Release Me

Turning FARTy

First things first. Today I am 40. I was not happy about this day's arrival until after some wise, funny and kind words from my wonderful friends. Now I am happy to report that I am completely over it. Yeah, it doesn't take much to get me out of a funk.

So, onto more enjoyable things....

Like the start of another drawing class...

some kind of animal skull, bottle, torn banjo, guitar, and a tie

There are many things wrong with this drawing, but we aren't going to discuss them. I think it's pretty good after being on a winter hiatus. It's amazing, though, the things you see you messed up after you get it home and look at it with fresh eyes.

Here's another happy occasion. I found this sweet little couch last weekend. Pardon the boxes. I'm still unpacking....since November.

My parents and I took a ride across a couple bridges and tunnels, prowling one huge thrift store and one huge antique store, only to find this little cutey practically in my own back yard.

Yes, you remember This End Up furniture, don't you? Well, my parents have a sofa and loveseat that my father made* in that style, and though they are comfortable, they would never be my first choice. But this baby? This one is special. Look what it does!

And the price? A whopping $85.00 at our local Habitat For Humanity Restore. And it's in perfect shape! The fabric might look red in the pictures, but in person, it is more of a rust/burnt orange color.

Oh, and that sweet little quilt you are checking out? My sister made that for me for Christmas. As luck would have it, it matches the couch perfectly! Thanks, Sis! And speaking of my sister. You all should hop over to her blog because she's got a nice giveaway going on with some special handmade goodness. Go check her out here! Hurry. You only have until Sunday!

*My Pop is a woodworking fool. Remember those little Christmass trees I posted about? Also, see that little round side table in the pictures above? Yep. He made it. See that coffee table above? Yep. He mostly made it. The base was from (I think) his father's marble top coffee table. The marble broke and Dad made a new top and refinished the base.  I'll have to show you more of his handy-work in the future.

Sandi, Baby, I'm In Misery...

I was supposed to post this a while ago, I must have gotten side-tracked. This is just my ode to a sweet little cat:

I was a pet owner for about a week at the beginning of December.

My friend was going on vacation and had plans for her cat that involved going to stay at the boarding kennel for the weekend, then being picked up by her other friend after she came back from her vacation.  I told her I would be glad to watch the cat myself so she didn't have to go to all that trouble of hopping from one place to the next.

So, for a week, I was a pet owner. Yes, I owned that cat and she owned me. Little Sandi, the calico kitty stole my heart. I hope she'll come visit me again some day.

2009 in pictures