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December 8th, 2009
elfies
 | 11:02 am - New year resolutions...
In 2009,  elfies resolves to... Apply for a new ebsq.
Pay for my faeries on time.
Cut down to ten elfs a day.
Get back in contact with some old pastels.
Connect with my inner travel.
Backup my pullip regularly.
Which reminds me.......where are my pastels actually? "scratching head"....
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December 7th, 2009
morningstorms
 | 10:36 pm - Listed: Favourite Christmas Scenes
Originally published at Once Upon A Bookshelf. You can comment here or there. Have I mentioned at all how much I love Christmas? Because really it’s awesome and heart-warming and there are some truly touching stories that have a portion of them take place over this wonderful holiday.
Here are some of my favourite books and/or stories that at some point deal with Christmas:
- Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery. Originally Published 1936. Hum. Typically I hate this book. BUT, I love the story of Katherine Brooke, and I love the part of the book when she goes back to Green Gables with Anne for Christmas. You get to see such a change in her character and it’s AMAZING to see how much different company and surroundings can bring about these changes.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Originally Published 1950. When Lucy, Peter and Susan meet up with Father Christmas after Narnia has been suffering through an extended winter without Christmas, well! It’s such a wonderful part because it means that the reign of the White Witch is coming to a close, and that definitely fills one with hope!
- The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story by Louisa May Alcott. This is my all-time favourite Christmas story! I read it every year. It’s a lesser-known short story by Alcott, about an orphan who gets adopted and the Christmas that the family discovers what a complete gem Tilly is.
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Originally Published 1868. I don’t know which Christmas in this book I like the best – the one at the beginning, or the one at the end when their father came home. Oh! They are both wonderful!
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Originally Published 1843. Again, with the change in the character from something totally nasty to something totally awesome! I love the development of Scrooge through his adventures with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.
- Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid by Jean Shepherd. This is one of the short stories that A Christmas Story is based on, and it shows exactly the excitement building up to Christmas, the disappointment when it’s realized that the gift most wanted wasn’t received, and then the excitement returning when it’s realized that the gift actually was there after all.
- Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle. Originally Published 2008. I especially love the first story, Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson – the humour in her writing is definitely what draws me to everything she writes. She could write a whole book about the adventures of a package of tofu, and I would buy it in a second. *cough*
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Originally Published 1908. I love the scene when Anne gets the dress from Matthew (brown, sewn by Rachel Lynde, as opposed to the blue one purchased in the miniseries). Puffed sleeves! Part of the joy of this is seeing Matthew trying to describe the dress he wants to Miss Rachel Lynde, and part of it is the elation that Anne feels when she gets the dress. It’s so adorable!
- Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling. Originally Published 1997. Seeing an orphan’s first happy Christmas seems to be a bit of a trend here, it seems. But that’s definitely one of my favourite things about this story – the realization that there are people out there who do love him.
- Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson. Originally Published 2006. Not only is this one of my favourite books in the series, but it’s also got one of my favourite Christmas scenes – a work Christmas party where the main character and the guy she likes both finally admit that they both like each other. It’s totally adorable.
Of course, there are so many other wonderful stories and scenes centering around Christmas. Which ones are your favourites?
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lj_maintenance
[mhwest]
 | 01:15 pm - Notification System
Hey Guys,
Unfortunately with our last release, and its instability, we were forced to roll back releases. Unfortunately in doing so, it would seem that our notification system has been broken somehow. Our engineers are working on this issue as quickly as possible. We hope to have a patch within the next day, so we can deploy our code and fix the notification system at the same time. Please *bear* with us ;)
Currently all notifications are being queued up so they can be processed as soon as the fix is pushed and verified to be working correctly.
Thank you,
Current Location: Under a Rock
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) grumpy
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aoi_usagi
 | 02:45 pm - wip sakura fairy.
Was happy with this until I saw it on the screen and realized I have to fix the hairline. Grrrrr! I hate the way I always miss composition and drawing mistakes until I start to lay the colors down.
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cathemery
 | 11:39 am - Spin- Cool Water whirlpool
I have Cool Water ready to ply. I had five cops so I ran them together in one plying ball (for two plies) and I am going to learn about plying joins. Joining plies. Something like that.
Kate thought they'd make nice singles, but I kind of liked the two ply sample. The single looked - actually, the single looked like a single. You know, one ply. Some twist. Not perfectly even. I'm still afraid I'll discover my singles didn't have enough twist and will fall apart when knitted up.
