My Big Day

I have had some requests for "details" about my big day, so I shall share with you my day of pampering!
Since it was Friday, my husband had to work overnight, so he left for work Thursday night at 10:30pm, (I was still on my computer) which is often the case. ;o)
So at 11:59 and 53 seconds the phone rang- it was him, he called to wish me a happy birthday.
I told him he was a bit early, and just as I did the clock turned, so he really wasn't. LOL!
He is such a sweet guy.

I had actually planned to sleep in, but because he was at work, I did have to make sure my girls were up and getting ready for school. When their alarms went off at 6 am, they both got up and came in and wished me a Happy Birthday, and told me I could stay in bed!
(I didn't go back to sleep, since we often have some rough mornings, but it was nice to just lay in bed)
The girls were so good. They didn't fight about clothes and hair, and shoes, and all the other things that middle school girls fight about on a daily basis :0) it was a nice reprieve.
Mark got home just after 7 AM and took the girls into the school. They help out in the library before school starts.
I slept in til almost 10 AM can you believe it? Doesn't that ROCK?
I slept til my body woke up. I am such an insomniac, so it was rather refreshing.
I decided that since I needed to let Mark sleep since he worked all night, that I was going to treat myself to a bit of a spa.
So I filled the tub with a nice hot bath, and a sat there til every finger and toe was as wrinkly as a raisin. Then I got out and gave myself a mini-pedicure and manicure. (I used to be a cosmetologist way back in the day, so it isn't too hard)

I then got dressed had some lunch and checked my email- lots of birthday messages ~ YEAH!!!
My girls came home from school, so I spent some time with them, getting their school week stuff wrapped up, and their bags packed for grandma's house....
Then we finished up all our chores.
Off to grandma's house we went. The girls are going to spend the night, play art, lounge and get spoiled!
Mark and I headed off to dinner at the steak house. We had such a great dinner. It was delicious! I had a steak and baked potato, and Mark had baby back ribs, and garlic fries, we even got an appetizer- yummy mozzarella sticks. We were SO full we couldn't think about eating desert, but because it was my birthday, my desert was on the house, so the waitress sent a slice of New York cheesecake home with me for later, with a sparkler candle!
Off to the movie we went!

Because we live in such a small area, there is not a lot of variety, and most of what was playing was horror flicks- I don't like them- I am not scared by them, I just think they are dumb, and a waste of time. I know- not a popular opinion, but it's my birthday, and I can't say what I want!
So- we could see either, Mall Cop, or Confessions of a Shopaholic. I chose Shopaholic.
It was definitely a chic flick, but it was funny, and cute. I enjoyed the movie.
When we came home, we happened to check the TV for the current temp, and noticed that the movie Penelope was just about to start in about 10 minutes. This is a movie we both have wanted to see, and never had a chance. So we snuggled down together and watched yet another great movie! It was so good. I didn't realized what a great movie Penelope is. It is a perfect family movie. I highly recommend it.
By the time the movie was over, it was awfully late, so sleepy time it was!
My birthday did not end on Friday though- No sir-re!!!
The kids are still at Grandma's!!!!
So Mark let me spend the whole day Saturday playing with Art stuff!
I painted a little, I drew a little, I did some journaling, stamping, beading, sewing, and I even did some photo editting and checked my email.
I played on facebook, and Ning.
I even took a little nap! It was glorious!
Ah! I love my birthday :0)

My Birthday/Blogaversary!

Today is my 35th Birthday and my 1 yr blog anniversary!
SO~
In celebration of my two big events. I am giving away a massive Priority box full of Mixed Media goodies!!!!
This will be a prize to be had. I can tell you that each day there will be items added to the box, and this box will be sent to anyone no matter where in the world they are from, whether they are a blogger or not! So sign up! To do so, just leave your name, and some way for me to contact you in a comment to this post only, and one month from today I will draw a winner from the list of names, and that person will get the enormous box of mixed media goodies!
Now- just to sweeten the "pot" so to speak randomly throughout the month whenever I am feeling giddy I will be picking a name haphazardly and sending that person a goody or two- you will receive a message in your email asking for your snail mail address, and you will be surprised as to what comes your way. So sign up early, your chances of getting picked throughout the month will be that much greater!
So help me celebrate my special milestones! Share this post with all your friends! Post a link on your blog, and enter your name in twice :0)
(to add a post just click on the word "comments" at the end of all the tag words at the very end of this post, and it will take you to a pop-up window to leave your comment. It is in green.)
If you post as "anonymous" you must leave me your name AND your email address, or I will have no way to contact you :( If you are not comfortable leaving the email online- you can email it to me- my email link button is listed in the left column if you click on "view my complete profile" Thanks!

Feast or Famine

Well,
I know I don't blog out of obligation, but I feel like I have left you all hanging for quite awhile. I just haven't been doing much with my blog, yet I have been creating. I have just felt rather overwhelmed, and just didn't feel like I could catch my breath much less take the time to post regularly. So here is going to be a huge long post with tons of pictures of what I have been doing. Down at the bottom will be some sketches in progress, and ones that I have done just for fun, that I have been doing to practice my face structure and placement. I WELCOME any critique or suggestion, as I have only been sketching for a few months, and am picking this up on my own, and am by no means a seasoned artist. Many of these are in progress, and I feel I am "stuck" as to where to go next. I think you will see what I mean as you view them.

Here at the top is my first comfort doll- created for a Paper Traders swap, it is going to a special lady, who has been through many trials this past year, and was completely done by hand. Not one machine stitch! I purchase hand-dyed batiks for the materials, and hand-beaded the body of the doll. Then stamped the face, and beaded around it with two different tones of purple beads. (hard to see the different colors in the picture) Once I got all that done, I was able to sew the body shape together and stuff her. I then beaded her arms, and added a teapot for her to hold. I sewed some cream and gold ribbon around the seam where the front and back meet, to give it a sparkly edge, and to cover the stitching, and then gave her some keys for legs. Added a filigree heart for a pocket, and a special little poem inside.
It sounds quite simple, but I worked on it for 2 weeks straight. (I know I am kind of slow)
The next project is a Tip-In Round Robin page that I did for a friend (also a Paper Traders swap) the topic was the Romance of Train Travel. I have to say this was not an easy topic for me and the first couple of cracks at it Did Not turn out well at all, so I was way behind at getting this done! I am lucky that she was patient, and kind enough to wait for me to get my act together. I decided to go a totally different route, and I was so glad I followed my muse, because I am so happy with the results. I ended up using a really mucky painted background, but I think it really added to the aged look of the pages.
The sign in was to be a train ticket, so there is a picture of that as well. It ended up being a fun project once I got my head around it.


Ok~
Here are my sketchings. (click on the pictures to see the details) If you have any comments please feel free to express them. I welcome any help, as I am learning, and need so much guidance right now, so that I can progress and grow. Thanks so much!!!
~Letha

New giveaways from Lisa Vollrath

Lisa Vollrath is doing it again!
Her kind heart is getting the better of her, and she is giving away free images from now until St. Patrick's Day. Don't delay, download them now. The link is to your right, under my tab: Fun Stuff!
You can also check out her other sites, where you can buy her awesome collage sheets and other fantastic products in her store, check out her website, her etsy shop, art gallery, creative booster- Go make something, and the most lovely "world according to Lisa" a must read!