Bits and Bobs

Sad News First:

A woman with Alzheimer's mysteriously disappeared at DFW 7 years ago. It turns out her remains were found recently, and she died of a blow to the head. Yikes.

Tis the Season:

I have joined Martha Stewart's 6-week Christmas workshop. It's free. Each week, you get a new list of crafty ideas and how to make them. This week's theme is handmade gifts.

Wanda Sykes:

She's just awesome.

I can't wait for the weekend to begin

• Michael Gray's "The Weekend" is still in heavy rotation here. It's so damned catchy! Yes, it's a Monday-wish-it-was-Friday kinda week. (I leave for a campout Friday...)
• Check out this silkscreening tutorial from no media kings.
• Stef is blogging again, hence her move from "dead and neglected blogs" to "the others." Check her out! (And we'll very slyly mention here we'd love to see a reciprocal link to HN on her site...)
• The FLDS wackiness is still playing out. The children of the group have been separated from their mothers due to the investigation into physical and sexual abuse. I feel really bad for those kids, born into that bizzaro world of sequestered life, especially all the young girls that were forced to marry much older men (WTF?!). Look, I'm all for religious freedom, okay? Wear your hair in a funny way, dress your kids like little farmers, have multiple wives/husbands, whatever---just don't abuse kids or women or animals! When your religion gets into centralized patriarchal power mode, with male power, pleasure, and dominance at the core of all things, then you've got a big mess on your hands. That shit never ends well. Hello...Davidian Branch or Jim Jones, etc, anyone?

The Nut House

No, not Tom Cruise's abode.

I'm talking about this delightful miniature house that was built out of a kit-bashed dollhouse kit, lots of clay and paint, and styrofoam. This person's creativity makes me happy in a way that reopens the door to my childhood imagination that not many things can these days. Enjoy!

The Craft Vote Counts

At least Slate thinks so.

An oddity

I just cataloged a very odd book about a crime scene investigator who crafted miniature models of murder scenes.

The Creative Itch

Of course I get the itch at the most inopportune times. I'm up to my eyeballs in errands, settling into the new house, kitten-sitting, and travel. I've also been fortunate to have a very active social calendar lately, one that hasn't lent itself to hours of concentration at the craft desk.

Hell, I haven't even set up the craft desk yet! The badminton net has been set up; however, and smacking the shuttlecock (tee-hee) around was a welcome release of energy.