Even though I thought this had a little extra right after I finished the sample. Maybe the next one.
I'm liking the solid effect of my samples, so I plan to either get some undyed for spinning or find some nice blends in semisolid or monochrome. Not right this minute, but sometime.
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December 6th, 2009
whitedove1
 | 05:52 pm - The Audacity of Facebook Frenemies by Lizmari M. Collazo
Many of you are probably more than familiar with this scenario: You join Facebook, and it's an exciting time. At first, you add a few friends you find (perhaps via e-mail), or perhaps through a network, like school, or work... or perhaps you find some strangers you'd like to get to know better. People who share your life view of a cause, or a passion. And that's wonderful. Soon, you've thrown your net so wide, you even start finding long, lost friends from your past. Sometimes, these are people you haven't seen in 20-25 years. Exciting!
But Facebook is still part of the internet, and the internet can be a powerful behavioral altering tool for many, many people. (If you want more direct proof of this, go join a chat room, and watch closely the things people say, and how they behave. I assure you that more than half of those people would never behave that way in 'real' life.) In the eagerness of knowing about others, and being everyone's 'friend,' you suddenly start getting a few odd 'friendship' requests. I know you know what I mean... You start getting 'friendship' requests from people, on Facebook, who you have deemed (for one reason, or another) that they will never be your friend in real life, even if Hell froze over.
Yes, that's right! Did you have people who made your life miserable in high school, or an ex you had a terrible split from, or perhaps you left an organization you no longer had trust in? Well, they all want to be your friends on Facebook, now! Amazing, isn't it? Now, perhaps there are some of these people who truly have changed, and have grown up, and want to patch things up, or simply wish you well, and know how you're doing. That's an undeniable possibility. However, the biggest truth behind that is that most of those people would NEVER approach you in real life, would never so much as talk to you, write you an e-mail, or let alone apologize to you. So why this sudden audacity? Why approach you through Facebook, now? What is it about the internet that makes people do things they would never do?
Well, there's a few things at play here:
1. People Care: "What?!?" -- You say. "These people don't care! They made my life a living hell!" Well, I have NEWS for you. When someone makes your life a living hell, they are putting an effort into an action. They are CARING enough to hate you, because it matters to them. If they didn't care, they would never approach you, and would have never even made your life a living hell in the first place. Simply put, the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
2. Curiosity: Curiosity definitely killed the cat... and people are a lot like cats. If you have a lot of information 'hidden' from others, and available to a privileged few, a bunch of curious people are going to want 'in.' They want to be able to tell themselves whatever it is they need to tell themselves to feel their life is somehow doing better than yours, or somehow feel more self righteous about themselves and the paths they have chosen for themselves, compared to yours.
3. Anonymity: "What?!?!" -- You say. "But I already KNOW their names. I saw it was THEM making the request!" Yes, perhaps, but they're not making the request TO YOUR FACE. It's not personal to them. Is a 'friendship request' on Facebook an invitation to be best buds, and clear away all differences? Hell no! lol It's a request for people to come and look at all your personal information, photographs, and other data you chosen to put on there. And when you get to having so many friends on Facebook, you won't even remember they're there, anyway.
4. Popularity: Yes, you think this was over in high school? No way! lol There are loads of people on Facebook who live and die by the number of 'friends' they have on here, and if they even so much as recognize your name, they will send you a request... even if you needed a no-contact order to keep you two apart!
Now, what am I trying to say here? Am I trying to say that all these people are mean spirited and you should not add these people to your Facebook? Perhaps. While some of them have definitely grown up, and changed (particularly if their wrong doings were way back in high school), we can't argue the same for all these folks. Remember that you end up reading their Facebook statuses, and seeing the pictures they upload, and other items, that may be downright angering or frustrating to you. These are people you have outgrown, and most likely for the best, went their own way. If your ideas no longer gel together, and you find yourself cringing at every anti-gay, pro-life, or bigoted racial remark they might make, chances are they're going to drop you as a friend, anyway! So don't even go there. Forgiveness is not always a two way street, and our forgiveness of them will not turn them into our friends. Life is hard enough already...
LMCollazo
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jasminetoad
 | 08:11 pm - Jasmine's Website Update, New Original Faces of Faery Paintings & ACEOs too!
