Jerusalem Wall/Pink Floyd Wall

Here's a collection of "WALLS" we've done.

The top one is a Jewish themed centerpiece....the front side and the reverse side with the wall and the camel. Each foamcore brick was separately cut out and painted and then applied on the reverse side. I love the variegated colors.

The big middle swash of wall is a closeup of the bottom picture. It was an 4ft. x 8ft. wall that was used to leave message in. It replaced a traditional Sign In Board at a Bar Mitzvah. We used real cardboard boxes for that.

We took boxes with a hinged lid and sprayed them. Then we mounted them on a 4ft. x 8ft. piece of foamcore and put supports on the back to make it free standing. People could write a message and put it into the cracks in the wall between the stones. When they did that, it actually went inside the box. Later the messages were removed by opening the boxes.

The gray wall from was the Pink Floyd album. Again they were individually cut out bricks mounted to another layer of foamcore after they had each been sprayed a variation of gray. This was a Sign In Board and you could write on it anywhere...on any of the bricks. Thanks Ina for suggesting this

 cool idea that we could run with! We really enjoyed working on this Sign In Board.

Bricks and walls and stones make foamcore look like something it isn't.  How fun is that!

Art Fair Favorites

Here are some of the things I liked the best at the Great Lakes Art Fair.

Of course, I liked this. It has foamcore in it. How could I not!

What a creative use for strips of black foamcore. I could even see this as a party centerpiece with photos of the party family in the cubes.

I have a whole big bag of gourds in my garage that I wanted to do something just like this with.

This lady put a cute little animal inside them but I wanted to put woodland fairy creatures inside.

Maybe someday I'll get to carve into those gourds. In the meantime I'm not letting loose of them because I've got a plan.

I adore this ladies purses.

I don't ever carry a purse though.

I use zipper pockets in my clothing instead.

But I admire these at every Art Fair I go to.

She's at a bunch of them and I'll bet she does very well because they are gorgeous.

These life maps were so unique.

Who wouldn't feel very special if someone took so much time to create this extremely personalized gift. I was impressed.

Yard Art.

Yes, I own a piece or two of Yard Art.

I have a grandson who is intrigued by the idea of welding things together. Although he is only 12, I see some welding tools in his future. Not for working though. For creating stuff.  And then I can have more Yard Art and more things to hang on my wall. I like that idea.

This bookseller had the best booth in the place.

It was fairy enchantment. So, of course, I was drawn right in.

And, of course, I bought his book "Thistledom". He extracted it right from this nook in the tree.

I am enchanted.

I love Art Fairs.

Great Lakes Art Fair foam trim signs

Who goes to an Art Fair and takes pictures of the Art Fair signs? Me! I loved them.

I guess I may have loved them partly because they had glitter on them and were painted a bright yellow. I've always loved yellow.

Or, maybe I loved them because they used styrofoam moulding...just like the stuff I used around my ceiling.

I had some fun with that stuff. I got it locally at a place called Gingerbread Trim.

It was soooooo much less expensive than real wood and so darn easy to use.

Look how easy it was for the folks that made these signs to attach the sign on the back. Straight pins...no nails needed here.

Here's my moulding.

I even did the frame around the mirror in a different kind of the foam moulding.

And I also did a shelf under the mirror in the stuff.

Yes...I did get carried away with it.

(I used more than straight pins to hold it up though.)

The bow is wood.

I did take pictures of real Art Fair items too.

That's coming up later.

Halloween box of leftovers

A few years ago we did some Halloween decorating for a private home and also for a club. I have a big box of stuff that has been hanging around ever since.

This year me and the younger set of my tribe dug into it and did some decorating.

I think this skelton head is the perfect addition to my woodsy little chair on my front porch with the little wooden "love" doll...don't you think.

So special.
Makes me filled with delight ever time I walk on my porch.
Oh yeah..not. (I can't wait for the next season....come on Christmas!)


For a few years this witch lady was just too scary but not this year!

She was brought out of the box by special request.
"Remember that witch that used to scare me?", Haley said.
"Where is she?"

Ahhhh...I think I can find her.

Yup...here she is in all her glory.

