Aggie Football

It's College Football Kick-off Day! Gig 'em, Aggies!

Finally....

I know I said I'd put some of my favorite Etsy shops up .... like a week ago.... well, here they are. Took awhile cause I had to shop while going through them!!!!

Bluhm Studios Two Cool Texans All Norahs Art Colette Copeland

Kandeland

The Peach

Moss Hill Studio Cece Grimes Jot and Tittle Jennifer Conway Hadley Hutton

Junque Art Life Art Designs Deryn

Okay...I'm tired...there are some others...but they will have to wait. So many of my Silver Bella friends have etsy shops! But I think these above are a nice group and maybe they are some you haven't seen. (there are only two Silver Bellas in the group above...see if you can pick them out! Silver Bellas are not allowed to guess. There will be a prize!!! There might be 3 Silver Bellas...need to check on that.)

This Blog is Rated E for Excellent

Jeanie

at The Marmelade Gypsy gave me this award! Isn't she sweet... you really need to go visit her. She is one of those people that I just met online one day....stumbled upon her on someone else's blog and we have some things in common..... so we keep in touch! Aren't those some of the greatest blessings - the unexpected finds!

So...I am supposed to pass this award on.... so here goes:

Anna Tremblay's Nest Happenings! My sweet, sweet girlfriend that moved away from me last year.

Sarah's Joy for the Journey! She is a soulmate... I feel sure.

Natalea's Kandeland! Of course!!!! My Silver Bella BFF!

Julia's Miz Juney - one of my new Silver Bella Buddies - haven't met yet....but she just lives on the other side of town from me. (Houston is BIG)

Nathalie's An Artist's Legacy - only one of my bestest ever online friends!

Katie's Ragmuffin Gal - a new friend this year - and such a sweet, giving person.

Owl Inchies and Glitter!

I really have been doing some art stuff....just a little here and a little there. So finally took some pictures today. Above are my owl inchies for a swap on Christian Paper Artists Yahoo Group. Have to send in 5, so the guy in the bottom right that is glared is for me to keep. My worktable is covered - which I know you find hard to believe - I'm slowly working on a couple of glitter houses to send in to the above yahoo group for a flat glitter house swap. The recipient will glue the edges together and put the roof on. I'm also slowly working on pennants for the Autumnal Banner swap on the same list - and I'm the hostess for that one. I love pennants! Great shape and so celebratory - doncha think? And then there is this. Sometimes I make what I call "warm-ups" just to get me going. Can't decide if I should add something hanging off the bottom. I mean - it's a "warm-up" for crying out loud. But I'll probably send it as a RAK - I'm obligated to send one more off my rak list by the end of October. So...that's what I've been up to. That and going to the blasted Physical Therapist for my rotator cuff. He said today that he thinks I need an MRI. My doctor was waiting to see how I did in PT. Well...... my pain is actually abit worse. Today Peggy (PTA) did put one of those tape braces on me. So now I'm cool like Kari Walsh. I'm going to wait and post this Wednesday - I already posted today - don't want to strain another muscle.

Bells, bells, bells!!!

Am I the only one that wants one of those hats? I know I could get a lot of wear out of it. If you see them show up on Ebay - let me know!!!! I love bells. Ask my daughter... I'd be shaking my head all the time.

Actually, I think I could use the boots, too. I go to a lot of events. hee hee!!!

Hope you saw these girls in the Closing Ceremonies at the Olympics!

It's Back to School Time!

One day this past week I took lunch to my daughter's classroom and ate with her. She's beginning her 7th year of teaching - 4th grade! Seems like just yesterday SHE was in 4th grade. I forgot to take my camera....... so you get a spelling book picture instead. I inhaled a brand new math textbook - she teased me with the thought of actually visiting the BOOKROOM! There is no smell I enjoy more than that of a new textbook! Speaking of the passing of time..... My friend, Nathalie , is celebrating her 1st Year Anniversary as a blogger! Go over and leave a comment - she's giving away GLITTER!!!!! Well....to all my teacher friends - have a great year!

Online Shopping

Need to go shopping?

I find most of my favorite online shopping from other people's blogs. Thought I'd share my favorites today. There are so many wonderful ways to spend your money online! It's a new day and aren't we rejoicing to be in it!

These are NOT Etsy shops..... I'll do those another day.... maybe tomorrow!!

I met Amy at Silver Bella in 07 and bought one of her little "sugar houses"... which I do not see any of in her shop right now. But click on all of her links. She is amazing!

I just drool here, haven't ordered yet. Love the aprons! While you are there, click on her blog. She has tutorials for apron and pin cushion.

Heather Bullard was also at Silver Bella 07. Bought her stuff. She is also wonderful. You'll spend some time here.

Hannah Grey!

I have bought from Lisa!

One Hundred Wishes is where I spend most of my paper art stuff money.

Hope Wallace is one I also met at Silver Bella 07. I buy her cards and rubber stamps!

Paper Whimsy!!!!

Papier Valise has everything you need!

French General... surely you've been here!

If I ever get to NYC, this is where I'm going!

Savannah College of Art and Design ... discovered them when we visited Savannah last May!

