Calamity Kim

What's in a name?

The first time I was in his office was when they called me in to tell me they had changed my name. I had a feeling that if I'd gone along with the name they'd chosen, I'd never be seen again. I'd be swallowed up by that name, because it was a false name: Kit Marlowe. Kim Novak
****
What a long busy weekend.
I was so tired after the garage sale on Saturday and Sunday. It is so much work. Carrying it out to the carport and then setting it up. Talking to people...most are so friendly that it is easy to do and enjoyable.
I met two great people from NC who sell antiques, and live here part of the year...the ideal life. Here in the winter and there in the summer.  He was really great at pretending it was a 50% off sale and she was just borrowing money from him left and right. Very sweet couple. They will be selling my stuff from NC back to people on vacation in NC from Fla. Funny, eh?

I miss Asheville and Lake Lure and Montreat. The summers are gorgeous and everything is green with oaks and the mountains are so beautiful. I used to hike and take drives on the Parkway. Traveling to waterfalls and shopping in  downtown Brevard or Hendersonville. I do miss it.

If I could travel right now, though, I would love to go to Austin or Savannah...
That's the wonderful part of life, isn't it?
Dreaming.
Planning.
Anyway, I made some cash and next weekend I am doing it again with my Brother and some of his collectibles. Batman, Superman, Comic Book Collectibles.
I will put an ad in the paper which will help draw the dealers.
He wants to make it {his collection} just all music related {like records and memoribilia}.
Get out of the superhero business.
He has always been a  hero to me- he saved my coffee can full of marbles when I lost them to another kid at the sandbox on the playground.
He came back home, after I had tearfully explained that the bigger kid had beat me at a game of toss and he had won them all back.
Or maybe he threatened to beat the kid up?
He was a good big brother.
Except for the nooggies on my head and the 25 cent back rubs  I had to give him and the "helping me with flashcards" and calling me stupid.
If he were a super Hero he would be Duke the Spook.
Duke because he is a Jr after my Dad and we couldn't have two Glenn's in the house so my Dad called him Duke after Duke Snider, because he loved baseball and Snider is our name.
Spook because he can disappear like a ghost.
He used to drop his first wife off at my house for a party and then just vanish.
He'd show up hours later to collect her and we always suspected he had gone to a movie or the beach- a mini vacation from her incessant talking.
Parties aren't his thing. He is quiet and smart and is like an old DJ- he can quote Rolling Stone mag verbatim and loves the music of a by gone era.
Elvis, Beach Boys, Beatles, Dick Dale.

If Fred and I were super heroes we'd be Fatman and Barrel Girl.
He would have super Flatulence as his power- can clear a room in 30 seconds and may also ignite easily.
My power would be rolling - like a keg- knocking down evil bad guys like a pin in an alley! Strike!!Hahaha!
We amuse ourselves during commercial breaks by making up super hero names and silly stuff like that!
I  was named for Kim Novack  and used to hate the name Kimberly.
Now I don't really care.
I have been called Kimmie, Kimber, Kimbo,  Kimster,  Chicken head  (by my Brother)  and  Imk, because that was how I spelled my name.
Now I am Calamity Kim.
It should be Clumsy Kim.
I only dropped a few things this weekend- more plates to add to my flower beds....yes, they are great for edging along the border of the beds...saw it on Anna Maria Island one time...great for a cottage...easy to weedwack around.
Anyway.
I rented two movies-  Deja Vu withe Denzel Washington and Smokin Aces. Both were exciting,  action adventures and once you suspend your disbelief over the way back machine in Deja Vu you are rooting for Denzel to save the girl!
I must be numb to violence and gore because smokin aces was great and very bloody but entertaining! Plus it has some great actors: Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Jason Barteman, Ryan Reynolds. Ryan was great! Very serious and did an awesome job as an FBI agent. Lots of bullets and blood.
I just see  makeup and effects.
I really don't get too grossed out- but that's just me.
If you  are sensitive to it you might want to miss that one.
Deja Vu is basically a love story but a mystery too and is very violent- the bomber is ruthless and nasty and that was too much, but I hung in there for Denzel.
I made Chicken and Pancetta Fettuccine Alfredo with peas last night and it was so delicious and comforting!
Sat Fred cooked steaks on the grill and Sadie got her bath so everyone had a lovely weekend.
Glad it's over.
I sold several things at Etsy also and am packing them up to get in the mail this morning.
I also saw an ad in the paper for a part time position at a Floral Shop for Mother's Day....I am thinking about going and applying for it.
My Aunt had a Flower Shop and I might be able to do that for a few weeks....and still quilt and blog....such a dreamer! So how was your weekend?

Simplifiy

Very Quickly I must Post and Dash!!!
I am having a Garage Sale.
I have so much clutter and junk that I just need to get rid of.
I have been working at getting it together since Tuesday and haven't been sewing. The dust and detris is floating around the house! Yikes! This is a Calamity!

I can Kick up some dust when I want to! Yee Haw! Hopefully I will sell most of it and won't have to bring it back in the house! I hate the carrying out to carport and back inside! Ugh! It's warm and humid here today too! Anyway- I just thought I'd say hey and tell ya'll to have a nice weekend if I am not back here until Sunday then that's why....and then it's cupcakes and name drawings on the 1st! YaHoo! Thank you to everyone for the nice comments and all your sweet kind praise ...I am blessed with a large imagination and I am happy to be able to share all my whimsical and wacky creations with you...and you never laugh or make fun you just pat me on the back and say wonderfully supportive things. Thank you all very much for that. I appreciate it very much.

******************************************************************

Hang on to your hats!

The mail just arrived and I am the Happiest Girl in the world!

I got a Beautiful Doll Quilt from Susan at Joybucket!!!!

It is beautiful and pink and lace adorns it! I am so thrilled!!!!!!!

Yee Haw!!!

Thank you so very much Suasan, I will treasure and cherish it!

It will be lovely hanging behind my dollhouse in the studio! WoW! I am just so excited! Please do this again Lisa- real soon It has been a lot of fun!!!!

I just love it! The  precious little drawing from your daughter was a very sweet treat and I will be putting it on the fridge in a place of honor! Thank you, very much! I hope she is happy with the one she recieves! I love all the fabrics you chose and the  back fabric is nice and cosey!  Thank you, again Susan!

I was so certain that the quilt for the Doll Swap had to be mailed yesterday that I was beginning to panic. But I have until The 30th! Whew!!Originally I was going to give the Silence of the Gnome Quilt but it was too small. I only thought to check the size requirements after almost finishing it...I just assumed that it would be like 8x11 or something small. Well, then I started to make another and I cut a pattern piece out that was 18x24 and that way I knew I would be successful. In my collage mode I didn't really go back to original size pattern paper except in the very beginning...so yesterday after I was asked on Flickr the size came into question again when I measured it.
It's too small.
It's 17 x22.
Should I start another?

It must have been when I trimmed the sides to even it up.
I wasn't paying attention...I was floating along (as is my wont to do) in fairy tale land, thinking of rocket ships and robot planets and elevators to the moon.
Then my mind wandered over to visit stored segments of the Discovery Channels new series: Planet Earth.
The HD is awesome and the planet is breathtaking.
I never really think about Earth as a whole.
I think about where I am in relation to everyone.
I am in Fl and you might be in SC, Spain, France, Washington State....not on the Planet. Sigourney Weaver narrates and often mentions the planet.
I know about "Thinking Globally,Acting Locally". I admire anyone who recycles, re purposes and composts.

