Animal Crackers - An April Afternoon - and a last minute ADDITION x 3!!

Just a reminder to myself that it is still April - Man has it been HOT HOT HOT here this week! In fact Tuesday we hit 100 degrees here officially! Broke records. Thankfully a slight cool front came through and it was much nicer later in the week. Now we just desperately need some rain!

I went out Thursday afternoon and got some shots of the animals all taking it easy in the shade.

My favorite photo of the week?

Totally ADORE this photo... this is our newest kid, Lucky and his "girl friend" Lucy... LOL Well he wishes his girlfriend anyway :0) This little dude is one independent Ladies man! NO Momma boy here, the only time you find this guy with Mom is when he is hungry. Other than that you find him with one of the other girls. And Lucy is his favorite :0) Don't tell anyone, but she is my favorite too. My Girl Lucy - can't believe she is almost a year and half old!

But this photo came in a very close second -

Baby Yolanda. She is so super friendly, and loving. A gorgeous dark silver grey in color with her Dad's silky black nose. You can really see her slight white star on her forehead. And I just love those hair tuffs under each eye. Cute Patootie!

Speaking of cute, how about two of our smallest youth girls?

Pepita and Mirta - these two little gals have become pretty good friends. Maybe it is the size thing? Pepita REALLY looks like her Daddy Black Jack, and Mirta is a tiny clone of her Daddy Raffie... total sweetness both of them.

And then here comes trouble!
I love this guy really I do, but will someone please come and buy him now? This is Carlos, and he is on our for sale list. No not just cuz he has gotten into trouble lately, but mainly cuz he is a he. Can't keep the guys you know. Carlos has really been pushing his authority in the boys dorm. (That is our new nick name for the two youth pens, boys dorm, and girls dorm LOL ) I went to let the dogs out the other night and heard noises and running from the boys dorm, and yep... once again Carlos was chasing and beating up on the smaller guys. He keeps getting in trouble for that. But when I have to put on my boots and go out there in the middle of the night to get him to calm down.. I get really upset! And three more times this week I have had to run out there and yell at him. He is real close to a private dorm room, and that is not a privilege around here. He hates to be in the tiny pen by himself. I hope he is gonna give it up, no, more I hope that someone will come and fall in love with him and take him home with them! I do love him though.. really I do :0 )

How about a face with big brown eyes that will melt your heart?
Love my Autie boy - just look at those eyes.. really they melt my heart -

And these baby brown eyes are gonna be just the same -

When Chica gets in trouble for something, she flashes those eyes and then in an instant she flips over on her back and you just can't be upset any longer - where did she learn that trick from? I wonder.....

Oh yea - Libbie flips over like this anytime you look at her - total submission I guess? Totally adorable actually.


HOLD THE PRESSES... LOL I had this post all written late Friday afternoon and then...well Chloe decided that she wanted some time this week - so she gave birth to THREE little cuties!
Was a very exhausting time for me personally - home all alone, Chloe gives birth out in the sun and then drops them and leaves them!! I tried everything to get her to go to her newborn babies, but NO WAY! After almost 45 minutes I fed them a little powdered goat milk so they wouldn't die, and then tried for another 1.5 hours to get Chloe to go into a small pen with them, I look like a lobster I am so sunburned..... But a neighbor came and helped me and we got her in and after about 30 minutes she was cleaning them and feeding them. I do think and pray that she is going to take care of them and be a good Mom... I think she will now that she has calmed down. First time Mom and young so she was just scared I think. That and she is a insane crazy goat - But my my my cute kids or what? I'll show of more photos of them once they are all cleaned up and have names :0)


Hope you enjoyed today's Crackers. You have something fun for the last of April? A quiet weekend at home or something fun? What ever it is enjoy it to the fullest! And thanks so much for taking time to visit us!

HUGS and -

Just Magnolias and Hanglars - Buttons, Bows and/or Bling!

This week FLEW by! Man... Friday already again, and that is good right? One it is the weekend, two it is Just Magnolia's and Hanglar's Challenge day! This week it is all about Buttons, Bows and Bling Baby!! You can use any or all of the three! So how fun is that.