Therapy and Wax

I added a word! LaRinda suggested that .... where is my head? I shoulda known that. And I also put some green ink back there in the form of a leaf. I think I'm happier with it now. You can see it a couple of posts down without the word on it. I can't help that I'm still in love with the Pink Squared Doll. Did you go buy Art Doll Quarterly? Well, did you AT LEAST go stand in the bookstore and read the article? Monica talks about it again here...with reference to me and my mother's crocheted flower.

So now I'm in my second week of physical therapy. I hope this works. I can hardly put my right hand on my hip. You know I need to be able to do that. I can't pull the seatbelt down with that hand or turn off my alarm clock or undo my bra.

What are you reading?

A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

I grew up a voracious reader. I remember in third grade reading a whole slew of Little House on the Prairie type books.... only I don't think they were. I know they made a lot of maple syrup. I loved whatever books they were. I read all the Nancy Drew books - I loved her!!! I read the Hardy Boys and the Boxcar Children. I credit the Boxcar Children with my love of making things out of junk. We used to play like we were the Boxcar Children in my neighborhood in Fort Worth. I read all the "horse books"! I read Gone With the Wind the summer after 8th grade and again the summer after 9th. I didn't know what a prostitute was and I asked my mother in front of the lady next door. The lady next door was astounded that I didn't know what that was. (this was in the 60's)

If you are looking for a great FICTION read - I highly recommend Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Best book I've read in YEARS. I liked The Secret Life of Bees - but it's a 5 compared to this 10! And The Memory Keeper's Daughter was a huge disappointment for me.

Anyway....now I've updated my blog - I felt such peer pressure. Thank you, Miss Nathalie! Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some art done. I started physical therapy Monday - I go 3 times a week for a rotator cuff injury that I've been suffering with for 8 months. Finally went to the doctor last month. Cortizone shot did nothing. So.... I don't need to sit stooped over cause I'm sore because Peggy the therapist digs her fingers into my shoulder and scoops out the pain!!!! Go back tomorrow! 3 more weeks of this - but I think it's helping!

None of your beeswax!

FINALLY.... I drug out the crockpot from the 70's - which amazingly I still had. It was stashed in the back of a cabinet behind the new one with the removable insides. Praise God for innovation! Anyway, it works great to melt beeswax. I had only done this in a class with Claudine Hellmuth years ago and so now I'll be doing it a lot. ???? Anyway... above is what I coated in wax. And... I used the wax to secure the twig (blown down by TS Eduoard) and the buttons and the lace! I may still add something below the bird - you knew there would be a bird. I have to get busy on my RAKs for the Christian Paper Artists List. Made a few yesterday. The little bird is on an ATC and the boy on the sled is a tag. The girl in the back is a piece I haven't finished yet. I'm not sure I'll part with it right away - I really like it.

I got the things in the photo above as a RAK from LaRinda Chapin this week. Great stuff ... yes, that's a Merry Christmas banner! woo hoo! You know it will be here very, very soon. And that newspaper/magazine is The American Woman and it's a December 1915 edition. She left the dollar price tag on it .... she got a deal! I love it and will be copying it at Kinko's soon!!!

I am sure you can figure out that there was no damage to speak of from Eduoard. Just a rainy day of tv watching with the family - and no power loss for us. Thank you, God!

Edouard Heads This Way

I finished my atc's for the "Green ATC Swap" that Anna is hosting on Christian Paper Artists and got them in the mail to her last Friday. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. Above are 3 of the 6 I sent. As you can tell by looking at my banner - this is just a repeat of a theme I use all the time. I love to put birds in nests of scripture! I used the inside of lightbulb packages for my background and sprayed them with Glimmer Mist.

Well, Tropical Storm Edouard (yes, that's how you spell it) is headed towards us. So I gotta go fill my car up with gas, buy another tank of propane for the grill, and get some things we can eat without cooking if the power goes out and it's storming. Say a prayer for the Gulf Coast today.

It's Pink Artist Day!!!!

I must tell you that today is the day that you can start contributing to breast cancer research and have a chance to win our doll or another great prize - go here Girl Gone Thread Wild. I was thrilled to participate in the making of the Love Squared Doll, along with about 181 others. Be sure and check it out.

-The Pink Artist Project:- is a group of artists coming together to create two by two inch art squares, mailed in from around the world that when stitched together have built ONE magical creation, our lady Love Squared. An art doll MADE WITH LOVE and uniquely devoted to the cause of finding a cure.

I'm on Page 3 of the web site. My square isn't very exciting ... but I think my mother would be happy. I used one of her crocheted flowers and stitched it on a square. We lost her to lung cancer in 2003. She was always an artist of some kind as long as I knew her. She was either painting with oils or watercolors; or she was crocheting or embroidering... she would love this doll. She did make those crocheted dolls that I never grew to love..... haha.... but they gave her such joy to make and give. And isn't that what it's all about .... giving to others in love!

See the prizes you can win. The info on where to send your Breast Cancer donation is on the just listed link. All you have to do for a chance to take home any one of the magnificent prizes is make a donation between August 1-October 15, 2008 and for every $10 donation you send in your name will go into our art drawing TWICE.

P.S. this is hours after I posted above - I picked up my copy at Barnes & Noble and I was blown away when I read the article - it quotes me....about my mom. Isn't that incredible! I was so excited.