Art Journaling For The Senile

I have adored art journaling from afar for far too long. I keep telling myself I'll start - and I have bought a million art journals that sit blank in my studio, mocking me.

There are a million reasons I haven't started:

• I am scared of blank pages.
• I like to create art in small spaces - that's why I like cards. 
• There are too many pretty art journals out there for me to make an attempt.
• I haven't found the "right" journal yet.
• I don't have good handwriting.
• I have nothing to journal.
• I love France Papillon and no way can I make anything like what she makes.

Well we've been chatting - the reluctant art journalers - in the Mixed Media Forum on Splitcoast and we have decided to quit putting it off. So earlier this week, I took some books to sell at Half Price Books - and I got $26! That's unheard of at Half Price. I guess old Slavic Linguistics books never go out of style!

I spent about $1.50 of my haul on two books I thought would make good candidates for an art journal.:

Oh - book worshipers - avert your eyes! These books are going to get arted! Sorry if you're already on the way to your therapist.

Today, after class, I decided to get started, with some nice bright colors to combat our horrid grey skies. Homegirl needs to see the sun - STAT!

I decided I would do art journaling for the senile. Traditionally, people do two page layouts - I thought since I do like the smaller space of a single page, that I'd do one page, and keep color notes on the other page in case I stumble on a combo I want to recreate.

First, I coated both pages lightly with a credit card and American Journey Gesso - I love this gesso because it's the only one that was made to work with watercolor - traditional gessos don't work with watercolor very well. I dried it with my heat gun. I made sure to let the original book page show through - I like that the soul of my book will still be there, although the book worshipers will not be mollified by this.


On the right, I stamped the image from the new Sale-A-Bration set - A Happy Thing - in Yellow Citrus Chalk Ink. Then I painted it with a combination of Golden Fluid Acrylics (I love these because they behave more like watercolor), Lukas watercolor, acrylic paint and graphite (all paints listed below.) I dried it all with a heat gun, and stamped the greeting from Hello Life on top.

On the left is the senility map. I took an old gift card, cut it into three long strips, and used those as palette knives to swipe cool colors I used upward, and warm colors downward. As I used them on the right, I added them on the left. When I was done, I labeled all the colors with a Pitt Pen.

I think this method will work for me because it's more of a technique journal than a book full of diary entries.

I really enjoyed it and completely forgot about the cold rain and grey air outside.

Here's a list of the things I used on this spread in case you can't read my writing:

• American Journey Gesso
• Golden Fluid Acrylics - Hansa Yellow Light, Green Gold, Indian Yellow Hue, Quinacridone Magenta, Hansa Yellow Medium
•  Faber Castell 9000 Jumbo 6B pencil (I shaded around the lemon and rubbed this with my finger)
• Lukas Aquarelle Watercolor - Cyan
• Liquitex Titanium White Acrylic Paint

When I was done, I glued each page to the page behind it with Liquitex Matte Gel medium. That makes them sturdier and flatter. 

 So it's no France Papillon, but I like it, and I STARTED! The rest is easy.

 Fun way to spend an afternoon.

I'll be back tomorrow with my class projects and the WINNERS of my Season's Giving drawings - some of you are going to be very happy!

Loveyameanitbye.

Blue Snow, Of Course!

I had my monthly class yesterday and despite the frigid temperatures, we had a blast. It was also my customer Christmas party, so everyone went home with a prize.

One of the cards we did was for a VSN challenge by Lee - to create snow in a color. Well boy that color choice was hard - NOT.

I saw this technique in Tootsy's gallery on Splitcoast and I thought it was so cool.

What I did was cut a snowflake with my Festive Flurry Framelits out of the chipboard that comes with every package of Designer Series paper. I taped that to the back of my Core'dinations Coastal Cabana, and used the sanding block to sand it, giving me a ghostly blue snowflake for my background. Then I just added a precut, silver glimmer snowflake from the Festive Flurry ornament kit - I'm having a class on this next weekend, by the way, if you'd like to come - and a Frosted Finishes embellishment. It's so sparkly and cool. I think they enjoyed it.

Now speaking of blue things - I had a little fun experimenting today with my Pan Pastels, now that I've cracked them open.

I am no good at drawing, but I still made this fun portrait for an art journal page in under 7 minutes.

