Pocket Full of Prettys

Beautiful Texas Bluebonnets

2010-04-14T20:11:00.005-05:00

Texas Bluebonnets are all over the neighborhood. They are along the creek and the empty lots. The Bluebonnets are so pretty this year. I think there are so many of them because of all the rain that we have had. Hope you enjoy them, wish you all were here to see them in person. Hugs, Renea

2010-02-09T08:58:00.006-06:00

Yippie! We finally got the house yesterday! Started moving late yesterday afternoon! :) Love this house, has so much character!

At last we have a HOME! So happy! Renea

Sweet time with Sweet Friends

2010-01-28T13:11:00.007-06:00

My Sweet Heather
BFF LesBFF Lisa

These ladies are the best. We enjoyed a brief time together last saturday. We met in Abilene, ate lunch and then opened Christmas gifts. We all laughed and enjoyed each others company. Why is it that when we are having a great time it goes by to quickly? Love you Les, Lisa and my Heather!

Another set of blocks.
"Live out loud"
These are a set of blocks that I finished the other day. I only have one photo b/c my battery was dead. These are collaged, inked and stamped. They will be for sell in my etsy shop soon.
Hope you all are having a great week!
Hugs***Renea

Going to see my Best Friends today!

2010-01-23T07:41:00.006-06:00

I am soooo excited, I am going to Abilene to meet Lisa & Les. It has been awhile since we have all been able to get together but I know we will have a blast! You two are the BEST! Love you both dearly! I know today will be great but will go by much to fast! xoxox to you both!

Below is my latest work of art, she is very wild, has wild blue hair!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Renea

Art

2010-01-12T07:50:00.006-06:00

This past year has been such a roller coaster. We moved, left my best friends behind, tried to get comfortable and settle in, decided to move again, and now are displaced until January 29th. I have prayed that this year will be the year for us to feel like we belong in this new place. I know God has a plan for us and He will take care of us. With that said, I am looking forward to the rest of the year.

I have had little time for art in the past year. So in the last couple of weeks I have worked on a few pieces. I have made several sets of blocks. And I have painted a bright little Angel's Face on an 8x8 canvas. Love the colors in the canvas. Hope you enjoy.

Have a great ART week. I plan on working on another painting this week. Hugs ***Renea

Friends

2009-12-27T08:54:00.003-06:00

I made an unannounced visit to my sweet friend's house December 24th. I haven't seen Lisa in a long time. Lisa is one of my BFF's. Love you Lisa, was so good to see you. Wish we could have visited longer, but we will get together with Les in January! Hugs my sweet friend! Miss you terribly!

Blizzard! Yikes!

2009-12-25T20:49:00.004-06:00

I'll be home for Christmas...at least that was what we were trying to do Christmas Eve. We left the Ft. Worth area around 7am Christmas Eve. What should have been a 4 hour drive ended up being a 6 hour drive! We thought we were doing so good to leave so early so that we could get home in time to finish our Christmas shopping, but NO, the snow started, and kept coming, and kept coming, and got worse by each mile we drove. The visibility also decreased mile by mile, then we got stuck on I-20 for about 30 mins b/c of a major 18 wheeler accident. There were cars in the ditch all the way. We were nearly hit my a double trailer Fed-Ex 18 wheeler going up Ranger Hill. What an exhausting and scary trip. I was so happy to make it home safe & sound. Hope you all have had a very Merry Christmas & a safe Christmas! Ours has been full of blessings. Hugs to you all *** Renea

Ft Worth Texas

2009-11-19T21:06:00.007-06:00

Ft Worth Texas has a beauty all its own. I love the old houses, the rivers and the trees. I have driven around and have seen some awsome old neighborhoods. I wanted to share some of those old homes with you.

And have you ever been downtown to the hospital district? Well if you haven't, then you are missing out. If you ever get the chance, drive by the Cook's Children's Hospital. They have amazing works of art in the flower beds all around the entrance. These little animal sculptures remind me of the grounds at Disney World. Hopefully these little figures make the children feel more comfortable and at ease. They even have a playground for the children and it is equipt with picnic tables.

The hospital even has its own "Guardian Angel".

When you get the chance yall come on down to go ole' Ft Worth for a visit. And be sure to eat at Joe T Garcia's, Uncle Julio's, Pappasita's, Flying Fish, Yucatan and Tommy's Burger's! Yummo! Hugs to you all***Renea

Something Different

2009-10-04T19:59:00.008-05:00

I have been in an art funk lately, no ideas, no creative energy, nothing. But last night I actually did a couple of things. I am taking Carmen Torbus' on line class "spill it", which has been lots of fun so far. Her class requires you to get your hands dirty. As you can see mine were pretty messy!However I ended up with a neat background. I love these colors.I can't wait to see what next weeks class will be! Carmen is very fun & energetic.
So this morning I decided to get busy in my art room. I had started a background sometime ago & decided to overhaul it. And that is exactly what I did, now I have a very fun, whimsical piece. I'm not quite finished but just had to post it anyway. I have had a great time putting her together!

She is very different than what I normally paint, but I love her. She screams "Look at me, I'm a Queen"!!! I still have to paint the sides, and I have a couple of ideas to add to her.

And last but not least is a couple of monkey's that I found this weekend. They are all dress up for a special occasion. I decided that they are me & my hubby, 2 little monkey's in love.

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was really good and creative. Hugs to you all! And have a great week! Renea

SAVE THE DATE

2009-09-07T15:21:00.006-05:00

Up coming art class, so save the date, thursday, October 15th from 6pm to 9pm. It will be held again at The Altered Muse in Ft. Worth, 4318 W. Vickery street. The beeswax was so popular that we are going to do it again. Plus you can call Pam to sign up, 817-319-0112.

And I tried to reply to one of the comments left on the last post but was unable. So Colleen hope you can make this class, would love to meet you. And you can always email me, my email is located in my profile.

Hope to see you all there! Hugs! Hope you all have a wonderful SHORT week! Renea

No Time for ART

2009-09-01T03:37:00.005-05:00

No time for art. I have been so busy the last 4-6 weeks. I started looking for a job. Found one. Started work August 17th. And just get home so late that I am too tired to work on art. My daily commute is anywhere from 1-1/2 hours to over 2 hours. So if I get home after 7:15-7:30pm I just want a bath and to check my email and go to bed. But on thursday my commute will significantly drop by at least 45mins-1 hour. I do have a couple of pieces to post, I did these back in July sometime. Both of these are journals. The journal of friends is very small, about 3x4 inches. The journal of the bird nest is 6x6, and this piece is also my first attempt at a transfer. I think it went well.
Hope you all had a great start to your week. Hugs***Renea

August 15th Workshop

2009-08-15T20:26:00.009-05:00

Oh My Gosh...did we have fun or what? I love these ladies, they are so full of excitement, ideas and personality. They each did a wonderful collage covered with beeswax. Hope you enjoy the photos below.

The workshop was held at The Altered Muse, in Ft Worth. Pam owns this amazing little shop full of ephmera goodies and plenty of surprises. And guess what Pam is hosting a GIVEAWAY on her blog. So go & check it out I would love to win something from Pam. Hope you all have a great week. Say a little pray for me as I start a new job on Monday. I haven't worked in 6 months because of our move, so I know this next week will kill me! UGH! Hugs & happiness to you all! Renea

Art Workshop Saturday August 15th

2009-08-13T06:49:00.009-05:00

Just a reminder...Art workshop in Ft Worth this Saturday. The workshop is being taught by yours truely, we will be making a collage covered with beeswax. You still have time to sign up, call Pam at 817-319-0112. The workshop will begin at 12pm and go until 2 pm. Location is The Altered Muse, 4318 W. Vickery. Hope to see you there. The photos below are of Pam's Shop at The Altered Muse. Doesn't she have some wonderful goodies?

Family Reunion

2009-08-04T12:38:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we had our family reunion on my husband's side. We had a lot of fun visiting with everyone. Our son wasn't able to be there, however he did visit everyone via skype and his computer camara. Everyone loved seeing him & visiting with him.

Even his daughter saw him & was excited to see him. : ) How precious is that?And my youngest Grandson was the BEST sitter I have ever seen. He tended to Miss K, played with her and kept her occupied. She loved her cousin who took such good care of her.

Here is our side of the family, yes there is alot of us.Here is our immediate family, minus our son. And this is our nephew with Miss K. Looks like she was having a grand ole time with Cody. : )

And here is my beautiful daughter in purple! Hope your weekend was as good as mine. Hugs***Renea

Up-coming Workshop

2009-07-31T10:16:00.006-05:00

Yeehaw! I will be teaching a workshop August 15 @ the Altered Muse shop in Ft. Worth, Tx. This will be a fun and exciting class. We will make a 6x6" collage and then apply beeswax to completed the piece. I hope you will be able to come & join the fun. Bring copies of your own photos, or your own papers, but I will also have copied vintage photos and papers to use for the class. You can find more information about the class at The Altered Muse, so go and check it out. Below are several examples of my finished beeswax collages. Hope to see you there! If you haven't been to Pam's shop then you are missing a real treat. So come on by 4318 W. Vickery, Ft. Worth, Tx. Hugs***Renea

New Blocks

2009-07-23T20:10:00.010-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I love working with these wood blocks. So I have decided to change them up a little bit. I have added a topper to these blocks with a few ribbons attached, plus they are alittle larger than the blocks that I normally work with. I like the whimsical look that these blocks have. This block is simply a little fairy who believes.
The next block is of sweet childhood memories. This last block is so much fun, one side is a child day dreaming, the other side is a sweet little teddy bear in flight, daring to dream to fly.This block also has a metal charm attached to the top that states dream. Let your dreams take you where you want to be. Dare to dream! Hope you all have a great weekend. Hugs***Renea

50th Birthday Party

2009-07-20T20:44:00.006-05:00

I had the best 50th Birthday Party that anyone could ever have! My BFF's gave me a surprise party and we also had a slumber party. Lisa and Les are my best friends! I love these 2 girls so much, and I miss them terribly! But they do know how to give a party. We spent thursday, friday and saturday together. We shopped, laughed, giggled, talked and yes cried. This pic is of Lisa & Les, they are the BEST!!!! Love yall!!!!

Love this photo of Lisa, she is laughing and looks so happy!

Borrowed this photo from Les AKA: FUNKY ART QUEEN. Love this photo of me & Lisa.And this photo is of my sweet Heather going for a ride in Lisa's Mercedes. Isn't she just made for that car! You go Heather! Love ya Heather!

Lisa, Les thank you for such a memorable birthday, I will always remember this weekend. Love you both. Hugs***Renea

Up-coming Workshop

2009-07-11T20:25:00.010-05:00

If this precious face doesn't make you smile well then nothing will. This is Miss K, my 6 and 1/2 month old Granddaughter. She is such a good baby. August 15, 2009 I will be teaching a workshop at the Altered Muse in Ft. Worth. At the workshop we will complete a collage coated with beeswax. I love beeswax, it makes such a great shiney soft finish to any collage. This will be a fun class so I hope to see you there! If you would like to attend please call Pam from the Altered Muse @ 817-319-0112. Everything you need to complete the collage will be supplied, however if you want to bring your own papers, copied photos or other collage supplies that would be okay. Hope to see you there.

The photos below are of wood pieces with hardware attached. I have also coated these 2 pieces with beeswax. Each piece has been made to appear old, distressed and vintage.

The block below is angels.I will be listing these new pieces in my etsy shop and my funky finds shop. I hope you are having a great weekend. Hugs***Renea

Happy 4th of JULY & new art work

2009-07-03T20:57:00.014-05:00

Hope you all are having a great 4th of JULY! We don't have any major plans, going to watch fireworks over the lake tonight. I think we will be able to see them from our house, as we live only 1 mile from the lake. Posting this beautiful photo of our great American Flag, I'm proud to be an American. This little island is in a pond in Keene, Tx.

