Another Happy Friday

What made you happy this week? Please share with us on Jamie Ridler's blog The Next Chapter: The Happy Book Mail Around. For me, it was getting my craft room cleaned out (again). I'm giving away a bunch of craft books - check 'em out and let me know if you are interested in any of them. I love being able to pass along things I'm no longer using (or will never use but just had to have at the moment). When I can get honest with myself about what I'm truly intereseted in it makes it easier to let the clutter go. But my clutter can be someone else's treasure. So I like to keep passing things along.

I've been making Kusudama for awhile now:I really like making these for gifts but I wanted to add a little color and style to them:I'm still playing around with different designs. I haven't found a style I like yet but I'm sketching out new designs to try. This is a big step for me as I'm so not process oriented. I usually jump right to result and then am disappointed when it isn't "perfect". I get frustrated because I haven't taken the time to learn the possibilities of the medium. So, then, I just drop that craft and try something else, hoping to achieve that artsy perfection on the first go. And on into infiinity.... So, I'm working on changing this behavior. Not easy for a leopard to change its spots, but I'm hoping not impossible.

Have a great weekend!

Books ! Books ! Books!

My craft room is drowning. I need to make space, clear the air, get rid of some of the stuff. I went through all my arty crafty books and, as much as it pains me, it is time to part company and send these babies on to less neglectful homes. If you are interested in owning any of the following titles please email me (Monkey Mind under Cast of Characters there on the right) or leave a comment and I'll get back to you. All I ask is the cost of shipping. You don't need to take all of them, just the ones you want. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about them:

Creative Scrapbooking by Melody Lord - gone
History of Art by HW Janson
The Art of Bev Doolittle by Elise Maclay- gone
Brush Your Cares Away by Jack Bailey
Great Kitchens by Whitaker, Mahoney, Jordan
The Victorian Book of Potions and Perfumes by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell
Jewelry from Nature by Cathy Yow
Glorious Greetings by Kate Twelvetrees
Simple Gifts by Garden Way Publishing
Painting & Drawing from Photographs by Ursula Kaiser- gone
The Art of Rubber Stamping by Suze Weinberg
Creative Rug Hooking Anne D Mather
Watercolor Workbook by Bud Biggs & Lois Marshall
Let's Sew by Nancy Zieman -gone
This Book Will Change Your Life by Benrik
Kaleidoscope by Elizabeth Keely Wilson

Lettering & Alphabets by J Albert Cavanaugh
Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico
Victorian Decoupage How to Book by Michelle Lovric
Paint Effects Master Class by Sacha Cohen

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They are all in good to great condition and have lived nestled away in a smoke free environment.

Garden Flowers

I so wish this was my garden at home:But it's not. It's the garden where I work. People are paid to plant and weed and water this garden- unlike the forlorn flower garden at home. Does anyone know what any of the purple flowers are? The yellow ones in the first picture are California poppies and the pink flowers in the third picture are some other kind of poppy. But I can't name a one of the three purple flowers pictured.

Proof that the Utah sun can make a man crazy*

*Re-enacting scenes from the Lion King with my darling terrier.

Poppies

Summer is not my favorite season. Too much heat makes me tired and grumpy. There are some perks though:

Birthday Cubicle

It is a tradition around my workplace to go a little wild with surprise birthday decor in the workspace of the birthday victim. Usually the decorating occurs when the victim steps away from their desk on their birthday day (or on Friday for weekend birthdays). Since I took off on Friday and my actual birthday was Saturday I thought I was safe from the decorating frenzy this year. Not so. This is what greeted me when I go to work this morning: Normally the conspirators wait until the victim is on break or lunch and very quickly put up all the birthday decorations in a 10 to 20 minute window before they get caught. This method doesn't allow for much excess since time is the mitigating factor. You can only blow up so many balloons and hang so many streamers in 15 minutes- even with the whole department pitching in. Because I was off on Friday, they had all the time in the world. That'll teach me to take any days off around my birthday. I crawled underneath the streamers for a photo op:Here is a close up of what I'm holding in the above picture:One of my fellow workers left these morels on my desk. Beautiful, delicious morels and so many of them. Can't wait for dinner tonight! Another co-worker made, from scratch, Strawberry Shortcake. It was divine.

My birthday has carried on a bit more than usual this year; normally it's one day and it's over. I had a party on Saturday and a celebration today. Lucky me!

This octopus is a gift from another co-worker. This wasn't a birthday present but I wanted to share. I love the colors!

Bearfest Wild Bunch

Our very own Treegeek has been recording his blood, sweat and tears in the making of Bearik Estrada. Bearik is part of the Grants Pass Bearfest 2010 where local artists were commissioned to create a sculpture using a fiberglass bear and a Harley motorcycle. Treegeek's bear is currently on view in downtown Grants Pass:Here is a sampling of the some of the other Bearfest 2010 sculptures on display:

The Bearinator:

Ooga Booga:

Iron Bear:

Miss Rosie Rogue:

Snarley Davidson:

Notice the tatoo on this one's tooth. The bears will be available for viewing this summer. Stop on by!