When the World Was Flat

Anybody else remember the Flatsy dolls, circa 1970?

They came up in the comments on a recent post at Bag and a Beret - both Shelley and I mentioned being called Flatsy in our pubescence, a name that was trumpeted on TV commercials at the time thanks to the Flatsy doll and its taunting jingle: Flatsies, flatsies, they're flat and that's that - that's that!

Only a man would give them a name that's sure to torment early adolescent girls. Asshole.

I'm making more of my own flatsies - paper dolls - but I choose to call them Two-Dimensional Divas, avoiding even the shorter '2D' in case that makes anyone think of a bra size, albeit a freakish one.

Here's a Two-Dimensional Diva inspired by one of my fave television characters. Do you recognise her?

It's Elaine Benes from Seinfeld! Her wardrobe is so distinctive and I wanted to have it for myself.

Um, it's not really my size, but at least I can play with it.

This is what I started with - the 'Elaine' template I drew and the possibilities for her signature floral dress.

She really deserves an entire Elaine wardrobe, but I started with the one dress, ankle socks and loafers, blazer with big shoulders, and blue backpack. And of course, her big hair, which I made from lace.

Remember this episode of Seinfeld where Elaine sees a mannequin that looks like her? (This one has Italian subtitles - che strano.)

I hope Elaine wouldn't get upset about my paper doll.

Val

Stress? What stress?

I can't believe how quickly we've settled down in our new home, thousands of miles away from where we lived for ten years. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

We spent months sorting through and clearing out a home we loved, and saying goodbye to family and old friends. Now that I'm sitting here in Wales, fairly relaxed, I look back and wonder how I got through all that stress.

Here's what helped - I gave up wearing make-up and jewellery, quit cutting my hair, and stopped worrying about what I was wearing. That's why you haven't seen any pictures of me here on the blog for quite some time. It was essential, though, partly to save time and partly because I didn't always know where my things were during the move!

Since I'm a freelancer, I still spend days looking like this.

Still also wearing baggy old shorts, weather permitting

I made some paper dolls to stand in for me on social media - they're better dressed than me!

You can see them on the right sidebar as the buttons linking to my Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest pages. 

Guess which one's my favourite?

I call her Velma.

Which one is your fave?

Val

Things I can't take with me

People often ask me, "Val, how do you stay so calm and cool when there is such chaos around you? You just sold your house (in two days) and you're moving to another country. Another country! Won't you miss EVERYTHING? How DO you do it?"

I smile graciously and reply, zen-like, "For everything that must be given up, there will be something to take its place. Memories are yours to keep and cost nothing to ship. You must learn to bend like the willow or else you will break like the oak" and other such nonsense.

The fact is, life moves on, and there are tears and goodbyes and regrets along the way. The highs and lows make up life's rich tapestry (I've got loads of aphorisms, don't I?). So I'm concentrating on those free-shipping memories and looking forward to creating new ones on a different canvas, because I can't take everything with me.

I can't take my grandmother's rocking chair, which I've been fortunate to have in my possession for ten years. Now it will go to my sister or one of my nieces.
 

I can't take my fantastic rotary dial telephone because it won't work in the UK. But I'll sell it for as much money as I can milk out of it.

I can't take my sister, but I can look forward to showing her and my brother-in-law around Wales and England when they come to visit. And my sister and I will always be connected. Not least because I'm chaining her down.

I made this necklace for her because she told me she liked this saying, which she saw in my post at Christmastime. I also wanted a necklace with that saying, so I made a matching one for me that continues the phrase, connecting the sentiment.

I had some little jewels, which happen to be our birthstones, and I added a bit of lace from a pillow our grandmother embroidered. Mine acquired some bubbles while the resin was drying. I'm calling it wabi sabi - beauty in imperfection. Just like life.

And all manner of thing shall be well.

Val

Flux

Have you noticed how time is, yes it is, going faster all the time? When you were 7 years old, one year was one-seventh of your life. When you're 59, a year is one-fiftyninth of your life. The years are scientifically shorter as you get older! Yikes!

As I'm on the cusp of a major life change and moving to another country - for the last time - I can't help but think about the passage of time and my passage through places on this earth. I'm thinking about how the years seem to have disappeared in ordinary days of work and watching TV. I'm wondering what my future life in Great Britain holds and how much the country has changed since I last lived there. And I'm still wondering why the British don't rinse the soap off their dishes.

pondering, 2010

When I started blogging a few years ago, I joined in with other 40+ and 50+ fashion bloggers, taking selfies and trying out new outfits. I had just bought some new clothes and cut my boring bob, I was ready to take the plunge, so I started blogging at Late Blooming Sparkle.

 

January 2013

People who knew me were surprised that I was suddenly taking an interest in fashion, and many of my friends and acquaintances still don't know I blog because I've felt self-conscious about it.

March 2013

I had fun trying new things, writing up silly posts and taking photos, but it wasn't really me.

September 2013

I'm impressed, though, by the camaraderie and wide network of lovely women worldwide who keep up with each other's blogs, offering encouragement and advice and humor. I don't want to give that up, but I have cut down on my blog-reading lately.

