Let Sleeping Dogs Lay

Alright, we have two dogs and I am not one to tell you every little thing they do or even thinking about doing but just had to post on them a little.  So hang in there.  They are cute.

I have always heard this saying of Let Sleeping Dogs Lay and not sure why they say that.  I think means something other than dogs and not to bother them while asleep.  What do you think?  I mean a dog can be sound asleep and in two seconds running out to the back gate  ( we have an acre so they do have room to run )chasing dragons dressed as a trash truck or chasing a bird that had the ordasity to land in our back yard and then back to sleep instantly.  Nope don't think that pertains to dogs or as we call them Fur Babies. 

Our fur babies are basically outside dogs---UNLESS--it is to hot, to cold, the wind is blowing to much or raining and hailing.  Like our grandaughter says when the weather is perfect they are outside.  We have their matching dog houses with doggie heating pads for them, well just Jewel has the heating pad.   Our Libby has more hair than I have ever seen. We are talking tons of it.   We also have the tropical hideaway AKA the back garage where the tropical plants we have to over winter with heaters and lights.  When it is pretty cold they go back there with the tropical plants.  They have beds and heaters (usually 65-70 degrees) a baby monitor so I can here them if they have a problem and a smoke detector.  Those girls are set and when we give them a begging strip to put them to bed oh my goodness, I don't know what is in the begging strips but they nearly do flips for their tastey morsel.  Now when it is really really cold they are our house guests inside and are perfect young ladies.

Sweet Jewel and her doggie dreams.  You do wonder what they dream, chasing rabbits perhaps?  One day there was one in the backyard and oh my goodness the race was on. RUN BUNNY RUN.  The bunny safely made it out the back gate, a tiny hole dung out and he just fit.  Well now everytime they are out we can say find the rabbit and off the fur babies go. 

Now unless it is 80 degrees outside Miss Jewel gets under the covers.  We have to keep their beds unzipped and she just wiggles in and around.  Sometimes we just see a lump under the covers and we know Jewel is sacked in.  Pretty cute. 

Now sweet Libby has a little problem right now.  I thank Dee so much for the advise, she is a total doggie expert.    Hot spots we found out is a little skin problem older dogs get.  We purchased some clippers and I gave this baby a little hair cut on her side/tummy.  Not a professional job but she needed it done to medicate it.  Looking much better today and not red and ugly.  To keep a dog from scratching and licking is a tough job let me tell you.  The cone helps but she can contort her body around and still do a pretty good job of licking.   So her next alternative is scratching.  If you notice by the red arrow is her back foot.  She is sporting a non fashionable footie taped to her leg.  Believe it or not she hasn't tried to get the footie off.  Maybe she can't reach it because of the cone ?    She is so sweet and gentle and just bares with us treating her. 

Alright just had to talk about the fur babies a tad.  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  Some are in the works but that is for another day.   xoxoxox

March Pages-done and done

Here it is winding down with March.  I kid you not these months are just whizzing by faster that you can imagine.   I know Crocodile Dundee had a saying but it escapes me at the moment.   Saint Pattie's day has come and gone and Daylight savings time has attacked us until October so can't say it has been an exciting month as months go.  Spring did spring into action and I do think they weathermen were correct that we will have a warm winter.   Everything is blooming and getting pretty.  Now I hope y'all remember that sometimes Mother Nature does spring a quick cold spell and freezes everything before Easter.  So I never plant anything flowerish until after Easter . ( I know flowerish is not a word -spell check really hollered at me on this one.  )  There you go my weather and event calendar of March.  

Here are my two art journal pages for March.  On Roses on my Table Zinnia gives us little prompts so I got carried away this month and did two.   The message was  "Breathe, Relax and Let Go !!!

Now this first one, don't you like the original wording I did ? I have seen the outlined people on some pages so just thought I would try it and even used a new Love stamp the post office came out with.  I am a sucker for new stamps and their designs.  Nope this one was not used, it was brand spanking new so had to use it.   

