I need to learn a little more about posting too. I don't know how to set up a picture right next to the paragraph about it. I just wantedto post an updated pic of the kittens and the bits of the things I have started and I wanted to explain a little about the cards I posted below.

The pinwheel one was a new tech I tried out for a swap. I like the tag pinwheels better. I also used heat embossing and the shaving cream marbled paper. The B-C-N-U card was for a friend and her family that moved to Texas in July. The "celebrate" card was a birthday card for a co-worker. Ok now back to work!

HI! Just a quickie to let the world know I am still here! I have mostly been lazy as far as writing in my blog. One of the things taking up my time has been trying to keep up after our growing menagerie of animals! Our Kitten had kittens! Back in last Sept Veornica found a tiny kitten abandoned in the bushes. We added her to our family and when I asked the vet about getting her fixed He said she had to be at least 6 months old. Sooo, fast-forward, she's about 7, maybe going on 8 months and I'm ready to call the vet and we look at her and say "Gee, she's getting kinda fat, isn't she? You don't think...". Yup, sure enough, she was already in the "family way". (I have always tried to keep our cats in, but I SWEAR they were walking through walls, so I gave up-I have them fixed-I just didn't get this one fast enough!) So at the end of July she had 4 kittens. (pictures to follow). Long story short, we now have 2 VERY active kittens that seem to be staying with us. 2 were given to friends and are doing very well also.

I also have been doing some creative things. My big problem is having my craft room in the basement. I don't like to go down there that much. We had it finished and it's not unpleasant. It's just not where I want to be! All the big windows are upstairs, my daughter and people are upstairs. I like to multi-task and the TV w/the DVR is UPstairs and so is my computer. I get inspired by all the great art I see from everyone else on their blogs and in my e-mail groups, but my supplies are not where I am. Then, when I make a point of going down to "the cave" to create, I'm lost for inspiration! I lose it somewhere on the stairs! Anyway, I'll post what I've got now.

I AM working hard right now because I have signed up to be in a craft show and I'm trying to build up an inventory. I think I approach making a lot of things differntly than I see other people doing it though. I see people who create a card or three every day and when I am trying to create more than a few of something I approach it almost "assembly line" fashion. I think, in part, it's because I really love to color and to stamp an image, color it, stamp another one, color it, etc,etc is tedious, plus I'm spending too much time in that place where I don't want to be. What I did was stamp a whole bunch of images to color and bring them upstairs, along with some of my favorite coloring supplies I'm posting some pics of what I've got so far and I'll post the copmlted tings when they are completed! And I do mean "things", not just cards, I'm trying to do lots of gift bags, boxes, gift items and maybe even framing a couple of my photos.

TOO MUCH TIME!

So much time has passed SO quickly! I don't know how I let it slip by! I have so many "posts" to catch up on! I'll stick to the subject first and post a couple of ATC's that I made recently. I had planned to go to a local ATC swap a few weeks ago, but I was worried because I just started doing them and only had 2 made that I could swap. So I set down to make at least a couple more and was content with what I had. So, I'm all ready and excited to go... then I got out of work very late that day :=( I didn't make it. I have been invited again - I guess it's going to be a sort-of monthly thing and I hope it will be. I love looking at other people's art. Anyway, here are the new one's I did. One is just a variation of the first one I did.

brayered ink on glossy paper

I took a class at Archiver's this past weekend to improve my skills with a brayer. This wasn't a new technique to me, but I've never really gotten the hang of doing it well and thought I could use some pointers. The class DID help, but I also think it was just practice and tweaking my technique. Anyway, I needed to make a card for my boss's birthday and decided I'd see if I could still do it at home. This is the result. I think it turned out ok.

Pearl-Ex, Glitter and Brads, oh my!

Had to make a quick post. Here's a card I made tonite to send my ATC's in for my swap. (couldn't send them just in a plain envelope!!!) I had to play with all my mica/sparklies and I sure had fun!! As Dane Cook would say .. I look like I "just ----'d a pixie!"

