I've Been Derelict in My Blogging!

Happy Tuesday!

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. Now is the time to get fired up for Christmas! What's on your Christmas list this year? I don't have a single thing on my wish list. I am just so happy with the "toys" I have!

I wish the weather would get colder and snow would fall in the Rockies so that water supplies would be upped.

Here is a sample of the Christmas cards I'm making. Thank goodness for the Cuttlebug!



I'm playing with a cool idea that I'll share later in the week. Not sure which day I'll reveal, but I promise I'll have a great mini lesson for you by Friday! Please come back and visit.

Have a good one!

It's Time

Well, I've just left the vet's. He hasn't met us nor Purrna before. I explained her condition and her history. It's time to send her to Heaven. My heart is breaking. He'll be coming to the house tonight or tomorrow to put her to sleep. Keep us in your thoughts. We've had her for so many years. Logically, I know this is the right thing to do - for her. Emotionally - for me - it isn't. I love hr so and would want her to last forever.

Chris

3 Days and Counting

I've already started preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. I've learned to NOT do it all on Thanksgiving. I used to drive myself crazy trying to get it all done. So, I do something every day prior to the holiday. My potatoes are peeled, diced, and soaking in water. My yams have been baked. I'll assemble the yam casserole today so that all I'll have to do is bake it. The celery and onions have been sauteed and ready to go into the stuffing. The pies are ordered. I made the cranberry sauce already (with some blueberries added to the mix) and that is in the fridge ready to go. Why didn't I think of doing this so many years ago? I've been doing it this way for about the last 10 years. What a lifesaver!

My baby is still hanging in there. Saturday, I resolved myself to the fact that I would have her put to sleep on Sunday. Well, yesterday, she stood up, purred, walked around, came out into the family room and sat in front of the fireplace. I force fed her yogurt in the morning and she kept it down. Then, last night, I fed her Gerber turkey baby food which she also kept down. DH got a 5CC syringe at the drug store. It worked so perfectly and Purrna didn't fight me at all. She thought she heard me cracking crab shells (it was me breaking celery stalks) and came out to see. I offered her some crab which she sniffed and walked away. I can't put her down. She's not in pain. She's old. Maybe she had a stroke. Maybe her kidneys are giving out. I'm doing the best I can.

I did the LO below using the Prima Paintables line of PP. I had to keep tears from falling on the paper and messing up my watercoloring! I did use regular watercolors and brush with this LO. What fun! Don't be intimidated by this paper. Remember, you can use colored pencils, watercolor pencils, chalk, paint, whatever art medium you like.

There is a wonderful product called Glimmer Mist made by Tattered Angels. You could even paint using the mist and a brush. The bottles are pricey so having a huge supply is out of the question for me. I only have four bottles. I do love the effect it gives.

Here's the LO:


"L"

A Heavy Heart

There are so many more important things in this world than the sadness I am feeling. Please forgive me if I whine a bit too much. Know that I realize most of the horrible sadness faced in countries throughout the world. I do not wish to minimize their importance. My sadness is hitting very close to home. My sweet little girl cat, Annapurrna, is in the final stages of life. She stopped eating on Wednesday. She isn't hiding, but staying alone in various spots in our home. When people become "empty nesters," they tend to make their pets their children. Purrna is my sweet little friend. Even now, if DH or I pet her, she starts to purr. I've offered her all of her favorite foods. She won't take anything. She is still drinking water.

Two years ago, on Thanksgiving morning, we found Purrna barely alive. We took her to the vet who diagnosed her with renal failure. He did a type of dialysis on her and sent her home to die. That was November of 2005. The vet told us she had days to weeks, to two months - not more. Our little feline friend has lasted two years. November doesn't seem to be a good month for her. Purrna is 15. I know she has had a wonderful life. She's been happy and well cared for. I know it is her time to leave me. I just wish it didn't hurt so damn much.I'm so sad, I can't even think about Thanksgiving and the guests we going to have!

When I'd scrap, she'd lay on the paper cutter and watch me with interest. If I left an unfinished LO on the table overnight, I'd find it rearranged the next day. She is just so very sweet. She has done this twice before. We were able to pull her out of it by feeding her crab. Now, she licks her "lips" and then walks away. DH and I just don't know if we should have her put down yet. She isn't in pain. She's just "not there."

Thank you for listening to my tale of sorrow.

Our DIL was here this week studying for her oral exam for her Master's degree in English. She took her oral exam yesterday and passed with flying colors! So, to honor her gift of knowledge, I worked on this LO as a tribute to her special day. I did it through many tears.

I used a Prima Paintable sheet of CS and my water color pencils with a blender pen. I was very afraid to use water and a paint brush because if I messed up, I wouldn't be able to fix it. The colors are VERY vibrant IRL. There is beige mesh behind the lace bow. There are stick pins through the bow. The printed flowers are all painted and then covered with a matching Prima flower w/ a Doodlebug flower in the center.


Your Time to Shine

It's Hump Day!

Happy Wednesday!

Are you getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday? I need to get busy! I've done more thinking that accomplishing!

I'd love to see a humorous LO. Come on gals, The RAK is a brand new set of Pebbles chalks. Just post a link to your LO when/if you leave a comment. Maybe something funny will happen over the holiday.

