look-- I got Pearls! (sort of a 3-Day Tuesday post)

but first, more domino pendants in progress... it's a challenging size, that's for sure! I don't hae a lot of patterned paper where the patterns are small enough to be recognizeable in a 1 x 2 inch space... but, that's what's fun about it, too. I love that Martha Stewart brand butterfly punch-- the vintage novel letters that spell the word "Fly" were definitely a pain in the neck, but I really like how these have turned out. The other day, I remembered I had some glass flat-back marbles, and made a pendant using one of those. Which I love, too, because it magnifies the paper underneath. So, my birthday is later this week. I've never been big on birthday celebrations, so it's not that I'm really looking forward to it, but I know I have some birthday money coming... My first two thoughts when I get "free money" are always "art supplies" and "books," not necessarily in that order- LOL!! But, then I thought again. I have sooo many art supplies and books already, did I really want more, when I don't have enough time to use the supplies and try all the ideas I already have?? And, add to that the fact that I did a 4.25 mile 3-Day training walk on Sunday morning in the wrong pair of shoes... I wore the shoes I wear for "everyday," and they are definitely not up to "walking" standards. (not a good idea, I know, but for some reason that fact didn't dawn on me till the next day, when I was trying to figure out why my feet hurt so much-- then, it was like, Duh!!) And, I know I need to buy "real" shoes that will be up to the challenge of 60 miles... Anyway, long story short, I decided to use my birthday money for a pair of running shoes, which is soooo not like me, since anyone who knows me knows that I am so much more about relaxing on the couch reading a book than being outdoors walking, but as soon as I made the decision, it just felt right. (weird, but true.)

Here they are!! (the brand is Pearl Izumi- never heard of it, but apparently they are a pretty good-quality running shoe.) They look much high-tech up close, believe me!! I might not be able to recognize my feet when I have them on-- LOL! I haven't been this excited about a pair of athletic shoes in I-don't-know-how long (like, probably never). Thank goodness I went to a running store; the sales associate was so helpful, I didn't feel embarrassed about my clueless-ness at all. She analyzed my gait using a camera, then brought out pair after pair of shoes for me to try on. I asked her, "how will I know which ones are best?" and she answered, "just walk in them- you'll get a feel for it." and I did, amazingly enough... these feel great on, even though my feet still kinda hurt from Sunday. Then, we went on to have "the sock talk;" where I learned all about moisture-wicking fabrics, and toe-socks. We stopped there, although I know there's more stuff I need to know about, and I will, of course, buy pink shoelaces at some point. (there's lots more to running and long-distance walking than I ever would have thought!!) Now, I just have to wait till Thursday, when I will have time to test them out- I'll let you know how they work!