Simple Card

A very thoughtful lady from our church gave me a good sized box crammed with rubber stamps and many different colors of inkpads. I was floored with how much stuff she put into that box! Although I usually use rubber stamps when I make cards, occasionally I will use them on artworks, or frequently on postcards. It was like an early Christmas, or a late birthday! So I made her a simple card to thank her.

(click for details)

The card size is 5.5 x 4.25, cut out of card stock. I then crumbled some green paper that had come from a bouquet of flowers and glued that to the front. I chose a heart stamp which had been in the box and using red ink, stamped it on some paper that had faint printing on it, then tore it out. It's attached to some colored paper which I spritzed some ink on. The little ribbon with the birds was glued on the top. I hope she likes it! 

John and Tabitha left today for New Jersey to help celebrate his aunt's 90th birthday. They will be gone for 6 days and it will be the first time I've been alone for that length of time since I came down with this illness. But I am not really alone - I have the Lord and 2 dogs here (and a cat and fish, but they aren't very sociable)! I'm hoping that I can get some art work done and work on knowing when to go rest. I hope they have a wonderful time with the relatives!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

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Early Morning

First, I'll clarify that for me, early morning is when I awake before 9:30! If I have a somewhat decent night's sleep, I will awaken between 8 and 8:30, which is what happened this morning. It takes me awhile to get out of bed and do what's necessary, so I was happy to have a little bit more time today. I ate breakfast on the back/side porch and took my camera out there with me. Here are some of the things I saw this morning!

I was out in the wet grass for this one, near the porch.

And this one.

I had pink portulaca planted last year, and this year some volunteered, with pink and white flowers!

We had planted trees in pots last fall, and they were sitting under the standing baby tub where the pansies were planted. Imagine my surprise that we now have a few volunteer pansies, even in the month of August!

The old stump which would have normally been surrounded on 3 sides 

with impatiens, but I already told that sad story.

I just love this green moss on the stump!

We also had a volunteer sunflower.

another view

These roses were here when we moved in. They bloom and then in a matter of days they are falling apart. I am not sure if it's what they are supposed to do, or I'm not doing something for them. (?)

In the early hours, the sun just briefly shines on the south side of the stump, which is facing the house. I thought these little toadstools just seemed to glow in the sunlight!

I've noticed that one of the gifts of this illness is that you have time and solitude to see the little blessings from God, which might have been overlooked before!

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Taoist Fairy

I finished my media/collage painting.

Mo-ku-hsien, Taoist Fairy

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Until I found this image, I didn't know that Japanese literature included fairies. She always has her deer in attendance.

The image is a color transfer, and other images are transferred and then collaged on top of the transfer. Background is acrylic paint with oil pastels. I also included tiny Italian square ceramic beads, paper flowers and 3 tiny rolled scrolls. It's on 12 x 12 wrapped gallery canvas. Enjoy!

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A Little Bit Of Art

In the last post I was excited to have gone to to Jones Gap. Since it has been several days ago, you might guess I sort of overdid it, and you would be right. It's been a rough few days, but it was soooo good to get out and do some walking!

I was hoping to show a painting, but it isn't finished. I did however, get one more page done for the Milk Carton book. (other pages are here, here, and here.)

Page 4, Front

Page 4, Back

The front includes a scrap from an earlier painted paper (with some stamping & mesh netting), acrylic paint, ribbon, metal buckle, and postage stamp. The back is a collage torn from paper I didn't like, and painted over before it was torn. I also scattered acrylic paint across it. 

Lord willing, I will continue to gain a bit more strength so that I can show you the painting. It's mixed media, paint and collage, with some transfer. Hope that stirs your curiosity!

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Jones Gap

Not far from where we live, about 30 minutes, is a grand wilderness State Park called Jones gap. The only camping available is tent camping, and there are a large number of trails going in and around the area. When we moved up here, we had planned on hiking some of the trails, which I am now unable to do, but I am putting that on my "when I get well" list for now. We went there for a visit today, taking the dogs and the camera. It's a beautiful place, which I hope the readers who are not from SC can see. The Middle Saluda River runs through it, and further down into to South Carolina, the North, Middle and South Saluda rivers come together to make a large river called, simply "The Saluda River! :) How creative, don't you think?

The structure on the left is an enclosure for Brown, Rainbow and Brook trout. It has a run off, which flows back into the Middle Saluda. The dogs evidently found some very interesting smells in there!

These are Jewelweed plants, with individual flowers in the preceeding pictures. It's common name is the Wild Impatien, but I don't think they look very much like impatiens!

Asiatic Dayflower, commonly called "Mouse Ears"

Moss growing on a rock

The log across the river is a tree which evidently recently fell in a storm, and they are cutting it up.

John and the girls! (That is a lead around both of their faces, not a muzzle, otherwise they could not open their mouths)

Greenville County has a proclivity of renaming streets with the word "old", when they redirect the road because of growth in an area. For instance, there is Buncombe Road, and right near it is Old Buncombe Road, or White Horse Road, which is straighter than Old White Horse Road. But I always thought this designation was the ultimate in this time honored tradition - Old Old Hwy 11. Highway 11 is a Scenic Highway through the Upstate, but why they had to label this is beyond me. It only runs about 100 yards and both ends are on the current highway. It isn't used, there isn't anything on it, but there you go, anyway!

Now I am hoping that I did not use up all my spoons and then some today!!

(If you don't understand that, click here.)

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Happy Birthday, Kikie!!

My friend Kikie in Arizona has a birthday today, and like last year, I made him a card.

I found this hilarious photo of the fearful statue with a crow aiming for it, on the Internet.  It's one of those floating around with no name attached or I would give credit for it to whomever took this shot. I used some brown cardstock, a piece of an envelope with words printed faintly on it, a small piece of ribbon, and then a textured wallpaper scrap. I attached a metal piece with the letter K punched out of the center, with a brad. On the inside, I placed some stamped paper over the part of the card which had the brad attached so that it was not visible, and printed out a little sentiment and glued it in. I'm afraid that since it was not one of my better days when I made it, it's a bit uneven in places, but I don't think he will mind! :)

I hope that Kikie has a very Happy Birthday!!!

(Click on any picture you wish to see closer.)

Come see my latest postcards I've received on Postcards Buffet!