Star Light Star Bright

I have noticed in the last week that my visitors are predominately coming from Star Light Stamper . Did I miss something?

So I am returning the link- go visit Wanda for a spell. And come back here tomorrow for a card I really really loved making. I am going to bed early-I think I ate too many blueberries. Blerbf.

Birthday Pansy

It was an odd day today. I woke up feeling sorta yucky and so did hubby. He mowed the law (as much as you mow with a rider) and he didn't duck. He was riding along and a branch smacked him. There is a red scrape and bruise across his forehead (I tried to get a photo but the glare off his bald head was all that showed up).

Last month when Artie (my nephew) was here, they both would duck at the same time. I didn't get a ducking photo then but here they are de-thatching the lawn. This was the maiden voyage of this mower-the blood and dollar sucking Yard Man was not getting another penny from my pocket and Ben has agreed to take it off our hands.

I have below a card that shows so much better in natural light. There must be a better way to pick up the glitter from Spica pens, but I haven't figured it out. The pansy flower was colored using Copics and a blender pen, then it was highlighted using the glitter-it just soaks in, I think. Another layer of glitter wouldn't be a bad idea after it dries.

The printed card pieces are edged in Distress Inks. Two different pieces as the bottom layer and then bisected across the seams. I added the brads before gluing and cut the brad backs off . I just don't like stuff showing on the inside of my cards. The flower image was punched out using a scallop punch and then another contrasting color was done using a slightly bigger punch. If you don't have circles, try ovals or even rectangles. It would be fine that way, too

Layer on a textured card to match a color in your patterned papers. Maybe you can pick up the glitter a little better here but it is much shinier than this.
Stamp whatever phrase you want across the bottom This is a bit feminine but change the printed card stock and your stamped image to go more neutral or even very masculine.

And I really need to go clean up as I am caked with mud. I finally got the eggplants in and the rest of the flowers. I caught Jackson digging in my pepper plants again-I think the whole neighborhood heard me cussing at him. What would it take for him to bite a Habanero? Bet he never would again!

Loopy Glitter Tree

I found something rotten in my cabinet where I keep the potatoes, onions, and other root type veggies. It smells so bad and honestly I can't remember what it was other than I got it at Whole Foods in May. I have washed and sprayed the shelf and it still stinks. Time for some baking soda I think. And a spray from Glade too. I have a very sensitive nose and smell things that others don't so if you walk by me and fart, I WILL know!

This is another embossing paste card and I think it was the first one I made. Not one of my favorites for sure. I was super messy and moved the stencil a bit while scraping the excess off. I just don't like to throw anything away, so tried to salvage it. I used white embossing paste and sprinkled it with sparkly fine glitter and then let it dry.

Then I just added several layers under the finished embossed piece-a thin silver piece on top of a remnant of home made cream, on which I distressed the edges and these were layered on a golden textured card. This is bigger than an A2, maybe an A5. I tied a golden grosgrain ribbon on the side and made it lie flat with the Trio.

I added some varying sizes of colored crystals but wish I had used something different. If I had filled each dot with a crystal , it would have been too much. I don't know what to add here-maybe dots of less fine/chunky glitter in another color? Any suggestions?

I really don't want to think of snow, Christmas and gloomy sunless days-give me the heat! OOOH-I hear thunder. Again. But the roofers are finally gone and good riddance to the noise!

Octopus Tree

ETA-Jo thinks it's more a squid-I agree. Visit her ETSY shop here.

Thought you might want to see the photos of the weird tree I spoke of last night. I have other photos of the building in the background, which is unoccupied at this time. This is across the street to the north of the D.I.A. in downtown Detroit.

So am I off the mark thinking this looks like an octopus or not?

Together Forever

I would like to thank all of you who stick around thru my ups, downs and sidles. I have a lot of things going on sometimes, and don't always feel like creating or even posting what I have created. Now I have several messes complicating my days and some are open for photographing and adding here. I just don't know how to create with sidewalk spittle and write about it. I think it was spit-maybe a looggie. Maybe a dead leaf. You decide.

This was at the Art Festival in Detroit on Saturday. Maybe this is urban art.Eww-maybe a flattened frog?

Oh, so now you really want some paper art? Okay. Below you will find another of my embossing paste and gilded flaked cards. I also used many a scrap in this. If you saw my scrap bucket-you might smack me for not giving you some. I just cannot throw anything away-even a piece of junk mail goes into this.

The dark teal card is a 5 x 5 square. It's textured as are all of the pieces I used for this card. I took the dark blue piece from a junk mail car ad (it was a non-GM car ad, so it was not something I was interested in at all). I used a brass stencil and translucent embossing powder. After it was dry, I used a glue and heat glue pad (again use the stencil as a guideline) and then heated til tacky. Take the flakes and tamp on using a stiff brush. Swirl the brush and it will take off the fly aways (save them!).

This blue piece will be your center image. I then picked scraps to highlight the colors that emerged from the flakes. Two were squares and two were oblongs. Distress the edges with a razor (do the blue piece too). Arrange them on the card in a manner you find balanced then pop dot that main blue image to the center. I added a rub on to the lower right-you could stamp here. To add a little more sparkle, I added some flower crystals I found in the dollar bin at Micheal's.