It takes determination, consistency and work to achieve success in these areas.
I continue to save coffee cans and jars and will someday be able to build my own Quonset hut playhouse in the backyard from these materials alone.
The show about caves blew me away at the end when they showed the spectacular caves filled with delicate crystals in Mexico made from  chemical reactions between limestone and sulfuric acid- Totally like a fairy tale chamber of sparkling formations of branches of coral-like crystals underground, hidden.
A treasure of unimaginable beauty captured on film and rocking me in my living room. It was difficult to watch the bats, roaches, not to mention  glow in the dark centipedes to get to the caves but, eh, that's science!
Fascinating, really.
How much of our planet is still unexplored.
Viewing trees that have been here for 5,000 years.
Longer than the pyramids, longer than Christ.
Amazing.

How much damage have we done since the beginning of the machine age?
The human greed gene just drives it and fuels it.
Cities with buildings in a size competition.
Bigger is better.
More.

I am guilty of it too.
I want more fabric and more thread and beads and this and that.
When do I stop?
Will I live long enough to use what I have already collected or will it thrill someone at my Estate sale someday?
Oh, yes, I get morbid as I am sewing along...my mind wandering to every dusty corner..trying to fit a piece here or auditioning that there....
I wish I had more fabric with faces...
I have bought stamps for years with faces...
now I can copy directly onto the fabric...
I can only imagine when the manufacturers catch up to artist in their demands for larger printers for the home that can print out large bolts of fabrics...
maybe they already have this and I just don't know about it or wouldn't be able to afford it.

Anyway, The amaryllis at the mailbox bloomed and is fantastic.
I love Spring.
I love the Earth Blooming in Flowers.
I love Fabric and HD TV.
I will be more aware of my small patch of Planet Earth and keep it healthy, and I will always dream.                  ****The Bird Brain Collage Images Book made by Anahata Katkin and full of wonderful bird, wing and egg related images to inspire me to create...I also ordered one of the white uniball pens and can't wait to doodle on everything with it!

The binding will finish it

I am so excited!
The Doll Quilt is almost finished for the Doll Quilt Swap that Lisa is hostessing!
I wasn't sure about having enough time to hand quilt it, so I chose to machine quilt it.

I am quite certain I would have missed the mailing deadline- so I hope I didn't make a huge mistake.

I prefer hand quilted but my stitches can only be described as Primitive and so I don't know.

I just did my thing....

The fabric collage thing...

The Name of this quilt is: "Story Time on What A Jolly Street".

As I am cutting and auditioning fabrics I try to think of a story, something that ties all the images together.

I love the children in this new fabric I picked up at Alma Sue's- it is made by Moda and designed by Sandy Klop.

They remind me of vintage children's books and I hope to buy several more yards before it disappears.

Some fabrics are like that- you assume they will be around for awhile, but man, it's like Goodwill- if you even think you might want it, better get it and stick it in your stash (or buggy) until next time cause at least that way you will have it!

I have had a hard time finding more of Heather Ross's Lightning Bugs line and have paid dearly for some more gnome yardage on Ebay...anyway, this little quilt is a visual tale of Story Time and ...what you could imagine...and the "what a jolly street" part is from my old 365 bed time story book that my Grandmother used to read to me.

I  am getting ready to do the binding and then the label and it will be finished!

As I sew I usually don't stop until I have to.

Like if I run out of full bobbins ( I always load 3 or 4 full to start) or if Sadie Mae brings her Frisbee in and plops down on the floor with a sigh.

She is so dramatic for a golden retriever!

She is smart though, she will lay right between my chair and the ironing board, knowing that I won't step over her many times before realizing that she wants to go out.

So she is my timer...or Fred...as he calls out to me from the other room where he is playing a song or something to see on the computer (today he put some lava lamps on the desktops and I am not sure but I think my curser changes into a hand shooting a bird every now and then) which makes me giggle and think of him. silly man.

Todays post could also have been titled:

5 Great Ways To Chase Off The Jehovah's Witness's

1. Put out mat that says "GO AWAY" ( got one from Basketville)

2. Cling Sticker on Door that has Brian from Family Guy that says: WARNING! BAD DOG!!! (got one from Lexi-it sure intimidated the mail carrier)

3. Crack the front window to release the smoky odor of burned pan from sauteed potatoes & peppers ( see, they stuck to the bottom of the pan while cooking breakfast and I added water and turned the stove back on to heat and thereby loosen the stuck stuff. However 30 minutes later as I was happily sewing away on the doll quilt I smelled something really bad- burning--omg! the pan! so it had boiled dry and then really burned BLACK...neither Fred nor I had a clue...but the house did start to fill with smoke and the dog's nose was offended in the worst way I am sure. She was nudging my elbow- I didn't know why....obviously I shouldn't turn on the stove then leave the room- but I needed to work on this.....) The smell should be offensive enough to detract any visitors.

4. Drive both vehicles to the Post Office parking lot and leave them, thereby giving the appearance that no one is home, and so don't answer the door.( might do this next weekend)

5. Go to the door wearing boxers and wife beater tank at 2:30 in the afternoon and say no thanks, and shut the door.

Now, Fred is a very funny man. He can just politely say no thanks and walk away while I have been known to stand and answer questions and discuss religion and church and God and all of that very private and personal stuff with these people (I almost typed zealots- well, they are enthusiastic).

He said next time he is taking the Carmen Electra Workout Video with him and will make sure they see it real good.

Or he's just going to say he is a Devil Worshiper or something equally as heinous.

  The problem is that I put in a mosaic on the front doorstep area last year and it is quite the conversation starter! Every Tom, Dick or Harry that comes along has to comment on my stones...Every time without fail- oh, hello, Mame, I am Harry and I'd like to show you this awesome cleaning product...wow! Did you do that??! That's awesome! I have never seen a mosaic like that before...it's really cool...

THEY MAKE ME CRAZY!!!! I did the mosaic because I fell in love with some I had seen in a book and did not stop until I had tried it. We call it the threshold of pain cause you don't want to try standing on it barefoot. Anyway, that's been my day.

Breakfast, Sewing, Burning, Frisbee, Coffee, Bobbins, End of the World Prophesies, Fabrics, Finally getting dressed and Blogging.

Time...where does it go?

Thank you for all your comments and for signing up for the Giveaway! If you are new to my blog please read the next post about my 6th month Blog*a*versary going on all month! ******

I am just putting a few appetizers in for you to see, if you are interested in new ETSY stuff- so all the pictures in this post will be things going in today at noon.

I finally, whew! finished the Art Apron and the mini quilt- "Silence of the Gnomes" and I have 2 sets of bunting along with the Alice Shadowbox.
I have been sewing all week and am very happy with the bunting- it is fun and satisfying to create something so happy and whose sole purpose is to celebrate.

The next big Hallmark Holiday is Mother's Day and there are so many fabrics that can be used for creating the bunting to celebrate that.

I also have some beach fabrics cut out for pennants- so appropriate for Fla.

I would also like to do some collage on some- add applique and letters -maybe stamp some...
I have a huge amount of stamps from when I lived in Asheville and worked at Michael's Arts & Crafts and there was a wonderful stamp store there also.
I rarely use them now- it just seems like a a lot of work and mess and I have had a difficult time finding Fabrico stamp pads.
I have several new ones now so I am ready to stamp and the bunting would be a great venue.

