My Lil' Summer Boho Party Spot At The Picnic

My lil' Bohemian party spot beneath the trees! 
That big blue thing behind the trees is the giant water-slide!

Libby was pretty excited to give me this table set! It was VERY nice, and generous of her! She said she got it at Aldi's , I think...
Anyways, she told me to go set-up my table set, and make a lil' party area for myself, and my friends.

I threw my sarong over this double camping chair thingy. I figured if I made it look Hippie-ish/Bohemian, no one (especially perverts) would annoy me... that DID actually work, until the bearded yuppies figured out my friends were COOL in the evening and wanted to play Karaoke with us. 

I actually only invited a few folks, because the last time my father had a pig roast picnic, some stuff didn't go very well.... i.e. overly late, broken promises, mixed messages, and different friends not getting along with each other... and stinky smokers. And, somehow I'm supposed to be the one to apologize for all of that???
So, I only invited my closest friends from Philly, and nobody from NJ. (Not sorry either.)

You can also see my camera bag in the photo, my quilted bag, which I did some knitting with while waiting for my friends to arrive and hiding from sexual deviant perverts.

Wow! Good thing I invited George! He looks SO HAPPY! I don't think I've ever seen him THIS happy EVER!
Fun factoid: my friend George here also has the same birthday as I do, but a year later. ^_^

My bestest buddy Pebbles, AKA Pirate Pebbs, amount other nicknames.

Jerome AKA Stanley, also is a dude of many many names, and talents, like my other friends.

He's drinking the cider! ^_^
Yes, we had to wear name tags. Mine said "The Awesome".
Jerome's said "Stanley Sir Psycho".

Party time FTW!
Pebbles also brought her mom, whom I am also friends with, and her BF arrived in the evening, Paul whom is also my friend and a kool nerdy/geek like us. ;)
Yes, not only are were pretty much all artists/creative types, we're also geeks or egg-heads.

Here's the view of a section of the party from my seat at my bistro table. ^_^

After my friends set up on-the-spot portable Karaoke since they're DJs AND Karaoke MCs for a living, the other yuppies wanted to sing with us and played country music songs with us.

Somebody was kind enough to give us a tiki torch... but, I have no clue who, or when because i was so drunk...

Looks like we also got a pest/mosquito candle. Thanx whoever put those there! My formerly drunken ass salutes you!  

The rum bottle was a gift from my lil' bro', and I also got a bottle of French Pinnacle Vodka, and apple cider (real cider). There was also a ton of other stuff to drink at the party, including alcoholic and nonalcoholic.

Anyways, now you can see Alexis (Pebbles' mom, and hr BF Paul) and you can also see why drinking + photography is bad....

I think this might've been one of my KTV songs I picked... I don't specifically recall... because I was SO DRUNK... I usually do '90s music.

Well, I guess that was a success!


And, that's a wrap!

WIP: "Balcony" Decor; My New Bistro Table Set & 'Garden'

Work-In-Progress: 
"Balcony" Decor; My New Bistro Table Set & Garden

I generally say: My so-called "balcony" (in quotes) because my property documents call it that.... but.... I'm on the first floor... }:-/

I've been wishing & wanting to actually comfortably use this space, but there's a number of issues with it, besides being stuck living in Boston.... which is cold... and this specific angle means I only get sunlight at the summer solstice period from about mid June to mid July... add on top of that the bushes that grow, and the rude upper neighbors that dump litter on me frequently, the condominium office personnel, the squirrels,  and.... I'm broke. All of those are very long complicated stories... and I'd RATHER NOT think about it, or I'll be in a not-good mood....

So, I'll just focus on the positive side (and suppress the bad... far-far-far, and deep-deep-deep within for some therapist to MAYBE dig out someday... or perhaps in nightmares, or meditative trances gone wrong... but I digress).

Where to start.... hmmm.....


