Animal Crackers - EXPLOSION!

Yes it feels as if we have had an explosion of animals around here! LOL It is so fun to get out and play with them all now. Especially since the weather has been a little nicer!

I think this is my favorite photo of the week!!!  Can you just feel the warmth? Cathy sure was enjoying it...  Just makes me grin! Well that and join her!!

 

Ricky was trying to enjoy the weather... but the girls Ethel and Lucy were climbing all over him. 

 

 

Besides all the "kids" in the goat pen, we were talking about how our Youth Pen really is getting full!! And can you believe there are a couple you can't see in the photo! Look at all those babies! The last couple of years have been really good to us with baby donkeys!  Sergio, Carlos and Felicia are finally feeling better in the youth pen, the crying for the Mom's has finally stopped.  Now it is time to sell a few of these... pout pout...

I think Jazz (Carlos's Mom) is really enjoying the peace - LOL - here she is enjoying a fresh bale of hay without anyone climbing on her.. shoving her.. pushing on her.. asking for dinner... LOL

 

 

I thought this was a funny view of Patti... can you tell the baby is laying to one side of her? She has been really lop sided this week!  She still has a ways to go before she is ready to have her baby... since we don't know when she got pregnant.. we are kind of clueless for when she will deliver, but no signs.. and she isn't really large enough yet - Bella on the other hand is getting really BIG!! getting closer for her for sure!!

 

Wanted to show you Pepita... she is still so little, only about 6 weeks old - but oh my she has is a stunning little girl. You can see that her black fur is starting to fade now though. She is such a sweet girl too - very friendly and very calm. Unlike the other baby in this pen, Frio... man he is what we call obnoxious friendly - you are gonna love on him whether you want to or not!

Now I had to show Paintbrush... here you can tell how stunning her coat is in the sun!!! I told you she was RED, black and white!! No photoshop here... that is real color there! And she is such a wonderful Mom -

 

Here is one for the girls!! Cathy just loves to be "Queen of the Mountain" ... her two brothers try to knock her off and claim the top of the bucket... but she usually keeps her position as leader of the KIDS... My kind of girl! HA~

Hope you enjoyed Animal Crackers today... Sorry no Libbie or Autie this week... couldn't get anything worth showing this week. Now that the weather is getting prettier I hope to get outside and get some of them playing in the grass...  Autie loves to run in the grass... Libbie likes to hide from Autie in the grass! LOL

Have a wonderful Saturday! 

HUGS and-

Just Magnolias Happy Birthday!

This Friday the theme at Just Magnolia's is for a Happy Birthday! So no excuses.. .we all need birthday cards and what ever your style!  

 

I dug deep in my box of Magnolias and found Tilda with the Birthday Cake!! Love when I use stamps I haven't used in... like FOREVER! LOL  Now I wanted her to wear a pretty party dress for her Birthday Card... so I paper pieced a piece of the background matted My Minds Eye Penny Lane pattern paper. Even has some bling to her dress! I then stamped her out a third time to be able to POP the cake out! Everything was colored with my Copics.. well except her dress. :0)

For the rest of my card I layered the My Minds Eye Penny Lane pattern papers, with a very OLD Happy Birthday pattern paper from my stash... I think these are SEI... or maybe DCWV.. I have had them since the beginning of time - so it is really just a guess, they are not marked. I did a random sewing around the edge - and then for some added bling I added a pink flourish rhinestones from Basic Grey. Again from my stash forever... so happy when I use up old stock!! 

I hope you get a chance to make a "Happy Birthday" for the Just Magnolias challenge this week! Another great prize on the line.. so why not go for it? 

So what are your plans for the weekend? Same ole Same ole around here pretty much. Other than Saturday night - we are going to a local Hockey game with some good friends. We haven't been in ages, so looking forward to it! Not that I ever really know what is going on.. by the time I figure out what is going on the game is usually over. LOL but hey out with friends so I have fun! 

HUGS and  See you tomorrow for Animal Crackers!

My Stampavie Tina Wenke Samples

 

Hello! Wow these days of Samples have been wonderful haven’t they? I can’t believe it is coming to an end… but I do know that all of the DT have still been playing with all of the new images and I am sure you will still be seeing a lot of  “samples” :0)

So for my last “official” day of the 40 days of Samples I am showing off a few of my Tina Wenke samples.

 My first card is “Giving Flowers” – I just love how sweet this image is – so “friendly” .  I colored with my Copics – I wanted some corners on this one, but I couldn’t find anything that was working… then I saw the hearts that made up the flowers in the pattern paper – perfect! I used my Fiskars squeeze punch and used hearts!

