Happy Halloween!

Soon our bell will be ringing, and little ghosties and goblins will be looking absolutely adorable while snagging some yummies for their tummy! Our area is celebrating Halloween tonight since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year. So, tonight is the night! I miss not having little ones of our own to take photos of in their costumes! That's a definite downside to becoming a senior citizen! Think parents would mind my taking shots of their children for MY scrapbook pages, LOL - NOT!

I had a bad week. Early in the week, my vision decided to plummet. I couldn't see to read or do much. I hate when I have those flare ups, but am blessed in that there are meds available now that mitigate the problems and quiet the flare up - eventually. My vision was somewhat good yesterday and almost normal today. It doesn't take much, though, before those tired, old eyes of mine go back to their blurriness. I felt as if I was looking through water or a margarine smear on a windshield. Not fun! I was wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time just to see the computer screen. Now, I've just got my reading glasses on. Progress.

I worked on this wall hanging for a challenge for the Magnolia Blog. The requirements were to use at least one Magnolia stamp and have a kitchen/cooking theme. I chose to make something for my kitchen. I went to a local antique store and purchased this silver serving fork. It's about 7 1/2 inches long. Then, I found the perfect frame for it. This frame is 13 x 7 1/4 inches. I used adorable rooster paper and some yellow gingham paper with red rick rack as the divider. My stamps are Chef Edwin and Chef Tilda which were colored in Copic markers. I added a sweet little bow with a matching yellow flower at the knot. My plans are to continue creating other framed utensils to create a wall grouping in my kitchen. The downside is that that fork will have to be polished as it is silver - pretty, but silver! LOL Here it is:


Stick a Fork in It!

Next, is a card I started before my eyes got all wonky. I had most of it done and just had to add the finishing touches which I was finally able to do. It's for another challenge on another site - Totally Tilda Challenge Blog . The challenge was to utilize pearls as well as the color pink on a card. It is Challenge #8. You should see the gorgeous things gals have created for this challenge!

For this card, I chose to use Basic Grey papers, pale pink cardstock, a gorgeous Tilda stamp (I think it is Fairy Tilda), some glitter, pearls, die cutting, and roses. I colored the centers of the roses with my Copic markers so that they would match the paper colors. Tilda was also colored with Copic markers. The pearls are in the exterior low points of the shape behind Tilda. Here she is:


Pink and Pearls



Well, there are munchkins making their way to our door. I need to help DH with the treat distribution.

Have a wonderful evening! Thank you so much for stopping by. Your visits mean the world to me.

Blessings,
Chris

Stop the Political Spending!

OK, I'm on my soapbox again! I'm not going to go on and on about anything, but I want to leave you with a simple point to ponder.

Why do the current midterm candidates scream, "Stop the spending!" or "Washington's spending is out of control!" when the very people screaming those remarks are guilty of the very same exorbitant spending in attempts to BUY their political office? $140 million from one candidate. $25 million spent on the campaign of another. Do you see any hypocrisy here? If the candidates are willing to spare no expense to BUY their seat, how can they have the audacity to criticize Washington? ~ just a thought. Think of what that money could do for the children of this nation...you know, those very children that are the future of this nation...

Thank goodness, Fall is finally here! Last night, we had a wonderful thunder and lightning storm! The rain came and went for a couple of hours. Wonderful! The air is clean today. The windows are open, and it is GORGEOUS! Did I mention that it is cooler outside, too? Yay!

I have some goodies to share with you today. First is a Tilda card. This stamp is named Tilda in Dalecarlia Coat. I also used the Magnolia stamp of the blanket covered bench. I used liquid embroidery on the blanket, heated it with my embossing gun to fluff it up. The images were colored with Copics. It's hard to see, but I added ultra fine clear glitter to the embroidered details on her coat and hat to add some sparkle.