I have painted a new canvas with a sweet girl singing her praises to God. I tried several different techniques in this canvas, I was very pleased with the end result.The canvas below is one I'm very happy with. It is done with beeswax. It has a soft glow to it that I just love. And the beeswax made the house smell so good.

I did this old suitcase sometime ago but I don't think that I ever posted it. So here it is! This is an old samsonite travel case. I painted "Lucy" on the front and a flower garden on the back. I love this little suitcase. It will soon be for sale in a little shop in Granbury Tx, called The Bella Rosa on highway 377.
And this last little piece is still in progress. I have a few more things I want to do to this piece before it is finished. This is a chunk of wood that measures about 5"x4"x2". I want to add some hardware to this chunk of wood. Plus I may apply beeswax to this piece too.

I hope you have a great weekend and a Happy 4th Celebration. Hugs to you all***Renea

Happy Reunion and Grandson's Visit

2009-06-18T21:31:00.011-05:00

What a sweet reunion for my son and his 6 month old daughter. My son has been in Korea and just recently returned home, he was so excited to see his daughter, the last time he saw her she was only 2 weeks old.My Grandsons's have been here for a week now, and we have had soooo much fun. They are such witty young boys. They have had use laughing all week long. We have been all over North Texas. We even went to the beach in Grandbury, was so nice, but didn't take camara to beach.

The Ft. Worth Zoo.

Dinosaur World in Glen Rose, Tx. Pro Bass Shop in Garland, Tx.
Just clowning around.

Swimming in the neighbors pool with my son and also with the neighbors dog (Hank).

As you can see by the pics below we didn't do much house cleaning! We were way to busy playing! :)

What a great time we have had. I hate to see them go home. I would love for them to stay longer. But I do think they are coming again sometime this summer. And I think we will see them July 4th. Love you boys! Thanks boys for entertaining your NaNa. Hugs***Renea

And We Have a Winner!

2009-06-17T04:50:00.004-05:00

Congrats to Deb, Deb did it! Deb won the contest and will receive a prize. I know naming these courthouses wasn't easy, but Deb named 2 correctly. Courthouse #1 Hillsboro, #2 Anson, #3 Granbury, #4 Weatherford, #5 Old Dallas Courthouse, #6 Waxahatchie. I love these old courthouses, they have so much history and beauty. Hope you all are having a great week, I am having a wonderful time, my 3 Grandson's are here for a visit! Love those boys, they are so much fun. We have been to the Ft. Worth Zoo, Pro Bass Shop in Garland (which they loved), Dinosaur World, and the new public beach at Granbury Lake. Plus they have gone swimming at my neighbor's house EVERY day, thank you Joyce. I will try and add photos later! Hugs***Renea

Something to Blog About and a GIVEAWAY!

2009-06-08T20:07:00.012-05:00

Well I have not blogged in awhile, but I have been thinking about something to blog about. So here goes...I was inspired by the FunkyArtQueen to plant a small garden. So Hubby & I planted 5 tomatoe plants and 3 jalopeno plants. We have already had jalopeno poppers hot off the grill. Still waiting on the tomatoes. I love garden fresh tomatoes.

Look what Hubby found in the backyard! Yikes! This little guy was one fat toad! But we like the fact that he will eat bugs. YumYum!I spent the day with Pam from The Altered Muse in Ft Worth. We had a great time. We brain stormed about up coming workshops. We thought of several great workshops, so check out her site for up-coming workshops and a possible giveaway. We all love a giveaway.

And speaking of a GIVEAWAY...I will give a prize to the first person who can correctly name the towns of where these old Texas Courthouses are located or who can correctly name the most of these towns. I love these old courthouses, everytime we drive threw a town with these old courthouses I have taken photos. The grand old buildings are below, so good luck. Naming these courthouses will end June 16th at midnight.

Have fun with naming the towns where the courthouses are located. Good luck to you all!!!! Hugs***Renea

Workshop at The Altered Muse, Ft. Worth, TX

2009-05-20T18:01:00.012-05:00

WOW, we had a great time at the workshop in Ft. Worth, at the great little shop, The Altered Muse! If you have not been to Pam's shop then you are missing out on a wonderful stroll threw the past. Love her shop! She has the best ephmera! Go by there when you can 4318 Vickery St, Ft. Worth, Tx.

Here is Angela & Pam! Love her apron, Angela made it! Great job Angela! Psst-I told Angela she could sell those aprons!
Love this little sign, featured artist, Renea Hipp, oh that's me! Ha!
I was the instructor for this workshop. And I had a great time.

I would like you to meet the class.

The first table of artist are Vivian and Jessica, oh you might recognize Jessica from Funky Finds!The next two artists are Amanda and Melanie. At the back table these 2 artists are Katherine and Angela.
Not only did we collage wood blocks but we also learned how to emboss stamps. I love embossing, so much fun, I think everyone else loved it too!

Pam has all kinds of artist that teach workshops in her shop, they are usually held on tuesday nights 7p to 9p. So call Pam at the Altered Muse for a schedule of workshops. Hugs to you all***Renea

New Art, New Friends and Flowers

2009-05-14T21:29:00.009-05:00

I have been working on a couple of new art pieces this week. The first one is a collage of a tree with eggs hanging off of the branches and a sweet little family in the house. I have decided to title this one "Home".
The next little piece is a treasure to me. The fabric photo transfer is of my Grandmother & her sister. My Grandmother is on the left, she was so beautiful inside & out. This is my first piece that I have done with fabric on canvas. And I really like the way that it turned out.
I have meet some really neat people since I have moved to this area. But I recently have met Tina from her blog, (which I love this name) glue on my fingers and paint in my hair. We have alot in common and we both love art. She has a good sense of humor and lives in TEXAS. What more could you ask for. Ha! So go check out her blog!

I am including some photos of my flowers and even blooming magnolias in our magnolia trees. Love the green grass here and all the flowers. It is so pretty here. And it does rain here, where I'm from it hardly ever rained. Just today it rained 1/2 inch here. That is so amazing to me. So enjoy the flowers.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Hugs***Renea

Mother's Day Blessings

2009-05-11T08:28:00.010-05:00

What a blessed weekend I have had. I got to see my daughter & her family, and I also got to see my son's sweet little baby girl. Who could ask for more? Saturday we got to see our little Granddaughter, she has the sweetest little face & she loves to cuddle, how great is that?

Then on Sunday we went to Austin to see our daughter and her family. We went and ate lunch at Rudy's BBQ, which was WAY to expensive, most likely will not eat there again for a very long time! After lunch we went to the park, and oh my was it beautiful. We walked up and down the river bank while the boys fed the ducks and played. The boys are so witty and fun to be around. They will keep you laughing. They will be coming to stay with us this summer for a week or more. I have several fun things planned for them.

They had to show me how high they could swing & how they could do a flip out of the swing. Plus they all had to swing on the tire swing. They have grown so much this past year!

Here I am with these great boys, Montgomery, Curtis & Tyler. Look at Tyler he is taller than me! And he is only 13 years old!
Here is Papa Barry with the boys and Rainey our son-in-law.

This is a photo or how my daughter drives like her MOM. Yikes! She hit the garage door on the way out. I did the same about 3 weeks ago but she out did me, hers is much worse!

My daughter gave me an adorable photo frame, precious little trinket box and a "Tyler" candle and the scent is named High Maintenance, wonder why she choose that scent? Humm? On our way home from Austin my son called me from Korea. And my great hubby gave me these georgeous flowers. On the way home we stopped for a little treat. Barry and I got a few sips but Pixie and Tinkerbelle got most of the treat! I hope you all had a great Mother's Day. As you can see mine was the BEST! Hugs***Renea

Three Little Wishes

2009-05-04T21:02:00.004-05:00

I have been working on a new collage and I am finally finished. This is an 8x8 canvas that is 1-1/2 inch deep on the sides. I have named this little piece of work "Three Little Wishes". And I have listed this sweet little piece on etsy. There is just something about those vintage photos of children that just melt my heart. Isn't this child the sweetest, most innocent looking child?

I hope you all have a great week. Hugs***Renea

Meeting new friends

2009-05-01T08:25:00.008-05:00

Moving to a new town, new house, new everything has been a harrowing experience. I think I am finally getting settled in, but I must admit it has taken me awhile. ugh! I have met some really neat people along this journey. I attended the funky finds last saturday in Ft Worth & meet some amazing people.

For instance the CEO of Funky Finds Jessica Hood Doughtery. And it is great because we are meeting for lunch today. Yippie! I also met artist Robbie Jenkins, and we are going to meet for lunch next week. Yeah! Can't wait to get to know these wonderful people.

I also met this interesting Muse from Ft Worth whom has a unique little shop there called "The Altered Muse" what a great place, you must go there & see all of the ephmera & goodies she has available. Her shop is located at 4318 W. Vickery St, Ft Worth, Tx. The Muse is Pam Grayson and she had a workshop at her shop tuesday night, yes I went & met more wonderful women. The artist teaching the class was Carrie Gunning (which she may soon be featured in Country Living Magazine). I not only had a great time but I met Angela, which is Pam's best friend and I also met Vivian. Vivian and I talked on the phone yesterday for about 1 and 1/2 hours! WOW! So needless to say we are meeting in Ft Worth next week to go to lunch! Yippie! Below is the final result of my art work from that night and some photos of Pam's shop The Altered Muse.

Hope you all get to visit Pam's great shop. And hope you all have a great weekend. Hugs***Renea

Best Friends We Three

2009-04-26T17:31:00.008-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in a very, very long time. I have been crazy busy with moving & getting ready for Lisa & Les to come see me! And they did come & see me this weekend! Oh my gosh did we have fun! They got here on thursday afternoon. We cooked out, sat on the back porch & ate dinner, laughing & talking the entire time. We went to bed really late which I am not used to.

We got up early friday morning, got ready & went to Granbury Tx to go shopping. This is the 3 of us getting ready to leave the house. See all the goods in the back of the car? I knew Lisa & Les would love Granbury and they did. They loved the quaintness of the square & loved all the little shops. Lisa even finally found "THE " outfit for funky finds spring fling and she did look cute.Fri, day afternoon we drove to Ft. Worth to set up our booths for the funky finds spring fling.

Saturday morning we again got up early to go to Ft. Worth. We were all dressed in our finery and my nice neighbor came over to take a photo of us.

And here we are in our booths, don't know what happened to Lisa, I only have a photo of her booth not her in her booth. But I think our booths looked great.

We stayed up late again Saturday night talking & laughing. We had so much fun. I went to bed & Lisa & Les stayed up for 2 more hours and during that time they wrote me notes on tags & left them in my art room for me to find. That was a fun little treat that I found after they left.

They just left & I'm ready for them to come again. We are going to plan another trip for them to come again, maybe go to Canton next trip. Lisa & Les I love you! You both made my weekend great, can't wait until we can do it again. Hugs to you my best friends! Renea

Bittersweet Moments

2009-02-20T02:54:00.006-06:00

Les, Me & Lisa, February 12th at LaBodega. We of course were having lunch (one of our favorite pastimes). And my Mom took our picture. I had to keep telling Lisa to keep her hands to herself! HeeHee!

It has been quiet sometime since I last posted. Friday the 13th was my last day with my dear friends. I hated to leave them, but at the same time I was excited about the new direction of my life. Les & Lisa are just amazing friends, on the 13th we all had lunch at the Olive Garden and we all exchanged Valentine Gifts. I was such a cry-baby, that day was sooo emotionally draining. I had to say good-bye to my house, good-bye to my friends & then drive 325miles to Ft. Worth. (Where I got lost 2 times before I got to where I was going!) Whew, makes me tired just thinking about it all. Below are the photos of our lunch at Olive Garden.

Lisa with her sweet little bear & Les with her ANT! Yes Les wanted an ANT from Hobby Lobby, so that's what she got!

