POSTING TO BRAG MONDAY AT THE GRAPHICS FAIRY

Well, today is Monday which means time to post about Brag Monday over at the Graphics Fairy http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/2012/06/brag-monday-hydrangea-card-french.html where she comes up with some of the neatest usuable clip art around.  She has a linky party if you have never visited Karen, so you can check out what fantastic ideas OTHER PEOPLE have come up with to use her images. Some of the uses are really fantastic.
Here are a few tags I have listed on ETSY that I created with some of her images.

Well, gotta go ~ I'm working on more unique tags than simple pics so you can see them soon.
Blessings to all~
Smiles and hugs
Mary

FIRST TIME ON PINK SATURDAY ~ MAMA'S CAT PITCHER

So, after watching everyone else on Pink Saturday, I decided to join the fun.  While still going thru boxes and boxes of stuff from moving (I know it was 7 yrs ago!!) I am STILL unpacking stuff.  This is my latest really interesting discovery ~ Mama's cat pitcher ~ I don't remember her ever actually pouring anything liquid or otherwise out of the pitcher. She just liked cats and bought interesting cat things.  Inside the pitcher I found a dozen plastic and glass pill bottles (empty thank goodness!!) in the pitcher. They dated back to 1965 to the early 1970's.  I'm not really surprised at the bottles because she always saved them to put pins, needles, and tiny loose thingies in them. Yeah my mom was recycling waaaaay before someone coined the term.  Her motto was "waste not, want not" but then you have realize she survived the depression and WW2 rationing. Folks today don't really have a clue about 'making do and doing without'.  Not really, I mean, you might not be able to afford something ~ but atleast it is on the store shelf.  Back then it wasn't on the shelf!! Anyway here's the pics ~ I have no idea who made this as there are NO markings on it. If you know please share with me, I am always curious. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/06/a-fathers-day-pink-saturday-june-16-2012.html 

I included a closeup trying to show the crackling in the finish but I'm not a great photographer.
Hope all the fathers out there have a great weekend, my father died 12 yrs ago and I still stop breathing when I think about it.
Blessings to all of you.
Hugs and Smiles
Mary

NEW LISTINGS ON ETSY AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD (for a change)

If you saw my right side bar, you know what I have been doing.  I have spent the last 3 weeks reading, experimenting, deleting, adding, re-arranging, clipping, enlarging everything it seems like.  I have been playing with my PRINTMASTER program. It's not new, I have had it for a couple of years, my original copy I bought when I got my FIRST computer (back in the dark ages of 2003 and Windows XP.  I never did much with the original except make business cards and labels for my crafted items and a few other odds and ends.  Three weeks ago I decided that I had to figure out how to make the beautiful tags I keep seeing on ETSY and other sites and I started exploring my PRINTMASTER program. I know I haven't scratched the surface of this program, but I have managed to do some neat things.  I wish I had the money for PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS, but I don't and I will have to sell a lot of stuff to get it.  PRINTMASTER has some neat stuff on it, if you can figure out how to access it. It is cheap enough at $10 at STAPLES.  So here goes. These are some of the things I have managed to put together:

The program will auto crop these shapes (I wish it had more shapes that I want like scalloped shapes, hearts, squares etc) But I will deal with what I have for now. These are the simple tags. I have printed out elements and cut them out, created some background sheets, and collected ribbons, stickers, yarns, lace and such to use on more elaborate designs to post later. I have spent hours and hours and several ink cartridges getting this together. I will be posting tags on ETSY every day for a while (that takes almost as much time as creating does, and we won't even start on photographing everything!!!!). Anyway, as the old radio announcers used to say~ Ya'll stay tuned, the best is yet to come!!

Blessings to all~

Smiles and hugs~

Mary

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ~ 2012 ~

This weekend we celebrate the sacrifices of our service men and women AND the families they leave behind.  I can hardly write this for the tears in my eyes when I think of the broken hearts that have followed our military through the years.  The bravery and sacrifice of them and their families that have given this country freedoms that most of the world only dream about and yet we are in danger of throwing away in face of "political correctness" and all the other malarkey our "leaders" spout at us. Our soldiers have bled and died and their families have cried a million tears to preserve our country and its Constitution. I hope we will remember that before we throw it all away.

May God have mercy on each of our fallen soldiers and give His loving comfort to their families and friends.
Mary

KIDS RIDE BICYCLES TO SCHOOL AND GET SUSPENED!!

