OH Christmas tree.....

This Years tree I've added a bit here and there but it is sadly missing a top! I want to make something special but so far can't figure what I want to do. I am thinking along the line of a glittery star made out of grapevines If I can ever get to it!

My husband prefers big fat trees...my house doesn't agree! He also prefers lights with color. I have to have white...just doesn't fit in with my "decor"!

So far nothing is set up under the tree except the tree skirt which has its own story and I will have to tell it separately...later...

This year I added a lot more white and clear balls along with an old fashioned silver/gold looking balls. I thought about adding glitter to them but they seem to make their own statements so far.

I wanted to turn my cottage into a "christmas cottage" but with working so much I just don't believe I am going to have the time so maybe next year. I hope to at least get something done out front to pretend I have it planned.

Hope your days are merry and bright!

One Lucky Day: Artful Christmas Village Tutorial

One Lucky Day: Artful Christmas Village: I sold a village kit a few years ago and every year people ask for it.  Sadly, it has been discontinued by the manufacturer so I thought I w...

Shabby Blogs: Photo Booth Blog Frame Collage Freebie

Shabby Blogs: Photo Booth Blog Frame Collage Freebie: Well hello there, you!  Can you believe how fast this summer flew by and how fast fall is...falling?  My lawn is covered with yellow leaves ...Head on over to their site and download this wonderful photo frame freebie!

Looks like might help your business...

Hi Tanya, Thanks for visiting HubSpot! We noticed you are a small business and wanted to invite you to our exclusive Small Business Webinar Series. This webinar series, which runs twice a month, helps small business owners set goals and craft and outline marketing plans designed to accomplish these goals. We also show you how to optimize your website and position your business for success in 2013. >>Register for the Series Now! (We run this series twice a month. Check the above link for the upcoming dates.) Plus, all attendees will receive a small business calculator to ties back to your business objectives. Register today - space on each webinar is limited! Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there! Dan Dan Tyre Small Business Team Manager PS - Want see HubSpot's software in action? Request a demo of our all-in-one platform! Sharing

All I want for Christmas Giveaway Part 2

A second giveaway that some of my blog followers might be interested in.... 

To enter go to http://is.gd/l4IYYv also at   http://www.decorchick.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-giveaway-part-two/#comment-123694

Kim Klassen Textures and Ecourses for Lightroom, Photoshop, photography, and digital art

Ok...this is the first time I've tried to forward a post from my email to my blog..hope this ends up successful!

I have used and enjoyed Kim Klassen's textures on Flickr for a long time. She has a great eye for detail and very knowledgeable about so many photoshop and lighroom programs. I thought I would like to promote her class by sharing this email sent to me.

She always shares free textures with those who subscribe to her site, and has shared many free tutorials etc in the past. This will be a great step by step, getting your questions answered right away. If you look at her site you can see other classes she has on doing these textures and how to make them special. Some would enjoy this class others are advanced and already know how to do so...just in case here she is!

http://www.kimklassencafe.com/

How to get Beautiful Holiday Photos

Here is a wonderful article (a little advanced for many point and shooters just yet) but some excellent information for taking awesome Holiday photos. Kevin and Amanda is a blog I've followed for a long time, they have fonts that they create that are hand drawn...and people also submit fonts to become part of their font family. If you haven't check them out when you read this article...
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/tutorials/photography-tutorials/8-tutorials-to-get-beautiful-holiday-photos.html

Make a twig garland...

This is a really cool tutorial! I'm going to give it a try and will post my own picture when done...anyone else want to try it with me? This is from Funky Junk Interiors which got published in Folk Lifestyle Magazine!

www.folklifestyle.com/2012/11/make-a-twig-garland-for-free.html

Check out the Magazine here 
www.folklifestyle.com/ 
and Funky Junk Interiors...   www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/ 

I have gotten so much information, Tutorials, and ideas from Funky Junk...you will love them I know!

Wednesday Charitable Business highlight...

I have decided I would like to take every wednesday to share a business that I believe is doing things for good in our local area. Today's business is in Roseburg and to me they are pretty much local to us less than an hour up the freeway. I just love the vision and purpose of this business, this is from their "about" page on Facebook...Check out their facebook page they have things for sale for great prices and go to a great cause! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Redemptive-Recycling/302135316478864

About

Redemptive Recycling is a branch of Redemptive Ministries. Our recycling facility is used for two purposes to help fund our programs such as Jobs for Life and provide a place for those participating in our programs to gain practical job skills training.