Want to see how?

I have a video tutorial over on Project Reanimate, because it involves a little recycling. To see it, follow me to my Making Faces tutorial.

Loveyameanitbye.

Wish Big

I'll give you a few big wishes.

I wish the kittens would let me sleep late on the weekends.

I wish there was an Earl Grey delivery service.

I wish everyone would watch this video:

"Science and art have in common intense seeing, the wide-eyed observing that generates empirical information." - Edward Tufte

I took Tufte's workshop for the second time last week and it was FANTASTIC. I HIGHLY recommend ALL his books and I wish everyone would read them.

I also wish everyone would make little sweaters out of the All Dressed Up framelits. 

I wish you all would go check out my recycled project on Project Reanimate today. It's for the Challenge Chicks March Challenge.

I wish you would all play along.

I wish you an awesome Sunday!

Loveyameanitbye.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

So in 1999, we knew what we were in for with the whole Y2K thing.

All the power would go out at once, we'd be plunged into darkness and have to drink out of the toilet. I knew a LOT of people who bought generators and stockpiled Snickers.

But it was a known quantity. No power.

With the Mayan apocalypse bearing down on us, I'm amazed at how poorly defined it is.

Will yetis or zombies come barreling out of the Barton Creek Greenbelt to eat us? Will an asteroid hit us? Will we spontaneously combust?

I think the Mayans must have been very unorganized people to have such a poorly defined apocalyptic prediction. Had crafters been in charge of the apocalypse, we would have organized a themed blog hop, had custom digital downloads for the pinhole sunglasses you'd need when the sun and all the stars exploded, and strategically pre-staged glitter and die cutting machines for those in harm's way.

It's embarrassing, really, to see what a shoddy apocalypse this is. So we just have to carry on and guess.

Since I just organized my glue collection, I'm actually feeling pretty confident that I can face whatever is coming.

In the meantime, I think it's very important that we don't stop recycling. Because if it ends up being a huge fizzle like 1999 we don't want to be surrounded by mounds of trash. And generators. And zombie bullets.

So I have three reanimations for you today.

I went to retail church yesterday - Whole Foods - and I worshiped some Hail Merry Tarts and the precise number of Telicherry peppercorns I needed for my insanely awesome carne guisada - I love the bulk section.

Since I didn't bring a bag, I got paper bags for my holy goods. And man, are they gorgeous - all year. You may remember my last Whole Foods bag project. I loved those saturated greens.

But the holidays are upon us and the bags have kept up. So, in order to procrastinate cleaning and prepping for my classes, I sat down and did a little recycling.

Supplies: Whole Foods paper bag, Poppy Parade Ink, Whisper White Cardstock & Seam Binding

Turns out their ink is a dead on match for Poppy Parade Ink, so I used Word Play to finish it off.

BUT - there are even CUTER holiday versions over at Project Reanimate - and all three of these cards were made with a single bag.

Recycling gives you good Mayan karma, I promise. And if it does come to pass, please head to the designated glitter pickup station for supplies. I'll be the one in the cute apron.

Loveyameanitbye.

If You're Unorganized Enough, You Can Do Anything

Seriously.

I was trying to go through my 91 draft blog posts to see if there was anything fun to post and I found a card from LAST YEAR.

I'm so organized like that. It's okay to be jealous.

I like it though, so we're going to pretend I was saving it for a special occasion. Like Tuesday, August 21st.

Yeah, that.

This card was actually a sample I did for last year's Hope You Can Cling To event, which is near and dear to my heart. This year will be our third year, and I can't wait - I really hope you can join us. It's  a great cause, and the most fun you can have without getting arrested!

Stamps: From the Heart (retired)

Paper: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: ShinHan Touch Markers: RP196, RP17, SU Oval dies, SU dotted ribbon

This weekend I also did a little project with some of my leftover paper from my fun CitraSolv experiment.

You can see the results on this post on Project Reanimate.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap

It's really hard to believe we are on the last day of the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges! I have been having a blast and learning all sorts of new things, and I hope you've had a chance to play along.

My first challenge for the week was a very clean challenge, so I decided we'd get dirtier and dirtier as the week went on. 

Now I can't tell you what my challenge is - you can find it here if you're a Fan Club member- but I can tell you what technique I used. 