At Halloween, DH decorated the front of our home with orange lights, and two displays - one on each side of the front door. He loves Halloween. My cyber friend, Cari, made the most wonderful pumpkin man. I was just gushing over it to DH. He asked me if I would like him to try to make one. Well, this is totally out of character for DH. Of course, I said, "Yes!" So, he worked hard on his pumpkin man. Then, he decided that the other side of the front door needed some decorations He went out and came home with a bale of hay and some other cute things. I decided to do a paper piecing and incorporate the two displays into the paper piecing. Here it is -



You can see his displays on either side of the door. It was so cute!

Have a good one!

Find Humor in the World Around You

OK, the title is for a purpose! I have a challenge for you. If you would like to participate, here's what you do to win a RAK from lil' ole me! Find something funny in your environment and scrap it! There has to be something amusing out there - maybe a street sign or a tree shape. Something! It could be the silly look on your pet's face! If you participate, just post a link to your LO in a comment left for this post. I know this is a busy time with Thanksgiving around the corner, but give yourself a giggle. The LO doesn't have to be much - just showcase your photo. How's that? How about until Friday, 11/30 for a deadline?

Here is my LO - for obvious reasons:


OOPS!

DH and I went to Zion National Park yesterday and this sign, "Don't Drink and Fly," was on a pole prior to entering the park. I had so much fun taking about 50 photos from every angle until I got just the right one - the one that shows the nose through the pole, the two feet going in opposite directions, and her hat's "tail" blowing in the breeze! Is this funny or what? I smiled the whole time I was working on the LO! Here is another angle of the witch. Think I should switch out photos?



Remember, if you want to participate in my challenge, find something funny in your life and scrap it! Laughter is good for the soul! Provide the link so I, and others, can view your design. I have a great RAK that is still sealed in its package (a set of Pebbles chalks! You'll like it!

Have a good one!

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

It's amazing what you can think of when you want something and just don't have it. For example, I was testing the Queen & Co. red felt flower strip I had wondering how well it would take to ink or paint. Well, the paint was OK. The ink, on the other hand, worked really, really well. I have that felt in red, orange, black, and blue. I wanted a very dark brown. I took out my dark brown Color Box ink pad in dark brown and smooshed it all over that red felt until it was really dark brown! I let it dry and then did the true test - would it rub off? I am proud to say that it didn't! You can see it in the lower left corner of the layout below. The back side of the felt is still red.

Next, I had issues with the pipe cleaners I used for my tree. Again, I didn't have the dark brown I wanted. What is a girl to do? Again, I took a dark brown ink pad and rubbed it up and down the pipe cleaners that were already twisted together to form the trunk of the tree. I let that dry, too. Success again!!!! Now, the trunk and the felt flowers match perfectly and are a nice dark brown. After looking at the LO a couple of times, I've decided to add 2 more pipe cleaners to widen the trunk. It's too narrow.

I thought the Prima leaves needed a little spicing up. Afterall, I was on a roll, right? I pulled out my Lumin Arts Shimmering Mist in Harvest Gold and, using a paint brush, painted small sections on some of the leaves. Ohhh, it looks pretty! The gold sparkles without being glitter. It just looks rich. I think you can see it on one of the leaves.

Do you use EK Success Pop Dots? Do you just use the dots and toss away the "skeleton?" Foolish girl, if you do! Use that skeleton, too! Get out your scissors and cut segments apart as you need them. Waste not, want not! All of the leaves have been elevated on the remnants of a pop dot sheet. If you knew that, why didn't you share it first?????? LOL!!!

Last month, or DS and DIL went to Seattle for a couple of days. This is such a cute photo of our DIL. Her smile can stop a truck! I decided to scrap it to put into her album. What do you think? The title is on the left edge on the rectangular stickers.


Autumn in Seattle

Have a good one!

Too Pooped to Pucker!

I am completely exhausted. It isn't even five o'clock yet and I'm thinking about getting a shower and going to bed! So much for that extra hour of sleep they "say" we get, NOT! I was up at 5 AM and on the go since then. Now, I am winding down making the transition from human to blob.

I wanted to show you a really neat little trick. Mind you, mine isn't the world's best example, but think of the possibilities!

These are part of the alphas made by Lil Davis. I wanted them to look a bit interesting by adding texture. I traced each alpha on a piece of cardstock and glued it to the back of the black letter. Then, I added glue to the inner area of the alpha. Lastly, I packed each inner area with tiny white beads. I kept having difficulty with the tiny beads sticking to my fingers because they had glue on them. The piercer was a handy tool. Think of the color schemes and other interesting things you could glue to the alpha centers!

Here is the LO on which I used the alphas:



This is a silly photo DH took on Halloween. I had on my spider hat. You can see the orange legs, but not much more. It's a cute hat!

Lastly, here is another LO I did this weekend. It's funny, I can't remember two days ago and yet, both DH and I remembered the exact date we took this photo. It was at the Mono Lake overlook on the road above Lee Vining, CA. Why did we remember it? Who knows! LOL


Nick @ 12

Well, I'm off for a bit. Leave a comment and on Sunday, Nov. 11, I'll have DH draw a name! That name will get a RAK from me! You can't lose!

Have a great week, all!