Christmas Surprise

For Christmas our granddaughters Quincy and Abby gave grandpa Sieg a registered Shih Tzu puppy. He doesn't have a name yet, but he is awfully cute. We took some pictures but they are on Quincy's new camera so I will have to post them later.

29 Days of Giving

Chrysti of Art By Chrysti is Celebrating with 29 Days of Giveways. You can find all the details here:
http://chrysti.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/29-days-of-giveaways-for-you/

What a great idea. I have been trying to reorganize my art stuff...when I am done, I think I would like to do this too...and invite some friends to contribute to it. So, be on the lookout for a similar even here in the spring...and in the meantime, check our Chrysti's blog to win some awesome stuff.

Beautiful Video

I just found this lovely Christmas Video and wanted to share it Enjoy

The Original Printables Holiday Countdown!

As a gift to those who have supported her mixed-media web sites, LisaVollrath.com, Ten Two Studios and Go Make Something, Lisa Vollrath has created a countdown to Christmas that reveals a new printable image sheet each day from December 1st through Christmas Day. Each day will bring a new a link to that day's surprise. You can find the downloads here. If you just can't wait until Christmas to get all of these wonderful images you can also purchase them from Ten Two Studios here. THANKS, Lisa! How generous you are!

Ahh, poetry!

LK Ludwig has issued a challenge for today on her blog Poetic Words. This challenge, Day of Sharing Words is to post some poetry that moves you on your blog, and link it to hers so that others might share in it. So I am moving ahead with the challenge...and hoping it is only the first of many related to poetry... something that I love.

I am always awed by how the sentiments of a few words have the power to move one to joy or tears. Poetry has always pulled at my heartstrings and I have dabbled at it since I was a child. When I was just a little girl beginning to learn to read my teacher recognized my love of poetry and gave me a book that had become too tattered to keep on the school library shelves. It was "The Best Loved Poems of the American People." I still have that sad old book, even though I was given a new edition of it several years ago. It is an old friend that has seen me through many personal trials, triumphs, and heartaches. I can always find words there that speak to my soul. Next to the scriptures I think there is little else that has more more power to move one than poetry.

For this challenge I have chosen a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It seems fitting at this time of national turmoil that we remember what makes a strong nation is really dependant on the character of its citizens.


A Nation's Strength

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

What makes a nation's pillars high
And it's foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?

It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.

Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.

And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.

Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.

You can find more of his poetry on Poets.org.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by my daughter Letha. I feel special! Now to see if I can do this right!

Here are the rules
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules.
3. Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
4. Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
5. Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged.

So, let's see what I can tell you about myself that is quirky but boring...hmmm...Letha seems to think that I have a lot of funny boring stuff to share, but I can't think of much. Maybe she just thinks I am odd and boring! LOL

1. I am a packrat. I hoard things that "might come in handy one day." I think I got this from my mom and passed it on to my girls. Yikes, not such a good idea there. I just like my art "stuff". I like to sort and organize it as much as "play" with it. I am a very tactile person, I like to touch. A friend said she just likes to fondle her quilting fabrics. I totally understand that concept.

2. I love babies - I love to touch their soft skin and they smell so heavenly - and are so much fun to cuddle. I especially love my grandbabies, even when they are no longer babies. My grandchildren are one of my greatest joys. I am definitely one of those grammas that just want to talk about their wonderful grandkids. To me this is exciting...I am sure others find it boring, especially if they want me to "shut up" so they can talk about their grandkids - who are not nearly as wonderful as MINE! LOL

3. Is this quirky? I have been married 41 years to my college sweetheart and we are still in love! He is a jewel!

4. When I love, I love deeply and it is so hard to let go. I lost my mom four years ago and there still is not a day that goes by that I don't grieve for her. I miss her so much. I love my children and am so glad we have good relationships, but I hope when I am gone that they will not grieve as much for me as I do for my mother...it is a hard thing to miss someone so much.

5. I love cocoanut cream pie (not a mis-spelling...this is how my mom spelled coconut)...the good kind that my mom used to make with a cooked cream filling and toasted cocoanut sprinkled meringue on top.

6. Contrary to Letha, I LOVE chocolate...dark sweet chocolate, dark bitter chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, chocolate raspberry truffles, pecan marnier chocolates, decadent chocolate covered candied fruit, homemade fudge, chocolate cake with chocolate icing, brownie delights, and of course, hot fudge sundaes (actually our Dairy Queen make an awesome one called Almond Chocolate Rock Treat - ice cream with hot fudge, toasted almonds and topped with dipping chocolate which hardens and holds it all together - and because I am friends with the owners, they always add a cherry to the top of mine) You name it...I LOVE CHOCOLATE...but it has to be quality chocolate...don't give me cheap waxy chocolate ...I want the REAL thing!