My second card is fun! I just love these bubbles! The image is Hedgehog Popping Bubbles – And seriously the image is adorable…but the bubbles are just too fun to try new things with! I colored with my Copics.. but used LOTS of stickles for those bubbles… next time I think Divisional glaze would be great too! Oh and that sentiment is a Stampavie stamp… one of the Rachelle Anne Miller Sentiment… really a great set of sentiments.


So how is the weather where you are? CRAZY here! like I said over the weekend... was nearly 80 on Saturday - gorgeous! And yesterday it never got over 38 here, and we had SNOW!! Ok, so once again it didn't stick, but it was heavy enough to really be pretty... and well scare Libbie... she stood at the window all morning and barked at it! LOL  Today is suppose to be 54...  really odd weather!!


HUGS and-

A Spoon Full of Sugar .... with a Soft Pencil image -

Hi and Happy Tuesday! and that is Spoon day isn't it? This week A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge blog is sponsered by Elizabeth from Soft Pencil Digital images - cute stuff!

I just fell in love with this little Mouse - a cooking mouse! LOL It is actually called "I will cook for you today"

Now this week there is a challenge to use your Distressing Inks - Pearls - Stickles  what ever you got. Well I will be totally honest.. I forgot the challenge part when I started coloring with my Copics... LOL so I went back and colored my background with my Distressing inks. Hope that works ok.  I cut out with my Nesties and then matted with a scalloped nestie circle.

Do you love those pattern papers or what? Graphic 45!! Yep I actually cut into some of them!! LOL These are papers I just love to look at, and hate to use!! I mean once I use them they are gone!!! LOL But the papers were too perfect for the image and I am very happy that I did cut into them. The two pattern papers are actually the "backside" of the fancy sides of their papers.. the silverware is part of the art of one of the papers...  For a deli sort of look I punched a Martha Stewart border punch... with a red ribbon. And to follow a little closer to the challenge I added some pearls to the ribbon. My sentiment is an Epoxy Sticker.

Here is a close up of my silverware....  very pretty huh? Wish my real life silverware was that pretty!


Now click on over to A Spoon Full of Sugar challenge and see the other DT cards and then try our challenge for yourself to win some more great images!

I am probably staying inside most of the day today... gonna be really cold and yucky today... shame, it was such a beautiful weekend I thought winter was over!! But oh well... house is reasonably clean, laundry is almost all done... so I think I may do some crafting today! :0) The one good thing about winter... can't do to much outdoors! So I don't feel guilty crafting all day!

HUGS and-

Tina Wenke's Rabbit in Watering Can

I am having so much fun playing with all of the new Stampavie Spring/Summer 2010 stamps!! Each one is cuter than the next! Today I wanted to show you Tina Wenke's Rabbit in Watering Can - just too precious!

 

I told you! I just love Tina's work! And this Rabbit in Watering can is perfect for so many occasions -  Colored with my Copics and then I sewed down with a zig zag stitch over and over. 

I used my new DCWV stack Linen Closet stack - Oh my I am so love in with this stack! Soooo pretty - and we all love the added sparkle to these papers! I chose three patterns and sewed them down as well. My sentiment is from Stamps by Judith and punched out with a Stampin Up Word window punch and inked around the edges with a baby blue Copic.  Three mulberry flowers with Martha Stewart leaf punches!

This is a simple card - but I love how it came out. So how many of these new Stampavie images do you have on pre-order? LOL I know you are wanting them all!

Well have a wonderful Monday - we are expecting some cold weather again.. drag! It has warmed up this weekend, the animals are all loving it - the trees are budding out and now here comes the cold again! I am going to be so mad if the freeze kills off my peach tree buds! I really do want some fruit off this tree at some point in the future.

HUGS and-

LOTS of Animal Crackers!

Oh my we have lots of Animal Crackers this week! Hubby and I were talking this week, we really have had a bit of an explosion here...   and I love it!

 

First Vicki wants to say Hi... LOL  she just wouldn't stay still for a photo, she wanted a close up! 

We finally weaned Felicia, Carlos and Sergio this last week.. I know I have said we were going to do it for a while, but it got so cold I didn't want to pull them from their Mom's until it warmed up a little... I am such a sucker -   Here you can see the bit of conflict with the "older" youth and the "newer" youth in the pen... LOL   Lina and Felicia are actually full sisters, Lola and Sergio are full Sister and Brother and Gloria and Carlos as well are full Sister and Brother...

