Can you believe this crap?? My muse is on strike!!I woke up this beautiful Sunday morning with full intentions of writing a bit of fun for Jamie’s new meme, Take This Tune. I have a story about would-be Bankrobbers (one of them is none other than your Thornie) floating around in my head to suit her “Outlaw” theme song this week, but when I checked my email I found this note from my muse: (my responses in italics and parentheses)

On Strike due to Unfair Labor Practices

To whom it may concern, (WTF?? “To whom it may concern? Who else would it concern but me? That lil bitch knows exactly who she’s writing to!)

You are hereby notified that I am on, and shall remain on strike until the following conditions are met:

1. Ice cream. Ever since you got back on Atkin’s we haven’t had any ice cream. Those so-called Atkin’s “candy bars” ain’t cutting it. (What is she talking about?? Ice cream? We hardly ever eat ice cream! And those Atkin’s Indulge bars are good! And since when does she say “ain’t”?)
2. I want a bath! Candles and essential oils and maybe get the GirlyBoi to wash our hair. (OMGods! She knows we don’t take a lot of baths in the Summer! It’s just too hot to soak in the tub, and a lukewarm or cool bath just isn’t the same. Although it is nice when the Girlyboi washes our hair.)
3. Take more pictures! We stopped just when we were getting good at it! (I want to take more photos too, I was having a blast with it. But that went kaput when the camera took a shit. It can’t be helped!)
4. Road Trip!!! (Oh, Muse… I know it’s been since forever since we took a road trip. It would be awesome to head up the coast to visit Susan in SLO, or Lill in Sacramento, or to hit the big Hiways and go see Shelly and Mr. Shelly in Texas. But even if we could scrape up gas and road food money, we can’t risk taking lil Golda that far- she’s all we’ve got!)
5. I want a new tattoo, or more work on our back piece! I’m not feeling like a “Phoenix Rising”! I feel like wet ashes! ( Well… we can’t get the back piece worked on right now, that would take more money than we can afford.)

If these demands are not met I will NEVER work again!! No more blog posts, no more painting or tattoos, no more collage or sculpture or, or, or… anything!!
Signed,
Your Muse

Oh she can be such a pain in the ass, sometimes! Doesn’t she realize that I’m just as bummed about that stuff? Well, here’s my response. It doesn’t sound to patronizing, does it? Ehhh… she’s not to bright; she’ll never notice as long as I placate her. I hope she’ll reply soon. Peace, out!

Dear Muse,
I know we’ve been working awfully hard lately, what with the microposts and eZine for BlogonSmog and all the housecleaning and sorting and setting up the new studio. Also money has been tight and we haven’t been able to get out and buy a new pair of shoes or even some $.99 store goodness. I’m sorry that I’ve been neglecting you. I’ll just have to come up with some fun for us that we can do on a tight budget.
So here is my counter offer:

1. I won’t do Ice Cream, but how does berries and cream sound?
2. Eda is coming to visit soon and I’m going to teach her how to tattoo. She’s such a great artist and craftsperson I’m sure she can handle some of the black linework on our left arm. So there it is, new tattoo coming soon.
3. Let’s paint our nails midnight blue and we’ll foil them to look like fireworks against the night sky. Won’t that be fun?
4. The moon is just past full. Want to dance naked tonight? We can build a fire in the brazier and howl to the Coyotes if you want, too.
5. And we can watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original) and Big Fish again.

Sorry, Muse. That’s the best I can do right now. I miss you, I need you. Please come back to work.

Love, Thornie

13 Creative Uses For Garbage

Wow.  After I found that bit on crocheting “plarn”, I found quite a few more really cool uses for plastic grocery and shopping bags.  Imma try for 13 really cool and long term uses for them, instead of hokey reuse-once-and-they-end-up-in-the-land-fill-anyway type uses.  Let’s see if I can make 13.  I’ll cheat and start with a couple links for methods to create the craft material to create with.

1) Make plarn from plastic bags.  Use the link on my last post or check out another way to do it here

2) Fuse your plastic bags to make a heavier “fabric” for other projects. And another comprehensive pictorial tutorial on fusing and sewing the plastic fabric.

Plarn projects:

3) Plarn rugs!  I think these would be awesome in the kitchen!  I’m on it!  A round one:

4)  This artist asks that we don’t repro her images without permission, and I don’t have time to write and ask, so please do go see her simply awesome plarn sea creatures!!

5) A Plarn Clothespin bag for all you freaks like me who actually like to hang your laundry out!

6) Plarn Gift Bag

Now we’ll do a few of the crafts made from fused plastic bags

7) How about a very chic necklace?

8) How about a serious tote bag?

9) Or a raincoat?  (sorry; no instructions.  Just fuse your bags and get a pattern!)

10) Here’s a great Rain Bucket Hat and Tote with instructions!

These next few aren’t fused nor plarn, but they are pretty cool ideas.

11) Funky Bangle Bracelets:

12) I like the idea of this lamp.  It’s got me thinking of doing some hanging garden lanterns…

13)  But really… my absolute favorite are these mandalas by Virginia Fleck that my darlin’ betmo sent me to see.  (She’s right.  These rock! This artist rocks and her statement about the work is … hehe… incredible.)

