December 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Another year is almost over.  I had so much going on all year, time just flew by.  Thank you everyone for your comments each month.  I really appreciate them.  They're like reading letters from best friends.

My favorite thing about this time of year is snowmen.  In my book, snow isn't much good for anything except for building snowmen.  I built and painted tall ones out of wood to stand by my front door.  That way, I didn't have to take them down until things warmed up and the snow started melting.  Who wants to take down Christmas decorations when it's below zero outside, right?

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Fan Freebie --

I am fascinated by penguins.  I've read about them, watched documentaries, drew them and painted them.  And, yes, there are a fair number of them hanging on my Christmas tree.  All smiles, of course.  They're kind of like potato chips and horses.  You can never have just one :)  

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The Boo Update --

Boo's photos are so much fun to add a few scrapbooking elements to his pictures for the holidays.  Believe me -- If I tried to put a hat on him for real, my hands would be all bandaged up.  I think he truly loves Christmas.  All the decorations are fun to look at, but he really loves the tree.  It's such a wonderful spot to take morning naps, and afternoon naps and naps in the evening.  He probably sleeps under the tree at night, too.  He usually claims the tree as his before I even finish decorating it.  I love this cat!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!  See you next year!

November 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Where did October go?  I can't believe it's November already!  We just wrapped up fall roundup a couple weeks ago, a bit later than most years.  But, the weather had been nice, so why rush it.  My horses weren't complaining :)   The fall leaves are just so beautiful this year, so I decided to go in that direction with this blog train. 

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Fan Freebie --

I used the same color palette to create these, so you can combine the two kits into beautiful scrapbook pages.  Have fun!

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The Boo Update --

You know . . . most cats will find a quiet corner somewhere to take a nap, someplace where they won't be disturbed.  Not Boo.  I found him like this sleeping in the middle of the living room one afternoon.  This cat is not normal :)  

See you in December . . .

October 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

The greenhouse a few miles down the road from here have harvested their pumpkins and have them decoratively arranged around their property so people can take their children there to take Fall or Halloween pictures and pick up a pumpkin or two to take home.  Free donuts on Fridays, too!  I like Halloween.  It's just a sweet holiday and my grandkids have so much fun with all the different activities.  For just one day, they can get all dressed up in their costume and be someone or something else.  It's fun.  When I was designing for tole and decorative painters, Halloween was as popular as Christmas.  And, I have to admit, I have a thing for witches.  Ghosts and goblins, not so much.  Throughout my 30+ years of designing, everything has been upbeat and happy.  Everything smiles :) 

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Fan Freebie --

Bats, more pumpkins, a black cat (of course!!) and a funny little witch flying through the sky.  I'll bet flying on a broom would be a gas!!

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The Boo Update --

It's Boo's 6th birthday!  The picture on the left is Boo when he was just a few months old.  He was so tiny -- just 1/4 of an ounce when I brought him into the house from my horse barn at just 3 weeks old.  The picture on the right, of course, is today.  I have spent every day with him and still can't believe how big he has grown! 

See you back here next month!

September 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Homecoming.  That's how I feel every time I drive down our gorgeous country road and pull into our long driveway.  I love this place.  It's HOME.

What a wonderful blog train this has turned out to be.  You can find the rest of the train at Sept 2024 Blog Train - Final List | DigitalScrapbook.com Digital Scrapbooking Forums

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Fan Freebie --

I had so much fun with these colors, I made a whole bunch of extra pieces and paper for you to have fun with.  Lots of flowers and graffiti to really spruce up your pages. 

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The Boo Update --

Ok, now this is getting a little crazy!  I have been so happy that Boo's collar grew back, but it still hasn't stopped growing.  He has those long hairs growing down below his chest area and behind his front legs.  I've pulled out pictures of him from before his allergies had started and it wasn't quite this fluffy.  Even his black fur has become thicker and longer.  I honestly have never seen anything like this before.  But, he's feeling good and that's all that really matters to me.

See you next month!

