This weekend...

Goodness I was a bad, bad girl this weekend. I was sick and so I stayed inside and did some shopping. Bad news. I am learning a slightly expensive lesson from ebay this week which goes a little something like "don't bid on more than one of the same item unless you want to win them both." Best senario is you won't win either but my luck says I win both and that's just redundant.
So yes, I "won" 2 sx-70s. Both with the white frame, not even different styles. One has really (and I mean REALLY) beat up leather on the case and the other has some scratch marks.

 

I'm crossing my fingers that the first one is a fixer upper, and that there is a way to get the old, cracked, completely damaged leather off so I can put some new stuff on there. Without having it my hands however I'm not sure. It might be a fun restoration project. We shall see...

Lastly (as far as ebay goes) I won a different kind of polaroid, complete with flash, case and a pack of film. That was a STEAL for about $10.00 (plus crazy shipping).

As if that all wasn't enough (I am so sorry my sweet little bank account) I found more things that I apparently just couldn't live without while I was searching for inspiration for an art project I've had in mind for a while.
Here is the next purchase: a coin purse I could not say no to. I have a weakness for Virgin Mary (especially La Virgen de Guadalupe) things.

I'm in love with how awesome and perfect it is. Anyone who knows me really well knows I have an obsession/weakness for small coin/makeup bags. I use them as wallets or hold my small stuff in them so it doesn't get tossed around in my purse. I'm so excited about this one! It's perfect.

Believe it or not that was all Saturday goodness. Didn't go to work, instead shopped from home. Backwards! Backwards I tell you!

So today I TRIED to mellow out a bit and was for the most part successful. I've started a new crocheting project inspired by a pretty blanket in the Red Velvet window display.

always inspired by elsie and the red velvet crew

My pattern is totally different but I've been wanting to do a granny square blanket that is a collection of several little ones instead of just making the blanket one big granny square AND I wanted a black border. It's going to be cute, cute, cute, I'm excited for it to come along.

Other interesting things from the weekend:
- my grands (g-ma mostly) have a slight problem with keeping everything but I decided to see if this would work to my (and my camera collection's) advantage and so I asked g-ma if she happened to have any old cameras... dear readers I'm not going to go into detail but it seems like they are sitting on a treasure box full of wonderful things. I hope one day they will let me play with them!
- my G-pa's 81st birthday was today. We went out to their favorite restaurant to gorge ourselves while children at the table over made it hard for the g-parents to hear anything the rest of us said. I gave dear g-pa a card talking about one of my favorite memories with him (there are several, but this one I hadn't mentioned before) this one being of us playing cards (a good game of gin/gin rummy not sure which but it was fun) together. He smiled really big when he read the message so I think I succeeded.
- Next Sunday is Dad's birthday, he's not too stoked but it is what it is. Cmom (stepmom, her name starts with C... it's a new thing I'm doing) says no presents just heartfelt messages of how he's enriched my life. Can do I say.

Welp, that's it for now. My throat is still being a menace and I doubt I'm going to be able to go to work tomorrow. At least I have an excuse this time.

xoxo

I should live in a box and not know about ebay

I knew it, I knew it looong ago. I knew that I should never, EVER, get close to ebay. EVER! But against my better judgment, years and years later in a sore throated splendor I decided to start my ebay game. I want cameras, lots and lots of cameras. So many people are selling vintage cameras and it's just killing me. I want to bid on just about every one. But if I do that I'm going to forget and win more than one of the same thing and then be out of money. Not a good idea.
What I have bid on today:

Many of these... I really want a white one but we shall see. I have a SX-70 already but it is the plastic kind and I want more of the original. I want to see the difference.

I also bid on a couple of these:

I am really interested in TtV (through the viewfinder) photography. I've already dabbled in the idea by putting my point and shoot up to my polaroid viewfinder. Fun stuff but it would be even more fun with a twin lens reflex. 

The problem is I just don't know how much I'm really willing to spend on these things. It's not that I don't want them super bad, it's more that I'm hoping that I might find them at a thrift store for cheap because the people selling them don't know how much money they can get. I don't want to swindle anyone at all, I just don't have a lot of money and an awesome thrift find is an awesome thrift find.

Last but not least while perusing the SX-70 listings I happened upon some polaroid photo albums. I bought one. It looks a little like this:

I am such a sucker for hot air balloons on things. I'm really excited for it to come in the mail! I LOVE getting packages in the mail, even when I know what I bought. 

To end this post about my need for more things camera like I just wanted to say that I've been trying to shoot some decent pictures with my sx-70 but I am having a really hard time with the new color film from The Impossible Project. I can't get any good lighting for the pictures and there are white spots all over the images. I know there were warning that came with this first run but then I saw samples of what others had done with their film and they looked really good. I've worked with the light dial and taking pictures at different times and I even pulled out the flash bar but all to no avail. My pictures stay in mostly shades of blue and fade within a week. That's probably why I started my feverish (not literally though I do have a cold) search for a new sx-70. I want to see if the metal and leather model takes different pictures than my plastic one.

Alright, I'm now going to rest my horribly sore throat and tired mind. Cross your fingers that I win something for relatively cheap on ebay. I tried to search out the listings with the least amount of bidders and less than a day left on time.

quick update

so clever

I didn't move to Portland, I decided instead to move in with some friends of mine in Chula Vista instead. (*Some) Snobs from up north are asking me what's in "Chula Juana" (because of the very close proximity to TJ or Tijuana. My answer: amazing friends that offered me their guest room for a span of time (3 months) in exchange for one babysitting day a week.
Can I just say 1) awesome deal 2) their baby is the cutest lil' man EVER! I'm in hearts with him and I never go this gaga over a baby. So just in case you were wondering what's going on with that aspect of my life, there it is. I am not in Portland as I had first thought, I am instead exploring a new section of this huge county of San Diego. Adventures galore for sure!
I started my move Saturday mid morning by loading up my car with the first batch of stuff. Let me just tell you, there was no way I was going to be able to get all of my stuff in my car to move to Portland. Good to know now!
Arrived at new house, Mrs. C was putting a new knob on the door, one with a super special lock. In doing this she locked me in my own room. Hilarious. That was just the beginning. I've been here a few days now and I love, love, love it. I don't doubt my decision one bit.

I'll share more real soon but for now I'm super sleepy.

Much love to you and a lot of zzzzzzzz's for me.

oh yes, ps I bought my lil Diana Mini and now just need to get some film. I also need to get a LOT more film for my Instax Mini and THEN, THEN my next camera mission is the leather SX-70.

Found Here, Kinda

I get so down during the days when they drag and drag and the people around aren't providing their own portion of positivity. The office is bleak this week. There were only 4 days in this work week but it is going at a snails pace.

At least I have my lovely camera.

Dear SX-70,

I love you. And soon, yes soon I want to have a huuuge family for you to belong to. Right now it is oh so small, but one day... one day my dear.

xoxo

C

That's all I have for now. I'm keeping my mind away from reality as much as possible when I come home. :)