The artist says the following about her work:

“My wall-sized mandalas, created from sections of used plastic shopping bags, analyze the activity of consumerism as a spiritual encounter.� This visual experience of repetitive designs, indicative of meditative objects and advertising graphics, stimulates the viewer to yearn for more.� Participation in the activity of consumption offers affirmative feelings of redemption.� Consumerism is the global religion.� Salvation can only be obtained through active involvement in the pursuit of this article of faith. Our affluent lifestyle is displayed by the numerous bags with recognizable symbols that contain and brand our passions.� Abundance and fertility are manifested in the size and quantities of our possessions and attest to our belief in the American Dream. Our hunger is insatiable; our fervor can be witnessed.�Nirvana / paradise is easily obtained and owned.”

See more of Virginia’s work here at her site
That’s my TT! Thanks for visiting! Don’t forget to stop by The Eclectic Witch for 13 “Strange” Magickal Ingredients in my Cupboard!

I’m off to visit now!

Buahahaha!
Okay, it’s true. I’m starting to come back to who I am. I know at least a few of you wondered, and some of you might even have known, (We won’t mention any names, BILLIE!! Hee hee) that sooner or later Thorne would, if not “heal”, then at least “heal over”, and it would only be a matter of time before I was up to my old mischief and mayhem around the blogosphere.

It’s true, I do indeed feel a snark coming on.  Well, I may have already started a bit of shit (just a bit of the old Thornieshness coming out), but I’m not sure.  The thing is, it’s still Only the Good Friday, and I am committed to keeping to its precepts of optimism and snarklessness. (And besides, my comments are still in moderation, which makes it difficult to share with you all).

Sometimes it’s lonely being a night-owlish blogger.  Just when I’m feeling feisty and like getting into a lil dialogue ya’ll are… I dunno.  Sleeping?  Fucking?  Watching TV? Prolly.

Muahahaha.

So I decided to divert myself with a bit of fun and I grabbed my camera and ran around the house taking pics of a few things that make me happy to share with you all, (In keeping with the OtGF concept).

Getting Desperate Healthy Parrot Soak

Okay.  This is a pretty high one on the Makes Thorne Happy List

Reasonably healthy food for my parrots when I am desperately broke.  Some people might say I spoil my parrots because I cook for them.  They are not spoiled; they are taken care of and provided for to the very best of my ability.  A parrot’s nutritional needs far exceed a seed diet.

They get some variation of “Birdy Bread” (original recipe from Bobbi Brinker, but mine is so far from that as to be nearly unrecognizable) for breakfast alternating with scrambled “cousin” (yep.  eggses), and hot cereal (usually a mixture of oatmeal with a bit of dried or fresh fruit).  They are allowed a few seeds throughout the day- a handful or so each, various fresh raw fruits and veggies that the garden, friends and the supermarket (if I must) provides, the occasional organic dog biscuit, quinoa pasta or large nuts (almonds, filberts, walnuts, etc.) and for dinner they usually get a sampling of what we are having if it’s healthy enough, (and doesn’t include any ingredients they can’t have such as onions and avacados) or in the least a mixture of steamed veggies and grains.

Right now we are pretty broke.  We are eating some less than optimum foods, (for our own health as well as birdy health). So, I was really happy to find the popcorn, hemp and safflower seeds in the freezer.  I added some roasted soy beans and some macaroni (just plain old mac.-  I’m out of vegetable pasta, and they love their pasta so much, I decided a lil of the cheap processed crap wouldn’t kill um)  I soaked it overnight, boiled it a bit today and then I’ll freeze some of this, but it makes for healthy birdy dinners which makes my heart VERY happy!

Home Grown Garlic

This is the end of our last year garlic harvest.  It’s all heirloom stuff.  No gene spliced, pesticide injected crap.  It’s starting to go over, get a lil yellow and a bit of mold here n there, so I’m really glad that we’ve managed to use most of it up.  Home grown garlic makes me happy. (So does the shape and form of this basket!)

Coffee Cups That Make Me Happy

Truth be told, Thorni is a woman of simple pleasures.  Really cool coffee cups make me super happy.  I have quite a few from which I will allow no one else to drink, simply because I know that if they broke them I might do murder.  I also have a number, like these two, that make me want to see them in someone’s hand.  I will serve them to my family and friends and guests (if they are clean) just for the simple joy of seeing them.  That they come as a gift from the lovely e., only adds to my happiness.

Kitchen Counter Tile Work Section

Kitchen Counter- Detail 1

Pool Tile and Cup Handle in the Kitchen

And in closing, (Grrr… still 3 hours away from Saturday Snark); my kitchen tile.  The first images show a small section that I gave a quick wipe (the kitchen is currently a disaster area) to.  It’s about 3 years old and the grout is ready for another serious cleaning.  Not all of this tile is recycled tile.  I bought some of the more colorful tiles on sale.  (Like the Gold that I use to kinda unify the whole design)

The second image is a detail section.  I cut a few of those flower shapes to add a bit of interest, and placed them in places where it’s not critical to have a perfectly level surface.

(When I clean the counter I’ll show you some of my other favorite sections)

The 3rd image shows an embellishment above the window.  The previous tenant who took care of the property before I moved back to the desert decided that the level drop celiling was too low, so removed it.  In order to add a bit of interest to the canted ceiling I used this triangle motif.  It steps up in size above each window.  It’s made of pool/jacuzzi tile.  The deep windows are also tiled.  The broken cup handle makes a great place to hang herbs.

Happy pics from Thornesworld!

Peace out!