BellaMental

You Say You Want a Resolution

2012-01-03T13:26:00.005-05:00

Hey, if Cee Lo can change words, so can I. But that's not what this is about. This is, of course, about New Year's Resolutions.I don't normally do New Year's Resolutions. I can't figure out why people think there is something magical about January 1st that means it is time for a change. I'm really more of a change-when-necessary gal. I always try to be a better me today than I was yesterday. This

Before and After

2011-11-30T08:20:00.010-05:00

Since some time over the summer, I've been playing home decorator in my living room. Being in an apartment, and having no intention to rent forever, I never really put a whole lot of effort into giving this place the personality it deserves. That all started to change when I decided to get some curtains to dress up the bamboo shades on the front windows. Since then it has been one step after

Merry....Happy....oh, to hell with it.

2011-11-28T12:46:00.013-05:00

It's that time of year again where everyone starts freaking out about what kinds of greetings and wishes are appropriate for us to give to each other.Facebook posts are popping up like crazy from those who are pissed off that people want to wish others "Happy Holidays" because they feel the only proper thing to say is "Merry Christmas."As someone who is not Christian, I will say that I was never

Eavesdropping

2011-10-24T08:39:00.007-04:00

I spent a lovely afternoon in New Hope, PA with my husband yesterday. We were having a late lunch at one of the restaurants along the river, when a neighboring conversation caught my ear. The young gentleman at the next table, complete with polo shirt, collar "popped," brand new white tennis shoes, and sunglasses that probably cost more than my car, was discussing a book he had read with his

Just Checking In....

2011-02-07T11:23:00.006-05:00

It occurred to me that I promised some folks that I would post pictures of some invitations I worked on recently using my Silhouette SD, so I thought I'd do that. This was for my father-in-law's 80th Birthday, I had so much fun digging through all of the old pictures and putting these together. I am really pleased with how they turned out. I was hoping that everyone would want to hang on to them,

Brief Thought About Organic Food

2011-01-31T09:45:00.004-05:00

I was thinking this morning about organic food. At some point, they started putting all kinds of junk in our food that didn't belong there, that really isn't good for us, that could hurt us. Then, they stopped putting all that crap in there, stamped it "organic" and started charging us more money for it. Doesn't this sound a little like giving your lunch money to the local bully so he doesn't

Lessons Learned

2011-01-19T09:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I said farewell to the sketchbook I've been doodling in for the past however many months. I had no idea that I would get such a knot in my stomach as I dropped it into the mailbox. I think I learned quite a bit about myself through this project. I am not the best artist, nor am I the worst, but I'm learning to be OK somewhere in between. I found that I am much happier with my work when

Easier Than You Think

2010-12-16T10:32:00.007-05:00

I always try to keep it simple for the holidays. We all have everything we need, and I have developed an aversion to the excess junk we all tend to accumulate. This year, for our nieces and nephews I decided to personalize some jars for them and fill them with candy and assorted little treats. When the treats are done, they can use the jars for coins or others treasures. At first, I thought about

Brrr........

2010-12-15T10:14:00.003-05:00

It may be a bit early for this, but dammit, I'm cold. Spring

Observation

2010-09-22T13:03:00.004-04:00

I've been carrying around my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project: 2011 for about a month now. I've finally gotten a good start on it, and I've made an interesting observation. When you are drawing, people have no reservations about looking over your shoulder and ask what you're drawing. If I were sitting here with a pen and notebook, that would never happen.

Coffee Can Hanging Lamp

2010-05-03T11:57:00.016-04:00

For me, necessity is usually the mother of creativity, and it is also my favorite way to kick start the creative side of my brain. I had the opportunity to get into one of these projects last week when I finally had enough of the big ugly lamp that had been taking up space on my dresser for far too long.I decided that I would create a hanging lamp. I thought I would probably use the shade from

Unidentified

2010-02-08T12:45:00.004-05:00

Found this in my Peanut M&M's today. I'm guessing they have made some cuts in the quality control department.

One of my New Favorite Things

2010-02-05T09:58:00.006-05:00

Here it is. It's called a hobo tool and it just might be the answer to my prayers. OK, that's slightly dramatic, but it is really handy. I really don't like the idea of plastic disposable anything, so when you take your lunch to work, or wherever you may go, the only other option was to grab a fork, knife or spoon from the silverware drawer and hope that it returns itself by the end of the day. I

Brilliant

2010-01-10T13:29:00.004-05:00

I'm on a Tom Waits kick lately. For some reason this is the only music that seems to be capable of feeding my soul right now.

Haiku 1

2009-12-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Words are not my friendsThe mind much prefers picturesDo not talk to me

New Banner for Pagans of Etsy

2009-11-08T20:59:00.004-05:00

I was very honored recently by having my design chosen for the new Pagans of Etsy Street Team shop banner. I honestly never expected that my design would be chosen, as the competition exhibited great talent and submitted some really beautiful designs. You can check out the new banner and avatar at the team's Etsy shop and you can also search "paganteam" to see all of the wonderful products our

Winter?

2009-10-16T12:36:00.005-04:00

I'm sitting here at work and while customers are coming in and out, I'm getting the sense of them heading out to the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. Please bring back the pleasant autumn weather, I'm so not ready for this.

