Air and Light

It's almost September 1st. Have you noticed a crisp gentle breeze in the air? How about the light? It is changing and seems to be clearer to me. The nip in the air is on the brink of Autumn. I can see small changes in the leaves of the trees. The corn in the fields has yielded its last and is becoming tan, brown, and dried. The sure sign that the harvest season is here. Summer is my favorite time of the year. I must admit though, I am looking forward to Fall in Kentucky. There are more hardwoods here than there are pines. So, I know the Fall color will be spectacular.

But I am still keeping one foot in Summer and

I want to share my Butterfly Photos with you that I took in mid-August at the Butterfly House at the Lost River Cave.

It was a wonderful HOT day to be sure..but we enjoyed venturing out and getting to know what is around us in our new city.
Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.
(update: everyone said my post was in code, I hope you can see it now-not sure what was up with blogspot)

Greener Grounds!

Well, I have to introduce my newest friend. She also relocated to Bowling Green from the Atlanta area. She works with the same company as my husband. So, we have decided to become shopping buddies and yes, last weekend we vamped around the area to a few pubs and such to see what the nightlife was all about here in BG. Robin (my new friend), is from Long Island, NY. She has already moved once with the company and now a second time. BG is really a different place from where Robin is used to. Let's think about it, New York City to Atlanta...okay, that is comparable somewhat...but then Bowling Green to both of the cities? Um, not so much. Robin is adventurous and funny. She commands heads turning wherever we go and it must be her blond curly locks and vivacious personality. I like her a great deal and we tend to have the same opinions about things. One thing for certain, we are in love with an Upscale Consignment store here in Bowling Green called, Lulu's. It is to DIE FOR FUN and I could spend at least 3 hours looking. Of course, we both did not get out of there without purchasing some goodies. It is a place one has to check in on at least twice a week to be sure to not miss out on anything. Then we headed over to the Greener Groundz. It is a quaint little cafe that has a "hint" of that old hippie/new age style with a somewhat healthier way of eating. They bake fresh bagels and breads daily and the atmosphere is bright and comfortable. Local art surrounds the walls with hints of local flavor of 'going green.' Each night of the week they have a special such as family pizza night and wine night where you can taste a new wine and enjoy a local cheese farmer and his specialty cheeses. You can purchase day old bread here and the spot for these items was already empty by the time we had arrived. Okay, one thing that Robin enjoys is shoe shopping. Not just going into a store and spotting a shoe and saying, "oh, I like this." Robin gets the shoes, tries them on, and BAM....they are hers. She gathers great joy in her shoes. While I do not share this fetish of shoes, it was quite the exuberant experience watching her go from pair to pair. We checked out a few other places and ended our day in the early afternoon. As we parted, Robin was getting ready to head out for another experience of Grape Stomping and a Concert at a Vineyard toward the Tennessee/Kentucky line. Robin does not stop. She is definitely a CITY GIRL finding her way in a conservative small city that has spots of flavor. So, yes...I had a good Saturday. Now, for some scrapping and laundry. Sounds fun, huh?

Rainy Day...Rainy Weekend?

Today is a rainy day. I scrapped all day yesterday and have several layouts to upload. But the lighting is not the greatest right now. But I will display one. The lighting is not really all that great but gosh, I just had to share this Hybrid Layout. It was very fun and I enjoyed creating it.
I hope you gather some inspiration from this layout as well.
We have so many plans for the weekend and it looks like we are in for a soaked Saturday. I sure hope it does not rain all weekend. We wanted to attend a festival this weekend and I wanted to go and take some pictures and see what all the fuss was about. So, time will tell this story for sure. I hope you have a great weekend and if it is raining where you are...there is not a better time to create when you cannot go outside to play.

Oh, and one more layout...

Have Terrific Weekend

Happy Scrappy Thursday...

Forgive me for the THURSDAY interruption, but...

This is our son, Stephen. He will be graduating next Spring from College. We are very proud of him and I just wanted to share a layout of our "soon to be graduate" that I created this morning. Now, back to scrapping!
He is really a handsome young man.

Knock, Knock...

Okay, so I love the show Big Bang Theory. You know Sheldon is incredible to me. I love his character and one of my favorite quirks that he does is when he knocks on his neighbor's door "knock, knock,-Penny, knock, knock,-Penny, knock, knock, - Penny." It just cracks me up. You probably think I am nuts but you must see it to appreciate the humor in Sheldon.

