Goodbye, 2008!

Goodbye, 2008! We are saying hello to the new, fresh 2009. I don't know about you, but 2008 was a bit rocky in places for us. At some points, I felt like the rug had been ripped from under my feet. Some aspects were nice. Our boys are now young men. They have both moved out (kinda nice, actually). It hasn't been difficult since they still live so close. It would have ripped my heart out if they were far away and I didn't get to see them! I am hoping that the new, 2009 has wonderful things in store for all of us.

Merry Christmas, dear ones!

I would like to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy your families and be thoughtful of why we celebrate.

One thing after another

I am ready for things to settle down. We had our oldest son in the hospital for 4 days with appendicitis. I was already behind, but now I'm REALLY behind. I just do what I can, then go to bed. Friday, we are traveling to a very sad funeral. My across-the-street neighbors lost their teenage daughter in a tragic car accident. Three of her other children were critically injured as well. I am so incredibly sad for them. Please keep them in your prayers.

I'm happy now

Not that I wasn't really happy before, but I feel more settled now that our tree is up. It's a full day affair. Our tree is 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide at the base. I am fortunate to have help from my husband. He is quite patient. He strings all the lights and fluffs most of the branches. I have tried and tried but cannot get a good picture of the whole tree do to the lighting.

I have no idea how many ornaments are on it, but to make the huge variety of ornaments work, I create vignettes throughout the tree. Here is my happy elves. They love hanging out on the branch and catching all the sights.









My Dad carved this elf-like Santa. He perches in a branch above the elves.







I love this sweet bear that I picked up at a rummage sale. Still can't figure out why anyone would want to get rid of her!







A couple of years ago, I purchased some small gourds and decided that they needed to be a family of snowmen so I painted them up
I even have an aquarium set up in the tree. These are some tropical fish that my Dad carved for me several years ago. Reminds me snorkeling in Hawaii. At least here I don't have to worry about the moray eels. They scare me!

Emergency Surgery

On Wednesday, we took our oldest son to the Emergency Room. He had been throwing up and now had a horrible pain on his side. At least he finally had the classic symptoms of appendicitis. The poor guy had been getting horribly sick every couple of months for the last year. Of course, his doctor had no idea why (we are switching doctors for more reasons that just this one).

Unfortunately for our wallet, the ER we took him to did not have a surgical unit so they had to transport him by ambulance to another hospital. Fortunately for us, it was a wonderful hospital. He received excellent care there. We were a little taken aback, however, when they told us that his surgeon was Dr. Dye. We didn't know at the time how it was spelled. We just knew how it sounded. He proved to be excellent.

Stephen is quite sore, but feeling much better. His surgery was done laproscopically which will leave him with hardly any scarring and he will never have appenicitis ever again.

Stephen was in the hospital from Wednesday to Saturday. I came home exhausted. In fact, I was so pooped that I didn't get all my groceries put away last night which included the big old chicken that I was planning to turn into chicken and dumplin's tonight. Guess I will be heading back to the store . . .


(I failed to mention that Stephen is my 23 year old son who is in the middle of finals! Aaargh!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish each and every one of my blogger friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family and lots of good eats. If you would like, leave a comment and share what you are most thankful for. Enjoy!

Wonders

Oh, how I love bird nests! I included a wonderful scripture to go with this one.

I gathered things far and wide -

I found the eggs in a cute a shop in Arkansas

my sister and I pulled the Spanish moss from a tree in Lake Jackson just south of Houston

I bought the mini grapevine wreath from Michael's and the reindeer moss from JoAnn's

a sweet friend of mine gave me the feather

and I designed the background paper myself

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of all your wonders.
Psalm 9:1

Never too Late - again

I made another Never Too Late collage. This one is in a nice reclaimed shadowbox. I like the way this grouping "speaks". I made it using a reproduction Knickerbocker porcelain boy with a newspaper hat, a fabricated clockface, and a vintage Porcelain dog figurine. It has very great dimensionality.

