Thursday, February 28, 2013

SO MANY EGGS AND COLLAGE OBSESSION

In my wanderings among all the beautiful blogs and looking at entries to lots of challenges (most I will probably never enter) I came across Collage Obsession It is a weekly challenge, starts on Sunday and usually gives you several photos as prompts. This week's was EGGS ! So the first thing I did was hit my clipart folders and look for eggs I already had photos of. Of course Easter popped right up front and center. Now, when my brothers and I were in the under 15 age bracket my mother made sure we got an Easter basket every Easter. She didn't get the ready made ones, no siree, she bought bags on candy and goodies and designed her own. Oh yes and my FATHER always got one too!!! Two holidays he loved were Easter and Halloween ~ just for the candy.  We didn't have a lot of candy around the house all the time. I had an aunt that kept fancy glass candy jars (filled) in every room except the bathroom. But not us and my father did have a sweet tooth. We (my mother and I) gave my father an Easter basket up until his death at 85.
Anyway (I tend to get sidetracked ) back to the collage challenge. In the spirit of kids and father's that loved the Easter bunny ~ here is my entry:
When I found the bunnies painting their Easter eggs I thought of the theme to my collage. I found the bunnies eggs at Vintage Holiday Crafts and the blue eggs at the Graphics Fairy The background is some fabric in my stash that I scanned and printed. I think this is the first piece I have ever done as simply a collage. It was fun (after a lot of agnst by me ) but what would crafting be without a lot of worry hunting stuff)

So here are the challenges I am entering with this collage:
Collage Obsession - Eggs
Crafty Boots Challenge - out of your comfort zone
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Divas By Design - any paper project /anything goes

Come join the fun !!

Mary









Sunday, February 24, 2013

FINALLY JOINING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES

I have finally gathered enough supplies together to actually join several challenges with some original work.  It has really been hard to get my act together for the last 6 months or so.  It seems every thing I have touched lately has quit working (my Printmaster program) or has journeyed to the 'land of the lost' (stamps, punches, ribbon roses, the list is really endless), dried up (stamp pads) or just evaporated (card stock I had already printed, images I had already cut out, and on and on).
After spending several weeks studying my list of on line challenges I finally found some that I could also find most of the supplies I needed to complete the challenge ~ so here we go:

Here is my entry ~


This is either my 2nd or 3rd card I have ever tried to create. It's not perfect (to my standards) but short of tearing my hair out trying to do another one today ~ here it is ~ LOL.  I promise you as soon as I decided I wanted something that something went into 'witness protection' or hiding or simply evaporated never to be seen again.

Here are the statistics on this creation ~
~pink background paper and large butterfly paper ~
     LEAPING FROG DESIGNS (FREEBIE) 
~pink paper doily (I found it while looking for something else ~ WILTON CAKE SUPPLIES (at least 20 years old)
~butterfly punch and stamps ~ STUDIO G @ WALMART
~fancy corner punch (actually a border punch but I wanted fancy corners) ~ The PAPER STUDIO @ Hobby Lobby
~ ribbon roses and bow (I made) from my stash
~the scalloped white paper and hand painted black scalloped circle I hand cut (no fancy paper cutting machines - no siree this old chick has to do it herself)

Here are the challenges ~

TAKE A WORD MONDAYS ~ Wings

FLUTTER BY WEDNESDAY'S 228 ~ Sketch

FUSSY AND FANCY FRIDAY 83 ~ Pink & Black

HECK OF A CHALLENGE (FEBRUARY) ~Love & Flowers

Check out these great challenges ~ In spite of all my problems getting it put together ~ it was satisfying just finishing something creative for a change and I really had fun visiting the design teams and all the other entries. There are some really fantastic artists out in blog land. And ohhh the eye candy.

God's Blessings on each of you~
Mary



Monday, February 11, 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISCOUTESS HAWARDEN

I don't write about historical persons hardly at all.  Every now and again something pops up (a lot of times on Facebook) that I just can't resist talking about. This lady is such a person.

I love to read romances ~ mostly Regency and early Victorian era stories.  I was visiting author Juliana Gray's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JulianaGray  and she had an entry about Lady Clementina, Viscountess Hawarden's photography from the period 1857 to her death in 1865.  This lady was one of only a handful of ladies in this time period that took photographs of other people particularly, in  studio settings. Here is one of her photographs that will be auctioned off on March 19 at Bonhams in London.
This photo was part of a group posted online by http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/9854840/Lady-Clementina-Hawarden-one-of-Britains-first-female-photographers.html?frame=2473604#?frame=2473604 .  There are 10 pictures in this group.  Of course, I had to check out Wikipedia to see what they had and they listed more personal history about the lady like she didn't start taking pictures until AFTER she had 10 children.  WOW! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementina_Maude,_Viscountess_Hawarden


They also listed several books that have been written about this lady.  What really made this astounding is this is Victorian England and ladies just didn't run their own picture studios and take pics outside and such. It just wasn't done.  This lady was truly a pioneer.  I hope the auction of her photos goes really well because she has mostly been forgotten.  I mean she only warranted  a half a page in the Telegraph and Wikipedia while trash like Lady? Gaga get pages on Wikipedia. I know Viscountess Hawarden isn't "current" but she does have a place in womens' history.  Please take the time to Google her pictures and take the Telegraph's link ~ there is a good description on the pics and it is worth the time spent.

I am back among the living for a while.  Maybe I will get some inspiration to do some crafting again.  I just have not had any 'get up and go' the last few months.

Love ya'll and Happy Valentines' Day.
Mary

Saturday, February 2, 2013

MORE OF LIFE

Well, time flies when you're having fun ~ or so the wise ones say ~
As you can see Google has finally changed something and now I can add pictures from my own collection. The above cherub is from  http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ , sweet Karen's huge collection of images. Really, when it come to Karen's collection ~ if she doesn't have it * you probably don't really need it.  I am just really REALLY happy to be able to add pics to my blog again.  Blogger does have some problems like when I go to my dashboard sometimes the list of new postings from all your beautiful blogs comes up and sometimes it doesn't.  It's really like rolling dice. But trust me I don't get nearly as upset over that as I did about the picture thing.  I'm just glad they fixed whatever they did. I don't post a whole lot, but I really did miss not having the option to add pics.

 I hope all of you are doing OK. Don fell a little over a week ago on the deck going out to get the mail even though the lil ole wife that doesn't know anything was telling him there was ice out there on the ramp. He tried to slide down it on his back. He is getting better but still real slow getting up and down out of his recliner. I've had a time with my sinuses sneezing and coughing my head off but I am recovering and guess I will live a while longer. One day it's up in the 70's and then it doesn't get out of the 40's for several days. You did NOT hear me say this because I die in the summer heat ~ but I won't be unhappy when spring peeps around the corner.

The above image came from http://www.vintageimages.org/index.php/ ~ it was in the flower group.  Like I said I am sooooo happy to be able to add pics again. 

Til next time ~ I pray God's blessings on each of you.

Mary