Cake Tops and Holly

I have blogged in my short bloglife already about Miss Holly. I am fixin' (yes I said fixin') to do it again. In a prior post , I admitted to having found a pretty avatar on Flikr which I followed to Holly Abston and found that she teaches classes right here in Oklahoma City. Not California. Not New York. Oklahoma! where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. I made her Butterfly Crown and now it lives on a lamp in my craft room, or studio (wait, I might be struck by lighting for saying studio....) okay we're good.

I took another class this last Saturday for a Cake Top Box. Mmmmmm. She has terrific little kits. I love the anticipation of what lies beneath...

The pretties inside the kit. Her kits are so complete, absolutely all you need to bring is your glue gun and an ability not to cuss as hot glue sears your flesh.

Along the way.

Later that day.

My cake top box lives alongside the jadite pieces in my china cabinet.

I will be going to Holly's house later this week because I totally weaseled in Holly's request of my friend Jemellia to make a slip cover for her. See what a sweet little bundle Jemellia brought to class for me just because I am her friend? Clearly that was before she realized I getting all up in her slipcover.

So I will be ogling Holly's house taking my stalking of her to the next level. Lucky girl...

Nest Building: Waste Management

Thought I would start with a series of interiors around my home with a focus on the bathroom. I am starting with the bathroom for several reasons which I should not have to list simply because you own a bladder and most of you have a colon and therefore understand the beauty of indoor plumbing, the act of the flush. Oh and hot water, lawdy, I love hot water.

A couple of years ago I placed my cheesy but cheery! fake egg wreath on the front door when I noticed a dear sparrow building her nest. All use of the front door was banned during the two months it took her to build, lay and rear her clutch. We watched and counted eggs.

We marveled at the little tender hatchlings that would make even a mother regurgitate her bolus.

Quickly the nestlings grew with all those good mama's meals. I became fascinated by the instinct the birdies had to eliminate wastes. As a zoology instructor I can say a lot about bird waste, however I never thought about waste accumulation and nesting.

The wee birds, only days old, turn around in what is a very cramped space and excrete off the edge of the nest. I was thrilled by this discovery. How beautiful is it they instinctively avoid toxic waste build up? Biology has always been my best church.

So with homage to the great outhouse designer in the sky, I present some bathroom images from my own nest. Yes, I am going to keep up the pithy avian references.

A place to sit.

Means to flush.

Handles to grasp.

To draw a bath.






Scents to employ.

A view to enjoy.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.









The most beautiful bathroom of all.

I know where the caged bird pees...