tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30064747475520172452024-03-12T21:15:12.926-07:00AlpineButterflyAlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-64669409063015305252011-03-23T09:55:00.000-07:002011-03-23T10:31:36.196-07:00A-Muse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokw_8hj7XXUwVnRZQGursbYlcHZ4ii912ObtXNjTOEIFMbklido91NtieMMv0jf-_q2aVXBcv5MjbfVnJL7N0t5z-W-nIOGf_vccdAQi39Bwq-aRFd2qPgoA5RMWchXqQ_jOu9_YrmJY/s1600/a_muse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokw_8hj7XXUwVnRZQGursbYlcHZ4ii912ObtXNjTOEIFMbklido91NtieMMv0jf-_q2aVXBcv5MjbfVnJL7N0t5z-W-nIOGf_vccdAQi39Bwq-aRFd2qPgoA5RMWchXqQ_jOu9_YrmJY/s400/a_muse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587320384048111330" /></a><br /><div><div>Vanna can you please spin the wheel for us today?<div><br /></div><div>This idea came from, wanting a way to inspire the kids I worked with to write & play in their journals. This one, has a bit more of an adult theme, but could be easily adapted... and my son loves to walk by and spin, & spin & spin.</div><div><br /></div><div>The a-muse is made of:</div><div><ul><li> an old bike wheel & fork, </li><li>tissue paper collected from all around, </li><li>LED's</li><li>wood </li><li>paint </li><li>paper scraps</li></ul><div><br /></div>If you want to see the process I documented it at <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Old-Bike-Wheel-into-Inspiring-Muse/">Instructables</a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTPxLHBdgH6n7StFfvZIGOaUAmf5kaTez6Rcr0683-cBadFJn0QOy2ibvwkpl88OI_DCglE94-mp9A0wodpEOVL6sSQo7dlYB89yJHXOWCGVZxFowQK852Z4HCPXzRCCkNCitbgKL_vU/s1600/wheel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTPxLHBdgH6n7StFfvZIGOaUAmf5kaTez6Rcr0683-cBadFJn0QOy2ibvwkpl88OI_DCglE94-mp9A0wodpEOVL6sSQo7dlYB89yJHXOWCGVZxFowQK852Z4HCPXzRCCkNCitbgKL_vU/s400/wheel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587325052116136178" /></a><br /><p>On the spokes:<br /></p><ul><li>Play With Paper - books, origami, paper dolls, paper toys, zines</li><li>Doodle - put on some tunes grab some pens, colored pencils & play (inspired by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lab-Mixed-Media-Artists-Exercises/dp/1592536131">Drawing Lab</a> book)</li><li>WALK, RIDE, PLAY, MOVE, OUTSIDE - feel the air in your lungs.</li><li>Learn - something new</li><li>Change - Change the scenery, go out... library, coffee shop, notice, taste, smell</li><li>Game - Play a game, or better yet make one. A maze, a puzzle, game of your life.</li><li>Sew - clothing, toy, doll, something useful</li><li>Imagine - the best space ever, a tree house, a studio your secret cave. (A room of your own)</li><li>Machine Made - invent your own machine, what does it do? what does it look like?</li><li>Sculpt - salt dough, paper mache, clay</li><li>Toy - indulge your inner child make a toy from what's on hand.</li><li>Mail - send a post card or letter</li><li>Weave a Tail (purposefully spelled wrong, my cats were causing trouble, I wished I could weave there tails together!)</li><li>Vacation - for a day, or imagine one... or plan one</li><li>Rest - take a nap, a bath, eat well & take care of your body.</li><li>Spoiled Rotten - Find someone/something spoil them rotten for the day (to answer my son's question YES, it can be yourself... but it's surprisingly refreshing to do it for someone else.)</li><li>Repair </li><li>Draw it - Take a walk bring something back to draw.</li></ul><p></p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiectWYaTa7gzmObmzeGo62S97NkRjpYNKMKnAQEjXvEvTtOD8RZwKw8B3pShyphenhyphenJWDj9xpnfBABqWe4fmsj6yw05FHYjCjlf9KLc3xvKSw5FqtRv1M2h5RRJCUnX62tTeNk2zMbimiEJ6Gw/s1600/light.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiectWYaTa7gzmObmzeGo62S97NkRjpYNKMKnAQEjXvEvTtOD8RZwKw8B3pShyphenhyphenJWDj9xpnfBABqWe4fmsj6yw05FHYjCjlf9KLc3xvKSw5FqtRv1M2h5RRJCUnX62tTeNk2zMbimiEJ6Gw/s400/light.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587325054240034130" /></a><br />Ohhh, it even lights up!<br /><div><br /></div>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-89141930749124685602011-02-11T08:38:00.001-08:002011-02-11T08:56:20.786-08:00My Art Studio!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SLh3DU1VvsmkVJGshiVnRmUj7X782PFjreRbCghpom9YsP5gyhBt80UJW1icLtN79_QGJXZcRIBq9UfX28XIjbUCZFov4TaaLtx7WsteCwyLvV7rEwTVPIw9D1HIPieKGruJYLqsyko/s1600/studio_in_sun.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SLh3DU1VvsmkVJGshiVnRmUj7X782PFjreRbCghpom9YsP5gyhBt80UJW1icLtN79_QGJXZcRIBq9UfX28XIjbUCZFov4TaaLtx7WsteCwyLvV7rEwTVPIw9D1HIPieKGruJYLqsyko/s400/studio_in_sun.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572472328483223762" /></a>The Art Studio has passed inspection!! Stage one complete. I'm so excited... and chomping at the bit to move in. Sigh, apparently it needs insulation, electricity, drywall, and maybe some flooring before i'm there. But isn't it beautiful? I particularly love the large windows on the ends upstairs, i have a view of the whole neighborhood. Between those windows and the sky lights i have plenty of light upstairs to play and create. <div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.timburnscontracting.com/">Tim Burns</a> our neighbor did the construction and foundation work, and was an absolute pleasure to work with. Everyone listened and was easy to talk to. And i think what impressed me the most, was that when faced with a challenge, the crew did a wonderful job of creative and intelligent problem solving. Nice to have a dream built with people like that.