Monday, September 18, 2017

The Changing Season

  Well hello peeps! Here in my parts summer is ending and autumn begins on the 22nd. In the southern hemisphere you're going from winter to spring. Any special plans for the new seasons?
I plan on squeezing in one last bit of summer by the sea.

 But autumn colors are beginning to creep into my art (more on that another post:) For now I have this to share today...


 On the main art table a tag in progress. For T Stands for Tuesday I will share my green tea in the covered mug. I never did get that tag together but instead made this one:

 Products: Neenah Classic 110lb. solar white paper(Simon Says Stamp); Distress Oxide inks; Distress ink- Vintage Photo; In Stitches clear stamp set (Whimsy Stamps); Tim Holtz Ideaology Paper Dolls, Botanical; French ribbon(unknown); Assorted Moonshine Sequins (Simon Says Stamp).

 Linking to Tag Tuesday (Paris theme), Try It On Tuesday (My Friend theme), and the Simon Monday Challenge (Shimmer and Shine). I may be pushing the envelope with the Simon theme as I'm not a real shimmer/shine kinda girl but oh how I love just a touch with the sequins:)

 These are sitting in a corner of my art table too:


 While continuing to sort /clean out things I found this bird shaped chipboard book and decided to use it. I simply covered the cardboard with napkins to begin and hope to finish and share them in my next post which will also include a little giveaway ;)

 And on an unrelated subject I want to introduce you to my dear friend LuAnn's new addition to their family. Meet Daisy May!


 I'm an aunt again! Here she is coveting the Lamb Chop toy I brought her. LuAnn had lost her Ginger on Valentine's Day and I shared her memory in this post. Long story short, LuAnn found her on a FB rescue not far from us and when she and her husband went to meet her-they didn't leave without her. Get this- the shelter named her Angel because she didn't have a name. LuAnn used to call Ginger her "angel". Daisy May was born on - Valentine's Day- same day she lost her Ginger. Is this divine intervention or what? It still brings tears to my eyes.

 Daisy is 7 mos. old and the vet thinks a mix of terrier and lab. She's quite shy yet so it took a bit for her to warm up to me and trust me but by the end of the day we were good friends:) .


 Here she is all pooped out lying right behind my chair in the kitchen while LuAnn and I were enjoying some lunch.  She is such a sweetheart and is SO good!

 LuAnn sent me this photo of Daisy May cuddling the next day with the toy I gave her:


 Yes, it truly tugs at my heartstrings and has me yearning for another one too since we lost our Annie last June. But I don't know if I'll ever be ready to go through such heartbreak again. And besides Bill and I do love to be able to pick up and go away whenever we feel like it-and I will never kennel a dog of mine. I'll just have to visit Daisy often:)

 Be well, and happy autumn- or spring - wherever you may be.

  " I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."
                                                                                      Nathaniel Hawthorne

Monday, September 11, 2017

A Hodge-Podge Post

 Hi all! Hope everyone is well and safe.My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by hurricane Irma. I want to mention that my hubby's employer is doing their part to help. Any donations made to the Red Cross coming out of employees paychecks is going to be by the matched by the company to the penny. Every bit is going to help all those affected by the recent hurricanes. We should also pause to remember the horrific terrorist attacks on this day in 2001 and pray for the many lost lives and affected people.

 On to the art:



  This is a palette knife painting I did in my calendar journal using acrylic paints.
A few detail shots:




  I also decided to make a few photo prints and turn it into cards:


 
 I sent them out as thank yous to my beach friends. Sorry about the bad photo. And speaking of the beach, here's one last photo from our August vacay:



 I could easily live with this view every morning for the rest of my life:) Sharing my coffee with T Stands For Tuesday. Oh and hey T gang look what I recently made:



 I tried canning for the first time! Thanks to one of our beach friends who shared an easy recipe for 24 hr. refrigerator pickles :)

I have a tag for Tag Tuesday (theme is Paris):


 
 The Simon Says blogs are continuing to celebrate STAMPtember so I have two more cards to share:



 and matching envelopes:



 Products: large white note cards and envelopes; Neenah 110 lb. Solar White cardstock; Simon Says Assorted Moonshine sequins; Altenew Build a Flower Camelia stamp and die set. Spellbinders Grand Calibur die cut machine. Foam adhesive.