Me over doing as usual I went with all three.. LOLI played with another Hanglar image :0) isn't she just too cute for words. I colored with my Copics, highlighted with my white gel pen, the stickles for the wings and the background is pearl chalk. Gives a shimmery look to the image. I chose two shades of creamy yellow card stock. The back ground pattern paper is Webster's Pages, and the floral is from DCWV. I sewed things together.

Then my Doily is wonderful isn't it? I just got it from Papertrey ink. Love it! I "embellished" it with light blue rhinestones. I used a linen colored satin ribbon (also from Papertrey Ink) tied around the background papers. The sentiment is from Stampin Up - Love it...

And to then for my last embellishment I added four small yellow buttons for the corners.
Just love her... had to show you a photo of her close up :0)

I do hope you will pop over to Just Magnolia's and Hanglar's challenge and see all the DT cards, and then join us in the challenge.

Off to spend the day with Hubby and some of his errands :0) Not anything super fun like a craft store or anything, but this time of year I take any time I can with him, as he works so much in the Spring. What is on your list of fun to do this weekend?

HUGS and-

Copics Uses: B32; BG0000; E000; E55; E57; R20; YG03; YG63: YR000; YR37 and a Grey Pencil

Me and My Space - Embossing Folders Storage

Well... this week I have really turned things upside down in my craft room :0) - I have been telling you that I have wanted something different for on top of my desk. I love seeing everything all out there and pretty. But seriously, I hate all the dust, and I hate Gato, the cat knocking things over. So I have been searching for something to use. I have settled on the Jet Max Box system. Main reason is that it fits. And now that I have been working with them, I like that I can totally customize them. So I have been working and in the coming weeks I have lots to show off :0)

But for today, I am going to show you another one of my Walmart CD storage boxes, and you know what? These match the Jet Max boxes perfectly!
These boxes are the perfect size to store all of my Embossing Folders - I like that I can just flip through them and find what ever I need pretty easily, whether Cuttlebug, Sizzix or Spellbinders, they are all together.
Once I have all of my Jet-Max and these boxes all set up I will make pretty matching labels for them all :0)

Now for something personal - These two of my favorite donkeys... I call them "My Jay-Jay" Donkeys - any guesses why? These were both gifts from my good friend and fellow Stampavie DT member Jay Jay.

How adorable are they? Pink donkeys.. with little boo boo's. The little one Jay Jay brought to me when we were roomies at CHA in January 2010. Then the matching larger one she sent to me last summer... my difficult summer, and for my birthday. These both sit on the shelf above my desk, I smile and think of Jay Jay when I see them. They are very special. OH you have to see the adorable tags....

cute cute cute! I totally adore them, Thanks Jay Jay you are just the bestest!


HUGS and -

Spoon Full of Sugar - A Royal Theme

Hello - Today is Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge day, and since all the media is all Royal this week with upcoming wedding - our challenge is doing the same! To make a card with something Royal to it. A castle? A Royal family member? Or just even a royal word in you sentiment... me I went with the simple task of the word Princess in my sentiment. Just couldn't come up with anything else.. LOL

But I am happy with my card, and getting to play with Stampavie's Leere Aldrich Party Girl image. I love these images, and just don't use them often enough.
Colored her up with my Copics, highlighted with Shimmerz and Stickles. All the pattern papers are from DCWV Linen Closet collection, I just love the glitter to these papers! I sewed them down with a zig zag stitch. The mat behind my Party Girl is really glittery, and I used the new Martha Stewart Jumbo Double Arches corner punch and the cut down the sides.

The sentiment is also a Stampavie sentiment, Leere Aldrich.
Now I just had to try and show you the shimmerz and glitter ;0)

And look at these gorgeous flowers. I took three mulberry flowers, sprayed them with vanilla smooch, and that just wasn't enough... so while they were still a little wet, I dipped them in extra fin glitter! Can never have enough sparkle for a Party Girl image!