</div><div><br /></div><div>More pictures from the ground up <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/alp.butterfly/ArtBarn#">here...</a></div><div> </div>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-29095347274389511952011-02-10T05:46:00.000-08:002011-02-10T06:31:07.918-08:00My Crazy Scale won!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NyV3TVKV7SA/TVPssiZfGSI/AAAAAAAABTI/wEnRa_y7WsA/s1600/scale_1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NyV3TVKV7SA/TVPssiZfGSI/AAAAAAAABTI/wEnRa_y7WsA/s400/scale_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572057413879535906" border="0" /></a><br />Mid December i posted this <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Bathroom-Scale-Mod-for-a-kinder-gentler-morning/">instructable</a>, about how to modify your bathroom scale. I was a little tired of feeling fat every time I stepped on the scale. So i decided to modify it, so it didn't have numbers on it any more, and maybe make it a little less judgmental. So i painted a fun scene, and i made it much more colorful. Apparently, the judges for the <a href="http://www.instructables.com/contest/humana/">Humana Health Challenge</a> agreed it wasn't a bad idea, and they picked it as one of the first prize winners!! Sweet.<br /><br />What has been equally cool, and perhaps even more touching, have been some of the comments other people have made. Who knew a bit of paint, and the sharing of an idea could have an impact? Many of the other entries were phenomenally inspiring as well.<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/What-to-do-when-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/"> How to Help (when you can't change a thing)</a>, had me crying, but was a great idea, and <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Meditate-1/">How to Meditate</a> is my next read. People also came up with great prototype ideas, and some of the discussions, and peoples willingness to try and share and make together was really cool. So if you need some warm fuzzies, and a reminder that the world isn't all bad today, I would highly recommend checking out the posts through out the challenge. (<a href="http://www.instructables.com/contest/humana/?show=ENTRIES">View all Entries</a>)AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-69590354243930051432011-01-30T12:47:00.001-08:002011-01-30T14:30:37.634-08:00Valentines CardsI'm home sick today, and a little sad because I was really looking forward to a postcard making class today. Felted postcards, seemed like such a wonderful Valentines project!<br /><br />So in my heartbreak, I'm surfing the web for other fun & creative valentine card ideas. I thought I wold share a few of my favorites with you:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVlCVFZCJ0zb0uxNmY71xsGaw-56EKsQZXkNeftPOLgn1O5FSqgIrQGlvP0QxEYTCYTIC8cAzbSIqM4nnl1vtt2Z4MvQZ09xcviR84GbQEM-gQF_sMXBM7ODczanFV-075vaMP4ZO3Ug/s400/Hearts%252Band%252BFlowers.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568094335984746434" /></div><ul><li><a href="http://allthingsquilty.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentine-fabric-postcards.html">Jeanne Turner McBrayer</a> has some wonderful sewn postcards she did with some free motion machine quilting. I really love the playfulness of them.<br /><br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9HAYFobDU9ia2Ip7C3rtL7ErH-16tgmis7yLY1_2si2PkmDMHVtr1DhZatIoruZrx2Eg-H30GZ-NxZJcvOpzJX0dIBfmZVRC3oNlr09s8H1xEFl6MNuGd-wbmWuiMjE83HYZPi_4Z-k/s400/il_570xN.209169373.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568094724688537746" /></li><li><a href="http://marissalouise.com/wordpress/">MarissaLouise</a>, shows you how to make traditional <a href="http://marissalouise.com/wordpress/?p=49">cobweb cards</a> (she has some in her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/dikdik">Etsy store</a> too!).<br /><br /><br /><br /></li><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJcpak85R9HYXOuMb7qkXa9dl0Dko99-uKPLlBR3JM2Xbq5x8wvK4ExbpzBIL7kVtFrZXWklXr-EIxD9okUKhJ7hit7J_eaTJxgrq08enSFMWhVVxOD_SWej9sFy1KFE0_5wsMGPOLHE/s1600/Valentines_card_sexual_armor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJcpak85R9HYXOuMb7qkXa9dl0Dko99-uKPLlBR3JM2Xbq5x8wvK4ExbpzBIL7kVtFrZXWklXr-EIxD9okUKhJ7hit7J_eaTJxgrq08enSFMWhVVxOD_SWej9sFy1KFE0_5wsMGPOLHE/s400/Valentines_card_sexual_armor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568095449927978322" /></a></ul><ul><li>Grathio labs, has some <a href="http://grathio.com/2011/01/valentines-day-cards-for-the-maker-in-your-life.html">free PDF's to download</a> of US patent imagery, refined and turned in to cards (a couple cute cheeky ones too).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></li><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sewmamasew.com/media/blog/JCasaSMSProjectJan2010envelopes.jpg" alt="JCasaSMSProjectJan2010envelopes.jpg title=" /></div><li><a href="http://sewmamasew.com/index.php">Sew, Mama, Sew</a> has an adorable <a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=4778">fabric valentines</a>, inside a fabric envelope!!<br /><br /><br /><br /></li><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCxKUuDS_iLRwMkZ-VW9SfvCNWo1NNEBrdwmJ1IK75uXf7OxXLiJb3bR7XDPORlV3bxa_VcIvPLhj4_5xNd7bW5ThcLtINu34eurBsGXIgIBDy3sdNApSVrQmD19RY261QciOs-k7GaE/s1600/Oldest+Valentine+card.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCxKUuDS_iLRwMkZ-VW9SfvCNWo1NNEBrdwmJ1IK75uXf7OxXLiJb3bR7XDPORlV3bxa_VcIvPLhj4_5xNd7bW5ThcLtINu34eurBsGXIgIBDy3sdNApSVrQmD19RY261QciOs-k7GaE/s400/Oldest+Valentine+card.