March 2014

I decided to blog as Muse Fondue to widen the scope of my blog. Now I'm more likely to post about crafts or my attempts at photography. I love to get lost in creating little things, mostly dioramas in tins. I know that's a pretty narrow-interest niche, but it's my narrow-interest niche.

my latest, sort of an experimental piece

tiny railroad model figures on a bench with a Parisian background

For the next few months, I'll also blog about the changes in my life. I don't want to bore you with stories of cleaning door jambs or sorting through old socks. I plan to write about some of the profound but universal stuff churned up in such a major change: looking at past and future, learning to change compass points in life, and saying meaningful goodbyes to people and places, maybe for the last time.

with my mom and cousins in Florence, Oregon, 2013

Whew, got myself choked up there.

Anyway, thank you for your lovely felicitations on my last post about my 20th wedding anniversary. I hope you'll keep reading about my wild ride!

Val

I Hate Logos

Happy New Year! I haven't checked in here since before the jump (ha ha, using trendy online jargon - incorrectly), and I don't have a huge post or anything major to report. I've been busy sorting and purging and shredding (photographs of old boyfriends, incriminating tax returns, communications from the Mothership). But I also managed to do a little tiny bit of creative work - I customized a logo'ed handbag that I bought in October.

You got a glimpse of it here.

It's a lovely bag, rich dark-red leather, cross-body strap as well as a shorter strap, and just enough pockets and space to keep me organized and content. Except I hate logos.

I vowed to cover this glaring advertisement in some way, to personalize my purse and show Liz where she can shove her shiny vanity plaque. So I did this:

I took the flowers off a hat (seen here) that I had added them to. I rarely wore the hat, so it's now gone to St. Vincent de Paul's thrift shop, and the flowers are here, attached with embroidery thread and a tiny bit of glue.

 Of course, after finishing, another great option presented itself. My mother gave me this:

It was purchased on our family trip in 1964 (which I wrote about here). The badge would fit sideways over the logo, and I'm tempted to try it. The original adhesive might not hold, but I'm sure I could make it stick with some E-6000. Still haven't decided about this.

Anyway, I've been "doing" a little embroidery. The quotes mean that I'm mostly thinking about it and getting ideas. Now that I've said it publicly, I'd better follow through!

Val

All shall be well

Are you ready for Christmas?

Is Christmas ready for you?

We don't go overboard with shopping and activities, and I've actually got time to enjoy Christmas - I'm no longer at my temp job! Since the weather is horrible, I'm sort of hibernating and taking it easy. And when I say "taking it easy" I mean l-a-z-y. Here's my typical To-Do list:

TO DO:

 brush teeth

I got a sudden inspiration from Pinterest when I saw that an Altoid-size tin holds six Dove chocolates. Groovy, I thought, I'm gonna make some little gifts for my book group! After all, I had PLENTY of tins to work with.

So I pulled out some old Christmas cards I'd saved, and some washi tape, and voila!

Then I decided to make some for the various people who will be at our Christmas dinner. (Our extended family this year will include my sister's stepson's partner's father's girlfriend - did ya get all that?) I had a few more old cards, and more washi tape, and some ribbons and stuff, so this time I made them into hanging ornaments.

Each one holds six chocolates.

The best part is that there are chocolates left over for me!

Wishing you all happy holidays, and sharing the wise words of Julian of Norwich:

"All shall be well, and all shall be well,
And all manner of thing shall be well."

Val

The Cliche of Chaos

I wanted to write about chaos, but couldn't think of anything original to say. I wrote about the origins of the word "chaos" on my Wordcraft editing blog. But when it came to writing about actual chaos in any meaningful way, everything I wrote seemed so . . . predictable. The world is in chaos - it certainly is. Learning to live amidst chaos - yeah, we've all been there. Embrace the chaos - cliche monitor going ding, ding, ding!

Why chaos? I like the word, it's rhythmic with a nice pivot, and it's a sneaky way to show you my latest creations. I've been making brooches in a chaotic fashion, and it's fun! Much like nature, the colors and wires create their own order and their own beauty. But since my verbal imagination didn't seem up to par, I decided to use quotes from other people in this post.

If you want to see more of these brooches - they are for sale - pop over to my Muse Marketplace page.

 We live in a rainbow of chaos. Paul Cezanne

 

red, white and blue

Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. Stephen Sondheim

autumn

Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit. Henry Adams

frog pond

 We adore chaos because we love to produce order. M. C. Escher

 

just - chaos

This last one is sort of honey-colored, so I'm linking it up with the TAG Gallery blog - Anne has set up a link-up around the color of honey. Check it out!

Val

I can keep this up as long as you can

Is it hot where you are? Yeah?

Is it topping 90 degrees every day for over two weeks? Oh, it is, huh.

Did you have a major fire of a historic baseball stadium? Now, come on, you did not!

Did you have an EARTHQUAKE? No, I didn't think so. We did. Didn't even scare me. Maybe because I didn't feel it. Just heard something fall, I think, while I was in the shower. Mr. S said the whole house shook, but I just didn't feel it.

Now that you know just how much we're putting up with here in Oregonia, I want to say Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! Here's a little red, white and blue trifle to go with the spirit of the day.

What's more American these days than a mini Day of the Dead shrine inspired by Mexican culture?

I finished three shrines. Here's another one -

And this one -

I'm probably going to become known as the Altoid tin lady. Maybe that's okay - there's something compelling about these little metal boxes.

These are for sale, by the way - $38 includes shipping in the US. Email me if you're interested!

Have a safe and sane holiday if you're American, like Macklemore and me!

Val