A Fanciful Twist

Thank You Thoughts, Sponsors & Sock Winner

So, Mister Teal Boots and I were talking...

And, you know, we both tend to be so sappy.

But we really are quite honest and true in our feelings.

What I want to say is, thank you beyond words for being out there.

For saying hello from time to time.

For the exchange of thoughts and words at this virtual space.

It's a dance, and knowing you are there, makes me want to stay on the dance floor.

And when you are out there dancing with me, sharing your thoughts too, it's extra wonderful.

An inspires me to keep typing.

And sharing.

And being here.

So thank you oooodles!

I started blogging at the end of December, after Christmas.

In 2006.

Where the time has gone?

I have no clue.

But it's been a blast.

And I hope to continue meeting you here, for a long time.

Thanks for being here, without you, well, it just wouldn't be fun at all.

Truly.

Huge hearts, and wishes and hopes your way, xoxo!

Also...

As you may have noticed, a handful of months ago, I carved out a spot for sponsors.

(in the upper right hand sidebar, sponsor info here)

It took me years to make that decision.

Why? I don't know.

Because really, it has been wonderful getting to share creative folks with you.

And the sponsors have been so very nice.

Sharing giveaways and such, adding to some great fun around here.

This month we have:

Side of the Road, Cottage and Gothic Romance.

Take a peek!

 

We also have Gerushia's New World!

Here's a tiny snippet...

 

And we have, Seventh Willow if you have a moment, stop by...

Exquisite Artisan Jewelry!

A little peek...

Yumm!

Treasures.

I love treasures!

Especially of the art and jewelry variety.

Thank you lovely lovely sponsors!!!

(If you'd like more info on sponsoring/advertising, click here)

 

Oh oh, and let's not forget, the ribboned sock winner is.......

Maria!

Of Cozycomfycouch.

Woo hooo!

(e-mail me your address Maria, please)

 

Well, I best be off for now, but I have intentions of returning today.

If you can imagine that.

I have a surprise for ya.

 

Love, V

 

 

 

Socks! (& a giveaway}

I love socks.

You?

In fact, I am sort of crazy about them.

All socks, any socks.

Well, with the exception of weirdly made tight socks that strangulate your feet.

I love fun socks.

Wacky socks.

Elegant socks.

Happy socks.

Silly socks.

Fuzzy socks.

Silky socks.

Beautiful socks.

So ugly they're cute socks.

All patterns, all colors.

Polka dot socks, polka dot shoes.

I love sock drawers.

Tidy organized happy sock drawers.

Creepy sheer socks?

Sure!

Argyle next to santa with red feathers?

Certainly!

Super cozy knee socks to stuff in warm boots?

Yep!

And my fave.

Frog socks.

Endless swarms of frog socks.

Oh yes.

I love them.

Piratey socks?

Aha.

Knitted bright pompom slipper socks?

Oh yes, please.

(I love slippers too)

Metallic striped oober long?

Okay.

Oh and tights.

I have 2 drawers of tights.

Awesome leg adornments, tights are.

I love a solid thick black tight.

But lacey oolala is fun sometimes too.

Stole these angels below from Mombie years ago.

(more like, borrowed and never returned)

Thanks Mombie!

Oh oh, and what about stacks of freshly bleached, warm laundered whites?

Mmmm.

Looooove white socks.

Several years ago a friend of mine was having a house warming party, and she was fretting about her new carpet, and all the dirty shoe bottoms visitors would bring into her new house.

So, my gift to her was a sock plan, plus the socks.

I bought about 40 paris of socks, and decorated them all with flowers and beads.

And ribbons.

They were so over the top and fun.

As people walked in, they traded their shoes for brand new snazzy socks.

It was a hoot.

(I have no pics of them, darn)

Everyone had quite a chuckle, and they got to keep the socks.

I highly recommend doing that if you find yourself in the same pickle.

(Just embellish the outsides, so that they are still easy to put on)

With those memories I was inspired to make a lil' giveaway sock love.

Start with a new pair of socks...

Then grab some ribbons, mushrooms, buttons, beads - anything you want for embellishing.

I chose some brand new black socks today, and added some vintage black lace ribbon, olive green satin and pink and white striped ribbon.

I hot glued them on, and finished them off with a felt ball center, that I adhered a little vintage rhinestone center to.

Of course, they are not very washing machine friendly hot glued.