Hope you will visit A Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge and see all the Royalty! :0)

Have a wonderful day! See you tomorrow for Me and My Space... I have totally re-done things! LOL
HUGS and -

Dust It Off Sunday - Alota - Joyful Easter Greetings

Happy Easter! I hope you are having a wonderful Blessed weekend with friends and family, and I thank you for taking time to visit me today :0)

Some of my all time favorite Easter images are from Alota Rubber Stamps, Helene has some of the cutest Spring and Easter images, and when I sat down to make a card for today's post, I went straight to my Alota stamps!
This card is made with four different Alota stamps. The three eggs are just gorgeous, I masked off the two back ones to layer them in front of each other, then the third egg I stamped out and cut it to POP it in front. They are colored with my Copics - and then I high lighted them with lots of stickles :0) The sentiment is also from Alot Rubber Stamps.

The papers are from K&Company - Watercolor stack, if you like gorgeous floral papers... search out this pad! OH my I saw it and it went straight into the cart to use my coupon on! I inked the edge with Distress ink Tea Dye and then sewed them down. The border punch is from Martha Stewart Deep Edge punch called Garden Gate.

Hope you liked my EGGstra-Special Easter card for you :0)... sorry had to do the pun!
Again Happy Easter -
HUGS and-

Animal Crackers - Just at Dark?

Thursday night we went out just before dark to spend some quality loving time with the new baby Yolanda... bonding so they are spoiled rotten you know :0) And I decided to get a different look for my photos. Now the thing that upset me is it really wasn't as dark as it looks in the photos! Wonder why that is? Nope won't catch me out after dark with out a flash light and a shovel... why you ask? Well Tuesday night when walking back from the neighbors house after her horse delivered... Hubby and I came across about a 4 1/2 foot rattle snake! I nearly stepped on it!!! With one eye, dark is dark, and I am usually focusing on the ground right in front of me for levels of ground and so I don't stumble over something. Well... Hubby yelled and pushed me back and pointed to it... and that was about it for me folks! Up on the fence until he went off a ways and then into the truck so Hubby could drive me the rest of the way home!! He looked for the snake forever... but I think both of us yelling scared him a mile or so away - I am hoping for 10 miles personally!

Anyway that long story to say, that this girl will have really great flash lights when out now!

Here are some of my "Dusk photos"

First up we went straight to the baby, Yolanda, and her Mom of course. This little one is gonna be super friendly - she loves hugs! Just like her Mom Bella.
Jolene thought we were spending too much on Yolanda and Bella.. she wanted some attention. Or was it food??? Oh yea, she was wanting food. LOL Wish you could hear this photo!
And how about the proud new Papa? Black Jack. You can really see how red this all black Donkey turns in the sun in this photo with the flash. He is getting older, oh well.. lets say Mid Life? He is I think about 15 or 16 now. But he still gives us some gorgeous babies! And he is getting sweeter and sweeter in time. As long as you don't mind him coming to you back end first that is, he love his rear end scratched. LOL
Macie.. I really think she has one of the prettiest faces of all the donkeys, she has huge gorgeous eyes, and LONG eyelashes. She is a bit skittish at times, but oddly right at dark or in the night, she is very friendly. Wonder why that is?

As we were coming out of the pen, I turned to yell at Libbie for her ear piercing barking she was doing.... uh wait... she is being taunted. Yep Lucky thinks it is hysterical to stand out in front of Libbie... then charge her and then run off. Drives Libbie nuts. She never does like the baby goats. I think it is cuz they are the same size as her and the just magically appear in the pens.... too funny!
As I turned to tell Hubby to look at Libbie and Lucky, he wasn't there. Nope he had gone back into the pen to say good night one more time to Yolanda and Bella.

Horrible photo here, as they were a long way from me and I had to zoom in the dark, but it really is a sweet photo. Hubby loves our "children" and he really bonds to the babies.
I took this photo of Gato the other day with my camera phone. I had brought some boxes in from the post office, this girl loves to lay on new boxes, and she cracks me up with her idea of comfortable.

