Avatarize Yourself!!

Check it out.... http://www.avatarizeyourself.com/

What a cool website. You can "AVATARIZE" a picture of yourself! Pretty fun! Here is mine.

Stephanie Rubiano's JANUARY GIVE-AWAY!!

CHECK THIS OUT......

Whoo hoot. Hop on over to Stephanie Rubiano's blog, she is hosting a drawing to give away a cute little enameled tin-type pixie house. Comment on her blog for a chance to win. Isn't it simply adorable?

http://soigathered.typepad.com/so_i_gathered/

Hauntingly Delicious

....at least that is what I hope these cookies are. Our kids, Erika and Carson are both away at college this Halloween. My husband, Ron is traveling to see them both tomorrow. He'll visit with Erika in the afternoon and watch her play rugby with the Texas State Girls Rugby team in San Marcos. In the evening he'll be in San Antonio with Carson and they'll head over to the Alamo Dome to watch a Notre Dame football game. I'll send each a goody bag filled with yummy treats from home... BOO Y'ALL!

BOO!~

Through a little arm twisting, thanks Cece and Sue, I've posted something to my blog.... First time in over a year! Just not enough hours in the day to do all I'd like to accomplish.

Just peeking in to say BOO to you all!

Jrow..

Where have I been??

Wow... can't believe I haven't posted anything to my blog in such a long time.... Guess life just gets really, really busy sometimes and things have to slip.... My blog was the first thing to slip....

I've been busy working on a project for an Easter swap, which I can't share just yet, but will after the recipient, Melissa David receives it. I'm having such fun with it....

In the meantime... I'll post some pictures of some fun items that I received in a recent Valentine Swap, along with the Quiltie that I made for each of the girls. This was a fabulously FUN Swap and I love ALL of the swaps that I received in exchange... Thanks Ladies!!

My Valentine quilt.....




Melissa David's Valentine Tin Ornament..



Jackie Allison's Valentine Ornament....



Joanna Pierotti's Felted Valentine Ornament and Pin...


Lou McCollough's Valentine Ornament...



Crystal Neubauer's Valentine Wild Woman Statue...

On the 7th Day of the Adorn Ornament Swap

Wow, Wow, Wow.... I'm going to have to buy a bigger tree next year!! Sweet Lou McCollough made a fun and jolly Santa-boy ornament. It's just amazing. She found a really cool paper mache cone, collaged vintage music on it for his hat. Santa's head is made from a Christmas pear! how fun!!! Lou painted the pear with gesso, and then painted Santa's features along with adding dimensional facial features using a type of clay, and cottony fiber for his big ol' beard. Mind you, my mind is in a fog recently and I may have missed a step or 3, but the Santa-boy, as she called it, is just amazing!!! He's standing guard beneath my tree smiling and shouting "HO HO HO" for all to hear!!

Thanks Lou for Santa-boy.... He's a jolly old boy!!!

On the 6th Day of the Ornament Swap

On day 6 of our ornament swap, Kelly Snelling made an amazing hand painted bird ornament. For a while I had to laugh as I thought maybe I'd missed out on the "bird" theme that seem to be prevelant in our little swap, but as it turned out....it was just a lucky coincidence. Kelly described the process that she went through to make her ornament on her blog and I was just blown away by all of the creative steps that she took to create this little masterpiece. There are several layers of love all wrapped up in this beautiful keepsake from Kelly. Isn't it just LOVELY???

Thanks Kelly!

My Friends.....Thanks for your thoughts and prayers

Thanks to all of my fabulous friends who have sent their good thoughts and prayers my way. My Dad went into the Heart Hospital last Wednesday and had Open Heart Surgery. So many of you sent your good wishes and they were all heard, loud and clear!! Dad did great through the surgery and doesn't remember much of it, but was well enough to go home today! Wow!! What a miracle that he has recovered and is healing so quickly! Thanks for thinking of us...Your prayers are much appreciated!!


Anyway, I've neglected to keep up with the 12 days of Christmas Ornament swap. But first, check out the super cool ornaments that two of my artsy friends send to me during this swap. The first is from my friend Cece Grimes. This ornament was a replica of the one that Cece submitted to Somerset Studios along for the 12 days ornament swap that was published in the recent issue. It's been cut from a holiday tin and embellished with lots of cool beads and chains and really cool embellishments. Cece is the Queen of Art!!! I just love her ornament!


The second picture is of an ornament from another artsy friend, Lorraine George. Lorraine's 'word' to live by this year is "HOPE" and she incorporated the word along with one of her fabulous collage paintings and sewed in a vinyl star pocket. Embellished with little fibers and a mini light bulb, it's the perfect addition to my little tree, not to mention the timing of me receiving the ornament. It arrived the day of my Dad's surgery....Hope...what a wonderful word of encouragement.

Thank you Cece and Lorraine for the fabulous ornaments!

On the 5th Day of Christmas

Today is my day to share the ornament that I've created for my online Adorn Ornament friends. They each received one of the styles of resin filled cookie cutters in the above picture. The miniature cookie cutters were purchased at a quilt show that I attended with some of my "artsy fartsy' friends... That's what my mother-in-law calls the girls...ha ha ha... Anyway, my friend Melissa noticed these little ornaments on a tree and suggested that they might work using resin. I'd been struggling with my original ornament idea and I had recently learned how to use Resin at Art & Soul in Hampton, Virginia this past May from Nina Bagley... hmmm... what a perfect opportunity to try my hand with this medium. While it was a challenge as several of the 'molds' had gaps and my resin leaked everywhere, I was successful with several of my attempts. Each ornament/cookie cutter was collaged with vintage text and ephemera, bits and pieces of this and that. The hangers are new Ornament hooks that I aged in a Liver of Sulfur solution.
I hope my new online friends enjoy this little ornament as much as I am enjoying the ones that I have received in exchange.

Happy Holidays Ya'll!!!

On the 4th Day of Christmas

Lookie, lookie here.... On the 4th Day of the Adorn Ornament Swap my online art friend Maija Lepore sent me a charming Vintage style Santa ornament. She used a flattened tart tin for the base of the ornament, along with a crepe paper fan flower edged in silver glitter. A Vintage Santa and piece of sheet music adorn the center of the ornament. On the bottom of the ornament, Maija embellished Santa with two tiny jingle bells. It's a beautiful little vintage piece of Art and is fabulous hanging with other ornaments on my ART tree... tee heee!! Thanks Maija.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

On the 3rd Day of Christmas Deryn Mentock shared with me a lovely little nested glass copper bird ornament. It's so very nostalgic and looks great on my little art tree. Deryn made the bird a nest from fine gauge steel colored metal wire. She spun the nest and wove supports to cradle two tiny little eggs which each had a scripture from the bible adhered to them. The beautiful brown and cream feathers add whimsy to the piece. It's just a classic beauty!! Thank you Deryn!!