Hi everyone!
Assortment of news tonight - first, I've just updated Strangeling.com with all of my latest paintings! Secondly, I have TWO NEW ORIGINAL paintings for you and both start at just ONE PENNY on eBay! They are two of the originals from my "Faces of Faery" series - both are lovely! And then finally I have the new ACEO cards of my recent paintings! There are six new ACEOs - Alice in a Bosch Landscape, Dinosaur Friends I, Madonna and Child at Night, Faces of Faery & more...! Each starts at a penny as well.
First off - as I mentioned - www.strangeling.com has been updated! All of my recent paintings are now up there - go check it out here:
http://www.strangeling.com
The new original paintings - the 58th and the 59th paintings in my "Faces of Faery" series - a series of paintings I've been working on featuring beautiful faces from all corners of the world of Faery. Each is READY TO HANG - you don't need a frame - 6"x6" in size and on 2" gallery style cradled masonite, original acrylic paintings (not prints of any kind). The great thing about my "Faces of Faery" series of paintings is that they are all the same size and are intended to hang beautifully in a group as well as on their own - for example they make fabulous groupings of several paintings together! To see the new originals (and all other currently available original paintings) simply click below - they're near the bottom of the page here:
All Jasmine's Currently Available Original Paintings
Or individually - here is "Faces of Faery 58" - she is the fifty-eighth. Faces of Faery all feature beautiful faery-inspired creatures, and she is no exception. A beautiful, mysterious fairy with hair the colour of autumn - complemented nicely with the autumn leaves....... And yes, to give everybody a chance, she is starting at just ONE PENNY! She's up for an auction ending Sunday, December 13th at 6:26PM Central Time, and you can see her here:
"Faces of Faery #58" ORIGINAL PAINTING
And here is "Faces of Faery 59" - she is the fifty-ninth in the series. A lovely little fairy in pastel shades - with pink streaks in her hair! And yes again, to give everybody a chance, she is starting at just ONE PENNY! She's up for an auction ending Sunday, December 13th at 6:30PM Central Time, and you can see her here:
"Faces of Faery #59" ORIGINAL PAINTING
Now for the new ACEOs - for more info about ACEO cards, how I make them & what they are (basically tiny hand embellished one of a kind canvas prints, trading card sized and highly collectable), consult the individual auction descriptions - they are each one of a kind, hand-painted with accents by me, the artist, and are awesome! All are each starting at a penny, with no reserve for seven-day auctions ending on the afternoon/evening of Sunday, December 13th 6:00PM-6:15PM Central Time:
To see them ALL 6 together visit the ACEO section of my store HERE!
Or individually:
"Faces of Faery 53" ACEO
"Madonna and Child at Night" ACEO
"Faces of Faery 54" ACEO
"Faces of Faery 55" ACEO
"Alice in a Bosch Landscape" ACEO
"Dinosaur Friends I" ACEO
Also - I've been updating my new Zazzle store with even more new stuff! To see it all (including my 2010 Calendar) click below:
New Zazzle Store Stuff
Enjoy!
Until next time...
-Jasmine
make custom gifts at Zazzle
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karenleigh
 | 03:37 pm - good stuff
1. My Clementine.
2. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) cuervolinda's cartoons. They are the highlight of my lj experience.
3. The New Adventures of Queen Victoria ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) naoqv. Another lj highlight for me.
4. The Splendor and Beauty of Russian Churches
5. Cat Drinking at Tap
6. Hamsters.
7. Skirted Peacoat at Anthropologie
8. Alice miniseries on SYFY starting tonight.
9. The Human Marvels
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whitedove1
 | 11:08 am - Reading, reading, reading.
Skimming. Absorbing. Reading. Endless LJ posts that I've missed over the past couple months.
I get the warm fuzzies with my friends list. I've known you all so long. I miss LJ but I found that it was a timesucking vampire for me. I was too addicted. Found myself on LJ constantly, hitting refresh, just waiting to see the next post.
I've gotten a lot of book reading done since January, that's a good feeling. That STACK of books in my library was about to take over my coffee table. I've wittled it down a bit.
I just took a stroll thru my community, Domesticity, and did my greetings to all the new members that have showed up while my back was turned. My pet community now has 1013 members. Awesome. <3
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faebyl
 | 10:51 am - W.I.P
So I realized that I've never ever posted a work in progress before.
