Still Screaming

Oh my it has been a time of it. Whining never solves a problem, if anything it just intensifies the situation...so I won't whine, I'll just keep screaming LOL
I keep busy and have been trying to  keep up with things. I really lightened up on my groups. Not because I really wanted to, it had something to do with my sanity and a straight jacket.
So I still try and be as active as possible on AFTCM and I absolutely love CDA . Of course, I keep trying with my little band of merry artist on SOMMA but it does get discouraging at time...people want swaps, I ask for idea's...Nothing. I come up with idea's...some work, some don't. I want to keep things stress free, no pressure, so I just keep throwing things out there. Norma  offered to co-monitor, bless her heart, so at least I know is someone has a question it will get answered. I don't always get on the computer. I think my BLOG is proof of that.
I love Blogging and hope one day to be as active as some people seem to be. I guess I've got pretty crappy time management, because between my house work and tending to my animals, days just fly by. I'd rather play in my studio the mess around on the computer. How the heck do people do both so well?
So here's what I have been up to. On AFTCM we had a Telescope card. Now you know me and cards...that is not my strong suit. I looked that style card up and got really nuts. Its seems that style has many variations . So I picked one I liked and ran with it. The theme was "Spooky"

The little signs says "Something wicked this way comes..." Looks like a telescope to me when it's opened...It's on an orange card with some spooky do dads. I kind of like it...How about you?
Then I asked ladies if they would like to alter a match box with a "Spooky " theme...sometimes I feel like a dentist (read between the lines)
I figured maybe if I made one people would see how simple it was. It took me 18 minutes to make a pattern for the drawer and the box and then to cut it and glue it all. Now I could have stopped there, adding a few do dads to the top and call it done. However, I took another 12 minutes and added some legs, some boa and eyes and  a tiny spider emerged.What I put in the draw is my secret for my Partner...which will probably be Mary since she was the only one willing , so far, to challenge herself LOL So here's my altered matchbox.

I know you are smiling. How could you not smile at that adorable little spider? Even if you don't like spiders (which I do) he is just too cute.
I have some other things I've worked, but I have to save something for tomorrow...Have fun, stay safe and keep smiling....

Did you hear me screaming?

I want to post here every day, but something always seems to get in the way.
This has not been a good week. On the top of the Poop list is the fact that my yellow Lab , Rosie, has a tumor and it has now become cancerous. She is too old to remove the leg and she is my OCD kid, I doubt she'd be comfortable with only 3 legs. Punkin is another story (that's my Chocolate baby), but Rosie is like a child. She has an unbelievable vocabulary (words she understands) even the Vet was amazed. So the entire office was in tears at the news. As for Me, Rosie and I will work on her other leg to make it strong. I know we are buying time. I am a firm believer that you have to love enough to let go, I will when the time comes, but it's not now.
Of course my saga continues. I'd rather just move on. Talking about things only brings them to the front of your mind. there is so much more to life then aches and pains and illness.
I have been working on many things, all in different stages, none worthy of a photo ...yet.
I guess I could show you Clarence...I was challenged to take a little pumpkin pattern and make something with it. I see a pumpkin and I think Halloween...either that or pie. So I made Clarence into a Trick or Treater,

Don't you just want to throw some candy in that bag?
When ever I'm down in the dumps, I think Butterflies...they are such happy little critters. Kind of flying flowers. So I sat down and made this quilted Butterfly.

I should have been working on swaps

I have a few due. But that Butterfly made me smile. I did finished up a slide mailer swap . I decided I wanted to use the 4 slide mailer. the theme was orange and blue so I even got orange and blue digital leaves. I was so proud of myself... Finished the entire thing and found out the slides were too small for the mailer. I guess the 4 slide one deals with bigger slides. Who knew? I managed to work it out...I hope to my partners satisfaction.

It's got a leaf and bead dangle that doesn't show up well in the pic . That's the outside, then on the inside I put a Fall poem and the slides.

It's kind of the look I was going for. The shading is all alcohol ink.
So that's what I've been doing, when not busy with health issues and my ailing furbaby. Let me leave you with this. You're a Farmer, of sorts, you depend on your tractor for many things. What do you do when this happens right off your driveway...Yes  the driveway from hell, that even when not blocked is difficult to navigate...what do you do...what do you do?