Just Magnolia's Sketch -- What's Up?

Hi - Today is Friday - and for the second week in a row I have made a card for Just Magnolia!! WHOO HOO! I am really feeling like I am back into the swing of things! Well other than the big white patch on my face covering my eye... I can leave it off for a while at a time at home, but when out in public to not scare little children I wear that gauze patch - not much longer now though. I met a man this week who lost his eye in October - we couldn't even tell which eye standing 6 inches from him. It was amazing how real it looked. So I am really looking forward to the process and getting mine. Ok.. enough eye stuff ;0)

How about my Magnolia Card? Then at the end of my post I have something else I need to show you....

I was so excited to finally ink up one of my Stamp Club images for this weeks Just Magnolia Challenge. They have been sitting here forever! I colored with my Copics, then cut out with Nesties and inked.  My base I went with a red card stock, with a dark blue card stock for the mats. I found two scraps of K&Co. pattern papers that had the feel and color I was wanting, so I sewed them down following the sketch for the challenge this week. For the band vertically I loved the Papertrey ink Satin Dot ribbon, but it wasn't quite large enough - I pouted for a few minutes and was digging through all my millions of ribbons, when I decided to make the dot ribbon wider with two border punches. Love how that came out! Didn't know what to use for the sentiment with this little Sailor Tilda sitting on the anchor... and then "What'z UP?" just jumped out at me...

I hope you will join the challenge this week at Just Magnolias - it is a fabulous sketch and as usual their are FABULOUS prizes again!


Now something a little special! I have a great friend Tracey, who has been amazing in helping keep my spirits up the past couple of month. I have spent countless hours laughing with this lady - we both have that "odd" sense of humor and many time we finish each other sentences. Just one of those great buddies! She emailed me to let me know her Mom is making and selling these quilted purses to raise money to help her pay for a Mission trip to China. A great cause to help support, but let me tell you.. these purses are wonderful!! She is an amazing seamstress - and quilter - so these are really nice. Long quilted handles - this is just a few of the different fabrics. She has many more in the works, each is a Handmade one of a kind with the fabrics that she gathers from all over the world. Only $45.00 each.

So if you like these wonderful quilted purses, and would like to grab one up for yourself, or just ask questions about them. Please email my Buddie Tracey at tfrias@gvec.net
Remember they are for a great cause and just adorable!

Well... gotta go and get my laundry started. Takes me forever lately to get things done, I am so slow! LOL But thrilled to be doing it.. still shocked I am saying that! LOL

HUGS and-

My THIRD Donkey Card - Karen's Doodles!

Here is my THIRD Donkey Card!!

I just have to tell you about this image... as the first cards started coming in after my accident... this donkey was showing up - even drugged and a bit loopy I freaked over it. Where did it come from? I hadn't seen it before and he looks so much like my first baby Diego!!! I had to have it, but was in no shape to follow up and try and find it. Then after a couple of weeks I saw it online! OH MY it was made for me???? I was nearly in tears - and so happy to have found it. So I have to send out a Thank you to Karen's Doodles!!!  This image has given lots of wonderful smiles!

For my card I colored with my Copics, and then used K&Company pattern papers. I liked the red white and blue colors with the mat card stock. I sewed down with zig zag stitching. Red gingham ribbon - with a Stampin UP sentiment matted with a Fiskar's scallop punch.

Hope you like, I had fun with this one - it is my Diego! Gotta run... going to get my hair cut, the past two months it has gotten a bit out of control!!

HUGS and - 

A Spoon Full of Sugar - and my SECOND Donkey Card!!

As promised here is my second Donkey card - and it also fits for the Spoon Full of Sugar challenge!!! Yea!! This week is a sketch so that really helped with my lack of MoJo.. help knowing where to put things!

So for the Donkey - this is from Whimsy Stamps - created by Meljen's Designs and Raindrop Echo Designs and I just adore it! He is just too cute for words - I have to tell you this image has been very popular with the cards I have been receiving as well. And Hubby has had a blast seeing all the different colors he has been colored! They are all just too adorable!

So I colored with my Copics - and then cut out with my Nesties. I had someone ask how I cut out the image from the circle.  I lay the Nestie on the image and the see where the image needs to pop off the circle - I then use my craft knife and cut just that part out. Here just the ears were cut out with the knife. Then when I go to cut out the Nestie Circle I take the "ears" and pull them through the Nestie to the side that doesn't cut, and run it through and cut.

