Since I can’t access this from most computers I have access to, I’ve been forced to move to Blogger.  So, if you want to read up on the haps of Tim and Erin, you should go to www.timnerin.blogspot.com.   Hope to see you there!

Happy birthday to the best nephew in the world!

Wearing Aunti Erin's sunglasses

 

 

 

Happy birthday buddy!  I love you!

So, I haven’t been able to log in this week.  I’m hoping this is temporary, but if not I may be switching to blogger…we’ll see.  Hope all is well for you!  Look at my new Made By Hank!  It came with an extra little bag too!

I love ruffles.  Can’t get enough of them.  So, here is an Etsy post devoted to ruffles.

ruffle by moufelt

 

SALE couture ruffle ring by knicolejewelry

 

Ruffle patch Sweet dress by pinkershoes

 

Bright blue grosgrain ruffle pumps, vintage 1980s, size 6.5 - Something Blue by retroevolution

 

Green Ruffled Disk Kiln-Fired Enamel Earrings by tekaandzoe

 

Mayflower dress by sarahseven

 

Dogwood Ruffle Bag - Light Blue by SweetgumHandbags

 

Free Shipping - Beige clutch/wristlet- Willow Clutch by Jujie

Red Sparkle Dots Ruffle Scarf by CobarCollection

a tough ruffles pencil purse in bright pinks (print back) by madebyhank

NEW Unworn Vintage 1980s Black Leather SHOES, High Heel Pumps, Ruffle Gold Bead Vamp Ornament, NOS Size 5 1/2 Made in Spain by Proxy by mysweetiepiepie

ENGLISH ROSE RUFFLE TOP by Lirola

 

Romantic Ruffle Cascade Swirl Halter in Salmon Pink by prizysebastian

Romina Top - All Colors, XS, S, M, L by IslaLunaGifts

ruffle wristlet bird on branch black and white by squirrellicious

Stay tuned for a post on ruffle’s cousin, Pleats.

I finally got it.  I was actually on the right site at the right time, and got me a shoulder bag:

Isn’t it beautiful?  And of course, it’s a made byhank.

Ballet on the Beach, 1948, by Phillippe Halsman

I wish I could sit and watch this.  Beautiful.

Here’s my first attempt at making a lace necklace.  I think I’ll try another that isn’t so choker-y.  What’d ya think?

Sorry about the poorly lit self portraits.  I do know better than to stand in front of the light…what was I thinking?

Look who came back from being held hostage his vacation!

It appears that he fell into some Alaskan water and froze into a Glacier.  Thankfully, Mark, Sue and Jeff found him, miraculously, and gave him back to me during a “meeting.” 

Since thawing out he’s enjoyed:

Reviewing my work load

Exploring in the jungle

Trying not to get cooties

And being one big happy family again

Welcome back Dwight!

1. Watching Gilmore Girls

2. Working on making my own lace necklace

3. Painting my toe nails hot pink with white polka dots

4. Watching another Gilmore Girls (I have two DVR’d)

5. Sipping sangria filled to the brim with raspberries, blackberries and peaches

6. Working on my vintage travel tiles (2 down, 94 to go!)

7. Singing showtunes in the shower

8. Reading Harry Potter

9. Checking the mail for packages (you just never know…)

10. Sleeping

Busy, fun, productive Gilmore Girlsie night for me!

We’ve finally cooled down.  The temperatures in the the near future are around the low to mid 70’s.  Today was a breezy 65.  Ahhhhhh…

It’s good that it’s cooling down, considering:

It’s been so hot that we had massive amounts of Rainier cherries – usually a good thing, but this year there were so many that they rotted on the trees cause they couldn’t be picked fast enough.  I actually got some at Stater Bros that rivaled the apricots in size.

It’s been so hot that apples are being baked on the branch.   But maybe we’ll come up with some sort of right from the tree apple pie.

It’s been so hot that fruit flies have gone into a frenzy and are swarming.

I’m also looking forward to putting my pepper plants in the ground.  The poor things have had to live in plastic pots while I waited out the hot streak.  (How many P’s were in that paragraph?  If you include 2 uses of paragraph, then 13.)

And I’m looking forward to being consistantly able to blow dry my hair without risk of passing out from heat stroke.

And I’m looking forward to being able to use the kitchen again (besides the fridge.) 

And I’m looking forward to not sweating just sitting there.  Gross.

See ya later heat!  Hopefully in smaller dosages!

I’m really excited about this necklace I made last night.  I’ve had this little frame for months, but couldn’t find anything small enough to put in it.  Until now.  I found some scrapbook paper with typewriter keys on it.  Here’s the result:

The front

The back

 

This is a pair of earrings I made ages ago (I think they were among the first), but that have become a staple for my wardrobe.   I love the flecks of gold in the beads.

