YAPPING CAT STUDIO

Finger Pity is good!

For me!  LOL.  Sweet Hub has felt very sorry for me indeed.  Resulting in gifts.  Awesome.

Mags!  Yay!  The new Artful Blogging is awesome.  Seemed weird to see the Summer issue, but then again, May is the end of this week.  Seems like it was just January.    Somerset Studio is fab too.

LOVE this set of note cards!  I've been a big fan of Maryjo's work for ages now.  So was tickled to get this set of cards that she did.  Are they not gorgeous?

And roses.  He's a good one, that Sweet Hub is.  I think I'll keep him!  Thanks honey!

PS:  And yes, doesn't the science beaker make the cutest bud vase?

Resistance is Futile

Well, the fun of the *Borg Finger has now worn off.  As has the novelty of showing people which finger.  And overall it has become, cumbersome and annoying, but no less painful.  Typing is the pits.  As is trying to do any crafting.  Curses on you Xacto knife.  Pooh. 

So, suffice to say, slim on crafts today.  But hopefully as it heals this week, I will remove the metal thingy and be able to move more.  Tried today, but sill dang sore !!  Here's a few package wraps I did for the gifts I took this weekend to my niece's party.

One of the current Somerset Life challenges is to embellish a brown paper bag.  So I had grabbed a bunch week before last and had thought I would play around with the idea.  And someone has to get those first few ones that never turn out like you want em too.   

Of course having waited till the last minute AND being injured, held me back.  LOL.  I could have gone crazy with this, but sometimes, k.i.s.s. is better I guess. 

This one is my favorite.  Yes, I know its not brown.  The little felt cut out is actually a frame that Hob Lob was closing out for cheap!  I just affixed to the bag with a little glue and then wired the top down.  Slipped her name into the frame.  And scribbled "birthday girl" across the top.  Added the little butterfly for fun. 

Was delighted with the way my SIL's book finished up (thank goodness before the accident).  She's not a funky, ephemera girl, so I tried to keep it more clean and simple.  (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

You've seen the cover five million times now.

Look at that awesome flocked wall-paper I used from my "Donna Stash".

She does however, like a little funky.

I scrap-lifted a few ideas from the fabulous miss Dee Dee.  And yes, our styles are similar, but I just think her pages are so much more cooler than mine.

I loved this sticker set from 7 Gypsies.  I think the whole 97% Complete line is awesome.  But this Unique set was a little tricky to coordinate paper with, but I was pleased with the way it turned out.

And by the last few pages, I'm usually tired of the whole thing, LOL, so they are pretty dull.

Well, I'm off to see if I can paint.  Awwww, too bad cleaning is hard to do too.  : D

*For those too young or not nerdy enough to know - the Borg is from Star Trek Next Generation.  A race of aliens that assimilated humans into the collective by replacing much of their body with engineered parts.  Get it?  The metal finger?  Ah ha.   

Accidents will happen

In crafting, there are sometimes what is known as the happy accident, ie: a smear that is made into a wonderful flower, the unintentionally torn paper that looks awesome when put in place, etc.   

This was not a happy accident. 

Not in the least.  Xacto one - me zero.  Or should that be Xacto won.   

OUCH!  Can you say Wee-ner?  Yeah, cause I'm a big ol Oscar Meyer when it comes to pain.  And the cut was pretty deep and long (from tip to side).  But I was fortunate.  The Doc decided since a nice, clean cut, (he gave me an A+ for cutting skills - funny guy), he would glue together rather than stitch.  Said the gluing would hold tighter than stitches anyway.  Dang!  And I was gonna ask for pink thread too!  Not really!  I was so very grateful, cause usually the shot to deaden is more painful than the original injury.  So after a good soaking in iodine, he simply glued the wound back together.  A tetanus shot rounded out the fun.  oh joy.  And here we are now.

Not too terribly painful.  But very cumbersome.

Wow!  Yesterday was cat urp and today blood-shed...what else can happen in the studio?  As Sweet Hub was checking out the damage this morning, he looked at me and said, "ohmygosh, I see a blog post happening."  I laughed and said, "why, of course!". 

Here are a few things that were completed before the unfortunate accident.  As the "furry alarms" woke me quite early this morning.

Finished sweet SIL's book.

Did a few more magnets.

Had just started working on some journal covers when the accident occurred. 

How did I do it you ask?  I was stupidly trying to pull some magnets apart with an Xacto knife.  DUH!  .  And as I held the knife in my hand, I knew I needed to be careful or I would cut myself.  That very thought crossed my mind.  DUH!  And then I did.  Cut myself.  Gah.

Well, bear with me over the next several days as posts may be lots of pics and not so much words.  LOL.  I can hear ya saying, "Yes!".  LOL.  Extra bonus - no dish washing for 10 days!  YAY! 

