Alex the Eagle Scout

My Grandson became an Eagle Scout at the age of 15.
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We are so proud of him and the support he received from his family..Brit, Mom and Dad, who, I think had just as much fun as Alex did!!!!

The ceremony is moving. The speakers are there to honor the institution as well as the young men that have achieved this high honor.

To hear about the ability to reach this goal is unbelievable to say the least.

If I ever have a heart attach or medical emergency.....I want Alex there to keep the cool and intelligent head that he has been trained to use.

He is an amazing young man and we should all be proud of his ambitions to serve his community and his fellow scouts.

It was a wonderful day!!!!!

Shopping and Playing Around

Dragging out things to experiment with is always so much fun.

This is a snippet of Ten Seconds Studio Dijon metal that was stamped, embossed, sprayed with Perfect Pearls and ReInker, Alcohol Inked with the Fillable Pen, and sanded here and there.

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The side view shows how the leaves are puffed.

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The Black Sharpie pen makes all the colors pop.

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Kitting up for the Grungeboard Wallet class in Bloomington on the 14th.

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It was a blast at Prairie Art Stamps I know we'll have some more takes on the class from the talented gals at Scrapbook Friend'z.

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The PAS girls made plans for gifts and wonderful treasures that had darling pictures in the bookplates.

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The Grandmas had a great time with this!!!

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Can't wait to see you there.

It Is A Fabulous Day Here in the Midwest!

This is a picture of a Moth that we saw in the Shawnee National Forest. He was sunning himself on a rock.




The sun has been shining for 2 days now!!!! Amazing. Just a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

We worked in the garden and got all the leaves done, and everything cut back, bagged and off to the dump. Done for the fall season....hopefully.

Even had time for a lunch on the porch swing. Even got the windows washed on the Sunroom.

Mexican Food and Margaritas tonight as a reward!!!

Life is good!!!

What A Great Halloween Class!!!!

First of all, I took this little ghoul to a party the other night. I love her Vampira collar. Where were these cool costumes when we were kids??? Geez!!!

These pictures are all over the place....just enjoy!

Lots of Inky Fingers here!

What a talented group of gals!

Then secondly.......We had MORE fun!!!! And did we Create some great ART!!!

We had a full class....and then some.....ha! So we were hoppin'. Thanks to a great and wonderful staff at Prairie Art Stamps. Terri is blessed with a terrific crew.

Everyone stamped and cut and INKED big time! I think they had a good time and learned a bit in the process. The Grunge Wallets came out AMAZING!

Not everyone wanted their pictures taken, but we got a look at the work. And one picture, I cut off the work.....but got the gal! I'm an amateur Photographer. I'm sorry I missed a couple of gals before they left.

At the end of a class, I'm lucky if I remember to take pictures at all!

So I hope everyone had a good time....and I'll see you again in a couple of weeks for the Christmas Wall Hanging class.....call and reserve your spot!

It's only really 8:45 and I feel like it should be time for bed! (already set the clocks back)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............................

Prairie Art Stamps Class Tomorrow-FULL

The wonderful girls at PAS sold the last spot in the Grungeboard Wallet class for tomorrow!!!! Whoo Hoo!!!

Can't wait to see them down in Springfield again. They are a really talented group and love to have fun Creating ART.

I will be sure to take pictures!!! I'm uploading a couple of my favs from our vacation to Shawnee National Forest.

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The 1st one is the sunrise from our cabin overlooking the Ohio River Valley, and the 2nd one is at the Garden of the Gods.

Have a great day....we have been drowning in rain here, but tomorrow MAYBE a bit of sun.

Cross your Fingers.....

Orbs in the Cave in Rock:UPDATE

These are the pictures of the Orbs I told you about. We first encountered Orbs on a trip to Savannah Georgia that's said to be the most haunted city in the US.

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Hundreds of thousands of people were killed or died from various things in Savannah, due to epidemics, the Civil War, Indian Wars, Pirates, Slaves being brought in and sold, etc, etc. Hundreds were buried in mass graves.

