I heart postcards!

These are postcards from a set from the Museum of Modern Art and I just love them. I love modern art much more than ancient art. It's so much more colorful, kitschy, and expressive. I quickly laid these postcards out and now I realize I picked the most risque of the bunch to showcase in the front. Eh, I think I'll leave it. Anyway, I have never been to go to MOMA (I did go to the MET once), but one of these days, I want to take a day trip to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, since it is only 3 or so hours away from me! Part of the reasons I want to go to them is for the fab gift shops. I'm pretty certain this is where this postcard set was purchased for me (I'm pretty sure by my friend Steve :) Anyway, I'd love to do a creative project with them one of these days and put them on display. It's so sad they sit in a bin most days, not getting to be enjoyed? Do you have any cool ideas for them?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

The craft blog thought process

I really enjoy writing my blog and sometimes I am super, super inspired to post a new project or something cool I experienced, but there are times where (like now), it is 11:37pm on a weeknight and I have no clue what I'm going to write about for my daily blog post.

As you probably notice, I really try to come up with new content that's somewhat interesting (at least I hope it is for your sake...ha ha). When I was thinking about what I was going to do tonight, I had an idea...why don't I share with you the randomness that comes into my head when I develop a blog post (esp. a last minute one). I'm fascinated by how people formalize their ideas and how an idea gets from point a to point b...so, with that in mind, I want to share with you my thought process behind my a post...so here's the inner dialogue straight from my brain.

You are now entering Alexa's Brain

"Oh, no. I really need to think of something for my blog. What kind of project can I do in 30 minutes? Hmm...maybe I can do a post on a 30 minute craft and it become a regular feature. But what if I flake out and it doesn't become a regular feature. Ugh, I can't make a promise to do a regular feature and not pull through...I don't think I'm going to do that.

Hmm...hey, I could do a contest and give away some fun stuff from my craft stash. Let's see...I have this charm, a cool goblin bead, and let's see, I have some paper clips. Ugh, I can't give away paper clips. That's dumb. OK, I do have this tin. I could fill it with beads, charms, and stickers.



But I kinda like it. I don't want to give it away. Um, and I don't know if I would ship it right away. I'm going on vacation and it would be several weeks till I would get around to mailing it out. Ugh, can't do that idea.

Hey, what project do I have around that I could post. Let's see...oh, there's that Creative Techniques project I did...people prob. won't remember it, but I don't want to have to go and find the instructions in my e-mail. That would take longer than rewriting them from scratch. Can't do that one. Oh, wait...I do have this John Mayer frame. It has a cool technique on it...



But I don't really like John Mayer like I used to. He's too Hollywood now and not as cool. I guess it looks cool and that they are my own photos that I burned on the frame, but I don't want to have to write instructions and think of how to explain it.

OK, let's see...hmm, there's that vase of colorful buttons I could blog about...



Um, yeah, it's a vase of buttons. That will make for a real exciting read!

Hey, what about if I show off the project that I created just for my blog? I've been waiting to feature it...



Ugh, but I'm not entirely finished with it and again, I'd have to write instructions. I don't want to be up for an hour and a half finishing it and writing instructions too.

I'm at a total loss. I don't know what the heck to blog about that people actually will want to read about...hey (looking down next to keyboard), I could do something cool with this measuring tape. It would make a super cool vase or bracelet or something.



I don't have a surface to start with. Hmm, I need to go to plan Z."

Wait, why don't I do a blog about how I decide how I choose what to blog...yeah, I think I'll do that. That won't take too long and it will be easy to write. I'll just snap a few pics and I'll be done in no time. Yeah, I'll think I'll do that.

You are now exiting Alexa's Brain

Hope that made sense and was somewhat easy to follow. I've never been one to be perfect about grammatical phrasing. I need to study up.

Hope you enjoyed this little venture inside my head and thinking up a crafty blog post. I promise, it's not always this hard or this much of a stretch. Some days it just comes, other days it is a little harder, but it's all worth it. I do enjoy it.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Living the colorful life

I love color. I really do. I wanted to share a few things in my life that inspire me with popping color! First off, the photo above is a detail of some stacking boxes I bought at Ikea. They break down to fit into one small round box; however, I like to display them stacked. Actually, they are like 2 feet tall if you stacked them from top to bottom, but realistically, that's just not going to work. It falls over in an instant. I use these little boxes to store small trinkets and embellishments for crafting.


