Sundays treasures!

No, I didn't get blown away to Oz yesterday, lol. I bet after yesterdays post you wondered if I would ever post again,,he he!! Well, we did get some pretty good thunderstorms here last night and some wind, but nothing like our Arkansas neighbors to the west of us recieved. They had a few tornadoes, and so did Texas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
The stampers meeting was fun and we made several greeting cards. We have several members who sell "Stampin Up" stamps. They had made up some little kits with all the materials we needed to make cards. We bought them for $1 each, which is cheap for a homemade card,lol.
Then we had a nice lunch. Mom and I headed home around 1ish as I wanted to be home before the weather got rough.
Last night our electricity went out and I was in the art room making a 4 x 4. Daniel was asleep, I had to find my lighter , light a candle and then get the flashlight. I finished my piece with the help of the flashlight,,is that dedication or what? The power only stayed out for about an hour, but it was late so I went on to bed.
Oh,,when I got home yesterday I had some wonderful surprises that came in the mail.
I was in a homemade bead swap in the Swap-bot. So I recieved some wonderfully amazing beads yesterday for a very talented artist, her name is Natana. She is from Houston, Texas and she is an amazing Polymer Clay artist. Check out the beads she sent to me, they are just precious.

She sent them in the little oriental change purse. There is a little frog, bumble bee, duckie, 2 little cute oriental ladys, and some flower beads, lady bug, and the other beads have amazing designs in them. And I went to look at her Flicker pic albums,,she has 2 new twin babies and they are so cute, she also has a handsome little boy too. How in the world does she have time to create these wonderful beads! She said she came and looked at my blog before she made them. She saw that I loved gardening and being outdoors,,so she made them just for me. I am going to make the coolest necklace out of them. Thanks Natana,,I really do Love them!!!
So next package was from a 4 x 4 swap on Swap-bot. We had to try a new technique. And this is from a artist named Susi. She got the idea from Traci Bautista's book called "Collage unleashed", thats a book that I have been debating on purchasing, and she described on the back of the piece about how she made it. Isn't it cool? Love it!

I love the verse on it too, matches it perfectly. Then the next one is a 4 x4 from a sweet artist in one of my groups named Billie. She lives in Arkansas, hoping she didn't get damage from the storms yesterday. Her 4 x 4 is a Mardi Gras theme,,it is excellent!
It even has Mardi Gras beads, gold coins, and a feather. I Love Mardi Gras!
Next piece is by another member of the same group. She lives in the same hometown as my Mother-in-law, Sequim, Washington. Its on the Pugent Sound and a beautiful place to live. I Love this piece too, I even have the same stamp. Its so cool to see how others use the same stamps that you have, this one is from Colleen.
Today I spent most of the day in the art room. I had several 4 x 4s to make. I also made a ATC that is for my card of the month partner this month. I used my metal tape technique that I learned from my Bernie Berlin ATC technique book. I stamped the daisys on the tape, then embossed them, painted a thin coat of black acrylic paint over it, after it dried I wiped the paint off with a damp rag, it left the paint in the embossed areas. I love using this technique,,its easier than embossing on real metal.
I also finished up my deco ATC cards for Maryellen's swap( you will get them week ME). I am not going to post them cause I want her to be surprised. I hope I did them right,lol. I will post the 4 x 4s that I did today on tomorrow's post. The are ST. Paddy themed.
I sure hope everyone had a wonderful week-end. I sure did, just wish it didn't have to end. But I am thankful that we didn't have any Tornadoes. Always something to be Thankful for, right?

