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Friends in Blogland are Like Flowers in the Desert

A beautiful time spent this year with you,
Happy New Year with Good Wishes Sent Your Way...



Good For Man and Beast By Making Sweet Potato Chips

This might be a good New Year Party and Super Bowl Day Snack and a healthy alternative due to the humble Sweet Potato's  anti-inflammatory benefits.  It's high in fiber, loaded with vitamins and is good for skin, hair, eyes, and coat- that's the beast part.  Some dog food incorporates sweet potatoes and if it's good for Lucy, who has more energy than I do,  I have to give the sweet potato a try.

One Medium Sweet Potato, cleaned and thinly sliced on each foil lined cookie sheet.
I've never eaten sweet potatoes except when I microwaved one and ate it as a regular baked potato and another time when I sneaked some mashed sweet potato into the regular mashed and called it a turnip.

Drizzle with oil, Sprinkle with Herbs and Toss to coat.
So, here we go.  I made Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips, fries are popular, but I thought to try the chips so as to have them as a salty and crunchy snack.  They were delicious and in order to get a photo to show you the finished process, I had to quickly take the bowl and hand it back!
Delicious! 
There are several ways to make the chips:

Tossed with Olive Oil or Canola Oil and Your Favorite Herbs and Spices. Placed single layer on a baking sheet.
 or
Placed single layer on a baking sheet, then Sprayed with Cooking Oil Spray then sprinkled with herbs, spices, even finely grated cheese.

Choose one and then bake in a low temperature oven, preferably 200F for about 45 minutes, check on them, give a stir or flip them and continue the low temperature baking until done.  This could take another hour or more +/-.

I started the chips at 415F and that was too high, then I lowered the oven temp to finish the baking.  My chips tasted lovely, but next time I will try the cooking oil spray and use parchment paper lined trays.

These are too tasty to be healthy, but they were worth the effort, although the aroma while waiting for the finished chips was distracting.  Please share if you try these and if you make them a different way.

Christmas Sunrise in Stripes of Candy Colors Before the Beast Emerges

The view from my kitchen window about 7am on Christmas morning was so pretty I took this photo and thought to share it with you.  I don't know what's in the atmosphere to make these pink stripes, there's probably a scientific explanation, but I'd rather just appreciate God's artistry for now.



Christmas was the first day in a while that the sun made an appearance and stayed with us all day.  There was frost on the car windows and a teeny bit of snow on the grass, but crisp, clear, and cold in the 30's F.  How did Christmas find you?  Hope your Christmas weather was beautiful and lots of happy memories were made throughout the day.

Ahh, those cherished quiet moments as above show the calm before the beast awakes.  Not wanting to show off her present, I managed to get one photo which was not a blur of her in perpetual action:





Shepherds Watching Their Flocks By Night


Every Good Wish For You This Christmas


Every good wish for you, that's what I wish for you.
All the blessings of  the season, 
from east to west and north to south, 
Wherever you may be and given freely all the days of your life.


Merry Christmas 
and
 Happy New Year!



The Bride Gets an Inkjet Copy Transfer and Secret Santa Aceo

There's a lady underneath the old washcloth.  She's going to get a good scrubbing and then she will be fit for entertaining visitors- that would be you.  Why is she covered up?  This lady is an Inkjet Copy Transfer and this is her virgin excursion.  That would be my first attempt with the transfer process and I think the end result is fair considering that.




If you want to try this process too, this is what I did:

Little by little the lady is revealed.
First make your copy on the copier.  All of the info I read said that you could not use a regular inkjet copy, that you must use an inkjet toner based copy, and not a laser copy.  I used a regular inkjet copy.  My image is graciously and generously provided by the terrific Karen at Graphics Fairy.   The image is of a bride in a blue dress and can be found here.  Linking this to the Brag Monday post here and to IA theme  here.

The second step was to paint a 5x7 canvas panel with acrylic paint and let it dry thoroughly.  You don't have to paint your panel and you could use a different surface, wood for example.  Put something under the panel to protect  your counters or desk if you need to, I used waxed paper.

The third step was to cover the copy's good side, the side facing you, with medium gel; I used Liquitex Matte Gel.  Don't miss any spots.  Then take the copy and lay it on the canvas panel with the gel touching the panel.  I read that you could use Modge Podge in place of the gel, but I didn't try it.