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Anyway, the orbs only show up in pictures. They're not visible to the naked eye.

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In the Cave in Rock, we were just told it had been inhabited by Indians dating back to 600 AD. Drawings and such were authenticated. Then the Pirates took it over in later years. No mention was made of ghosts.

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They would lure riverboats to shore by dressing as women!!!! Imagine that. Then when they came ashore, they would rob, kill and bury the men on Hurricane Island.

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Do you see the perfect circles of light with rainbow colors (energy) around them? These are said to be the lost souls of the departed that have not crossed over, usually due to an untimely death. There are 7 orbs in one picture and 8 in the other. (Click to enlarge)

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If you look at the 2nd one, by the man in front, there is one partially behind the rock...so it's not something on my lens~~~~I showed Bill who is a skeptic, but still in awe.

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I took over 100 pictures and these are the only ones that showed up like this.

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You be the judge......Believe it Or Not!

UPDATE: only one seat left in the Wallet class Sat. at Prairie Arts!

Back Home Again

We're baaack! Home from our get-away to the Shawnee National Forest ~some great friends and good times.

We went to a cabin overlooking the Ohio River Valley in the forest and it was FAB-U-LOUS with the view at San Damiano. Unbelievable weather, the leaves were breathtaking, and just a wonderful place.

We visited a vineyard, tasted and bought a couple of bottles. Then onto the Garden of the Gods and the Cave in Rock....really, really cool pictures!!!

Anyone believe in ghosts and orbs???? Got some pictures in the pirate/native American cave that show about 5 orbs VERY distinctly. OK, you don't have to believe, but the pictures are interesting to say the least. Later...

Then we stopped and shopped in the town of Lebanon on the way home. Wonderful little place and great food, too.

This is a shot of the Vintaj charms I made before we left with the new nail heads. New stuff is coming out!!! I'll be back with that later, too.

Good to go, but good to get home!

Be Well!

Scrapbook News and Review-Guest Blogger

I know, it's not even Halloween yet, and I'm blasting you with Christmas stuff!

This is a project that is on Scrapbook News and Review tonight with a little bit about how it was done and a little bit about me in the Guest Blogger area.

This was really fun to create, because I could drag out all kinds of stuff from my stash and just play. No worries about recreating or writing up instructions.

It has everything that I love, Ten Seconds Studio, Maya Road, Grungeboard, Tim Holtz stamps, Idea-ology, Stickles and Graphic 45 paper.

Enjoy and don't forget to go read their blog. It comes out every week with a guest blogger...next week is Teresa Collins. Talented lady!

And just a NOTE: These are the same products used in the Christmas wall hanging class. Spots are filling up. Only a couple of spots left for the Wallet class. It's going to be fun!!!!!

Create ART!

Some Metal and Butterflies

We've been really busy. Fall cleanup time here, inside and out.

But I did get some cool little things made the other day.

Here is what you can do in about 5 minutes with the Ten Seconds Studio metal, a Cuttlebug Die, and some Idea-ology pieces.

No kidding....5 minutes!

And I love the Basic Grey paper Indian Summer.

Have a great day and Create ART!

'Tis Autumn

In the spirit of the season of fall....cornstalks and pumpkins, I show you what I found the other day in my studio.

Here is a watercolor I did a "a few whiles ago," as my daughter used to say!

I thought I'd share after a trip back from Bloomington with all the cornfields still standing. It is too wet here to get into the fields. My ancestors being farmers, I only hope for some dryer days. We'll all be paying for it if the crops rot in the fields.

And on a sunnier note!!! The sun is shining here today and it is wonderful to see.

Be well!

Bad Blogger

Hey, everyone!

I've been bad about blogging lately. Sorry about that. We're fighting the flu here with the grandkids pretty sick. Thankfully Bill and I haven't gotten it. We got our flu shots right about 8 days before they got sick....crossing fingers here.

