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February 1st, we celebrate another birthday in our home.
Happy Birthday, Seth!
It has been 22 wonderful years of your smiles and curls. Being a younger brother and a older one you have made us proud. Your respect and kindness towards others is something to be very proud of.
Click on the image to read and click on "Nature Notes" in the categories for past entries.
Until Next Time....It is party time!
Debbie
As promised....the last two pages for January's Nature Notes.
Click images to enlarge for reading and click on "Nature Notes" in categories to read past entries.
Until Next Time.....Happy Birthday Steve! It is going to be a FUN day doing the things I love to do! I mean the things you love to do! Glad we both agree the beach is the perfect way to end the day!
Debbie
We had a wonderful time in Arkansas, but are glad to be back home. However, I am still officially on my holiday break for a few more days. Our home has been filled with college kids, laughter and lots of coming and going the past few days. It has been fun to have them all here and I will miss all of them early Saturday as they all head back to their respective schools. Would have loved to had Colby here too, but he was having fun and bringing in the new year in Buenos Aires and Chile! Is it okay to be jealous of your children every now and then?
Until Next Time....
Debbie
It's no secret and many have known for years....I love wallpaper....rolls, scraps, books....old and new....anyway I can get it. Now I don't want it on my walls, but I use it in my artwork and my journals. But let's face it you can actually have too much of a good thing and over the past months I have been working on some projects for the coming year and have found I have an over abundance of wallpaper. I could eat drink and sleep wallpaper and never run out. Seriously! So let me share with you one of my projects.
I have packages of wallpaper with at least 100+ pieces in various sizes up to 8" x 10", with 80% being 5" x 7" or larger in a variety of colors and styles. These pieces are perfect for backgrounds, embellishments, in journals, on ATC's and multiple other art projects. Each package is only $15 and this includes shipping by Priority Mail Flat Rate with the envelope filled to the brim. So you are only talking $10 for 100+ pieces of wallpaper....that's less than 10 cents a piece and I am known for being very generous when it comes to filling those envelopes with extras!
ALL the proceeds from each package will be donated to a charity each month. That's $10 for each package sold. Charities may be local, regional or national and will be announced by the end of each month for the following month.
Why did I decide to go ahead and start in December? Because the holidays are traditionally a time of giving and there are so many children out there less fortunate than mine and maybe yours. There are parents struggling to put food on the table and clothes on their children's back and EVERY child should have a present to open on Christmas. I also want those same children to be able to give their parents a small gift and feel the joy I received as a child giving my parents little gifts I had made or purchased for a few dollars.
Starting today I will donate proceeds and/or purchase gifts to donate to local churches and schools participating in an "Angel Tree" project.
PLEASE NOTE: All orders places through December 14th, will NOT be shipped until December 15th - 18th. All orders placed December 15th and later will NOT ship until the week of January 3rd, however ALL proceeds will be used towards the Angel Tree projects no later than December 23rd.
This is just a sample of the wallpaper pieces that may or may not be in your package. Remember each package is a mix of color, style and size, but of equal value.
1 Wallpaper Package: $15 includes Priority Shipping includes 100+ pieces!
To order please contact me below and I will invoice you via PayPal. Once I have received your payment I will add your name to the list for shipment. Orders will be shipped in the order in which they are received. Make sure you include the total number of packages you would like to order. Please make sure your PayPal payment includes your shipping address!
Thank you for your help in making a child's Christmas more memorable.
Creatively,
Debbie
Are you thinking pink this October? I am! Not only when I look out my front windows and still have beautiful pink knock out roses but because it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As I was thinking of writing this post, I thought about the Grandmother I never knew that was taken from Mom at an early age, friends, family and art friends that have had to deal with this disease either by the loss of loved ones or fighting each day to survive. And there are those that can now say, I am a Survivor! Once again this year I will be donating 20% of my sales through out the month to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Hope you will visit my shop in the Marketplace and check back often as new art will be added through out the month. Working together there will be a cure, let's help make it during our lifetime.
Twenty-six years ago I gave birth to the young man on the right after 26 hours of labor! Seth and Kaycee are very lucky they are here after that is all I can say! My birthday boy called me this morning on his way down to his grandparents and we had a wonderful hour long talk and then another one on his way back to his place. He had taken the day off and was sure Granna would have him something for his birthday, but Granna and Papa were not home! That's why you should call your grandparents before you head their way if you want special treats even on your birthday! Colby I know you will read this sooner or later as I am sure KC will call you to say, Mom blogged about you! Wish we could spend the day with you, but glad you have so many friends to spend it with.
Colby had been his Papa's co-pilot since he was just a baby and had a love for flying + an opportunity to fly when ever he wanted thanks to his Papa. He started taking lessons at 13 and did his solo on his 16th birthday and then his solo cross-country at 17. My daddy owned the aviation service and he or one of the instructors would fly down to our house and Colby would fly them back almost every weekend. It was not unusual for Colby to bring one of the planes back to Crossett for a few days. Colby has moved on from flying planes to fast cars, for his own transportation and prefers to fly first class now!
In the picture above is Colby at 17 and Mr. Jeff. We met Jeff and Lisa right after we moved to Crossett, Lisa cut our hair for 17 yrs and our kids went to school and played baseball together. Jeff had never flown before and wanted Colbyto take him up one day and 9 years ago Colby took Mr. Jeff on his first flight. They looked like kids standing in front of that plane that day. I don't know which was more excited, Jeff getting to go up for the first time or Colby being the one to take him.
