Frugal living

Weekly Photo Challenge: Evanescent

Evanescent.  I just learned me a new word today.  Who’da thunk it?

Sorry I have not had much to say for the last number of years but hopefully that changes in a few months, maybe sooner, not for sure right now.  I know I am about to take at least a couple of months off after Memorial Day weekend.

I knew I was canceling my cable service, Comcast, due to constantly being overcharged for months now and not able to completely correct the various issues with my bill.  I had never dealt with this company before now & read all the complaints before going with them anyway.  Live & learn, it can happen to you too!  I had no issues the first year with my introductory offer locked in but after that year and one upgrade deal that turned out to be $33.00 more than the agreed upon amount of $142 which was still way higher than the deal advertised for only $109 per month.  They gave me a partial credit with more to come, but reneged on the deal numerous times so I’m done.  Been charging me $176 or more a month!  Probably sending a complaint to the FCC when I am done with them.  I don’t expect they will just let me cancel.  I actually expect them to pull stuff on me after the fact like sending some type of “cancellation bill” or claims they didn’t get all the equipment back.  That’s how much I don’t trust them now and will wait and see so I can give a full report to the FCC when I do file a complaint so everything’s included.

I will choose another service after I get a break from it for the summer.  Will give me a chance to create again instead of being distracted because I want to watch things and get my money’s worth out of this service while I have it.  I might do another post before I stop for a while.  This is some of the things I’ve worked on in the past in various media and with my computer graphic software of which I have three.  Photoshop, PhotoImpact & PhotoDraw.  Most are about 10 years old or more with some functions no longer supported by the company and as such no longer work like 3D in PhotoDraw 2000 because of their constant upgrades to Windows through the years.  I rarely touch Photoshop Elements 7 & 9 preferring Microsoft PhotoDraw when I need it.  The PhotoImpact edition I have came out in 1999, a year before PhotoDraw was introduced by Microsoft I purchased at a good price in my college bookstore.

I used to do restoration work on old photos back in then 1980’s for a couple of professional photo labs without the help of any software like we have now.

I have been suffering through yet another diet the last couple months trying to get rid of about 20 extra pounds after hibernating all winter with cable.  Was nice though.  Spoiled the heck out of myself.  I started keeping a journal with the approximate calorie, fat and carb info for everything I ate.  It helped me become aware of the nutrition in my food and make needed changes.  I still freak when I have a couple of slices of bread I want to use so it doesn’t go to waste but I don’t want the added calories and have other left overs that are more nutritious.  I’ve never been a big bread eater in the first place but did purchase it.  I pride myself in never wasting any food but thinking like that will put on the pounds for sure.  So will snacking on seeds and nuts thinking they are healthy but realizing just how many calories and fat is in them.

I made a “Pineapple Dream Desert” the other day for a treat after giving up cheesecake and ice cream, my favorites.  I’m not fond of just any sweets but what I do love I must have like chocolate at least once a day.  I created a “Diet Pineapple Dream Desert” in honor of my 11 lb weight loss.  I was about to go berserk feeling so deprived.  Click on the original desert name for the full recipe.

I did not make a crust, just the top sprinkle.  Whip all the ingredients together as you would any whipped desert and chill a couple of hours to firm.  Not bad but not as good as a cheesecake, fair warning.  Also found this great snack food called Cosmos Creations that I think may put a crimp in my diet plans. Like the coconut crunch in moderation.  Must be a Christian company because days later I was reading the back and found Psalm 89:11.

I have also added an additional 8 crates to my wall shelving.  I’m eventually going to sand them all better and stain them a darker color as well as input those battery stick lights in some of them for ambiance when I can find some that are decent quality.  I tried those years ago with my under the stairs storage and they eventually fell off after getting knocked.  They were cheaply made.  I will post the another picture once I complete that time-consuming project one day.  *WARNING: Again, would not recommend doing something like this with young children who could easily pull it down on themselves.  

I actually might just sand them and use white wash or milk paint.  I like both effects.  Viewed them on Pinterest.com.  I plan on being creative as far as placement once in a while now that I have 20 to work with.

I plan on starting and finishing a number of collages while I’m away for a while.  I will post them as soon as I’m online again.  In the meantime I’ll share some of my old work.

Lamp post collage
My first nude oil. Interesting technique before I started studying with other artists.
Rose transfer in center of large plexiglass with stamped border.
This is what happened with I drew a picture from my head. Not happy with it
More fun with a glue gun.
Acrylic cross on canvas with stamped border done in monochromatic metallics.
One of my childhood art projects in copper.
Stuck this “negative” bird
In front of a “negative” snow scene

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflecting Pink

pink mirror 2

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

An earlier Mother’s Day.

