'Happy New Year 2024!' and 2023 Highlights 1

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes - Artist and Bricoleur

A look back to highlights of my 2023!

July 2023 - my Assemblage
Finnabair class at One Paper Place

July 2023 - Assemblage class
Instructor Finnabair

April 2023
Three MLH Sisters [L-R]
Marlene Lynette, Mary Louise, Marcia Lorraine

April 2023
My Four Siblings and SIL [L-R]
Marcia, S-I-L Angela, Milt, Mar, Mikey
[I'm the photographer using my CAMERA!]

 May 2023 - 
Memorial Day at friends BBQ
Playing Charades [L-R]
Host Jim, Hubby Dave, Hostess Mer

June 2023 - Sun at Dawn
through window screen at home aka
Longwood Lodge

AUGUST VACAY!

Aug 2023 - Vacation
Madison, WI
Dave at river restaurant for brunch

Aug 2023 - Vacation
Madison, WI
Me at river restaurant for brunch

Aug 2023 - Vacation
Madison, WI
Alfresco terrace [closed] at river restaurant for brunch

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY PARTY CRAFTERNOON!

Aug 2023 - 

One Paper Place, Frankfort, IL

LuLu and Kim

Christine
Hostest with the Mostest!

[L -R]
Becky, Kim, Chris, Marcy
I'm taking the photo with my digital CAMERA!

Kim crafting and
my station

Thanksgiving 2023

Nov 2023 - Thanksgiving
Nail Art by my nail tech - Left Thumb
Turkey [coloring book hack]

Nov 2023 - Nail Art
Flowering pumpkin vines
[Free hand painted by my nail tech, 
based on design I hacked from free clip art]

 

Celebrating September Birthday Month 2022!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes - Artist and Bricoleur

After a horrible summer of 2022 - that started with the 5-day power outage in July and included the deaths of my father and stepmother within 2 weeks of each other in August - I somehow made it to September.

I celebrated at a weekend scrapbooking retreat with my sister and a crafty friend, Becky, at a suburban Chicagoland hotel. Becky and I went for sushi lunch on first day of retreat. 

My sister, Marcy, and I stayed in a king bedroom suite since we both snore. We enjoyed the indoor pool and hot tub both nights and we both got a 60-minute full body massage on night 2.  Marcy went after dinner, I went at 9:45pm. 

My stress is just melting away - finally!

Becky's sushi lunch

Becky's lunch after

My sushi (lunch and enough for leftovers at hotel later)

My sushi lunch, After

After retreat, hubby took me out on my birthday Sep 27th for late breakfast, a movie and dinner at our fave steakhouse, Longhorn.

Dinner

Longhorn Steakhouse on Sep 27, 2022

Shaky photo by hubby

My surf & turf dinner, After

Hubby, Dave

I'm finally starting to get my mojo back. Energy level is slowly returning. I'm trying to tidy my home studio so I can do some craft projects over my winter hibernation.

Thanks for stopping by - and please leave a comment!

Peace,

LuLu

'Great Birthday Month Celebrations!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Traditionally, in September, I celebrate my birthday month. When I was working full-time, I celebrated my birthday week. But since I've retired, I expanded my birthday fun for the whole month. This month I celebrate my 50th and 65th birthdays. (I didn't celebrate my 50th birthday fifteen years ago because, as I was preparing the invitations, the 9/11 tragedy happened. God rest their souls.)

Here are some pix from my celebrations this September! I'm so lucky and grateful to have friends and family like these to celebrate with me!



  Party '1' - Two September Birthday Gals-

 LuLu and Michelle

(Sep 10)

 

 

 Party '1' - Crop at Chris' home  (Sep 10)
LuLu, Chris, Michelle 1, Michelle 2

Sunday 9/25/2016 outside this 'Aussie' restaurant
I had seafood, Dave had steak. Loved it!

Party '2' - Ladies Only Game Night - with my sisters,
Marcy and Angela, and my good crafting buddy, Becky -
on my 65th birthday
at my new studio The SPlayce (Sep 27)


 

Party '2' - Ladies Only Game Night - with Kathy W.