Enough about me. Here are my six friends that I am tagging:

Marion - Such talent, such fun, so quirky...that is how I see her blog ...a delight!

Wrick - Combining traditional and digital methods to create awesome art is his forte. Very cool!

Susan - Beautiful, evocative art that truly inspires.

Kim - Kim is such a talented artist...and decorator. I wish I could have her come do my house for the holidays!!! check out her flickr too.

Hermine - Fun, inspirational art. Thanks Hermine for the freebies, and also for the subtitles for us English speaking people!

Kelsey - I love Kelsey's art. And, those new beeswax pieces are so yummy!

Veterans Day Tribute

Today is Veterans Day....a day to honor those men and women who gave so much, and sometimes their all, so that we might live in this blessed land called America! Nothing can repay the debt we own them, but on this special day, I hope everyone will take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice given and what it means to you - and your posterity. Freedom is NOT free! It requires true patriots. It requires the best we have. It requires the heart and lives of those strong young men and women who love country and freedom more than self.

Below are a couple of videos that say it much better than I can.

Please say THANK YOU! to a vet.

My calendar page

This is the floral montage I made for our Paper Traders 2009 calendar. I took the flower photos, and my friend Keron loaned me the photo of the twig. Then I "played" with them in Photoshop to create a watercolor look. The calendars are available from CafePress.

Message In A Bottle

I received my first bottle!!!
Thank You! Linda Hartzig! Here is a scan of the fun things in my bottle. I have my own bottles ready to send to the next round of participants. This is such a fun project. I love surprises!

Halloween Give-Away!
I am having a giveaway. It seems like everyone is giving away goodies lately, so I thought I would too. It all started today when I went to a new used items store...she has all kinds of kitschy stuff and collectibles. I found a box of old photos and they were so inexpensive that I had to have some. I made a collage sheet and have uploaded it here.

It is yours for FREE from now until October 31st! (Don't you think some of these would make great Halloween cards? heeheehee! ) Just click on the photo to enlarge to full size, then right click and save it to your hard drive. Enjoy!
Some interesting notes...
In the first photo of the mother and daughter, you wonder what the occasion is...the daughter looks quite nervous and trepidacious. In the second photo did you notice all the loose shingles ready to fall on the "nitwit's" head? Check out those ladies crossing the lake...does that look precarious or what? ...and...they are sitting on metal seats made from old raking machines. (I recognized them from machines that my dad had.)

Giveaway for a worthy cause

This one with a worthy cause in mind. Check it out by clicking here. Thanks.
Giveaway

Lest We Forget - September 11, 2001

Today is the 7th Anniversary of that day of infamy. In memory of those who lost their lives, their families who still mourn their loss, and those whose hearts are still broken by this attack on our beloved homeland I join my tears with yours in our mutual losses. To those who rallied to rescue and serve the survivors, to those who work daily to preserve our security, and to those who are willing to fight for our freedom no matter where it takes them, or whatever the sacrifice, I say Thank You. In observance of this day of mourning I have posted here exerpts of our President's words to us in this time of deepest trial. ~Connie
PRESIDENT BUSH:
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.

A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. ~George W. Bush September 2001 I know there are struggles ahead, and dangers to face. But this country will define our times, not be defined by them. As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror; this will be an age of liberty, here and across the world.

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom -- the great achievement of our time, and the great hope of every time -- now depends on us. Our nation, this generation will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage.

We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail...

Peace and freedom will prevail.

....I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people. The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

~George W. Bush September 2001

Message In A Bottle

Lisa at Go-Make-Something is hosting another Message in a Bottle Project. Basically, this project is about sending and receiving bottles—in this case, plastic bottle mailgrams. They’re easy to make, fun to send, and you can’t help but smile when you see one bobbing up in your mailbox. Clicking on the bottle will take you to Go-Make-Something where you can read about it and sign up...Be sure to leave your NAME and ADDRESS in the comments. It is moderated so your info will not show up in the posted message.

Another GREAT Give-Away!

Lori of Paper Imagery Designs has just listed a wonderful Halloween Give-Away in honor of her webstore's one year anniversary. Click this link to see a picture of the fun Halloween Collage Package she is giving away, then go to her blog Altered Art Expressions and post a comment to enter. Also, check out the sheet of stamps she is giving away as well as the other fun stuff she has in her webstore by clicking on this link - Paper Imagery Designs .