The fourth step was to put more gel on top of the copy, cover it thoroughly and evenly, not too thickly and work out all the bubbles and creases with any tool or your fingers.  I used one of those plastic credit cards the banks keep sending to entice me to open an account and I also used my fingers.  Be extra careful not to move the copy.  It'll be wet and want to smoosh around.  Don't let it dance on your panel.


The fifth step is to forget about the panel until the next day, probably at least 8 hours or more.  When it's completely dry, you'll know.  The copy will seem to blend right into the panel, smooth, dry, and flat.
The paper even comes away in little peels.
The sixth step is to take an old dishcloth or washcloth, or something similar and thoroughly wet it and wring it out really well.  Then place it over the panel until the dampness has penetrated, not saturated the copy.  You don't want to soak the copy.  You may need to wet it a second time.  Then use your fingers or the cloth and start rubbing the copy and the paper will release while the image remains on the canvas.  This is better than magic.  Some people use a sprayer to mist the paper instead of using the cloth, but I think the cloth is a more even dampness than the sprayer.

You might say, she's not in the blue dress.  That's because the Chrome printing option kept changing the image to black and white, so I didn't stress over it this time.  I believe if I download the image and save it to my computer then the colors will be as they should.  Also, Chrome printing option didn't have the feature to reverse an image, so she is reversed in the panel, but as long as there isn't any writing it looks okay, otherwise the words would all be backwards.  I also could not resize the image using Chrome printing.


She needs a name, any suggestions?  I've made her look a bit wistful in a distressed setting with the look of old tiles as a mosaic border.  The word, "Love" is in a pretty blue.  She has not been varnished yet, I'm going to test the process again and try Modge Podge as a topcoat versus a Varnish and see which won't disturb the ink from the copy, which I read the decoupage glues would smear.  This new to me process has opened up lots of possibilities- transferring from old magazines, album covers, books, photos, etc.  Do you use this process?

It's been really dark here for the last week or so.  To get a better photo I'm going to have to make a lightbox.  I see a new project to add to the list.

The Aceo Challenge Blog wants your aceos!  A little fun linkup and you get to post a badge on your website or blog if your aceo is chosen as favorite.  Why not add your aceo to the group?  Once per month you can add up to three aceos, so no pressure and you have weeks to complete except this month's linkup closes in a few days.

I decided to be seasonally silly with my manipulated photo aceo.
That's my original photo of a squirrel in my backyard and I went to Picnik to edit and make it just as you see it.  He's perfectly positioned upright, kind of looked like Yoda before I gave him the red nose and hat.  Why not bookmark the aceo challenge blog and join in sometime?

Transplanted Wings

When I murdered the angel, see here,  I had every intention of using bits of her to spruce up the wreath for getting another use out of it.  I like that eucalyptus fragrance, in small doses, and this wreath has sentimental value to me.

So, here is the old wreath with the wings of an angel.
I don't know why I put wings on the wreath, it really must have been due to all the meds I've been taking for the ear problems and vertigo.  Well, it's a little artsy, same as me.

The bow and bells are separate, they just seem to be attached in the image.  The "Merry Christmas" was from another decoration I took apart and added to the wreath.

I think I want to fly away, and these wings make it possible.
Happy Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

December 20 - 28, 2011 from sundown to sundown.


To everyone who begins celebrating Hanukkah today,  
I wish you a 
Happy and Peaceful Holiday!










(Image courtesy of Care2.)








Tissue... I Don't Even Know You Pretty Hankie

Tissue?!  I don't even know you.  badadump  Very old and sad play on words there.

I received this clever and CUTE hankie/hanky/handkerchief what do you call it? in the mail a few days ago.  It's from a seller on etsy,  Miss Crafty2 who has some of these in a few different hanky designs. When I saw it I had to buy it if just to keep as a pretty Christmas decoration.  Can you read the poem on the tag she wrote?  (Click the image to enlarge it.)

Recently  I've been looking online for hankies and have found so many gorgeous new and vintage ones for sale.  It's also sentimental to find the vintage children's hankies with older designs before electronics and Big Brother began taking control.

The artwork on some of the art deco boxes just wants to leap into my shopping cart, but I have to be strong and resist.  Some of the box covers would look great framed, and the hankie, too.

Such a little thing, the hanky, a servant and a thing of beauty at the same time.  It's also handy when needed.

If it wasn't an ick factor, would you prefer a hanky or a paper tissue for everyday use?  Do you have any heirloom hankies such as from a wedding or shower?