Thank You Card

Next, I have a couple of scrapbook layouts to share with you. Life Preservers Scrapbook Club had an online crop this weekend and I scrapped my heart out. Here are just a couple of layouts I did:


My Paella

This challenge was to scrap food! Well, that was right up my alley! One night, I had made a wonderful Paella after DH came home from the store with bags of seafood! I put some of it to good use right away! I was so happy with how pretty the Paella turned out that I had to photograph it! Doesn't that look delish?


OUCH! There's a Stake in My Heart!

This challenge was to scrap a non Halloween photo but use Halloween items for the actual layout design. Well, I thought this photo was just the thing! I love, love, love this donut from Voodoo Donuts in Portland,OR. It is just the cutest thing! There is a pretzel stick stuck in its chest for the stake. Then, raspberry filling is oozing out around the stake's hole! Yummy! Is that cute or what?


How Does Your Garden Grow?

This LO is a tribute to the gardening endeavors of our DS! He proudly sends photos of things he is growing in his yard. I thought these photos were perfect with the paper! Aren't those colors wonderful?

Thank you, sweet visitors, for stopping by. I so appreciate your visits! I hope you will come back soon!

XO,
Chris

Getting Political about Education!

OK, this is my blog, and I can say what I think, right? As long as it isn't a personal attack, a profane comment, or a statement that is just plain whacko, I should be OK. What I'm going to share is my frustration with the increasing separation between the wealthy and the middle and lower classes regarding wasteful spending, out of touch wealthy people, and the children of this nation!

I spent my adult life teaching children. I loved each and every day that I went to work. Children are precious to me. The children of this nation are the FUTURE of this nation! If we don't start caring for them, nurturing them, and providing for their needs, our nation will disintegrate!It will happen in YOUR lifetime or, at the latest, your children's lifetime!

When I hear the amounts political candidates are spending on their campaigns, I want to cry. Have we come to the point where we just buy a political office? Is that what America has become? It doesn't matter if you don't have the intellectual ability to represent your constituents, or adequately do the job, as long as you had the money to buy the position! It makes me ill! With $140 million being spent by one candidate, $25 million by another, how does this glut of campaign funds better our children's futures? It doesn't.

Today, Hoda Kotbe on Today, recalled a time she was visiting an elementary school in the good old USA. It began to rain outside. She was stunned when the little children working at their desks, automatically pulled out rain caps from their desks because the roof leaked so badly! Everything in that room got wet, including the children, the students' work, and their supplies. How can this happen in our country? How can we allow it to happen in this country? We need to open our eyes and do something! Did anyone care that there was probably mold growth throughout that one school - sickening those children and staff members?

Our schools are crumbling. They are in a literal state of disrepair. They are under budgeted. Teachers have to spend funds from their own meager salaries to help make their classroom be a better place. Many schools can't even supply pencils. My goodness, this isn't a third world country. Yet, there are glimpses of such a country reflected throughout this nation's schools. How does your local elementary school shape up?

Would you want to show up day after day as a student - or even a teacher - knowing that your school was infested with rats or other disease laden critters? Would you want to go to work in a room that was broken down on so many structural levels? I seriously doubt it. Yet, there are real troopers out there - sucking it up and going in each and every day so that the children of this nation, our children, can have a better future, but will they? Children go in so that they can learn. Teachers go in so that they can work with their young charges.

Yes, $140 million for one, $25 million for another - for what? Those are just two figures for two candidates! How many textbooks and roof repairs could be accomplished with just a small portion of those war chests. Imagine what is truly and totally being spent every time there are elections in this country.

How can we have allowed it to come to this? Where are those that can afford to give a little to help those children and schools in need throughout this country? What would it take?

I think we've become a nation of greed. The man or woman with the most money wins. Where are the Oprah and the Gates' Foundation mindsets? For those who just keep adding to your coffers, think abut this - You've been blessed with riches - share them - just a little bit with the children. Bill and Melinda Gates have it right. Oprah has it right. Too bad they are among so few.

This class division, flamboyant and political spending are just three more nails in the coffin of our country. Did you really need to spend $5,000 for a handbag?

God help the USA!

XO,
Chris