A New Give-Away!

Shari is giving away a collection of ATCs...AND....a lovely piece of art. Just go to her site and leave a comment to enter. Here is the URL: http://sharibeaubien.typepad.com/myblog/2008/08/a-give-away.html#comments

Birdie, Birdie Coaster Books

I have been hosting a chipboard coaster book on Paper Traders. Each person acquired a 6 page Maya Road chipboard coaster book which they then decorated. Keeping one page for themselves, they then sent the other 5 to be swapped.

What a fun swap this was; and all of the pages were unique and lovely. These are the birds that I made. There are nine because I made extra...one for each person participating in the swap. On my birds you can see a raised lacy texture. This is done with Artist's Cement by ArtQuest. I smoothed the cement through pieces of lace to leave a textural pattern of the holes on the birds.

Ancestors Swap ATCs

I have been busy doing ATCs for Teri's Ancestors Swap in our Paper Traders Group. These first three show my mom (Betty) as a baby, my dad (Forrest) with his two younger sisters (Berneice and Eulalia), then my mom and her sister Joyce with their puppies sitting on the running board of their car.
This second group show first: my mom's 4 oldest siblings, then a group of my mom and her sister Joyce with their neices and nephew. Next is my mother with her mother (Leafy), and finally My mother as a baby with two of her brothers (Albert and Wilders). These cards were fun to make and brought back so many memories I have of growing up in a large extended family.

Row Houses

I have been busy making Row Houses lately. It all started because I am in Lenna's row house swap. Then I decided I wanted to make some to go with my Paper Traders Tip-In Journal...the theme is My House is a Very Fine House. Anyway, I did get carried away and made a bunch...and have some more (which are going to be "grungy") still in the works. Here are the ones I have done so far.

Letha's Beeswax Swap

I am in Letha's Beeswax Swap for our Paper Traders group, so I made some ATCs for it...and a bunch of extras too, because it was so much fun I couldn't help myself. lol

First we have the birdie ones. I learned one thing...you have to be very careful if you are waxing over rub-ons as they will melt and lift off your project if you aren't careful!

Next, we have the ones with the little kids. (Thank you, Lisa, for the lovely tags with the baby images). On these I used printed tissues for the backgrounds and added real pressed flowers and leaves. For texture I made a little puddle of the beeswax and pressed a flourish stamp into it. Then I brushed gold glaze over it to bring out the dimension. This is one of my favorite things to do with beeswax.

Itty Bitties

I am in Lenna's Itty Bitty Swap so I made these little 3x3 collages. They have 3-D butterflies whose wings lift up on them. The background is a daisy print paper with a dictionary enty printed on it. I sewed fibers and beads along the edges.

More on my trip to visit my family in South Dakota

I don't know how to express how good this trip was for me....or how much I needed to go...which I did not realize until after I was on the road. I was so sad and blue, and I did not realize that it was because I had this need to go see my family. Words cannot express the graditude that I feel to a dear friend who would see what I needed and make it happen. They say that a friend is someone who knows all your faults and loves you anyway. I say, a true friend is someone who understands your need when you are too close to the situation to see it yourself, and then makes the solution a reality. Thank you, Linda.

While I was "home" my niece Nicki (who lost her 16 year old daughter to Cystic Fibrosis a year ago in January) said, "You don't know how much I have been needing a hug from my aunt Connie." What she didn't know was how much I needed that hug too. Family is so important to me...sometimes when you live far away you think you are OK with it ... until you get together, then you just know how much you need each other, and how much you miss that family support.

Today I was reading Keron's blog and she is doing Sarah's Journal Challenge. I want to do that. Let's be honest...I need to do that! I know I am starting way behind, but I think I will start today by putting together my own journal from some heavy paper I have here...it will work great and will hold up to the "abuse". So I am off to build a journal. Have a great day.

Going Home

A week or so ago I had an email from my brother saying my Dad wanted all of us kids to come home for a special family meeting on Saturday. There are 6 of us - except for Jerry, who lives in Oklahoma, we all made it!

Ireland Siblings with Dad

It was short notice and 500 miles from me so (due to the price of fuel right now) I had decided that I would not go. Then on Friday I went to lunch with my friend Linda...as we were sitting chatting over our sandwiches she asked me how quick could I be ready to go. She helped me see that I should follow my heart...that at 85 my dad is not going to be with us that much longer...and the cost of the trip should not be the biggest consideration. Then she said, "You need to go, and I need an adventure so let's just do it!" I love her spontaneity!

