Happy Fall

Hi, again to my old friends, long time no see.  Once again, I am vowing to blog on a regular basis.  So, here we go!
It is fair to say that fall is definitely here, by calendar and by temperatures.  Now that October is here, Halloween is in the air.  I just can't pass up a tutorial, by Martha Stewart, on how to make wings for costumes or playtime.  Think about it, they are for butterflies, fairies, dragonflies, bats, the list goes on and on.  They can be used for both boys and girls.  I never knew that they could be this simple. 

How-To

Wings for any costume

                               

                                                                     

The Martha Stewart Show, October 2006

Once you have a basic pair of wings, you can embellish them to create many different costumes.

Tools and Materials
Kraft paper
18-gauge steel wire
Black tape
Butterfly wings template
Duct tape
Panty hose
Colored Halloween hair spray
Plastic gems
Glue gun
Clear elastic (1 foot)
Black headband
Black pipe cleaners

Butterfly Costume How-To 1. Download and enlarge butterfly wings template; trace onto craft paper.

2. Wrap 18-gauge steel wire with black tape.

3. Form traced shape with wire by bending with hands. First form the top shape, then the bottom with another length of wire.

4. Join the top and bottom shapes with a piece of duct tape.

5. Cut a leg off panty hose. Slide over the bottom of one wing. Pull taut and tie a knot in the back of wire structure.

6. Repeat for the bottom of the other wing, then the tops of wings.

7. Using colored Halloween hair spray, spray one wing orange and one wing black.

8. Glue on plastic gems to the back and front of the wings.

9. To make the harness, sew the ends of 1 foot of clear elastic to the front of the knot in the middle of the wings, one by one.

10. To make antennae, wrap a black headband with black pipe cleaners.

                         

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Well, I hope that someone gives this a try.  You can click on the template link to get a pattern for a few different shaped wings.  Send me a picture of your wings, I would love to see them and also show our readers. 

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Tidbit for Today:

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say --- I used everything that you gave me.

Hi, All !

Hi, guys.  So sorry that it has been so long since we have seen each other.  I vowed not to ever let my blog be a bitch fest or a pity party or anything depressing and/or ever be conceived as a 'Debbie Downer' but....I must say this and I will make it short and sweet.   Please, please, please be as careful as you can be online with any information about yourself.  Even then, bad stuff can happen to you.  Oh yeah, I said the same thing..."not gonna happen to me".  Well, it did.  For going on 2 weeks now, I have not been able to use my Paypal, my bank account, etc.  That pretty much shuts you down, especially if you have an online shop.  I do have to tell you that my bank and Paypal have been tons of help, however, everything seems to take time.  Something else that really makes me ill is the fact that part of this problem was instigated by someone with an Etsy ID.  Not everything can be pinned on this person but this person evidentally played a part.  I don't know this person, except by his/her shop name.  I have not done business with this person, I have never even communicated with this person.  I am even afraid to look into this persons shop for fear of triggering something all over again.  Anyway friends, please don't think that you are invinsible, because you probably aren't.  Most of all, please be careful and keep a good eye on your accounts.

My 1st Give-Away

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...don't get too excited just yet.  However, I am going to do a give-away as soon as I get to 60 followers .  I am so glad to see that I have picked up a few new followers this week.  I would like to say 'Hello' to you and thank you for giving me a peek.  I hope you keep coming back, I would love to get to know you.
Now, the give-away will take place when this blog hits 60 followers and if you are not a follower, you will not be eligible to get in on it.  I am excited about this and hope to make it fun and will be giving away something that has been made by me with my own 2 hands.  Oh boy!  LOL!!  So have your friends help us to get to 60, I am doing my best to get it up there, too.  I hope we get to do this soon!
Thanks 'followers', you are appreciated.
♥♥

It's Time To Get Started!

Oh, boy...the last 5 years have been fun and somewhat interesting for me.  I have 2 kids, both grown and have their own lives going on.  Because of this, I have 3 of the cutest and smartest grandchildren (no, I am not biased, just honest.  lol.)  The last 5 years have been chocked full of milestones and memories, thanks to my little angels. 

So, my oldest grandchild, Téa, is going to turn 5 in August.  She starts school in August, as well.  She will be in kindergarten!  That means, for me, that it is time to get started on some school clothes.  She has specifically asked for dresses rather than shorts or pants.  I think that is so cute.  I can not wait to get started and I need to start NOW.  I have gotten the fabric, the patterns, the pretties to go on the dresses, just need to get in gear and it is time! 

Check out the fabrics that I got and keep in mind sundresses, peasant dress, etc. and tell me what you think.   I am pretty excited, I think they will be darling and she is going to be so happy and so cute in them.   Grandkids are so much fun!!  