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568108841702398290" /></a><br /><li>My Favorite however was this <a href="http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/valentine/valentine_love_token.htm">beautiful old valentine</a> I found on Will & Guy's website. This "card", seems to have some beautiful origami folding at it's root. </li></ul>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-22215585548037907672011-01-26T13:48:00.000-08:002011-01-26T14:16:27.215-08:00Jpg Color Shift in FirefoxI'm working on the css of a website I'm currently building, and ran in to an interesting conundrum. The jpg image color didn't match up with my gif image. However, the problem wasn't duplicating in other browsers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gUryqtiOdbKb95XJWhOzi6rEULkyVzFHVv-39ld1PBybofChNK_hIjUoiQaNIYTM-LHZz3maZMH58E2wUKwMI8ZSQxO6QkNf0kLoczzNjooLdl1FHEe4rknw7ReIrIHL6j2n6-GqTVg/s1600/colorshift_firefox.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gUryqtiOdbKb95XJWhOzi6rEULkyVzFHVv-39ld1PBybofChNK_hIjUoiQaNIYTM-LHZz3maZMH58E2wUKwMI8ZSQxO6QkNf0kLoczzNjooLdl1FHEe4rknw7ReIrIHL6j2n6-GqTVg/s400/colorshift_firefox.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566615343707035186" /></a><br />Jpg's and Gif images store color information differently, as a result I rarely have jpg images, butting up against gifs that need to match. But in this case converting the swirls to a .gif would triple the file size, and the other image needed transparency, so it had to be a .gif.<div><br /></div><div>Many of you tech savvy folks will tell me... match it up as a png. That option would likely work better. In this case it seems the issue applies to both png's and jpg's. (read more details about the issue here: <a href="http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/06/color-correction/">http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/06/color-correction/</a>) </div><div><br /></div><div>I also am not willing to use png's just yet as a more than 5% is still in IE 6, and having the page not render properly for 1 in 20 potential customers is not an option. (Turnkey has an interesting article about this: <a href="http://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/png-vs-jpg">http://www.turnkeylinux.org/blog/png-vs-jpg</a>)</div><div><br /></div><b>What to do?</b><div>Apparently the new version of Firefox is trying to be kind, and manage color correction information for photographers. This information can be contained in the jpg file. Yeah... that's a kind thing to do, but it's messing me up in this case. The article above outlines what you can do for png images. Here's what you do for jpg's:</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYawgSUfjhya5lwso3MT2C5Yrw0N2Gf2nqpsVdZ1rNN4_Ua_XPazzF17KQEUqdhVWwQXs3_31_iUDp5dgJx5MdvYkquyR4cQd6u7u1_6aExtM8wlw-3LOW7kvpIghAbL-r0j7QCI0pZU/s1600/embed_color_profile.jpg"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYawgSUfjhya5lwso3MT2C5Yrw0N2Gf2nqpsVdZ1rNN4_Ua_XPazzF17KQEUqdhVWwQXs3_31_iUDp5dgJx5MdvYkquyR4cQd6u7u1_6aExtM8wlw-3LOW7kvpIghAbL-r0j7QCI0pZU/s1600/embed_color_profile.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYawgSUfjhya5lwso3MT2C5Yrw0N2Gf2nqpsVdZ1rNN4_Ua_XPazzF17KQEUqdhVWwQXs3_31_iUDp5dgJx5MdvYkquyR4cQd6u7u1_6aExtM8wlw-3LOW7kvpIghAbL-r0j7QCI0pZU/s400/embed_color_profile.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566619393383839570" /></a></div><br />When saving your jpg files, in Photoshop, be sure to uncheck "Embed Color Profile". <div><br /></div><div>The result:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0KS8215QxKQ7q5uguIjUreJY9ei-IOar6L9DSlpzfJAD_YBBEBvQna9ufCxReT8n97TH_hasF2hCzcz-nR0zazIS0658shjPbML9_FdtktAVnS9R1lkYVAm_J1HCxfnC7OxFGoqcbN4/s1600/no_colorshift_firefox.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0KS8215QxKQ7q5uguIjUreJY9ei-IOar6L9DSlpzfJAD_YBBEBvQna9ufCxReT8n97TH_hasF2hCzcz-nR0zazIS0658shjPbML9_FdtktAVnS9R1lkYVAm_J1HCxfnC7OxFGoqcbN4/s400/no_colorshift_firefox.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566620856590625858" /></a></div>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-81787156722842431632011-01-10T12:29:00.001-08:002011-01-10T12:40:09.737-08:00Warning!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVulP5vFDoEEjx68LSMxWUDSqRtU_c9JM4dSUmBZgZCj84V-VIt6U1jCZ5iVXPhNfTZqGmEAl-dME6m0jGsqxxcNgn-dOzTSFN0yNf3VereJRcC3KPCloqilwJacr9SOB8lXBS6EJnLeU/s1600/warning_for_web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVulP5vFDoEEjx68LSMxWUDSqRtU_c9JM4dSUmBZgZCj84V-VIt6U1jCZ5iVXPhNfTZqGmEAl-dME6m0jGsqxxcNgn-dOzTSFN0yNf3VereJRcC3KPCloqilwJacr9SOB8lXBS6EJnLeU/s400/warning_for_web.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560657256410654114" /></a>I was working on a chair on the 6th, when I came across this label... for a chair!!!<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><b>DO NOT REMOVE</b></div><div><ul><li>USE THIS PRODUCT FOR SEATING ONE PERSON AT A TIME.</li><li>DO NOT USE UNLESS ALL MECHANICAL FASTENERS (BOLTS, SCREWS, KNOBS, ETC.) ARE TIGHT.</li><li>ON A MONTHLY BASIS CHECK CASTERS AND ALL MECHANICAL FASTENERS (BOLTS, SCREWS, KNOBS, ETC.) TO BE SURE THEY ARE TIGHT.</li><li>IF PARTS ARE MISSING, BROKEN, DAMAGED OR WORN, STOP USE OF THE PRODUCT UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE BY YOUR CHROMCRAFT DEALER USING FACTORY AUTHORIZED PARTS.</li></ul><b>FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY</b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I'm sorry but things are really bad if you have to protect consumers from killing themselves on a rickety seat. I so wish we would stop our propensity to sue everyone here in the US, it's embarrassing!