Some journal pages

Great post title, huh? I'm not too good at coming up with them, so I just go for the obvious or simple. I meant to post these pages for Valentine's day, but obviously missed doing that. Since the month of love is not over yet, decided to go ahead and post them. These are from one of my composition book journals where I'm generally just playing around with images or paint. The images were from catalogs or magazines(sorry I don't remember from where so I can't give credit, but just know they aren't mine) and were glued down first then I used markers, paint, etc. to doodle in and around them. Added an envelope pocket and an altered junk mail tag inside it.

With the OWOH giveaway going on, I missed my one year blogging anniversary. I want to have a giveaway for that, but will have to be thinking or working on a prize idea. May aim for the first of March. So stay tuned, as they say.

I'm finally getting OWOH heart prizes on their way and also working on the spring flower book.

Wonderful mail days!

I received my spring flower book already from my partner, Priscilla Schrock, on Thursday, I think, and then on Friday, the mailbox contained 2 packages! They were 2 of the OWOH giveaways that I posted about before. One was the lovely necklace from Olwyn at dieadjustmigrate and the other was the awesome hedgehog card from Hege along with a sweet surprise. Hege's son made the awesome pony card for me! I think I'm going to put both of the cards in a shadowbox frame to have as a memento and then they'll be great Valentine decorations, as well. The necklace is pretty in the pictures, but they don't do total justice to it, as the compact top she used for the main part of the necklace is really sparkly. The length of the chain is just right. I was so thrilled to be the lucky recipient of these special prizes! Oh, yes, I didn't know until I took the packages out of the mailbox that Olwyn is from British Columbia, so both these came a long way to get to Alabama. The top picture shows both OWOH prizes and then they are shown singly underneath that.

The spring flower book was for a one to one swap on the mmartfriends yahoo group. Priscilla is more on the ball than me. I'm still working on mine, of course, being the terrible procrastinator that I am. Honestly I've been working on it, but went off in one direction and then second-guessed myself as I often do, and then decided to totally change what I was doing with the book and started over. My first book was going to be about flower children, hippies, etc and was looking more summer than spring. The due date is the 28th so I will be getting mine in the mail this week along with my 2 OWOH giveaways. I had hoped to have them in the mail by Friday, but ended up being gone from home more than I expected. Mom had a Dr's appointment on Friday which took a lot longer than we thought it would. Then my dh wanted to go down to see the girls (well I did, too, lol) so we left out Friday afternoon, spent the night, and then stayed through Saturday evening. Sundays are church.

I'm showing the front of the book and then pics of each spread and then the back. Priscilla had the book wrapped in the pretty blue snowflake paper tied with pink fuzzy fibers, then the book itself has lots of fibers, ribbons, and embellishments. Definitely as lovely as a spring flower garden full of wonderful blooms! I'll be working hard to try to make her book from me be worthy to send off to her.








When I get my pages for the spring flowers book done, I'll finally have something new of mine to show.

More OWOH giveaway announcements!

First of all, I drew a new winner since I didn't hear from one of my others and it is Sophie at MissKoolAid who has been contacted and has been kind enough to already get back to me with her address. I now have all the info I need to get my giveaways on the way. I'll be off work starting Wednesday, so hopefully will have everything ready to mail by at least Friday. I'll be looking at the winner's blogs to see what they are interests are and putting together some extra surprises, too.

I've been pretty forgetful lately! Just realized that I'd never posted that I won 3 times in the OWOH giveaway! I guess with me working, worrying over drawing my winners, and then trying to get in touch with them it slipped my mind that I'd not blogged about the winnings. The weekends when I work are pretty busy, as I try to go to church as I can and then there seem to be other extra activities that I have to try to fit in around my work, so before I know it the days have gotten away from me. Well enough with the whining already and on to the winning! Very early in the morning on the 12th, the day of the giveaway, I was thrilled when I got an email from Hege in northern Norway that I had won one of the 3 giveaways on her lovely blog, Hege-Annie's Paper (He)art++ This link will take you to her giveaway post, where I won the beautiful hedgehog card shown below. Be sure to check out Hege's blog as she does some amazing art! How cool is it that I've won a prize from a country that far away! This will be framed, cherished, and admired. Thank you, Hege!



