Scavenging through September

Me again.

I know, you're surprised to see me two days in a row, especially since I've been such a slacker lately. I'm just unpredictable - it's part of my charm! But it's time for another Scavenger Hunt at Made With Love, and I got my act together this month. Thanks to Greenthumb for hosting!

Lots of variety this time, and I even put in a cameo appearance. Drum roll, please.

S is for...

The Simpsons and Springfield.

This mural was recently completed in the adjoining town of Springfield, and since Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) is from Oregon we're all sure that our Springfield is the REAL Springfield.


OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW and 2PM

I call this "Study in Texture and Geometry" but it's really just a photo looking out the bathroom window. And it was taken around 2PM.


CAR PARK

Washington State Ferry - there are cars parked on it (in it?).


HAT

This is my plastic fedora. It had a Happy New Year band around it and came from a party store, but I've been making use of it for photos (in VOGOFF and others that I'll link up tomorrow for Hat Attack!). It would actually be very practical in the rain because it's waterproof. 


IN THE MIRROR

First I told my friend not to let me buy anything that day. Then I ended up at the cash register with this little mirror, and I told her, "Don't stop me. I know what I'm doing." Twenty-some years later, and I've never regretted buying it.


GARDEN

One very ambitious spider - he built this web across our path three times!

LOCK

Not a recent picture, but just perfect for Lock.


NAILS

This is why you should always bring your camera wherever you go. We were walking on a country road, and wandered off to explore this old wooden bridge over a stream. The bridge was studded with long nails that had been bent over. I was so busy taking pictures and thinking ,"Wow, this is lucky," and my husband was busy figuring out that the nails had been put in this way to add traction for when the bridge was wet or iced up.


LAMP

The lamp on my desk, which was a wedding present to my parents in 1951. Pink and gold may not be everyone's cup of tea - which is why my mother got rid of it - but I think it's lovely.

STREET SIGN

...dwarfed by a roof sign.

GAME

Mr. S's vice - Spider Solitaire. He's frighteningly good at it.

That's all for today, but I'll be back tomorrow. Three days in a row!

Val

La Petite Bibliotheque

I just completed a new diorama - this one's pretty cool (IMHO)! A little French library -

I got hooked on making my own little books because I was given this old French encyclopedia, which was already falling apart.

So I made a bunch of little books just doing an accordion fold...

adding stamps and gold paint...

and also using some other papers for book bindings.

I decorated the outside with letters and pages from the encyclopedia.

Inside are shelves and a little reading light.

I'll add this to my Marketplace when I'm sure I'm done with it, but for now I'm linking up with Creative Mondays at Claire Justine.

Val

Smells Like Crone Spirit

It's Grunge week at Spy Girl' 52 Pick-me-up.

I lived in Seattle from 1987 to 1995, the grunge capital during the grunge era. The days before Tiffany's came to town, and when I could still rent an apartment for $500 a month (honest - and it had a view, too). So I had to get in on Grunge week.

Faded jeans, boots, plaid men's shirt over an undershirt, garage bands. And I look just like I did in 1990.

 Oh denial, oh denial, oh denial, oh denial, oh denial.

It's also Third Thursday (T3) at My Closet Catalogue and A Bibliophile's Style, and the prompt this month is to let your outfit be inspired by your best or worst high school read. I can't even remember what I read in high school (it was HIGH school, man). Seriously. I remember reading Herman Hesse books, and Carlos Casteneda, and some science fiction, but I'm not sure how many of those were read for school. I do remember wearing clothes that were pretty much the same as the grunge outfit. Paleo-grunge. So I'm just dressing like high school, not like a book.

Hey, far out! I get to hit two link-ups with one outfit! I love it when that happens.

Sunday update - third link-up at Visible Monday!

Peace.

Val

And they lived happily ever after

I want to tell you a story about a dear friend of mine in Seattle. She's just over 50, and she joined an online dating site geared toward specific interests (Geek to Geek, or something like that), stipulating that she wanted to meet someone who lived within 25 miles. She started emailing one guy who sparked her interest, and they kept emailing and getting more interested in each other. They were very compatible, so they decided to meet.

She suggested a place in Seattle, and he replied asking where that was. She was kind of surprised he hadn't heard of it, so she asked him where he was. He replied Glasgow! So much for the 25-mile criterion!

By now they were already friends – good friends – and they kept emailing and also started Skyping and messaging each other. This went on for several months, and the relationship continued to grow. They wanted to meet in person, so they decided they would meet on the east coast of the US.

After she flew out, all her friends on Facebook waited with bated breath. Of course, the meeting would be filled with anxiety and trepidation. Would it be everything she hoped for and deserved? Would she be hurt? What if the magic didn't exist in real life? What would they do for five days if it just doesn't work?

It took a few days, but finally she posted a picture - of their hands entwined. That said it all.

Sniff, sniff.

So... they just got married!!! I'm tearing up anew as I write this! They married in a beautiful, Victorian town on the Puget Sound, Port Townsend, Washington. Of course we went.

This was the view from our motel in Bremerton, the Flagship Inn.

It's an old motel, but they've cleaned it up and added all the amenities, and the view was to die for.

Mr. S sacrificed part of his muffin - how could you resist that face?

In the morning we had beggars down below the balcony.

I didn't get any pictures of all the lovely old Victorian houses in Port Townsend, but you'll see plenty if you Google it. A lot of the bigger houses are bed-and-breakfast places now.

I won't post personal wedding photos, except this one to show you the beautiful park where my friends got married.

The bride was stunning in a lacy, soft white ballerina length dress with a light turquoise ribbon-belt, and a petticoat to match. The groom wore a shiny satin vest and Victorian tie. They're both madly into Doctor Who (they wore Converse sneakers, as did most of the guests), so I made this for them with an Altoid tin.

I put the bride and groom on the inside - where it was much bigger than it looks from the outside. Well, sort of bigger.

I forgot to have Mr. S take any full-length pictures of me, but here are some cropped close-ups that show my hair growing out in a silver sweep.

And it's not too late to link up with Visible Monday, so I'm going over to check out Patti's new kitchen!

Val

Linky Lamour

Wouldn't that be a great name for a moll - Linky Lamour?

I'm not really back from my break, but since the new issue of VOGOFF is out (YES!!!!!) I had to make a brief appearance. Melanie and Miz Bagg have outdone themselves! You can find the new issue at the link above or by clicking on the cover image at the right of my blog. Go! Check! It! Out!

And I want to add another link here - my handsome nephew-in-law has started his own fashion blog - The Style Eclectic - and my niece is doing the photography. So, Go. Check. It. Out!

And I've added a new diorama to my Marketplace - a fairy house! You'll have to scroll all the way to the bottom, but here are some teasers. Also, I will accept international buyers if you have a credit card or PayPal account (you can use your credit card with PayPal even without an account). And if you're willing to pay whatever the postage is. In some cases they require your first-born.

 

Later, Linky!

Val