Sparks in Life's Engine

Still at it!!!

2008-11-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here it is, November of 2008 and I find myself sniffing around Blog Land for some fun Christmas projects! I still have boxes and tubs full of sparkly, fun crafting goodies, ready to go! I recently assembled this "Bits 'n' Pieces" collage for one of my sweet nieces birthdays!!! She just exclaimed when she opened it, "Oh!!! I LOVE it, and I KNOW how special this is!!! Should someone tell her it's also known as (AKA) a "What's Left Over on the Craft Table" collage??? Regardless, I am pleased she liked it! My favorite square is the upper right one. My sister and I made matching dresses for our daughters when they were about 5. The picture is 3 cousins, two in their twin dresses. And the lavender print fabric background is a tiny piece of the fabric I've saved for 18 years! My, how the time passes...

YMCABC*

2007-10-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

I really owe it to my faithful few blog readers to explain my absence here, and let you know what I've been up to. I woke up 3 weeks ago, and suddenly decided I wanted to be a teacher - a lifelong dream of mine! I've been studying like mad, because there are several craaaazy tests I have to pass real soon, and lots of books to read and catching up to do. I'll start taking classes next semester. I also may be working at the YMCA after-school care center, to gain valuable experience dealing with children. I looked for an hour for a picture to post with these few remarks, and found nothing! I'm afraid my right brain is taking over again!!! That's that awful non-artistic side, the side I've used most of my life! I guess it must be engaged to pass these upcoming tests, but for now I feel I'm not even worthy of this blog. Well, I will keep you updated on my progress - wish me luck!!! Oh, and happy fall y'all!

****Recent Update***** I got so worked up over this left brain thing taking over, almost to the point of tears, so I just went and retook the Left Vs Right Brain test here. Guess what? I've actually improved on my art side from my last test of 50/50 brained! I'm now at 35 left/65 right! So, we're all OK! I can still paddle around the coast of the artistic bloggers and not feel like a complete non-swimmer! (Oh, there's lots more fun tests on that site, if anyone has lots of time!) Maybe I'll even start crafting again this fall!

Remakings on my Collange and Received Paper Bag ATCs

2007-09-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the 3 ATCs I received from my latest swap. (Don't you just love Swap-Bot?) The challenge was to use a brown paper bag in making the cards. I love the Fall card Sue Young crafted! And the hearts and stamps designed cards, made by Sarah Spooner, sure work for me! These are some of the nicest cards I have in my collection.

This past weekend was quite exciting for our household. On Saturday morning, my DH and I took our little terrier mix, Ruffy, to the San Jose "Bark In The Park"! There were about 10,000 people there, and 3,000 dogs! There were all sorts of dog related vendors there, handing out plenty of free samples. There were various dog activities, dog tricks, a dog agility course, dog wading pools, food for all, contests - including a pet/owner look-alike contest (my DH and Ruffy entered this contest last year!!!), everything just dog, dog, dog! The talented daughter of a family friend, Stephanie Lam, had a free pet portrait drawing in her booth. Yeah, a drawing - just like we do online!

Next, we quickly dropped off the tired pooch and headed up to Berkeley to watch the Cal Bears beat LA State 45 to 15. What an exciting stadium full of fans! 58,000 roaring, cheering fans! Afterwards, we got to go out to eat with one of my dear nieces who is a senior at Berkeley. One of my sisters, an alumni, sent us a couple free tickets and boy did we appreciate that!

On Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed the hometown feel of our Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival. We always run into people we know there! It truly marks the end of the summer, and is a tradition for us.

So...Art wise??? I redid some squares on a collage, packed it up to be shipped off to OK! I really felt it needed a flute, for some true personalization for this dear niece. I've been spouting off numbers so here's some more: I have 10 nieces and 8 nephews! Oops! Some are married, so that's 11 nieces and 10 nephews! There! Now, lets check for any more upcoming birthdays....Oh! There's one! I'm afraid the Col-Lage fever has struck again!!! Off I go!

Funny Names and a new Collage!

2007-09-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this new Name-Game over at A Very Mary Design blog! Her responses just cracked me up! she is so witty and funny! I posted my own, just so you could try this at home yourself! Yeah, when you tire of crosswords, Soduko, word searches, etc, do this easy one.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Mimi Nissan

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Heath Peanut-Butter

3. YOUR “FLY GUY/GIRL” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) S-Bar

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Red Doggy

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Jo Vancouver

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Barsa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue-Tea

8. NASCAR NAME: Erwin Otto

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ), Mae Rodney

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter), Wolfe Wichita

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Autumn Rose

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Apple Shirtie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree), Muffin Ash

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour") The Collage Sunrise Tour

There. My personal favorites are Mimi Nissan and Jo Vancouver. Keep those in mind in case I enter the Witness Protection Program and try to trick you! Hint: I may be in Wichita. Just a tid-bit of trivia about me: My 5th grade teacher, Miss Wolfe, was also my mom's 5th grade teacher! (Small area of Eastern Washingon of Latah-Fairfield area.) Also, while I was in 5th grade, my mom used to be my substitute teacher! Sadly, for question number 8 I had to go do some research on one of my grandpa's names. I wasn't sure of it. Tragically, he died 22 years before I was born, so I only know him from a couple pictures we have of him. Anyway, have fun with this.

I also finished another collage last night! I have the Col-Lage fever, I guess! This one is for another sweet niece who has a birthday coming up! I don't think she looks at my blog, at least I hope not. I may change a square or two, tweaking here or there as needed. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm very open to them! Thanks in advance!

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

Do Something Creative Every Day!

2007-09-12T09:04:00.001-07:00

Awhile back I participated in the "Bits & Pieces Collage Swap". After looking at other completed collages, I noticed many had used these quaint and tiny millinery flowers. I hunted and hunted online for these little charming darlings on eBay, Etsy, and even Michael's but fruitlessly. Finally, after admiring some wonderfully creative collages made by Amy Elise, I got really brave and asked her where she got her lovely little flowers? She responded in the most surprising way! She said she got hers at a store in the swanky Santana Row, in San Jose! This is within walking distance from our house!!! I go there, mostly just to eat, but I do go there and had never seen this store before! And Amy Elise lives in Utah!!!! I just think this is so ironic, that someone in Utah would have to point out to me a lovely little shop just a few blocks from where I live! But I am ever so grateful to you Amy!!! Thank you, my blogging friend.

I showed some pictures of the store, Paper Source, and some of the flowers and paper I bought last night. I first went a few weeks ago and have enjoyed using the cute supplies for my crafting. They also have an online site here . Most of all, don't you just love the Paper Source's motto??? "Do Something Creative Every Day". This is plastered on their window, and on their brochures! But guess what? It's true! That's a great way to bring sunlight and a spark of happiness to your day! Whether it's as small as decorating your store list, or swirling whipped cream on a pie, or an actual bona-fide craft project, it'll make you smile to do something creative every day!

My Favorite Things!

2007-09-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

This picture is one of my all-time favorites of my kids. 18 years ago. It's FALL and Nathan's going back to school, and Erica is happy to walk him home from school. I see his soccer shirt, the trees turning colors, and long shadows: sure signs of Fall! Here's my response to the Favorite Things Challenge on Heidi's site!

Sound – 1. Silence 2. Purring 3. Mail man leaving lots for me!

Late Night Snack – Ice cream!!! (Any flavor and in any form that someone here buys is great!) I'm eating Heath Bar Crunch Poppers right now! Yum!

Smell – 1.Clean-like dishes being washed or shampoo 2. The forest 3. The beach

Color Combination – 1. Pink and beige 2. Red and yellow

Nut – Trail Mix! (With plenty of M&Ms in it!)

Time of Year – Fall

Books – Fiction. My favorites include Robert Ludlum (The Borne Identity)

Female Actress – Meryl Streep?

Flower – 1. Sunflower 2. Daisy 3. Calla Lily

Vacation Spot – My own backyard! (OK, OK give me a travel brochure - I'm very easy to please!)

Pizza – Just cheese on it - no sauce (Is that focaccia bread?)

Subject in School – Nutrition ( and lunch!)

TV Channel – Depends on what I'm watching!

Radio Station – (No favorites: Contemporary Christian or oldies rock)

Holiday – 1. Christmas!!!

2. Thanksgiving 3. Mother's Day! (Am I allowed to say that?)

Perfume – I don't own a drop! Years ago, I loved Jasmine flower; also Firefox; and sometimes Youth Dew - til I realized my DH's grandmother wore it! Now, I just don't care for perfume and it sometimes gives me a headache.

Shoes – flip-flops!

Candy – 1. My own Almond Roca! 2nd place: Reece's Peanut Butter Cups

City to Shop – Home Sweet Home so I know all the secrets.

Beauty Products – I really need help, here!

Item to Shop For – Craft supplies, home decorative items, tops

I'll repeat what Heidi said: I’m not tagging any one by name, but just anyone who read this who wants to play!

More Middle Name Game and the 5 & 10 Club!

2007-09-10T19:25:00.001-07:00

By now, most of you know that Heidi of Everyday Cookies and I are sisters! Last week I wrote about the sweet club we had when we were little called the "5 and 10 Club". I'm sure I was the president! Here's a picture of just the 2 of us at those ages! Wasn't little Heidi adorable? I think she was holding her 5 fingers up to prove she was 5. This was Christmas time at our Grandma and Grandpa's house, and we are holding our new dolls. My doll was named Betty, and believe it or not, I still have her!!! She's missing some body parts after being played with by my 4 younger sisters and 2 nieces before I was given her back! I even have a couple of her dresses! I don't feel emotionally attached to her, as I would if I still had my original Betsy-Wetsy. My sister Kathy whose daughters played with her spent quite a bit of time contacting various doll hospitals, checking out what it would take to restore her. But, they all claimed I might as well just completely replace her.

I tagged 2 of my other sisters, Sue and Genece to play the Middle Name Game! They are such good sports that they participated. Neither has a blog, quite yet, so I'll post their middle names here, since I was the one who tagged them.

First, we have my darling, cheerful sister Genece Elizabeth! (Sunshine!)

E ~ Every morning His mercies are new.
L ~ Love is the greatest thing.
I ~ I'm a child of the King.
Z ~ Zephaniah 3:17C "...He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
A ~ All things work together for good to those who love the Lord.
B ~ Blessed are the poor in spirit.
E ~ East to the West - so far has he removed my transgressions from me.
T ~ Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
H ~ Hope - One of the things that remain

Next is my sweet and charming sister, Susan Naomi:

(OK, OK, I'll play!!)

N: Neo-Empty Nester (on 9/16 when we drop off Ben @ OSU!) Me: DH Rick:

A: Aiming for the finish line @ the Prefontaine 10K race (9/15) - walking w/ 3 friends!

O: Open to a New Season in my life and looking to God for new directions...

M: Mothers are Forever, though! Welcomed #5, Ruby, on 5/19/07 when she married my son!

I: I love flowers! Irises along the fenceline in my yard bloomed for the 1st time this year, then were promptly eaten by the 2 horses in the field outside the fence

All of my 5 sisters and 3 brothers have a close walk with God, who we consider our loving Heavenly Father. How wonderful it is to pray and know God hears us! On my way to church yesterday, I got a flat tire on a busy freeway here and had to pull off. I had left my cell phone home on the kitchen table, of course, on the day I really needed it. So, I prayed, then left my car to walk to the next freeway exit. This is very dangerous to do here! There was a big 20 ft tall retainer wall in that section so I couldn't leave the freeway. After I'd walked about 1/2 a mile, a car pulled over in front of me, amazingly. I ran up to it and saw an older lady sitting in it, eager to help me! She let me sit in her call and call AAA. I consider her very nice, brave, and angelic! she was so calm and sweet to me. I was just shaking and so scared I could barely talk on the phone. She offered to drive me in reverse all the way back to my car, but I told her it'd be too dangerous for her and that I'd be fine. I just thanked her all I could for her kindness and headed back to my car. The tow truck driver came pretty quickly and changed my tire.

Once he'd finished, I said something that may have seemed very odd to the tow truck driver. I asked him if he'd like a cup of coffee! I just realized tonight that he probably didn't realize I had dispensers of coffee and tea in my car, as well as a couple pies I was taking to church for our snack table! Did he think I was asking him on a date to Starbucks or something??? Horrors! I really laughed at myself tonight, when I thought that all through. Anyway, that tire story was a little too much of a spark for my engine this weekend. We had a new tire installed this morning, and the verdict was that I'd driven over a razor blade.

