The Strange and Unusual from the Brimfield Fair - May 16, 2013

The Oddities from the Brimfield Fair - May 16, 2013

Doesn't this just make you smile?
My reflection is in the sunglasses.

I wonder what the buyer is like.

Bet this is hard to pedal.

Crashed plane with survivor hanging out the door.

Dental equipment and old Honda motorcycle.

Their pink flamingo needed a ride.

A decoy doing what decoys do.

A garden sculpture of a bloody foot.  Hm?

A pig furnace?

A fine kettle of fish.

Dealers are from the past heading into the future.

A Planter That Will Get Full Sun

I like the look of the clay pots over plastic pots.
A stone or two covered the hole on the bottom.

 I needed to "weed" some hens and chicks out of the walkway for this project.

The completed project looks like.
I used cookie-shaped stones from the walkway to get the look I was hoping for.

 They look isolated.  I am going to have to make more planters for this space.

The Wild-Wild World of Maine Squirrels - from the archives

The squirrels love to jump from tree to tree.  Every now and then you hear a THUMP, one missing a branch and falling through the branches to the ground.  They get up and run, so I am guessing they weren't harmed.
 

They remain steadfast and defiant.

Great Day to be Out and About Shopping...

Great Day to be Out and About Shopping...

My right eyelid is red and puffy, but my eyeball is white.  This is something I cannot ignore.  I have checked around on-line for a CVS Minute Clinic to see what is available between the commute from work to home.  Nothing I find is convenient, so I will go to the one near home.

This is going to cost me a $20 co-payment, plus the drug, if I need a prescription, or an over-the-counter medicine.  But wait, what if I go to the pharmacist and ask him/her first?  I can skip the wait, the co-payment and go straight to buying something over-the-counter.  Hmm.

The CVS pharmacist came out from behind the counter and showed me two over-the-counter herbal offerings.  Then she confessed that a warm tea bag would work just as well.  She explained that the heat and packaging of the tea bag had more to offer in the healing process than the tea itself.  Bingo, I can do that.  I saved myself at least $20.  Thank you, lady pharmacist. 

I left CVS and continued on to the AT&T Store next door.  But wait, I picked a penny up off the sidewalk.  Ever since my Mom died, I cannot pass a coin on the ground, especially pennies.  On my Mother's deathbed my sister, Mary whispered into my Mother’s ear, “Leave us pennies to remember you by.”  So every penny is a spiritual gift from my Mom.  I stoop to pick it up and always say out loud, “Thanks Mom!”  Both of us are smiling, I’m sure.  I put the penny and my memories of my Mom in my pocket to keep me company.

The AT&T store is empty, except for one salesclerk.  I asked him if he would please check to see if I have a free upgrade due, as my phone’s battery is not keeping a charge well and I think it has aged out.  Sure enough, I do have an upgrade waiting to be claimed!  I want to check with my husband first, in case he needs the upgrade more, so I tell the clerk I am not in a hurry.  He seems excited; we now have an opportunity to chat.  He talks like a lawyer telling me he has been following (“unsubstantiated”) rumors on the internet that a new Apple phone will be available in the June timeframe.  “No formal announcements, just rumors.”  If I can wait a few months my upgrade will be to an Apple 4S for only 99 cents, plus $30 tax.  Since I’m not in a hurry, I can wait.  I thank him and leave feeling as if I’ve just bought something at a bargain price.

I am empty handed and happy.

Framing a Picture in a Mini-frame - How Simple is That?

Framing a Picture in a Mini-frame

 

This post will teach you how to have a picture printed (miniature size), how to measure and cut, and then frame in a mini frame. The tools you’ll need are included in the following picture (How simple is this?). 

I took one picture of one of my favorite couples and had it printed at Walmarts as a “composite picture”.  I selected three copies of the picture to be printed on one 4 x 6 sheet.  It was my hope to find one of the three sizes of the same pictures would fit in the frame. I was trying to make this as easy as possible. Go to www.walmarts.com and select Photos, then See All Products. 

I’m assuming you have an account and you’ve pulled in the picture to an album. You need to have some familiarity with ordering prints on-line, so I am not going into great details. Now, drop down to Collage Products and then select Collage Prints.  I took some Screen Captures, but they won't post correctly.

The photo needs to be cut to fit inside the closed frame. Unassemble the frame and use the mat as the template to select the centered picture. 

See how the white frame is blocking out the whole picture and showing how much of the sub-picture will fit in the frame? 

The other two pictures are excess. Using a pencil draw a square around the borders of the picture and cut out with a clean sharp pair of scissors. 

Re-assemble the picture. 

Use up the excess as part of the gift wrapping, in this case the envelope it will be mailed in. 

Granite Stone Arch Bridge - 1872

Granite Stone Arch Bridge

The railroad is long gone, but the pleasant walk through the woods is up for the taking.

These pictures were taken last fall.  The beginnings or ending of a beaver log-jam lay in the foreground.

Here's another angle.

 The bridge is rather isolated, so it gets abused by...

Even the trees...

Easter Basket - Making and Wrapping

Making an Easter Basket for the Habitat for Humanity Charity Auction

  

   

Here are the supplies/items I bought to make the Easter Basket.

I had a smaller flatter basket that I inverted in the bottom of the larger basket.  Then I started building the structure of gifts, taller, thinner gifts go in the back, smaller items will later be leaned against the backdrop.

Pre-assemble the carrot shaped eggs with smaller candy.  They will be taped in place to keep them from shifting in the final place in the basket.

I attempted to stack tall in the back and shorter more interesting items in the front.  Zoom in and you will notice that the carrot-eggs are taped into place, as well as the chocolate Easter Rabbit and handle to the blue "pincher-grabber-thingie".

Time to wrap.  It takes a lot of wrap for a big basket (2-3 rolls, depending).  I lay it out in a large cross, one layer going in one direction and the other layer of the wrap going in the other direction.

I placed the basket in the middle and draw the edges up into one hand held high over the basket.  Keep an eight inch piece of wire to hold the wrap in place at the top.  Ribbon will be tied over to hid the wire at a later date.  There are "wings" of wrap that need to be gentle pulled to the back of the basket and taped with clear tape.  Tape is the secret weapon in this task.

 

Notice the small piece of ribbon tied over the wire.

This basket is off to Habitat for Humanities Charity Auction.