ANOTHER PASSION OF MINE

I love the arts, all kinds. Music is another passion of mine and has a great influence on my moods and well being. I played piano, guitar and the clarinet in band. I sang in the church choir and chorus in school. My children also love music, I am not talking about rock or heavy metal (yes, they do listen to that), but classical, new age (IE. Yanni) and others. When I was pregnant, I used to put headphones on my belly so they could hear it. If they were active, it settled them down. In the spirit of Halloween, I changed my blog background and music. I chose a classical favorite of mine to share with you. < 'Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor' > Portions of this piece have been used in many movies and clips. So for now, sit back and listen, but remember..... watch behind you. One never knows what might be lurking....... ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-.............

DOG-GONE IT !!!

Woke up this morning to an aftermath from a puppy tornado that went thru last night. I had forgotten to put the gate up to the door, when I went to bed. Apparently, Cody couldn't sleep, so he decided to play.

FUNKIE MUNKIE VISIT

Yesterday was a fun day! I traveled to Greenville, SC with John. While he was working, I went to the FUNKIE MUNKIE SCRAPS store in Greer, where I met Stephanie, the owner. Oh, what fun and a very nice person. We sat for hours and talked about copics, crafting and our families. I am soooo jealous! She will be attending a class for certification on COPICS. She has 8 other certified people already in the store! Anyway, we played with stamps, inks and Copics. (She plays a lot, she's good) I picked up a few tips and saw all the colors available. Oh MY!!!!! I finished filling in my color chart to have a guide as to what colors I would like to get, to complete my stash. I found many of the colors are so close, you do not need them all. Mixing colors, "picking up" color with another gives you a multitude of choices! By the end of the day, I had added 7 new colors to my collection and a few new stamps. She has great stamps! Bella, The Greeting Farm (Love these) and Shirley's2Girls, just to name a few. How can I forget, I found the Renaissance Faire Collection, one of the new additions to Graphic 45 papers. One of my favorite companies. After a day of playing, it was supper at Cracker Barrel and on the road to home.

MY STUDIO

Well, here it is. I decided I better take pictures before starting a new project, as long as my desk is cleared off. It's rare to find it clean! The cabinet is a pie safe built by an Amish man in Lancaster, PA. John bought it for me while we were living in PA a short time. It houses other crafts supplies, extras and bulk items. My "Studio" letters are wood that I decoupaged and embellished. My desk and table may look a little cluttered to some, but I find I use more of my goodies if I have them in site. I love vintage boxes and tins, but it just doesn't work for my scrap stuff, so I found some cubbies and containers made out of clear hard plastic that look more like glass. I'm sure with time, things will evolve and change as new stuff will need to have a home and reorganization occurs. For now,I am happy to have a place of my own to create and make memories!

ALTERED FLOWERS

Today I am playing with Alcohol inks and flowers. I had watched one of the Thinking Inking videos by Jennifer McGuire where she made flowers. I used her technique, but the outside piece I turned over so the petals would flare out. I made two of these and attached them together with a glue dot and a toothpick inserted into the center for a stem. I made a little pot out of paper (since I broke my clay pot) and stuffed it with some Spanish moss from my floral stash. This made a cute little fall centerpiece for my desk! I am soooo liking these videos. A lot of new tips to try and I want to try them all! Next are a couple cards I made at a crop for Operation Write Home. Enjoy!