Success! YESSSSS!

"YESSSSSSSssssssssssssssssss", as my geek hero, Napoleon Dynamite, would hiss under his breath.

After weeks of plinking and playing with the format and HTML settings of my blog in what seemed vain attempts to have my background, header, and postings all center up in most viewing size display layouts I believe I have obtained success. Comparing what blog visitors would see on a standard monitor like mine at home, which has the most popular display setting, to my super duper, jumbo size monitor with a higher resolution display setting I have at work has had me pitching creative control fits over this.

Screen shot of Home monitor - 17 inches at 1024 x 768 shows tight crop of blog figures.

Work monitor - 24 inchs at 1280 x 1024 shows entire blog frame.

Screen shot of blog on work monitor. Love this big, bad boy...wish I had a jumbo monitor at home. Makes the cyber world so much more fun visually. Everything is centered just the way this anal retentive mermaid needs it to be. I know, I know, this is my issue of insisting upon control of my blog space and it doesn't help that I do not geek speak HTML...as I said, I'm a plinker and I make little changes and then view to see if I have created chaos or side stepped it. As you have seen over the past few weeks chaos has reigned supreme.

Thank you all for your patience and please let me know if you see something other than what I think I am claiming success for.

Seduced and Abandoned.

Yes, my husband of 48 days has left me to go camping with his 32 year old son in the majestic Grand Tetons so I'm feeling seduced and abandoned. Not really, I just like saying those words...hahahaha. My honey has retired for the third time in his life while this working mermaid still has a few years before I can do the same so I have willing sent him off to the incredible states of Wyoming and Utah to bask in the glory of our mother earth while I do the 8 - 5 gig.

No sour grapes for me because this will be time I can devote to things I have wanted to get caught up on like my blog space. Still trying to work out the format bugs and have actually come up with a different layout that I may test launch this week.

Also need to finalize my Pay It Forwards and ship out. These have been laying unfinished on my table now for a month and that is my first goal to complete this week.

Need to put wedding albums together for family and that means almost 1,000 photos to go through. The curse of digital cameras, you can take hundreds of shots easily but then you must root through them to find the ones you want to keep.

And last but not least, I want to make a few road trips for junkin/antiqu'in. As you can see, I have more plans than time...always seems to work out that way.

Buon compleanno quello piccolo or Happy Birthday to my delightful granddaughter!

It is my lovely, little granddaughter's birthday today. Kit Kat (nickname) is celebrating her 4 years on this wonderful earth and what a marvelous age she is celebrating. I wish I could be there with her to share in her joy and merry making but Grandma-ma is here in Lawrenceville, Georgia while she, mommy and daddy are in Vincenza, Italy.

By now, the birthday package from Grampy and me should be at her house or perhaps is still sitting in the APO mail box because daddy is busy jumping out of airplanes and hasn't gotten to the base to pick it up yet. Wishing her the happiest of days today.

Stick a fork in it, or

better yet, put a mini painting or an old photo "on" it. Items that are re-purposed into pretty little other uses have long been a favorite of mine. A few weeks ago, a talented antique selling friend, from Vintage Village, was making these neat little easels from vintage (4-tined & silverplated) forks to display her old cabinet photos on.

I fell in love with these mini easels and wanted to share how she made them with you. When you see how simple they are to make you will be seeking out old forks to create these yourself. The older the fork, I find, the easier it is to bend and shape with a jewelery or needle nose pliers.

Remember, it must be a 4-tined fork. You bend back the two outer tines and bend forward the two inner tines. Spread the inner times like a set of open skies and be sure to turn the tips up to hold the photo or picture in place.

Closer look at what position the bent tines should be. Notice the front (inner) tines have the tips turned up like skis to support a photo or picture.

This is a 5 x 7 tin type that was over painted with a still life signed and painted in oils. You can see the end of the fork at the top of the little painting which makes a decorative support. I wanted to share this nifty way to make instant easels for your vintage displays and personal decorating. Please feel free to share with your blog visitors and friends.

Blog Fits, FITZ and more Fits

Okay, if you have been stopping by you have seen some creative changes to my blog. Some good, some not so good. Still trying to fit a square background/header peg in a round blog template hole. For those who know me well, you are already laughing at my attempts to "personalize" my blog space.For those who don't, well then welcome to my "I'm gonna do it my way even if it kills me world." So, over the next few days as I try and correct spacing problems, font changes, margin issues and anything else that seems to pop up after I find the solution to one concern, please forgive me...or at least join me in seeing what other silly surprises appear. The frustrated Sea Witch.

Can I BE more blonde?