Oh, and since this is supposed to be the artsy corner of my life, I have big news! I started another new collage this afternoon! Pictures coming, later this week when I finish it!

Back & Forth ATC Swap

2007-09-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in the Back and Forth ATC Swap on Swap-Bot! Here's the rules: We send our swap partners a packet of supplies, and she makes an Artist Trading Card using just those supplies, and mails it back! Now, I ask you: What would you have made with the supplies I was sent, seen in the first picture? (I left out the lacy leaf, I see!) The second picture is the card I made! I wanted to include the cool key but it just didn't "go". I love to use gesso, and of course glitter glue. This was really a fun swap, and a great challenge! Tomorrow I'll mail the card I made back to Kim Bennett in Kingston, Illinois. I get to keep the left over supplies. I wonder what my partner, up in Seattle, Washington, will create with what I sent her?

Middle Name Game and a Pink Surprise!

2007-09-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a Pink surprise I made for one of my nieces! She saw my daughter's collages and absolutely loved them. With that kind of appreciation, I went for it! It's a surprise!

Janet is a cat lover, and has rescued several cats and kittens. She also loves purses, sparkly little things, and flowers! Most of all, she loves the color PINK. So this was a fun collage to make! I even added one of Heidi's famous dress patterns, slightly altered to fit the little squares.

I was tagged by Heidi, to play the Middle Name Game!!! Ugh! Yes, I have the shortest middle name possible, yet still I'm complaining about doing this. But, I'll be a good sport and play.

First of all, I'm going to change the rules! I'm going to try to list something funny that starts with at least one of the letters of my middle name. I'm sure you're all in suspense, so here goes: It's Jo!

J = 'Just finished my 7th collage! I just love making these! I even made one to submit to a magazine!

O = Out! Oh my, I fell out of my chair! Just last week, I got a little too relaxed while on the computer and I fell out of my chair! Yup, I fell completely over backwards, with a big BOOM! Don't worry, I was fine, thanks to some nice padding. But I guess that woke me up!

I hereby tag: Sue and Genece! Oh, here's the rules! "Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The Summer That I Was Ten-

2007-08-28T23:09:00.001-07:00

"The summer that I was ten-
Can it be there be there was only one
summer that I was ten? It must
have been a long one then-"

Quote by May Swenson (1919-1995), U.S. poet.

I found this perfect quote for some ATCs I was working on, then got stumped into figuring out where, exactly, was I the summer I was ten? We moved a lot when I was young, and so the best I could come up with was I spent parts of that summer in Yakima, Wash and Fairfield, Wash. The first picture above is the summer I was ten. I'm sitting on our porch in Yakima with my friend. (I'm on the right, and I don't remember my friend's name.) But actually where I lived didn't matter, when I was a kid. The big memorable aspect of that year was that I formed a little darling "club" called the 5 and 10 Club! This club only had two members, me - the 10 year old, and Heidi - the precious 5 year old! For some reason those numbers, 5 and 10, were just so cool in my brain and I had to celebrate our ages with a club. At that time there were already seven children in our family, so for me to single out little Heidi for this club was pretty special for her. I sure wish we had more pictures of our childhood! I'd love one of this club!

Other memories I have about being 10 include the antique wrecked car we had out in our wild back yard! Oh that was fun to play in, and drive! Also, amazingly, I remember that being the year I got excited about studying clouds! That's a great summer memory: being outside with nothing much to do but appreciate the glorious clouds of central Washington. I remember the irrigation creek running through our property (we could NOT drink from that water, and I had no idea why!).... my pen pals.... the paths we trampled in the tall weeds to make trails....the little worms dangling down from the green apple tree....the bees.... the neighbor boy who would bravely hold a bee...the mosquitoes, and the times I watched closely as the mosquito bit me with that long pipe out of its mouth...the piano, the trumpet, the records blaring, the singing and dancing with all the kids....lots of just playing with kids, each other and friends. The one secret game I played with one of my brothers was "Little Lost Children". On a warm summer night, when no one wanted to play kick-the-can any more, we'd go out and just walk slowly around the outside the house, pretending, being somber, maybe snacking on some dinner leftovers. Oh, the summer I was ten. What a great age to be a kid! And I'll never forget sitting with little Heidi, our backs against her bedroom wall, planning and playing in our sweet "5 and 10 Club."

All these memories came because I couldn't resist entering the Brown Paper Bag ATC swap on Swap-Bot! There's been so much excitement around here lately in the paper bag department, I thought I'd prolong it! Our challenge was to make ATCs using brown paper bags in some way. So, here are my 2 sets of ATCs for my 2 partners. We were only required to make one card for each partner, but I was just having so much fun making little cards today, that I made each lady two. I hope they like them! The photo I chose is used with permission from Playing With Brushes' Flickr site. The retro girl with the chicks is actually a playing card Heidi sent me! The cute dress is from an original dress made by Heidi. Paper bags were fun to use in these cards, and seemed inspirational and unlimited in their usefulness in these cards.

The last picture shows the album I am working on for my daughter, Erica. Here she is on the cover with her new kitten, Sugar Baby! This album is by K & Company, and I'm keeping all pages coordinated with the gentle colors in the paper pad by Brenda Walton. So far I've finished 9 pages and I'm up to the summer of her 3rd grade!

Joyful Art!

2007-08-27T12:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my sis Heidi sent me an email with the link to the Joyful Art Challenge at "Playing With Brushes"' Flickr site. A challenge, you say? Oh dear. I just had to participate. The idea was to use the photo of this darling little girl in some altered art project! (My first 3 pictures showed what I made.) I had just learned to make pin-wheel looking fans, so chose that idea for one picture. I gave it to my daughter last night, and she was so surprised! Oh, I'm still kind of in the paper bag mood, too, so began another paper bag album with the other! This album, once I finish it, will be a very special album for a special person! I challenge YOU, to enter this Joyful Art dare!

Also, this sure has been a great mail week! Everyone knows some of the more rewarding things to do online include not only blogging and email, but also ordering from Ebay and Etsy, and participating in swaps! Because then, you get REAL mail!!! I've recently ordered 7 different items from Etsy, the handmade store, and just love all of them! First, I needed a special baby gift for the daughter of a close friend. So I ordered one of Heidi's gorgeous signs "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" from her Etsy shop. It's such a sweet and sentimental saying for a new little girl, and Heidi somehow puts such caring and love into each sign! Truthfully, when the sign arrived already gift wrapped and ready to go, I didn't open it before I gave it to baby Ava. So I'm just showing a picture Heidi has listed. I was happy and proud to give this special sign as a gift. And I know the new mother loved it, because not only did she send her warmest and sincere thanks, she did it within 2 days of receiving the gift!!! That's pretty thankful for a sleep-deprived new mother!

I also ordered some tags from Mary Ann's Etsy shop. Some? How about about 55 of them (for only $3.50!) I just feel like she practically gave me her own dear collection! I love the variety in this group, many vintage, and all different and so interesting. I tried to picture some of my favorites. What a fun box she sent them in, too. It was an old, old game box from "Lotto". Has anyone played that, let's say in the 50s or 60s?

Just yesterday, I received my Paper Bag Album Swap from my sweet Swap-Bot partner! Hurray, more great mail! Her name is Kathleen (aka "Angel Faery") and she lives in New Zealand. She made me this super charming scrapbook, full of fabulous vintage pictures! She included pictures that matched my family and pets! Oh, this is so delightful! She actually used white paper bags, so it has a lighter look to it. I really do treasure this amazing album, and look forward to picking out special pictures to put in it.

Prizes!!!

2007-08-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the prizes I won from Heidi's blog giveaway for her "Artful Blogger Party". (Everyday Cookies) I was actually her second place winner, since the first person she drew never came forward with her email address and Heidi couldn't locate her. From my perspective, I WON!!! And look and the fabulous pouch of goodies Heidi put together for me! Various vintage playing cards, vintage Bingo boards, game letters, flash cards, buttons, rick rack, adorable vintage pictures from books, oh my - feathers, little envelopes, and more! But MY OH MY! Heidi made me two of the most beautiful and special tags I've ever seen! I just love the vintage girl she cut from one of those playing cards, added fabric, ribbon, glitter, dictionary page and a button. So sweet! The other tag shows how she used one of those envelopes with a hand made mini-postcard, rick rack and a vintage flower. Heidi is just so creative and generous! She's quite something in her craftiness, and let me tell you: she's not afraid to use her sewing machine! (I almost left out the best part!) The bottom of the little girl's skirt in the tag is embellished with rows of zig zag stitching! So very C*O*O*L!!!!

Thank you very much Heidi! That was a mighty fun, powerful, electrifying *SPARK* in my engine today!

Jammin' It Up

2007-08-22T09:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was such an exciting day! My darling niece, Jessica, and her boyfriend, Jordan, dropped by for lunch and a visit! They are in town just for 2 days, down from Oregon. The main purpose of their trip was to go to the San Francisco Giant's game last night! (Jordan is a semi-pro pitcher.) My daughter and her boyfriend went too; and somehow, with all the bidding for tickets going on at ebay - a couple were left over, so Bruce and I got to go, too!!! We had a blast riding the train up, then enjoying the beautiful stadium on a mild SF summer evening. (It doesn't matter who won, does it?)

While at my house Jessica proudly handed me the loving gifts from her mom! Heidi sent me this precious jar of raspberry jam she made from raspberries she grows! I can't believe it! All that talk all summer of her and her strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, probably blueberries too, and now I get to enjoy a jar of it! I hereby publicly thank you, Heidi, for the dear and treasured gift, so beautifully wrapped! I love your flower daisies and ribbon! I've spent much time moaning with envy, while I admire your luscious batches of berry jam, and now I get to savor one! Also, thank you for the big packet of vintage wallpaper, straight from Oregon! I will enjoy using the 3 pretty samples you sent down!

Well, we don't have berries in our yard, but we do have peaches! (Actually they could be nectarines.) Here's a sample of my second batch of jam I made this week! I just love the pretty peach color! My daughter made peach cobbler last Friday, and there isn't a more delicious dessert anywhere than warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream! Yum!

You may have seem my attempt at fabric yo-yo pillows in previous posts. Well, here's something new: Fabric HEART yo-yos! Something different to try! (Tutorial here.) I will certainly try this new shape! It's cool to be doing these projects that were done in the 1930s depression era: fabric yo-yos and making plenty of jam!

8 Random Things About Me

2007-08-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have accepted the dare. Here are 8 random things about me! Please laugh!

1. Last year I went to 4 different interviews wearing 4 (four!) pairs of socks so that my too-big shoes would stay on! I was also wearing 2 different kinds of shoe pads. Those shoes were too big!

2. I once made a lovely white sauce for some tuna noodle casserole for my family, AND accidentally added CAT tuna to it! I think we had to make a Taco-Bell run that night! I never was that great of a cook, but oh my!

3. A few years ago I won 3rd place at the Santa Clara County Fair in the Licorice Eating Contest! I have the ribbon, to prove it. Should I have to apologize for the fact that I love licorice? Ha!

4. Speaking of the fair, this year, while enjoying the animals, I noticed a big turkey was out of water and was pathetically pecking at his water dish. So I shared some of my bottled water with it. Later, I forgot about that and drank out of the same bottle! I'm still here, amazingly.

5. Did you know if you overcook popcorn in your microwave it'll turn into a big black brick? And smell the house horrible? Did I mention I'm not the greatest cook?

6. Oh yeah. One of the first times my daughter's boyfriend was over I had a dramatic accident. I asked him if he'd like some M&Ms, hurriedly crossed the room with a big bowl of M&Ms and tripped right as I got to him!!! Oh Dear! You guessed it, M&Ms were strewn all over the living room! What was really funny though, was the little throaty sounds he was making while helping me pick them all up but trying not to laugh at me! Guess that broke the ice between us!

7. I am the second-to-oldest of 9 children! I'll always be a "big kid". And from about Heidi on down ( number #5), will ALWAYS be "little kids"! Sometimes I give her little challenges to see if she qualifies for "big kid" status, but she still teeters right on that line.

8. Back in 1970 there was a chocolate diet aide, appetite supressing candy sold called "Aides". Once when I thought I was overweight, I bought a box of Aids - and ate the WHOLE box that night! It didn't help at all!

And if you're still not laughing, here's something I recently read in Reader's Digest, and certainly wholeheartedly agree with: "Why is it that babies are nauseated by a clean shirt?"

