Sassy & Sweet Notes

Impression Obsession: Oldies but Goodies

It is an “old is new” day for the Impression Obsession team, where we feature older products in the Impression Obsession catalog. Not only do we love featuring older images, but also showing you how you can breath new life into images you may already have in your stash! We hope you're inspired!

The card I created for today’s inspiration is called Love Angel, and is a darling image! I also used the What If sentiment, one of my all-time favorite IO sentiments. The images are stamped on watercolor paper, painted with Da Vinchi watercolor pigments, set on a layer of silver glitter cardstock and mounted to a pink card base. Then, I spritzed the entire card with Glitter Dust spray, and added some Stickles glitter glue for even MORE sparkle and shine! I love it!

Be sure to pop over to the Impression Obsession blog for a full list of the designers participating in today’s inspiration, and visit the Impression Obsession website for a full catalog of rubber stamps and dies!

And, I made a video of the creation of this card. Enjoy!

Watercolored Peonies

Peonies remind me of my Gramma, so I thought I'd paint some!

Arches Watercolor paper, distress inks, Prima watercolor paints.

Painting with Inktense Blocks (Video)

I made a quick video of how I painted my Garden Kitty stamped image using Derwent Inktense Blocks and a water brush.

If you have trouble viewing the video here on my blog, you can also find it on my YouTube Channel.

And, I'd love it if you subscribed to my channel!

Enjoy!

 

Supplies
Stamp: Whipper Snapper Designs (Garden Kitty)
Ink: StazOn Black
Paper: Fabriano 100% Cotton Cold Press Watercolor paper
Derwent Inktense Blocks
Niji Water Brush

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank You!

Thank you, THANK YOU, for the birthday wishes yesterday! I felt quite loved!

*smooches!*

Happy Saturday!

Are you on Facebook? Friend me!
And "Like" my illustration page while you're there!

I'll be glad you did!! *grin*

Happy 4th!

Alan and I want to wish you and your family a very happy and SAFE 4th of July!

Plans for us today include farm chores, farm chores, and more farm chores!

We might sneak a meal or two in... and surely a big, fresh cup of coffee (for me!)

Have a wonderful day of celebration!

Whipper Snapper "Sneak Peek"

Whipper Snapper Designs posted a 'sneak peek' on their facebook page of a couple of my soon to be released stamp images, that are part of their upcoming Fall/Winter release. I thought I'd spread the fun and show you one of those peeks here, too!

Head on over to the Whipper Snapper Designs facebook page to see the another! *grin*

Happy May Day!

Happy May, dare I say, to all of you who got SNOW today!?!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Easter!

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Hope you and your family enjoy this day of celebration!

Cheers!

Image: Patriotic Flowers

Happy Summer!

Wishing you a beautiful day, and summer!

Image: Sunflower Betty

Happy Mother's Day!

Alan and I would like to wish our mothers, as well as all the other mothers out there, a very happy Mother's Day!!

Cluck, cluck!!
*smooches!*

Happy Earth Day!

Hope you have a wonderful day today, and take at least a moment to appreciate Earth. Yesterday evening, Alan helped me "refresh" the garden bed where I had spring peas planted, so today I get to plant some new seeds, water them in, and watch them GROW! Also in celebration of Earth Day, I did some video clips of the garden, and will post the video shortly.

Promises to be a gorgeous day here today ... a Sunny 81* ... a perfect day for a sundress, sun tea, and relaxation.

You'll never guess what we did this afternoon...

Here's a hint .....  *grin*

More to come, after we shower and have dinner!

Happy Easter!

Alan and I would like to wish all of you a very happy Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm wearing green today ... are YOU!?

*pinch pinch!*

Garden Girl available at Whipper Snapper Designs.

Cheery Snowmen Ornaments: Need New Homes

I finally finished some new snowman ornaments I've been working on. These took soooo long to make (days!), which is why there are only 6 finished!

It has been like an elf's workshop here, non-stop!

Painting and sanding and glittering and sewing and gluing and baking... their heads and scarves are hand painted wood, their noses I created out of clay. Their hats are felt, and their candy canes are dyed chenille. Each one was made with love.

