Thoughts, Creativity and Friends

Normally I have dreams of my own - books, characters and plots from things I'm reading don't interfere with my sleep. Last night was an exception. Suddenly I was in the middle of a series I'm currently reading, and I wasn't very happy about it. I awakened because I was experiencing someone else's plotline and story development ramp, and I was very unhappy. Finally I was able to get back to sleep and dream my own dreams, allowing myself to get some needed rest and storyline progress of my own. Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever find yourself in the middle of something you've been reading or perhaps have seen on the movie or television screen? Do you like it when that happens? Or do you react as I did - with anger that my mind couldn't find its own pathways to wander?

Wandering someone else's plotline in dreams seems like
wandering down an unknown path, but having fences
alongside that compel you to follow the path exactly.
I found it a very frustrating experience. 

I'm busy planning and beginning the work on my winter Solstice cards. I'm making my usual quantity of 50, and if I have more people than that to send to, I'll purchase already-made cards for the small overage. I'm already excited about the possibilities for this year's card. I know the basic theme I want to design and make, but I need to fine tune it. I did buy one new piece of equipment a couple of weeks ago that opens a new door of exploration for me, and I have some other new things that I purchased when Archiver's had their bankruptcy sale earlier this year, before they closed their doors forever. This year's cards should be a lot of fun for me to make, but to have them complete in a timely fashion (and still be able to write my 50,000 words for NaNo in November) I have to start working on them now. I'd better double-check how much black card stock I have already on-hand and get more tomorrow if I need some.

I never thought I would own an embossing machine. After all, the
last thing I needed was another piece of equipment. But I've seen it
used in so many applications over the years with so many different
media, I just had to dive in when I saw it for 50" off at Joanne's a few
weeks ago. So I now own an embosser. Yummy! 

I really dislike ordering from Amazon, but occasionally I have to. I wanted a messenger bag for my State Fair trip later this month, and since I needed a couple of other things from Amazon, decided to add one to the order. It arrived on Friday and ICK, just ... ICK! I didn't like it at all when it was staring me in the face. So yesterday I started the dog and pony show necessary to download the return shipping label, packed it in a box, and shipped it back to them. I have received two separate emails from them - one telling me that my refund will be applied to my credit card within four weeks, the other stating that it has already been applied. Which to believe? I'll have to check my credit card statement to be sure.

I really don't like ordering from Amazon. I look at Amazon as
the Wall Mart of on-line retailing with questionable quality
and difficult returns. I'm very careful about what I purchase
there because returning things is always a hassle. 

Aren't friends the very best? I know I had talked about on-line and real-life friends within the past few days, but yesterday I received a very unexpected, fabulous gift from an online friend that totally blew me away and had me laughing. Huinare sent me a Ping Ling wind-up mechanical creature that is simply beauty in motion. I love it! When we had a chance to spend a day together earlier this year, laughing our way through the Science Museum, we saw a bunch of these in the gift shop. I thought they were really interesting but wouldn't allow her to buy one for me. After all, she's a struggling college student and I'm not. But she decided that I just had to have this lovely critter and I'm both delighted with her choice and humbled by her generosity. Thanks SO MUCH Huin. It is truly fabulous!

This little Ping Ling is so cute! I love the different
colors of the metal and the locomotion in the legs, and
I laughed at the brushes at the bottom front and back.
It's a great gift and, like the best ones, was totally
unexpected. 

Now if I can get some writing tasks caught up, I'll be very pleased indeed. I'm trying to get things a bit more under control before my time compresses with the Renaissance Festival (starts in two weeks) and the State Fair (starts on the 21st). I hope everyone reading my blog today has a wonderful and creative Tuesday.