This one about kind of traveling is my other set of pages for the same prompt.  Now this is how we like to relax and let go.  Just wake up one morning and say ( now that we have two pups)  wonder if our dog sitter can watch the babies?  We find out and then off we go, clothes a flying and into the hang up bags with no earthly idea of where we are going....we back out of the drive way and say   Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary and then WHERE ARE WE GOING ?   Once and only once did we blast off, spent the night and then change our minds.  We came back home and repacked and went south.  The weather or what changed your mind do you say?  Well, short story-we went to Ruidoso and stayed at the Inn of the Mountain Gods,  absolutely beautiful and restful.  Now unfortuantely they have a casino there and we forced ourselves to partake of their games.  After getting whipped soundly we thought Vegas could do without us, came home regrouped and then went to Texas beach.  Whew that almost made me tired thinking about that trip. 

Anyway here is my little set of pages on What's down the Road? I titled that one, not to original but it does go with the relax and let go.     I had some pics I had cut out and thought this will work for the prompt and old atlas that had gone way past it's prime.   You know we have the navagation thingie in our car but there is something about touching a map and wondering what if we took this road or that road.  Our navagation system yells at you  that we have missed the turn or going the wrong way.  Does she not know there are more than one way to skin a cat ?  Sorry kitties that is just a saying, we do not practice skinning cats.  You kitties are just to soft and cuddlie and certainy have a mind of your own.  Whoops that is a whole different story.    

There you go now you know what has been happening in my world today and thanks for stopping by .   xoxox

Transformations of Many Kinds

Transformations, now besides being a odd word so many things happen with it.  To mind I think of the beautiful transformation of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.  So pretty they are and just flutter around and so delicate.  I have a saying somewhere that says the butterfly counts not months but moments and it has time time enough. 

Now  the transformers, a different story.  You know the ones that are a cute little car and then transform into a mechanical robot.   Certainly different  than the beautiful butterfly. 

Taking the RAIL class with Zinnia on Roses on My Table and the new class is transforming paper sacks into journal books.  Yep that is what I said you didn't read wrong.   I won't waste words here just photos are enough for the wonderful project.

Sari ribbon, look at the beautiful colors.  Scraps of silk, who would have thought ? 

The front of the book, I didn't know better I would sweat it is leather the way it feel after putting all the gobblie goop that I have on this paper sack.  It looks inviting doens't it?  Kind of old world. 

First set of pages with a couple of peek a boo pages. 

Here are the little pages opened with surprises and written secrets.

Second set of pages, bling and lace seemed like it called for this effect here.  Remember this is a paper bag book. 

Here is the butterfly I wrote about, couse the saying goes for all the little fluttering pretties. 

Even the butterfly page has a little secret message.

Birds called this page theirs but their is a secrect pocket and I wonder what it holds for them ?

A kitty,  oh oh watch out birdies.  

The back of the book.  Lots of texture and oh what fun to make.  I see more of these and different themes in the future. 

There you go, I know it was a lot of photos but just had to share with you.   So that is what is happening in my world for today.   I did fix it so you don't have to write out the secret words so you can comment.  Thanks Colleen.   See y'all next time.

Instead of No Joke it is No Sewing

Spring is here, well almost, and you get to thinking about what you are going to do in the yard and set some plans into motion.  I am a list maker, so I make a list and of course usually misplace it.  BUT when I find it we have usually accomplished everything I have written down on the list.   It feels so good to mark it off like~hey something is accomplished.   Now don't laugh to hard at this but when we go to the grocery store I do have a list, if not we get so carried away and things just jump into our basket by themselves or some little mischievous fairy just pops maybe ice cream  (yum) that we don't need or something like that into our basket.   If we buy something not on the list my pen gets busy and writes it down on the list.  No really, I do that and then can mark it off.  Have to get my kicks somewhere out of buying groceries. 

Now talking about kicks----
I use to sew, for our daughters, for clients and even made wedding gowns and designed them.  Loved it and thought I am a dyed in the wool seamstress and would never glue anything.  Remember now~never say never-  Well,  I am a member of the Gilded Stash Society and we get goodies once a month, they are so pretty and I hate to use them. ( now these are purchased)  Do you ever do that?  I bet never. 

Usually once a month they give an instruction of using some of the pretty things and for the month of February they gave us the class from Christy Tomlinson about valentines.  Well,  to make a long story short, I don't want to wear your eyes out here, one part of the instructions was gluing a pillow.  I thought, no way Jose would I ever do that.  After three, yes three pillows made now I am so totally hooked on it.   Of course I used several of their pretties here.

Here is the glued pillow, yep not a sewing needle one has touched this.  I made the rose out of silk and the pin is a ring I found at a store and just cut it apart .  One of the crochet pieces is from a friend and the rest I had.  

