January 2019 . . . Happy New Year!

Of course I'm starting the year off with a new picture of  Boo!  In three months' time, he has grown from .5 ounce to 4.2 pounds.  I thought he would stay black, but he's developing some stripes on his tail now and has two tiny splotches of white fur behind each ear.  He's going to be a very unusual looking cat as he grows.

January Pixel Scrapper Blog Train . . . "Science Fiction"

I'm not overly crazy about Sci-Fi, but I do love robots.  This is the robot I built and programmed a couple years ago.  My two grandsons think their Grandma is pretty cool!  This guy is only a foot and half tall and is quite entertaining, but I'm thinking a bigger one would be great to send out on cold winter days to feed the horses!

And, these are the robots I built for you --  Enjoy!

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For the Fan Freebie, I thought you would enjoy some corresponding graffiti to really make your pages pop!

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You can find the remainder of the Blog Train  HERE

December Pixel Scrapper Blog Train, Fan Freebie and Meet Little Boo

Before I get started on the Blog Train, I thought you might like to meet Boo.  He has really grown this past month and pretty much has run of the house during the day.  He's sweet and sleeping here, but when he's awake...everything is a toy!

This month, it's "Retro Holly Jolly", and the designers over at Pixel Scrapper have really outdone themselves.  You'll want to collect all the kits to use for all those great Christmas photos and cards!

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The remainder of the train is  HERE 

As a decorative painting designer, I created photo ornaments made from wood and painted (of course!) for my tree so family always feels close even if they can't make it home for Christmas.  I thought you might like something similar for your scrapbook pages.  

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I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.  Meet you back here January 1. 2019!

November Pixel Scrapper Blog Train and Fan Freebie

As usual on a horse ranch, October was a flurry of activity getting things cleaned up, tank heaters hooked up and generally getting the horses used to the idea that winter is coming.  They don't seem to mind the snow and cold as much as I do.  And, I rescued a little black kitten from my barn.  He was just so little and wouldn't have made it otherwise.  I've done this rodeo before, so I knew what I was getting myself into.  He's about 7 weeks old now and eating on his own.  He's totally black and we named him "Boo".  He's just adorable.  I'm sure you'll hear more about Boo as time goes along.

The Blog Train theme this month is "Family Traditions".  You know, when my kids were still living at home, there were a number of traditions that we always clung to.  But, in recent years, those traditions are more a thing of the past as we create new traditions to suit my grown up children, their spouses and my grandchildren.  And that's ok.  I'm always game for new and different.  The bottom line for me is that everyone is happy and healthy.  The only tradition that I won't budge on is there WILL be turkey for Thanksgiving!

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You can find the rest of the Blog Train  HERE

The Fan Freebie this month is more in the colors I like for this time of year since everything outside is starting to be more grey and gloomy.  We missed fall leaves this year.  From the incredibly hot summer we had, we jumped straight into cold weather.  The leaves skipped changing color and went straight into frozen dry brown, and then blew into the next county with a couple of extremely windy days.  We're left with leafless trees that kind of look spooky with the setting sun.  Great prop for Halloween though!

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Be sure to click "Like" on my facebook page to be notified of  freebies and anything new I'm working on.  Just click the facebook icon over on the right to go straight to my facebook page.

Hope you all have a wonderful fall and Thanksgiving filled with
laughter, smiles, family, friends and memories galore!

October Pixel Scrapper Blog Train and Fan Freebie

September just flew by.  The worst part was trying to figure out what to wear each day.  One day it was in the 80s and the next day it dropped into the 60s, and much colder at night.  Back and forth all month long.  Haven't turned the heat on yet, but that day is coming!

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Using the same color scheme, I've created my new October Fan Freebie for you.  Originally I was going to create a cluster frame, but decided that you might like the elements separate to mix and match with all the other kits on this train.

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This month's train is so much fun!  The ladies have come up with some terrific kits, all in a really great color scheme.  Be sure to collect them all during the month of October to use with all your wonderful fall photos.  You can find them on the train list  HERE

Hope you all have a wonderful fall!  Enjoy!

September Pixel Scrapper Blog Train and Fan Freebie

I don't usually wish my summer away, but with the hot weather we had this year, I'm actually pretty happy that summer is almost over and done.  We usually have much nicer weather from now into November -- warm days, cool nights.  I hope this year is no different.

This month's theme is "Cozy Kitchen".  I tend to be the happiest when I'm messing around in the kitchen.  I like trying new recipes and pulling together fabulous meals for holidays and special occasions.  But, my favorite activity in the kitchen is baking.  Cookies, cakes, pies, dinner rolls and breads, sweet rolls and ... oh my gosh, I'm making myself hungry!  I love my kitchen.  Lots of hickory cabinets and hardwood floor, plenty of counter space and a great big island right in the middle.  Plenty of room to bake to my heart's content!

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And, here's a matching Fan Freebie to complete the kit.

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Or, you can download from my website by clicking the Fan Freebie icon on the right.

I hope you have fun working with these papers and clipart.  They would be perfect to scrap a book with your favorite recipes.  Enjoy!