I was sometimes called a “girly-girl” which I don’t get except I was very slight of frame and quiet.  I didn’t wear ruffles or pink but preferred a book to sports, kittens to dogs and giggling to gossip.

I grew to love pink, ruffles and lace as I got older and I don’t mean as an old lady, but even into my 30’s I grew fond of the romantic look in clothing and decor.

An outdoor picnic. I made my dress and my son’s outfit.

Reflections are all around us daily but I’m reflecting internally about the time in my life when I actually “mothered.”  I am still a mother but am no longer allowed to act like one.  That sucks.

I love Sean’s expression at 3 months.
My son David used to play a little too rough, age 3. At age 10 he broke a foot right before school started.

Reflections of home.

Lace in my coffee.
Lamp on a glass table.

Reflections in nature.

Weekly Photo Challenge: May Day on Earth, 2017

And what a May Day it’s turning out to be.  God only knows anymore what will occur on any given day in our twisted world of selfish Godlessness.  The evil ones take a day and hijack it as another excuse to act childish and violent in the streets calling it a protest, when all they mean to do is act out in violence and hatred to anyone who is not on their side.  I will never be on the side of evil.  Evil has turned me from at one time being “liberal” to despising those with that title.  The evil ones hijacked that term as well as hold it as a shield to trick some into thinking they are selfless and caring when they seem to only care about the rights of someone that takes everyone’s else’s rights away.  They do not stand for justice, fairness or decency so they don’t stand for me.

Protesters pretend to care about various things but their actions prove very different.  They are angry, immature and don’t care who they effect adversely by all the polluting and littering they leave not to mention the actual destruction and harm they cause to others or our earth.  The devil comes to steal and destroy, not Godly people and I definitely judge a man by his actions.  How you treat others, so shall your Father in Heaven treat you.  The same goes for our earth.  The way it’s treated, it will react in kind.

In front of my first Garden.
Vegetables partial shade
New squash
wildlife is precious
green apples
Some pests we need
Chives
Chives
Bees go, we go
Sage
Corn
Apples
Red raspberries
tiny butterflies
Po’ Girl Gardens

I once won a litter bug contest sponsored by a local program in Detroit by naming the litter bugs when I was about 8 years old.  I can’t remember the names but did win a board game of some sort.  My father who was part Native American gave me a knife when I was young and told me how to use it and how not to use it to respect all the living things on this planet.  My parents were not perfect, but had good values.  They explained about how everything we see growing is alive, the importance of organic gardening and not using herbicides and pesticides as so many do because it’s easier.  By now everyone should know better.  In all my years of gardening as an adult I have never had it harder because I didn’t use chemicals.  I did have to kill some pests by hand as well as do more weeding until more mulch was placed in some areas and I’ve mixed up a batch of spray to place on some plants to deter pests with garlic water and Fels soap.

Daily Prompt: A Jolt of Spring at Hidden Lake Gardens

When I saw “Jolt” I immediately thought of the Jolt cola that supposedly they are still making.

Hidden Lake Gardens has become a big dog walking place lately.  Cool as long as you clean up so they don’t ban this practice for everyone.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise!

Surprise!  Anything can be on here today!

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day! I prefer Swiss & Muenster instead of the American Processed slices I used to have as a kid.
Goes great with a mocha Frappe.

 

Surprise to me! Both the mug and plate have since been broken and I don’t have a clue what the heck I was eating. Any guesses?

Sorry the mug is blurry.  Says “If I ever have the urge to marry again I’ll just find someone I hate and buy them a house!”  Funny at the time.

I seldom ever indulge in alcohol. Never liked it in any form “grape juice that burns!”

However dark chocolate and ice cream have always been my weakness!

Alas, I can no longer indulge in these goodies until I lose another 15 lbs.  I have always been very good in the past when I give myself a goal but since this always has to be repeated, I don’t like eating healthy all the time.  It’s not good for you to yo-yo as I do because it means that I eat excess fats and calories that my body does not need and then I go into starvation mode to lose again.  Very bad all the way around.  I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer but I do work out daily.  Sadly the older you become the slower your metabolism gets.  So for now I just keep bad stuff out of the house.

Weekly Photo Challenge: It IS Easy Being Green!

If you’re a garden!

“But green‘s the color of spring!”


Soon it will be pea-pickin’ time! I used to plant my peas end of March, beginning April, along with other cool weather crops such as lettuce, spinach and radishes. I didn’t especially like radishes but I tolerated them because I grew them myself organically and could enjoy the fruits of my labor within 30 days! Lettuce and spinach took a little longer if I could keep the rabbits away. Loved living out in the country more when I gardened. There were no small varmints to ruin your crops because the big varmints got them and the bigger ones never came around my house though they were sometimes spotted out in the fields.


