Wordless Wednesday: Bird Watching Can Be Exhausting

Must lie down to do it....

Make sure you come visit tomorrow when Laura from I'm So Vintage on Etsy and her blog of the same name will be blogging about her secret garden & sharing some tips with us.

30 Days of Creativity - Day 6: My Muse is MIA

My muse is not with me today.  I tried several projects and none of them are working.  My brain doesn't seem to be in the right place.  So, in lieu of a super creative project for Day 6, I give you a cute cat tail.

Wordless Wednesday: ummm... Hi, Jack

Attack Cat

It has been a long, long time since there were any gratuitous cat pictures on the blog of Jack, The Official Kitty of Athena's Armoury. So, today Jack gets his own blog post.

My mom had made me a crocheted lap blanket once upon a time. Last winter, I had been keeping it out to be all cozy like in front of the TV. Well, there were quite a few times that I would wake in the morning only to find it pulled off the couch and on the floor. Then one day, I caught Jack, red pawed, with it *in his mouth.* Needless to say, the blanket only came out when I wanted to use it after that.

Along with so many other people this year, my mom's company downsized and she was let go. She was starting to feel besides herself lately with nothing to do, so I suggested that maybe she should start crocheting again. She asked if there was anything that I needed. Me? No. Jack? Yes. Maybe if he had his own blanket, he'd leave mine alone.

Monday night, I arrived home to a couple of boxes: one was Jack's blanket. It came out adorable! I didn't know she was going to do this, but my mom sewed felt letters onto it spelling out his name. Upon closer examination, I realized that they were filled with catnip. I couldn't help but laugh, but also had the realization: "Oh, no... He's going to destroy this..." Well, here's the progression from innocent, discovering kitty to evil kitty.

Loving my new blanket. Look! It even has my name spelled out in felt letters! It gets even better!!! The letters are filled with catnip!!!!!!

Must Get to Catnip

(Blanket licking quickly proceeds to pulling at, burrowing in, and playing with the blanket.)

(Evil kitty takes over and attacks the brand new kitty blanket.)

What? Did I do something wrong?

Tagged, Tagged, and Tagged

I've been tagged by MrsDragon, Izile, AND MyFairyBabies!! I'm a bit behind on my blog lovin', so lets see if I can catch up on all of this insane tagging. . . Luckily, all three have the same rules.

The rules of tagging are:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Okay, six things. . .
1. I love museums. I love learning about art, history, and culture. Even if I don't necessarily understand or 'like' a piece, I can still appreciate it. I love soaking it all in. When I was a child and I would visit a museum, I was inevitably drawn to the ancient Greek and Roman sections as well as the arms and armor. Little did I know that I'd eventually take up making armour.

2. I am an only child, so I grew up in the company of adults as well as entertaining myself for hours. I still have no problem hanging out by myself, in fact I am very much a home body. That said, it's also kind of difficult for me to make friends because I'm so used to being by myself.

3. The beach is my solace. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed lately and went to the beach over the weekend. Despite getting a bit of a burn (first time out this season, it was inevitable), it felt wonderful being there. I even got a forty minute nap in while I was there.

4. I never in a million years thought I'd have a cat. I've been a 'dog person' my whole life and then Jack showed up. I love my little kitty cat.

5. I really want to get my tragus pierced! The tragus is the small area of cartilage that juts out in front of your ear canal. I think I would love a tattoo, too, but I have absolutely no idea what I would get or where.

6. I hammered my thumb yesterday. It's got a teeny, tiny little bruise under the nail. I really need to get a bigger anvil. . .

Okay, so now I have to tag six people:
Kirsten Skiles with the Etsy shop knitsteel
Cat at Darkling Woods Studio with the Etsy shop of the same name
Up From the Ashes with the Etsy shop of the same name
Joey and Aleethea with the Etsy shop of the same name
Kristin at the fantastical ramblings of aquariann with the Etsy shop aquariann
Helen at Visiting the Muse with the Etsy shop krummenacker

Playing Catch Up in Pictures

Last week I received such a phenomenal wire order! All kinds of yummy stuff including a sampler of anodized aluminum rings, a sampler of scale maille, 2 pounds each of 16 gauge and 18 gauge bright aluminum (BA) wire, and 10 pounds* of 14 gauge BA wire. I already finished a custom dice bag with some of the anodized aluminum rings and am starting on an Uber bag (yup, that's the Crown Royal size) for a friend. Part of my mom's birthday present this year is a pouch for her iPod with the green (her favorite color) anodized aluminum rings. Then, I have so many plans for more armour and some production line jewelry. So much metal to play with!!

I've been talking about the fact that I'm working on the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's Round Robin for FOREVER now!! Come Hell or high water, I will finish my part for this doll! Here's a work in progress picture so you know I'm not lying. . .

<== Scott recently bought me this fabulous tool chest, I just had to share with you. It's beautiful!





On a side note, I'm so excited to finally have my taillight guards on my Jeep! I've had these things for probably a year and a half and have been searching for the correct hardware for them ever since. ==>

Lastly, Jack wanted to say hi. Here he is "overseeing" my maille work: