I need to tell you something............

Tomorrow I will be participating in Magaly's 4th Blogaversary "Witches in Fiction - to the Bone".

I have found that I will need to add a disclaimer to my next 7 blog posts. Oh, not in the traditional sense but to you my readers. So above each chapter of the story there will be this warning:

This posting is suited for mature audiences only. It may contain a story line that could make you uncomfortable. I hope that won't dissuade you from continuing but if you are faint of heart, or lean toward the prudish, then please do not proceed.

I know that may seem a little overly dramatic, but I am just protecting myself from "silly" people who will get into the story and then find that they didn't think I had it in me to write a story like Slendor House.....but you silly rabbits, just like Glinda said, "it's been in you all along". Oh Glinda you naughty witch.

I can hardly wait for you to read from a part of me as a yarn spinner, that you may not have already guessed.

Only less than a day to wait to post the beginning chapter......(squeal).............;) I will post on April 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13.

I have sponsored a giveaway that you can register to win on April 8. You will need to follow the link to Ms. Magaly's Pagan Culture post for that day to comment and have a chance to win yet another altered book. But I am not the only sponsor. So please go every day and register to win the items sponsored by others.....the word is that the first day will be Sunshine Shelle's work. You know the artist who brought you Frida Dorothy and my No Place Like Home banner I used for CO this year?

See you tomorrow for all the fun of Witches in Fiction - to the Bone.

The Apple Brothers and The Angry Gnome picked a winner........

The Apple Brothers have been busy writing down all the names for the Drawing. Happy Apple was writing and cutting, and Grouchy Apple put them in the hat.

The Angry Gnome Shook and Tumbled and Jumbled the Hat and LOOK WHO HE PICKED!!!!!!

And as an afterthought....we just want all of you to know this was an HONEST Contest!!! Let The Angry Gnome be struck down if it wasn’t..............................

NO, he’s still sneering and smoking his cigar. There just must be someone in OZ who has a definite fondness for Oma Linda and it is out of everyone’s control..it is Pure and Simple MAGIC!!!! Thank-you ALL for your Wonderful comments about Toto, Witch Hunter, and we are already looking forward to next year’s OZ Celebration!

Cats draw winners of the Kim Cowley Celebrate Oz giveaway........

Hi Everyone......Kim Cowley here

I did the draw today...well the cats did

Love Kim xxx

So today was the day of the draw... all of the names went into a hat and I decided to let my cats Nemo and Tuss do the draw!....this was a drawn out process (excuse the pun) because the cats had to spend at least 30 mins playing with the bits of paper in the hat!! BUT at last we did get the names pulled out and after rescuing the bits of the paper from under the sofa and wiping off the cat spit....the results are.....drum roll.......

 

For the Witchy Cushion...Oma Linda!!

 

And for the pictures...Nichola from Pixie Hill!!

 

Congratulations you have been chosen by two beautiful Siamese cats!! If you can let Oma Linda have an address Nichola I will send the pictures to you :)

 

And thank you to everybody for the lovely comments on my work. This has been such a funny borrow of Ye Olde Crone's Gazette. I'll see you all next year back for Celebrate Oz.   Kim Cowley

Bunnies and chicks and eggs, oh my..........

Happy Spring......

Two days ago, we put up our Spring decorations. I like to leave them up for awhile so that I can be blissfully happy and not pay any attention to the change of weather outside. Cuz inside we're all pastel, bunnies and chicks and eggs, oh my while outside my door the lion is still throwing his weight around....I'll be glad when the lamb comes along and scares the bejeez out of the lion and we can get on with nice weather.....but then I'm sure more of you feel that way. In like a lion, outta here like a lamb......but when???????

Some of the sweet German wooden Spring tree ornaments are from when Shelley was a youngster. Most are from when she was too old to care about the tree but I used to love the reactions that her teen friends had when they came in and saw that we had all manner of sweet spring on display. For years we had pussy willows from our bush to hang the ornaments but we aren't in the same location and I can't seem to get pussy willows to grow here in this yard.

GK's cat, Cybella really enjoyed helping set up the table and rearrange all the decorations. Her favorites are the large carrot with the little white bunny peaking out. He has given her hours of enjoyment since we set up the tablescape. Isn't she cute????? She had better be. She has developed an entitlement attitude. She is entitled to anything she wants and the other animals must bow down to her wishes without question. And if they look at her too long...well let's just say that there is a reason she keeps her claws sharpened. But she's so pretty....good thing huh?