Blue camelia card: Inks: Staz-On Azure, Distress Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn; PSX Indigo. Archival Leaf Green, Ranger Seashells- Sandal. Ribbon-Michaels. Sentiment-Hero Arts.

Purple camelia card: Altenew Painted greetings stamp. Patterned paper. Inks: Brilliance Pearlescent Purple, Distress inks- Shaded Lilac, Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn; Versafine Onyx Black; Staz-On Forest Green; Archival Leaf Green. Linking with the Simon Wednesday Challenge (Stamp It).

 I am also joining in at Art Journal Journey for the theme of "Colour in My World" hosted this month by the lovely Yvonne of Meggy's Way, and Paint Party Friday.

 Have a super week everyone!

" I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted, and behold, service was  joy."              Tagore

Monday, September 4, 2017

September Days

 Welcome September! Yes, the days are getting shorter, the leaves are beginning to fall, and the mornings and nights are quite cool. But oh the days still feel like summer:)

 I have several autumn inspired projects to share along with cards and stamping to celebrate "STAMPtember". First up is the first part of my September calendar spread (haven't finished the second part yet):


 I'll share details about the art in another post.

Both Simon Says challenge blogs are celebrating "STAMPtember" all month long so I have two cards to share with the Simon Monday Challenge (Stamp It) and the Simon Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes). Also sharing the postcard with Try It On Tuesday (theme is "stitch it"):



Supplies: white notecard and envie; white cardstock;stamps and dies: Label Love, Layered Cupcake- Altenew; Inks: Pink Peony, Turquoise, Buttercup, Leaf Green- Archival, Onyx Black- Versafine; Diamond Stickles glitter glue.

 Postcard:


 Face ( Jane davenport) stamped on 4" x 6" 90 lb. watercolor paper using Jet Black Staz on ink. Sponge Distress inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint) onto oak leaf stamps (Magenta). Spritz lightly with water and stamp around the face. Add hair strands with a fine Micron pen. Paint in features and background with Peerless watercolors. Add white highlights in eyes and lips with a white gel pen. Stamp sentiment (Stampendous) using the Jet Black ink. Sew around the edges.

 I remember a recent blog post by Giggles where she posed a ? on whether you are a prankster or have been the recipient of pranks and whether or not you like it. Well, I said yes. And just the other day hubby pranked me . This is how it began:


 I left this tiny dish on the kitchen counter with a bit of wine in it because the few fruit flies there were driving me nuts! I figured this should work since they enjoy getting into my glass of wine now and then. Left a note for hubby as I went to bed before he got home from a late night of work.

This is what I found the next morning when I got up to make my coffee:

 Ha Ha!!!! Didn't scare me one bit as there was so little wine in that dish that there was no way a mouse could drown in it. And I figure if that mouse would have had some he'd be stumbling about on the counter. Nice try Bill;) And so this is my beverage (and mouse) to share with T Stands for Tuesday. Hope it gives you all a laugh as it did me:) PS this did not work to catch those pesky bugs!

 And for Art Journal Journey hosted this month by the lovely Yvonne (the theme she has chosen is "Colour in My World"); Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge 30; and Paint Party Friday I have this journal page:


In case you didn't notice I also have made it my new blog banner:)

 I started the page like this:


 The page was gessoed first then I glued down pieces of peach mulberry paper and hand stamped tissue paper. I then painted over it with Masters Touch Olive Green and Americana Desert Turquoise. A bit of color was removed in places using a baby wipe with the Tim Holtz Woodgrain stencil. Blue Pan Pastel was applied randomly thru the Tim Holtz Honeycomb stencil. I set it with a light spray of Workable Fixative by Krylon. Trees Filmstrip (Paperbag Studios) was stamped onto an acetate panel with Staz On Jet Black ink and glued to pg. once completely dry. I glued down a strip of gel plate printed deli paper and washi tapes (Recollections). Stamped circle(Bokeh Dots- Ellen Hutson) then glued  a Tim Holtz Ideaology Quote Chip and butterfly to complete the page.

 Well, that's it this time around. Are you getting ready for the next season- be it fall in the Northern hemisphere , or spring in the Southern hemisphere? Very soon it'll be time for me to get out the cool weather clothes . But I'll be squeezing in another beach vacay before the flip flops get stored away :)

Thanks for popping in. I'll be around to visit you too!

 " By all these lovely tokens September days are here, with summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer."       Helen Hunt Jackson