Juicy July - 2019 - The Sketchbook Project, Vol. 14 - City Streets

I just went online to check and my Sketchbook about City Streets has now gone digital!  I am not as pleased with the way it was photographed as compared to the last one I did but still, it is fun to see my work on the internet for all to admire - LOL

Here is the link so you can see it too.

I just realized they skipped a page too.  Here is the page they missed:

Update:  They missed this page too!

Maybe they'll re-do it for me before it goes on the road trip or even after it comes back.  Anyway, if you have time, check it out.  I love to see the number of online views grow!   

Juicy July - 2019 - Customizable Mini-Albums

Thought I'd share a couple of the new customizable mini-albums I have on sale.   The first is in the shape of a cake and it can be made easily into a wedding cake instead of a birthday one.

This one is about 7-1/2 inches tall and about 6 inches across.  It can have more pages in it or a specific theme.  

The second one is an ice cream cone although it could also be a cupcake.

This one is quite a bit bigger at 11-1/4 inches tall and about 9 inches at the widest part.

I have these two as well and haven't had a chance to do anything with them yet but I'm looking forward to making some baby ones.  Stay tuned! 

What do you think?

Juicy July - 2019 - Song Lyric Sunday - Misty

Today's prompt from Jim is Songs that were in movies.  On an earlier prompt I used the song "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" from the movie "Play Misty For Me."  Today I'm using "Misty".  I love the way Johnny Mathis sings this song.

The lyrics:

Misty

Johnny Mathis, Glenn Osser & His Orchestra

Look at me
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I can't understand
I get misty, holding your hand

Walk my way
And a thousand violins begin to play
Or it might be the sound of your hello
That music I hear
I get misty the moment you're near

You can say that you're leading me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't you realize how hopelessly I'm lost
That's why I'm following you

On my own
Would I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove
I get misty, and too much in love

I'm too misty, and too much in love

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Erroll Garner / Johnny Burke

Misty lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Spirit Music Group

and the video:

and just in case you're interested, the trailer from the movie:

It was a good one! 

Happy Sunday everyone.

Juicy July - 2019 - #SoCS Clean/Dirty

Well, Linda's prompt today's Stream of Consciousness Saturday is Clean/Dirty.  Typically Saturday is a day for cleaning house, at least when I was working an outside job Monday through Friday.  Not so much anymore since I work from home and can clean any time I feel like it...does anyone ever really feel like it?  If so, come on over!

I'd like to know who's idea it was to get a white dog when we have a brown carpet and even though my daughter is trying her hardest, Benny doesn't seem to get the concept of picking up his toys and putting them away when he is finished playing.

One of his favorites is a little Lamb Chop stuffed animal that our son got for him.  He loves that thing.

Which also means it is the dirtiest one.  Believe me, I've already washed it twice and I'm afraid there's no hope for it.  

And then there is my favorite Foreigner, Kelly Hansen, singing "Dirty White Boy."  

Can't you just hear the ladies screaming when he does this?  Add a little shake and oh my goodness!  

That's where my consciousness is today.  How about yours? 

Juicy July 2019 - Getting ready for August Break

For several years I've participated in Susannah Conway's August Break and this one looks like another good one.  Here are the prompts and feel free to link up if you want to join in the fun. 





I'm glad to see the prompts so early.  It makes it much easier to plan. 

In other news, I got an email that my Sketchbook Vol. 14 is heading to San Francisco in September!  It will be at Off The Grid at Fort Mason on September 20 and at San Francisco Center For The Book on September 22.  How fun it will be to go visit my book! 

It will be in LA too and may make other stops along the way.  I am waiting for notification that it has been digitalized.  Then it can be viewed online like my other one is.  So far that one has been viewed 909 times!  Seven people have checked it out and held it in their hands!  That's pretty exciting to me. 

What's up in your plans for next month?  Join me and take some pictures for August Break? 

Juicy July - 2019 - Rare blog post in which I am not smiling

Well, actually I was smiling for a while

because it was another concert night at the Mountain Winery and we were going to see Melissa Etheridge and Pat Benatar. 

Melissa Etheridge was first out and she put on a great show.  She is very talented and there are many of her songs that I like but don't listen to very often.

 I love when I get a shot like this where it's like she's looking straight at me.  We weren't sitting that close but I have a pretty good camera. 

When the performers play together like this I think that they are doing it on purpose so we can get a good picture.  