Mission

Our mission is to provide a safe healthy family environment for those struggling with life and unhealthy dependencies. And, lead them to a better relationship with themselves, their families, and God, by modeling a lifestyle of faith.

Company Overview

Redemptive Recycling is located at 606 SE Stephens St. Roseburg Or. (the historic Hansen Chevrolet building). We recycle computers, electronics, bicycles, small engines, and other scrap metal. Its easy to recycle at Redemptive Recycling we have a drive through so you don't have to get out of your car!!

Description

What we recycle: MONITORS, COMPUTERS, CABLES, CORDS, PRINTERS, KEYBOARDS, MICE, SCRAP METAL, BICYCLES, APPLIANCES, LAWN MOWERS, SMALL ENGINES, TV'S, LAPTOPS, COPIERS, PHONES, ROUTERS, FAX MACHINES, ETC.

Silhouette Giveaway!

I would love to win one of these silhouette machines. I have a cricut but they no longer support hooking to a computer...so next stop...silhouette or something similar and free is always better! Have to post a blog post to get an extra ticket...so if you want to win too go to... http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/

Missing you is the Title of this one

The french words are love and missing you so I painted a picture and added it to words and some grunge effect for card #2

 

 

Working on a cafe theme note card set

Here is my first offering...I have a 2nd one painted but not finished with a good background yet...

 

Ok...I wasn't really completely happy with this one so I added some texture and I like it a lot better as a greeting card look

 

 

www.ilovephotography.com

For my friends if you are wanting to take time to learn more from others about how to take better pictures, or how to do certain techniques, you should try out the free side of www.ilovephotography.com I have been part of the paid side and the free side and I found the free side had most of what I needed. Recently they have added some new seminars, etc that seem to have some one on one help that would really improve your images so I"m posting this in order to maybe win one of these to see how they are....check out the photography forum on the above and also their blog talking about the site here....
http://ilovephotography.com/blog

Guess I have to post this one by itself to send a link to it only....for the postcard challenge..

Challenges to get going....

I am really trying to get back into my digital and traditional art and trying something that is a quick challenge for me is a good thing. First the challenge I did was one for Breast Cancer awareness month....I took the ribbon and used it and created a unique card.

Then I forced myself to use my new painter 12.2 and some new brushes but old techniques I always head back to for my painting technique...Its what I know! This is a challenge from digital nuts last week,

Last but not least....I did a halloween collage challenge. I'm not much into the dark side of halloween stuff but wanted to at least get something done, Was supposed to use the colors orange, black, purple and green and here is mine

Ok thats all for now.....

Mosaic of my Cottage yard

 

A few pictures put together from

 my flickr account of my cottage yard.

 I love walking through the

yard and enjoying what I see.

Accessible Back yard--Please vote...daily if you can!

For those of you who dont' follow this on facebook....one of my close friend's cousin in trying to win a backyard makeover to make it wheelchair accessible for him and his family. Every day I get to go and give one single vote...but I do it every day. I have posted it wayyy too many times on facebook to be bothersome to those who don't want to see it so thougth I'd post here to my blogging friends...and family....

http://www.houselogic.com/contest/boost-your-roost/entry/15/

Click here and Entry 15 for Allison and her husband should show up. You dont' have to sign up just click "vote" and it will help. They were  neck and neck yesterday but the other one slipped ahead overnight...I am sure they are both worthy of their makeovers...just nice to know someone I know whose family would benefit!

Finding a purpose

I've had these bags of multi colored rocks for a few years now that I got half price because they had holes in the bags and possibly some had fallen out...I loved the rock but wasn't sure what to do with them. I did add a little to the dry creek bed in Jim's shade garden...added more after this picture

So I did add a little more to this dry creek bed (they get lost under dirt afterawhile....and a few days ago I was standing by what I lovingly call my "junk pile" before I did the major overhaul on my back yard I created this one space that was near our patio that at least was pleasant, filling it full of things I would find at yard sales, or free, or a few items I purchased but mostly things I found (like the drooping desk) alongside the road....and enjoyed that for a few years. In the beginning I grew allysum in white and purple on the bottom to show off the items above. With all the other work in my yard this had fallen into somewhat of disrepair...but here it is a few years ago before it was left more or less unattended...