I also am having fun with the mini doll quilts and after I went back and read the size requirements for the Mini Doll Quit Swap that I entered (hosted by  Lisa K at  Losabia  ) I am starting a new one that will be a bit larger. Any excuse really, is fine....

Fon's & Porter's Quilt magazine came yesterday and it not only has a few interesting looking patterns for small quilts it also has info on a baby quilt challenge.

I am considering designing a baby quilt for the newest grand baby who, from the ultrasound, appears to be another boy. So,  since I never finished Austin's first two quilts, I  think I can maybe make one for all three to lay on !
I need to make it a priority and then it gets done.
As Fred helped me vacuum yesterday, doing some of my chores so I could sew,  I felt lucky and guilty at the same time-

I always think projects will take a shorter amount of time than they actually do- 4 or 5 hours ends up being 24 or 25 hours in actuality.
Maybe it's my right brain that has such a difficult time measuring the hours or that I get side tracked by household duties. If I were in a studio I wouldn't be stopping every 15 minutes....anyway...maybe I need to pretend I am "AT WORK" and then put a sign up that reflects that....ha ha...Sadie can't read!

In Asheville there was a district over by the old railroad station that was old brick buildings that had been turned into Art Studios- each year they have an open house and sale and it was wonderful to walk around and see the glassblowers and welders making sculpture. The potters, the sewers, the basket weavers.
I always  wanted to be apart of a cottage industry like that.
In Sarasota there is some of that, on a smaller scale and if I got out more- downtown or the Farmer's Market I could possibly network a little.

It just seems like a dream. I have all I can do to take care of Fred and the dog and sew and get a few items in the shop...
One of a kind is my thing and I wish I could mass produce things to make the price lower and more affordable, but then I'd lose the ooak part. Anyway...enough babble- I need to get to Etsy...You guys enjoy the day. Be safe. Be Well. Share smiles. Tell someone you love them. Pat someone on the back. Play for a moment. Cherish this time...it's all so fleeting.

I don't know where all the time flies off to...but it must stop somewhere to rest...maybe all the time is stored up in the atmosphere around beaches...where it seems to stretch out into infinity...

SIGN UP ON THIS POST

I said today was the day.
What's that?
You can't see too well?
Well, come a little bit closer...

If you click on the pictures they open up a bit bigger...
Close enough?
Can you see OK?
First of all There will be 6 prizes- one isn't quite finished- but trust me, you will love her... what? Oh, well, it's a bipolar Becky of course- you know those make do, pin cushions I love to make....

I finished the bunting- and am very happy with it! One side is chenille and the other has some of my favorite things...cupcakes, holly hobbie, Smokey the bear, vintage embroidery....

and a rose made from paper and lace and some fabric

and a doll and a doll size mini quilt

and a crown to wear on your own special days!
6 Prizes!
6 chances to win!
The 6th month blogaversary Celebration starts now!!!
I need you to sign up with your full name and blog if you have one.
If you don't have a blog, it's OK....If you've been lurking- decloak now!
It's your time to say hello and introduce yourself.
I will leave this open for you all to add your name to the drawing which will be on May 1st.
Now officially I started this blog on Oct 22nd, but I think 13 days is long enough to hold the door open for ya.
That may be too long....but in case some people who usually read me are out of town, sick or recuperating from surgery
(Hi Amanda! Hope you are feeling better day by day!) then it should be long enough for everyone!

If the number gets crazy I may have to ask Vickie and Grace to borrow their number spinner doohickey thingamajig that they used on their doll quilt giveaway.....

we shall see...
I will be adding pictures of some cupcakes and some special Gnome & Fairy Sugar Cookies I will be making...

we will have arts & crafts projects to do together and please feel free to link to this post and grab any pictures to use to spread the word....

I didn't make a button....Phyllis from Shabby in the City made me one!!! Thank you so much Phyllis!!! Ya hoo! I am going to add it to the end of this post and you can add it to your blog with a link...she also pointed out that on the Blogger (!@#$%^&*) when I post a comment it doesn't show this as my Blog...I am not sure how to fix that but I will give it a go- short of starting a Blog on Blogger just to direct people here! seems crazy! anyway...I seem to be running at full speed and need to finish the Becky pincushion and then bake and type up some recipes and make pdf's and oh my!!!
There will be new stuff (like an art apron and some more bunting and another mini quilt going in the Etsy shop on Saturday at NOON....Put it on yer calendar....Be there or be square! tee hee....OK....I am running back to my sewing room to finish and you guys start lining up and putting your name in the hat....remember- full name...Get started! YEE HAW!!!!!!    oh, the Calamity!!!!!!!

or this size:

Alice in a shadow box

It started off as a plain, unpainted , cheap wooden box. Then after two coats of primer and three coats of red and a few white dots it was ready. To be a home to......? a gnome? a fairy? oh, an Alice.... when you find the perfect image and it all clicks together...that's the joy....

ahhh. hello Alice!

I used my beautiful Hp Photosmart 8250 to print some copies from Diary of an Edwardian Lady. They were perfect for the background and the mushrooms in the foreground.

The Alice is illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell and is from a childrens bookcover published in 1910. I don't have the actual book, I got the image from a book of Children's Bookcovers.  I love the style very much and something about it reminds me of Bessie Pease Gutmann and Jessie Willcox Smith. That whole Howard Pyle era was wonderful. Anyway, the Alice stands up and the mushrooms in front are also free standing. I had to put a little glitter around for some sparkle... I am still not finished- it needs a tiny butterfly or bee on a wire flying around....I am putting it in the Etsy shop  when it's I am finally done. I started this weeks ago.

I have been painting several things red and will be getting them done soon.

I found a cork board at Goodwill for 1.99 and have painted it with primer and 3 coats of red also. I am going to make it into a message board- for the sewing room/sweatshop/sanctuary.

I always am happy in there.

Everytime I walk in I sigh.

I am content.

Please don't make me leave..what? laundry? dishes? dog?...aw, man, I was havin' such a good time!

***

We had salad and sauteed chicken tonight. Then we walked! Go Freddie! Go Freddie!! Hahaha! Just around the neighborhood this time, but  anywhere is fine!

The beach was so cold and windy when we went back to walk on Sunday- it was like Dune and we were walking into the wind, watching for sandworms!  aw, sorry, I used to read Frank Herbert ....anyway, I have to finish a few more of the giveaways...so gotta run...I just wanted to share the Alice with ya. ( hey, didya see the Crown & Tiara book over at Ulla's place? I cannot wait!!!)

Party Planning

Yesterday from 8:30 till 6pm I was in the sweat shop, er, sewing room, making and doing all day. My left hand holding the ruler, right hand using rotary cutter to slash and trim.
Trying to be aware of where my fingers are.
I don't do ANYTHING in a small way.
I have to do it big.
Cutting out 600 triangles...
So, fueled by Columbian Coffee and an ego the size of Texas, I cut out triangles for bunting.
I am hooked.
I have loved the look, seen in some catalogs and magazines and Flickr too.