The Adorable little doll that Les is holding is ME! I found these cute little wood cut out dolls for L & L, I colored each doll, & told them that the doll was Me, that way they could never forget Me & I could always be close by. Les said she put magnets on the back of hers & now I am an honored guest of her refrigerator!
Lisa & Les outside of the Olive Garden. Yes it was very windy & cool.
The 3 of us! Can't wait for you 2 to come in April. We will have so much fun!I saw this truck on my way to Ft. Worth. I had to take a picture! You know God does work in mysterious ways. And once again in my life he has done just that. My friend Les & my new friend Donna became Internet friends a couple of years ago. Well when Les found out that I was moving to the Ft. Worth area she told me about Donna AKA: The Prairie Fairy! So Les introduced us via Internet & guess what? Today we met in person! Our lunch turned into an all afternoon affair, we sat & talked for over 4 hours! Donna is so very delightful, so happy to meet you! Once again God has intervened threw Les for me to make friends in this huge area. And guess what else? Donna and I will only be about 10 minutes from each other! It is so amazing to see God's hand at work. Who would have ever thought that Donna and I would ever meet? God's plan was way ahead of anything I could even comprehend.
I want you all to meet Donna AKA: The Prairie Fairy. So nice to meet you Donna. The sun was shining very brightly in our eyes, but what a great photo! Hugs to you all***Renea

Last Few Days

2009-02-09T08:33:00.012-06:00

A new chapter in my life is about to begin. I am excited & sad all at the same time. I love my home here, my family & most of all my friends. I will miss them terribly. Les & Lisa are just the best friends anyone could ever pray for. And yes about 6-8 years ago I prayed that God would send me girlfriends, and boy did he deliver! Les & Lisa both are the best friends I have ever had. We already have grand plans to stay in touch.

Here is Les & myself. Les was teaching a mixed-media art class & I was the helper! We had lots of fun that day.

Here is Les & I at the Senior Celebration. As always we were having fun.

Here is Lisa, we were at one of our favorite restaurants. It was Lisa's birthday. And as you may know we had to give Lisa a hard time b/c she is the OLDEST of the 3 of us. HaHa!
And this gift was from The Funky Art Queen, AKA Les. She gave her a clay doll that was named after Lisa. Just like Lisa, this doll loves her red wine!
And this one is for you Les, "Who's Your Daddy"? HeeHee!
Here is Les @ our Christmas get together. We had lunch @ the Olive Garden. As usual we were all laughing. Lisa & I both know how much Les loves a present!
Lisa gave me this shirt for Christmas, and of course you notice that it is for the Queen. Ha! Thanks Lisa, this is my FAVORITE shirt.
Lisa is wearing the necklace that I gave her for Christmas.
Lisa & Les sharing the joy of my new Grandchild Miss Kennedy.

I think Miss Kennedy was getting bored with her NaNa.

Les & Lisa you are my best friends, you know my life inside & out. You both are just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. I will miss our daily antics! We have had so many laughs together and also a few tears. I love you both! Can't wait for your first visit & I haven't even left yet! I have truly been blessed by your friendship. Love, hugs & kisses to you both! Renea

PS-You both had better call me often!

Beautiful Giveaway

2009-02-06T08:09:00.003-06:00

There is a wonderful giveaway at Hands & Heart, http://www.monicazuniga.blogspot.com/ she is celebrating her 1st blog anniversary. She is giving away a beautiful painting that I would love to have. Monica has beautiful work on her blog. So go & check it out. Have a great weekend. I will be packing & moving. Yuck! I'm so tired already! Hugs***Renea

Some Much Happening

2009-01-31T21:47:00.013-06:00

Okay AMBER here it is...
So much has happened in such a short amount of time. You know God does work in mysterious ways. We have prayed for about 2 years now for a different direction in our lives. And God has answered our prayers. Back in November my hubby applied for a job in Ft. Worth, TX. We didn't hear anything for a long time, and then in December we got a phone call & was told that the position had been put on hold. We were disappointed, but continued to pray. And in January we got another phone call & hubby was offered the position. So...we have been on a journey to get things together for us to move to south Ft. Worth. God has blessed us in many ways, first of all, we put our house up for sell. It sold in 5 days! WOW! Then hubby had to start new job January 26Th. So January 23rd, we went to south Ft. Worth to look for a house. And once again God blessed us. We found the most beautiful home, great price, great neighborhood and close to a creek. We made an offer on this home and we will be able to move in March 1st. We wanted to be closer to our kids & Grandkids & now we will be. We will be within 2 1/2 hours of both our kids. Yippie! We will get to see our Grandkids much more often than we do now. Below are photos of our new home.

This is the front of the house. So pretty. Can you believe that the front door is 8 foot tall? Too cool.This is the back of the house, great porch & deck. And see the window on the far right side? It slides open side to side, love that window. I'm sure that is were the "studio" will be!
And look at these beautiful kitchen cabinets. Love the trim work at the top.This is the breakfast area, what great windows, they are 7 feet tall. Amazing natural light.Yes that's me trying on the tub for size, oh la la, so comfy!!!!!!!!

I have lived here most of my life. It will be difficult for me to leave my family and friends. But I do believe that God wants us to be there. We are so Blessed.

If any of you great blog friends live near Ft. Worth TX please send me an email. Hope you all have a great week. Hugs***Renea

FUNKY FINDS

2009-01-24T08:46:00.008-06:00

Funky Finds is coming April 25th, 2009 to Fort Worth Texas, and I will be there! You too can join the fun. Just go & check it out. I'm so excited but have so much work to do before then. My best friends will be there too, http://funkyartqueen.blogspot.com/ and http://www.wildoverwine.blogspot.com/. We are making it a girlfriends weekend. I will have lots of my collaged blocks available & star & heart wands available too! Be sure & check out all the great artists that will be there. Let me know if you will be there so that we can meet! Hope to see you there! Hugs***Renea

Making Valentine's

2009-01-18T21:17:00.005-06:00

Do you want to be my Valentine? I am having a Valentine Swap, see previous post for information. If you are interested email me your name & address.

I have been working really hard on some sweet little Valentine's. The Valentine's below are in a shadow box. I love Valentine's Day, it is so much fun.
Are you making Valentine's?
Have fun with your Valentine's. Hope you all have a great week. Hugs***Renea

Will You Be My Valentine?

2009-01-05T19:48:00.022-06:00

If you are participating in the Valentine Swap please email me your address. You can find my email on the side bar, click on view my profile & go to email from there. Thanks!!Valenine's Day, what a fun day! Will you be my Valentine?
I thought it would be fun to do a Valentine's Day Swap. What do you think? It will be fun & simple!
If you would like to swap Valentine's just leave me a comment. The only rule is your swap must include one handmade item. The rest is up to you, cookies, candy, hearts, teddy bears, flowers, you get the idea.I will randomly pair up swap partners.

If you would like to use the photo to post the swap on your site feel free to use the one below.

The dead line to sign up will be January 31st. That should give everyone time to get there goods together for their Valentine!

Valentine swap packages should be mailed by February 6th. That way everyone should get their package by the 14th!
I hope everyone has fun, get your Valentine package ready. I will let everyone know who their swap partner is by February 1st. Let's have fun! Hugs***Renea

Finally ART!!!!

2008-12-28T20:19:00.006-06:00

I finally got to do some art today! Yippie! It has been awhile, I've been sick, Miss Kennedy was born, we've been out of town ALOT, and finally a weekend home. So today I worked on a little keepsake box, and I think it turned out really sweet. I was just so excited to sit down & actually get to work on something in the art room! Well that was after a little mandatory cleaning. I had to clean the art room in order to find the desk! Yikes! It was such a mess! It is much better now, not great, just better. That room could really use an overhaul but that will not happen anytime soon.We went to my parent's on the 25th for Christmas. My sister & brother were there. My in-laws were also there. We had loads of fun and laughed all afternoon.

This is my sister and me, we were having so much fun.
This is my sister, me and our Mom, we were just being silly for the camera.

My sister, Roy and our Mom.
This is my neice, Roy & my sister. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We had a lot of fun, food & laughter! Hugs***Renea

Christmas with our family!

2008-12-23T21:47:00.015-06:00

We spent friday, saturday & sunday with our son & daughter & their sweet families. We haven't had but 1 Christmas with our son in 9 years, so this was a very special time for all of us. Plus we had a new little baby to love on and Miss Kennedy was getting plenty of attention. My heart was so full, God has truly blessed me. I've been blessed with great kids & Grandkids. We had the best time & we took many photos. I hope you enjoy the photos, some of them are blurry, I just couldn't get the camera to cooperate. My hubby said it was the operator not the camera. (hum imagine that)!
Our daughter & her family. Plus Snitzel the weiner dog!
Our son & his family with little Miss Kennedy & 2 dogs, Macaroni & Logan.

Our kids & Grandkids! Aren't they a good looking group?

Uncle & nephew picking at each other! Just having fun!

Aunt Briskit & Miss Kennedy joined in on the fun!

Papa & Tyler taking their own photo with the camera! Look @ Tyler's booty. Ha! What ham's!

Here is Hubby with our daughter, she was laughing @ her Dad's lack of hair. Hee Hee!

And here is Miss Kennedy, she looked like a little Christmas package!

Here is Papa with Miss Kennedy, she has her eyes wide open looking around.

Here she is again, so alert and sweet!

Me & Hubby with all our wonderful Grandchildren! Aren't they adorable? Here we all are! I love each & eveyone of them!

My Hubby and I were on our way home & we had bought some candy sticks at the Cracker Barrel. We were eating these & our silly dog (Tinkerbelle) started barking at us. Then all of the sudden she grabbed the candy stick with her teeth & took a big bite! That was so funny! She just wasn't going to be left out! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Ours was early with our kids, but so wonderful. That was my gift, for us to all be together! Hugs***Renea

Miss Kennedy Update

2008-12-16T08:33:00.015-06:00

Ta-Da here she is MISS KENNEDY! What a sweet little bundle of joy!
How blessed we truely are...Miss Kennedy is doing great! She may possibly get to come home today. Mom is also doing great, she is getting around very well and very little pain. I got to hold Miss Kennedy yesterday for the first time, and what a little piece of heaven! She is so small, tiny little lips, tiny hands but has very long feet. She only weighs 6 lbs 5 oz, and is 20 inches long. We are so thankful for this wonderful outcome. I'm so excited that she may get to come home. Our daughter & her family are coming on friday or saturday so that we can all be together & have an early Christmas. What a blessing that will be, as our son is usually oversea during the holidays.

NaNa with sweet little Miss Kennedy. What a little sweetheart!

Dad & Miss Kennedy.

Dad with Miss Kennedy. She doesn't look too happy at this moment!
Happy MOM with Miss Kennedy.

Here is the happy little family.

Welcome sweet Miss Kennedy, there are many who love you & many who have prayed for you. Thanks to everyone for your prayers in our time of need. God bless you all. Hugs***Renea

Miss Kennedy has arrived!

2008-12-14T18:16:00.006-06:00

Finally we have the arrival of Miss Kennedy! It was a long, long night & I still haven't gone to bed. I drove 4 & 1/2 hours last night to get here, and I got here at 7:30pm. However, we still didn't have a baby until 10:12am this morning. And poor Grif, she tried her best to deliver Miss Kennedy but things weren't in her favor, Kennedy was turned with head to the side & Grif just wasn't progressing well, and Kennedy's heart rate kept dropping. So we had a c-section, and during this time Kennedy went into distress & had a meconium birth. My son went into the o.r. for the c-section and it was really hard for him b/c Kennedy had to have CPR and was put on a respirator. Grif asked him how Kennedy was doing & my brave son said, "she's doing great", I couldn't have done it! What a trooper! We sent out prayer request to everyone, and indeed God did answer our prayers, Kennedy was extubated & now on oxygen, has an IV, and a small tube down her throat. She is doing so much better. She will be in ICU tonight & probably all tomorrow. But God is so good. We have a beautiful baby girl, blonde hair, pale blue eyes (just like my son), 6 lbs & 5 oz, and 20 inches long. What a little beauty! And MOM (Grif) was so tired, but she did a great job. Please everyone keep Kennedy in your prayers for her continued progress. What a little sweetheart, thank you God for our sweet little baby. Hugs to our Baby Kennedy! Renea

We're Ready For Miss Kennedy to Arrive!

