Thursdays art!

I have been busy working in the art room for the past few days. I signed up for some new swaps too. I have also been battling some sinus problems and poison ivy rash. I am so allergic to that stuff that all I have to do is look at it and I get it. I have some prescription ointment to put on it so it should get better soon. Its just aggravating trying to not scratch it.
Enough whining!!! Its so hot here today, but we have been lucky enough to get some nice afternoon thundershowers this week so I haven't had to water the flowers as much. I just hate going out when its this hot and humid.
So I have been inside playing in the art room. The images above are the front and back of a monthly chunky page (4 x 4) swap that I am in. I made 5 of these, 4 will be mailed out tomorrow and I keep one. They are for Augusts swap.
Below is a ATC art doll , I made 6 of them for a swap. I made the body by stamping on metal and embossing it. The face is a bottle cap and crytal laquer poured in it, and then she has flower earrings. I think they turned out pretty cute.
I have a stamp that makes the legs and arms. The rest of the week I will be staying in and working on more projects. I hope everyone is having a cool week so far!!!

Tuesdays Art project!

This is what I have been working on lately when I have had a chance. They are monoprints. These are for a swap that I am in on one of my groups. The instructions are in the recent Clothe, Paper, Scissors magazine. It took several practice runs for me to get it right which is quite normal for me,lol. I am still not really crazy about them but I hope they will be acceptable. We send in 4 six inch squares and get 4 back. Then you sew them onto fabric to have a wall hanging. The first one is my favorite, the other 3 are just ok but not that good.



I always have to try new techniques and this one was a tad bit challenging. I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday, I only have 2 more free Tuesdays left. Then I am back at work on Aug. 9th--- :-( bummer!

Quiet Monday

Well my life has become quiet again. Our daughter flew home saturday night. We had such a great time with her and her brother and sister. We had a houseful on friday night as alot of their friends came to say good-bye.
It was hard to see her leave again. We get use to her being here and then its time for her to go home. Daniel was very sad yesterday and so was I.
Today I have worked on a few art projects and trying to get use to having the house to myself again. I went out and took some pictures of my flowers.
I hope everyone is doing good and that you all had a wonderful week-end. Here is a few more flower pics.

Our week of fun and family!

A view from an over look on Natchez Trace Parkway!

Its been awhile since I have posted as we have been enjoying our fun time with our family. Last week did alot of cook outs and just hanging out and watching movies. On sunday we took the girls to see the movie Tranformers, and enjoyed that movie. Afterwards we all went out to eat at a good restaurant.
On Tuesday, Daniel took the day off of work and we went down the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway. It is a parkway that is also a state park. Back in the 1800s the settlers traveled this road back and forth from close to New Orleans all the way to Nashville. The parkway is 444 miles long and ends in Natchez, Mississippi. There are so many places to stop and see along the way. You can see places that the Choctaw and Chicasaw Indians lived. There are also Mounds that are over 2000 years old. We just went a little ways down the Trace and found some waterfalls and had a picnic there. Then we went on down futher to a nice River to play around and swim in and cool off. Its been so hot and humid here this week. It finally rained this morning and is suppose to be cooler and less hot for the week-end. Our daughter will be flying back to Spokane tomorrow afternoon. We have enjoyed our time with her and are so proud of her. We are also going to miss her so much. Below are pictures of our trip down the Trace.
This is Jackson Falls which is usually a very pretty waterfalls, but since we have had very little rain this summer it was pretty disappointing. Not very much water falling right now.

This is Daddy and daughter at the Falls.
Our picnic at the falls.
A picture of Allison that I Love! This is looking off a bluff behind her.
I bought her this shirt as her middle name is Starr. She loves it. She is so pretty and just has the most wonderful personality, very bubbly!!
I will leave you with our cool and refreshing fun in the river pics. I hope everyone has had a great week. And I hope you all have a wonderful week-end!!!

Sun and Fun

Our oldest daughter did make it here on Tuesday right on time. She is just a pretty and sweet as ever. We were so happy to see her and she was happy and excited to be here.
We got up yesterday morning and took of to our favorite haunts, THRIFT STORES! She found several cute summer tops. I found a very bright orange Asian figurine for the oriental garden by my pond, and we both loaded up on books. Then we went to eat a wonderful lunch and wait for her sister to get out of her classes at collage. Kalyn got out at 2:15, so we all head to the river to chill and cool off. Here's my girls on their colorful tubes in the river.

