I've been M.I.A.

Sorry I've been gone...it seems like forever. Last week I got hit with a rogue trojan carrying what I call "ransom-ware" ~~ I'm sure you've seen it. Comes in looking like your virus protection, says it caught some bugs, asks you if you want it removed and if you say 'yes' it takes you to their payment page, basically forcing you to make a purchase you don't want or need.

Sad thing is, some people actually fall for this attack. They pay the ransom, the people holding you for ransom PRETEND to remove the problem, but really leave the problem in the background and take off with your credit card information to shop, spend, and shop some more. My middle son got hit with it a week before I got hit with mine, so we had two laptops down till this last Sunday.

A friend of ours came over & we tried doing a repair with the main OS (operating system) disc, but it was so deep in the registry that we had to scrub and rebuild everything. Sucks rocks! Especially when you have as much on your computer as I did. It's Wednesday & I'm STILL loading programs and websites in here.

These hits can be totally random, not just from a new site you visit or an accidental click...I got mine leaving a site that I visit daily (sometimes several times in a day) so my friend figured that it rode in on a tracking cookie. EMPTY YOUR CACHES daily if you surf online a lot! Some of your browsers, like IE 7 & 8 or Google Chrome can be set up to dump cookies every time you close your browser (look under 'tools' then 'options')...set it up to do just that! Save yourself some headaches & lost files.

Now, while I was without my electrical lifeline to the outside world, I had some time to work in my office. I sorted out a few boxes lying around and was bitten by a crafting bug. I still have sewing to get done, and I'm working on it (HONEST!), but I had this papier mache dress form sitting on my work desk, and it started calling my name. So, I'd like to introduce you to...Yvette! (or maybe Holly Golightly, since I love "Breakfast At Tiffany's" so much...)

She LOVES everything vintage, and you can tell by the postmark that she loves to travel!
She has a deep appreciation of all things 'artsy'...
And all things 'timeless'...
She's classy, too. Loves her lace and gramma's pearls, like any proper lady should. Never mind the butterfly tattoo...she got that when she was young, carefree and a bit wild!
But, as you can see, she's settled and seems very happy living among the antique buttons and Prima flowers. I hope she decides to stay with me for a long time.
Thanks for stopping by & have a fantastic rest of your day!!

supplies used: papier mache dress form; tissue paper; stamps from Stampabilities, Mod Podge; Ranger Distress Ink (vintage photo); StazOn ink in black; wooden candle cups; E6000 glue; black spray paint; homemade shimmer mist sprays; flowers from Prima; tea stained vintage seam binding; paper doily cut to fit around neck; adhesive-backed half pearls