See the cute little white bunny with the wasabi tape embellished egg cup, along with the gorgeous turquoise egg ornament....my darling Beckybus sent this to me all the way from Sweden. She and I share an absolute love all things red, white and polka dotty. I sent her an apron of red and white polka dotty wonderfulness not long ago. We want to keep the postal systems in our respective countries in business. Thanks Becky, my darling girl.

Only a couple of more days and April and the Angry Gnome will draw names for Toto the Witch Hunter and Kim will draw two winners for her witchy wonderfulness of her drawings and the "oh my gawd" how wonderful is this felted witch cushion. So stay tuned my darlings....good stuff is coming soon.

Ms. Magaly's bloggy anniversary celebration is coming.....

You can see by the graphic here and the button on the side that the wickediest darling Ms. Magaly is again hosting her Witches in Fiction to The Bone, blog anniversary party soon.

I am working on my mixed media art piece and the accompanying story. Since we will be dancing round the bonfire for more than one day.....13 to be exact from April 1st to the 13th. I have volunteered to be a sponsor of her event and write an episodic story about some strange happenings at a little boarding house in an out of the way place. I think you might want to find out what kind of enchantments might be flashing by at Splendor House.

I'd like to encourage you to take up a writing instrument and try your hand at telling a story about a witch, a bone and .................well that's up to you.

Come and play as we all share our ideas of Witches in Fiction, year 4.

The Angry Gnome does Celebrate Oz............

A few weeks ago, The Angry Gnome saw an exciting announcement on Oma Linda’s Facebook!

 

 

“Hey, Martin!” said The Angry Gnome, “You and the guys need to come up with something ‘Altered’ for Oma Linda’s Oz Celebration. Don’t ask me nothin’ cause I Don’t Know! I can’t keep up with Dames and their Crazy ideas! Figure it out yourselves...”

 

“Hmmm, The Angry Gnome says we gotta have something ‘Altered’ Oz, Fellows. Any ideas?” asks Martin.

“Hah! I don’t know why but I keep thinking about Toto! He’s one of my favorite characters!” says Ichabob.

“Yeh, when Toto puts up that little paw during ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I just get all melty,” sighs Horlicks.

 

 

“Look..here we can get some ideas. He’s got sticky-up ears...sort of dark colors...”

 “Yeh, but he’s gotta be a bit different...can’t look exactly like this...”

 

 

“Let’s get all the stuff we need!” shouts Trinculo, “I’ll start the needle felting...”

“We’ve got plenty of felting Batt. I’ll help you,”says Ichabob.

 “I’ll work on the costume,” says Flibbet

 “I’ll handle the Mod Podge,”says Sam, “I LOVE this stuff!”

 “I’m gonna find some Steampunk type stuff,” says Horlicks.

“And I’m gonna open up the Paper Clay and make some dog bones!” says Martin.

 

 

The Gnomes worked for a long time..humming and wiring and poking and fitting and measuring, UH OH- breaking Three felting needles, and drinking TWO bottles of California Champagne so they would have the needed corks! Finally the last minute accessories were added...

 

 

And here is their Steampunk Toto- Witch Hunter!!!!!

 

 

Toto has a French Escargot Tong for one of his arms and a pail for water, in case of a Witch! He has some supplies in the back of his coat and a convenient carrier for his dog bones.

And now for the Drawing Info to win this needle felted Steampunk Toto...

All you need to do is leave a comment that you would like to have your name put in the Hat for the Drawing....to take place March 29th.

 

 

The Six Gnomes have been uh, Convinced...to let The Angry Gnome pick the Winning Name!! So, on Friday, March 29th, The Angry Gnome himself will Pick the Winning Name from a Hat. Then Steampunk Toto will be on his way to his new family!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK and Thank-you, OMA LINDA for this Fabulous OZ Celebration!!!!!

Kim Cowley ........ witches from Oz

Kim Cowley is friend from a former facebook group and a very talented artist. She works in many different mediums and I so enjoy her friendship and aesthetic. I trust you will as well. Oma Linda

Small Postcard sized card mounted print of one of my original works...

 



Through the eye of storm

She flew to the land of Oz

And what a magical place it was

A land that was full of sweet delight

With just a touch of endless night

I admit I stole those lines from Blake

But a better rhyme I could not make!