(Kathy modeled one of my scarves I was commissioned to crochet)

at my new studio The SPlayce (Sep 27)

Day after my birthday Dinner - outside

Allgauer's Restaurant in the DoubleTree Hotel (Sep 28)
 

Party '3' - Ladies Only Crafternoon Soiree -

with Chris and Yvette at my new studio The SPlayce

(Sep 30)

 Party '3' - with Yvette (Sep 30)

at my new studio The SPlayce

 

 

Thanks for stopping by - please become a Follower, and check back often. More exciting news coming soon.

 

Peace,

LuLu

 

 

 

 

 

'WOYWW - 26 Nov 2013 - Tech Difficulties and How's your Japanese?!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Since September things have been a whirlwind! Celebrating my birthday, plus prepping for and attending 2 out of town weekend scrapbooking retreats.

For this week's WOYWW, I tried to show a photo of my current table in complete and total disarray - but camera card won't work in the computer.

So, instead, here are a couple of pix of my sushi birthday dinner.

My fave fish and creations are: Unagi, Saba (love, love, love saba), Sake, Caterpillar roll, Rainbow roll - and for desert I like a piece of Ikura!

In the top photo, that's a seaweed salad in the square dish with caterpillar and sake sushi rolls and a couple of unagi sashimi. (Note: 'sushi' is fish on rice, 'sashimi' is fish without rice).

Plus, I like to drink a chocolate strawberry martini when I go to our fave restaurant: Sushi Thaime in Oak Lawn IL.

What's really funny is that the first 3 times I tried sushi, I HATED IT! But the presentations were always so beautiful that I just kept going back - and now I'm a huge fan. I carry my own chopsticks (I found them in Paris) in my purse at all times, in a pretty sleeve that I made. Even my hubby, who is allergic to fish, likes to go to Japanese restaurants with me - and eats veggie sushi and other cooked meat or chicken dishes!

YOUR TURN
I know Japanese cuisine is not for everyone...Do you eat Japanese cuisine? If so, what is your fave restaurant? What city? Do you eat sushi? Sashimi? What is your favorite sushi creation?

MORE
4th Anniversary/Blogoversary Giveaway  is coming after Thanksgiving (Nov 28, 2013) - so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by - and please leave a comment.

Here are more WOYWW artists digs!


Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 18 Sep 2013 - Bookbinding and mini-Giveaway!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome,

For WOYWW this week, I wanted to show how my 'tidy tidy tour' from last week progressed into a fun  project this week! My first hardcover book project.

This bookbinding project, for a custom art journal, has been languishing all month. Creating a book 'from scratch' takes a lot longer to complete than I'd imagined.

This photo shows the 2 short ends glued down with weights (antique and vintage irons) and binder clips to aid drying overnight. Because I'm using (faux) leather as the cover material which is a tad thick, I need the weights and clips to apply pressure while the glue (Alenes tacky Glue)  dries. Later I'll glue down the long sides. You can see the text block in middle of photo - ready to adhere to the cover....

For the internal book hinge, I created custom book cloth from fabric inherited from Maria's stash and fusible web!

YOUR TURN

Have you tried bookbinding? What are your favorite binding stitches? Have you tried the 'piano hinge'? What about Coptic? Japanese stab?
Have you made any custom art journals to use in your own artwork? What kind(s) of papers do you use?
Have you ever tried to cobble together your own Junque/Smash journal? If yes to any of the above, please send me a link - I'd love to see your efforts!

LIBRA BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!
P.S. This is my birthday month - so if you are a Libra celebrating your birthday on Sep 27th or celebrating your birthday on Sting's birthday Oct 2nd, indicate that in your comment. I'll put together some HAPPY MAIL for one lucky Libra birthday girl! Any lady worldwide with Sep 27th or Oct 2nd birthday is eligible! One birthdate closest to either of these 2 dates will be the lucky winner! (I'll announce winner after Oct 2nd and respond to your comment to get your snail mail address - make sure that there is a way for me to respond back to you).

