The Origins of Peculiarity

I've always been a little "off".

Those who know me best will attest to this fact, and for those who do not, well....strap yourself in, the funhouse ride is about to start!

Is weirdness learned behavior? Is it by nature or nurture, or a combination of both?

Whatever the answer, I am in possession of more than my fair share of idiosyncratic behavior, some of which dates back to my childhood.

That's me and my mom.

We both look normal enough, but those are the ones you gotta watch out for, everybody knows that.

Ever since I was a tiny little thing, I've had to raise my feet up every time I go over railroad tracks. I'm not sure why, but I'm fairly certain that some heinous tragedy will befall me if I do not.

Same for those Emergency Broadcasting System tests. As soon as they announce it, I have to run to the nearest bed, chair or sofa and make sure my feet aren't touching the ground until the test is over. I'm fairly sure I've saved y'all from a national nuclear catastrophe more than once with this particular move.

Awwwww, ain't I cute?

You'd never suspect what oddness lies just beneath the surface!

Here's another.

Somewhere along the way during my childhood, it became a matter of grave importance that the phrase

"Hot diggity dog" MUST be followed by the words"it's a junkyard."

Hey, waaaaaait a minute....that one's not so crazy after all! ;-)

Definitely prophetic, wouldn't ya agree?

Oh, yeah. That's me. Sad to say.

I'm not sure what's more pathetic, my ensemble or my rockin' curly hairstyle.

You're probably asking yourself, just how does one attain such perfect ringlets?
Look closer, I'm wearing pink, spongy curlers. The SHAME!

Not enough for ya? Behold, child abuse in action....

Not sure if you can make it all out clearly, but that's me.

Wielding a sword.

In curlers.

And a hair net.

Out in public!

And all documented for posterity by my clearly sadistic mother.

And she looked so sweet in that first picture, didn't she?

My weirdness extends to my pets.

Havok

Belle

Winnie

I've always given my animals middle names, as well as the baker's dozen assortment of quirky nicknames, too.

Let's just do the middle names today, shall we?

Winnie came to us as a Winnie. She already had her name, as she was a shelter kitty.

For some reason, she promptly became Winnie Bagel, I'm guessing because it sounds so much like Winnebago. Not so weird.

Then there's Belle.

My husband already had Belle when we met, but she too came with the name.

Very princess-y, and seriously devoid of personality.

I'm a big fan of Indian food, and there's a great South Indian dish known as Bhel Puri.

So, no brainer! She will henceforth and always carry Puri as her middle name!

And lastly, we have Havok.

Whenever I call the dogs, because we live on over 4 acres, I tend to summon them as a unit...

"Havok and Belle! Come, Havok and Belle!"

Ooooo, you guys are gettin' good, you already guessed it!

Havok's middle name is "AndBelle"!

And yes, my husband does look at me with the same bemused sense of "whaaaaa?" you guys have plastered across your faces this very moment.

I've got enough weird to fill another post or three, so don't worry, I'll follow this one up with some of the better stuff in the days ahead. This was just a whet-your-appetite sorta deal here.

In the meantime, what's your particular brand of weird?

I, for one, would LOVE to know! ;-)

Recent Finds and Acquisitions

It's been a good while since I've posted a collection of my recent treasure hunting finds, so since I'm pretty sure you're sick of my recent forays into Photoshopping, here's some pretties to feast your eyes upon!

Would ya believe me if I told you that I got this at Tuesday Morning?

I know, isn't that just lovely?

I normally only go to Tuesday Morning for craft supplies, but while venturing down the home decor aisle, this beauty stopped me in my tracks. If you haven't given Tuesday Morn a look lately, you might wanna look again.

Elsewhere, in my Etsy Shop, here's some of what's currently for sale, what's recently sold, and what's coming soon...

Rock-a-Bye Baby Vintage Doll Stroller

SOLD!

The Object of His Affection Vintage Tole Tray

 

Luminous Candelabra

SOLD!

Glam Vintage Candelabra

SOLD!

"Protected" Figurine

 

This Little Piggy Went to Market Coin Purse

SOLD! 

(to a notorious, hog-wild fellow blogger, no less!)

  

Chunky Vintage Gold Frame

And coming soon to my Etsy...

SOLD!

 

Vintage Silver Name Cups

Madonna and Child Vintage Print
( STYLE TIP: absolutely perfect for the Jeanne d'Arc look! )
SOLD!
(Thank you, Kathleen!) 

 

And from the "mine-all-mine" files, a couple of recent Etsy purchases...

Vintage Paris Business Card Holder, purchased from my friend Troy and the good folks at Junk Exchange.

And then there's this. Y'all are gonna be kicking yourselves that you missed this.

Vintage Clipboard with Calendar, stolen from Michelle at Vintage Junky.

Here's a tip for ya....if you go to someone's blog, love their style, love their junk, nose around a bit...chances are, they either have an Etsy shop or an online store where you can purchase a little piece of their style for your very own. Which is how I scored the last two killer objects!

The only other Etsy news I have to report is that I'm still mulling over selling my photographic art prints in the near future. I've had lots of positive feedback, and for that I thank you all. It'll happen, I'm just not sure when.

And for all those who have sent me get well wishes, thank you! I'm still dragging, but expected to live. ;-)

Until next time....

oink, oink...


Be sure to visit Cindy at
My Romantic Home
for
Show and Tell Friday !

White Wednesday....Behind the Veil

 "Behind the Veil"

2010 Fiona & Twig

Be sure to visit Kathleen at  

Faded Charm

where every Wednesday is 

White Wednesday 

 

Nesting

"Nesting"

by A. Lorys, Fiona & Twig Photography

Nesting.