 

 

Small postcard sized card mounted print of another of my original works:

The wicked witch of Endor

Is nothing to compare

With the witch from the west of Oz

Though perhaps she has more hair!

Three pigtails and one eye you say

My goodness what a sight

lets hope we never meet her

On a dark and stormy night!

 

 

So the description is: Hand Made Wet Felted Wicked Witch Cushion:

The wicked witch of the west

Flew over the yellow brick road

Mumbling wicked curses

Of spiders, bats and toads

Eye of newt and wing of bat

Whoops wrong story!

I'll sign off at that!

 

The wet felted cushion was made from dyed and carded Marino fleece/wool and was made in one piece using a resist (a piece of soft plastic) to stop one side of the cushion felting to the other.

The cushion was made using an inside out method, I drew the design onto the resist using strands pulled from the Marino fleece, dipping bits of fleece into soapy water makes it more pliable to draw with.

Fleece was then layered onto the resist, one side at a time with an overlap left over the edges, each layer was wet with warm soapy water and rubbed gently, the overlap was then turned in on the other side of the resist and a new layer laid over the top. As the layers are built up the resist becomes totally encased in fleece. For this cushion I used three layers on each side.

Once the resist was completely encased the felting begins! This entails wetting with soapy water, bashing, rolling and generally abusing! As the fleece starts to felt the resist begins to pucker this means it is time to cut the cushion open and take the resist out ( I like to keep the cut as small as possible)...then I turned the whole thing inside out to see if the design had survived!! At this stage the felt is still quite fragile and needs further rolling to full it and make it solid.. Once the cushion was fulled I rinsed the soap out, pulled the cushion into shape and left to dry for a few days before stuffing sewing up the cut hole and adding a felt string border as a finishing touch.

 

The first two drawings are in one drawing and the cushion is the second giveaway.

 

Please leave a comment (and a way to contact you) and let me know which of the giveaways you would like on this posting and I will draw the winners on March 23rd.

 

Thank you so much for coming and seeing my altered Oz entry. I missed the deadline last year but my friend April of The Angry Gnome and I share a love of Oz and so she let me know about the Celebrate Oz - aLtREd oZ 2013 and I was all in.

 

Come back to Ye Olde Crones on March 23rd for my giveaway winners.

A no is just as holy as a yes.................

Many years ago when I was recruiting folks to do volunteer work, I had a very hard lesson to learn. There were going to be a whole lot of no's to the requests that I posted to folks. And if I was going to be a successful volunteer coordinator, I had to market my event well and then be prepared for letting the person's heart answer the question.

I worked with other volunteer coordinators and saw many take the no's they got as either personal  slight or as a challenge to them to get the person to change their mind and say yes. The older woman I worked most closely with had been in her position as director for many, many years. She was laid back, easy going and made sure that each one of her staff knew two things......1. that they could get the events staffed and 2. that a no was as holy as a yes.

In other words, allowing the person you're asking the question to be honored even if they aren't giving you the answer you want. That lesson has served me well, lo all these years later. I can't take a negative as a personal attact nor do I have to make the other person feel bad if they can't complete a task. Life gets in the way and that is all there is to it.

Nowadays, I have been asked to do things that I either couldn't or chose not to do and I have given my holy no. It is interesting to see how others digest that answer. And I think it tells a lot about someone's self confidence in the way they deal with the no. I also have been afforded the opportunity to receive some no's and I hope I have lived up to Ms. Upton's benchmark when I say, thank you for telling me your truth maybe next time we'll get to work together.

So the next time someone says no to something you offer to them, be blessed by the fact they even considered whatever opportunity you are offered them. And take the answer whether in the negative or affirmative as how they need, want or have to respond. It makes sharing the planet with others, oh so much easier to handle.

I worked on this very issue last night at the dark of the moon. Someone I care for asked me to help. And now I have growth to the full moon to count on as the instrument to help make this so for someone else.......but they must want it as well.

Upcoming madness here at Ye Olde Crones Gazette

A week from today, I will be hosting the 3rd annual Celebrate Oz blog hop party on my other blog, Olde Baggs n Stuft Shirts. I am letting all of you know this because there are some of you that only follow me here and I'd like to invite you to come and see what all the fuss it about on OBNSS.

