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

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!!!

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

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!

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!

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!!!

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

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.