</div>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-86186148425433130612011-01-05T20:40:00.000-08:002011-01-05T20:47:05.492-08:00Hording<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSVH-86WjRI/AAAAAAAABSg/2_oI6pFzot0/s1600/sticker%2Bpostcard_for%2Bweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSVH-86WjRI/AAAAAAAABSg/2_oI6pFzot0/s400/sticker%2Bpostcard_for%2Bweb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558928461887081746" /></a>Do you ever save things for that day... you know when you'll have the perfect thing to use them for. i sometimes keep them for years, tote them around, file them, keep them like precious jewels ... when they're like ... stickers. <div><br /></div><div>Stickers i set you free!! </div><div> </div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >(sorry it's not on my cool car, or my awesome mtn bike... just think though you'll get to do all that extra advertising traveling from here to there.... way more effective than in my drawer)</span></i></div>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-17273444414910383702011-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:002011-01-05T20:40:23.744-08:00Self Portrait... (sort of )<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSVG01nMK_I/AAAAAAAABSY/bQQVpbm4-uc/s1600/monster_for%2Bweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSVG01nMK_I/AAAAAAAABSY/bQQVpbm4-uc/s400/monster_for%2Bweb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558927188617341938" /></a>This was my day yesterday... I'm not sure i can explain, but it has a little to do with the little one's homework.. things i love.. clothing that i saw worn... the things i try.. and monsters. Definitely monsters.AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-24718876371758634662011-01-03T20:45:00.001-08:002011-01-03T20:50:51.382-08:00Sail away to another world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSKmC0-go1I/AAAAAAAABSQ/pMYgrdUnOEI/s1600/01032011_for%2Bweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSKmC0-go1I/AAAAAAAABSQ/pMYgrdUnOEI/s400/01032011_for%2Bweb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558187457639392082" /></a>This postcard was me just playing with the old paints from yesterday. The paints were applied using bubble wrap, and an old toy tire. I then wove the cereal box cardboard with a coke can. The "string" holding it all together on the sides, is old bicycle cable. I was thinking sailing away to another world might be nice today... some place with a tropical breeze.AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-40714946649155729232011-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:06:51.190-08:00If only I could<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSEuOb9p53I/AAAAAAAABSI/KfaZnWm9vxY/s1600/day2_for%2Bweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TSEuOb9p53I/AAAAAAAABSI/KfaZnWm9vxY/s400/day2_for%2Bweb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557774240711305074" /></a>Some days I wish I could attach everything to my little one, so they wouldn't get lost! Mind you I imagine he'd spin round & round with all those things, resulting in quite the Tasmanian devil :-)AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-71030016684278632712011-01-01T14:53:00.001-08:002011-01-01T14:55:53.874-08:00Jar Of Dreams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TR-wmrkIl5I/AAAAAAAABSA/G-ZD0vnOWaU/s1600/Jan_1_for_web.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/TR-wmrkIl5I/AAAAAAAABSA/G-ZD0vnOWaU/s400/Jan_1_for_web.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557354643774281618" /></a>Hopes, Dreams and Wishes for the New Year.AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-29857426198208311632010-05-10T10:06:00.000-07:002010-05-14T11:53:55.153-07:00Calleva Open House<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLdj2xXlGNPtHMvG_jHxrw6r4nF5lttvtQpZEnj_hFRyZtHy87Pl65Epzj-cHdo9wfBIAjWookHtmeHsmAxNDar442SJalOUeqSeLDT_Ls6LiTCCCXn9hkTcPBJL8TdTIv7Vt9gjYzNI/s1600/IMG_0979.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0xnbJjMUdtV0vssDvmvaHalkZ_yLFXYcHM5W0WMGdUDWpaci_ELm3Oz0CGt_1-_1g3YTQQZP9RXs9wp7qs-WWmLAtrshJt8kN-AEFDXRMN0tPvTtWSo5cmKuJI1ip1HRYJSg4xMy_O8/s1600/IMG_5152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0xnbJjMUdtV0vssDvmvaHalkZ_yLFXYcHM5W0WMGdUDWpaci_ELm3Oz0CGt_1-_1g3YTQQZP9RXs9wp7qs-WWmLAtrshJt8kN-AEFDXRMN0tPvTtWSo5cmKuJI1ip1HRYJSg4xMy_O8/s400/IMG_5152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469695614313592946" border="0" /></a>I had an absolute blast this past Saturday at Calleva's open house. It was a beautiful day to be on the Calleva Farm, and a fun debut of our Art Inside Out Program. Kids and parents from all over the area were in attendance, coming to explore, ride horses, climb rock walls, and over in our corner of the barn we got to make mail art. Contructed from household packaging (cereal, granola, whatever boxes) we painted, stamped and collaged postcards. Stamps were made from celery hearts, carrots, potatoes, and even bubble wrap. Many ventured and tried the unexpected, using dandelions as paintbrushes. The post cards will be well on there journey tomorrow but, I thought I'd take to opportunity to share today. The kiddo's were wonderful, and I can't wait to see a few at camp again this summer.. I have to admit it was fun watching an adult or 2 jump in, and play as well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLdj2xXlGNPtHMvG_jHxrw6r4nF5lttvtQpZEnj_hFRyZtHy87Pl65Epzj-cHdo9wfBIAjWookHtmeHsmAxNDar442SJalOUeqSeLDT_Ls6LiTCCCXn9hkTcPBJL8TdTIv7Vt9gjYzNI/s1600/IMG_0979.