The Merriest Christmas

The template was in a Stamper's Sampler magazine in early summer of 2008. A house shape. It would be published in the December/January 2009, I was sure a holiday house would be a hit. I was disappointed when it wasn't in the magazine. It seems the magazines feature fall/winter holidays in their October/November issue. But here it is in the Winter 2010 Somerset Studio Gallery. I am honored to have my work featured in Somerset Studio Publications.

The project features Daisy D paper scraps and Catslife Press and Mrs O'Leary's rubber stamps.

I have another item featured in the newest issue of Stamper's Sampler. Which will be the topic of my next blog post. This is indeed exciting. I have been trying to reorganize my life/activities/time/space, to make more time for art. I was feeling a bit discouraged, not so much that I wasn't having things published. You have to send "stuff" in to get published. I wasn't  making the time to do it. I was beginning to feel like it wasn't worth the effort to continue to try. These wonderful magazines showed up in the same week.

Abundance

Playing again. I have an abundance of photo apps for my iPhone. With the camera that came with the phone, I have 13. Also flickr and photobucket. Does that make 15.

I am reponding to Chrysti's and Susan's "echo" challenge with my photo "echo" of the word of the week, "Abundance". Abundance is well....abundant in my life. I have all that I need, lots of what I want. It's hard to complain. ( I still manage.)

The photo is a shot of campaign buttons that were on display at the JM Davis ARms and Historical Museum. We stumbled across this museum on Old Route 66, our way home from Galveston, Texas, last week. There was an abundance of campaign buttons in this photo.(I of course used my new photo app, that Chrysti turned me on to, Cinema FX, using the WWll setting.) However, the musuem has a collection of more than 20,000 fire arms. And that was just the beginning. Mr. Davis's collection was abundantly unique. There was a lovely display of Sunday School pins and certificates, and just around the corner you would find a striking display of hangman's nooses complete with black hood and a newspaper article about the convicted felon's atrocity. Around the corner from that you find a local high school exhibit and then in the next row a collection of weapons confiscated by the local police. 1,200 beer steins lined one row. Another display showed an extensive collection of vintage western movie posters and collectibles. ( I loved the Bonanza coloring book.) And more!!!!

It was unique, interesting, disturbing, thoughtful and amazing.

This week I received two free magazines from Somerset Studios....more abundance. I have a card in the new Stamper's Sampler, and a card in the new Somerset Studio Gallery. I dabble with art, and if you have read previous posts I am in the process of reogranizing priorities so that I can manage my time in a more productive manner. I was feeling a bit like it wasn't worth the effort, and voila, the magazines showed up with my work published in them. A little positive reinforcement is a big motivator.

More on my cards in the next post.

Decorate

Our church group took our annual mission trip to eastern Kentucky. We worked on various home improvment projects. But one family had the greatest lawn decorations. I love eclectic yard decorations.

You'll find this very cool vintage bike in my yard, boasting our street address. But I'm loving the plastic rocking horse that was wedged on this fence in Kentucky, amid a shrub of some sort. There were two horses. I had a horse like this as a child. Now I am searching for one, to wedge on the fence and grow shrubbery around it. My neighbors will no doubt freak.

So, "Echo" my attempt at decorate. Join Chrysti Hydeck and Susan Tuttle and company and play along.