Surprise Collage for my Sis Heidi

2007-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Finally I can post the surprise collage I made for Heidi, of Everyday Cookies! We made each other surprises using only what was sent to us by the other person. I added the board, paint, glue and glitter but nothing more - even though I was greatly tempted! I had a blast designing this collage for Heidi! My original idea was to make a wreath shape with collage elements, but it morphed into something else. I altered some of the papers, playing cards, sheet music, and other goodies Heidi sent and came up with this collage. The little girls represent her two daughters, and of course the "M" is for her main crush (husband!) Mark! It's titled: "Walking In the Sunshine". Truthfully, I got some of my inspiration from recently doing Jenny's "bits & pieces" Collage Swap! Since I signed up for that swap, I've made a total of five collages and just love doing them!

Well, gulp, I don't have any more swaps or even art projects in the works right now! I've been working lots on a special scrapbook for my daughter, while she's away. I may post a few pictures of that in a few days. And, if I get brave enough, I'll post my "8 Things You Don't Know About Me"! But, someone has to dare me first! I work great under pressure! Take care, all!

Birthday Presents for My Sister "Sunshine"!!!

2007-08-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Here's two of the gifts I gave my sweet and darling little sis "Sunshine" today at her birthday dinner! First, is the collage I designed for her, trying my best to really personalize it. It's got sort of a sweet musical theme, and you guessed it - she's a great guitarist and plays at our church every Sunday. She also loves flowers, and almost every Sunday she brings flowers to church, and frequently gives me flowers! What a sweetie! She also loves the beach, her kitty "Fluffy", and much more.

Sunshine is the one who gave me the fabric and ribbon last week, so I quickly designed and crafted this Yo-Yo pillow for her with fabric she herself picked out! I'd seen how to make yo-yos here, and just recently saw how to even make ribbon yo-yos! They're great fun! I'm showing the back of the pillow because the fabric she picked ouit has her daughter's middle name on it, "Princess Anne". She gave me lots of hugs so I think she liked what I made her.

Well, it's just my son and I for a week, while my husband and daughter are visiting Montana relatives. Boy, is it fun to cook for him! My two picky eaters are gone, and my easy-going son is getting rather spoiled here! I just made him a (homemade) double batch of one of his very favorite desserts: tapioca pudding with toasted coconut on top! Now that I'm looking at the huge bowl, it seems like a bit much! Oh well. We had homemade spaghetti for dinner, using an ONION from my little garden! We also have dozens and dozens of the best nectarines you've ever tasted. And right now, they're "tree ripe"! I'll surprise my daughter with some peach jam when she gets back.

Paper Bag Perpetual Calender from Heidi!

2007-08-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

It's here! I got my wonderful swap exchange today from Heidi (Everyday Cookies)! Boy, was I ever surprised with what she made for me. Well, the story starts here: We decided to do a 1-on-1 swap, made difficult by limiting what was made to what was sent by the other person! So I crammed a bunch of stuff in a bag, and this is what Heidi made with it! The one exception was the other person could use 1 item of their choosing, and for that Heidi made me the paper bag album. Not just an album, but a "Special Day's" perpetual calendar! Somehow she designed the paper bags so each of the 12 pairs of bags had an opening. It has a calendar for each month in the side openings, and lots of room for cards and pictures! I just love it!!! I'm so impressed with her creativity, and the work she put into this. Thank you very much, Heidi!!! She somehow brilliantly figured out how to lay the bags flat, sew the ends, cut the other ends, and came up with 12 slots, one for each month. Study the picture, if you dare try this. Then, she crafted and sewed a gorgeous fabric case to hold the album! And it was all wrapped in pink tissue, with a tag, as well. What a special swap!!!! Unbelievable!!! I truly love this album, and will treasure it and really use it lots! Thank you very much, Heidi!!!

Also, today my son got back from a week-long trip with some friends to Seattle and Vancouver, Canada. He brought me back some cool postcards, some of them from the 60s. I loved seeing the Space Needle postcards from today and from the sixties. I lived in Seattle for 3 years as a child, so it's a very special city. One very unique postcard Nathan picked out must be from the early 1900s?? It's an embossed postcard of the "Oldest Church Tower in America", which was in Tacoma, Wash. It was sent with a one sent stamp, but the date is blurred. Can you believe my son went to a shop, that according to the business card is a..."Dealer in Vintage posters, photographs, postcards, prints, snapshots, stereoviews, maps and ephemera! And anything else old and interesting written, printed or painted from anywhere in the world!" Yup, that was the shop he shopped in up in Seattle! Now he knows what "ephemera" is!

Also, I got another pleasant surprise yesterday! Mary Ann( A Very Mary Design), a fellow blogger friend, sent me a note with 4 of her special "I'm Dotty About You" tags! What a sweet, sweet surprise from a fun, talented and honest blogger! I know she sells these in her Etsy shop, so I'd better take a peek at them. Thank you very much for spreading joy, Mary Ann!!!

Lastly, the stray Vintage Hat Pin turned up last Friday....in my thigh! It was included in the basket of special ephemera from Heidi for my birthday in April, and has been lost since then! I had a clearer understanding why pinned on courages aren't allowed on airlines after my poke! Ouch!

Monday Goodies

2007-08-06T23:00:00.001-07:00

Here's several pictures of my brown PaperBag Album for my Swap-Bot partner, Barb! I hope she likes my chosen theme of Summer. Starting with Heidi buying her 500 paper bags to researching the best glue to use, I've gone down quite an art learning highway with this project. I've made 2 practice albums before doing this swap one. These are such fun to make, and this one's in the mail right now, heading to Albuquerque.

Yesterday my wonderful and sweet sister, "Sunshine", gave me a very special bag of goodies! First, was a package of Joes Oh's cookies to enjoy, then came out the most wonderful package! She'd recently gone to the fabric store, and shared the wealth with me! She cut and folded a whole bunch of pretty and fresh fabric for me, and topped in off with several yards of gorgeous ribbons! She wanted me to make ATC and other things with it, but what I'm doing first is making HER a little surprise with some of it! I've started something, not sure what it'll end up, but it's started!!!!

And, my other dear and special sister, "Cookie", (note: these sisters named themselves!!!) and I are doing a 1-on-1 art challenge called, "Make Me Something". At the same time, we both sent each other an envelope filled with paper and art making goodies. The challenge is to make the other person something with their goodies and send it back! She sent me such wonderful items to choose from, that I had something made the first night. There will be absolutely NO hints until she gets it back, however. Just stay tuned!

Well, other Sparks in my Engine today included cashing in on a couple of FREE coupons for lunch at Wahoo, and a Buy-1-Get-1-Free coupon for Starbucks!

Amazing Art Doll Hat Received

2007-08-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

She's here!!!! Meet my gorgeous Art Fairy Doll Hat from Cheryl (Artsy-Fartsy) l!!!!! Amy (Crafting by Candlelight) hosted such a fun and different Swap, the Art Doll Swap! I learned a lot, like I always do in swaps.

This week my doorbell rang, my dog barked, and when I answered it, I saw the most unusual yellow shaped box. I knew right away what it was, and who it was fun. I ran and grabbed my camera and the opening began! Cheryl not only wrapped it in a fun way, she designed and crafted the hat box to mail it in! This box is made from very sturdy cardboard, and beautifully covered with vintage Sear's, Roebuck and Co antique catalog pages!!! On the top are the hats! You could have ordered a "Dandy Hat" for your daughter for 24 cents; or a designer hat for yourself, custom made, for 99 cents! Oh, go ahead and order your husband some new wagon wheels....!!!! Once I got past the shock of how creative, kind, ambitious, and talented Cheryl is, I pulled out her beautiful art doll!!!I love her!!! Don't the pretty pink petals make a dramatic skirt? And I love the yellow roses! The petals are lined with fiberfill to keep they puffed up. The doll itself is lined in vintage sheet music, as is the sweet Sallie tag she made me! I was just overwhelmed with admiration and appreciation. This lovely doll has 2 sides, a very womanly shape, and beautiful sheer butterfly wings. Thank you so very much, Cheryl!!!! You are quite an amazing and talented person.

Here's a link to the original instructions for the Doll Hats. And here's the link to the Art Doll Hats Flickr group, where many participants in the swap posted their glorious pictures!

Oh, this is Cool!

2007-07-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

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My Art Doll Hat for Cheryl

2007-07-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the Art Doll Hat I made for Cheryl (Artsy Fartsy). I wanted to design something extra special for her, so I surprised her by making the doll with her daughter's face! Her daughter is very pretty, and I grew to really love her darling face, the more I sat and admired the doll! I used a premade cone for the skirt, and covered it in a gathered vintage fabric, with a lacy overskirt. Her wings are real ferns that I pressed and layered between some sheets of clear contact paper. Her wand and collar have jewels, and she has a layered top, which was painted, glittered, and covered with netting. Her head and body is backed with vintage sheet music. I really enjoyed styling this art doll for Cheryl, and sure hope she likes it! The doll in the purple skirt is one I showed last week. I just remade the wings and wand! She was my practice doll. Soon she'll be getting a "friend" in the mail from my swap partner.

I Won!!!

2007-07-28T22:49:00.001-07:00

Today was a big mail day! I won a prize drawing from the very generous Amy Elise Designs, and it arrived today!!! I was so excited and happy as I opened the big pouch of goodies! Tags, paper flowers, lovely paper, buttons, fancy brads, and more all came pouring out of the jam packed envelope! I'm so glad I entered that contest! This was big, big, big! I immediately used some paper and ribbon, and have lots more to use. Thank you so very, very much Amy!!! You're a doll!!! Oh, also in the mail was my order from her! I couldn't resist getting some more of her pretty tags! I love those tags!

I finished my Art Doll Hat and have mailed it off. I'll post pictures as soon as I hear that she's been received by Cheryl. I'm excited about recieving the doll she made me, too. She even gave me a sneak peak of it, and it's beautiful!!! I also finished a birthday present for someone very special, but I can't show it for awhile...she may drop by here! Hint: It's very pretty, and about 9" X 12"! I'm still working away on my next paper bag scrapbook, the one for the swap. I should finish in another few days, and will post pictures here.

I hope eveyone's enjoying their summers, especially those lucky ones on vacations - like Amy and Heidi!

Some Received ATCs & some Shopping Songs!I

2007-07-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! In case you're tired of seeing my art work, today you get to see several cards I've received from recent swaps! I had 2 Childhood Memory ATC swap partners. The first lovely set of 3 cards was sent to me by the talented Jullie Dodds. Her beautiful cards are slick and totally finished off, very professional! I love them! I'm sure they were very time consuming to create, and really shows. The next 2 Childhood Memories cards were made by another talented and creative artist, Hollie, from the UK. Her charming cards were made from 3 identical photos that had been cut and glued onto each other, giving a 3-D look. Aren't they gorgeous? The last 2 cards were sent from Deborah Edgwell of New Jersey. These 2 were for the "Found on a Walk" swap that we all enjoyed so much! Isn't that flat rock wonderful? This was the swap that changed me forever: I'm forever looking down and around for things to make cards out of!

I had to run into Michael's this weekend (I forgot why!) and sure enough: they played that song they ALWAYS play every time I go in there! The other songs are always just a blur, but this one is distinct and comes on loud and strong. I almost laughed out loud! It's just unreal...EVERY time I'm there I hear it! Then, I had to go pick up something from Hancock fabric store. I immediately noticed their very cool oldies rock music! What a treat! All of a sudden, just for me, my song came on the air!!!! "Mustang Sally"!!!! (My name is Sallie, and I used to drive a '65 Mustang!) I was just thrilled! I made sure I bought a few extra items, just to thank them! And I also promise I won't return anything!

I'm a Winner! Scrabble, and Scrapbooks!

2007-07-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm just so excited! I actually won a prize from a very special Blogger, Amy Elise Designs! She just announced I won a packet of her famous goodie pack of ephemera! Her sweet and darling son picked my name! Thank you very much, Amy Elise!!!! You've made me smile and smile! I was poking around her Etsy store a week or so ago, and found her wonderful tags for sale, quite inexpensively! Part of my order was a big bag of about 30 of her pretty tags for only $3.00! I've included a picture of some of them. It was my first time buying on Etsy! I also put in an order for some of Frankie's (Blue Moon Studio) lovely paper flowers, again about 12 for $2.50. What wonderful affordable fun! I enjoyed using some of each in the paper bag scrapbook I finished yesterday.