Here's the first:)
Hopefully I get her done soon, still trying to figure out what colours to use.
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December 5th, 2009
whitedove1
 | 08:35 pm - Kenny and Kat
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs097.snc3/16465_534378665558_184702441_31539885_7106241_s.jpg
My son Kenny and his girlfriend of seven years, have made it official. He'll be slipping this engagement ring on her finger on December 16th, their 7th anniversary.
I've got computer problems. Can't use my own computer right now, no time to fix it or swap towers. I'm unable to post my trip photos. December insanity is upon me, I've put lights on our bushes out front, not something I normally do but I was in the mood for some pretty twinkling lights in the yard. :D
Went to see Zombieland last night, we laughed our asses off. I thought it was a really entertaining movie. Anyone have any thoughts on this comedy? It was funny to see "little miss sunshine" as a zombie killer.
On a side note. I've caved in and become a facebooker. All of my kids are on there, I decided to join because they did. It's easier for them than remembering livejournal.
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morningstorms
| 07:51 pm - In Concert: Dala
Originally published at Once Upon A Bookshelf. You can comment here or there. Last night, I fell in love. Twice.
Sabrina and I went to see the lovely girls of Dala in concert at the Aeolian Hall, with Adam Crossley as the opening act.
Adam Crossley was… WELL. He came on stage, started playing that beautiful grand piano, started singing, and my heart melted a little bit. And then a little more. And then when he covered “I’ve Got You (Under my Skin)” it melted a whole heck of a lot more, and I was officially in love. (Excuse me, Michael Bublé, I do love you, but your version of that song has got nothing to Adam Crossley’s version. No offense. I still do love you though, honest!) But this version – first of all the grand piano. And then Adam’s voice. And then the bridge. And them I died a little bit. Oh, goodness.
And even though he said his voice was not doing too well due to having to pretend he was a bear the entire day before, it was still brilliant.
He finished off with “Beautiful World,” which I’ve found a video of at a different performance. A gorgeous song:
After Adam Crossley finished, Dala was up. Now, according to Sabrina I’ve committed the worst sin imaginable by only owning their most recent album (Everyone is Someone). I’ve never seen them in concert before. But after last night, I’m going to need to get all of their albums and they have officially been added to the list of “people I need to see in concert every single time they are touring near me.”
They were totally brilliant and blew me away completely. Positively gorgeous voices and both girls are such talented musicians – guitar, piano, ukulele, oh goodness! The songs that I knew that they played were SO much more enjoyable live than on the CD (as is usually the case for me), which is hard to imagine because I love all their songs on Everyone is Someone so much. And the other stuff they played was just as fabulous. Some of their new songs, oh! This one, “Lennon/McCartney”! Loved loved loved!
And because I am seriously obsessed with their song “Levi Blues,” here’s another video:
What I like so much about these lesser known musicians that I go see is that they are so great with the crowd in between songs. That interaction is definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of the shows in a lot of cases, and unfortunately some of the larger-named groups I’ve seen just don’t seem to have that same relationship with their audience. The two girls in Dala were up on stage joking and just looking to be having such a good time during the whole show. It was awesome.
So yes, definitely highly enjoyable. Fell in love with Adam Crossley. Fell more in love with Dala. And oh yay. Such fun!
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karenleigh
| 02:20 pm - december 5, 1962
Today is even harder than I thought it would be. My and Tracy's (is that even correct?) favorite Christmas movie is on: Little Women. Maybe it's a sign.
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elfies
| 10:15 am - OOOOOkay........
"On Sunday, a man named Sal9000 married the love of his life. Her name is Nene Anegasaki, and she lives inside of a Nintendo DS video game called Love Plus. The wedding took place during a Make: Japan meet-up held at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In attendance were a live audience, an MC, the bride's virtual video game girlfriend — who made a speech — and a real human priest..............."
http://boingboing.net/2009/11/24/footage-from-the-fir.html
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/moonsis/stars/purple/indescribable_sp.gif) indescribable
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December 4th, 2009
jasminetoad
| 09:56 pm - New Original - "A Gathering of Faeries" - also new #01 Canvases - Christmas, Alice, Dinos....
Hi everyone!
