One Crazy Dog

If my dog Jackson were a rubber stamp, this would be it. Right down to the wide eyed google eyeball, he is a configuration of crazy and nuts. 

 

Here, a close up.

I believe this stamp is from Inkadinkado.

woof.

.................

Shopping With Marley

Marley loves to go everywhere with me and I like taking him. He sits in the back seat looking out the window (he has his own seat belt harness, which he manages to wriggle out of when I go inside), When I come back out from shopping, he is usually sitting in the driver's seat patiently waiting for me. Sometimes I even have a treat for him if I have been dining. He likes toast a lot. So do I!

Last Friday after spending several days at home because of storm watches and warnings and the roofers blocking me in my driveway, I decided I HAD to use my 50% off coupon at Micheal's. I knew exactly what I wanted. So even after another storm watch was issued, and looking at radar and seeing nothing to worry about, I left. Jackson was left outside to chase the squirrels (he is obsessive compulsive about that). I wasn't gonna be gone long anyways. So Marley and I set off.

I even stopped for a tea at Speedway and got the mail. The sun was shining too. I left the windows cracked on my car (it was mid 80's) and I went inside Micheal's. The item I wanted was already on sale-phooey! I poked around a bit and found something else I thought I might never want-but after reading the package, I did. The Cropidile II. Half off ladies and only 20 bucks! Happy as a clam and armed with my tool and some dollar stamps (I am missing October and December), I went outside. It had started to cloud up.

Looking north toward my house 8 miles away.
Getting a bit more of the wide shot-but no rain yet.
A close up on the clouds-mind you to the south, the sun was still peaking out.

The rain starts to come down toward the south but dry where I am.
I just like these colors and am gonna try stamping landscapes or skyscapes on them.

It starts to get much darker to the south and I am thinking of leaving. I call hubby who is on I75 at the Oakland/Genesee County line and he says it's sunny yet and nothing going on, so he tells me to stay put and we will get dinner. I remind him I have the dog with me.

I keep snapping away and people walk in front of me. I am using hubby's small pocket digital as it fits in the same pocket with my Flip Video camera and we had used them both the day before and later at the art festival. It's just annoying sometimes to carry around a fully lensed-up D-SLR. So this works.

I feel rain drops finally and turn to climb back into my little Aveo ( I am parked north but photographing south) and oh shit! Look what is to the north!!

Wall cloud!
Wind!
Rotation!

I just stood there mesmerized! No sirens. No frantic movements by anyone. In fact, some stopped and watched me snap away. They said they paid no attention until they saw me photographing and then made a dash for the store. I wanted to dash too but if I left and drove north, I would have run right into this. I had Marley and surely the store would not have let us in-I had no leash for one. Marley was spazzing in the car-he hates the noises of storms just like me.

Then the rain started and I could not see out the window and certainly could not have driven with the rain intensity like this. So I waited and trembled and wondered what county or country my final resting place would be. At least I wasn't alone-my Marley was with me. It started to eventually let up but I spoke with hubby and he said wait instead of driving. No warning sirens ever went off for my location but they did in the Clio area and into Tuscola county where there was a touch down.

As the rain abated, I tried to amuse myself. I took photos of my shoes, my junk mail on the floor and Marley's hanging out tongue. Then I took the above photo. Sorta interesting but a bit cluttered. So I used the zoom which to me is just unstable at times. And I got this one below. I didn't know what I actually had until I downloaded the photo just a few minutes ago. I took only one. I just think this one is perfect. No photo shopping. Not cluttered. A lot of textures. And lonely.

This one is the keeper.

Giving Tongue

Family As Friends and Making Hard Choices

I still have not found time to photograph my new cards but maybe tomorrow or Friday if the rain and wind stops. It's still so cold here too altho I had hubby turn off the heat because I am here alone and my quilts are fine and a lot cheaper than the gas company. I spend all day perusing the Yellow Pages trying to find a few roofers to give me estimates. The whole housing market is bad here-so the fringe people (painters, roofers, cabinetry, etc) have taken a beating too. I got not one phone pick up so emailed several to see what is up.

I found this card in my archived file. I can't even remember anything about it. It's a printed acetate overlay that is attached to a card with several odd pieces of card stock. I inked the edges of the card stock to distress a bit but jeez, have no idea how long ago it was made.

