The Illusion of Time

Mod Melted Metal Dali Clock -
Salvador Dali Style from
BeachBeautyShop at http://ow.ly/jPbIu


I want to believe that I am normal, but my personality and some of the phases I go through makes me wonder.  I think that the biggest thing I struggle with is time. 









Time Flies - Upcycled Altered Doll
Assemblage by
gjarvisjewelryetc at http://ow.ly/jPcsa

I feel like time is always slipping away from me.  I am careful with my personal time and stash away the days off from my day job like a squirrel with a nut.  I find myself counting down the free time I have in minutes and making sure that each one is productive.  I try to make use of time riding in the car, I multi task through my morning routine (I won't go into details,) and my biggest trick is to trim down the time allowed for sleep.  But yet despite my best effort to slow this ticking clock down it flies past without hesitation.

Is this obsession over losing time a consequence from wishing time away as a child? or is it because I know that I may have less time because I have Multiple Sclerosis? or better yet is it because I like to do so many many things that there is just no time?
 
I am not sure...
 
I want to live my life to the fullest and I feel that the finely tuned juggling act has been in my life for so long I don't know any different.  But at times I wonder if I am delusional in thinking that I am actually keeping all these balls up in the air.  Is there a reality that I can't see but others can?   Am I in the middle of all the balls fallen, strewn around me as I stand smiling tossing one ball over and over again up into the air like a demented clown?

Vintage Barnum and Baileys Circus
Calendar Baraboo Wisconsin 1978
from Gooberpea123  at  http://ow.ly/jPeMb

What has brought me to this breaking point you ask.... Taxes!  I am late in getting together all of my information for that dreaded day. Tax Day the day we in America see every April 14th or 15th of our natural adult life.   I am a good girl and really do try to get together all of my info so that it is an accurate reflection of my last year.  But it takes so much time and I find myself pushing it off until the last minute.  Every year I promise myself that I will save the stress and do it earlier but alas, it never happens.  AAARRGGGHH!

sockmonkeycards from sockmonkeycards
at http://ow.ly/jPh5B

Note: not only does the government take almost half of my income, it has taken over 840 minutes of my precious time too! 
What a way to spend the weekend. :P

OOAK Needle Felt Plush - Burning Dollar
from FeltedChicken at http://ow.ly/jPftO

What has this to do with Sunday?  I have been praying, a lot.  More than normal.
 
I am going to go get donuts.
Have a blessed day.


Retro Inspirational Quote Giclee Art Print - Vintage Typography Decor - Customize - Stressed Desserts UK from RockTheCustardPrints at   http://ow.ly/jPgjc

 

Too Blessed to be Stressed - coffee - Carved Plaque Solid

White Pine from LivingWoodStudio at http://ow.ly/jPguz

Facebook! Its Giving New Life To MY Business World!

Over the last year there has been so many new things that I have tried to increase my shop sales.  One of which is this blog.  I love blogging with everyone but unfortunately it is time consuming.  Just like many of the women in the US I also have to carry a "day job" and in reality that is the job that puts food on the table.  My business is still in phase one that many would call ... A dream.

With that being said I have spread myself so thin that I find very little time to even do daily shopping.  I have also noticed that the things I do to help bring people to my business is taking up more time than actually building the store itself.  So what I may end up with is empty shops and great blog with loyal followers.   Since my shop is online you will have to use your immagination to see the cobwebs in the corners and the empty shelves.

So this brings me to Facebook.  With some advice from some marketing people, one of which is Susan Hand from Easy Fan Pages for Direct Sellers, I have decided to focus more time on building my Facebook pages and less time on my blog and other social media.  I appologize to my readers and would love to express my heart felt gratitude to those that have been loyal followers.  But again my issue seems to be that I have no spare time and I often find myself short changing things to keep up.

With all of the new features that Facebook is offering they may be able to house everything that I do in one spot.  There new features are beautiful and eye catching so while I am headed off next week to another fun adventure filled business trip I will be focussing most of my time on building the pages.  I will keep everyone posted when I am up and running and I really really hope that you will follow me over there.  I do believe that this may be a really great forum to discuss postcards and my love for... well basically anything pretty and shiny:)

March 30th is the deadline so I should be up running by then and if not sooner.  Until then Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Time Is Relative...I can prove it

This Amazing clock was found in ETSY shop Pragmatic Effect at http://www.etsy.com/people/PragmaticEffects?ref=ls_profile

Einstein said that time was relative...yes I do believe it is. Not only is time relative so are weekends and mine has officially been changed from Friday - Saturday to Sunday - Monday.   I am dazed and confused this beautiful morning as I try to sort through my mind what I will be able to do and not do and what is closed and what is open on my precious day off.

To survive my long grueling workdays I plan my weekend.  All week long I dream of what wonderful little resale shops I will visit, which garage sales I will hit and what exciting treasures I will find only to realize on this fine morning that today is not just any day, it is Sunday.   A day, to most, meaning rest, relaxation and of course that their stores are closed. Just because it is my "Saturday" does not mean that it is "Saturday" for the rest of the world. Therefore I conclude that yes Einstein was correct...Time is relative.