My base is a bright yellow Core'dination card stock, red card stock mat, and the pattern papers are from My Mind's Eye Penny Lane stack. Love these lots of glitter in these papers. I sewed everything down following this weeks sketch challenge. Vintage Ribbon, Prima flowers, adhesive rhinestones. Then my sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms, cut with oval Nesties.

I hope you will join in the challenge this week - and thank you all for joining in so beautifully for "my challenge" and supporting me so wonderfully  during my accident.  It still overwhelms me to see all those cards, that support has been amazing, I still keep looking through them.  :0)

Me... how am I doing this week? Well anxious for my next Dr. appointment on the 18th to move on to the next step - week and  1/2 more sigh... not that much longer I guess. But at that appointment I am hoping to get the ok for a few more normal things in life. You know like "real" showers, scrubbing my face clean, and scrubbing my hair under a stream of hot water... (still can't get tap water on my face, so I have to be really careful) But those few things will be wonderful to get back .....ahhh a HOT shower sounds like a dream.... soon soon soon -

HUGS and -

Animal Crackers - Man it is hot out there!!

WHEW... it is really getting hot out there, especially for chick that has been cooped up inside with lots of air conditioning for the past 6 weeks! LOL All the animals are really feeling the heat too. My poor children, wish Hubby would let me bring them all in to the cool air, or put some window units in each of their barns.. LOL  can you image what my electric bill would be.. OH MY!

Josie was chillin in one of the dirt bath spots. I think the slick dirt is just a tad cooler than some areas... like maybe a degree or so only, but hey when it is almost 100 degrees you take what you can get. Isn't she pretty? She is one of our tiny girls - and she is a talker - screams out at us each time we head out the back door. Love her...

After I left the youth pen, and my photo shoot with Josie.. I went past Frankie's Pen. Ok, I love him dearly BUT OH MY!!! Just be very very  glad that I can't add smell with these animal post! Holy Smoke Bat Man... Whew - you can be told that male goats smell, but until you live it... there are just not words to explain, especially in August when it is so hot! WOW! :0) But he is stunning to look at, just hold your nose!

I then found Pattie just melting out in her pen, oh my she has just suddenly gotten huge!! Macie and Jazz both are really big and we think that Jazz will be first to deliver, but Pattie may want to change that opinion. Can't wait to see her baby - hoping for lots of spots! And with her personality as she is a real sweetie!

Speaking of wide, Lilly should be getting pretty close too... she waddles as she walks - I hope she has a much easier birthing this time. She has her three kids when I was gone to CHA in January, and two were breech, it was a tough time for her and Hubby trying to help her - So we are praying for smooth birthing this time. But I do think there are multiple babies here as she is really wide.

By the time I got around and back into the back yard, Libbie was in the shade of some plants and more than ready to head back inside -

Autie was out chewing on a stick... I don't like that as they give him a belly ache - so he was sad when I took the stick from him... oh look at that sad face... no worries.. he got a "cookie" when we came in :0)

Hope you liked some HOT photos this week, wouldn't be great if I have to pop back in the week with a baby post? Maybe... don't know for sure, but for the sake of these very pregnant Mom's to be and the heat I hope so.

HUGS and-

I did it!! A card for the Just Magnolia Challenge!!

Yes... I got a card made in time for the Just Magnolia Challenge this week! I am still working on my donkey cards :0) But I really wanted to join in on my DT challenges if I could... ok so this card took me a couple of nights and my Mo-Jo I think is still under the influence of all the meds I have been on.. LOL But I got a card done!

This week the challenge is to use acetate - either for your card or on your card... me I took the easy way (didn't want to stress to much..) And used the acetate as my card, it didn't turn out as I wanted, but I still am ok with the end result.

Ok.. so you are looking at this and thinking.. "Uh Michelle I know you just lost an eye.. but I can't see the acetate..."  but it is the base, the papers are on the inside of the card - the pattern paper is Debbie Mumm's Noah's Ark and pink Bazzil Cardstock.

Here you can see how shiny the card is - you can see the reflection of the mirror - it really is a cool effect. The Tilda is one of my newer Magnolias that I got the week of my accident. It was so hard to know I had brand new stamps sitting there and couldn't ink them up!! I cut her out with an oval Nestie. The sentiment is framed with a Glimmer Mist Chips - love them. I colored it with a Copic and then added some rhinestone adhesive blings - and also added them on the corners of the acetate card, never can have to much bling!