I know that alot of you are in the same boat that I am in with back-to-school time right on our heels.  It can be stressful I remember, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I love the way young children get so excited about school, making friends, teachers, learning, growing up, and getting new school supplies and clothes.  Everything is like a new adventure to them and they soak up learning like dry little sponges.  This is just 1 more milestone that is so cool to be a part of!  Happy Kindergarten, Téa, grandma and grandpa love you!!

 

Why I love ACEO's !!

Do you know what an ACEO or ATC is?  ACEO stands for 'Art Card Editions and Originals' and ATC's are 'Art Trading Cards'.   Both cards are 2.5" x 3.5", just like the baseball trading cards we saw and collected when we were kids.

OK, now that we all know what we are talking about, let me just say that I LOVE ACEO's and ATC's.  Some of these beautiful cards are actual originals but alot of them are very nice quality prints of originals.  They are a great way for an artist to get their work out and about, I would think.  I am not an artist, but I do like collecting ACEO's.

If you are like me, you find all sorts of paintings that you love but you only have so  much wall space available for hanging paintings.  For me, this is where the ACEO's come in.  You can frame a bunch of ACEO's and hang them in groups by color, theme, or any other reason you might have.  You can switch them out occasionally for a different look in that space.  You can hang a dozen in a grouping and only take up as much space as one medium sized painting.  They are perfect for those little pieces of wall that are too small for anything else.  This is a great way to display work from your favorite artists and get to have pieces from all of your favorite artists.

This is one of my favorites from  "hjmart" , her work can be seen at her Etsy shop among many other places.

Another great idea for these cards is to make a coffee table book out of all of your favorite artists (most of them have ACEO's available now-a-days).   This book will get picked up by everyone that sits by it.  It is a super conversation piece and you can have so many different variations of artists and their styles.  It is great advertisement for anyone that you have purchased from, too.  You can tell your friends or guests how to find more of the work of the artists that they like. 

One more great thing about ACEO's is that they are fairly inexpensive.  That makes it easy to build a collection quick.  Some cards are actual originals and they will cost just a little bit more, but, they still are very inexpensive.

Oddball Art Co.

also found on Etsy.

If you are looking for something fun to get into and love a variety of looks, start collecting ACEO's.  It's addicting and fun!!  They also make great gifts or can be used in making a great gift, the sky is the limit with these little gems.  You will love it!

Please, be aware of this

Hi, this is not what I would typically blog about, but I feel it is important enough to spread the word.  Please, be aware of this situation:

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Safety Notices & Warnings - Important Info to save your life

A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, JACKSON , MS
SITUATION...
While driving on a rural end of the roadway on Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. For whatever reason, I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton  PD and they were going to check it out. But, this is
what the Police advised even before they went out there to check...

"There are several things to be aware of ... Gangs and thieves are now plotting different ways to get a person (mostly women) to stop their vehicle and get out of the car.

"There is a gang initiation reported by the local Police Department where gangs are placing a car seat by the road...with a fake baby in It...waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the abandoned Baby.

"Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or grassy (field) area and the person -- woman -- will be dragged into the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead. If it's a man, they're usually beaten and robbed and maybe left for dead, too.

DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!!! DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON 'T EVEN SLOW DOWN.

"IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSHIELD, DO
NOT STOP TO CHECK THE CAR, DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPER AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY
WATER BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP TO 92.5%, AND YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A VICTIM OF THESE CRIMINALS.

THIS IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS, SO PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES.

THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE ARE UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL
TAKE DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT."

Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic used. Please be safe.

Get started NOW -- SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES
TO BE CAREFUL AND AWARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THEM SO AS NOT TO BECOME A VICTIM.
WARNING # 2

Some knew about the red light on cars, but not the 112. It was about 1:00 P.M. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told her never to pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.
Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way.

Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.
I never knew about the 112 cell phone feature, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a safe place.  
*Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about 112.
You may want to send this to every woman (and man) you know; it may save a life.
This applies to ALL 50 states.

Please remember this in the future and pass it on .

240Sweet Artisan Candies

After reading my "Daily Candy" email newsletter, I had to investigate for myself the marshmallows, yes marshmallows, that they had written about.  Who ever thought that the marshmallow would be intriguing?  

In Columbus, Indiana, there is a catering company that has spread into a marshmallow lover's dream.  240sweet.com is their website and it definately deserves a look.  They used to treat their catering customers to their gourmet marshmallows which eventually demanded another outlet for obtaining

these delectable additions to any special or not special day. 

240sweet offers over 70 gourmet flavors of marshmallows.  There is a vast array of ways to use them:  as a confection, in coffee, in hot tea or warm cocoa, toasted, in recipes, in s'mores, or on a sweet potatoe.   240sweet's marshmallows are available at several locations that are listed on their website.  Also, there is a MOM Club (marshmallow-of the-month club) and phone orders or online orders are accepted. 

For a real treat and an interesting story, be sure to check out 240sweet.com

 food photography by stacy able photography