mrs. blue bird on my shoulder...

Hey there!

This week is speeding by, can you feel it too?  I had to come home from my parents and get the tree decorated, then get the outside lights up, while it was pretty mild out. Cue the missing green extension cord then a strand of lights that didn't wanna work. I played, checked the bulbs, switched out fuses and then hit Target today for a couple more strands. Guess what. I am still short a strand and then it started raining.

Well, I guess it's time to sit safely in front of the laptop and write a post. Other than loss of power, this should all work out alright tonight. haha

The SALE over at Purple Onion Designs is still going on. You have until Dec. 10th to nab 25% off of all the stamps. Here is a card that I made, using the wreath from last years Stacey Yacula set, called 'The Sweetest Season' and the little bird is from this years holiday set, called 'Winter Wishes'.

I am in love with this card! I stamped out the wreath, colored it up with my colored pencils. I colored up the bird and cut  it out. I stamped the sentiment, made it a banner and it should look like the bird is holding it in her beak. Least I hope so! I trimmed my wreath into a square shape but was careful near the bow, so it actually hangs outside the square. 

When I colored the berries, I smudged them around a little with my gamsol dipped stump. and added lots of glitter. 

Simple!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are keeping crafty for the holidays. I told you I would share with you, more painting that I did up at my mom & dads. I took my Annie Sloan chalk paint and a small table. I managed to paint a second table that was down in my parents basement. I had to resist bringing them back. 

This table was the one in the basement and I painted it in the color 'Florence', same color I painted the inside of the dresser drawers I was working on, few posts back. This table got clear wax and dark wax..it changed the color a little and i LOVED the new shade.

This table I bought for $10.00 and painted in the 'Florence' color and only used clear wax on it. It's gorgeous bright color. 

Both tables got sanding,which doesn't show up really good in these pics. I need more colors!!

Then, I took my niece to the two thrift stores in town and I found something I have been on the lookout for, for sometime now. I could not be happier!!

First of all, the Samsonite cosmetics case. My grandma had one almost identical in color, but without the linen texture. {gonna house art supplies!!!}  Then, my newest collection obsession is for vintage Pyrex refrigerator storage. This is my 4th piece and I got both of these baby's for 1/2 off on Black Friday. ahhhhhh, I love a good find.   :)

See you soon! Thanks for coming in to visit!

winter sale at purple onion designs...

Black Friday sales aren't just for the big stores!

Michele, over at Purple Onion Designs, is having a SALE of her own. You can get 25% of all her stamps until December 10th. That means after all the running around the mall and shops, you can relax in your pj's and browse some rubber, for yourself!

Here is another snowman, 'Berry' from last years collection 'The Sweetest Season' by Stacey Yacula. Berry is hold a lantern from this years winter collection called 'Winter Wishes'. {yeah, these sets can easily be used together...the ideas keep flowing}

Coloring snowmen doesn't take lots of time because you only need to add a little shadowing on them. I usually grab a light, cool grey and this time I also added some yellow for the light reflection. Just remember, if you want to use red, save it for the very last minute. You don't want to ruin your snowman or surrounding area with pink smears.

Get yourself into the holiday mood, save some $$, make some homemade cards and put a smile on a friend or family members face. Don't forget the stamp SALE runs until Dec. 10th.

This Thanksgiving I am up at my parents house, in the thumb of Michigan's mitten shape. Story and I are crafting, painting furniture, shopping and he is shoving his nose in the snow outside. There is just a little bit here, but he loves it! 

I will share painted furniture pics in my next post. See ya soon!!

litte (digi) elf finn...

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!

I know I may not get to my computer on Thanksgiving, I'll be up north at my parents. Story and I are taking off tomorrow as soon as I get outta work and pick him up. What does that mean for tonight, while I am writing this post. I am washing clothes, packing and trying to make sure I don't forget anything. Dinner and dishes are finished and I warned those not going with me, I had better come home to messy kitchen!

My plan was to share another Purple Onion Designs card, but that has to wait until Friday...*wink, wink*

Instead I can share one of my cards that are from my latest Mo Manning, Digital Pencil Too shopping spree. (and I gotta say, I see a few more images I still want!) Here is 'Little Elf Finn'...