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLdj2xXlGNPtHMvG_jHxrw6r4nF5lttvtQpZEnj_hFRyZtHy87Pl65Epzj-cHdo9wfBIAjWookHtmeHsmAxNDar442SJalOUeqSeLDT_Ls6LiTCCCXn9hkTcPBJL8TdTIv7Vt9gjYzNI/s400/IMG_0979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469689642629894946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Check out all the post cards at: </span><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/alp.butterfly/CallevaOpenHouseArtInsideOut#">http://picasaweb.google.com/alp.butterfly/CallevaOpenHouseArtInsideOut#</a><br />or:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alpinebutterfly/sets/72157624058735790/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/alpinebutterfly/sets/72157624058735790/</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resources:</span><br />Dandelion technique idea from: <a href="http://craftingagreenworld.com/2010/04/12/tutorial-painting-with-natural-materials/comment-page-1/#comment-74235">Crafting in a green world (written by Julie Finn)</a>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-21867068293634127652010-05-09T08:06:00.000-07:002010-05-09T08:08:57.288-07:00Coffee Cup Packaging<object align="middle" width="425" height="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.instructables.com/static/flash/viewer.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="FlashVars" value="title=Coffee-Cup-Packaging"><embed src="http://www.instructables.com/static/flash/viewer.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" flashvars="title=Coffee-Cup-Packaging" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" width="425" height="425"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Coffee-Cup-Packaging/">Coffee Cup Packaging</a></span>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-3781588425594371292010-04-17T15:42:00.000-07:002010-04-17T15:50:15.841-07:00Welding Goal Accomplished !!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S8o5r4lRplI/AAAAAAAABP0/cG_EsEn5sEo/s1600/IMG_4958.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S8o5r4lRplI/AAAAAAAABP0/cG_EsEn5sEo/s400/IMG_4958.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461240924226037330" border="0" /></a>Goal # 6, was to get some welding on! Has been done... I took a class at the local community college, and got to play, and learn. OK, the class was sort of geared towards construction welding, and I certainly got funny looks when I took my turn at the plasma cutter to cut these little birdy fellows out, but it was fun. The nice thing is that I got a chance to try my hand at a number of tools, and chat with other students about local resources. So while I have to admit I haven't cracked out the welder my lover bought me yet... I'm getting there (<span style="font-style: italic;">slooooowly</span>) !AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-71483300916063288842010-04-12T11:23:00.000-07:002010-04-12T11:43:37.171-07:00Vegetable Stamps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ6Oc3_1tKWyzETvuLoAwh_m5PdANZYSgSfnGyJLWI6pRyq3J6hm7lHgQ9JORh8jBhczXS0cKAQwdxhM7MAS3DgHQCz07RCAONadvbOpUBPh1ZKMK7YEHMWtox9VreOh4rxy-PfTpwx8/s1600/rose_stamp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ6Oc3_1tKWyzETvuLoAwh_m5PdANZYSgSfnGyJLWI6pRyq3J6hm7lHgQ9JORh8jBhczXS0cKAQwdxhM7MAS3DgHQCz07RCAONadvbOpUBPh1ZKMK7YEHMWtox9VreOh4rxy-PfTpwx8/s400/rose_stamp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459318920704905474" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm gearing up for summer camp season. Totally excited, because I've created a new program, and will be getting to do art outside all summer long. Combining my two favorite things, art and the outdoors, how much better can it get?<br /><br />My challenge is that I would like to introduce the campers not only to the magic of art, and the outdoors, but I would like to teach them about sustainable art. I have a great book in hand... <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592535186?ie=UTF8&tag=karenmichel-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1592535186">Green Guide For Artists</a> (by <a href="http://www.karenmichel.com/">Karen Michel</a>) and tons of ideas. Pictured above, we've been experimenting with vegetable stamps. Roses can be made quite easily from celery stalks or the part you cut off a head of lettuce. Potato stamps will definitely be part of the line up, and I know apples make a pretty cool imprint. I can't wait, we'll be raiding the garden.<br /><br />In case you, or have a little one who's interested the program is called <a href="http://www.calleva.org/camps/activities/artinsideout.html">Art Inside Out</a>... it's part of Calleva's very cool summer line up, you can find them here: <a href="http://www.calleva.org">www.calleva.org</a><cite></cite>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16775337503907092609noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-66604341375690653222010-01-10T18:38:00.000-08:002010-01-10T18:54:43.046-08:00New Canvas !