If it were later in the year, you could...

Elements used are by Dezinaworld and Laurie Anderson

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Reindeer Games

Have you visited Jingle Belles yet?

Have you played along?

If not, you really should, it's a blast.

PLUS, come December, you'll have a bunch of Christmas cards all ready to address and mail.

How cool is that?

This week's prompt is to use a reindeer or any other holiday animal in your card design.

Penguin?  Ostrich?  Maybe a Yak?

I used a reindeer.

(so boring)

Go to

Jingle Belles

for all the deets.

Not Ladylike

I know I've been blogging a lot this weekend.

Maybe I'm manic.

Maybe I won't blog for a month how.

Maybe I will.

See this picture?

I took it sitting in traffic this evening.

I love our skies.

Which brings me to the REAL reason I am posting...

THIS is my good friend Lisa

This week I did a guest post for  Lisa of

Not Ladylike

all about the province in which we both live.

I like Lisa.

A lot

And I like her blog.

A lot.

And you would too.

EVEN THOUGH I know how busy we all are...you would.  Really.

Anyhoo, if ya like, mosey on over thar and take a gander at

some rootin-tootin redneck photos I took of our homeland.

And say Hi to Lisa.

It'll make her day.

That's what Lisa would say, if she were here

 instead of gallivanting around the country having fun.

Flight

Take A Word

All elements by Valerie Brincheck

with the exception of the "window" overlay which is by

Durin Eberhart

Soartful Bees

What do you create with a Bee?

(Honey, of course)

That's what Jeanette gave us to work with this week at

Soartful Challenges

So I pulled out this image of a flock/herd/gaggle of bees from High Street Vintage....

("swarm" is such an aggressive word)

and made a card.

The bee on the upper right

(who stands out from the crowd)

is by Graphics Fairy

TTFN

Beat The Heat!

Time for a new challenge at

The Order of the Opus Gluei!!

This week we are asking you to create something to show us the ways you beat the heat!

Those who know me, know that we've had winter here for the last,

 oh, let's see, about,

maybe 8 months.

And today it's going to be in the 90's.

I am riding an inner tube down the river as we speak (in my mind)

and am not getting out of the water (in my mind)

until the sun goes down.

Apparently back in 1915 my grandmother also found

water was the best way to cool off in the summer time.

These photos are of her in her "bathing suit" relaxing at the beach with a friend.

At first I had quite a laugh about the "bathing suit" she is wearing.

I wouldn't want to get it wet and then try to swim in it,

I suspect the weight would pull a person down to the bottom of the lake.

BUT,

the other day I caught a glimpse of myself in my own bathing suit.

Maybe I should get one like she had.  :-(

Show us how YOU beat the heat and link up with

The Order of the Opus Gluei

You have lots of time, this challenge runs until July 31st!

See you there!

(PS-See that little outhouse button at the top left of the page? 
That was sent to me by my buddy Chat Noir from Australia
and was handmade by Aussie Woodcraft.
Isn't it precious?
I added it to the LO, 'cus Grandma had an outhouse when I was a little girl
and it made me think of her.
I guess an outhouse isn't what we would all want to be remembered by,
but hey, I loved the moon on the door.)

Friday Foto Collage

I'm posting stuff cus I have it to post and I don't feel like going to bed yet.  This will likely be the last tonight.  Maybe.

Peggy Gatto has given us another wonderful piece to base a project on , this time it's a scan of some morning glories from her garden.  How sweet is that?

Here is how those innocent morning glories ended up:

The lady is by Lisa's Altered Art.

And she WOULD sit down if she could.

That chair looks comfy.

Friday Foto Collage

She's been thinkin about US inkin

Yes she has.  My friend Lori

invited anyone who is into Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 stamps to join in and create something with (this week) stripes and a rectangular frame.

And of course a Studio 490 stamp.

So I did

OK, the background paper is striped, from where, I do not know. I raised the stripes with my scor-pal to make it a bit funkier. The lady is by Octopede Factory. Her hair, my ribbon jar. The corners are Lost Treasures ( I think) and the frame was K&Company about 6 years ago.

The sentiment is Studio 490 and I think it says it all.

When crafting

Always wear safety goggles!!

To see the deets on this Studio 490 thing go see Lori at

I been thinkin bout inking

Grungy Monday 15

This week at

Studio L3

we are trying out Tim Holtz' technique from his

12 Tags of Christmas 2007, Day 7.

You can find his tutorial

here

It's the coolest background technique!

I had such a good time making this tag, and such a hard time photographing it. 

(Did you notice that sequin on the left?  Where the heck did THAT come from??)

Plus, I can't give credit where credit is due for all the elements, except to say it's all from my Christmas Box.

Please forgive me.

Big Shout Out to Linda Ledbetter for all her hard work in giving us such amazing inspiration each and every week!