I did finally finish my book at about 2AM! Good writer that Dan Brown. Teaches and entertains at the same time. Very Enlightening. Love his works. But this one really let me down with the ending.

Just a note, I will be a Guest Blogger on Oct. 23rd at Scrapbook News and Review. I used this opportunity to create another wall hanging. Hope you like it. I'll post it up here too after it goes up there. And Teresa Collins will be the week after me. So take a look there if you can.

Working on getting the classes together for the Grungeboard Wallets and the Graphic 45 Christmas Wall Hanging. You forget how much work it is when you open your mouth and say "let's do a class." But you guys and gals make it all worthwhile!!! I do love the challenge!!!

Stay warm and well....and do your part to help the economy...shop at your LSS!

TTFN!

GrungeBoard Pumpkin

UPDATE: Made him a lid. Ha! Used the Hitch Fastener for a stem.

I live in the city that claims to be the "Pumpkin Capitol of the World" because the Libby plant that cans pumpkin is here.

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Sooooo, we see a lot of pumpkins.

They're everywhere...in the windows, on the street corners, on flags, on the water tower, even the soccer balls at the weekend tournament were....you guessed it....PUMPKINS. Orange soccer balls with jack-o-lantern faces.

So it is fitting that I would be drawn to making the little orange blob out of Grungeboard and paper. A little battery powered tea light sits inside. Kinda cute.

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The leaf is of course, Appletini Green Ten Seconds Studio metal run through the Cuttlebug. The curly stuff is GrungePaper.

My fingers have the look of a 4 pack a day smoker. Camels probably.

It will wear off eventually.

Happy Autumn....the pumpkins are here. Oh, and the whole town smells like pumpkins...and that's not like pumpkin pie!

Be well.

2AM Epiphany

Couldn't sleep last night. Watched TV with Erin and spent most of the evening with her. She's such a good kid, and fun to be with.

So when I finally went to bed at midnight, I had eaten things that really didn't want to go to sleep....chocolate chip cookies with Erin...bad me, good Nana.

At about 1:30AM I decided to get up since I had this idea to try with the Cuttlebug and Ten Seconds Studio Metal. GREAT combination.

Here's the results. VERY fun!!! Even if it was at 2 in the morning!

Go Create ART!

Rainy Ugly Day

Off to the 2nd soccer game of the day for GD in a tournament. What a cold and misty day!

Finally got all the Christmas Banner together and tried to get a picture....looks like there's no sunshine here for a while.

So the tease is only a sliver of it....but it's all there in the background

We've added Prairie Art Stamps on the 21st of Nov!!!! YEAH!

Christmas Wall Banner

I fell in love with the Christmas Past papers from Graphic 45....as you will too when you see them. AMAZING!

I've put together a class that will have Maya Road Coasters as the base for a multi-piece wall hanging.

I think you'll enjoy it. Here are a couple of more peaks at the different sections that will hang down.

Thanks to my shopping in St. Cloud, I got some nice floral pieces. They spruce it up along with some GrungePaper, Tim's Reindeer Flight stamps, and lots of pen work dots and stitches.....which I love.

December 5th at Scrapbook Friend'z....save the date!

Busy Time of the Year

In between tearing down the garden, soccer games, marching band festivals, vacation and everyday chores, I've been trying to work on a Graphic 45/Maya Road project for a class. I LOVE these papers!!!!

Every once in awhile a truism from my mom comes into my head..."never enough hours in the day." She was so right in so many ways.

When the time is there, the daylight is gone, or something else seems to crop up.

And I still have not finished the Last Oracle!!!

The weather has been so great here. I LOVE fall. If it just didn't come with so many allergies. I think I'm allergic to pond scum. Seriously, the algae on the lake was really bad in spots and it did make me cough.

Life....it beats the alternative!

Create ART!

Fall Garden

Impatiens, Hydrangeas, Snap Dragons, Geraniums, and Asters. A last look at the garden before it's gone for the year.

