"Egg" Swap!

i really am going to get back into my blogging! i think this is a great way to share my thoughts, my life (boring as it may be) and all the "stuff" that is "me"!

i belong to a group on Facebook called Tole painters Unite --- and they started doing little swaps to make it fun and get to know other members. i finally joined one...it was a "Egg Swap"...and the painted item had to have an egg theme. Could be an egg shape, have eggs painted on it...whatever!

So here is what my swap partner will be getting:

i painted a small paper mache box with my own design of bunnies & chicks on an Easter Egg Hunt! i am going to fill it with some Easter candy and then send it on its way! i hope she likes it!

Harley Dude!

Sharing a lay out i did of my nephew on his dad's Harley. i like the challenge of creating my own things by hand....so CJ's name in the harley logo was drawn, cut and glittered by hand. The gas tank was also cut by hand. i may still add to the lay out. i tend to let things "rest" awhile and then see if it needs more!

Well...look at me posting again! :)

i can't believe i am managing to keep up with my blogs! i think i can really enjoy this!

We hav freezing rain here in Jersey...but it's warmer than it was a few days ago! We were knee deep in Polar Vortex and MAN was it C-O-L-D!!!

So the weekend is coming and i have a few ideas in my head as to what i will be doing. i have a few projects which are orders from customers, my Painting With Friends project and a couple favors for friends. So since my craft room is a little neater i will plan on starting a few of these!

As some folks may know --- i love Mod Podge! Here is a little picture frame i made using leftover things in my stash!

i will share more when i work on my projects this weekend!

Happy 2014 --- May God Bless You with a Happy & Healthy Year!

Wow!

i can't believe another year has gone by again! i have so much to be thankful for...yet so much to work on this coming year.

So aside from the usual resolutions we all make i am going to work on CREATING this year....i need to manage my limited spare time so i can paint, craft, create and eventually have a goog inventory to be able to sell at craft shows and my Etsy shop (which i have set up but not yet opened).

i have also applied to a few design teams - a first for me - and if i get accepted i am then commited to creating! May be just the push i need this year!

So, with that said...i am going to take this SNOWY day we have here in New jersey and do a little organizing before i leave for work...so that when the mood hits i can sit down and let my imagination soar!

Hope you all have a chance to do that this year too!

Merry Christmas!

i wish all my blogging friends the best Christmas ever!

i wanted to share a project i designed & created over a scrappy weekend retreat...i made it out of an empty tissue box!

New Year - New Post!!!!!

Hello out there in Blogger-land!

i am hoping to keep myself on track and start blogging a bit more. Working 2 jobs is keeping me so very busy...but i want to share my bits & pieces of life so i will try and find time now & then!

So yesterday i was at my dog training club's annual obedience/rally trial. i have been a member of the club for over 30 years. It's an awesome bunch of people. But even tho' i have 3 dogs now...none are able to compete - age, health, etc.- so i haven't been attending training nights on Tuesdays. But seeing everyone yesterday made me decide to at least pop in & help out so that's on my to-do list!

My "job" at our trial is to run the boutique table...actually it's a table full of my arts & crafts...and i donate 100% of the sales to the club to help defray the cost of the trial. i get some special orders from people and that makes me happy, as i do hope to make a go of my art as a business...even a small one!

In painting & preparing things for this day i really started feeling upset that i don't have a dog i can participate with in all the fun dog events anymore...but i am smart enough to realize i have more than enough on my plate (family stuff and all) that i won't jump into a new dog too soon! Of course if the perfect dog were to fall in my lap...well...that's another story! LOL!

This week is geared for getting the Christmas decor down...i can only do a little at a time. The weekend - or at least Sunday - will be another painting project. More on that later!

Tryin' this AGAIN!

WOW!

i can't believe it has been a whole year since i wrote here! i am so mad at myself! ... but in my defense it has been a crazy, busy, hectic year and looks like it still will continue.