This is earlier last month...still ok but the bottom just looks messy. I had to pull out some of the grass as it was overwhelming everything...I then planted the grass into my old wheelbarrow beside this...planted my huge asters behind the wheelbarrow...



So now this is where the multicolored rock comes in...I was looking at this...working on it cleaning it thinking the ground covers I've planted are the same size as they were when I planted them 2 years ago (can see a little bit of them) and thought it is too late to try to grow allysum this summer...besides I have to do that every year...maybe I should do something decorative...WAIT I have this cool rock...that I love but have never used (and Michelle came and STOLE a whole big gulp glass of it! hehe) and though I'm still working on this I think the rock makes a HUGE difference...what do you think?

You can see the wheelbarrow in the right corner, and the asters behind, and that I removed the grass now its in the wheelbarrow...I only have to keep the rocks up now I am loving this. (oops in the first one the giant star fell down but in the 2nd one I picked it back up!





My Water Can Collection aka Artifying an image

Recently I offered a signed copy of Glicee print by Marilyn Sholin which I received for a donation I made to a fund. It wasn't really in my type of decorating and never knew what to do with it, so I offered it on a group I knew would know who Marilyn is and appreciate her work. Its value in the digital art community much more than a general community, but probably worth close to $100. I did not want money for it because I paid no money for it.

I got 2 immediate responses, one who knows Marilyn personally, has lived in New Orleans (subject matter) and didn't have this particular print of bourbon street. Another was a new member of the group and I had already promised to the first lady so I told the 2nd lady to pick out one of my images from Flickr and let me send her one of those.

She choose one I called my watering can collection shown here...but I asked her if I could "artify"  it a bit. She doesn't know I am going to put it on an 8 x 10 canvas with a transfer technique...so here is the before....

Here is the after...Added texture from my own collection I created and a little bit of an aged effect. I will take a picture of it before I mail it if it looks like I want it to. Have to dry it over night.

I printed it out on my laser printer onto Freezer paper, then I should have printed it in reverse and use Gel medium on the canvas and place the image on top of the gel...then let it completely dry overnight. As I was typing this I realized I didn't print it in reverse...then I thought no big deal EXCEPT the words on the front most can is readable! oh well...I get to keep one then. So back to the printing board...anyway...I'll take a picture of the BETTER one so all can see...if you are interested...

My 2000 followers on Pinterest!

WOW 2000 followers last night...so I got ready today to pick a winner for a small gift out of those who repin the most of my images (wow takes forever to pick out of 2000 people!) and today its already up to 2026!

But the winner is.....JODY DEAN! Jody you probably don't follow my blog but i'll track you down...need your mailing address OR lunch with you and the secret woman kelly sometime soon!

So many of these items from my Friends Kelly from Mulberry Tree, and Barbara from Apple Rose Cottage...I just steal their ideas..

Thanks everyone for following my pins...makes me feel they are not in vain! Today I'm heading to my board "Mod podge and transfers" to figure the best way to transfer an image to canvas. I need to review all of them trying to keep them straight is not easy!

The Pebble Pup

The Pebble pup

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Shiloh center and see their wonderful garden of buildings and how they have set up for people to visit. They have such a heart for Seniors to come out to visit their historical places, but especially a heart to have the Pebble pup visit schools all over Oregon for kids to begin to learn about the history of the rocks of Oregon. They have an interactive way for the children to see rocks from their base state all the way to made into Jewelry.

Here is a picture of the pup...

I have been helping the Colemans to update their brochure with Images their friend has taken and this is what I have so far

Been working hard in my Yard to get ready for a barbeque

Its amazing what my mind dreams up for my yard...I get one project almost done and I already have 30 more in my head...Oh will I ever be done? This is my side yard before I took out the asters. I just go so crazy with flowers!

Peeking...hiding....Pouncing!

She was waiting to pounce on me

Marley is a diva decorator....

I guess Marley wanted to get in on my fixing up my yard so she started helping me out by bringing some wonderful pieces...and pieces....and pieces...then climb up and survey her work. Sorry Marley but I need this spot so gotta gather up all your cotton "decorations".