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Good news....the shipment of Idea-ology and Grungeboard came while I was gone. And it's all ready for the Wallet classes.

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Can't wait. It's gonna be fun.

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Watching the Sweeps....on my own TV!

Be Well.

St. Cloud and Crafts Direct-Whoo! Hoo!

Well, it is raining....still. But we had a great shopping trip to St. Cloud and Crafts Direct. My dear husband wants to personally thank Wanda for her tip on going there!!!! Kidding, Wanda. He was glad we didn't have to scout all over for some place to spend my money. We knew EXACTLY where to go!

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What a terrific place!!! It's like Michael's on steroids!!!! All the little individual storefronts are really cute. And they have that many sections clear to the back loaded with STUFF! They even had lots of Vintaj!!! I was amazed. And TONS of lines of papers and stamps of all kinds. ROWS of them.

I did my part to help the economy recover...and got some neat wooden things for an upcoming class.

The first picture up there is of another spot with a pretty reflection. Of course, my photography does not do Mother Nature justice. But I tried.

The Sea Gull...or as my sister-in-law Bonnie calls them, two legged rats....just wait for me to toss my minnow off the end of my hook so he can dive for it.

I'm going to read the rest of my book, so I can start the new Dan Brown one. We've been so busy I haven't gotten the other one done. Can't wait for this new one.

Then Bill can watch the game downstairs, and I'll watch the new shows upstairs in the loft. Oh, and Prime Rib tonight at the local "hot spot" Dino's.

What more could a girl ask for?

Last sleep over.....

My Guy-Happy on the Lake

Here's Bill with his own sighting....SeaRay shirt on his back. And running around in the boat for a week though a bunch of Lakes in Minnesota.

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We have had a wonderful time. The days and nights in the cabin....cool weather and we sleep like rocks after all that fresh air.

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This is a shot of the fish cleaning cabin that sits down near the water, and the docks with the benches to sit and just while away the time. They sit out there at night and fish for catfish. Me, I'm not fond of the bugs.....so I sit on the porch and watch them, drink coffee,and read my book.

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All the bakery goodies are almost gone. Must be time to go home. One more day.

We're going to St. Cloud shopping tomorrow!!!! YEAH!!!! Sorry, it's gonna rain tomorrow.

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Let you know if I find anything good....I already have a FRIENDS carving to go with my ART from a local shop.

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Be good to each other!

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Bill and Linda

Sunset on the Lake

I know this is a bit blurry, but this was the sunset and the crescent moon over the lake last night at Island View Resort.

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Pretty cool!

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For those of you who asked about the hoodie, you can email Mario and he'll set you right up with one. Tim and Co. are in Japan right now, but give them a few days and he'll get one for you.

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Mario@timholtz.com

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Your Friend in ART and shopping!

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Linda

Tim/Mario Hoodie Sighting!!!

I love reflections...sheet of glass.

What a fun filled day we had yesterday. Lots of fishing and eating fish and cleaning fish.

Mostly we released the fish. We caught several Catfish that are THE ugliest fish out there. They go right back where they came from, it's like catching a log!!!

The bass go back, too as well as the tiny little Blue Gills. But the Bass are fun to catch.

THEN one of my favorite things to do here, go to the Cold Springs Bakery!!!YEAH!

They have the greatest goodies there. We must pace ourselves for the rest of the week. That's where we had the HOODIE sighting. Going into the market there to get some supplies. Bill thought I was nuts, but he took the picture for me anyway.

What a guy!
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Be well....got to watch Linda Hunt tonight in the new NCIS LA. Has to be good!

Another Day-Another Picture

This is just too funny. I went to upload my picture of the catch of the day, and I found this wonderful picture of Emma when she was about 2. Had to share!!!

The other picture is inside the cabin....really nice for a fishing cabin. Should have closed the bathroom door....sorry.

AND, had to share one picture down in the fish-cleaning house with a Crappie (he's the one on the left).We're roughin' it so no shaving for Bill today. He caught a Northern, but I only had the cellphone camera. Not smart. We let him go, but we got a few Crappies of good size, some small Bluegill and a couple of Bass.