When I got home from work and logged on to check to see if any more emails, I had gotten one from Olwyn from dieadjustmigrate to let me know I had won her AMAZING pillbox necklace! I had posted when I entered her giveaway that I loved the name of her blog because it reminded me of a great science teacher I had and the way he taught us the same principle was Migrate, Adapt, or Perish or MAP. I don't know if that is the way he was taught it or if he changed to the words to fit an acronym he could teach young people. He drilled the concept into our heads by using it ALL the time in his class. As in, "Parker(my maiden name), you can migrate(go to the office), adapt(shut up or be still), or perish(you get the idea!)" Olwyn told me that her blog name came from her mother who is an ornithological physiologist and who used it to solve all of her life's problems. Olwyn says she still find herself using the principle to this day and I have to say that so do I. My daughters will tell you I taught it to them and even my coworkers have heard me talk about it. Check out the lovely jewelry work Olwyn does and other art as well. Here is the pillbox necklace which I think I will use for prayers and/or wishes. Much thanks, Olwyn!



Then while I was sleeping on Thursday I had received an email from Susan who had a generous giveaway of 3 items including a new copy of Elizabeth Berg's Pull of the Moon, a landscape journal/sketch book AND a gorgeous hand knitted hat! Couldn't believe it when I got up to check my email and read I had won these goodies! I love to read, need a nice new journal, and don't knit or crochet, so how perfect are these prizes for me! Her blog, A Drawer Full of Dreams is new. I've shed a few tears reading her well-written posts about her life and admire her just from them for her positive spirit and how much she obviously loves her children. Thanks, Susan!



I've been one lucky girl and so look forward to receiving and opening my prizes!

Forgot to mention my dh's birthday and ***OWOH giveaway update

It was the 5th of February and he doesn't even get on the computer, but in a sense of fairness since I've mentioned other family birthdays, I should have blogged about his. We are saying, well I am, that the new large HDTV is his birthday present. It was also his Valentine present and may very well be his anniversary and Christmas present. On his actual birthday, we did get to go out to eat and then last weekend when I was off we went down to see the girls and Emily fixed him his favorite meal for his birthday. His favorite food-hamburgers. Edited to add: Holly was in charge of dessert and fixed homemade pecan pie and a wonderful chocolate dessert(sorry, Holly, I had forgotten to mention that!) I think I did mention his birthday indirectly, but never said when it was.

He is now almost as old as me. I'm 17 months older than him, so from February until September, I'm only one year ahead. When we were younger, the difference seemed much larger than it does now. Funny how time changes things.

I wish I had taken my camera with me to our church Valentine banquet Saturday evening. I've not gotten the blogging habit of always having my camera at the ready yet like some of you are so great at. The reason why is that my hubby agreed to be part of a lip-synching doo-wap group performing "My Girl". They had dressed in fifties-style with white Tshirts, jeans, loafers with white socks. Some wise guy thought it would be funny(and it was) for them to put on women's wigs, so when they came out to "sing" the whole group had on the wigs. My dh had on a long blonde, curly wig. Let me tell you he makes one ugly woman! I laughed until my stomach hurt! Just picture this hairy, burly fellow above with long blonde curly hair! I had left my cellphone in the car so that I didn't have to worry about turning the ringer off, so I didn't even have that to use. His phone was in his pocket. One of the ladies from church was taking pictures, so I asked her if she could make me a copy of a shot of the guys singing so I can show our daughters.

***Concerning my OWOH contest, I've still not heard back from Banna, the winner of the cuff. If I've not had a reply from her by this evening, I'll draw again for another winner. She didn't have an email and didn't reply to a message I left on her blog. I will be getting my giveaways in the mail at the end of the week. For one because I still don't have a winner to mail the cuff to and for another, I want to have time to get a nice package together, including some extra goodies to round out the prize nicely. I'll work off my 7 day week on Wednesday morning.

As far as art goes not much getting done due to work, but I have been trying to get some of my fabric/embroidery stuff/felting supplies more organized since I want to do more fabric work. I was inspired for the fabric cuff in my giveaway by the wonderful work done by Rebecca Sower. Guess I should have mentioned that sooner. I love the way she combines embroidery, fabric notions, and other interesting bits and pieces into wonderful fabric collages. You know all those great little things you hang onto because of the feel of history it has or because it's just too pretty. Well, I hang onto to stuff for those reasons and it looks like she does, too! Only thing is she gets around to making pretty art with hers and I just have good intentions to, lol!

