Festival of Trees...

Yesterday Bobby and I took Donna to the Festival of Trees at the Orlando Museum of Art. It is an annual fundraiser for the museum and a pretty good one too. The theme for this year was something akin to Recycle, Reduse, Reuse, Rejoice! or something along those lines. Most of the trees were pretty fab. But there were some real stinkers too. Fortunately for you, I didn't take any stinker pictures. Or unfortunately, if you like looking at bad design. And I forgot my camera, so I stole Bobby's Iphone and went to town. Following are some of the trees I liked.

This one was okay, I just really loved the big topper on it. I'm a sucker for a huge tree topper. A sucker.

I'm also a sucker for peacocks stuck on top of a tree. A sucker.

This was most traditional and I love the big Santa head. I'm a sucker for big Santa heads. A sucker.

Well, this one actually used the theme of recycling. One of the few that did. Unless you want to count the tree decorated with Home Depot things...not decorations from the Depot, but tools and aprons and the like. This tree was decorated with cut up and painted soda bottles. It was fabulous. And it was designed by elementary school kids. I love that. Chihuly-esque.

This was a Paris tree...now I don't love love love the stuffed poodles on it, but I do love love love a white tree with pink and silver decorations.

Bobby informed me that he hated these colors together, which is strange because blue and orange have been my color scheme for a couple of years. Thanks Bobby.

But this, oh this! It was fabulous. I wish I had taken a full length. It was grapevine sticking out all over with these frosted berries and those birds. It was heaven. Donna and I both loved it best.

And sorry for posting Christmas trees a little early. I just opened my new show, "Dear Santa" at The Rep and have been in the spirit for a couple of weeks.

Happy Early Decorating!

Chantry

Here I am...

I was a bride for Halloween. Here is a pic. Enjoy. Am slightly hungover today. Oh well. I looked pretty.

May all your bridal fantasies come true.

Chantry.

Birdie Bag...

So, I really really hate date stamps on my photos. I'm apologizing to you now because I forgot to turn off the date stamp on this new camera. Well, not new camera, but an old one my mom sent after my good camera broke.

Now that that is out of the way...here is a new bag! I'm feeling a little more motivated lately to do some sewing. And I'm going to do some more once this post is finished and I have put the dishes away. I might be sewing as you are reading this!!! Crazy.

Bobby bought me a little surprise a couple of weeks ago at Ikea. I love their fabrics and this one is my new all time favorite fabric. I love that is quite durable and makes for good tote-sy goodness.

There are several large panels of this bird and squirrel. I don't get it either, but it is cute.

The back. of the bag is the same fabric. I love when there are several designs on one panel. The lining is pink/green/black stripes. The handles are made with the same fabric as the lining and some just plain ole pink to change it up a bit. Well, not by choice. I didn't have enough of the stripe to make the super wide handles I wanted so I sewed it to the pink. It worked out just fine.

Happy Haunting!

Chantry.

Halloween Goodies...

My sister, Trista, sent me the greatest pictures today of my niece and nephew and I wanted to share. My niece decided she wanted to be Batman this year and the only natural choice was for my nephew to be Robin. Man, they are cute.

Of course, as cute as this picture is, the first thing my brain registers when I open it up is, "Damn. My sister needs to water that yellow mum. Look how droopy it is." Forget the beautiful babies and their adorable costumes and cute pumpkins. Find the only thing to criticize in the whole picture. I'm an ass.

Chantry.

Pumpkin Carving...

So the weather dipped below 1,000 degrees here in Florida so we have to celebrate. It means fall is here (or visiting for a second or too)! What do you do when fall gets here? Well, you go to Donna and Jason's, have supper, drink some pumpkin beer, and start to carving those danged ole pumpkins. Its okay, I heard them talking about you behind your back. Stab away! This is just a promo shot of what the pumpkins were doing before we killed them. I don't have any pics yet of the after-glow. Thanks to Donna for the picture!

It was fun! And not too cold. So, from left to right, I introduce my Florida family: Jason, Val, Christine, Oscar the dog, Bobby, and me.

And I'm not even going to mention that Bobby stabbed me in the finger with the carving tool. Not going to mention it at all. And I'm not going to mention either that for some crazy reason, Val has now become the favorite of Donna and Jason. I can't figure it out either. I mean look at me! I'm the cutest person at the table, after Oscar the dog.

Happy Carving!

Chantry

And I'm back...

Oh my gawd...has it really been over a month since I last posted??? Well, yes it has. I'm sorry to you 5 or so readers who have come to depend on my insight and thoughts of the world at large. I've been busy...but mostly lazy. But I do have a show open right now and it just wipes me out. "How I Became a Pirate" is fun fun fun and not to brag...but I did just get my first mention in a review in the big city paper here. And it was good! So, I feel pretty happy.

That's me in the lower left. And let me tell you...green and orange are not colors I normally wear. But I look good on stage! Maybe pirate couture is my new look.

Speaking of costumes, Bobby and I are still trying to figure out what to do for Halloween. I want to be "The Two Fridas." He wants to be iconic downtown Orlando buildings. I don't think either of them are going to work out. I refuse to be a building. Refuse.

Bobby's 26th birthday came and went and it was loads of fun. A big thanks to Donna and Jason for a delish birthday dinner. And thanks to the Shannon and several others for making the birthday boy absolutely fall down happy at the bar. It was fun!!!!

Missed you,

Chantry