Supper for tonight!

Back out on the lake ...TTFN!

Linda aka Holtz

Hello Minnesota-UPDATE

Here's our cabin and here is one happy guy. To be out on the water again. See the little window upstairs???? That's where I am right now overlooking the fishhouse and the lake. If he's happy, I'M Happy!

Goodnight everybody! More tomorrow.

We made it. A LONG day on the road. About 10 and a half hours. I slept a lot of the morning away!

But Bill is happy to be here. The cabin is wonderful. I have an upstairs window overlooking the lake with a game table that is great for hooking up to the web. It pulled a signal just fine. I am so easily amused.

No pictures yet, but tomorrow I'll give that a shot. Our pontoon boat is right outside the cabin!!!!

Can't wait!!!

Be well, and be good to each other.

Vintaj, Alcohol Inks, and the Cropadile-UPDATE

UPDATE: I've had some people asking about where to buy Vintaj. On their site is a button to tell you where you can buy them...the shops in your area. They are carried by Bead Shops. That might help.

After I saw Vintaj's newsletter, I had to try my hand with the blanks~~these are all pieces of their fabulous Brass pieces.

I used Alcohol inks from Ranger and the Fillable Pen to add subtle color to the daisies to make this fun pendant.

AND Jess said the Cropadile works on the brass!!!!! And it does!!!! AMAZINGLY COOL!!!

I think we need a class here for this to share in the fun!!!!!

Have a fun day~Create Art

Happy Birthday Emma/Congrats ALEX!!!!!!

We had to celebrate Em's birthday early since we will be up North when she actually turns 5. Believe me, she DID NOT care!!!! Early was just fine with her.

Both girls got some presents and they played with the Barbie cash register all evening WITHOUT fighting!!!! AMAZING!!! Thank you Barbie.

Did you know, you can learn to use your credit card now with the help of Barbie? Yes, it's true. You have cash in your register, but the fastest way to get you out of the store, is with the Barbie Credit Card scanner.

A teaching toy......

And Em is in her Barbie cheerleader outfit that comes with one for Barbie just like it. A Barbie for every occasion. Wonderful.

NOW for ALEX my 15 year old grandson!!!!!! Ta-Ta-Ta-Da!!!! He passed his Eagle Scout test (2 hours long, mom was a nervous wreck) and will have his ceremony on Nov. 7th!!!!! WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD of the kid!!!!! He, and his family, have worked very, very, hard for this. That's why I had to move my class in Bloomington girls...thanks for all the help there.

I know if I ever have a medical problem out in the woods, or anywhere else without a doctor, I want this kid there....or Brit, she knows CPR, too. And he can survive in the wilderness for days!!! In an igloo.....freezing, or canoe down the river, or start a fire without matches, or text without looking....oh, that was just an added bonus.

Great job, AJ!!!!

Talked to Jess from Vintaj yesterday....some really cool things should be coming your way soon from both of us. I hate teasing, but this should be BIG TIME FUN for all of you.

Create ART.....of ALL forms!!!! (that's my motto)

Simple will have to wait for another day.....

Sorry, could not stand the simplicity of the deer.....had to "gaud" him up. Simple will have to wait.

Added Marmalade stickles over everything. Used a Permopaque Pen and highlighted the trees. More snowflakes, ribbon, bells and some twine. He's officially gaudy now. Much Better!!!! That's the new Graphic45 paper in the backgoround!!! VERY COOL!

Getting better with the notebook. The Geek boys are worth every penny!!! And the local guys fixed me right up, so I'll be "on-line" and on vacation!!!

Have a good one.....got the GDs for spagetti tonight. Dad's got his 2nd show already for Marching Band.

Go Morton!

Metal and Crackle Paint

We spent most of the day in Springfield again, only this time we were watching U10 Traveling Girls Soccer. Go BLAZE!!!

A Beautiful Day!