So, I am "knocking" to let you know that as of last night, I was chosen to be on the 3 Scrappy Boys Design Team again. I loved it when I worked there before and I am back on the team. So, I am excited to share a position with such inspiring designers. We are going to have a great time.

Well, I am missing my Georgia Grown Peaches this time of year. It is harvest time for PEACHES and there is nothing better than homemade peach cobbler and homemade peach ice-cream. There are local farmers here and well, I will just have to check them out. The peaches at the grocery store are from California. We are closer to Georgia...what gives with that?

Anyway, the nip is in the air in the mornings here and fog is lying low in the fields. You can tell that Summer is ending and Autumn is on the brink of dawn.

Well, I have a guest coming for dinner tonight and then we are playing in my Art Studio. So, I have to get our main course started so it has time to simmer for 2 hours. Have a great HUMP DAY and thanks for stopping by...

My Creative Itch

Did you know you can scratch My Creative Itch? HA! Well, I took a small leap and started putting some of my art out there on Etsy and see what happens. I have much more to upload but these are what I created on Saturday while the family was in Atlanta. Please feel free to make comment. You will NOT hurt my feelings.

So, here goes...Tree of Life


Maple Jewel


Maple Jewel-Loner


POP-Rooster

Be sure to check back in my little Etsy Shop as I will be uploading more paintings.
Thanks for taking a gander.

Reflecting back to Georgia...

Friendships and Rambling
Noise of Memories this Sunday Morning.

Things have just flown this summer for our family. The 4th of July was spent with our good friends Jon & Ronda. I have not touched on what we did for the 4th as two days later our home was being packed and we arrived in Bowling Green, KY on the 9th. I really have not had time to look at the 204 photos I took while we enjoyed good wine, bar-b-que, daiquiris, and the all time favorite summer dessert. I do miss our friends and going over to their home for great conversations and sharing our lives with one another. Our friendship started when my son, Zachary was going on a date with their daughter Aisha when they were in the 10th grade. She is in college and well, Zachary is married now and has a career in the US Army. We kept our friendship alive through church and sharing our faith with one another. We have shared traditions and holiday dinners with one another. We have gone through cancer, death, graduations, and family dynamic changes together. We have a special relationship that now miles and two states separate us. These types of friendships are real binds that last forever. So, today this Sunday, I miss my friends. I miss the giggles, jokes, and simply hanging out. My hope is that we will meet new friends here in Bowling Green that we can connect with and enjoy these same type events and evenings of conversations and sharing our lives with on a daily basis. It is hard at our age to completely uproot our lives and find these types of friendships. Most people our age have their friendship circles and it is hard to find those that are willing to open that circle and let new people in and share. We do have friends that have relocated to this area for the same reasons as we have and those are relationships that are turning into friendships but you know the old saying, do not mix pleasure with work. This can be a two edged sword. But I have found one friend that is a little older than us and I spent the weekend with her here in Bowling Green. She is single and is juggling two homes right now. She is giving herself 3 months to decide whether or not stay. I hope she stays. I need that "female" friendship to laugh and have fun with from time to time. Looking back through these fun photos I am reminded of the saying I heard Paula Deen say once, "Just because there is snow on the roof, does not mean the fire is out!" This is what I think of when I look at the gray in my husband's hair. So, I did buy a box of that "Just for Men" color treatment. He has not used it but maybe he will. He still has the best sense of humor in the world! Gotta love that.

So, I am hoping that in time...we will again meet friends here in our new State to sit down and maybe share a memory or two and create new ones..."Time Tells All Stories, Huh?"

Snap Shots of Summer

9 Weeks
9 Themes (Art Freckles DT Challenges)
9 Photos
ONE ALBUM

Gettin' My Scrap On...

Well, I have been organizing my new art room preparing for the weekend when I am alone and the rest of the family heads down to Atlanta for a few days. I plan on creating a few canvas paintings that I have been planning. But this morning, I created this layout with Studio Calico's July Kit. I purchased several other add on kits as well and I simply love what April and Scarlett put together.
So, this is my first layout created with this fun fun kit. A great deal has happened to our family this summer and well...I used these photos that are fun and a glimpse of our Summer 2009.

Me and "her" shadow....box!