Each one is a one-of-a-kind.

Even their cute felt hats were handmade, and their chenille candy canes were baked up right here on the farm.

I love every one of them... but if you'd like to have one for your very own, or perhaps you'd like to have one packaged up and shipped off to a friend as a secret santa gift, you can find them in my Etsy shop.

Here is a photo of one of them not on the tree.

Ho ho ho!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Alan and I want to wish you, and your family, the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Gobble gobble GOBBLE!

Daisies Smile

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for the big Spring/Summer 2012 release, which takes place in December. They've been sharing sneak peeks on their Facebook page, and I thought I'd share my own sneak peek of one of my upcoming images for the release.

The image is colored with Copic and Touch Twin markers. Once I was done coloring the image, I sprayed the entire layer with a nice even coat of spray adhesive (Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray). While the adhesive was still tacky, I sprinkled on Martha Stewart crystal fine glitter, and brushed off the excess.

Sparkle MANIA!!

Happy Monday!

Happy Halloweeeeeeen!

Just a quick note to wish you all a safe, festive, happy Halloween!

We don't get trick-or-treaters out at the farm, so it will be a nice quiet evening for Alan and me... unless I decide to pull out the ol' broom and take her for a spin!

*cackle cackle cackle!!*

And I just might!

Image: Witchy Wooo

Greetings from Oregon!

I made a quick trip out to Oregon to visit my girlfriends for the weekend. I have no doubt I will enjoy every moment! The weekend will be filled with good friends, good food, good music, good coffee, and good FUN!

What's planned?! A day at the beach, shopping at favorite retailers, a trip to our favorite pumpkin patch and local farm, wonderful meals with friends, a night of live music (with favorite local musicians) at a favorite pub, and a few days spent enjoying the lovely Oregon landscape and weather. How refreshing! I only wish Alan was able to come along. He's got life on the farm in the palms of his hands this weekend -- here's hoping all the critters mind their manners for the next couple of days!

So, here is a west coast greeting to ya'll!

And, Alan ... I'm bringing home Oregon chocolate! *grin*

Introducing Farmgirl Betty, Farmer John, & Lifetime of Happiness

I'm very excited to introduce today, my three new rubber stamp cling sets for Whipper Snapper! I had such a good time illustrating these sets, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. First up, Farmgirl Betty. A sweet little 'thang', happy to share her garden bounty. Farmgirl Betty wears only the finest all-natural fibers, and treats her feet to Birkenstocks.

To create this card, I used the Decorative Label punch from Stampin' Up to create three focal point frames for my card. I stamped several images from the set onto the frames, and added some fine dash lines around the edges as well as some sponged on distress ink. The images are colored with markers, and set on a card base made with Lily Bee Design papers (Memorandum line). Some old buttons and twine finish the card.

Inside the card I've added her chickens and a sentiment from the set. You grow, girl!

Farmgirl Betty

Next up is Farmer John. Farmer John is sweet on Farmgirl Betty, and can you blame him? He's got garden bounty of his own to share. *giggle*

I did some simple masking to create this scene. First I stamped the veggie sign and the two tomato vines. I covered the tomatoes with a paper mask cut out in their shape. Then I stamped the corn right over top of the masked tomatoes. I removed the mask from the tomatoes to reveal garden "rows". I added the pumpkins, chicken and Farmer John by stamping them on a separate piece of paper, cutting them out, and adhering them using foam adhesive.

One of his lady friends can be found on the inside of the card, as well as a sentiment from the set.

Farmer John

Finally, something a little different. Lifetime of Happiness features one of my favorite flowers transformed from one of my own photographs, two butterflies, as well as several beautiful sentiments. I thought I'd try something a little different with this card. I used various colors of distress ink to "dye" the paper that the images are embossed on. I love the results! A bit brighter than my usual style, but so reminiscent of years I spent living in Oregon -- hippies, hippies everywhere. I even hand dyed the ribbon!