She use to be wearing a shirt that said "DETROIT....where the
weak are killed and eaten". I'm not sure where THAT shirt
went. Maybe I wore it out??

I remember using this guys head on a silver platter.
We put fresh parsley all around it and it sat on the food table.
Wasn't that so appetizing!

Jacob found a better use for it this year.

We found some glow in the dark chalk in the box and drew some body outlines in the street.
Then the kids laid in the outlines and we put eyeballs
and detached hands and feet around them. Yeah... I took pictures. I do that.

They had great fun ...I mean really lots of giggly fun!....but the pictures were... ahhhh.....disturbing. I think we crossed a line.
Two cars of people stopped and asked if we were alright.
Yeah...I said....we're just fine .....really....we're just getting ready for Halloween...

we're a little off center...but we're just fine....honest.

Who wants to decorate with cute little clowns and sesame street characters?
Not anyone I currently know.

Celebrating the 1980's

Breakdancers....of course I remembered that.

But Pinky from PacMan? I think I forgot about him...if I ever even did
remembered him. I didn't play PacMan much. But he's cute. How could I forget him if I ever knew him?

Flashdance, boomboxes, Ghostbusters, Converse gym shoes....I think it's all coming back now.

What I like best about all these designs is the zebra print. I love that! Zebra print and lime green makes me want to paint my bedroom walls lime and get a zebra print bedspread. Ahhh...maybe that idea would work better in a Powder Room.....'ya think?

We love foamcore!

Oh yes, we surely do live and breath foamcore.

We especially love it when we have some help with those
big ungainly boxes. Thanks to karate guy Kevin for pitchin' right in!

We like to have some...and more.....and some more!

I also just love those empty big boxes. They are great for
cutting up into custom sized shipping boxes.

So everything about foamcore we love....the inside and
the outside parts.....just don't much like luggin' it. Each
case weights about 150 lbs.

I always feel so secure when we have a garage full. Yum!

Puzzle Board turns into Sign In Board...I like this idea.

I like things that can do double duty. I think I've mentioned that before.

In this case, it was first a Puzzle Board that was used in place of the traditional lighting of candles for a candle lighting ceremony. The pieces remove instead of candles being involved in any way.

Afterwards the wide borders on the board can be signed on for guests to leave their good wishes...usually just a "hey, good job" or a "you're awesome". But then you also have a fun party prop displayed for the rest of the party. Or in this case, the folks will be using it at a second party they are having the next day. Isn't that a great idea! Useful and resourceful.

Recycling green theme

I'm all for promoting this theme.

Here's a logo design I'm working on right now.

I'd love to work on a party done creatively with all green ideas
using recycled paper and organic materials and
previously-owned items that are given new life
and purpose.

UPDATE: Oct. 8
Here's another one I really liked.
Different colors....sage green and chocolate brown. Yum.
We've got new brown glitter and also a new sage green glitter. I love them both.

Fat grams from Costco

So I'm shopping at Costco.

I put some heavy whipping cream in my cart for a decadently delicious cake I was making for our big Sunday family dinner with extra company.

Coming in the opposite direction down the aisle was a pretty blonde lady in a jogging suit.

She looked at the heavy cream in my cart. Then she looked straight at me. She looked me up and down. (I think she was checking my body fat level, I'm not sure.)

I wanted to say:

"Ah....it's just for Sunday dinner....really. I eat low fat almost all the time...even today for lunch I'm having celery and a half a peanut...honest....maybe one of these juicy peaches."

I rounded the corner quickly and there was a man who looked right at the heavy cream. But he didn't do the same "looking-at-me-thing". I think he was thinking to himself....mmm...I'd like that to be in my wife's cart.

But...whatever!....what's with the heavy cream looks? Now I know it was a large container but that's Costco, isn't it....all about the big.

Here's my cart from my next stop at Meijers. I'm glad the blonde lady wasn't in this Meijers.

What would she think of this.

Nobody thought anything of this cart.

No one even took a second look.

Oh well...here's my cake and it was delicious.

I don't post recipes here but it was called Tres Leches and I found the recipe on a really fun blog by The Pioneer Woman who has loads of recipes that will kill 'ya.