Here are the pictures of my very first brown paper bag scrapbook! I made this at the encouragement of Heidi, who generously sends these out to any one who asks her for one. The other one I pictured last week was made by my daughter, so this is my first attempt. The picture of the cover also has the 3 side insert cards. I thoroughly enjoyed making this album!

Lastly, I've got to help spread the word that there's a new Scrabble dictionary out there! It's the 4th edition. Man oh man, it's got a couple new words in it that are doosies!!! Now, "QI" is a word, as is "ZA". This is big, big news for a die-hard Scrabble player like myself. I'm not sure what else is new, but I'll keep checking. My daughter and I love to play Scrabble, especially our new game Super Scrabble. It has 5 blanks instead of 2, 10 Ss, and we can really score high playing on it! Anyway, get the news out about this new 4th edition Scrabble dictionary! If I come to your house to play, I'll need it!!!! (Or you'll never believe QI is actually a word.)

My Practice Art Doll Hat

2007-07-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is my practice Art Doll Hat. Actually, mine is not really a "hat". It's supposed to be a Fairy!!! I sincerely need everyone's help to give me suggestions on how to make this look more like a fairy!!! I'd really appreciate your advice and opinions! I don't want to disappoint my swap partner. My real fairy Art Doll will look different, depending on what suggestions you kind readers give me! Thank you so much, in advance. Oh, just for the record, this doll has a lovely lace slip under her dress. This was such fun to make! I enjoyed getting out my sewing machine, and the glitter bottles. I even wound up with glitter in my peanut butter sandwich at lunch today! My art fairy is spreading glitter everywhere.

Childhood Memories ATC Swap

2007-07-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here are two sets of Childhood Memory themed cards I made and sent out for a swap over at Swap-Bot. This swap idea sounded so challenging and exciting. I was asking myself: What colors are the colors of my childhood? What games, for example, were unique to just our family? I realized just making a Monopoly card was probably common to almost everyone our ages. However, when it came right down to the time to make the cards, I used themes that occurred to me as I was looking through old photos and the bits & pieces I had.

Here are the themes I chose:
Bedtime Prayer Time: It was a most comforting time to get prayed for, kissed, and tucked in by our precious Mommy.
Cookie Baking : We baked tons of cookies! Whenever I wanted to bake anything my mom always let me. Also, we had dessert EVERY DAY! Whew, those glorious childhood years!
First Day of School: This card shows my older sister and I entering 1st and 2nd grade, in a new school. Yes, that took a lot of courage!
Pen Pals: We moved a lot when I was a child, so I had lots of Pen pals from my old neighborhoods, and I also had many other Pen Pals whose names I got from children's magazines of those days.
Mother Reading: This card symbolizes my mom reading to us, then my vivid imagination off in my make-believe world, living in a castle or something!
Picking Wildflowers: I was fascinated by wildflowers as a child, and now, too! There were lots of empty lots, fields and forests in those days and lots of colorful wildflowers! Those pink and blue bachelor buttons were my favorites.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cards I've received on that theme, so far. I will post pictures of those when they all arrive. I tried scanning my cards for this post, and I can tell the picture quality isn't as nice as when I use my digital camera. But since my cards are all mailed off, I can't undo that!

Cars, Scrapbooks, Angel Hats, and Giveaways!!!

2007-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's such fun to just stumble upon someone's blog giveaway contest! Like I did this morning at Deb's over at Say It With Letters. She has some very exciting "girlie" prizes, and I sure hope I win! Her sweet assortment of prizes would be exactly what I need right now! You see just last week my daughter, Erica (21), asked me to make her a scrapbook of her grade school years!!! She wants to design her older years, and her baby book is already completed. I just finished my son's two Creative Memory albums last night. Whew! It's about time - he just graduated from college! Those things are heavy now. I hope that's OK! I was looking through them last night, and just about started crying. Oh, how his precious childhood flew by!

Tomorrow I'll be getting my Art Doll Hat swap partner for Amy's swap (Crafting by Candlelight). I sure hope I can come up with something pretty for my partner! If anyone has any ideas, suggestions, or has made one - I'd love to hear from you! This will be a fun challenge for me!

And soon I'll start my own Paper Bag Album for my swap partner! I enjoyed watching my daughter make hers, and can't wait to do mine! Picking the papers for each page will be so enjoyable! And it's sure "live-and-learn" at our house! Erica came out of her room the other night with this burnt piece of paper that had a song printed on it. She asked me, "How does Aunt Heidi burn the edges without torching it???" !!!!!!!! She'd been actually burning the edges with matches to antique her paper!!! Oh Dear!!! Well, that called for a quick trip to Michael's for some aging paint. My pride kept me from calling Heidi to ask what was the best paint for this. Yes, I thought it was paint! I looked high and low at Michael's, and even asked a salesperson for help. She couldn't find any either. I even broke down and asked another customer if she knew anything about aging paper, and she just shook her head no. Right before we left, I stumbled across some ink pads called Distress Ink by Jim Holtz in the stamping section. Oh brother, it was right smack in front of where that lady was looking! Anyway, now we can begin distressing paper. We all have to start our way on the art highway somewhere.

Lastly, we are in one of those major- minor crises at our house. The engine in our Nissan Altima died on busy Highway 17 last Friday night. The mechanic said the timing chain is tangle up in the valves, and the engine is shot. He worked all weekend installing a junk yard engine into it, and when he started it, it leaked oil all over. So we're car shopping! And that means for now I'm without a car, since Bruce needs to use my truck. The car pictures are of my 1967 Camaro, the last car I, alone, got to pick out and drive! Oh, the good ol' days! That was the last of my "cool rides"! Alas, off we go used car shopping

Paper Bag Scrapbooks

2007-07-14T22:32:00.001-07:00

Well, we sure have had a couple days of Scrapbooking around here! Heidi sent me a couple brown paper bag scrapbooks, and challenged me to make one! Well, my daughter saw the bags, and she immediately wanted to make one as a surprise for her boyfriend. What fun we've had together, shopping at Michael's for supplies and working on scrapbooks. I worked on some other scrapbooks, but helped cut some of the paper for Erica. She had some pictures of her and her boyfriend made up in sepia. I think they looked great with the colors she chose for her scrapbook! Check out Heidi's Flickr site soon, for some more paperback albums.

More Interviews About Michael's

2007-07-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd add a few more comments regarding Michael's again. After all, it's such a fun store and I bring them lots of money every time I go! So I really delved deeper into what my kids thought of it. I openly told Nathan his comments yesterday were pretty funny, and asked him what else he had to say about Michael's. He had about 4 more statements. "It's a lot of old stuff. It's like stuff from the '90s. It's all dusty. It's like looking through a junk drawer!" And that's about all he had to say about that!

So, I asked my daughter Erica what she thinks of Michael's, knowing full well she values it. Here's her comments: "It's just little stuff, little knick-knacks. And some of the stuff is expensive for what it is. Go once a week with the coupon, and be a smart shopper. And they could get more stuff for kids." (She's a teacher.)

So, between today and yesterday, that sums up what we think of our closest craft store!

I (mostly) Love Michael's!

2007-07-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

This spring a brand new Michael's craft store opened up pretty close to where we live! Yay! Joy! I go there pretty frequently, depending on what's going on. I mostly love that store! It's chock full of wonderful crafting supplies, it's a place to get new ideas, and the best part is: Usually there's a 40% off coupon in the Sunday paper! And who doesn't love a bargain? Also, they accept other craft store coupons!!! They even ring me in 2 transactions if I want to use 2 coupons! This new store is directly under the landing flight path of our airport, so it frequently rocks and roars!

My very few complaints have to do with that music there. This is the truth, I swear. I usually hear the same song, every time I'm there! And that's so annoying, it's funny! Sometimes they don't play music. Last time I was there, was a no-music day. But I kept hearing these beats, or tones. I thought some employees somewhere had a radio on? I went back to look at the wonderful Clearance section, and the sounds got louder. I finally had to investigate, and went up and down a few aisles before I found it. Halloween stuff! Yup, you guessed it. July's a great time to display an entire Halloween village for sale, complete with a 3-toned spooky creepy sound which I could not get out of my head! Long (high) short- short (lower). I can still sing it. Oh, and frequently there's the loud sound of glass breaking somewhere.

Now for the funny stuff. My husband is often very funny, and speaks his share of wisecracks. I've begun to call them "Bruce-isms". He has some mighty strong feelings about Michael's. The past 2 times we've gone there, or should I say I go there and he waits somewhere for me, I've written down what he says, word-for-word. Actually, today I didn't need to write it down. I just needed several glues, and he was planning just to sit in the heat of the car and wait . I politely, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to come in where it's cool?" He quickly responded, "I would die." Later, after dinner I wanted more, so I questioned him further about how he feels about Michael's. Here's a big Bruceism mouthful: (and I do apologize for openly offending anyone) "Michael's is an irritating store, with No value. It's a woman's store, young, old, or middle aged women. Have you ever seen a male in there? It's very dangerous. No guy should ever be permitted in there, ever. It's no place for a man. I don't want to be spotted by another male there. They would turn me in." OK, you guys. You'd better be laughing!!! He's not artistic and has a big opinion about everything. I think it's funny!

In fact, last week while we were on the way to the shopping center, where I was going into Michael's and he into Trader Joe's he got to talking about Michael's. I quickly grabbed my paper and without him noticing, I began to take notes. I was laughing and laughing at what he was saying, all the way there. By the time we arrived my stomach just ached from all that laughter. He wasn't laughing, he was dead serious. Here's his opinion of Michael's. "It's a Pirara store." (I corrected him; he was trying to say piranha.) "It's a flesh-eating store. There's far too many little knick-knacks in there; things I don't like. I don't like looking at that stuff. It's a place where you lose your mind. It's a prison. That's true, right?" (he's absolutely dead serious while saying this, and I'm just cracking up royal! I can hardly type right now, thinking of him saying all this so openly!) He went on, "Do you ever see a male of the species in that store? NO - only if they're a 1st grade teacher..." and on! See what I have to live with?

Actually, I guess he must've gone with me a few times and I took too long? Or he got lost in there? I don't remember, but sounds like he's definately been in there!

After dinner tonight, I was wondering if this opinion is a father-son type thing, so I decided to ask my son what he thought of Michael's! Now, Nathan is rather artistic, and has taken several art courses at college. Here's his response, "Michael's? It has a lot of cheap stuff. Like 5 cent buttons or something, thread. Things there have very small packaging. They must have a lot of stolen stuff since they're so small. They probably mark up the stuff because of that." I think he'd go again! Good!

Well, just thought I'd share a corner of my life. My DH is great, and quite a talker. Sometimes his opinions are funny, sometimes maddening! Actually, one of my brothers once said he was the funniest person he knew!

And the WINNER is.....!!!!!

2007-07-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to you all!! Today I got to draw a winner for my paper flowers prize! My winner is: MARY ANN !!! Thank you all for visiting my blog and playing along. I have a couple wonderful new Blogs to go visit! You've got to check out Mary Ann's blog, and also her wonderful vintage and hand made items! Wow, how fun! Mary Ann, please contact me so I can get your address and mail your prize right away! (sjb2358@Hotmail.com)

Happy Fourth of July 2007!!!

2007-07-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Hope you're all having a fun and safe holiday with family and friends. We got to display a brand new United States flag this morning, with brightly colored stars and stripes. Some stores were selling more of a maroon colored red, but we bought one "Made In America" that was a true red.

This is my little terrier mix, Ruffy! It's my day to show him off! He looks so cute in the patriotic hat! My favorite picture of all time of him, is the last one with his tennis ball. He was just looking at me so intently when I called his name and took his picture. I have that one on my computer desktop. After looking at it, I must say I see love in his eyes. We've owned him for three years but I've never said to the dog, "I love you." But I did this week, after really seeing in his eyes how he feels about me. (Tongue in cheek or not, it's still a cute picture!)

My prayers go up with millions others that God will protect our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and keep them out of harms way. They are so very brave and are doing all they can to bring peace. I'll keep praying for them all, and for America.

Collage for Erica

2007-07-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the new collage I've been working on for my daughter. I posted several close-ups, too. Now she's the lucky owner of two of my collages - remember I made a "practice" collage for her before Jenny's "bits & pieces" collage swap? So, I'll shortly be hanging them both in her room. She loves Rachel Ashwell decorating touches, and I was really trying for a Shabby Chic look with this pink one. Not sure what it is, other than a collage! But, Erica loves it!