First, I used VersaMark ink to stamp the images on watercolor paper. I heat embossed the images using ultra fine clear embossing powder, which keeps the pristine white of the paper showing through. I then used various colors of distress ink to dye the paper, creating a fun wash of color. Because the images have so much color, I chose to use just simple white and black cardstock to finish the card. The text block stamp I used on the orange/red layer is from my All Things With Love set.

Lifetime of Happiness

Of course, the best part of the release is introducing you to the five Whipper Snapper Featured Designers for this month's release! You will certainly want to take a look at the projects they share; you're sure to be impressed!

The Who's Who of October 2011 Featured Designers:
Shellie Daniel
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/ShellieD

Danielle Kennedy
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/dpkennedy
Blog: http://wilddragonflydesigns.blogspot.com

Tammy Hershberger
SCS Gallery:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/stampertammy
Blog: http://stamphappy-tammy.blogspot.com

Sue Berker
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/stampinsusie
Blog: http://berkerblog.blogspot.com

Lesa Rapp
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/lesarapp
Blog: http://paperpossibilities.blogspot.com

and Me! Anna Wight
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy
Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com

You can see all of the projects current and past Featured Designers have uploaded to their SplitCoast galleries by viewing the Whipper Snapper Featured Designer Gallery. Have a look -- it's a great place to find all KINDS of great inspiration!

Have fun!

A Fall Day in the Country

I bought this image on a wood mounted stamp several years ago on ebay, and put the stamp out on display in my room in the fall (and sometimes leave it out year round...). I think it's just the cutest thing! Today, I thought I'd color it up, because this morning it actually felt like an early fall day here! Peachy!

Finished project coming soon!

Stamped Image: Stampassions (G-4590 "A Fall Day in the Country")
Year: Unknown, but it wasn't recent -- mid-late 90s, I believe.

Touch Twin Marker Colored Image (Video)

Last week I won a give-away on the ShinHan Arts Touch Twin Markers & More blog, and 24 Touch Twin markers arrived in my mailbox yesterday!! How exciting, as you know I'm a pen and pencil and marker and paint and ink junkie!

Since I had the day off today, I spent a little bit of time checking out the new pens. The redesigned ShinHan Touch Twin markers are an alcohol based marker that have a refillable barrel, and replaceable nibs. There are two styles of pens -- one with flexible brush & chisel nibs, and one with fine point & chisel nibs. I received 12 of each, in a variety of colors. I don't know any retail outlets with these pens right now, but I expect the price point to be less than current alcohol pens on the market. 

UPDATE: Carpe Diem carries the sets and individual pens.

If you're itchin' to try alcohol based pens, these would be a nice way to get your toes wet. Or, even if you already have alcohol based pens in your coloring arsenal, these may provide you with an alternative for filling in any gaps in your color wheel! I'll post more about them as I learn more and get more experience with them.

The image was colored with the pens I received, exclusively. I didn't receive a blender pen, but knowing that other alcohol marker blender pens will work with the markers, I've got one on reserve. However, I did not use a blender pen in the coloring of the above image. And I've got video to prove it. *grin*

If you'd care to watch me color the above image, here's a video for you. This time, with tunes!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can find it on my YouTube channel.

On a personal note, THANK YOU for all the birthday notes, wishes, and virtual hugs you sent my way today! What a fun birthday I've had!!

Whipper Snapper Designs Stamped Image: Fall Scarecrow

with Sympathy

A dear friend and her family lost a loved one recently, and it broke my heart to hear the news. I live too far away to give literal hugs to the family, but not too far to send condolences and love.

Sympathy cards are the most difficult cards for me to make. I always cry. Knowing what I know about the family, I created this card for them. I know they won't mind me sharing it with you, here.

I wanted this card to be special, so I created a small original water-colored painting/illustration to use as the main image. I used a fine lined pen to draw the sunflowers on Italian cotton watercolor paper, and painted the image with DaVinci artists watercolor pigments using a fine Sable brush. Music is a big part of their lives, so I incorporated sheet music from a beautiful, vintage book of music.

We send our love, north to Virginia...