Then I came home and had an epiphany of using Tim's Deer on Mocha Metal stamped on the back and embossed. I spritzed with Perfect Pearls and rubbed some Champaign Glitz into the debossed areas. Hard to see here.

Gave it a try.....it is on a canvas with 2 shades of Crackle Paint and trees stamped with Adirondack Bottle Green.

Crackled and Glitzed the stars and added a dew drop.

Pretty simple. Simple is good sometimes.

Fun Day at Prairie Art Stamps!!!!

The St. Louis Gals...thanks for sharing Becky!

Did we have a BLAST or WHAT?????? Just a couple of pictures of the Works of Art. I LOVE Debbie's take on this. Vertical and sooooo cool. Definitely not done justice in the picture here.

The General definitely had an artistic flair to his work.

Deb really worked hard and had great success!!!!

Happy campers is what we want.

A terrific vertical piece....Stunning!!!

Great color combos here.

Thanks to Helene for the referral.....

The Mother and Daughter Team.

Judy helped so much...thanks!

My husband thinks this one makes you dizzy...Penny Smith did this and I liked it!

The St. Louis girls....never a dull moment! Ha!

I will sleep good tonight!!! The classes were soooooo much fun to see just how differently everyone thinks.

We turned the collages from horizontal to vertical. Some squares became diamonds. The General was working outside the box here, and it turned out great!

I took pictures of the collages. Since the books all turned out fabulous, but generally the same, I took a couple of pictures of the works in progress.

Many thanks to my St. Louis Rebels....the Court was there in part. However the Queen Mum is mending, and we send her our best wishes. Get Better Soon. And thank you for the little prize. Too cute!

And of course thanks to Helene who got Terri to bring me there to teach. A GREAT crew there in the store, thanks to all of you.

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We'll be back Oct. 31st for Grungeboard Wallets!!!! Reserve your spot now!!!

Whoo! Hoo!!! A NEW toy!

This is a test, and only a test!!!! Yea!!!!!

My wonderful husband is taking me up to Minnesota for a week at a beautiful new cabin on the lake....we love to fish. The new pontoon boat is waiting. New fishing line is on the poles.

The crisp clean air of the North in the Fall...beautiful. Trees turning colors reflecting in the lake under a bright blue sky. That's how I remember the last trip. Oh course I have seen it snow huge flakes across the lake, and rain like crazy, but we'll worry about that later.

And he bought me a surprise!!!! A new Toshiba Notebook!!!!!

So I'm playing on my new notebook. And I think I've got the basics down.....you can teach an old dog new tricks.

He didn't think I could stand to be away from the computer for 9 days....my email would have been crazy when I got home.


So I can sit upstairs in the loft and look out the window onto the lake and play with the new notebook while he cleans the fish. Hopefully I'll make a few things, too. The next trick is to upload to the jumpdrive with pictures.....hmmmmm.

Cross your fingers. Nothing is ever as easy as those kids at Best Buy make it sound!!! But I WILL give it a try!

Classes tomorrow at Prairie Art Stamps.....can't wait to see you there!

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

P.S. This man is a keeper!!!!!
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Flea Market Collage

Making some wall hanging changes in the Studio today, and I decided to take a picture of one of my collages. It's an old drawer.

This is a collection of several flea market finds, and a trip through my Brother-In-Laws garage!!!

The round piece is something I made during my polymer clay days.

I'm going to take it and add more things perhaps....thinking it could use more "junk" now. It's funny how our tastes change. I think it needs to be "junked up" just a bit!

Be well....be good to each other!

Linda

Memory Capsule Nudge from Tim

Margaret asked me to make up a sample using the memory capsules about a month ago.

I've messed around with it, but I think my teeny, tiny beads are too small for ME to get to work.

So, MOVE ON, and do something else. DUH!

I decided to try to use Ten Second Studio metal through the Cuttlebug as a background. Brr-Blue is the color. One of my new favorites.

