IS IT PARTY TIME YET?

Another Christmas is gone and 2010 is on the horizon! I, for one, am glad to see 2009 disappear over the hill! What a traumatic and crazy year. Life is not a rehearsal so it is time to move on and get the "party" started! Resolutions are in place and plans are being made! I'm going to have more fun this year than I have ever had before! How's that for Resolution No. 1....what are you resolving to do in 2010?!

art by Janette

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND WISHES FOR A SAFE AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!
All you "naughty cats" know who you are....let's do better next year!

art by Janette

MERRY......??

Well, some folks know how to celebrate!

HO Ho ho!
Ten months to Halloween and counting!

SEND CANDY!!

Well....what is Christmas without a sugar high!? Wrap your comments in a 10 lb. bag of Hershey Kisses and mail it right away!! We are waiting.....

art by Janette

Beginning to look a lot like.....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Rudy is ready and looking for the other "ravendears" so old Santa can deliver all those Etsy goodies! FREE SHIPPING IN ALL MY SHOPS to anywhere! Get the spirit and check out the bargains!

art by Janette

COLD TATAS FOR SHUSHU!!

Don't have much going on today. Feel like crap with allergy and sinus attack so I thought I would post one of my favorite girls on today's blog! ShuShu is a "big boned" beauty weighing in at over 16 lbs. She is definitely an alpha cat and pack leader in this house. She loves to play with my Dalmatian's tail... much to Oreo's chagrin!

She cannot grow hair on her boobies and proudly displays her "Dolly Partons" for all the world to see! She has a "skunk stripe" down her back which makes us wonder if PePe LePew isn't in her lineage somewhere. She wandered up to our porch and established her territory so we had no choice! We adopted her when she was starving, but with the spirit of a lioness! Irresistible!

PARTY PINS!

Get ready for the holiday season and upcoming parties with these fabulous vintage pins from Deja Vu Dream! We have a large variety....something to dress up your evening no matter where you might go!

Just click on DejaVuDream.etsy.com and your shopping is done!
(This lovely pin has already sold so hurry before the others disappear!)


Theatres or open house....you will be in style with these lovely little pieces! The art deco butterfly pin by Liz Claiborne is a symphony of elegance and simplicity!


Be mysterious with this mask pin and attract attention for a festive evening!
Art Deco Wing Pin will make any angel sparkle and shine! (Sorry, this beautiful pin just sold to a lady in France! They are going fast....hurry to DejaVuDream and shop today.)

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN!

Well, here it is coming at us like a freight train....CHRISTMAS!! I'm still basking in the glow of my favorite holiday...HALLOWEEN! Christmas is delightful because I never get enough twinkle lights, but I resent a full blown presentation before Thanksgiving! We don't have time to slow down and savor each celebration and their meanings. By New Year's Day, I'm shell-shocked and glad I survived another "holiday season"....wondering if I had fun and barely remembering the details! Maybe better preparation and less bah-humbugging would be in order for a grump like me! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL! Try a meatless holiday and let the turkeys have some fun too! art by Janette

COMPLETE PROTECTION!

Considering all the diseases and disorders crawling around our world these days, I have the perfect Christmas gift! A Full Body Condom! Protects against flu (all types), sexually transmitted diseases (try having sex in this outfit), and actually cures wrinkles (who can see you)!

Comes in only one color, but very effective! Just a suggestion..... happy shopping for the holiday season! HO HO HO!
art by Janette

Another Passing......

I think this is my year to fully realize my "mortality". When we are young, we are going to feel great, have fun, and live forever! After attending seven or eight funerals this year (I've literally lost track), I am understanding the cycles of life and death as never before. Everyone comes to this point...maybe I'm a late bloomer on this score, but it has finally hit home! Today is Wednesday and I will be attending another relative's funeral at 2:00 PM. I can see, at my age, it is part of life and a way for us to prepare for our eventual passing. I've seen so much suffering and death this year...I finally understand the process and truly do not fear the inevitable.
I took these photos on a recent trip to Lake Worth... which is always comforting and peaceful. This post may seem morbid, but I felt the need to express this as I attend one more passing.
photos by Janette

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th.....I see in my crystal ball that many large white birds will soon be sacrificed in ritual feasting. People will gather in clans and gorge themselves with voracious eating until they fall into a stupor lasting many hours. Violent games will appear as visions before their eyes and they will cry out strange words and gesture rudely. After this day has passed, the remains of the feasting will be reluctantly consumed over a period of days and all will return to "normal" until the next gathering and ritual of offerings. A brightly clothed old man will streak across the sky granting wishes and crying out "HO HO HO". And many think Halloween is weird! Very strange indeed!

art by Janette

APPLE MUMMY

Here's a curiousity you don't see often. We packed my mother-in-law's things from her assisted living facility into a POD unit for storage. The POD sat in a warehouse for the summer and was recently unpacked. In one of the boxes, we found a mummified apple. How it got there is anyone's guess! It was perfectly perserved....tag and all. I love life's little mysteries! Click on the images to see the lucious crinkles in the fruit!

