SNOW AND MORE SNOW - - - -

     Enough of this Winter cold and snow I say!  I know it's not as bad here as it is in lots of places around the country, but nevertheless, we're tired of the abnormal temperatures and snow falling every other day.  Irv just came in after snowblowing the drive which was covered with about 5 inches of fresh snow.  The wind will probably cause some drifting, but at least he won't have to start from scratch when he goes out the next time.  Temps are going to drop again, but hopefully I'll get into town on Friday.  We did go in Monday for some grocery shopping and lunch.
     Since I've been home for a few days, I've been catching up on some laundry and playing with some stencils and other things, including a 4" x 4" canvas.  I'd really like to get into mixed media and did a little experimenting on the canvas with acrylic paint, Wendy Vecchi paste, die cuts and embossing powders.  Finally, I added some embellishments.  I thought it turned out all right, but I definitely need to loosen up and do more experimenting.
     I'm posting a picture of the canvas and the snow that looks like frosting piling up on the deck stairs.  Enjoy!

                                    

WORK IN PROGRESS

     Another week has flown by -- January can't fly by fast enough for me and it can take the frigid temperatures and snow with it!  It snowed most of yesterday, but the sun is out today and it's 38 degrees, so a lot of snow is melting.  Last week, we made it to Riverside on Monday to celebrate Irv's birthday and on Wednesday we saw the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", which we both enjoyed.  Hope we can get to another movie this week as there are several good ones playing. 
     I've spent a little time playing with what I'm calling "napkin art".  I've taken a piece of a pretty Valentine themed napkin and glued it to a piece of white chipboard.  After coating it, I antiqued it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and embellished it with a flourish which I've die cut.  It's truly a work in progress and I have more ideas for embellishing it, so hopefully I will post a picture of the finished piece in the future.  Hope you have a good week and enjoy!
                                        

JUST PLAYING AROUND . . .

     What a change -- the Polar Vortex has moved on (thank goodness) and it's 47 degrees today.  Too bad the warm temperature can't hang around, but at least a lot of snow has melted today so our roads out here will be much improved until it snows again.  While watching an exciting U of Iowa basketball game against Ohio (we won!) I decided to play a little with some Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks and Metal Foil.  Actually, I had watched a video yesterday which gave me the idea.  I didn't make anything fancy -- just cut out pieces of the Tattered Flower with my die, inked them, and assembled the pieces.  The petals were easy to shape and maybe I'll use it on a tag or whatever in the future.  It's really very pretty, however my photo doesn't do it justice.  I didn't take the time to set up my little "studio".  Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and hope that you have a good day.  I've got my fingers crossed for good weather for the next week!
                         

    

POLAR VORTEX

      We're in the "deep freeze" today -- it's -8 degrees as I'm writing this short post at 4:20 p.m.  I don't think I remember us having such cold weather before and it's not really the end of it yet, as I think we've got a couple of more cold ones ahead of us.  Needless to say, we're hibernating for a few days.  I have many things I could and should be doing, but Irv found several movies that have never been opened and suggested we open them -- we watched the "Titanic" this afternoon!  We did see it at the movies many years ago, but it was an interesting movie to watch again.  I wonder what we'll watch tomorrow!  No pictures to post today, as I haven't been working on any projects in the last few days -- just trying to organize.  It's hard to be creative when it's so very cold!  Can't wait until it warms up.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ? ? ? 

     Well, I'm happy to see a new year, but wish it wasn't getting off to such a cold and snowy start.  It's been snowing since about
10 a.m. and the high temp of the day is 15 degrees.  I'm not sure when the snow is supposed to stop, but I know the below normal cold temperatures are here for at least a couple of more weeks!  We are grateful to be in a nice warm house, but cabin fever will set in before too much longer.  I really have so much I need and want to do that I really shouldn't mind being home for a while, but I do like to be out and about too.
     This morning we watched the Rose Bowl parade, which was beautiful as usual and then we watched Iowa lose in the Outback Bowl.  Actually, I did have the game on, but was busy trying to make a tag to post today.  It didn't turn out quite the way I envisioned it, but since I was short on time, I decided it would have to be OK -- at least I'm starting off the year by posting on my blog, which I hope to do more often this year. 
     I hope everyone has a wonderful 2014!
                                      

                            
   

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR - - -

     Yes, Christmas is just a few days away and it's going to be a white one!  We got 5 to 6 inches of snow overnight and everything is pretty and bright and cold.  I'm glad my Christmas shopping is done and I'm staying warm and trying to make a few Christmas/Winter tags just for fun.  I did take a time out to take a few "snow" pictures too.
     The idea for my tag (which I decided to cut off at the top) came from Brenda Brown's blog.  I really liked the colors and general idea, so I just made a few changes to make it my own.  I used Tim Holtz dies, stamps, and inks.  The snow pictures were taken in our back yard.
                                   

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

HALLOWEEN IS OVER, BUT . . . .

     Yes, I know that Halloween is over, but I'm still working on a Halloween (Tim Holtz) alterations box and am posting a picture of the inside.  The most difficult part was lining the little boxes.  Nothing is square and even though I measured, trimming was still necessary and I almost ran out of paper just to make matters more interesting.  The little ghost, mouse, and owl were handmade by Dot of Dot's Pots in Moline, IL.  She does a lot of whimsical things in clay and I also have some of her creations in my printer's tray in the kitchen.  I just finished painting some little black legs for the box and the next step is attaching them.  Hopefully that will be done very soon and then I'll post a picture of the finished box.
     We've had some very cool nights along with rain in the past few days and the combination seems to have made the colors of the trees really "pop".  I'm posting a picture of the maple in our backyard.  This past Monday was our 46th anniversary and we took a scenic drive up to Galena, IL.  The hillsides were colorful, although there didn't seem to be much red, but I just don't think there are many native trees that turn that color in our area.
Am ending for now, but am hoping to post more soon.
                 

     The little mouse is my favorite piece.  As you can see, I've also included a couple of Tim Holtz pieces.