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
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
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
I am an UNHAPPY camper. I loaded google chrome (yes I know I should have used caps for google chrome) it didn't work so I guess for the future you won't see any pics on my blog. I am pissed (yes I know it isn't a nice word but it is better than the ones I am thinking). I am tired of the "know it all 'the collective is ALWAYS right" idiots that think new is better and 'do not argue with the all knowing I am smarter than everyone else' ding a lings. Thank goodness I am getting old. I won't have to put up with this crap much longer. I think (thank goodness) the world has passed me by. While I have never been on the cutting edge of technology I have tried to keep up at least with the things that affect me. I do not understand (or maybe I do) why 'simple' is not the desired result of improvements. The powers that be don't want anything to be simple because then there would not be any reason for the existence of 'the powers that be'. I recently read an interesting article about how easy it is for 'smart TVs' to be programed to allow for the watching and listening to folks in the room with the 'smart TV'. Take the time to really think about that. Your TV in Your room!! I read another article about 'cloud storage' and how easy it is for 'non-authorized' persons to access your storage in 'the cloud'. I think technology has reached the point of decreasing dividends. There is no privacy any more. There is no 'easy' or 'simple' any more. I realize that my blog is available to anyone one on the internet, therefore I have not put anything on the net that I don't mind sharing with 'anyone'. Of course there is a significant group of folks that believe there should not be any kind of privacy any more. Which brings me back to my original problem. I am being forced to allow access to my things by anyone whether I want to or not. I do not; therefore, for the fore seeable future I will not have any more pics on my blog. I am tired of being forced into corners I don't want to enter. I had fun with my camera. I have taken the batteries out and have no plans to put them back in anytime soon. I have used Picasa ~ it is a piece of garbage. I will not be forced to use it again.
Folks, if you believe in God ~ pray and pray hard.
The world as we used to know it is changing and not for the better.
May God shed is blessings on each of you.
Mary
ps I will post again ~ but ~ not with pics.
Ok folks ~ I have a question ~ why can't I upload a picture for my blog from the pics on my computer?????
I started a blog entry today and when I got ready to upload the picture a new window opened and the only options were Picasa (I don't have and don't want) my phone (I don't have a cell phone or IPAD or any of those things), a URL, a webcam (I have one but the pic I wanted to load is in my computer Picture directory) or I could load pics ALREADY in my blog entries. I tried all kinds of tabs and NOTHING gave an option for using my own picture dirctory.
What have the dingbats at blogger done now ??? What have I missed or am I the old dingbat???
Anyone's help will be greatly appreciatied !!
PS the entry I planned to post would have been enjoyed by all women size 10 and up !
Mary
Well today is Christmas Day. It is raining and supposed to storm big time late this afternoon and into the nite. I just a soon we kept the rain we are getting right now because they say we will probably have some strong tornadoes. Tornadoes we can do without ~ period.
I haven't been on line much lately. Just haven't felt very good. Don and I both have been spending too much quality time with our doctors. Guess we both will live thru it. Just really had a big problem getting in the Christmas spirit at all this year. I hope next year will be better, but with the political climate I doubt it.
I actually own this vintage Christmas card and the original box it came in. I saw it on a blog a good while ago and dug mine out. The verse is perfect for this Christmas with all the sad things happening this year.
Don and I wish you and your families each a Blessed Christmas. Remember Christ is the reason for the season.
Mary and Don
I am glad Halloween is over. I don't do witches and blood and guts stuff. I love fall, colored leaves, cooler temps, pumpkins, harvest stuff, and more colored leaves. We were really getting a good color in the trees this year and Sandy came along. Georgia and South Carolina and Florida are between me and the Atlantic ocean and yet we had at least 6 days of steady to gusting winds from that storm. I mean steady winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph. The wind blew like west Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas without slowing down a bit. It blew most of the leaves off the trees so we don't have much color now. I guess this sounds petty. I really do feel for all those folks that now have to deal with the aftermath of that storm. I pray for them to have the strength to deal with all the heartaches that storm created. There are a lot of hurting folks from that storm. Homes and businesses destroyed.
I borrowed these pictures from their web sites, the bottom one is the Salvation Army setting up a kitchen for hot meals in Manhattan.
If you wonder how to help those folks, here are links to the Salvation Army https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/disaster and Samaritans Purse
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Project_Donations/ are the two best organizations I know of for direct aid to hurting people with immediate disaster relief. They have the best ratio of $$$ to people relief of any organizations including the Red Cross. My state has had lots of contact with both organizations what with all the devastating tornadoes we have had in the last 2 years. Both can use your $$$ and prayers.
I guess that is it for today.
May God bless you and your families.
Mary