I have a thing for these Elves and I can not resist them, their faces, outfits, swinging from a big round ornament. Finn, I am not sure if he is supposed to be a boy or girl, or that it matters. I try to keep the outfit colors simple and I always add a ton of glitter to the white furry trim.

I told you that mostly my cards are 'white' based this year, mostly because my holiday papers have white bases, but I really love the look. I am torn...rustic & homey or crisp & bright. 

I added a coat of my clear glaze pen to the ornament and there is no sentiment on the front or inside (that might change).

So tonight I have one non Christmasy card to finish up and then my coloring has come to an end for this year. Can you believe December is almost here?

Thanks for dropping in to see another card and I will see ya back here on (Black) Friday!!

more winter wishes and some chalk paint...

It's ELF season and tonight I just finished watching it and got in the holiday mood. The dusting of snow that we got on{ yesterday}monday is still frozen on the grass and my deck...Thanksgiving is still not here yet!

I have been coloring and coloring and keeping busy at my kitchen table. I have plenty of Purple Onion Designs to share and soon, some Mo Manning too. You know what had me sitting in that coloring chair for so long...watching the series 'Orange is the NEW Black', 3 seasons of 'Downton Abbey' and now starting season 2 of 'Game of Thrones'. Yep, kinda like the old days holed up in my craft room. lol

Tonight I am going to share 2 more of my Purple Onion/Stacey Yacula cards. This is Stacey's second winter collection called "Winter Wishes', over at Purple Onion Designs. Here is what I did with my 'Snowy Trio'...

I have noticed that my Christmas cards this year have got LOTS of white in them. I used a little kraft colored paper for card bases, but mostly white. I guess it's mainly because my small holiday paper stash has a white base. But, this isn't an issue...I am lovin' what I've come up with.

My singing trio is colored with my pencils, blended with gamsol and plenty of glitter splashed about.

With these guys I think the snowy hills makes the colors POP. To make the white snowmen different from the snowy hills, I added more pale grey and some soft yellows {where the sun would hit the fellas}.  I kept my brightest blue up at the top, near the trees.

For this years cards, I also pulled out my 'Stamp-a-ma-Jig' to line up the sentiment right on the card. It can be a little scary, you wanna use a gentle, even touch. If ya make a mistake, just make sure that it's thought out and you can add a tag. I have had to use this 'save', plenty of times myself. 

Then, here my one layer card that is alllllmost my favorite! The white just makes the colors come to life.

It's about as simple as you can get and I am in love with this owl, 'Snowy'. I will warn you now...he is the lead in LOTS of this years cards.  *wink*

Make the card base and stamp off the 'Winter Bough' branch randomly...use your favorite green to color in the branches and lots of bright colors for the berries and voila! Christmas lights. Snowy cuts out really easy and I glued him on separately. Use a stamp-a-ma-jig to add your favorite sentiment.

You could make these up pretty quickly.

Ok, I said that next time I showed up, I would tell you what else I have been doing. Painting furniture.

I found some refinishing site on Pinterest and 'pinned' them. I collected some small pieces to play with, while on the Worlds Longest Yard Sale in Aug. Then I had a few small tables gathered this summer, waiting to be made over.  Then I get a dresser from a guy at work, he was gonna sell it at a garage sale for $5.00. I told him to take some pics and I picked one of the two he had. After working some saturdays, I finally decided the time was here and I would start the sanding process. This dresser was a really dark walnut color, alligator skin crackled varnish. I spend a saturday afternoon sanding this dresser and then very early sunday morning, I open up my Pinterest board to look at my refinishing pins. You will never guess that I sanded for NOTHING. I went to this blog, called Hueology and the only paint she uses is by someone called Annie Sloan chalk paint. More 5 a.m. research turned up that there are 4 places in Michigan that sell this paint. Long story short, I had one store close to me and I drove there as soon as they opened. I am now in LOVE with Annie Sloan chalk paint and here is my dresser.

I painted the outside a pale grey, called Paris Grey and the inside is called Florence. 

I lightened up the top photo and this one is a non-flash photo. I antiqued this dresser with waxes that you put on over the paint. A soft clear wax and then a dark wax. You have the control over how much or how little you want the piece to be antiqued. I did not antique the inside of the drawers, those got only the soft clear wax. The paint and brushes are not cheap, but I knew this was something I needed to try out and I am SO happy I did. I have plans to redo my kitchen island and my bathroom cabinet. 