I think I will head back into the studio and see how hard it is to work.  And you can betcha' I won't be using an Xacto! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Airing my dirtly laundry...

...by showing you my SCARY studio. 

Just a quick post to say hey and show you the chaos that reigns.   Lots going on this week in the studio (which is good).  Birthday gifts to catch up (for Sat delivery) and orders (THANK YOU!  Wendy and Cindy!) and junk for swaps.  And the booth.  Gah.  Lots of paper crafts and painting to be done. 

Now I know we've all had this discussion before...how a big ol' desk space gets reduced to a 2"x2" working spot.  Funny huh?  But yep, here is the current work space. 

On someone's blog (sorry, can't remember where) they had posted that their studio was where the magic happened.  I think mine could be labeled, "where the tetanus could happen".  Because it's not on the table, but on the floor as well.

Oops!  (Click on pics to make larger).  Here's gross...see that wee bit of cat URP stain there to the right of the plastic bin....ewwwwwwwww.  Got the get the "Little Green Machine" out.  Here's the culprit:

Yeah.  Look at that oh so innocent face.  "What?  Me throw a hairball?  Why nevah!"  As she holds her dainty paw up to her cheek in mock indignation.  Don't believe it.  She can throw a hairball faster than Nolan Ryan pitches a baseball.  And probably more often. 

Poor kitteh though.  She can hardly find an empty spot to lay down in.  She does love a Studio Day.  it's her favorite place in the house to be.

See?  Junk for the booth.  All over the bed.  Sigh.  And clean sheets.  That need to be put on said bed.  And look under the pile.  Why it's a journal.  A journal that has not been touched for over a week now.  Sorry Heather.  I'm sooooooo behind still. 

More junk for the booth.  And junk for swaps.  And birthday prezzies.  And things that need to be hung on the wall.  Sigh.

Even the paint bins are crammed with things that should not be there.  Glasses to paint, flowers and gift bags.  And yes, that is a bag of cotton balls you see.  For stuffing.  Maybe I need to do a Dustin Hoffman and pound my fist on the desk and say, "I'm working here!" to convince my self that the chaos is needed.  OK, he really said, "I'm walking here" and pounded the car hood that had come to close as he walked across the street...but eh, I'm stretchin' here. 

There is an actual project in all this mess.

This is a little book that I'm working on as a bday gift for one of my SIL's. 

I have three great bros and three even greater SIL's.  All awesome gals.  The one that this is for is not only funny, she has the best laugh (and loves to laugh at herself).   In our family of jokesters and smart alecs (emphasis on the smart alec part), a great laugh and a witty comeback is not only a must, but many times a form of survival, when the "stuff is getting slung" (all in good fun of course!). 

She's a unique, fun gal.  She has a great sense of style and is the queen of bling. 

And yes (no surprise here), I'm dreadfully late for her bday.  As the party this weekend is actually for my niece.  But I'm taking all the gifts that did not get done in January.  Yes, insert your own eye roll here. 

And while the book still needs lots of little details, charms and bling to be added, I'm pretty happy with the beginnings of it.  I hope she will like it too.

Well, I had better dash back.  I've got painting and papering to do and it sounds like Nolan might just be winding up for another pitch.

Happy day after Wednesday.

 

A Purr-fect Gift

What a surprise! 

Sis had a little something in her hand today as she strolled into the shop where I work.  And look at this cuteness!

Is this little brown bag album not adorable? Dee Dee, (the gal that made this) does the most awesome little albums.  I'm a huge fan of her work and her beautiful blog and we live in the same town and yet, have never met.  So imagine my total awe today when Sis handed me this wonderful little book of kitty sweetness and said it was for me, from Dee Dee.

It's perfect.  I love the colors and the over-sized tags are just adorable!

The amount of details that she squeezed into each page and her color combo's are just always delightful.

The furry "kids" are gonna love having their photo's in this.

Sweet sentiments, amazing color combo's and such fun details.  And gingham, she put gingham in!What's not to love?

Look how beautifully those ribbons are tied?  And the colors, I'm such a spazz about color and I love these colors! 

If you have not had the chance to meet Dee Dee (but then again, neither have I, LOL).  Or just want to see more of her lovely things, go check out her cute bloggie!  Her blog is called Finding My Creative Side and even though she says she is not creative, well let's just say there are those of us that would disagree!  Creative and talented to boot.

Purr-fect...totally purr-fect.  Thank you sweet Dee Dee. 

