My Get Excited & Make Something WInning

I saw a post 2 or 3 weeks ago on Renate's blog at http://putalittlemagicinyourlife.blogspot.com/ for this Get Excited & Make Something giveaway. The first 5 to comment receive a gift made by that individual. I slipped in with my comment & I received this lovely bracelet from Renate. I love it! Thanks so much, Renate. Check out her blog, she has some lovely things posted (particularly her very sweet kitties.) I will continue working on the 5 gifts that I am mailing out & hopefully they will go out by next week. Have a wonderful week!

Happy Mother's Day

I want to wish all you Moms a very Happy Mother's Day. Unfortunately, my Mom is not here to share this day with us but that certainly doesn't mean that we are not thinking about her & missing her terribly after almost 5 years without her. Mother, we would shower you with love today & thank you for the wonderful values you've instilled in your children. We owe you so much. You were definitely one of a kind!

A New Mannequin

This is the 2nd mannequin I did last week. I am trying to find a less expensive source. I know I've been paying top dollar. I found a few at half the price I've been paying but her amounts are limited. I did however, buy up what she had. I will just keep looking.
I've also been working on the giveaway gifts. I am hoping to get those out next week.
Mama cat received a clean bill of health on her blood tests. They are all doing just fine. The kittens are getting so cute I can hardly stand it!
Happy Saturday Everyone!

Kittens & Mama doing well

I am posting a pic of just one of the kittens we rescued earlier this week & one of Mama cat. The kitten is one very cute little girl, like her mama. They all seem to be doing well. There's three that are white with markings & two gray ones. I will try to get some better shots soon. I took Mama to the vet yesterday for a thorough going over. Everything looks good so far. They did blood work so I will get the results of that today. The kittens will visit the vet in the next couple of weeks also.

Home Again

Back home after 3 lovely days up in Northern Ca. We were able to hit 2 of the three things we had planned. I did make it to Flax & Urban Ore but not the Alameda antique faire:>( The weather just wasn't cooperating on that day. Maybe next month!
I did fit in a little visit to a fabulous garden in Woodside, Ca. called Filoli
http://www.filoli.org/. I have placed quite a few photos on Flickr (link on sidebar) for your enjoyment. Friday we went up to Napa Ca. to the Rene di Rosa Preserve http://dirosapreserve.org/ It was absolutely wonderful. I even purchased the annual membership. Can't wait to go back again. We spent the day up in that area & stopped in Healdsburg to see some of my husband's family. Saturday was Urban Ore & Flax. The Flax people informed me that my sales receipt maybe the longest receipt in the history of Flax! Does that give you an idea as to how much paper I purchased?? It took hubby & I both to carry it all out YIKES! Sunday was pouring rain until the afternoon. We took a drive over to Half Moon Bay & it was pretty foggy but nonetheless beautiful. Last leg was a stop in Paso Robles (we own property there) as there was a stray cat that gave birth to 5 kittens at the property. We scooped up mother & kittens & brought them all home. Mama will be getting spayed very soon & I will attempt to find homes for the babies. I am looking forward now to doing some artwork!
Happy Monday everyone!
Flower pics posted are from the Filoli Gardens.

A New Torso

Here we are, mid week already! I have been working on giveaways & torsos. My friend, Minnie at http://www.herminnie.blogspot.com/ is doing a show this weekend in Carlsbad, California. She asked me to make up some torsos for her to display her jewelry on. I made her a 16" torso a while back & now I've done a couple smaller ones. These are 10 inches. I love this process so much because it is so forgiving. If you don't like it...put on another layer of something else. I am posting the one that I though was the prettiest of the two. I will make a couple of larger ones next week. We are off to San Francisco for the weekend (leaving tomorrow) so I will resume artwork when I return. I am going to try & hit the Alameda swap meet which I've heard so much about & another trip to Urban Ore in Berkely. The only problem...they are predicting rain......in California...can you believe it!!!

Sister Gail's artwork today

Now I have my sister decoupaging with me! I wanted to post this great turtle she completed a couple of days ago. He turned out fabulous, didn't he? I love all the green on the bottom (some of it is napkins)& also the papers she used for the shell.
So colorful & really wonderful, Gail! I love this cute little guy but he's not really that little. Happy Friday everyone & have a fun loving weekend!