Whether you had a happy childhood or not, there is nothing that says your childhood must end. Live each day with a child-like wonder.

We are Sealed

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come . . . this plaque is how I interpreted this scripture. I named it We are Sealed. Even the key has significance to this piece. It says Corbin on it and Corbin means our gift to God. I created the background paper by collaging pieces of a hymnal and then manipulating it a bit in Photoshop. The heart has a crackled finish. I bet if you thought about it long enough, you could even come up with a significance to the crackled finish on the heart . . .

Prayer Journal

Keeping a prayer journal is a wonderful way to see how God is at work in your life and the lives of those around you as you present your requests to God. It's like a two-way love letter between you and the one who loves you more than anything.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -- Philippians 4:6

I created this journal by covering a large composition book with a digital collage I created and embellished with a metal label holder.

I am glad the guy at the garage sale talked me into buying his old typewriter for $12. I enjoy having it.

Mind Wide Open

I have accepted the Mind Wide Open October challenge with this entry. Our challenge was to use this image in our art. When I saw this image it screamed "Sisters".

I used Photoshop to add the letters spelling "sisters" and some brush embellishments. To blend the image, I drybrushed the top of it to take down the white. The roof is made of wonderful dimensional wallpaper border that I painted payne's gray and then drybrushed with mallard green. I used a band saw to cut out the house which is made from pine.

I enjoyed creating this piece and it has inspired me beyond what I expected.

Up to something

This guy has been up to something. I just know it! What could it be? I know it has to be some kind of Halloween hijinks. I can tell by the look in his beady green eyes! I bet he thinks that if he flashes a smile, I will overlook his mischief. Hmmm. . . Should I?

My brain is tired

. . . but content. I have just completed the design of 10 product sketches for a huge company that contacted me over the summer. Tomorrow, my oldest son is going to come over and help me get it burned on a cd which I am to submit by October 1. I am very pleased with each and every one of the pieces. I know that artists aren't suppose to ever be satisfied with their work, that there is always something that doesn't measure up for them, but I'm not that way. My creations are like my children. I love them just the way they are.

I didn't receive my instructions until September 8, so I have put most everything else aside to meet my deadline. Things have really started to pile up, but that's the way it goes. I will dig out over the next few days.

Life happens now matter what is on your plate. For me, this included hurricane Ike which filled my house with evacuees, my oldest son moving out, and my dear mother-in-law being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - all of this in the last two weeks.

I wish that I could show you what I came up with, but they must stay under wraps. These are all pieces (except for one) that you have never seen before, but when you see them, you will see "me" in them. They are all my signature style. I didn't spend time seeing what else was out there. Instead, I spent time in prayer while I sought inspiration. Friends and family offered ideas that I was able to draw from as well.

One thing is for sure - my husband will be happy to get a good, home-cooked meal again! LOL!!

Today is my Etsyversary!

It's been two years since I first ventured onto the wonderful website of Etsy.com

Etsy, is by far my favorite selling and buying venue. You meet the nicest folks there. The atmosphere and talent is excellent. I started on Etsy when it was still in its beta version and it has grown so nicely.

In honor of my Etsyversary, I have put a number of items on sale. I plan to leave them on sale for the remainder of the week so if there is something you've had your eye on, you just might want to stop by and check out my shop!

It's a (bat) boy!

I grabbed a broom because I thought that a big moth had gotten into the house. I was trying to shoo it out when I noticed that it was a little bat boy! I decided that I would catch him instead.

He is a cutie pie. He absolutely loves to hang upside down on things. He rests all day long, but in the evening, he is all action.

Aunt Trudie

It was always a bit creepy going to Aunt Trudie's house, but Mom insisted. Truth be told, I think she was afraid to refuse Aunt Trudie's invitation.