This foolish sea witch has been following a delightful blog called Enchanted Revelry for months now. http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com/

I have enjoyed the postings by Tristan and had even added Enchanted Revelry to my favorites list. Well, last week-- as I drilled deeper into Tristan's profile -- I realized that this wonderful blog is offered by a male blogger. I know, I know, you can say it...having ignored the piercing eyes of Tristan's photo and the obvious fact that this is a man for as many months...can I be more blonde...I don't think, so.

First things first, I changed my favorites header from "Where the Wild Women Are" to "Where the Wild Bloggers Are." (I know there are male bloggers out there, but they have been few and far between. So I followed the assumption that bloggers must be women as we are pre-disposed to find any venue to converse. I beg for your forgiveness for not recognizing you...and I assume you will accept my apology as men seem to like it when women beg.) I immediately shot off an email of mea culpa to Tristan and asked if I could make Enchanted Revelry a featured posting. Tristan very kindly invited me to swipe away photos and feature him in all his glory on my blog. Thank you Tristan for your understanding the subtle nuances of being blonde and for the use of your smashing quilt photos.

If you visit Enchanted Revelry, you cannot escape the sheer delight

Tristan offers through his blog.

Looking like a biker with tats and 'tude and with a joy for theater and wide friendships, this is a man for all seasons. Among his many talents, Tristan is passionate for color. He doesn't just revel in it, he exhausts its spectrum in his amazing quilts.

A juried quilt artist and a multiple exhibition prize winner, a visit to his website will only wet your appetite for these pieces. You gotta love the name of his website as well: http://www.manmadequilts.com/.

My favorite is this prize winner named "Real Men Don't Make Quilts". What fun and an amazing use of color with different traditional piecing patterns.

I adore traditional canvas work known as bargello...something about those visual optical illusions just delight me or maybe it is just my old hippie days that come to memory. Tristan must have been a mad man cutting all of those tiny, thin strips in an palette of colors and patterns to produce this series. Extraordinary.

Love the name - Wonky Log Cabin. Another traditional American technique that Tristan took on a roller coaster ride of color use.

Country Scrappy Stars - understated use of color married with traditional piecing techniques. Lovely.

How much fun is this memory quilt made to resemble a monopoly game board? It is full of photos and places that this family traveled to. Tristan will produce commissioned memory quilts geared especially to your wants and needs. Lots of joy and love in a quilt like this.

Now, Dusty does not quilt, but I'm sure Dusty has lots of input into what Tristan will do next. What a sweet baby. To view more pictures of the amazing quilts that Tristan produces and a look at his world, please visit his blog and website.

I've said it before, this bloggie world has been an adventure meeting so many talented "men" and women. I so enjoy reading about the lives everyone so willingly shares, to have a glimpse into the myriad of talents that you all have. Thank you for sharing so much of yourselves.

God Bless America

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Did you know that the United States of America is the only country that has declared the "pursuit of Happiness" an unalienable right? Wonderous!

On this day that honors the birth of our great Nation, I urge you to pursue your own happiness. Be joyful in your life and grateful for all that comes your way. Pay it forward to others whether you know them or not and I wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July.

Duets

Love is being stupid together. Paul Valery - French Poet, Essayist 1871-1945.

I like these words. They are pure in the description of joy in togetherness which had me thinking about duets in song as offered in my latest playlist.

My favorite couple second only to Alan and me.
He calls me his little chickadee and I invite him to come up and see me sometime...often.

The inimitable George and Gracie...who elevated

couples banter to an art form.

I've always said that my life is often like a cartoon and this power couple always seem to work things out no matter the obstacles. I hope you enjoy the duet music and in the words of the great philosophers, Bill & Ted, (another insightful couple)

Be Excellent To Each Other!

Extraordinary Pantene Commerical.

Powerful...beautiful.

(with apologizes to Ullabenulla for borrowing her post title)

I could not find better words to describe

this incredibly brilliant, advertising piece.

Go, find your passion,

and let no one stop you...especially yourself.

Sneak Peak - Great Majestic Sea Swap

I'm just finishing up my swap "swag" that I will be shipping to my swap partner located in Germany. This is the first swap that I participated in and nothing like a Majestic Sea theme to get me involved in these blog swaps.The Majestic Sea Swap was offered up by Gypsy Mermaid Life and outlined on her blog link: http://gypsymermaidlife.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-06-03T10%3A05%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=4

Here is a little sneak peak at some of the swag that will be on its way to Germany.

I hope my Majestic Sea Swap partner in Germany will enjoy the items as much as I had putting them together and I can't wait to see what arrives to my address from Germany!