One Handed

Had surgery on my hand on August 4th so won't be posting for a couple of weeks. Just needed to get my thumb working again, had tendon release done, nothing serious.

Tim-spiratin #4

I tried another Tim-spiration technique that my All Things Tim group has this week. Vic did a great job of finding something that looked fun.

I was so excited to try this heat embossed background after seeing the video demonstrating it. The technique looks really awesome when Gina did it. My look didn't seem to come out as well. I used gold embossing powder on SU gray card stock. I heat set it and cooled it. I ran it through my Big Shot with a Tim Holtz Regal embossing folder. I used a Tim Hotlz sander to sand off the EP. It takes more sanding than Gina made it look. I didn't have gold detail EP so maybe the EP I had was thicker and caused it to be more difficult to remove.

I went ahead and used my first attempt for the background. I stamped a Victorian woman and text using Tim Holtz Distressed Ink Weathered Wood.  For the card front I used weathered wood DI and brayered it over the smooth side of the regal embossing folder, then ran it through the Big Shot to emboss the card front. After I did this technique I realized the technique is suppose to be done with pigment ink. I liked the more distressed look and I used the card front anyway. So this is my contribution to the Tim-spiration #4 challenge.

Here is the link to the technique if you want to see it for yourself. 
http://stamptv.ning.com/video/heat-embossed-background-with?xg_source=msg_mes_network

When I started this embossing technique I also used gold EP on brown card stock and embossed the Tim Hotlz jalopy but it did not sand well either. I also used an old weathered wood EP I had on gray card stock and embossed the umbrella man but again it did not sand well. I'm going to have to try this technique when I have more time. I like the possibilities of this  technique. I hope I can get it to work better for me. I guess the text on the this card is true. Mama said there'd be days like this. 

Tim-spiartion Tuesday

This past Tuesday started Tim-spiration Tuesday on the Yahoo Group - All Things Tim. An mailing list dedicated to Tim Holtz, who is a very inspiring Creative Director for Ranger Industries. Ranger provides Tim  the means to create and develop wonderful ink, paints, papers and many tools for the paper arts community. Thanks to listmom Gloria, All Things Tim gives Tim groupies a place to meet, share, and discuss/chat about Tim and the art we've created using Tim/Ranger products. Tim-spiration Tuesday is a technique driven day to try specifically chose technique then to "Tim it up".

Today I worked on a project using some of Tim's products and this weeks technique that list member Vic chose for us. Here are the links to the directions she found.

http://www.patstamps.com/waxy-cuttlebug-tutorial.pdf

http://lousloonies.forumandco.com/t1957-wax-paper-and-your-cuttlebug


For the card I made I used:
Tim Products:
Stormy Sky and Black Soot Distress Inks
Visual Artistry - Playful Journey stamps - Bike and Enjoy the Journey
Fragments for the tag


Other items used:

Cuttle Bug - Swirls embossing folder
Stazon - Black ink
Papers and ribbon I had from who knows where


This was a fun technique and will definitely be doing it again. 

Faux Tim Hotlz box is sold. Sorry

Just thought I should let everyone know the box was sold. It went fast. Hope Linda enjoys it.

Faux Tim Holtz box for sale

Sometimes I tend to jump on things without thinking them through. I saw a video somewhere of Tim Holtz, the "Distressed Art God". In the video he had this really cool looking box for all his little Idea-Ology trinkets. So I thought I had to have one. I couldn't find an exact box but found one similar in Ebay. So of course I bought it. Now, I'm just not in love with it for some reason. Could be buyer's remorse or something. Anyway, I don't want it. So I'm selling it for $20 which will include shipping. It must have belonged to a child at one time because there are some love marks on it, but nothing serious. The box is made with some kind of metal so Alcohol Inks can change if from the lovely silver color to any shade you might want change it to. If you are interested in purchasing this box contact me or leave a comment. I'll be glad to ship it to some one who'll appreciate more than I.

Hello Again

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I posted. I started this blog with good intentions but life got in the way. I guess I didn't have much to say either. I started this blog as a way to post my art that I was doing for on line swaps. I belong to Yahoo groups All Things Tim and Everything Wendy Veechi. I joined a couple swaps on EWV and one on ATT but only got one item posted here. I need to join more of the swaps and post the resulting art here.


I also thought this would be a good place to share my thoughts. As the title says the thoughts won't be lofty by any means. I have a lot of ideas that come into my head and some that leave as quickly as they enter. If I'm lucky to catch a few I'll post them here. If I'm luckier they might be entertaining or at least informative.


I've been hanging out with my camera lately. I love taking pictures of my backyard buddies(birds, chipmunks and squirrels), my cats, family/friends and graves. I'm am a contributing photographer for FIND A GRAVE.com. It's a great site for genealogists. I will take photos for people who have family members in Macon County(IL) cemeteries. You can make a request at Find A Grave.com. I'm not the only one in Macon Co. on FAG who'll take photos but if you contact me personally I'll do my best to get your photos. Grave hunting, as I call it, is really a nice way to be outside, usually in a quiet cemetery to think, take photos and appreciate the past.


I am currently helping as a volunteer photographer for the Decatur Genealogical Society(DGS). I am trying to get photographs of all the graves at Spangler Cemetery, Decatur, IL. Once I get all the photos taken, DGS will put the photos in a book with available obituaries and sell the book in order to raise money to support DGS.. I hope to have all the photos taken by the end of July, if the weather will cooperate.


