Mini Side Craft

I don't know if any other book lovers will agree with me on this, but you can't have too many bookmarks it seems. For me there is always an image or a quote that really catches me and I just have to have it. So a few days ago when I got this bookmark shaped inset in the mail, I just had to spruce it up!

Not only are there TWO beautiful tigers on it, the quote on the back, to me, says it all. I brought out my trusty lamination machine and laminated it so it would have that extra thickness, and last longer. Sanded the corners smooth after trimming it and punched a hole in it for the tassel. I LOVE making tassels and this is only the third tassel I have every made. There are several good directions out there for making tassels, I used this one: here ; for the most part.
Of course I have a different assortment of beads and threw a few on there as well, I didn't have a tiger shaped bead so I settled for the rhino. It was that or a giraffe, :D

I would love to make lots of bookmarks, but with everyone going digital (and yes I own a Nook, so I'm guilty as well), I don't know if it's worth trying to sell them.

Lastly, an update on the buck:

I can't decide on the eye...do I want to color it dark blue or your basic normal brown? Decisions, decisions...

Some Statues And A Nursery

There is a plant nursery down the road from my Dad's house, and I use to love going there just to look at all the statues they would have there. So one hot, mosquito filled morning I went down there to see how much it had changed like everything else.

This was set up in the middle of the parking lot on display, it was on sale for $4899 :D It is amazing to look at though. The mosquitoes were pretty bad there with all the water from both them watering plants and the water fountains. So I didn't stay long, I wasn't fond of being turned into a buffet table.

I thought this passion flower was absolutely crazy!

The local library had some art work outside as well..

Can't forget the mushrooms...they were -everywhere-.

That was my 'vacation', not very exciting but good enough for me. :)

Purple Progress

I feel horrible that I haven't posted any art (or done any for that matter) since February! I keep telling myself and anyone else for that matter that it's what I want to focus on the most in my life. Yet I either don't set time aside for it or when I do have the time, I don't have the drive. So with that spewed out, here is what it on the drawing table at the moment:

If you're wondering if I know what color animals are suppose to be, the answer is no. :D I also like how my scanner seemed to stripe some of my layering out -.- This special coloration in the works is brought to you from inspiration from a game I was playing. It has this creature in it that is based off a deer but isn't a deer...and is this awesome purple color. Purple is a nice color anyway, I challenge anyone who reads this to go draw and color something purple!

On The Trail Again

I went back a second time to the trail, determined to walk more of it this time. One way and back I did two miles this time. Of course the mushrooms were still in full force...

The egrets were doing their water thing..

The rabbits will always be about..

I had no idea what to make of this plant other then "pretty!" when I saw it. Now I know it is a Callicarpa bush..

No deer sightings this time, but they did leave a mark..

I love dead trees, and the random bird I didn't notice till three shots in :)

I love how I was seeing things I had never noticed when I lived there. Like this flower that I still can't find a name to put to it..

Down The Trail

Even though there is a lot of humanly intruding on nature more and more these days, we have thankfully set aside places that it can still exist. The trails there run through a few parks, connecting them together if you were to walk all twelve miles of the trail. Seabrook Texas is a bird sanctuary with a pelican release program that, when they get an injured pelican and go to put them back in the wild, this is where they do it. These are just a few things I saw my first day I went down the trail and only went half a mile one way.

Of course with LOTS of rain comes my favorite photo shoot pieces...the mushrooms!

There was a little hill off the path that at the top, someone had laid corn down for the animals to come snack on. Never seen these two animals together before...

After I turned around and was coming back down, I thought I would be clever and sneak up the hill to see if the little critters and birds came back. I got something much more this time around..

I swear we both stood there for a good minute or three just staring at each other without moving. Then I realized I should try to bring the camera up for a shot, she was only about ten, fifteen feet away from me and it was literally breath taking!

Wordless Wendsday

Right In The Backyard

I didn't really go anywhere while I was in Texas, between the rain and extreme temperatures it made it hard to want to. That didn't mean I lacked things to take pictures of, there was all kinds of things right there under the nose.

There were a few things just right there in the backyard..

Like the snail hanging out on the underside of this Iris.

The bay is right down the road from where I was staying and of course it has some flowers too.

Here is a lesson for the day, when I was taking pictures down at the bay I wasn't paying attention to where I was standing. After I took this next picture, I learned very quickly to mind my footing as I discovered I was standing in a fire ant bed.

Since I was at the bay, which is salt water, I hurriedly got my shoes and socks off and ran straight into the water. Figured I might as well take pictures while I was standing there too.

I'm sure if someone was standing on my home, I would do what I could to get them off, but please be careful when you go out, and mind those that were there before you :)