 

The younger group always gives up sooner and goes a different way... they are already starting to get along a little better now. 

Bella is really getting wide, and we have started to check on her a couple times of day to see how close she is getting.. yes another baby really soon here!!

 

Paintbrush really had her "hands" full!!! These four are starting to wander around on their own, and you can tell they really want to start running and playing with Lillie's month old babies...  I had no idea 2 months ago when we got 4 goats for some fun, that one our population would triple in just two months, but two how much fun and laughter we would have with them!! They are so fun to watch! 

I thought you might want to meet.. each of the baby goats - This is Ricky - GORGEOUS coloring! and he is the most outgoing at this point - 

 Lucy is my girl - I am begging Hubby to let me keep her... she actually will walk up to me and climb on my boot. She is the smallest of the four - she too has the gorgeous coloring and despite her tiny size she is really outgoing as well.

Fred has been the calmest - almost lazy like, but I noticed this morning he too is starting to get out and bounce around more - He is the darkest in color of the four, with more of the black coloring than the red and white.

And then there is number four... Ethel - she is more like Fred... calm and darker in color, except for those gorgeous little bracelets on her front legs! They are so pretty - Hubby says she looks like she is wearing Santa boots.. LOL  

By next week I am sure they will all four be bouncing all around the pen with the 3 older "kids". Oh my I still can't believe there are SEVEN babies out there! LOL too funny - 

Now for my INSIDE Animal Crackers...  I purchased a new folding table and chairs this week.. brought them in and set them on the floor flat - so they wouldn't fall over and hurt anyone. I ran out for just about 45 minutes... and this is what I came back in too...   So who do I blame? They all three got shamed... after I grabbed my camera and took a photo and stopped laughing of course! They are such a mess!!

Hugs and I hope you enjoyed Saturdays Animal Crackers - have a wonderful weekend!

Just Magnolias Sketch!

Friday and that is Just Magnolias day! And this week there is a FUN sketch by DT Jay Jay! And for me I went with bright colors today!

 

I started with one of the Tildas from the latest club collection, She is probably my favorite from this release.  She is colored with my Copics and then cut out with my Fiskar's Fingertip Kraft Knife.

For my card I started with a bright yellow Core'dinations card stock, and the went with a new DCWV stack - Cafe Mediterranean - WOW bright fun colors in this stack! I cut the scalloped mat behind Tilda with my Slice and then used a Copic Marker to edge the scallops. Then picked four other pattern papers from the collection to follow the sketch. I sewed everything down with a straight stitch. For the embellishment at the top of Tilda I cut a Butterfly with my Slice from the orange pattern paper, then added some bling!

 

My flowers are EK Success Retro punches, with jewelry spacers and mini brads - Martha Stewart leaf punches high lighted with white gel pen. The Sentiment is an Epoxy Sticker. 

This is a really a fun sketch and there is a wonderful prize as always again this week! :0) Find the sketch and other DT works HERE at Just Magnolia!

Have a happy Friday... cleaning house and doing laundry today... so I can play tomorrow!!! A few of us are trying to get together to craft... I so hope it works out!!

HUGS and-

Paintbrush had her babies! all FOUR of them!

Yes... FOUR of them! Paintbrush is such an amazing Mom and she is taking really good care of the 4 little ones... there are two girls and two boys  -

 

Just after birth last night

 

and this morning they are dry clean and up and around

They have been named - Lucy - Ricky - Fred & Ethel ...  :0)

 

Lucy and Ricky are more outgoing... so far anyway I am sure they will all be bouncing everywhere in another 12-24 hours!

I have no favorites of course... but Lucy and I have really bonded, she is the tiniest and loves to be held.  Gorgeous or what??

Now we are waiting on Bella to have her baby (donkey) she is getting closer!!
Have a wonderful Thursday.. I think you know where I will be most of the day! LOL

The Sarah Kay card that Gato ate.... LOL

OH my I was so in love with this card when I finished it late one night last week. I just love this image - This is one of the brand new Stampavie Sarah Kay images - Jean-Luc playing ball with Claude.   I was so excited to ink him up and color him, and then to match him up with some new papers I got from DCWV - Linen Closet. Have you seen this collection? Oh I am so in love with it, I think I am going to need a second stack of this one!