Alone at home this morning I was gazing at the fabulous Basic Grey June Bug Paper Line. I had purchased it before leaving Atlanta when I cropped with my friend Sue one last time before moving to Kentucky. This morning I did not want to create a layout. This paper needed to be displayed in a different way. So, I went back into some of my scrappy goodies that I wanted to alter and I found my daughter's magnetic paper doll case that was essentially a shadow box. Each box contained the magnetic clothes the dolls would wear. The larger section in the middle was where the dolls were to be stored with their stands. But as we all know, toy pieces never go back in the way they were packaged. So, I kept the shadow box for me to alter and display some of my favorite rubber stamps. I changed my mind after looking at these gorgeous papers. The colors are funky, vibrant, and just plain fun. Perfect for this shadow box. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Tonight, we will hang it in my daughter's room.

This is the back of the shadow box. I originally stained it and then I changed my mind.
But you can see what kinds of things used to live in the little boxes.

The Finished ProductSo, you see...recycling is not so bad after all. Scrap outside the "box!"

August "How To" ~ Home Decor Inspiration.

Oh yes, I have been using my scrappy supplies for many uses within my home decor. If you would like to know how I created this lampshade...go to Art Freckles Blog and see the step by step instructions. Scrappy supplies are NOT just for paper anymore!

Hot, Humid, and Exploring Our Surroundings...

Yesterday was a lot of fun although it was so hot and humid that just stepping outside was a facial and sauna time. We got up early and cleaned our yard and then got dressed to go to the Lost River Cave. It has quite the history and the story I love the best is that it used to be a night club. It was the only "natural" area that was so cool everyone enjoyed going to the nightclub because of the cool temperature it maintains at the mouth of the opening. The Civil War History is pretty intense and the Blue Holes are simply a natural wonder. We enjoyed our "hot hike" and visiting the butterfly house as well. The boat ride into the cave was inviting because of the coolness from the heat of the day. It was really hard to get photos as the flash was bouncing off the water and the sides of the cave walls. So, for this day...we were tourists and enjoyed every minute of it. We finally came home and enjoyed our air conditioned home and simply relaxed. We are taking the time to enjoy the "simple" things get prepared for a visit from a friend from the Atlanta area next week. I have lots of new 'scrappy items' to play with and mounds of great photos to get cracking on and display on one of my pages. Have a terrific week and stay cool!

It's My Birthday and the 1st Day of School!

WOW, this is the first time I have been in our new home, alone. It is quiet except for the sound of typing on my computer. I must say, it is very nice indeed. We awoke this morning with great joy as Brianna starts First Grade this year in a new State, City, and School. She is really excited and was determined to pick out her outfit for the day and accessorize it all on her own. She also chose her new haircut. She said she wanted shorter and "sassy." She was all too eager to walk to the end of our driveway and wait for her new bus. As we approached the end of our driveway you could see parents lined up taking photos and the "brotherhood of fathers" enjoying the new beginning of learning. I must say, it was almost like stepping back into the "Leave it to Beaver" days. Everyone was smiling and you could hear laughter throughout our street. New clothes, book bags, and yes...extra bags to carry those much needed supplies requested by their teachers. I recall many "first days" of school throughout my educational experience and the smell of all of my fun supplies that would assist me in my creative learning and education. I also remember many days of the "first" in a new school whether it was the beginning of a school year or being relocated to a new base where my father was stationed. It is the butterflies and flutters that fill ones stomach and the anticipation of meeting your new best-friend. As Brianna's bus pulled up in front of our home I could see a little twinge of shyness and as her bus driver threw open her window and said, "come on around and mom you can take a picture if you like as well." I guess she is used to us "shutterbug moms" gathering every monumental moment in our child's life. That made me smile! The bus was at least a 1/3 full of anxious and excited children. The moment of independence and relying on manners, survival skills, and ones own personality without the "eagle eye" of their parent is in full speed now. It is a right of passage for students. It is the beginning of growth and coming into your own. It is these milestones that we reflect upon as years pass and we share with our own children. It is this time when life is full and each day brings challenges with great success. I can recall the fresh paint smell of school and smiles that everyone had on my first day of school. I hope that Brianna has a wonderful first day in FIRST GRADE. I hope she soaks in every detail and recites her memory of "firsts" when she comes home. It is hard to let her hand leave mine...but I know she will always be my "baby."

In the Attic!

The August Kit for Art Freckles is now up for sale. Fabulous price for this awesome kit. I chose to create some layouts using the photos from my son's marriage last week.
The neutral colors and design of these fabulous papers was simply perfect for creating and preserving a special memory.

My Layouts Created with the August Kit from Art Freckles! "In The Attic"
Click Images to Enlarge