Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

.

Captain Rodney’s Boucan Pepper Glaze may be all natural, but it’s probably not good for you.  In fact, it’s probably bad for you; but it sure is TASTY.  If you have a little room in your life for “if lovin’ you is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” give Captain Rodney’s Boucan Pepper Glaze a try.  The taste is sweet and mildly spicy.  I’m a wimp with spicy heat…so it’s very mild.  I made the Captain Rodney’s Cheese Bake for Easter, and it was yummy!

 

I also love this…my friend, Mayzie.  This cute picture of Mayzie is entered in the Paw-parazzi Pet Photo Contest.  Mayzie would like to win because she wants to show how adorable rescue pups are.  So, if you have a Facebook page (that’s the only way you can vote), click on this link, sort by “popularity,” and then “like” the picture of Mayzie.  I can’t think of a nicer pup to win and to represent rescue doggie’s everywhere.

Daily Inspiration

 

Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate.

Jo Brand

.

This week, I started a new “Try This” series for April…buttons.  My first project was a package decoration using a covered button.

I also spent some time working on my art journal.

I’m using Art Journal All Year E-Course from Red Velvet Shop as my guide.

One prompt for each week of the year.

I also start the How to Paint an Owl E-Course.  This week, I prepared four backgrounds.

Daily Inspiration

 

The cat is the only animal which accepts the comforts but rejects the bondage of domesticity. 

Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon 

.

Spring is a time when many faiths celebrate special holidays.  I celebrate Easter and wanted to post a poem; but my mind kept coming back to a contemporary hymn by Stuart Townend.  I hope this conveys how much we all are loved, and I send my wish to everyone for peace, love and acceptance.

How Deep The Father’s Love For Us

 

.

I’ve never been good with plants, inside or outside; but recently, in order to use a Groupon I’d impulsively purchased, I got a lovely houseplant.  Now, I’m thinking about more.  After scouring the internet, here’s a list of plants that are easy to care for and safe for animals.

Jade Plant  – This soft succulent requires some indirect light.  It stores water like a cactus making it easy to care for by careless folks like myself.

Aspidistra – Also known as the cast iron plant, this was a favorite in Victorian homes which were typically dark.

African Violet – Although I don’t have a good reputation with plants, I’ve successfully grown African Violets.  The key for me…proper watering.  They don’t like their leaves to get wet, so an African Violet pot is particularly helpful because it allows you to water the plant from the bottom.

Christmas Cactus – I’m a little skeptical about this one.  These may be easy to grow if you have a sunny space, but I think they’re a little tricky if you want flowers.

Boston Fern – This one shows up on the “easy to care for” lists, but personally, I’ve killed several ferns in my lifetime.

I’ll take a look around and see if I have a nice place for a plant.  Even if a plant is “safe,” I like them up and out of the way.  I think the dirt would be a little too tempting for several members of the household.

Daily Inspiration

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.

Benjamin Franklin

.

This week, I started the How to Paint an Owl E-course.  This is the second e-course I’m taking from Juliette Crane.  I also took her How to Paint a Girl E-course.

The classroom is set-up on a private blog.  Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Juliette posts a new lesson with pictures, inspiration and video demonstrations.  There is a place to upload photos of your work and a “discussion” area where you can ask or answer questions.

Juliette starts with backgrounds.  When I create my backgrounds for How to Paint a Girl, I worked on them until I had something I really liked.  Then, when it came time to paint my girls, it was a little tough because I didn’t want to “ruin” my backgrounds.  This time, I started my backgrounds, but left enough undone that I’ll be able to fill them out once my owls start to take shape.  I’m curious to see if I prefer one method over the other.

Here are the backgrounds I created this week:

Daily Inspiration

 

 Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

.

This month, I’m going to start organizing my memorabilia.  My first question, “What’s the difference between heirlooms and memorabilia?”  Here’s how the dictionary defines the two:

Heirloom -  A piece of property that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property.  Something of special value handed on from one generation to another.

Memorabilia – Things that are remarkable and worthy of remembrance.  Things that stir recollection or are valued or collected for their association with a particular field or interest.

I found an interesting post about organizing memorabilia on Organize for a Fresh Start by Sue West.  Here’s what she suggests:

Before diving in, it’s always good to consider “why” you want to do something.  Why organize your memorabilia?

1.  To connect your present with your past. Honor the past, without getting stuck there.

2.  Pass along the key memories, the treasures.

3.  Understand which belongings are important to your family history.

4.  Understand how your memories fit into your broader community and culture.

Sue suggests that establishing a reason, a theme, or a value – something you stand for, can help the process along.  One of the things to consider…What do you have to say and to who?  Here are four benefits to choosing a reason, theme or value:

1.  You gain focus. There’s a purpose, a goal, an event or a theme behind what you’re doing.  Ask the question this way: “I’m organizing my memorabilia so that …. “

2.  Knowing these answers will motivate you when your inspiration is a little short.

3.  As you start your walk down memory lane, you’ll be searching for the treasures which support your reason/theme/value … and spending more time on these memories, rather than on every single item.

