Lantern Hummingbird Feeder

Husband asked me if I was into getting a bird feeder a few weeks ago when we were standing in the checkout line at the garden center.  I smiled to myself because it was yet another sign of Husband getting into our new gardening hobby. I suggested a hummingbird feeder because our lavender attracted hummingbirds until the big fat bumble bees found it and hog all the polleny goodness. 

Husband said we should think on it because a bird feeder is an impulse purchase and we never know what lymphoma side effect Blitzkrieg will have each week with or without an extra expensive expense. We're very conscious about spending money that might look extravagant or  that we are using your generous Blitzkrieg Cancer Treatment Fund donations to buy bird feeders instead of canine chemotherapy. Trust me, everything you donate to the Blitzkrieg Cancer Treatment Fund pays for Blitzkrieg's mounting medical bills. The poor guy keeps getting side effects that require more medical attention than was first estimated. ( Edited by Lisa: The final bill was $4 to $5K in threee months time when we were finished because of the side effects and remissions and extra treatment they required instead of initial estimate of $3K spread over 6 months time.)

I decided to make Husband a hummingbird feeder for Father’s Day or as it is known in these parts, Doggy Daddy Day.

My first five attempts were big, fat FAILs.

• My original plan was to buy a glass hummingbird feeder tube, stick it on an empty painted by me wine bottle, and make a holder from copper wire. It would have worked if my craftypaintaphobia didn’t mess up the project. My ready made stencil stenciling attempt bled under the stencil. It made blobs not flowers.

• My punch circles from leftover contact paper to make a stick on stencil attempt bled under the stenicl because the contact paper I used has been rolled up/mashed in drawer since we moved in. I had more bad blobs.

• I liked Round One of using a round stenciling pouncer to paint circles on the bottle. Unfortunately, I hated the other layers and colors I used on the bottle. Can I put out here it is a very good thing Martha Stewart craft paint doesn't cure immediately when it dries on glass and makes it easier wash after five failed attempts of painting?

• I decided to paint the hummingbird feeder test tube that came with the feeding tubes, and add red wire wrap glass stones to it to attract hummingbirds. The glass stones looked like red welts. I hated it.

I was frustrated. I gave up and went with what I knew – power tools.

Blitzkrieg: Forever in Our Hearts

Blitzkrieg lost the war we waged on canine cancer last week. When I try to write about it, all the words and nothing come to mind. 


My page is blank. 


The cursor blinks at me. 


Taunting.

Husband wrote this tribute about Blitzkrieg’s life and our love for him. I cannot find better words than his to describe our boy, his journey, and our heartache. 

I need to explain this because not everyone will completely understand our sadness right now.

Many people who have known Blitzkrieg will understand this, but some will not. But that's okay. It's unusual to experience this much loss over a pet. I just hope I can explain this in a way that will make it easier to understand our grief.

A Plastic Free Picnic

We are staycating, picnicking, and Cooking Food with Fire (you may call it BBQing) at every opportunity as part of Operation: Best Darn Doggie Summer Ever.

We got our original picnic basket, cloth tablecloth and napkins, and dishes as a wedding present. When wore out the first picnic basket from constant use, Husband bought me a new one from Cost Plus World Market  as a birthday gift because he knows I have a thing for baskets, picnic baskets in particular. What a guy! 

A tisket. A tasket. This is my picnic basket.    

We have friends coming over. We don’t have room at our patio table for more than four people. No problem. I’ll pull out the picnic stuff and have the kiddies picnic in the yard while the adults claim the table and chairs. Adulthood has its privileges ya know. 

Blitzkrieg is Losing the Lymphoma Fight

We are losing the cancer fight. We put Blitzkrieg on a different chemo protocol after the our first protocol of the aggressive Kick Cancer's Ass and Take Names CHOP protocol failed to keep Blitzkrieg’s cancer in remission.

I totally play the cute dog with cancer card to convince Lisa to l stay home from band practice and stuff me full of salmon steaks - doctor's orders! Sitting on her practice flag also helps.

If Blitzkrieg responded to the second chemo protocol we were looking at months with him instead of up to a year like we might have had with CHOP.

The second chemo protocol failed.

Design Star 7, Episode 5

This week the designers picked a card, any card and designed a lounge in that style for a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce party. Basically a white box challenge with only a floor to start with.

A few things were abundantly clear from the beginning of the episode:

• Kris says, “Amazing” a lot.

• Rachel complains about pulling the Victorian style card ALL THE TIME.

• Brittany thinks too much about designing a space that is in her professional design style.

And I completely agree with Kris when he said the 1970’s were a time of pure design tragedy. I don’t agree with the last part of his statement when he said the 1970’s were also a time of purse design brilliance. Nope, nay, never, tacky, yuck!

Not that I have a strong personal opinion of 1970's style or anything.

My Craft Wars Audition Video

Finally, finally, FINALLY! There is a new craft show on TV. It is called Craft Wars. The first episode airs on TLC tonight. Now I can spill the beans. I auditioned for it.

Yep. I made a total goof of myself in my audition video. I sound like I have a lisp because of the microphone on Husband's point and shoot camera. Despite that the casting people asked me to reshoot it and add bigger projects to my audition video. That's why I'm wearing different clothes during the last part of my video. I took it as a good sign.

I had to sign a contract that I wouldn't tell anyone until after the show airs even if they didn't cast me. I figure it's OK because the first episode airs tonight.

15 Tie Dye Projects

I'm no longer a Girl Scout camp tie dye failure thanks to the tie dye drop cloth shoe project I made for Tulip.

I wear these shoes everywhere. 

Researching and trying different types of tie-dye techniques besides the hippie dippy circle thingies that never came out for me (see Girl Scout camp tie dye failure and mean girl mocking) might have turned me into a wee bit of an addict.