Idol Hands

Not working right now, but I am busy, busy, busy. Trash is being trashed. Crannies are being cleaned. Another garage sale is imminent. As I write this, Mr. S is sorting nails and screws and odd bits and bobs that must be disposed of.

I've gone through my craft stuff and have created several Grab Bags to sell - stamps, ribbons, beads and whatever.

I've kept back what I want to keep to work on over the next few months or to move with me because, really, some of this crap is irreplaceable.

especially the 3D glasses

Right now I don’t want to start a big project - I'm easily distracted and have many little things to do. But I don't want my hands to be the devil's playthings (or, hmm, I could rethink this). So I've been working on refining my wardrobe. I've started sewing the lace on the jacket I showed you here.

And I embroidered the reverse of the hat I showed you here (after I sobered up).

And I decided to make a pullover out of this stripy wrap (previously seen here and here and here, and at least one other place that I can't find, but that would be overkill anyway), so I basted the neckline together.

It does hang a little funny because the ends aren't square, but it might work. I think I like it.

Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying the presidential campaign here in the US? No, I didn't think so. But I did enjoy the last four movies I borrowed from the library - my latest picks were all excellent! They were:

The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch
The Grand Budapest Hotel with Ralph Fiennes et al.
La Vie en Rose with Marion Cotillard
Celeste and Jesse Forever with Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg.

I know there are a lot of fans out there of Mr. Cumberbatch, but do you know who I have the biggest crush on? Rashida Jones. She's cute, funny, talented, smart, the daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton. I mean, how cool can one short, freckle-faced girl be? She's adorable!

Ja, I tink zo.

Val

I've been banished!

Oh, the humiliation, the irritation, the pain-in-the-ass-ness of it all!

My craft cave has been banished to the garage.

I'm still in flux and have only moved the really toxic-smelling stuff so far. Yes, Mr. S had enough with smelling rubber cement, nail polish and Mod Podge, and he asked me to take my atmospheric poisons and move to the garage. I have to agree with him, but damn! This is a little inconvenient. I need a lot more space, and a window, and heat. I'm trying to avoid moving everything so I'm not completely banished - but damn!

I hadn't been doing any crafts for a while, but I got a couple of special orders for Christmas (thank you, Janet and Jane!), so I've been stinking up the place again.

Then I realized I had a few other tins that should be put into the Muse Marketplace, so I've added them now. They're not dioramas, but just decorated tins that you can put other things in.

• Buddha Box, which was featured on Resin Crafts a couple of years ago. 

• A cute little tin with polka dots and sparkles on the inside.

• And a medievalesque box of jewels with a tiny mirror.

These are all listed in the Muse Marketplace, down at the bottom of the page. (I tried to add jumps to make it easier to navigate, but it didn't work.) Order now for Christmas!

Oh, and here's me recently. This is my new profile photo for LinkedIn and all the other sites I've been joining to try to get work.

To those of you in the US, have a Happy Thanksgiving! And to the rest of you, have a happy Thursday!

Val