But, if you have the time, you can easily sew everything on, and then they can survive a delicate or hand wash.

Fun for walk-a-thons and events as such too.

I am giving these away today.

(giveaway has ended, sooory)

Just a little sock fun.

Leave a howdy in comments to enter.

I'll randomly choose and name/number.

(Winner, MARIA!!)

Well, I just popped some garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic and salt in my food processor.

With fresh pita in the oven, so I best be off for now.

Hummus calls.

See you soon!!

Got any sock tales?

Ever been caught, when you least wish to be, with toes sticking through sock holes?

 

Love, V

 

 

 

Winter.

Winter is visiting Southern Arizona.

Hats and mittens and boots come out.

And yet, whilst preparing for record lows since 1971, there are smiles.

Smiles found in what this time of year brings...

Iceland Poppies.

Pumpkins from the summer pumpkin patch sit, (some) still safe on the porch.

(random tale about that to follow)

Pretty petals create good heart flutters.

Unfurling, paper like, beautiful...

Hairy pod homes open slowly...

And then, sheer beauty.

A random tale for you goes like this.

A few weeks ago, I was asleep in my bed, when I heard what sounded like someone jumping over our fence (we have walls and fences), and knocking things over.

A robber!?

My heart was thumping, I started to shake.

My eyes wide open in the darkness of 2 a.m.

Never mind that I already have severe robber paranoia.

Then, they were right outside my room, on the porch.

Things being turned upside down.

I bolted out of bed, flipped on the porch light, and there they were.

10 javelinas.

Somehow, they got in our yard.

They had a baby the size of a tiny doll with them.

My heart almost broke for that little cutie.

Crying as he got trampled by the big huge javelina adult.

They were yanking and gobbling up my grape vine.

(they looove roots too)

I woke Lovee up, and he went out armed with a trash can shield, and a broom sword.

He didn't take the dogs, because javelinas can hurt dogs bad.

They have really poor eyesight, but they have tusks, and a keen sense of smell.

They can kill people too.

The dogs howled from inside.

Lovee managed to scare the javelinas back out the yard.

(they do run off if you startle them, thank goodness)

And repaired the hole they made in the fence the next morning.

Then they came back 3 more nights, tearing holes to get in.

How they made such holes, who knows?

Lovee fixing and fixing, properly.

On the last visit, they found 8 of my pumpkins that I was keeping safe for cooking under the cool porch.

They ate them all.

Pulled them right out of the old wagon, and gobbled them up.

But they didn't get my best ones, the hugest ones on the front porch, and inside the house.

Yay!

Those javelinas.

I felt sorry for them that they were so hungry.

So, I didn't mourn the fairytale pumpkins I toiled over all summer.

They didn't get the last of the Jack-o-Lanterns out front either.

It was the first time I had ever seen javelinas in the yard.

Mister Lovee has since triple secured the fenced part of our property.

That was exciting night after night.

In a way, haha.

So, where was I?

Oh yes, winter days.

Sniffing cool moist earth...

Birds break through gourds to make cozy winter homes.

And find safe places, like in the tall little gazebo...

Temperatures drop, bringing super cool hazy mornings...

We wake up to a dusting of snow.

Silver roofs, like powdered sugar doughnuts....

Really, it is like a scant dusting of sugar.

And it's pretty.

Paws crunch through icy lawn.

Searching.

Sniffing.

Listening for the squeak of mice, I am sure.

Skelly who lives in a branch in the pecan tree smiles.

He must enjoy the icy dusting on his crown.

I stroll around, looking at the iciness.

Sunflower snow...

The strawberry patch is one of my faves.

With green leaves turned winter red...

Yarrow too...

Arugula...

In the winter vegetable garden...

I bundle up extra much.

Then I am not cold at all.

I know, I am a cold wimp.

Wimpier than I thought really.

Some of you have feet of snow.

I know :)

I wear a hat I made.

I winged it so I have no pattern.

But a couple of friends want one.

Hmm, what to do?

Not that I could even read a pattern if I had one.

I stole it back from my sis, whom I had made it for.

She wasn't as inclined to walk around with ears, as I am.

As we cover citrus trees and pipes, we plan for what the news keeps saying is the coldest cold on its way.

For now, we have Iceland Poppies.

Which can survive severe cold temps, that we will never see here.

Something like -49'F

They hold promise of what is to come.