You should join us, y'know.

Really.

I mean it.

You should.

Grungy Monday

Friday Fill-ins

1. I hold _my daughter close to my heart_.

2. _Kaitlin_ is someone I like to travel with because _she's as crazy as I am and we have so much fun!_.

3. That day, _I never should have said what I did__.

4. _I think I may be in trouble financially_ this year.

5. Trust _your intuition.  Deep down in every man woman and child is the fundamental idea of a Creator._.

6. _Try not to lay awake and worry_ in the dark.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _a restful sleep_, tomorrow my plans include _some self-reflection, talking to friends and making some important decisions_ and Sunday, I want to _have more clarity and faith than I do now.____!

 

  http://www.fridayfillins.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your weekend!

Fun Friday

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I've had a horrible, no good, bad, awful day. 

God bless June and her Fun Friday

I Love Dezinaworld!

I do too so.

Dezinaworld Gallery Creations

WOYWDWED?

I only know what's on mine.  And  people have been asking to see the finsihed project, as you have seen it in various stages on my workdesk.

My compendium is done, except for one thing.  I need a minature sewing maching.  I found some on E-Bay, but not being E-Bay friendly  l had no idea what to do next.

I'll find one though.  Somewhere.

So here it is, in honour of my mother, sans sewing machine:

My dear mom had the habit of writing everything down in her tiny perfect handwriting.  Whe she passed, I inherited all sorts of tiny journals filled with records of day-to-day activities. 

 It was some of those pages that I used to cover the boxes. 

 Then I sprayed it with Tattered Angels Cadillac Pink glimmer mist.

Tim Holtz supplied the legs.

The brooch was one of mom's and the little vase is part of her Limoges Collection.  "M" for "Mother" and the frozen charlotte doll (which is what I THINK they are called) was my great-grandmother's. A bottle of glitter just because she loved pink. I used a few pieces of her jewelry, she felt if you left the house without jewelry, you weren't really dressed.
Oh!  There is pink (of course) German scrap on the top, cus my mom's family started in Germany.

a dangly earring from her jewelry box, a couple of buttons from her button box, a cutlery brad to signify that cooking and being a housewife was what was did/was, and a gold locket that belonged to her mother.

She, her sisiter and her mother all had Boston Terriers.  Ours was named Smudgy.  Behind Smudgy is a gold coin honouring the 100th anniversary of the little town in Saskchewan where she was born.  Mom, not Smudgy.

See the word "secrets" in the back there?  That's cus we had a lot.

And finally, a picture of her and her only granddaughter. 

Being a grandma was the highlight of her life.

And of course the empty spot where the sewing machine will go.

But I will fill it.

Thanks for stopping by.

See lots more wonderful Workdesks at

The Stamping Ground

I am submitting this project for

My Mojo

Monthly

an inspirational blog I discovered not too long ago.  Why do I want to share this piece?

Because, unlike most of my work, I really think this is wonderful. 

We're all our own worst critics right? 

And I never see what other people seem to see in my own work. 

THIS one though has special meaning for me. 

It sat on my workdesk for a long time, because I just thought it would be too emotional,

but I'm glad I got it done.

It's my heart. 

***added later***

Look what arrive in the mail today!

Woo Hoo!

My friend Chris Arlington of

My Arty Attempts

sent me this precious little sewing machine that fits perfectly in the empty spot.  Not only that, but I remember that my mom had one just like it when I was little.

Am I blessed or what!

Thank you dear Chris!

Wordless Wednesday!

(notice the "for sale" sign.  Would YOU buy this house????

There are more...

\lots more.

Blue Moon Holiday Leftovers

I'm combining two challenges again.  Yup.

How do folks combine 237 challenges each week and put it all together in a lovely package?  Do they work outside the home?

Do they have pets?

Children?

Do they eat?

Oh, never mind.

I am combining two.

1.  Holiday Leftovers at

Jingle Belles

who I've found through my OG buddies and I really like!...

2. Blue Moon Challenge: 3 papers, 3 buttons, 3 words- at

Gingersnap Creations

who I've also loved ever since I found them!

I'll bet you can't tell which challenge is which.

That's cus I COMBINED em!

Hah!

See you later!

Weddings

Take A Word theme this week is

Weddings

I made some ATC's for some swaps and

thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show you them.

I found this gorgeous big hard cover book on weddings in the castoff bin at the public library one day and just KNEW I would have the chance to use it for something.

So I cut out some pictures and used some pages for the background text of these.

A little glitter, distress ink, micro beads, some words, a rose, and my Cuttlebug

(oh, how I love my Cuttlebug) and there you have it.

While we're on the subject of Weddings,

I've taken part in a couple of Wedding ATC swaps recently.  And received a couple of really wonderful ATC's that I would like to show you.

