cat naps

Caught a couple of my cats dozing and they looked so sweet I had to take a photo. This is Hamlet & Pip. They are brother and sister. Pip is my "Got Milk" kitty as she has the unique marking of a bold white mustache set against her pewter fur. I've never seen such a marking on a cat before. 

~CoTTaGe RuLeS~

Reading is Romantic

I really enjoy reading but it can be quite a challenge for me at times. Vintage books are my first love for reading and I' ve managed to acquire quite a collection over the years. Forty-two alone are very old Shakespeare works and no two are of the same work. I have many classics and everything from "The Postman Always Rings Twice" to The Pickwick Papers. Vintage stories, wether fiction or non, are romantic to me. They are a trip to another place and another time. The images my mind brings about are far more appealing than the way things actually were because I can't really associate with life's hardships in those times, even though I know they existed. Just the daily inconveniences would be enough to make me sit down and cry. Yet, somehow, those times instill a deeper sense of passion and love.
I have quite a few old books with simply gorgeous covers that only add to their romantic sublimations. Reading old books, to me, are like living between the pages of Victoria magazine, the romantic side of inconvenient times. I'm going to look at some new ways to incorporate beautiful vintage books into art. I've got some wonderful ideas up my sleeve. Keep your eyes peeled for photos of finished projects in the future.

day of completion

Working on projects and getting out some creativity. Using some of my old tins and antique finds to incorporate into art.
It was by divine intervention that things are getting done. We had plans for a day trip today but an ice storm has halted that.
I've been getting alot done. I put in my Amadeus DVD early this morning and, due to the fact that when it reaches the end of the movie, it starts it self over without missing a scene, I have had nothing but Mozart all day. It seems to be working though so, I shall allow him to play on and see how much more I can complete. 

Hauntings

The old hotel in the 1800's,(above) and as it stands today,(below).
I took my dogs for a walk this evening. These sub freezing temperatures are so uncomfortable for man and beasts alike. The air was so cold, so hollow that even the slightest sound was crisp and audible. There was no competition to be heard from the usually resounding nearby waterfall as it was thick laid with ice. There is an old inn just at the bottom of my hill. It is from the 1800's and was bustling with patrons back in its day. Now it is silent. Empty. Dark. Weathered, creaking wooden floors and dangling tin ceiling tiles. There are all sorts of critters with squatters rights , nesting in the many vacant rooms and bats aloft both in & round about it. As we walked, one of the dogs began to growl, then bark. Both were staring at the back room of the inn, where the kitchen had once been. In wondering what it could be, I recalled my neighbor had phoned me earlier to say she heard coyote calling out to one another last night on her property. An erie feeling came over me and the thought of werewolves in London. No sooner had this thought entered my brain when one of the dogs hair stood on end, razor backed. I didn't give him time to finish his deep, gnarled growl. I yanked hard on their leashes and scurried up to the corner. Remembering I had my camera in my pocket, I paused and snapped a photo, hoping later it would reveal some clandestine figure that only the dogs could sense. Although no life forms turned out on the photo, it certainly had an unsettling feel abut it. What fun to have had a little *spark* of mystery. Not as fun perhaps, had my 2 furred protectors not been there.

Embellishments

I got this great crazy quilt patched tote from my friend Kelley over at JunqueyGal. She's just so talented. My challenge is to personalized it just a bit for the lucky girl it's going to. I opened

my boxes of vintage odds & ends in search of sweet little charms, buttons, brooches etc. to embellish. Seems I just can't toss tiny pieces of yesterday out so I keep storing them in boxes and tins. 

Hopefully I'll find just the right trinkets and doodads to finish it off. Sure hope my thumbs hold up.

Single digit nights

Single digit nights. Yuck. Hearty hunky food. Yum. 
Hunky food is  mixture of immigrant ingredients.  o ne of my favorites is a very quick, easy meal of smoked sausage & lemon pasta. Brown precooked,smoked sausage in olive oil and garlic. Set aside. Boil 1/2 pound of whole wheat penne , drain and toss with 1/4 cup Hellman's canola mayonnaise,( you know, the kind the immigrants brought over) 1.5 tsp. coarse cracked black pepper, 2 TBS. fresh squeezed lemon, 2 TBS sundried tomato bits, salt to taste. Mix sliced sausage into pasta mixture and place in bake safe dish. Place in  350 oven, covered for 20 mins. Lay out on platter and garnish with fresh zest.
I serve with extra fresh lemon slices on the side for those who like to control their own tang.   Kitty on the quilt courtesy of my little Fiddle, who waited patiently on the couch for sausage and pasta leftovers.