Michelle finally gave in

and m'lady bought herself some bronze shoes.

There they are! Can you see them? They're in the garden...

I also wanted to show what the completed organza flowers look like as referenced in the Fire+Synthetics post, which is why I totally covered Michelle's shoes. Not because I don't like them, just because I'm multi-tasking.
I need to make more organza flowers if you want to come hang out with a fire hazard of a girl. Please?

Barn update and pictures

So, I went to the ranch this weekend and got to check out the barn. It has been leveled and they are in the process of hardening the floor. I was of the opinion that they tease the floor until it has "had enough" and distances itself from its (the floor's) emotions, but apparently that takes too long. Instead, they will be wetting it down with the water truck several times over the coming weeks until it takes on the appearance and texture of packed mud. Or something close.

It was exciting to see the floor completely level! For those who didn't see it before, there were plenty of dips, valleys, and rodent holes waiting to capture your heels, but this? Beautiful! Level!

They also graded the area around the front entrance to the barn to make for smooth walking. I bet you I can still fall there.

You can see a smidge of the barn to the left in this picture, and doesn't the vineyard look nice? I hope Dad leaves Backy out there for the wedding, too.

And Pumpkin says "Hi".

Notes, updates

You know how people always say you lose weight before the wedding? You know, because you're so stressed? Well, I said it before and I'll say it again, those falsehood spreaders are up to no good, I've gained close to ten pounds leading up to this happy event. Woof. Hope the dress still fits!
As for the puppies, they have new names after a weekend of nomenclatural experimentation. Mason became Walter became Boy and ended up Dingo. Maddy became Perry became Girl became Olive. Those names are keepers, Dingo and Olive! I keep hoping that Dad will get too attached to them before he is able to successfully give them away.
Two days 'til the dress fitting.

OMG PUPPIES!@!!!!!

Look at the cutest puppies in the world!
And they are going home with me! (en route to Dad's house)
Is Dad ready for this small dog world? Only time will tell.

 

They're actually a little over one year old, I've tentatively named the one above "Maddie", short for Madeleine.

  

And her brother is "Mason".  They had to be entered into the vet med computer as something, you know?

PUUPPPPPPPPIEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One month!

Today marks one month until the wedding!
It is pretty hard to believe it is only one month away.
I will celebrate by eating found food at work.

wow! more quilling!

After I exclaimed "done!" this morning, I started looking at what other people are doing with their paper filigree arts and I happened upon Hila Rawet Karni on "All Things Paper".Hot dog!

Can someone tell me how to do this?

The end of quilling

Well, I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I made the sought after number for quilled flowers (one hundred) so I no longer have to twist paper around a mutilated bobby pin.
It is kind of sad though. I've been working on these off and on for a few months, more off than on, and quilling was easily the safest of the crafts I've been working on--no hot glue gun, fire or needles. I still have a good amount of quilling paper left in yellows, green, blue, purples, maroon, cream, and peach, so if you want to make yourself a small, labor intensive pretty flower, pop on over!
If you are curious, I was introduced to quilling by viewing Yulia Brodskaya's work. It really puts mine to shame, though maybe after the wedding I can just dork around with my extra paper and create something really amazing!
Thanks to Becca and Vanessa for all your quilling help, along with the Cacciatores who occasionally twirled some paper in my name.

Fire+Synthetics=Somewhat Hazardous

So, I got my craft on last night with the first forray into organza flowery business. Preet came over and helped a bit (thanks Preet!) and there were minimal injuries from this craft project. This picture should tell you why there were any injuries at all.
Yep, there is fire involved. And synthetic materials. Synthetic materials that sometime catch more flame than I, or anyone for that matter, am comfortable holding in my mitt. Consequently, I have missing skin on my forehead and burns on my hands and fingers from fiery organza that got a little out of control as I tried to extinguish it by shaking it, sending melted purple schrapnel all over the living room and myself. But I think they're pretty!

I'll post more pictures when I have more of them complete. Right now taking a picture of five organza flowers seems...silly? I'm going to make a bed of them before this is done!

*This idea was originally sent to me by Becca, though I'm not really following the Reese Dixon directions to the letter--or at all, other than I'm using organza, beads, and an open flame. Perhaps the next set of flowers will be more...less...um...they'll be something totally different!

to change or not to change?

So, I've got this horrible dilemma that would have been entirely irrelevant 50 years ago or less. Today Chris and I go to the county clerk's office and obtain our marriage license, which is all fine and dandy. I'm ecstatic to get this bit of paperwork out of the way. But! I'm completely up in the air about whether I should take his name or not. My degree is under my maiden name (only a B.A., but still!), all my work contacts know me by my current name, and I don't think my potential new name looks as good signed, nor is it fun to sign. A hyphenated last name would result in 18 1/2 characters (I count the hyphen as a half) which is more than I care to carry.
It would be a very difficult habit to break, signing my old name. And I'd have to get new checks. And deal with the wretched women in HR to get all of my information updated. *shudder*
Any thoughts?