Sunday Straphanger Anniversary, Kate Middleton, and Radio Wales

It's only taken me about a year to get back to this, but I finally have the photo to show.  My official BBC Radio Wales Early Birds Cereal Bowl!

When I should have been sleeping, (they are five hours ahead of me) I was listening to that radio show over the internet.  I would sometimes listen to enjoy the humor and especially the accents.  I could hear my Welsh Mom in some of their voices.

The answer to the question to win the bowl was, "Kate Middleton."  After listening for nearly an hour with all the wrong answers, I couldn't stand it any longer.  As soon as I emailed the show with the answer a caller also gave the correct answer, but even though here I am in the Midwest USA, the host and the show gave me the prize, too!  I didn't expect to win the bowl, I just wanted to stop the wrong answers! ha ha

Happy ending for Kate and William.  I have my nice bowl.  Plus, it's my wedding anniversary today, Dec. 18th.  Cheers all around.

Question for you:  do you like the change to the blog- I've changed the font style and the colors.  Mostly the change is to make more room on the sidebar to add buttons and other info, but also to make the blog easy on the eyes to read.  What do you think?  I'd appreciate the feedback.

Santa's Cookie Tester

He's a big jolly guy, so he gets the big blue mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and a teeny sprinkle of cinnamon on top.  Cinnamon is good for blood sugar and with all of those cookies, Santa needs a little faux ho ho dieting here and there.

He won't notice the sugar free hot cocoa as long as there is some dreamily melting low fat whipped cream forming a hazy oasis on the top.  Too much milk will make him sleepy and he has to finish all those deliveries before daybreak!

I've tested the hot beverage and a small selection of cookies.  I think it passes Santa's dietary standard requirements.  The reindeer's carrots and apples are going to be fresh when Santa stops at my house.  Dee, there is a Santa stop for me!

What will  you put out for Santa and his reindeer?

Put the Scissors Down Ma'am

Oh, I hope I'm not guilty of true angelcide.  I don't think that's possible.  After all, the angels are superior beings.  Okay, after hearing Christmas music on the radio since before Thanksgiving  and seeing umpteen Christmas sales commercials a week before that, the frustrations of what Christmas is NOT ABOUT but is thrown in our faces everywhere in a chaotic swell of frenzy, well it just got to me. That, plus my backlog of things undone; especially that backlog.

So...I did it. I ripped the head off the angel.  Angelcide.

Confession:  I've never liked this angel.  Do you feel guilty for buying something that you don't really like?  I do.  It was a spur of the moment purchase a few years ago when I needed a little something, it was cheap and I used it until I could not look at it anymore. That's how my thoughts stood at the kitchen counter with the sentimental old wreath needing a little something to make it last another holiday.  Sacrifice one decoration for the life of another.

The Act: Donc j'ai tue' l'ange. So I killed the angel. I removed her wings, tore apart her edging and STILL she remained sweetly composed and took my abuse!  Cleaning up the counter I threw her head without a body onto my desk.  I tried to cover her up and ignore the pain, but she drilled her saintly silent witness in my vertigo laden neck until the sick puppy in me, said,  Ca suffit! Enough!

Days later she was picked up and tossed in the trash can.  I can still revive her, but I refuse.  Je refuse de vous sauver mon ange.  I refuse to save you, my angel.  Christmas is for the living.   Ceci est vraiment la fin pour l'ange.  This is really the end for the angel.  Repos dans paix.  R.I.P. 

The Verdict: Coupable de le meurtre avec l'intention de refaire les papier peints et le cycle ascendant.  Guilty of murder with intent to redecorate and upcycle. My scissors are safely put away and only two decorations were mutilated in that short span of time.  The sentence was considerate in that this was a lapse, a crime made in stressful times.

Punishment: Condamne' pour observer de vieux films, mangez le chocolat et le the' de boisson, confiez-vous a' Lucy et d'autres choses conformement a' la foi de Noel dans mon couer. Sentenced to watch old movies, eat chocolate and drink tea, confide in Lucy, and other things in keeping with Christmas faith in my heart.

(For some reason this overly dramatic post required a few French phrases.  Je parle un tout petit peu de francais.  I've forgotten most of the correct tenses and spelling since learning French years ago.  If you want to share the corrections, please do!  My keyboard doesn't have the punctuation marks for French.)

Joyeux Noel Mes Amis.