I've heard about this technique for many years but never tried it until now, and I am HOOKED. 

It's a very cool way to make stunning backgrounds, and to recycle. And I know you're all... "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but two videos in one week, maybe?"

And to that I say yes! I have a video for you!

Can you guess what these pretty strips of paper are made out of? I'll give you three guesses while you peruse....

Paper: Whisper White, National Geographic

Stamps: Full of blessings

Ink: Early Espresso

Accessories: Linen Thread, Citra Solv, Foam Paintbrush, Tombow Multi Glue




It's a National Geographic magazine! I bought mine for $1 at Half Price books, found the Citra Solv at Central Market and I went to work!

To see my other card with this technique - head over to Project Reanimate!

To learn to do it yourself, watch the following Citra Solv Magic video!

And then go get your share of our amazing prizes for Dare to Get Dirty!

Edelweiss

I remember SO vividly the first time I saw the Sound of Music, (which is great, and I could go on yada yada) that what I loved the MOST was Edelweiss. I don't know why I loved that song more than all the other fantastic music in that movie, but I did, and still do. (Click the link above if you don't see a video player.)

Doesn't that song just make you feel peaceful and happy?

I might have to put the 45th Anniversary edition of the movie on my Christmas list. I don't have a Blu-Ray but the boxed set is a combo Blu Ray/DVD so maybe I could give the Blu-Ray to Kim! :) If that's even what combo means. Honestly, I don't even know. Audio/video/stereo/movie stuff is the one tech area where I'm not a geek and could completely care less. If I can see it and hear it before I fall asleep - I'm fine. I don't need it to come with 3D and aromatherapy and 30 gigahertz of decibels or whatever. But here's what I'm adding to the Blue List.

Every time I make a white flower on a card, I think of that song, even though I've never seen one of those flowers in real life.

Here's a beautiful illustration of one from Wikipedia, in case you haven't either.

I was humming that pretty little tune late on Friday night when I made one of my class projects for yesterday's class. I kept the two cards pretty CAS since we had a more complicated (and adorable) 3D project to make. I will show it to you when the Sizzix blog hop gets rolling because I made the project for that hop - SQUEE!

But speaking of Sizzix, my sweet white flower is just two of the flowers from the Fun Flowers die, curled up with the fat end of my bone folder.

The center of the flower was punched from red glimmer paper with my Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. 

In the background, trying HARRRRRDDDDDD to steal the show, is the stunning Holly Berry Bouquet designer paper. I wish I had oodles of this paper - I love these roses.

This would make a super Christmas card and it would easily mail flat.

Speaking of those - I haven't designed mine yet. I better get cracking.

Oh - before you go - head over to my Project Reanimate Blog and see what I was up to on TV last week with some fun recycled Christmas ornaments!

Loveyameanitbye.


 

Seeing Red

Seriously. Finally! I slept until almost 8 which is about four hours longer than normal, so I'm feeling very crafty today. Also, I've had a LOT of caffeine. So it could be that too.


Either way, I have some WAY fun stuff to show you today.


First, I decided to tackle today's Inspiration Challenge with some new toys. Stef picks out the most unbelievable stuff every week, and this week's color combo really grabbed me.

So my new goodies came out of the box: Field Flowers and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch. Can you believe I didn't already have either of these? GAH. I've been wanting that punch ever since Megan Daves showed us how to use it as a teeny scalloped border at convention.

So what I did is stamped the base images in Crumb Cake, and the detailed image (it's a two step stamp set) in Poppy Parade.

Now for the fun part. I punched a strip of the ribbon border punch out of Poppy Parade cardstock and stuck it behind my flower panel. I stamped the greeting from Hand Penned Holidays in black half off the white panel and stamped it again on my card base and just lined them up.

Then I noticed all the teeny weeny dots from the border punch all over my mat and I thought they'd look so cool on my card front!!

Adhesive is easier than you think for these little buggers. I just put a little dab of glue on my mat, and then used my piercing tool to pick up each dot, rub it in glue and stick it on the card. SO easy! The piercing tool has magical qualities for holding small items.

I think the dots really add something too - it was a little plain before.

Now, after that, I did something SERIOUSLY fun.

I made a purse out of a box of animal crackers!!

Wanna see? Come on over to Project Reanimate.


