Maranda Russell's Blog, page 5

New ACEO Abstract art

Here’s a few “spin art” ACEO artist trading cards I recently listed for sale on my Ebay store. The paint kind of left a little bit of a cracked effect on some of them, which I actually kind of like. Which is your favorite?

Poetry – Why do i

Why do I often find youstaring at the moonwith such desperate attraction,only to turn your backtowards its soft raysof beckoning light;allowing your frigid feetto stumble forwardand embrace the subtle callof the darkness pervadingall the shadows before you?

Handmade bookmarks for sale

I got a laminating machine recently, so I’ve been using it to make some handmade bookmarks to sell on my Ebay ($3 each including shipping). My favorite thing to make the bookmarks out of is old books – the covers, illustrations, etc. Here are the first few bookmarks I’ve made:

Prose Poetry – Houseplants

I murder houseplants. Not intentionally, mind you, but the result is still the same…dead flowers, dead leaves, dead roots. I’m pretty sure I’ve even killed the dirt (if that’s possible).

Regardless, for some unintelligible reason, people keep gifting the little pots of green hope to me. I swear, sometimes I’m convinced I can hear their little floral voices begging for mercy and a swift end as their tiny veins dry out and the edges of their delicate fronds curl up, eventually crinkling, splintering, and fluttering down to settle on the ceramic base below.

Over time, I’ve learned to look away from this process, as it tends to bring me down. I only wish I could grant my victims a similar solace.

Prose poetry – Jigsaw Puzzle

Last night, I dreamt I was a jigsaw puzzle – a background of deep, midnight blue, sprinkled with golden stars. Someone came along and broke me apart, my round edges curling up as they separated.

Thin fingers pierced the middle of each cardboard edge with green metal hooks, the kind used to hang Christmas bulbs. Each piece of me was then threaded and hung from the ceiling.

Soon, I found myself twisting and turning upon the whims of the air current – 500 paper flares, now a floating constellation.

Why I’ve Been MIA (and my 39th birthday!)

Hi everyone! I know it has been a while since you heard from me! I went from blogging everyday or every other day, to struggling to blog once or twice a week, to just not blogging at all for over a month. I think part of it might have been burnout, part of it was a deep depression I was going through, and part of it was feeling somewhat like I put a lot of effort into blogging and didn’t feel like I always got a lot out of it.

Have you ever felt that way? I decided I wanted to concentrate more on my “real” life instead of spending so much time online and on social media. Have you ever felt like maybe you were neglecting your real life by spending too much time online? I think it is a huge problem in today’s society. We miss out on so much by always being on our phones, computers, etc. I want to make sure I am fully present in my life and experiencing real things, not just simulated things or living vicariously through others.

By the way, today is my 39th birthday! I figured it would be a good time to check in, since I’ve been meaning to write something on here but just kept putting it off. Once you get out of the habit, it can be hard to get back in. Anyhow, I can’t believe that I’m so close to 40 now! That used to sound so old! It kind of still does to be honest lol. I feel like I should still be in my 20’s, but here I am!

To celebrate my birthday, I think I’m going to do something I always wanted to do as a kid, but never got to…I’m having a party at Chuck E. Cheese. I’m gonna eat some pizza and chocolate cake, play some skeeball and video games, and pretend to be a kid again. We all need that once in a while.

By the way, I went to an art class yesterday and I created this cute little Halloween picture, thought you guys might like it

Wordless Wednesday – Mickey Mouse Dracula?!!

Some New Art! Unicorns & Butterflies

WordPress Plan Question

Does anyone know what will happen if you choose NOT to renew your paid WordPress plan? Will you go back to the free version and still be able to post and see past posts, or will you lose it all? When I started on WordPress, it was free, except for the fee I paid annually (about $20) to get my own domain name.

I still pay the domain name fee. However, I was considering letting my Personal WordPress plan expire next month (the one that costs $4 a month). I started using an upgraded plan because I wanted a chance at getting ad money, but it just isn’t worth it as the ads don’t pay much of anything and I spend more on the membership plan than the ad revenue I get back.

Have any of you recently cancelled a paid WordPress plan and went back to a free blog? If so, how did the transition go. Did any important changes happen I should be aware of?

Vintage 1967 Walking Doll Thrift Store Find!

Another Goodwill thrift store doll find! This time a vintage 1967 walking doll from the Uneeda Doll Company (I love that toy brand name!) At least this one isn’t quite as creepy as the last one I shared!