You never knew what you would discover at her house either. There was always some "super-weird" thing happening over there. I'm just so glad that we never had to spend the night . . .

Love my new banner!

How do you like my new banner? Well, I absolutely LOVE it!! Sandy from blogbannerqueen made it for me as a prize for winning a contest on the Faerie Zine for art I submitted for Contest #6 - Halloween. She makes gorgeous customized banners on Etsy. I had submitted my captured witch and my Halloween graveyard shadowbox. Since it was a 3-way tie for 1st place, Sandy graciously provided banners for the 3 of us. My co-winners were Marla and Donna who do lovely work. You really ought to do yourself a favor and check them out. My Halloween shadowbox placed 3rd.

HaLLoWeen graveyard

She is in her element and loves the cemetery at night - especially on a full moon.

This is my 2008 version of this particular shadowbox and I am very pleased with the way it came out. This lovely lady is actually a distant cousin of mine. I hope she doesn't mind that I have made a witch out of her!

Look what I found in my mailbox

I was jumping up and down when I opened this delightful package from Sandy. I love the way she personalized this darling little Junk Queen just for me! I am hoping that this sweet fairy will bring me good luck in finding the "Good junK" that is just out there waiting to be discovered.

Witches, witches everywhere

I don't know if the hurricane stirred them out of hiding, or if it is just the time of year when little witches start coming around, but for about the last week, I've started catching these little darlings. They've even started getting into the house.

I heard a noise in my kitchen and found this witch rummaging through my cupboards. Since I was afraid that she might bite me, I put on my oven mitt and grabbed her. Let me tell you, it was a good thing I thought of using the mitt; she fought, bit, and screamed like a banshee. I just wish I had thought of wearing earplugs too! I put her in a pint-size jar and drilled holes in the lid to keep her comfortable.

It's a wee bit soggy around here

Dolly needs to behave herself. She has been upgraded to a Catagory 2 hurricane. We are expecting much higher winds as the day goes on. So far, we have received 2.5 inches of much-needed rain. I was surprised that they even picked up our trash this morning. I figured everyone would be hunkered down. Our county workers drove through this morning to see if we were experiencing any flooding - so far, so good! There was an indication of a tornado a little north of us. We don't need any more of that kind of nonsense!

Frankly, my dear . . .

On my recent trip to Arkansas, I had the pleasure of visiting the old mill that was featured in the opening shot of Gone With the Wind. It is located in a beautiful park in North Little Rock Arkansas. If I hadn't already had lunch, I think I would have put together a nice picnic lunch so I could enjoy the park longer. Didn't see Rhett anywhere around . . .

I feel so loved!!

I appreciate all of those who have "hearted" me. It feels so good to be loved!!

You meet the nicest people on Flickr!

I love Flickr. It's such a wonderful place to hang out. The internet really shrinks the world. It enables you to "meet" people of like-interests, to share ideas, techniques and view one another's masterpieces online. I received this sweet letter from Sandy who lives in Canada:

:: Thank you!Hi Teresa! I just wanted to thank you for your much appreciated sweet remarks on my art! For the longest time Ihave been meaning to tell you something ironic. Over a year ago I was googling some stuff when I stumbled upon your jar fairies and your altered clock. I gasped in delight and had no idea that this type of art existed before! I then discovered that people posted their art on flickr regularly. I lost your flickr name- but months later I happened to find you again. So you see, it is an honor to receive compliments from you because you are the one who opened my eyes to this world of magic and creativity. Thank you for that! Have a great day! Sandy:)

Sandy has a great shop on Etsy she calls Distressrelief. Be sure to check it out soon. She has some great pieces of art.

Oh, you nodder head!

I acquired these wonderful bedsprings yesterday and couldn't wait to do something with them. With an Alice-in-Wonderland theme in mind, I came up with this charming nodderhead rabbit. Seems he has lots of spring in his step. LOL!