 

Artist supplies purchased from DickBlick.com:
Fabriano Acquarello Watercolour Extra White Cold Pressed 140lb Cotton Paper
DaVinci Artists Watercolors
Copic Multiliner .03

Holiday Planning - honestly.

With it being 103 outside today, it's hard for me to believe that summer is over and Christmas is a mere few months away. But the days on the calendar don't lie! Soon I will be ordering up a plane ticket to make my annual trek up north to visit family and hopefully get up to my knees, or elbows, in snow! (Family: you've been notified. Warned. *grin*)

I work on holiday images all summer long, so you wouldn't think I'd have such a hard time with the transition! Every year I intend to start holiday planning sooner than I actually do so I can get more handmade items finished in time for gift giving. Like I should be starting now! But will I? Probably not. Unless you are...  are you?

I am, however, a list maker. A terrible list maker.

I make lists, then hide them so certain someones don't see them. Then, when I forget the list exists (really, I've just forgotten where I hid it) I make a new list. Last year about mid-summer, I made what I'm certain was a really great list of gift ideas for the holidays, but wrote it in a sort of shorthand code.

Something like this...

    N: g&h&gc
    J: c&c&c
    P: j&c&pcs
    J: tb or bf&bf
    ...etc...

This was a really bad idea. I couldn't remember my own code when I looked at the list later, and ended up having to make a new list anyway. I'm sure it was full of really great ideas, though!

So.... are you a list maker? An early bird holiday planner? Dish!

Image: Celebration Penguin, one of my winter 2011 images for Whipper Snapper.

Farmgirl Betty

I've got three new cling sets releasing for Whipper Snapper in October, and I'm so excited about them! Meet Farmgirl Betty... a natural-fiber birk-wearing sweetie! Farmgirl Betty and Farmer John harvest all kinds of friendly, organic goodness! Coming to Whipper Snapper in October.

Farmer John

I've got three new cling sets releasing for Whipper Snapper in October, and I'm so excited about them! I thought you deserved a sneak peek! Meet Farmer John... I'm smitten!

...and wait until you meet his gal, Farmgirl Betty! *grin*

Piggly Wiggly Card (Video)

I get asked frequently if I'll demonstrate how I color or paint the images I use on my projects. So I took a video of the process of me coloring this image, and making the card. The video doesn't have any sound (don't have music files to add to videos), so hum your own tune while you watch. *grin* Also, it's in 3x speed, so not to take up too much of your time!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can check it out here on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy!

PS: Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.

- Hamselot (#CT073): Whipper Snapper Designs
- Sentiment: Garden of Friendship cling set, Whipper Snapper Designs
- Memento Black Tuxedo Ink
- Paper: Neenah, October Afternoon
- Markers: Copic (0, R11, R20, B93, B95, B97, E13, E15, R37, R39, R59, C1, C2, C3, YG03, YG23, YR21, YR24 -- hope I didn't miss any!)
- Colored Pencil: LYRA Pompeian Red 600-91
- MISC: Seam binding, tracing wheel, Tombow Mono Multi glue, antique button, twine, Stampin Up foam dimensionals, Gamsol and paper tortillon for blending
- Smudge on camera lens: Baaaaad Boxcar Betty

Billy The Kid

I was working on my image of Billy the Kid this evening, and thought I'd do a comparison look of the two images ... one with no background to speak of, and one with an inked and stamped background. Pretty neat how a little ink can make such a difference! Oh, I also added a bit more shading to some areas of Billy's vest, chaps, and pant legs in the inked version...

Image colored with markers and colored pencils.

New Goody!

I ordered a new goody for my desk! Can you pick it out? Click on the photo for a LARGER view...

Not sure what it could be?

All that clutter got you mystified?!

Let me help you out...

I ordered a retail display rack for my markers! I had them stored in different containers previously, but due to their different sizes (some are round, some oval, and some square) and the way that the containers I was using were constructed, I wasn't able to keep the pens in the order I wanted them in.

The way this rack is built, it allows me to mix and match all the various sized pens I have, and keep them in the organized color order that I want! The other items in my area are all sorted by color too, so "order" is kind of an important part of my workflow.