Fin

Diet Size Apple Pie

This apple snack is easy and quick.  If you use store bought pie dough, then most of the work is already done. The first time I saw this idea I realized it was all over the web, but credit for where I saw it first goes here.  With a few tweaks away from that recipe, here's a quick, easy, delicious apple pastry snack, diet sized.



Preheat the oven to 425F.

Assemble the Ingredients:
One store bought refrigerated pie crust.  (They come two to a box, and I saved the second pie crust for something else, recipe forthcoming.)  Bring it to room temperature, just leave out on the counter for about 15-30 minutes.

One of your favorite apples, this time I used the Granny Smith; cleaned, peeled, and sliced. If you're using both pie crusts, peel and slice a second apple.

Two tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled.

Cinnamon sugar or just cinnamon if you want less sugar, or a combo of table sugar mixed with cinnamon.  I used Cinnamon Sugar alone.  

Put something under the pie crust to keep it off the counter, I used waxed paper.  Just open the pie crust, no need to stretch it out.  Brush melted butter over crust, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on  top of butter.

With your ravioli cutter or knife or pastry wheel, zip right through this crust, making eight strips.  Look at the teeny one, so funny.


Put your apple on one end of the strip, roll it up.  Repeat 7 times.  Put all the apple snacks on a parchment lined cookie sheet or baking tray. Butter up the tops with remaining butter and sprinkle with cinnamon again.  The parchment will stop you from needing a jackhammer to clean and remove the melted sugar, unless you want the exercise, use parchment paper please.

Bake in a preheated 425 F oven.  Mine were done at 25 minutes, ovens vary, 22 minutes might be average time needed to bake nicely.


I will tweak this again by cutting 16 strips since the snack was a lot of crust to apple ratio.  Still, it was easy and tasty.  Let me know if you try it and how it worked for you.

Fresh Art Mother and Baby Mixed Media

This was made by me a couple of months ago.  I've used acrylic paints, pencils, and clippings along with calendar images, and it's about 5x7 inches.  I'm out of synch with routines due to health concerns, and now the holidays are here so I thought I'd show you this before it gets lost in the vagueness of time and clutter.  Whoops.

My Christmas tree never made it out of the garage and into the parlor last week.  It will definitely come inside and get decorated this week.  It's so cold and lonely out in the garage, sniff.



The colors in the image are a little more vibrant than the actual piece.  I see a few different ideas running in this, what do you see?

Can You Identify This Thrift Find? Limited Edition Artist Bowl

I don't know what's going on with the closing of thrift stores/charity shops in my area.  Two thrifts and one dollar store have closed in a month.  There was a charity shop near the grocery, I donated a lot of items to it and also found lots of old buttons on original cards, ribbons, and little shelves there.  I sometimes bought little kitchen odds and ends and if after a bit of time I didn't like them, I just donated them back to the store.  

I bought creamers and a little metal 1/4 measuring cup to keep in the pancake mix tin.  1/4 cup = 1 pancake, easy to remember.  The shelves and spice racks I bought were painted and hung on the wall to hold paints and supplies above my desk.

A few months ago I spotted this brown and turquoise bowl sitting on the shelf amongst clear glass vases and candleholders.  It doesn't matter if it's valuable or not, the price was good, just $3.00, and this happy color on the interior wanted to come home with me.


This striping reminds me of icing on pastries or chocolates.

Is this an edition number and artist/maker initials?

This almost looks greenish, but it's turquoise, and that's my camera's and lamp reflection inside.

I don't know what style this application on the bowl is called, I've searched the web looking under lots of sites, words, images, etc.  Do you know what this style is, and what does the writing on the bottom of the bowl mean?

Best Wishes

For those celebrating Thanksgiving and for everyone else, my greeting is the same,
 that you would be blessed and have much to be thankful for 
at present, in the past, and in your future. 
Thanks for making your time spent here a gift to me.  


Happy Thanksgiving!


This vintage clip art is available here.  The Graphics Fairy provided the clip art and Picnik provided the free photo editing software.  For some reason, the vertigo is still with me, I'm going back to the doctor and see what the next advice is.  I'll be back here and visiting your blogs, too. Email replies are taking me a little longer to focus on.   Enjoy your holiday!

So Easy to Make Dessert Snack Pumpkin Cupcakes

No way!  A Two Ingredient Dessert?  You may have seen this recipe circulating on the web.  I saw it on so many sites and blogs so that I cannot attribute it to one author or cook.  I didn't think I would make it, so didn't bookmark any site.  Some people rave over it and some say it's tasty.  Well, I made it and want to share my results.