Love this little colander I picked up at Michaels for only $2 in the value section. Thought I would spice it up with some multi-colored buttons.


Love these trays I bought for 68¢ a couple years back. I actually use the pink one for a paint palette, but I actually own more than this. I have an idea in the back of my head that I want to do down the road with these fun little trays!


These little umbrellas were a major steal at the local antique store. I got them for a $1! I want to make something with them...the inspiration just hasn't hit yet.


Oh, yeah, I'm totally pimping myself out above. These are my colorful button rings. Buttons are just so much fun to photograph! I never get tired of looking through a boxful or bowlful of bottons, don't you. A couple of rings are posted on my Etsy shop. Check them out here.

Well, going to head off to bed. Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

My niceness pays off!

If you know me in person, you know that I'm generally a pretty nice, tolerant person. Some may say a little "too nice". What does "too nice" mean? Well, I think it means that I could be swayed (Yes, I did buy the lotion from the lotion guy in the mall once...I honestly hate admitting it). I don't like to hurt peoples feelings and I'm also not one for a major conflict, so I don't generally sweat the small stuff.

Today, however, I really felt a need to stand up for myself over a very small issue. This past week, someone has parked 3 times in my parking spot here at my apartment complex. It's not that it's a great or close spot to my apartment, but a lot of it is just principle and the fact that having to park elsewhere takes me more time to get around and is much less convenient.

So, you know what I did? I wrote the driver this little note...



I'm sure I could have got mad, complained, and have been rude or have been a bit more stern...but perhaps they didn't realize they were taking my spot. When I first moved in, I didn't realize it and accidentally parked in somebody's spot. Also, I wrote the note cause I could have called security and dealt with it that way; however, I feel like, just like if you are blasting your music...wouldn't you rather be approached nicely by a neighbor rather than have the security guard show up to scold you? Anyway, that is what I did.

Well, I had to run out to the drugstore 30 or so minutes afterward, and I totally noticed the dude walking to his card and picking up the note from under the windshield wiper. Not one for conflict, I ducked behind a car. How lame is that? I'm pretty sure he didn't see me. I then ran back inside for a bit. I had no clue what I would say to him. Ha ha.

Well, I did go back out and go to the drugstore and you know what? When I got back, his car was moved to the visitor area! I guess my note worked. Well, for tonight atleast...who knows...he may be back in my spot tomorrow, but I think he got the point.

So, is there a better way you think you would have handled it?

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Getting back in the groove

First off, I want to thank all of you guys who left me sweet and kind thoughts through the passing of my grandmother. The funeral wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be, mainly because it was lighthearted like my grandmother and more a celebration of her life. Just up until a week before her passing, she was playing cards with her buddies and going bingo-ing, so she knew how to break loose and have a good time her way before she passed and isn't that what we all want when we leave this earth? I'm glad she left in a dignified way and her quality of life didn't take a turn for the worse before she died.

I wanted to share with you a doll I found in her things that I played with as a kid. It's crazy, but I hadn't seen this doll in 25+ years. It was stowed away in her cedar chest. Isn't it weird when you have a connection with something, forget about it, and then rediscover it again? It is such a cool feeling! I tried to photo process it in Photoshop a retro way. I think I achieved it, but there's a lot to learn. I'm always fascinated how people have an eye for giving old vintage looks to photos.



I went through a lot of her things in her trailer. She actually had moved there 7-8 months ago, so when she moved, she purged a LOT of things, which was good. It wasn't as weird going through her trailer, cause I had more of an attachment to the house she lived in for 30+ years. I did keep some neat things that my mom is shipping out to me. I'm not one of those crystal/china people. I'd rather have things that have more a sentimental value or appealed to me as a child. To me, it's not really about expensive material things.

Anyway, hope you had a great weekend and have a great week!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

To Grandmother's house I go...

This is one of my favorite pictures of me and my Grandmother. It was from my first overnight visit with her. She told me that my mom and dad were certain they were going to have to wake up in the middle of the night and get me, but they were wrong. I slept the whole night without waking up or getting homesick. I think that was little bit of my independence at a young age showing through.

My grandmother drove a big brown Ford LTD. It was HUGE...and I mean HUGE. Def. a lot safer car than the cars they have today.

I remember my grandmother always being very proud of whatever she was growing. She had huge elephant ear plants and tomatoes in her garden.