Oh yes:

I used to have a charcoal grill, and some really old lawn furniture... but, due to a stupid story of some idiot in a different town that's NOT mine whom burned down the side of a poorly built apartment building, the following year some idiots in my town forced through some idiotic legislation about no fire grills with charcoal or gas at all EVER.... also, I used to have some old lawn furniture... but they were always dirty, and my spouse wouldn't allow me to clean them in the shower, because his imagination would be aware the outside dirt had once passed through the tub/shower even tho' it was washed & cleaned away, but the ideas bothered his imagination of his ego, ergo I was NEVER allowed to wash them... and also hoses DO NOT EXIST IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
So, you also cannot hose them down, and spray cleaners also couldn't get the dirt off either... and if I sat on them using a towel, my spouses' imagination would be bothered again, even if the towels were washed, and he would throw away the towels, and we'd have no more towels, and couldn't afford to constantly buy new ones... so, about the time when we were legally forced against our will and without due process to throw away our high end grill, those chairs went with them... }:-(

So, around 2012... our store closed down, and we had some left-over stuff... and since then, the only thing I had to sit on was a Taoist Porcelain  Chinese Stool.

Also.... trying to get anything to grow out there was quite a challenge... and then I stumbled onto permaculture... so, I've been experimenting and learning since then...

By summer 2013, I used to sit outside with my tiny somewhat pathetic piddly "garden" (just some pots with barely anything growing in them, and my wind-chimes and listen to philosophy or zen stuff, like by the late Alan Watts, or music, or out in the rain... contemplating my situation, or journalling, or playing music, or drinking hot tea whilest it rained, and rained, and rained some more...

And, In the winter, I started to notice balcony decor & Boho decor popularity on Pinterest, so I actually have my own Pinboard there now. So.... I started wishing for my own style, or something to happen... I dunno... *shrugs*

Anyways, I actually DID get stuff to grow. ^_^ Permaculture FTW! W00t! :D



Greens, Blueberries, lentils.... the only problem was pests: squirrels, thieving neighbors, aphids, and slugs.  But, I'm making major progress! The aloe did better than expected!


I assumed for sure the chives would grow easily... Nope! Totally wrong!















My Greens: Mustard Spinach









I spent about 2 weeks in New Jersey this month (August 2014), and when I came back, my so-called "balcony" got power-washed by pricks. Making it covered in debris, and busting up one of my wind-chimes, which I JUST refurbished. Check the other blog HERE of that.

And, they FINALLY trimmed up the bush... but it's TOO LATE, because all the good sunlight is past the correct angles... but... somehow, the parsley managed to burst into some kinda major growth!

Gonna have to make a salad with those parslys this week!
And, I dunno what kinda crazy growth happened with those celery stalks. I might have to just pluck them out in the fall.

Anyways.... My step-mother, Libby, bought me a LOVELY wooden Bistro Table set, that folds up, so I can take it back inside in the winter, or if it rains! ^_^


Here's the view from my favorite spot sitting at my new bistro table, where I can drink my tea or coffee, and journal, check my smartphone news, twitter, do knitting, eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, meditate, pontificate, sketch, or do whatever the heck I want! Drink rum or wine! Whatever!

 The herb pot was also a gift from Libby, which I will try to transfer my herbs into WHENEVER I CAN GET A BAG OF ORGANIC POTTING SOIL. In these shots, it has freshly cut Sunflowers from New Jersey, also a gift from Libby, that were drying outside...
However, the infamous squirrels discovered the sunflowers when I moved them onto those chairs in the corner (that Libby found) and made a big mess all over the place!
The sunflowers have since then, been moved indoors....

If you'd like to see what these sunflowers looked like BEFORE they got cut down check out my album from My Flickr Gallery (which is STILL in the process of being updated daily, since I took lots of photos.)

 Those chairs have also been mended, and ALSO moved indoors...

And, here's my lil' Boho Party Spot at My Father's Pig Roast Picnic a few weeks ago where I parties & got rather drunk with my friends, including my buddy Pirate Pebbs.You can see THIS table set up there, with some other bohemian stuffs... I figured Boho-chic was the other end of the spectrum of yuppy fads... sorta faux Hippie-ish.

