Libro De Misterios

Are you ever in a place where your cell phone isn't welcomed, but you want to take it anyway? Maybe you just want to have it on silent or turned off. Or maybe you just don't want it in plain sight when you open your bag or stick it in your pocket. Or you just want an unusual case. I recently had such a situation. A place I was going required clear bags/purses/backpacks only. I didn't want my iPhone in plain view. So this is my solution.

I made it by cutting down a book of postcards that was just languishing in my studio. I used an exacto knife to cut it down to the right size and to cut out the "hole" inside. I used very sticky double-sided tape to stick the pages together rather than glue. I was in a hurry! I sanded the edges smooth inside and out. Last, I added a "mysterious" title. And voila! A new case/hiding spot for my phone.

Look at these sweet treats! Would you guess that they're made of polymer clay? You can tell the scale by the dime in the photo. They are the work of Amber Dawn. Hop on over to her blog, Inventive Soul, by clicking on her name. She's having a giveaway, so you could maybe win one of these lovelies! To see them all, you must go to her blog, that's where you enter as well.

One Down, One to Go (And Some Things Acomplished)

Well, I did get the first of my tests done, an MRI. I won't have the results from that for about a week, but I'm not really expecting anything to show on that one. My next one has been pushed off 'til after Christmas. *sigh* By the way, that's not my MRI pictured there, I just didn't have a picture for today's post yet!

I did get a little work done this weekend. I finished two pieces that I had previously started before the numbness, tingling, and pain forced me to stop. :(

p.s. I'll replace that picture later with one or two of my work.

Waaahhh!!

Well, I seem to have hurt my wrists and maybe hands. This is very distressing. I kept waking up in the middle of the night with numbness in my hands. It started with just part of my right hand, then progressed to the whole hand, then my left hand as well. At first I thought I was just sleeping in a funny position, making my hand and/or fingers "go to sleep", but after several nights of that, I knew it had to be more. Plus, I was having a lot of pain, from my fingertips all the way up to my armpits! I noticed that the numbness would go away if I kept my wrists straight, so I thought, "Oh no! Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!"

As it turns out, I was wrong, not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It's a different nerve condition that has multiple causes, one of which is repetitive movement. So the doctor thinks I have injured my wrists/hands in some way to cause this. Maybe through repetitive movement, maybe something else. I have to get a tests run in a week or two. :(

The really sucky part is that I've been unable to do my art! And I have orders!!! After wearing the splints for days and nights non-stop and taking massive doses of anti-inflammatories, they are beginning to feel somewhat better, so I'm going to attempt finishing my orders on Thursday. Wish me luck!

Grrrr!

Grrr! I've been so busy working a new job that I haven't had time for anything! Working overtime. Even now I am at work (on break, of course). Then, when I came here to post, I discover that my blog has been hacked!! I guess that's what I get for not posting for so long. :( I have to confess that I'm not sure how "they" manage to do the spam posts. This happened one time before when I wasn't even neglecting posting! At that time I thought I had taken appropriate steps to prevent it again. *sigh. But enough of that.

Check out these gorgeous earrings that "fancifuldevices" made!

And these! She made them with some of Claire Maunsell's lovely pods and potterygirl's ceramic beads. She has other beautiful items in her shop as well. I say "she", but in reality, I don't know who fancifuldevices is, so "she" could actually be a "he". But I recommend checking out her shop.

That's all for now, back to work!

St. James Court Art Show

Ahhhh . . . October. October is my favorite month of the year, so many good things about it. For me it's a month that's jam packed full of events. The first of which is the St. James Court Art Show.

This annual show is held the first weekend in October. That's this weekend! St. James Court Art Show is in Louisville, KY in a very picturesque neighborhood that's full of huge old, Victorian era houses. It is a large show, this year there were 750 artists, and it is consistently ranked among the best art shows in the U.S. I usually attend two or all three days, it's that big!

Here are a few pictures from the show. These are artists whose work struck a chord with me. The first is Linda Chamberlain of Simple Works:

The texture of her work is amazing.

Then there are these wonderful journals by Teresa Merriman of Moind's Eye Journals:

I really loved these journals. Each one is different and unique with luscious, deckle-edged pages.

Then there are the lovely little faerie houses by Bell and Frank Barr. They are ceramic with copper roofs and "vines":

They even decorated the step-up to their booth!

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'll have more from the art show!

More Little Houses

I think it would be fun to have a whole village of these little houses. Maybe I should keep a few for myself. Hmmm . . .

Here are the backs. Additional views may be seen at my Flickr page.

Coming soon: The Goblin King