We of course included the Brat dog in on the fun. She may like the sprinkler in the backyard but she still is not a "jump in and swim in the big River" dog. She did go out for a few with me on my tube but was quite ready to get back to shore, thank you very much!
After our fun time at the river, we headed back home to wait on their brother to come out. He finally showed up and we ordered some pizza and sat out in the pond. It was so nice last night, no humidity and a nice breeze. I had to snap a pic of Kyle and Allison on the swing.

And another pic of the girls sitting on the bench in the pond!
I think they were listening to Brother telling a story, it must have been a interesting one!!!
Later on Daniel came home and the pizza man arrived and we spent the rest of the evening laughing and remembering stories from the past. It felt so good to have our "little chicks" back home in our nest.
I hope everyone is having as nice of week as I am!!!

Stormy Tuesday and Sweet Daughter

I woke up this morning to the wonderful sound of rain falling on the roof. That is the best sound for me right now as we have had no rain in over a week and a half. The temps are alot cooler with this rain too. Its been a very hot and dry summer here so far. I do feel lucky that we haven't been as hot as my friends in the western states. But even when it gets into the low 90s here, the humidity makes it feel even hotter.
Today is the day that my beautiful step-daughter will fly in to visit with us. Her daddy will be picking her up tonight at 6:15. I am praying for no storms when her flight is to arrive. Allison lived with us back in 2003 for most of the summer and fall. Her and I became very close and I missed her so much when she went back to Idaho. She had been through some tough times when she came to live with us, but really bounced back from them and has done great ever since. I can't wait to see her again! Her is a pic that I took of her on her last visit.

She was in her work shirt, she had a job at the Waffle house. The customers loved her so much as she always had a smile and just very bubbly, happy personality. On her last night of work there before she went back to Idaho, all her customers came to see her and gave her very BIG tips. She came home crying and counted her money, she had close to $200. She really is a very loving and sweet young lady! So I will be posting alot of the fun we are going to have while she is here. She is my husbands only child and he is so excited to see her and so am I.
The past few days have been so hot and dry. Since we lost our backyard guard dog, Ranger, Daniel has been sowing grass seed back there and the backyard and deck is a place we have really been enjoying. Before it was the Ranger zone and we would sit back there alot but now we do even more. So Daniel has been running the sprinkler on the new grass seed. Our little spoiled Brat terrier has to hang with us where ever we are at. She never has liked the water, just not a water dog. But now since it has been so hot, she has decided that its not so bad after all. Sunday night she decided that she really didn't like the sprinkler any more so she made it her mission to take it out.

I really believe she would have drowned herself trying to get that sprinkler to stop. She was really enjoying being wet as it was so hot. Here is a pic of her looking like a drowned Rat!
Such a funny little Brat,,thats my Lady!!! I hope ever one has a terrific Tuesday, I know I will once our child makes it here safe and sound.

Friday's art and pictures!

Its friday after the fourth of July. My day is going to be spent doing my least favorite thing, cleaning the house. Actually the house isn't bad, its the guest room that needs my attention.
My step-daughter is flying here next Tuesday from Spokane, WA. We have not seen here since 2003 and we are so excited! She is 25 and in College but off for the summer. Allison is a really sweet girl, very bubbly personality, and my husbands only child. So next week will be a busy and fun time for us.
We had a quiet July 4th. We just stayed at home and enjoyed the day. My daughter came out and spent the night, I love being with her when I get the chance, and when her calendar isn't too busy. She is excited about seeing her sister too!
I have managed a few artsy projects. The picture above is for a ATC swap that I am in called "Wings". That is a new stamp that I have with the wee ones with wings. The next picture are of another ATC swap that I am in "Paisley" ATCs.




These ATCs were made with some cool Paisley stamps that I have. They abstract but I like them. I used liquid gold leaf to color them. I have several other swaps that I need to work on this week-end. Below are some pictures of my flowers and our flags that I took on July 4th.




And last picture is of a cute birdie who flew in for a Fourth of July snack!
I hope everyone has had a great holiday week. For my friends out west who are suffering from the Heat Wave, I hope you get some relief from the heat, and try to stay cool any way you can.
Have a wonderful week-end!!!

Have safe and fun July 4th!!!!