I have a spring flower book swap that I'm working on. I had made a good start, but now I'm thinking I need to go a different direction. I may just begin again. Will show pics as soon as I can.

OWOH winners!

I am going to post them here and in the original giveaway post. After going through all the entries, deleting several that had duplicates and one that had no email or blog, there ended up being 226 entries. Using the random number generator, my 2 winners were Banna at Banna's World who was the winner of the fabric cuff, prize #1 and Jann of A Vintage Heart who won prize #2, the Peace collaged heart. Congratulations to these ladies! I hope they will like their prizes!

I have contacted these ladies to let them know they have won and will be waiting to hear back with their mailing address.

Thanks to all those who dropped in and entered my contest. Thanks for all the nice comments and as we say here in the deep South, "ya'll come back now, ya hear!"

2/14/09 I've heard from Jann and have her info but not from Banna, who doesn't have an email that I can find. I've posted at her blog and will give it until Monday evening. If I don't hear back, I'll draw another time for the cuff giveaway. I'll try posting again at her blog.

I'm going to be a Granna!

I've been biding my time to make this announcement here. My oldest dd, Emily, found out the week after my Dad died(Thanksgiving) that she was pregnant. During the holiday season, she was having some minor problems, so I was afraid to say anything then and decided to wait until she was out of her first trimester. Guess I'm a little superstitious. I had 3 miscarriages, so I think that made her more nervous than normal. She is doing fine now. I thought it was touching that as one left this world, God sent us one to be joining us. Emily was actually pregnant when my Father died, but didn't know it yet.

The girls both decided sometime ago that I was to be called "Granna" when the time came. They were trying to think of something different than what the other grandmothers in our families are called. Of course, the baby-to-be may have it's own ideas. The names they have picked out now are Thomas Jeffery and Emma Grace. We don't know yet which it will be.

This will be our first grandbaby! We are excited, especially my husband, who is acting very sweetly silly about it all. The circumstances are not ideal, but then often times they aren't. Since their return to Alabama from Texas, Craig has been diligently searching for a job, but has had not luck. He has decided to go back to school to get his degree in teaching and has gone through all the steps to become a substitute teacher. It takes an act of Congress almost to be a substitute nowadays thanks to all the perverts out there. He had to have and pay for himself 2 background checks, be fingerprinted, fill out a bunch of paperwork, and attend training. Guess it is good to know they check this closely. Emily has been working at a real estate office and does have insurance. She was seeking work in her field, which is more in counseling, but I guess will stay at her present job at least until after the baby is born which will be at the first of August.

Here is a picture of Emily and Craig taken for their engagement a few years ago and then a photo of Emily when she was 2.

Playing with felt

While winding down last night before bed(I don't get sleepy easy), I made the little felted heart and added the beads to the center of the flower. The flower I had made previously, but decided I wanted beads in the middle. Both were produced from a large ziplock bag of small assorted felt scraps purchased years ago at the thrift store. When I bought these had no idea what I would use them for, thus proving my often-used credo when browsing thrifts and fleas, that if it speaks to you, you should buy it, even if you don't know at the time what you are going to do with it. The felting process as has been made popular in recent times was evidently only known to select artisans then. Little did I know that one day I would have the basis for such a fun and easy craft.

In the past the bag of felt scraps has been used as design elements on a few ornaments I've made and once as a snowman on a stocking that my oldest dd tells me she needs for a band Christmas party like tomorrow. It was one of those instances where the night before they needed something, they remember, and it's, "oh yeah, Mom, I forgot I need __________(fill in the blank) to take to school tomorrow!" We live 15 miles out of the nearest town and at the time had no Dollar General store nearby as we do now. We happened to have a red felt stocking extra for some reason(probably because I followed the above-mentioned credo) and I got the felt scraps, beads,sequins, embroidery thread and made a pretty cute personalized snowman for her. It still gets used. I'll try to remember to drag it out and scan it to show. I can't remember why I felt the need to embellish the plain stocking? Maybe we were supposed to have made one with her name on it or something. I'll have to ask Emily. After I post about this, Holly will be asking me why I never made one for her. I can hear it now.



