Dashboard Photography...

Well Hello there!

Another one of those "long time, no post" days...please forgive my absence. I had very good intentions to post before our trip home to Texas, but sometimes good blogging plans get all mucked up by the real world.


On June 18th, my Step-Mom Karen passed away after a lengthy struggle with cancer. Things were looking up and we thought she had gotten through her third round with the nasty disease, but other complications set in. I'm not good with these words and I don't want to bog things down too much, but I will miss her. She literally gave my Dad a second lease on life (and a relationship with his daughter-me) and for that she will always have my love. Not to mention that she loved junk as much as I do (almost more). She and Dad were my antique/flea market/ thrifting buddies....we had fun and I will miss that too...

After we got the news, we were on the road 36 hours later...



With our biennial moving schedule, we have seen allot of this country, most of it through automobile safety glass. I have never actually tried to document our travels, but on this trip I decided to keep my camera out and see what I could come up with, taking pictures at 70 mph, through the glass.

...OK, not ALL were taken through the windshield (these rest stop flowers in Ohio being the best example).....


I snapped a ton of shots, but as you can imagine, not all of them came out...



I think Cincinnati was the prettiest downtown area that we drove through....


Just in case you didn't know, driving from upstate NY to South Texas is a 30 hour drive. The very first time we did it almost two years ago, we did it in two days- big mistake!



Since that first disastrous two day drive, we have started to break it down to three much more manageable ten hour days, driving through Syracuse, Rochester, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin and finally San Antonio.
Louisville is also a lovely town...
....and it was about here that the speed limit went up to 70mph from 65....
Mr. Sunshine was a happy camper!


I think the prettiest drive has got to be the stretch between Louisville and Memphis. Tennessee is just so beautiful this time of year.
I could see myself settling down there...rolling hills and trees as far as the eye can see...


And because this post is approaching book length and picture overload, I made a little picnik collage of the rest of the road trip....


Starting in the upper left corner, these are pics of Memphis, the Arkansas/Tennessee state line, downtown Little Rock, Cincinnati (just because I love the color of those bridge supports so much!), sleeping kids, more rear-view views, a semi I liked, Cincinnati (again!) and the road home...


And I still haven't shared most of my Texas pictures! I'll try to scatter those posts in with the crafty biz over the next few weeks....speaking of crafty biz...I worked on this guy while in Texas. Froggy is the first in a series of Fisher Price Pull Toys that I am working on....he's not quite done but I thought I'd share a sneaky peak...

Now off to that mountain of travel laundry that I have been avoiding...

Until Next Time,

Summertime....finally!

Seems summer has finally arrived to Northern New York...

And that means...


Soccer...lots of soccer, the way it's meant to be played: outside...
and that also means me doing allot of this...


and Miss Molly doing allot of this...


And my son doing a ton of this...



Nothing like it for some good family time...


And since we're talking summer time...the Fourth is just around the corner, can you believe it? It snuck up on me again!


But I did manage to add a couple of things to the shop...


This "Let freedom Ring" Rusty jingle bell is my favorite! Haven't done one of these bells in quite awhile, not sure why, because they are a ton of fun to make...

We will be back in Texas for the Fourth this year...can't wait! Mr. Sunshine is longing to see home for a bit after being gone for a year...so our vacation will be spent with family...the best way to say "three cheers for the red, white and blue!"

Hope everyone is enjoying a bright sunny summer day!

Until Next Time,

Saturday Potpourri...

Over a week since I blogged? Ooops...

So this will be a catch up post...

Some great links to share and something new in the shop...so let's get going!

First (and I am excited about this!), see the Junk Party button over there to the left?
->->->->->->->->

This one:


I was reading my blog list yesterday and came across this on TidyMom's site. Yet another cute and sassy blogger to follow! Kennesha over at Me & My House is hosting a JUNK PARTY on June 18th.

I wish I had thought of this, but since I did not, I will most definitely be
participating ! Being the junk lover, collector and rescuer that I am, I'm always game for taking a few pics and sharing...If you're interested, go visit Me & My House for all of the details.


And another new link....


My friend Kathy of Catnip Cottage Chronicles has started another blog, completely dedicated to ephemera: Vintage Catnip (isn't that a cute name?) .

FREE (yes, FREE!) vintage ephemera!

Yours for the taking with a right click and an occasional "thank you". She just started, but if you like vintage ephemera, this is a great visit! And if I know Kathy, it will only get better, so make sure you add yourself to her "follow" list....

And last but not least, I added a little something to the shop this morning...

Sometimes you start working with one thing in mind, and something completely different comes out...

Going into the studio last night, I was determined to make some brighter, less pastel tags...

And you can see where THAT got me! I have been thinking I need to branch out a bit, reach out to the peeps who are more fond of deep rich color rather than my usual fluffy cotton candy mix...


Believe it or not I do like the darker colors...

But these personalized monogram tags just sort of morphed on their own, and I like them, so I will say Uncle and bend to the iron-fisted will of my girly subconscious...

She's a tough chick, that's for sure!

Hope Everyone has a Wonderful Weekend- we're off to finally see Night at the Museum- can't wait!