A Butterfly from Graphic 45, a few Dew Drops, and a Doo Dad word. Glue it together with Glossy Accents and put it in the frame.

Add a couple of Idea-ology pieces on the top and bottom with a ball chain and the necklace is done.

Don't forget to put a piece of paper and the glass behind the metal!!! But you knew that.

Check out Tim's tutorial on this here from Ali Edward's blog.

It got me going!!!

RockStar Stamps

This is the cooooolest stamp set. I LOVE Tim's new Rockstar stamps. The detail on them is wonderful.

I tried some Lettuce Adirondack Embossing Powder on black cardstock. Then the Stars with Fired Brick Distress EB.

Last is the Holographic Embossing Powder(or Holistic as I called it in class Sunday in an allergy medicine stupor!) Ha! What a hoot! The stuff was a real hit in the class.

Photos do NOT do it justice and the different colors are amazing. This was the only angle I could shoot at to show the shine of the Holographic Powder....hence the out of focus shot.

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So easily amused....I should be called SEA for short...So Easily Amused!

Go Create Something!

ATC Fun

We did it!!!! It was a real challenge but we pulled it together. Cheryl and Linda...."the Broom" thanks for all the help, girl!

Susan and Kathy hard at work.

Deb and Carol....always done in a jiffy!

And the Mother-Daughter team, Elizabeth and Kiley, who really took off with great results. It's always a treat to have the younger set come in and use their own ideas and color combos. Their butterflies were fabulous!

And these two were really fun. Amy (R) brought her sister-in-law. Both cards different in their own ways. Amy is the new Designer at the shop!!!

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I finally remembered to take some pictures before everyone left. It was a fun day, and they all did a wonderful job of following directions. It was a must here as the tables were all doing different techniques at the same time. I slept well last night! The allergy meds kicked into full gear.

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Thanks to everyone....especially Jim and Margaret. Keep those shoppers coming into Scrapbook Friend'z!

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And don't forget to sign up for the Christmas Workshops. Check it out!!! We'll be making the little Grungeboard wallets/coin purse...whatever it is!

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Next weekend.....Prairie Art Stamps in Springfield....here we come!!!!!
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~~~~Create ART!~~~

A Simple Card

For some reason, Tim's deer has been calling for my attention lately. It is really beautiful with the flourishes through it. And yes, it's this bright. If you know this Bo Bunny Beautiful Life paper...the colors are very true here. You get this with layers and layers of ink on a light background.

I took manila paper and added Distress Inks to it. Stamped and embossed with Verdigris Antiquities. Then added Distress Rock Candy Crackle. That's why the antlers are so vibrant. The Crackle makes the colors really gorgeous.

I used the manila paper again for the sunset background. Many, many colors and layers. Then Tim's new Fabulous Flourish (my new ultimate accent!) Had to add the Flower and Leaves....it just still needed something.

The Film Strip was a perfect grounding for the deer and I used the little Paper Clips from Idea-ology to attach.

Some punched out stars with Suze's Champagne Glitz Stickles, a ribbon and we're done.

Just a simple card for a fun experience. I am sooooo easily amused!

2nd Generation Watercolor

Don't know what this will look like on the blog......so I'll upload it and see.

It's a 2nd generation of the Daisies watercolor from the other day.....the one that was going into the trash.

This is using the elements of PhotoCanvas to alter the picture. I thought I'd try that just messing around.

Still pondering whether to get Photoshop Illustrator or not. Granddaughter said I could do it. But if I can't she'd gladly take it off my hands!

What sacrificing kids!

Projects Are Calling Me

Margaret from Scrapbook Friend'z gave me a scroll coaster book and some new mini pieces from Maya Road and sent me out the door Friday to create a store sample. Houses, snowflakes, and Christmas, oh my!

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Tim Holtz pine trees in the background. And Distress Rock Candy Stickles on the snowflakes. Hard to see here, but great in person. And layers of Distress Inks on all the chipboard.

If you know me and Row Houses....that's what got me started!!! Oh, boy! Here is the cover. Waiting on some papers.....not a good waiter.