I keep other markers in small drawer units at the back of my workspace, and of course my colored pencils are always front and center within easy reach. I organize most things by ROYGBIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, followed by Neutrals). It works for me.

Oh, and see that cutie of a card there in the front?

I made this for a co-worker this evening. She is a dog trainer in her spare time and she asked me to draw up a graphic for her for her puppy training classes. I turned the original drawing into this little display piece for her desk.

On the back of the piece I created a make-shift easel so it can easily stand on display. For ease of mailing, the lower section of the easel has a little tab that tucks up into the shallow pocket I created at the base of the display.

Am I the first person to dream up such an idea? I hardly think so... but I'm the first one in THIS craft room who has, and that's sayin' something! *grin*

Anyone else craving Fruit Loops?

Whooohoooo! Happy Weekend!!

I'm so excited to have a 3-day weekend! This was always a fun weekend for my family when I was growing up as it usually meant we were out camping or at the lake for possibly the last time for the summer. Wherever we were, we always celebrated Dad's birthday (which is the 5th).

Things are a bit different now that there's life on the farm. I have lots of projects I'll be working on this weekend, and will even share a tidbit or two while I'm at it. I'm still working on new Whipper Snapper spring & summer 2012 images, and even several new cling sets that I'm super excited about!

I am also tempted to add chicken house compost to the garden beds, but that would require me to clean up the beds first, and as it's still pushing over the 100*+ temp it might be better to wait a week. Only supposed to be in the mid 90s next week. Might as well wait a week, right?

Here's to happy labor day'ing to you and your family! Bottom's up!

PS: The image on this post is my Rustic Snowman, a personal favorite of mine! See him on projects here, and here. I {heart} him.

Let's hear your suggestions...

I have been busy busy BUSY working on images for the Spring/Summer 2012 Whipper Snapper release. While there's still a bit of time for me to get final images off to Whipper, I thought I would check in with you and see if you have any special requests for images you'd like to see in the collection!

While there's no guarantee I'll be able to actually DRAW what you request, I'd sure like to hear your suggestions and try my hand at a few! So, let's hear it ... anything in particular that you'd like to see as a Whipper Snapper stamp?

I'm Dreaming of Snow!

It might be 106* outside, but I'm dreaming of winter, and snow!

Check out the latest Whipper Snapper images here!

Whipper Snapper Fall/Winter Release

Check out the latest Whipper Snapper images here!

Oodles of fun!!

Sneak Peek!

How about another sneak peek of one of my new images for Whipper Snapper's Fall/Winter release! Inspiration for this image was from a pretty antique blue Ball jar of wildflowers I had in my kitchen window this spring. Here's hoping we get LOTS of rain this winter to give next spring's wildflowers lots of reason to grow!

Happy Sunday!

Monday, monday...

Thought I'd share a sneak peek with you today of one of my upcoming new releases with Whipper Snapper. They're gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing more sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

There are 166 full days remaining in the year (off topic, do you count down to Christmas?), and it looks like what's about left of July is going to be nothing but HOT. Unfortunately for us, August promises to be just as hot, or hotter. Maybe September will show us some mercy... 

It's been difficult to keep the garden alive in this drought. In fact, I'm failing. I've got tomatoes still hanging on, but it's so hot that even though they are flowering, they aren't producing any tomatoes and they're starting to look rather tired. The okra is trying to produce, but even it wilts down in the sun (even with daily waterings). Then there are the ants, the aphids, the cucumber beetles, and the grasshoppers ... all doing their part in causing problems. I tell ya, it's exhausting. I'm planning on putting in a "fall" garden, and if I stick to schedule I should be starting tomato plant seeds about now, and getting ready to plant other seeds around August 1. But I'm not sure it will be possible to keep anything alive then, either!

How's the weather where you live?

 

I do believe it's Summer...

Today and tomorrow's forecast is calling for highs of 94*. I can't tell you how REFRESHING that sounds! 10* cooler than it has been, and we're even seeing some clouds! Today is Summer Solstice, but I can't help dreaming of Autumn!! Of course, there are storms all around us and we aren't getting any rain, but at least the clouds are knocking the blister out of the temps.