 

**Spoiler alert!  Don’t read this if you haven’t read the book!  Tim, that means you!**

Let me begin by saying I haven’t read the book in awhile.  I took a hiatus from reading the HP series, because I didn’t want to lose the wonder of it by reading it constantly.  (I have read the first ones probably at least 5 times, the later ones not quite as much just cause there hasn’t been as much time.)

I have also been consistently dissatisfied with the movies.  I felt that:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone – could have been made for PBS.  Harsh, I know, but I felt that the CG Centaur was this decades equivalent of PBS’s The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe’s cartoon villains.  It doesn’t pass for real, especially compared with the fictional characters in LOTR and the new Lion, Witch Wardrobe movies, where they had real actors playing fauns/centaurs/etc with the help of a green screen.  Seeing as how these movies came out about the same time, it’s not like they didn’t have the technology.  Otherwise, the movie was entertaining, but clearly aimed at children.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – I think I have seen this once, maybe twice, so I can’t say much about this one, except that it doesn’t make me want to watch it again.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban – I liked this one.  I’ve heard people say they didn’t like the were wolf cause he didn’t look like a typical one, but that didn’t bother me.  I felt like most of the story was represented in this movie, the only thing I didn’t like was the dementors.  They were much more swoopy than glidey as I’d pictured them from  the book’s description.  Also, who knew our soul was a tiny glowing lemondrop?  

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – The thing that frustrated me about this movie, is you knew the bad guy from the start.  In the book you know nothing of Barty Jr. until quite a ways through the book, and even at that point I’d be impressed if you linked him to Moody.  But the movie insists on putting him places he wasn’t (the dream, not invisible at the world cup, etc.) and doing the weird licking thing.  Then Moody does the weird licking thing and all the mystery is gone.  And with another hour of movie left?  And where was Dobby?  And, I do not remember the dragon getting loose and chasing Harry all over England… and where were those adorable skrewts?

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix – I know a lot of people were sad that Umbridge didn’t look like a toad, but I loved her!  I thought she was hilarious and wicked an fluffy all at once.  Let’s see…weird that the Death Eaters can fly.  Does the mask pull them around by their faces?  Wouldn’t that hurt?   How does it make their bodies melt and reappear?  Isn’t this a skill that’s reserved for Voldemort (and Snape?)  I wish that more time had been spent in classes.  I wish there was more Snape (I love Snape in the movies.  Love the growl and the haughty look – I think he’s perfect.)  Oh!  And they left out Sirius giving Harry the mirror.  This is very important to the story, and totally gone.  I don’t get why Harry has a weird neck tick.  Voldemort has it too…I don’t remember reading about this connection.  Also, I felt like Sirius’s death was a bit sudden and underplayed.  It felt incomplete.   And Kreacher lying!  That was big too!  Hmmm.  Maybe the last three books should have all been two movies each.  There’s just so much stuff!

Which leads me to:

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  I said earlier I had high expectations for this movie.  And I walked out almost satisfied.  Like I said, I hadn’t read the book in awhile, so some of the things left our slipped my notice until after the movie when discussing it with my dad (who’d finished the book hours before).  I liked the opening (except the Death Eaters flying thing, same reasons as above, and the hitting on cafe girl thing, that was just strange).  I like that Dumbledore was standing in front of a sign for “magic.”  I wish his hand had been more destroyed, I felt that the slight charcoaling effect was too subtle.  I really enjoyed the scene with Professor Slughorn.   I loved all the slapstick comedy through out with Lavender, Cormack, love potions, felix felicius, the birds chasing Ron, and such.   The cave scene was almost perfect.  But I really wished that we had seen more deterioration from Dumbledore.  He went from fine to crying instantly.  I wanted more that feeble “don’t make me…”‘s, I wanted to hear the pain of reliving his memories, the begging for Harry to stop, being reassured by Harry, him telling Harry he knew he was safe because he was with him…I wanted so much more emotion in that scene.  Not saying I didn’t jump out of my seat when the first hand grabbed Harry – I did.  I liked the two Tom Riddle memories they gave us.  I like that Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) nephew played young Voldemort.  I really really wish that we had seen the memories of his parents.  Seen why Dumbledore had the ring.  I wish that the astronomy tower had been played out the same as in the book.  I wish that Hagrid, Snape, and all the others had bigger parts.  I wish the battle had taken place.  The bad guys were there, why not make it happen?  I wish the event that happens at the end of the book  (being vague because I’m sure someone will read this without reading the book, and I won’t ruin that for them) had actually happened, complete with the Phoenix song.  But – I liked the movie.  As far as HP movies go, I think it was the best. 

Long winded, but there you go.  What did you think?

I love the teal color of these leaves, and the little bit of gold peeking through.  I found the huge gray beads at Jo Ann’s and thought they would be really fun for a chunky necklace.  They were.

Here’s some shots of my recent jewelry experiments…

Just a few of the several dozen I’ve been cooking up.