OH and one more photo from my camera phone!!! Last Saturday evening we were at the neighbors, and when coming home, Hubby commented that the goats must really be hungry cuz they were all screaming like crazy at us. Well... when we came up to the yard - they were all out!! Now luckily they just escaped from their pen into the Dogs yard, so we didn't have lots of chasing to do - but look at how we found Jack and Jill ----I thought it was Jack and Jill went up a HILL???? Nope not mine, it is Jack and Jill went up the TREE!!! Oh my... I had to snap a photo with my camera phone before I we wrangled them back into their pen! And GREAT news!!!! Sunday afternoon the family that was interested in Jack came saw him, fell in love and took him to his new home. He now has some new ladies in his life, that he is not related too... and they say their neighbors are going to have some time with him too. I am so happy that I didn't cut him, and he is going to pass on those stunning looks!

Well I hope you have a wonderful Saturday, and a great holiday weekend.
HUGS and-

Just Magnolias and Hanglars - A sketch this week!

Hello and Happy Friday! Today is Just Magnolias and Hanglars Challenge Day, and I got to play with some new Hanglars!!!!! I have gotten a few emails asking me where I get my Hanglars, and always before I have said, internet friends and once I was lucky on Ebay..... but hang on to your wallets ladies!!! Hanglars now ship Worldwide!!! Yep - they don't have everything, just some of their kits and a few mini kits - but hey they are Hanglars and they ship to us! :0)

So here is my card for this weeks sketch, wonderful sketch - and I had fun with my new Hanglar ( love saying that ) and then I also used some Webster Papers that seemed perfect for this pretty little girl. I inked the edges of everything with distressing inks after sewing everything. My scalloped matting is Spellbinders Lacey Circles, with lots of light blue adhesive rhinestones. And of course there are mulberry roses, with MS Leaves and branches punches. The sentiment is part of the Hanglar Kit -

For my image, I tried something new... I have been seeing lots of people using their Copics and then shading with black pencil. I love the look that they achieve with this... so I gave it a go. Ok... maybe I was a bit to heavy handed with my shading, but I think with some practice... I will work on it.

And don't be shocked here... but I did the inside too. :0)
Loved working with this sketch, it has lots of great possibilities. I hope you will join in and pop over to Just Magnolia's and Hanglars challenge and see the other DT cards and the great prize this week.

Think this one may go up on my for sale page ;0)

Me... it is Girls Friday, pedicure day and maybe lunch - so I am on the run!
HUGS and-

Copic Colors: B41; G82; E000; E25; E53; E55; E57; R20; Y000; Y11 -Koh-I-Noor Black pencil and Ranger Distress Ink, Tea Dye.

Bella's Baby!

Hello! And I would like to introduce you to Bella's Baby! This is Yolanda -

Gorgeous isn't she? She seems a bit darker than Bella's first two babies, and she is a girl! Bella has had two boys and we were very happy that number three is a little girl! She has a tiny bit of a star on her forehead, and faint bracelets around her legs. Bella's first baby "Freddy" I called my "Zonkey" he had so many of those stripes. I hope Yolanda keeps her pretty jewelry :0)

Bella is a very attentive Mom, and VERY protective. She doesn't let any of the other donkeys around her baby. That will wear off in time... but I like that she gaurds her so well while this little one is a newborn.

It has been a busy week around here - Tuesday night we were at the neighbors just at dark to see a her horse deliver a gorgeous chocolate brown boy - and MAN is he tall!!! LOL especially next door to our minis, as a newborn he is taller than our full grown miniature donkeys. Then we settle in for the evening last night, and decided to check on Bella one more time to see if she might be thinking about having her baby - and yes... she was already starting her contractions and we knew it wouldn't be long before we would have a baby on our property as well!

And of course we had to have our "Day One" photo with Dad :0) Sorry about the flash, the sun was just coming up and it is really cloudy... I'll have more photos on Saturday for Animal Crackers - I just love having babies on the property!

HUGS and-

Me and My Space - A peek into a few more of my drawers -

Today I thought I would show you a few of my not fun, but necessary drawers. LOL I would much rather show off pretty stuff.. but sometimes there are just items that we have to keep on hand that are very needed -

Here are my chest of drawers that Hubby got me when we built my craft room. I totally love them, I have two in my space - this is a photo of one from the last time I showed off some of the drawers -
So here are three more drawers -
Boring - adhesive/tape drawer
This where I keep my ATC tape, I always purchase my boxes in 2's I work out of one, when I go to the second and start getting down into it, then I order up two more. My Tacky Tapes... I get these when they are on sale at Hobby Lobby, 40% I stock up on a couple! My regular scotch tape and pop dots are also in this drawer.