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

Happy Birthday, Alan!

Happppy Birthday to you,
Happppyyyyy Birrrthday to you,
Happy Birrrrthhhdaaaaaay, dear Alan...
Happy Birthday to YOU!

41 looks GOOD...
no, make that GREAT!
on you!

Country Bumpkin

The appointment with the oral surgeon this morning went well! They got me hooked up to blood pressure monitors, heart monitors, and got an IV run, and the doc twilighted me.

The last thing I remember saying was "is it supposed to be getting foggy in here?" I guess the answer was yes, because before I knew it, I was being escorted to the recovery lounge, chatting it up with the nurses as best as I could with a wad of gauze in my mouth. I don't imagine I was saying anything useful, but I certainly was chatty.

The tooth gave the surgeon a bit of trouble, but he was able to get it pulled and get the titanium post put in place. I feel like I have little antennae in my mouth where the sutures are ... maybe they're alien transmitters!

Fortunately for me, and for Alan!, recovery from the twilight was a snap! I didn't experience any of the "grossness" I experienced when I had my wisdom teeth pulled.

I was inspired to draw this evening... on pain meds, no less! And, as you can see, I was inspired by teeth! *grin* And even though the tooth I had to have pulled was a molar and can't really be seen when I smile, I chose to draw this little gal with a missing front tooth. She's a little bit country, and a lot hillbilly! The sentiment on the tag is from All Things with Love, and it works perfectly for this image!

Perhaps this little country bumpkin will be "adopted" by Whipper Snapper and made into a rubber stamp! Wouldn't that be fun! Her big toothy/less grin would be fun for tooth fairy themed cards. What do you think ... should she be made into a rubber stamp?

New Stamps and Mystery Chick Update

After each Whipper Snapper release, I order a few wood mounted stamps of some of my favorite images from the release. My order arrived yesterday, and I thought I'd share a photo! I absolutely LOVE getting the stamps in the mail. Sure, I draw the image and color the images for the labels, but actually having the product in my hands is most excellent. Whipper Snapper does such a wonderful job making the stamps; it is an honor to be able to work with them.

If you're not familiar, I am an artist for Whipper Snapper Designs, a rubber stamp company. They turn my illustrations into rubber stamps, like those above, for crafters. They are sold worldwide, and the complete collection can be found on their website. The stamps are available from Whipper Snapper as wood mount, cling mount, and as bare rubber, depending on the preference of the stamper. When I order my own stamps, I always order wood mounted; I love having the colored label and having the wood mounted stamps on display is something I truly enjoy.

On another topic, I've been asked about our "mystery chick". Here is a photo I took just a few minutes ago. This photo really shows the progress of feather growth. I still don't know what breed this little one is... and I'm REALLY hoping it's not a little roo!!

Sneak Peek!

On March 14th Whipper Snapper is releasing four new cling sets, by ME! We've got some amazing featured designers lined up for the release; can't wait to see their projects! Here's a sneak peek at one of my projects for the release... feelin' crabby? This little guy is sure to put a smile on your face!

We're one day closer to the weekend!

Happy Thursday!

Little Dude!

You haven't seen the last of the cards I've made using some of my recently released Whipper Snapper stamps! Here's another one I'll share with you. This card uses the image called Hayseed, and a sentiment from my His Favorite Things cling set. Hayseed is Jennybelle's partner in crime.

The image was colored with markers and colored pencils, with white gel pen to add highlights.

I don't make many "boy" cards. I guess it's because I don't really know many young boys! To my delight, my friend Jennifer recently had a son who is as cute as can be! You can see him here on the baby quilt I made for him, and he's even in his birthday suit! Cute!!

In other news...
I made a trip to see an oral surgeon this afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, I broke one of my molars in half, and ended up pulling half of the tooth out. Thankfully, there has been minimal pain. I have opted to have the rest of the tooth pulled and an implant put in. *groan*  Today's appointment was a consultation with the surgeon, and the procedure is scheduled for next Thursday morning. Alan will be driving me to and from the appointment. I feel like I need to warn him; I'm pretty sure he's in for an experience.