I adore all things Oz. And if I was gonna tell you how I roll, I'd tell you I am all team green, meaning I love me some bad and wickedy Wicked Witch of the West. She is my favorite character and has been since I was a kid. It's all in your perception my pretty. And yet, I don't watch the film version very often....especially with my grands around because they know every word to every song and dialogue and I consider that a bit of overload. I guess I infected their mom to such a degree when she was a kid and now they have watched the film a bazillion times. After a viewing of The Wizard of Oz three years ago, I got a wild hair and asked my bloggy buddies if they wanted to play.....and they did and so that's how this fun trip down our very own Yellow brick road began.

Next Friday some of my friends who do not blog but want to be a part of the fun will be posting their contributions to Celebrate Oz here on YOCG. Just wanted to warn you that I haven't left or run away, I am simply providing a canvas for others to paint their altered view of Oz so that all of you and all the followers of the party will be able to see what they have done.

It is getting hard for me to contain my enthusiasm. I finally finished my altered art piece that will be auctioned of to raise funds for Lavender Dreams Farm, (if you read my blog today at OBNSS you get to meet Marci who runs this rescue for donkeys, dogs, cats, birds).

I hope you all have a marvy weekend and I'll be chatting at you real soon. Oma Linda

Intentionality.........

I remember in 2nd grade, my teacher Mrs. Stone had an unruly pack of 6 and 7 years old to contend with. Our class was always being "detailed" for too much enthusiasm and noise. But I have a feeling that it was as much her problem as it was ours. It seemed that every time she would lay down the law, we would find a way to thwart her perfect plan to contain our zeal.

As I look back at that "incarceration" time, because we were always in trouble, I have two lessons that I draw from that experience. First is that anyone who is not tolerant of children's behavior ought not to be in charge of steering the classroom. She wanted the old "sit with your hands folded on the top of your desk and listened to every word I say without responding" behavior from us. There seemed to be a disconnect between what is natural in a 2nd grade child and what her dream was of how the .classroom could be run. I believe she was one of the most frustrated people I have ever known.

And the second lesson is what this blog today is really about. When you point your finger at someone else, remember that there are three fingers pointing back at you. I know now some of you are pointing and looking at those three digits coming back in your direction as you point right this minute.

As a kid, the lesson was introduced as a redirection to help kids not say things about someone else without the thought that they might just look at what they were doing before saying anything "ugly" about anyone else. And at the time, it really kinda made sense. For me it stuck and I have used it as a teaching tool many times in my dealings with children and youth.

But as an adult, most especially one who believes in Karma, I have taken this child lesson very seriously. I believe that whatever you send out into the universe, be it a thought, a conversation, a threat, a spell, will come back as like energy to you, threefold. It (usually) keeps me from being too caustic. I will admit there are exceptions to the rule and I have, as you all realize, had difficulty containing my ire when it comes to my family's pain, although I do realize they must endure what is handed to them to be who they are to be.

I chant, "Let it pass through you not dwell within you" or Let it be", more times a week than you could ever imagine. I dance the dance of intentionality and freedom from anger many a time.

I read this morning in Aine of The Deepest Well blog something that made me think of these lessons. I may have to take another look at pointing the finger. I may have to Let it be, in a whole new way.

 Her blog really spoke to me, you might want to go and read what she has to tell. I was most especially struck by the paragraph....."But the truth is that life is long and it is hard to varying degrees, not to mention we come into each lifetime without the memory of the last ones, and so we basically start all over again - a cleanish slate, exposed only to the people who will teach us the lessons, and allow us the experiences that make up our destiny this time. Sometimes these people are not kind. Sometimes they are hurtful, maybe even dangerous. Sometimes as a result we do things we are sorry for or ashamed of. We may even find ourselves becoming people we don't want to be, but we have to remember that the story is long - it is not finished yet, and so there is no need to feel guilty, no need to point fingers, blame and hold grudges. These are simply the stories, the tales and they need only to be told - as is - and hopefully whomever needs to hear them will and will take from them what they want or need to take."

I have a person who is on the fringe of my life who continues to be hateful, which is that person's burden not mine. I have no part in their skewed reality. I claim no responsibility for their mania and delusions. And I now claim no part in their behavior even when I voice my concern for my family's torment at the hate filled person's hand on my blog. My advice to them would be ................ don't go there.

Saying our piece about whatever the subject is our right. Being able to weather the blow back is our test. Learning from the experience is our reward.

Namaste