I have a brand new BEAUTIFUL original painting today - I spent the past couple of days on this one and it's very special - an absolutely lovely and rather big original called "A Gathering of Faeries" and it's on eBay for just ONE PENNY now! In addition, I have prints available right away! Not only that, you can even choose your own custom framing & matting, or even BIG print sizes up to 68"x52" in size (BIG prints start at just $13.80). In addition I have new #01 Canvas prints! Wonderful new Hand Painted Lt. Ed. Canvas prints - each is the #01 print, up for a penny on eBay - including "Alice in a Bosch Landscape," "Dinosaur Friends I," and "A Christmas Candle" too!
First, the new original painting! "A Gathering of Faeries" is the title - another one of my new personal favourites - a quiet gathering of faeries in a forest glade. Faeries of varying size & a variety of bugs to match - spider, butterfly, beetle, and a lovely great snail! Some beautiful flowers as well. I put a lot of thought into the composition of light & shadow in this one and I'm very happy with how it turned out!. It's rather big - 24"x18" in size, READY TO HANG - 2" deep cradled masonite, hanger already on back. This ORIGINAL acrylic painting is up on eBay starting at just ONE PENNY for a 10-day auction ending the evening of Monday, December 14th at 8:36 PM Central Time, and you can see it below:
"A Gathering of Faeries" 24"x18" ORIGINAL PAINTING!
And as always, to see all of my other currently available original paintings, click below - I have some BEAUTIFUL originals up right now at great prices:
Jasmine's Original Paintings
Now, as I promised - trying something new - I'm making the "A Gathering of Faeries" prints available NOW. If the original isn't in your budget, grab one of these! These are BIG prints - starting at just $13.80 - and guess what? You can add on custom mats, frames, glass, etc. however you want it. And you can choose the paper type - glossy, matte, canvas, poster, whatever. And you can get HUGE sizes - up to 68"x52" in size (wider than I am tall)! Just use the options in the upper right hand corner of this page to choose the size you'd like - leave it plain as a poster print or add framing options. No need to wait any more!!
"A Gathering of Faeries" Prints, Posters, Framing
Next I have the new #01 Lt. Ed. Canvas Prints for some of my latest paintings - each is one of a kind - hand embellished by me, signed & numbered #01 out of 25. Here is your chance to scoop up the very FIRST one - #01/25 of each edition. Each is starting at a penny, with no reserve, the first two end Wednesday, December 9th 6:00PM-6:03PM Central Time and the third (Dinosaur Friends) ends Friday, December 11th at 6:00PM Central Time. To see ALL of my #01 canvases all lined up together on eBay - click below:
ALL Those Lovely #01 Canvases at a PENNY HERE
Or individually.....
"Christmas Candle" 11"x14" Lt. Ed. CANVAS PRINT #01
"Alice in a Bosch Landscape" 11x14" Lt. Ed. CANVAS PRINT #01
& "Dinosaur Friends I" 11x14" Lt. Ed. CANVAS PRINT #01
Enjoy!
Until next time...
-Jasmine
make custom gifts at Zazzle
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cathemery
| 06:55 pm
The cat Spencer got in twice today and hung out on the back porch for a little while after the first time.
I think he knows there is a pet void here.
Got my Christmas cards out of the desk to look over. Have to see if I need to buy more.
The MIL wanted us to buy her something a week or so ago, and then added, "And pick up a typewriter on your way."
I was totally puzzled. She wants it for Christmas cards. She doesn't use her computer, and I don't think she would manage a typewriter well, either, with her tremor as bad as it's gotten.
They still sell typewriters. I had to look them up to check. Of course, they're not the kind Dad had in his office under the stairs, which I had to build up enough muscle in my fingers to use --all those separate, manual keys with silvery rims and a tall case.
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karenleigh
 | 08:11 pm - it's a jungle out there
Tomorrow is Tracy's birthday. I'm having a margarita and watching the series finale of Monk. I don't know how I'll survive without Monk. I have a hard time with loss, even when it's a fictional tv character.
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fragirl
 | 04:29 pm - PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO VOTE!
Sorry if you have already voted on my FFB, but the property I work for is in a contest for a HUGE Spread in Architectural Digest! It would be a huge deal ffor us. Would you please be so kind as to vote? Just click the link below and click the word "Recommended"
Promise to have a real update soon!
<3! Happy FFriday! AND THANK YOU!
http://archrecord.construction.com/community/toptenphotos/091127/9.asp
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![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif){kind=small}
ooak