Ok, this is my bathtub right this minute.
Crazy huh?
My back is going to be killing me by the end of the day as I work to peel off the labels.
After the labels are off then I scrap all the residue glue off and then give them a regular wash to get the goo gone off.
Then they will be ready for decorating!
If I stay true to my to-do list I will be cutting out vinyl to put on some of the bottles.
Some bottles will be set aside for table scape decorations, maybe spray painted, maybe glittered, and some will be used to become tiki torches. I will keep updating as I go.
Now I'm off to start scraping. I think I will start with the ones soaking in the kitchen sink first.
*Carrie*

This is what I put on Facebook last night.

Chelsea comes up to me in the kitchen and shows me her fingers that she colored black, as I clean off her hands I tell her that we don't color on ourselves, she tells me, I want to be a jaguar. I say, but God made you a beautiful girl, she replies, I don't want to be beautiful, I want to be a jaguar. Chelsea says the darnedest things lately.

Sunday we had lunch at subway, when Chelsea received her meatball sub she opened it up and proceeded to inform us that her sandwhich had "balls"! Sorry, we just snickered.

This morning we went to the grocery store after dropping K & W off at school. We grabbed the things we needed and came home. As I'm putting away the groceries Chelsea asks where her cheese is at. I didn't buy any cheese. So I ask her what cheese she is talking about she says the "cotton" cheese.  Ahh, the cottage cheese.

More funnies from Chels, she calls her pajamas, fajamas and bologna, barronie

*Carrie*

I said the other day that the weekend was predicting plenty of cloud cover and I had hoped it would make for some beautiful sunsets.

 You have already seen this first photo. Well I posted it onto my favorite local news station and thankfully my friend Julie commented because I would have never known the accolades that people posted. I had tears in my eyes.

Its nice to know that when your out in the chilly air, praying that the light will go that gorgeous red/pink that you can capture it just right. Each night when I would pack it in my fingers would be stiff and cold and I would hope it looks as good on the screen as I see it on the camera display.

 This photo I never sent to the news because frankly it didn't live up to my vision. I will head back to the drawing board and try again.
See I live about 1-2 miles from the famous airplane bone yard, and not once have I really tried to get a picture of it. Well Saturday night, Rob was selling firewood and told me to come on out. We sat and watched the sky turn colors as I kept changing where to take the picture. We finally reached the conclusion that I need to be higher or in a completely different spot. Still, the sunset was beautiful.
On Sunday night, I told Rob that no matter what I had to go out to see how the sky was shaping up. I tried a new location and while it wasn't bad, I can find better. I really need a wider lens though...hint...hint..
This last photo I posted to the KVOA Facebook page I found out the next morning from my friend Annette that they showed that photo on the 10 o'clock news. Sadly, we were sound asleep at 9:15pm. and they didn't show it the next morning either. Oh well, it brings me such joy to know that some people like my pictures and keeps me motivated to keep going out and improving.

Last night we grabbed some pizza and headed out to shoot the sunset.
The kids had their ds's and a book to keep them busy after eating in the van while Rob and I chatted outside and ate our pizza.
The sunset wasn't exactly what I had hoped for but it was beautiful in it's own right.
The area I was in, is one that I'm comfortable with and its quiet. Rob and I talked last night about exploring around town to find other vantage points to shoot from.
To make the pictures more unique. I mean come on, how many sunsets and saguaros postcards have you seen? Its an iconic Arizona picture, but one that the locals are tired of seeing.
I'm hoping to explore Arizona more this year, get to see places that most people don't want to get off the beaten path to see.
Still on the same topic just going on a tangent, if I had to pick a single word to think or work on this year, it would be patience. I know I'm asking for trouble when I say I need patience but I have come to realize in the last few months that I expect myself to know, do, understand quickly. I have a hard time taking a breath and concentrating on a project to get it done right. I'm almost to the point where I say, just do it to get it done. That feels wrong to me.
Take your time, think it through, execute with the best of your ability. I know I will get better and faster with knowledge and practice, and I'm talking about most areas of my life.
The weather man has forecasted partly cloudy skies for the next few days and I'm hoping to take advantage of that.
*Carrie*