Our Grandsons:  Austin & Hayden have just moved into one room- with a new set of bunk beds and the nursery room is going to get a fresh coat of paint and I am going to make gender appropriate bunting  after the ultra sound reveals  some pertinent info on Thursday ( fingers still crossed for a girl).
I could make some  Army  style bunting too-  red & white & green with camo.
Some Superman and Batman fabrics would make great- "you're my hero" bunting and lets not forget robots and space men for those astro obsessed little boys.

I used chenille for the backing so that these first sets would not only be shabby and nursery appropriate but I am convincing myself to cut up and use the chenille bedspreads I bought on eBay and have been reluctant to use.
They are mostly all cutters, with slight damage or wear..when the tufts of chenille are gone, it's just fabric...As I cut, my mind drifts to what ifs.....what if I make some and take it to the local baby shops...what if I make some with a beach theme for Garden Argosy?
What if I donate some to the Par Tea Planners Mother's Day Giveaway...what if I give some away on my own Blog a versary...what if I host this giveaway and nobody comes. What IF I  really only have 10 readers and my Blog is really a "Slog", the new term for blogs that suck.
It's difficult to tell how many of you are out there when so few comment, and I am not up for begging for comments anymore.
I don't understand what makes people want to comment or how some people get so many, but I am just happy to have a blog and if you care to share then feel free to do so.
I have been trying hard to stay caught up on housework and sewing and that is my blog time.
Fred and I discussed going to bed at 9 and getting up at 6 every morning since most of our "shows" are ending for the season.
It's easier than ever to turn off the TV and live in ignorant bliss when the horrible things that people do are  all that is on.
It makes me feel as if there really is no limit to the blackness of some soul's when I hear about the murder, rape and violence committed daily to other innocent people.
My blog is not a Thinking Blog by any means.
I will only encourage you to float, flutter and  fantasize  about cupcakes, fairies, fabric and crafts.

Going no deeper than the  fat quarters folded  and sorted by theme on my  fabric bookcase, I will try to entertain you and  create a safe haven where ugly, nasty & bad behavior is not allowed.
If I don't talk about it- it's not because my head is buried in the sand it's because I like to feed my soul with those happy, pleasant thoughts that will be conducive to creating lovely and beautiful treasures to enhance your lives, not sad reminders of the helplessness and chaos of our world.
I am Calamity Fluff.
Calamity Cotton Candy.
Calamity Crafts. When spilled paint and glitter are non toxic to your soul and artistic ambition.

Last night, as Fred came home and I was sewing away, I proudly held up some pennants and said look! I haven't stopped for 9 hours (neither had he) and he chuckled and said "what is this"?
  Bunting says I. 
It's for my blog party.
To which he just shakes his head and says that's nice honey.
He doesn't know the many and various celebrations that can be further enhanced by a little bunting.
So, I took a moment to enlighten him.
Bad day at the office- Bunting!
Good day at school?- Bunting!
Cupcake Friday?- Bunting!
Got a raise? Gold Star? Straight A's? Sold something on Etsy?- Bunting!
You can celebrate anything.

Not just Birthdays or Hallmark Holidays.
How about saying this is because I love you and I am glad you are in my life?
So then he gives me a big hug and says will you please make some coffee and I say sure and wander off into the kitchen.

Warning: Diet Update:

I went to the grocery store on Sunday and we are back on salad and fresh veggies and lean meats and no sauce or gravy.
I had to try to limit our portions for a week so that we could both see what we should be eating. The Lean Cuisine worked! blech!
Increasing our exercise by daily walks and much smaller portions should help. This middle age is rough but we are healthy and if we get control over it sometime soon then we won't be stroking out or having a heart attack!

Blog A Versary:

I am planning on starting the Blog Party on Wed.
I will have pictures of the giveaway items and you guys can start leaving your names.
I will ask that you all add me to your sidebar if you participate.
This will help increase my readers and that would be a good thing.
Thank you very sweetly to those of you (about 19) who have me already listed on your blog.
I do indeed appreciate it!
I have this whole concept of the Blog Community and it is about sharing, kindness and trust. It was slightly altered last weekend when I stumble upon my first nude blog and after recovering ( she was at least 87 and very nasty and nekkid) I realized how naive I am.
I just had no clue.
I am such a foolish woman.
I almost unplugged the computer and tossed it in the lake.
Then I had to regroup and hope that was just a freak occurrence.
Why do some people have to spoil everything? Back to human nature. Inescapable. Even in Blogland.....

So hip hip Hooray for 6 months of Calamity and I can promise- only happy, happy, joy, joy and never any geriatric nudity on this blog (not even if you call it art) Go forth and celebrate the cupcake! Make a bunting!! Hang a balloon! Write a note! Pick a flower! It doesn't have to cost anything and might make this world a better place- if everyone is kind and sweet and loving toward everyone else (even the bad bloggers and blog stalkers and lurkers and unthinking blogs stuffed with fluff)

Wip

Let's Get This Party Started!!!

I want to also let you know that Risa Provencio, The ParTea Planner with the incredible style and sassy chic tea party bidness is having a get together for Mother's Day. The link is on my sidebar- right about Tie one on- y'all should go give her a big Blog Party Welcome and sign up for her sweet little giveaway...I would love to donate an item...not sure just yet, my mouse on the wheel hasn't had his second cuppa java yet...and you know what that means...the ideas don't start jumping and jiving till enough caffeine or blood (whichever) gets pumped faster to the old right brain...having spent the last few weeks really making stuff and cleaning the house and working on a craft book project, I really haven't been reading my blogs and going  around visiting as much.

I do apologize and with Miss Amanda off recovering in her nest room I can possibly spend a little time traveling around blog land saying hi!
She is my great derailer, throwing me off track more often than not with her Instant Messaging and links to marvelous places and wondrous things with fairy wings...Like this site or this one or even this one. When she showed me Art of Wings I knew I would have to really try harder to finish her wings I am making for our Fairy Tea Party we are planning for her birthday ....I thought they would be so easy and I had no clue how time consuming the painting and embellishing would be.

Of course I have to sew on all the silk flowers and pearls and ribbons. I am not a big fan of glue...anyway, I will have to deliver them in person because I am not sure how well they'd mail...too bad I can't sprinkle them with some tinker bell dust and go visit her now...Speaking of Tinker bell, have you seen all the new products for her upcoming movie? Target had a bunch of Fairy stuff associated with that animated movie about Tinker bell saving the Fairyland. Forgive my link laziness- I am sure you can Google it if you're curious. I would have loved all that as a kid- I wish they would make adult sized stuff that was halfway decent- I suppose I will have to make my own Fairy dress with flowing organza and tulle. I never was allowed those types of costumes when I was young and I can only remember bought costumes of cartoon characters (like Lucy from Snoopy) that would tear up after one or two wearings...now, in my 46th year I am regressing to the point that I figure if I want to wear fairy wings in the back yard and eat cupcakes and have tea then what the hell! My son is in Tallahassee and my parents are in Augusta- too far away to be embarrassed by my craziness. Tee Hee!

Oh the Calamity! That Kim has lost her mind! Did you see that? (Imagine Gladys Cravits at her window- looking in my back yard!) She is wearing wings and some kinda dress that is unbelievable! What!!?? Now she is drinking tea with that dog of hers! There outta be a law against that! I am calling the Lake Association right now!...