August Pixel Scrapper Blog Train and Fan Freebie

It's always fun to do artwork for kids.  Thanks to digital photography, I probably have more photos of my grandkids than what I ever had of my own children.  I can't even begin to imagine how much I spent on film and developing back then, and all too often getting photos back that were less than perfect.  I remember one time getting a full pack of photos back covered with white spots because they didn't clean up their printers.  Geez!  Fortunately, I could always get a refund on bad photos.  That's fine and good except there is no way I could ever have a photo of that special moment again.  Like I said -- I love my digital cameras!

The Alpha kit includes small and capital letters and literary symbols in 6 different colors.  Adding captions to your pages adds that little extra, especially when that photo is screaming that it has something to say!

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You can find the rest of the blog train  HERE

I also have a new Fan Freebie -- frames, borders and graffiti that matches "Kids Ahead".   Creating pages with these kits is almost as much fun as finger painting!  Enjoy!

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Just a note about Freebies --

I keep all Blog Train and Fan Freebies available for the entire month that they are introduced and published on my blog.  Some remain available beyond that.  And, some don't.  It all comes down to server space.  My painting store takes first priority because, quite honestly, it pays the bills.  So, be sure to pick up freebies sometime during the month because I can't guarantee they'll be there when the month is over.

Celebrate July

I won't be participating in the Pixel Scrapper Blog Train this month.  I simply ran short of time.  This always tends to be our busiest time of year.  This year has been busier than most.  One of my horses, Dakota, had problems with one of his front legs.  A horse on three legs IS a problem!  X-rays didn't show much, so we moved him into the "sick boy stall".  He's such a big baby that I had to mix his meds with apple sauce and hand feed it to him twice a day.  After two weeks of this, he's steady on all fours, even at an easy run, and I was finally able to let him out with his pals again. 

You can download both kits right from this page or over at my website by clicking the icon at right.

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If you missed last month's kits, they are still available below.

June Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

We're heading into June hot and blooming.  I've waited all winter for this.  Hard to believe I was still wearing a winter coat just a few weeks ago.  This is truly the land of extremes when it comes to the weather.

This month's blog train is "Oh, The Places You'll Go".  This sounded like Dr. Seuss to me, so I took more of a child route on this one, but I think you'll be able to use these elements for your other travel pages as well.  I threw a spaceship in because you just never know how we'll travel or where we'll go in the years to come!

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You can find the rest of this Blog Train  HERE

For the June Fan Freebie, I have also created some extra bits and pieces to go with this.

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If you missed last month's Fan Freebie, you can find it  HERE

May Pixel Scrapper Blog Train and Fan Freebie

It's finally starting to show signs of spring around here.  The weather over the past month or so has been "challenging" to say the least.  It was warmer in February than it was in April!  But, it's getting warmer again day by day and my perennials are starting to poke their new growth up out of the dirt, giving me hope that it won't be long now and they'll start blooming in all their glorious color.

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I have a new Fan Freebie for you, too!  Now, if my real flower gardens look as good as these, I will be one happy planter!  Enjoy!

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April Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

Easter on April Fools Day.  I'm not sure if that's ever happened before as I can recall.  This was also Spring Break for our schools, so I had three of my grandchildren here for a couple days.  One day, we just hung around the ranch, playing with the cats and the ponies, riding bike and drawing pictures with chalk on the driveway.  On Thursday, we went to the Children's Museum in Madison.  When we got home, we played games until their Mom picked them up after she was done with work.  We had so much fun!  Needless to say, I slept in late this morning!

The theme for the blog train this month is "A Mug and a Book".  It's a rare day that I don't have a new book that I'm reading.  Between me and my husband, children and grandchildren, we keep our favorite authors writing and we all have bookshelves in our homes filled with our favorite reads.  I know you can get books electronically, but there's nothing like holding a real book in your hand and turning the printed page with that anticipation of what will happen next!

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You can find the rest of the Blog Train  HERE

Although my youngest is in his 30's and has a family of his own now, I will never forget the day when he was in First Grade, got off the bus and ran all the way into the house, swung the door open and yelled "Mom!  I can read!".  Of course, I dropped everything, sat down and listened to him read to me.  He was so proud of himself.  And, that's where this new Fan Freebie comes from --

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Although it's a bit chilly out yet, the robins are back and the spring bulbs are blooming.  It's a good day!  Happy Easter!

March Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

I'm always glad when March gets here.  It means that the worst of winter is behind us, not that winter was so bad this year, but I'm so ready to put away my winter gear.  I've been spending time browsing through gardening magazines, finding new plants to add to my flowerbeds this spring.  If only everything grew as beautiful as pictures in a magazine <sigh>  But, I keep trying!

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My Fan Freebie this month is a group of corresponding cardstock, stitches and graffiti.

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You can also click the Fan Freebie icon at right to download from my website.

Click  HERE  to pick up the rest of Pixel Scrapper Blog Train.

February Pixel Scrapper Blog Train

I like Valentine's Day.  Hearts are such a happy shape and I still read the candy hearts before I eat them.  I like February, too.  It brings us one month closer to spring!  The gardening catalogs and magazines are already starting to arrive in the mail.  By the time spring gets here, I should know exactly what new plants I need and where I'm going to plant them.

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You can find the rest of the Blog Train  HERE

I usually create my Fan Freebie to correspond with the blog train, but this time I created from the heart.  Enjoy!

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I hope you all have a very heartfelt Valentine's Day!