

Before I go into my little story, I have to acknowledge that I have been neglecting my trusty old blog. All because I am putting a lot of effort into my new one. Every free moment I have had, I have been working on new bracelets to add to the Traveling Bracelet Project/blog. I have not had a lot of free time so, I have put aside a lot of other projects.

Oh well, I do what I can. It is all a matter of what is taking my current priority.

Anyways...I am feeling a little sad because I am saying "good bye" to a faithful old friend. It is time to have a new friend.

My Old Friend

That is how I look at my purse.

I am the type that picks a purse (as picky as I am with them) and I use it until it just cannot be used much longer. I am not the type that needs a new purse for every outfit or even season.

I am kinda the same way with shoes.

I have had this purse and used it for a solid two years. It was getting a bit ragged. It had some holes and rips in the inside. But I LOVED it. I still do. It is very difficult for me to empty it out, sort through the CRAP that accumulated inside of it and transfer what I need into a new purse.

It had that soft, comforting loved, lived in feeling. It had stories of where I have been, and what I did. I still remember the first time I saw it, and fell in love with it. I was with Jasmine in Fresno. We wandered into Macy's (where I rarely shop). I was on my non-ending hunt for the perfect traveling purse for the trip we were taking ( a perfect traveling purse is quite another beast, and I STILL have not found the PERFECT one!).

I spotted this purse. I picked it up. I really loved it. I loved the colors, the quasi Guatemalan looking strap. The embroidery on it. It was a tad bigger than my current purse and what I was used to. It was also a bit more than I thought I should pay for a purse despite being on sale.

I hung the purse back on the rack. Jas and I walked away to look at other shops in the area.

The image of the purse haunted me.

Two hours later, I bought the purse.

Now, some two years later, it is time to say "good bye".

I emptied the contents. Just how I stuffed it so much is beyond me. Was I trying to get it to cough up little pursette foie gras??? I sorted out receipts that I need to keep, those I don't. There were grocery lists months old, expired coupons, notes to remind myself of things long forgotten, leaky pens and things I have no idea of what it is or why I kept it.

All this, was in my old purse!!

I transfered the needed things into the new purse which I am sure I will come to love just as much as the I do the old one.

My New Friend

The old purse sits sad and lonely on the floor. I do not have the heart to put it in the trash yet. That is too much for my old heart to bear. Silly, I know. But it has been a good trusted friend. And you don't toss away old friends because they are old and ragged, do you? So I will keep it for a bit. You never know. I may need her again someday.

Bragging Rights:Gail Warren

I created this pattern years ago. This is the first time I saw it beaded. I think it looks great! Gail beaded this for a friend who is crazy about Marilyn. I bet it will be framed just right!

Try, and Try Again...and Again.....

I am working on my 4rth bracelet for the Traveling Bracelets project.  Sometimes in designing a project the toughest part is deciding on the background color. I do have my "go to" colors that usually work out fairly well, but I wanted a different, spectacular color.

What makes the background color hard to choose at times is the design, particularly if it is an image. Sometimes the image has only a few of a particular color of bead to define a shape. If I am not careful, this design element can get lost. If the design has light and dark colors at the edge of the design elements, choosing a background color can get especially tricky. Too light, and the design elements can get lost in the background. Too dark, and the design elements can get lost in the background. Like Goldilocks, it has to be "just right!"

I wanted to use this yummy iris bead. I love the color. Since this design is inspired by Asian art, which often has a gold outline. This bead did not work with the shiny 31 gold. The shine of both bead types just gets lost.

Try #1. DB31 doesn't work as an outline.
It gets lost!

So...how about a matte gold bead for the outline of the flower?? This was slightly better. But now I could see that the green of the flower stem was near impossible to see, especially under certain light conditions. It looked fine under my Ott light in the evening, but during the day, I didn't like it. Plus I was still not too happy with the outline of the flower.

Try #2.
Still not happy!!

Ok. Maybe I need a DIFFERENT background color. Maybe something darker, less gold in the bead. I was not sure about the green working with my new background color. I tested it out under my Ott light.  I thought it might work. Certainly the gold outline worked better. I also though I needed to change the read of the flower. How about purple?

A DISASTER!!! Especially since I could not see the non-outlined flower bud.

Back to the drawing board.

Try #3
DISASTER!!

Now that I have spent all weekend on this bracelet, I was getting FRUSTRATED!! I hoped that this time I would make a better choice. Otherwise, I would choose one of my usual go-to colors! I have had near enough!

The background color I chose appeared to be better.YIPPIE!! Maybe a few changes in some of the design colors would help.

I tried a light pink for the flower. It was too light believe it or not, it blended with the white. R-I-P,
R-I-P. I ripped out the beads past the pink.

I tried a brighter pink. Seemed to do the trick.

I tried a pale yellow for the bird's beak. Ok, I tried 2 different pale yellows. Neither worked. So  I went back to the original orange. Much better.

So this is what I am sticking to. It is about 1/2 done. I think it will work!

I am sticking with this combo!