Tuesday, September 27, 2011

NEW BLOG

I've started a new blog this past week called The Crazy Creative Corner and I'm going to be using it to post pics of beading & crocheting projects (and a little bit of "etc.") that The Squirt & I will be making with the idea of selling them.  There will be necklaces, bracelets, bracelet watches, earrings, crocheted scarves, possibly some baby blankets (that will be negotiable and up to The Squirt since she is the Crochet Queen, not I) and some beads made of clay and coated in resin (possibly even some resin projects).  Like the name says, Crazy Creative! :-D

Anyway,  because of the effort we're going to be putting into making crafts, especially with an eye towards the upcoming Christmas holiday (plus, you know, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) it's unlikely I'll be posting on the Herbals & Hobbies site anymore.  I've been letting it go for several months, now, for various reasons and I don't see it being picked back up in the near future (don't think I can juggle THREE blogs!), so this particular account will be closing down.  Please, feel free to become a follower on my newest site, especially if you're looking to buy hand-crafted gifts (or know someone who is).  You can find it here.


The Crazier Sister!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Contest

~~~~UPDATE!~~~~
Well, it turns out that, in spite of my best efforts at a get-out-the-vote drive, I have failed to win 1st or 2nd place... Ahh, well. That's what happens when you don't find out about a contest until a week before it's ended and don't get out a "PLEASE VOTE" plea until 2 1/2 DAYS before it's ended.  Thanks to everyone who voted and tried to help me win. I promise that I'll make sure there's plenty of vote time next contest I enter!



Whelp! I've done it. I entered some of my craftiness in a contest (re-)designing lanyards (you know, those things folks - mostly dr's and nurses - wear around their necks with an i.d. tag on the end?).  I'm not sure how it's going to go since I only submitted it tonight and the voting closes Friday morning. Long story short, I procrastinated about taking the photos until last night, then worked for nearly 30 minutes trying to get the site to accept them. I tho't it had, but when I checked with them this morning, they informed me they hadn't received anything and if it had gone through, I would have been redirected to a "Thank You For Your Submission" page. Which I wasn't. Which meant I had to resubmit tonight. THIS time I got the thank you page... which then informed me it might take 2 business days for my picture to even show up. Which means it might not be there until Thursday. The day beFORE the voting closes.
Lovely.
(sigh)
Well, God's in control, even of silly contests and submitting things on the computer, so I'm not going to worry or be upset. Anyway, here's the pics of what I entered;

Full View

Detail Close Up
  










So, if you'd like to go vote, the voting will be open until Friday the 13th at 11:59am (so the rules say) and here's the link:

(UP DATE: the photos are up on the site as of today, 5/11, so voting is available. You can only vote once per day, per computer... so... y'know... if you have access to computers with different ISP addresses... ~heee~)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Her Hero ~ Short Story Practice

I know, I know, it's been since December that I've done anything on either of my blogs. Part of that is business, part of that is there's a lot I could write about and I'm not sure I should (I'd go off like a Tomahawk missile on most of it!) and part of it is pure laziness. (but I don't waaaaanna write anything!) So, what I've decided is two-fold... today's will be lazy. This is a short story I wrote some time ago as practice. Part of this is getting me off my... tushie... to exercise my creativity.  This blog is dedicated to hobbies and creativeness, after all!  Those of you who read my blog(s) know I'm a poet (and, according to one source, something of an apologist... Look it up, I had to!) and I'm not half bad at getting my point across. Okay... now it's time to work the Creative Genius side of my brain!  I've set myself a goal of writing 10 short stories all under the limit of 1,000 words.  This one doesn't count toward the goal since, as already stated, it's one I wrote some time back (tho' it is less than 1,000 words!).  We'll see how well this goes, eh?
Enjoy

HER HERO


"Why can't I ever have a real adventure or meet a dashing hero?" Jill exclaimed.

"Gee, thanks a lot!" retorted Scott, Jill's best friend since grade school. He followed her gaze to the poster in the bookstore window, promoting the newest romance novel, and snorted.

"That is totally unrealistic!" he gestured at the cover art. "No fireman in his right mind would be that deep in flames without his helmet and oxygen!"

"There speaks the safety-conscious captain of Station 10." Jill rolled her eyes. "It's just art, Scott."

"It's unrealistic!" he insisted. "And it creates a false impression of heroism for gullible females."

"Are you saying I'm gullible?" Jill blinked, confused by Scott's irritation. He was always even tempered and easy going to the point of absurd. Whenever she wanted to go on an adventure, he was usually there to make sure she did things as safely as possible and didn't hurt herself. She teased him mercilessly about his safety issues telling him that he'd be staid, boring and unadventurous without her. He'd grin that lazy, easy going grin of his and reply that she was enough adventure for both of them.

"Well, are you?" she demanded when he didn't answer right away.

Scott's hazel eyes darkened to moss green as he stared at her a long moment before he shook his dark head and rose. "No, but you have unrealistic expectations about the guy you think you're looking for. I have to get back to work. Thanks for the coffee, Jill."

                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jill avoided Scott for a week, which wasn't hard to do since he didn't seek her out, either. He didn't even call to make sure the brief storm the city experienced hadn't knocked out her power and he always checked on her after a storm.

By the end of the week Jill was miserable and lonely. Hurt from Scott's comments combined with the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, he was right made her want to cry. They'd been friends forever. She'd always shared her thoughts and dreams with him and he'd always been there to support and encourage her. Now he wasn't. It felt as if a part of her had withered.
 
Back in her favorite bookstore Jill sank down onto one of several strategically placed couches and looked at the book she clutched. "Out Of The Flames", the book whose poster she'd been admiring a week ago, was on the best seller list this week. Staring at the cover art that Scott had objected to Jill couldn't bring herself to open the book. The art was ridiculous from a firefighter's perspective and, yes, Scott would know.

As she sat staring at the cover art, wishing she knew how to bridge the gap between her and Scott, Jill grew sleepy. Deciding she was well enough hidden from the casual browser she pulled her legs up beside her, laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes. Moments later, the book she'd held slipped from her fingers.

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"C'mon, Jill, you have to wake up!"

Scott's voice sounded muffled in Jill's ears and she wondered if she were dreaming. She took a deep breath and started coughing. Suddenly, strong arms lifted her and she was carried into sunshine and chaos. Someone put an oxygen mask over her face even as she felt cold metal under her backside.

Blinking as she continued coughing, she found a worried Scott, in full fire fighting gear, kneeling in front of where she sat on the ambulance bumper.

"What -?" she gasped and coughed again.

Scott guided the oxygen mask back over her nose even as he answered. "Gas leak. The store owner called it in. I knew you had to be inside because I saw your car and not you. No more scaring me for at least a month, okay?"

Not too excited about starting another coughing fit Jill simply nodded. Then Scott handed her a book. The book. "You... might want this. It was on the floor next to you."

Pulling away the oxygen mask she shook her head. "No, I don't. It creates unrealistic expectations. I like the real thing so much more."

Scott's eyes lit up and a hopeful smile tilted his lips. "Are you sure? I've been told I'm staid, boring and unadventurous."

With a combined laugh-cough Jill stroked his cheek. "Whoever told you that was an idiot. Besides, I happen to know for a fact that I'm enough adventure for both of us."

© Copyright 2007 Pam Sears (UN: condorsfan at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.