FOUR YEARS!!!

I was babbling (that happens) the other night and it came out of my mouth:

"red.neck Chic - the blog - has four years of me. Some silliness - some seriousness - all me."

FOUR YEARS!!! Seems like it was only yesterday!

Do you realize all of the adventures you have been on with me? The jail-cell tales I've told... the man-child we've raised... the road trips we've taken... the shows we've done... the things we've made... the things we've THOUGHT about making... the times I've burned my kitchen down (I'm so glad you always bring a fire extinguisher)... the animals that have arrived and not left... the New Year resolutions each year... the couch we made re-live the chainsaw massacre...

The "resident teen" started DRIVING with you along for the ride... and I can't believe I let him drive after confessing to my dirty little "I stole a car" secret... I still don't think he knows... I don't think.

I've buried sewing machines - you were along as my accomplice... Heck - I've hauled a woman around on top of my car... then murdered her. You were there.


We've discussed my Grandparents - a couple of times - at Christmas and at the Port-a-Potty (No... it wasn't Christmas IN the port-a-potty... though stranger things happen in my neighborhood...)...


You spent time with Grampy on Veteran's Day and time with Grammy on our birthday...


You've been to "the Mama's" house (remember running from her? HAHAHA) countless times - my favorite is when you came at Christmas! And the tea party's she's hostessed for us... there's one more I haven't shown you yet! Remember when my older brother stole her car right in front of her?


I took a deep breath and introduced you to ALL of the crazies I'm related to my red.neck family!


Let's see... I've been jobless and am now building my "mercantile" in The Hillsboro Antique Mall... you've been watching me from the very beginning there... remember when I erected the "Taj Mahal"? It's still there... just a lot bigger.


We've been to the NASCAR races and we watched the soccer team win the Superbowl... we've even eaten pickles together at High School Football games!


You've watched me shift and change... learn how to use a camera... grow and then grow some more... you've listened to me rant - you've listened to me rave... you've listened to me crack up at nothing at all - and everything at once. You've watched me meet new friends, welcome some old friends - adopt new family members.


Sickness and health, mischief and mayhem, laughter and tears... ho-hum days and CRAZY days... sewing thread and spray paint cans... we've been in it together.


THANK YOU for YOU!!!


comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I'm thinking... 4 MORE years of complete insanity and THAT many more rolls of duct tape are comin' right up... are you ready?

I'm a NERD!

This morning I am reporting for Jury Duty and I'm such a dork that I am EXCITED about this! My first time EVER - and I've been signed up for many many many years... I was starting to feel like the girl with "nerd" on her back that nobody wanted on their dodge-ball team!

heehee.... it's in my Etsy shop... LOL

maybe just MAYBE it will be something like: "A caller reported having video of a vehicle spinning doughnuts on newly laid gravel on Camp Creek Road around 4 p.m." and the doughnut maker got arrested and I will get to figure out his motives for making doughnuts so late in the afternoon! everyone knows doughnuts are better at 3am...

Or maybe it will be something like: "Several cows were causing a traffic hazard on Interstate 90 near mile marker 279 just before midnight..." and I will get to try to figure out WHY the cows were on the interstate and why so late! Ah.... the cow mystery... I wonder if their mothers knew where they were?

I'll be back...

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where those courtroom peeps should watch out 'cause I'm wearin' my SASSY pants today! Now... I hope I get to play dodge-ball even though I stink at it 'cause I'm always ducking behind the geek...
 

you can stay in the trailer park.

flower photo i transfered.... we will come back to this.

I've seen and admired and have WANTED to try the whole "transfer a photo to canvas" thing for a while... so I did.

Here's what I learned:

• it's okay to have an inkjet printer and not a laser printer... you will not kicked out of the trailer park. 
• it's NOT okay to use a photo with tons and tons of details. 
• i still don't know the difference between freezer paper and wax paper, so the transparency technique is great for those of us (me) that don't know about kitchen utensils. 
• my printer hates me. 
• it's NOT affordable to use transparencies. 
• page protectors from the scrapbook section that are 59million for $1.00 work just the same as the transparencies that make you gasp and gasp again in the middle of the office stuff store when you see the price tag then look again thinking you should get to the eye doctor ASAP because there is NO WAY you were seeing that price tag right. 
• finger painting is fun. 
• yer gonna mess up the first one (or two... or three) so have your white spray paint on-the-ready. 
• the Gel Medium works WAY better when spread so thin you can't decide if you really applied it or if you just THOUGHT you applied it. 
• saturate your colors.... saturate, saturate, saturate. 
• fingernail polish is way better than just plain ol' paint. 

shall we begin?

