My Piano Lamp

From approximately 3rd-4th grade, I took piano lessons.  Sometimes I really liked it.  Sometimes I would hide quietly and hope my mother forgot to take me.  Since I had 2 younger siblings at the time, that happened pretty often.  Really, I'm glad I had the lessons.  It helped me easily learn to play the xylophone, marimba and chimes in middle school band- which meant I got to go on the King's Island trip... honestly, my entire reason for joining.  But, also, I believe it really helped me to feel and know music more easily when it came to dancing.

Regardless of how I felt about the lessons, I was really happy when my Mom uncovered the lamp to my piano.  It sits on my art table now.  It's a red-head dancing... apparently, I see myself in her. :)

Sadly, I'm still on the look-out for the interior pictures of the house we stayed in in Cass.  I synched my phone and it said all was well, but can't locate them on my computer. :-/  Mercury is in retrograde, so hopefully it isn't a permanent issue.

Speaking of Mercury in retrograde, besides being a time of miscommunication, confrontation, misunderstandings and other nasty things, it is also a good time to re-work, re-do and finish what you started.  Unknowingly, I started going this direction yesterday when I started working on cleaning and organizing our hall closet again instead of going to the fabric store to buy cute stuff for the baby toy patterns I just bought on Etsy.  Even though buying the patterns is a way to start projects, I decided I'm going to use as much fabric as I can that is already in my sewing room.  Initially, I started planning ways to use the orange fleece left over from a Halloween costume a couple years ago.  That's re-working/picking up where I left off.

Anyway, since progress on my closet isn't very exciting, I found these lamp pictures that I took a couple months or so ago and forgot to share.  :)

Hoping you are able to re-work, re-do and put old issues (which come up during Mercury in retrograde) to bed. 

Links for Holiday Countdown Calendar and Mercury in Retrograde

Free Victorian clipart found here.

DH and I decided there was no need to buy for each other for Christmas again this year. But, if we hadn't, I might suggest this course by Misty Mawn for myself. Her work is very inspiring and so is her book, Unfurling.  Perhaps there is an artist on your list?  Perhaps you should add yourself to your list? :)

If you want to make an advent/holiday countdown calendar, there are a couple posts out there I found interesting:

Maya*Made has one here.  And here. She also has an adorable house version that could be made into an ornament as well.  Threaded Basil wrote about her Maya*Made advent calendar here.  Her idea of cleaning up the playroom before diving into the treat is excellent!

Amy Karol, a.k.a. Angry Chicken has a post on one she made here.

If you want to make this, but are fretting because we are already 5 days into December, might I suggest being an "anti-perfectionist" and doing it anyway?  You could start tomorrow or even 5 days from now and it would still be exciting and fun.  A 20 or 15 day countdown is still a long countdown, don't you think?  A has been asking if it is Christmas (our tree is up), so maybe we will add this to our project list.  It would be a great lesson in DIY, re-using, counting forward and backwards, creative expression and valuing time together.  I adore Maya's idea of using "time tickets" in the pockets ... things like "hot cocoa date with Mommy" or "ice skating date with Daddy".

In other news, if you have also been experiencing miscommunications, wrong thinking, past issues resurfacing, and faulty information (via people or with phones, computers, cars, trains, etc.) it is due to Mercury being in retrograde.  A LOT of people I am in contact with have been complaining about just these things and with good reason.  This one's a doozy!  Why do I know?  I looked it up for my own sake.  Woah.  Glad I re-ordered my Hyland's Nerve tonic before now.  Looks like things should settle down on January 1st.

Maybe A and I will get on that countdown calendar today.  Making stuff is always good for the soul. :)