We were on the road in about an hour! Since her vehicle gets much better gas mileage than mine, she drove. We went most of the way on Friday and spent the night with son Dan's family in Sundance WY, then went on to South Dakota in the morning. It was a wonderful day spent with my brothers and Dad. We accomplished most of the things Dad needed, and truly enjoyed being together. We were at my brother's Bed and Breakfast where we were treated like honored guests. Such fun and great hospitality...my sister-in-law is the most awesome, gracious hostess...and the most wonderful cook...our meals were so delicious! In the evening my niece Nicki and her hubby came and stayed the night too, so we had a lovely visit with them too.

It was a crazy wild trip but so much fun! Both coming and going we drove over the Bighorn Mountains on the Lovell route where we saw so many wildflowers, tons of snow up high, and lots of wildlife - deer and pronghorn antelope with their new babies (oh, so cute), four moose - one had a wonderful rack still in velvet...such a beautiful drive. Sunday morning before we headed home we went to my Dad's and spent an hour or so with him; then on the way back we made a quick side-trip over to Deadwood as Linda had never been there. We are thinking we want to plan a trip when we can stay longer and do the walking tours, go to boot hill and take tons of pictures of all the historic things there....I'm game!

Among the Wildflowers

Dan's family had to go home on Sunday, but Beckie stayed for another week. We had a lovely visit. While she was here we "played" with art, went to the movies, and went camping in the Beartooth Mountains which sit on the border of Wyoming and Montana just a short drive north of us here. We had a lot of fun taking pictures of the beautiful scenery and lots and lots of wildflowers. (see my flickr)

On Friday (July 11th) we went to Yellowstone National Park. Even though we didn't see any grizzlies we did see a black bear. Beckie was thrilled because she usually visits us in the winter when the park is closed (and the bears are asleep) so she seldom gets to see bears while she is here.

This first bear is the one we saw this week. The pictures below are of the one we saw about a month ago, also in Yellowstone National Park.

Independence Day

We had a wonderful family get-together for Independence Day. All 4 of our children, along with their spouses & children, were here with us for the day. Beckie was here from Colorado Spring CO, Dan's family from Sundance WY, & Bethany's & Letha's families from here in Cody for a total of 14 of us. We went to the parade, then came back home for a barbeque & spent the afternoon together. In the evening we watched the fireworks together. It was fun to see Autumn so excited that. She just danced around & squealed. What a fun age 3 is!

Our Family - First is Letha & Mark with their children Quincy & Abby, then Dan & Melissa and their son Chancey - with Beckie standing behind him; next is me behind Sieg, and finally on the end Bethany & Bill with Simon & Autumn. As they say in our family...this is a real mouse-chaser!

More Fun Shots!

The kids all had lollipops...and Autumn was the helpful big sister - wiping up Simon's stickiness.

Our little cowpoke - he sure loves that horse!

Quincy and Autumn just enjoying the day with complete joy.
(This is my favorite photo of the 4th. Beckie actually took this shot but I absolutely love it.)

Happy Birthday, Autumn and Simon

It has been birthday time here lately...three grandchildren having birthdays in just over 2 weeks! I have been a bit slow getting pictures of Autumn and Simon's Birthdays up because I had to get some pictures from their mom first. I had forgotten my camera for Simon's party. :(

Simon just turned ONE and big sister Autumn turned THREE. (Where does the time go?) We had such fun at their parties, especially watching Simon eat cake.

He enjoyed Autumn's as much as his own!

Autumn loves those puzzles!

Can you believe that hair? No matter what Mom does with it, she will not leave the clips in...it just goes where it wants...and the wind doesn't help! But we love it! She looks just like her mom did at that age...and has that same strong personality too.

Happy Birthday, Quincy!

My granddaughter Quincy had her 13th birthday this week, and since she is a huge Harry Potter fan, we (her mom and I) made her a DRAGON cake. We think it turned out pretty good for a couple of amateurs! We used three cake mixes and 3 1/2 tubs of frosting -- not to mention ooh so much green food coloring. It has chocolate grahams for its spikes, slices of large marshmellows and giant chocolate chips for eyes, snips of marshmellow for claws, raspberry M&Ms for nostrils, and the wings are made from blue fruit roll-ups, held up by skewers. It was very large when we finished but a big hit at her party. At the party one of Quincy's friends was so cute; she said, "Mmmm, I have never eaten a dragon before but it is really quite tasty -- much sweeter than you might think." We all had a laugh over that. What a fun day!

