A Rare Visitor

We had a visitor this afternoon that we don't often see in these parts:  a praying mantis!  He (or she) set up shop on our patio table for at least three hours and I was able to take some photos without disturbing him too much.

He stayed in this position for close to two hours.

When we tried to get a closer look, he started to climb.

 

A close-up shot.

Aren't they the most fascinating looking creatures?  Practically prehistoric.  I'll have to measure the bird tomorrow to get an idea of how long this praying mantis was.  According to one website, they can grow as long as six inches.

A Girlie Hello

I created this card to send to a friend of a friend who is fighting some serious health issues.  I hope some unexpected fun mail brings her some cheer.

I colored these cuties from Artistic Outpost with Prismacolor Premier pencils and backed them with some lovely papers by My Mind's Eye.  To keep the card fairly flat for mailing, I created my own paper lace embellishment using a Martha Stewart border punch.

Happy Hump Day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Stamp:  Artistic Outpost; brown cardstock by Bazzill; naturals ivory and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; Stazon black ink; walnut stain and antique linen distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots.

What's Best For You?

This art journal page grew out of a need I felt late last night to create something, anything, in an effort to pull myself out of the slump I've been in. 

I had no particular idea in mind for this page when I started.  I first glued a variety of vintage paper scraps to the page, then added some white acrylic paint, distress ink, rubber stamping, and oil pastels.  I doodled with my Sharpie paint pens along the top and bottom, didn't like how it looked, so I covered it up with some additional sheet music.  Once I had my background, I went searching for an image or text to serve as a focal point.  I looked through a folder of magazine and newspaper clippings that my grandmother had collected.  Most of the articles pertain to gardening, landscaping, or house plants.  For some reason, just a portion of one headline jumped out at me, "What's...best...for you?"

It's got me thinking.

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal (watercolor 140 lb paper); miscellaneous vintage paper scraps; white acrylic paint; spun sugar, aged mahogany, and broken china distress ink; Stazon black ink; rubber stamps by Tim Holtz and Hero Arts; oil pastels; fine tip Sharpie marker; text from an old newspaper article.

Shabby Chic Button Card

This blog post is a play on words.  My card not only has buttons, but it also features a button card.  At an auction recently I bought a cookie tin full of old buttons still on the cards; the ones from the 1940s have such lovely vintage illustrations on them.  But even some of the newer button cards look cute on a shabby chic card, especially when some of the buttons are already missing.

I paired this button card with stamped sewing images by Tim Holtz and cute patterned papers by My Mind's Eye.  I added the red and white buttons and some wonky sewing (the kind I do best!) in a contrasting thread color.


I've linked my card to this week's Bloggers Challenge on Lisa Somerville's site. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Ivory cardstock base by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; dressmaker form, ruler, and spool stamps by Tim Holtz; button card, extra buttons, and seam tape from my stash; black Stazon ink; pumice stone distress ink; Janome Sew Mini sewing machine and blue thread.

Kathy's Sympathy Card

I know that my sympathy cards will never look like anyone else's, because I make my own.  But in this case, my card doesn't even look like a sympathy card, and that was on purpose.  I'm sending this to my friend Kathy's daughter, and I simply wanted a beautiful card that was reminiscent of the things Kathy loved:  the color pink and flowers.

I chose some papers from the Curio collection by Basic Grey.  The main image was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils, still my favorite coloring medium.  The pearl flourish is also by Basic Grey.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Basic Grey; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; black Stazon ink; stamp unknown; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; round and scalloped round Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Martha Stewart border punch; Prima flower; Basic Grey pearl flourish; antique linen and crushed corduroy distress ink.

In Memoriam

I was in a blue funk all weekend, and still am, after receiving word that one of my dearest friends passed away.  Kathy had been in declining health and had lost a significant amount of weight, so her death was not a surprise.  But I am still deeply saddened and will miss her terribly.

She was a strong and unique woman, and in spite of any troubles she may have had, she made you feel as if you were the most important person in the world.  Spending time with her was always uplifting.  She had a generous spirit and was so supportive.  I always looked forward to showing her my latest projects and hearing her comments about the cards I sent her.  Being with her just made you feel good; good about yourself and about life in general.

I consider it a privilege to have known her and to have called her friend for more than 30 years.  Rest in peace, dear one.

Wacky Wednesday #3 - Waubeek

For the third week in a row, my mom and I went on a little outing Wednesday (lucky for her I have a job with a lot of flexibility!), and I remembered to take my camera this time.  We visited another uncle and aunt who live on a small farm about 30 miles away.

On the way there, we drove through the small "town" (it's more like a spot on the road) to see the house where my mom's grandparents lived.  While I was taking a photograph of the house, two big white geese came out of nowhere, loudly honking like crazy!  They announced our arrival to everyone within a quarter mile, I'm sure.  Who needs a guard dog when you have guard geese?

This is the view from the road to my aunt and uncle's house:  lots of clear blue sky, wide open spaces, and rolling hills in this area.

My uncle still has three horses, and Blaze was particularly friendly.  When I called his name, he looked right at the camera so I could take a picture!  Blaze's brother, Skip, wasn't interested in us at all.

We had a lovely afternoon visiting, looking at photos, and petting Blaze.  And just like we were kids, my aunt served us a treat before we left (sherbet and cookies!).

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your weekend!