New Decoupage

I guess I am on a roll with this decoupaging. First off, you will see my little apple. The top lifts off of this. The next one is my little piggy. She came out pretty cute. I did both of these pieces yesterday afternoon.
I also took a collage class on Saturday that was rather interesting. It involved some gold leafing in the composition. The picture looked hideous when I left the class but I also worked on that yesterday to try & salvage it. It's a bit larger
than I normally do. Anyway.....I am not sure if I will post that one or not. I like it a lot better than I did but I'm still not too sure.
Happy Monday Everyone!

Today's 2ND Posting

Brave People Make Things so get excited and make things….

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own blog to pay this forward. This text was used from http://putalittlemagicinyourlife.blogspot.com/

Honored with an award

I am very lucky to know so many great blogging friends....I just received this Breeze award from Diana Evans @ http://dianaevans.blogspot.com/ that was created by Peter Breese @ http://peterbreese.blogspot.com/
In his very own words: The coveted Breese Award is given to six inspirational individuals; since most blog awards cater to odd numbers, this particular award was designed for the more even keeled folk. These six should be a collection of bloggers that have helped you, either directly or indirectly, to stay creative.

I pass this award to the following people who have inspired me. Thanks to each & every one of you!

1) Tweedles & her moms @http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/
2) Mary @ http://maryshunt.blogspot.com/
3) Gaby @ http://gaby-cajubrasil.blogspot.com/
4)Viola @http://saray-viola.blogspot.com/
5)Renate (I believe is her name)@ http://putalittlemagicinyourlife.blogspot.com/
6) Janny @ http://wwwtricolore.blogspot.com/

I Am Loving Bees Wax

This is one more piece done with bees wax. I had no idea when I watched Suze Weinberg's video that it was going to grab me the way it did. It just looked so easy I couldn't resist! If you're thinking about playing around with some wax, check out Suze's video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P_4PzXr-38. This one is another little box with the front door that opens up. I guess these are designed to use in altered books, I am not completely sure...but they are certainly cute!
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter with family & friends.

More Bees Wax

I am loving bees wax! The first picture is one that was done by my sister, Gail. It is our Grandmother in a Thousand Oaks Ca. bowling alley with a tiger. Jungleland was a wild animal park here in Thousand Oaks. This was back in the mid to late 50's & our family actually got to know some of the animal trainers. This tiger was trained by a man named Mel Koontz. I think Gail did a fabulous job on this! It is 5x7 inches in size. This next canvas was a "mistake" that I did about 2 years ago. It did not turn out so I tried lifting off some of the paper to save the canvas. I decided to finally just toss it but my son talked me into saving it & trying to make something else out of it. Gail & I started playing around with it a bit & this is what we ended up with. My little Dexter that I photographed 6 or 8 months ago inside of a paper bag. Most of the canvas was done using the bees wax but not all of it. It is 11x14 in size. Dexter looks like he's jumping right through the canvas.
Happy Saturday & wishing all my dear blogging friend a very Happy Easter!

Experimenting With Bees Wax

I love the look of wax. I have wanted to do something with wax for a while but always thought it would be extremely messy & complicated. Boy was I wrong! I watched a Suze Weinberg Youtube video yesterday & that was all she wrote. I did my first piece which is actually a little book box. I decorated the top using paper & napkins. I dipped each piece in the melted wax & arranged it on my cover. I ran a credit card over the top to even it out a bit & then added some rub ons. I was quite happy with the results. Sister Gail is coming up today & we will play with it some more.
ALSO>>>>>I wanted to tell you about the new "email me" button on my blog. Susie Jefferson at http://1stfloorflat.blogspot.com/ came up with this little jewel. I thought it was a great idea to add it. So often people want to send a note but can't locate a separate email address. THANK YOU, SUSIE! Stop by & check out Susie's blog. You won't be disappointed. Happy Thursday!!

Spring cleaning..New blog background

I found another blog this morning offering FREE blog backgrounds as well as other freebies to add to your blog. Not only did I do a new background but also a new header & welcome sign. Check out *Itkupilli's* stuff at http://blo64rt.blogspot.com/

My New Giraffe

Well, this is my little giraffe. I finished her yesterday & I'm pretty pleased with the way she turned out. She is about 23 in high & I had a ball decorating her. Excuse the photo of her face. I wanted to get a close up in spite of the box in the background.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!