On the junkin' trail

It's that time of year.  And while it's not as big as Round Top.  Or even Canton for that matter.  It sure is a heck of a lot of fun.  It's Antique Alley & Yard Sale time in Cleburne, Texas.  Dad and I have been going for ages now.  Every Spring and every Fall.  And we've watched it grow.  What started out as 15 miles of garage sales has expanded to 26 miles.  There are several dealers that are regulars.  We, of course, have our favorite spots.  And as of yet, we never go home empty handed. 

One of our favorite places is stop is Whipp Farm.  Whipp Farm is just like a mini Canton.  Great food smells, like BBQ and kettle korn fill the air, there is a great place to park that's close and most importantly, it's a  potty stop.  Whipp boasts of a variety of dealers, one never knows what they will find there.  *Edited to add: click on pics to see entirety.

This space was set up by a shop called "Tracks of Time" that is located over in nearby Glen Rose.

It was such a bright, cute spot.

While I was not able to get a pic of Abbie's adorable booth (sun was too bright), lemme tell ya, she was cute, cute, cute!  Look at these wonderful cottage finds.  And super affordable.  Which always makes junkin that much more fun!  She was such a sweet person too, I hope she will be there in the fall.  She had beds and bedding that were stopping peeps in the entrance.

This is one shot from her booth....cute bedding and lots of sweet, shabby chic.

This was another cute chicky poo. All done up in summery fun.  I wanted to take more pics, but after watching one dealer get upset over someone taking photo's with a cell phone, I was a little more hesitant.

More cuteness at Whipp Farm.

This was from a dealer over at Burd's Nest, another shopping area.  They had the most gorgeous selection of plants.  It was just beautiful!

This was one of my favorite finds of the day, a huge bag of Victorian Scrap pieces for two bucks.  And I found several bags of brand new stitchery threads for a dollar a bag.  A sweet little Robin's Egg blue jewelry box and a funky old metal tray all seemed to "speak to me". 

As did this old cafe ware plate and this adorable little chenille heart.  My most awesome find of the day was a gorgeous bird cage that I just fell in love with and it was a mere fifteen dollars.

I'm not sure if it will remain brown or be painted!  Either way, I really love it.

Well, hope you enjoyed the little tour of Antique Alley in Cleburne, Texas.  It goes on all weekend long and it is a great plan if you want a little sun, a little Be.Be.Que and some junkin joy.

Have a great weekend.

Crafting a little this...

And a little of that.  I've got lots of things on the old studio table...trying to put together some more goodies for the booth, finishing up projects and trying to catch up in general.  One of the things I am desperately trying to catch up on is my journal group. 

Heather at Bluhm Studio's was so inspired by the Rhona 21 day challenge that she started a "no-fear" journaling group.  Well, when it comes to my art...fear is my middle name!  The smallest things (pressure, rejection, no muse) will often throw me into a tailspin when it comes to creating.  So, wanting to tackle some of those issues and to just expand my journaling techniques, I joined in. 

This week, Heather asked us to grab five things that inspire us and to send them to her.  Well, I put pen to paper.  "Doodled" (which was also a task) some ideas.

Threw five things together.  Liked it so much, made one for me.  Then promptly forgot about it...so me, late as usual.  Hey, my "always being late" is not just my motto, its a way of life.  But that's an issue that even years of therapy could not solve. 

Back to the five things of Inspiration.  Here's my version to keep.

Ahhh, just looking at it makes my blood pressure drop.  LOL.  Here are five things that never fail to inspire:

1.   Ribbon

2.  Buttons

3.  Words

4. Patterned Paper

5.  Texture

LOVE ribbons.  Love them.  And love this color combo as well.  And if it's gingham, well, I'm a goner.

Buttons.  Little disks of color that look cool grouped in a jar or piled on a bracelets or simply down the front of my favorite jacket. 

Words.  Words. Words.  Words encourage.  Words teach and words inspire.  I love to read and I find great comfort and happiness in words.  And of course, inspiration.

Pretty paper. Plain paper. Sketching paper. Patterned paper.  What's not to love or to be inspired by?  A constant sketch book is always a good thing for jotting ideas here and there, as inspiration strikes.  And patterned paper.  Gah.  I have a stash that is really, growing so large it's quite stupid.  And yet, it still calls to me, still appeals.  Still empties my wallet.  When I find a new one that I love, my mind whirls with the possibilities.

And texture.  The nooks, crannies, the tactile-ness.  Love texture, the softer the better.  Old cheesecloth, flannel, felt and my fav velvet.  I guess that is why I'm so fond of old millinery flowers, many where done in velvet.

And the big picture on this is old florals, the color red and roses and writing and I guess I could go on and on.  But let's move on.  LOL.

Finished my card for Karla's Aunt.

Finished Kary's birdie.

I was pretty please with the way it turned out.

Made some magnets.  Gah, playing with those bubble pieces is fun.

Made some clothespins.