I've been working on it in between the GK's here this weekend and painting the windows.

All's going well today with the last stage. So I'm happily crafting away doing ART in the Studio....with the drill and saws going full blast downstairs.

Update later....OH! And the new papers have arrived at Prairie Art Stamps in Springfield, Il. from Graphic 45!!!

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GO GET THEM!

WHEW! Six windows done!

The worst part is moving everything from around and under the windows.

No, the worst part is all the sawdust created in extracting the old windows, cutting them out, literally.

No, wait the worst part is washing, ironing and hanging all the curtains. And painting the little bit of trim that goes around each new window.

Or maybe, just maybe the worst part is knowing that only half of them are done and we get to do this all over again on Monday. I have muscles that hurt I had long forgotten about.

But, the sun is supposed to shine and the windows on the top floor are all done, and sparkling clean. And I know 2 people in this house who will sleep good tonight!!!!!

Good news....or bad, the class for the TransAtlantique Journal at Prairie Art Stamps is SOLD OUT....and that's with adding 2 extra seats today!!! You guys are fantastic!!!!!

There are a couple of spots left in the Make It Your Own Collage class....don't be late. It's gonna be a fun day!!!

Sleep Well!

The Contractors are Coming????

The call came yesterday...we decided to get new windows and a post railing for the house. Signed the contract, and they said probably October.

But Steve called and said they'd be out Thursday!!!! THURSDAY???? I have all my wood mounted stamps under my window on shelves in my studio.

Everything else is in a surround under and around the corner. Books, tools, papers, ink, pens, punches......good grief. And my computer, too!

So, the project of clearing out lots of "stuff" I hadn't seen in a LONG time began.
I'm a night owl, so I started last night.

This is what made it's way into the trash. Then I thought I'd crop it. I guess I've loved purple longer than I thought. A little purple here? Still could use something.
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I came back and had to add Tim's Fabulous Flourishes to the watercolor just for kicks.

So, I may or may not be blogging and arting for a few days.

I may dig out another watercolor for fun.

It's a good thing I didn't paint to put food on the table. Thank you Alexander Graham Bell!

Be Well.

Rock Star and Rock Candy Crackle

Here is a close-up of Rock Candy distress Crackle Paint. It's very different, and VERY cool!

I stamped and used Distress Embossing Powder Vintage Photo 1st, then over stamped with black ink. Somehow I got it right over the image and slightly to the left. The Dimensional Pearls Red Pepper add a bit of....you guessed it...DIMENSION!

The closeup shows you how neat the Crackle is over the heart.

Some Numerals from Idea-ology were added. My classmates from HS would understand the significance. Ha! We just had a milestone Birthday Party last weekend. We graduated from Rock Island HS....the "Rocks"....hence the Rock On!

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You figure out the numbers...I can't bear to tell you!!!! NO, it's NOT my age!!!

Enjoy!

New Tim Holtz Stamps

I LOVE the birdcage!!!!! And the bird is pretty cool, too!

This tag was made using Tim's Artful Flight and the stars from Rock Star. The flying birds in the background are from Mini Ornates.

I stamped with embossing ink and used Holographic EP on the bird. You cannot tell here, but he sparkles. And I roughed him up a bit with Black Soot Distress Ink.

Had to add some white pen marks for contrast.

This floral swirl stamp is sooo cool! You can put all kinds of wonderful dots using just the end of it. VERY easy to place them!!!!

And of course, the Idea-ology pieces adorn the bird. Gotta have some metal!!!

Have fun and Create ART!

Want to Rock with Tim????

Have not been a good blogger today, but I do have a great place for you to go for a wonderful video!!!

Jump on over to Tim's Place and see the new video on Rock Candy Distress Stickles and Crackle Paint.

You won't be sorry and you will be hooked!!! I've used them both on the 2 flowers I posted here and they are fantastic.

Two totally different looks to them.

Go, what are you waiting for????