2008-12-09T22:33:00.004-06:00

Well our son got home safe & sound. His back was still causing him lots of pain. He went back to the doctor today & got more medication. He will have to return to Korea January 2nd. But at least he will be here for the birth of their first child.

Our Granddaughter (Miss Kennedy) is officially due tomorrow! We are so excited! Our DIL has a doctor appointment tomorrow at 1:45p. The doctor will determine when he will induce her labor. So we may have a baby by the end of the week. Yippie! The photo below is my son & DIL at the park today. It was too cold here today to go to the park, but nice & sunny there.

Well that's all I have for tonight. Just wanted to post this cute photo of the parents to be. Hopefully in the next few days I will have photos of Miss Kennedy to post. Yippie! What a great Christmas gift a baby is! One more Grandchild to add to our collection! Hugs to you all***Renea

2008-12-01T22:00:00.004-06:00

As you know I have finished Kenney's stocking with much love & hard work. Many years ago I made stockings for my 3 Grandson's. I made each of the boys a stocking before their first Christmas. They have each so lovingly posed for the photos below with there stockings made by me NaNa. First Grandson is Tyler, Second Grandson is Gummy (Montgomery), Third is Curtis. Oh I love these boys so much, they are so fun to be around. They each have a great personality.

For Christmas I have made each of the boys a travel pillow with a pillow case. They all turned out really cute. Below are the photos of the travel pillows with the pillow cases that I made for them.Please keep my son Corey in your prayers. He is to fly home friday from Korea to Dallas. He is still in alot of back pain. I pray that he won't be in too much pain on his way home. We are so excited that he is coming home because that means that baby Kennedy will soon arrive. Yippee! Thank you all for your prayers & kind thoughts. I appreciate each of you & always look forward to reading your comments. Hugs***Renea

Free Shipping in Etsy Shop

2008-11-27T15:52:00.004-06:00

Hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving! Ours has been wonderful. FYI: From now until December 17th any purchase in my etsy shop will have free shipping to any address in the United States. So if you would like to make a purchase, I will ship for free. Just convo me prior to purchase so that I can re-invoice & remove the shipping cost. Have a great weekend, and have fun on black friday. Hugs***Renea

MRI Results & New Pocket Pillow

2008-11-22T22:37:00.003-06:00

Well we finally got Corey's MRI results. He has 2 herniated disc' at L-4 & L-5. He is currently doing physical therapy for 2 weeks. If he is not better then possibly surgery. So please continue to keep him in your prayers & thoughts. He is going to be coming home on December 5th for Christmas and the birth of his first child. Please also pray that he will have a comfortable flight & not too much pain.

I have another pocket pillow to post tonight. I have made a Christmas pocket pillow. This pillow is to put your Christmas wishes or Christmas list in the pocket on the back.

This pillow has been listed on my esty. I would like to thank each of you for your sweet comments, thoughts & prayers. I appreciate you all! Hope you all have a great week & Thanksgiving. We will be going to our daughter in laws on Tuesday for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Hugs***Renea

Something New

2008-11-17T21:50:00.007-06:00

Thank you everyone for your sweet prayers & thoughts for my son Corey, he is having his MRI today, which is tomorrow in Korea. I will let you know the results as soon as I can.

I have some new things to post. I have been working on a new project. Photos below are of my new pocket pillows. Each pillow is designed with a pocket on the back for a specific purpose as you will see.

This is the front on the first pillow, it is collaged with different fabrics, lace & irregular stitching. The center piece of fabric has vintage children playing in their pedal cars.

This is the back of the pillow and this pocket has a bible verse written on it, which is Psalm 127:3. This verse states that "children are a gift from God". Your prayers can be tucked inside the pocket on the back of this pillow. This pillow will be going on my etsy soon.

The next pillow is of a couple in love. I painted this couple sometime ago, and I transferred them onto fabric for this fun pillow. This pillow also has a pocket on the back.
The pocket on the back of this pillow is for the couples to exchange"love letters" to each other. What fun this would be!

Weekend before last we went to Austin to see my oldest Grandson play in the High School band. He plays the drums & is in the 7th grade. He was so cute. The first photo is of him & our youngest Grandson being silly. The second photo is of our middle Grandson playing his horn for us. He really does a great job! They are so cute & fun to be around! Never know what they will say or do!

Last but not least is an update of our four legged friends in the window! Drove by there today & both dogs were on the couch in the window. They are so funny. The little dog is standing on the back of the couch, the other dog is just peeking over to back to see over the top.

These 2 dogs make me LOL everytime I see them in this window. Someday I am going to leave the owners photos of these 2 watch dogs & let them know what great entertainment they have provided! Also go & check out the FunkyArtQueen's blog, she has a photo of her dog also looking out the window! I hope everyone has a great week. Hugs***Renea

Corey Update

2008-11-12T23:06:00.003-06:00

First I would like to say thank you all for your prayers & thoughts & kind words. I got an email from Corey, & he is to have an MRI for his back on the 18th. Please continue to keep him in your prayers & thoughts. He is not any better, he is the same. His back is still causing him alot of pain. Our family history has alot of degenerative disc & joint disease. My Grandmother had numerous back surgeries, My Dad has had back surgery, My daughter has had back surgery (last Christmas) & I had back surgery 3 years ago. So I am worried that he will also need back surg. Above is 2 photos of Corey & his military dog Robby. We all love this dog because he saved Corey's life in Iraq more than once. Thank God Corey is no longer in Iraq.

I have been working on a new project. I hope to have photos in a few days. I love this new project, it is so cute & fun to put together. I hope everyone is having a great week. Hugs***Renea

TA-DA FINALLY!!!!

2008-11-05T07:49:00.014-06:00

I finally finished Kennedy's Stocking, YIPPIE!!!! I actually finished it Sunday night. This little stocking is so sweet for my soon to be born Grand baby Kennedy. Oh I am so excited! We are more that ready for her grand entrance into this world. The doctor still says the due date is December 10Th, so not much longer to go!!!!

Below is a photo of my friend Lisa & myself on Halloween. We had lots of fun. Lisa was a witch. I told her that her hat looked like she was in mourning. And of course myself the QUEEN! HeeHee! I had a beautiful tiara & of course my shirt with the crown on it. All befitting the QUEEN! (Me)!

I have been working on several other projects the last few nights, but I haven't decided if I am going to list them on etsy or give them as gifts. Whenever I make up my mind I will show you all the photos.

Photo of my Daughter's Family.........................................

Our Daughter called us tonight & asked if we would go to Austin on Friday. Our oldest Grandson will be marching with the band Friday night during half time. So of course we couldn't miss his first time to march! He plays the drums. I'm sure he will do a great job! Besides I love any excuse to see our Grand kids!

I have a prayer & thoughts request. As some of you may know our son is in Korea. He is scheduled to fly home December 5Th. He has been having alot of problems with his back. Back problems are major in my family. Well Sunday night he was out working, he was on the top of a mountain & he said his legs gave out on him & he & his dog fell over the side of a cliff. He said he fell 15-20 feet & that a tree stopped him. He & Stephie (the dog) got all tangled up in her leash. One of his troops helped to get him back up on top of the mountain. He spent 6 hours in the hospital, but his back is still causing him alot of pain. So please remember him in your thoughts & prayers. Hopefully his pain will be relieved. I hope by the time he is to fly home the pain will be gone. His flight home will be around 16-18 hours long, so I hope he will not be in pain that whole time. Below is his photo. His name is Corey.

I would like to say thanks to each of you for your encouraging words. I always look forward to reading your comments. Thank you for your friendship, thoughts & prayers. Hugs***Renea

Taking A Short Break

2008-10-29T08:33:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am taking a short break from blogging. I must finish the Christmas Stocking for my soon to be here Granddaughter Kennedy. My goal was to have it finished by Thanksgiving, but I would like to have it done in 1-2 weeks. So I will visit you all when I can return. Hope everyone has a great Halloween! And thank you all for your sweet comments, I will be back soon, hugs to each of you***Renea

What a Dog's Life!

2008-10-20T20:35:00.006-05:00

Do you remember the post where the dogs were in the window & had torn up the window shade? Well I went by there again the other day & guess what....they have removed the window shade & now the little dog just sits on the back of the couch! Yeap, he's there everyday now. I guess his owners new it was a loosing battle, so they let him win! Ha! Love this dog! What a dog's life!

Now I will show you a photo of my little Pixie & her dogs life. As you can probably see, she's not too little, in fact I took her to the vet 2 weeks ago for yearly shots & she weighed almost 12 pounds. WOW! I told dear hubby that he needs to stop feeding her table food that she is going to kill over with a heart attach. But one thing that I do let her do in the mornings is finish off my coffee. Every morning she waits patiently for my almost empty coffee cup, just like the old saying goes good to the last drop! Again what a dogs life! Such spoiled rotten dogs! But I love this little mutt!
As promised here is my latest project, it didn't turn out the way I had pictured it in my mind. I think it is okay, but will work on the next one to achieve more of the look that I want. This is a little keepsake box, the top looks a little pink in the photo but it is really red. The inside is black with a black & white butterfly.

Also I want to post a photo of the Christmas stocking I am making for my soon to be born Granddaughter! Here is what the final result will (hopefully) look like:

The photo below is the last photo that I posted a few weeks ago:

And here is the progress. Boy is this a lot of work. My goal is to have it finished by Thanksgiving. (So keep your fingers crossed) But I have made some good progress. Basically I will be working on the Sugar Plum Fairy in the next week or two.

Well I hope everyone has a great artful week. I have lots of work to do. I am continuously working on the stocking plus trying to squeeze in other projects. Hugs to you all *** Renea

Great Movie

2008-10-19T21:21:00.004-05:00

Yes, we went to the movies again tonight. We really wanted to see Fireproof. It was great! Very heart warming, and yes it made me cry, but it also made me laugh! Go & see it if you get the chance.

We got to see our Grandkids this weekend, we met our Daughter & Son-In-Law in Brownwood. We met them for lunch @ Underwood's BBQ & visited with them for a couple of hours. They bought our old pickup & we were meeting them to bring them the truck. Those 3 boys are so cute & fun! Love them so much, wish we could see them more often.

I am still working on Kennedy's stocking, I will try & post photos sometime this week, I have everything done except the sugar plum fairy. Well one of her legs is partially done. I hope to have her stocking done way before Thanksgiving! We are going to be so busy from now until after the first of the year! WOW! Can't believe it is already close to the end of the year again. Where does the time go?

I have been working on something new, but still not finished. I hope to finish them sometime this week. However I did make some cute paper mache' letters & then stamped them. What do you think?

I think these letters are fun and would be a great gift idea. They are about 1" thick and about 7-8 inches tall, and about 5 inches wide.

Well not much going on here. Getting ready for bed. Hope you all have a great week. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to read my post. Hugs to you all, my friends! ***Renea

New Etsy Listings

2008-10-15T08:43:00.004-05:00

Just a quick note, I have added several new block sets to my etsy site. And I have several more to add. I have added several Christmas sets. And if anyone is interested in collaged block sets with your family photos as a gift please contact me as I would love to make them for you. I have made 2 sets for friends @ work with their family photos & they have turned out really great. I have been working on something a little different, but I love the way it is turning out. I hope to have it finished in the next night or 2 so you can all see. Again I am working with wood, but on a different scale and dimension. I hope everyone is having a great week. Got to go, running late this morning! Yikes! Hugs***Renea

Movie: LakeView Terrace

2008-10-11T08:19:00.006-05:00

Who's been to the movies lately? We hardly ever go to the movies, but last night we decided to go to a movie. We wanted to see Fireproof, but it was sold out, so we went to see Lakeview Terrace. WOW-- what a suspenseful movie! Samuel L. Jackson plays an L.A. cop & boy does he have problems! He is one mean, messed up, son of a gun! This is one of those got to see movies, so if you get the chance go see this one! Don't want to give anymore details, but gosh it was good!

