THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

Hey All!

It is Wednesday again, and time for another Wednesday Evening Post.  I've got a TON to share with you, including 2 projects with RECYCLING.  You won't believe what I used!  I've also got what I think is a really cool "Pic of the Week" at the bottom of the post, and a photo to share.

I also want you to meet a brand new blogger!  Lee and I "met" when she sent me an email wanting to know if we could be "pen pals".  Lee lives in St. Agnes, Cornwall and was such a sweet lady I immediately agreed.  She sent me several emails and we corresponded back and forth for several weeks.  Then I got to see a card she did and it was wonderful.  I started bugging her to start her own blog, but she kept telling me she wasn't computer literate blah, blah, blah.  So, long story short, she agreed to start a blog because I offered to help her set it up.  She is now up and running and I know she would love for you to visit.  Here is the link to her blog:  LEES CRAFTY CORNER.  She has already got quite the following and has only been up a few days.  Happy blogging Lee!

OK, on to my cards. . .

The first one is a sympathy card I did for a very sweet neighbor.  Her father passed away recently, and I wanted her to know how sorry I was.  Here is the card:

If you click on the picture, you will see that I added Flower Soft to the silhouetted images.  I stamped the image several times and left the space for the sentiment.  I did my own mix of Flower Soft for this card.  I had a jar of Nut Brown and a jar of Bright Orange.  So I mixed  up a little of each to come up with what you see. The stamp is a Penny Black.  Now, here is the RECYCLED part of the card. . .can you see it?  It's the little buckle on the ribbon. . .can you tell what it is????  It is the pop top from a can of Coke!  I got this great idea from one of Gina K's videos over at Stamp TV.  I think it is one of the best sites on the Web.  You can color them with markers and I made mine look like tortoise shell with a copper and gold marker.  The last thing I did was color the white of the ribbon with a tan marker to soften the white.

My next card is my first Fall card of the season. . .

This card started out as a different technique using bleach.  "How did that work out for you Curt" you ask????  Not so much!  Gina K made it look flawless, but mine just looked like I spilled bleach.  Oh well. . .So I started all over and went to a new technique.  Painting with Ranger Distress Inks and an Aqua Brush.  I am so in love with the Ranger Distress Inks.  I honestly believe they are the best and most versatile inks on the market.  I stamped this Hero Arts image with Versamark ink, then embossed it with fine detail black ep.  I used Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive, and Fired Brick inks to color them.  I stamped the Ranger ink on a clear acrylic block then picked up the color with my Aqua Brush.  The colors are so vibrant.  Your going to see lots more projects where I'm using the Ranger inks.  The sentiment was computer generated.

My last card that I want to share with you is again one with some RECYCLED material.  It is also the first of the Thanksgiving cards I've made this year. . .

Can you tell what is the recycled piece on this one????  Here's a clue, it is part of the pumpkin. . . take a look at the picture below for another clue. . .

LOL, do you think I've lost my mind????  The picture below is the backside of the above. . .

Is this fun or what???  A blogging friend of mine in Texas had made a great card using a pumpkin made out of this.  I went nuts over it, and she surprised me be sending me some of it!  So, I made my card using the pumpkin I made out of it.  Makes you kinda want to start pulling other packaging apart doesn't it???  LOL  My pumpkin was created by cutting out 3 ovals with my Nesties and then I distressed the edges with distress inks and then glued them together.  The "stem" is ribbon obviously, and the sentiment is from Waltzing Mouse Designs "Peaceful & Plenty" stamp set.  I forgot to look who did the paper.  Sorry.  It's a simple card but I think it is really sweet and has a country/folksy kind of look.

That's it for the cards, but I am hoping your will indulge me for just a moment.  I took the boys to a local park today for their daily jaunt.  When we take a rest, Gunther has this thing he does where he plops down and starts rolling back and forth (no, he is not rolling in anything smelly - LOL).  As he rolls on his back, back and forth, he makes this guttural, growling noise as if he is frustrated about something.  He has done this for years. However today, he really was into it and when he finished this is what he looked like:

OMG it made me laugh right out loud.  He had all those sticks and leaves stuck all over him, and his bandanna had come up and hung sideways on the top of his head.  I was laughing so hard that I could barely hold the camera still to get the photo, and I was so thrilled at how it turned out.  He is such a HUGE CLOWN!  Thanks for indulging me on this picture, but I just had to show it to you all.