There was an intermission between the two bands while the stage was rearranged and then the lights went down.  A voice came over the loudspeaker and said it was a "Smartphone free concert.  No cell phones, tablets, picture taking or video recording during the performance."  WHAT THE HECK?

Now you know if you've been following my blog at all that we go to a lot of concerts and I'm definitely a picture taker.  Not to sell or profit off of by any means, just to add to my concert scrapbook album for our own enjoyment and memory keeping.

We have been lucky to have seen some pretty great performers and since a few of them have passed away (Prince, Tom Petty)


 

or said they are not touring anymore (Bob Seger, Adele, Elton John), having the pictures from the shows we've seen is even more special.

We have seen Pat Benatar before and there has never been an issue with taking pictures.  Even the fist bump that my husband got with Neil Giraldo was captured on film.

All of the previous shows have been good ones until last night.  It wasn't even just the fact that we couldn't take pictures.  There were a few songs they did that I was not familiar with and at one point they sent the rest of the band away and sang a couple sitting down in chairs which is not a bad thing necessarily but they used some pre-recorded music for a bit of that.  Really?  That's almost as bad as lip synching I think.  They even tried to do a slow version of "Treat Me Right" and it just didn't get me.   

You know of course there were people who were taking pictures anyway and I admit I tried to get a few myself. 

Actually got in trouble with the usher who was going around telling people to stop taking pictures.  She waited until I put my camera in my purse for goodness sake!  

But you know, we pay a lot of money for these tickets and while I understand that there should be no flash photography or cameras with long lenses that would obstruct the view of other concert goers, I never have my flash on and my camera is a small one that fits in the palm of my hand.  I just don't understand what the issue is.  At any rate, I was "fairly" good and waited until the last song before I snuck a few more pictures.  Obviously the quality is not as good but at least I have some for the albums.  I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing them again.

So, question for the masses.  What is your feeling about this?  Do you think it is fair to restrict picture taking at concerts?  Does it bother you if the person next to you is taking a picture or two?  Am I being selfish because I want help in remembering the events we see?  Love to hear your take on this.  

Juicy July - 2019 - Are we having fun yet?

Well, as has been happening, the month is shooting by!  I've only done 5 posts so far.  Haven't even been keeping up with the Song Lyric Sunday and Stream of Consciousness Saturdays!  What have I been doing??  Mostly taking care of my mom.  You read about my cooking lesson last week and in addition to that one I also got a lesson in making spaghetti.  Not an unusual thing for an Italian girl to learn from her mom but without going into too much detail, let me just say there are a lot of details in the way SHE cooks it, including how to open the package.  Silly me for trying to just cut the corner off the bag!  Apparently you can't cook spaghetti properly without cutting the entire end off of the bag and then cutting it down the middle to expose the whole lot of spaghetti.  Who knew?  LOL I really love my mom :) 

Yesterday we spent the day at the park participating in our local Clean Sweep Flea Market.  I was trying to sell some of the household stuff I had been accumulating and a few of my extra craft supplies while my husband was selling some of his tools.  He is retired and has no need for all the things he collected in his years of working as a mechanic.  We had space enough to put up a canopy so my hubby could stay in the shade.  He's in the background of this picture wheeling and dealing.  There were a lot of people selling things and a steady stream of people coming through all day. 

We did okay but mostly it was my husband's tools that sold.  I decided that anything I didn't sell was going to get donated to Goodwill.  If I was willing to sell it, I don't need it.  

In addition to that, I was commissioned to make four cards for a friend of ours.  She is a teacher and wanted to send some thank you cards to people who helped out during the summer programs.  She gave me four words...library, construction, cupcake and ballet.  Here's what I came up with:  

For the library:   

Construction:  

Cupcake:

Ballet:

Whaddya think?  

Oh yeah, my daughter and I went to see the movie Bohemian Rhapsody on the big screen at Oracle Park.  It was supposed to be a sing-a-long on the night of the 34th anniversary of the Live Aid performance.  We were surprised that more people weren't singing!  There were people who were dressed as Freddy Mercury, but we just wore the crowns we got going in :)

The next night my husband and daughters and I went to see the real Queen in concert.  Two great nights in a row!

The local reporter made the mistake of calling them a "tribute band" since only two of the original four members remain but let me tell you, that was no tribute band.  Brian May even made a comment on Instagram that he didn't appreciate that review and didn't think that the fans felt that way! 

So, that about catches you up with me and my corner of the world.  How about you guys?  Anything special going on in your corner this summer?  Lemme know what I'm missing!