Disenfranchised!!

We were disenfranchised last night.

You hear a lot about this these days. You know - politicians LOVE to talk about people being disenfranchised. In Texas right now everyone apparently is disenfranchised because they have to show their ID to vote.


Oh - but wait...

I grew up in Bryan, TX. We had to drive to TEMPLE for Chick Fil-A. I UNDERSTAND disenfranchised.

Well, we did have Taco Bell, but that's not quite the same. Oh - wait - a different sort of franchise?

Anyway, last night, we were disenfranchised on the most awesome night of the year - Halloween.

I had oodles of candy, a Grumpy Cat pumpkin, a bright porch light, bat ears and enthusiasm, and yet there was just a trickle of trick-or-treaters.

Why? I could hear voices on the street.

I knew they were out there, so I kept going outside to find out why they weren't coming over.

And then I saw that they weren't coming to any of my immediate neighbors either. Hmm. We ALL had lights on. One of my neighbors was even sitting on her porch enticing them with candies. But nothing.

I walked down to my friend Lee's house - she had the good sense to have drinks and grilled meats in her driveway. Still - no little tots begging for candy.

Standing in her driveway, I looked out at the hordes of people tromping down the opposite side of the street and I found the source of our disenfranchisement.

SIDEWALK.

The other side of the street has a sidewalk.

Our side doesn't.

Those little pantywaists will only visit the houses with a sidewalk.

We were all crushed.

We yelled.

That didn't really help our cause.

Still, they are pantywaists. I hope they got licorice in their bags. Or dental floss.

Anyhoo. I still celebrated Halloween righteously, by making an awesome, glittery sugar skull insert for my Z Becky Brown bag.

 

I used a TCW Mexican Skull Stencil I got in Santa Fe and sponged Whisper White Ink through it onto my Ziva Papers insert.

Then I used that as my guide to add glue and glitter!

The background swirls are just Caran D'Ache Pablo pencil on the white.

Next year, I'm going to stage something very scary on the sidewalks across the street to drive the kids over to us.

Winning.

Loveyameanitbye.

Serenity Now!

I really did relax on vacation in Santa Fe.

I just sat in a chair and did art more than I've done in previous years. Normally, I feel like I have to DO something - go walk, do the galleries, hike, geocache - anything but sit still.

But this year, I sat still.

And it was amazeballs.

Well, I'm not really all that good at sitting still. So while I was sitting still, I started zentangling.

And O. M. G.

I have done this before, but something about being on vacation and away from work and just my normal daily insanity really made it a completely different experience.

I loved it.

I got hooked.

I did a million tangles.

This one is my favorite.

I took my Ziva papers for my purse from Z Becky Brown, and this fun round protractor I got from Artisan Santa Fe, some Faber Castell Pitt Pens and I .... relaxed.

Is that fun or WHAT???? Why didn't anyone tell me that protractors could be used for something besides math? I would have used mine a lot more had I known that!

Now, I have to say - I'm not a tangle nazi. Apparently there are rules you're supposed to follow when you do this. At least, that's what I hear.

As you know - I'm not really big on rules. Especially when it comes to art.

Put me in zentangle D-Hall. I don't mind. I've spent a good portion of my life in D-Hall - all of it earned and not regretted. :)

I have to say - I needed some instruction, though. I bought this book

and this book 

 at my favorite stamp store ever in Santa Fe and that's what inspired me.

This is going to be my new favorite purse and my new favorite TV watching activity.

God forbid a person do one thing at a time, am I right?

Loveyameanitbye.