Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

I had the best time last night making cards for my girls and DH. Haven't made anything since before my surgery so it was nice to play with papers again. There is something about making an item for someone you love, as opposed to all the swap items. It has so much more meaning, kwim?



Puppy got all prettified for Valentines as well. After her bath, we were finally able to keep a ponytail in her hair, although the poor hairdryer is probably scarred for life. She barked at it to death. Isn't she adorable?! The other day she 'got some learning' laying on dd's desk while she was doing school. The only problem is she prefers to chew books and papers than learn from them. Clemie also slept for awhile with the cat in the chair. They became friends. So cute together!



I swapped Valentine's packages with a friend this year. I made an altered tin with pics of her familly. I really liked the addition of the lace around the outside (3rd pic) as well as the old Christmas pin lights in the top. (Remember those ceramic trees that had little lights and you put a lightbulb up in it and the light shown the the little lights? They came from one of those.)


DD made a Valentine's Day box for our day at the Homeschool Valentine's Day skating party. She made a steam engine for our study on Inventors and ended up winning first place! She was very inventive. I only gave her the idea of poker chips for wheels (mostly because I didn't want to have to help her with dowel rods and wheels. lol) She used thread spools for the smokestack.


Hope your day is full of life, love and sweets. Happy Valentine's Day.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Etsy & Flickr Assemblage Artists

(Gorgeous piece is by Moonwild. Go buy it!)

So, I'm sitting here still, doing nothing. Thinking of all sorts of ideas for the chicken wire crown I was supposed to finish last month. And remember, I'm wanting to do some assemblage this year (its on my
goal resolutions list). So I've been etsysurfing with that in mind. Found some wonderfully delicious shops with Assemblage art!

(Stunning painting is by Ellistrations. Go buy it!)
This is a form of art I had never heard of... Pencil Boards. Amazing!

Http://www.ellistrations.etsy.com

And this! I love this (by Pixman):
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9430091

I recommend that you go to each and every shop on this list and oogle! They're all talented artists! Even buy a few things if it strikes your fancy! It's always great to support handmade artists.

I'm thinking, after I whip out the crown and finish it, I might work on this small shadowbox shaped like a house that I found while cleaning off my shelves. I could add arms and legs or maybe a head. Assemblage I just really have never done but its already February and what have I tackled from my goals? Abolutely nothing...

And not to be outdone, Flickr shows off these assemblage artists:

Abstractions Art http://www.flickr.com/photos/elainekerr/2100388332/
Lockwasher
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockwasher/158086885/
Miss JJj
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missjjj/220422761/
Catbishop
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artofcatbishop/419676577/
Mary Bogdan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marybogdan/39101351/
JuniperTrail
http://www.flickr.com/photos/junipertrail/1297735531/
Skippy T Mouse
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardenfriends/215445932/
Freya P
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7156922@N06/1549063377/in/set-72157602155121915/
JudyWilko
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7802324@N02/950553127/in/photostream/
HealingExpressions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/healingexpressions/1407410109/
UrbanWoodsWalker
http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanwoodswalker/

Don't you think we have enough to get us started in assemblage?! Are you making or have made any assemblage pieces? I would love to oogle them. Post with a link!

Friday, February 08, 2008

Recouping Activities

So, I'm still alive. The surgery went well on Wednesday. No complications and NO, I did not save my gallbladder and stones in a jar (sorry dad!) Thanks for all the well wishes. Came home last night and DH has been taking care of me ever since. I'm vegging in the bed with DH's laptop, the new Somerset Studio Gallery mag and a couple projects to do that I never take the time to do. Like cutting all my cardstock scraps up into ATC or card size. Cutting images out of discarded Antique and other mags and making notes about ideas I have. Kind of fun but who can lay down this long?! Ugh. I'm ready to be back right as rain...

Since I have lots of time on my hands, I've been catching up on show watching and blogsurfing. I'm so glad
Craig Ferguson is back on the air. I was having serious withdrawals and forced to watch reruns. He's my 'funny' for the day. Makes me crack up. A couple of my shows are still in reruns though which is annoying. PEOPLE IN HOLLYWOOD, GET IT TOGETHER! I want my shows back! Not that I'm a TV junkie but when I'm done with all the homeschooling, cleaning and art for the day, I want to veg in bed and catch up on shows. Craft Lab is still not new, neither is Stylelicious, all CSIs or several of the Food Network shows. What are you waiting to see that's still in reruns? In the meantime of no new Craft Lab, I've signed up for Jennifer Perkins 'My Space' notifications so I get to see what she is working on. If you like her style, go sign up! Lots of wonderful things she has been making and putting in her store as well. Plus she got a new puppy!

I've been blogsurfing and found several new sites as well as daily challenges, some of which I just might try. What challenges do you participate in? Any I might like?


Challenges:
http://vintagepapers.blogspot.com/
http://www.daisyinlalaland.typepad.com/ (Go look at her 2/6/08 'elephants' post. Aren't they the cutest?!)
Well, I have a small stack of movies to watch, so I better get crackin'...
To Kill a Mockingbird (classic with Gregory Peck)
Across the Universe
Next in my Netflix Queue:
No Reservations
The Game Plan
Next
The King of Kong
We Are Marshall
Man! My picks are so far away from chick-flick-ish, aren't they?! What's in your Netflix queue?