OK, all done.  I hope you've enjoyed your visit!  Please don't forget the "Pic of the Week".  I think it is really a unique one.  Not the greatest shot I've taken but still unique.


I'll be visiting you all in the next few days to see what you've been up to!  Can't wait to see.  I hope you are all well and having a great week.


Hugs to all of you!


Best,


Curt O'Brien


"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am."

THE WEDNESDAY EVENING POST FOR FEBRUARY 3RD 2010

Hey All!  Happy Hump Day to each and every one of you!  I hope this post finds you all, well , warm, safe, and happy!  I  have another Gunther update at the end of the post for those who want to know what's going on with him!

I have a ton to share with you in this post, so I'm getting right to it!

I've been working on Valentine Day cards for Pat Adam's kids at Michigan's Children's Hospital.  I participated last year, and I'm very honored to be able to do it again this year.  I bought a set of stamps by Recollections called "Don't Bug Me".  When I saw this set and bought it months ago, I did so with Pat's kids in mind.  So here are the cards I made for them.  I made two of each:

Making cards for the kids is a blast and it makes me feel good that I'm doing something to put a smile on their faces.  If you want to do the same, again, the info is here at Pat's blog.

This next card is related to the above.  My good blogging buddy Chris at Mud Maven Designs is offering an array of wonderful things as blog candy if you help Pat out as well.  She challenges us to do 5-10 cards for Pat's project and to follow a sketch for another Valentine card.  Here is the sketch and my card:

I just don't feel I'm good at sketches and that's why I don't do many.  I always feel like I have to follow them to the "T", and I get really frustrated if I can't do it just right.  Anyway, I wanted to play along with this one.  

I also wanted to take some time to share with you some of the very sweet things that several of you have done for me.  I've kinda waited and wanted to put them all together.  So here are things I've received from some very sweet, thoughtful people:

Lorraine from "Lorraine's Loft" was so nice to send me the above after winning my last blog candy.  Lorraine did one of the most thoughtful things ever. . .she actually went through my entire blog to look at all the cards I did with House Mouse images so that she wouldn't duplicate any that I already had when she stamped out a bunch for me.  Lorraine, that was amazingly thoughtful and was so appreciated - Thank You!

This wonderful HM stamp was sent to me by the very sweet Margie at "Oh Bumbles Me".  She had emailed me and said she had this stamp and it needed a home.  She sent it along wit this amazing card!  Thanks so much Margie!  It was so nice of  you to do!

Gina Wrona (Gina's blog here) sent this wonderful gift for Gunther!  Is this not cute??  The card is so adorable and the decorated Altoids tin contained a wonderful bone for Gunther.  Gina, you are so very sweet and you have been a wonderful blogging friend.  Your constant concern has been amazing and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!  I hope your sweet Zorro is doing well.

And this was sent to me from a fellow Hoosier blogging buddy, Julia at "Indiana Julia and Her Temple of Crafting" (love that blog name!).  She emailed me out of the blue and wanted to know if I would like some House Mouse images.  This is what arrived in the mail.  That card just melts my heart, and the images she sent are wonderful.  The extras she sent were such a wonderful surprise.  Thank you so much, Julia.  It was very kind of you!

This funny, sweet card came from one of my very sweet neighbors, Pat.  It came complete with a bag from a local dog bakery with some wonderful dog treats for Gunther & Shotsy.  I know she reads my blog, so Pat, thank you again for your thoughtfulness and kindness.  Gunther and Shotsy LOVED the treats!  I LOVE the way you "wrinkled" the background paper on this card.  How did you do that?  And the eyes on that frog made me laugh out loud they are so cute!

And this adorably sweet card was sent to Gunther from Jan McConnell at "Serendipity Stamping by the Gulf".  

She sent this adorable easel card to Gunther.  I love this image, and the sentiment is adorable.  Thank you Jan and I hope your little sweet Dulcie is doing OK too!  Again, thanks so much for your thoughtfulness.