Hope you have a great Caturday!

Handmade Careers

If I asked each of you crafty peeps what your dream job would be, I'm pretty sure you would all say something that involved your art, yes?

Me too. But anyone who has ever looked for a job knows how difficult this process is - the spam, the identity thieves masquerading as recruiters, the recruiters, for that matter. Forget about trying to find your "dream job" on Monster.com. Seriously. It's a needle in a haystack.

Nobody wants to be a needle in a haystack.
So I just decided that the best thing to do about all those people with dreams was to create a place where people could find those jobs and those companies they dreamed about. And nothing else. Period.

So I did.

It's a little place called Handmade Careers, and I kinda like it. Arty, crafty jobs in arty, crafty companies. And nothing else. Check it out. (Note - It's optimized for Firefox - you will not see everything in other browsers for a few days)
Oh, and after that, head on over to Project Reanimate for a video tutorial on a recycled mystery!


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Foofy Flowers

Want a different kind of flower? Sure you do.

How about a foofy one like this, made from the sassy, glittery Sending Love paper?Or... how about one made from an old phone book?

Maybe you should click here.

Google Reader Webinar is this Friday - you can still sign up in my sidebar!

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If I Missed You Enough...

Wanna see something cool?

Take your scallop punch, and punch 8 scallops. If you're me, use an atlas.

Hold them together with a brad in the middle
Start scrunching them up, starting with the top scallop. Scrunch them one by one
When you're done, you have this scrunched up thing.Fluff it out a little, and you get a beautiful flower.


Now, what if I really, really missed you?

I think I'd take this flower, and I'd do this. << Click.

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White Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings...

These are a few of my favorite things!

(I know you're singing now...)

I was packaging up my Etsy orders last night from our Cyber Monday sale, and I used a couple things I thought were fun.

First, this beautiful blue/white and yellow/white twine I bought from another Etsy seller - Whisker Graphics. I LOVE this twine!!

Next, I needed a little stamp for my tags, so I turned to the most overlooked stamps Stampin' Up! makes - my incentive stamps. I LOVE INCENTIVE STAMPS! And not because of their price. I love the unique designs that you don't see elsewhere in the catalog, and I love their tiny scale.

The stamp I decided to use is from the Best Card Ever set, which contains all sorts of fun stamps for indicating your work is handmade.

I liked this because it's so simple, and just points you to the word art. (Click for larger image)

Speaking of art, if you want to see something fun you can do with shimmer paint and an old book, click the picture below.


Let me know how you're doing!

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My Little Chickadee..

When I was on a gallery stalk yesterday through Splitcoast, I found this amazing little chickadee ornament made by someone much more organized than myself - She's thinking about Christmas! Goodness. I haven't caught up to the 4th of July yet!! Stop making me look bad!

She made that ornament look good though, didn't she?

However, she gave me a near fatal case of bird flu. I desperately clawed through my stamp piles until I found the Friends 24-7 set with my fat little bird. I love fat birds with little bellies. I also love pale blue plates with black and white birds all over them. That's what I had in mind when I created this.

Stamps: Friends 24-7 Ink: Soft Sky, Basic Black
Paper: Soft Sky, Book Page Accessories: White Gel Pen, Stampin' Sponge, Self Adhesive Rhinestones

Then I grabbed an old Bobsey Twins book and got to work!

Look - I can hear you - quit yelling about the fact that Soft Sky is retired. I love it - okay?? I'm going to hoard it and keep using it forever, a little at a time. I yell about Soft Sky and Pacific Point Blue every day, believe me.

Hope you have a great day today. I get to see my airport art today - whoopee! Film at 11! Not really. I'm never awake at 11.

Anyway - loveyameanitbye.

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I Want to Ride my Bicycle, I Want to Ride my Bike.

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy

I think the very first thing that ever gave me a concept of good graphic design in my life was a deck of Bicycle Playing Cards.

I remember being fascinated by the patterns, the teeny cherubs balanced on their bikes. the delicate little monochromatic design was good enough to be on currency, I thought. And the resolution, since it was just red or blue and white, was perfection.

I was at Costco the other day and on my way to the checkout I saw a giant box of Bicycle cards - half blue, half red. (Yes, I have plans for the blue ones.) I could not resist. I thought of a million fun things to do with them, this little ditty being the first.

