"Hey, if I had somewhere to go, I certainly wouldn't be in Cleve-Land." -Howard the Duck

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Beauty in our backyard...

These gorgeous flowers are gracing a huge bush in our back yard.  They look sort of like a version of hibiscus, but they're actually called Rose of Sharon. 
They grow all over the place.  These are the white ones.  There are pink ones way up high, but I haven't been able to get pix of those.
I hoped to catch a pic of the bee that was happily feeding from this blossom...but he was too fast for my camera.  The color & detail of these flowers that my Mom planted so many years ago are a lovely gift each summer.  They don't last long, but we seem to have lots of buds this year, so the show should go on for some time. 
 
Mother Nature is the most talented artist.
 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Why my hands are all sorts of colors...

Aubergine...Indigo...Pesto...lots of new tag & ribbon colors have been inhabiting my studio & kitchen over the past week or so.  At various times my hands have been these colors, too...I hate wearing gloves & having colorful hands is just part of me.  If it's not dye, it's ink...or paint...those who know me best understand.  And as long as there's food in her bowl, Sunny Cat doesn't care!
Pesto...Ginger...Raisin...I've been dyeing bright colors for so long that I forgot how much I like these rich, muted colors.  They're even better in person...I tried, but the camera just doesn't quite capture them exactly.
Walnut...Pumpkin...Goldenrod...and even more colors are in the works.  Cranberry is drying right now...so who knows how that will match up.  These colors are almost luring me to bake something...almost.
 
Just in case you can use some pretty hand dyed tags & ribbon, I've added these & more to my shop.  I've enjoyed all the mess of dyeing them...you can have the fun of using them.  You can visit me at KittenCreates on Etsy.  Many thanks if you do...or just for looking at all the fun I'm having here on my little blog.
 

Monday, July 29, 2013

And the winner is...

 
Drumroll please...Peggy Parker!!!!
  Peggy...please email me privately with your mailing address & I'll get your tape into the mail.
 
Thanks to everyone who left comments & entered my giveaway.  I sent Nancy at MechaKucha808 a link to my blog post so she could see all of your comments & ideas.  Who knows...one day you might just see what you're looking for in her shop.  BTW...some of the tape requested is currently available...be sure to look here...MechaKucha808.   

Now I'm headed back to my studio...I've been dyeing tags & ribbon all weekend and now I need to get it packaged up & into my shop.  I have some of the bright colors & some awesome deep rich Autumn colors, too...I'll post here when they're available. 

If  you see me out & about...I'm the one with the multi colored hands!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Time for a WASHI TAPE Giveaway!

It's no secret that my latest obsession...well, one of them...is washi tape.  I can't seem to get enough of the stuff.  And my favorite Etsy shop for buying washi tape is MechaKucha808.  Nancy has such a wonderful assortment of tapes & other fun stuff & has recently started designing her own line of exclusive washi tape.  The 2 rolls above were her first and are called "KEALOHA".  I love these tapes...you might remember this little card I made using them...
Since I like them so much, I thought you would, too...so I'm having a little blog GIVEAWAY! 
To enter to win these 2 rolls of washi tape, simply answer these questions...
 
What patterns and/or colors do you wish you could find in washi tape?  What is missing from what is currently available?  And...how do you use washi tape? 
 
Be sure to leave CONTACT INFO in your comment...or make sure that you sign in so I have a way to reach you if you win.  So often, the comments that are left on my blog have a "No Reply" email, so I can't even respond to your comments.
 
Oh...and be sure to check out some other new tapes that are available at MechaKucha808...

You can find DA WAVE here...and Under the Sea here.
 
 
The contest is open through Sunday July 28th and I'll announce the winner on Monday July 29th.
 
Best of luck to all of you!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

New Arrivals in my Etsy Shop

I've been busy creating some new stuff & destashing my studio.  That studio is a never ending project, but I've got some new items for sale at very good prices. 
 
The journal or blank book above is one I altered from a Canson blank book.  The paper inside is blank, but I've added endpapers to the front & back and embellished the cover with some of the inchies I've created over the years.  I love how they look in a grid like this...maybe you will, too.   You can see what I've done here.
 
I found beaded trim that I had extra packages of...a few different ones.  I like to cut these apart to use the beads when making charms or bracelets.
 
Of course I have stamps to offer...some gently used & others are brand new...never used...time to destash so maybe someone else will use them.
 
Have you thought about Christmas yet?  I know...I know...but it's July already...time to start creating. 
 
 
 
This is just a part of what I've listed recently.  I'd love it if you'd stop in my shop to look around.  You'll find me on Etsy as KittenCreates.  Thanks so much!
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

In Memory of our Sophie Cat

It has been two years now since we had to make the painful but merciful decision to let our dear Sophie Cat go to The Great Kitty Beyond.  She was our loving companion for 14 years & since she was probably 3 or 4 when she picked us out at the shelter, she lived a good, long life.  A very VERY spoiled life, for sure.
I had a favorite footie of Sophie's that you can see in this pic...it's that back right one with the little black dot on the white part.  It was like someone took a Sharpie & marked that footie as the best one.  Unfortunately, that's the leg that shattered when she tried to jump & the x-rays revealed cancer in her bones...and throughout her little body...so they could not be repaired. 
Sophie definitely picked us out at the shelter in Dallas.  There was a cat room & as we walked around it, she kept following us & nuzzling into my hand.  There was no other decision...Sophie came home with us.  She was my carry on "luggage" when we moved from Dallas to Southern CA.  She rode in her cat carrier on my lap on our drive from CA to OH...watching the sights out the window when she was awake.  Sophie was a very well traveled kitty. 
 
So here's to all the great years we had with our Sophie Cat...she was one of a kind...with a definite "Cattitude".  We miss you, Sweetie...and Sunny Cat is now keeping us in our places with HER cattitude!

 


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Creating in the kitchen...

These beauties are straight out of our container garden on the back driveway...you've gotta love fresh radishes that you've grown yourself.  We've enjoyed them in salads, but radishes really make me crave Mexican food...of course, lots of things make me crave Mexican food, but I digress. 
 
We also have these gorgeous specimens...straight from Saturday's trip to the Farmer's Market.  They actually taste like tomatoes...REAL tomatoes...be still my heart!
So...with a few other ingredients like fresh jalapeno, red onion, cilantro & lemon juice since I didn't have a lime...I whipped this up just a bit ago...
Nice, fresh Pico de Gallo...the perfect topping for the tacos that are planned for dinner tonight...I'm a happy camper!
 
To see what else I was inspired to create with those tomatoes...head over to my very neglected food blog...Kitten Cooks.  I'll give you a hint...there was bacon involved!