I have to admit that I never eat Pumpkin Pie or any pumpkin.  Nor coconut, but that's another story.  Anyway, back to the recipe.  Buy 1 Spice Cake Mix and 1 Can 15 oz size of Puree Pumpkin, just Pumpkin not the pie mixture although that might work, didn't try it, if you do, please share.  If you are very frugal, this does not fit the profile as the pumpkin was almost $2.00 per can.

Okay, I always improvise so I added Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Ginger plus Raisins and Sliced Almonds.  A sprinkle of Confectioner's Sugar, too.



I soaked the raisins to rehydrate them, about 20 minutes in hot water, then drain the water.  Add the spices if you wish to the dry cake mix and blend, Add the Pumpkin and stir until well blended.  The batter is very stiff and not pourable, Add raisins and blend.  Spoon into paper liners, add almonds or walnuts, this will make about 18 muffins/cupcakes when filled to nearly the top of the liner.  These cakes rise very little, fill the liners to at least 3/4 full and smooth out the top with the back of your spoon or your finger.  Bake at 350 F for about 22 minutes depending on the accuracy of your oven.


I made 12 regular size and 12 mini size.  Two missing- I ate to taste test. lol  Pumpkin will not kill, I survived to write this post.

The Verdict:  these are really moist, almost sodden.  They were better after two days in the fridge, which kind of firmed them up.  If I made them again, I would use half a can of pumpkin and add a little liquid if needed or use two cake mixes.

I think they tasted better with frosting, too.  Lucy has her eyes on the prize, but dogs can't have raisins.  Let me know if you make these and what your results were.  Enjoy!

(This post was automatically published while I'm off the computer due to vertigo.  Hoping to be back soon to visit your blogs.)

Sunday Straphanger Vermont



Part of the beauty of New England are
the covered bridges, beautiful autumn foliage, mountains, and maple syrup.
Churches around the green.





At  one of the stops we made in Vermont before driving back to NJ, I saw these bottles of honey in bear shaped bottles on a shelf.  The photo doesn't show the way the sunlight was shining  through the honey casting a glow and making a unique design across the floor.  These bear shaped bottles are a tradition in stores across the USA, though through different makers.

These little bears are lined up like miniature Chinese stone soldiers, but much sweeter and less fierce than them.  The honey must have been all warm and perfect for squeezing, as the sun shined on them.   Oh, Pooh!  Yes, I just had to say it.


(This post was automatically published while I'm away from the computer due to vertigo.  Hoping to return very soon.)

Sing to the Clouds



I'm going to show my piece for IA's theme week challenge.  The theme is, "needlework."   There are some beautiful examples of art inspiration for this theme in the post over at the blog.  My piece is a simple mixed media and watercolor, about 4.5 x 5.5 inches.









 I remember my Mom singing to my younger sisters, rocking them in the red rocking chair and watching her rhythm and singing in her Welsh accent.  For some reason this image of a bird guiding the thread in the clouds at the end of a kite came to my mind.  I added the cat for a bit more whimsy.    The background is a result of the vertigo I've come down with, it was supposed to be a different pattern, but the dizziness took hold.

I'm going to step away from the blog for a bit until the vertigo subsides.  With ear infections in both ears, the prescriptions have just started and I have to give them a few days to see if they're going to work.   I'm sorry I won't be able to visit and comment on your blogs.

Tuesday a recipe will be posted and two more posts are also setup to publish automatically.  I hope to be back soon.

Muse in a Brown Paper Package

I'd like to share this  beautiful shadowbox with you.  Hettienne is the artist and her blog  showcases her inspiring attitude, zest for life , and  beliefs in creative ways.  For a few months I've participated in the weekly art theme challenges at Inspiration Avenue.  The team members have Etsy shops, including Hettienne.   I don't have an Etsy shop, but the theme challenges  are open to anyone.  I was welcomed at IA's theme weeks even though I've only just started to try and make the things which flutter through my brain before they disappear.  They mostly don't turn out the way my mind's eye sees them, but I try.

Back to business, Inspiration Avenue celebrated their recent milestone, having 500 followers and the blog party included several giveaways.  I was surprised and very lucky to have received a winning draw and the shadowbox was my gift.  Yahoo!  (They didn't invent that expression. lol)

Brown Paper Package with Beautiful Image

South African stamps, I'm saving these to use in a project!