Take your favorite photo (in my case... my favorite subject):

and mess with it until you have HIGH CONTRAST (I went black and white) messing with your color saturation as much as you dare. When you are happy with it, trim down a plastic page protector, slide it in to your printer, and hit print! The ink just sits on the plastic and waits for you like a stalker.

THIS stuff rules!!! But... it only rules in super thin layers. The first photo (the flower) I put it on tooooooo thick and ended up with a MESS that ended up looking kind of artsy fartsy... but we'll get back to that. In the mean time, dip your finger in and just BARELY cover your canvas top to bottom, side to side.

Flip your image over, carefully drop it on and then "burnish" it. I used a little wooden hand because my hand was using the remote control for the camera, and the wooden hand was just.... there (you know how I am about body parts laying around...). BUT - you can "burnish" with your finger tip because the gel medium picks up THAT good and rather quickly. Be prepared to lose some of your details... or at least be prepared for some "runny fuzzy" action with your details.

Lift the clear protector off and Voila! Image transfer.

THIS is where I learned that I need to up my saturation levels... it looks kind of "charcoalish"... which is fine 'cause he's so cute he makes my heart get all "runny fuzzy". Next TIME I will probably run through a whole cartridge of black ink because I want it less "charcoalish".

Or.... I could take the image and add finger nail polish when I want more color:

because sometimes I give canvases manicures. Do you see the "texture"? THAT is where I learned that a super thin layer of gel stuff is better.

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I want to THANK YOU for your kind words, thoughts and prayers for the loss of our family friend, Richard. Richard's Grandson is an AMAZING young man full of courage and bravery... truly amazing... and I'm thinking that he gets it from his Grandfather. Through everything, I have found a new friend, Pat. Pat is Richard's sister-in-law, and she talks about Richard and his Grandson today here...
 

hello... goodbye

I had this really funny post in draft using these pictures... it had words like “plethora” in it and giggle-worthy scenarios such as: imagine how many people you would confuse if you walked in to a room and said “goodbye” instead of “hello” (I still might try that some day... just sayin’) and I went on to discuss spray paint as an alternative to toe nail polish (pedicure courtesy of Krylon)...

but then life intervened, a family friend passed away, and I started to think about these two words:

 "hello" and "goodbye".

And now you will get the Wednesday episode of "deep thoughts by red.neck Chic":

I’ve always ALWAYS adored the word “hello” because it can hold a plethora of emotions depending on tone of voice. You can almost judge another’s mood by the way they answer the phone:

“HELLO!!!” – that’s the “I’m so happy to have your voice in my ear” hello!

Or “hello.” – that’s the “I’m not having a good day – you better make this good” hello.

Or - my favorite - is by-passing the "hello" all together and going straight for yelling out a nickname or asking "what are you doing?!"!

“you had me at “hello”"... *sigh*... so romantic.

“Hello” when you get me in person rarely escapes my lips without a smile accompanying it... and because I'm me... a giggle of some sort. :)

As for “goodbye”... I don't like saying “goodbye” (or in my case: "okaybye")

I know it’s only painful when you’re never going to say “hello” again - but honestly - how often do you think about that happening? I say “okaybye” and naturally think it’s bringing me closer to the next “hello”. On the phone I say it (and for WHATEVER reason chuckle right after), hang up and continue on my way with the belief that my phone will ring again and I can say “HELLO!!!” a lil' later to that same person. When I’m leaving someone that I love, I say the dreaded “okaybye” and offer up some good huggin' action, but in my head I'm already plotting and planning the next time I’ll get to see them... ‘cause I don't like thinking or saying “goodbye” or even "okaybye".

Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~ Richard Bach

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I will never take "hello" for granted... if I hug you extra tight when I see you and extra tighter when I leave you instead of saying anything - it's 'cause I don't like "goodbye"... no matter what color it's painted. Make sure each "hello" counts today..

p.s. - maybe the "right after okaybye" phone chuckle is me already plotting for the next "hello"! ahhhhh..... NOW it makes sense! ;)

critters

this morning i went bounding across my front porch with a big grin on my face - leaping up and over the porch railing (what are those steps for anyway?) in my greatest flip-flop wearin' gymnastic move EVER - a great rush of excitement consuming me as the thrill of going all "wild woman" filled my red.neck soul...

i was gonna cut some fun little bursts of sunshine for my dining table!

after closer inspection i decided that PERHAPS i am not as much of a wild woman as i thought i was.... though i am easily entertained. that bug did all kinds of interesting things.

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where i think the sunflowers look juuuuuussssssttttt fine along the fence line... stinky bugs.

for the "Pops"

image source

Have fun today!!!

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...