Once the holiday is over, there'll still be some excitement here in Blog Land! I'm waiting until Friday to draw my lucky winner for my give-away!
Happy 4th of July to everyone! Today we bought a new flag to replace our outdoor one, so it will fly proud and brightly colored tomorrow. We're really looking forward to a picnic, then watching fireworks at Central Park. Don't forget to secure all your pets! My little terrier mix, Ruffy, is just terrified of fireworks and runs under the bed or couch for the evening at the first whistle. We want to keep all our cats and dogs safe!

The Summer Sun Blog Giveaway!

2007-06-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

At Heidi's (Everyday Cookies) suggestion, I'm also having a SUMMER SUN BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm offering this package of dimensional flowers from Martha Stewart's new line of paper crafts. There are 8 summer flowers in 3 different colors. These are the large 1 3/4" size, perfect for all paper crafts. I call them summer flowers, maybe asters?

Just say "hi" in the comments on this Blog or yesterday's post and I'll put your name in my hat for the drawing! I'll draw my winner next Friday, July 8th. Thanks for joining in the fun!

I still don't know what kind of wildflowers I'm growing! Here's another picture of them, with a few more blooms. I'm not real great at identifying flowers! Just ask Heidi, the green-thumb gardener: She was showing me around her beautiful property one year, and I suddenly, helpfully reached down and pulled up a big "weed"!!! Heidi in horror asked, "Sallie!!! Why did you pull up my flowers? I just planted that!" EEEK! So, you see I need a little help in the flower department! Thanks for any suggestions! And have fun this summer!

Summer Sun Swapping Fun!

2007-06-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest batch of ATCs! I made them for a swap on Swap-Bot called the "Gold Leafing Pen Resist Swap"! It's an artist technique from the book Artist Trading Card Workshop by Bernie Berlin. This a fabulous and colorful book, chock full of interesting new ideas to try with your artist cards. If you love making these little cards, I highly recommend buying this book! I've already renewed it 3 times from our city library, and now must return it. But I hope to soon own a copy! Here's how I made these cards: I basically scribbled on watercolor paper with a gold leafing pen, then water colored at random over it. Metallic pen resists the watercolor, and makes the paper look cool. Then, on some of the cards I stamped, before putting on the main subject. On some, I glued on magazine pictures, on some others I did a packing tape lift from pictures. I put the tape over a picture, and then soaked the paper off, rubbing when necessary. This leaves a wonderful see-through picture which worked perfectly for this project. It was my idea to use the tape for this project, and it worked out nicely. The lighted lamp post light is my favorite! Soon, these will all be sent off to my ATC swap partners!

Other projects in the works right now are my "Paperbag Scrapbook Swap", and I'm working on another collage for my daughter! I may also be hosting a Summer Sun Give-Away! Stay tuned for that! I'm thinking of picking up something in Michaels for that!

Thanks for looking at all these pictures today!

Collage Received from Amy!!! Thank you SO Much!!!

2007-06-24T14:34:00.001-07:00

What an exciting day yesterday was! I got a box on my doorstep from Amy, clearly labeled "Bits 'n Pieces Swap"! I rounded my daughter up, and we slowly and excitedly opened the box....to this BEAUTIFUL Shabby Chic Collage!!! Amy, thank you so VERY much for making this gorgeous piece of art for me!!! I just oohed and awed, and smiled and smiled as I unwrapped the pink tissue and lifted out Amy's masterpiece. It was exactly what I was secretly hoping for - a Shabby Chic themed piece that I could hang in my bedroom! Amy worked very hard crafting this for me, and I just LOVE it! Please notice the upper right hand corner, where the old fashioned lady has a saying on her forehead "Spoil Me"! Also, under her is a gentle pink Mary Engelbreit posie! (And you know how I love Mary Engelbreit!) Isn't the sparkly "S" magnificent? It's all gorgeous, but what about the button that looks like a glass drawer pull? On a silverware box? So glorious! I love the old black & white picture, too! I'm very lucky, and very happy to have received this lovely piece of art that I'll treasure forever. You may click on the picture for a close-up to admire each square easier!

Collage I made for Amy

2007-06-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

My Swap partner, Amy, has received her collage from me so I can safely post the picture here! I bravely signed up for Jenny's "Bits & Pieces" collage swap and actually managed to put together a collage that Amy seems to like! It was seriously such fun to make; however it was also a challenge, in many ways: the mathematics of dividing a 9" X 12" board up, my paint choice - this board was painted 6 times with several different colors til I was happy with the results. Not to mention the backgrounds, collage items, and how to handle that flaky glitter!

This swap was Jenny's idea (from Everyday is a Holiday). She set the guidelines for the swap: Purchase a 9" X 12" canvas, either stretched over a wooden frame or flat. Divide it into 12 sections, and decorate it with "what's left on your craft table" or whatever your heart desires! I had to do quite a bit of experimenting with all elements of this, but sure enjoyed it all. You can see more completed collages, and sneak peaks, here at Jenny's Flickr site.

Name the Wildflower!

2007-06-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here's my little wildflower plant! I need help, though! I don't know what it is! Erica went to a wedding this spring, and was given some wildflower seeds to plant as a take-home favor. The blooms are so lovely, but what is it?

Another guessing game! Guess who had glitter on their face last night? There's so much talk in Blog-land about glitter, glitter, glitter, and I find it incredibly messy. So, I did some experiments with glitter at the kitchen table yesterday. Does it stick better with glue, decoupage, varnish, and how about several layers of it? Anyway, that was fun and I have some useful results for my crafting! Hours later, I went to Nathan's room to talk to him...and his face was shimmery! He has glitter on his face! Boy, did I laugh! He's not a likely person to be using glitter in our house! Nathan, my recent college graduated son. Here's what his loving and encouraging Aunt Heidi sent him. I just love the award ribbon with his picture!!!! (How do you DO those ribbon fans, Heidi?) She also made him this special card with a picture of him at about age 10 and his school initials, SJSU. On the back of the card was more flattering encouragement illustrated by Mary Engelbreit: "If you have knowledge let others light their candles by it." There sure is a lot of sharing of knowledge here in various Blogs. So many share pictures, skills, techniques, patterns, recipes, and other "How-To-s. Nathan is sorting through his room, cleaning out the school-day books and supplies. He bought a large storage cabinet for the garage to help store things! Brilliant! (All those college $$ are really paying off!)

Sneak Peek!!!

2007-06-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, I'm posting some Sneak-Peeks of my finished collage for Jenny's "bits & pieces" collage swap! This was just a blast to make! It was hard, though, hard to stop working on it once I began. Each participant in the swap has their own collaging ideas and scraps; but remember: we were paired with someone who listed their favorite colors and themes! More about my partner, Amy, next week! For now, here are the sneak peeks!

This post, with these sneak-peeks, might seem a little odd! Our day to mail our creations is Monday, June 25th. I want Amy to be very surprised when she opens my box! After that, I can post pictures of my collage to my heart's delight!

Swaps and More Swaps!!!

2007-06-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back to normal here temperature wise. My next door neighbor, who's lived here over 50 years, broke down and installed an air-conditioner last week! It was that toasty! I think some of my stickers even melted together!

First, here's what my sweet swap partner, Briana, sent me for the Mary Engelbreit swap. She just touched my heart, the way she hunted high and low for Mary Engelbreit items in her area. She mentioned in her letter shopping at 9 different stores for me, finding only these 2 items in no other patterns! She thoughtfully hand made me thiese 2 pretty flower magnets! I love them! Briana, I collect bookmarks, and just love this one! And I've never seen this magnet, it's fantastic! Thank you very much!!! (Should I send you some gas money? Ha!)

I'm in Jenny's "Bits & Pieces" Collage Swap!!! It's supposed to be a "what's left on your craft table" collage. My, my, my this is fun! Just for fun, and to practice, I made a collage for Erica! (But, hint, hint, hint: just maybe I'll use some of these same ideas for you, Amy! If you read this!) I'm in the middle of making my swap collage, the real collage. Next week I'll post a picture of it. The collage is on a 9" by 12" piece of stretched canvas!!! I've never bought a piece of canvas before, much less paint and collage on it - what a thrill! I felt so proud, standing in line at Michael's with a piece of canvas...I'm what you could call "artistically challenged". But boy oh boy, I do love to collage! I'm really looking forward to pictures of what the other 65 people in this swap make!

Lastly, are my 6 ATCs for the "Watercolor on Baby Wipe" swap. I just love this background technique! Try it! It's like making your own colorful fabric.

Well, off I go to go dream up some more ideas for little 3" collage squares!

My Grandmother's Swing

2007-06-09T14:39:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I loved to go to Grandma's house! That pure Grandma love and attention was so precious to me. Here's a picture I thought I'd lost!!! Since I recently located it I'm posting it to show how happy I am to have found it. It's one of my favorite pictures from childhood, age 4 in this picture. My Grandma wore her apron all the time around the house. I know she was busy fixing supper or something for me and my big family, 6 at that time. Yet, she still had time for me, to come outside and push me on her swing. My Grandma lived for 8 more years after this picture, and I still miss her. Can you see their big garden behind us? I remember it being full of raspberries and corn. Everytime I see a raspberry I think of my Grandma.

Swaps!

2007-06-07T22:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of swaps I'm in! First, are pictures of ATCs I'm sending to my 3 swap partners, then are pictures of my Mary Engelbreit swap! Ever since I signed up for the "Found on a Walk" swap I haven't been the same! While out walking my eyes scan the ground for little shiny or interesting things, or even a fallen rose. Each picture is a group of cards for a partner. I was supposed to send each person 2 cards, but actually sent 4 cards to each since I had so much fun collecting and creating for this swap.

I found lots of neat stuff. I didn't use it all, but here's a list of things I found and used for these cards: a rose, a geranium, little colored dots, little felt dots, bird egg shell, jewels, cardboard, glass, puzzle pieces, fun foam dragon fly, and a Make-A-Bear pin.

I'm getting my Mary Engelbreit swap packed up for my partner, too! Lots of thanks goes to my sister Heidi for sending me 3 nice pieces of Mary Engelbreit fabric, and one of her lovely tags! I also included some ME Cherry Tea, a teapot stamp, a small journal, stickers and other goodies! What fun this was!

Nathan's Graduation from SJSU

2007-06-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a bunch of pictures taken at Nathan's college graduation. It was just such a joyful and happy time! The significance of graduation this year, is that 2007 is the 150th anniversary of San Jose State University! So, it's a pretty cool year to be graduating. Another tidbit is that both my husband and I graduated from SJSU, and now Nathan! And in a few more years, Erica will graduate! I'm very proud of you Nathan. I know it was a long time to go to school and you are very dedicated. You should be proud of yourself!!!!

I Was Tagged!!!

2007-05-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! I've been "Tagged" by dear Miss Heidi, and now I have to "list 7 weird things about myself!!!" I came up with some ideas, but still I had to copy Heidi's example of asking others around here what they think! After all, that's the true picture, right? So, here's my list! It's supposed to make you laugh, cry, scrunch up your face in horror...

1. I've been told I smile too much! Not much I can do about that, since it's an emotion, isn't it?

2. I've been told numerous times, in a negative way, that I am too nice!!! Horrible, huh?

3. Now I'll shock you! I can't ride a bike!!!
also...
4. I can't swim!!! All I can do is dog-paddle, just like my mom!

5. My toes curl under???

6. I laugh too much, and many times at inappropriate times and places!!! Church, the doctor's office, while singing in front of the church!!! Dinner...you get the picture!

7. Now, I asked Bruce (my husband) what he would say. Here's his answer: "I would NOT answer that!!!"

So, I asked Erica (my daughter) what she would say. She got a funny look on her face and reminded me how I "tend to talk about the grossest things while we eat! Medical things about people or animals, even with company present!"

8. I had to ask Nathan (my son), too, since he's so witty! He excitedly said, "Oh, I've got a good one! You wear my pajamas!!!"

9. For fun, I asked my daughter's (very helpful) boyfriend, Collin, what he would say. Oh was he ever helpful! But he very kindly said, "Oh, this is awkward." Then he gave his list:
a. "You're overly obsessed with crafts."
Collin: "let's see...what else..." Me: "I only needed 7!"
b. Collin: "You're super-nice to everyone." (He didn't realize that could also be a negative! (See above.)
c. Collin: "You watch the TV on your computer rather than on your big screen TV."

I had to stop him. I think he'd go on and on...He's just so helpful!

OK, there you go. Hope you like this list. And now who shall I tag? I don't know very many people with Blogs! Nevertheless, I hereby TAG: Roberta, Elizabeth, Erica, Collin!, Nathan, Thuy, and Sue! And, this tagging business is actually a DARE! Here's the rules: You write your list of 7 weird things about yourself, then go tag 7 more people! Have fun!