But first, we gotta finish up the Christmas cards!!

There are more to come. thanks for dropping by!!

winter wishes are here...

Happy November!

Yes, it's that time when I start thinking (and coloring up) about my homemade cards for my friends and family. I have a Pinterest inspired idea for a card with Story, but who knows if I can get him covered in lights and sitting still...lol. Until I try that, I have to stick with the plain old colored up ones! 

And guess WHAT, that talented Stacey Yacula has just the *NEW* images over at Purple Onion Designs.

(I bet you also guessed that I got to play with some and start my card stash for this holiday season...you are correct!)

Take a peek at my first card...

This card is a simple one to make many variations out of.  The *NEW* Winter Wishes set has a trio of 'adornments' and that is what I used here, with the 'wreath' from last years The Sweetest Season collection. Soooo many possibilities my friends, and I see some more playing around and mixing and matching. (yes, it's a good thing that the time change is tomorrow and I will be spending more time indoors, hehe)

I have lots more cards to finish and more ready to share...in the meantime, you can check out the entire Winter Wishes set at Purple Onion Designs and take advantage of a SALE on the entire set.

You can purchase the Winter Wishes collection for $70.00, a 25% savings, until Thursday, November 7th.

When I come back, I will show you what else I have been up to, another Pinterest find!

See you really soon!!

SENIOR-itas from Stamping Bella!!

Well, HELLO!!

This post is so crazy overdue, there isn't much I can say, other than I am finally sitting down in front of my laptop and getting it written. It has been so long since I have posted anything, I have already messed up and now I am writing this out again. {it's getting late and I am getting tired, but I am soldiering on!}

The daylight getting shorter is not helping either.

Overtime and house duties, dog park and wedding shower planning, it's what goes on here at the Williamson house. Shower in Feb, wedding on March 29th...it'll be here in no time now.

Emily emailed me to see if I would be interested in doing some cards for the lasted Stamping Bella release. I said yes, and tried to get the cards finished in a timely manner. Sitting down at my laptop has just been a different story.

I am somewhat of a closet gamer and after all is said and done, about 8pm or so, I play Animal Crossing on my Nintendo 3Ds. Building a perfect town with my animal friends is what I do now. It's how I relax. I have no shame or guilt, lol.  I have not done much crafty stuff all summer, thanks to my new toy.

I just happened to have my phone in my hand and saw an email from my far away friend, Meahni...former Bellababe from South Aftrica. Poor girl has been waiting patiently for me to post my cards and I hadn't done it yet.  Here they are, better late than never, right!

Ohhhh, first up we have SENIOR-ita Wanda. She wants to give you a big ole smooch and probably pinch your cheeks. She was the first one I colored up and I had fun with that colorful muu muu. Since I have not bought new paper in months, I used Basic Grey pads, like Mint Julep for inspiration. The prints in that 6x6 pad also look very Senor-ita-ish.  

I layered the first part of the sentiment on top of Wanda, and the second part is on the inside, it says 'MWAHHHHHH'.

Then we have Mildred & Maude SENIOR-ita's...two ladies who are friends for the long haul.

These girls got their color from a Basic Grey pad called 'Kneehighs'. OhMyGosh...this sentiment is perfect for any girlfriends you have, no matter what age. I ain't this old, and I would send it out in a heartbeat! haha  I had a very hard time tilting my image, I like things lined up and even...but I made myself do it.  I split the sentiment up again and the second half is on the inside, it says 'they always stick together'. 

Then we have the Trick-or-Treating duo...

I had to dig through some old paper and find proper Halloween styles and colors. These 'TRICKORTREATarita's' didn't come with their own sentiment and I made one up and printed it off on my computer. {I did this about a week after these pics were taken.} I printed out a sentiment that says 'Trick or Treat...you're never to old!'  I am not a huge Halloween fan, yet I LOVE Halloween images and Halloween cards.

I still get the occasional question on the glitter technique I use on my cards. It's a technique that is as simple as they come, with the correct supplies. A fine glitter and a Sakura Quickie glue pen is all it takes to add as little or as much sparkle as you want. The glue pen has a ball point tip and leaves a small blue dot of glue. I pounce it where I want it, fan it out and add glitter. That is it!  Cards look alive with shimmer and everyone loves glitter, don't they??