Anyway- Don't forget to go visit Risa and be back here tomorrow for some more details on my Blog-a-versary Party!
Oh, we did get to the beach last night for a walk and a sunset..it wasn't so spectacular but there were no clouds or red tide smell- which is usually bad by this time of year, so we enjoyed breathing the fine salt air and watching kids run and play.
It was a bit breezy yesterday and  today has started off with thunderstorms and much needed rain!

I am going to the grocery  to get more salad and lean cuisine- maybe on this Friday I can remeber to post about my MILF experiences of late (like the Jazzercise postcards with offers of discounts begging me to come back, Bertha Butt!!!)
Geez!
I really need to- all the benefits I gained from going for 8 months  have been all but lost as I sit and sew and sit and type and sit and sit and sit...
gotta get movin ...
yesterday as we were walking on the beach, I tried to cheer the pained expression from Fred's face (walking is not his favorite either) by describing how, if I don't  do something,  that my but is going to continue to grow (in an effort to provide ballast for my stomach) so large that it will reach all the way up and smack me in the back of the head! Like an Asshat! I will be able to cushion my noggin with my own but as I sit and type, oh, how comfy that will be.....So, nice visual, right?

Ha, so he joins in and adds to it and soon we are giggling and smiling as we walk and I can feel some burning in my thighs and calves...oh yeah!
He hates the Lean Cuisines, saying that they taste especially like roadkill, and has started to fantasize during the Red Lobster commercials- its shocking, really,  to hear him moan and groan about those garlic biscuits.
I must stand strong and firm.
No biscuits for you!
6 Months!
No Biscuits!
No coconut shrimp with that evil pina colada dipping sauce.....after you lose 20 pounds I primly state.
Oh, poor Freddie. anyway....y'all have a great day and thanks for stoppin by....oh, we saw a cute little rabbit in the dunes as we were leavin...reminded me of watershipdown....

"A Few of My Favorite Things "

"A Few of My Favorite Things ", originally uploaded by calamity kim.

All bound and finished except for the name tag on the back....do you guys like it?

Zippidty DooDah! Zippitee A!!!!

OK, So It's Saturday!!!!! I survived waiting through Amanda's surgery yesterday and whew! I am as glad as she is to have that behind me! I was working on her doll to the utmost exclusion of anything else and now I am happily back on track finishing some other pending mending that has been set aside. This small doll quilt for example...Very primitive in it's quilting- I am working on it...but my Grandmother could do 10 stitches per inch..she would probably make me get the seam ripper out and try again!! Ha ha! Too bad Grandma is in heaven teaching the angels a thing or two! Anyway, it is just a sweet little quilt with a few of my favorite things...gnomes...bikes...cupcakes...ladybugs...goldfish...roses..you get the picture...Anyway, I had to go over to Heather Bailey's blog to get another peek at her binding tutorial and this time I just printed it out to tack up on the sewing room wall.

I started cutting the bias binding before we went to the mall for an early movie this morning. The 11:40 am show is only $4.00 apiece so it is a great deal, plus we were up and at em early and then we went to Quiznos for lunch and since we were practically next door I asked very sweetly to please go visit the new quilt shop. What movie did we see so bright and early? Well, it was The Pathfinder. I enjoyed it a great deal- with Clancy Brown and all those Indians, and it was entertaining- the editing wasn't all that great but it was enjoyable all in all. Those nasty Vikings....anyway, after some delicious  sammies we went to Sew Worth It where I met Sue, the friendly owner after she complimented me on my quilted bag. She used to have a summer house near Asheville so she is familiar with where I am from and after taking a quick peek around her lovely and spacious shop I thanked Fred for his patience and resolved to return soon with perhaps some class outlines for the purse or some wee doll quilties or something...maybe she would like to see some Art Aprons...

I just bought some of the Folklorico fabrics online and couldn't believe how quickly it arrived! I think it will be a great addition to my ever growing stash of fabrics..I also found some timeless treasures petite fours fabric that I ordered from The Virgina Quilter I had found it on eBAY but it was in Australia and that is just too far for me!!! I have some of the Timeless Treasures Cupcake fabric which also looks very real! These will be awesome appliqued in an apron or some of the Shabby Dabby Doo Chenille Quilts I am planning. Now that I have started to cut the chenille bedspreads, it's getting easier and easier to chop em up!

So I am going to go add the binding to my quilt- hopefully with a minimum of cursing and swearing! Then I will have to make a wee label for the back and she'll be all ready for the 6TH Month Blog A Versary Extravaganza Give-Away!!!! Yippee Yahoosee!!!!! Ya'll get on out and enjoy you some of this gorgeous Spring Air! Go smell some flowers!! Hold Hands!!! Walk your Dog!!! Cheer the kids at Little League! Sit in the shade of some big trees and snooze or read a good book or watch the clouds.....I think I have Super Fred talked in to a walk on the beach for sunset.....Have a Happy!

The Tale of the Menopausal Pixie

Once upon a time, in a quiet forest full of fairies and gnomes, there lived a Pixie Princess named Amanda Pandora Button-Bray. I always call her Dora for short or sometimes Princess jinx, because she says the same things as me- at the same exact time!!!! Oh, who am I? I am Calamity Kim, the storyteller and toymaker in our little village of cottages here in the deep woods. I am a fairy and not quite as mischievious as a pixie but I do like to make messes and hide pins and needles and fly around the dogs so they chase their tails. Enough about me. This tale is about Amanda and her wretched, cursed uterus.

It all began when Amanda was born and the curse fell upon her that some time in her future middle years the uterus would begin to cause her great pain and anguish. Up until then Amanda had led a very pixish life filled with creativity and tending to her family. Prince Darin and her son's Raven and Dylan watched her grow increasingly distraught as the pain increased and the horrible PMS seemed to never end, one week flowing into two into three with cramps, swelling, bleeding and crankiness to the extreme.

Instead of the sweet and happy Pixie Princess they had doubled-with-cramps- fist-shaking-at-the-sky-foot-stomping in her hobbit sized red polka dot pumps complaining of everything-in -a-bad-mood-Amanda.

One such horrible afternoon as she raised her fist to the stars and cursed again, she was surprised by a tapping at her window.Looking up she was alarmed to see a giant crow! As she opened the window to shoo it away it flew into the room and in a cloud of lavender colored smoke and glitter turned into a Fairy Godmother! As the cloud dispersed she could be seen to have a glistening gown of butterfly wings, each one still quite attached to a butterfly, softly beating its wings and shimmering like a mirage in some Arabian Knights tale. Amanda stepped back, as she cried out- "Who are you"? The Fairy Godmother said, "Be still child, I am here to help you on your journey into the next season of your life, not to cause you any more pain or despair". As our Pixie Princess took the strange woman's hand her pain started to lessen and as she was gently led to her bed made from twisted honeysuckle vines, she felt the most peaceful feeling come over her.

As if she were floating away on a raft in a lovely river with beautiful clouds above and a gentle perfumed breeze blowing by.

The Godmother raised her wand and as lightning clashed and thunder broke the sky opened up and wept tears for what was to come next.

The Fairy Godmother quickly went about her work and removed the cursed and defiant organ and deftly stitched her back and then as she looked around for the first time,  she twitched her nose and suddenly the vines on the bed spread across the bedroom- blooming with roses and bluebells and small twinkly lights entwined around every surface and birds softly sang a sweet melody that would keep Princess Amanda lulled asleep until her body could heal and she would awake feeling happy and healthy.

Amanda smiled lightly in her sleep and sighed.