I think I need to go do some heavy thinking. I am not having a lot of luck with the dog I adopted back here . I have to decide whether he will be going back to the Humane Society . He does not respond to me at all. Unless I have a cookie. I have tried every possible thing (the dog whisperer is not working with him either) but I cannot even walk him on a leash or take him in the car as he is too hyper and won't obey me-he is at least a year and a half so not a puppy. He is a little better with hubby but not by much (and hubby is not here much anyways). I have never failed with a pet-until now. I think Jackson needs a larger expanse of land (a farm maybe?) , and a "job" like keeping the vermin away. I am afraid to even have kids around as he is so strong and could hurt them (not on purpose but because he is so so strong for a 55 pound dog). He barks at the birds, squirrels and anything that moves for hours and I am waiting for the cops to shop up with a noise violation. Even an obedience collar is not working (and I vowed I would not use one) .

He has all his shots and is neutered. He has heart worm meds for a year (all dogs in Michigan should have this). His own special sleep cage and sleep pillow with blankets. I spared no money on toys and top of the line food and he gets a lot of attention. He is a beautiful dog and is very intelligent. I can tell him to go get a certain toy and he knows what it is and picks it up. But when I tell him to come, or stay in the family room or any simple thing that requires I being the boss-it's no go. I find myself crying in frustration and I have bruises all over from trying to grab him and force a submission. He doesn't respect me as the head of the pack. And good boy Marley is showing frustration as Jackson will not let him be still at all.

Jackson has also eaten anything not tied down outside-my table, a pot of flowers, the mulch bags (all over the yard now) and the cover around the deck. All my hostas are dead as are the chicks and hens and several bushes he ate. And when I tell him no inside (I don't want him upstairs at all), he lifts his leg and wets on my coat, books and just missed my bag with laptop. He is healthy-so what is going on?

I feel like I am failing him---and myself. But what do I do? I don't want to hate him or resent him and I find myself slowly falling that way. Any ideas?

Washboard HI

One of the contests I entered this past year had this flower stamp as the image you had to use. I made a ton of cards using it and also had some stray images left over. This one was colored using H2O's with Stickles in the center. This card has a very spring feel to it and even might work for Mom's Day or a birthday card by changing the message.

All of the papers I used were scraps left over from DCWV Spring Paper Pack. The one thing I don't like about their card stock is that it had a white core. I prefer card stock with true color thru it. The vellum envy is stamped with the same stamp using a dye ink in a pinkish tone.

I then inserted a tag I got from an office supply company that was tied up with ribbons from Micheal's. I always buy this ribbon when they have it 4/1.oo but there have been no new colors added in years, so maybe my collection is complete. You could add another message stamped on this tag if you wanted to. I used a paper piercer for the corners and then just layered and popped everything. The washboard piece was the end of a larger piece I had done recently and I had just enough left to add some eye dimension to this.

H As In Holidays

This is a money holder/gift card/photo insert card. I really liked making this one. It used the same paper from this and this called Tsumugi-and it's no longer available locally. BUT I found some really cool ripple like paper at Paula's and she said it was from the trade show this summer. It is 1.25 a sheet but so many card fronts from a 12 x 12 sheet! It does not have a company name on it but it's like a handmade paper.

The base card is the red and I cut a layer of green which I then stamped Circles from Hero Arts with a Colorbox Cat's Eye White Chalk from Clearsnap. I love these small sizes. Most retail for 1.99 or so. Then attach to the front from the top because you are going to fold the bottom up inside to make a pocket. Measure evenly from both sides to place punched holes on both sides inside and punch thru both layers. You can add eyelets if you want. Thread a ribbon thru from the back for the front bow. Thread a ribbon thru from the inside for the back bow. Tie neatly.
I then stamped a chipboard H for the outside using a word stamp that also will stamp a greeting for the upper right. This was layered and then pop dotted. Pop dot the H too.
For the inside, use a tree stamp and overlay with an acetate message tree (these stamps were all from Hero Arts and have been retired). Cut two pieces of textured paper like the front and layer on a white scrap cut to fit inside the ribbon pocket. Stamp Happy Holidays below it and slip in a pocket on either side. Then add your cash, check, gift card or photo on the other side and close. This card is about 4 inches square but is adaptable for any size or design. This would be fun for kids to make for teachers with a Starbucks GC or something fun for down time for the educators.