From my friend Fran of The Bag Lady

And from my buddy Chelle who lives in Southern California

Aren't they both wonderful?

I am such a lucky girl.

Soartful

From this

To this

http://jeanette-soartfulchallenges.blogspot.com/

Edward Hopper

Friday Foto Collage

has given us a choice of a few different wonderful images by Edward Hopper and I chose this one.

Isn't the lighting on this great?  I can almost feel the sunshine.

OK, I admit it.;

I kind of wrecked the original piece.

But my heart was in the right place.

See, she is pulling him into the ocean and...

Oh, never mind.

TTFN-LOL

Electra gets Grungy On The Road!

The Chestnut Theme Challenge #109 at Gingersnap Creations is "On The Road".

When I saw that, I immediately thought of a Itty Bitty Unity tricycle stamp I have.  I've been wanting to use it, like, FOREVER. 

Then, Grungy Monday 14 at Studio L3 is another one of Tim Holtz' faboolous background techniques:

from March 2008

You can find the deets on Tim's technique here.

This is what I came up with:

I love Tim's background techniques, don't you?

The cool chick is by Lora Talbot and I used a stamp from October Afternoon.

And OF COURSE, one of Tim's background stamps,

which is the whole point of the technique, right?

And while I have your attention and even though I am ashamed to admit it, I would like to show you what I made for last week's Grungy Monday 13.

Yeah, it's a week late.  Here's the deal.  I was sitting in my studio, humming a little song and stitching on this tag, when I realized it was about 8PM or so on sunday evening!  Gasp!  Oh no, I thought, what time is it in Idaho???

And I rushed to Linda's blog  and learned that it was exactly the same time in Idaho as it was here. 

Oops. 

Missed the deadline. 

I was so sad.

(see my sad face?)

So I'm going to misbehave and show you today instead.  I know, stubborn or what.

I prefer to call it "tenacious" thankyewverymuch.

It's shiny, but you can't tell. 

Metallic stuff is like that.

The rub-on says "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".  But you can't see that either.

Metallic stuff is like that.

The stamp is borrowed from my friend Carol

and it's by (she gets up and goes and looks at it)

Paper Inspirations.

It's not metallic.

Merry Christmas.

Next week, I'll try to be on time.

Or not.

You never know.

Friday Fill Ins

The Fill-Ins are done a little differently today and to tell you the truth, my answers have required some thought.  I don't do thought well on Fridays.  So please forgive me if this doesn't make a lot of sense.  It does to me.

Sort of.

1. I am from a piano, aprons, girdles and our first TV that my dad said would "never catch on", from Wonderbread, Betty Crocker, sand dollars, seahorses, jellyfish and high tide. I am from figure skating, Ed Sullivan, a dog named Smudgy who had to have an insulin injection every day, fruitcake and Divinity Fudge at Christmas. I am from Ski Cake each birthday and a fun race to be the first to find the coin wrapped in wax paper and hidden in the filling.


2. I am from the a middle class home with a quiet and secretive Leave It to Beaver family, with a turquoise kitchen that had copper jelly molds hanging on the kitchen wall and no messy counters anywhere. I am from a bed with a picket fence around it and a little gate for me to come and go.


3. I am from the weeping willow tree you could hide under and never been found for a whole morning , the rock garden at the side of the house that had all sorts of tiny little treasures in it, and the tiny little playhouse with running water that my dad built for us. 


4. I am from decorum, acting "proper" and good manners, with a silver flask of scotch hidden in the garage, from an unwed German nurse who wanted me to be raised with music and two parents who couldn't have a baby of their own. I am from a niehgbourhood with the Big Rock and safety and a cul de sac of relatives who weren't really relatives but minded our business as if they were


5. I am from the desperate need to fit in with the neighbourhood, from a goal of climbing the social ladder and working long hours so he wouldn't have to come home, and kitchen cupboard doors slamming with long heavy sighs to underline the hidden meaning.  I am from strict rules and a mouth washed out with soap, and songs made up while swining in the sun in a back yard that seemed to go on forever.


6. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making cookies, tomorrow my plans include whatever comes my way and Sunday, I want to possibly go south on a road trip!

WHEW!

 

Friday Fill Ins

July Artful Bag

Have you made your bag yet for July?  It's the 7th, you know. 

Humphf (she says, tapping her foot and looking unimpressed.)

Well FINE.

I did.

Except for the tulle, which I tried to melt unsuccessfully, I just rooted around in my flowers drawer.

YES, I have a flowers drawer.  Doesn't everyone?

And the bag? Good ol' Sally Ann.

And the lace?  I'd love to tell you it was in my lace drawer but you'd never believe me.

(and I don't have a lace drawer, I have a lace pile)

You can join in the Artful Bag Challenge anytime, you know.  And even if you don't, I suggest you toddle on over to check out

Frosted Petunias

cus there is so much eye candy there it makes my teeth ache.  lol

Anna is such an inspiration.