Saturday and storms

So glad its the week-end. I live for the week-ends when I am working. 2 days just for me, thats the best. Mom and I are going to our monthly Stamper's group meeting. Its a few towns away and we have to be there by 9:a.m., but we are leaving early to come home. We are expecting some severe storms this afternoon and tonight. Thats the worse part of spring here, as tornadoes can form very easily with these spring storms. I have been through too many tornadoes, none that have ever directly hit my house or any of my loved ones homes, but just to see them rolling over your head and know it could touch down and wipe away every thing and every one you love, well its a fear like you have never known. I have seen complete towns totally wiped out by these fierce acts of mother nature. As a child I grew up in northern Alabama and on one wednesday night when I was about 12, we had over 8 tornadoes hit our area. It was the most scariest night of my life. We were spared, but hundreds of people were not and lost their lives or their homes. I remember riding through neighborhoods were nothing was left but the concrete slabs were homes actually sat. It was so sad.
A few years ago I had to get under a bridge and huddle with several scared motorists when a tornadoe roared over us. Believe me when I say that everyone was saying the Lord's prayer and crying. It actually hit downtown Nashville and blew out windows in skyscrappers.
Last spring several hit areas north of us and wiped out several communities. One young mother rushed her children to the basement and covered them with her body as the house fell in on them. She was paralyzed from the waist down. Her children were unharmed. Now I think that is the best mother in the world. The show "Extreme Home make overs" rebuilt a brand new home for the family this summer, and it was a great home made just for her disabilities. It even has a safe room in the middle of the house, just in case more tornadoes ever hit, the room will protect them. I wish all houses built down here in the south could have rooms like that.
Well, I guess I better hit the shower and prepare for my day. Sorry for the scary post, but its just a reality here for us.
Hope every one has a great week-end!

A touch of Spring!!!

It sure felt alot different today than it did this week-end. We were up in the mid 50s today and it was wonderful. I came home from work this afternoon and spent several hours in the yard raking leaves and pruning. I difinitly have spring fever. I know we will have several more cold spells, but I also know that warmer weather is not far off.
Below are a couple of 4 x 4s that I did for a swapbot swap.

The next pics are of some postcards I made for a altered postcard swap. I used scans of the old postcards that I bought at a antique store and then layered them with transparencies. Then edged them with silver tape.





I am tired tonight so I will say good night to everyone and I hope everyone has a great evening!

A Nice day off!

It sure was nice being off today. Its also been the first day that it has been above freezing in almost 2 weeks. Almost 50 today and sunny, but very windy. Sure lets me know that spring is right around the corner.
I went and picked up Mom yesterday afternoon. Michael's had a 50% off coupon in the paper yesterday, good for Sun. and Mon. only. So of course we had to go to Michaels and use the coupon,,lol. We then came back to my house and I gave her birthday presents to her. I got Jane, a friend of mine and Moms, who is in our ATC group, to send out a e-mail to the members. I asked them to make a birthday tag for Mom and send it to me. I got several of them and I put them together and made a tag book for her birthday. She is the person in our group who always host the tag swaps, so on the front I put a pic of her with a party hat, and titled it "Happy Birthday Lottie Queen of the Tags",,lol. She was so surprised and almost cried.

Then I brought out the other present that Daniel and I both made for her. I bought one of those wire picture holders at a thrift store several months and ago and put my ATCs in it. The one I bought holds 10, we made one for her that holds 12. We used a piece of landscaping timber that Daniel cut into a small block. I then collaged it with some wonderful paper and pictures of her during her childhood. We cut and bent some metal coat hangers and painted them with gold spray paint. After collaging I put several coats of varnish on it. It turned out so cool, and now I am going to make one for me,,lol.

She really loved it, and was so proud of it. I think it turned out quite well too.
She spent the night and we did some art projects most of the night. This morning we went to go pick up my Aunts, her sisters, to bring them back to Mom's house for several days. They will spend a few days with her and they all are celebrating their birthdays together, we are all February girls!! Mom made both of them a really neat scrapbook on sisters. All of their kids and all of Mom's children have always called them "The Golden Girls",, they were always on the go and traveling and having alot of fun. They have slowed down alot now as they are 88, 86, and Mom the baby, will be 78 on the 22nd. I am just glad they get to spend time together.
Before we went to pick them up, we went to "Books-a-million" and "Hobby Lobby". I bought a couple of books and a few things at Hobby Lobby.
I took the Aunts and Mom home and now I am just relaxing and dreading going back to work tomorrow. I hope everyone had a nice week-end.

Snowy Saturday and more Presents!