Jeff we know you have been through some trying times and as you start your 4th round of chemo our thoughts and prayers are with you, Lisa and the kids.
Happy Birthday Colby! You are one of three reasons why being a Mom makes everyday special.
What a week it has been....the heat, no rain, dealing with the post-surgery fun of pain and sutures...but all I have to do is look out my windows and I have those gorgeous roses to brighten the day. I had 3 Knock-Out rose bushes planted a few months after we moved in across the front porch. They were a mere foot in height if that and now they span 5 feet at least in all directions.
This down time for me has given me time to reflect on my life, my family, my friends and my art. It has given me some clarity in the things I want to do and move forward with. I will be spending more time doing things for myself, things that make me happy....because we all know if Mama isn't happy no one is! So if you find me missing is action for a few days....I will be out enjoying my roses, creating new art and hopefully some early morning beach walks and lazy beach afternoons.
This down time has given me the chance to decided if I want to pursue some opportunities that have come my way....some of them I believe were meant to be, some I think need to be put on the back burner for the time being. In order for some to reach their potential I would be creating art around the clock and to me if you are working on that many things you can't be putting your best out there. I am not a slap it on the canvas because I need to get a certain number of pieces done for a specific event. I can tell you I have a wonderful collection of art from many artists I admire and they didn't get there by slapping paint and embellishments, their work is very meticulous and every detail has been thought out. I am not saying you can't work on several pieces at one time, you just need to think about how you are being represented.
This down time has also given me time to work on the details of a few projects I have had listed on my to-do list for quiet some time. So you can look for those to be shared soon.
Well the sutures are beginning to pull and itch, so that is a sign it is time to sit back and enjoy the coolness of my hardwood floors and ceiling fans while I enjoy the view outside my windows.
Hope you have a great Father's Day weekend. Wish I could be with my Dad....you can bet he will be getting a phone call tomorrow!
I have 100's, no 1000's of antique and vintage postcards, photos and papers and starting today I am sharing them with the readers of the MMCA Marketplace Blog.
You can visit the MMCA Marketplace blog for a weekly Free Digital Image you can use for your own personal artwork. Each Sunday a new image will be featured and on the 22nd of the month someone will win a surprise package. There is even a bonus if your artwork is published in print! Click on the link above to get your first free digital image and read more about how you can win.
It is going to be a rather quiet week here....the kids flew home to visit with grandparents and be in my nieces wedding....Steve is sitting in a hotel room in north Georgia waiting on contractors to finish a job that he can bring back on-line and I am patiently resting and popping antibiotics in hopes the infection in my back improves so I can have surgery next week.
Off to watch a Hallmark movie I recorded last night!
1. HOME SWEET HOME, 2. Secret garden, 3. Red Door Somewhere in Italy, 4. Worn Door - Pittsburgh, 5. blood roses, 6. Door to the secret garden...., 7. Waiting To Be Discovered, 8. Coge la puerta y vete... y no volvió!!!, 9. Lovely 13
Everyone knows the saying....when one door closes another opens! Does one have to close in order to open another? I don't think so, however sometimes in order for you to move forward you have to make choices! How many doors are you willing to open to find the right one? How many do you close? Can you leave the key in the keyhole just in case you want to come back or decide to lock the door and throw away the key?
Behind every door there is something waiting for you....you don't always know what, but there is something....good....not so good.....and sometimes you just don't know even after you get there!
Photo Credit DSC_0007 1.JPG
The only thing you can do is take the key, unlock the door and take a peek or open it wide open for whatever comes your way! If you are a risk taker you will do the latter. I have taken many chances, walked through many doors not knowing what I would find on the other side. So far I have never run into anything I couldn't handle, was it always easy, no, but would I be happy if everything I did was handed to me on a silver platter? I don't know. There have been times when I will admit it might have been nice, but until you do it yourself you will never know what you are capable of accomplishing.
I have been going through so many doors over the past year, making sure I was taking care of everyone else....at home and with my business that I have forgotten about me....and it finally caught up. I can see Steve rolling his eyes, shaking his head and saying....I have tried to tell you to slow down, do something for yourself and let everyone else take care of themselves for a while. I do hate to admit when he is right!
There are only a few days left in the month of May....only a few days for me to get some things in order because I have decided I am going to take some time and do what makes me happy. We are flying home to Arkansas in a few days to spend time with our families. My niece is getting married on the 6th and the week of the wedding we have lots of activities to attend. It will be fun, but busy! Remember the beautiful journal here, my friend Sue Pieper gave me....I plan on putting it to good use while sitting on the beach, listening to my favorite music blast over the house, and play in my flowers (this rain and wind have really done them in).
So before the rumors start flying...I am NOT closing the doors on MMCA or MMCA Marketplace....I am just going to make it easier on myself while I continue to see them grow and as some of our newest members have said, they see the links everywhere, their friends are members and MMCA seems to be the place with things happening and they want to be a part of it. There are several new things in the works for both MMCA, the group as well as MMCA Marketplace. I will still be running them, just from the beach with my BlackBerry and Laptop for awhile! Who says a girl can't have a little fun while she works?
Photo Credit Olde Screen Door
My plan is to have a swinging door that I can use to come and go with ease while I refocus on my art and what I truly want to be doing with it. I have some opportunites in front of me that I need to focus on and in order to do so I need to refocus on what really matters and what will bring me to my happy place in the art world.
You know it is a shame it takes a health issue to slow you down enough to think about which key(s) you should use. I leave you with a question....do you have doors unopened that you would like to see what is on the other side?