She loved her game shows! I remember many days spent watching Joker's Wild, $25,000 Pyramid, Name that Tune, and many more (I think they used to come on USA or TBS during the day back before the Game Show Network). She was also a Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy watcher as well. Another one I remember getting a kick watching with her was "Hoosier Millionaire". That was a very low-budget lottery game show that was fun to watch.

My grandmother smoked for 50+ years, but kicked the habit 10 years ago, pretty much cold turkey. I don't know how she did it, but I was really, really proud of her.

She was the most organized person I knew...a gene which was passed on to my Dad. Somehow it missed me and my brother...I'm not exactly sure why. She had a place for anything and everything. I always really admired how she took a lot of pride in her home and took care of her things. It's something I should strive more for.

There's certain things your grandma's cook that take the cake and for me it was my grandmother's pot roast and potatoes. She also made a mean BLT as well as egg over easy. There was something very magical about the way she made toast that I've never really achieved in my adult life. I know that sounds silly, but I think maybe it was just better because my Grandmother made it. I don't know.

If you can't tell, I'm going to miss her very much. She was very special to me and gave me unconditional love.

Until next time Swellions.

Alexa

Repost: Wednesday is Lensday: Changes

Here's a post from last year where I talk about my grandmother moving from her house. I'm very glad that I documented my memories and have them to keep. If you haven't captured memories of your childhood home, favorite toys, people you love, I suggest you do so. Especially today in our digital world, it is very easy to capture moments/feelings/personal memories that you hold near your heart. Maybe you want to keep them as memories, and that is fine too, it's just nice that I have these to look back at and possibly share in the future if I want to.


From the post "Wednesday is Lensday" on 8/6/08

I discovered yesterday that my grandmother is moving out of her house that's she's lived in forever (ever since I've been on earth). She seems ok with the move actually. She realizes she is getting older and needs more assistance than she used to. Also, the upkeep on her place is getting hard for her to do. She recently had to pour a lot of money into a new furnace and air conditioner. And the move will be easier on her and my folks. She's going to live just below them on their property.

I guess the whole thing about it is that with her changing locations, I realize a lot of things about myself...that I must face the inevitable...death of her, death of my family, death of myself. And that things are changing around me whether I like them or not. Life just evolves like that. I just always liked the feeling I had when I went to her house and enjoyed my memories there. I think it makes me sad to know that a lot of those days are behind me. It's not to say that good, new memories aren't ahead of me and that my life, too, will evolve...it's just hard saying goodbye to phases/things/loved ones and the reality that goes with it.

The last few times I visited her, I took a few pictures here and there of her place. I knew that it was only a matter of time before things would change and I wanted to have those memories documented...here's just a few of my favorite things from her house that I cherished and loved about it.


Faded portraits on the wall...that's me on the right and my big brother Charles on the left.


Here's the scale in her bathroom. I always liked it even as a kid...prob. cause of the retro graphic.


Here's her percolater and her stainless steel backsplash.


Here's a detail of her Stained Glass window on her front door.


Her junk drawer...always with Juicy Fruit waiting just for me and my brother!!


I always loved that dog on that chain link fence gate.

Spending time with Grandmother

This is a little drawing I did in 3rd grade about my Grandmother and me. I think the assignment was to do a drawing about a family member or someone you liked to spend time with.

I chose my grandmother. Going to her house was always a treat for me as a kid. It was the typical kid experience of getting away with what you didn't get to do at home. She always stocked the house with junk food (Cheetos, ice cream, soda, etc.) and I always knew I could watch TV as much as I wanted and she would never object. The only times I generally had to watch what she wanted was when I flipped past bowling (she loved watching bowling) or an old movie was on. I think I liked going there mainly cause I got my way and got to feel special.

She would take me out to eat, we would buy lottery tickets and scratch them, and she would take me to the mall and occasionally buy me a few things. I think with me being her only granddaughter, she wanted to do what would make me happy and cater to me. That was always her way with everyone. She was very welcoming to her guests and their needs. She wanted everyone to be happy.

This past year, she moved from her home to a trailer on my parents' property. I felt very sad about this, knowing that the end was near. It happened a lot sooner than I expected, but I'm glad that she's at peace now. I will always look back fondly on our special times together and how she cared so very much for me.

Until next time Swellions.

Alexa