Working 2 jobs is taking a toll, but i LOVE it at Camp Bow Wow and my part time job at the vet is also great. We are expanding our space at camp Bow Wow and that means we are hoppin' with renovations, cleaning...and LOTS of events and marketing coming up! i most recently attended Raritan Riverfest ... we had a table, ran a doggie fashion show and i dressed up s a gypsy to be a "Paw Reader"! We had a blast! Here is a link to the pictures:

http://raritanriverfest2012.shutterfly.com/

i'm slowly getting the house decorated for fall and Halloween. Will post pictures later.

So...here i go again trying to be a blogger - wish me luck!

Makin' my way back...

i was so shocked to see how long it's been since i posted anything! i check Blogger almost daily - but clearly updating my own blogs is not happening!

Had a nice quiet summer - altho' busy at work! Finally found time to paint and decorate for Fall! Will do some more this weekend. Attended an Alice Cooper concert last month - AWESOME!!! Trying to continue my quest for a decorative, yet organized craft room! The weight loss...well...still trying! And as usual i am doing my best to pay up bills and then get some $$$ saved...so any crafty stuff i am doing is STRICTLY with supplies i already have!

Off to do a little cleaning up - limited spare time means i must do thing in small increments - but stuff gets done!!!

Just no time...

i joined an online art class at Brave Girls called Soul Restoration. i received a beautiful package of supplies to make some albums & artwork all for myself. It sounded like such a nice idea. To think of what makes me happy, what makes me tick, what made me sad, glad, etc. during my life. But as much as i tried to get thru it...i realized i just did not have the time to complete the lessons. So i think at some point i will certainly utilize the products...and will definitely make something for myself...but not now. And i'm okay with that.

Peaceful Sadness...

Heaven has another angel...my pastor's wife, Pastor Leslie went to be with our King yesterday. She had battled ALS and has been an inspiration of faith to me as she fought her fight. Rock On Pastor Leslie!!!♥♥♥♥

Soul House

The Brave Girls Club online class "Soul Restoration" started yesterday. WOW! This is going to be quite a different experience for me! i am committed to do it though - because it feels like something i need to do.

i am going to enjoy it too...all the arts & crafts involved while you really look inside your "self" and repair some things in your house that have been broken - some things are broken that you were not even aware of!

It calls for more writing than i've ever done as well...that may take some time. i used to journal MANY years ago...apparently it is my time to start again!

Another snowstorm came through last night here in NJ - looks like a foot i think. i am lucky to be off from at least 1 job...will have most of the day to clean it up to head out for the other job. i am so tired of winter now...really!

Time for breakfast...then some work on my Soul Restoration projects! i have some great ideas!

That's my Jeep Cherokee under there. We had a little snow yesterday...and overnight...not getting anywhere anytime today that's for sure! Had a couple hitches shoveling but gotta take breaks in between. The wind is crazy & caused HUGE drifts as you can see!

Brave Girls Club

Found a thing called Brave Girls Club...they hold artistic retreats out in the midwest, but it's more than that. It's finding your SELF again thru the art you create, the fellowship you gain and the time spent with your creating.

i registered for the online course that starts in January called Soul Restoration (will put a blinkie to link as soon as i figure that out! lol) and i'm really looking forward to it. There are specific exercise & a curriculum to follow & it's all to help you gain your SELF back again! All of us have "stuff" that's holding us back & it's a chance to push that away and let YOU come back!

i get a sense that Faith is a large part of this...which is what drew me to this as well.

So i will see how it goes & share here as it happens!

It's gettin' to me!...

...either old age or the crazy work schedule i have juggling 2 jobs! i swore i was to work at my second job (at the vet) on Monday & Thursday---even said "see ya Thursday" when i left on Monday night. Well, Wednesday afternoon they called looking for me---OOOps! Seems i wrote down Thursday-Oct 13th on my paper...hmmm...Wednesday was the 13th---NOT Thursday---well, i am embarrassed to say the least & i feel very bad, but it was an honest mistake & i would have gone in if i was able...but i was already at my full time job. i am hoping they forgive me & that i still have a job to go to!

But on a MUCH brighter note---i FINALLY got my hair cut! Went back to Magda at Vito Mazza - haven't been in exactly 1 year! i was so excited to go---and she did an awesome job as usual!

i have Saturday night & all day Sunday off---hoping to get together with my scrappin' buddy Elisa & see what for trouble we can get into! If the weather is nice on Sunday i want to definitely take some pictures...haven't done a real photo day in a looong time.