<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S0qPazlNc2I/AAAAAAAABKQ/bXZJlXVdrnA/s1600-h/Console_TV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S0qPazlNc2I/AAAAAAAABKQ/bXZJlXVdrnA/s400/Console_TV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425306391806833506" border="0" /></a>Some blank canvases have arrived!! A kind neighbor arrived, with some new/old TV's for me to recycle. I'm pretty excited, and already have ideas brewing. The really cool thing is that one of the 2 TV's (the one not photographed unfortunately)... was a "kit" TV. The original owner, built the TV himself. Totally Cool!AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-12292984512109613102010-01-02T18:51:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:58:43.653-08:00Junk Mail Challenge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S0AGc7CUYSI/AAAAAAAABGo/uLHFhIFpl64/s1600-h/junk-mail-challenge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/S0AGc7CUYSI/AAAAAAAABGo/uLHFhIFpl64/s400/junk-mail-challenge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422341045307597090" border="0" /></a>For a little recycled art fun, I've sent a few items to friends to see what kind of Art comes back.<br /><br />Included in the "junk" art mailer is:<br />• Brown crinkly packing paper<br />• Square Mesh<br />• Plastic strung beads<br />• Yarn<br />• Hemp string<br />• Golden Candy Wrapper<br /> ( I ate the candy)<br />• Drink Umbrella<br />• Plastic Mermaid<br />• Paper Tag<br />• 2 Business Cards<br />• 2 heart shaped brads<br />• 1 playing card (heart suit)<br />• Matches<br />• Name Tag<br />• White Nail<br />• Screw (one of my loose ones)<br />• Keyboard key<br />• Small beadsAlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-11381061287995519702010-01-01T19:45:00.000-08:002010-01-01T20:04:48.841-08:00New Years Wishes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Sz7CJhEmioI/AAAAAAAABGg/wJTyyGAQZqo/s1600-h/flamingo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Sz7CJhEmioI/AAAAAAAABGg/wJTyyGAQZqo/s400/flamingo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421984470152940162" border="0" /></a> I have long given up the tradition of making New Years resolutions, they always seem to fail me, and then there's guilt! Ughhh the guilt! Who needs it?<br /><br />Instead I make wishes... about 10, give or take. Wishes, may or may not happen, if they don't well... wishes don't always come true, cause the powers that be seem to have at least an equal hand in the process. I mean eating those cookies, and crashing my diet, was CLEARLY an act of god!<br /><br />Wishes help me focus though... on what I want in my life, what's important... AND sometimes I can have a hand in making them come true, a little effort to get it going in the right direction (with out the guilt). I usually make a point of taking each wish to a different fountain, and dropping a penny in, just for a little added luck.<br /><br />This year the wishes in include:<br />1) Happy husband and kiddo<br />2) Finding ways for me to relax and play<br />3) Our Health<br />4) TOP SECRET LOVE WISH<br />5) Art Studio<br />6) Learn to Weld<br />7) Happiness for my Brother<br />8) Create my own company<br />9) Have an Awesome summer art program<br />10) Be totally Strong & Sexy, like Laura Croft (remember, these are wishes)<br /><br />Happy 2010!!AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-27898670141818088342009-10-17T18:28:00.001-07:002009-10-17T18:31:05.765-07:00Finding something in the ordinary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/StpvioTU48I/AAAAAAAABDw/Ei1H_cr7SuQ/s1600-h/little+man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/StpvioTU48I/AAAAAAAABDw/Ei1H_cr7SuQ/s400/little+man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393746144454304706" border="0" /></a><br />A little man seems to have found his way in to my brown paint!! Just walking along...AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-35555765680114596542009-10-15T08:23:00.000-07:002009-10-15T08:40:59.226-07:00Haunted Houses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-7JvZfNI/AAAAAAAAAlo/gHucMX9DexQ/s1600-h/IMG_0041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-7JvZfNI/AAAAAAAAAlo/gHucMX9DexQ/s400/IMG_0041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392848264747384018" border="0" /></a><br />Today we decided to build haunted houses, with our left over cardboard boxes. Simple process really... Find card board box... imagine... cut out & paint. (I did the cutting, for safety reasons, but they had to draw, where I should cut)<br /><br />The funnest part was listening to the stories the kiddo's would come up with while creating their houses. Trap doors, and secret chambers, underground labyrinths, passwords, and doors that automatically opened and closed! They were busy for hours.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-8PA_CRI/AAAAAAAAAmE/bjLddupmHVY/s1600-h/IMG_9995.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-8PA_CRI/AAAAAAAAAmE/bjLddupmHVY/s400/IMG_9995.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392848283343194386" border="0" /></a>Some times, a window also became a tombstone.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-6heTwsI/AAAAAAAAAlc/h2c_Ghm9fiI/s1600-h/IMG_0045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-6heTwsI/AAAAAAAAAlc/h2c_Ghm9fiI/s400/IMG_0045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392848253938287298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-74iCq_I/AAAAAAAAAl4/2kKDuR-OKVA/s1600-h/IMG_0043.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-74iCq_I/AAAAAAAAAl4/2kKDuR-OKVA/s400/IMG_0043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392848277307829234" border="0" /></a>All in the details.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-583gUEI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/FkP1mqqPhTQ/s1600-h/IMG_0040.