I imagined this as a wedding or anniversary card but with a little adjustment, could be birthday or thank you-it's not overly feminine, so play with it.

Now I am going to see whatever other weird photos I ended up with from my day in Detroit. I do have one almost creepy one-of a tree that reminds me of an octopus with one eye. Maybe it will show up here.

My Downer Blog

I know, I know-it's been sad lately. I see I have had most of my readers and email updaters un-subbed. Such is life. I can't make a pretty every day. I promise the next few will be worth your staying around.

I will return and upload a "purdy" later tonight but I am gonna let the eye doctor poke me in the eyeballs (maybe that is why I am nauseous?). My contact lens does not want to stay contacted for some reason. At least I see much better with these ones.

The clouds are rolling in and the sun has disappeared. And so will I.

Iowa Flood Waters

My son and his wife live in Iowa-they are north of Cedar Falls/Waterloo areas in a tiny burg called Nashua, population about 1600. It has certainly turned into an adventure to say the least. Ben sent 4 photos tonight to give you an idea of the depth of the waters.

This was the neighbor's farm. At least the cows found some green area to graze on. I have no idea of the death toll on local animals. The water was at least 11 feet deep when this was taken before the upstream water went thru.

This is Ben's father-in-law's campground. From Memorial Day to Labor Day is the most busy time for them with camping, tubing, all sorts of exotic animals to observe. They had moved this back hoe to what they thought would be high, safe ground. Underestimation by a long shot.

Ben is at the edge of a new river. This one crossed the road between his home and his in-laws.Most of the roads into town were blocked at some point, and a few just re-opened tonight. Just as they issued another tornado watch. Nashua is just northeast of the deadly Parkersburg tornado of a few weeks ago.

This is the water lapping at the registration building for Ben's father-in- law's camp. There is a play area, a fully stocked kitchen and laundry facilities inside for the entire camp. If you would like to see a map of Nashua, click here. He also has some tornado video from yesterday he is trying to upload to You Tube. When it's there, I will update here.

There are still hundreds of thousands without power in Michigan from Saturday's storms, which rolled in before the tornadoes Sunday. Detroit is giving out free ice and water but I think anyone who has gone this long sans power better throw it all out and start over. I have been there (last summer 3 days). And I see another watch was issued for the Midwest as I type and there was a tornado that hit a Boy Scout camp and killed 4 about 8PM. Just incredible.

Seashore

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea..... I wish I had my toes in the sand and it was toasty hot. It's been a long time since I saw the ocean. Ask my kids what happened. We never went again and we found out daddy does not like sand in his back seat. My kids almost because hillbillies thanks to dad banishing them from the car for a spell. That was also my last vacation. 23 years ago May.

I used a circle printed card stock that I folded in half and rounded the bottom corners. The bottom half was layered with a print of ocean phrases and those corners met the same fate. I then edged the whole card in dark brown. I punched the bottom corner with a sea horse before taping it but for a peekaboo look, punch all the way thru. A scrap of red was butted on top of the print and then a piece of ribbon was added at the seam with a Trio tape runner.

A couple of corner holders and brads were attached on the right with mini pop dots. The starfish was inked on cream with brown and cut out and added on the left. Very quick and easily transformed with other colors.

I used to try and fake the beach with a sand box-but the local kitties thought it was a place for archaeological deposits. I think there are still some buried GI Joe action figures in the back area too.

Biking My Fat Butt Off

I recently competed in a biking challenge at my gym. We were allotted 31 days and all the competition had to take place inside the gym unless you could show you participated in a sanctioned outdoor race. I was in the running and biking categories. I was first overall for the women (there were two age categories) and I did 156 miles more than my younger counterparts. I also ALMOST beat the guys. I had 10 miles less at 396 than the male leader. Had I known it was that close, I would have stayed another half hour on the 31st!

Here is my trophy-notice the plate is off center and my name was on the box (and no stand-it comes with a metal peg?). My cheapo gym really cut back this year as I think these come from a local dollar store! Oh well-going for a run now before it rains.

Remembering The Beecher Tornado

55 years ago on June 8, 1953 an area north of Flint Michigan was hit by a devastating tornado. It was the catalyst in this area for sirens, better weather reporting by the television stations and airport spotters and while horrible to a large community, brought a lot of neighbors near and far together to mourn and rebuild.

My mom was pregnant with me at the time and I have often thought that in utero experience is why I am so terrified of storms and wind in particular. Sadly, the Beecher area that was rebuilt has fallen to poverty, drugs and indifference. The high school that was rebuilt after the storm does not even have a sports field to play on but has turned out some of the best football, track and basketball players both college and pro from this county. There is just little parental influx into the education system and many will remember the area for the Kayla Rolland shooting story that Micheal Moore featured in Bowling for Columbine.

It rose from the ashes once before. It can be done again-but someone has to think it can . If you would like to see the original newspapers from 1953, click here, here, or here. It just is so eerie that today on the anniversary the area is hit again by wind, storms and tornadoes just as it was on the 50th anniversary.