New Torso

I am back to ripping paper! My friend, Minnie at http://herminnie.blogspot.com/asked me to make a torso for her that she could display some of her jewelry pieces on. She wanted something with muted colors. This torso is about 22 inches tall & Minnie, I hope you like what I came up with. My next project.....a Giraffe!Can't wait to start that one! Happy Sunday Everyone!

Experimenting with backgrounds

I went to the book store a couple of days ago to pick up some new Somerset magazines. One that I grabbed was Somerset Apprentice. There's some wonderful projects in there with great instructions. I am intrigued with Gesso & I found a project by Michelle Ward ( http://michelleward.typepad.com/) called Gesso Resist. The procedure is to apply gesso to a rubberstamp & stamp on unprepped paper (I used watercolor.) You let the gesso dry for at least one hour. Apply acrylic paint over that & spritz with water while still wet. You need to move fairly fast. Once you've spritzed with water, buff away with an old cloth......and this is what you get. I even purchased some black Gesso to give that a whirl also. Have a great day everyone!

Book Page

I am posting another page today that I put together for my nameless little book. Can you tell I love vintage images? I was thinking back to some of the fun things I remembered in my childhood. Used to love playing jacks, hopscotch & the hula hoop. I also remember my little record player that played Elvis 45's constantly. Loved Elvis, Little Richard & Chuck Berry! I hope you see something in here that brings back some pleasant memories for you also.
HAPPY MONDAY!

Journal Page

Good Saturday Morning! It's a rather gloomy in Southern California today so I think I will use that as an excuse to play all day!
This is another page I did yesterday. I used a mixture of Glimmer Mists & Memories Mist to do the background. The rest is collaged.
I hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Brother

Today is my brother's 48th birthday...Happy Birthday, Brother!!
He is celebrating today in Washington. I hope he has a wonderful day & I sure wish I was there! This is the card I made for him. I did an image transfer of him on the front at age 2 or 3. I did an image transfer of me (inside) at age 6 or so.
Happy Tuesday!

The Runway Girls

What a great Saturday yesterday. I attended the Carson Ca rubber stamp show with friends, Minnie & Yvonne. We had a great time & all walked out with a pretty big bag of goodies. I'm so anxious to try some of my new stuff.
I am posting one of the pages I did for my book which really has no theme. I seem to just wander aimlessly until I put something together that appeals to me. Animals definitely appeal to me! Sometimes I like to go from pretty to goofy! It's more fun that way. HAPPY SUNDAY!

A bit of art from the past

These are some mannequins that I decorated approximately 2 years ago. I had such fun doing this that I did one large one (32") & 3 smaller ones (12"). I guess I never posted these as it was before my blog days. Also....I did a few little goofy things on the big one...as you can see! They were sooo much fun to do. Just recently on one of my trips to the hospital I saw a small giraffe (around 5 ft tall) that was decorated in this same manner. I would love to get my hands on one of those little giraffes. It was absolutely adorable.
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Kreative Blogger Award

Lucky me....I received this Kreative Blogger award from Lisa at http://mudhoundprimitives.blogspot.com/. Thanks so much for this lovely award, Lisa! I am to list seven things that I love or that inspire me.


1) The green velvet hills of Northern California
2) Sunrises & sunsets
3) Blooming flowers
4) An old building
5) A kitten/puppy
6) Music
7) Strong women

Now I will pass the award on to:

1) http://elainebarrdesigns.blogspot.com/
2)http://gotmoretimethanmoney.blogspot.com/
3)http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/
4)http://ebogie.blogspot.com/ 5) http://quilting-mania.blogspot.com/


I understand that some bloggers would rather pass on the blogger awards & I totally understand that.

Easing my way back & accepting blog awards

Good morning everyone! I am going to try & get back in the swing of things now. My husband is home from the hospital & doing much better. He will see the cardiologist Thursday for a stress test so I am hoping all turns out well. Thank you for all your kind comments. I love my blogging friends & feel very fortunate that you've all touched my life.
One of my favorite blogs EVER is, http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/. This blog brings me so much joy...I LOVE Tweedles! Tweedles has passed on the Honest Scrap Award.
The rules go like this:
When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!"