Ocean City, Maryland/ Food Station Signs

Here's some FOOD STATION SIGNS.

All about the cool places in Ocean City, Maryland for a Bat Mitzvah Party.

We put easel backs on some of them to free stand on the table and
some had poles to elevate up a bit. All of the were about the size of an average Sign In Board....about 3ft. x 4ft. high.

Can't say I had a favorite one cuz I liked them all but maybe the crab with the sunglasses for Phillips takes a slight edge towards top favorite.

This was really a fun project for a very cool lady with lots of good input on getting the theme down. It made me want to take a trip there. Maybe next year.

No trespassing...it's just not right.

Some things just bug me.

This sign bugs me. It's just not right.

Some guy bought a vacant lot on our lake and put a dock on it and there he stores his boat.

So that's just fine. But what about that sign. Geesh....does he think someone is

going to step on his dock and wear it out?

Might someone fish off the dock and catch "his" fish that swim by his boat?

I think the lake should be enjoyed and shared. This is a very territorial sign. It say's "this is mine..I ain't sharing...go away." It makes me want to take that sign right out of the ground and throw it in the reeds along the shore....but I guess that would be trespassing, wouldn't it.

Gyrodon Merulioides....I think I'll call it a mushroom.

Would you look at this mushroom!

What a beauty.

My son-in-law Drew spotted this amazing flowery mushroom on his way home from work.

He knew I would appreciate it's beauty so we headed over there to take a picture.
That's me in the shadow and that's the very spot it was "blooming" in.

I also had brought along my handy dandy bear claw saw. And...yup....we did it.
We sawed it right off....nice and easy.

We came home and looked it up on Google and found out it's a Gyrodon Merulioides that grows by ash trees and it's edible!

Oh..no...we're not eatin' it. I don't believe everything I read and I'm not that hungry for mushrooms.

I'm doing to hang it upside down and dry it and see what it turns into. I imagine it will shrink quite a bit. I hope it will harden instead of rotting and I can varnish it and put a fairy in it.

It did say online that you could dry it but not in the oven..not even on low...because it will cook it.

I'll post a picture later of what it turns into.

Labor Day Replacement Crew

Stacey left town.

She ran away Up North to Boyne Mountain for the weekend. (But I'm happy to announce she's baaaack!)

But while she was Missing In Action she was replaced by 3 people.

We brought in the big guns. Frank (88 years young) and Charlotte (a little younger than that) and Jim (even younger still).

Charlotte's task was setting up the placecard table and what a fine job she did.

Jim put all the lights in the sign and fixed any loose bulbs.

He's good with those tiny lights. He also got me the hotel's ladder so I didn't have to drag mine out of the van and all the way into the ball room. It's not that it's heavy but it's big.

Frank set up and jazzed up all the centerpieces. Another fine job well done.

(He's very fussy I'll have you know.)

I treat my "helpers" very well. I took them all to T.G.I.Fridays and we feasted.

That's my beer in the lower right....it was yummy.

(When they're not my helpers, they are my Mom and Dad and Significant Other.)

Perception

Sunrise

September 7, 2009

Wolverine Lake

I took a kayak ride with some neighbors this morning to watch the sun rise slowly and peacefully on the lake.

It was cloudy and you couldn't see the sun at first. You could just perceive it getting lighter around you very gradually ....and then it rained very lightly. Big fish were jumping and the lake was dark dark dark....serene and seriously dark.

How did I never notice the name of the kayak before? What a cool name for a kayak.

There's something about "blogging" and also "taking pictures" (and "kayaking" too) that helps with perception. I guess that's why we do them.

I didn't understand that at the beginning.

Sky lanterns....what a fun idea!

Our kids loved these.

So did the adults.

I think cars driving by weren't sure what they were. One car just stopped in the middle of the road and sat there for awhile. I wonder if he thought it was a UFO?

I understand folks send them off in bulk for weddings and bar mitzvahs and other special events all over the country. What a beautiful sight that would be.

(You can Google "sky lanterns" or "wish lanterns" and find out more information and where to order them.) What a perfect summer fun thing.... especially for kids who love fire and being out side at night in the dark!