Knowing her job was only begun the Fairy Godmother turned toward the window and with a shake of her head turned back into the magnificent crow and carried the uterus off clutched in her claws.

I have been assigned by the old Crow to make a list and bind it in a book of all 50 positive things to be done with that rotten uterus to break that evil spell and undo the damage the pain has caused to poor Pandora's soul.

 

One day the beautiful Pixie Princess will be back to her creative days- stirring up soaps and potions and making Skelly dolls and  sewing happily again.  I look forward to that day knowing that  Amanda will be bright and healthy  and  she and her family will live happily ever after....

 

click on any pictures to make them larger

what's the next Holiday??? Does it involve more candy?

OK, So I promised a review of Grindhouse. It was exactly the way I thought it would be!!! Very Quentin. I do love me some zOmBiEs and the first movie: Planet Terror was packed full of them.

They were super gross, disgusting and bubbling bits of goo- they were without a doubt the most disgusting Zombies ever! 
Now, I grew up with Creature Feature every Saturday afternoon and Dr Paul Bearer...and then movies like The Blob, all of the Godzillas, King Kong, Tarzan, The Vincent Price Horror movies- Frankenstein, Dracula...they all thrilled me!
I was really afraid of Vincent Price after The Hand...I wouldn't put a toe out of bed unless the light was on for fear of the Hand grabbing my ankle and pulling me under the bed!!! Yikes!!
Now, I just laugh, having a far higher scare level and being numb to the gore- its so fake! Its funny! It was gross and the boys loved it!

Quentin makes wonderful Guy movies- lots of chicks & hot rods. Death Proof wasn't as fun for me- but it was OK, I was already into it by then...I do love Kurt Russell and I forgive him for playing along with the boys on this one... Next I think is The Pathfinder and then we saw previews for a scary one with John Cusack , written by Stephen King about a hotel room....

So this weekend was very quiet- after Fred reached and got the frisbee off the roof he was in pain and agony with a sore back on Sunday...I put us on a Lean Cuisine Diet. I went to Target and got some more coffee cups and walked right past the Easter candy- I did  try some clothes on and the view in the 3-way mirror drove me straight over to Publix and to the frozen diet food section.
I think our problem is my cooking and portion control. I cook fattening foods and there is a whole lot of it! So I am also checking the YMCA.... we need to do something together! I have taken a perfectly good man and made a mess of him!

I have gained and lost and gained and lost...poor Fred just keeps gaining. So again I am resolving to try harder....It actually rained today and I walked Sadie in the drizzle....it doesn't matter...I have seen my ass as the letter C for the last time!

That junk in my trunk has got to go! Maybe I can go walk on the beach in the am...that is always uplifting..the touristas will be gone soon, it will be too hot...I worked on Amandas doll and some fairy wings over the weekend too...Pictures soon- I have to get Sadie some dinner and try to serve a Lean Cuisine to Fred with a straight face...wish me luck...

Grindhouse isn't just for coffee

Don't you just wish? I am going to see Grindhouse with my Brother and Fred today- hopefully- Fred just got called in to work- what's a weekend without going to work? Anyway, my brother has been chomping at the bit for weeks over this double feature- ya gotta love Quinten...or hate him...but there is no middle ground. The grindhouse refers to the rate at which these types of movies were produced- some were made in a day or two....B grade..action packed, macho, bad dialog...I can't wait! I love Kurt Russell and have ever since his Disney days.

This will be fun- and I am rooting for zombies in one of them..we'll see...I'll let ya know..Just a mindless bit of entertainment...wish we had some t-shirts to wear. For the Batman premiere we all wore our Batman t-shirts- yes we are dorky like that. I haven't been out looking yet for the grindhouse merchandise yet. I just Googled McFarlane and they are doing some action figures...oh boy!How exciting! Not very Easterish but we don't have any little wee ones running around...oh well, after yesterdays tea party Fred deserves a bit of macho fun. He asked if I was going to put a bonnet on the dog and sit her at the table. I only wish she would let me! That would be great fun, but she won't sit still and she keeps taking off her hat and running away with it! So, yesterday was fun and I got a bit of painting done before the pot luck started. I am hoping to be very productive and get a few more items in the shop on Monday..I know I said that before but I dropped everything to make roses and was quite off-track after that.

Sometimes I make lists, which I never again look at, that say what needs to be done; or what I'd like to make. The list has stuff like: finish robot & spaceboy, make velveteen rabbit, finish apron, paint polka dots on shadowbox... make 3-D butterflies for doll..design crown for doll- wire or fabric? And then there are rough sketches in the borders...I bought my first moleskin and haven't done more than open it and caress the paper. I am planning on documenting some designs in it. I usually just dive right in and since Flickr I have taken more photographs and this causes me to pause more often in the process. Looking at the pictures helps me design also. I see when something needs tweeking to be improved. I am really enjoying the small quilts- 8 1/2 x 11 is a great size...ideal to get done in a few days... I enjoy sitting on the couch quilting with Sadie curled up beside me or more often on the love seat next to me. I don't put the tv on, just music and it is soothing and relaxing. I always forget when Martha is on. I can always go to her website and catch something I may have missed anyway.

I am not sure about listing any..I am going to be giving away one in my 6th month blog-a-versary coming up and I added my name to a doll quilt swap...so we shall see how long this obsession lasts. It is fun! So, I will let ya know how the double feature is...Happy Easter everyone!  Aren't these McFarlane action figures so realistic?

Pot Luck and Passion Flower tea

Thank you Phyllis for inviting us to the Pot Luck! I set up a little something out back by the lake for us....thank heavens it's a lovely cool day! We are having Pork tenderloin and roasted carrots and potatoes with garlic butter. I have already started the tea brewing and it should be ready any second....would you like a salad? We have spring greens and deviled eggs and shrimp cocktail. Since this is Florida and everyone is from somewhere else, (mostly) I am sure that seafood would be the best meal to prepare. But, since I don't like to spend a lot of time cooking- not when I could be sewing- I usually fix at least one pork tenderloin a week- the leftovers make great sammies and are easily cut up for Sadie too!

I saw some pixies and fairies flittering about while I was trying to set the table...they are always up to mischief if you don't keep your eye on them! Amanda sent me a lovely Fairy nest- apparently the south carolina fairies hatch in the spring! I think Florida fairies hatch all year long!!! Its always warm and they just keep on laying those eggs!!!! They are everywhere! I can't believe it! Anyway, dinner will be ready in a second and then we can talk and laugh and tell stories and catch up with one another....how was your week?

Mine went by super fast! I can't believe it! It is going to be summer vacation before you know it!! Would you like some more tea? Oh, let me get that empty salad plate out of your way..... The hibiscus made me think of Smoochie's mumu gowns and kona coffee- we'll go over there for coffee after dinner is over here.

I have more pictures at Flickr...stop by there and have a look...I will be right back...I have to go feed Sadie and the buzzer is going off on the oven...dinner is ready!!! Oh, pardon me..I was gone a while...hope you were enjoying those ducks out on the lake...there are a lot of birds around here in fact, herons, egrets and ibis and there are two hawks that live up in those pines over there. I love it when the ducks have babies and they swim in a group altogether around the lake. Sometimes we catch turtles out on the bank sunning themselves too- and once I found an empty turtle shell and hung it up in a tree to  dry ...but then I thought it sorta smelled bad, so I took it down....

