Lt. Gizmo Lee McGheewok, Defender of Fort Backyard

Just when I started really hanging out in this blog again...we had a major crisis at our house. One of our darling, gorgeous, PERFECT dogs was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Disease (say that 5 times fast). We found this out because his back legs simply quit working normally one day. So, the last 2 weeks have been lots of visits to the vet, lots of cage confinement for Gizzy Lee, lots of hand wringing and crying and wondering what we should do. We finally took him to the University of Illinois, which is apparently where all of the animal neurosurgeons hang out. We decided to go ahead and have them perform surgery on his spine.

It's amazing. He walks funny, but he's absolutely walking again. So, this post is dedicated to all of the great things that I intend on buying him when he's finished with his rehab....and I get done paying off his vet bills :)

Super cute, eco-friendly pet bed (in pink and green, of course!):



and matching pink and green collar:



(both from Annie's Sweat Shop)

Newman's Own Organic Dog Treats (I love Newman's Own....I mean, the people food. Specifically, the Fig Newmans. I haven't tried the dog treats. I'm sure they're delicious.):



(Available at Petco)


Intervertebral Disc Disease is actually a really, super serious condition with dogs. We caught it with Gizmo pretty early, so his prognosis is fantastic. However, it can progress from mild pain to complete paralysis within days....sometimes even hours. Apparently it's very common with corgis, beagles, dachsunds and pekingese (Gizmo's a pekingese) so if you have one of those breeds, it's definitely worth reading up on. Also, if you happened to come upon this blog because your dog is in this same situation and you're wondering what to do, feel free to contact me and I'll happily share any information that I have with you. (heylola (at) sbcglobal (dot) net)

P.S. Recovering nicely now:

Bad idea #103: Browsing food blogs when your cupboards are bare.

Is anyone else craving spinach and tortellini salad? Mmmmmmmmm, delicious goodness...and of course, I have nothing but 2 stale saltines and a can of fruit cocktail in the house.




(via Grub's Up ...check out the super easy instructions that even a novice cook like me can handle!)

I'd hang around, but apparently I need to go grocery shopping...

It's Kevin Bacon Wednesday!!!

You know you missed it...

Bacon scented soy candle (I'm not sure about this...would it smell delicious like a delicious greasy spoon....or would it smell like that greasy spoon that nobody ever goes to ~ the one where your Aunt Helen's best friend's husband ordered fries there one time and there was a dead rat in the basket? Either way, I know just who's getting one for Christmas this year):


(via Redneck Candles)

"Roses For Kevin Cycle Cap":



(via All One Word)

Bacon and Eggs crocheted jellyfish!



(I can't crochet and I can't knit but seeing Needle Noodles Shop makes me want to learn...really bad.)

Also....I have a real, honest to goodness website now! You can find it here. It's a bit more professional looking....I hope. I think. I'm crossing my fingers, anyway. (feel free to link to it to your heart's content.)

P.S. You look really nice today :)

Mosaics and Chandeliers

After being all over the internet for a while, I basically disappeared. One reason is that I got married. It's a good excuse...seriously. The other reason is that my husband and I have purchased a run down little dive bar, which we are working our butts off to turn into a lovely neighborhood cafe/bistro/tavern type place. Of course, since I can't seem to keep anything simple, all of my decor ideas have been huge projects. Each project is working out exactly as I planned, but overall the place is still a disaster...so no pictures yet. BUT, there's mosaic and chandeliers and thrones and deer heads (not real deer heads!) and who knows what else I'll come up with before we're finished.

My mosaic isn't nearly as elaborate as this (holy crap, you guys!):



(This is Susan Gardner's house...That she gets to live in....every day of her life. I totally need a house like this.)

My chandeliers aren't nearly as gorgeous as this one (although I used the exact same kinds of teacups for my wedding so this is now on my list of to-dos):



(Part of a group of recycled chandeliers here)

and my deer head isn't quite as darling as this one:



(via Modern Dose)

...but I still think everything is coming along marvelously. PLUS, we've been trying to buy as much as possible from our local Habitat for Humanity store ~ so we're recycling AND we're contributing to a great cause! I can't wait to show you...

For the Love of Great Big Obnoxious Necklaces

I have a really difficult time reigning it it and creating delicate and simple, everyday type jewelry. I do try...but chains and beads and random weirdness keep adding themselves to my mannequin as I work and bizarre conceptual ideas refuse to be kept down. I think there might be something wrong with me.

The good news is, I very rarely use anything new to create these big, obnoxious (FANTABULOUS!) pieces. I hit up garage sales, antique malls, flea markets, my friends give me their broken things...I love the idea of recycling and I'm even more fond of creating something recycled that doesn't really look recycled. Hopefully I'm succeeding :)

A little obsessed with sea anemones the day this was born:



I wanted to create a big, fairytale, woodsy necklace that would make people talk about the girl who was wearing it...in a good way, of course:


The circles on this one? Old curtain ties from the seventies - seriously. I came across a huge bag of them, in all of their macrame, 1970's goodness. I used vintage seam binding and thrifted ribbon to wrap them, and combined various beads and chain links to finish it off. Did I mention how much I love pink and green? Because I love the combination so much that I made two versions of this:


Pearls and punk rock:


I have these moments where I feel very Frida Kahlo-ish...Or maybe more Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo. Either way, sometimes I need to wear a big and vibrant necklace just like this:


These were all created by me and can be found at my online shop here (www.shopheylola.com)

Do you make new things from old things? Let me know - I'd love to feature you here!