Please, check out the Stamping Bella site and check out the whole SENIOR-ita line and all the other new images. Since I retired from being a full time Babe, Emily now sells her images with cling on them. Ready to pop on an acrylic block and stamp away.  

Have fun!!

yellow, summer, lemons...

It's officially vacation time for me and I have still not walked out the door and hit the road.

Jim took the car in this morning to get an oil change at 7am, maybe he's buying a new car instead? I dunno. I took Story for a morning walk and still no Jim. What is a girl to do next? ahhhhh, how about share that Stamping Bella card I made!

These lemons are bursting with summers favorite color, the color of the sun! It took me a long time to embrace yellow. I still wouldn't wear a yellow shirt, but I love the many shades that yellow has to offer.

Blue is super friendly with yellow, so I used it a little bit in the bowl and trim. I added some glitter to my bowl too, did ya catch that?

I went to Stamping Bella's website and I can't find this image in Emily's inventory. But she has lots of NEW designers and other images to look at. 

I may eventually write something on the inside of this card, before I post it on my Etsy site...that will need to wait until I get back from my trip.

I packed my NEW Sharpie '80 GLAM' set, some pencils and a small watercolor set. You never know what can happen and if I end up sitting in a hotel room, or waiting on Jim...I need to be ready, right? lol

Tonight I am going to be in Nashville, then on to Memphis and down to Louisiana. { Duck Commander land!!} Before we get to Nashville, I am going to follow the 'Worlds Longest Yard Sale". The sale starts in Michigan and goes all the way to Alabama. I hope to get some great pics to share with you...this is my first time to all of these places. 

See you soon!!!

woo woo made a boo boo...

Well, well...here I am with a red face, wondering why I thought I shared a different card and not the same two in a row. Have I ever done this before? I can't remember.

I added a link to my Etsy store, on the right and a notice that I accept paypal. Then I realized that I didn't have a spot where you can get on the mailing list. Etsy & paypal send all these emails out on how to spread the word about your store and draw people in. I, being not the quickest at the figuring out how to add stuff onto my blog, actually figured it out! I mean we are not talking about jumping out of a plane, why did I put it off. Yep, that is one of my downfalls.

As promised, here is the card I thought I already shared, Shadow the owl.

He is just a patient as can be, waiting to deliver his message to someone special.  Owls are so 'in'

and they have been for a while. They are cropping up in everything and I saw a new batch 'pinned' on one of the boards I follow. I still gotta go back and check them out.   :)

This little man comes on his own, if you purchase him and I thought he would look good hanging out on the sign, also sold individually. I surrounded him with my distress ink, in Antique Linen and added some sparkle with my glitter and Quickie Glue pen. Now the sign has an area to add your own message, but my 'smile' just didn't fit it right. So, I made the pennant and popped it up. 

This round of cards is free of ribbon, so I cut out some flowers from the patterned papers I was using. {October Afternoon} I added a bit of shading to the base of the flowers, with my pencils and popped them up, just slightly.

Check out all of Stacey Yacula's NEW summer series, called 'A Sweet Summer', over at Purple Onion Designs.  I can't wait to see what else the design team has come up with!!

Next up, a sure symbol of summer. See ya soon!!

what a dingbat I am...

I just realized I posted the same card TWICE. What was I thinking?? 

I dunno, but I will need to fix this a.s.a.p. later on today.

{no, i wasn't drinking and adult drinks either...lol}

another furry friend...

Happy Sunday!

I have been keeping myself busy today, cleaning and finishing up 3 more cards. The tv has been keeping me company with a marathon of 'Bar Rescue' on Spike tv.  There are so many of these shows I had never seen, since I stumbled across it a few months back. 

Todays card is yet another cute furry friend from Purple Onion Designs. 

This is Peanut and he is sitting near a forest of trees. I had to do a quick mask with a post-it note, in order to layer the trees, but it was worth the few minutes. Peanut is stamped and cut out and layered on top of the scene. {I also layered his head higher, with a few pieces of paper glued underneath} I fashioned a brown flagpole and hung my 'smile' pennant on it.

This is all colored in pencils, with gamsol and the soft edging inside my oval is distress ink. The little sparkle that you see is made with a 'Quickie Glue' pen and some Hero Arts glitter. Just dot & pour!

