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

.

Welcome to Mini-Me Theatre.

In our first episode, a package arrived. When the mini-me houndies opened it, they discovered Mini-Me Twinkie was joining the family.

In our second episode, the mini-me houndies learned that Mini-Me Twinkie’s manners left a lot to be desired.

The story continues…

After discovering that Mini-Me Twinkie’s attitude wasn’t the best, the mini-me houndies asked Mini-Me Twinkie if she would like to go to charm school. Mini-Me Twinkie agreed.

“Welcome Mini-Me Twinkie.”

“We will be your instructors at Mini-Me Houndies Charm School For Unrepentent Kitties.”

“I must be in mini-me hell.”

“Let’s begin by learning to become a mini-me lady. A mini-me lady says pleasant and complimentary things to acquaintances. For example…’Mini-Me Twinkie, you look very pretty with your attractive red neck ribbon. It’s a very fresh look.’ Now you try.”

“Mini-Me Freedom, roses are red, violets are blue, God made me smart, what happened to you?”

“Alright, we’ll continue to work on being complimentary. Now Mini-Me Twinkie, a mini-me lady always says ‘May I,’ not ‘Can I.’ For example…’Mini-Me Twinkie, may I help you get to know some of the other students?’ Now you try.”

“Mini-Me Nikki, may I ask you a question? Are your parents siblings?”

The mini-me houndies decided that perhaps social conventions weren’t the best place to start. They decided to focus on education.

“Mini-Me Twinkie, a mini-me lady is educated and reads the classics.”

“‘Thou mangled toad-spotted lewdster!’ That’s Shakespeare.”

If not literary pursuits, perhaps the language arts.

“Mini-Me Twinkie, a mini-me lady learns to speak French or Italian.”

“Mini-Me Twinkie! Hand over that book!”

In a last desperate attempt, the mini-me houndies hoped the culinary arts would appeal to Mini-Me Twinkie. Kitties are known for their finicky eating habits.

“Mini-Me Twinkie, a mini-me lady cultivates a sophisticated palate.”

“Is Mini-Me Freedom eating the poop out of my litter box again?”

The mini-me houndies realized they had their work cut out for them.

To be continued…

The mini-me’s are custom handmade by Lynne of  Dip-Dip and the Bridge. Want a mini-me of your own? Contact Lynne at chi-chigirls86@hotmail.com and she’ll give you the details.

.

Here’s what’s happening in my studio…

Friday, I had Stampin’ Up! Card Club. Here’s what we made:

This cute little candy holder using a toilet tissue roll.

This interesting card, made using a die that creates a two-sided pop-up feature.

It was tricky photographing this one. Does the effect translate?

Finally, this cool Halloween card made using washi tape on the corner, a nifty skull button, and stamps with matching punches.

There were even cool Halloween surprises. My friend made this adorable single-serve Halloween s’mores packet; my niece made this candy-filled witch’s broom; my sister made this Frankenstein packet filled with popcorn. A fun night, for sure.

.

Every Sunday, I write a post under the category “Creating the Creator.” It’s a way for me to keep creativity a priority in my life. Often, I post about a book I’m reading. Last week, I finished the book Creative Thursday by Marisa Anne. I was thinking about what to do next and nothing sounded good to me. I think I need a little craft therapy.

While looking through a past issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, I spotted these adorable owls by Dawn Rogal.

Let’s make some owls!

.

Our friend, Pip, went to the Rainbow Bridge today. Pip was always one of the first pets to rush over to a new blog and say, “Hello! Welcome to Blogville.” We had the pleasure of being part of Pip’s Bucket World Tour. All of our memories of Pip are sweet.

Farewell, friend. You will be deeply missed and never forgotten. We love you, Pip.

Our comments are turned off. To leave a message for Pip’s family, please visit Pip’s blog…Pip Gets Back In The Game.

.

Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

.

