Missing In Action

I know I've been missing for a while, and I want to apologize. I am currently fighting a major health problem and the medications are causing me to have very little motivation to get much done, let alone share it.

I've been working on the never-ending tatted orniments for the soldiers, doing a little beading every day on a surprise project and just whatever I get in the mood for (lots of reading and tv). One new thing - I am exploring the world with food. I am trying to eat healthier and am trying new foods from around the world so I won't get bored. :->

Here is one of my embroidery projects I managed to final do and finish. It is a cross-stitch kit in 18-ct Aida.

This is my pride and joy! I started this piece last fall and finished it about a week ago. It is all freehand embroidery using the split chain stitch. It began as an experiment to learn the stitch and just kept growing and decided it wanted to be a complete piece.

Goodies to share!

I just had to share some neat goodies I spoiled myself this month. The little brown things on the left of the picture are hand-made picot guides. (For you non-tatters - picots are tiny loops in tatting) I got them from Georgia Seitz http://www.georgiaseitz.com/ .

On the right is size 20 hand dyed thread by LadyShuttleMaker http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5071147 Compared to the standard crochet thread I have been using, these threads are almost decadent. :)

I have to spoil myself more often.....

ALSO, I won a thread give away over at CrazyKwilter's blog http://crazykwilter2.blogspot.com/ All-in-all, a good day!

We're Moving! and EDM Challenge #21

We're moving!!!! Our apartment is slowing falling apart with non-stop leaks in the walls soaking our kitchen floor and livingroom carpet, black mold in the front room closet, and the bathroom wall collapsing. Add to that increasing drive-by shhoting and random gunshots at night, it's time to get the hell outta Dodge (so to speak). We have a chance to move back to Texas, so while we are in good enough shap to do so, we are taking my sister up on staying with her until we can find a place to live in Abeline.

What this means for the art is that I will still be doing my Everyday Matters Challenges, but I have had to pack my collaging images, so I will not be doing gluebook pages for now. I am keeping enough art supplies unpacked to take a break from packing with. :)

Anyway, enough of that - today's challenge is to draw something antique, vintage or old. This is a broken piece of vintage costume jewelry given to me to make recycled jewelry out of.

Hot Dog!

I don't normally do this, but I have GOT to share a hint on food......

I have a bus driver who is from New York City. The other day we were discussing the various brands of hot dogs. He was talking about the brand they sell in the stands all around the city. Since we can't get that brand in this part of the country. He had said that Nathan's were a close second. Now, here in Tulsa, Nathan's are a very pricy hot dog at around $3.50 -$4.00 a package. Needless to say, at that price I'd never bought them. so today, they were on sale and acting on this New Yorker's suggestion I bought a package. OMG! They are awesome!! If hot dogs were steaks, Nathan's would be the ribeye. Go out - buy a pack, grill or fry (don't boil), add sauerkraut, raw onion, mustard and cheese on a bun and enjoy!


My freebie today is a Sig Tag kit version of my scrapbooking kit with a few differences. Have fun with this kit.



You can download this kit here.

Two Freebies

I've been having to laugh at the neighborhood kids lately. It seems like half of our apartment complex has discovered our rats and they want to see and play with them everyday. There's even a 2-year-old who comes running when I'm outside to see 'the mousies'. The first time she ever saw and petted one (Smoke), her mother was wanting her to come home, so I asked her to say 'bye-bye to the mousie' and she said 'NO!" So, I said, "It's the mousie's naptime, so say night-night'. She came up, kissed Smoke on the lip and said 'night-night' and left. I just wish I'd had a video camera, it was so cute.

Today's first freebie is the last (for now) of the color packs - Yellow.


You can download it here.

This is my first Signature Tag I'm offering as a freebie. It is blank for your name and/or message.

You can download it here.

Thankfully Its Over

I am finally through with all the anemia tests for now.......YIPPEE!!! If you've never had gastro testing - you are lucky. I'm not sure which is worse, the pre-test liquid laxitive or the tests themselves. (I vote for the laxitive) My life for the last couple of weeks has been centered on liquid diets and restricted iron doses which has done nothing to help my lack of energy. So far I've been lucky and have had no internal bleeding found. I have to wait until next week to get the results of the latest test - a camera endoscopy (the camera pill) that checked my small intestine. If that's clear, then it may be a medication side effect. The good ending was I got taken out to a steak buffet for an early Mother's Day dinner.

Enough whining.....I'm running out of cheese. I hope all you women who are mothers of human AND furbabies have a wonderful Mother's Day.


Have some fun with today's freebie - the Orange Element set, found here.

Back in the High Life Again...