Almost Born!

I found this enormous wasp nest and on closer inspection, noticed a little leg sticking out of one of the chambers. A wasp tried to break through and didn't make it. Kind of sad.....
These structures always amaze and fascinate me. What engineers these little creatures are!

BEREBI BUYS

One of the few good fashion items arriving in the 1980's was Edgar Berebi's distinctive earrings! His bold enamel and gold designs are recognizable and collectible. Berebi is now known more for his museum quality jeweled boxes and home decor with only an occasional jewelry collection. I am reluctantly posting some of my collection (to make room for more!). Check out these recent postings on DejaVuDream.etsy.com. Just click on the shop site to the right and check out the new items....

It's Over! Gone for another year?

Ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle....

Halloween is over! Or....is it? FYI....I've decided to have Halloween all year long! Christmas is nice, but a little too "merry and bright". So Halloween will continue for another 365 day limited engagement....for me!

art by Janette

Demon....a poem for Halloween!

DEMON.....by Janette

I've never seen my demon,
but I can feel it.
Squirming around,
Way down deep inside,
Trying to position itself,
In a cradle,
Just behind my heart.

Snuggling under my ribs,
Catching my breath,
Clawing and scratching against my lungs.
Choking,
Coughing,
Clotted with blood.

I sense a shadow passing behind my eyes.
The swish of a tail stirs the wind inside my bones.
It laps the soft blood beneath my breasts.
Sweet slurping sound, rhythms surging in my ears.

The weight of its belly sinks
Into the darkness of my womb.
It rests in the melancholy of twilight,
Keeping the secret of my soul.

I am devoted to its silent rituals.
Its corded tendons twisting around my spine,
Tremors creep across my fingers
As it stirs in the stillness of my heart.

It flows with my blood, slithering upward.
Upward into electric darkness,
Snaking through memory beyond time.
My brain surrenders to its hungry tongue.

Copyrighted and published in "Anniversary DiVerseCity", an anthology celebrating ten years of the Austin International Poetry Festival, Austin, Texas, 2002. art by Janette

Fred's in a Treasury!

Thank you Rebecca, KneeDeepOrginals, for including Fred in your new Halloween "Zombie" treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=73227

New Etsy Mini for Favorites!

I have a new Etsy Mini sidebar with some of my favorite Etsy items and shops. Take a few moments to click on these thumbnails and discover a new favorite shop of your own! It is located just after the Etsy Fort Worth button! They will change at least every two to three weeks so keep watching for more fascinating goodies!

Spider Lace and Fuzzy Face!

Look closely in the leaves and see the wonderful lace I discovered on a dewy morning. I never saw the spider, but she does beautiful work!

Okay, I admit it, I talk to caterpillars! "Fuzzy Face" and I had a lovely morning chat in the sunshine. He was so gorgeous with his lemon yellow fuzz and black spikes! Not much to say, but quite a flirt!

Urban Street Bazaar and Etsy Fort Worth

On October 11, I went to the Urban Street Bazaar in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX) to support the Etsy Fort Worth team. I snapped this shot of Chase and Stephanie in their booth "Sketch Customs". Check out both their shops beginning with http://www.sketchcustoms.etsy.com for really great tees and more!

It was a cloudy, cool day...perfect for browsing all the handmade, vintage, and art booths.

"Jane Joss" has wonderful flowers and plants made from vintage fabric. Check out the shop at http://www.janejoss.etsy.com for some unusual home decor ideas.

More vendors can be browsed at http://www.TheMakeBazaar.com

Lots of wonderful galleries (my favorite in the area is Artisan's Collective), restaurants, and shops in the Bishop Arts District so I took my muse and wandered thru the inspiring afternoon!


No, this is not "my muse", just a happy customer at the local sidewalk cafe!

Texas State Fair

Welcome to the State Fair of Texas. I always go directly to the Midway. It's hard to get excited about the latest John Deere tractors, Aunt Ida's best jam recipe, or the new cars of 2010! I'm looking for the sideshows, freak shows, haunted houses, anything strange!

The dazzling light show of what has to be the world's tallest ferris wheel is always hypnotic.

The carousel....did anyone see the movie "Something Wicked This Way Comes"? (The book is so much better!)



At last, the Haunted House! The gargoyles were awesome! They were huge and the grunting and growling was deafening! I love it! It would be so cool to have one on each side of the driveway! The neighborhood association would burn us out!

The tufts of gray hair hanging off this handsome fella's chin and boobs is a nice touch. He had a bit of "navel hair" too!! With all the grunting and growling he did, you would think he was "sitting on the can"....kind of looks like it doesn't it!?


This big fella is my favorite! His roar was earshattering and the wing span was over 12 feet across! I wanted to take him home! He was in constant motion so this shot is a bit blurry.

We wandered the Midway listening to the barkers shout their wares, enjoying the light shows, and screams of terrified kids trying not to barf as they spun out of control on this lovely autumn evening!





Big Tex wishes everyone a "Good Night" in a booming voice! He is over 40 feet high and dressed in Dickie jeans!