I am so blessed and my life is so much more enriched by all of you.  Whether you have sent things, or emailed me, or left comments on my blog, you have all meant so much to me.  I honestly feel that I have so many friends out there and you have most definitely helped me through this episode with Gunther.  Thank you so much for your support and encouragement.  You have ALL made a difference in my life!

Quick update on Gunther.  He still has quite a dramatic limp going on, but he is definitely starting to do "Gunther" things that he hasn't done since the injury.  His leg does not seem to be as sensitive to pressure, and he is way more mobile than he has been in almost 2 weeks.  So, I think he is on the mend, but Daddy is not letting him get away with anything.  Keep sending your good thoughts and prayers his way.  I know they have been working!

Well, that's it for this post.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'm going to start visiting your blogs in the morning over my coffee.  So I can't wait to see what you've been up to.  Don't forget the "Pic of the Week" below!

Take care my friends!  GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!

A POST THAT IS HARD TO TITLE

Hello Everyone.  I have been missing in action for awhile, and I'm OK enough today to let you know what has been going on.  I'll share the story then post a couple of the cards I made last week.

My beloved Gunther was severely injured a few days ago, and I am heartsick over it.  He was at the park sliding as he always does having a great time.  It was to be the final slide of the day as we were getting ready to go home.  As he came down the slide, he got too much momentum going and lost control as he exited the slide.  As he hit the ground, he let out this horrible scream of pain, and he was holding his right front leg up at a horrible angle.  He was screaming for what seemed to be an eternity.  I ran to him and held him to calm him down, and it was evident that he was in a lot of pain.  He also couldn't put any weight on it whatsoever.  Thankfully, my Mom was there and we got him to my van.  She drove as I held him in the back and we rushed him to my vet's office.  After an exam and x-rays, it was determined that the main injury was to the "wrist" area of his right front leg.  There are so many small bones in that area, but they feel confident that nothing is broken.  His shoulder is OK (thank God) and the other parts of his leg seems to be fine.  They feel that he has a severe sprain of the area, and there is a possibility of some ligament or tendon damage, but they can't be totally sure right now.  So it is a wait and see how he does over the next week or so.  It is so awful to see him hobble with only 3 legs.  Today has been the first day that I haven't cried whenever I see him try to walk.  He is on pain/anti-inflammatory meds, and I am putting ice packs on his leg several times a day for the swelling.  He is such a trouper though.  He lays so still for 30 minutes will the ice packs are on his leg.

So, no more sliding for Gunther.  I feel like such a horrible "parent".  I feel this is all my fault for allowing him to slide.  It just seemed like harmless fun for him and I didn't see the danger of such a serious injury.  I'm also grateful, because it could have been so much worse.  The initial vet bill was $235 so, you won't be seeing me use any newly purchased stamps or other new things for awhile!  LOL  So any way, please send good thoughts in Gunther's direction.  I never had any children, so he is the closest to that for me, and I am really heartbroken over this.

I'm going to share a couple of cards I made and had planned to post earlier before Gunther's accident.  Here they are:

This is a Happy Hoppers image from Stampabilities.  This was one of many images that were sent to me by my very thoughtful blogging buddy, Lorraine.  She sent me a ton of House Mouse images and some other things which I will highlight on my next blog post (Thanks Lorraine!!!).  Here is a close up of this image:

I think the reason I love these images so much is that they are so magical to me.  I colored them with colored pencils and oms.  The background paper is from The Paper Studio.  I chose this because it reminded me of kitchen wallpaper.  I tried to make it look like bead board at the bottom by scoring the card stock at 1/2 inch intervals.  It doesn't show up very well in the photo.  The sentiment is what came to mind the minute I saw this image, it is computer generated.

Here is my second card:

I have always loved this color combination.  This image is by Hero Arts and it is a reverse image or negative.  This stamp gives a very dramatic look.  After I stamped the image, I simply colored the one flower with a marker and then added the little glitter sticker to the center.

OK, it's time for an ice pack on Gunther's leg.  Thanks for stopping by and for all of your support.  Honestly, when I'm going through something like this, I feel like I have a ton of friends out there to send good thoughts, and that is so comforting.

Don't forget the "Pic of the Week".  This week it is of my funny Gunther.

Best, 

Curt

"God, please help me be the person that my dogs think I am