Yes, it snowed here all day today. We had a inch this morning, but this afternoon it warmed up to 35, kept snowing but didn't stick. Now the temps are falling and its sticking again. I haven't stuck my big toe out all day, lol. I have been inside working on my Mom's birthday presents. I have them finished and I think she will like them. Shhhh,,I can't show you them today,,but maybe tomorrow after I give them to her.
She is going to come down and spend the night tomorrow night and we get to spend the day together on Monday as I am off for Presidents day.
Yesterday I spent most of the day in the emergency room with my son. He had another cyst on his tonsils, 6 hours we were there. They finally lanced the cysts and now at 22 years old he is going to have his tonsils removed. The doctors said its going to be rough one him. As a child he never had strep or tonsilitus,,his sister kept strep and had to have her tonsils removed when she was 12. They put him on antibiotics for the next 2 weeks, then he will goe back and they will set up a date to take them out. And of course he starts a new job in two weeks. Hoping his employers will be understanding when he has to be off for a week. They will do it on a out patient basis, unless complications arrive. The doctors told me they have never seen tonsils as big as his are,,(oh great). But we don't care about the job,,his health is more important. I am rather worried about all this, but trust that all will turn out ok.
On Thursday I had an excellent birthday. Of course I got to be off for snow, and it all melted by noon. So,,I met my dear friend Rosie at our favorite scrapbook store. We bought some wonderful Italian papers and got a nice price for them. She got me hooked on those wonderful papers. See her blog to see pics of them. After the scrapbook store we went to Starbucks and sat and had some great warm drinks and yakked our heads off. I swear,,I feel like I have known her forever, I am so thankful to have met her and its all because of blogging.
Of course that girl had me a wonderful present. Some wonderful teas, very pretty teas and the little trays that went with them. I have not tried them yet,,just savoring the beauty of them.

The actual tea bags are pretty too, I sure am looking forward to sipping some of the best tea that I have probably ever had in my life. Ms. Rosie has wonderful taste, she is a world wide traveler, but yet she is the most down to earth person I have met in a long time. She even brought me the best cupcake I have ever put in my mouth(and yes, I did let Daniel have some too). Thanks for making my birthday so special, Rosemary,,luv ya Girl!
So last night after I got home from the long day in the emergency room, I had a nice package waiting on me. It was from another wonderful friend, Jeanie. She lives in Lansing, Michigan. We met through the website called Artella. She was my Spring Sprite last year. You traded art with your partner for March and April. I lucked up and she got my name. We have become very close friends. We e-mail each other all the time and still send presents to each other. And my goodness, that girl is so talented. I talked her into trying ATCs, and wow, you would have thought she had been doing them forever. I talked her into joining one of my favorite groups and she has been a wonderful addition to the group. Her art is amazing! So, my package was a wonderful paper mache box that she had painted and decorated for me. She knows how much I love my flowers and she is a flower lover too. The box is holding my seeds as she decorated it in a garden theme. I just LOVE it!!

See how many packages of seeds it will hold. I am must itching to start diggin and sow seeds.
Thank- you Jeanie,,you know I am going to treasure that box forever. And I know you and I are going to meet someday soon. Michigan isn't that far away.
The next picture is what I have been playing with lately. I have been making collaged microscope slide pendents. I am actually soldering them and it boy, it takes some practice, but I am finally getting the hang of soldering. Its really fun! I will make them into necklaces, as you can see I have already made one. And yes Mom,,that might be one of your surprises, as I know you will want it anyways, lol.

Its not a real good picture I know, but I didn't want to turn my flash on and it was getting dark outside, I will take some better pics of them tomorrow. Daniel thinks its so cool that I am soldering. Of course he went out and bought me some cool toys to do all of this with a few weeks ago.
Well this is probably enough for tonight. I think I am going to go out in the sunroom and watch it snow some more. We have flood lights that shine out on our backyard and the falling snow is so pretty at night.
I hope every one has been having a really nice week-end. I have enjoyed it alot!!!

My Birthday surprise!!!