Good morning beautiful world
The dawning of a new day brings so many possibilities.
So far today:
Helped get everyone ready to go to school, and caught Kelly stealing some of Dad's chocolate truffles to put in her lunch bag.
I randomly pulled the car over to take some pictures of this mornings sunrise that at first I thought was gonna be blah...yeah, turned out gorgeous
Got to school with the promise to the kids that the dogs could ride with us in the morning.
Came home uploaded photos and sent some to my favorite news station KVOA channel 4, and of course to my homies on Facebook.
Does anyone still use the term homies??
Anyway, I filled up the sink with some very hot water and added some bottles to start soaking off the labels and then wrangled Chelsea into getting ready to go on an errand.
Now I'm back home, I've scrubbed off some labels and now decided that I better blog before I let another day pass.
Its only 10:30. I wonder what things are in store for the rest of the day?

Last night we headed to my liquor bottle supplier to pick up the empties and they had quite a few bottles for me. I talked again to one of the owners and she wants pictures of what I'm doing with them. So now I need to print out the photos of the ones I've already done and complete some more and get photos of those too.
Rob, myself and the owner all have these ideas for what we might do with the bottles, and how they can be used in the restaurant. I just need to get the hardware and ink for the printer to complete two more of our ideas. To be continued....
*Carrie*

 Here is a look at the decor I put on the wine bottles for my sister in law. This is something I'm going to try and sell at craft fairs this year.
Now I know I won't get rich but it's a lot of fun just collecting the bottles and then trying to decide what to put on them.
I found one shop on Etsy that is selling these for $15 and that's not including shipping. My thought was to sell them for $7 to $10. We will see.
I have green wine bottles and clear wine bottles and I also have liquor bottles, Jim beam, volska vodka, touaca rum. I have a few specialty bottles that I'm saving for another project. I saw on Pinterest that you can use the Patron bottles as oil lamps. Some of my bottles will be used around my back yard for tiki lamps and I'm thinking of doing a bottle tree. Some of my clear bottles I'm going to try coloring them with alcohol ink or colored mod podge. We shall see.

Rob is giving me some hell cause the patio is starting to fill up with all these bottles. What I'm trying to get him to understand is that I need more! Some bottles will hopefully be sold off, some will go to mom and her holiday decor and other will stay here for our indoor/outdoor decor.
I'm just having fun collecting the bottles.
I'll have to redo the pictures of mom's bottles. She choose for her soap bottle a Hornitos liquor bottle and it's big too, her bottle choice for olive oil was a smaller Jim beam.

My other project is to work on my photography and carefully select some photos that our family thinks would sell well as greeting cards.
Again, I don't expect to make millions of dollars, its just something fun to do, make new friends and contacts and hopefully make enough $$ to buy more supplies.

 Switching gears, Rob finally made me one gallery shelf that we cut into two 4ft shelves from the plans found on Ana Whites site. Now I just need to decide where they are going to be placed because, once put up Rob is refusing to move them. I'm hoping that I will like them enough to ask for more. I was thinking of using them in the hallway. I can't imagine how many photos I'm going to be able to put up. I have spray painted several frames that I need to find photos that will go with them and then get 'em on the wall. Good bye brown and black and hello a riot of color. I even mentioned to Rob that we need to replant some of our orchids and that I plan on painting all the pots first. Rob just rolls with it, he's awesome that way and if he thinks I'm going a bit crazy he will gently rein me in without hurting my feelings.

So the other day we were over at my brother Mike's for his birthday, as we pulled up I saw the light making this cactus glow. I didn't have my tripod but I think I got a pretty good shot. I need to get one where it glows even more in the evening light or maybe in silhouette where it blocks out the sun.
All the things that I'm working on.
Happy Crazy.
*Carrie*