Stamps: Cute & Classic
Ink: Basic Black
Cardstock: Real Red, Noveau Chic DSP, Playing Cards
Accessories: Rub on, 3/4" square punch, ribbon
All supplies (except playing cards) Stampin' Up!

I thought I'd have a little fun, and I added the bicycle image. It's from the Cute & Classic incentive stamp set. I love the beginning of the new catalog year because it means new incentive stamp sets in all their glorious teeniness. This one is my faves in a long time.

There's something so universally appealing about a bike. You probably smile just thinking about a bike ride. I hope so. :)

Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps the most fascinating feature of material life. ~Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle

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The Studio Tour

I had some people over last night and had the funniest experience. Some of them, including lots of boy creatures, came into my tiny studio for a gawk.

This is a hilarious way to see your craft - just listening to the observations of non-stampers.

Yes, there are non stampers. (breathe)

My fave comment was about my shelf with my paints, ribbons, envelopes. They were talking about how many different things there were to use - look, if you need some ribbon, here it is. And then, regarding my big bottle of gesso "AND WHAT IF YOU NEED A BIG JAR OF GOOP?"

We are strange creatures to the outside world. There are places where people don't know what gesso is, everyone. :)

Now, for a reanimation. Click the photo below to find out what I did. :)


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What Exactly Do You Mean by Strong?

You know how there's a difference between how people see you and how you are in your head? People tell you - "you're strong" and you say "no, I'm not." Or they say "you're very artistic" and you look in your trashcan at some really quite embarrassing attempts at art that you're glad no one can see. I can tell you that one of my very favorite stamping artists does not think of herself as the end all and be all of artists, as I think of her.

I saw a quote yesterday that I just loved.

"when life gives you lemons, MAKE ORANGE JUICE and let people wonder how you did it"

There's always the possibility that it's your friends that make you strong or artistic, and not the inside of your head, you know.

Your fluffy tailed little rabbit friends, perhaps. You know the best view of these little guys is from behind. :)

Stamps: All Night Media Ink:Black Paper: Kraft CS, Old book Page, Basic Black Accessories: Micron Pen, Stampin' Up! Rubon, Prismacolors

Stampendous was asking on Twitter yesterday what was the stamp that you can't live without is. That's a pretty hard question for a girl with, uh, a "few" stamps.

But every time I open my contraband drawer, and I see this little bunny butt stamp from All Night Media, I'm pretty sure I'd grab it first if there was a fire. How can that image not make you smile?

Have a great Thursday!

Loveyameanitbye.


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Flight

This is my paper quilt that will be hanging in the airport. It's about 16 x 20. The squares are made from pages from Communication Arts Magazine, and also Inside Santa Fe, an art exhibit magazine I pick up in Santa Fe every year. The birds are cut with my Stampin' Up! exclusive bird die.

The images I chose are meant to evoke feelings of both flight and destinations.

When Navajo weavers make blankets or rugs, they weave a deliberate mistake into them, because only God is perfect. It would offend the gods and give you some seriously bad mojo if you produced a "perfect" weaving. Since this project is emulating a blanket, I included a little Navajo tribute, turning one bird opposite the way he "should" be facing.

I figured if it was going to go in the airport, the last thing I needed was bad mojo! :)


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It's Time to Reanimate!

I feel like I've been neglecting Project Reanimate. I have even posted some reanimated projects over here out of.. well, laziness.

So I am happy to bring you a Project Reanimate card today! :)

But first, some housekeeping..

I have some Blogger students lined up for my next Webinar. I will be taking my birthday week off from webinar-ing, so how does September 10th sound?

If you are new here, I teach webinars on a variety of topics and here's how they work:

• Blogger Webinars ($20) - they start at 6 for beginners, 6:30 for people who have blogged but want to spiff up. They cover step by step from setting up a blog, to analyzing traffic, adding HTML tricks and background images.
  
• Google Reader ($5) - I teach you how to set up an "inbox" for all your favorite blogs and websites, where you can read all their content from one place, and have it forever accessible by keywords YOU choose - like stamp sets, topics or colors! This will save you hours each week visiting all the websites you love, and let you get rid of all those pesky email subscriptions.
• Blog headers - Special pricing on blog headers for people who take my webinars. For a peek at some of the ones I've designed, not to mention the one I did for Martha Stewart Crafts - click here.
  