Dad can tell him all kinds of stories about how, uh, gross it was when I had my wisdom teeth pulled when I was in college. I went to college several hours from home, and Dad came down to take me to the appointment and to spend the weekend with me. And, well, it was gross. Too much motion, too early after sedation. I lost it. A lot! But even with all the grossness, he had a wonderful weekend chumming it up with the boys in my dorm while I slept.

Let's hope the activities following next week's procedure aren't quite as "gross"... I'll be sure to let you know, in full detail! *grin* I bet Dad's thankful Alan gets to fill-in as nursemaid for this event. Haa!

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Is it a day for celebrating? I'm not sure... it's been a cold week here on the farm. Though, not as cold here as other places, thankfully. If the critters can hold out until Saturday, things will be back above freezing again. Until then, there's lots of water hauling and extra feedings on our part, and lots of huddling on their part. 12* degrees is cold here... considering it was nearly 80 last weekend! Brrrr!!

I lost one of my two chicks (they're really "teenagers") last night. Unfortunately. Last night while we were making our farm rounds, I put her on the perch between two fatty hens so she could snuggle into both of them, but either she didn't say there, or it was just too cold for her. Tonight, the remaining chick (teenager) will go into the utility room to share the kennel space with Tiny Tim, Lovey, Little Buddy and Little Lovey, the frizzles that don't have enough feathers to keep them warm in such cold temps.

Hope you're keepin' cozy, where ever you are!

We've Got a Winner!

Good morning! Thanks to all of you for participaing in this week's Share the Love give-away, and for sharing your birthday. My birthday is October 7th... and autumn is my favorite season! *grin*

I randomly selected one name from all comments on the Share the Love post, and congrats to the lucky winner who is IDA!

Ida said: "How fun! That bear stamp is so cute. Thanks for the chance to win. My B-Day is March 20 (First Day of Spring!)"

Ida, what a wonderful day for a birthday! You've got a little something extra to celebrate each year, don't you! Get in touch with me and I'll get your "love" package sent out to you right away!

I've got time for stamping today ... how about you!?

Oh, and how about a sneak peek at one of my new Whipper Snapper Designs images, releasing in February!? Cluck cluck!!

My Little Annie

I have been hard at work finishing up the colored versions my spring/summer images for the upcoming Whipper Snapper release (not certain of the release date yet ... I'll update you when I know for sure).

I thought you might like a sneak peek. *grin*

I love Annie dolls, and thought it was time I had a little cutie of my own! I am particularly fond of her bloomers and striped stockings...and of course, her pet chicken!

Here's waking up to a happy Friday! One more day until the weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From all of us here on the farm, warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Rustic Snowman

I'm feeling the need to snivvel about the weather. It was 6pm when I went to deliver eggs this evening, and the temperature was 86 degrees. Come ON, already!! So, I'm posting this snowman card, and dreaming of cold weather, snowflakes, and maybe even a few hot totties!

I first introduced you to this snowman HERE. He has quickly become one of my favorites for this year. *grin*  He's painted with white craft stamp ink, and I watercolored a bit of brown around the edges of him to make him stand out a bit from the kraft background. The sentiment stamp I used on this card is from my Think Snow cling set, from Whipper Snapper.

The printed paper is from Melissa Frances -- it's included in a Christmas Page Kit that has papers, fibers, chipboard tags and letters, and even some stickers in cute holiday shapes. I happen to have an extra kit and would love to give it away to one of you! If you'd like a chance at the kit, leave me a note on this post and tell me your favorite holiday beverage. I'll probably toss a few extra goodies into the box too, just for fun! You might notice I'm kind of buring this giveaway in the post, so only those who actually take the time to read the post will know how to enter. I'm feelin' like a sneaky pete! *grin* I'll choose one name on Thursday morning at 9am Central.

Cheers to Wednesday! ...then Thursday, and FRIDAY!