Until Next Time,

A Happy Birthday, the Great Escape, and Adventures in Macro...

First, and seriously the most important item of the day...

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sunshine!!
(and Bonnie, I know you're out there...this is your gift for him all wrapped up!)


It's a beautiful day in Northern New York, a perfect day to celebrate a birthday, and celebrate we will!

Nothing specific planned, but sleeping in was high on the big guy's agenda (you don't get to do much of that in Iraq)...cake is baked, still needs to be iced (home made butter cream frosting- NO Exceptions!)...and I am enjoying the beautiful morning on my own, for the time being....


On a normal day, this is the view beyond my laptop....not bad, there's a grove of trees right across the street...pretty and lush and green.


This morning when I sat to down to check email and various shops, this was the view I was treated to. I know I have posted pictures of deer before, but I just can't help it. They enchant me. They seem like such gentle and innocent creatures and they are just so delicately pretty. I know they can be pests but please don't burst my bubble this morning. I'm communing with nature and whatnot....

So I took a few shots through my window, and then I decided to try to sneak outside and get a bit closer. She was still far enough away that I could tip toe just a bit closer and cut our vehicles out of the pictures...

THIS would be the "whatnot"...


As I was taking my pictures of the pretty doe, my cat Casey, otherwise known as "the cranky tank", thought he would make a mad dash for freedom ....he's not normally an outside cat, although we do let him out back because, quite frankly, I don't think he could scale the fence if he wanted to. And he loves to roll around on the concrete porch on a sunny afternoon. But the front yard is different...he can roam out here. So back inside you go, fat cat.


While I was out snapping shots, I decided to play with the camera. I like to just walk around, shooting things that catch my interest. And I learned a new (for me) camera trick that I would like to use on product shots: playing with the macro (and super macro) mode and depth of field by custom setting the f-stop (great article in the Storque- click *here* to read). I think these geranium shots are a pretty good example for a beginner....see how the background is kind of fuzzy? That's what I am trying to learn how to do....

Doesn't hurt that I absolutely love geraniums. Seriously, my favorite flower and I could shoot pics of them all day. As a newlywed living in Germany, nothing made me happier than a sunny summer drive through small villages, narrow streets lines with ancient homes, window baskets crammed full of ivy geraniums tumbling down. It is one of my fondest memories of our time there.

I couldn't decide which of these shots I liked more, so you get two for the price of one...

I love these "candy cane" (my term for them- not sure of their actual name) ivy geraniums...this bloom is on the downside, but it's still might purty...

Speaking of Germany, this is a beer bottle collected during our time there. They were everywhere, so I felt a little silly packing one up when we moved back to the States, but I am so glad I did. I still find it very pretty and in most houses we live in, it earns a spot in a particularly sunny window sill (the laundry room this time).

Oh and just for fun, how about one more shot of something green I brought home from Germany (it's funny how posts sometimes form a theme unintentionally). I seem to have singled out many of my German finds to practice my new acquired depth of field skills on. This is the spigot of an old galvanized watering can. I picked it up at a flea Market a long time ago and it has sat on the porch of every house since. The patina is a naturally earned crackle, as it has always been outside. It gets a little chippier with every passing season.

I think that's enough pics for today- I have a birthday to celebrate!
Hope everyone has a wonderful warm and sunny Thursday!

Until Next Time,

A Few New Things...

Got a few new things to share with you.

Not too many..sorry. I have recently started going to the gym right after the kids get on the bus...still adjusting because morning is usually my most creative time. The trade-off is worth it though, because I feel so much better!

I've also added a new music player...cute, isn't it? With a few new songs and a few accoustic versions of some old faves...

But anyway...on with the photos....


I think my bowhead lollapalooza from a few weeks ago "girlied" me out (say it ain't so!)...been drawn to very vintage, graphic images with not so much femininity to them (but there's always a touch- I am a girl, after all).


Right before the big move, I got a huge order of stamps that I had been waiting on for what seemed like forever. This particular company makes your stamps to order and stamps are not their primary product, so you have to be patient. My bowheads were part of that order and so were these vintage cat and dog toy images...LOVE them!

And...finally...the black ink is growing on me again ( I willl never give up the sepia, but variety is good). I like to keep the main image simple, simple, simple, that's why most tags will feature a sepia or black image, with the highlight color in the background...

Summer is moving season...have a new neighbor? Going to a BBQ with a hostess gift? Housewarming? How fun would it be to attach one of these tags to a kitchen themed basket filled with flavored oils, pestos and crusty breads?

The background of the ENJOY photo is a page from one of the few books I did not share *here* ...it's a shopping directory from Watertown, NY dated 1880. I think this was the ephemera find of that shopping expedition...it's a whole post on its' own, but I'll share a snap of the inside cover...

Last but not least, in that same huge stamp order was a series of vintage transportation images, from scooters to sailboats. I will be doing allot with these and some of the antique books I have been rescuing (these were bound for a dumpster- obscure fiction with no prized illustrations), and here's the first- an antique convertible...love it! And just in time for Father's Day...

Happy Wednesday to ALL!

Until Next Time,