I know I've been gone a while again, but I had good reason - I was feeling the anemia worse than normal and also getting ready for some tests to find the cause. So far, I'm OK, but I have one more test next week. Also, I was setting up the new computer. It is done and I have some neat goodies coming up the next few days.


I have also managed to finish the body of my quilled cardinal. It is ready for the tail feathers next. So far, I am very proud of how it is turning out.

I'M BACK!

Well, I'm back blogging. I was out of the loop for the last week setting up my new computer! I forgot what a mess it is to set up a machine from scratch. I am in definite love, though. :) I will be able to create again in the next couple of days, so be on the lookout for new freebies.

The ATC above is from a cyberfriend - Antonella. the base is a photo of a flower she took herself and then she accented it with quilling. You can see her other work on her blog. The link is in the sidebar.

Coffee Anyone?

Well, we survived the storms with no problems in our neighborhood. Much of Oklahoma is underwater or blown away, though. that the hazard of living in tornado alley.

As you know I have several rats as pets (or is it I am a pet of several rats?) A friend got a great, short, video of Whistle Britches stealing a sip of coffee. She now has to lap a few drops of coffee every chance she gets. :) Check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnlCsTSqcPM

Today's freebie is the Pink Pack. You can download here.

April Floods Bring May Gills

We are currently having so much rain, I feel like duck! Fortunately, we have taken no damage or had any flooding where we live. We needed the rain a couple of days ago, but now the ground is saturated and we don't need the rain.

All these storms has had me really down with pain. I haven't been doing much artistically, fortunately I have the color element packs. :-> Sounds like the next round is moving in (thunder and all).

Download here.

Spring Thing(s)

Spring is in full swing in Oklahoma. The redbud and dogwood trees are in bloom, the wildflowers (weeds) are springing up in yards, and Mother nature is having PMS. We have been having tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and floods every few days. It looks like it will continue for at least another week. I know our lakes need the rain, but everything else is soaked! Roads are washing out, creeks and rivers are flooding, and the mold after the rain is aggravating allergies. Oh well, at least we will have great flowers!

I am currently working on a largish freebie just for Spring. This one has larger elements in it, so please be patient for it to arrive as I share this computer. :)

Silver Aniversary

Today was a very special, wonderful day - Doug and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We went out to dinner with married friends and their grandson. :) I have pictures, but I still have to download them. I'll try to post them tomorrow.

I want to apologize for not posting as frequently as I was, but Doug has discovered Hulu.com and their free television shows and movies. Now, I have to schedule my artwork around entertainment. (I really do love him )


Today's freebies are two glittered silhouette pngs. You can download them here.

Happy Easter

Unfortunately, we lost one of our 'babies' last night. She was old and had a tumor that slowly sucked the life out of her. She spent her last days being well loved and doing her best to enjoy her wheel. We humans could learn a lot from a rat.

Cross the rainbow bridge and be happy, Nibbles.

I've been feeling under the weather a bit and have not been as creative as I would like to be. I have several projects in the planning that I will share as they are started, worked on, and completed. Unfortunately, my disability and related health problems can flare up at a moment's notice and last for a long time, or just a short while. I'm not trying to whine (not enough cheese), just explain why I may not post daily or have regular, frequent freebies.

Today's freebie is another set of papers. These are the first in a series of 'shadow' designs. You can download it here.

Is There a Pattern Here?

I think I'm a *bit* fixated on Spring. lol I guess I've had enough of cold weather, a cold apartment, dreary skies, short days and 180 weather changes every other day. I am SOOOOOO ready for Spring to arrive that if I could go out and drag it in, I would!

Spring is one of my favorite seasons - everything is new again and full of life and color. The flowers bloom, the trees bud and bloom (we have a LOT of flowering trees in Tulsa), and the Robins come back.

Let's hear it for Spring!!!

I have another watercolor background freebie today - you can get it here.

Spring?

Early Spring?????

With Easter early this year, it looks like Spring may be a touch early as well. We had thunderstorms and tornadoes to be followed by snow, but it went just south of us and only snowed in a small area. Oh well. I'm still waiting for the first robin and leaf, but the Spring storms are here now!

(this is also a test for posting multiple images and text)

Spring?

Despite what the calendar says - Spring is here! Today my provider (she helps me around the house with chores I can't do for myself) and I got the urge to start the annual ritual of Spring cleaning. It started with moving the bed around and who knows WHERE it will stop.

FOR THE ARTISTS:

If you have a Big Lots in your town, I recommend you check out their school supplies. I found a small memo book, about ATC-sized, that makes a perfect purse-sized sketchbook for $1. I highly suggest carrying a small sketchbook to capture ideas in and to use for doodles at odd bits and moments.