You can check out Peanut and all the other pieces to this NEW set, A Sweet Summer, over at Purple Onion Designs. Hop on over to their blog and see what ideas the design team has come up with too!

see you soon with a Stamping Bella image!

Have an awesome week...

a sweet summer continues...

Hey friends!

What can I say, another week has flown by and I can hardly believe it. I have come to realize, over the years, that if I get outta work @ 3:30 and get right home, the evenings are soooooo much longer. Throw in a trip to the grocery store {and browsing the back-to-school supplies!!} and that lost 1 1/2 hours,  feels like my night was cut in half.  Ok, it's not as if this just dawned on me today, it's just that today I ran to the grocery store. 

Story and I just came in from our evening walk, and it's time for my summer love...Big Brother! I can listen to the show and type up this post, I'm talented like that. Unlike others in my household, my eyes don't need to be glued to the screen.

So lets take a peek at another Purple Onion Design, ok!  This is what first caught my eye when I was introduced to Stacey Yacula's art. Her little birds.. Here is Sky & Star sitting on their perch.

I didn't tell you this with the first card, but for the three Purple Onion cards that I have done so far, I picked all the papers out first. I used all older pads of my October Afternoon stash. I would be hard pressed to remember which papers are from which pattern families, I just know I loved the vintage soft feel of all of OA papers andI think the pair really well with this NEW set, 'A Sweet Summer'.

I am still using pencils, gamsol and paper stumps. I have sold my copic markers, except for the few that I use on skintones.  I wasn't sure if I should mix the Stacey Yacula stamp lines, {this is her third one} so I wrote the sentiment with a .005 permanent marker. The flower embellishment is one I saved from a mixed media project and the pink flowers seemed to bring out the soft pink on the birds. It adds some dimension, not mail friendly, but I went with it. I also cut out a few basic leaves.

If you haven't popped over to see the full line of 'A Sweet Summer', you might be surprised at how many pieces there are. The images are all sold individually so you can buy as much or as little as you like. {I LOVE that option!} Visit Purple Onion's store HERE and visit the blog HERE.

I will get to more cards before I head out next thursday, for a trip down to Nashville, Memphis and Louisiana! I am going to the Duck Dynasty store...wooHOO! All new territory for me, never been that far west in Tennessee. I am starting the first leg of my trip, following the Worlds Longest Yard Sale. It runs from Michigan to Alabama...that is A LOT of shopping. 

Here is a few pics of Story at the dog park that has a dog dock. I was expecting a beach, where I could walk barefooted, while he ran along the shore. I was SO not expecting a dock with ramps into cloudy water. My boy had never swam and he just jumped in and it scared him a little...it was not like his pool. lol!

a

After the first jump into the water, he was a little hesitant. Here he was either watching the other dogs swimming or a ball floating away.

He swims and I don't. 

One happy boy!

see ya soon!!!!

new purple onion rubber...

hey friends! A month has flown by and I know I have been laying low in this heat/humidity. yuck, it has been nasty in michigan. As I type, a storm is brewing, I am keeping my fingers crossed that power stays on, I hear lots of crackling and thunder. 

So, do ya know what had me pulling out my pencils again??  woohoo, some new summer images were released from Purple Onion Designs and they are by Stacey Yacula! You know, she makes those sweet faced animals and friends. {last year i bought some of her ornaments from her etsy shop, but none for myself, yet} 

I have worked on some cards all week, little by little, and the mess/supplies in my kitchen, have grown. haha, yesterday I sat and assembled and sewed...me feet were a little swollen from the weather. But...I got some cute cards to share with ya and here is the first one.

Here is Star & Sky, sitting on the perch. This little blue bird is what first got my attention when I saw Stacey's work, so of course it was the first image I picked out. Now birds naturally fly around and rest on branches, so I needed that too. Michele, at Purple Onion Designs, sells these all individually, not in sets. You'll see over the next week, or so, what I paired up, but you might have a different vision.

I added my own simple sentiment on this card, 'you are so sweet', because I didn't order the whole sentiment set.

My cards are all made with October Afternoon pads of paper. Older lines, not bought any paper since May. I made my flower from cardstock,felt and a button. {this is a repurposed embellishment from a mixed media project} I did my mental debate...use it/don't use it. It does add a lot of bulk to a card. 

I thought that the pinks brought out the pale pink in Star & Sky, the little birds. 