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Stc-583gUEI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/FkP1mqqPhTQ/s400/IMG_0040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392848244111855682" border="0" /></a>For some more adult fair, and resources on line, I've seen some awesome posts:<br /><br />Claudine Hellmuth<br /><a href="http://claudinehellmuth.blogspot.com/2009/09/easy-to-make-halloween-village.html"><span class="PostTitle">Easy to make Halloween village</span></a><br /><br />And:<br /><br />Cheeky Magpie<br /><a href="http://www.cheekymagpie.com/?p=1707">Decorative tombstones</a>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-36632555957235714542009-08-10T09:23:00.001-07:002009-08-10T09:23:07.777-07:00American Visonary Art Museum<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SoBJazZJVNI/AAAAAAAAAaM/oFkSSs7fkYw/s1600-h/IMG00243-787778.jpeg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SoBJazZJVNI/AAAAAAAAAaM/oFkSSs7fkYw/s320/IMG00243-787778.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368371480646735058" /></a></p>One of my all time favorite museums is the Visonary Art Museum. It seems to be the ultimate in recyling, re thing and re exploring museum.AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-21869618399471966852009-08-05T18:00:00.001-07:002009-08-05T18:32:09.785-07:00Snap Dragons !!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnorRRETR8I/AAAAAAAAAaE/TODpH1iPSUc/s1600-h/snapdragon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnorRRETR8I/AAAAAAAAAaE/TODpH1iPSUc/s400/snapdragon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366649481604581314" border="0" /></a>This spring, i tried my hand at growing things for the first time. I am notorious for NOT having a green thumb. My motivation was multifaceted, i was hoping i could use some as centerpieces for my wedding (didn't quite work out) ; i was looking to learn how to plant & grow things thinking i'd start with plants, and then perhaps move on to vegetables; and finally i though this might be a fun learning experience for both me and the little one to share.<br /><br />And so today i present to you.... (<span style="font-style: italic;">drum roll please</span>)... snap dragons!<br /><br />I had a little help along the way, i have to admit. I picked up a great book called "<a href="http://www.yougrowgirl.com/book/">You Grow Girl</a>" by Gayla Trail, which not only helped me figure out what to do... but was also really motivational in having the guts TO do it. I believe she has a blog at: <a href="http://yougrowgirl.com/">http://yougrowgirl.com/</a><br /><br />The fringe benefits have been surprising. First of all i get really excited walking out the door seeing the snap dragons, and even MORE excited when I get to walk over , pinch them and make them talk. I still can't believe it worked! Only a few months ago they were little seeds, and itsy sprouts.<br /><br />Now i have to admit.. i killed at least 1/2 the crop on a whole... ok, ok 3/4. Some didn't get enough light... some didn't get enough water... some perhaps were lacking in the love. I also can't quite imagine what my porch would look like if i was able to keep them all alive. Along with the snap dragons, i have a bit of lavender, some butterfly weed (but they won't give me flowers for a bit) , and unfortunately i seem to have killed all the straw flower off :-(AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-75154619968100354612009-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:002009-07-30T07:29:21.677-07:00Recycled Wedding Crayons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnGh1pZkzII/AAAAAAAAAZ0/39q91iLRoX4/s1600-h/crayons_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnGh1pZkzII/AAAAAAAAAZ0/39q91iLRoX4/s400/crayons_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364246574193233026" border="0" /></a><br />When I first went looking for places to have our wedding, I called a place reputed to have locally grown eco-friendly food. I thought, right up our ally!! <br /><br />Well until, she told me the additional price I would have to pay for the linens, "because you don't want just plain restaurant linens."(snooty tone) I countered with... "can't we just put down art paper... and let everyone color? " <br /><br />You could actually hear her gaping on the other end of the phone, mouth wide open. "ha, ha" I nervously added, "just kidding?"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnGh180e38I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/70LwTB56KxE/s1600-h/crayons_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnGh180e38I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/70LwTB56KxE/s400/crayons_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364246579406364610" border="0" /></a><br />Well it was our party... which meant crayons were allowed to be a part of it! (That particular restaurant was not.) <br /><p>We collected old used, no longer loved crayons locally. Then the neighborhood kiddo's and I, peeled and sorted them all, hundreds of them. We took a crack at melting them in different ways, and subsequently shaping them in different ways. The results were very cool!</p><span style="font-weight: bold;">To make the hearts (in ice cube molds): </span><br /><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/ReUse_ReMake_Crayons/">http://www.instructables.com/id/ReUse_ReMake_Crayons/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To make the tea sets (with cookie cutters):</span><br /><a href="http://dannyseo.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/new-crayons-from-old-one.html">http://dannyseo.