"You Spent All That Time on That???"

2007-05-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is a direct quote from my Bruce, "You spent all that time on that???" UGH! However, he was right! I had a huge mess surrounding me, papers on the floor, and just a little 2.5" X 3.5" card to show for it! But what fun! Bruce understands hobbies, and has recently taken up a renewed interest in golf. And golf is time consuming, not much to show when you're done, AND expensive!

Here are some of my recent ATCs. The first four and last four cards were made with some of the Vintage supplies Heidi gave me for my birthday!

Some of the other cards will go to a partner for the "Found on a Walk" Swap. I found all those little felt circles while on a walk, the side jewels on that purple one, and of course the bird's egg. I'll show the rest of the cards in that category when I get closer to the due date for that swap. It's a great idea! I'm also pressing a few flowers for that theme.

So here you go! Here's how I've been having fun lately!

My VERY Happy Birthday

2007-04-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love April, my birthday month...This April, early in the month, Erica asked me if I'd seen what was in the candy dish on the mantle. It was Orange Slices!!! My favorite! She told me if I only ate 3 a day I'd have enough for the whole month! Instead, the dish was empty in about 3 days! YUM! For my actual birthday, the 27th, Erica sweetly got off work early to spend some time with me. She fixed me this fabulous strawberry layered cake! Bruce said it was the best cake he's ever eaten! She also gave me a manicure and pedicure, and arranged for our party of 8 to have dinner at the fun Boca di Beppo! After dinner, I got to open my lovely gifts! I was so curious as to what Heidi had sent me, since she'd given me some hints on her Blog. I was just speechless when I opened her carefully wrapped Hanging Birthday Cake card! It was me at age 5, all adorned on this gorgeous Birthday Cake themed altered art card. It's an amazing piece of art I just love!!!! Then I opened the other part of her gift...The Vintage Sewing Basket full of Vintage craft supplies!!!! First I pulled out the absolutely adorable letter "S", 8 inches tall and full of charm for me. I love the sweet Scottie Dog, and the pie recipes, buttons and beads, and complete with a sweet little bird perched on top! Just amazing! All the items in the basket were just too good (read authentic collectible quality Vintage). I could only gasp. Erica was with me while I opened it, since Heidi warned me it was "private". I didn't know what she meant? Underwear? A spa package? Unfortunately, Bruce walked in on us opening it, and said, "She sent you junk?" That's what Heidi meant about private. Only my private eyes and heart could fully understand the enormous value of this very special and thoughtful gift. Oh I just love it Heidi! Thank you very, very much! I stayed up til 2AM looking over every very special button, and each piece of ribbon, and all the Vintage sheet music, French words and books, and the precious little Audobon bird and nature book. Just amazing. I soon used some of the items for these 5 ATCs. They may or may not be done...Not Sure! I read somewhere that the main error Newbie ATC-ers make is adding too much to their cards! I just had to show this gift since it was so very unusual. I did it at the risk of leaving out other very thoughtful gift and card givers. I loved each loving email, phone call, card, gift, thought and prayer from all my loving friends and family. I had tears of emotion from several of your thoughtful items.

Love and Blessings to all,
Sallie (Now 1 year older, and after 3 cakes...several pounds heavier! But happy!)

April Birthday Girl!

2007-04-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet little April birthday girl, from awhile back... I'm trying to imitate Heidi's site, but I don't have the precious full-color pictures she does! So, this is my version! This little girl has 5 candles on her cake, too, just like Heidi's girl! Happy Birthday to all the April birthdays out there! (Mine included! April is a great month to have a birthday - it's usually so beautiful most of the month.)

Here are the actual ATCs I sent off to my 2 swap partners yesterday! One lady liked sheep, so I gave her 4 little lamb stickers on cards, and stuck them in ribbon so she can remove them. She also loves Vintage, so I made a Vintage look card. The other lady liked "ugly art" and neon green, so I tried to make one card my ugliest art ever! It's a parody of the George Washington stamp, I don't know if it has any merit or not. That's why I sent this lady, who also likes sunflowers and patches, 3 cards instead of 2! I also made her a neon green felt case to hold the cards. Hope my swap partners like their cards!

Newbie ATC Swap

2007-04-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

I'm a NEWBIE! Yep, a newbie to ATCs...and I'm beginning to find what I was warned about is true: ATCs are addictive!!! These are just too much fun! I stayed up way, way, way too late last night, trying to put these cards together. I'm in a "Newbie ATC" swap at Swap-Bot, and the Newbie category is exactly where I belong. I'm not at all a painter, but that's the glory of ATCs - anything at all that you do to the card is acceptable! This is a dare to anyone reading this who's never made one: Go cut some card stock 2.5" X 3.5" and have at it! Today, the fun of having the Mazda 6 loaner car bombed. The key is lost! And, if we can't find it, it'll cost between $100-$200 to have a locksmith replace it. And we have to do that quickly, because Erica's car may be finished any day now, and we'll have to return the rental car! Start looking, Nathan!

Easter 2007

2007-04-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE the Mary Engelbreit tear-off calendar Easter picture this year! Isn't she carrying the sweetest things? I had to post it here to forever save this one.

I finished my purse "party favors" for our church Women's Meeting tomorrow night. I got this purse pattern a few months ago from the Karla Dornacher web site. I had ribbons to match each color card stock, then decided I liked the gold chain-look better. I especially like the sound of the chain dangling on the purse - almost real! I hope all the ladies like what I filled the purses with. The picture shows what is in each purse. This will all be a surprise! I am also planning to lead several "purse themed" games with the ladies. Most know about the traditional purse search games, but have you ever heard about a team purse scavenger hunt? I hope they like the purses and the games! Here's the site where I get a lot of my games and ideas, the Creative Ladies Ministry site by Julia Bettencourt.

We had a lovely and meaningful Easter, and enjoyed several little outings over the weekend. We're making good use of our rental car, necessary while Erica's car is being repaired after her small wreck. Bruce and I drove to San Francisco Saturday, and enjoyed the new art museum at Golden Gate Park, Ghirardelli Square and the wharf, and lunch at Mel's diner! Then, today we took a quick over to Santa Cruz, just for a bowl of minestrone soup, a little taffy, and some sight seeing. Fun!

The Fun is in the Trade! Some more ATCs

2007-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another several ATCs! This is just the greatest fun for me! They don't take too long, and the result is a little piece of very satisfying art. And the fun is in the trade! Look at the very lovely and fancy 2 Heidi sent me "Rose" and "Fleur". These are made from a cut-up Scrabble board! Amazing! What fun to exchange these! Just like my son and daughter used to trade stickers, POGS, and baseball cards. Thank you, Heidi, for your lovely cards! I got brave and signed up for a New-bie ATC swap, so I have to make 4 more cards by the end of the month. For a great time, go to Swap-Bot.com and join in.

Jenny's Vintage Kitchen Swap Goodies!

2007-04-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here's what I hunted down for my Vintage Kitchen Swap partner! Oh, I had so much fun hunting items for my very first swap! I enjoyed many recreational shopping trips to all sorts of stores, the thrift shop, ebay, and Heidi even brought me the cool picnic basket planter from Oregon! I posted a picture of my kitchen, since I've been talking about Vintage Kitchen swaps. I recently realized my kitchen, at age 54, is really and truly vintage - or at least retro! The first picture is the items all wrapped up, so Melissa H. should not look at the second picture if she hasn't received her items yet!

Vintage Kitchen Swap Items Arrived!!!

2007-04-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

What an exciting day it was when my Vintage Kitchen Items from Jenny's swap arrived!!!!!! My swap partner, Melissa H., worked very hard to find vintage kitchen items to match my kitchen. Thank you so much, Melissa!!! Here's a picture of all the lovely, thoughtful items: vintage gold bundt cake pan, syrup and sugar dispensers, Carbon's Golden Malted Pancake & Waffle Flour, sweet note from Melissa, darling Duckie bag full of chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies, Vintage crocheted potholder, big stack of recipe cards, 3 red-handled cookie cutters, white handled flat whisk, vintage Mrs. Wagner's pie tin, and the gold/floral pillow case - for me to craft items from!!! What a wonderful assortment of Vintage Kitchen items! The gold/white/green crocheted pot holder went immediately up on my wall - what a treasure! The Vintage gold bunt pan is also up on the wall, on display. What sweet treasures from this fun swap. Mine came all the way from New Jersey. I'm planning to make pancakes from the mix real soon, and we'll see how that tastes. The syrup dispenser reminds me of one Grandma and Grandpa had, a real emotionally charged item to own and treasure. Have you ever seen a cuter Duckie bag? This is a vintage look duck, with just the sweetest face! Well, I love my items and knew everyone would want to see them.

Flower ATCs

2007-03-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

I'm really in a good mood right now. Bruce and I went to Santa Cruz tonight, just to watch the sunset over a bowl of minestrone. It was relaxing and pretty, but spoiled by the fact that I'd lost my contact in the car while we were parking! Oh dear! I'd figured it was gone forever, after a thorough search in the parking lot. However, so fortunately, once we got home I dumped my purse out on a white sheet and VOILA! There is was! The last place I could look! So I'm happy.

I've signed up for a couple more swaps! One, is an ATC swap with the theme of "Flowers". I hope someone likes what they're getting from me! Also, I got my Vintage Kitchen Swap items in the mail yesterday! I love what I got and call it a "Grandma's kitchen" theme. Who wants a picture of what I got? Who wants to see what I sent? Let me know! It was a super fun swap! I loved hunting vintage-retro-antique items. Wow, I really got carried away! Twice I went shopping while Bruce was golfing, so I really considered it my recreational shopping time!

The Last Day of March!

2007-03-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe March is over! That means tomorrow is April Fool's Day, and the start of April, always my favorite since it's my birthday month! I spent about 4 weeks during March, leisurely assembling this cross mosaic. I really took my time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew when it was over, that'd be it! Stone by stone I placed the tiny tiles, cutting them when necessary. This was the most satisfying project! You get to ooze the cement between the spaces and it turns out so perfect, filling in any gaps. My Oregon sister Sue gave me this great kit as a gift! I just treasure it. How fitting to complete the cross so close to Easter.

March brought a surprise visit from my Oregon sister Heidi and her daughter! We were able to exchange our first ATCs in person! Heidi made me into a butterfly - I'm glad I'm finally out of my cocoon! "Touch the Light" and "L'Elegante" will be treasured trades from Heidi. My face is the butterfly on the ATC cleverly made from a corner of a Scrabble board. What a treasure!

I received a surprise "Welcome to Spring" gift this week from my N.C. sister Roberta! How exciting! I LOVE the colorful dragonfly, flower and stone sun catcher! It's just gorgeous! Dragonflies always remind me of Roberta, since she has a beautiful dragonfly pin I love to see her wear. This sun catcher just screams Spring Is Here! What sweet sisters I have!

Oh yah! ATC's

2007-03-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

I have been give the theme of "Butterflys" from my ATC swap partner! Hope she likes a couple of these. This is really fun: These are my 2nd 3 ATCs ever. I also finished my Mosaic Tile Plaque today. I really enjoyed doing that. And I posted my kitchen picture in Jenny's Vintage Kitchen Swap Flickr site. (That took some courage!) My name is "rffygrt" for the Flickr pictures. That's for Ruffy, my doggy, is great.

2nd Place Prizes for Spring Contest, and ATCs

2007-03-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Oh boy are contests fun! Here's the 2nd place prizes for my Spring Contest! The winners in my contests showed such enthusiasm and excitement! Congratulations to Roberta (1st place) and Lorraine (2nd place)!!! You made this contest so much fun!

Tomorrow is the big day, when many other Spring Contest winner's names will be announced, all over the world. Wow, that's just so cool! I sure enjoyed trekking around Blogland, and meeting so many talented and inspirational people out there! I kept seeing and reading about ATCs, so I did some research to find out what they were! Here's a cool primer and idea bank for Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). Of course, this intriqued me, as it will you when you read about this cool way to express yourself. Many of you already knew what this was, but I sure didn't! So I had to try a few for myself! Here's my first 3, and what fun!