I also tried to keep a hold of my sizing and make cards that fit into envelopes I have in my drawer. I can really get carried away on size. lol

Hop on over to Purple Onion Designs to see all of this summer set, called 'A Sweet Summer'. {really,  only have a few of the images and there are TONS more!} Here is the link to the Purple Onion blog..

Now, since my puppy is 11 month's I gotta share a few pics of him. He is why I have been absent and spending the warm evenings outside in his pool.

Story in June

Doing what a dog does...

Getting wet!

Next time I will share pics from last weekend when we finally ventured to a dog park that had a dock for dogs to swim from. Yup, I let him swim in some mucky looking swamp water.  

:)

happy weekend!!

perfecto mo manning...

Story and I just returned from another muggy walk. We walk in the evenings when the sun is low and not as busy in the neighborhood. I discovered a few months ago that walking to close to cars near main roads, gets him excited and he wants to chase them! I think he thinks they are just loud toys, haha 

Daddy brought him home a pool and I can't wait to get him outside to try it out, he LOVES the hose and playing in his water bowl, walking in and out of the tub, shower.

Enough about the pooch! 

Here is my latest card...I love her, love her! She is a Mo Manning image that I downloaded a long time ago. I don't know what her name is but she was a digi. The 'perfecto' was cut out with my Vagabond and a sizzix font.

I am a little torn right now, because I have my coloring stuff out on the table, yet I want to get some more canvases going for mixed media yumminess.

My Etsy store is getting some sales and I want to keep new stuff flowing in there...and it takes me a while to get things completed. 

I think I told you that I put a new floor in Jordan's bathroom and now I am putting the same floor in my bathroom.

Hey, I think I'm gonna color for a while, so I will be back soon!

:)

maira's fairy...

Dear Summer, welcome to Michigan! Be a sweetie and keep an eye on that humidity level. I'll let today slide.  Thanks!!

Yep, I think the summer has officially been let loose around here and schools are out. It doesn't seem possible, but I keep seeing pics and posts on Facebook that say it's so. I was pretty miserable a year ago, I knew my Niki boy was not doing well and I was going to have to say goodbye, for now. We now have this huge puppy who keeps us entertained and has the most kissable face.

Right there, on top, between his nose and his eyes. 

This poor boy will be getting his walk when I finish writing this post. {remember, I said it was humid out there?}

I finished a card for a friends at word, for her adorable, dark haired granddaughter. I started coloring it a few months ago and I finally pulled it out to finish and get turned into something suitable for mailing. haha   I got my picture loaded onto my laptop, then decided to see about syncing my ipod. Major FAIL, I deleted all of my songs!  It took a while to get them all loaded back onto my ipod so I worked on another card. All was not lost, right...I got another card almost finished! 

Here is a Mo Manning image that I downloaded from her Digital Pencil Too website. It was a group of 4 fairies. 

I think for this photo,  I goofed up and 'enhanced' it, when editing, and it turned the little girls hair more reddish. But really, her hair is darker, to match Maira's hair color. 

I used some new Basic Grey paper, called Kneehigh. I bought two pads at a scrapbook show, and it's been AGES since I purchased a pad of paper. I pulled my Vagabond into the kitchen and cut the name out with a Sizzix alphabet die. 

It's nice to color a little again! I have missed my pencils and my bottle of gamsol. {and on a side note...I sold my copics off. They are still living in Michigan and making someone very happy!}

I want to get another card finished tonight, it's another Mo image that I downloaded a long time ago. She has been colored and filed away with other unfinished images...time to dust her off, because she is gorgeous, if I say so myself!   

i was in the mood to make a few cards...

The weekend is almost coming to an end and today was one of those quiet days here, doing a little this and that. Today actually had me in a mood to do a little coloring, yikes! it's been a long time. I have a birthday card that I owe someone and I colored it last year, yet to make it into a card to give her. lol. What I colored was a really cute princess digi, that I bought from Mo Manning's Digital Pencil Too. 

I am not finished with my princess project, so I will show you that next time. But, here is a birthday card, colored with a Mo Manning image from Stamping Bella.

This is the 'cupcake thief' and the sentiment that I stamped on her is from a set by The Cats Pajama's. 