Ghost Stories

When the hoot of the owl comes over the hill,
At twelve o’clock when the night is still,
And pale on the pools, where the creek-frogs croon,
Glimmering gray is the light o’ the moon;
And under the willows, where waters lie,
The torch of the firefly wanders by;
They say that the miller walks here, walks here,
All covered with chaff, with his crooked staff,
And his horrible hobble and hideous laugh;
The old lame miller hung many a year:
When the hoot of the owl comes over the hill,
He walks alone by the rotting mill.

When the bark of the fox comes over the hill,
At twelve o’clock when the night is shrill,
And faint, on the ways where the crickets creep,
The starlight fails and the shadows sleep;
And under the willows, that toss and moan,
The glow-worm kindles its lanthorn lone;
They say that a woman floats dead, floats dead,
In a weedy space that the lilies lace,
A curse in her eyes and a smile on her face,
The miller’s young wife with a gash in her head:
When the bark of the fox comes over the hill,
She floats alone by the rotting mill.

When the howl of the hound comes over the hill,
At twelve o’clock when the night is ill,
And the thunder mutters and forests sob,
And the fox-fire glows like the lamp of a Lob;
And under the willows, that gloom and glance,
The will-o’-the-wisps hold a devils’ dance;
They say that that crime is re-acted again,
And each cranny and chink of the mill doth wink
With the light o’ hell or the lightning’s blink,
And a woman’s shrieks come wild through the rain:
When the howl of the hound comes over the hill,
That murder returns to the rotting mill.

Madison Julius Cawein

.

Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 36 Challenge – Sing in the shower at least one day this week.

.

The plan at the beginning of 2013 was that every Monday, I would post a painting “inspiration.” Every Thursday, I would post how I interpreted the inspiration. I decided to do this to keep myself painting, to strengthen how I go from an idea to a painting, and to give myself permission to play and try new things. Because I’m adjusting to a new work schedule, that plan has changed a bit. I’m still taking an “inspiration” and translating it into a painting, but the process is much more step-by-step.

For the rest of year, I’m taking my inspiration from the great ideas you sent me. The first inspiration is AUTUMN. Here’s how she looks so far.

She may not look much different from how she looked on Monday, but I’ve worked on her quite a bit. This is the point where I start making her hair and clothing and face. I paint, and then I change my mind. I paint, and then I change my mind. I keep fussing with her…sometimes a short process, sometimes a long process…until I think it’s okay.

.

Recently, I was awarded The Sunshine Award by Us on Cloud 9. Here’s what The Sunshine Award is all about…

The Rules:

11 Random Facts:

1. I don’t like raw tomato. If you go to lunch or dinner with me and I’m served a tomato slice, I’ll always ask if you want my tomato. Just enough people say “yes,” that I continue to ask this annoying question.

2. I don’t like talking on the phone. It’s never felt natural to me. I prefer face-to-face or email.

3. I had the honor of shaking Princess Diana’s hand. On purpose, I didn’t offer my hand to Prince Charles because I was afraid they had a “only shake a person’s hand once” rule between them as a couple, and I wanted to shake Princess Diana’s hand.

4. While being introduced to rappelling in the Army, I fell, backwards, off a 30-foot tower. Fortunately, a belay (a person on the ground who can pull down on the rope and stop your descent) really does work. It was a little scary though.

5. I have to work really hard not to be a hoarder. I love knickknacks…A LOT.

6. I’m both a slob and a perfectionist. The conflict is exhausting at times.

7. I wouldn’t let my daughter have a dog the entire time she was growing up because I didn’t like dogs. Now we have three. That’s what happens with empty nest syndrome.

8. I’ve been told I look like Sally Fields…A LOT.

9. I don’t get the zombie apocalypse or doomsday-preppers. My instruction to my husband is to kill me at the first sight of zombies or doomsday. I’m far too old and used to a cushy American life to want to survive either zombies or doomsday. I’d prefer to exit, stage left.

10. My dream vacation is to ride the Orient Express, first class, all the way.

11. I can’t live long enough to do all the things I’d like to do, go all the places I’d like to go, and read all the books I’d like to read.

11 Questions Created For Me:

1. What’s your nickname and how’d you get it? - I don’t really have a nickname, although my sister sometimes calls me “Jeanie” because of my middle name. Oh, and a friend calls me “Lowee.” Her name is Lori too, so guess what I call her? We’re Lowee and Lowee. Okay, I guess I do have nicknames.

2. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy? - A vacation.

3. What was the last thing you splurged on? A pot of shea butter.

4. Favourite chip flavour? - BBQ. No question.

5. What’s your favourite movie? - I have too many to answer this question, but I’ll go with my standard answer and say Dr. Zhivago.

6. What are the 3 closest objects to you? - Coffee cup, lip balm, computer.

7. Where would you want your next vacation to be? - After I’ve won the lottery…the United Kingdom.

8. Who is your favourite author and what’s your favourite book by them? - Same answer as, “What’s your favourite movie?”…too many to answer. I’ll say Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, because this is the book I attribute to making me a lifelong reader. My newest favorite author is Tana French and my favorite book of her’s is The Likeness.

9. What’s your favourite season? - Fall, but I truly love them all.

10. If you had $10,000 to donate to any charity, which charity would you choose? - Freedom, Casper and Nikki’s rescue group…Allies For Greyhounds.

11. What’s your favourite piece of clothing? - Pajamas. If I have to pick a “public” piece of clothing, I would select a “dress.” Dresses are so easy. One piece of clothing and you look like a million bucks…comfortable too.

11 Questions For My Nominees:

1. If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

2. You just won the dream vacation of your choice, anywhere in the world…where are you going and why?

3. What’s your favorite thing to eat?

4. What’s your favorite old-time television show?

5. What’s your favorite current television show?

6. How long have you been blogging and why did you start?

7. Who is your doppelganger?

8. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

9. What’s your favorite meal of the day? Breakfast, lunch or dinner?

10. Coffee, tea or neither?

11. What is your favorite lip balm?

My Nominees:

1. Mac and Maisie: The Dog Blog

2. Class A Greyhounds…Rving with the Big Dogs!

3. Jet’s Furkid Palace

4. Dachshund Nola

5. Two Greyhound Town

6. Tales and Tails

7. Graceful Greyhounds

8. Dog Gone Right

9. Suzy’s Sanctury

10. Yes I Know, My Dogs Look Funny

11. Peaceful dog

If you’ve already received The Sunshine Award or just don’t do awards, please feel free to skip this nomination.

.

I’m participating in Blog the Change for Animals. Bloggers are invited to write about a cause near and dear to their hearts, so I decided to write about an organization I follow that works tirelessly on behalf of animals, particularly Galgos. The organization is Galgos Del Sol.

Here’s a little information…”The Galgo Español or Spanish Greyhound is an ancient breed and a member of the sighthound family. Despite being called a ‘greyhound,” the Spanish Galgo is not closely related to the English or Irish Greyhound, the lineage of the two breeds being different. Bred solely for hunting, thousands of Galgos are abandoned or killed annually at the end of each short season. Galgos are not typically considered as pet worthy in Spain and their lives end in less than humane ways either in perreras (kill stations) or abandoned to a life of persecution on the streets.”

Galgo Del Sol is working not only to rescue animals but also to change hearts and minds. They are on the frontlines and I admire all the work they do to make the world a more humane place.

Want to learn more? Check out their website or follow them on Facebook.

.

Here’s what’s happening in my studio…

I continue to work on the Autumn Girl. I keep telling myself, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Every Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll post what the painting currently looks like until I’m done.

.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been reading the book Creative Thursday by Marisa Anne. I finished the book this week.

Creative Thursday is a book about learning to make creativity a daily habit.

Chapter 9, Tracking Progress, talks about feelings of being overwhelmed when you start a regular routine of creativity. One of my favorite things about this chapter is Marisa’s encouragement that like the story of the hare and the tortoise, “slow and steady wins the race.” I certainly have seen the truth of this in my life. Sometimes, I truly feel I’m accomplishing nothing or I’m doing things too slowly, but as I’ve seen, those small actions add up.

Chapter 10, Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone, encourages us to remember that trying different things can add immeasurably to our creative wellspring and keep us growing.

Creative Thursday was a nice book, especially if you’re just starting a creativity practice.