Hope you will pop over and join the Just Magnolia challenge too... acetate can be really fun!

So what I have I been up to this week? Well a few days of staring at the same walls of the inside of my house - oh man I have been having some serious cabin fever!! Hubby has gone back to work at least 1/2 the week or so - hate that but I guess we can't survive if he doesn't right? Lots of animals to feed, much less us and our bills - so it was time. But he had Wednesday and Thursday off - we planned a few chores around the house (for him, not me - don't worry there) anyway we decided to heck with them and went out for day trips hitting all the surrounding town antique shops! Wonderful time.. I am totally worn out but feel so great to have fresh air and get out and about. And I did get some really cute old donkey things for my donkey collection - :0) 

I'll be back tomorrow with Animal Crackers day... I should at least unless I fall asleep and don't wake up for a day or so.. LOL

HUGS and

:0) My First Card with my new visual prospective! :0)

As promised here is "my first card" since my accident - -

It is a Thank You to all of you!!! There is just no way I can express my Thanks to each of you that have been so wonderful the past month and a half - all the cards, well wishes, prayers and donations - - It took me three days to make this card ( have to work in short periods.. ) so if I were to make a thank you card for each of you and send them out it would take me years. I just hope you all understand how much your support has meant to me -

This is the Donkey that Tina Wenke made for me for Stampavie  - Now please don't expand and look to close at my Copic Coloring.. LOL as those flowers were REALLY TINY with no depth perception!! But after 4 prints and tries I finally got one that satisfied me as my first one eyed card. I need lots of practice - but oh my it felt so good to color!! And then I dusted off my desk and sewing machine and attached it to a card!

Here are some details of supplies - The papers are The Paper Studio "Sweet Pea" stack, with Martha Border Punch, Sewing, adhesive pearls in the corner, mulberry roses, Martha frond leaf punches and pearl pins. "My" donkey is cut out with a Nestie and then edged with a Copic Marker for a mat look. The sentiment is a Sizzix Card Maker Thank You die punch.

Thank you Tina for such an adorable Donkey - I adore her! She will always be very special to me!

I have also colored two more donkeys... The Whimsy Stamps lovely Artists Melissa Jenkins and Ann Vento's Adorable Stuffed Donkey and Karen's Doodles wonderfully fun Donkey so you will be seeing two more cards real soon!! :0)

Again.. Thank You all for all the wonderful Support! It means the world to me!!
Hugs and-

Animal Crackers - We are all Busting out of the house!

Ok... So Cathy and Hank are a little more literal than me about busting out of the house :0)  I guess the decided they needed a second doorway in and out of their house.. so they made one themselves -

Me... I know exactly how they are feeling about needing to bust out! Talk about stir crazy!! I am so tired of being cooped up!!! So this week I have actually gotten out!! Yes... did the grocery store thing again... but I mean really out.. lots of walking..  one day this week we went to the Museum - it was lots of walking ( I think I said that .. lol ) but it was wonderful! Now the next morning I felt like I had ran a marathon - didn't know I had gotten that out of shape laying around the past month but I had... barely could get out of bed the next day, but it was so worth it to do something fun! Glorious! And then yesterday Hubby decided I needed another fun day... so we drove 2 hours and went to Ikea.. and some Antique Stores... worn out again, but oh my it was so wonderful! 

OH OH OH ... and also this week I have been coloring and despite the fact that it took me three different times at my desk, I have a card made!!! I'll show it in the next day or so : 0)   I am feeling much more like me... just need a few breaks for resting during the day and still can't bend or lift... YEA!!! How about a few more Animal Cracker photos?

I ADORE this photo of Chloe and her Mom Annie... LOVE those ice blue eyes Chloe!

Two of the three Standard Donkeys.. that we lovingly refer to as the "The Three Stooges" posed for a photo.. this is Cocoa and her baby Valentine... baby is only in attitude he is now almost 5 years old.. but NEVER leaves his mom's side....

And the last photo today is of the two baby donkeys... they are so darn cute! Here the roll of hay had flopped over and they thought they were King and Queen of the Hill... Just look how high they climbed!!! LOL Still adorable!


Ok... so I will post again real soon to show you my "card" and hope to post more often this week.

SUPER BIG HUGS and