It was my lil' mini haven under a tree from the the yuppies that got all into the recent trendy fad of pretending to be a faux hick or redneck and blast so-called "Country Music". I wonder what the next NJ fad will be! Fear not! I'll surely bee there with my camera! ^_^

I was near the giant water-slide, so my daughter could find me.

 The chairs are mingling!
Well... as of now... as I stated earlier, these chairs are inside the house... but the Chinese one is still out there... 

Wow!!!! Is that it? 
Yay!!!! I think I'm done! 
Typing this entry too FOREVER! 

I'll see if I can add an update to my so-called "balcony" decor... because it's changed, yet again...
And, let's hope that NO MORE S.N.A.F.U.s, nor random problems, just up & occur! OK?

DIY: Refurbished Chinese Dolphin Wind Chime

Refurbished Chinese Dolphin Wind-chime

This dolphin chime is so old, that I've had it since the first term of G.W. Bush when my daughter as just an infant baby. I got the thing from a business associate of mine, maybe around 2003 Christmas Season who's push-cart was next to mine at the Hanover Mall (Mass). That year, my spouse did another cart at the Plymouth/Kingston Independence Mall (Mass) whilest my in-laws from China flew in from China to take care of my baby. It was very hard.

 My business associate was another entrepreneurial merchant like me named Andy, whom was ethnic Chinese/Former Vietnamese-National. I wouldn't call him old, but since I was only in my early 20s at the time and he was in his mid 40s, I'd say that was significantly "older" than I was. If I recall correctly, his wife (also ethnic Han Chinese) was slightly older than he was, but they both has 2 young wiz-kid children in elementary school, whom are probably on their way to college by now.

Andy was a really cool, and really nice to me. I worked very hard, which I guess to old-school Southern Asian/Southern Chinese is considered an excellent personality trait or quality. He used to buy me lunch, snacks, or dinner, or cooked stuff at home. (That's the Chinese "way. It's generally called "guanxi".) Whenever I tried to return the favor, he would always try to give me another favor and out-do me, I guess because he looked upon me like a "little sister" (Xiao Mei-Mei) and he often hugged me. He also talked a lot, and spoke more languages than I did. He also made lots & lots of jokes in Chinese (Mandarin), with his Southern Asian accent.

We watched each others' push-carts when the other needed to use the rest-room. his wide also had a push-cart in the same mall my spouse did that year, which I think was also next to his. Some days Andy's wife would come instead of Andy. And, she often came with new stock for the cart... usually it was funny sex trinkets that looked like a fish, or some other animal, or plant, shape on a keychain that you opened up, and inside was some kind of sculpted relief of 2 lovers engaged in sexual positions which were inspired from Qing Dynasty, or Ming Dynasty China.

Anyways, by the end of working EVERY F*@#ING DAY during the ENTIRE Holiday Season, working your butt, fingers, feet, and eyes off you start to get incredibly worn out, but I just kept going. The ONLY day I had off was Christmas Day... So, before New Year's Eve. It's kinda normal for other small business merchants like myself to swap left over stock/goods.

Andy, and even his wife, used to give me stuff all the time anyways... but, Andy knew I liked this blue dolphin chime, and he saved 1 for me. So, that last day he told me I could pick whatever I wanted, and I picked lots of dragons, and all kinds of stuff. This was 1 of the things he gave me. 

This chime has fallen apart, and I've mended it so many times: Hurricanes, snow blizzards, northeasters, hail, etc...

AND, I've mended it more times than I can recall.

Well, this time is a bit... or more than a bit... different.

Well... here it is inside a bucket. The office here at my condominium is run by draconian nasties, whom use any reason they MUST do their job as an excuse to be villainous, and nasty deliberately. Let's NOT turn this into a rant (because I COULD TOTALLY GO THERE) but, this is what they did to my wind-chime while "power-washing".

It was absolutely disgusting this morning soaking in muddy water.... But, this is after washing it.

 And, here it is in shambles on the table. This nylon is terrible. It always seems to decompose over time, and become brittle.

So, what I need to do is remove ALL of the old nylon line/string and replace it. 