My hubby picked the winner for my giveaway last night. So look @ the last post to see who won. Congrats to the Funky Art Queen Lesley. Wahoo! Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm off to go create! Hugs***Renea

We have a WINNER!

2008-10-10T21:31:00.005-05:00

Yes we have a WINNER!!!! Yippie!!! And my sweet hubby & Tinkerbelle helped me out, he drew the name out of the box.

Here Hubby is laughing because he see's the name & knows who it is.

And here is the winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby had just said if Lisa or Lesley wins that will look funny. And I said if one of them win, they win. And guess who won. HeeHee! Congrats to Les!!!!!!!!! Yippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love ya Les! Thanks to all of you who participated, love you all! Hugs***Renea

Don't Forget Giveaway & A new Lucy!

2008-10-08T20:21:00.010-05:00

Don't forget about the giveaway, the drawing will be October 10th @ 6pm central time. The giveaway photo is in the last post if you want to look @ the goodies. Just leave me a comment about one of your funniest moments. And good luck to you all!

I have painted a new Lucy with a new technique, or at least new to me. I followed some instructions in Kelly Rae's new book "Take Flight" & came up with this Lucy that I named "catch a falling star". So here she is...............................
What do you think? Do you like? I wasn't sure I would like her, but now that she is complete I like her. I like the stars. The stars are attached with a nail in top of the wood canvas with copper colored wire, so that the stars hang loose. I am looking forward to trying another of Kelly Rae's techniques from her book.
Remember to sign up for the giveaway, leave me a comment about one of your funniest moments. Hugs to all of you my friends***Renea

Giveaway....And Round Top

2008-10-07T21:49:00.006-05:00

I am having a giveaway, but hurry & sign up! Leave me a comment about one of your funniest moments. I am going to giveaway several items, some came from my trip to Round Top flea market. Lisa & I had a blast! I am giving away a small travel case with tons of zipper slots for all kinds of goodies to be stashed, a cute hanging frame that you could put your own photo in (this came from Round Top) it is made out of fabric, a Lucy post card, 2 valentine post cards, 3 wooden spools, a vintage hankie (from Round Top), a tag with 5 paper covered clothes pins, small pack of kleenex, and a note pad with pen. If you put a link on your blog back to this site I will enter your name twice for the giveaway. Good Luck to everyone.

And now here are some photos of me & Lisa at Round Top the biggest flea market in Texas. Of course one of our most favorite places to visit was the Junk Gypsies. They had some really cool jewelry & neat T-shirts.

And we couldn't resist taking our photo in front of their cute pink truck. The first photo is of Lisa.

And this photo is of me!
Lisa again.
Me again.
There was miles & miles of tents with all kinds of stuff, new stuff, old stuff, vintage stuff, antiques, you name it, it was there! Boy were we tired friday night. We got there Friday around 9am & didn't leave until around 4:30 or 5PM. Then on Saturday, Lisa went with her daughter Meagan & grandbaby Katrina & I went with my daughter Dusty. We had so much fun. We are already planning our next trip in April.
Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway. Hugs to you all ***Renea

GIVEAWAY-------YIPPEE!

2008-10-01T21:20:00.005-05:00

I posted earlier that I would have a giveaway soon. In fact I posted that I would host a giveaway on my 100th post. Well guess what? I missed my 100th post. Yap sure did, missed it! So this is post #101. And yes I am going to do a giveaway! YIPPEE! It's really easy, just leave me a comment on this post about one of your funniest moments and you will be entered. And if you mention this giveaway on your blog with a link to this blog I will enter your name twice. I am going to the biggest Flea Market in Texas this weekend & there is no telling what I will come up with for the giveaway, but I'm sure it will be fun! So please leave me a comment. The drawing will be held on October 10th @ 6pm central time. Good luck to you all!

I have listed one set of my Christmas blocks on my etsy site. I hope to list other sets next week after my trip.

I'm off to Round Top tomorrow with Lisa from Wild Over Wine. We are so excited! This is our first time to go there & we want to see it all even though I know that won't be possible. But we will shop til we drop! Two great days! I'm sure I will have plenty of photos when I return. Hope you all have a great weekend! And Les we will miss you dearly! I know we will think of you often. Hugs***Renea

2008-09-30T20:38:00.008-05:00

I have been chosen for an award. Bebe from Peaches and Dreams was so sweet in passing this award along to me. This is the Blogging Friends Forever Award. Bebe thank you for thinking of me, I am very honored. So here are the rules for this award:

1) there are only 5 people allowed

2) 4 must be dedicated followers of your blog

3) one must be a new follower of your blog, or live in another part of the world

4) and you must link back to the person who gave you this award

So now comes the really hard part, choosing 5 other recipients, so here goes:

1) Lesley the Funky Art Queen

2) Lisa at Wild Over Wine

3) Janet at the Lavendar Loft

4) Carmen at Distracted by Design

5) and the most recent follower is Rebecca At Wonders Never Cease

Again thank you Bebe for thinking of me!

Hugs***Renea

The Wonderful Baby Shower

2008-09-28T22:10:00.009-05:00

The baby shower was wonderful! I wish you all could have been there! It was beautiful! What great friends that I have! Lisa & Lesley did a wonderful job! I love them so much. Here is a sneak peek of the shower. Isn't the table gorgeous?

*******************This is my sister, Grif & myMother******************* *******************This is Griffin & My great friend Lisa****************

********************So tired after opening all those gifts*****************

Griffin opened gifts for an hour and 15 minutes! WOW! So many friends & family were there. I think there were around 45 in attendance. They received so many nice things, stroller, high chair, glider rocker, baby bedding, little bath tub, a boppy, gift cards and tons of clothes! My Granddaughter will be the best dressed baby in Texas! Yippee! Lisa, Les thank you both so much for such a great day! Love you both dearly!

I've been working really hard on Kennedy's stocking. I have made some progress as you can see. I finished the Christmas Tree and almost have it appliqued onto the stocking.

I hope you all have a great week. My week will be short as I am going with Lisa to Austin & then to Round Top on friday & saturday. Still wishing Les was going. We will miss you Les. Hugs to all of you my friends***Renea

Follow up on crime partners

2008-09-24T07:53:00.005-05:00

Well our 2 partners in crime must be in prison. We went back this week & there was the Jack Russell, but no sign of the big dog. We have gone back by several times this week & now there is no sign of either dog. So I suspect they are both in prison. And you know the difference between a good friend & a true friend....well...a good friend says I can bail you out, but a true friend is sitting beside you saying damn that was fun!

As you all know my Granddaughter is due December 10th. When my daughter was pregnant with each of the boys I made them all a Christmas Stocking. There stockings were so cute, each one has a different Santa face stitched on it. So of course I have the make one for Kennedy my soon to be here Granddaughter. And I think some of you know how crazy us Grandmother's can be at times...well I think this is one of those times. I picked out the cutest stocking with the Sugarplum Fairy on it, but oh my gosh is it sooooo detailed. I think I must have been nuts @ the time! So I have been feverishly working on this stocking to have it done by Christmas. If you have ever made one of these then you know how time consuming they are, all week I have worked on this stocking 3-4 hours per night & this is all I have gotten done!

Each little teeny tiny piece has to be sequined, embroidered, appliqued & sometimes stuffed! And this stocking must have 1000+ pieces! I keep telling my Daughter-in-law that she will be in labor & I'll will be telling her to hang on I only have one more gingerbread man to sew on the stocking. Of course I would expect to get something thrown at me at this point! Ha! Well my dil is coming today as her baby shower is saturday. I can't wait, that will be so much fun.

I would like to say Hi to Tiffany! Thanks for following, & if you have an email address you can send it to me! And also I would like to say thank you so much to all of you who take time out of your busy day to come & visit with me. You all mean so much to me. I love to read you comments. Hope you all are having a great week! Hugs***Renea

Good Dog Bad Dog or Partners in Crime?

2008-09-17T17:29:00.009-05:00

I do marketing locally, so I am in my car much of the day. I have a co-worker who rides with me. We have been working together for about 5-6 years total. We always make our day fun & we laugh alot. Well today I was driving down a street heading towards the office, when my co-worker starts laughing & yells, "go around the block, go around the block". So I drove back around the block to see why she was laughing. And she was saying, "oh my gosh someone is going to be in big trouble!" Below is what we saw. (I try to always carry my camera with me, never know when a true kodak moment will appear, like this one!)

This innocent looking little dog was not alone. He had an accomplice. After I took this picture we heard a loud "woof, woof". And about that time a huge dog jumped up to the window. And in the second photo you can see the other dog on the left hand bottom side. I told my co-worker that I wish the big dog would come to the window again & my co-worker said, "well why don't you get out of the car?" And I'm sure you know what I said! NO WAY!
So maybe they are partners in crime! HeeHee!

I have been so busy with my art work. I have had some blocks to make for special orders. And I started a piece with new techniques by Kelly Rae. I did a set of blocks for a sweet friend at work with her sister-in-laws family photos. She will be giving them to her sister-in-law for Christmas. They turned out really well. What do you think?
The next set was made for a new Grandma. She now has a new Grandson.
I have now made about 5-6 sets of Christmas blocks that I will be putting on etsy soon.I have had the privilege of joining the etsy team The Secret Society of Dirty Sisters. If you get the chance go & check it out. These ladies are amazing artisans.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Hugs to you all***Renea

An American Tribute

2008-09-12T17:56:00.007-05:00

As we all know yesterday was the anniversary of 9-11. Many in our great country made tribute to those who lost their lives. There is a town about 20 miles from here & they place an American Flag around a pond for everyone that lost their life on that terrible day of 9-11, 2001. I happened to be in that town today & couldn't resist taking photos of this old buffalo wallow. Yes this pond once was a buffalo wallow here in the old wild west. I love these flags, so graceful & elegant. These flags transform this wallow into a beautiful surreal scene. So enjoy the photos of this American Tribute. This is my friend Lisa, she was with me today, so I caught her admiring the beauty of these Grand Flags.

The duck on the left had the funniest tuft of hair on his head. Below is a closer view of the duck. He looks too funny!

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful American Flags, what a great tribute. Hope you all have a great weekend! Hugs***Renea

Great Weekend

2008-09-07T20:43:00.009-05:00

I would like to say to all of you a huge thank you, thank you for all your prayers for my hubby. I think things are finally turning the corner. My hubby is changing positions at work, which is great, and he joined the Air National Guard again. He was in the Air National Guard last year, got out & has regretted it ever since. So friday we drove to Ft. Worth & he was sworn in to the National Guard again!

We went to Uncle Julio's for lunch in Ft. Worth. If you have never been there you must go, their food is YUMMY! After lunch we drove from Ft. Worth to the lake. We stayed at the lake for the rest of the weekend. As some of you know I work on my blocks @ the lake. So I have made several sets of blocks. I made one set for a friend @ work that are of her family, the blocks are going to be a Christmas gift. Then I started a set for Les' boss, it is a set for a new little baby boy. And I also made a halloween set that I will put on etsy, and I made my Grandson's each a block for halloween. They all turned out so cute. The first set are the blocks for my Grandson's. Shh....it is a surprise!

This is the halloween set that I am going to put on etsy (hopefully) tonight. On the way home from the lake our 2 chihuahua's (Tinkerbelle & Pixie) actually sat in the backseat of the car for about 30 minutes. They never sit in the backseat they usually have to sit in my lap. So it was a nice break. So I took photos as proof! Ha! I found a treasure @ the lake this weekend. See the afghan blanket that Pixie is laying on? Well it belongs to my son. I thought that I had lost that blanket when he was a baby. His Great-Grandmother made it for him when he was born. I haven't seen it for years & to my surprise I saw it at the cabin mixed in with a lot of blankets. So I washed it & brought it home, I will give it to my daughter-in-law to keep for when they have a little boy!

