More Wonderful Goodness

There is a flea market in the region that I have wanted to visit for the past year, but it seems I was always out of town or busy on the first Sunday of the month when it is held. Well, not today, Baby. I went. Howard graciously agreed to accompany me to the Polk County Flea Market, held at the Polk County Fairgrounds, about a 20-minute drive from Salem. Early birds can pay $5 and get in between 6:00 –9:00 am while vendors are setting up, but we waited until 9:00 am so we only had to pay $1 each for entry. Yowsa! It was three rooms filled with table after table of goodness. The ad for the flea market states there are more than 100 vendors and I believe it.


(And while we were inside shopping for over two hours, Oliver was waiting patiently in the car for us . . .)


I definitely replenished my knicks and knacks after today’s visit!

And my dear husband found and bought me an artist’s easel, a real one, for only $30. The easel I’ve been using was a rather flimsy tri-pod affair that didn’t quite hold the canvas I’ve been working on (my "Canvas Project"). Not any more! I’m a real live artist with a real live easel.

Vintage Metal Decks - Completed!

Twice I've written about a class I took from Leighanna Light at Art and Soul, Vintage Metal Decks. In my first post, I wrote about the class itself. To see and read about the humble beginnings of this project, click HERE. Then I piddled around with some unfinished projects, again playing with my Vintage Metal Deck, and I posted about it once again. To see that post, click HERE. Well, I'm happy to report that I finished the original Vintage Metal Deck, the one started in Leighanna's class at Art and Soul last October.

I loved the finished project so much, that I made a new deck to give to my parents for their Christmas gift. In a mixed blessing, the weather prevented us from spending Christmas with my parents, who live at the coast, but because of the weather, it gave me the time I needed to complete a personalized Vintage Metal Deck for my parents. I'm so excited to give the set to them next Sunday, when we do our "make-up" Christmas.




Here are some close-ups - photos are of my sister and myself, my parents, and my maternal and paternal grandparents!

Ta da! I'm so glad to be done!

Artist's Way Reunion . . . and Art Project

The crazy Christmas weather we had during December interrupted a planned Artist’s Way Reunion, which was scheduled for the week before Christmas. So, alas, we rescheduled it for Tuesday of this week. We had a most wonderful evening, but, unfortunately, many of the ladies who had planned to attend the original gathering, were now out of town.

But that didn’t stop the five of us who did show up. Laura was the hostess with the mostest, opening her home (her Christmas tree and decorations were still up!) to us and planning a little art project (we were all eager to do something with our hands besides eat!).

Karen, who caters delicious treats for several coffee shops around town, arrived all cute with her boots and hat AND with a wire tree of chocolate-dipped macaroons.


We had all resolved to stay away from sugar, but after someone politely tasted one of Karen’s cookies and declared them "to die for," we all ferociously dove in. And then we all had a second one. And I’m not naming names, but I do believe someone had a third . . . .

After licking our fingers for the final time, Laura brought out the supplies for our project: glass slide magnets. I have seen all sorts of items made with glass slides, but had never done something with them myself, so I was very excited. I had brought papers and images to add to the pile of supplies and after a brief demonstration by Laura (“you cut the paper to the size of the slide, put the slides together, then wrap them with soldering tape”), we were on our way.










Our finished treasures:


Preparing to leave, Laura’s hubby got a group shot.

'Tats all around

What can I say? I like tattoos and my daughters like tattoos, too. While I was in Tacoma right before Christmas, my daughter Melissa and myself decided we would get a tattoo together. We had both been thinking about it for a while and it seemed the right thing to do. So off we went to All Star Tattoo, where we spent a snowy afternoon with our tattoo artist, Jason. (Jason kept his eye on the falling snow, wanting to make it home before too much of the white fluffy stuff piled up.)


I already had two tattoos, each marking a milestone birthday. The first, a flower on my lower right ankle, I got with my sister in tow (or was she pushing me?) when I turned 45. Five years later, to commemorate my 50th, I got an armband (as my then college-age son remarked, “You’re a bad ass, Mom.”). Howard went along with me for that one and chatted it up with the artist, Mark, as he was a tenant in one of Howard’s rentals.

This time, Melissa accompanied me. I went first because I told her if I didn’t I was sure to chicken out.



I had considered having a flaming heart emblazoned on my wrist, but instead decided I wanted stars. I love stars – and Melissa found the perfect little five-pointed design: not perfectly drawn and splashed with outside-the-lines color. Jason set to work on me, Melissa recording some of my horrifying faces (I’ll share just a couple with you – edited because it is my blog and I get to do that and besides, if you saw some of the other photos, you might be tempted to call the authorities).





Here are my fresh ‘toos.


Next up, Melissa. This was also Melissa’s third tattoo. Her first was a Celtic design on her wrist, and her second, a beautiful tree branch on her foot. This time around, she decided that with all of her yoga (click HERE to see her website, Stay Bent Yoga, and some of her amazing poses), she wanted a lotus blossom and an OM symbol. Man, did Jason take Melissa’s plain little drawing and transform it into something beautiful. Here is Melissa, calm as a cucumber getting inked:



After we got our tattoos, we called Amy, my other daughter to tell her of our deeds. She could hardly breathe she was, as she called it, “so jealous.” In fact, she said she was feeling “aggressively jealous.” The reason is, she has wanted to get a tattoo on her forearm for about a year. She already had a Chinese symbol on her ankle and four vibrant stars on her lower back, but she has been waiting to get something on her forearm. Our boldness set her boldness in motion and with the blessing of her husband, she got her tattoo in Portland and was able to have Melissa accompany her.


Amy's experience:




Howard now calls us his three tatted ladies.