The first thing I see is the card and the blue bag.  Inside the bag is a detailed description of the shadowbox, the creative process, the components, and the love that went into making the box.
Carefully Opening the Box.






Here is the big TA DA!



It's beautiful, the little book in the corner is an actual little book with blank pages.  There's my teacup and saucer, a locket which opens, my pearls, Cinderella's shoe, and more.  The birds almost made me cry as my Mom had a love for birds and my Dad made birdhouses.  They have both passed away and this art box is a perfect reminder of some happy times with them.  

I've been lax with things and seeing this lovely Muse with all the soothing yet inspiring elements will keep me company.  For now she's on a shelf above my desk.  A perfect place.  Thank you very much Hettienne you have a creative gift and thank you so much for sharing.  Yahoo indeed.

Blessings Button

This year has just gone by in a blur for me, zipping along.  The stores seem to push the calendar too far ahead in their aim to make sales, they have to for their businesses, but it seems odd to see Valentine decorations and candy on the shelves weeks before Christmas.

I like to skip over Halloween and go straight to Thanksgiving.  I made this little 150x150 button to post on my sidebar to wish you Happy Thanksgiving, but for a week or so blogger won't let me upload any images to the sidebars.  If you'd like to have this button, just right click and copy, then paste where you want it.


How do you feel about "Keep Calm" slogans, too many out there, irritating, like them, or ...?

ETA:  I was able to bypass the blogger problem by putting the button image in this post and publishing.  Then viewing the post, clicking on the button image, copying the url address of the published button, finally adding a gadget to the layout- picture, then pasting the copied address, amd saving.  Just in case anyone else is having the same image problem, thought I'd share what worked.

No Dust on These Feathers Peacock Stalker

Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger.
Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger.
Sneeze on Wednesday, get a letter.
Sneeze on Thursday, something better.
Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for sorrow.
Sneeze on Saturday, see your true love to-morrow.


The little poem has nothing to do with Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge, just thought it was a cute poem to share, one of those old time rhymes.


Here's my piece for this art nouveau theme, peacocks were often featured in the art of that period.         



I took my original photo, left, and manipulated it in Picnik
I wrote about this particular peacock before.


Tell Me About It

Growing Old With Grace passed out an award and she gave it to me (Thank You, Grace!) and 14 other bloggers.  I'm supposed to tell 7 things about myself and give the award to 15 bloggers.

Okay, here goes... 

1.  Ten fingers and ten toes. Two eyes and two ears.  One nose. Two feet, one left and one right.

2.  East Coast born and raised.

3.  Dual citizenship. By choice. And by birth ( forgot to state that.)

4.  Green thumb.  99% of the time.
                 
5.  Trying to make the best of things while struggling to keep my eyesight and other health issues.

6.  Tea drinker.  Chocolate eater.  Sometimes together.  Delicious.

7.  Hate to dust.  When given a knick knack as a present, feign delight while thinking, "Where can I put this   waste of money so it won't get dusty and they won't miss seeing it?"  Or, "How long do I have to keep         this before it's safe too throw it away/give to charity shop/ regift to someone who might actually like          it?"  Then feel all kinds of guilt over such thoughts.  Trying to remember to be thankful in all things!  Ack those spaces are not on purpose and won't disappear!
   
                                .
It's my pleasure to list, in random order, the fifteen blogs who get this award.  Just copy and paste the award image to your blog and list your seven things about yourself.  Pass the award on, too.  It would be really nice if you would visit Grace, read some of her heartfelt and often, funny posts, maybe even follow her blog. Check out her list of bloggers, too.


  1. The Krafty Cupcake                                       
  2. Craftymoose Crafts
  3. Magic Love Crow
  4. Golden Lilly Crafts
  5. The Honey From the Bee
  6. Melody Mae
  7. Sunshine Shelles
  8. Tea Diary
  9. A Lapin Life
  10. Whimsical Musings
  11. Dion Dior and More
  12. Graceys Goodies
  13. Tracey Fletcher King
  14. Sweets and Shutterclicks
  15. Priti Studio

Knock Knock and Lucy's List Food Not to Feed Your Dog

Knock Knock!
Who's there?
Wayne.
Wayne, who?
Wayne can I eat my Halloween candy?

Page made with software from: My Memories Suite V2 .