I hope you all have a great week! Again thank you for all your prayers. Hugs***Renea

What a great long holiday weekend!

2008-09-01T20:11:00.011-05:00

We had a great weekend, we met the kids @ the lake. Our daughter & her family, our daughter-in-law, nephew & his girlfriend. The kids swam out @ the boat ramp & off of the dock. They love the boat dock, and the dogs went swimming with them. Well the big dogs went swimming not the little ones. I love going to the lake but it is so much better with family. We all get along & have so much fun. Plus there is always food for an army, oh yeah there was one @ the lake. I'm going to share photos of the boys first. The first photo is my Grandson Tyler, he will be 13 next Monday. A teenager, oh my!

The second Grandson is Montgomery "Gummy", he is 11 years old. He was playing a video game with Logan. The third Grandson is Curtis, he is 9 years old. He was posing with Macaroni for this photo.
One of our favorite things to do @ the lake is sit outside under the carport. We have lots of chairs, swings & bbq grills. So we all sit out there & visit, tell stories & laugh. We usually sit out there until after dark. The next photo is of our daughter-in-law & the little baby on the way. As you all know the baby is a girl. Yippee!
Below are some photos of the plants, trees & landscaping. The purple sage below was full of beautiful butterflies & bumble bees. The third photo in this group has a bumble bee, its hard to see, but its there!

The crepe-murtle was full of a spider's web. Just to irresistible not to photo. Plus the crepe-murtle was so pretty. Look @ this gorgeous prickly-pear. It is about to bloom. Look @ the huge bulbs and the color is so pretty.
Our neighbor's dock. The trees already look like they are turning for fall.

And you just gotta love these native trees. The mesquite tree, they twist & turn with the wind, branches sway with a gentle breeze. The tree below is very old, look @ the way the trunk has split @ the bottom. I love this tree. So graceful. Keep watching for my 100th post. I will set up a post for you to comment on for the giveaway. I still have a few more posts before number 100! I hope you all have a great week. Mine will be short as we are going back to the lake thursday night, we will meet the kids again for the weekend! Yippee! I can hardly wait.

I would like to thank you all for your frequent visits to my site. I always look forward to your comments. Hugs to you all***Renea

Definition of Insanity & New LUCY!

2008-08-27T21:04:00.008-05:00

Do you know the definition of insanity? I've always heard that the definition of insanity is doing something over & over the same way each time, but expecting a different outcome. What? You mean it stays the same & it doesn't change? Hummm? Some just don't get it. Oh how frustrating it is! Will it ever change? Will it ever get better? Will they ever get it? I'm not so sure that they will! I wish that I could elaborate more but I can't! I just ask God to guide me, lead me & place a hand over my big fat mouth, so that I won't say something STUPID that I would regret! Okay on to better things................................

I am going to have a giveaway soon. This is my 94th post & I want to celebrate with a giveaway on my 100th post. I'm still working on the PRIZE!! I will keep it a secret for now. But check back often so that you will have a chance to win!

I have finally found the time to paint a new LUCY. I think she turned out really cute. I just love LUCY. HeeHee! She always has a wonderful time wherever she goes. What do you think about LUCY? Well without further a-do here she is.........................................................................

Yes, that is an egg in her hair! And her hair is little shorter than usual. The background is very different & was fun to make. I'm planning on painting another LUCY very soon. Hope you like! Well it is almost my bed time, so I shall say goodnight for now. Hugs***Renea

Friends & Tuesday Ten Tiny Things

2008-08-23T22:58:00.005-05:00

Don't forget about tuesday's ten tiny things. Check my previous post. Then get on over to the Funky Art Queen's blog & join the fun, you have until tuesday the 26th.

Okay I have some of the most amazing friends, sometimes crazy & the photos below prove just how crazy this friend is.....and this is the Funky Art Queen at her best!!! She thought this would be so funny & it was, so I had to take a photo or two.

If you get the chance drop by her blog & tell her Hi!

I got to do art all day today, what fun I had. I finished a set of blocks that I had started a week or 2 ago. They turned out really pretty. Check them out below.

I will be listing these on my etsy site hopefully sometime tomorrow. I am working on another "Lucy" painting. She is turning out really cute. She has a little shorter hair than usual but she is still cute! I hope to be finished with her tomorrow. And she too will be going on my etsy site. I have some other items I need to list, hope I will have the time to do that tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a great art filled weekend. Hugs to you all***Renea

Tuesday's Ten Tiny Things Challenge

2008-08-19T19:56:00.007-05:00

Okay my great friend the Funky Art Queen has placed a challenge on her blog. And along with this challenge there will be a PRIZE!!! Yippee! And I know how much I like a prize so I just couldn't resist this challenge. Anyone can play, so come join the fun! So here's what you do 1) find 10 tiny things & group them together 2) now take a photo & post on your blog 3) explain why you picked the 10 things 4) go to Funky Art Queen's blog & leave a comment & a link back to your blog. The winner will be posted next tuesday.

Here is the photo of my tuesday's ten tiny things:My photo contains special momentos given to me from my hubby. The tiny frame is my hubby about 5-6 yrs. ago @ Thanksgiving. Love that sweet smile. Next is the willow tree figurine, you see he just brought this home one day & said this is for you because I love you. The little pot with the flower & butterfly was just because. The little chihuahua was a gift so that I would always remember my dog Tinkerbelle. The little plastic flat container between the tiny dog & the snowbaby is an adapter for my digital camara that he got for me for Mother's Day. The tiny snowbaby was a Christmas gift with my birthstone in the heart. The little bobble head bee was part of a birthday gift. The lovely :) black earrings were a gift from Christmas 1980 @ a time when we had no money & we had agreed not to exchange gifts. (But he just had to get me something!) The James Avery silver ring was a gift for our 25th wedding anniversary. And of course the gold flower & diamond ring is my wedding ring. I've worn this ring now for almost 32 years. My hubby is so special to me, I love him more than he knows. I have been truely blessed from God for such a wonderful man. B---- I love you more and more each day!

Please keep my hubby in your prayers as he has been going threw some difficult situations lately. And I believe in the old saying, "when God shuts a door he opens a window". Hopefully God will see fit to open that window soon.

I am so happy to be a part of the blog world, I love all of my sweet blog friends. Hugs***Renea

Birthdays & Rain

2008-08-17T20:57:00.017-05:00

Happy Birthday to my daughter! I didn't get to post on friday & friday was her birthday! She turned 31, WOW, can't believe she is over 30! Her photo is below. She is so pretty! So very proud of you! Love you so much!We went to the lake on friday. The weather was cool & rainey which never happens in West Texas! It rained friday night, all day saturday & was still raining this morning. We had over an inch @ the lake before we left. We left around 10 this morning because we knew it was going to rain again all day. But it was a great weekend, very peaceful & we got lots of rest, plus I got some art work done. I made (of course) more blocks. I think I'm stuck on blocks. But the supplies for blocks are easy to carry to the lake so...therefore I make blocks. I made 2 sets. One set is not complete yet. But I will share with you the one that is complete. These are a little different from what I usually do, but I like the way they turned out. What do you think?

And then tonight I worked on some blocks for Christmas. They look vintage. I made them to appear distressed. I'm going to be putting more blocks on my etsy hopefully in the next night or two.

One other project I worked on was some little wood clothes pins. So check them out below. This is the first set, the front & the backs of the pins. This is the second set, front & back of the pins.

My great friend Lisa from Wild Over Wine has sold a beautiful bracelet that she has made. And now she has an order to make 5 more bracelets, they are a little different than the one below, but look how beautiful this one is.

Lisa has made some really beautiful jewelry lately. And she just started making jewelry about a month ago! Way to go Lisa, great job. Below is a necklace, wish you could see it in person, it is so COOL! If you get the chance go & check her out. She has also made some awesome wine bottles with lights inside & decorated on the outside.

Lisa's etsy site is MAJestic Designs. She has some gorgeous bracelets, & necklaces for sale!

Well I hope you all have a great week! I'm already tired thinking about it! Oh well...labor day weekend is coming soon! Yippee! Hugs to all my friends***Renea

Kennedy's Baby Doll

2008-08-11T22:24:00.005-05:00

I am so excited, this is a little baby doll that I ordered for my new Granddaughter! Kennedy is due December 10th & she just couldn't arrive without a baby doll. So I went to ebay looking for this seller but could not find her. So I was browsing etsy & guess what...there she was. Her shop is called sugar & spice. Go check out her shop she has the cutiest dolls. This baby is the perfect size for a child to hang onto. I even asked her to make her with stitched eyes & Kennedy's name on the tag...no problem she did it & she was done in just a couple of days. How great is that? Everyone needs a baby doll, so go check it out. Now just waiting on Kennedy's grand entrance to this world!

I also wanted to let you know that I listed one of my purses on etsy tonight. I listed the "Lucy" purse.

Hope you all have a great week! Hugs***Renea

Happily Ever After

2008-08-06T21:51:00.009-05:00

As most of you know we had another wedding this past weekend. Our niece got married & I want to share with you some of the photos. The wedding colors were pink & brown. Love those colors. And just wait until you see the cake, oh my gosh that was the most beautiful cake that I've ever seen. Everything turned out really nice & I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The first photo is of the bride with her bride's maids @ the rehersal dinner. They all look so pretty! They really had a good time, & after the dinner they had a lingerie shower for the bride!

The next photo is all the bride's maids with the bride on her big day!

And of course there is always a flower girl & a ring bearer. Except this was a little different as the flower girl really didn't carry flowers & the ring bearer didn't carry the rings. Instead the ring bearer pulled the flower girl down the aisle in a little wagon. Just too precious!
Introducing Mr & Mrs Bride & Groom. Aren't they a cute couple!
And now for the gorgeous cake! And it tasted great too! Love those flowers on the cake, didn't that just make it?
Here is the happy couple leaving the church. Look @ the bubbles. And look @ the bride in the car, so pretty & surreal!
I also have to include this great photo of my hubby & our beautiful daughter. She will be 31 on August 15th!! Happy Birthday to our baby girl! Love you so much! We are so proud of you!!!

I also wanted to let you all know that I have added some new things to my etsy shop. I have alot of other items to add but can only add a few @ a time because it takes so long! So check it out often to see the new additions! I want to thank each of you for your sweet comments. You all mean so much to me. I love all of my blog friends! Thanks too for visiting so frequently. Hugs***Renea
I am adding photos of my tote bags, because someone wanted to see them. So here they are, hope you like. I will be adding these to etsy soon. Hugs***Renea

Just a couple of little things!

2008-08-01T23:05:00.009-05:00

Well our kids are here for a wedding tomorrow. Our second niece is getting married. And my daughter is in this wedding too. My daughter & another niece were getting ready tonight for the rehearsal & I took a couple of photos. These 2 are totally up to no good most of the time! Ha!The first photo is my daughter, isn't she beautiful? So pretty!

I asked my daughter to model my purses but she didn't want to so....my youngest Grandson did it for me. And what a great model he was! Or should I say ham?!?I finally finished another project tonight. I made a journal with all kinds of collaged pages, tags to write notes on & blank pages for notes. I love this little journal it is really sweet. What do you think?

We had our 3 Grandson's tonight & we went out to eat. Here are some photos of them clowning around with their PaPa.
And I am including one more photo. Have you heard the expression, if you don't have an oil well, well get one? That used to be on a TV commercial here years ago. Tonight we had dinner @ Clear Springs Cafe & behind the restaurant was a pump jack or oil well. And yes this is right in town. Didn't the clouds make a beautiful back drop for this pump jack.Well I hope you all have a great weekend. We are being totally entertained by 3 monkey boys! I Love them so much, they are always fun to be around! Hugs to each of you***Renea

More From West Texas

2008-07-28T19:23:00.019-05:00

First things first, I would like to say thank you to all of you who left such sweet comments about my soon to arrive Granddaughter! I'm sure she will be rotten to the core! I have already started buying pink little things for her. And of course pink is my favorite color!

