Ever Have One of Those Days?

I woke up this morning and couldn't shake the Tylenol Cold I took before going to bed last night.  I just couldn't wake up this morning and had to call work and tell them I was going to be an hour late.

I drug myself into the shower and had started feeling a little more alert when I got out.  Then, Cooper snuck up on me while I was drying my hair, stood directly in front of me and started barking at full volume - scared me to death!  

And then, I a series of event began that actually could have killed me!

I started smelling an odd smell in the kitchen, like strong medicine or something.  I went off to finish getting ready, came back in the kitchen to find the mystery smell was even stronger.  Bloodhound that I am, I tracked the smell to the stove where I discovered I had accidently turned one of the burner knobs to "light" and gas was slowly starting to fill my kitchen.  And what do I do?  Panic....and then turn the burner ON!!

Luckily for me and Coop Dog, the kitchen is drafty.  There was only a small "whoosh" as the gas ball over my stove went up in flames.  Then I realized how bad it could have turned out; what if it had been on all night, what if I left this morning without noticing?  

I burst into tears (at least it wasn't flames) and called my mom to tell her I love her.  And, I'll admit, I kind of called to make sure I wasn't a ghost and people could still communicate with me.  Hey - you never know!

In honor of my bad day, here's a classic YouTube vid and one of my very favorites - it always cheers me up!

Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya! Stab Stab!

I just finished watching Trilogy of Terror II and I can only assume that “horror” films are written around the premise that other horror films don’t exist. These characters are all arrogant scientists, horny teenagers or the innocent relative of whatever evil lurks around the corner, with no in-between. They must all either watch The Notebook or documentaries, again, no in-between.

This led me to ponder: what would I do if I were stuck in a lab with a flesh eating Zuni fetish doll? I think maybe first off, I would heed the advice of the ancient scroll found with the doll, you know, the one that warns not to remove the magic chain that binds his little evil soul; that one. I don’t think I would turn my back on that hideous little thing either and I definitely wouldn’t assume that sulfuric acid would kill him.

How did this woman get to be a scientist, correspondence courses? I hate to say it, but the only reason I was rooting for her instead of the shrunken cannibal was that he was annoying and loud. Thirty minutes of, “Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya!” can start to wear on a person’s nerves.

I’m glad that’s over. Can’t wait to watch it again in a year or two and feel like the superior film snob that I am yet again.

My Designer-Inspired Lamp

I love the show on HGTV where they show a designer room that costs tens of thousands of dollars and then a guest designer recreates it for the bargain price of $1000.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve never been handed $1000 to make over a room! I have, however, been given a lot of free hand-me-down furniture, lamps and other odds and ends. If someone is giving it away, I’ll usually take it, even if I don’t have a use for it at the time, something might inspire me.

The exact thing happened with a lovely 1970’s white porcelain lamp with bronze trim and some sort of faux bronze appliquéd tree on the front, complete with an authentic accordion style lampshade.

The two-and-a-half foot beauty has been sitting beside my usual seat on the sofa for months while I’ve coveted this lamp from Anthropologie – now on sale for $399.95 (plus shipping).

Browsing around Etsy, feeling bummed by my lack of chic lighting, I found Sleeping Dog Studio and their fantastic sets of vintage enamel flowers. Suddenly the faux bronze started looking like a graceful tree and $14 dollars and a few days later – my tree was in bloom!

The accordion shade was no longer befitting my beautiful, colorful lamp base. I remembered I had an old bag of scarves my grandmother used to use. I didn’t want to cut them or damage them in any way, so at first I tried draping a few over the shade. 

 

Eh, not so good – it looked like I was a fortune-teller trying a little to0 hard to set the mood.

The scarves turned out to be long enough to fold over lengthwise and tie on the inside of the lampshade. I used 10 scarves of varying sizes and folded them over a few times before tying them to the shade in order to create a soft pleated effect.

One day I may use the scarves to create a new lampshade that looks a little more tailored, but until then, I think my lamp looks pretty cool!

I love lamp!

Selling Out to the Man

I wish Danica Patrick didn’t feel the need to take so many bikini-clad pictures or wear teeny little dresses and red lipstick for interviews and public appearances. What does sexy have to do with racing?

Seriously, look at what comes up on the first page of a Google Image search for Danica. At the time of this post, on page one there is not one picture of her in her racing gear or in a car: straddling cars, but not in a car.

Little girls and teens need strong, kick-ass role models a heck of a lot more than men need another female to ogle. Leave that to the bimbo bunnies of Playboy, Danica. They don’t have any other talent; you do.

Isn’t it sexy enough that she’s an attractive woman excelling in a male dominated sport? Strength is sexy; bikinis and muscle car humping are just pathetic.

Retail Therapy: Jen's Closet

Jen’s Closet has some of the cutest vintage pieces that I’ve seen in a while and she has a huge selection.

I really love vintage animal items and these Retro Owl Glasses are no exception!  Aren't they a hoot?

Oh dear, I’m also loving this adorable Deer Salt and Pepper Shaker set – so so cute!

Re-Occurring Characters

I have a dog that may be the smartest canine ever. Actually, Cooper’s smarter than a lot of people I know. I couldn’t love him more had I given birth to him, which would be odd and probably get me shunned from society.

My family is hilariously quirky (they produced me, didn’t they).  I’ll probably have some great stories about them from time to time. My full-time job in a financial center also produces some funny tales.  Commercial banking is a riot.  You aren't convinced, are you?

If you keep your eyes open, you can see the weirdness in all of us. That may be why the last line in my favorite Dr. Seuss book, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, has been stuck in my head for 23 years.

“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”

Who is Crafty Geek Girl?

Who is Crafty Geek Girl and why would you want to read what she has to say?

Well, to answer that question simply, my name says a lot. I’m crafty, I make things and I'm kind of a geek. I have a craft business and an Etsy shop, BirdUncaged, that I devote a lot of time to. I love using bright colors in my work; it makes me happy. I also like using imagery from pulp comics, who doesn’t love strong, strapping heroes, damsels in distress and monsters, especially the monsters?

Now to address the “geek” part. Oddly enough I find the older I get, the less I care whether or not people find out that I’m a big old sci-fi geek. I want desperately to believe in the paranormal and aliens. Sci-Fi Channel is usually playing on my television while I craft or do whatever else I’m doing. I love a horror movie and Mystery Science Theater 3000 slays me.

I have to admit, I don’t understand Battlestar Galactica and I’m not a fan of Star Trek, in any incarnation, but I will fight you if you try and tell me it’s better than Star Wars. Apples and oranges, people, apples and oranges (but Star Wars is better).

Anyway, I’ll be writing plenty of my opinions on various subjects. I think this is probably enough about me for one post.