If you could see the state of my stamps these days, you would understand why I'm lucky to have found a sentiment to match, at all! I am down to one drawer in my IKEA dresser, that's all the space I allowed myself when I had to downsize because of my craft room situation. {situation being, large dog crate in my living room, large roll top desk in my small craft room}

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

Here is card number 2...

This is an Uptown Girl image from Stamping Bella, colored last year and also finally made into a card. I went with this blue paper, not my usual color choice, but it's from a newer pad of basic grey, Mint Julep.

This past week has had me finish up another one of those poppy watercolors that I shared last post. This time I finished the 12" x 12" wooden canvas one. This week I need to get some more She Art girls started and I have a floor to install in my daughters bathroom. {it was supposed to be today's project, but I wasn't going to pull the toilet out, myself}

Here is another picture of Story, with my new Nikon camera. see you soon!!

poppies or lips...

maybe I shouldn't have put the thought into your head, because lips are all you'll see now! lol But when I was working on my larger wooden canvas, one looked SO much like a pair of lips, I couldn't stop looking at them. {needless to say, after a major fail on that canvas, thanks to Linda...I had to redo that first attempt.}

What we have here is a online workshop from Donna Downey, called Canvas Create, June.  Linda suggested that when we got together again, we do this...she wanted to make art for her bedroom, I think. We layered tape, used Golden's absorbent grounds, got out our watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils. We watched the video and tried to listen to our teacher, we stopped and drew poppies and then we laughed at our hot messes. Linda was the first to decide she messed her flower up and gesso'd over it all. I was right behind her when she handed me a color that was not included in our set of neocolor II crayons. I scribbled the color all around the edge and pretty much at the same time, we realized...it did NOT blend. Oh, look Linda, you purchased the right color, Payne's Grey, but it was a neocolor I. I never knew what a neocolor I was, until saturday...it's not water soluble. I wasn't keeping that, so I did a couple gesso layers and then the absorbent grounds and started over. blah, I didn't like the white layers getting rid of my background. I tore all my tape off and started over, after Linda left. It's almost done, but I thought I would share this thinner version. 

So, do you see lips, or do you see some delicate poppies?

Next up, I am working on a little project for my friends daughter. 

I came up with the idea to make a skeleton camera, and while I see a camera, I can't say anyone else does. I am beginning to think there's something wrong with me! It's a decoration to hand around a horse's neck, which is the schools symbol. Seniors can decorate this large cutout mustang, for their senior-all-night-party. Since this senior is going on to college for photography, this was my idea...lightweight and disposable.

Sunday, I painted my second bathroom. It took me a while to get it started because I needed to run ut and get new brushes. I totally forgot that the ones that I had, my favorite Purdy brand...were used on staining the deck last summer. oooops. Jim and I went to see Hangover 3, and that may have been the biggest oooops, though. Not the worst movie ever, but nothing like the first two.

I was pretty productive this weekend, and now I gotta finish that large poppy watercolor. 

holy moley....

...i'd ask where time went, but i know where it went when i look at Story! our puppy is now a whopping 9 months old, jim finished chemo in mid march & he is all clear now!! he is dealing with some nerve damage in his hands and feet and still going back and forth with his oncologist to get some sort of help. {i can't help but think it's an annoyance that is better than having a tumor lurking}

i did my round at the doctors and also went for a colonoscopy myself. my mother scared the be-jesus outta me, telling me that my grandmother had a tumor in her colon, way back when. since my mom also had a tumor and a portion removed...i fessed up to my dr. and she said it was best for me to get things checked out, well before i turn 50. poor jordan, she will have this on both sides and have to start this early. anywho, things are fine and i don't need to return for 5 years.

besides work, dog walks and all the normal house things...i FINALLY opened an Etsy store. all crafting is at my kitchen table and i have been busy. haha, so i named the shop 'busygirlart'! it's still new and going into the second month. learning, i am still learning.

funny thing is, i had been taking pics of all the stuff i was making, for posting on here, and i just never cracked open the blog to share. {if you are friends with me on facebook or instagram...then you have seen most of my projects.}

i have spent the better part of this evening, loading some new things onto Etsy so i will share my most recent downloaded photos, with a sampling of mixed media canvases i have just finished. oh, and a few pics of Story!

I'm back!!

i did some winter girls on canvas, so i figured i should maybe try some summer girls. i am also really partial to houses, maybe from my HGTV addiction!

here's our Story...

how can i come home and ignore this face?