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! I have been so busy though! I have several things to write about...some interesting...some maybe not. I love West Texas, it has a beauty all its own. (which I have mentioned before) I have written recently about West Texas, but I have more photos to share with you all! The photo below is of a local complimentary magazine. The front page is of the vast West Texas area, and the title is miles & miles of West Texas.

I love the wide open spaces, just like that song by the Dixie Chicks, wide open spaces are the heart of West Texas. I took several photos the other day while I was making a visit to the nursing home. This nursing home happens to be out in the country. And I came across a sweet little bunny that didn't seem to mind if I took his picture. He just sat & posed for the photo.

Another beautiful site was a crepe murtle bush. It was so pretty, the blooms were a deep fushia pink color. It too was @ the nursing home. I love the blooms on these bushes because they remind me of lace so graceful & elegant.

Now that I have explained the beauty of wide open spaces I wanted to share the next few photos. Has anyone heard about the West Texas Windmill Farms? The windmill farms produce electricity for huge cities & other states like Florida. One farm is owned by Florida Power & Light Company. These windmills are 200 feet tall & the blades are 80 feet long. Just check out the photos below.

PS--(revision added) Okay I now realize that Texas is not the only state to have these windmill farms. I guess this is progression. But I am glad for all the jobs that these windmill farms have produced! I know that we all need our jobs! I apologize for putting my feet in my mouth!
Finally I have one new piece of art work to share. I have made a perpetual block calendar. I will be putting it on etsy soon. Let me know what you think? I am currently working on a little journal that will be full of birds, nests, flowers & all kinds of good things. I have so many things I want to do, but so little time to do them! Tell me where do you find the time?

Now one last little tid bit....we were at the lake this weekend & started painting the cabin. Here is Hubby hard @ work. Just a sneak peek @ the progress there.....also look @ the peach tree in the right distant back ground. Yes that is a peach tree loaded with peaches. We made homemade peach ice cream & it was wonderful! Yummo! We picked the peaches & brought them home with us.
The colors in the photos are a little strange. Not sure why but the last photo is more true to color, the house is mocha in color & the trim is rustic red. Hope you all enjoy the photos! Hope you all have a great week! Hugs to you all***Renea

Yippee, Yippee, Yippee!

2008-07-21T17:50:00.004-05:00

Today my daughter-in-law, Griffin, went to the doctor for a sonogram. We learned the sex of the baby today. And I remind you that I have 3 wonderful Grandson's. So when Griffin called me awhile ago I was so excited! I was in Michael's (believe it or not), and when she told me that we are having a GIRL! I just started jumping up & down and yelling Yippee! It's been 9 years since our last Grandchild and we really wanted a GIRL this time. God has really blessed us! Of course a boy would have been great too, but a GIRL this time is a prayer come true. This precious baby is due December 10th! Oh what a wonderful Christmas gift! They have already decided on a name, her name will be Kennedy. Love that her name will be so original! I have always told my son, Corey, that since his sister had 3 boys, that he will probably have 3 girls. Hee Hee! Okay, Okay just one at a time! Can't hardly wait!

Just thought I would throw in some photos of little girls! My heart is smiling! Hope you all have a great week. Hugs***Renea

West Texas Desert

2008-07-17T19:42:00.011-05:00

West Texas does have a beauty all of its own, I took these photos this week & thought I would share with all my blog friends. I usually always carry my camara with me & take photos whenever I see something eye catching. The photos below are of the West Texas beauty. The bush is called a purple sage, & that just happens to be the name of the street I live on. But purple sage is a Texas native plant, when they are blooming they have a sweet lilac smell. Oh so pretty!

I also took a photo of a gorgeous stainglass window that is in a sanctuary of a church. This stainglass is approx. 14 feet high. It was just breath taking!

I have also added several new items to my etsy shop. I have added several new block sets, and some vintage wooden spools that I have made into a birthday greeting.
Wooden Blocks are of faces.

Wooden Spool decorated for a birthday gift.
I hope you all have a great weekend. We are going to the lake tomorrow. And besides tomorrow is my birthday! Another year better! Ha! Hugs***Renea

Tried Something New

2008-07-13T20:05:00.014-05:00

Well I had decided to try something new again. I wanted to paint a canvas with soft colors & words. So I worked on this canvas & finished it today. What do you think? I like it, I think it turned out well. It also has some yellow mixed in but it is hard to see. The sides are staple free & painted pale blue with yellow mixed in @ various places. I also really like the dangling cross. The cross also has copper colored wire wrapped around it.

I have more blocks that I finished while on vacation. I just have not had the time to post them. I hope I can get these listed on etsy tonight. The blocks below are of a bird house, birds, eggs & a man's face that has a white wash over it.

These angel blocks are already listed on my etsy site.
These are Sold! (yippee!)

These are women of the 20's, I love these blocks, they are so fun!
Well I hope you have enjoyed the photos of my art work. I had fun creating each piece. I hope you all have a great week! Hugs***Renea

Just because friends can, doesn't mean that I can!

2008-07-09T21:22:00.007-05:00

I don't know what makes me think I can do everything that my friends can do. I have learned a costly lesson. I must admit that I did't want my great friends to out do me so...I decided that I too could make jewelry. Lisa & Les make the most beautiful jewelry, love their work. So I got busy and oh my gosh...what a mistake that was! I went to the local Hobby Lobby & bought many beads, tools etc. that cost a small fortune! I came home & thought ok, I will make a necklace. Well I started one & it looked awful. So next I decided ok, I will make a bracelet. Well...the glass beads were way too big for the small chain bracelet & looked like huge rocks connected to a chain! So I went back to Hobby Lobby and spent more $$$ to buy more beads & another chain bracelet. I finally got this one to look good, but what a pain in the behind! I most likely will not make any more jewelry! I am way to anal for this! It just about drove me crazy! This is very detailed & too time consuming for me. But I do have a greater respect for those that do make beautiful jewelry. I did list this bracelet on my etsy site if anyone is interested. I think from now on I will stick to my altered art, collage, blocks, etc.....This project really wore me out! Ha! Hope everyone is having a great week. Hugs to you all ***Renea

Home From Vacation

2008-07-06T19:57:00.014-05:00

Hi there everyone, I finally got back from vacation! We had so much fun. I have been internet deprived for 9 days. There is no internet @ the lake. So I have not been in touch with any of my blogland friends. Thanks to all of you who left such sweet comments on my site while I was gone. You mean so much to me. And thanks to those of you who made purchases on my esty site, I will try & mail out tomorrow.

As you know we went to the lake...with lots of family. Thursday, friday & saturday we had about 17 people there. There was lots of fun, food, family & fellowship. I usually do not get in the water (as I am a big chicken) but I did go swimming off of the dock with our Grandsons. They loved it & so did we! I added the photo & here we are!
This is Montgomery, he is 11yrs. old, he is our middle Grandson, he was jumping off of the dock.

Again this is Montgomery.

This is Curtis, he is 9yrs. old, he is the youngest Grandson. He was doing a back flip off of the dock.This is Tyler, he is 12yrs. old (almost 13yrs), he is very proud of himself and was really posing for this photo. Ha!
This is Griffin, our daughter-in-law, we all decided we would take a before vacation photo of her tummy & an after vacation photo of her tummy. We all swore that she grew in only 4 days. What do you think? She said that the baby loved cookies & ice cream. Ha! She had the cutiest maternity shirts, one said "I love pickles" & the other said "we're hungry" Ha!
Curtis with silly goggles on that Papa bought for him.
Here we are out on the dock.

Getting ready to go out on the lake. The 2 younger boys could ski great!
My daughter's family. What a great looking bunch!
My favorite photo I have saved for last! It is of myself with my girls, my daughter Dusty on the left & my new daughter (daughter-in-law) Griffin on the right. Aren't they beautiful. God has really blessed us.

I hope you all have a great week. Hope you enjoyed the photos. Hugs***Renea

Going on Vacation

2008-06-25T20:19:00.008-05:00

I am going on vacation next week. We are going to the lake. I'm so excited & ready to go. Our daughter & her family, my daugher-in-law, my parents, my sister & brother-in-law, & 2 neices & 2 nephews will be all getting together friday the 4th for fun, food & fellowship! Our daughter has a boat so the kids will love that! It will be great fun! YeeHaw!

I have added a few more items to my etsy shop. If a purchase is made next week it won't be mailed out until July 7th. I have listed several more wands & an adorable wooden block set. (see below) I have several more items to list, I will try & get that done before I leave on friday. Hope you all have a great week. Hugs to you all***Renea

Etsy Update

2008-06-22T21:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, I finally got it all done. I have a major sale going on, I cut prices on 9 items. And I also added some new items. I have more to add but just to tired & it's almost bedtime. So go take a peek @ my etsy shop. I have listed some cute little wooden wands. Photos below:.........................

Birthday Wand........................................................................

Wooden Heart Bride..............................................................

Hope you all have a great week. I am off to bed. I have a major dentist appointment tomorrow morning so please keep me in your prayers! Hugs***Renea

Special Gift

2008-06-21T22:13:00.006-05:00

I received a special gift this week. It was quite a surprise! But first I have to give you a little back ground information. My friend's & I have gone to some antique shops in the last few weeks. I kept seeing these little kewpie dolls and wanted one really bad. You see I had a kewpie doll when I was little & I don't know what happened to her. So I looked at several of them but just didn't want to spend the $$$$$$$$. Well friday I went to lunch with my best friend's Lisa & Les & my Mom. We all had a great time, we laughed alot & made our plans for the weekend. Well when we were leaving my Mom said, "I have something for you in the car". (My parents had been out of town for 3 weeks & just got home) So we went to her car & guess what she had for me...you guessed it a Kewpie Doll. She had no idea that I was wanting one, I never mentioned it to her. Mom said she saw it & thought of me, so she got it for me. That really touched me and made me feel special. I love this sweet little doll.

Thank you Mom, I love her, she is adorable! I guess it's true a Mom always knows! Hugs***Renea

Good Morning

2008-06-20T08:10:00.003-05:00

Yippie it's FRIDAY! Lucy & I say good morning!! I am so happy for friday to be here. I plan on doing art all weekend. My hubby has to attend a class all day tomorrow so...I will be busy in the studio. I am going to have an etsy update, clean out, clear out sale, and some new items to list. I am hoping to have everything listed by Sunday night 9pm central time. I hope you all have a great art filled weekend. Hugs***Renea

Here Comes the Bride

2008-06-15T15:01:00.012-05:00

Well we had a wedding this weekend, our niece got married saturday afternoon. Oh she was so pretty & she looked so happy. My daughter was in the wedding, she was the matron of honor, she wore a beautiful black dress. My daughter looked so beautiful. (I'm sure you will agree!) Below is the bride: Amber.

Amber & new hubby Devon. Enjoying cake!This is my beautiful daughter, Dusty. She has the best personality. I know you would all love her!

This is my daughter & her hubby Rainey. Aren't they a great looking couple? This is Dusty & her family and (my 3 grandsons)! Love those boys!

This is me & my hubby...aren't we a great looking couple? HeeHee!
Friday was one of my best friend's birthday's. Les & I took Lisa to lunch for her birthday. We went to Luigi's & had a great time. We got Lisa a brighton bracelet, it had heart charms attached. Below is Lisa on her big day. I would tell you her age, but she'd kill me! Ha! But her little reading glasses might give you a clue. Ha Ha!

Well I had someone inquire about my wooden blocks. So I have listed 3 sets on etsy today. Below are the photos of the blocks for sell on etsy.