While significant to me, I do believe that his theory was much more profound than whether a garage sale was open or not or at what time Micheal's Craft Store opens in the morning.    But he may have been able to prove his theory based on these cold harsh facts.  

This amazing wall hanging was found in ETSY Shop Vegan Robin at http://www.etsy.com/people/veganrobin?ref=ls_profile

All kidding aside it is a strange sensation to be used to having a certain schedule only to wake up one morning running on a different calendar than the rest of the world.  I wonder...Am I now living in a parallel universe? As I begin my weekend is there another Colleen ending her's right as we speak?

A wonderful watercouler found in ETSY shop K Bailey Art at http://www.etsy.com/people/klbaileyART?ref=ls_profile

Have a wonderful Friday...I mean Saturday... Wait no Sunday... Ah nuts!  Who cares, it's all relative anyway.

Summer Fun - Fireflies, Frogs and Sparklers

Growing up in the Midwest made me appreciate the summers.  I have the best memories of those hot Wisconsin nights when the air would cool to a nice 80 degrees.  The breeze would be light and cool after a scorching summer day and the laziness you felt earlier gave way to a new excited energy.  No school in the morning and with a light afternoon nap we would be ready for a night of country fun.

This whimsical print was found in ETSY Shop Dianna Bonder Studios at http://www.etsy.com/shop/DiannaBonderStudios?ref=seller_info

In the background, sounds of chirping frogs from the creek in our front yard rang out in the stillness while we hunted for little sparks in the night sky.  We would catch as many fireflies as we could and gently place them in an old mason jar that had a warm nest waiting for them made from handfuls of freshly plucked grass.  These amazing living lights were out around the end of June which meant we would also have little sparklers to light too.

Beautiful art from ETSY Shop Best Art Studios 2 at http://www.etsy.com/shop/BestArtStudios2?ref=seller_info

With our flickering jars we would sit on the benches in our yard waiting for a turn at having our sparklers lit.  When I was young they only had the metal wands with one color but that was enough to light our imaginations.  At that age the night was exciting and full of mystery just because we never were out that late during the school year.  We often found ourselves cooped up through the winter months not daring to brave the cold winds.



This beautiful photograph is from ETSY Shop Spark Poets at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparkpoets?ref=seller_info

In the Midwest country side the night air was filled with the scent of beautiful evening primrose and strange sounds emanating from the woods.  I felt so daring to be outside that late and the cool air on my skin was so freeing.  Months of heavy layers and thick coats having been shed I ran lighter than air with a sparkling trail behind me.  While serenaded by the friendly frogs and greeted with salutations from the blinking fireflies in the jar.  Even now when the summer temperature is just right I get a brief prickle of excitement as I remember those wonderful summer nights.

Lovely Print found in ETSY Shop Irish Viking Designs at http://www.etsy.com/shop/IrishVikingDesigns?ref=seller_info

Tooting My Own Horn This Friday

Good Friday Morning.  In honor of surviving a really long week I decided to be a little self centered and show off some of my favorite postcards from my store Postcards In The Attic.  I created a treasury featuring all of the illuminated night scene postcards that I have.  They vary quite a bit from age some from the early 1900's and one as young as the 70's or 80's.  They also vary in what kind they are some are Litho, some are Linen, and the youngest of the group is the traditional kind that we see today.  I do think they are lovely and they really make me feel like traveling even at this age.  I hope you enjoy.  Happy Friday Everyone!!!

A German Mill in Baden Baden

One of my first cards that I received from my Grandparents was a novelty card.  It was a beautiful card from Baden-Baden, Germany with an old mill and water wheel on the front of it.  The scene was so pretty and peaceful but the words where all in German.  My Grandfather was born and raised in Baden-Baden until he was 8 years old.  Both he and my grandmother were fluent in German and at one time I had knowledge of what was written on the card.  I have since used Google Translate but since it is an old version of the language something was literally lost in translation.  But alas it is about a mill and how much the author loved that mill.  

What made this card so special, aside from my Grandparents giving it to me, was that when you opened the little flap a row of pictures unfolded.  These tiny little pictures were real photographs taken in Baden-Baden.  I can remember them telling me the stories about Germany and pointing out different sites on the card.  I am not sure how many times I brought them that card so they could repeat those stories.  Still to this day I want to visit there and walk the same streets my grandfather did when he was a child.

The card is a very delicate and the pictures can easily tear but somehow it has survived all these years in near mint condition.  More than likely its condition can be contributed to my grandparents taking the time to teach me on how to care for it and my love for them.  Sadly my beautiful Grandmother has passed away years ago and my Grandfather doesn't remember things as well as he used to.  And so this card will remain in my private collection to be passed down to my grandchildren.  I will tell them those same stories that their Great Great Grandparents told me and how my Grandpa lived in Baden-Baden Germany as a boy.

Daylight Savings Time and ETSY Sunday Treasuries

Happy Daylight Savings!!!  This is one of my favorite times of the year.  Once I've made it through to daylight savings it means that I have made it through the winter.  Spring is just around the corner and if I can just hang in there for a few more weeks I did it!!!  Voila...Spring!!!  As you can see I would probably make this a national holiday.  But since it is not I decided to dedicate some ETSY treasuries in honor of this magnificent day.  Please check them out they are such fun.