It's been 3 busy weeks

I've been spending every spare minute on a piece for the Fresh Ideas Show, and when I can get the pictures from the camera to the computer, I'll put them up here. I also started a new blog called Mom's Celebrations where I can share family stories centered around holidays and also give you some holidays to celebrate I bet you never thought of. That will let this blog go back to work in progress and finished pieces. There will probably be some flow back and forth, but as of now, this blog is art and that one is parties.

Speaking of art, I have a dilemma. I just finished a steampunk Valkyrie, which is the piece in the show. I have ideas for 2 more, so should I go ahead and make them whether the first on sells or not, or wait and see if the first one sells? Reply with your thoughts in the comments.

Thank you teachers!

Thank you gifts for teachers are hard for me. I know how much stuff they get that they can't use. And I'm always busy with end of year stuff, and money is usually tight. But I think I could do these candy bar covers. They are pretty cute and it's more the thought that counts. The link is here: freecandybarwrap. I can't get the picture to show up, but it is really cute and a great idea. Thank you claudine hellmuth!

Always spring!

I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in Texas, summer has usually arrived by now. But we are having a cold, wet spring. So I guess it may not always be spring here, but it is for now!

This is a wooden block (left over from one of my husband's woodworking projects) that I covered in paper and edged with old book pages. The sentiment is actually a sticker my mother had and I inherited. The actual size is 2 7/8"x2 1/2".

Blog Hop Extrordinaire!

Click here to go to the Clearsnap blog and get started.

I've been blog hopping with Clearsnap and Tombow since yesterday! The designers and products are all outstanding, and they have a really great giveaway package. Get over to the Clearsnap Blog and get started!

Taxing!

I find it very taxing to try to start something when I am out of ideas. Every January Cloth Paper Scissors, along with a myriad of other magazines and blogs, publish ideas for jump starting your year. I love those, and they are great, but they are a little hard to find when spring has sprung and you are bursting with new energy from being out in the sun. As an interesting aside - all cats are solar powered - that's why they sleep in sunbeams - they're recharging. Humans recharge in the spring too. After all, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the adorable baby animals are everywhere - it's hard NOT to share in the new life. So now is another time you need all those "Try something new!" "Prompts for when you get stuck," posts & info. I'm linking to some here, and I'll also have them on my Taxed? Pinterest board.

Click here for the page to download these prompts!

Here's another resource: Cloth Paper Scissors Online Extras.

Art Journaling prompts from Traci Bautista, courtesy of Somerset Studio

What are some of your favorite ways to get unstuck? Let me (and everyone else!) know in the comments below!

Springtime brings changes...

...and one of the biggest is that I am no longer living with the rest of my family. I chose to move out after my husband continued an intimate relationship I asked him to stop. However, this almost pales in comparison to the car incident I had.

See, I was trying to load a whole bunch of stuff into my car after my move. I wanted to back up the driveway, which has a curve, and it was raining. It had been raining and snowing and raining, so things were very wet. I managed to get my front wheels off the driveway and into the mud. And since my poor Tiggy is front wheel drive, the tires got deeper, and deeper, and deeper into the mud. It finally took our neighbor's F-150 to pull me loose enough to get up on the driveway.

So now Tiggy is all muddy and needs a bath. I am hoping to get to the dealership this weekend to have the door hinge tightened and the whole car washed.

This card had a nice brown that reminded me of mud, but pretty spring colors to lift my spirits and remind me of spring (which finally arrived on my birthday last weekend, thank you!) It's also my week 3 project from the Making Matters challenge. The challenge was to spend $5 on supplies, then use them (as well as items already in your stash) to create a project. I got the flower brads and kraft strip on sale, then used them with a couple of blank cards I've had for years and some rub-ons I bought just because they were on clearance several years ago.

BTW: Easter symbols concentrate on signs of birth and rebirth - eggs, butterflies, rabbits. These symbols were used before Christianity came, but we know a good idea when we see one! Speaking of, check out my April Pintrest page for Easter ideas galore.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Just bringing you a quick note on appropriate usage,
seen in the Dublin airport...


Slainte! (Cheers!)