I don't comment on the news very often in my blog, but this news story from ABC NEWS just set my red hair on flames. I don't like to read much news today because it is soooo depressing. Murder, mayhem, drugs, politicos that don't have a clue about anything but breaking laws right and left. That is all you see, then along comes this story and it just makes a person want to rip someone's hair out.  http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/high-school-students-stage-celebratory-bike-ride-get-suspended-for-senior-prank/ 
This woman who is the principal should be FIRED!!  She is the epitome of what is WRONG in education these days.  These kids (according to the story) did everything right : they had a police escort, they didn't break ANY LAWS, they didn't hurt anyone, they didn't do ANYTHING ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, so where does that idiot come up with a right to even voice a comment on their bike ride let alone SUSPEND THEM AND THREATEN TO NOT ALLOW THEM TO ATTEND GRADUATION.  If the city fathers (and mothers) in Michigan leave that woman lording it over that school ~shame on them. Who gave her that much power on what people do AWAY FROM SCHOOL.  Thank God she is in Michigan and not in Alabama. There were problems in schools 50 years ago when I attended but we DID NOT HAVE IDIOTS like that woman running things. I would NEVER let a child of mine attend a public school today.  The biggest reason is they DO NOT receive a decent education. From my experience with younger folks today is most of them can't read, do simple math, and can't work out simple problems.  It is so sad. It is NOT the children's fault. The powers that be (education unions, education boards, teachers, professors, the folks that control education standards) are totally to blame.  They have their own agendas to change social structures and have used their positions to do it. And now we are reaping what they have planted in our schools. And we let them. And there may not be a way to undo the disaster that they (and we by our complacency) have allowed to happen. I hope the mayor and school board give that woman a much needed vacation and find someone to run that school with at least 2 brain cells to rub together. 
Now I am going to take a deep breath and cool off drinking a cup of coffee. I wish each one of those kids a good life. Their future and their life is ahead of them.  May God bless each one of them.
Mary

Well after I posted the above I went back to ABCNEWs to check the link above and found out the old girl apologized.  You really have to read it. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/05/principal-apologizes-to-students-for-punishing-them-for-celebratory-bike-ride/
She thinks she "might have over reacted". Fire her rear end. I wouldn't trust the saftey and well being of any child being under her control. She needs a tranqilizer or a pyramid to sit in, or to try Yoga, something to calm her down and to chill out.  She doesn't need to be a high school principal. I hope she gets some help soon. She needs it.
Mary ~ chillin' in Alabama

NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK ~ MOLLY AND THE CHOCOLATE CRUMB RACE ~

I was visiting over at "Random Creativity" to check out her posts (which I always enjoy) and her giveaway she just listed. The giveaway looks great with lots of butterfly crafts ~ tags, a journal, scented candle and lots more butterfly thingies. But what really caught my attention was the cover of her new childrens book "Molly and the Chocolate Crumb Race"

http://lmarandomcreativity.blogspot.com/2012/05/celebration-and-give-away.html . I checked out the Amazon listing and apparantly it is only in a kindle edition.  I guess I am going to have to break down and get a kindle.  Personally I love to hold a book in my hands, but I also realize how hard it is to get a book published in paper. I would really love to read this book.  Here is the blurb from Amazon :

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2012

"Molly And The Chocolate Cookie Crumb Race" is about three field mice who risk entering the country church during Sunday services. Molly, Purcey and Charlie race each other every Sunday to the chocolate cookie crumbs that are usually always under the third pew on the right. Molly loves chocolate cookie crumbs very much and she really likes to win the race. Molly also enjoys listening to the children's messages about God and his love. She wonders if God loves her, since most people don't seem to like mice.

Does that not sound delightful?  I will find a way to read this book.  I think just on the basis of the content on Random Creativity's blog and this intro from Amazon that this book would be a good book for children (and adults) to read. Cindy Adkins also has a great review of the book. Here is a link to Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/Molly-Chocolate-Cookie-Crumb-ebook/dp/B0083KORJO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top#_
With all the garbage on TV and in the libraries published for kids it is nice to see a good book come along for children. Now I am off to see who of my friends has a kindle I can borrow.  Maybe the library in Montevallo has something. I let you all know what I find.  And congrats to Linda on having her book published.  It is NOT an easy task these days.
May God bless each of you and have a safe weekend.
Mary

MORE ROSES AND NOW A LANTANA

Well I am still alive.  And here it is the first day of May! If I survive this year it seems it will be a miracle.  My sinus problems started going away ~ thank You Lord!  Then my hubby brought in some tiny bugs on his clothes (from blowing leaves and other stuff around in the yard) and I got all kinds of bites on me because he laid down on the bed with his dirty clothes on!!!! I think it might have been chiggars (or chiggers) . I react BADLY to them. Always have since I was a very young child.  Main reason I never would roll and tumble in the yard as a  child.  They make great welts and expand into a rash AND ITCH LIKE HELL. Please excuse my language, but they really do and if I scratch it turns into a bigger rash (has to do with my weird allergies!!). Any way after having to strip the bed, vacumn the bed and surrounding areas REAL GOOD and do some spraying, I stopped acquiring more bites. But I have been doped up on Benadryl for almost a week now and things are finally getting better. 
So this morning I strolled out in the yard to check out my new rose bush ~ a Don Juan climbing rose. The single bud on it has finally opened.  It is so pretty and velvety looking.

I almost missed the bloom. I think mixed with the other rose (with small baby pink blooms) on the other side of the arbor it make an interesting coverage.  The other one has buds on it, so you will see them soon.
Don bought me some multicolored Lantana (6 plants) and I am going to set them out on either side of the front steps. They will make a good moderately sized bushes for those steep steps.  My grandmother Nelson had a Lantana on one side of her back door steps and I aways was facinated by the multi colored blooms. This is as close as I have found to my Grandmothers plant. I think the pink in hers was lighter than this is but I haven't found any that exact color. I will keep looking though.  It comes back every sping and really doesn't take any work to keep them pretty. A good old fashioned flower. Here is mine still in the package.

I hope all of you have a great week and just maybe I can get back to working on my crafts again.  I had several projects started for Mothers Day, but had to go to bed instead.
May God bless each of you.
Mary