The second week of June was the Macon County Fair. I entered my first photography contest. I won first place for my "Just Ducky" photo in the Macon County Fair category. There were 6 other fair related photos in that category. The photo was also up for Best of Show but a really cute squirrel in the show took the top prize. In the Pets/Animal category I won 4th place with a photo of my cat Fimo sunning herself. It was up against about 25-30 photos. Not a bad start for a first time in a contest.

I hope to keep up with this blog at least on a weekly basis. Since I'm on summer break from school I hope to develop a good habit of writing weekly. I hope you enjoy whatever I have to offer. I will enjoy any comments you might have. Hopefully they are good ones or at least gentle comments.  Have a great week. See you again soon.

Life Is Not All Art and Fun

My friends, Doug and Tuesday Binkley have one super amazing daughter. Sami is a 16 year old girl who is a high school junior, plays on her high school basketball team and was the junior homecoming attendant this fall. One week after being crowned Sami suffered a stroke. Yes, a stroke. I suppose like me, not many people think of adolescents or children having strokes. Research says unborn infants can have a stroke. In children 1 to 18 years old, strokes occur in 11 out of 100,000 children. Strokes in children are fatal 20-40 percent of the time. Thankfully Sami didn’t die; however, she was left with an inability to use her left arm and leg and has some loss of vision in her left eye.

Sami spent two weeks in intensive care and several weeks in the hospital before going home the day before Thanksgiving. She continues to have physical and occupational therapies to help her to regain use of her extremities and help her to walk. She can walk with assistance but she is working hard to be able to recover enough to play basketball again next year. A tutor visits Sami every day for several hours, and she plans to return to school soon. She hopes to attend Millikin University in Decatur, IL and become a sports journalist. Sami is a strong, determine young woman with a drive that is admired by all who know her or have heard her story.

I am amazed by Sami and her determination to rebuild her life. It’s for her I feel this blog is a good place to spread the word about pediatric strokes. If you have young children or grandchildren or have friends who have children, please don’t stop reading. Learn the information below about the signs of strokes and what you can do to help save a young life. What you learn here may make all the difference to someone you care about.

What is a stroke?
A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when the blood supply to any part of the brain is interrupted, results in tissue death and loss of brain function.  If blood flow is interrupted for longer than a few seconds, brain cells can die, causing permanent damage.  

What causes a stroke in an infant or child?
A stroke may be caused by a blood clot that forms in the brain or a blood clot, piece of plaque, or other material that travels to the brain from another location. The resulting stroke-related symptoms depend on the area of the brain affected, the extent of the damage, and the cause of the stroke. Bleeding within the brain can, on rare occasions, cause symptoms that mimic stroke. 

Anyone can have a stroke at any age. Symptoms can be the same in children and adults

What to look for -

A severe headache -- often the first complaint, speech difficulties, eye movement problems, numbness are symptoms/complaints to be aware of. Then you should act F.A.S.T. If you notice any of these signs you could contact your doctor or emergency room as fast as possible.

F – FACE - Ask the child/adult to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A – ARMS - Ask the child/adult to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward

S - SPEECH Ask the child/adult to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred?  Can the patient repeat the sentence correctly?

T - TIME If the child shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. 

I hope you never need this information. If you do, I hope that you remember to act F.A.S.T.

It could make all the difference. 

For more information on Pediatric Stroke:

www.stroke.org

www.CHASA.org

www.pediatricstroke.org/

www.pediatricstrokenetwork.com 

Day Two of Blogging

No, I won't count every day I blog. I was just surprised by the response I received on my first day. Thank you to everyone who commented and supported this space. 

I thought I would share a little more about me. Well, ok not about me, but about my girls, Tava and Fimo. They are our 12 year old tabbies who are sisters. We rescued them in 1999 as kittens from a family with two little boys who were a bit ornery. Tava and Fimo, then named Ginger and Boots respectively, were very happy to leave with us. When we went to pick them up one of the ornery boys tossed Fimo into the ash filled fire place. The mother's comment was "now I know how the little gray paw prints got on the carpet." She thought the kittens were getting into the fire place on their own. She didn't say a thing to the boy about how mean it was to throw an 6 week old kitten into the fire place. I can only imagine the other horrors the girls endured. Sadly, we had to leave their two brothers behind.

Tava and Fimo have brought us years of enjoyment. We love watching them run through the house, chatter through the windows at the birds and enjoying a good roll around a pile of catnip. Here are their photos. Tava enjoys getting into things, such as boxes, drawers or here - my Birkies. Fimo, the dominate one is also the fat one. I've tried not to embarrass her so I tried hiding her body. I'm sure she'll thank me later. 

I hope you've enjoyed meeting my girls. I'm sure you'll hear about them from time to time. They are just one of my favorite things in life.

My first thought on blogging

Welcome to my blog. Wow, did I just say that? This is my first attempt at a blog. Why am I doing this you might ask. Well first, one of my past times is creating paper art. I use rubber stamps, inks and embellishments to make cards and other arty things. 

I belong to a few Yahoo groups that share my arty interests. Many of the members have blogs to share their art and ideas. Having a spot for my art and ideas seemed like a good idea so here I am. You my have a different opinion about that and it's ok.

Today I made this wall hanging for the Everything Wendy Veechi Yahoo group challenge #3. The idea was to use at least one Wendy Veechi stamp (I used two), a heart and junk jewelry. This was the results of my efforts. It was one of the pieces that I created and actually liked from the beginning. So I wanted to share it, thus I now have a blog. 

I have other interests as well but I don't want to tire you with them all at once. Come back from time to time and see what I've made. Or what I've been up to outside my art room.