I'll be using Chinese Jape/pearl grade chord/line from China. You can see it here on my new Bistro table set. ^_^

Those goose feathers sticking out of that pewter antique/vintage tea-pot (that's another project for another day to refurbish. PLANS!-PLANS!-PLANS!) will be going onto the wind-chime.

I have ALWAYS loved working with feathers since I was a child (probably because I am of native American Descent).  
I have found that using Goose feathers helps to increase the amount of tinkling, & chiming of the wind-chime.

Why Goose and not others? Well, you could also use ducks, or other water-fowl like seagulls... but, Goose feathers weather especially well, because they are water & weather proof. I've had goose feathers outlast metal wires, nylon, etc... other types of birds' feathers get mildew on them, or fall apart with wind weathering & erosion. Goose plumes are exceptionally sturdy, and tough due to the large size of them. The best are from wild geese. These are from Wild Canadian Geese.

I will also be adding more beads, and brass jingle bells.




When I lived in Northern China (Shanxi Taiyuan/Northern Manchurian Industrial Region several times from 2003-2008) it was a common belief that the color red, means strength or to hold something in place. It might sound like superstition, however, many of my necklaces which I frequently wore that broke a few times a year no longer break once we began using the traditional red chord... it could possibly be due to the higher quality... but, who knows? *shrugs*

So, here it is, now, having been restrung with red silk/pearl chording string. I also added faux pearl beads, Manao Jade beads, and you should be able to see the brass jingle-bells.

The feathers catch more wind and knock more into the chime cylinders, and the bells & jade or crystal beads ad a variety of tinkling & jingling chimes, tones, and sounds. before you could only hear this chime if it was VERY windy. But, now even a slight breeze will cause lots of relaxing chimes.

I noticed this with my other chime that I mended & refurbished. I only added ONE feather with beads & bells to it, and I could ALWAYS here it, but this one was quiet... well... I can hear it RIGHT NOW.

Unfortunately... I lack the fine tools to do true "pearl knots" for the beading work. But, it'll have to do for now...
If you want to learn about that, seriously, go check youtube. there's lots of variations on that.

Now my wind-chime has a very Bohemian/Boho-Chic look & feel to it. 
(That's kinda been my thing for quite a while now, and also when I was a kid.)

If you're looking for more tips, tricks, or how-too stuff for this sort of thing I recommend searching: Google, YouTube, Tumblr, Deviant Art, and Pinterest.

Fathoming Oubliette from BlackUniGryphon on 8tracks Radio.

Tribal Silver Beads Necklaces & Boho Scarfs

Tribal Silver Beads Necklaces

Despite how tragically stressful & frustrating a winter I had, I had a strange luck in December and went to my father's house in NJ for Christmas.

 My step mother took my daughter & I out to Joann's and got all kinds of bargains...

I also learned knitting. This was made from Turkish yarn. So my step-mother started this scarf, and I finished it.

Then, I made a 2nd one:



Now, the bulk of what we picked out was beading stuffs... we went to town on beads! It was like a dream come true! Stuff I'd been dreaming of doing for 2 years! And, I got EVERYTHING!

TRIBAL SILVER NECKLACE 

The very first necklace I made, I've actually made, and remade, and restrung several times. I'm finally satisfied with it now. I also couldn't wear them in  the winter because the sub freezing temperatures could cause them to break, and loose all the beads, because I strung them on wire... and I have already learned that lesson the hard way.

 

  

Glass Beads, Tribal Silver beads, and Agate Stone 

This one too forever for me to work out, and I kept postponing finishing it. Finally when I finished it, it fell apart while prepping it for photography, so I had to start ALL OVER AGAIN!

It's made from mostly silver beeds, and tribal Silver beads, as well as LARGE glass beads & watermelon beads 2-Hued Green/Magenta glass beads both from the Czech Republic.
The silver beads are from everywhere: Mexico, PR China, Turkey, India.

Triple Agate Stones & Tribal Silver Beads
with some black pearls & watermelon glass beads from the Czech Republic