Keeping Track

2009-10-01T12:20:00.004-04:00

Lots of us keep track of the gas we put in our cars and the milage we are getting, but not too many people can say that they know how much and what kind of fuel they are putting in their bodies. This was never really a concern for me, until I quit smoking over 4 years ago. I had an initial blast of new found energy for the first several months and actually ended up being in the best shape of my

Adventures in Home Canning

2009-09-27T22:46:00.009-04:00

Here's the result of my first attempt at canning. Fresh apples and cinnamon have become some delicious applesauce. I think I may try some preserves next. I found everything I needed to know in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving

These Boots are made for Walkin'

2009-09-21T15:29:00.006-04:00

After 17 years of service, it is time to replace my favorite boots. Throughout the years they have served as dancing shoes, walking shoes, snow boots, motorcycle boots and more. Here's hoping the new ones are up to the challenge.

Hopeless Humans

2009-09-21T09:04:00.005-04:00

I've been really enjoying my neighborhood walks. I'm usually more apt to head for the woods, but something has been keeping me around town lately. I like seeing the houses and gardens and its always interesting to "people watch" anyway.The one thing that bothers me a whole lot though, is that there is hardly anyplace you can look without seeing some bit of garbage on the ground. I never thought

Open Door Policy

2009-09-03T10:30:00.004-04:00

The weather in NJ has been absolutely beautiful lately, which more than makes up for the excessive rain we had in the spring. They started leaving the service department door open where I work, and I in turn have propped open the back door in my office. This creates some nice air flow and completely changes the atmosphere for me. Although the back door goes out to the shop, where the noises and

Just as I suspected.....

2009-02-16T12:16:00.004-05:00

I've decided it is probably time to force myself to put some words here again. Just as I thought would happen, I've let this blog thing go for far too long.The thing is though, that it seems to be good therapy for me to write, even if its a little bit. It is a pretty good way to clear the fog out of my head and get my creativity flowing again. So, why do I insist on not doing it?The easy thing to

CPSIA BLOG-IN

2009-01-28T12:07:00.004-05:00

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking

HELP US WIN A SHELTER MAKEOVER !

2008-12-24T15:35:00.004-05:00

HELP US WIN A SHELTER MAKEOVER ! With your help, we could win a shelter makeover, valued up toONE MILLION DOLLARS* !Pet lovers across America will help decide which Pet Shelter will receive a million dollarmakeover, simply by being active on Zootoo.com. The more active you are onZootoo.com, the more points you’ll receive.We need your help to earn points for our shelter. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP US

Tis the season......

2008-11-28T11:00:00.007-05:00

For sales! This holiday season, I hope to do much of my shopping from fellow Etsians. I love the feeling of supporting the "little guy" plus all of the gifts are guaranteed to be unique. At this point, I'm going to spare you my rant about the commercialization of the holidays. I'm sure you all know where I would go with it anyway. So, onward to the sales I mentioned. The first sale starts today

For the Birds

2008-11-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

I stopped to pick up some lunch the other day and I overheard someone say, "I'll tell you what, this weather is for the birds."How peculiar. The weather that day was 65 degrees and cloudy. Exactly what birds is this guy talking about? I've noticed a lot of sparrows and tufted titmice at my feeder, so maybe this weather is for them? Canada Geese would normally migrate during this time, but

Obligatory 'Get Out and Vote' Blog

2008-11-04T10:35:00.004-05:00

I love election day! While it is really exciting to find out who our next president will be, that is not the reason I like it so much. The part that excites me most is the fact that after today, we will no longer be bombarded with political crap. I say crap, because that's exactly what it is. The TV commercials are pretty bad. So are the unsolicited, recorded phone calls. I find the emails to be

Field Trip!

2008-10-16T10:27:00.012-04:00

The other day, I was suffering from severe lack of motivation and inspiration. It was one of those spring-like October days and I realized it was the perfect day for a field trip.I got my camera and headed out to the Rutherford NJ home of artist, Victor Victolee. Victolee has created a 10 and a half foot sculpture in his yard called "Minds of Moses."Not your usual Moses, Victolee made this Moses

Aunt Josephine's Apple Cake

2008-10-09T11:36:00.005-04:00

I never met Aunt Josephine, she was long gone by the time I came around. Every fall though, I enjoy this recipe that is attributed to her. Its my understanding that Aunt Josephine lived during the depression, which makes sense when you see how simple the ingredients are in this recipe. Cake:¾ Cup Sugar¼ Cup Shortening1 Egg½ Cup Milk1 ½ Cups Flour½ tsp. Salt2 tsp. Baking PowderAbout 3 apples

Labyrinth

2008-09-25T21:39:00.004-04:00

I have recently become fascinated by the concept of labyrinths.Most people think of a maze when they think of a labyrinth, but it is actually quite the opposite of a maze. A maze is designed with many different paths, is is meant to be confusing, it is meant to get a person lost.A labyrinth has a series of twists and turns, but it is really composed of one long path that leads to the center. The

Some Green Stuff

2008-09-18T09:37:00.002-04:00

I think this green movement is really catching on. I've even noticed my boyfriend refusing plastic bags in stores (I'm so proud)! Here's some green stuff that has caught my attention recently.Planet GreenBrought to you, of course, by your friends at the Discovery Channel, Planet Green is an entire TV channel dedicated to living eco-friendly. It features programs that are full of great information

Welcome!

2008-09-05T12:04:00.001-04:00

I've been thinking for a really long time, that I should do a blog. The problem is that writing scares the bejeezus outta me. So, lets make a deal: I'll try to do my best and not complain about how there is nothing meaningful to write about, and you try not to tell me that I suck. Sound fair?Good.