Lucy's only asking for me, she does not get chocolate.  Just only a teeny niblet, and only once in a long while, as chocolate is one of those foods dogs must not eat.  Here's a list of items which are dangerous to dogs from this link at the Drs. Foster and Smith website: pet education .


Items to avoidReasons to avoid
Alcoholic beveragesCan cause intoxication, coma, and death.
AvocadoThe leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sourcesCan cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
Cat foodGenerally too high in protein and fats.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeineContain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extractsCan cause vomiting.
Fat trimmingsCan cause pancreatitis.
Fish (raw, canned or cooked)If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Grapes, raisins and currantsContain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.
HopsUnknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing ironCan damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.
Macadamia nutsContain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
MarijuanaCan depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
Milk and other dairy productsSome adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbageCan contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
MushroomsCan contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
PersimmonsSeeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plumsCan cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
Raw eggsContain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
Raw meatMay contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Rhubarb leavesContain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.
SaltIf eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
StringCan become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."
Sugary foodsCan lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
Table scraps (in large amounts)Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
TobaccoContains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
Yeast doughCan expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure.

Fresh Art Where Friends Gather Under the Stars Mixed Media Masquerade Ball

Five ravens stringing up the bunting, they're the only ones who can reach that height and keep a lookout.  There isn't any RSVP to the Black and Gray Masquerade Ball.  It's an impromptu private party and so far eleven masks have heard the calling.

  

Linking to Inspiration Avenue Theme Masquerade Ball  and Gingersnap Creations Color Challenge Black and Grays.   This piece is about 9x11 inches (too big for the scanner.)  Mixed media of clippings from zoology, national wildlife, and children's story books and magazines; plus ribbon, envelope, greeting card, sticker, and acrylic paint.

Thrills Not Bills From Up North a Gift From Magic Love Crow

The mail held a special treat for me today and here it is:


Click on these images to make larger.

Stacy paints with a sense of humor, charm, and compassion.  Her aceo baby crows are so sweet and her larger canvas paintings, well, just go see them for yourself, she's a talented lady.  There's always something interesting in her blog posts.  Go and say hi!  Thanks so much, Stacy!    

Scary or Sweet? Your Halloween Costume

Vampire lady or Zombie some kind of combination that's me in the black dress, and a friend in gypsy costume some years back hamming it up before the Halloween party.  I was in exaggerated makeup, with painted moon and scar with toy spiders and worms.  Just faking an attitude on the phone and with my friend in her costume,  she's wearing a black wig.  I used My Memories Suite V2 to make this page.
 

When you were a kid, did you wear a  costume with a coat over it because it was so cold or rainy on Halloween?  We fussed about the coats because we  wouldn't get any candy if the people thought we didn't get dressed up!  Yes, some of the neighbors were sticklers costume=candy vs. no costume=empty pillowcase or treat bag.

I wanted to wear the coat open, but Mom said, no.  Once out of her sight I unbuttoned the coat, between all the layers and the mask, it was sweltering. Later at home, the tattletale told on me, so punished, no candy for 48  24 hours. (I've been corrected.) The agony of waiting for two days one day and the sisters waving their treats in front of me.

If you wear a costume for Halloween, do you go with store bought or something you put together?  Scary or Sweet?




Fresh Art Thanksgiving Card Mixed Media

You might say this is a month early, but Cheerful Stamppad for Mixed Media artists is having a theme linkup for Thanksgiving and here's what I made.  The base is part of a Thanksgiving card, then the rest is made up of calendar clippings, ribbons, doily, a golden leaf from a barrette someone gave me and was not my style,  stamp pad ink, and acrylic paint.  It's about 4.5 x 7 inches.  I put a magnet on the back to hang it on the fridge.  The lamp washed out the colors in the top left of the piece, it's a little darker irl.  To view it larger, click on the image.



If you have something for Thanksgiving and want to add it to the blog, the linkup closes in about ten days.

Another blog I'd like to mention is,  "the aceo challenge".  This blog names a challenge theme to make an aceo for and then you add yours to the linkup.  Aceo is 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches in any medium and is welcome. Votes for this blog challenge are made monthly by viewers.  Come and see what the theme is and make an aceo if you like.

What do you do with the things you make that are made for these different themes?  I read about swaps and atc trades, but if you're not listing to sell what  you make, do you keep and display, store, throw away, donate, or something else?  Just wondering.