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/new-crayons-from-old-one.html</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Pro's & Cons<br /></span>Both the hearts and tea cups went over well, and were great for making rubbing's, people left us love notes, and many were taken home as favors.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>I liked that the ice cube mold technique allowed us to not have much, if any waist. I also liked the ways these felt in your hands. The kids could help with popping out the crayons from the molds and deciding about colors & shapes.<br /><br />The cookie cutter technique, made some wild designs in the crayons themselves! Some really were just gorgeous. But also seemed to separate in to layers a bit, making them not as sturdy. Stir up the mixture a bit when it comes out of the oven, to make designs and mix up the layers that separated. I don't know if only using one type of crayon (like Crayola's only) would improve this. The cookie cutter technique was also not quite as child friendly. I found it to be slightly messier & melting more temperamental (different colors have different melting points). I let it sit to long once in the oven.. crayon smoke filled the kitchen... smelled like crayons for days :-) .AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-63725073008806958382009-07-29T08:07:00.001-07:002009-07-29T08:30:52.904-07:00Comming up for Air<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnBl3Q1eSLI/AAAAAAAAAZs/iqzKPcp2uk8/s1600-h/catwoman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/SnBl3Q1eSLI/AAAAAAAAAZs/iqzKPcp2uk8/s400/catwoman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363899156284721330" border="0" /></a>Sigh... what a pleasure this morning, my art room is clean!! No more wedding boxes, papers, stuff cluttering up my space. No more plane tickets and itinerary's on my desk. I can start to think strait again!<br /><br />I have to apologize for my absence... A wedding was a bigger thing to plan then I expected. And unfortunately right on the heels of our wonderful wedding, my mother was admitted to the the hospital, which has also meant a trip overseas, to help however I could.<br /><br />On the upside, today I can breath. While my mother is still not entirely well, things are slowly getting better. I have a list of 103 things that need to get done, most of which have been put on the back burner. I'm looking forward to tackling those projects, thank you note, and playing a bit in the next few months. And breathing :-)<br /><br />On this blog over the next couple of weeks, I'm hoping to be able to share some of the wedding projects... I was certainly inspired, and had a lot of fun creating them. <br /><br />How I remember how to breath:<br /><ul><li>bringing some order back to my life (cleaning my sanctuary)</li><li>starting the tasks that have been put off</li><li>hugs!!</li><li>purring cats</li><li>my ritual cup of tea</li><li>listening to the little one's day</li><li>going outside to play</li><li>watching the water flow down a fountain</li><li>eating good food</li><li>accepting my lover's (now husband!) love<br /></li></ul>AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3006474747552017245.post-65203307002896415362009-04-21T06:34:00.001-07:002009-04-23T15:08:44.369-07:00Wedding Invitations, Woops!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Se3LZg4PZdI/AAAAAAAAAXU/U9YMTT6Zf4w/s1600-h/invites.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_flXx4eNZChI/Se3LZg4PZdI/AAAAAAAAAXU/U9YMTT6Zf4w/s400/invites.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327137573432157650" border="0" /></a>We all make mistakes, and we hope to have the opportunity to learn, and then correct those mistakes in the future. But this one... well, I'm hopping you all learn from this one!! 'Cause wedding mistakes, you hope to have the opportunity only one time.<br /><br />I designed our wedding invitations, and spent a lot of time & effort, and had a lot of fun doing so. So busy planning, prepping, looking for eco friendly papers, and envelopes... I missed a couple of basics.<br /><br />1) Not every person needs an invite... usually every household or so. Dope! would have cut my numbers in about half.<br /><br />2) Square... means more money at the post office. Apparently, the of width of the envelope divided by the height of the envelope, needs to fall between <span style="font-weight: bold;">1.3 and 2.5</span>.<br /><br />In my case:<br /> 6.5 inches wide / 6.5 inches tall = 1 (this does not fall between 1.3 & 2.5)<br /><br />A regular # 10 envelope:<br /> 9.5 inches wide/ 4 inches tall = 2.3 (this is fine)<br /><br />There are a couple more rules about maximum and minimum width and height... The Post Office has <a href="http://www.usps.com/send/preparemailandpackages/measuringtips.htm#table">some info here</a>. I could really use one of those plastic place mat things they have at the post office to measure with!<br /><br />3) Understand your quote. Ask Questions!! I worked with an awesome printer (<a href="http://www.gateprint.com/">Gateway Printing</a>) , the prices were fair, and the help and craftsmanship were awesome. I, however, had a few screws loose... did not read the quote correctly, and did not have to presence of mind to make sure I was making the correct assumptions. In the end it would not have made a difference for me here, but man it would have killed me if I had been doing it as a freelance project. We'll chalk this one up to being new.AlpineButterflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965002465400227086noreply@blogger.com0