• Anyone who takes my webinars can sit in on the same class forever for FREE - so you don't have to worry about needing a brush up - you are welcome any time!

I will do a blogger one on the 10th, and you can sign up in my sidebar. When people register, I schedule, so register if you'd like to take one and I will contact you with instructions.

Okay - that's enough shameless self promotion. Ready for art??

Click the pic for a reanimation.
Loveyameanitbye.


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A Wrinkle in Time

Today is class day! And the projects are just too cute. But of course they're top secret unless you want in the club ;). You don't know what you're missing with all the new stuff!!!

But I do have something for you today since you can't be here with me.

More goodies from the new catalog tomorrow - but today, a little retired stamp set tribute to a Twitter buddy over at Deadpan Alley.

Anybody read those Madeline L'Engle books when they were little? These are FANTASTIC books.

And without a book review, I'll just tell you there's something really cool about colliding with a whole new universe and discovering its secrets.

Here's a little quote for ya.

"When I ponder mysteries - I get a childlike rush: mindfulness, curiosity, wonder, thrill of solution, giddiness."

Got that on Twitter via @ACRead and @lallaporter.

Twitter is my latest universe. It has been so cool for finding neat marketing resources, people who post helpful links for my graphic design work, people who make me laugh, and beautiful jewelry and art.

I'll put a list of a few of my faves at the end should you choose to bust up in some Twitter. :) Hope you do.

But Wednesday, my little Deadpan Alley was nowhere to be found! And I missed her terribly! Her Twitter icon is a piece of her gorgeous artwork, that's all hand drawn in ink on old book pages, which you know is close to my heart. My Twitscape was forlorn without her birds. As it would be without my paperbat, but more on that later.

Turns out her internet was down, so I decided to do a little stamping tribute to her. Go peek at her work at the link above before you study this.I used the retired A Little Birdie Told me, and stamped it on a page from a botany book I got used. It's a gorgeous book.

I colored the bird with Riding Hood Red reinker (buh-bye you gorgeous red) and stamped the little heart from Cheep Talk in Riding hood red, along with the branch from the same set in black.

The "marvelous" is a rubon from the colored "Bright Delight" set.I added some white gel pen highlights on the bird and the hearts.

Hopefully this will keep some Deadpan Alley fans going till her internet is fixed! Her art is much more lovely!

I'm thinking that I should do Twibutes (hee hee) to my other Tweople - here are some of my faves:

@paperbat - I so love my little paperbat. Stunning talent, great writing. Best icon on Twitter.
@dimbulb52 - quite possibly the funniest man on Twitter. Plus he likes the same music I do.
@holyxuxa - ROTFLMAO
@browneyedpea - one of the world's sweetest ladies, with FABBY links.
@barelyknit - in cahoots with holyxuxa in the ROTFLMAO dept.
@sockington - the cat with half a million followers. You know why? He's HILARIOUS.
@toddanddon - my local radio talk show hosts who make me laugh till I pull a muscle. They won't let me take my glasses off.
@thesearedays - my Austin idol - mom, gorgeous, ninja, blogger, runner, Ellen guest, gigglefest.

Cuz @thesearedays is my home girl, I'm gonna need you to check out one story in particular. If I hadn't already loved this woman, I would have asked her to leave her Iphone for me when I read this. When you start to read the story, please click on the Rachel is a Princess story before finishing, so that you can get the full flavor. Spectacular story of depravity and bliss all wrapped up right here in my own backyard. Here you go - enjoy.

Don't even get me started on the great people I've found in the last few days, like @Locket2you and more - they're wonderful. I'll share as I go and/or buy things.

It's an amazing group of humans. Check em out.

Speaking of amazing humans, my dear sweet reader Linda sent me a pressie - some of her AMAZING HANDMADE SOAP, which will be featured tomorrow. You're gonna freak!

But, she also sent the girls a pressie.

And here's how Maddie felt about it. :) I'm lucky I didn't lose a finger. This is the look she has when she says "I'm taking this now - let go and no one gets hurt."Needless to say, she hasn't allowed Splotchy to play with them at all!!

But both girls would like to wish you all a happy..


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