I have a link for the Gilded Stash Society, they have beautiful pretties. 

http://whathappensnext.typepad.com/what_happens_next/2012/01/join-us-the-gilded-girls-stash-society.html

Thanks for popping into my world today and will have more later.  XO

Quinacridone ?

I feel like we must always try something new.   I guess it keeps us from being boring ?   It could be new food that we have never eaten before.  I have tried some different foods and thought OK been there done that.  New recipes I have some control over, well after I redo them to our taste, but sometimes you just have to jump out there and try new things.   We did the race car adventure and that was awesome but there is so much out there to try.  I rode an Ultralight little thingy once in Mexico.   Like a go kart with wings.  That was a blast, our daughter said did you see that idiot out there over the water in that thing?  I said smiling, I was that idiot.  It felt like you were flying and I figured the driver of it didn't want to die either and if he did guess it was my time to go. 

Oh I could go on but you get the message, we just have to do it and not be boring.  Whatever it is at the time.   I think even just enjoying that outside and the noises that Spring brings to us, well besides the howling wind and the sand blasting our faces.  That my friends is NOT new for us. 

Zinnia on Roses on my Table is teaching a wonderful class on her RAIL classroom, as I call it.  Trying new things, so this is my first photo of what we are making.  We are doing so many techniques and here is what I did so far. 

Lots of textures but the new thing is the color of Golden Acrylics-Quinacridone/Nickle Azo Gold.  That is a mouthful to say but the color is awesome. It is so rich and warm.   The blues are just blues and greens.

These go in a journal we are making, can't wait for you to see what it is morphing into.   Just something new that I have never tried. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

Mary Green March Challenge

Wow twice in one day, maybe I am trying to catch up?  Nope just behind on my art and as hubby says I only make myself behind.  Mary Green  has a monthly challenge  so here is my rendition of the images she gve us to play with.  She is such a generous lady to supply these images for us. 

this is the after.  I'll find the befores for you. 

Here are the images Mary provided for us.  Hope this is ok Mary.  Please let me know if not.  I will take these puppies off in a New York second.   I did take liberties with the girl though.  She is pretty but had to put my stamp on her. 

There you go, what is happening at this moment in my world. xoxo

Sometimes Our Eyes Play Tricks On Us

I  have been tardy, MIA, gone or whatever life has brought on to us at times.  I feel like I have totally neglected yall.   So welcome March, where did your friend of February go so quickly and you even had an extra day to play ?  There is a saying about March ~ in like a lamb out like a lion.  Guess we will see how it goes out this year.  Although for us I can almost 100 % say the wind will blow.  : )

I  think I have mentioned before about cloud watching and looking at the shapes that so quickly appear and disappear almost as fast as it developed.  Still love doing it though, seeing the animals, ships and different clowns in the clouds.   I am still taking the class of Book of Life from Tammy and all her artist friends, it will go all year and so I probably will be sharing more to you all along.   Mystele was last weeks teacher.  I have only gotten to watch the video but again, Miss doubting Thomas here thinking WHAT ?     I will never doubt again~promise.   Well, almost never anyway.  

In the class we are suppose to paint to our little hearts content with nothing in mind and see what crops up and then go from there to develop our painting.  Well I didn't have time last week to do that but did get some butcher paper and alchol inks and played.  Just a few drips and drabs here and there.  Of course I didn't have the special secret mixture you are suppose to blend the inks with but I thought OK, alchol with alchol ink should work. So I spread some around on the paper then dropped ink.  After it dried I was so totally amazed at what I saw.   Now mind you I did nothing but drop ink around on the paper. 

This is what I saw:  Lips, a panda bear or koala bear, a dog, prehistoric hieroglyphics ( horses or buffalo whatever I guess when you lived back then you painted) and two perfect eyes one for the dog and one for the bear. 

You will have to turn your page or head over to see the upside down oldie but goodie animals,  which ever is the easiest for you.   And what is funny is I didn't see the panda/koala until I photographed it.    So what do you see in this page?   It is a tad wrinkled it traveled a bit and will now find a restful place in my special box I have for Tammy's class.  Now this has to be pretty special art to have it's own box and not a plain one either.  The box has flowers on it like Irises and butterflies. 

There you go I just had to share this with you, not that I discovered America or anything but Mystele certainly did know what she was talking about.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today. xoxox