August 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Well, it's not the end of summer yet, but it's getting close.  July just flew by!  I had every intention of spending the month painting several canvases that I have sketched out.  Well...that didn't happen!  But I did spend a whole lot of time out in the stables with my horses and a whole bunch of new kittens.  They are so darn cute!  Kittens are little for such a short time.  The canvases will still be where I left them when the snow starts flying.  

Click  HERE  to download

Fan Freebie --

I had so much fun working on the blog train kit, I used the same color palette to make more pieces for you to use.  The reason for all the birds in these kits is that for some reason, we have a whole lot of birds this year.  Some that I've not seen around here before.  Could be the weather, or they simply decided that this looked like a pretty good place to spend the summer :) 

Click  HERE  to download

The Boo Update --

I had become so used to Boo looking like just a big black cat during the past couple years.  Since we have his allergies totally under control now and his collar has grown back -- and seems to just keep growing -- he looks like a totally different cat . . . right up until he starts playing with his toy mice.  Those poor little stuffed mice don't stand a chance!

See you next month!

July 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

The color palette this month was so much fun to work with.  I went totally whimsical with this one and really had a lot of fun creating it.  If bugs actually looked as pleasant as these guys, I don't think I'd mind them so much when I'm gardening :)  

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Fan Freebie --

I left these stamps a little bigger so that you would have more options in how to use them.  You can always make them smaller for your projects.  Much harder to make them larger and maintain their visual integrity.

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The Boo Update --

I wanted to show you Boo's collar that has grown back again in all its glory.  It is a frill of light grey, tans and reddish browns against his long black fur.  After we cleared up his allergy problems and dermatitis, the collar hair grew back within just a few weeks.  It really was amazing.  I wasn't sure it would ever come back after what that poor boy went through.  He is a sight when he goes running through the house.  Sort of reminds you of a lion in the wild.  And oh how soft and thick that collar fur is!

See you next month!

June 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Well, hello summer!  I really love having more daylight hours again.  I can work with my animals, do a little gardening and still have time to spend in my studio without all the lights on.  You'll find lots of fun stuff in this kit.  I have a tendency to doodle when I'm on the phone, waiting for someone or just happen to come across a blank sheet of paper :)  

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Fan Freebie --

 Everyone should have a pet.  Some of us just need more than a few to make our life complete.  I can't even imagine what life would be like without all of my animals.  It's a lot of work, but the rewards are far greater.  Because of our short winter, we were able to get through roundup in May instead of June this year.  So, I put this kit together in the evenings so that you could share in the fun, too!  Looking at this cover photo as I write this... Yup!  This is pretty much my life in a nutshell and I love every minute of it. 

Click  HERE  to download

The Boo Update --

Boo's "happy place" is on the windowsill in my husband's office where he can watch all the hummingbirds and butterflies that congregate around my delphiniums, coneflowers and lilies, and dream of catching birds and bugs while he sleeps in the heat of the sun.  Good thing we have wide windowsills throughout the house, or he would have a tough time being in such a relaxed position :) Since Boo's dermatitis is gone, he's starting to grow his Maine Coon collar back again, probably because he's not scratching himself anymore.  

See you next month!

May 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

My happy place is in my stable, but also all of my gardens.  I get more thinking done, decisions made and problems solved when I'm digging in the dirt, even if all I'm digging out are weeds.  It has taken me years to figure it all out, but now there's always something blooming from spring thru fall.  When I pick out perennials, I pay as much attention to the leaves as I do the flower.  That way, when the blooms die off, you still have the wonderful leafy foliage to backdrop all the mid and late summer blooming plants.  Annuals in pots work pretty well too so that I can just move them to empty spots if need be.

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Fan Freebie --

I stopped vegetable gardening quite some time ago, more because of lack of time than anything else.  I do have a strawberry patch and a raspberry patch, however.  This year, I will also be planting a carrot crop for my horses.  With a carrot in my pocket, I can get them to do just about anything I want.  Granted, carrots aren't all that expensive, but fresh carrots out of the garden are like candy to them and are the perfect reward for a job well done. 

