Mea Culpa

My apologies everyone for not posting for sooo long, where has the time gone?  No excuse other than it has been hotter than Hades here for the last while and all my giddy-up got up and went!  So hope you'll forgive me and that this find you all well.

We've had a cool down the last couple of days which is welcome respite from temperatures near 100 F.  The forests are tinder dry and fires have been leaping up all over our beautiful province, so hopefully this cooler weather will give the fire fighters a chance to get a leg up.  I don't know how the fire fighters do it; climbing steep hillsides with huge packs on their backs, digging out hot spots by hand while watching for deadfalls and water bombers over head.  They are a brave and hard working bunch and I thank them for all that they do.

Wish I had lots of finished projects to show you, but I'm at a stand still creatively speaking at the moment.  I've lots of stuff started but not a dang thing finished, mores the pity.  Here's my altered rock for our Mixed Media Studio group:

Ummm, yes, it is still just a rock!!  I do have some ideas for it but nothing has transpired as you can plainly see ... the only good thing is that I did find a rock to alter so I guess that is a start??!

But I have been working on my altered bird doll challenge, I have a vision and this dirigible is the first step.

I made it using a pattern provided by Laura Carson on her blog Artfully Musing and steampunked it up so it looks like an old, rusty metal dirigible.  Don't know how well something like that would fly but it looks cool LOL!  The bird doll has been sewn and is currently awaiting a coat of gesso before I get to work on him.  I'll post some more pictures as it progresses, I'm just hoping I can make my vision come to life :O)

The other thing I've been playing with is making my own blog background, what do you think?  I used a tutorial I found at Something Swanky and just used the overlays that they have available on PicMonkey.  It was fun and quite easy to do, think I will be having some seasonal fun making my own BG's :O)

So that dear friends is that, even though I've been MIA for over 10 days that is all I have to show you.  I'll leave you with a picture of one of our yellow roses that is in full bloom, despite the withering heat.  This rose is one tough cookie let me tell you, it gets snow heaped on it all winter as it is beside the driveway but every year it bounces back despite the abuse.  No idea what kind it is and the flowers are very fleeting but they almost glow when at their peak.  Enjoy the picture and I'll try to get back sooner next time!

Happy creating!
Deb

Brother Can You Spare A Dollar?

Sue over at The Wicked Faerie Queen is a tireless supporter of her local dog rescue organization and they need our help.  If you can spare it, could you send a dollar (or two or three or ten!) to help support this wonderful organization?  Sue thanks you, I thank you and most of all, the pups thank you!

Deb

Sunday Sum Up

Hello everyone, hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!  I've been puttering away here, getting some swaps completed and on their way and working on some upcoming projects.  Read on to see what I've been up to.

We are having a 'Christmas In July' card swap in our Mixed Media Studio group, we were to make a card and then include some ephemera or a little handmade something to send to our swap partner.  It didn't have to be a Christmas card but I decided to make one anyway.

I used the Simon Says Stamp 'Large Moroccan Stencil' colored with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in 'Iced Spruce' for the background (loving that colour right now for some reason!) and then stamped out the snowman image using a Great Impressions #J49 snowman stamp.  I've had this stamp for ages so don't know that they make it anymore, but I think he is too cute.  I coloured him in with my markers and then mounted him with some pop dots.  The Love & Joy sentiment is from a Hot Fudge Studio 'Holiday Stamp Set' that I got at Michaels and I edged it with a little Stickles Glitter Glue and mounted it on a pop dot as well.  I didn't write inside the card so that my partner can use it this coming holiday season if she'd like.  I also included a couple of little notecards I made using some of my winter photographs plus some Christmas sentiments and images that I printed onto scrapbook paper that she can use for her own crafting.

We also are doing a die cut swap this quarter; I cut out all the dies that I had and sent them to the other six gals who are in the swap and they are doing the same for me.  Everyone has different dies so I can't wait to see what I will be getting in return, I'll post pictures as they arrive :O)  (And I forsee having to buy more dies when I discover new ones that I just can't live without!)

I actually got ahead of the game and completed my July ATC's for our monthly swap.  This month the theme is 'What Summer Means To Me' and we were to use the colours blue, red and white.  Here are the two ATC's that I made:

Summer is all about fishing and camping for us so those were the themes I used for my ATC's.  Don't know who they will be going to yet but hopefully my partner will like them.

While waiting for 'stuff' to dry, I also made a hang tag and used Tim Holtz's emboss resist method for the background which I love!

Some paint dabbers, clear embossed stamps, more paint dabbers and then embellish with images, charms, lace and an old dictionary entry for the word soar.  Add a hand stamped mini banner and some fibers and voila!

So now it is on to an altered bird doll challenge (we are to make a bird doll and then alter it, hmmmmm!) and an altered watch cuff or bracelet.  I've lots of old watches hanging about in my jewelry box so will pull one out, rip it's guts out and then fill it up with more stuff  LOL!  Looking forward to both of them; I do have an idea for the altered bird doll which I am going to work on this week.  We also are going to be doing a Mystery Challenge; our fearless leader Kathie (aka Mariposa) is going to be posting the directions and sending us some elements to use as we go along, all I know is it is going to be spooky, bwa-ha-ha-ha!  I also have to alter a rock (yes, I said a rock!) for our July 'I Dare You Challenge' and I'm drawing a blank at present for that so will have to put on my thinking cap.  There is also a fairy door swap for this quarter which I'd love to enter but, as we will be leaving on holidays for the month of September, I have to be careful of how much I commit to as I won't be here for the whole quarter.  But I'd love to make a fairy door, wouldn't that be fun?!

Wishing you a fun and creative week friends and I'll be back with some pictures as I get some of these projects completed.  We will talk again soon,

Deb

Happy Canada Day Eh?!

Happy birthday Canada!  Looking good at 147 years young and making us proud every day to be your citizens.  Here's a special treat from Commander Chris Hadfield (he of International Space Station fame) and his brother Dave Hadfield, who wrote this wonderful and very Canadian song.  Wondering what it means to be a Canadian, just take a listen and you'll know!

Thank you to the Hadfield family for sharing this wonderful video and enjoy your Canada Day festivities everyone, celebrating our wonderful country!

Deb