Oh, what? You want to know the recipe? Well, there really isn't one, I just open the tenderloin and put it in the roasting pan (lined with foil) and then I cut up potatoes, carrots, onions and  peppers into small chunks and after washing them off I put them in a zip lock bag with olive oil and some salt & peppah. I usually toss them in with the pork, but you can put them on a cookie sheet, spread apart if you like, and bake for about 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. It should be done- I stab it or check it with the themometer- you don't want to over cook it. I let it sit on a cutting board for about 10 minutes to rest and let the juices get reabsorbed back into the meat..while its resting I put the veggies back in under the broiler and get them browned. I usually sprinkle a little shaved parmesan cheese on the top...yummy.  It is super easy and always comes out great!  I have to go visit everyone else now, thanks for stopping by! Hope ya'll come back real soon! We'll have some pie- Key Lime....

Key Lime Pie Recipe - Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant Ingredients 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons graham-cracker crumbs 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar 3 egg yolks 1 teaspoons grated lime zest 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 2/3 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice (see Note) 1 cup heavy cream 3 tablespoons confectioners'sugar
Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine graham crackers, butter and sugar.
Press mixture into bottom and sides of a buttered 9-inch pie pan, forming a neat border around edge.
Bake crust about 5 minutes or until set and golden.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and a nonreactive bowl, beat egg yolks and lime zest at high speed about 5 minutes or until very shiny.
Gradually add condensed milk, and continue to beat 3 to 4 minutes or until thick. Reduce speed of mixer to low.
Add lime juice and mix just until combined.
Pour lime mixture into crust.
Bake about 10 minutes or until filling has just set.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
To serve, place pie in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
In an electric-mixer bowl, combine cream and confectioners' sugar.
Whisk until nearly stiff.
Cut pie into wedges; serve very cold, each wedge topped with large dollop of whipped cream.
Yield: 8 servings. Note: Fresh juice is far superior to bottled juice.
Per serving: 460 calories, 7 grams protein, 25 grams fat, 50 grams carbohydrates, 160 milligrams cholesterol, 195 milligrams sodium, 49 percent calories from fat. Credits Recipe from: Adapted from Joe's Stone Crab, Miami Beach. Printed in the Sun-Sentinel.

getting LoSt

Just started quilting this tiny one by hand last night...during commercial breaks of LOST. I don't want to spoil it for anyone if you haven't seen it, but, each week I am on the edge of my seat a bit more...pretty soon I will be sitting on the floor!!! Today I am going to try to work on several things and get them completed. Still need some more suggestions on what to do with that rotton uterus and I will be doing show and tell on the doll very shortly...and the apron...and this mini doll quilt...they are addictive...I have two more started...and the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming and my grandbaby Hayden just turned 1 yesterday and I missed it! Hopefully there will be pictures on Flickr, but I did well and sent the easter Box ahead of time and totally forgot the birthday! I am a cRaZy GrAnNy!!!! I will have to go to Target (oh, darn!) and get a gift card. Here's to another fun filled day! Yee Haw!! Get to stitchin!

Elise Pearlman gave me an excerpt from her forthcoming book about The Little Prince

Olivier's Faded Blue Book: The Little Prince Today "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms" (Muriel Rukeyser)

His hair is still a mass of curls which hug his head like a fluffy golden halo. He is still diminutive and child-like, yet regal in his princely robes of blue and red. However, despite all appearances, the "extraordinary little man" of whom Saint Exupéry wrote is now 60 years old.

This April 6th marked the 60th anniversary of the publication of The Little Prince which was written in the Bevin House on Eaton's Neck.

To commemorate this event, Harcourt has released a wonderful collector's edition of this beloved classic. Richard Howard's new translation of the book is housed within a deep blue cloth slipcase with embossed gold lettering. A matching blue satin ribbon serves as a bookmark. Inside is a bookplate perfect for a dedication.

As Saint Exupéry predicted, The Little Prince remains very much alive in our hearts and our collective consciousness. In France, where The Little Prince was recently chosen as the book of the century, many famous places bear the name of Saint Exupéry, such as the Lyon Saint Exupéry International Airport, renamed in his honor on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Until recent attempts to standardize currency across Europe with the introduction of the Euro, Saint Exupéry and the Little Prince's images adorned the colorful 50 franc note. These bills, once omnipresent in France, are now highly collectible. This is especially true of some early notes were produced with an error. The notes were flawed by the inclusion of an accent over the capital E in Exupéry and now sell for as much as several hundred dollars.

The book continues to sell at a prodigious rate and with the addition of the 60th anniversary edition, Harcourt itself now offers four versions in English. According to the official French website for The Little Prince, the book has already been translated into 230 languages and dialects and awaits further translations.

The Little Prince will one day travel to previously unknown heights when a copy of the book accompanies French astronaut, Philippe Perrin on the space shuttle, the Endeavour. During this historic mission, Perrin will become the first European to spacewalk from the International Space Station.

Last October 2002, Le Petit Prince took on its latest incarnation as a musical "spectacle" produced by Victor Bosch which premiered at the Casino de Paris. Charles de Castelbajac's spectacular costumes capture the magic of the pastel tints of Saint Exupéry's original watercolors. Daniel Lavoie, a Canadian who previously starred in the highly successful Notre Dame de Paris, plays the aviator and the role of the Little Prince is played by a red-haired 13-year-old known simply as "Jeff." Jeff was perhaps destined to play the role of the Little Prince, having grown up in Lyon opposite the house where Saint Exupéry was born.

Closer to home, an opera based on The Little Prince will debut at the Houston Grand Opera House this May. It is the work of Rachel Portman, the British composer, known for her Academy award-winning musical scores for the films Chocolat, Emma and The Cider House Rules.

In Japan, where the Little Prince and Saint Exupéry are deeply loved, one can visit the Museum of Saint Exupéry and the Little Prince in Hakone. This museum, housed in a building that resembles a French villa, consists of various sections or halls, each devoted to different aspects of Saint Exupéry's life and the story. For example, in the Display Hall, one can wander through rooms which trace the different epoques of Saint Exupéry's life, including a room which replicates the one he occupied as a child. Visitors to the museum can also listen to a recording of Saint

Exupéry's voice and see letters he illustrated. In the Image Hall, the story of The Little Prince is presented at regular intervals in Japanese. Why has this book remained so popular all these years? What is it about the story that has touched so many lives and made the book so unforgettable? To answer this question, readers from around the world were asked to describe their favorite part of the story and what the book has meant to them.
The book is frequently given as a gift to commemorate rites of passage, such as birthdays, graduations and weddings, and more often than not, there is an inscription. Many people still have their original copy. Part of the magic of this story is that one can read it countless times, and at different times in one's life, and each time discover something new.
One Canadian said he listens to a recording of the book every night before going to sleep. Another man indicated that he feels a wonderful connection with readers around the world by collecting the various foreign editions. A very common thread was that people often turned to the book in times of low morale.
This story, written by Saint Exupéry when he was desperately sad and far from his beloved France, somehow has had the power to lift people's spirits. Is it the kinship that is felt with someone else who has also known great loss? Saint Exupéry, in the guise of the fox, wrote poetically about what causes us to become attached to others and of how the work we put into our relationships develops into the most cherished feelings of love and friendship. These are the essential threads that tie one human to another, and they are in fact "invisible to the eye." Saint Exupéry also wrote of the counterpart to these beautiful feelings: aching loss.
Saint Exupéry had also known loss intimately. He lost his father at a very early age and his beloved younger brother, François, died at age 14. Saint Exupéry was also sadly acquainted with a loss of another kind: the loss of dreams.
Perhaps it was this kind of loss that Saint Exupéry experienced when he was told, at 44 years of age, that he was too old to continue flying. Perhaps Saint Exupéry expressed it best when he said, "It is such a secret place, the land of tears."
In The Little Prince, the aviator comes to care deeply for the little man whose stories of his travels around the universe teach the aviator what is truly important in life.
As the Little Prince's life slips away like sand from an hourglass, the aviator cannot stop it. Nothing can assuage the aviator's uncertainty as to what happened to his Little Prince.
There is perhaps no loss that rivals that of not knowing the fate of a loved one.