Colonia Pride Day!

What a beautiful day it was outside today! An absolutely PERFECT autumn day! And a great day for a parade! Today was the Colonia Pride Day parade---my town is all of 6 blocks long so you can imagine how big this parade really is! i have never been to it before...not sure why. But this year my brother was to drive one of the tow trucks for the part time job he has---and his family was going to ride with him! So you KNOW i had to go because that is a scrapbooking moment you should not miss! i saw my niece Faith with him in the front seat...couldn't see his wife & son in back though. And i tried to video---which worked---but then i tried to stop recording & take a couple pics---did not work so well. Gotta pray my EasyShare software lets me pull prints from a video!

i walked to the street the parade was on because it is only a little ways around the block. But since i am still nursing a hamstring injury---it was not the best idea. i am now hurting like crazy. i have taken Aleeve & have been resting ever since i got home. And i so wanted to do some more Fall decorating around the house. So far i've managed to put up a few things before i left for the parade, but not much.

On top of that let's add the fact that my newly adopted dog, Bob had a touch of separation anxiety and when i got home---he politely had pooped in the bird's room. Oh joy...not! i am hoping that this is all going to go away once he gets used to the fact that this is his forever home & no one is abandoning him or whatever. i really do not want to crate him, but that may have to happen. To be continued...

Well, didn't want to end my post on THAT kind of note but i guess i am! lol

AN AWESOME BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!!!

http://greengoddescreations.blogspot.com/2010/09/blogaversary-candy-time.html

It's the anniversary of Green Goddess Creations & what a giveaway she has! Please check it out!

Halloween's a- comin'!!!

At my house we decorate BIG for Halloween...not really sure how it started. i think it was because when we finally HAD our own home we wanted to do all the things we couldn't when we were in an apartment.

So needless to say i have TONS of pictures of our decorated home over the years. As i sat at my craft table wondering what to play with i spied some plain white gift boxes a friend of mine gave me to use for "whatever". Next thing ya know i was cutting & taping & cropping & sticking & well... A HALLOWEEN MINI is made!

...continued...

Well, it's been 3 weeks and i still hurt. Weekly trips to the doc are frustrating because i see different ones each time...altho' the last 2 visits were with the same old geezer who chooses not to listen to me speak or let me finish when i try to explain the pain. He rushes through the visit & kicks me out & says physical therapy. And better yet...when i show him how swollen the one leg is he tells me "well...you're heavy...it's summer...and you're on your feet all the time..." so i guess i am in pain because i am FAT??? i seriously am fed up with that place...and will see if i can go elsewhere for the workman's comp stuff.

On a better note---i am thinking about adopting a dog at work...he is a shepherd (mix?) and his name is Bob. He's an older fellow so i think he'll do well in my house. i am waiting until my leg is better before i make the final decision---but if he gets adopted in the mean time that's okay too. He deserves a good home asap!

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far---yikes! it's almost over!

O-U-C-H !

Had a little accident at work yesterday---squatted down low to get a leash off a little dog & couldn't get back up! Felt "rubber band snaps" on the side/behind my knee!!! Had to hang on to the fencing until someone could help me to the desk---yikes!

Made it to the doc who said they couldn't take xrays since i can't straighten my leg (???)---was a little puzzled by that. i am in PRIMO PAIN when i attempt to move it out or lay down with it elevated. i can sit without too much discomfort. They sent me home w/crutches (which stink!) so i do my best to get around with an old walker & my rolling desk chair.

Decided to stick it out today & go back to the doc tomorrow to see what they say...maybe i need a referral for an ortho---double yikes!

Tune in next time! lol

to forgive...

The message at church today included forgiveness...to forgive means to release...and i found myself realizing i am certainly one of many holding on to some bitter (even hateful) feelings towards people in my past that did indeed hurt me. The message continued that if i am to truly live the way God intends---that i have to forgive---to release. Hmmm...Pastor did say that you in no way have to try and restore any kind of relationship you had with the person(s)...if that means i don't have to call anyone up & say "hi, i forgive you" then i think i can deal with it...at least i will try.