Running With Scissors

Googly Eyes: Fun For the Whole Family

I spent the past weekend with a few of my writer friends at a "retreat" (a fancy name for a girls' weekend) in Arizona. We did accomplish some of our writerly goals, but we also had plenty of time for chatting, laughing, eating, spring-training baseball, and all the other stuff you do when you hang out with your pals.

To thank my brother and sister-in-law for so generously allowing us the use of their swell townhouse (and Mini Cooper!) we thought it would be fun to enhance their decor with googly eyes.

The townhouse is adjacent to Jobing.com Arena (home of the Coyotes) and University of Phoenix Stadium (where the Cardinals play), so they decorated with a sports theme (think Elle Decor, not fraternity house) and they have lot of those giant Fathead stickers.

As well as other sports memorabilia. This hockey face mask may be my favorite. The googly eyes just bring it alive.

There's just something about googly eyes on a goalie.

But Coach Lombardi can work the googlies too.

I'm not sure what Matt Leinert did to be demoted to the downstairs bathroom, but now he's particularly unnerving looming over the toilet.

We are not alone in our love of googly eyes, somebody has been googly-eyeing Target.

I bet you can't wait to invite us over for a visit, right?

I'm Sleeping With A Serial Killer

That's right.  I'm sharing my bed with a stone cold killer.

I've known for a while, I guess. But I was in denial. He's just so cute. And funny. And cuddly. Damn his fuzzy little face.

It started small. The Japanese beetle left in pieces on the patio. The lizard tails on the doormat. But then it turned to stiff little lizard corpses under my chair at the table. 

I should have known the truth that morning when when I looked out my bedroom window (on the second floor)  to find him climbing the window screen with a bird in his mouth.

But today his true nature was so clearly revealed that even I couldn't deny it. I turned in my desk chair to find him with a dead (but still warm) bird on the floor behind me, feathers littering the carpet.

I have been sleeping with the world's cutest serial killer.

DIY Hair Ties

Have you heard of Emi-Jay hair ties? They are very cool elastic bands for ponytails that don't leave a dent in your hair. They come in lots of cute colors and patterns. 

And good God Almighty are they expensive. Twelve bucks for 5 hair ties. Plus shipping.

Anthropologie has their own version, which are also 5 for $12. And at ShopBop you can get 18 for $45.

Um, no.

Get thee to a fabric store and buy yourself some fold over elastic. It was $.99 a yard at my local independent store (I couldn't find it at JoAnns). Online shoppers could try Etsy and search for fold over elastic.

Cut the elastic into approximately 11" pieces (the Emi-Jay ones are about 11.5"). Fold in half, wrong sides together, and tie a knot about one-third of the way down. Snip the ends off at a 45 degree angle. Voila.

The one on the far left is from Emi-Jay. The rest are by Colleeni-A. Cheap, easy, and useful. Win-win.

 

 

 

Demon Charlie

I am so easily amused.

Zombie Stella

Ready for Halloween

Too much eye make-up?

My Son The Vampire

Procrastination Central

I'm supposed to be writing, so I thought it would be the perfect time to sew up an apron. It came out pretty cute, although I wish I could figure out a way to add pockets.

I used this tutorial, which was fine. I was going to complain at first about the lack of measurements and detailed instructions and then I realized that someone went to the trouble of posting photos and general instructions -- for free. And heck, I figured it out, so I'm sure you can too.

I used fat quarters (quarter yard cuts of fabric) from a pack I bought on clearance at JoAnn's last year and had plenty of fabric for each ruffle. I used a scrap of black cotton for the lining and then part of another fat quarter for the waistband and ties.

I'm still supposed to be writing, so I think I'll go clean toilets.

Yes, I Did Make It

And no, you can't take it back.

Inspired by these fabulous prints, I felt compelled to make my own for some dear friends' birthdays.

That's some excellent photography, isn't it? Laying them flat on the counter (and standing on a chair) helped a bit.

Not sure about mysterious beige bar at the bottom, probably a reflection. And the frames actually look more driftwood-y in reality (Kind of hard to believe I was a journalism major in college, isn't it?).

These are the coordinates of my friends' homes (don't go stalking them now) -- latitude and longitude. I thought it was clever and it was a fun project to make in Photoshop (you could probably use Microsoft Word too).

Perhaps next I should practice my photo skills.

Flashback Friday: Farm Lust

(My cousin Laura and a friend, circa a long time ago)

I've always kind of fancied living on a farm -- let's pause so that all my Flannery relatives can finish rolling around on the floor laughing -- done? Good.  Because I know what I want is a fantasy farm. I want animals, but I know I probably wouldn't want to eat any of the animals I raised, so that would kind of wind up being a petting zoo instead of a working farm.

(Mama chicken, baby ducks, awwww.)

(My uncle Larry and the reason my mother would never eat lamb.)

My farm would definitely have a barn. Preferably a big, red barn, but one of those old-fashioned California barns would work too. I need a hayloft in my barn, but with hypoallergenic hay because Charlie is allergic. And ropes for swinging.

(This is an excellent barn and a good chicken coop too. Cousins Jimmy and Kim are pretty cute too.)

(Same barn -- now with a silo! Plus a motley crew of cousins. From top left: Colleen, Kim, Kathy, Jimmy, Susie. Middle row: Molly, Jean, Amy, David. Bottom: Missy (I think?), Sarah, Laura, Richard, Tommy. Our poodle, Sam, is lurking behind Amy. I think that's Jack in the background on the right. Circa 1972)

My fantasy farm needs to have enough land so that I can have a tractor. Love tractors. I could just drive it around like those old farmers who lose their driver's license so they just tool around on their John Deeres.

(Baling hay. My uncle John is sitting on the bales, but I have no idea who is driving the tractor. Aunt Katie?)

My farm needs a variety of outbuildings too. Just because they look cool. I'm sure I can find stuff to put in them. Like relatives.

So, until I win the lottery, I indulge my farm lust with a few farm-y blogs: Cold Antler Farm, Juniper Moon Farm, and Bee Haven Acres. Enjoy!