The following story was selected as one of the best recollections from readers around the world asked to describe their feelings and impressions of The Little Prince: In the summer of 1946, 9-year-old Olivier Maurel of Toulon, France, the youngest of six children, received a most unforgettable gift. This unexpected offering came from his sister and "marraine" (godmother) whom he both adored and revered. In fact, Micheline, who is 20 years older than Olivier, was a rather mythical figure in the family because she had served in the French Resistance during WW II and actually had been deported to Germany.
Her return to the family in May of 1945 was considered a miracle. Olivier recalls that his father was at work in the garden when he heard a bell at the gate. Seeing an ambulance, he feared the worst, but Micheline, although exhausted, was very much alive! Alerted by a neighbor, Olivier ran home from school as quickly as he did the first day that Toulon was bombed, but this time with his heart full of joy.
The treasure that Micheline bestowed on her youngest brother a year later was a first edition of Le Petit Prince published in France after the war by Gallimard. The dedication read: Lyon, 1946. To my little brother, Olivier, so that he can read it and have it read to both children and grown-ups. Kisses from your old sister-godmother." Olivier remembers being a bit surprised and disconcerted by the story of The Little Prince.
The Little Prince's adventures were quite unlike those of the typical characters of the storybooks that he was accustomed to reading.
He found both the concept of a little person wandering around an almost empty universe, and the ending to be a bit sad. He was amused by the Little Prince's daily task of cleaning the volcanoes and the lamplighter's job. But more importantly, Olivier said it was the first time he had ever heard a writer speak of the difficulty that adults have in understanding children. For Olivier, the isolation and loneliness that the Little Prince experienced is perhaps symbolic of the solitude that is intrinsic to the secret world that is childhood. As Olivier grew into adolescence, he read the book again and other parts of the book, appropriate to what Olivier calls "l'epoque des amitiés et des amours" (the time of friendship and love), deeply moved him, such as the story of the rose and the taming of the fox.
Today, Olivier is a father of five children and has seven grandchildren. Having retired from his position as a professor of French, he continues to "think clearly with his heart" by writing books advocating non-violence and compassionate discipline of children. His beloved sister is now 86 years old.
The extraordinary and courageous Micheline wrote and published several books during her lifetime. Her award-winning first book, Un Camp Très Ordinaire (A Very Ordinary Camp), told of her life in a prison camp in Germany.
Amazingly, while imprisoned, Micheline wrote poetry about the home and brothers that she missed so much and a collection of her evocative poems were later published. Olivier still has his original copy of Le Petit Prince, published in 1945. In this slim volume, "d'un bleu passé" (of faded blue) here and there, are phrases that Olivier underlined as an adolescent. Saint Exupéry dedicated the book to Léon Werth, his dear friend who remained in France during the war, reminding us that "all grown-ups were once children — although few of them remember it."
Olivier is still moved by this dedication because of the importance and value that Saint Exupéry attributed to children and their perception of the world. For Olivier, the book remains popular today because of Saint Exupéry's drawings, which are to him more allusive than descriptive, and because of the real spirit of childhood captured within its pages.
The above excerpt is from a forthcoming book about Saint Exupéry and The Little Prince by Elise Pearlman.

modified chaos

This is how my sewing room looks now. I don't even want to show you the before pictures.   If you really must see it you can go to Flickr and revel in the mayhem. I lived it. I can't go back. I must move forward. Once again, I promise myself that I will try to keep it clean as I go. I know 4 months from now I will be posting about the messy sewing room and the utter chaos it has become. I am just messy! I start pulling out fabrics and it just happens. Anyway, the sewing room is clean and neat and tidy and today I finished another rose. This one is the rose from asteroid B-612, where the Little Prince lives. It is for the charming buyer of my Little Prince Pincushion and I will be blogging about her in a day or so. I need a little bit more info about her. She is a writer and is writing a book about the author of the Little Prince who wrote the book,while renting a mansion in her town. I will be mailing it off tomorrow, but I thought I'd show a few pictures before it gets tucked away in tissue.

I watercolored the coffee filters with crimson and hung them outside to dry. Then I used different red fabrics, tulle, ladies hankies with roses and pages reprinted from the Little Prince book for petals. It came out really nice and I love how the glass glitter gives it a nice shine. These roses are very time consuming but I am enjoying creating them. They take a while, and I am considering calling them the 6 hour rose....next I am making Charlottes web and then an Alice, of course...there may be a little red too...we shall see. Can't you see the wolf with a rose in his teeth?

We rented The Good Shepard and it was very interesting. I think I need to watch it again to really understand it, but it was very good and entertaining. Bobby DeNiro did a great job. I am saving Charlottes Web for tomorrow, after Fred goes to work and I can enjoy it while I do a bit of embroidery. I started one from a picture that I printed on fabric and I will show all once I get a bit more completed. I have gotten some awesome mail in the last few days!

The Amazing Miz Amanda sent me a box o'love and Carol (WIP) sent me some gorgeous trims (thank You!) and Phyllis from Shabby in the City sent me some pretty & shabby roses and linen scrap for answering some questions over at her blog, and then I got a beautiful egg from Bitter Betty!! Norm the Gnome made by Jennifer Stanfield of Nimbleknot awesomeness can't be forgotten and then some doll house furniture I found over at Etsy. Wonderful stuff!

I do want to say that I am blessed- with  a loving family, friends and  grandchildren. and sadie, she's a good dog.

I  am so proud that Louis did as well as he did in the Softie Awards and  I am not sad about not winning. I am so happy just to have Louis make the cut. If you stripped him (bare) (teehee) he would be just like any other bear...don't tell him that, of course, or he'll just go on forever about how he is the king of France, blah, blah, blah...
I think that artist  bears are so unique that each one is truly meant to belong to one special person.

That's all I really have to say. It was alot of fun but the contest was excruciatingly long, and that was difficult- the waiting!  I never have been very competitive and it did feel good to just participate. Thank you so much, those of you who voted for him....sweet treats for everyone!!!
Speaking of sweet treats- Phyllis is having a get together at her blog on Friday- a sort of a blog  covered dish supper..or maybe picnic...maybe we can have some fun with this one... she is requesting recipes that are local or  regional I guess to wherever you are from.

After the huge response that Artsy Mama got for her tea party I think this should be as big- if we all tell a friend and pass it on down the blog line. Go to her site for more info and start planning what you might make or recipe you want to share...here in Florida its all about the seafood, and key lime pies....get yer aprons on!!!