My etsy site is here. I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was wonderful. Loved seeing my daughter & her family. Also enjoyed seeing other family that we don't get to see very often.

Hope all the Dad's out there had a great Father's Day. My Dad was out of town, but still got to speak with him. We saw my Father-in-law at the wedding yesterday. So we really didn't get to spend a lot of time with either one. But my hubby did get to spend time with our daughter & her family. That was really nice. Hope you all have a great week. Hugs***Renea

Corey gone to Korea

2008-06-09T20:53:00.008-05:00

As you all know my son left for Korea yesterday. He will be there for 1 year, but is going to come home for a visit after 6 months. That will be about the time the baby is to be born. Yeah! We said our goodbyes on saturday night & yes I cried. My son said Mom its okay at least I'm not going back to Iraq. And that is true, but I will still miss him. And I would much rather he be in Korea than Iraq anyday! And my daughter-in-law Griffin was sad too, she will miss him terribly! I took a few photos of them before we left saturday night. I got some of Corey & Griffin. And of their new little house & of their dogs Logan (black one) & Macaroni (white one). And did anyone notice Griffin's little tummy? That little baby is growing!

Before I went to see the kids I did a little collage. It is a 6x6 canvas with an angel & a bible verse. It has a nail attached at the bottom with a blue glass bead wrapped in wire and a sterling silver cross with threads attached. I like it, thought it turned out cute.

I worked really hard late this afternoon to clean & rearrange the art room. Half of the room is my stuff & half is my hubby's. I moved the treadmill out of there to another room & I moved the chair to another wall. I also cleaned & organized more of my art supplies. I will try to post photos later. But it sure does look good in there.

I would like to say thank you to all of you that have left kind & encouraging comments on my site. Each of you have a special place in my heart. And thank you too for all your kind thoughts & prayers. Thanks for visiting. Hugs***Renea

Son leaves soon!

2008-06-03T21:42:00.006-05:00

Have you ever just felt blah & not sure why? That's how I have been feeling lately. I wish I didn't feel this way but I do. I need to snap out of this funk! I guess I'm alittle blue because my son leaves Sunday for Korea. He will be gone for 1 year, he is supposed to get to come home for a visit after 6 months, but the military is not always true to its word. I hate that he is leaving because he will be a Daddy in December (10th). I'm so excited about the baby, can't hardly wait to see if its a boy or a girl. We will take either one. But I hate that Corey (my son) will miss out on so much while he is gone. He will miss most of the pregnancy, possibly the birth, 2am feedings, diaper changes, 1st time to turn over, 1st smile, 1st tooth, 1st everything. Please just keep them in your prayers. I know it will be hard on Griffin too without Corey.

Corey (my son) & his wife Griffin are driving from Goldsboro NC to Wichita Falls Tx. They left Goldsboro last night & they are in Arkansas tonight. They should arrive in Wichita Falls sometime tomorrow. We are driving to Wichita Falls on friday to go spend a little time with him before he leaves. Plus they are going to look for a house to rent this weekend, so that will be fun to help them find a place. Below is a photo of Corey & Griffin, aren't they cute? I just know that they will have a beautiful baby!

I am donating one of the runner up prizes for the pink artist giveaway. So I will go ahead & show you what I will be giving away. You can go to the pink button on the left hand side bar & learn all about it. It starts Aug 1st & goes to Oct 15. I am giving away one of my purses. I designed this purse to be a breast cancer awareness purse, and of course I used a fabric transfer of "Lucy" on the front. I love this purse, it turned out so cute. What do you think?

I would like to say thank you to all of you that continually leave me comments. Your words are so kind and supportive. I appreciate each one of you. You all mean a great deal to me. I feel like I know you each personally. Hugs to you all ***Renea

Teaching Our Children

2008-05-31T22:25:00.005-05:00

I came across a post that really touched me. I just met Jillian tonight & Jillian wants her children to realize how many people were killed during the holocaust. The number of deaths was outrageous...6 million! Jillian is asking that people send her a star to represent the 6 million people of the holocaust. I am going to make a star & send it to her right away, I hope you do the same. If you would like to participate please go to her site here. I thought this was such a creative way to teach children of such a horrific event. I also have a link on the side bar for Jillian under holocaust stars for Jillian. GOOD LUCK Jillian! Hugs***Renea

Check out Sanctuary Arts Giveaway

2008-05-29T21:17:00.002-05:00

I love a giveaway, & there is a giveaway @ Sanctuary Arts. So please go & check it out! The giveaway includes all kinds of goodies.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-26T21:28:00.006-05:00

We had big plans for the weekend, we were going to my sister & brother in law's house in Kerrville. So I decided I would make a pound cake, one of my favorites. Friday morning I got up bright & early (6:15) & made a cake. Well I should have just slept in because I took the cake out of the oven too early & it fell. Boy was I mad! I still wanted pound cake so I decided to make another one, & the second cake turned out great. Thought the following photos would make great blog material. The 1st photo is of the fallen cake, the 2nd is the good cake beside the fallen cake. The one on the right is the good cake. Just take a look. (NO Laughing allowed)!

The cake did taste great, & we ate the whole thing! My sister told me not to bring it ever again because everytime she passed by it she had to have a piece. HeeHee!

Well my sister has a beautiful home that sits on 7 acres, with a creek in her back yard. Oh my gosh, it is so pretty. My daughter, son in law & grandson's also went to my sister's. We just had a great big get together. We all went fishing & swimming in the creek. We caught lots of small fish, catfish & perch. No keepers! But it was so fun. We all laughed & played & ate well. Below are some of the photos.....

On the left is my daughter, then Montgomery "Gummy" my grandson, & last is my sister!

Everyone getting the fishing poles ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The big catch of the day!!!!!!!!!!! Ha Ha!

The boys even rode on the 4 wheeler with their Papa & our 2 chihuahua's. They really loved that!Thanks sista & Roy for a great weekend, we love you both, had sooooo much FUN!!!!!! Hope you all had as much fun as we did. Hugs***Renea

And we have a WINNER!

2008-05-26T18:30:00.003-05:00

Hi there, hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. We had a great time. I have a winner for the Queen's Wand. I had my good hubby to draw the name for me, he does such a good job. I would like to thank each of you for participating. And our winner is someone new to blogland....her name is Faith...from Faith's Vintage Vanity. Go check out her blog, she too is doing a giveaway! Congrats to Faith! I'll write more later. Hugs***Renea

GIVEAWAY, GIVEAWAY!

2008-05-22T21:22:00.005-05:00

Hi there to all my blog friends! I have finally finished the giveaway prize. I have been so far behind this week...but tonight got this done! To be included in the drawing 1) tell me something about yourself that know one else knows, 2) go to Lisa's site & leave her a message 3) and last add my site to your link list. It's that easy. Those of you who have already done this do not need to do this again, you will be included in the drawing. I will have the drawing Memorial Day, which is Monday May 26th. I will try to have this done by 6pm. Good luck to everyone. Hope you like the prize shown below. This prize will be given to the "Queen". This wooden wand was made for a queen, it has many ribbons attached with a button, tags, and 2 crowns. The back is covered with fairy dust. Again good luck, hugs***Renea

Don't forget about the giveaway!

2008-05-18T21:35:00.006-05:00

Have you ever set down to do some great art piece & not know where to start? I have always wanted to do something with nails & a hammer on my canvas, just wasn't sure how to accomplish that! So I started on a collage over a week ago & didn't finish it & started on another project. Well this weekend I pulled out the unfinished collage & thought what can I do that is different than my norm. So I got out the hammer & nails & came up with this fun little house. And no house is a house without a key, so I added a key. I like the way this little piece turned out, hope you do too! Let me know what you think ????????????? The little piece of measuring ruler was found @ my hubby's grandparent's lake cabin. Thought that it would do well on this collage. I have been very busy this weekend. I have done several fun pieces. One that I have done is for my friend's daughter's graduation. It is just a small little wooden star on a dowel rod. But it did turn out really cute. The B is for my friend's daughter's name. It has several tags attached, a charm that states journey & some ribbons & yarns. The back also has fairy dust sprinkled on it to give it a shimmery look.

I'm working on 2 more sets of wooden blocks, almost done. I have sold the set of "roaring 20's" & the "bird" set. But I have put 2 more sets of blocks on etsy. Hope to have the other blocks on etsy tomorrow night.

I want to say thank you to all my blog friends for visiting my site. I appreciated each of you. I hope you all will participate in the GIVEAWAY. Just go to the post prior to this one. It is dated May 16th, I am featuring Lisa's blog & a giveaway. I hope you all have a great week. Just think a 3 day weekend is coming. Yippee! Hugs to all my blog friends***Renea

PS--never thought I would be so in love with your blogspots! I love to visit you all!!!

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

2008-05-16T17:19:00.005-05:00

It's TGIF!!!!! Yeah! I am so glad it is finally friday. This week has been soooo long. Happy that I get to stay home this weekend & work on my art.

Again I am going to feature my friend's wine bottles...Lisa from the site wild over wine. She is new to the blog world & she has a new ETSY shop. I encourage each of you to go to her blog site check out her wine bottles & check out her etsy shop. I have added one of her bottles for your viewing pleasure......isn't it beautiful? Each bottle contains lights, decorated with wild, wonderful, bright beads & wire! They are truly spectacular! Go & see for yourself.

I have decided to do a giveaway. It will be very simple. And I know what I am going to do for the giveaway prize but just not quite finished yet. Just keep in mind that this prize will make any ones wishes come true. There are only 3 rules: 1) leave me a comment about yourself, tell me something about yourself that no one else knows about you, 2) link my site on your blog site. (some of you my already have this one done), 3) leave a message on Lisa's blog about her bottles. A winner will be chosen on Memorial Day! Good Luck to everyone! Hugs***Renea

Finally Purses Listed on Etsy!!!!!!

2008-05-13T20:58:00.007-05:00

Okay finally I got 3 of my purses listed on etsy. I tell ya, I have been so crazy busy...I haven't had time to do anything fun like say hi to all of my blogland friends! And boy it is a job to list anything on etsy too! Etsy doesn't have a place to save a template or anything, very elementry. Not very user friendly!

Anyways....I finally got these 3 purses listed so go & check out my etsy here.

PS-Wanted to let you all know that I am lisiting the wooden blocks below on etsy. Thanks!

More Wooden Blocks

2008-05-12T22:39:00.004-05:00

I needed to post these blocks tonight. Someone contacted me & asked if I had more wooden blocks, and as you can see below, I have several sets made up. I apologize for the photos, they are not very good, but this will give you an idea of what I have available @ the moment. I wanted to take more time with the photos but I had several detours tonight that could not be avoided. Hope you enjoy looking @ these sets. It is late & I NEED my beauty sleep! Hugs***Renea

Purses, Purses, Purses

2008-05-08T23:02:00.008-05:00

I have learned many things making these purses. I have had several trial & errors! (mostly errors) Oh well....I have finished several for you to view. I want to put these on etsy. I would like your feedback! I hope to list them on esty in the next day or two. The red one with the photo of the 2 girls is my Grandmother & her sister. This is their graduation photo from 1928. (please do not borrow this photo) I love this photo of my Grandmother, she is the one on the left.

The next purse is one that I finished tonight. It is done in purples, blues, pinks. It also has a photo of "Lucy" on the front. The back has several quilted swaying stalks of squared flowers. The flap has a purple & lime green button attached. The inside is done with paisley fabric & a pink fabric pocket.

The next purse is one of rip & re-do, rip out again & re-do again. This is a fun purse, it has 3 women on the front, which are all friends. The purse is orange, purple with some yellows. The flap has a metal butterfly attached, the buterfly is painted orange & red. The back of the purse has quilted flowers & a bird attached. The inside fabric looks like handwriting, and a purple pocket with yellow flowers on the fabric.

Okay that's it for tonight. Let me know what you think! Hope you all have a great weekend! Hugs***Renea