TTFN!

OK, I have to do this

We Canadians are not big on adulation.

We're far too polite.  lol

HOWEVER, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed in my town this afternoon and I just want to say, while there is no way on God's green earth that I would sleep in a folding camp chair for 36 hours to get a wristband to see them, I do think they are lovely.

Besides, that's what television is for.

(For my younger viewers, "television" is what TV stands for.)

Here are some of the things the young couple have been up to:

CANOEING

(for the uninitiated, if Kate continues to hold her paddle in the water the way she is, they will commence to go around and around in a circle until that nice man on the back politely grabs it from her.)

Pointing at small children and laughing

And last but most certainly not least

A rousing game of street hockey!

and yes Virginia, we DO play hockey here in the summer time.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

WOYWWED?

How come everyone else's workdesks look so pretty and mine often looks like a 747 went through my studio?

Especially this week.  It kind of looks like an abbatoir. 

I am FINALLY working on my configuration box to honour my mother.  It has been on my desk for MONTHS now and I work around it.  That's just dumb.  So tonight I told myself I could not eat supper until I covered it and sprayed it.

There was a lot of arguing and pouting and stamping of (my) feet, but it got done.

A girl has to eat, eh?

See workdesks that have a great deal more decorum at Julia'a

http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

Circa 1739

Jeanette over at

Soartful Challenges

has given us this lovely image from Graphics Fairy:

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Here is what Karen (Graphics Fairy) has said about it:

This is a stupendous (trying to mix up the adjectives here lately!)Architectural print! Isn't this amazing?!! This print is very old, Circa 1739, one of the oldest pieces on my collection. I wish you could feel the paper, it almost feels like fabric! I love everything about this piece, the colors, the perspective, and all the glorious details. Make sure you enlarge it so that you can see the mural on the ceiling. This one is so perfect for collage or mixed media work, or fabulous to print up and frame as it is!

I couldn't agree more!

Here is what I've done with it:

Additional images used are by

 Fidlette, Holliewood Studios, Lisa's Altered Art, Lori Talbot and Phenomenom 1859.

Thanaks for stopping by!

Almost forgot

to post my

Take A Word

piece for this week's challenge,

STARS AND STRIPES

You may go back to your three-legged races and strawberry shortcake now.

Thanks for taking a break from your July 4th celebrations to say Hi.

XO

Stars OR Stripes Forever!

Happy July 4th to all my American friends!

This week I decided to participate in the

Jingle Belles card challenge.

I learned of this through the fabulous (I love that word)

Order of the Opus Gluei blog.

If I play along each week, I should have enough Christmas cards come December, that I wouldn't have to make any when the time comes!  Cool!

We were asked to make a Christmas card with EITHER stars or stripes in it.

Here is mine:

Meow.

Green and Purple

Are you tired of all the red, white, and maybe even blue in the stores right now?

I know everywhere I go there seem to be red and white maple leafs flags EVERYWHERE.

In fact, the William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess we all know and love are in Canada right now and her fascinator was red with maple leaves bobbing all over it.

Fret no more.

This month's challenge at Dezinaworld is to create something using the colours

Green and Purple

So I did just that.

Images used are from Lisa's Altered Art and Dezinaworld.

You have all month to play along, I'll see you over there, right?

Right.

Happy _____!!!!!

At

The Order of the Opus Gluei

those of us who have a national holiday are celebrating our country's national holiday and

those of us who don't have a national holiday are celebrating anyways.  Hah!

It would be great if you would take a break from your busy summer schedule to whip up something in the spirit of celebration and link up

with our own BBQ-ish party!

(and if you live in a country that doesn't have anything special this July weekend, it's OK if you want to pretend you're from a country that does.  We won't tell.)

Friday Foto Collage

I moseyed on over to

Friday Foto Collage

earlier today and Peggy has challenged us to pick a classic and see what you can do to the image.

I think John Waterhouse's paintings are classics, don't you?

What's that?  You can't see her?

Is that better?

Enjoy your long weekend, I know I am.

Elements used are by SherrieJD, Crowabout Studios, and John Waterhouse.

But you knew that.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Blue skies _are commonplace here._.

2. _This photo of my mother and grandpa  takes me down_ memory lane.

3. Kids, one of each, she told me_.

4. _No work_, _no deadlines_, _no things to see and do_;

these are some of the best things about vacation.

5. Love is _sometimes having to say you're sorry_.

6. _I wish I could participate in_ submarine races.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _getting out of the city_, tomorrow my plans include _a photo walk with other photographers_,

and Sunday, I want to _make stuff, lots of stuff_!

 

Have a super weekend everyone!

 

Friday Fill Ins

Fun Friday

Seriously?

Fun Friday