Well, to get back to the heart and flower. For the flower I just cut mostly heart-shaped pieces of pink felt and sewed them together first and then felted a little bit with the felting tool. I have the one with multiple needles and the cute hairbrush-looking mat bought with coupons at Hobby Lobby. The leaves are two colors of green sewn and felted. The heart started when I was looking at the wonderful Joli Paquet tutorials and had seen the felted heart in this post here by Beth Quinn. Of course I did mine differently, but this was my inspiration. Mine did start with 2 layers of white felt cut into a heart shape. Then I cut a smaller middle heart out of purple which was felted down to the center. The fuzzy pink and purple around the outside of the heart are some of those cute fibers you buy in an assortment on a card. The center has an assortment of beads in clear, white, pearl, and pink.

Now my practical friends and family would ask at this point, "yes, but what are you going to do with them?" I would have to say that I don't know, but mostly I was just playing around. They may end up as a pin, sewn to a scarf, on a funky necklace, or just an embellishment on something else I haven't thought of yet.

Free Valentine Images

Lisa is generously offering another of her holiday countdowns. For the 14 days up to Valentine's Day, there will be free linkware downloads of wonderful Valentine images here at her Ten Two Studios site. At the top of that page are the links to her other websites. Be sure to check out the Go Make Something blog. Really check all of them out and be prepared to look up and realize a lot of time has gone by without you noticing!

Valentine cards received

Here are the Valentine card atcs I received from the swap for which I did the love birdy atcs shown previously. The group is the atc_group on Yahoo that I'm in, which does much more than atc's. This was originally a MSN group and the first one I ever joined upon invitation from one of the sweet members, Annie, who invited me as a fellow member of one of the big altered art Yahoo groups.


Above on the left, Judy Dickerson, and on the right, Diane Tisch. Judy was my swap partner for the ephemera swap that we did right before Christmas. Diane has been in this yahoo group with me for a long time and was one of the first people I received atc's from.


These 2 above were done by Lottie(left) and Beth (right) Lottie was the hostess and Beth is one of my blogging buddies. I've been fortunate to meet these wonderful ladies as they live just north of me in Tennessee and were gracious enough to have me up to visit when another friend, Jane, was visiting from New York state.

The cards are designed to open like a miniature greeting card. Very cool idea, I thought by Lottie. There is a Valentine message inside. Guess I could have shown the inside, too. Aren't these all so lovely! Such beautiful Valentine's! Thank you all so much!


This is the sweet Valentine Lottie included with the swap with it's own little holder. She always has the best ideas for swaps! Thanks, Lottie!

Treasures

Today's photo is a page that I did for a book that I've yet to assemble. This is one that one of my yahoo groups did in 2005(wow, didn't seem like it was that long ago!) based on Nina Bagley's Book of Treasures featured once in Somerset magazine. We did 5x7 pages for each swap participant and then were to bind them together ourselves. Nina's book has each page tied to the next at the corners with ribbons and fabric. I have my cover made and just lack getting all the pages assembled. I'll try to take a picture of the cover and get it posted in a day or two. The page I sent it was different than this, but I forgot to make an extra for myself and I think the scan of that is on my old computer. I want to try to get some UFO's completed, including getting some books assembled from swap pages received. Since the book theme was about treasures, this page was about my love of ephemera, little bits and pieces of goodness. The treasures making up the collage include broken jewelry, furniture trim, old stamp, rusted bottle cap, etc. The background is an old letter. My love of music is represented by the musical score paper. For the back of the page I used some of my work surface paper, again to represent using the cast-offs in art and life.

I hope to start work tomorrow and make good headway on the other swap I had signed up for. For this I need to make a book with flowers as the theme to swap 1-2-1 with an assigned partner.

I received my Valentine card swap back. They were all so pretty! Will try to post a scan of them tomorrow.

So thrilled with the OWOH participation! I'm approaching 200 responses to my giveaway. One reason I've not blogged much is that I've been using my computer time to hop around the OWOH blogs. For one, to enter to win the amazing prizes, but also to see all the wonderful blogs, most of which I wouldn't have found outside of this event. Still not made it to all, but have until the 11th.