Even though my garden in the city was not successful at all as far as a source of food, it was a nice sanctuary to relax in after a hard day’s work.

Daily Prompt: The Luck O’ The Irish

Love that expression!  Of course I am part Irish.  Once when I was a kid I found a $10.00 bill floating in the breeze while out walking on Saint Patrick’s Day and that expression came to mind.  Of course to my knowledge, that was the only St. Paddy’s Day I had this kind of luck of “found money.”  We’ll see when the Mega Millions is drawn tonight!

I swore I was not going to bother making another Irish meal and had the urge for boiled dinner or corned beef and cabbage.  Apparently it’s not really a traditional dish of Ireland, according to my Irish cookbook “Irish Pub Cooking.”  So glad I kept it.  I sold a number of my cookbooks I didn’t use very much before I moved at the end of 2015.  I like the simple recipes in this book.  Beef in Stout with Herb Dumplings, Bleu Cheese & Walnut Tartlets, Savory Oat Crackers and my favorite comfort food, Colcannon, often served around Halloween.  I would never mix in lucky coins or charms for someone to choke on, though some follow that tradition.  Basically mashed potatoes with cabbage and scallions.  Very yummy.  If you like potato and onions you should like this.


Daily Prompt: Patterns for Creative Living

When I think of patterns, I think of sewing right off the bat.  Some could think of a pattern of conduct or behavior, I think of it as something that repeats on wallpaper or on a piece of patterned cloth that you would cut out a pattern from.

A while back I worked for a major decorating company for a number of years.  The majority of the time I worked as a vendor representative with many companies from drapery and curtains to wallpaper and rugs and everything in between.  It was a very fulfilling and creative time in my life.  Unfortunately I chose to leave it for more money somewhere else.  A place where there were no patterns except for those evading their taxes.  There was a similar pattern in that respect.

Please see the short video I prepared to walk you through the way I created a flat panel from cotton muslin to hang on a cafe curtain in my tiny bathroom which previously had 2″ window blinds that stuck out when you opened them. I wanted to try something different so instead of just painting everything freehand on my panel, I found some colorful fish in my PhotoDraw clip gallery that I printed separately onto vellum/frosted paper.   It’s a nice texture to print from.   You can get them in the printer paper area or cheaper in scrap booking or paper craft area of any hobby or office store.

I placed pins to mask the general area for the fish patterns to go and used my inkjet printer to print directly on the sheets. You may have to place masking tape along the feed edge so the printer can see it. My printer is fussy with certain papers.   You can see it on the transfer paper when I lay it inkside down on the fabric after I coat the area with gloss, semi-gloss or matte medium, liquid or gel. I have used them all with similar results. Don’t over saturate, but use enough. Experiment on scrap fabric before you ever start an actual project you care about to see the various effects you get from each type of transfer medium and what you prefer.

After I place the transfer ink side down on the medium I burnish the back of the entire picture with a plastic utensil I have. Many use a bone folder you can get at crafting stores. Don’t press too hard, but hard enough to push all the ink into the fabric from the paper. I use vellum because it does not come apart from the medium like other papers can do.   It’s almost plastic like in texture.   You will see that if you have used too much medium, the colors will squish out all over and the picture will blur and not look as good. Again, experiment for a while first.

Once I think that the transfer has been complete, I carefully lift up the paper and let it dry for at least a day. I don’t rush my drying when I need it completely dry. After that I hand painted various corals, plants and sea horses.   I would have used a transfer for the seahorses as well but they were an after thought so I didn’t bother because I had already started some painting with acrylics. If you need to thin the paint you can use water or more medium depending on the thickness and intensity of color you wish to have.

Naturally I measured the panel and had all the edges finishes and sewed my rod pocket at the top to allow for the cafe rod, which is very small. Please see some of the finished pictures as well for an idea of how this looked from the outside of the window at night.

Daily Prompt: Expectations

No more Valentine expectations!

That’s how it is when you are completely single for valentine.  Click here if you are having a problem dealing with this fact.

Please enjoy a few older shots.  I was going to find and scan a picture from years ago of one of my Valentine’s Day hauls but my apartment is too disheveled at this time to look.  Early spring cleaning.  It’s in the 40’s this week and expected to actually hit the upper 50’s in a few days around here.

 

Now I am a mere ghost to Valentine's Days of the past!
Now I am a mere ghost to Valentine’s Days of the past!
Can't find my favorite teacup since I moved.
Can’t find my favorite teacup since I moved.