Here's the extent of my only school art class: In 4th grade we had art class. The first major project we did was "sewing on burlap". I was so happy to be sewing with colorful yarn! I really focused and did the best I could. But then, tragedy struck. I startle, stood up and realized I'd sewn my burlap right to my skirt!!! I started talking louder than I was supposed to to my friend, and then Mrs. Kennedy called me up to her desk! I thought she'd understand once she saw my piece of burlap sewn to my skirt, but instead, "Sallie, take that burlap off your skirt and bring it to me. Then put your head down for the rest of the hour." Oh, I was so sad and humiliated! And that awful teacher gave me a "C" in art on my report card. I was supposed to be getting A's! From then all, I considered myself a terrible artist. I could only draw in stick figures for years after that. So you see, if I ever make or do anything it's a big deal - it really doesn't come easy. I have at least 2 very artistic sisters, and 1 artist brother, so I know it's in the gene pool, somewhere. That brings me to this, that if anyone new to ATCs wants to trade with me, just let me know! And good luck to everyone on the Spring Contest draws tomorrow!

Here's Ruffy on St. Patrick's Day at the Dog Park!

2007-03-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the promised pictures of Ruffy at the little doggy park in Santa Clara, CA on St. Patrick's Day.
Do you know how difficult it is to photograph moving little doggies? Yes, this is the best I could do! Ruffy loves the little doggy park, and so so I. We both meet such interesting dogs and people! A couple there today had a sweet white dog they'd adopted from an organization called AHAN (Asians for Humans, Animals, and Nature). What an amazing story they told of the abuse their dog suffered in Taiwan, then her being flown to S.F., to AHAN, and their adopting her. If you love cats and dogs, please check out this site. Don't miss the "Rescue Stories" and the "Animal Issues" sections. It is a real emotionally charged rescue organization. They fly the dogs in from Taiwan to find homes here. The wife of the man I was speaking with just loved my dog Ruffy so much! She was speaking only in sign language to her husband, but I kept seeing her sign "love" one of the only words I know in sign language! It was sweet to meet them. There are many other tales from past visits there....Just last week I met a lady about my age who rescued (and kept) a little dog while he was running on a freeway! She said she didn't even think. She saw this little dog and just stopped and ran out to get him! Read my lips: Don't ever do this! It's extremely dangerous!!! She loves this little dog, whose life she saved, but realized soon after how dangerous it was. P.S. Um, does anybody know how to turn off this underline??? Thanks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2007-03-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Top o' the day to ya! And a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Be sure to wear green, even if it's a Saturday! These cute dogs are wearing green, and seem to be quite enthusiastic about St. Paddy's day, don't ya think? I have a shamrock cut out and covered in contact paper for my dog, Ruffy! He's going to be proudly wearing the green Saturday at the new Doggy Park in town. He wouldn't want to get pinched by his doggy friends! I'll try to take pictures of him - he's not camera shy! Meanwhile, his stand-in friends are wishing me all the luck in the world for next week, when all the contest winners are announced! Yes, even though my contest is over, there are many other drawings going on this week! I signed up for 9 of them! So wish me luck, little doggies! I sure enjoyed seeing many new Blogs, and looking at the lovely, creative work out there. I have some wonderful places to go back and visit now. I got my Vintage Kitchen Swap partner on Wednesday!!!! I am so excited! I've gone shopping 4 different times now, trying to get just the perfect Vintage Kitchen items for my sweet new swap-friend from New Jersey. This is just too much fun! Who wants to see a picture of my offerings? Hum, maybe I should wait with the pictures, so as not to blow the surprise in case Melissa peeks over here!

I Have a Winner in my Spring Contest!!!!!

2007-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have a winner of my Spring Contest! This was so very exciting!
Here's my winner!!! Congratulations to...

***Roberta!!!*** You won!!!!

I was just elated to have so many of you visit my blog and sign up for my Spring Contest! Thank you, each and every one - It was such great fun! Since so many left comments, I decided to go ahead and put a few things together for a 2nd place draw! And the winner was:
***Pink 23!!!*** Congratulations!!!
(Winners: Please send me an email with your addresses to: sjb2358@Hotmail.com)
Thanks again to all participants! I wish you all luck in all the other drawings coming up!!!!

Happy Spring!

2007-03-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Look what we have here!!! I finished my shopping and projects for my Spring Give-Away!!!

I found this list of Ten Rules for Happier Living:

Give something away!!!!!
Do a kindness.
Give thanks always.
Work with vim and vigor.
Visit the elderly and learn from their experience.
Look intently into the face of a baby and marvel.
Laugh often - it's life's lubricant.
Pray to know God's way.
Plan as though you will live forever - you will.
Live as though today is your last day on earth.

Spring Contest!

2007-03-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Spring Give-Away Contest!
Yes, it's here! I'm hosting my semi-annual "Spring Contest"!!!!
I will have a drawing for one lucky winner on March 15th. I will post the winner's name, and they must contact me and give me their email address. All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post! What could be in the Spring Prize Box? Think spring! The surprise box will be loaded with Spring items, and will be mailed to one lucky winner by the first day of Spring. I don't believe you have to log in to be able to leave a comment, just click on the anonymous button, or email me and join in on the fun!

Santa Cruz Wharf Surprises

2007-03-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

What an interesting evening Bruce and I had at the Santa Cruz wharf on Saturday. We love to drive over to Santa Cruz and enjoy our usual routine: Minestrone soup and sourdough bread at Gilda's, watching sea lions under and around the wharf, candy and coffee-tea-rootbeer. But on Saturday, after our soup, we noticed quite a crowd on one side of the pier. We were told a whale had just come up to the wharf and had been seen again just on the other side! The ocean was smooth that night, and the whale was spotted in the waters just behind us in the picture! We looked and looked, and I took several pictures hoping maybe the whale would surface as I took the shot. But we didn't see it. We bought our candy and drinks, then as we were loading up in the car I noticed the gorgeous red moon on the other side of the wharf. I took several pictures, but didn't realize I'd seen a lunar eclipse until we got home that night. (My picture is terrible, but just use your imagination and try to picture this unusual full moon, reflecting on the glass smooth ocean that night. What a site!) The usual sea breeze was still, and it was mild and warm that night, so very pleasant. Bruce wants to go back tonight!

Roses from a Birthday Past

2007-03-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Ah! Roses, roses, roses...Here's a picture I'm so thankful I took. It brings back memories of my last birthday, made ever so special by the surprise of this gorgeous rose bouquet being delivered right to my door. It was sent to me by my sister Roberta, from North Carolina. (Are we supposed to use real names here?) The presence of the roses just set the mood for the day, making me smile and smile. I'd seen the ad for this very bouquet in a magazine at the gym, and remember looking and looking at it - probably for about 10 minutes, while on a piece of exercise equipment. It really helped the time go by, to daydream about these beautiful colors. All of a sudden, this vase of rose graced my house for real. Um...Roses, birthdays, smiles, sisters.

Cows Thru the Eyes of a Fifth Grader

2007-03-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures when I was in 5th grade. We lived in eastern Washington at the time in a tiny town called Fairfield. I was in a Campfire Girls club and to earn a "bead" we had to go on a nature hike and take pictures. I guess my appreciation of cows was already in place. Both of my sisters have been talking about cows cows cows on their blogs, and my niece even wrote a lovely "Ode to the Cow". But, my goodness, I too am on board the cow-train...appreciating their supposed serenity. Actually, I think I liked them because of their lack of teeth! Has anyone ever seen cow's teeth? I mean, without teeth what's there to fear? I'm afraid of large dogs because of the size of their teeth and any other large animal - except cows. I just figured that out. It's the teeth. Just thought you'd like to see I've treasured these pictures of the cows that lived near us, all these years.

Daddy's 80th Birthday!

2007-03-01T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's true. It's really March! I must say good-bye to February, and all the fun it was. The big deal about February this year, was that it was my dad's 80th birthday! And woohoo! did we kids celebrate!!! Our family loves to make a big to-do when it's someone's birthday. And he actually was the recipient of 6 different occasions to have "Happy Birthday" sung to him! And at several of those occasions, over a period of several days, he received candles on 3 different cakes plus a peach pie!!! And he was so gracious and appreciative at each singing and never tried to diminish our enthusiastic voices. How gracious, loving and distinguished he is really shows! Here he is at Bennihana Japanese Restaurant! I made him the 80 plaque, and next to him is his dear wife, my mom! Happy Birthday, Daddy!

February also brought our first snow here in the foothills, the first blooms of my calla lilies and camelias, the first season's thunder, Valentine's Day, Roberta's brief but fun visit from NC for our Dad's birthday, and many other memories of happy times.

Talking about being happy, here's a few quotes for you:

"Happiness, not in another place, but this place...not for another hour, but this hour..."
Walt Whitman
"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it." J. Prevert

March is here! Happy Birthday today, Heidi! Like I said, our family LOVES birthdays and we have 7 (*seven*) March birthdays to celebrate!

Ruffy the Scruffy Terrier Rules the Roost

2007-02-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here's Ruffy! Our 2 yr old terrier mix (Cairn and Yorkie). We've had him for 2 years now, and I can assure him this is his forever home, as we're hooked on him and all his cute antics! He's our little "Pound Puppy". Two year ago, on a wet Tuesday in February, he became famous in San Jose! He got his name and "mug" in the San Jose Mercury News! My arms showed, but they cut off my face in the picture featuring him! Why did they do that?

Here's how the article began...

While much of the state struggled through storms and heavy rain Monday, Ruffy the scruffy terrier had a field day at Watson Dog Park in San Jose.

It wouldn't have mattered to the mud-covered terrier mix if it had stormed -- as long as he still got to go out and play with his friends. But the humans at the park were delighted to feel sunshine for more than a few minutes.

"We were here yesterday and we had to give him a bath," said Sallie Barnes of Santa Clara as she and her husband, Bruce, watched Ruffy race for a tennis ball with his pal Daisy.

A severe storm had been predicted for the Santa Clara Valley, but "it's pretty much bypassing your area," said Diana Henderson, forecaster technician wall over the ...ith the Monterey Forecast Center of the National Weather Service. "We've got lightning and thunder storms...

Just wanted to remind everyone what a special and famous dog we have!!! Oh it's not that. It's all the fun Bruce and I have taking him for walks, to the doggy park, arguing over how deep under the covers he's allowed....("Just so he's not on the sheets!!" says Bruce)

How To NOT Impress Your Daughter's Boyfriend!!!

2007-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Every word of this entry, ashamedly, is true! Yup, it all happened. So here we go: How to NOT impress your daughter's boyfriend!

Serve him a piece of cake with a Necco Conversation Heart on it that says "Go Home"!!! On Valentine's Day this year I made a cake to take to a women's meeting, and brought the leftovers home for Erica and her boyfriend. I served them each a piece and Collin kind of quietly announced what his candy said. I was so embarrassed!!! I'd just hurriedly thrown on the conversation hearts, and didn't even know there were some mean ones!
Serve him a late-night sandwich on moldy bread!!! Yup, one evening he came over after working late without dinner, and actually took a bite out of that sandwich before noticing the mold! Yuck! We need brighter lights in our kitchen! Now, whenever he comes over to eat, Erica always says, "Mom, now lets make sure there's no hair or mold in the food." As if she'd actually have to say that!
Burn the lasagna! Oh well, it was still good, even if the bottom layer was burned onto the pan.
Burn the lamp! You got it, I was working especially hard not to have moldy food, burned food, you name it. And, Erica and I worked hard to make a yummy Chicken Tortilla casserole. I even put on a cloth tablecloth and candles, and lit them! But oh dear! My lamp shade caught on fire! It started dripping down these marble sized pieces of melt all over our table cloth as we were eating, YIKES!
Laugh when he gets stuck in the bathroom! Oh, are we mean, or should I say giggly? Our bathroom door is old and doesn't lock. Well, we all know that. But if someone else locks it, you get locked in, and takes quite some racket to get out. And it's happened twice to Collin. What's really funny is what he says when he comes out!

Meet "Dottie" & "Dashele" - The Silly Cousins!

2007-02-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

Introducing: "Dottie" and "Dashele"! The Silly Cousins! (AKA Dot and Dash ala Morse-code land!)
These little sweeties will soon occupy the bedroom and dorm room of university students and cousins! One will go to U.C Berkeley, into a charming Victorian sorority house, and the other into the bedroom of Erica, a San Jose State University student and my daughter!

When I showed Erica the first completed "Silly Girl" she exclaimed, "It's cute! But Mom, it needs a top!" So I arranged for her Silly, "Dashele", to wear a top. And when I told her I was making her cousin "C" one, she said she wanted the Silly with the tutu! She really like that outfit.