That's what I'm doing today, unfortunately laid low by what feels like the flu, but fingers crossed, is hopefully just allergies. Still, it's been hanging on for about 4 days now, so lots of fluid and bed rest is the order of the day. Y'all know the drill.

Thank goodness for my new Photoshop Elements, though!

I've been playing around a bit this afternoon, as the entire morning was spent horizontal in bed.

I was inspired to create "Nesting" while I was picking up the living room a little while ago.

As I was picking up an errant sock, I spied my lovely little ceramic bird and nest, found at a weekend estate sale and just crying out to be incorporated into an art project.

I opened up PS Elements, played around a bit, layered my bird image with that of the back of an old frame and there you have it....

I'm still looking into selling my photographic art in my Etsy Shop sometime soon. Once I figure out exactly what sort of paper I want to use to print them on, pricing, etc.

It feel so weird to be talking about "my art"!

I have NEVER been that girl, ya know? I have always stood from afar, admiring those of you far more artistically gifted than myself. Perhaps it's even chutzpah to think I'll be able to sell my creations, but hey, at least my mom will buy one, ya know?  ;-)

Off to the bath now, as my achy joints need a bit of relief.

From my nest to yours,

Anne

The Virgin

Prayers for a hurting world, a world in chaos.

My image above relates directly to the gospel reading at Mass today, from the Wedding at Cana, where Mary tells the servants "Do whatever He tells you."

I cannot help but think that, given the events of this past week, He is telling us to reach out in compassion and love to those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.

Do whatever He tells you.

I'm trying, Mother Mary.

Silver Sunday with Sylvia

It's Silver Sunday again at Gypsy Fish Journal, so allow me to once again introduce you to another member of my family....

Say hello to Sylvia, so named because she is, in large part, silver.

I rescued her from an estate sale garage two days ago, and told her not to get too comfortable, as she's headed to the booth next week!

 

 

Why, she even came with her original instructions still in the box!

This brings the body count to four in my house.

Four dress forms, that is.  ;-)

Beauties one and all, but Sylvia holds the honor of being the only silver one, and therefore the only gal invited to this lil' Sunday soirée.

Be sure to visit Beth at Gypsy Fish for links to all the other SS participants!

What 10 cents gets ya these days...

One BIG ( 24" by 36"), heavy, altogether impressive vintage mirror!

Yep, there's your proof right there!

Found at a local thrift store today.

Heck, I even managed to impress myself with this find, and I'm a tough crowd to please!

I came home with an SUV loaded full of treasures, some headed to the booth, some headed to Etsy, some headed to Warrenton, and some destined for my next mixed-media art creation. I'll take some pics of it all once I get a little free time (hmmmm, what's that?).

Sooooooo.....what did YOU find on the junkin' trail this fine Saturday???

Worth a Thousand Words?

 (Vintage Hat as Art, available via my Etsy Shop)

Of course, I've layered my lovely hat on top of a vintage postcard texture, just to show y'all my new and bestest toy.

Yep, somebody just got Photoshop. ;-)

And I'm having a ball with it! I'm afraid that I'm gonna be a Photoshoppin' fool for the next little while, so bear with me.

 

Above is me tinkering with textures on my screen door pic from last Summer.

Below is the original.

Before Image:

My Tree of Life photo from last Summer as well, with a wood texture added.

Below that is the original image.

Here's the shadowbox I made (my first!) from a couple of days ago, with my little buddy Charlie perched cozily inside.

Yep, tweaked with PS Elements a bit, too.

I'm such a novice at Photoshop it's laughable, but I have an intense desire to learn, and to hopefully be able to create art worth sharing at some point.

Right now, it's a back and forth of trial and error with what I want to achieve. It took me a few hours tonight just to teach myself how to layer images and add textures, so I think I might have a steep learning curve ahead of me.

But do you know how wonderful it is to quite literally stumble upon something you:
1. Never thought you were good at
2. Never thought you would enjoy
3. Never had the slightest interest in

And then, out of the blue, you discover that it gives you endless hours of joy and pleasure?

Well, that would describe what photography and photo editing have become to me these past few months.
I could quite honestly sit here hour after hour digitally manipulating every image in my computer. It's THAT much fun for me!

Quick shout-out, I couldn't have done any of this without the generous assistance of Denise at

My Vintage Gardens. She's a whiz at PS, do yourself a favor and head over to her blog. Prepare to "oooh" and "aaah" , her work is stunning.

Watch my Etsy shop in the weeks ahead, I hope to be able to begin creating and selling my own mixed-media original art. Wouldn't that be something?!

Fingers crossed and prayers ascending!

Happy Friday Everyone!

White Wednesday...

...a very old and weathered white tombstone, the marble cross darkened and covered in moss and lichen.

While the tombstone might represent death to some, to me, it represents life. A new life beyond death, a belief central to my faith.

From death springs life.

From under a frosty blanket of snow, life will spring forth in just a few short months.

This much we know.

But to gaze upon this image, to contemplate the lichen clinging to the edges of the cross, I am forced to view the ferocious tenacity of life in all its many forms....the lowly lichen included.

As it clings to the cross, as life springs forth from what many eyes view as a place of death, so I am reminded of the tenets of my faith.

As we pray at Mass, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

From death,  life emerges.

Fresh, new, eternal.

Just words and an image to ponder this White Wednesday, hosted by Kathleen at

Faded Charm.