Now, I'm tired.  LOL.  I'm going to go work on swaps.  Maybe.  A nap sounds good too.  My furry alarm clocks woke me at 4:00 am this morning and I was never able to fall back asleep, so I gave up and got up at 5:00.  So a nap at noon makes sense to me.  But then again a nap, always makes sense to me. 

"Charming Gardener", the booth version

*** Edited to add - my text is out of place, LOL.  I don't know what I've done, but no matter how many times I change it, it keeps rolling back to this.  So, bear with me.  But I think you'll get the idea.  Gah, I hate computers.  LOL. 

I wanted to add live ivy...but figured would be a pain to deal with, so I just did some fake plants and pots of flower's (but look real don't they?). And Target had some cute gloves and garden markers, so I threw those in as well for color and to give it an overall garden feel.

Here's the beaker collection. On top of the cake stand. I tied all the beakers together with a little garland that says "garden". I think the beakers make the cutest little bud vases. I like 'em grouped together. Would make a fun table center-piece.  I basically stole that idea from Laurie Anna's booth over in Canton.  Well, she didn't use the beakers, she used little flower vase, with cool old fashioned-tags that spelled out "Bloom".  Aren't the fake flowers cool?  They look more real in the photo than in person. LOL. 

Well, hope you enjoyed the tour of the front end of the booth.  I've got more goods coming.  I'm doing a "Door of Pam".  I've ordered lots of fun, framed prints from Pam at Blog Cabin Fever.   I think those will be so cute on one door (which is our wall really).  I can't hardly wait. 

Thanks for looking and Happy Wednesday!

Finally got my "junkin" goods into my booth. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. Green and garden-y. I based it on a theme of the "charming gardener". One of my favorite sayings is this, "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardener's who make our soul's blossom."

I wanted it to have a sunshiny/green garden feel. I'm loving the black and green combo right now, but since the display we had in this spot preveiously was pretty dark and neutral, I wanted a little more color to this one. So I added some golds. Yellow and gold/gold. Like sunflowers.

Here's one of my hand-painted canvases with said-theme.

I was really happy with the way the paper frames turned out.  I have found lots of old metal and tin press door knob plates and I love the way they look on a frame. 

The little gold birds are actually the stores...but a few just happened to find their way into my booth.  Hmmmmm...wonder how that happened?  LOL!

I added an assortment of painted canvases, painted flower pots and embellished frames. I found the little gold birdhouse at Canton and added the word "nest" and the little painted nest.

Sherri brought in some wonderful hand towels and little pots filled with nests.

Thank you!

Thank you each and everyone for your generosity and support of Pam and her sister Kary.  Some many donations and sweet comments.  You guys are the best! 

I was thinking how blog land is kind of like throwing stones in a pond and watching the ripples connect.  We are all similar to that, in our little world, connecting and helping each other.  Just from yesterday's post I've "met" many other (new to me) bloggers and connected with them.  And for some, like Cranberry Cottage, there was an existing connection.  Small world indeed on the great wide web. 

 

Kary's little bird just needs a few more details to be finished up.  This (of course!) is my favorite one yet.  LOL.  Pam mentioned to me yesterday that she had told Kary what she was doing and that tears of joy came into her eyes!  So thank you all again for your lovely art and your even lovelier, generous hearts.  You all are the best!  But, I already knew that!   

A call for creativity and "art from the heart"!

Hi y'all.  I'm here to ask a huge favor.  My friend Pam at Blog Cabin Fever is asking for help from all the wonderful, generous souls in blog land. 

Pam's little sister Kary has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer.  She has breast cancer as well.  The townspeople in Kary's small town are hosting a benefit to raise money to help her.  This will literally be the fight of her life. 

Pam is asking all friends and the blog community to help fill a basket with hand-made goodies, that can then be auctioned off to help raise money.  The auction is being held at the Fire Depot on Friday 4/25.  So even though time is short, perhaps we can get some things together to get in the mail at the first of next week. 

If you have something on hand, a card, a tag, a birdhouse, any kind of home-made goodie that you would be willing to send to help Pam fill her basket, it would be greatly appreciated.  Truly the basket would be "art from the heart" as we all gather together to support a fellow (or rather gal) blogger.   

Kary is a devoted Mom, Wife and Grandmom.  She also works with disabled children.  She truly is in for the fight of her life and Pam covets all prayers and art work and hand-made goodies that anyone is willing to take the time to donate.  Cancer has recently robbed me of my Mom.  And we have several other family members that are fighting it as well, so Pam's situation is near to my heart.  I wanted to help her by spreading the word even further and asking y'all for help.  Would you do the same?  Check out Pam's blog for more details.

Kary does not know that Pam is doing this. 

Thanks y'all.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.