P.P.S. My annual Blogoversary GIVEAWAY for Followers is coming soon! Stay tuned...

For more fun studios, click here to visit Julia's WOYWW blog hop!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - LuLu's Mini-studio Makeover and Tour - 11 Sep 2013!"

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

This weeks WOYWW is a mini-studio tour of my recent Makeover!

Workstation table was just not working well enough for the art I need to produce. Also, I'm desperate for more counter space. Decided that WOYWW was impetus to re-organize.

This is a mini-studio tour and mini-studio makeover - 'mini' because I still need to move my scrapbooking rolling totes out of this studio. Thanks to Hubby who is cleaning up basement so I can store scrapbooking supplies downstairs!

BEFORE -

Tuesday P M

 

IN PROGRESS -

Tuesday Evening

 

 

IN PROGRESS -

WEDNESDAY A M

 

 

 

AFTER -

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

 

 

 

Look at all the clear space - just begging for the next project - yippee!

 

No longer used glass vessels on top of kitchen cart that I'd originally commandeered from the jewelry studio. I'll be using the middle shelf of this rolling cart for my most used tools. The glass vessels will be returned to a vintage hutch my jewelry studio.

Top shelf of cart will add much needed counter space! Yay!

 

 

YOUR TURN

Are you happy with the configuration/layout of your studio? If so, what are your 3 fave things you like the most? If not, what are the 3 most annoying/aggravating things you like least or want to change/fix ASAP?

Thanks for stopping by - would love for you to comment on this post - or any of my other posts.

For more studio spaces, click here to visit WOYWW!

BEFORE
Mini-Studio makeover
Tue, 10 Sep  2013

AFTER

Mini-Studio Makeover

Wed, 11 Sep 2013

P.S. My Blogoversary GIVEAWAY is coming soon! Stay tuned...

Libra Birthday Girls - shh-hhh-hhh-hhh-hhh!
P.P.S. This is my birthday month - so if you are a Libra celebrating your birthday on Sep 27th or celebrating your birthday on Sting's birthday Oct 2nd, indicate that in your comment. I'll put together some HAPPY MAIL for one lucky Libra birthday girl! Any lady worldwide with Sep 27th or Oct 2nd birthday is eligible! (I'll announce winner later this month and respond to your comment to get your snail mail address).

Peace,
LuLu

'Two Sisters - BFF'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome,

Here's a peek at me and one of my sisters, before she treated me to lunch on my 60th birthday. We had  a fun time together - as usual.

Two Sisters -
Marcy and LuLu - Sep 27, 2011

Thanks for visiting - and please stop by again soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'Deep in the throes...' Thank you, Sting and George Lucas!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome!

I'm deep in the throes of re-organizing and purging in my 'winter' craft studio. Not much fun, but I'll sure be happy when I can focus on making art. While I'm busy with that task and up to my neck in errant art supplies, here's a spread I created in an altered book art journal - from last fall.

"...growing up is optional!'
Inkjet transfer/transparency, gel medium, Acrylic wash, gel pen,
colored pencil, vellum, rub on, custom embossed foil tape with acrylic paint

My 60th birthday is rapidly approaching and the sentiment on the left page reflects my feeling perfectly this year. (Sting and I are nearly twins - his 60th birthday is a few days after mine! I'm a big Sting fan - and going with another couple to his concert in November. Sting is releasing his 25th anniversay CD collection on my birthday. I'm also a huge Star Wars fan - and George Lucas is releasing his Blu-ray collection of the Star Wars saga on on my birthday. Isn't that so nice of those guys to give such great 60th birthday presents? :-)

The past few weeks I've been assembling a list of 60 items (places to go, things to buy) - one item for each year on planet Earth! I'm also adding ideas to the back half of an altered book art journal that I started in May of this year - to chronicle our 35th wedding anniversary celebration.

What do you do on your milestone birthdays? Do you plan to do anything special to celebrate your milestone birthdays? I'd love to hear what you've done for your milestone birthdays.

Thanks for stopping by. Please take some time to look around my blog - there are all sorts of neat things to see - and come back again soon.

Peace,
LuLu