GREAT STRIDES

My niece Niicki has formed a team to walk in the Great Strides Walk for CF (Cystic Fibrosis) to be held in Rapid City, SD on May 31st and another team to walk in Sioux Falls, SD on June 7th. It is called "Jenn's Green Team" in honor of her daughter Jennifer who lost her battle with CF last year. It is so important to find a cure. We want to make CF stand for Cure Found! The website for the walks, to join the team, or to donate - is: www.cff.org/Great_Strides/NicoleNelson5139

GREAT STRIDES is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest, most successful, and most important national fund-raising event. If you are not in this area but would like to support us please check out our team's website! So many young lives depend on the vital, ongoing advances in CF research - to keep that momentum going, we need your help now, more than ever!

Walking in GREAT STRIDES is such an effective way to add tomorrows every day to the lives of those with CF. We are doing this in memory of Jenn as she would have wanted to make sure others with CF didn't have to go through what she did. Your enthusiasm and fund-raising efforts will help give more tomorrows to those with CF every day.

Intuitive Watercolor

I have been playing with the intuitive watercolor (from Bernie Berlin's ATC book). A bit challenging to see any images but lots of fun once you do! The Beast was my first one. It got a bit easier after that. hee hee
If you would like to see some really awesome examples of this technique go to artbeckon's blog at http://artbeckons.blogspot.com/

Spray Webbing Samples

One of my favorite textures is what I call Spray Webbing Paper. If you have never made Spray Webbing Paper you are in for a treat. It turns out beautiful every time and is very easy to do...although a bit messy. :-) You can use any color of cardstock for this as it is completely covered in the end so it is a great way to use up colors from multipacks that you don't like! If you want to use it for book covers use lightweight cardboard or chipboard.

To make this paper you need:

• Cardstock (or cardboard) for a base
• Acrylic paints in several colors
• Spray webbing
• Optional...you can also add spray glitter if you love more sparkle!

1. To get started first spread out newspaper or a dropcloth to cover your table...this is messy! Then lay out several sheets of cardstock (cardboard) and smear different colors of acrylic paints over each sheet until it is completely covered. Use lots of contrast on this and don't blend the colors very much...you want it to be very blotchy.


2. This next step is optional: Use a paint brush to drip or spatter drops of black, white or a very strong color over your blotchy page.


3. Let it dry.


4. Then take it outside or into the garage and spray it with webbing spray. (You can find it in the paint section of the craft store.) Let it dry and you are done...unless you like glitter...then you can overspray it with glitter spray for extra sparkle!!

A TIP: You will need to cover your floor or patio with paper or cardboard to protect it. I use a large shipping box opened out ...I just keep it folded up against the garage wall when I am not using it and spread it on the floor when I want to spray things. If you don't have this kind of room, you can make a spray station by cutting a hole in the side of a cardboard box, then lay your sheets (one at a time) in the box to spray...the box will contain the overspray.

Here are a few samples papers I have made.

Dragon ATCs

I participated in the Paper Trader Dragon Swap hosted by Letha. The first ATC with the Mizuhiki Good Luck Knot is a special one I made as a hostess gift for Letha. Those in the grouping are my contribution to the swap.

I made the background paper by collaging tiny snippits of paper to a base sheet then gluing crumpled white tissue paper over it all to unify them. I really like this technique and it is a way to use up those tiniest bits of pretty paper that you hate to throw away.

Captured Fairies

I am hosting a Bottled Fairy swap on the Paper Traders yahoo group. This week my granddaughter and I have been working on our Fairies for the swap - and their little homes. Below are the ones I made...

And these are the ones my granddaughter made.

Ya gotta keep the lids on or they might escape!

Now For Some Art

This first ATC is one I did for the February Winner-Take-All Swap on Paper Traders. It was won by Lucy.

I made these Peeled Paint ATCs for Letha's Way Out West swap.

These little Bird Book Pages were made for my Bird Deco Swap.
Most have been traded but I did get to keep two of them. Birds are a favorite theme of mine and I am thrilled with how they turned out ... and with all the lovely pages I got in the swap. One day they will all be assembled into a little book with some other birdie pages that I am working on.

This final picture is of my page for the PT Counting Crows swap.

One for Sorrow, Two for Mirth,
Three for a Wedding, Four for a Birth,

Five for Silver, Six For Gold,
Seven for a Secret never to be told.