My Very First ATC's!!! (Plus a whole lot more)

HI! First of all, I'm sorry I haven't written In so long. My intention is to write at least every weekend. I have been writing more though-which is a good thing. I was having a very hard time last week with some things and I wrote some (poetry? prose? - I'm not sure what to call it) about it which helped me alot and I actually think it turned out well. I may post it sometime later if it still seems good. I plan to do an art journal as well and I know I will include it there.

So much has been going on in the last 2 weeks! My daughter had Prom, Post-Prom, Finals and then (drumroll please...) Graduation!!!! (Of course I still had to work everyday during that time! I am SOOO grateful for this holiday today-an extra day in my weekend, plus a 4 day workweek -YAY!!)

I can't believe I now have a truly GROWN daughter. Turning 18 was not the start of adulthood in my mind. I think you MUST be graduated from High School to be an "adult". Maybe because I feel like that is the real end of my responsibility for her. Get her grown up healthy and educated thru High School. I certainly plan to be at least helping with further education, but from here on out, it's really "all her"! Makes me feel old ;o( (LOL)

OK! SO! On to the artsy reason for this post-I joined a swap on one of my Yahoo! groups to get me motivated to just create thing for no real reason and to try out some of the products and stuff I have that isn't Stamin'Up! These are my VERY FIRST ATC's EVER!! I actually had to look online after I signed up for this swap to see what the "rules" ARE for ATC's. I knew they were small, but I didn't realize they MUST be 2.5" x 3.5", so I'm glad I looked! I am very proud of how these turned out. This was also my first time using the Twinkling H2O's and the subtle shimmer is really beautiful! I wish shimmer showed up in photos and scans the way you see it IRL. Any way I hope you like them! The cardstock and floral stamps are all from SU! But the background was done with alcohol inks on the blue/purple one and the background word stamp is "Italian Poetry" by ??? (I'll have to go look and add it to the post later)

A few cards

I thought I would go ahead and post a couple of the cards I have made. My own designs of course. I will always try to credit stamp companies or products that should get credit and let you know if something I post is NOT my own design. Most of my stamps are from Stampin'Up!. The baby shoe stamp I bought at a garage sale and I don't know who made it.

Hello World!

This my first post to any 'blog. I have been thinking about it for a long time and just decided to go ahead and try it! I was/am worried that it may be a little pretentious, but I read other people's blogs and feel like I get to know them a little. It's a little bit like being a wallflower then finally joining the conversation!
My name is Sara and for anyone who doesn't know "suenos" (technically with a ~ I'll have to learn how to type that!) means "dreams" in Spanish. (And yes, I do actually SPEAK Spanish) I am a divorced, mother of 1, nurse for 21 yrs who is beginning to think about what to do with myself now that my daughter is almost grown. I have always enjoyed creating art. I took several classes in college, but all that was put on "hold" to raise my dd. She turned 18 in April and graduates high school in 2 weeks I think I've done a fair job w/her. It's a tough world!
So now I'm starting to think about ME again, and I've really missed being truly creative! I used my creative bent to create some scrapbooks and for the last 6 yrs or so beacame a rubber stamping fanatic! I love the personal art blogs that I see and , as I said, decided to dive in to the conversation. I love that peiople don't always stay on-topic too. I love to garden, I love my animals (dogs, cats, rabbit and we recently "lost" our horse), I love music, museums and art. I love doing things with my family and anyone who may end up reading my blog will be reading about these things too. I love photography and taking pics of my family, animals, garden and activities-you will probably see many of these. I will have a hard time keeping it down to my favorites along any art postings I may have. Part of my purpose in creating the blog is to keep me motivated to create things to put on it-to compare to what else is out there. I plan to try to post weekly(?) for now. I hope some one finds it interesting!
"Every journey begins with a single step"-right? Thanks for being a part of my first step into this new world! May Jehovah bless you and keep you safe!