The pretty fabric for the clothes needs mentioning, since they were chosen by "C" for a huge fancy bulletin board covering in her dorm room. She bought enough for her roommate, too, who apparently had something else in mind! So, I got the chance to use a little of the pretty fabrics, and will surprise her with this little dolly wearing clothes made out of them! And it just may match her bulletin board!

These 2 little Silly Cousins feel right at ease next to books, notebooks, laptops, markers and everything else that may be found in a college girl's room, including possible coffee - since they smell like it! Have fun at college, little Dottie and Dashele.

My "Silly Girl" Doll

2007-02-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

Here she is!!!! My little "Silly Girl" doll! I made it myself! Yes, can you believe that? I also made her the French toilie purse! Heidi thinks I made this because she dared me!!!....the TRUTH is, once I read the instructions over, and saw I got to give this dolly a coffee bath!!! there was no turning back! I love to use natural food dyes on things! You can see the pretty tones in the different lighting.

She has a cousin on Heidi's site! And, she knows about this already since they were both baked together, but she has a sister who's going to debut in a day or two! Yes, this is very exciting. And I did take the dare Heidi gave me! Making her was fun, but at times quite comical. Once I even laughed out loud at myself! Could you believe it'd take not only a sewing machine to make here, but also a vacuum, a screwdriver, an oven, a pot of coffee and lots of stringy thread. All credit for this sweet project goes to the creator of the free pattern, Missy Ballance, of Little Missy Primitives. Thank you very much, Missy! And thank you Carla Dornacher for the darling purse pattern. (http://www.karladornacher.com/)

Sewing something other than square pillows really felt good! Would anyone else accept my dare to make a little Silly Girl doll?

Sweet Little Lost Kitty "Dash"

2007-02-22T17:38:00.000-08:00

Here's another colorful living creature of February: This precious little lost kitty. Oh was she hungry! She showed up skinny and starving two nights ago, and has lived in our SUV ever since. (We have 2 cats, one quite mean, and a feisty little terrier so she couldn't come "in".) We took her to our vet, and they found she actually had an ID microchip, but there have been no return calls from the supposed owners. That chip gave us her original name, "Dash"! What an unusual name! I wonder how she got it? Did she like to dash around, or dash out? Do the stripes and dots on her pretty orange coat remind someone of dots and dashes? It takes about 24 hours to really bond and get attached to a sweet kitty such as this, and believe me, it happened to me. I thought maybe my parents would want her, since their dear, precious kitty, Dossie, died last fall. Sadly, my mom at first said no, and for some very valid reasons. So, I tearfully drove off to the Humane Society to drop her off. As I was turning into the street they're on, Erica called me and excitedly said, "MOM! I called Grandma back and she said they could take her! At least through the weekend! Make a U-turn and bring her home!" Oh, did that make me happy! So, she's bringing her over to her new home, even if it winds up just a temporary one, tonight! Dash'll be glad to get out of the truck and dash around a little, I'm sure. We have a newspaper ad, her description at the pound, the phone calls, and letter to the "chip" owner, so maybe she has her owner waiting for her somewhere? We'll see. But, look how sweet and peaceful she it, sleeping under the DASH board in our truck. Wait a little longer, dear one. A warm, loving home awaits you.

EEEEEEEEKKKSS! A SPIDER!!!

2007-02-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

I kid you not, this thing was huge!! Yes, it's a great big spider under a glass, caught on our kitchen cabinet yesterday at 2 A.M. My husband put in under a glass, and put a big sign SPIDER next to it, and wanted it left for awhile to study, right on the kitchen counter! My daughter and I just couldn't stand it, and she begged me to get rid of it. So, I did! It was horrible!!! You should have heard the scream as I whacked it! This spider, probably a Wolf Spider but I'm not sure, was at least 3 inches big! The worst part is, we also had one in our bathroom and on our bedroom wall! Yes, all within 3 days. We've been invaded by these scary, huge things, and I'm not sure what it is or if they're poisonous. I've been seeing the pest guy's truck around town lately, and I imagine him dropping these off all over town, so they can reproduce and he can get business. I mean, really! How much can I take?

Outside Color in February

2007-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

On a challenge from my sister, I searched my yard for the most colorful things in nature this morning. A winter storm is taking aim at us, and it's great to revel in the existing beauty to cheer me. These pictures are the most colorful items in my yard, but other things going on in our lives are "colorful" as well! Here's a lemon, safe so far from freezing temperatures! And my camilia bush is just loaded with dozens of buds, the most we've ever had. About 3 have opened, this one is actually a double flower. I love this color.

My Surprise! A Mary Engelbreit Bulletin Board!

2007-02-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

One day recently, Erica came home from work and excitedly said, "Mom, I have a big surprise for you!!! You'll never believe this, but I put up a MARY ENGELBREIT bulletin board at work!!!" She was just so happy and thrilled - because she knew I would be! She bought the "I Love Books" ME Bulletin Board Kit, with a cute boarder and about 15 of these cute pictures! She must love Mary Engelbreit, too! I just got the biggest kick out of how excited she was, telling me! And, it's cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2007-02-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!! I got my inspiration for this post from my sister H. She loves pink, Valentine's Day, pictures, the previously loved...and buttons! This one's for you, H!!! And don't fall out of your chair when you see I've finally added a post! Well, there's something in the air today, and I just feel good! My DH gave me a very pretty, slightly pinkish pearl necklace and earring set! So lovely! I wore the set to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch today, for salads, soup, and muffins. I don't think I need anything to eat the rest of the day. Nevertheless, I'm nibbling on a fantastic pretzel, made by Erica, dipped in white chocolate and little pink hearts. What a fantastic treat! Her class made those for gifts to their parents. Also, at Erica's club they made "Candle Jackets", decorating a paper holder to go around a red pillar candle. They also had some Valentine's garland attached. This is ala Carla Dornacher, and her Christmas candle jacket idea. I've got to go find my sister R's web site now, and then my sister G's web site. Have a great day - eer couple weeks, ya'll! Love ya! Happy Valentine's Day!

Corn Cobb, Cotton Balls, and Water Bottle Lid: EYES!

2007-02-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here's something to crack you up today! This is a picture of a project I helped a group of Pioneer Club girls make, to fulfill part of their "Artist" badge. These are self-image collages, made from empty milk gallon jugs and mounted on boxes. What I love most is their choice of EYES!!! The first one has some little dried corn husks, then just cotton balls, and then buttons inside water bottle lids. I just love it! I had a huge table-full of supplies and this is what they came up with! Oh the joys of working with kids. Now we'll finish the "Junk Art" project, then do a salt and watercolor painting. All for these sweet Future Artists of America!

My Ephinany! I'm a Funny Girl......FOREVER!!!!

2007-01-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

I love to laugh! THEN and NOW!

Yesterday, I was looking at some old photos of my childhood years, and found so many in which I was trying to be funny! I suddenly realized, I STILL like to make people laugh! I always have! In the pure and happy childhood days, before school and outside influences, I was the family clown! I will post a few pictures of me and my brother and sisters and you'll see what I mean. And for those of you who know me in person, isn't it true that I just love you make you laugh?

Nature or Nurture?
I'm a clown! I think it's nature! And guess who was probably laughing under that bag?

My Mary Engelbreit Teapot Ornament Collection

2007-01-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Here's one of my only collections, little teapots! I love little Mary Engelbreit teapots. These are the ornament size, but I also collect the slightly larger "miniature" teapot size. The larger teapots are all around 3 inches tall, and have removable lids, so they're also called trinket boxes. Oh, I adore these all. I have 7 of each size, all but 2 purchased over the years from eBay. My most recent addition is the red and blue teapot on the far left. If you click the picture, it'll enlarge and you'll be able to see the tiny flowers and hearts on it!

Our 28th Wedding Anniversary January 2007

2007-01-23T18:50:00.000-08:00

Toby, and Anniversary (almost a dozen!) Roses
Wow, we sure had a marvelous wedding anniversary this year! Here's a picture of Bruce and I, with the vase of lovely roses he gave me! Also, I'd like to introduce my cat, Toby, who's also posing by the vase of roses. I don't know the significance of getting 11 roses? Was it supposed to be a dozen? Oh well! We enjoyed eating out, and then going to Albertson's and gathering some junk food to watch DVDs by.

New Picture or is it a Window?
Here's a picture of our new....window? Or is it a picture? Let's just say I wish it were really a window! Then that's mean we live on the beach! Oh well, I my aging neighborhood is so lovely, with lots of trees, dogs, roses, and friendly people. I bought this lovely picture with some money we got for our anniversary! I'll keep it forever! The only problem is, I can't decide where to put it! It looks super in every room of our house! After all, who couldn't use another window?

And even MORE anniversary celebrating!
Bruce and I got to go to Napa for a 3 day/2 night stay at the Meritage Resort and Spa!!! Way cool! We got the stay for "free" for visiting a time-share presentation last October. We had a marvelous, pampered time! We enjoyed our 3 hour train ride there, having a gourmet lunch of beef tenderloin (me) and duck (for Bruce). And , for a long lasting souvenir, I also got a haircut.

Mary Engelbreit Project by Erica

2007-01-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

Today, Erica got home from work and excitedly said, "Mom, I made you something!" Yah, just like when she was younger! It sounded so sweet! She presented me with this Mary Engelbreit collage, made from some old tear off ME calendars. I didn't realize she had a copy of my "Sallie at the lake picture", and it's amazing how well that fit in!

Here are the Maryisms she picked for me:
Anything is Possible.
How kind you were to open the gates of heaven and give me that little glimpse of paradise.
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you.
The beginning is always today.
Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.
When you reach the end of your rope tie a know in it and hang on.
Hang your troubles out to dry.
Skill to do comes of doing.
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strength.

I enjoy buying and selling on eBay! I especially like when my seller's bid area turns GREEN! That means I have a bid on something! However, sometimes I bid and buy a little too quickly, and get things that are broken, stained, tiny, or - like in the case of my Mary Engelbreit calendar this year, the wrong date! That's right, I recently accidentally won a bid on a 2004 tear-off Mary Engelbreit calendar! I figured I had 2 choices with it: Save it til 2011 when the days will be correct, or use it for crafts. So, without even opening it, I handed it to Erica last night. She brought it to school today for her students to cut and paste, and looks like she joined them, and was able to run home and proudly give her Mommy this paper! I can't believe how much I'm wearing off on her!

Kid's Art Projects

2007-01-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

My daughter has a job as a teacher in an after school care YMCA program for Kindergarten to 2nd graders. As part of her job, she does a special art club with a group of them, once a week, and sometimes asks me for help! Does she know what a treat this is for me? One night in December, right before her college finals, she handed me an envelope of money and asked me to come up with a nice craft for her art club. Wow, did that make me smile! I said, "Erica, I just can't take the joy of this away from you", and to that she answered, "Mom, I've got finals coming up and there's no way I can plan an art project and go shop for it." I was so happy for this excuse to go to Michael's Craft Store and hunt around. I came up with using Snow Tex, pine cones, and Styrofoam balls! She reported back that the kids just loved making their outdoor snow scenes!

Today, she ran out the door quite early for work and suddenly turned and asked me, "Mom, I'm going to the craft store to get a project for my art club. Can you call me in a few minutes with an idea?" I hunted for the weekly ad, and then called her back with my "marvelous project" of painting small baskets (on sale) and painting then gluing on different little wooden shapes (on sale 3/$1). She sounded just horrified on the phone, and told me "MOM!!! That's the worst project I've ever heard of! I'll just find one myself!" Thus, I passed the mantle on to her, and gave her confidence in her own choices! Oh, she bought fun-foam frames and shapes for them, which I'm sure they loved.

Girl at the Lake

2007-01-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

"Sallie at the lake at age 5"

Hi! Here I am as a very happy kid! When we lived in Spokane, Washington, we had kind of a family pact: If it got over 100 degrees, we got to go to the Lake! Probably Loon Lake, or Silver Lake...I can't remember any others. But my parents were game for the lake. I was totally afraid of the water, actually, and feared drowning! That's why I don't think I'm really wet! Can you see my brave sister, Sue at age 6? Venturing deeper into the lovely lake than I!

Me at age 5. Let's see...out of us 9 kids there were already 5 of us! Just KNOW we had fun, every day in our family. But the lake days were just the ultimate in fun. Not as wonderful as going to Grandma's house, mind you, but they were pretty special.

Well, thus concludes my very first blog! I don't know what I'm doing HA- but one of my sisters recently challenged me to begin a blog!