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Friday, August 30, 2013

What? Is it Behind Me?

This has been quite the week.

Just read a story about a woman who called 911 about a baseball sized spider in her house.

I would have done the same. Well played, lady. Well played. Actually I would have called the fire department too just as a courtesy since I clearly would have had to kill the spider with fire.

I have also had a terrible bug invasion this week. Monday, there was some horrendous click beetle conference in my living room and I had to put SIX of them outside! One of them brought a stink bug in with him. Awful.

Every time I flung one out the door, I'd turn around and there was another one, being stared at by the cats. Thanks, cats, for staring at bugs. That really helps.

After all that bug flinging, I had an even worse experience.

I was walking down the hall when I saw the worst thing any pet owner can see - the LOOK.

You know the look. Perfectly still cat, large pupils, looking JUST past you with what is clearly abject terror in their eyes.

It looks something like this:

Now why is it that we fearfully and wonderfully made two legged creatures have lost our ability to perceive danger? I will give you that to a cat, sometimes the threat is a paper towel on the counter that they are seeing for the first time, but still. They can hear and see things we can't see, and sometimes those things want to kill us.

I turned around slowly and saw... nothing. I turned back to Splotchy, who was stretching his neck out to get a better look at IT behind me. I actually said "What?? What is it??"

Nothing from the terrified cat.

Then he slowly walked off, butt low to the ground, tail down, probably to describe IT to Maddie so that they could make their plans to outrun me when IT decided to attack.

I still wonder what it was. How many legs it had. If it was holding up a furry tentacle to its lips as a warning to Splotchy to shush.

These are the things that keep me awake at night.


Today is Mix-Ability Friday, and Tiffany Johnson is our hostess. Tiffany is fearless with mixed media, and she always lets us get messy. Today's challenge is to DRIP. Drip ink, sprays, water, whatever.

I took her suggestion to use an eyedropper and reinkers. I put a line of More Mustard reinker on the edge of a piece of Arches Watercolor Paper. Then I held it up over a rag on my desk, and dripped water from the eyedropper in several places along the line until the ink ran to the bottom of the paper. I turned the paper 90 degrees and repeated that. I did that on all four sides. Then I spritzed it with my Color Spritzer and a Tempting Turquoise marker until I had this. You're probably thinking that this is hideous.



 But it's amazing what a little die cutting will do.

Pin It
I cut leaves out with my Autumn Accents die and then used the edge of a Basic Black maker around the edge to give it sort of a burned look and define the edges.

The greeting is from Million & One.

So should you hear that I've disappeared suddenly this weekend, please look for evidence in my house of some sort of giant, shape-shifting, half spider, half wasp with a full belly.

Splotchy saw it.

It's waiting.

Or maybe there's just a paper towel on the counter.

Loveyameanitbye.

10 comments:

  1. So simple --and so creative -- perfect blend of colors for fall!!

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  2. OMG -- You actually made me laugh until I cried -- I have two terriers who do "the stare".
    Love the card, as usual. Your work is awesome.

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  3. Love,love your story! Not only can you create wonderful cards, you are a creative story teller! And what you did with this challenge is so perfect and simple. TFS

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  4. Giggling! Great post! The same happens here....and I wonder, "what is it?"

    Well...I guess I am a little odd because I thought your panel was quite striking and not hideous at all but then...it became eye popping in the shape of a leaf! Stunning card!

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  5. Haha...cats are funny, you had me laughing today. Love the technique. I need to get a leaf die before Fall is over.

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  6. Love your project and your story. I can relate. The other night one of my kitties was sitting in the computer room staring up at the wall or the ceiling. I slowly walked out there and turned around expecting a giant spider or one of those horrendous tree roaches, but ------- there was nothing!!!!!! And she also kept staring up there like she could see something - a phantom!

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  7. Cats are definitely different critters from dogs. My dog jumps up suddenly and explodes into a frenzy of wild barking, tearing the living room drapes apart and dancing with both front feet on the ledge of the bow window (yes, the wood is scratched and scraped beyond repair by now). I leap to the window, heart thumping, and peer into the darkness, looking for the serial killer. I see absolutely nothing. You think I'd learn by now...

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  8. Bobra has perfected The Look. I think he got it from you.

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  9. Bwahahaha!!! Your story reminded me of when I was a 20-year-old newlywed (a l-o-n-g time ago) and my DH was working second shift, leaving me at home alone in the evenings. I remember sitting on the couch with the cats on my lap when they would both suddenly whip their heads around and stare up at the ceiling, frozen in place. They weren't the only ones! I didn't know whether to run, scream, duck for cover, or what! And they were NO help. Just THE STARE... (I still get the shivers thinking about it.)

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  10. Lol, I thought for sure there was going to be a villain the size of Mighty Mouse! Shark week gone rodent week....something crazy scary.

    Love the card btw!

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