Building mountains

For the last several years, my contribution to our church's Vacation Bible School has been to decorate the sanctuary. This year's theme is called Outrigger Island and it focuses on Psalm 86:11 - Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth.

Well, apparently, pride really does go before the fall. I was really liking the way the decorations looked, when five minutes before the church service began this morning, my big ol' mountain fell. It started to lean and before I could make my way up there, the whole thing came crashing down. I had several people come to my aid and we raised the mountain. The Lord said that if you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains. I guess this also applies to cardboard ones as well.

My baby bird

Our youngest son left the nest this weekend *sniff, sniff*. He had been commuting an hour each way for the last 3 months to his new job. He can live in a nice apartment for what he was paying in gasoline. He decided that college wasn't for him - and I guess it's not for everyone. He has a nice job that will allow him to live on his own comfortably.

It's nice to see my sweet son grown and on his own, but we sure am going to miss him! Now, it's going to be US commuting back and forth LOL! Our oldest son is still at home attending college until next May. I cherish each moment. It sure is going to be tough when the nest is empty!

Baby shoe pin cushion

I made up another of these using my husband's baby shoe along with some family items and had so much fun with it, I scrounged through my boxes and found these baby shoes that I had picked up at a flea market in East Texas.

I am hoping to go to that same flea market this summer. I found SO MANY cool things there. It's in Jewett, Texas. We used to drive through there on our way to and from my parent's house before they moved.

We traded in my gas-gusler for a Camry. I love the ride, but I won't be able to stuff as many treasures in. I guess I could always ride with things on my lap . . . LOL!

Sporting a new look

My son has been working on a new banner for me, but I couldn't get my last template to accommodate it as a header so I had to scrap it all and go with something completely different. I will probably continue to tweek it until it feels like "mine". Change is so hard . . .

Opened a second shop

I've been thinking about it for some time now, but today I did it - I opened a second shop. I would like to list lots of goodies, but didn't want my art to get lost so . . . I sweetly asked my son for help and we created a banner and an avatar. Please take a moment to check out this new shop of mine. I couldn't help myself and named it Attic Rat. The name seemed fitting, somehow. LOL

400 hearts

I feel so loved! - 400 hearts on Etsy!

I'm on YouTube!

I woke up this morning and found an email saying that I was in a YouTube video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQa3piZFvVg

Can you tell that I'm pretty excited about it? Thank you, Carey for putting it together. You did a great job!

It's never too late to have a happy childhood

This original collage is made using a reproduction Knickerbocker porcelain boy with a newspaper hat, a fabricated clockface, and a vintage Porcelain dog (Japan).

It has very great dimensionality.Whether you had a happy childhood or not, there is nothing that says your childhood must end. Live each day with a child-like wonder.

I've been featured!

Sweet Hyla, of My Fairy Babies has featured me on her blog! I am so excited to be included. Hyla is from New York and has a nice shop in Etsy. She is a SAHM who makes her own variety of fairy items. Be sure to check out her shop to see what she has been up to lately. Thanks, Hyla!!

feather your nest

I woke up this morning with this wonderful inspiration. I love to wake up that way. I see it as a gift from God - like a sweet little dream He gave me. I had already made a similar shadowbox, but not quite like this one. This sweet little fairy bird likes to sew and has feathered her nest with all kinds of her favorite things - 3 miniature spools of thread, a threaded needle, a miniature treadle sewing machine, a t-pin, and a metal snap that she has used to adorn her crown.

I made Colorpoetry's Treasury List!

I am always so excited when I am featured in someone's treasury. With so many wonderful items to choose from on Etsy, it is such an honor to be selected. This time, I was chosen to be part of ColorPoetry's *Subtle Beauty* treasury list. She featured a collage shelf that I made. (Yes, I am a woman to can use power tools)

Valentine Collage

I have been having so much fun learning Adobe Photoshop. Well, not really, but I'm having fun with the results. Learning anything new on the computer makes me want to pull my hair out.