Yes, that was me exactly 45 years ago! Still trying to get some shut-eye, lol.
I had the craziest morning to start off my Birthday! We got some light snow that came through middle Tennessee around 4 this morning. I get up at 5, take my shower, sit and drink my coffee and watch the news. A few Counties more east of us toward the mountains were closed for snow. A few Counties a little closer were delayed for a couple of hours, but my school's county was openned and most of them around us were open. Turned the news off, got ready, then left a little after 6. Ususally I listen to the radio on one of my favorite stations. This morning I listenned to a cd. Get to school, no cars, no busses , just dead. I go in the building and the custodian came in and told me they had canceled 30 minutes before I got there. You know I let out a big whoopie!! Still not sure why they canceled, the roads are clear, sun's out. The custodian told me that they were predicting more by this afternoon. I told him, nah, the Director of schools knew it was my birthday and gave us all a day off,lol.
So,,this was just a wonderful surprise!!! Gonna do some art today and just have a "me" day!
Thanks to all the wonderful e-mail wishes alot of you have sent to me. It has made my day even better!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

More Goodies!!!

Oh how I wish I could have a birthday every week, lol! Its so thrilling to come home from a long day of working and find a mailbox full of treats! I just feel so LOVED! And so blessed to have so many incredibly talented friends who send me their Love in these awesome packages!
So I will start off with the Wonderful ATC that Lucky me won from Janet in her giveaway last week! It is a beautiful felt and bead creation. I love her embroidery skills, they are amazing. And doesn't this just get you into the Valentine mood?

It's a beauty and so thankful I got lucky enough to win it! Janet also sent me a slew of great goodies in my package too !!! Thanks Janet!
Next ATC is from a very sweet friend in one of my groups. She is from Hawaii, her name is Charlotte, the little square in the middle opens up to say " Aloha Beth-Haouoli la hanou! Which I am pretty sure means Happy Birthday in Hawaii.

So precious as Charlotte is so sweet. She cares for her disabled husband and doesn't have alot of time on her hands, it means so much when she sends me cards, she also sent me several beautiful papers too.
Next ATC is from my friend Jan who is also in one of my groups, and another excellent artist.
I love the rich gold trim on it,,very unique!!
The next one is another group friend name Joena. Again,,excellent artist(there really is no bad art is there?)
It was a Southwestern card, one of my fave themes.
Next ATC, from another group friend, Laura. I have done several trades with her and just adore her art. She also made the greeting card below the ATC. The little boy on the ATC is her Dad back in 1929,,love it!
The quote on the card is also one of my favorite quotes!
The next two Greeting cards are from 2 very lovely friends who are in my local rubber stamping group "The Sassy Stampers".

So now you have soon my loot for the past two days. I am feeling very proud right now. And,,I got an early Birthday/ Valentine present last night too. My sweet hubby bought me a new King size mattress and box springs that I have been yearning for a long time. He came in and told me to close my eyes. He put a reciept in my hands. I openned my eyes and it was for a mattress store. I scream with delight!! I asked when it would be delivered. He grinned and said "uh well its in my truck now". He couldn't wait for them to deliver it, had to have then and now,,thats my Daniel. I was amazed that he had it strapped to his small Mazda truck, and very thankful that he didn't take the interstate home, lol. So we brought it in and set it up. I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud! Best nights sleep I have had in many years! The man spoils me!

Well I sure hope every one has a Great Valentines Day tomorrow. Its a day of Love, and Love makes the World go round!!!