Click  HERE  to download

The Boo Update --

First of all, Boo is now Dermatitis free and much happier because of it.  The Royal Canin cat food has made all the difference.  It just took a bit of time.  Why he's allergic to just about everything is beyond me.  I've never had to deal with something like this before, and I've had a LOT of cats in my lifetime.  Thank you Country View Vet.

As for the picture -- This is not an unusual position for Boo.  It's just kind of mind-boggling when you walk into a room and find him this way.  He's sort of sitting with both hind legs, tail and right front leg in front of him.  His left front leg is positioned back farther on his left side to give him balance while he's cleaning himself.  Kitty Yoga! I keep saying he's so unusual, and he is, but another term that comes to mind is "weird"!  I'm used to him though. so I just shake my head and keep on walking.

Boo will be back here next month and so will I.  See you then!!

April 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Just when I thought we were in for a really early spring . . . it snowed.   We had not had snow for months!  It's going to be short lived though.  We're supposed to have warmer weather again in just a couple days.  Works for me!  The colors this month are so soft and dreamy.  As I was working on the birds, I kind of wished our birds around here looked like that.  Wouldn't that be fun?!!

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Fan Freebie --

I usually like to create both kits using the same colors, BUT I started thinking "April Showers" and definitely needed some blue mixed in.   

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The Boo Update --

Using the prescription cat food from the Vet, Boo's Dermatitis has cleared up pretty good now.  I have noticed that there are times he'll have a bit of a breakout again.  So, I'm making notes when this happens to see if we can figure it out. My big question though is HOW can cats, big and wild or small and domestic, sleep as many hours a day as they do?  I thought it was just lazy old house cats, but apparently lions and tigers in the jungle sleep almost as much.  It's a boggle.

See ya next month!

March 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Hopping right along . . . an early Happy Easter to all of you!  The bunnies were so excited to be part of this month's blog train.  I originally designed the sitting bunny below as a "shelf-sitter" made from wood.  Sitting on a shelf with his leg hanging down, he's real cute.  For scrapbooking purposes, however, you can set him on top of a frame or a note card, for example.  He'll be pretty happy wherever to sit him :)

Click  HERE  to download

Fan Freebie --

Oh, yes, this is another of my designs for woodcrafting.  The original train was 5 cars long and stretched a good 4 feet and was about 10 inches tall.  It will make a good border on the bottom of your scrapbooking pages.

Click  HERE  to download

The Boo Update --

I couldn't find Boo one afternoon.  He was sleeping in the guest room quiet and cozy.  He pretty much spent the entire afternoon in there.  The next time we have overnight guests, I hope they don't mind sharing the bed with him.  He has pretty much claimed that room as his.

February 2024 Blog Train and Fan Freebie

Wisconsin is a state of extremes.  While I was working with these beautiful spring colors just a few weeks ago, it was snowing and blowing outside.  We ended up with about 24 inches of snow in two days, the snow drifts were much taller.  And then the temperature dropped well below zero for another week.  With the wind chill, it felt even colder.  Because of my horses, I had to be out in it.  My arctic gear helped, but I didn't spend any more time out there than I had to. And now, just two weeks later, it's in the high 30's and everything is melting. In Wisconsin, we call that a "Heat Wave"!!  It feels more like spring than it does winter.  Works for me!  But, it is February 1st.  All this can change like the flick of a light switch.  As I'm writing this, I think I should have called this kit "Cold Fingers, Warm Hearts" !    

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Fan Freebie --

I used the same colors as the blog train, but added two of my little ducks into the mix.  Easter is just around the corner afterall.  We won't see Daffodils and Hyacinthe for quite some time yet, but they look so pretty with the ducks :) 

Click  HERE  to Download

The Boo Update --

This picture was taken last month.  I think Boo was bored so he just plopped himself on my recipe book and watched me press cookies on the baking sheet.  My grandson told me that his Mom would never let their cat on the kitchen counter.  I turned around and said to him "he's not on the counter, he's holding my recipe book open for me.  That's how smart he is."  

Meet me back here in March!