Anyway.. I am babbling... I finished the card really late one night last week, turned out the light and went to bed. At about 2 AM I hear a noise from my craft room. A noise I have learned to HATE... our cat "Gato" she is going through a paper faze.  She loves tearing paper - and I know you understand how horrible that is for me!!! Well besides "paper" she really LOVES mulberry roses! And I was so tired I completely forgot and left this card out. I jumped out of bed ran into my craft room flipped on the light - just in time to see her look up with two of these beautiful roses hanging out of her mouth!!  We will just leave this story that she now is down to 8 lives -  Luckily she hadn't gotten to tearing the card yet, but I did have to add three new roses as she really tore up the first ones... but oh my this cat is really aging me!! Oh and you should see the corner of my new My Minds Eye paper stack!!!! Any ideas how to stop a paper eating cat?

But Jean-Luc is still adorable and I am really happy with how the card came out!

Here is a close up of those gorgeous roses... 

 

A few quick details about the card - base is Bazzil Dotted Swiss, pattern paper as I said is DCWV Linen Closet. Inked and Sewed down. Image is cut and matted with Nesties Labels dies. Mulberry roses with Martha Stewart frond and leaf punches. Sentiment is from Stamps by Judith, punched out with Stampin Up Word Window punch. And a Satin ribbon tied off with a bow!

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday - Hubby and I are taking Libbie and Autie to the vet for their check ups and "shhh" shots....   Then we are working on the property.. as the weather is gorgeous for the first time in a long time! 

HUGS and -

A Spoon Full of Wag's and Whiskers!

Yes, today is Spoon Full of Sugar day and this week we are sponsered by Wag's n Whiskers! Don't you just love these stamps? :0)

For my card I was lucky to get to play with "Love you Sis!" How adorable are these two precious little girls!

They are colored with my Copics - then I doodled around the edges with a lavender Spica glitter pen, and highlighted with white gel pen.

Now the theme for the week is to add some spring color to your card. I just love lavender, pink, green and yellow all together - And these new papers from DCWV  All about Girls... LOL I think that is the name... I picked two of the pattern papers, matted with lavender card stock. I just had to use one of my new Martha Stewart border punches - Those 40% coupons just kill me! :0)  Heck my 40% off coupon.. MIL's 40% off coupon.. and Hubby's 40% off coupon... and I came home with three of the new spring punches! LOL Love these pansy flowers! I then sewed down everything with lavender thread. Added three buttons with pink twine and a Stamps by Judith sentiment punched out with a Stampin Up Word Window punch.

I am loving the new releases from Wag's n Whiskers... wanna see some others and some more pretty Spring cards? Pop on over to A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge Blog and then join us in playing and you too might get some new Wag's n Whiskers stamps to play with.. wink wink!

Another stock show day for Hubby and I! And the weather has been just beautiful for us. I was so worried it was going to be rainy and cold... but it is Sunny and cool!

HUGS and-

Stampavie Sarah Kay Sneak Peek

It is my turn to show off another new Stampavie image! And today I am showing one of my favorites.. one of the Sarah Kays! This is Isabelle with puppy Coco - really a beautiful image! I know, I know all the Sarah Kay's are just gorgeous. But I really think this release is just outstanding! Then again it may just be that I get so excited to have new SK's to color that new ones just seem so much more to me! LOL What do you think?

Ok.. so here is Isabelle with puppy Coco...

 

 Colored with my Copics, then cut out with oval Nesties, matted with scalloped oval Nesties. My card is started with a beige cards stock base. With three pieces of My Minds Eye Laundry Line pattern papers. I love the vintage feel of these papers. For a lacey feel I used the extra large Martha Stewart border punch.. just love how this punch creates two sides punched. I put a piece of the pink patten paper behind it to pop the flowers. 

I did have flowers to match the pattern papers, so I used off white flowers that I air brushed with my Copics - love that! Really makes your flowers match so much better when you can match the inks! Martha Stewart frond leaf punches for some greenery. Sentiment is punched out with a Stampin Up Word window punch. 

Since home from CHA I have been coloring lots of these new Sarah Kay images! I really can't decide which one is my favorite... I say each one I do is my favorite then I color another one and I love it. So which one is your favorite from the new release?? I know you have looked at them all by now and have at least one must have.. or is it all of them like me? LOL 

Today Hubby and I are at the Stock show - our "Anniversary" tradition, they have two days at the local stock show that we call "Donkey Days"  - they show, and compete with all sizes of donkeys and Mules. We love to go and watch and see all the beautiful animals. Hubby really gets a huge kick out of watching the Mammoth Mules and Donkeys - they are amazing animals. I wouldn't put it past him to one day have one of these, especially a mule he has wanted one forever.  But me... I just love to watch all the competitions especially the juniors...  nothing cuter than seeing a 6 or 7 year old showing a mini donkey! 

Have a wonderful Monday!

HUGS and -