Not much but big stuff in the next drawer -
Not too much in the next drawer. I keep my Mod Podges and my large rolls of tape. I have three rolls of Gaffer tapes, LOVE using these for journals and such. The dotted looking roll is drywall tape... never know :0) Then I also keep all my little tape runners, I wonder if these are still any good... haven't used them at all since my ATG arrived years ago!

Then more colorful items in a messy whatever drawer!
Yep... gotta have crayolas - and my first set of crafting markers, I was so excited the day that those ZIG markers arrived... man were they pushed away and into the drawer when my Copics showed up! I also have some Micheal's floral dots thingy's ... I got them dirt cheap when I was really into lots of dew drops - I have used a ton of them! They just keep mulitplying in those bags! Lets see - Oh I also have extra tiles to make coasters - again I got a couple of boxes when they were on sale so I have them when I need them. (hmmmm maybe I need to make one soon) Then the rest is just a hodge podge of extras and good finds.

Drawers aren't very exciting I know, but I love mine as they give me lots of storage in small space.

And for my personal item this week... how about my two Eeyore key chains? Have I showed them before? I don't think so, I got these the first year I went to CHA and Disney :0) They make me happy hanging over my desk -

Hope you liked to peek into my drawers :0) Sorry that is just funny to say out loud isn't it? LOL

Have a wonderful Day!
HUGS and-

Spoon Full of Sugar - Celebrate!!

Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge Day - and this week we are here to Celebrate! The theme is to make a card or project to Celebrate. Me I took this to challenge my self for a Man birthday card. I have SUCH a hard time with these cards, and never have these in my stash.

So here is my attempt... really out of my box with this color combo. I went with the colors on this wonderful piece of Scribble Scrabble pattern paper. And this paper went perfect with a scrap of Graphic 45 dotted paper.

I used Stampavie's Helz Cuppleditch images "Ruffles Party". I love this puppy dog... and that bone in the bowl with the bow just is wonderful. I colored with my Copics, and then sewed down everything. As hard as it was I didn't add any embellishments for this man card - well other than cutting out one of the hats and placing it on the dogs head.. LOL

Hope you will join us as Spoon Full of Sugar this week, and Celebrate!

I am off.. gotta work today and lots of chores on my list to get done!
HUGS and -

Dust It Off Sunday - Scrapbook pages? and an awesome new Letraset Product!!

Ok, so today for Dust It Off Sunday I dusted off a few products but more than that I dusted off my Scrap booking MoJo - LOL

So I have been Scrap booking!! Back to my roots you could say, except, I am trying a new size. I got myself a 8x8 album, and I am going to be doing a few pages from time to time. And will be trying a few new things by adding my photos with, my stamping and/or with new techniques... look at me scattered even more than normal! Cards - Art Journal and now Scrap booking! LOL

Ok, so here is one of my first pages...

First I need to tell you about a new product I used for this page. A product that Letraset sent me to try out. Now I am addicted to it, and need to find more immediately! LOL Libbie's photo is printed on a new Self-Adhesive Printing Film called "Safmat" - really cool product. It look sort of like paper, you print on it and then the top layer peels off for a see through adhesive thin acetate type of stuff... you can stick it to ANY THING! Here I stuck it to a piece of heavy clear plastic, then pop dotted it over a white card stock. And as usual the photo does not show the cool effect it has in person. It looks almost like she is in a glass box, floating kind of. Really a gorgeous look! I also printed her name on this stuff and then stuck it down to the page.

For info on other products used - Martha Stewart Jumbo Double Arches Corner/Border punches; Girls Paperie Pattern paper; Bazzil card stock; Flowers; Martha Stewart Frond leaf punches; buttons; Bakers Twine. And my trusty sewing machine.

I had a lot of fun getting back to doing a scrap book page. And I bet with all my Animal Crackers in my files, I will be doing another one or hundred.. LOL

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon -
HUGS and