4.  It will be clearer what you might let go of.

Organize for a Fresh Start by Susan Fay West looks like a wonderful book; one I want to read.

Daily Inspiration

 

The past is never dead, it is not even past.

William Faulkner

.

It’s April, and I’m going to spend the month playing around with buttons.  I’ve done button crafts before.

 

A button bouquet.

Button pictures.

A button wreath ornament.

This week, a quick and easy gift wrap decoration.  My inspiration…Martha Stewart Weddings.  I started by making a covered button.

If you find yourself making covered buttons, you can purchase a set of circle patterns.

These are very helpful because you’ll have a sturdy, properly sized pattern, and you can use the inner circle to “see” exactly what will show on your button.

Cut a piece of elastic cord to fit your package.  I found that measuring one and a half times around your box works well.  Tie a knot with the two ends to make your loop. 

Secure the elastic to the button shank.

With the button on top, wrap the elastic around your package and secure the loop over the button.  You’re done!  You have an adorable package decoration.

A bonus…you can also use it to secure an unruly cord.

Daily Inspiration

Let us live for the beauty of our own reality.

Charles Lamb 

.

I’ve never been a sports person…that is, until I discovered JOUSTING.  Who would have imagined it!  Airing on the History Channel on Sunday nights, Full Metal Jousting began with 16 jousters, divided into two teams.  Weekly jousts narrowed the field to the eight men competing in the final competition for the title and $100,000. 

The return of full-contact jousting is relatively new (1980’s), but jousting has been around since the Middle Ages.  Originally, it was hands-on preparation for combat, but soon became a form of entertainment.

A fun fact:  Sometimes rival nobles would temporarily hire a jouster to compete for them.  These jousters were known as “freelancers,” a term we still use today.

So there you have it…the perfect evening of television for me, Full Metal Jousting and The Waltons.

Daily Inspiration

 

Action is eloquence.

William Shakespeare

.

This week, I made a super cute yo-yo bear as the final yo-yo project of March’s “Try This” posts.  I want to try more of these…maybe a bunny rabbit next.

 

Yo-yo bear was the only project I completed this week; but while driving to Purdue University to visit my daughter, I saw this sign…

 

I didn’t make many things this week, but I did support several fellow artists.  NOT “spent a bunch of money,” RATHER “supported fellow artists.”  That’s my take on it…my husband didn’t buy it (pun intended).  Here’s what I picked up:

Handmade cards (handmade paper and pressed flowers) from Hole in the Woods Farm.

 

An exquisite pen (for my husband) from Bunnyhop Woodworking.

A felted egg and a couple deer antler buttons (also from Bunnyhop Woodworking).

A colorful beaded bracelet.

An intricately cut cross.

Pretty new placemats.

 

 A leather pouch that intrigued me.

A couple puppy air fresheners and some tealights.

And, a few J. R. Watkins products.  I have never tried J. R. Watkins products.

What a great way to start off the weekend!  I didn’t have much time to explore the Fulton Country Museum; but I will take time to visit the museum properly on another trip down to visit my daughter.  I’ll make sure to write about it.  It looks like a wonderful museum.

Note:  The “Daily Inspiration” picture is the Fulton County Museum’s round barn.

Daily Inspiration

 

Love of beauty is taste.  The creation of beauty is art.

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

.

I was excited to hear about this documentary that is in production.  Greyhound: Racing Into The Light is a full length documentary by director Bill Buchanan about the 4,000 year history of this amazing breed,  along with the current racing industry…those that support it and those that oppose it.  Here’s what the creators of the documentary have to say about their purpose in making this film:

Our Purpose: To Inform, Not to Judge

As an ethical documentary film director, Bill Buchanan’s role is not to judge the racing industry or those who either oppose or support it. Rather, it is to reveal that world as evenhandedly, objectively, and interestingly as possible. While racing greyhound officials, owners, breeders, trainers and kennel owners seem genuinely intent on doing a better job of policing their own, they seem incapable of finding common ground. GREYHOUND should help further motivate those within the industry to weed out its bad actors and address the issues for which they are criticized.Should audiences walk away believing greyhound racing should be banned, so be it. Conversely, should they head for the track to watch and bet on the dogs, so be it. Whatever their views, they will gain an appreciation and respect for an animal whose gentleness, beauty, and breathtaking athleticism words cannot describe.

Greyhound: Racing Into The Light has a beautiful website where you can watch a trailer and learn more about this film.

Want to be a part of this project?  Mr. Buchanan has a Kickstarter project started that will run until April 22.  The documentary is expected to be released in July 2013.

Daily Inspiration

 

 Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from the Eternal.

Dante Alighieri