recooperating

What a terrible past few days I have had. I have been sick with a horrible sinuse infection. My head has felt like it was going to blow up. I have suffered through working 2 half days thursday and friday, then retreating back home to the comfort of my bed. Finally yesterday morning I said enough and went to the doctor. I gladly accepted 2 shots , 1 shot of antibiotics in on hip and 1 shot of coritsone in the other. I also came home with a round of antibiotics and decongestants. I stayed in bed most of the day yesterday, but today I am feeling a little better. At least my head is now at a dull ache instead of feeling like it was in a vise grip.
I think its been stuck inside for the past month in the dry heat. Its been so cold here that you just couldn't get out much or turn the heat down. I am going to try to find a cool mist humidifer, I think that would help alot. But hopefully I am on the road to recovery and hopefully spring will be here very soon. Hey, at least I am not living in upstate NY where they have 100 inches of snow and more on the way. I Love snow,,but definetly not that much, lol.
We are expecting rain tomorrow and tuesday, and thats a good thing, maybe it will wash all the germs away. We have had alot of sickness in our schools.
So I haven't done alot of art in the past week. But I did do a few things last week-end that I have not posted.
The picture at the beginning of my post are some 4 x 4 chunky pages that I did for this months swap in one of my groups. They are prettier in person, I made them on some embossed silver paper but the embossing doesn't show up.
The picture below are some bookmarks that I made for a swap. I did them in an Asian theme. Week before last when Rosie and I were at Hobby Lobby we found some great orgami paper and I used this on them.

Next are some wonderful ATCs that I recieved from a Valentine swap. The first one is my dear friend Vicci's.
Isn't that pretty,,looks good enough to eat,,thanks Vicci! The next one is from my own dear Mother, my bestest friend and fellow birthday mate, lol. Another pretty one from her.
The next one is from my other bestfriend, the incredible Ms. Rosie. I Love her ATCs too. She has taught me some tricks on doing some ATCs,,I think she has been doing them secretly for years,lol.
And yesterday I got some more sweet greeting cards from my Girl, Rosie,,one was a wonderful birthday card and another was a Valentine with an ATC in it.

Here is the ATC below.
I also recieved another pretty Valentine ATC from a swap I did on Swapbot. This is it below.
It sure did help me feel better when I recieved these goodies in the mail. This morning when I tried to sign into my blog, it pretty much forced me to change over to the new beta version. Yes, I had been putting it off because I had heard that it took a long time to change over. Well they must have perfected the switch because it was a complete breeze. It took maybe 2 minutes to do, and every thing was the same, I didn't lose any thing. Whew,,glad I didn't as that would have topped off the way this whole lousy week-end has been, lol.
I hope every one else has had a great week-end. My thoughts are turning towards spring now. Ready to play in the dirt!!!

Wonderful mail from friends!!!!

I have been so lucky the past few days! I have received some wonderful art surprises in the mail. Some of the art is presents for my birthday next week. Last week I got this wonderful card from my dear friend Jeanie in Michigan.

She also made me this beautiful birthday ATC!

Aren't they so cool? She made the Birthday card with a picture she took on her vacation to Las Vegas in December. And the ATC is so cool!
Yesterday I recieved some excellent art too.
First off I got 2 very beautiful ATCs from Sweet Janet! The felt one is the one I told her I would love to have.
She also sent me this other little lovely valentine ATC too!!!
Thank you so much Sweet Janet!! And I really think you have been making these for a very long time!! They are now on my display photo tree!
Then today I got a wonderful surprise from my dear friend Jane in NY. She made me the coolest altered box. Its made out of teak wood, real light. She really did some wonderful art in on this baby! She also made me an mini altered cd, it is precious too! Here is a pic of both.
Also another couple of really nice friends from my groups sent me a ATC and a Birthday tag. Laura from NY made the ATC below.

And Candy from Texas made the beautiful tag below!
The next pictures are Greeting cards that members of the Tennessee Stampers group have sent to me. There are some talented friends in that group too!



I also recieved several swaps in the mail too! The first is an Altered Valentine CD, its so pretty!

Below are some wonderful ATCs from a sweet lady in the Netherlands. This is the first time I have recieved any ATCs from the Netherlands, I have several from other countries.

And the one below is from another swap, this lady lives in the UK!
I am not apologizing for this long blog. At least its all very PRETTY EYE CANDY!!! Instead of my blabbering about snow. Today it warmed up to almost 50 degrees and melted most of the rest of the snow. It is suppose to be colder again tomorrow and maybe another chance of the white stuff on Thursday-Friday. Personally I am ready for spring, ready to dig in the dirt and watch all my flowers pop up. I got my snow, so bring on spring! lol.
Hope everyone is well and have a great evening!!!