Color, light, growing things.

Hope.

Happiness.

Spring, in winter.

I don't like to push through seasons.

But a little flower power in winter is a-okay with me.

What sorts of thoughts does winter bring your way?

This time, this January time, is always such an odd curious time.

Good, and interesting.

Slow, and beginning.

Hopeful, and hoping.

 

Love, Vanessa

 

One of my fave songs this fall and winter... 

 

 

 

 

ps:  I think this weather calls for churros, you?

 

Early January Days...

Hello helooo!

The beginning of January days, flowing in waves of time.

I like that it is 2013.

I especially love February.

So, I look forward to it.

Rose roots arrive in the garden for planting.

I study them, excited.

I normally love cold and winter.

But this year, my bones don't like the cold.

Lucky for me our days don't get below 50' huh?

Nights are about 30ish?

Such a wimp I am.

But some how, I have morphed.

I used to say, I wish I lived where it snows.

I wish it got bitter cold, and we had real autumn.

And now, I feel like, thank goodness I live in Southern Arizona.

And it won't be cold for too much longer.

And there is no snow.

(although a day of snow like we get sometimes is fun)

And lots of sun.

Oh beloved sun.

I wrap myself in my shawl my granny made me last year, and drag my garden recliner around.

Searching for the perfect sun rays to sit under.

Sometimes, most of the time, I am in my driveway in my recliner.

I know, it's hilarious.

But, the sun hits so perfectly there.

And evenly.

For some odd reason, I feel like Bill Murray out there relaxing in my driveway.

 In slippers and 3 layers of pajamas.

With a blanket or shawl.

Why Bill Murray?  I have no idea, haha.

Does Bill Murray even do such things?

I have no clue, but he comes to mind :)

I breathe.

I close my eyes.

I hope and dream.

And hope some more.

And truth be told.

I pray a lot too.

I recuperate from a tough month plus, of some bizarre unexpected not feeling well things.

I talk on the phone dozens of times a day to my mom and dad.

I told them, you spend your whole youth trying to get away from your parents...

And then one day all you want is to be with them.

They both let me go on and on and on for hours on that phone.

We are very close.

They are such nice people.

Lovee has been building things in the garden again.

He's so crafty.

I light candles in the evening, turn up my space heater, and wait to get toasty.

Miles and I go for strolls every so often.

Matty too, but Matty can't stroll because he drags me down the street running.

So, when I want a calm stroll I take Miles.

Otherwise we all go.

I breathe that cold air.

We walk through a tiny vintage neighborhood, down two roads to get there.

With towering, crazy tall pine trees, and cute shrubs.

It feels like Northern Arizona in there.

I love it.

I hide out in the cottage too.

Lovee has been done with the inside for a while, but there has been little time to go in there and just waste away hours, dolling it up.

But, I am there now.

Doing just that.

Slowly, happily.

It's ever so cozy in there now, especially with Mister Lovee's Christmas gift heater.

Warm and toasty.

The perfect place to be on a cool winter day.

Crawl into the loft, and heal mind, body and soul...

The view of mountain tops make me so happy.

Winter skies have been so beautiful.

Cinderella skies...

I can hear Mister Lovee hammering and making things outside.

Not far from the cottage.

Right in our invented Fanciful, Arizona.

I love hearing him out there.

I wish he never had to go to work.

It's so nice to have him home, making stuff.

Knowing here is there.

I got cable for the first time in 10, 11 years that I have been here.

I was going crazy in the house, not feeling well.

Way out here, with no guests or anything.

And Netflix was getting crazy boring.

I like it, that cable.

How rotten right?

Do you have any shows you think I would like?

I am enjoying HGTV and EWTN and The Food Network, and my fave person right now, Jimmy Fallon.

I know, weird but true ;)

Only, his show is on too late, so I have to catch him on Hulu, through my Roku.

Get a Roku, they rock.

So, here I am.

Getting back into the world.

Loving commercials and things.

ASPCA commercials are too tough for words.

I have been so detached from the commercial world for so long.

But mostly, I am wrapping myself in my shawl my grandma made me, and just being.

I love that shawl.

It's the best gift ever.

To always know she is there, and made every loop and knot with her hands.

I must see her soon.

January days.

Is it shivering cold where you are?

So glad to be back.

So so glad.

Okay, off I go for now.

 

Love, Vanessa