1) I believe in equal rights for all, regardless of color, sexual preference, religion etc.
2) I love sunrises & sunsets.
3) I love love love animals.
4) Large bodies of water scare me
5) Rude smokers irritate me
6) Rude people in general irritate me.
7) I love the smell of fresh cut grass
8) Still enjoy metal jammin rock n roll.
9) The smell of my jasmine blooming is wonderful.
10) I love the early early morning with a cup of coffee & the newspaper.
There you have it!
I will pass this one on & I want to make it clear that the recipients do NOT need to post this if they prefer not to. I understand that some would prefer not to get caught up in awards & I totally understand & respect that. My choices are:

1) http://creativesolace.blogspot.com/
2) http://kvcreativedesigns.blogspot.com/
3) http://vickiorion.blogspot.com/ 4) http://kristychristopherson.blogspot.com/
5) http://sharon-artfromtheheart.blogspot.com/ 6) http://thevintagemoth.blogspot.com/ 7) http://www.backgroundfairy.com/

Congrats to all & thank you again, Tweedles

A Little Time Off

Good morning! It feels very weird that I haven't had time to post anything on my blog for a week. I came home from San Francisco to my husband in the intensive care unit of the hospital. He had a blood clot that traveled from his leg to his lung & they are attempting to dissolve it. I am back & forth to the hospital & needless to say, I have put the blog on the back burner for a moment. They did put him in a regular room last night so that's a plus.
I have been lucky enough to receive a couple of awards in my absence & I will post those very soon. I want to thank my dear little friend, Tweedles of http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/ & Lisa at http://mudhoundprimitives.blogspot.com/ I thank you both so much!

Enjoyed Ellen & off to San Francisco

We had a lot of fun yesterday even though we did not make it to the regular audience. We were in the Riff Raff room. Denise Richards was not the guest, it was actually Mario Lopez. The show actually aires today. Since we didn't make the regular audience we were guaranteed regular seats on another date. We picked April 16th so hopefully she'll have someone good that day. It was still a blast! Lots of fun loving people.
I am off to San Francisco tomorrow morning until Monday. I will not be posting until next week.
*************************************************************************************I have posted a picture I did for my sister of my lovely niece & her daughter, Alexis. It is an image transfer (ofcourse!) done with Sheer Heaven. It is 12x12.
My sister's birthday is Saturday. She's actually a leap year baby but we celebrate on the 28th.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

My last OWOH gift received & I am going to see Ellen today!

I received my last giveaway yesterday and I was thrilled. I received this wonderful, painted/collage canvas from Jennifer Rogers-Daniels at http://artisticallydesigneddiversions.blogspot.com/. Isn't this just beautiful? I love it. Thank you so much, Jennifer!
Gail & I are off to the Ellen show today...the downside is...I do not care for her guest today. I am hoping to be put in the Riff Raff room so I can come back another day & see someone I like better than Denise Richards....that won't take much!
HAPPY Wednesday!

Recent Dolly Birth

Good Monday Morning! My sister, Gail & I spent Saturday at our friend, Minnie's house. Minnie at http://herminnie.blogspot.com/ Is one of the most generous people I know. She is always sharing new ideas, products, & her valuable time to teach Gail & I new art techniques. We LOVE you, Minnie & thank you so much! She taught us how to create these little dollies. We made the little molds & then poured in the resin. Minnie actually learned this procedure last year in a class with jewelry extraordinaire, Susan Lenart Kazmer in Seattle. There are so many possibilities with these. You can add colors, words etc. Thanks so much Minnie!

OWOH winnings rolling in

My winnings are coming in. I have received three of the four. The first one is some great little wooden good luck pieces from Birgit in Germany at http://swappinghowdies.blogspot.com/
The next one is a wonderful princess drawing from Karla at http://daydreamstudios.blogspot.com/
The third one is the gorgeous Queen of Hearts print from Abigail at http://rustedwingsstudio.blogspot.com/
I am thrilled with everything & can't thank you all enough for this wonderful experience!