Do people keep these? And where? Do I need to build a glass case? Put it in a scrapbook? What's up?! It was certainly a thrill walking into the County Fair exhibition building and seeing the damn thing on my artwork, but what now? Am I allowed to throw it away? If I do, does it get recycled or tossed in the trash? If I'm not going to keep it, do I even deserve the chance to enter again? And I have these three statuettes that were my dad's. He ordered them because they were in Parade magazine and made by Lenox. He had no interest in ivory two-inch-tall figurines in the shapes of an elephant, a swan, and a dolphin. But I imagine he saw them and thought that Lenox was a good brand so, what the heck. Now, I have them. I don't want them but I'm unsure of what step to take next. I think they might break if I put them in a grocery bag and drop them off at Goodwill. They ARE Lenox, after all. I can't imagine anyone I know wanting them. They WERE my dad's. Keep them, give them away, or dump them? I don't know what to do. And then there's this cool pen that my son got at a birthday party. It has a tiny car in a little cage on the top that I can take out and, by pushing a button on the side of the pen, it will race around the kitchen floor. Jay doesn't want it, I certainly don't need it, but it's so fun. And if I get rid of it, can I throw it away? There's nothing wrong with it, it's not broken. Auuggghhh. This type of thought takes up way too much of my time.
We went camping again last weekend. Chilly, yet beautiful. I'm now a total pop-up tent trailer advocate. Camp food, beautiful view, crackling fire, wilderness AND no sleeping on the ground. The night was really cold, I have to admit, and campy time will soon be over for the year but with a warm sleeping bag it is much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Here's a recipe to make your own tasty breakfast burritos!! Scramble one dozen eggs with one cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese mix. Add a dash of salt, pepper and cumin. Fry up a little bacon. Put egg/cheese mixture on a large flour tortilla, add a slice or two of bacon, then salsa or sour cream if you'd like, roll it up tucking one side in so it doesn't all fall out *learned this from experience* and YUM. Good protein, some carbs, and no plate necessary! 
At night, I can sit in that trailer, out of the wind, making hot tea on the mini stove (or shaking up a fine martini) and curl up on a mattress in utter coziness. And I did invest in one of those new fangled dish washers....the Archie Clean-Deluxe.
Regarding the previous blog where I bemoan the horribleness of my hand painted beer bottles, here is the evidence. Not to worry, I have already been working on new techniques. I found that using spray paint was not the way to go, aside from the base coat. So, I'm currently experimenting with better ways to do this.
Plus, I'm really not a great painter so my intricate designs (of circles and stripes, just to name a few of the more complex ones) look messy and not AT ALL art like. And, strangely enough, the paint is actual liquid and it runs down the side of the bottles in places I don't want it to. Although I have found that, most of the time, painting is a very satisfying and calming experience. Sometimes.
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
--Albert Einstein
3 comments:
I say donate all of it. Don't keep it around. I am one of those people that keep everything, but know I shouldn't, it is such a hassle and you have to store it or move it, and life isn't about things, just get rid of it all.
You could try using acrylics on the bottles, and then get some stencils (or make some) and that way each bottle will be "cleaner" if that's what you're looking for, or just freehand each bottle. Then there are some sprays that will seal the acrylic paint. I did that with a small metal trash can once, many years ago, and it's still intact even after quite a few moves. And the cheap-o 99cent acrylics will work fine, you don't have to go in for canvas artist quality acrylics, just the ceramic kind in the little squeeze bottles...I have a shoebox full of them, they are very handy for little projects like yours.
As for all the junk...I'm a hopeless, sentimental pack-rat myself (and it runs in the female line of my family), but I definitely know what it's like to have a closet full of junk i don't really need. So I would say either donate it or have a yard sale. :)
Oh I forgot to mention, you don't have to treat the bottles prior to painting them with the acrylics. I've painted a few bottles for my mom before, and all I did was make sure they were clean prior to painting. If I think of any other bottle "painting" techniques, I'll let you know :)
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